Chapter 442: A Breeze Is Blowing.
“By the way, if I had killed King Eunpyeong, I wouldn’t have found this safe house.”
King Eunpyeong looked at me.
“That is correct.”
I looked at King Geumsan.
“The Hao Sect Leader of the west and King Geumsan of the east both overestimated themselves. I hear people say I’m rich, but my personal fortune amounts to a single inn. If you can stake everything the Hao Sect has against everything you have in a duel, I’ll acknowledge you. What do you say?”
Naturally, King Geumsan did not answer.
“You can’t? Then, naturally, I’ll have to establish the Eastern Alliance.”
King Geumsan looked around at the masters he had invited, as though begging for help. They were all silent.
A slight sigh escaped me.
“You won’t get off with just being shaved bald. In truth, haven’t you had more than enough time to avoid me until now?”
“…….”
Everyone looked at me.
“I arrived here very slowly. I started in the west as a waiter, after all. I never came quickly, not once. I rolled around, flew here and there, fell off cliffs, climbed back up, and only barely made it here after crossing countless brushes with death. If you had ever felt regret or reflected even once while pouring money into the Life-and-Death Society, you wouldn’t have met me. You met me because you racked your brains trying to protect your wealth by any means necessary. It’s too late now. I arrived at a crawl, but I have already become an iron turtle.”
After rambling and sorting out my thoughts, I said to King Geumsan,
“First, I will cripple your internal energy and martial arts. For the crime of twisting even my past deeds into an insult. If you don’t like that, then stake everything in a duel like a proper man of the jianghu.”
King Geumsan spoke in an urgent tone.
“I request a proxy duel for ten thousand taels. I will pay regardless of victory or defeat. Is there no one?”
The Number One of Fujian snorted.
“You do it, you lunatic.”
Suddenly, Dongrima opened his mouth.
“He is not an opponent I can defeat, but I will offer this life to Eldest Senior Brother.”
I said to the approaching Dongrima,
“If you lose, I intend to kill King Geumsan as well. I may not be able to recover all his wealth, but I can start the Eastern Alliance on a small scale. It doesn’t matter if the beginning is humble.”
At the words that I would even kill King Geumsan, Dongrima asked King Eunpyeong,
“Senior Brother Eun, what should I do?”
King Eunpyeong answered.
“The leader of the Life-and-Death Society is already dead, and State Preceptor Yeon has also been defeated. The Demon Marquis and the Life-and-Death Guest you know are the same. No one could face him. What matters is that no one was able to fight him properly. I know your loyalty. For now, restrain yourself. Go outside and wait. Senior Brother and I will discuss this with the Sect Leader.”
“Understood.”
Dongrima let out a sigh and left the main hall just like that.
King Eunpyeong said to King Geumsan,
“Senior Brother is no different from the leader of the Life-and-Death Society by the Sect Leader’s standards. I told you it would be death or baldness. It has merely changed to death or having your martial arts crippled. There is no other choice. As Senior Brother said, your wealth will be used only to establish the Eastern Alliance.”
King Geumsan looked at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Sect Leader, there is something I wish to know.”
“Speak.”
“Why did the Three Calamities retire? Was that also related to you?”
I stared blankly at King Geumsan.
“It was. Now, even if the Three Calamities came at me together, they could not break my will. Does that answer your question? The reason I am even giving you this chance is because, when I was weak, the Three Calamities gave me a chance as well. The greater reason is because King Eunpyeong has not yet given up on you. Since clever people can fall into misunderstandings, I have no intention of bothering to hide my strength.”
I turned my palm toward the sky and unleashed palm force.
A pillar of fire shot up and blew away the roof of the safe house in its entirety, but not a single speck of dust fell due to the aftershock of the palm force that followed.
Soon, where the ceiling had been, the clear sky was visible.
“This much from one bowl of noodles. If I’d eaten pork bone broth, I would have pierced the heavens too.”
While everyone was looking up at the sky, I had already become the Alliance Leader of the Eastern Alliance.
“Now I will tell you the plan. King Eunpyeong.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“I appoint you as the Zhejiang Branch Head of the Eastern Alliance.”
King Eunpyeong showed proper courtesy.
“I accept the order.”
I could not predict how those remaining would react, but once my act as Alliance Leader had begun, it did not stop.
“Taewang.”
“Speak.”
“I intend to appoint you as the Branch Head overseeing Jiangsu.”
“Haha.”
Taewang suddenly laughed, his shoulders shaking. After pondering for a moment what he should do, he looked at me and nodded.
“Then I’ll take it on for now.”
“Good. First Sword of Mount Tai?”
The First Sword of Mount Tai pointed at himself with a finger.
“Then am I the Shandong Branch Head of the Eastern Alliance?”
I met the First Sword of Mount Tai’s eyes.
“Will you take it on?”
The First Sword of Mount Tai smiled faintly and nodded.
“If Senior Taewang takes a post, then I should take one too.”
I looked at the Blade Emperor, who seemed the strongest among them.
“What about you, Blade Emperor?”
The Blade Emperor spoke in an even tone.
“The entire Hebei Peng Clan will take on the role of the Eastern Alliance’s Hebei Branch. In truth, it won’t be much different from what we have already been doing. Only, when there is a matter too burdensome, the Alliance Leader will help, correct?”
I nodded.
“Of course I will help. What will you do, Yeongchunja?”
Yeongchunja looked around, then smacked his lips.
“I would like to challenge you once. Would that be too much?”
“If the chance arises, let’s have a bout on the way to the Western Martial Alliance.”
“Good. Then I will take Fujian.”
I clapped my hands once.
“Now! The Branch Heads of Fujian, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang have been decided. This is no small force. Let’s do it this way. Work should be done efficiently. There is no need to build the Eastern Alliance’s headquarters here right away. Why is that?”
The Number One of Fujian answered.
“Because you will have to settle matters with the Western Martial Alliance and launch the All-under-Heaven Alliance anyway.”
“Correct. If I win, the Western Martial Alliance will become the All-under-Heaven Alliance. So let us scrape together every bit of funding to establish the Eastern Alliance here, then set out for the Western Martial Alliance. Zhejiang Branch Head, can you prepare that?”
King Eunpyeong answered.
“I will take charge and gather as much funding as possible. There is also much hidden wealth, so it will take time. Though it will never happen, Sect Leader, what if you lose to the Western Martial Alliance Leader?”
“Ah, that won’t happen. It’s impossible. In truth, I don’t know who will appear as the next Alliance Leader after Senior Im either. King Eunpyeong.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“This safe house has a good location. Repair it as it is so that it can later be used as the Zhejiang Branch.”
“Understood.”
I rose and looked around at the executives who had newly joined the Eastern Alliance.
“Branch Leaders, once the funds are prepared here, will you invade the western Murim Alliance with me? I shall personally show them who the true alliance leader is.”
The branch leaders, who had been grinning as they watched my expression, each nodded.
“Let’s do that.”
“Sounds good.”
“That will be worth looking forward to.”
I nodded.
“Good. King Eunpyeong, escort our honored guests to the outer quarters. Bring the monk and the bald men from the noodle shop as well. One should sleep somewhere comfortable. I will speak with King Geumsan alone.”
“Understood. I will escort everyone to the detached residence outside. This way.”
Once everyone had risen and gone outside, only King Geumsan and I remained in the main hall.
I stared for a long while without a word at King Geumsan, who sat a short distance away.
King Geumsan was staring straight ahead as if his soul had left him.
No matter how hard he racked his brain, there would be no answer. Watching him like this, he even looked like a man contemplating whether to take his own life.
I am originally a talkative man, but while King Geumsan was agonizing, I did not open my mouth. It is only when a person meets such a moment that he can face his own true feelings honestly.
The one who broke the silence was the Mad Monk.
Holding his khakkhara, he entered the main hall and quietly sat down across from me. He had merely leaned the staff against the table, yet the entire hall rang heavily.
Only then did I speak.
“How were the noodles?”
The Mad Monk smiled faintly.
“As a Buddhist, I have come not to cling to the taste of food.”
“I see.”
“They were extremely tasteless.”
“That is unfortunate.”
“Unlike the others, Sect Leader, you ate them quite deliciously. What on earth is the matter?”
“In Ilyang County, I ate the tasteless food I made myself for a long time. Back then, I thought a meal was simply something to shove in when one was hungry. I never imagined that food could have a taste that would astonish a person.”
“What joy did you live for?”
“Fruit, at least, was always delicious. Though I could not eat much of it.”
“I, too, quite like fruit.”
“Only after eating food made by others did I learn that rice could taste excellent. So the world is this wide. Strangely enough, rice tastes good? At my house, that was unimaginable.”
The Mad Monk looked at me.
“Did they manufacture poison in the kitchen?”
“There was a time when I had to eat even that in order to survive.”
“It must have tasted worse than temple fare. In truth, on the day I first put liquor to my lips, I too learned that the world was far wider and subtler than I had expected. But at the noodle shop, I did not drink even a single cup.”
“Monks are not normally fond of liquor, after all.”
The drunken apostate monk who had finished the conversation up to that point looked at King Geumsan beside him.
“Are you King Geumsan?”
“I am.”
Looking at King Geumsan’s expression, the Mad Monk spoke in an emotionless tone.
“Shall I kill you? If you wish, I will do so. If your head bursts, the pain will only last an instant.”
King Geumsan’s eyes widened as he looked at me.
It seemed this bastard had a habit of begging others for his life whenever he was in danger of dying.
But if the Mad Monk said he would kill him, I had no intention of stopping him.
“Even I cannot stop the Master’s actions.”
Without any warning, the Mad Monk swung his left hand. King Geumsan raised his hand to block the palm force and was sent flying into the wall.
Boooooom!
I had expected someone of King Geumsan’s level to resist fairly well, but before I knew it, he was twitching with his face covered in blood.
The Mad Monk ordered him.
“I struck you moderately. Come back and sit down.”
King Geumsan, who had been gasping roughly for breath, looked outside the hall as if his instincts had kicked in. But from the start, the Mad Monk was close to the entrance, so there was no possibility of escape.
The Mad Monk said,
“A man who has barely even learned martial arts, killing people like that for a few coins. Is there any reason you should live? On the way here, the Sect Leader and I beat most men like you to death.”
King Geumsan, who had been about to sit in his own seat, could not bring himself to do so.
Instead, he knelt before the Mad Monk and said,
“Master, please spare me.”
The Mad Monk asked me,
“Sect Leader, what did you decide to do?”
“For now, we decided to take away his martial arts first.”
I intended to make him throw his assets into the Murim Alliance, and if there was no change of heart, lock him in the Alliance’s dungeon.
“That is right. I have no desire to shave this man’s head and take him around with me.”
When the Mad Monk stretched out his hand, he was suddenly gripping King Geumsan’s hair.
To my eyes, it looked as though flames were contained in the Mad Monk’s gaze.
“Will you die as you are, or shall I take away your martial arts first? Now that it has come to this, your money is of no use whatsoever.”
The Mad Monk asked the question, but in truth, he did not want an answer. His right hand moved and touched King Geumsan’s belly several times. A sound like a drum being torn rang out, and then King Geumsan’s body collapsed to the floor.
Curious, I asked,
“Is that a technique for crippling the dantian?”
The Mad Monk shook his head.
“I simply smashed the dantian. If the framework is left behind, it can be built up again. He has become a body incapable of learning martial arts.”
I consoled King Geumsan, who had collapsed on the floor.
“You have lost your martial arts, but if you have not lost your body, then you have lost nothing. If you lost your money and preserved your body, that is the same. You amassed so much money by harming others that, in the end, even a steel turtle and a liquor-drinking monk could not pass you by. Do you feel wronged?”
“……”
I called toward the outside.
“Dongrim.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
Dongrim, who had somehow become able to appear the moment I called, looked at me from the entrance. I pointed with my chin at the unconscious King Geumsan.
“Take him away and care for him so he does not die. And ask someone else to bring the finest liquor in this safe house.”
“Understood.”
“Wait.”
“Yes.”
Looking at Dongrim, I said,
“Tell them there is no need for snacks, and poison will not work either, so they may omit it.”
“Understood.”
Dongrim lifted King Geumsan in one motion and went outside.
Across from me, the Mad Monk looked at me and slowly smiled.
“Sect Leader.”
“Yes.”
“I am happier than ever. This wicked heart must be my true nature, no?”
I nodded.
“That heart is the same as my own.”
We chuckled a few times. Suddenly, Gwangseung looked up at the wide-open sky and spoke.
“The wind blows gently.”
Looking at it like this, it truly looked refreshing. He must have been slowly extinguishing the flame that had burned in his heart for so long.
Just as I once had.
“Do you know what the most delicious liquor in the world is?”
Gwangseung answered.
“What is it?”
I looked at Gwangseung and cracked a grin.
“The liquor you snatch from bastards like Geumsanwang and drink.”
Why does a man like Gwangseung drink?
It is to extinguish the flame in his heart.
When the liquor that Geumsanwang had treasured and stored away arrived.
A laugh came naturally at the thought of making bingju (ice wine) for Gwangseung.
Honestly, I don’t care whether I’m Xifang Bubai or Dongfang Bubai.
I have no interest in the hair of villains.
Even looking at the sea stirs no particular feeling.
I have no attachment to delicious food or fine liquor.
For the only thing I care about is the flame burning within Gwangseung.
Because the bald master was happy, I too was happy.