101 Chapter 989: I Didn't See Anything (Part 4)

Namgung Dowi wasn't the only unfamiliar face present at the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's meeting.

'Is it really okay for me to be here?'

Jao Gae awkwardly scratched the back of his head. The reason he had come this far was quite simple. First, he had declared that he would leave on his own, and he couldn't return to the Beggar's Union like this, and just standing around in that place didn't seem like a good idea either.

So he planned to stay here for a while, blend in, and discreetly find a way to leave when the opportunity arose. That was the plan at least until he received a courier this morning.

The courier had a simple message written on it: 'Stick around there.' It was accompanied by the proud seal of the Beggar's Union.

'Damn.'

Jao Gae cursed under his breath.

'Bastard who's lying in a sickbed is quick to respond.'

Of course, he was no longer a member of the Beggar's Union, but he couldn't disregard his superior's orders entirely. In the Beggar's Union, it was a fundamental rule that one must renounce martial arts to leave. Even if he intended to return subtly later, for now, he had to lie flat on the ground.

That much was acceptable. Although it was awkward, it was a reasonable thing to do.

The real problem was what came next.

'So why am I here?'

Wasn't this the place where the Heavenly Comrade Alliance held its meetings? Why on earth was he sitting here, not belonging to the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and no longer belonging to the Beggar's Union?

He had simply come when the Sect Leader called him and sat down as instructed. Several people followed him inside, and it turned into this situation.

What was even stranger was that none of the powerful figures here found his presence odd.

'Is this really okay?'

Wasn't this the Heavenly Comrade Alliance? The Heavenly Comrade Alliance!

One of the top four, no top three most influential powerhouses in Kangho, it was the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Was it really acceptable for their meetings to proceed in this manner?

"The first thing we need to check is..."

At that moment, Hyun Jong spoke up. Jao Gae cleared his mind for the time being and listened to his words attentively.

"The issue we need to address first is the situation with what the Ten Great Sects by the Yangtze River are doing right now."

That's right. Jao Gae nodded his head without realizing it. Starting by confirming the recent interactions with the Ten Great Sects seemed reasonable. The Mount Hua Sect's leaders had certainly been quite persistent.

"Um, does anyone here happen to have information on that?"

...

...

A strange silence fell over the assembly. Every time Hyun Jong cast his gaze, people either averted their eyes or gave an innocent look that seemed to say, 'I don't know anything!'

"Is there really no one?"

"Ahem."

Tang Gunak cleared his throat with a flushed face.

"Bangjang has turned us away so resolutely that it's not easy to approach the riverside for further investigation."

...

"But..."

At this point, Jao Gae's mind went utterly blank. Typically, the meetings of the Ten Great Sects had a certain decorum. Regardless of the agenda, they maintained their dignity and concealed their true intentions beneath courteous words. Wasn't the meeting of the Ten Great Sects conducted like that?

But this meeting seemed somewhat...

'Rough, I suppose, or maybe I should say, human.'

'No, perhaps it could be both. It could mean it appears both human and rough.'

"So, we don't know anything about what the Ten Great Sects are currently doing?"

"Should we send someone to investigate now?"

"But, wouldn't that be a bit awkward?"

"It would be, but..."

This was a conversation between Hyun Jong and Tang Gunak, the leaders of the Ten Great Sects that had turned the entire Kangho upside down.

'Is it really okay here?'

While he was busy commanding the advance to Plum Blossom Island, Hyun Jong undoubtedly had Jao Gae, who had been through all kinds of hardship, even questioning his own feelings.

At that moment, Chung Myung, who had been cheerfully stepping on Im Sobyeong, turned his head.

"Why are we having such a discussion amongst ourselves when there's a beggar over there?"

As soon as Chung Myung finished speaking, all eyes turned toward Jao Gae in unison.

Receiving piercing yet fiery gazes, Jao Gae cleared his throat as if hearing a bell ring.

"But didn't he leave the Beggar's Sect?"

When Baek Cheon brought up the topic, Chung Myung let out a chuckle.

"Leaving Beggar's Union?"

"I heard something like that."

"But why have beggars been lurking around here even before the sun rises?"

"Huh?"

Chung Myung tilted his head from side to side.

"I thought they came from Beggar's Union to provide us with information... but were they actually here to gather our information, perhaps?"

Chung Myung gazed intently at Jao Gae while flashing a bright smile.

"That's not it, right?"

"..."

Jao Gae's body trembled.

'Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.'

Naturally, the sect that knew Chung Myung best throughout the realm was Mount Hua. However, the place where Chung Myung was most infamous in the realm was not Mount Hua but the Beggar's Union.

How many years as it been since the beggars in working with Mount Hua poured out their frustration and grief, making beggars from all over the realm shed tears?

Cold sweat soaked Jao Gae's back.

'What did that Hong Daegwang guy say?'

A demon disguised as a Taoist? The leader of the Evil Sect who had accidentally joined the wrong side? If had had committed himself to the Evil Sect, he would become a legendary figure who would have been talked about for five hundred years but chose the wrong sect and ended up blooming flowers with swords. Was that it?

'Why is there no response?'

Among these, what remained most vividly in Jao Gae's memory was this:

- That guy doesn't respect the elderly; he attacks them. He doesn't discriminate between men and women; he goes after people of all ages. Don't worry about losing face and then regret it later, just take care of yourself.

At that moment, Jao Gae realized what he should say.

"Listen, Sohyup." [another polite title]

"...Yes?"

He looked at Chung Myung solemnly and spoke.

"Even though I'm not affiliated right now, I was once an elder in the Beggar's Union. Leaving a sect doesn't mean you lose your affiliations. I used to be an elder in the Beggar's Union, and you are a third-class disciple from Mount Hua, right?"

Chung Myung tilted his head from side to side.

"You're right. So?"

"So!"

Jao Gae's eyes emitted a deep blue light.

"I know a lot. Ask me anything! I'll tell you everything!"

"...."

Pride is a luxury for beggars.

"Currently, the Ten Great Sects have not withdrawn from the banks of the Yangtze River."

"...Why is that?"

"Well, it's a bit complicated."

Jao Gae scratched his head thoughtfully.

"There are many reasons, but the two main ones seem to be as follows. First, the fact that the Su Lo Chae and Myriad Man Manor have not retreated yet. Su Lo Chae still maintains a presence on the Yangtze River, and the Myriad Man Manor disciples have descended downstream but have established a stronghold on the riverbank. They act as if they can move north at any time."

"I see."

Hyun Jong nodded heavily.

"So, the Shaolin Sect won't easily withdraw either. The effect of the Yangtze River treaty hasn't fully expired yet, so they can't move south, but if they just sit idly, the Myriad Man Manor might advance north, right?"

Upon hearing this, Chung Myung chuckled.

"Indeed, they're quite tenacious."

It's best to treat wounds as quickly as possible, whether they are physical or emotional wounds. Untreated wounds have a way of festering and leaving deep scars.

It seems that Jang Ilso intends to further entangle the Shaolin Sect. They want their wounds to fester a bit more on the riverbank.

"Secondly, they have no reason to retreat."

"You mentioned a reason?"

"Yes, My Lord. This is... well, I'm not sure if it's something I can share, but the leader of the Shaolin Sect..."

"Bangjang?"

When Chung Myung's eyes started to narrow again, Jao Gae quickly changed his rooms.

"Bangjang..."

Chung Myung nodded with a satisfied expression.

"Well, Bangjang issued a call to the entire Ten Great Sects before coming here, but the response was rather limited."

"That's true. Didn't they seek our help too?"

"It means that their authority has declined significantly. But in a situation like this, if they were to go all the way to the Yangtze River and return to Shaolin without achieving anything... Or rather, without doing anything at all, what would become of their reputation?"

"Hmm."

Jao Gae spoke with a bitter face.

"Shaolin may no longer be able to claim the title of the 'North Star' of the Ten Great Sects. Traditionally, a leader can only claim that title when they have the strength to back it up."

"I understand what you're saying."

Jao Gae nodded to Hyun Jong.

"Perhaps the Ten Great Sects won't be able to leave this riverside until the Myriad Man Manor withdraws. By now, the Peng Family must have joined the fray, so that's even more likely."

"Hmm."

Hyun Jong let out a sigh. The battle may be over, but it seemed that the war was far from finished.

"Thank you, Jao Gae."

"No, in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, I've heard that everyone should earn their keep. I should pay my way too."

Jao Gae smiled and fell silent, as if his role had come to an end.

Hyun Jong turned to Tang Gunak.

"Tang Family Lord."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

"What should we do now?"

Tang Gunak pondered for a moment, stroking his chin, before speaking.

"Actually, we don't have much of a choice right now."

"Yes? What do you mean by that?"

"There are too many critically wounded individuals in the Namgung Family. We've barely achieved stability, and if we rush into action, wounds will reopen and worsen. At that point, even the presence of a miracle physician won't save them."

"I see..."

"At the very least, our Tang Family must treat them here. That means it will be difficult to move for at least four days. So, for now, we should focus on treating the patients and observe the situation slowly."

Hyun Jong nodded emphatically.

"Thank you for your advice."

"You're welcome."

Hyun Jong looked at the others.

"From the beginning, our purpose for coming to Plum Blossom Island was to rescue the Namgung Family. Until they can move on their own, let's stay here."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

"But!"

Hyun Jong narrowed his eyes, and his gaze was directed at only one person.

"You absolutely must not leave this estate, do you understand?"

"Why?"

"Why? You're asking why? With the Ten Great Sects right in front of us, if you step outside, what do you think will happen? You better stay put!"

"I'm not a kid..."

Chung Myung grumbled, and everyone who knew him well couldn't help but smile.

"At least a kid is better."

"Yeah, a kid or not."

"At least a kid wouldn't stick a sword in a monk's head."

"But what about these guys?"

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung as if unimpressed, then turned to Baek Cheon. His gaze, once stern, softened immediately.

"Wow! Look at you, being all discriminative with your eyes!"

"Shut up, you brat!"

Hyun Jong's eyes displayed another dramatic change, and he earnestly instructed Baek Cheon.

"Make sure this rascal doesn't leave the estate."

"Well... you should assign Yoo Samae, Baek Sang, Yoon Jong, Jo Gol, and Tang Soso to watch over him."

"And add Un Geom to that list."

"That should be manageable."

"No, I'm not going!"

"You're being too noisy!"

Chung Myung's mouth protruded even further in protest. Hyun Jong, who had just seen him with a gaze of extreme disapproval, cleared his throat and composed himself.

"And next..."

This time, Hyun Jong's gaze fell on Namgung Dowi.

Namgung Dowi, who had been observing Chung Myung's pitiful appearance with a bewildered expression, immediately straightened up.

Finally, the most important words came from Hyun Jong's mouth.

"We need to discuss the Namgung Family's membership in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance."

Fueled by tension coursing through his entire body, Namgung Dowi swallowed hard.