Ho Ga-Myung, who was standing on the deck, greeted Jang Ilso politely.
"Thank you for your hard work, Alliance Lord."
"Hmm."
Jang Ilso slowly nodded.
However, unlike Ho Ga-Myung, the Black Dragon King's complexion wasn't so bright.
"Jang Ilso… no, Alliance lord."
Black Dragon King asked with a stern face.
"I don't understand what the Alliance Lord is doing. Is it really necessary to keep Namgung alive for 5 days?"
"…"
"I understand that it is needed to clearly inform them that Namgung will be crushed. However, there is no need for us to give them time…"
Jang Ilso slowly turned to him.
"It is needed."
"…."
"It is needed, Black Dragon King."
Jang Ilso's lips twisted into a sneer.
"If we kill all of those of the Namgung family right now, what will Shaolin say to the other sects who arrived after that?"
"… that."
The Black Dragon King closed his mouth as he was about to say something.
Would Shaolin simply confess that they couldn't jump into the river because they faced Jang Ilso?
'They would never do that.'
If it was him over there, he would never have said that. He would say that he ran as fast as he could, but when he got there, Namgung had already been defeated by the Evil Sect.
Right now, no one in the Yangtze River could refute Shaolin's words. All that was left were Namgung, Four Precepts Alliance, and Shaolin.
Even if the curious commoners who wandered around the Yangtze River saw this, who would believe them? The people there right now were Shaolin, the leader of murim.
"We can deal with Namgung at any time. The important thing is to let the world know that Shaolin stopped there and just watched Namgung's collapse."
Jang Ilso laughed coldly.
"Our enemy is not Namgung, but the Nine Great Sects."
"…."
The Black Dragon King felt a chill run down his spine.
The pirates took their time and skillfully manipulated the Namgung family. However, he had no intention of using the Namgung family as bait to humiliate Shaolin and twist the Justice faction.
Who would think of such a thing?
The Black Dragon King was also curious. What kind of expression would Shaolin have when the other sects arrived? Perhaps a face mixed with guilt and humiliation.
"… But the arrival of support would mean that their power has grown stronger. What if they really try to cross the river to save Namgung?"
"They?"
Jang Ilso snorted.
"If they were like that, the war would have already started."
"…."
"Once they stop, they cannot get back up. If time was pressing, they could have attacked as if they were being pushed back. But…"
Jang Ilso turned his head and looked towards Shaolin. Then he asked softly.
"Can you see?"
"…"
"What do you think they are thinking right now? Do you think they are happy to have the chance to save Namgung?"
The Black Dragon King frowned.
"If it was me…."
The white teeth appeared between Jang Ilso's bright red lips. It was as creepy as looking at a beast with fangs exposed.
"I would rather have all of those Namgung ones die without any exception and close their mouths before anything comes out."
The Black Dragon King looked at Jang Ilso with a blank expression.
"Even if they get support and save Namgung, it won't come back good for Shaolin. The credit will go to those who arrive later. Even if Shaolin fights fiercely, the only thing they will gain is the Namgung family, who harbors a terrible grudge against them and returns to the Northern Lands."
"…."
"I will ask again…."
Cold sweat ran down the Black Dragon King's back.
"Do you really think Shaolin wants to save Namgung? Really?"
"…"
"I… don't think so."
Jang Ilso chuckled softly as if he was going insane because this situation was fun to him.
The Black Dragon King felt a chill and chewed the inside of his lip.
'Insane bastard.'
This man was out of his mind.
Control?
There was no way the Black Dragon King could control this man. He and the other Four Precepts Alliance's sect leaders were clearly mistaken about something.
This man would definitely hold the world in his hands and shake it up as he pleased.
"Humans, you see…"
At that moment, Jang Ilso stopped laughing and looked at the Black Dragon King with a calm expression. His eyes seemed no different from theirs.
"Consider words and actions as different."
"…."
"People's words are nothing more than things they have embellished for their own benefits. Their true feelings are always hidden deep inside. And the funny thing is…"
Jang Ilso, who had been speaking softly, turned to Shaolin.
"Surprisingly, people are the ones who don't know their true feelings very well."
"…."
"Aren't you curious? How will that abbot react? And how will those bastards who have been taught to follow the abbot's orders their entire lives react?"
Jang Ilso slowly touched his lips with his fingertips.
"What is certain is that those who have seen this true and ugly nature will never return to their original form. Be it Shaolin or Namgung, killing a few people isn't that important. What is important is letting them know they are not that great of people."
"…."
"Hmm."
Jang Ilso's long eyes slightly looked down.
"There is no alcohol here."
The Black Dragon King quickly nodded. Those who had been overwhelmed by Jang Ilso's momentum were startled and ran to the cabin.
Even though they went to get the alcohol, Jang Ilso showed no sign of going in, so the Black Dragon King asked.
"You will have it here?"
"Isn't this a nice place?"
Jang Ilso chuckled.
"It would be pretty cool to drink alcohol while watching Shaolin, who cannot do a thing."
The Black Dragon King nodded heavily.
"I-I will bring the table here…"
The man, who brought the alcohol, had a pale face and was even stammering his words. Then Jang Ilso slowly held out his hand.
"Start with the alcohol."
"Uh? Ah… yes!"
The man politely handed over the bottle. Jang Ilso slowly walked to the railing with the bottle in hand and sat down.
"This is nice."
His gaze turned to Shaolin across the river. It was quite a sight to see them unable to take a single step from there as if they had turned into stone.
A person with conviction will jump into a pit of fire. However, a person who stops in front of a pit of fire can never muster the courage to jump in.
What Jang Ilso wanted was to leave a deep mark on their hearts.
'One victory is good, after all.'
The important thing was to win in the end.
At that moment, Ho Ga-Myung approached him cautiously.
"Alliance lord."
"Uh?"
"Of course, they will never be able to jump into the river. But the sects that arrive later might be different from Shaolin, right?"
"Even so, they are all just pigs. Shaolin will not step out, so do you think they dare to fight us alone?"
"…."
"Namgung, who should be leading the Five Great Families, is like that, and the Tang family has broken away. Shaolin doesn't even know what it is doing, and Wudang, which should be their alternative, has sealed itself behind its gates."
Jang Ilso, who was slowly reciting the situation, raised his lips into a smile.
"All that is left are just those idiots with loud voices."
Ho Ga-Myung slowly nodded.
"I understand."
Jang Ilso, who thought he had finished speaking, opened his mouth again.
"However…"
"Uh?"
Ho Ga-Myung looked at him with a puzzled expression, but Jang Ilso didn't answer him right away and just smiled oddly.
"There is one over there too."
"… What do you mean?"
"The unpredictable insane guy."
"…."
"Hahahaha."
Jang Ilso shook his head happily and started drinking from the bottle.
'Right?'
His gaze was fixed on the north.
Namgung Do-Wei collapsed on the spot.
Everyone heard it. Everyone.
Jang Ilso proudly poured his internal qi into his voice to make everyone in the river hear it as if he wanted to ensure everyone knew of the situation.
Thanks to that, everyone on Plum Blossom Island had to hear the conversation between Jang Ilso and the abbot.
"Haha…."
A hollow laugh escaped Namgung Do-Wei's mouth.
Was it really so cruel?
The world of murim and the passion he had dreamed of was nothing more than an illusion. The reality of it was terribly cruel.
But what made it even more painful was the fact that he wasn't even given the luxury of looking away from all this.
"Ughh…"
"Cough."
The sounds filled with groans could be heard from around. Namgung swordsmen were bleeding and writhing in pain. Those who had been holding on to their mental strength despite the injuries had collapsed as if their mind and body had given up.
There were even quite a few who were in such critical condition that they wouldn't be able to survive the day if things continued this way.
'What did we come here for?'
When they advanced to Plum Blossom Island to protect their pride as a sect and the Justice faction, they didn't hesitate an inch. However, now that the situation had come to such a point, they couldn't help but laugh at themselves.
Did they really exist? Did the sect and the Justice sect's pride really exist?
Then why did Shaolin stop there and just let Jang Ilso play around with them?
"Ha… haha…."
Everything felt like it was being denied. Everything about him…
Tak.
But at that moment, someone put a hand on Namgung Do-Wei's shoulder.
"…."
He looked back and saw Namgung Hwang grabbing his shoulder.
His face was pale as if the psychological blow hadn't gone away, but his lips looked firmer than ever.
"Get up."
"… father."
"Collect the injured. This is a fight to hold on. We have to save at least one more person."
"…."
"For the next five days…"
"And if we do hold on?"
"…"
Namgung Do-Wei, so angry he couldn't speak, bit his lips until they bled.
"What about after holding on for those five days? Since we have endured it well, can we just die in satisfaction?"
"Do-Wei…."
"Do you think they will help us, lord? For real?"
Namgung Hwang closed his eyes.
His son lived up to his name until the last moment, to the point that even Namgung Hwang was surprised.
So his sense of betrayal must have been the greatest in this time, more than anyone else around.
"Those people…."
Clench.
Just as Namgung Do-Wei was about to speak again, Namgung Hwang grabbed his shoulder tightly.
"Just because they will not help you, will you let our comrades die?"
"…."
"There is no such thing as meaningless resistance. Sometimes, you just have to do what you have to do rather than accomplish something."
Namgung Do-Wei bit down on his lip.
His shoulders trembled. Namgung Hwang waited for Namgung Do-Wei in silence.
"I am sorry. I was…."
"Enough."
Namgung Do-Wei struggled to raise his heavy body.
"I will try to collect the injured and endure this as long as I can, but…"
"I know."
In this place where there wasn't a single grain of rice left, there must be a limit to how long the injured can hold out. There is no way to know how many will survive during those five days.
"As long as they survive."
"…."
"Even if it's just one person."
Namgung Do-Wei slowly closed his eyes while listening to Namgung Hwang. When he took a deep breath and opened his eyes, they were filled with firmness.
He immediately turned around and shouted.
"Those who can move, follow me! I will collect and treat the wounded!"
"… Yes!"
The response that came back lacked any liveliness, clearly reflecting the predicament Namgung was facing.
However, Namgung Do-Wei didn't push them to be in high spirits. Instead, he quietly concentrated on tending to the wounded. There were clearly times when talking wouldn't improve the situation, no matter how much he tried.
Namgung Hwang gradually shifted his gaze to Namgung Do-Wei and Namgung Myung, who were working diligently.
The ships encircled the island.
And Shaolin had halted beyond the island.
'So lonely.'
It felt as if the world had abandoned them.