164 - Gathering, Meeting (6) - The Heaven-Slaying Sword

Mok Riwon surveyed the assembly hall quietly. "These people…" Those who had been at the climax of the Blood Assembly that day. Each one a transcendent, the absolute rulers of the current Central Plains. "Hey! It's been a while!" Moyong Geol greeted Ma Il-seok. Ma Il-seok acted as if he hadn’t heard, completely ignoring him, which led Moyong Geol to laugh heartily and plop down in his seat. Jegal Byeok, sitting next to Moyong Geol, nodded his head in greeting. "Have you been well all this time?" "Ah, well enough, well enough!" "You’re loud." Namgung Hyuk mumbled with his arms crossed, prompting Moyong Geol to pat his back vigorously. "It’s been a while for you too!" Namgung Hyuk's expression soured. Just when a harsh aura seemed about to burst forth, Sa Baekwoon gestured with his eyes, silencing it. Watching this, Mok Riwon tilted his head slightly. 'Where could Brother Jegal have gone?' There was a seat prepared next to Jegal Byeok for Jegal San, but he was nowhere to be seen, seemingly absent from this meeting. As a result, visible veins pulsated on Dang Hwa-seo’s forehead, who was sitting among the five great families. '...Brother Jegal.' I hope at least his life remains intact. Mok Riwon then looked in a different direction. There, Ilwoon sat, with Yeom So-so, wearing a mask, bending over next to him. She seemed to have no intention of revealing her face. 'And now…' Next, Mok Riwon’s gaze landed nearby. The seat where Gu Pa sat. Not far from there were Immortal Won Myung and Ilwoon. Beside them seemed to be an elderly woman who appeared to be Jang Mun-in from the Ama Clan, along with Hyewon, whose face was unusually grim. It looked as though she had been hit by something, given the slight red mark on her forehead. Despite the somber atmosphere, Mok Riwon couldn’t help but feel a sense of amusement. "Uh, brother?" Next to Ma Il-seok. A man with a notable bulbous nose, who had taken over the head of the Open Sect from Ma Il-seok, called out to him. Despite his position as Open Sect’s leader, Gae Bangju didn’t seem to care much about maintaining any dignity, to which Mok Riwon thought, ‘That’s quite fitting for the Open Sect.’ "Why." Ma Il-seok replied. Gae Bangju smiled and continued. "This, why is this Silent Dragon standing here…?" Mok Riwon stiffened slightly. Ma Il-seok snorted and told Gae Bangju. "It’s standing there for a reason, so mind your own business." Gae Bangju was taken aback. Through this, Mok Riwon realized just what Ma Il-seok meant to the Open Sect. Indeed, the status Ma Il-seok often boasted of wasn’t an exaggeration. Amidst these thoughts, another realization hit Mok Riwon. 'Ah, the Open Sect Token!' When leaving Kang Seo-sung's mountain village, Ma Il-seok had given him a token. Having this token meant that you could ask for the Open Sect's help at least once, he had said. However, Mok Riwon had completely forgotten about this token’s existence until now, mostly because Dang Hwa-seo took care of almost everything. There hadn’t been a need to remember the Open Sect's help. 'Um…' It shouldn’t be lost. It was well stored in the locker at Yongbong Peak when he enrolled. A senseless anxiety welled up within Mok Riwon. "Let's get to the main point." Sa Baekwoon spoke up, instantly changing the atmosphere of the space. The bickering members of the five great families, the quiet members of Gu Pa, and even Jin Geon who had been bantering with Yeom So-so, all started to look at Sa Baekwoon with stern expressions. "Eighteen years have passed since the Blood Assembly. All this time, the martial world has been quite peaceful. At least, that’s how I've lived believing." Sa Baekwoon’s voice filled the hall with power. "Our efforts were not in vain. The blood we shed that day had value. Perhaps we were intoxicated by such achievements." Sa Baekwoon's gaze swept over the audience, briefly meeting Mok Riwon’s. "... Yes, 'intoxicated' is probably the only way to describe our ignorance of the fact that the minions of Ma Gyo were hiding within the Central Plains." Someone swallowed audibly. Sa Baekwoon wore a bitter smile. "It’s nobody's fault but mine. I am the leader yet I failed to notice. It’s only right to say that those sacrificed by Ma Gyo were due to my incompetence. I deeply assume full responsibility." Mok Riwon clenched his fist. 'It's not.' What they are after is you. The words rose to his throat, but he couldn’t bring himself to utter them. Even so, Sa Baekwoon’s speech continued. "We cannot just stand by." Determination laced his voice. "Now that we have become aware, we must unite once again to repel the foreign enemies. It was our promise. Moreover, it's the way to pass on the martial world we protected to future generations." Mok Riwon bit his lip. "We will wage war against Heavenly Demon Shin Gyo. Does anyone oppose this?" No one spoke against it. "Then, is there anyone who wishes to withdraw?" Again, no one responded. "Those who will join, please raise your hand." Every hand was raised. Before entering this conference hall, both Gu Pa and the families, as well as those who had retired after ending the Blood Assembly in those days, all hoped to step onto the battlefield once again. To protect what they had safeguarded once more. Deep wrinkles formed over Sa Baekwoon's face. "So it is." Eventually, a faint smile emerged. "None have turned their backs." It was undoubtedly a smile mixed with various complex emotions. "Thank you, for stepping forward like this." Sa Baekwoon closed his eyes tightly. After taking a deep breath, he composed his expression and opened his eyes. "Let's now start discussing the details." Using Dang Hwa-seo's words, this was the commencement of a rather fierce debate. * To unite and overcome external threats for the future of Central Plains was indeed a noble cause. And, it was a task that had to be done. However, everyone should stand firm in front of this struggle, right? As always, warfare necessitated considerations for what comes after. In other words, disputes over troop deployment and command authority in operations were inevitable. "Gonryun has suffered tremendous damage from this crisis. Pardon us, but we cannot provide many warriors." "We understand." "Hwasan will send the Twenty-four Plum Blossom Swordsmen. Beneath them, our first-generation disciples and elders will join the battle. Coordination among warriors is crucial in Hwasan's martial arts. We wish to form an independent unit." "If we say so, then every sect and family must be organized into independent units. That’s an impossible request." "But...!" "It's impossible, is it not? Elders, let's not degrade ourselves further." Habuk's Paeng Household's leader interrupted the Hwasan sect elder's discourse. He was a man with notably curved eyebrows, resembling the fluttering of a bird. The Hwasan sect elder gritted his teeth. Beside him, Fire Sword, Hwasan’s top disciple who had faced off against Mok Riwon at the previous Blue Dragon Martial Meeting, could only smile awkwardly. Dang Hwa-seo had a keen grasp of the entire situation. 'Dang Faction is weak.' Being weak was not the only issue. What was left in Dang Faction were its most reliable members. Hence, deploying troops would result in sacrificing them. No need for further discussion. Dang Faction had no troops available. She desperately hoped the focus wouldn't shift their way. Dang Hwa-seo’s wish went unanswered, resulting in a rather grim situation. "How many troops can the Dang Faction provide?" It was the question from the elder of the Jongnam Sect. Dang Hwa-seo clenched her fists. "Regrettably, the current situation of Dang Faction is not favorable. After expelling those who committed unspeakable deeds, we're left with less than one-tenth of our warriors available for deployment." "The situation is difficult for everyone." "...I am aware." Even after declaring their participation, withdrawing quietly was not an option. Dang Hwa-seo pondered. 'Military support is impossible.' The house was already crumbling. More people couldn't be spared. 'But we cannot refuse this cause.' In a situation where participation in the war was mandatory, stepping back without contributing anything but name was unacceptable for Dang Hwa-seo. 'So then.' She decided to announce her plan here. "...Dang Faction would like to take responsibility for supplying materials." The eyebrows of the Jongnam Sect’s elder lifted. It wasn’t just him. All present Gu Pa and families focused their attention on Dang Hwa-seo. 'This is the best course of action.' Thinking so, Dang Hwa-seo continued. "We are in the process of liquidating Dang Faction’s businesses. You might not be aware, but given Dang Faction's current situation, we are selling off lands and stores that we cannot sustain in line with our scales. We want to use those funds for the war." Money was plentiful. Sacheon Dang Faction, besides being a noble family, had many avenues to generate wealth due to its specialty in producing poison and medicine. Even in its decline, this was the case. 'We can certainly contribute enough money for the war.' Although it would be difficult immediately, as long as they held onto the family’s vision, funds could be secured once the war concluded. They would know this too. Yet, they couldn't refuse. The issue of funding was a sensitive matter, especially for the prominent, particularly for Gu Pa. 'Certainly tempting. Especially for Cheongseong, Jeomchang, and Ami.' It was a scenario where entities in the same Sacheon land could grab numerous corporations being released into the market. They wouldn't be delighted at the trade-off of losing one of the few military supports from Dang Faction for these assets. 'Now, accept it.' A struggle to safeguard their manpower. It worked very well. "...Then, I believe we can overlook the issue of manpower." Jeomchang's elder stepped forward. Following him, the Cheongseong Sect’s elder also stepped forward. The Ami Sect’s elder expressed his agreement with a light smile. It was a success. Dang Hwa-seo clenched her fists under the table. Namgung Jincheon discreetly approached and said, "Sacred artifacts must not be sold off. Those should be cherished… uh!" Acting nonsensical, Dang Hwa-seo pinched Namgung Jincheon's thigh. The head of Namgung Sega observed this with a wistful expression. Dang Hwa-seo pitied him. Amidst all this, "Alright, now that they’re taking care of the money problem, let’s move on to my issue." Ma Il-seok rose from his seat, his face characteristically sullen and irritable. The conference had been underway for some time, and now that he had finally decided to speak up, naturally, all eyes were on him. "I will move separately." "…Geolwang, are you sure that's wise?" Sa Baekwoon asked, clearly concerned. "There's something I need to look into." "Something you need to look into means…?" "It's just like I said. After all, was I not once the Open Sect's leader?" Ma Il-seok responded. "That is true, indeed." "I have a feeling. A hunch that this movement of Ma Gyo somehow relates back to the last Blood Assembly, and it won’t leave me." Gasps could be heard from various corners of the room. "…Do you have any evidence?" "It's an intuition. A feeling acquired through scraping together information from the martial world," Ma Il-seok explained. There was a strange power in Ma Il-seok's words. Even though he was simply speaking of acting on a hunch, the force behind his words made it feel utterly reasonable. "Anyway, that's why I'm choosing to move separately." Ma Il-seok then slung his arm over Mok Riwon's shoulder. "Along with my disciple here." Mok Riwon tensed up, his face stricken with anxiety. Given the context, and the seemingly out-of-place comment, it was only natural that a hush fell over the crowd. "Uh…" The head of Namgung Sega, who was relatively sane, dropped his mouth open in surprise.