1650 - Hurry and find it, quickly (4)

"Have you, have you heard the news?"

"Huh? What's going on that has you so worked up?"

"It's about Eul's Hall of the Five Halls!"

"What's happening with the Hall of the Five?"

The person who was speaking tilted his head in confusion.

The five newly established halls of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance had not yet been officially named, so for convenience, they were referred to as Gap, Eul, Byeong, Jeong, and Mu.

"I heard the head of the Eul Hall has imprisoned their members in the dungeons!"

"D-dungeons? Wait a minute, does the Alliance even have dungeons?"

"They must have borrowed the dungeons from Mount Hua."

"Oh, right... No, wait, that's not the point. Why would they imprison people in dungeons, especially with a war looming?"

"They imprisoned them for the crime of insubordination against the vice-hall leader! The whole Alliance is in an uproar over this!"

"Insubordination?"

Against the vice-hall leader? Even though he heard it clearly, the person could not comprehend it and asked again in bewilderment.

"Are you talking about those youngsters?"

"Hey!"

The messenger was startled and quickly covered his mouth, looking around nervously to see if anyone else had heard. His expression was one of fear.

"Be careful what you say! Things have changed!"

"....."

"If we're not careful, we might end up in the dungeons ourselves! We have to watch what we say from now on. They say that the number of people imprisoned this time is in the dozens, this is no small matter."

Hearing this, the listener's eyes widened. As soon as the hand covering his mouth dropped, he asked again in disbelief.

"R-really?"

It is not common for that many people to be imprisoned all at once. Any sect would be thrown into chaos over such an incident.

"So, the head of the Eul Hall..."

"Yes, the head of the Sichuan Tang Family."

Others who had been lingering nearby started to gather around, clearly just as curious about the situation.

"A dozen? That means it's not just one sect involved, right?"

"Exactly, it's said that even people from the Zhuge, Moryong, Beggar's Union, Namgung, and even the Southern Edge Sect are mixed in."

"S-southern Edge? Is that even allowed?"

The listener's face turned pale.

"Whether it's allowed or not, the deed is done. They even declared that insubordination against the vice-hall leaders is considered a challenge to the Alliance itself. The headmaster announced it!"

As the conversation continued, everyone's expressions grew more serious.

It was natural for the Chief to side with the vice-hall leaders, but for the hall heads to also support them was no ordinary matter.

Until now, everyone had subtly disregarded the vice-hall leaders because they were certain that the real power of the hall ultimately resided with the hall head.

"Are we supposed to understand that the hall heads are now protecting the vice-hall leaders?"

"It seems so, otherwise…."

"But why?"

The man looked utterly perplexed, as if he could not comprehend the situation.

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance is a coalition of many different sects.

And the recent appointment of vice-hall leaders had gone too far. It was clear to everyone that the Mount Hua Sect had placed their preferred individuals in all the vice-hall positions.

Many members harbored subtle discontent over this.

Thus, although it was not openly acknowledged, there was a tacit agreement and cooperation to suppress the vice-hall leaders.

But now, the hall heads, who were expected to represent the members, were instead defending the vice-hall leaders?

For the disgruntled members, this turn of events was nothing short of catastrophic.

"It's likely because the Sichuan Tang Family has a good relationship with Mount Hua. The other hall heads might feel differently. Our hall head, for instance..."

"Stop talking nonsense. If that were the case, they would have already stated their position. Among those imprisoned are the disciples of our hall head!"

Hearing this, the remaining hope faded away.

"So, what happens now?"

"What do you mean, what happens? From now on, anyone who defies the vice-hall leaders will end up in the dungeons. I hear they don't plan to release them until the war is over."

"What? That long?"

"Yes, that's what they say! The Alliance is walking on thin ice right now!"

Sighs could be heard from all around.

That meant they would have to obey the young vice-hall leaders without question. Sit when told to sit, crawl when told to crawl.

"Damn it, why did they cause such trouble?"

"I knew this would happen!"

"They should have known their limits!"

If only they had kept quiet until the war started, things might not have escalated this far.

With the war so close, they would be less likely to reduce their forces for punishment, so minor insubordination might have been overlooked.

But with the current situation, the vice-hall leaders' authority would only grow stronger.

How many people would be happy about this?

"So, we just need to avoid insubordination?"

"It's just a rumor, but..."

"Stop beating around the bush and just tell us! What else is there?"

"I heard the headmaster plans to formalize the vice-hall leaders' authority to execute immediate punishment..."

"What? Immediate execution? Does that mean they can just cut someone's head off on the spot?"

"It's worse than that. It means the vice-hall leaders can execute anyone who displeases them, without any due process."

"Is that even possible? Even the Evil Sect wouldn't go that far!"

"It shouldn't be possible. But it's the Chief we're talking about."

This statement lent a momentary justification.

Everyone in the martial world now considered Chung Myung of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword to be more ruthless than the Evil Sect. Has there ever been anything normal about his actions?

"So what about us?"

"We're completely screwed..."

We already have to serve these youngsters from unfamiliar sects as superiors. Now, they even have the power of life and death over us?

The phrase 'madness' was created for situations like this.

Just then, one of the listeners spoke up.

"But no matter what, we have the hall heads and the elders, right? They'll keep things in check."

Someone else agreed.

"Exactly. The hall heads and elders aren't just figureheads! No matter how unreasonable the Chief is, he can't overpower all of them!"

There was some merit to this argument.

In the midst of their complex thoughts, everyone naturally looked toward one place: the main conference room of the Alliance, where the central leaders were likely gathered.

Inside the conference room, Moryong Wikyung cleared his throat and began to speak.

"While I don't have a clear understanding of how things escalated to this point, isn't this response a bit excessive?"

"Excessive?"

"Imprisoning them for such a long time..."

"Ah, that. It certainly was a problematic solution."

"Right?"

"They should've just crippled their limbs on the spot and left them as crippled beggars. I didn't think it through. Even now, we could still..."

"No, no! That's not what I meant by 'excessive'! I was talking about..."

Moryong Wikyung stammered, desperately trying to change his words. After all, he could see the seriousness on Chung Myung's face.

"Well, I was concerned that giving the vice-hall leaders too much power might be..."

"Too much?"

A look of sorrow crossed Moryong Wikyung's face. What kind of person doesn't let others speak...

"From the beginning..."

Bang!

Chung Myung struck the table in front of him with the force of destroying it.

"If the hall heads had done their jobs properly, none of this would have happened! They were chosen to assist the vice-hall leaders, but where were they? What were they doing that allowed this to happen? They're not doing their jobs!"

"Chung Myung-ah... it's not the hall heads are supposed to support the vice-hall leaders, but the vice-hall leaders assists the hall leaders..."

"That's just a formality! In reality, they were chosen to handle the vice-hall leaders' tasks! If they were given a job, they should at least do it properly!"

Even if that was the truth, saying it out loud was unacceptable. In the world, such things are called 'courtesy' and 'common sense.'

Hyun Jong, despite wanting to say a lot, couldn't bring himself to speak. Unfortunately, he was a man of common sense and courtesy.

Chung Myung, who lacked such common sense, was busy snapping back.

"Tell me! What did you do to let things get to this point? Huh?"

"It's not like that..."

"Are you busy?"

"No, not busy, but..."

"Then you're not busy? You must be living the good life, huh?"

Moryong Wikyung, who was at a loss for words, stared blankly at Chung Myung. Then, he suddenly became incensed.

'Wait a minute. Why am I constantly apologizing?'

As someone who joined the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, it was natural to respect the Chief. However, being unable to even voice a single word of dissent felt different.

After all, he was not someone who should be treated this way. Even the former head of the court wouldn't have dared to treat him like this!

Just as he was about to retaliate,

"Chief, right now..."

"I'm sorry, Chief."

The former leader of the Beggar's Union, Poong Yeongshin, bowed deeply to Chung Myung.

"I failed to properly carry out your orders. Please forgive my incompetence and complacency."

"Can you call this mere complacency? This is a serious situation!"

"I have no excuse. It was our duty to empower the vice-hall leaders to fulfill their roles, and we failed. I apologize once more."

Poong Yeongshin, of all people, was bowing and apologizing.

Moryong Wikyung froze. Not only him but others also couldn't hide their shock.

Who is Poong Yeongshin?

Even if his true identity was ambiguous, he had nonetheless ruled the Beggar's Union for decades before stepping down. In terms of symbolism and distribution of power, he was not someone Mo Yong-Wikyung could compare to.

But now, he was bowing to a young man like Chung Myung?

"I should also apologize."

At that moment, Maeng So added to Poong Yeongshin's apology with a troubled expression.

"There has been considerable resistance from the Beast Palace, and in trying to suppress it..."

"That's that and this is this!"

"That's what I'm saying, sigh."

Maeng So smacked his lips, looking somewhat awkward. His face even turned red. Seeing this large man at a loss made Moryonh Wikyung feel embarrassed as well.

With these two starting off, the atmosphere became rather strange. Especially since Poong Yeongshin, who didn't seem to have much interaction with Chung Myung, was openly showing such deference, it had a significant impact.

It became difficult to criticize Chung Myung for being excessive. Not only for Tang Gunak, who was directly involved, but also for Mo Yong-Wikyung and Jongri Gok.

"I'm not just saying this to hear apologies. I want things to be clear."

Chung Myung spoke again, his voice a bit more composed.

"It's fortunate that this happened now. If something like this happened on the battlefield, it would be truly irreparable. I wouldn't be able to handle it myself then."

"...That's true."

"So make sure everyone knows what they're supposed to do. Is this the time for power struggles? I created the Alliance to solve the chaos between sects, and now we're fighting amongst ourselves. Ha, the more I think about it, the more frustrating it gets! I feel like beating everyone to a pulp..."

"Chung Myung, calm down a bit."

"He gets angry at his own words..."

Chung Myung let out a deep sigh, barely cooling his temper. Then he sharply addressed the vice-hall leaders.

"Vice-hall leaders, get your act together!"

The vice-hall leaders, who were present, flinched and shrank back.

"This happens because you look like pushovers! If some nobodies are causing trouble, you should have skewered them with your sword on the spot! Where do they..."

"...At this point, isn't the Evil Sect actually kinder, senior?"

"I'm starting to wonder."

"Silence!"

Chung Myung snapped irritably, his expression hardening.

"A leader loses everything if they lose control."

"....."

"Even seemingly trivial cracks can ultimately lead everyone to death. Don't forget that. We are at war right now."

Everyone felt the weight in his voice. That weight made them all nod in agreement.

And then.

Bang.

The door was roughly pushed open, and someone entered the conference room.

"Alliance Leader, Chief. I have a report."

It was the Nokrim King, Im Sobyeong. His face was paler and more rigid than usual.

"The Evil Tyrant Alliance has finally made their move."

His voice was colder and heavier than his complexion.