1649 - Hurry and find it, quickly (3)

Baek Cheon, who had been watching Chung Myung rampage with a dazed expression, finally snapped back to reality.

"We need to stop him! Quickly!"

"Uh…"

"What are you doing, you little punks! Hurry and stop him!"

"Sasuk…"

"It's too late."

"What?"

Baek Cheon looked at the scene in front of him again.

"Ah."

It was already too late. Indeed, the statement was correct. The worst scene he could imagine… no, perhaps a scene he couldn't even imagine was unfolding before him.

Bang!

Chung Myung's foot mercilessly struck the face of a swordsman from the Moyong Family.

The man, making a sound like a pig being slaughtered, flew and crashed into the crowd of onlookers. Their minds couldn't comprehend the situation, and they all stood in a daze.

At that moment, Chung Myung's eyes caught sight of a trembling beggar.

"And this beggar!"

"C-Chief! I didn't say anything…!"

"A beggar with no sense should just die, you bastard!"

Whack!

Chung Myung quickly snatched the staff hanging from the beggar's waist and brought it down in one swift motion. The beggar, hit squarely on the head, couldn't even scream and collapsed, convulsing.

"What? Alliance Rules?"

Chung Myung's eyes glinted as he looked for his next target.

"Since I came here, not a single person has asked to see the Alliance Rules. What? According to the rules? Do you even know what the rules are?"

"....."

"Yeah, come on, let one person come out. If just one person knows what's written in the rules, I'll let it go. So, come on, one person, step up right now."

"...that.."

The people, who had been silently complicit in today's events, were now trembling, exchanging fearful glances. No one dared to claim that they fully understood the Alliance Rules.

Of course not.

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance hadn't properly established any military regulations yet. The ones supposed to create the rules hadn't done anything, so where could these nonexistent rules come from to justify their actions?

"No one?"

As Chung Myung pressured them, everyone flinched in silence. Just when it seemed he might calm down, Chung Myung's eyes glinted fiercely again.

"Okay, then you understand why you need to be beaten!"

Wham!

Another person soared through the air.

"Hi-Hiek!"

"Come here! Come here, you bastard! Where are you running?"

"C-Chief! If you keep doing this…"

"If I keep doing this, what will you do?"

Chung Myung began rampaging like a mad dog, sweeping through the surroundings.

Namgung Dowi, who had been watching helplessly, started to sweat profusely.

"Shouldn't we really stop him?"

"Now?"

"Even so…"

Jo Gul calmly rubbed his chin and muttered as if he were talking about another world.

"It's a scene we've seen a lot in the past."

"Indeed."

"It's true he's been too restrained lately."

"That's also true."

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong seemed not only indifferent but almost serene. The flustered Namgung Dowi now turned to Baek Cheon.

"D-Deputy Sect Leader! We need to stop him somehow…"

"Hmmm."

Baek Cheon nodded his head after letting out a deep sigh as if he was deeply troubled by something.

"After thinking about it…."

"..yes?"

"If we had stopped him before he acted, it would have been the right thing to do, but since he's already acted, isn't it better to make it clear?"

"What?"

"There must be a reason. He's not a child."

"T-That's nonsensical…"

"Aaaargh!"

Just then, someone who had been hit squarely in the chin by Chung Myung's foot soared into the air.

"He's really hitting them hard. It's refreshing to watch."

Baek Cheon's casual comment left Namgung Dowi at a loss for words.

'These insane Mount Hua people…'

How could they react like this to such a scene? No sane person could do that.

"This is a scene of a Chief beating up his followers. Isn't this something that should never happen, anywhere, anytime?"

"Well, it's not like you're in a position to talk, given how you challenged anyone who opposed you with a sword."

"I-I have a slightly different position…."

Namgung Dowi's voice faltered as he felt a sting of guilt.

"What about when the third-generation disciple was breaking the heads of the second-generation disciples?"

"Mount Hua's people beating Namgung Family members?"

"It's fortunate that it's only the Namgung Family. He've even drawn a picture on Monk Hye Yeon's head from Shaolin for fun before. From Chung Myung's perspective, this is actually a very moderate reaction."

Namgung Dowi's eyes widened in realization.

'Now that I think about it...'

That man, Chung Myung, was 'that' kind of person. It suddenly came back to him. He had forgotten for a moment with all the weight on his shoulders recently...

"No, no matter what, this shouldn't be allowed."

"Sogaju, think about it carefully. He's always been like this. It's more strange if that bastard only does what he's allowed to do."

"Uh.."

Hearing this, Namgung Dowi nodded involuntarily, thinking it made sense.

But not everyone was convinced like Namgung Dowi.

"What, what kind of behavior is this?"

Zhuge Yan, who had been kicked and rolled on the ground by Chung Myung, got up and shouted. Chung Myung, who was punching someone, who was unlucky enought to get caught somewhere, turned his gaze and looked at Zhuge Yan.

"What is it now?"

"A Chief of an alliance beating like this! How can this be allowed?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

"It's allowed."

Zhuge Yan's mouth fell open.

"Al-allowed? What nonsense is that? Who decides that?"

"I do."

"What?"

Zhuge Yan's face went blank as he tried to argue. Chung Myung spoke again, looking indifferent.

"I decide. Why?"

"....."

"This bastard is really irritating me."

Chung Myung threw the person he had been shaking towards Zhuge Yan. Zhuge Yan, startled, instinctively dodged.

Thud.

The thrown person landed pathetically on the ground, and Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

"You, traitorous bastard. You could have at least caught him."

"No, no, you're the one who threw him."

"I'm the Chief, you bastard. So I decide. Do you want to decide?"

Zhuge Yan's mouth shut once more. Looking around, it seemed there was no one to support him.

Maybe it was natural.

If the opponent only had arguments, you could debate; if they only had authority, you could resist; if they only had power, you could fight together. But going against someone who had arguments, authority, and power all in one was unimaginable.

However, Zhuge Yan couldn't back down now.

"Do you mean to say the Chief decides everything at will?"

"Yes, that's right. Is there a problem?"

Chung Myung approached Zhuge Yan with a swaying motion. Zhuge Yan flinched and retreated involuntarily.

"The Heavenly Comrade Alliance is a union of righteous sects. How can a superior beat a subordinate at will in such a place!"

Chung Myung snorted at Zhuge Yan's words.

"This bastard is talking nonsense. I'm not some back alley thug. Do you think such rules make sense?"

"Exactly! Then you must know that what you're doing is an overreach and a wrongful act..."

"You're talking nonsense."

Chung Myung chuckled before Zhuge Yan could finish.

"This bastard's mouth is really dirty. Hey, do you think I'm hitting you because I don't like you?"

"Then is there another reason?"

"Rebellion."

"What?"

"Rebellion against the Leader. What other reason is there?"

"Re-rebellion?"

Zhuge Yan's gaze shifted to Hye Yeon. Hye Yeon's face was pale. Zhuge Yan shouted, his face contorted.

"We were just discussing because we judged the vice-unit leader's orders unreasonable! How is that rebellion..."

"Yes, that's rebellion."

"What? Why...?"

"Why?"

Chung Myung, who had been smiling brightly until now, suddenly stopped smiling.

Snap!

In an instant, Chung Myung closed the distance and grabbed Zhuge Yan's neck.

"Ugh.."

"You're mistaken about something."

Chung Myung looked down at him with cold eyes. Zhuge Yan, who had his neck grabbed, could not even respond, let alone resist. He just trembled all over.

"Do you know what wartime is?"

"....."

"Seeing how you've read some military books, you must know what wartime is, what rebellion is. Explain with your own mouth what someone who isn't the leader should do in wartime."

"Ugh..."

Jegal Yeon's eyes trembled finely.

"In wartime, the chaos caused by minor disagreements is more deadly than the minor disagreements themselves. That's why there's a separate wartime command. You bastard."

Chung Myung's gaze pierced through Zhuge Yan.

"What? Is it hard to take orders from someone younger above you? Do you think you're better and more righteous? Would it feel good if others followed your words first?"

"That-that..."

"Then prove your ability on the battlefield, you bastard. Don't just run your mouth."

Crash!

Chung Myung carelessly picked up Zhuge Yan and threw him.

"Keugh! Keoek!"

Zhuge Yan coughed violently, clutching his neck as if he was about to cough up his lungs. Chung Myung looked down at him as if he were a bug, then glared at everyone else. The terrified people hastily avoided his gaze.

"You're all the same. Did you think you could have fun with a young kid if you just set the mood right among yourselves?"

"C-Chief… that's not…"

"Even if some of you didn't think that way, you probably at least thought it'd be more convenient if things went this way, didn't you? Am I wrong?"

There was no response.

No one had actively protected Hye Yeon, and it was hard to deny that what Chung Myung said played a part in that.

Chung Myung's cold voice cut through the silence.

"Don't be mistaken."

"....."

"The reason why the Alliance created factions and appointed leaders and vice leaders isn't to cater to your complaints. It's to create a properly functioning faction, even if we have to cut the necks of those who don't listen."

Chung Myung's gaze now turned to the gathered vice leaders. They flinched and slowly lowered their heads.

"Indulging your tantrums ends here."

"....."

"From now on, anyone who defies their vice leader or leader will be punished, regardless of the reason. Remember this clearly. There are no more sects. That means…"

Chung Myung's voice was like the growl of a ferocious beast.

"There's no place that will blindly protect you for your actions anymore. Being part of the Alliance means that your rewards and punishments are now solely handled by the Alliance."

His voice pierced everyone's ears clearly and chillingly. Even the warriors from other factions who had gathered to watch the situation shrank their shoulders.

"If anyone wants to test whether this is a simple threat or reality, go ahead. It would be convenient for me to have an example. I'll prove clearly that the General of this Alliance doesn't speak empty words."

As Chung Myung's words ended, a heavy silence fell, making it hard to even breathe deeply. Everyone looked at their toes, not knowing what to do.

"What's going on?"

A person approached, parting the crowd.

A path opened up, and soon the person revealed himself. The faces of Zhuge Yan and the other instigators turned pale.

Damn it.

It was Poison King Tang Gunak.

He, who led the faction with Hye Yeon, surveyed everyone with a cold expression and then slowly spoke.

"Someone needs to explain what happened here."

His blade-like voice fell on everyone's heads.

"Without missing a single detail, everything."

Realizing the growing anger of Poison King, those present closed their eyes in resignation.