Chapter 437: A Great Man, or Not.
Jang San asked as he lightly knocked on the door.
“Young Master Mong, are you ready?”
“I’ll be out shortly.”
“Yes.”
When the Lust Demon appeared fully dressed, Jang San looked him up and down and said,
“You always keep your clothes neat and tidy.”
The Lust Demon nodded.
“That is the difference between me and the Hao Sect Leader. Cleanliness.”
“As expected, I imagine you were more popular than the Sect Leader.”
The Lust Demon, who had been checking the set of his clothes, looked at Jang San.
“Martial Artist Jang, that sounded somewhat sarcastic just now.”
“It was not.”
“Naturally, I would be more popular, would I not?”
“It isn’t exactly natural. The Sect Leader is a handsome man as well.”
“How could that be?”
“In my memory, he is handsome. He simply had not washed his hair for several days. His clothes were somewhat filthy too. It was to the point where I would not have doubted it if someone said he was an expert of the Beggars’ Sect.”
“In the middle of a war, that is how one ought to live.”
Jang San asked with a surprised expression.
“Ah, then does he normally live as cleanly as you do, Young Master?”
The Lust Demon answered in an indifferent tone.
“No, that bastard is always in the middle of a war. I guarantee it.”
“Yes.”
“Even now, he is probably grinning while tormenting someone or beating them up. I can guarantee it. In any case, where are we looking around today? I think I have seen most of the Murim Alliance by now.”
“Today, it is Yongmu Hall.”
“Who has come?”
Jang San tilted his head.
“I only received the message. Perhaps there are people who have been invited to the martial duel.”
“It truly is a private duel, then. To the point that even who has arrived is unknown.”
As they walked side by side, Jang San asked,
“Is there any expert who concerns you? For instance, the senior Emperors.”
“Not particularly. The one thing that concerns me is that the method is a duel.”
Jang San nodded, then said,
“Even so, people should not be dying in the Alliance Leader’s martial duel. There are probably those who, like you, Young Master Mong, consider themselves stronger in real combat.”
“In truth, I am worried about the duel as well, but.”
The Lust Demon stopped walking for a moment and looked around the Murim Alliance.
“I keep getting the feeling—what if I really end up winning against everyone?”
Jang San replied with a bewildered expression.
“If you win against everyone? Then naturally, you would be the new Alliance Leader……”
The Lust Demon asked Jang San,
“Martial Artist Jang, do you truly think I suit the position of Alliance Leader? You must have heard the rumors about me as well. As for how the alliance members think of me, you would know better than Alliance Leader Im.”
Jang San smiled faintly.
“Is that what worries you? That the alliance members might speak ill of you, Young Master Mong. Or that your reputation is poor.”
“It is the righteous path, after all.”
After clearing his throat, Jang San continued.
“Young Master Mong, as you know.”
“……”
“I was a mountain bandit.”
“I forgot.”
The Lust Demon stared silently at Jang San, who had once been a mountain bandit of the Southern Peak Green Forest Alliance. Jang San continued.
“The fact that I was a mountain bandit does not change. If there had been many seniors in the Murim Alliance who persistently tormented me over my origins, it would have been difficult for me to adjust as well.”
“Were there any?”
“It was merely at the level of teasing. Things like saying I ate a little more than others. And even if there had been seniors who tormented me because I came from a bandit background, I would have simply endured it. Of this, I can be certain. I intended to bear it.”
“Why?”
Jang San said,
“Because running away just because things are a little difficult is not what a great man does.”
The Lust Demon recalled the time he had met Jang San before.
“Ah, perhaps those words came from what the Third told you.”
“Yes.”
“It seems you lived while keeping those words in your heart.”
“I did. When I was a mountain bandit, and even when I first came here, the hardest thing was distinguishing what was right and what was wrong. Even the most basic things confused me. It was because I had learned nothing. Each time that happened, I thought only of whether acting this way was what a great man would do or not.”
“Did it help?”
Jang San smiled.
“Of course. Let us go, Young Master Mong.”
The two walked again as they conversed.
“Unexpectedly, the hardest thing after coming to the Murim Alliance was learning letters.”
“Letters?”
“Yes, because I had to memorize secret passwords and read orders. Strangely, when there were many written characters, my head would grow dizzy. I actually preferred the grueling training sessions that my seniors found burdensome.”
“You seem fine now. How did you overcome it?”
“When I was at Southern Peak, I often heard this said: that if a man learned to read, it would become difficult for him to do his duty as a man. Is that true?”
“Of course not.”
“After coming to the Murim Alliance and thinking about it again and again, I realized it had been so that they could use us more easily if we remained stupid. They had deliberately kept us from learning letters. That is why most of us were completely illiterate, like me. One day, when I thought that this was the reason I became dizzy whenever I looked at writing, rage welled up inside me.”
“So that is how you overcame it. After understanding the situation, rage welled up in you.”
“Yes. Now, I no longer grow dizzy.”
The two arrived in front of Yongmu Hall and stopped. It was easy to tell that there were people inside.
Before opening the door, Jang San said,
“Young Master Mong, I am somewhat sorry to say this, but.”
“Say it.”
“Among the alliance members, there are many second sons or youngest sons. Prestigious clans or martial families do not send their heirs to become alliance members.”
“Mm.”
“But there are also sometimes eldest sons. Do you know what that means in such cases?”
The Lust Demon felt he knew the answer.
“A family on the verge of collapse? Or perhaps they have to act as the head of the household and earn money.”
“That is correct. But whether their families are good or bad, they are all the Alliance Leader’s subordinates. And the Alliance Leader is not one to concern himself with such things.”
The Lust Demon stared silently at the entrance of Yongmu Hall.
For some reason, the words the Third had supposedly said to Jang San kept circling in his mind. It was as if an arrow that had left the bowstring had wandered somewhere for a long while, only now finding its target and lodging itself there.
Unfortunately, that target was the Lust Demon’s heart.
‘Damn it…….’
Jang San asked the Lust Demon,
“Young Master Meng, shall we enter?”
When Saekma nodded, Jangsan knocked on the entrance of the Yongmugwan.
“I am Jangsan of the Nine Swords Squad. I have escorted Young Master Meng here.”
“Enter.”
The two entered the Yongmugwan.
As soon as Saekma entered the Yongmugwan, he noticed familiar faces and felt a pang in his chest.
Im Sobaek was in the center, and among the guests were the Gungeomwang of the Baili Clan and the Great Young Master, Baili Han.
The Gungeomwang spoke to Saekma in a flat tone.
“It was you. Has Master come as well?”
Saekma answered.
“Master did not come this time.”
The Gungeomwang looked at Im Sobaek.
“Then is Meng Lang the opponent for the Alliance Lord Martial Contest against the Baili Clan?”
Im Sobaek looked at the Gungeomwang and answered.
“He has already earned one victory against a disciple of Singeuk, so his skill is not lacking.”
The Gungeomwang spoke as if disappointed.
“If only the Sword Demon had come.”
Im Sobaek spoke to Saekma and Jangsan, who were standing.
“Come here and sit comfortably.”
“Yes.”
Im Sobaek looked around at the gathered people and spoke.
“Truthfully, I personally wrote the letters sent to those I invited. I told some not to come. I told some places to send their successors. But I told the Baili Clan to send both the family head and the successor.”
The Gungeomwang asked.
“Who did you tell not to come?”
“The old kings far older than I. If they came, there would be no need for me to retire. If they ignored the warning and came, I intended to face them personally in the Alliance Lord Martial Contest.”
The Gungeomwang asked back with a bewildered expression.
“Then what about me?”
Im Sobaek answered.
“You are one of the suitable candidates for Alliance Lord that I have in mind.”
The Gungeomwang looked at Saekma.
“Hmph, young Meng Lang as well?”
Im Sobaek spoke.
“Indeed. Meng Lang is also one of the suitable candidates for Alliance Lord. However, as I wrote in the letter this time, there is meaning in a generational change. Baili Han.”
The Great Young Master Baili Han answered.
“Yes, Alliance Lord.”
“It would be fine if a new Alliance Lord emerged from your generation. That is why I told you to come together.”
“Yes.”
Im Sobaek made the Baili Clan worry with his cryptic words.
“It is a closed-door martial contest with limited participants. It is fine if the Gungeomwang and Meng Lang compete, or if the Great Young Master Baili Han and Meng Lang compete. However, the losing side cannot advance. The Gungeomwang is a king whose active period overlaps with mine, but he is a man with sufficient qualifications to be Alliance Lord, so I invited him unlike the others. He is also young. Baili Han, if you have already inherited your father’s martial arts and possess the qualifications to become the next generation’s Sword King, there is no harm in you stepping forward.”
The Gungeomwang and Baili Han looked at Saekma again.
The Gungeomwang was utterly lost in thought. Silence passed before the Gungeomwang opened his mouth.
“Who else did you invite?”
Im Sobaek answered.
“The Namgung Clan is in seclusion, so I did not invite them. The Fist King retired due to injuries sustained fighting the Demonic Cult. Yi Gun-ak inherited the title of Fist King, but he sent a reply saying he had no interest whatsoever in the position of Alliance Lord. He said he would not be active outside for several years while serving.”
“What of the Ximen Clan?”
“The Ximen Clan refused. They sent word that since they lost the epithet ‘Martial Emperor,’ they were not qualified. They said they would not even send the Great Young Master.”
“What of the Blade King?”
“That man cannot be found. Even if he were found, he is not one to become Alliance Lord, so I did not consider him at all. I also have no intention of entrusting it to a single-minded martial artist.”
The Gungeomwang looked at Saekma, then asked Im Sobaek again.
“……What of the Haomun Leader?”
“The same as the Blade King. Not only is it difficult to ascertain his whereabouts, but unless he is captured and forced onto the seat, he will not become Alliance Lord. Leave him be.”
The Gungeomwang sighed.
“Are there not too few opponents of my generation?”
Im Sobaek spoke.
“The Sword Saint’s side also sent word that they would send a successor, so he probably won’t be very young. And of course, Murim Alliance members will also participate. Naturally, I must give them a chance as well.”
“Who is participating?”
“First and foremost, Chief Strategist Gongsun Wol.”
“Oh?”
Not only Saekma, but everyone from the Baili Clan also showed surprised expressions.
The Gungeomwang asked.
“Pardon my words, but is the Chief Strategist that strong?”
“There is nothing to apologize for. Gongsun Wol is the only disciple of the previous Chief Strategist, and most alliance members are no match for him. Within the Sword Division, only the First Seat can properly face him. Squad leaders and branch lords also used to spar frequently in the past, but now, perhaps to save face, they do not accept the Chief Strategist’s challenges.”
“That is unexpected news.”
Im Sobaek spoke in a flat tone.
“Did you think I entrusted the position of Chief Strategist to Gongsun Wol because I am the adopted daughter of the previous Chief Strategist? Even going by skill alone, he was suitable for the position of Chief Strategist. You know the symbolic significance of the Sword Division, do you not? If I had not entrusted him with Chief Strategist, I would have entrusted him with the position of Sword Division Leader.”
Im Sobaek knew one more reason why Gongsun Wol had to be strong, but there was no need to tell them. The sole descendant of the former Supreme of the martial world had already forcibly undergone the opening of the Conception Vessel and the Hair-Cutting and Marrow-Cleansing from a young age, and had consumed many elixirs that were difficult to obtain.
The Gungeomwang let out a deep breath.
“To think I must participate in the Alliance Lord Martial Contest where Gongsun Wol and Meng Lang will appear.”
Only then did the Gungeomwang, who had completely understood this Alliance Lord Martial Contest, ask Im Sobaek.
“If I step forward, will you be my opponent?”
Im Sobaek smiled slightly.
“I told you no. Why do you doubt?”
“Alliance Lord Im, I say this because you do not seem like you would lose to me. I mean when you said you would personally face the old men according to the rules you established this time.”
Im Sobaek spoke.
“Do you think I would lose to any of the kings? From the very beginning, I have never once thought of losing to the kings. I am not looking down on you. The opponent I have always thought of was the Cult Leader.”
The Gungeomwang, unable to make a decision in his heart, asked his eldest son.
“What do you think?”
Baili Han answered.
“I will face Young Master Meng first. Father, please challenge Alliance Lord Im.”
“Must you? The reason.”
Baili Han looked at Saekma.
“Would that not be proper? Since Hyeok was miserably defeated before, it is right that I challenge him.”
The Gungeomwang examined Saekma from head to toe and then spoke to his son.
“But Meng Lang has become much stronger than before.”
Baili Han answered.
“I understand. If we lose, we will have no choice but to return and train further. I believe that is Alliance Leader Im’s plan, or perhaps the meaning of this sparring tournament.”
Im Sobaek smiled faintly.
“Correct.”
This time, the Sword King asked the Lust Demon for his opinion.
“What do you think?”
The Lust Demon looked over the expressions of those gathered before answering.
“Please do not misunderstand. My thought is…”
“Speak freely.”
“After facing the Eldest Young Master, I will challenge Senior Sword King.”
The Sword King widened his eyes, and Im Sobaek also stared silently at the Lust Demon.
The Sword King asked,
“Why?”
The Lust Demon said,
“Because Alliance Leader Im was thinking of retiring. Since I am not facing an enemy, I may take part in the bout. When else would I ever get to face the Sword King?”
The Sword King raised a hand slightly, expressing his doubt.
“What I mean is, whether you win or lose after facing me, you will be at a disadvantage in the bouts that follow.”
The Lust Demon said,
“I will do my utmost here. And no matter whom I lose to, I will return home and train again.”
Im Sobaek asked,
“You mean Baegeungji?”
The Lust Demon smiled slightly.
“I mean Ilyang County.”
He felt that one’s hometown was not the place where one was born, but the place where one’s heart remained. Suddenly, the Lust Demon met Jangsan’s eyes, and the two of them smiled faintly at the same time.
Jangsan, in no position to speak rashly, had only been watching in silence, but it was not difficult for him to tell that everyone gathered here was the kind of great man the Hao Clan Leader had spoken of.