So He’s Coming, I See. (4)

“Perhaps?”

“Yes!”

Hong Dae-Kwang nodded vigorously.

“Those royal beggars… Ah, no, the Beggars’ Union leadership interprets Jang Ilso’s movement this time not simply as an attempt to seize the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint, but possibly as a move to advance north.”

Tang Gunak’s face hardened rather seriously.

“If east…”

That’s possible.

If one takes the Yangtze river east from here, Zhejiang appears. And the ones who should be stopping the Four Sects Alliance attempting to cross in Zhejiang are none other than the Namgung Family; the Namgung Family is the hegemon of Zhejiang with Anhui as their base.

But right now the Namgung Family has lost half of its strength, and the remaining forces are staying here in the mouth of the river.

So in other words, the east of the Yangtze is a complete no-man’s land. If Jang Ilso decides to enter Zhejiang, there will be no force to stop him.

“How have the Nine Great Sects reacted?”

“Of course it’s chaos. Right now… orders have come from the Shaolin Abbott to track Jang Ilso’s movements at any cost, even if sacrifices must be made.”

A hollow laugh escaped from Tang Gunak’s mouth.

Jang Ilso hasn’t even arrived at a poorly defended spot yet, nor has he shown anything remarkable. He only made a show of heading east.

Yet the Heavenly Friends Alliance and indeed the entire Nine Great Sects are shaken. No matter how many people there are in the world, only Jang Ilso could overturn the world with such a trivial action.

“From the Abbott’s point of view, it’s like a fire has fallen on his foot.”

Han Yi-Myung asked Tang Gunak with a puzzled look.

“What do you mean?”

“Right now the Abbott probably thinks affairs in the south of the Yangtze have little to do with the Nine Great Sects. Admittedly the Southern Island was involved, but the Abbott has already written off the Southern Island Sect as a dead stone.”

Everyone nodded at that.

“But if Jang Ilso moves east, the situation reverses. The Namgung Family’s Young lord is in the south of the Yangtze, and if their main force is here, then it is the Nine Great Sects who must stop the northward Four Sects Alliance.”

“Indeed…”

If Namgung had still been there, the one in trouble would have been the Heavenly Friends Alliance. But with Namgung staying here, the situation is completely reversed.

Beop Jeong must now, by any means, prevent them from stepping into Anhui.

If the Four Sects Alliance crosses into Anhui, the next place that opens up is Henan, where Wudang and Shaolin are located.

This means that if Jang Ilso so wishes, he is moving to a position from which he can strike a dagger into the heart of the Nine Great Sects in an instant.

“Wait! Then…!”

At that moment Hyun Jong interjected with a face full of worry.

“The children? What will happen to our children? Won’t it become more dangerous?”

Tang Gunak shook his head.

“In either case it won’t become more dangerous. If Jang Ilso is truly aiming north, the children will be much safer; even if not, the encirclement will loosen.”

“Ahh.”

Hyun Jong only then nodded with a slightly relieved expression.

Tang Gunak glanced at Hong Dae-Kwang and spoke again.

“From the Nine Great Sects’ perspective the response is complicated, but when you calculate it, there’s nothing for us to really lose. Even if this is Jang Ilso’s tactic to induce chaos, we have nothing to lose.”

Everyone nodded at those words.

In truth, putting the complicated calculations aside, it was a relief just to see the Nine Great Sects—who always watched the other side of the river like bystanders—panic as if a spark had landed on their feet.

If Jang Ilso drags the Nine Great Sects into a fight and thereby cuts off the attention given to the special envoys sent for the children, so much the better. Even if it doesn’t go that far, the Nine Great Sects will no longer be able to stand by and watch across the river.

“Truly, it’s very like Jang Ilso…”

There is no one in the world who matches him at putting people in awkward situations and catching them off guard until they break out in a cold sweat.

“Namgung elder.”

“Yes, Tang Lord Family.”

Namgung Myung responded immediately to Tang Gunak’s call.

“Just in case, it would be wise to pull back the retainers remaining in the Namgung Family.”

“Understood. They have ties in Hebei, so I will have them pack at once and move to Hebei.”

“Will that be all right?”

“Even if the Young lord were present, he would not hesitate. It’s worrying that the Namgung base in Anhui would crumble, but people must survive first, shouldn’t they?”

Tang Gunak nodded. He thought the same.

“Alliance Leader. Then we will exploit that gap and head to the south of the Yangtze river…”

Tang Gunak turned to Hyun Jong to discuss what would follow, then abruptly paused and fell silent.

Hyun Jong’s face had gone completely pale, drained of color.

“…Alliance Leader?”

Tang Gunak called again but there was no response for a long moment. After a little while Hyun Jong slowly turned his head toward Hong Dae-Kwang.

“You said east?”

Hong Dae-Kwang nodded with a puzzled expression.

“Y-yes.”

“Which part of the east?”

“…Yes?”

“Where in the east are they heading? Not all of the east is the same east, after all.”

“Ah… Well… At first it seemed they were heading southeast, but now the direction has changed to northeast. That’s why the Nine Great Sects are in even more of an uproar. From the lower reaches of Payang Lake, if they take a northeast course, Zhejiang comes up.”

Hyun Jong’s face went even whiter.

“Alli…Alliance Leader?”

Sensing that something ominous was happening, Tang Gunak called to Hyun Jong in a grave voice.

After a moment, Hyun Jong’s mouth opened weakly.

“Nanjing.”

“…Yes?”

“If they move northeast from there, the place they will arrive at is Nanjing.”

“Y-yes. It would be around Nanjing. If they cross the river, Hefei comes up right away. Hefei is where the Namgung Family is situated and the gateway to Henan. It’s actually closer to Henan than Wuchang in terms of distance.”

Hong Dae-Kwang spat as he explained enthusiastically.

“If Jang Ilso aims to push north, there is no place more fatal than this. Perhaps the destination is Nanjing…”

“How…”

Hyun Jong’s fingertips trembled slightly. Tang Gunak couldn’t hold back and asked again.

“Alliance Leader. Please tell us why you are like this.”

“Nanjing.”

“…Yes?”

“It’s the place written in the letter Chung Myung sent… it’s where those children are heading.”

Tang Gunak did not immediately grasp the words, but soon the meaning sank in and pierced his mind.

“…You mean the children are heading to Nanjing?”

“…”

“Oh, no. Why?”

In truth, asking why won’t mean much.

The children’s destination would have been decided before Jang Ilso moved.

But for now Tang Gunak had almost nothing else to say.

“If Jang Ilso were aiming for the north of the river… then it would be less of a problem…”

Hyun Jong muttered, his face pale as if he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight.

“If… if not that, but he knows the children’s movements and is trying to block them ahead…”

You didn’t need to hear the next words to know what followed. The fate of the children in the south of the Yangtze would be essentially sealed.

The color drained from Tang Gunak’s face as well.

“Is there no way to contact the children before they encounter Jang Ilso? That creature…!”

Baek Sang, who had been silent, shook his head.

“It’s impossible. Even Baek Ah, as skilled as she is, cannot find children whose whereabouts across that vast southern land are unknown.”

Tang Gunak was momentarily stunned. Only now did the situation fully dawn on him.

Jang Ilso simply made one move east. With that single move he put an unremovable noose around the necks of both the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the Nine Great Sects.

Even the throats of the children in the south of the Yangtze…

“Hegemony Lord…”

The horrific weight of those two words pressed down on Tang Gunak’s whole body like a thousand catties.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Northeast, right?”

“Yes. I’m certain.”

The beggars hidden in the thick underbrush scrutinized those moving in the distance.

Surrounding the enormous four-head carriage in the center were the Four Sects Alliance members—indeed, those worthy of being called their ‘main contingent.’

The beggars’ spines were soon damp with cold sweat.

If they were spotted by those men, they would die with no dignity. Yet fear didn’t allow them to retreat either; perhaps the fate of the world depended on their movements.

“You go at once and report this.”

“And you, squad leader?”

“I’ll track a little further. The opponent is Jang Ilso. I don’t know when or what he’ll do.”

“Understood.”

The subordinate held his breath and crept away, quieting his steps. The beggar glanced back and resumed watching the Four Sects Alliance’s movements.

His gaze fell on the ostentatious four-head carriage—its splendor alone was intimidating.

‘Are they going to wage war on the world or something?’

A demon rides within.

A demon that molds and mocks the world as he pleases.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Hmm.”

Buried in a luxurious silk-gold bed and reclining at an angle, Jang Ilso lazily watched the scenery outside the window.

The scene framed by the square window seemed very small. But Jang Ilso felt no confinement at all.

Even if it wasn’t all visible to the eye, the panorama outside was entirely clear in his head—perfectly drawn and unfolding before him.

Those who cannot see unseen scenes and cannot move unless moved are not fit to seize the world.

“Alliance Lord. The beggars are moving.”

“Hmm… I detest filth, but…”

Jang Ilso, who had briefly frowned, then let out a suppressed chuckle.

“But that much must be endured. In exchange for bearing the nasty smell, I’ll leave behind much.”

Everything those beggars confirm with their own eyes will be conveyed to the other side of the river, without them having the slightest idea that Jang Ilso aided it.

“Now then… How will he move next? Hmm?”

Jang Ilso gazed out the window with eager eyes and opened his hand.

On his palm lay a vast world. The once-quiet realm slowly began to burn again.

“The Nine Great Sects, the Heavenly Friends Alliance, the Four Sects Alliance, and the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint…”

The fuel is amply gathered. Enough kindling to ignite a terrifying conflagration that would burn the whole world, and the one to set that fuel alight will be Jang Ilso himself.

Jang Ilso tore his eyes away from the small north-facing window and looked out the opposite window, which faced south.

In that instant, a cold madness rippled across his eyes.

“I’d better hurry a bit. If I delay anymore, everything will already have burned. Heh heh heh.”

A cruel smile graced Jang Ilso’s red lips. Like a cruel fate awaiting all under heaven, it was a heavily twisted smile.