Chapter 63
“…”
“…”
“…”
After my words, nothing but silence remained in the room. The first to break it was Yu Haseong.
“…The General Stronghold Master is quite bold.”
He raised the corners of his mouth in a scoff, but his smile wasn’t a real smile. After shooting me that bitter smirk, he went ahead and sat down first.
Naturally…, he completely ignored the hand I had offered for a handshake.
'Well, it can’t be helped.'
I hadn’t offered my hand with a genuine desire to shake his anyway, so I quickly withdrew it.
What just happened could be considered a psychological battle in its own right.
It was a psychological battle to declare that I wouldn’t bow down to him, and to gauge his character.
The opponent was one of the Ten Great Masters of the World. Naturally, I didn’t expect him to be easy.
However. His hostility was much clearer than I thought.
'Is it because I looted all the Shanxi Yu Family’s secret manuals and elixirs…?'
That could be the reason.
But from what I could see, Yu Haseong’s eyes held a different kind of hostility.
It was the same not only when he looked at me, but also when he looked at Munseok.
Perhaps…, he harbored a disgust for the entire Unorthodox Faction.
I suddenly remembered his moniker.
Righteous Sword Knight-errant.
To explain it simply, it meant a righteous Swordsman who wielded the proper Sword of the Shanxi Yu Family.
A knight-errant was a savior to the weak, but to a villain, he could become a merciless yaksha.
Recalling that fact, I etched into my mind that this opponent would not be easy.
Then I gestured toward Munseok and the Beggar's Sect Branch Master, who had both turned into stone statues.
“Shall we sit too? Mr. Beggar, you take a seat as well.”
“Huu…”
“Ah, r-right.”
As the Beggar's Sect Branch Master sat down, Munseok also took a seat.
He took a deep breath and regained his usual expression. Munseok was a veteran in this field, so there was no need to worry too much.
“Now, then…”
As if proving my expectations right, a calm yet clear voice flowed from Munseok’s mouth without a hint of trembling.
“Shall we begin our discussion?”
“Let us do so.”
Now, the negotiations that would determine the safety of me, my Subordinates, and our Green Forest had finally begun in earnest.
* * *
The overall proceedings were handled by Munseok, who had the smoothest way with words among us.
Feigning his uniquely refreshing and friendly voice, he started by representing our position.
However…
“First, our side would like to reiterate that the Green Forest is the victim in this matter.”
“Victim?!”
…Displeased by the very first sentence, Yu Haseong scowled and let out an angry roar.
It was enough to dampen one’s spirit, but perhaps having adapted to it by now, Munseok scowled right back and replied.
“The Murim Alliance came with swords drawn and caused bloodshed against the Green Forest, who were just living quietly. Naturally, wouldn’t our side be considered the victim?”
“Is The Green Forest living quietly? How can illegally occupying mountain paths and extorting tolls from the innocent Common People be called living quietly?”
At Yu Haseong’s words, I couldn’t help but flare up.
Damn it, do you know how much I suppressed my temper and how well-behaved I’ve been?
“Righteous Sword Knight-errant. That’s a bit harsh. What bad things did we even do? We opened up the Mountain Path to make things easier for the Merchants and contributed to the local community.”
Hearing my words, Yu Haseong let out another scoff, as if he found it absurd.
“Bandits contributing to the local community… How absurd…Alright, can you prove this so-called contribution?”
As soon as he finished speaking, I gave a look to the Beggar's Sect Branch Master. Catching my signal, the Branch Master immediately pulled something out from his robes.
“…Branch Master.”
Seeing the Beggar's Sect Branch Master and me working in sync, Yu Haseong made a surprised expression.
But, Mister, it’s already too late.
This meeting might look like a two-on-two, but it was actually three-on-one. We had already coordinated our stories with the Beggar's Sect Branch Master.
Just as agreed beforehand, the Beggar's Sect Branch Master took out a document from his robes and handed it to Yu Haseong.
That was none other than…
“This is a report written by the Murim Alliance spy who scouted the Green Forest a while ago.”
“…!”
…It was the report from the spy who had visited us previously.
Surprised by this, Yu Haseong widened his eyes.
“This is…”
“Yes, our Hunan Branch recovered it along with the spy’s body. I believe it would be best for you to read it.”
“…”
At the Branch Master’s earnest suggestion, Yu Haseong took it and unfolded it.
And…
“…”
…It didn’t take long for a strange light to flicker in his eyes.
He must be surprised.
He was definitely surprised.
Because there was nothing but good things written about our Green Forest in there.
It wasn’t like we had fabricated it. The spy who had actually traveled our Mountain Path evaluated us very positively.
'Selling that alcohol cheaply was worth it.'
Recalling the hardship of selling alcohol at a fixed price without ripping anyone off, I spoke to Yu Haseong.
“Huh? Why aren’t you saying anything? Does it say in there that we took excessive profits and persecuted the Merchants?”
It didn’t. Rather, it would only say that we charged reasonable prices and alleviated the Merchants' difficulties.
It also mentions that the people were kind and there was no persecution of the Common People.
“We might be called the Green Forest and bandits, but in reality, we repented and were just running a good business. Then the Murim Alliance suddenly barged in and attacked us. And…, you keep saying we torment the Common People, but is the Murim Alliance really that honorable?”
“What…, do you mean by that?”
When Yu Haseong asked back, I gave another look to the Branch Master.
Then, hesitating slightly this time, the Branch Master pulled another document from his robes and handed it over.
Receiving it, Yu Haseong unfolded it with an incredibly serious expression.
And before he even got past the first page…
“…”
…His complexion changed.
His face seemed somewhat calm, but I could glimpse the emotion dwelling within it.
Anger. Boiling anger.
'Thank goodness.'
What I had been worried about was the possibility that the Murim Alliance would send an absolute trash Representative, like a remade version of Dokgoyeong.
If someone like that had come, they would have just panicked upon seeing that document and only thought about how to cover it up.
But the emotion currently displayed on Yu Haseong’s face was clear anger.
What he was reading right now was the Beggar's Sect’s Confidential Document, which detailed Dokgoyeong’s past atrocities.
With his eyes burning fiercely, he read through it slowly and carefully.
Flutter-.
Finally, after reading all the way to the last page, Yu Haseong closed his eyes for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
“…Branch Master.”
“…Yes, Great Hero.”
“…Why wasn’t this information reported in advance?”
Yu Haseong’s voice was calmer than ever. However, a calm Sword is naturally the one that cuts an opponent’s neck the sharpest.
Yu Haseong’s calm anger reprimanded the Branch Master more sharply than ever.
“I-I also haven’t known about this for long. And…, I wanted to explain it to you personally when you arrived, Great Hero…”
That was also a lie.
Originally, the Branch Master had expressed his intention to formally report that information to the Murim Alliance Headquarters, but we stopped him.
Because if they saw that, the Murim Alliance could have openly manipulated things. And seeing it directly on the spot like this would deliver a much bigger shock to the opponent.
My intentions must have hit the mark, as Yu Haseong grabbed his forehead with his hand for a moment, seemingly in shock.
Not missing that opening, I continued speaking.
“You saw it all, right? We were living good lives, but some murderous bastard barged in to satisfy his bloodlust. But the good guys were the bandits, and the murderous bastard was from the Murim Alliance, the Second Son of the Dokgo Noble Family at that! People of the world, look here! Can you believe such a thing happened!”
“…There are also circumstances suggesting that Dokgoyeong disposed of the Murim Alliance’s spy.”
At that moment, the Branch Master lent support to my words in a quiet voice. At this point, I couldn’t tell if that man was truly from the Murim Alliance or on our side.
Anyway, bolstered by the Branch Master’s help, I pushed Yu Haseong even further.
“Do you see now who the victim is and who the perpetrator is?”
“…”
“This is the reality, yet you despise us just by hearing the name Green Forest, Great Hero. But do you understand how things are here in Hunan now? Unlike the Murim Alliance, which neglects this place and only watches from afar, our Green Forest is the protector that develops and guards this region. You people are just gangsters.”
“…”
I hadn’t said anything wrong.
The Murim Alliance neglected and showed no interest in this barren land. Dokgoyeong, hailing from the Murim Alliance, even killed innocent Merchants just to satisfy his bloodlust.
In contrast, I unified the bandits and stopped their pillaging. I opened up the Mountain Path and brought peace to the Merchants' lives. This, in turn, made the lives of the residents here much better.
I hadn’t been here for long either, but since I decided to settle down, this place was my home.
“…So what is it that you want to say?”
What did I want to say?
I wanted to build a wall so that no one could easily set foot in this place that had now become my home.
“I want the Murim Alliance to guarantee our Green Forest’s Exclusive Territorial Rights here in Hunan Province.”
“…”
As soon as he heard my words, Yu Haseong’s breath stopped for a moment.
* * *
Tremble.
Listening to Muyeon’s words, Munseok ended up seeing his own legs trembling.
It was understandable. The words coming out of Muyeon’s mouth right now… were just that shocking.
Munseok recalled when Muyeon had told him this a few days ago.
Even then, Munseok had been so surprised he almost fell backward.
'E-Exclusive Territorial Rights…! Do you even know what that means?'
'I know. It means our Green Forest becomes the Master of Hunan.'
'T-To say that so easily…'
'Ajae. I have a weak heart, so I can’t sleep at night if I’m anxious. Since things have turned out this way, our Green Forest will suffer from endless anxiety from now on. If that’s the case…'
'…'
'…It’s better to just make Hunan Province our own bedroom and build a fence so no one can come in. I need to do at least that much to feel at ease and get some sleep at night.'
Goodness…, should he be called thoughtless…, or said to have a massive pair of guts…?
If the Murim Alliance approved this now, it would be the first time in hundreds of years that the Unorthodox Faction had risen up to form a recognized power.
If that happened…
The Demonic Cult in the North, the Righteous Faction in the Central Plains, and the Unorthodox Faction in the South exist.
The territory and strength of each Faction varied greatly, but…
'The world will be divided into three.'
As Munseok recalled that fact, a complicated and subtle chuckle escaped his lips.