Chapter 482

Chapter 482
## Chapter 482. Each Other’s Purposes (6)

—

The battalions of the Blue Dragon Pavilion arrived on the scene, guiding their chargers and hoisting the colors of the Murim Alliance. Alongside them, though lacking the standardized uniforms of the Blue Dragon Pavilion, the regional branch forces and local Orthodox sects also advanced under the Murim Alliance banner. Their numbers were minor when weighed against the massive Hyeol-cheon-bo alliance, yet their arrival completely halted the enemy’s momentum. The open mobilization of the Blue Dragon Pavilion signaled without a doubt that the Murim Alliance itself had intervened.

Just as anticipated, the four alliance delegates were visibly thrown into disarray, having received no prior warning from Dam-ak. Across the distance, the frantic roars of the Hyeol-cheon-bo Lord—who had gambled his entire existence on obliterating Hwa-pung-jang—echoed intermittently. High-ranking officers and members of the Blood Spear Squad swiftly formed a barrier around their leader, desperately trying to reason with him.

Having already witnessed the Wolf-Fang Cup abandon Hwa-pung-jang in flight, the Hyeol-cheon-bo Lord—who had borrowed heavily from predatory lenders to fund this ruthless campaign—succumbed to Qi Deviation (*Ju-hwa-ip-ma*). He tumbled helplessly from his mount, effectively bringing the entire conflict to a sudden halt.

Once the Hyeol-cheon-bo alliance retreated, the regional branch, the Orthodox sects of Kaifeng, and the Blue Dragon Pavilion marched into the grounds of Hwa-pung-jang. Postponing any formal discussions, they immediately set about clearing away the fallen and tending to the wounded. The brief clash had claimed thirty lives from Hwa-pung-jang, while fifty others sustained varying degrees of trauma, forcing everyone to channel their full focus into managing the grim aftermath.

Naturally, those of us who had fought were permitted to withdraw from the recovery efforts. While we were catching our breath, Gwak Su-san approached me with a hesitant inquiry.

“*Danju*, were you aware from the very beginning that backup would arrive?”

“I was.”

“Then… why keep us in the dark? If we had simply requested assistance and deployed everyone in an organized fashion from the start, those who perished might still…”

His voice carried a heavy strain of bitterness, likely born from the emotional toll of being left entirely in the dark.

“They wouldn’t have lifted a finger if I had made a formal request.”

“What?”

“No matter what we said, the local branch had no intention of deploying.”

In fact, had a request been submitted, they would have manufactured any plausible pretext to reject it. On top of that, they would have ordered our immediate evacuation from Hwa-pung-jang.

“However, by remaining silent, I forced them to fixate on the situation.”

If the Yong-bong Association and Yong So-a were wiped out here despite a branch warning, the blame would fall on the Yong-bong Association. But if they died while the branch simply stood by watching, the branch leadership would find themselves entirely unable to dodge the political fallout.

“Had I spoken up and given them the chance to order our retreat, those branch scoundrels wouldn’t have shown their faces until the ashes settled.”

“Ah…”

Gwak Su-san and the surrounding members of the Yong-bong Association let out low murmurs of understanding.

“Your talent for calculation is truly…”

“How do you manage to look so many steps ahead?”

“To be perfectly honest, it’s a blessing you were born into the Orthodox faction; if you belonged to the Black Path, your notoriety would…”

I can hear every single word you blockheads are saying. Right then, an unfamiliar voice interrupted our banter.

“Did you never consider the possibility that we might simply choose not to appear?”

The members of the Yong-bong Association instantly bolted upright and raised their joined hands in salute.

“””We offer our respects, Great Leader!”””

“At ease, sit back down. Formalities in a setting like this make me uncomfortable as well.”

Great Leader Hwang Seo-yul fixed his eyes directly on me.

“Did it not cross your mind that if we abstained, the branch forces might have ultimately remained on the sidelines as well? Was this nothing more than a blind wager?”

I offered him a brief, respectful gesture with my hands.

“Would it not look incredibly bizarre for the Blue Dragon Pavilion, having arrived specifically to back the Yong-bong Association, to suddenly refuse to act?”

“…Oh? You continuously evaded our company, did you not? You handed us a perfect justification to stay out of it.”

“If Yong So-a, a recognized disciple of the Blue Dragon Pavilion, were to perish here, Wudang would never let the matter rest. Weighing the massive political storm that would follow, choosing to intervene now was the only logical choice, wasn’t it?”

“So you engineered a situation where we had no option but to step in?”

Hwang Seo-yul observed me intensely for a quiet moment. His expression revealed he was trying to gauge exactly what kind of person he was dealing with.

“Are you mindful of the fact that your maneuverings have brought harm and embarrassment to both the Murim Alliance and the local branch?”

My reply was completely unwavering.

“I am not.”

“….”

As Hwang Seo-yul’s features darkened, the surrounding Yong-bong Association members quietly shifted backward, anxiously monitoring the Great Leader’s mood. I smoothly continued.

“I do not believe my choices have inflicted even the slightest shred of true harm on anyone.”

“…You possess incredible audacity.”

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Your complete lack of remorse for the disruption caused, all while manipulating volatile political dynamics for your own ends.”

I had learned this bitter truth deeply during the Great War between Justice and Evil. Our desperate cries and suffering carry absolutely no weight on their own. It is only when the personal agendas of those at the peak align with our survival that they suddenly deign to become our protectors. That was the unwritten, fundamental law of the Murim Alliance.

“I fail to see the basis of your accusation.”

This is why it is utterly pointless for anyone operating under the rules of the Murim Alliance to preach about ‘morals’ or ‘conscience.’ The Hwa-pung-jang Manor Lord had undoubtedly groveled like a desperate animal before the branch leader, only to be coldly turned away. Had we not taken a stand, none of these forces would have ever set foot here.

“Tell me, did the branch deploy today because of a formal appeal from us, or out of pity for Hwa-pung-jang?”

“….”

“I see no reason why the burden of guilt should rest on my shoulders.”

Hwang Seo-yul’s face turned as rigid as carved stone.

“I recognize your intelligence. Yet, when all is said and done, human connections rely entirely on trust. A cynical mindset like yours will prevent you from ever forming a bond of genuine trust with anyone.”

“Is that so?”

Tell me, could the operatives of the So-jeong-dae ever count on the protection of the Blue Dragon Pavilion merely by relying on ‘trust’?

“I shall certainly bear that advice in mind.”

“….”

Hwang Seo-yul kept his eyes trained on me for an extended silence. At last, he muttered an ambiguous phrase.

“It matches precisely what Yong So-a mentioned…”

I was curious to know what that individual had remarked, but the current tension made it inappropriate to press for answers.

“Regardless, because you forced this underlying tension into the light, I find myself in a rather delicate predicament.”

Hwang Seo-yul relaxed his stern expression, replacing it with a look of mild irritation. I maintained my quiet posture. His visible restlessness indicated that he ultimately required something from me. I watched him closely, calculating what leverage I could extract in return.

“I apologize for the sudden request, but would you accompany me to see the Manor Lord?”

Predictably, he had an agenda.

“As you can deduce, the friction between the branch leader and the Manor Lord has grown severe due to recent events. The branch leader feels a measure of regret over how poorly things were managed.”

Frankly, I doubted my presence would alter the dynamics of that meeting. For all practical purposes, Hwa-pung-jang had been left to ruin by the branch leader’s inaction. Unless Manor Lord Gongson Myeong possessed an inhuman capacity for cold detachment, there was no universe in which he would welcome the branch leader with open arms.

“Understood.”

“…Is that your entire response?”

Hwang Seo-yul was clearly dissatisfied with my indifferent demeanor.

‘It isn’t as though I anticipate needing favors from the Blue Dragon Pavilion anytime soon, but…’

Even so, it was unwise to needlessly alienate a man destined to command the most powerful martial pavilion within the Murim Alliance.

“If the Great Leader insists, I will comply.”

I deliberately emphasized that my compliance was a direct favor granted to the Great Leader himself.

“In exchange, there is a certain matter I wish to clarify.”

Hwang Seo-yul tensed momentarily before giving a firm nod.

“Provided it falls within my knowledge to answer.”

I brought up the lingering question that had bothered me throughout our entire journey, one that remained entirely unresolved.

“What drove Yong So-a to align himself with the Yong-bong Association?”

His true objective.

Yong So-a possesses a presence that commands immediate attention. Though it pains me to acknowledge it, anyone who crossed paths with him—whether a seasoned figure of the *Kangho* or otherwise—invariably marveled at his striking looks. Furthermore, standing out so sharply amidst the rugged, hardened martial artists of the Blue Dragon Pavilion, it would be far more astonishing if the eyes of the people arriving at Hwa-pung-jang didn’t gravitate toward him.

[What else could the reason be? There was a complete breakdown in communications with your group. Consequently, we dispatched Yong So-a, who functions as your senior peer.]

I had attempted to probe further during my earlier exchange with Hwang Seo-yul, but the man genuinely seemed to lack deeper insight. More than that, he grew wary of my persistent probing, preventing me from unearthing any definitive proof.

‘Am I simply overanalyzing things?’

Observing Yong So-a, who merely stood to the side with an empty, unreadable expression while listening to the chatter around him, I wondered if I was falling prey to paranoia. To be fair, since integrating into the Yong-bong Association, Yong So-a had never once obstructed our actions or imposed limitations. If anything, his involvement had proven advantageous to our objectives. He had even complied without protest when I utilized him as a decoy.

‘*Sip*.’

Yet, a persistent, unsettling premonition refused to leave me. I couldn’t discern if this dread stemmed from the fallout of the Mo-san Sect affair, or from the unforgettable reality that he had actively sought my demise in my previous life, but the internal alarm refused to quiet down.

“Young Master, are you experiencing pain?”

A sudden voice broke my train of thought.

“Oh? Miss Song?”

“Are you… hurt somewhere?”

Song Ye-seol, who had been moving past, dropped the supplies she was carrying and immediately began inspecting me for injuries.

“W-Wait, look at this! Why did you hide a wound like this for so long?”

Upon discovering the lacerations marking my chest and arm, Song Ye-seol urgently retrieved a jar of premium golden salve and clean bandages from her supplies.

“This is reckless. Are you oblivious to the fact that certain Black Path fighters deliberately allow their blades to rust to ensure wounds turn septic?”

“…I am well aware.”

“Then why keep it to yourself!”

To begin with, my physical constitution was far too resilient to succumb to basic toxins. Moreover, the lacerations had already begun sealing themselves, accelerated by the remarkable restorative properties of the Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Bear. Undergoing formal treatment now would barely affect the actual recovery timeline.

“It’s merely a superficial scratch.”

She understood the reality as well as I did. When contrasted with the lives lost at Hwa-pung-jang, or the warriors currently clinging to existence by a thread, my injuries were trivial.

“That… is not a judgment for the Young Master to make. It is for those who care about you to decide.”

A few stray locks of her loosely bound hair brushed against her face, causing her to blink softly as she focused on treating my skin. I reached out gently to tuck the loose strands behind her ear. Song Ye-seol’s hands froze for a fleeting second before she resumed her swift, precise movements.

“Regarding the companions we lost… I am deeply sorry.”

“…The Young Master has no reason to offer an apology.”

Song Ye-seol bit down hard on her lower lip. Though she maintained a stoic expression and kept herself fiercely occupied to mask her grief, she was undoubtedly the one carrying the heaviest urge to weep. Yet, she held back her tears simply because the sheer weight of her responsibilities left her no room for weakness. She had forced her personal mourning aside to attend to immediate duties.

“Thank you…”

Her voice wavered with a subtle tremble.

“Genuinely… truly… I thank you. If the Young Master had not intervened… the casualty count would have been catastrophic.”

“….”

“I likely wouldn’t be standing here either.”

She offered a radiant, genuine smile that seemed to light up her entire face, reminiscent of a blooming gourd flower.

“So please, do not dwell on apologies or words of solace.”

As I debated how best to respond to her vulnerability, Il-gak neared our position.

“Jin *Siju*, the regional branch leader requests your presence.”

While numerous Orthodox sects had flocked to the defense of Hwa-pung-jang, only Hwang Seo-yul, the regional branch leader, and myself were permitted entry into the Manor Lord’s private Pavilion.

“Take your seat over there.”

The branch leader pointed toward the absolute far end of the elongated conference table, while he and Hwang Seo-yul took seats flanking the Manor Lord, leaving a deliberate gap.

‘If this was their intended arrangement, what was the point of dragging me along?’

They clearly wished to project an image of me acting as their subordinate. Mindful of my agreement with the Great Leader, I chose to observe in silence. Predictably, the Kaifeng branch leader opened the dialogue.

“It brings immense comfort to see such a perilous crisis successfully averted. No matter the ambitions of the Hyeol-cheon-bo, they stand no chance against the unified might of the Orthodox alliance when Kaifeng is threatened, isn’t that right?”

From my perspective, his approach felt incredibly tone-deaf. His immediate priority should have been comforting Gongson Myeong in his grief.

“Furthermore, the enthusiasm with which the Orthodox factions of Kaifeng mobilized for Hwa-pung-jang is entirely a testament to the Manor Lord’s enduring benevolence, wouldn’t you say?”

Gongson Myeong tilted his head, his expression clouding with skepticism.

“That strikes me as a rather peculiar statement. Particularly when the branch leader himself previously maintained that his hands were tied regarding this entire crisis.”

“…Naturally, the higher echelons of the Murim Alliance viewed this crisis with profound concern. How could the Kaifeng branch possibly turn a blind eye to the plight of Hwa-pung-jang?”

“Is that the truth?”

“Indubitably. It was precisely because this young warrior of the Kang family took the initiative on behalf of Hwa-pung-jang that we found the justification to mobilize the Blue Dragon Pavilion, the premier martial force of our Alliance.”

“…I was entirely unaware of that connection.”

My blood simmered at his blatant rewriting of events, but catching a slight, warning shake of Hwang Seo-yul’s head, I chose to remain silent. Regardless of how much credit the man attempted to manufacture for himself, fractured trust cannot be mended with hollow words.

“Ever since the Manor Lord approached me with his dilemma, this humble leader has suffered sleepless nights. I was tirelessly exploring every conceivable avenue to extend aid to Hwa-pung-jang.”

Listening to him, a chilling realization crystallized in my mind. This branch leader was cut from the exact same cloth as the commander who had heartlessly sent my comrades and me to our deaths in my previous life. The capacity to deploy people into a slaughterhouse while fully aware of the futility stems from a fundamental refusal to view those below as actual human beings.

‘Incredible, truly.’

To the branch leader, Gongson Myeong was not an equal.

“Even so, words cannot express how fortunate it is that the situation has concluded in this fashion. It is safe to say our shared devotion and divine favor carried the day.”

Because he viewed others as lesser, his personal profit took precedence over their immense suffering and loss. He foolishly believed he could easily salvage Gongson Myeong’s loyalty with a few well-timed platitudes and patronizing comfort. If that was the case, what was his ultimate play here?

“You have my gratitude. I shall anticipate substantial backing from the Kaifeng branch as we move forward.”

As Manor Lord Gongson Myeong offered a shallow bow with clasped hands, the branch leader visibly puffed out his chest, convinced he had secured his prize.

“Which brings me to a crucial point: do you possess an immediate method to secure liquid capital?”

“Capital… you say?”

“Indeed! While the branch can certainly allocate a minor sum of emergency relief, it will fall drastically short of what is required to rebuild from this catastrophe, wouldn’t you agree?”

When factoring in the steep costs of funerals, compensation for the bereaved, and medical care for the survivors, liquidating the entirety of Hwa-pung-jang’s current estate would fail to cover the debt. To complicate matters, the physical structures of the manor had been reduced to rubble during the siege.

“To that end, I propose a practical solution: why not seize this moment to liquidate Hwa-pung-jang’s ancestral mountain land?”

“….”

“Naturally, this would involve a respectful and proper relocation of the ancestral plots you have preserved across generations.”

“….”

The underlying motive behind the branch leader’s sudden, uncharacteristic displays of concern finally laid itself bare.

“As luck would have it, I am acquainted with an investor prepared to acquire the land immediately. Having learned of Hwa-pung-jang’s dire straits, this individual expressed a willingness to purchase the property at a premium to assist you, even if it entails a personal financial deficit.”

This confirmed without a doubt that the branch leader was privy to the hidden wealth buried within Hwa-pung-jang’s ancestral peaks. His initial refusal to intervene in the conflict likely pointed to a clandestine arrangement engineered between himself and the Hyeol-cheon-bo.

“…!”

Gongson Myeong evidently connected the dots as well, his eyes instantly flushing with a murderous crimson tint. Yet, despite his visible fury, he refrained from making an outright accusation. Confronting the branch leader about a treasonous pact in this specific setting would yield nothing.

Failing to perceive the trembling of Gongson Myeong’s clenched fists beneath his calm exterior, the branch leader pressed harder, his tone turning demanding.

“Is hoarding the property in hopes of securing a loftier valuation down the line anything more than personal vanity, Manor Lord? Liquidate the territory immediately to provide for the suffering people of Hwa-pung-jang.”

Faced with such shameless audacity, Gongson Myeong’s anger seemed to burn itself out, leaving behind a hollow, weary expression.

“Haha, your logic is flawless. However, an issue remains… the territory has already been liquidated.”

“What?!!! Manor Lord Gong, no, Manor Lord! What sort of madness is this? You claim it has been sold?”

“Just prior to the commencement of hostilities, I parted with it, realizing there was little purpose in clinging to dirt.”

“For… for what sum did you close the transaction?”

“A single silver *nyang*.”

“…!!!”

Observing the radical shift in the branch leader’s expression, there was no longer any doubt that he was fully aware of the gold vein hidden within those hills.

“What manner of idiot… no, who would agree to such a preposterous arrangement? To whom did you hand the deed?”

“Did the branch leader truly remain unaware?”

“Aware? How could I possibly know anything of this?”

“Did you not invite the buyer to sit at this very table?”

“?”

The branch leader’s face twisted into an expression of pure disgust, utterly baffled by the claim. Manor Lord Gongson Myeong raised his hand, pointing his finger squarely at me.

“I transferred ownership to that young man.”

The branch leader’s gaze darted frantically between Gongson Myeong and myself, his eyes burning with sudden venom.

“Do you genuinely hold the legal title to that land?”

“I do.”

“Surrender it to me this instant. That document is far too valuable for someone of your station to hold.”

“I decline.”

“This is strictly for the restoration of Hwa-pung-jang… wait, what?”

Catching himself mid-sentence, the branch leader blinked, thoroughly convinced his ears had deceived him.

“What did you just utter?”

“I said, I decline.”

“You absolute lunatic! Do you comprehend what you are saying right now?”

“I said I refuse to hand it over.”

Did this fool honestly mistake me for a compliant lackey just because I chose to follow along with his little parade earlier?

“Why should I hand over ‘my legal property,’ acquired through a legitimate, binding agreement with Manor Lord Gongson Myeong, to you?”

“Y-You arrogant brat, how dare you!”

I turned my attention directly to Hwang Seo-yul.

“Great Leader, do I bear any legal or moral obligation to surrender my property deed to the branch leader?”

“Uh, ugh! Urgh!”

The branch leader clutched at his neck, choking on his own mounting fury as if on the verge of an apoplectic fit. Hwang Seo-yul merely released a slow, exhausted breath. I told you before—why insist on antagonizing someone who was perfectly content to remain uninvolved?