Chapter 1464: Aren't We The Main Force? (Part 4)

"If we look at it objectively, it might be hard to say that we gained a significant advantage, but for now, we should consider our goal achieved."

"Hehehehe."

"However, the situation is still precarious. Of course, isn't it natural? We haven't really dealt a proper blow to their forces, have we?"

"Euhahaha!"

"So, what's important now is, as soon as possible..."

"Euhehehehehe!"

"Ah, come on!"

Im Sobyeong made a rare expression of genuine frustration.

"Is wealth really important at a time like this?"

"What?"

"Huh?"

Abruptly met with resistance, Im Sobyeong flinched. But what truly made him flinch was not Chung Myung, who was glaring at the pile of wealth, diligently pulling the cart. It was Tang Gunak, who was glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

"No, why are you...?"

"Is that wealth so important?"

"I didn't say it's just... that."

Tang Gunak's hands twitched. Chung Myung spoke indifferently.

"Leave it. What do the Evil Sect know?"

"Well, that's true. I understand."

"...Dirty righteous sect bastards."

Stigmas are indeed terrifying.

"And wealth isn't everything. In fact, we're short of military funds, you know."

"No, can a few carts solve that problem?"

"Of... If you only aim for a big hit, you'll live your whole life as a bandit. Anyway, those Evil Sect bastards..."

"Ugh..."

Im Sobyeong fiercely grabbed the back of his neck with a resentful face. Then, Meng So approached and gently tapped his shoulder.

"Pa, Palace Lord."

There were tears in Im Sobyeong's eyes.

"Cheer up."

"Indeed... Palace Lord, being from the outskirts, you understand the feeling of being oppressed."

"Huh? I'm from the outskirts, but I'm not an Evil Sect member, right? It's natural not to associate with those bastards."

"..."

"I just thought being all shady like this wouldn't work out." [not sure]

Those damn barbarians. Suppressing a futile cough, Im Sobyeong forcibly turned his head and shouted at Chung Myung.

"I said I understand, so come down for now!"

"Ah, seriously."

Grumbling, Chung Myung jumped down from the cart. Still, as if regretting it, he glanced at the wealth loaded on the cart and savored the taste.

"Why is someone with a lot of money still acting like that..."

"You're saying I have a lot of money? Mount Hua is rich, not me. Am I the one with a lot of money?"

"Huh? No, you... also took a share from the trade with Plum Blossom Is..."

At that moment, an intimidating aura poured towards Im Sobyeong. Chung Myung grinned and asked.

"Hmm? Share? What are you talking about?"

For a moment, sweat streamed down Im Sobyeong's face.

"N-no, it's not like that. It seems I misunderstood something."

"Hahaha. Is that so? Even looking at me, I'm actually a humble Taoist. Would I hide something like wealth? Hahaha!"

Those who were watching couldn't help but laugh.

'He got everything.'

'He really got a lot.'

'How much did that crazy guy leave out?'

'We should tell Sect Leader.'

Chung Myung, patting Im Sobyeong's shoulder, looked around with a satisfied expression.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"It's in reverse, right? What are you going to do now?"

"Huh?"

"You're the Chief, aren't you? You have to give orders. It's not like the old days where you could just sit back and watch."

"Ugh, such a hassle..."

Chung Myung looked at everyone and spoke.

"For now..."

Everyone looked at him with tense eyes.

"We should go to Shaanxi."

"Hoo."

"Haaa..."

With that, relieved sighs were heard everywhere. It was such a natural thing, but since the one giving the orders was an extraordinary person, there was a slight worry that he might say something unexpected.

"Why? Were you afraid I'd say, 'Let's go cut down Jang Ilso's neck right away'?"

"... Honestly, I can't say no."

"No, do I seem like such a lunatic?"

"Yes."

"Yeah."

"Hey, dam..."

Chung Myung twisted his face, but the reactions of the others were nonchalant. It wasn't like he said something untrue.

"I might really end up doing it."

As Chung Myung mumbled, everyone avoided eye contact. It wasn't good to add unnecessary words and provoke anger. Chung Myung sighed.

"Of course, I really want to pluck off Jang Ilso's head, but it's not the right situation for that yet."

"A wise judgment."

Tang Gunak nodded vigorously. What they needed now was stability, not just profits.

"But well... that doesn't mean we're just going there without a plan."

"What, what are you planning to do again?"

"No, just... let's get things done ahead of time once we arrive."

Chung Myung chuckled.

"First of all... Hmm, Gaju-nim."

"Speak."

"We might need to call the beggars a bit, don't you think?"

Everyone looked at Chung Myung with puzzled eyes.

"Haven't the beggars already seen enough to assess the situation?"

During the journey here, they encountered the beggars of the Beggar's Sect several times. Even if the Evil Tyrant Alliance took over Sichuan, they couldn't immediately drive out all the beggars, so it was natural.

"Weren't you sitting on that solid pile of wealth, exaggeratingly flaunting it on purpose to show off to the beggars?"

"Well... yes. Ah, yes. That's right! Haha. You know it well."

An awkward silence briefly settled. As Tang Gunak's eyes narrowed, Chung Myung quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, anyway! That's not enough. This time, those guys won't be able to showcase our achievements for sure."

"Why is that?"

"Bangjang will use his evil tactics to block them."

"Hmm..."

If it were just ten days ago, Tang Gunak would have reacted, 'Would Bangjang go that far?' However, now Tang Gunak didn't voice such thoughts.

The relationship between Heavenly Comrade Alliance and the Ten Great Sects had become irreversible.

"So, we need someone who will speak up even if Bangjang blocks them. It would be nice if we could contact an Elder beggar, but that won't be easy, so we need to convey the message to a reliable person first. Then it'll handle itself."

"Hong Buntaju?"

"He may not have skills, but he's a weird guy with abilities. A person who will happily jump around at times like this, a perfect fit."

Tang Gunak nodded. Moreover, it was clear that Hong Daekwang was the only person in the current Beggar's Union that they could be confident was on the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's side.

"But is that possible? According to what you said, the Beggar's Union will probably decide not to reveal what we did, and Hong Buntaju is ultimately part of the Beggar's Union. Can he refuse their orders?"

"Who's giving him orders?"

"Well, of course..."

Tang Gunak closed his mouth. Naturally, the orders from the Beggar's Union were given by the Beggar's Union sect leader. However...

'When was the last time I heard about the Beggar's Union sect leader?'

Now, the Beggar's Union sect leader existed but was practically a non-existent person. Thinking about it, even during the Plum Blossom Island incident, an elder of the Beggar's Union had opposed the orders of the Beggar's Union.

"That guy doesn't look like much, but anyway, he's a candidate for the sect leader. The only person who can press and such a guy with authority is none other than the Beggar's Union sect leader, and now the Beggar's Union sect leader is absent."

"I see. So you plan to take advantage of the vacancy of the Beggar's Union sect leader to move around some parts of the Beggar's Union."

"Not exactly."

"Huh? No?"

Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung with bewildered eyes. Chung Myung chuckled.

"Hey. If I was going to finish it that way, I wouldn't have even started."

The eyes hidden in the laughter were more cold and ruthless than ever.

"In times like these, you need to stand in line properly on your side, right? Now, make them make a decision soon."

Countless thoughts flashed through Tang Gunak's mind for a moment. However, he quickly scattered all of them. Now the decision was made by Chung Myung. He just had to follow.

"All right. If there's something I need to do, I'll do it."

"Yes. And..."

Chung Myung shifted his gaze to Jo Woong this time.

"Is it not?"

"Uh... No, what I mean is..."

Chung Myung grinned.

"Hey. If we were going to end it with just that, we wouldn't even have started yet."

The gaze hidden in the laughter was cold and ruthless.

"In times like these, you need to stand in line properly on your side, right? Now, I'll make a decision soon."

Countless thoughts flashed through Tang Gunak's mind for a moment. However, he quickly scattered all of them. Now the decision is made by Chung Myung. He just has to follow.

"All right. If there's something I need to do, I'll do it."

"Yes. And... well."

Chung Myung shifted his gaze to Jo Wung this time.

"The Four Seas Merchant Company should also contribute a bit for the meal, don't you think?"

"... Are you talking about us?"

"Well, actually, if you think about it, merchants and beggars are similar."

"What? Are, are merchants and beggars si-similar?"

Jo Woong looked at Chung Myung with eyes that said, 'No, what kind of crazy person is this?'

"Hey, Chung Myung. That's a bit too much. Merchants and beggars are the most different types of people, aren't they?"

"Different? What's different? They're similar. In the end, they're most numerous in cities where money circulates a lot, they appear anywhere there are many people, and the successful ones open branches in each city, making money by deceiving people. It's the same."

"... Uh? Listening to it now?"

"What do you mean, 'Now that you mention it!' It's pure nonsense! The nonsense of nonsense! The amount of money one possesses is different, isn't it!"

Jo Gol glared with both eyes wide open, lit with a fire. There was no argument to counter such sophistry.

"Tsk tsk. Trying to classify people with money, and they call themselves Taoists. It's the end of the world."

"Sh-shut up..."

As Jo Gol was about to foam at the mouth, Yoon Jong approached, tapped his shoulder, and said.

"Calm down. It seems like it's not entirely wrong."

...Maybe this guy was the worst person after all.

"Anyway, the Four Seas Merchant Company is closely connected with the tea trade and established routes to the central part of the country."

"That's true, but..."

"Then you just have to pass it all on. Tell them that the Four Seas Merchant Company escaped from Sichuan with the help of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. In addition, convey a few words from me."

Chung Myung grinned.

"Bangjang can shut the mouths of beggars, but he can't tell merchants to shut up. Even though they're merchants, they have their pride."

"Ah..."

The members of the Four Seas Merchant Company looked at Chung Myung with surprised eyes.

Certainly, the influence of the Ten Great Sects was significant, but merchant companies were outside that influence. Even if they attempted to control it, it was minimal on the flow of money, and it wouldn't be possible to completely silence them.

The Eunha Guild could convey the message, but the level of influence was different. All merchants in the world must be paying close attention to the situation in Sichuan, but the Four Seas Merchants Association, the only one among them to have escaped from Chengdu, spread the word?

'There's no need to spread this information.'

When the news arrived, the whole world would know about the situation in Sichuan before three days passed.

"You, don't tell me you did it on purpose...?"

"Hehe! Well, kind of! Kind of! But I'm still poor!"

"...Right."

No. That's how it should've been.

"But... What are you trying to achieve by spreading all of this?"

"It needs to be divided."

Chung Myung grinned.

"They want to divide now, don't they?"

"True. We're in a position to prevent that."

"Why...?"

"Huh?"

"Why should we prevent that?"

"No, well..."

"Tsk tsk. No wonder you can't make money. Typically, when something breaks apart, there is no need to try to stop it. What's important is that we eat bigger pieces."

"Uh?"

"That's right. Since there's already an alliance and everything has been exposed, we can take advantage of this opportunity and clean up the mess, right?"

Chung Myung grinned, looking west.

"Originally, I'm not good at opening up situations, but I'm an expert at leaping around in a situation someone else opens up."

Before, Chung Myung jumped into a situation that Cheon Mun laid the foundation for. This time, it wasn't Cheon Mun, but Jang Ilso who opened it.

"Hey! Bandits!"

"Preparing!"

Im Sobyeong had already climbed onto the cart and was taking out his paper, brush, and ink. When they saw this, the others shook their heads. How did that guy know in advance and prepare the paper, brush, and ink? That's why people who deal with accounts are scary.

"All right, it's roughly settled."

Chung Myung's eyes sparkled.

"For now, let's go to Shaanxi at full strength! It's a matter of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's fate! We have to arrive by tonight!"

"Uh... Well, then, it seems like the goods might get a bit damaged. Will it be okay?"

"If we don't arrive by tomorrow morning, we're all dead!"

The fate of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and a few cartloads of goods. It was a moment when everyone clearly recognized where the scales were tipping.