Chapter 1449: I Cannot Do It Alone (Part 4)

"Then, may I ask how much you'll give me per month?"

"...Please just shut up."

"Stop it, you bastard!"

With a weary face, Jo Gol restrained Chung Myung. It was more challenging to stop him than breaking through enemy lines from Southern Island.

"I'm sorry, Gaju-nim... "

"No... You don't need to apologize."

Tang Gunak chuckled at Baek Cheon's awkward apology. Then, he looked at Chung Myung and spoke.

"It's true that the Tang Family has money. And it's probably more than you all have in mind."

"Heh, look at the coins on his face. He looks different."

...Coughing lightly, Tang Gunak spoke again.

"But the Sichuan Tang Family won't give that money to the Mount Hua Sect."

Chung Myung's eyes widened.

"What? Are you joking with me...! Uh! Uh-uh!"

Watching Chung Myung being dragged away again, Baek Cheon sighed deeply and turned to Tang Gunak.

"Don't worry about it. Mount Hua is not a sect so corrupt that it'll demand money from the Sichuan Tang Family when circumstances are difficult. Rather, we…"

"That's not what I meant."

"Oh?"

"Spending money is meaningful. However... that's not the way."

Tang Gunak turned his head, searching for Hyun Jong with his eyes, as if he had something crucial to say.

"Now is the time for us to centralize." [not sure]

His gaze sank deep.

In response to Tang Gunak's polite words, Hyun Jong raised his eyebrows.

"...What did you just say?"

"As I mentioned."

"Well... But, Gaju-nim... that's a bit..."

"It's something that must be done, Master."

Tang Gunak was resolute.

"Of course, I understand the reasons Maengju-nim is reluctant. The Heavenly Comrade Alliance was formed based on the camaraderie of each sect, and we shouldn't let external influences interfere. However, the current situation is vastly different from when the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was initially established."

"...That's true, but..."

"Now we need a more clear and certain method. The loose structure we have now won't be able to cope with the upcoming changes."

Hyun Jong's face became serious. Tang Gunak's words were not entirely wrong, but the proposed method...

At that moment, just in case, Chung Myung, who had sneaked his head through the wall of the Five Swords, suddenly spoke up.

"Uh, so...!"

"Get in!"

Although Baek Cheon tried to grab his face and push him back in, Chung Myung resisted and managed to open his mouth.

"Since the Tang Family is moving to Shaanxi, you're saying we should establish the headquarters of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance near Hwaeum?"

"Exactly."

"And gather all the sects scattered around?"

"That's right."

Up to this point, it wasn't a proposal that particularly appealed to them. At least, not to Chung Myung.

In fact, if the headquarters of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance were located in Shaanxi, it could be reassuring from the perspective of the Mount Hua Sect. However, this also meant creating a situation where those targeting the Heavenly Comrade Alliance would only attack Shaanxi.

But Chung Myung couldn't escape from the bait thrown by Tang Gunak. The reason was...

"And in return, collect dues?"

"...You should say membership fees, not dues."

"Ah, right! Membership fees, membership fees! Oops, my words slipped."

Chung Myung laughed nonchalantly, but everyone watching twisted their faces as if disgusted.

'That guy's eyes turned into coins?'

'He definitely knew what he was saying, that guy.'

Chung Myung pushed away the Five Swords and approached, clearing his throat loudly, and spoke again.

"Well... It's not that important to have money, but..."

"It's important."

"More than anyone else in the world, I guess?"

"If it's for money, that bastard would even sell Mount Hua."

"Hey, that went too far."

After giving the Five Swords a fist, Chung Myung turned to Tang Gunak and spoke again.

"Do we really need to go that far?"

Tang Gunak burst out laughing at those words, which were spoken so bluntly and without any hesitation.

"Yes."

"That's..."

"Through this incident, I keenly felt it. Compared to the Evil Tyrant Alliance, the critical weakness of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is that it has too many vulnerable points to guard."

"Hmm."

Chung Myung nodded as if acknowledging the validity of Tang Gunak's words.

"I, too, wouldn't have thought of this if the Heavenly Comrade Alliance hadn't suffered. But experiencing it, I understand."

"Others shouldn't end up like the Tang Family?"

"Think about it. What if the Tang Family hadn't suffered this time? What if we managed to push Myriad Man Manor out in time?"

"..."

"Even if I were to move to support you now, could we mobilize the same number of elites as before?"

It would be impossible. Knowing that their headquarters could be attacked, it was only natural to consider defending it.

"To withstand any attacks from the Evil Tyrant Alliance for a few days, at least half of the forces will stay at the family homes. Do you understand the significance of that?"

"I understand."

Tang Gunak nodded. There was no way Chung Myung wasn't unaware of this fact.

"So what we need to do first is to reduce the places to defend. Before things properly escalate, we should gather all the sects affiliated with the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, scattered throughout the world, to Shaanxi."

"...Not just the martial artists?"

"That's right."

Tang Gunak nodded.

"If we leave them be, Jang Ilso will undoubtedly target them. Then we'll once again fall under Jang Ilso's control. Even if the parties involved try to resist vigorously, it will likely end up that way."

This wasn't a comment about Tang Gunak himself but a pointed observation about Chung Myung.

If the Ice Palace was attacked and the families of the Ice Palace members fell into Jang Ilso's hands, Chung Myung would surely head there, even if he had reservations.

Chung Myung found it challenging to argue against this.

"But if they gather, with each sect's core members centered around Hwaeum, then we just need to defend Shaanxi. The places Jang Ilso can target will be drastically reduced, and the strategies he can employ will be limited."

"Hmm."

Chung Myung, unable to counter that statement, nodded slightly. Actually, he had thought about it before. Jang Ilso held numerous cards in his hands. Dealing with each one individually would be challenging even for Chung Myung.

The fight between those who had nothing to lose and those who had to protect everything was already leaning in one direction. It was safe to say the outcome was predetermined.

The crucial point was to reduce the variety of cards Jang Ilso held. In that sense, this strategy was undoubtedly meaningful.

But there was one reason Chung Myung hadn't brought it up, despite knowing all this.

Money.

Gathering people meant taking responsibility. However, if they proceeded without a proper plan in circumstances where the duration of the war wasn't known, initiating such actions could worsen the situation due to supply issues.

Providing a place for all those people to stay and offering suitable food would require mobilizing all resources from the entire Eunha Guild. Everything else would be put on hold.

The Mount Hua Sect alone could never handle such massive expenses.

"I know what you're worried about. But that's something you don't have to worry about."

"Centralizing is all well and good, but it's not such an easy task. You know, regardless of what the Tang Family or the Namgung Family can do, neither the Mount Hua Sect nor Ice Palace, nor even the Beast Palace, are living the high life."

"Mount Hua?"

"... Well."

Facing Tang Gunak's blatantly questioning gaze about why Mount Hua, which was collecting treasures from all over the Central Plains, was grouped together with those sects in the remote wilderness, Chung Myung discreetly avoided eye contact.

"Well, um... I'm currently pouring water into a leaky bucket."

"... Let's say that's the case."

"Hmm. Anyway!"

Tang Gunak nodded.

"There's no need to worry about that part. I don't think we can resolve everything with the dues paid... No, the fees each sect pays. That can just be a formality. All the money spent on eating and drinking can be handled by the Tang Family and the Namgung Family. "

"..."

"But it's not just about building the headquarters of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and feeding those who come there. We also can bear the costs of preparing for the upcoming war with the Evil Tyrant Alliance."

"Are you... sure?"

War was like a money-devouring monster. Of course, though the cost of a war between martial artists was lower than that of a war involving a large number of soldiers, war was still war.

But now, the Tang Family, having lost a considerable portion of its wealth, was saying that it would put the remaining money into preparing for the war.

"Haven't we already proven that the accumulated wealth is meaningless?"

"...Well, yes."

There used to be plenty of money in Mount Hua, but it all burned away. End of the story...

"If we don't learn from this mistake, we'll only repeat the same error. Now is not the time to passively defend what we have. Instead, it's time to actively create a place for ourselves."

"...Yeah."

As Chung Myung looked at him with admiration, Tang Gunak smiled faintly. Then, he shifted his gaze to Hyun Jong.

"That's what we need to do, Maengju-nim."

"But, Gaju-nim. While Gaju-nim's words make sense... that argument is like..."

Hyun Jong's face looked troubled. At that moment, Jo Gol, who had been observing the situation, quietly asked Yoon Jong.

"Um, Sahyung."

"Huh?"

"Isn't that... I mean, the words are good, but isn't it kind of a threat?"

"Threat? What do you mean?"

"No, isn't that right? In reality, even if they claim to contribute three shares of their wealth, in the end, most of it will be used for the livelihood of the Tang Family. Isn't that the likely scenario?"

"...Huh?"

Yoon Jong tilted his head. Now that he heard it...uh...

"But isn't he trying to handle that under the name of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and, in return, bring in money from other sects, saying, ''Even in our situation, we're contributing, and you guys won't?'"

"...Eh, no way..."

"No, think about it. Which factions of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance are wealthy?"

"Namgung and..."

Yoon Jong, as if realizing something, turned his head to look at Tang Gunak.

"Nok...Rim..."

"That's right."

Nokrim had earned a lot of money. They weren't originally a well-off sect, but handling the trade for Plum Blossom Island brought them a substantial amount of wealth.

"We couldn't exploit the money those guys earned because we lacked justification. Isn't Gaju-nim providing that justification now?"

"No, wait, I think you're overthinking it because you come from a merchant family…"

"Really? After seeing that, are you still saying that?"

Yoon Jong directed his gaze to where Jo Gol pointed.

"Well, Great Sect Leader."

"Uh?"

"If the Lord of the Tang Family is making a firm proposal like this, refusing it wouldn't be proper, right?"

"...Uh, well, that's..."

"Let's do it."

"Uh..."

Chung Myung, who perfectly understood the situation, had the gentlest expression in the world.

"For the Central Plains. Right? For the Central Plains. This isn't about fulfilling my greed, but for the Central Plains, we need to extort Namgung and Nokrim...No, get cooperation. It's all for the commoners!"

"That is correct, Maengju-nim."

"...Well."

"Now we can breathe a bit. Hehehehe!"

Watching the situation, Yoon Jong looked at Jo Gol with weak eyes.

"...By, by any chance."

"Yes?"

"Do people naturally become strange after their homes burn down once?"

"...Well, I'm not sure about that..."

Watching Tang Gunak and Chung Myung pressuring Hyun Jong from both sides, Yoon Jong finally dropped his head weakly.