Chapter 162
Chapter 162
The Murim Alliance, which could be called the center of the Orthodox Sect, was an alliance formed by numerous Orthodox sects joining their strength together.
However, saying that numerous sects had united their strength was only half correct.
What they truly desired was not to uphold greater righteousness and cooperation, but to see themselves seated together with the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families.
The Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families possessed a far more solid standing within the Murim Alliance than any other groups that had formed factions within it.
After all, even without the Murim Alliance, they were clans and sects that had maintained their lineage for hundreds of years.
And at this very moment, the figures evaluated as the most important within the Murim Alliance had gathered in one place.
“……So what exactly are you telling me to do?”
“Brother, please don’t take it so negatively……”
“Gunhyeon. I came here as the Tang Clan’s Young Clan Head.”
At the stiff voice of Tang Cheon-u, Tang Gunhyeon’s face slowly stiffened as well.
“But there is not a single lie in Cheon’s words.”
“I know. Although he is now the Namgung Clan’s Young Clan Head, Cheon and I shared our dreams a few times when we were young. So there is something I want to ask.”
When Tang Cheon-u looked toward Namgung Cheon, Tang Gunhyeon swallowed hard, unable to hide his tension.
“What is it that you want to say?”
“We must offer a proper apology and compensation.”
“You’re saying we should bow our heads to those Unorthodox bastards?”
At Tang Cheon-u’s cold, mocking words, Namgung Cheon simply nodded with an expression devoid of emotion.
“That is what must be done.”
“Then the gossipmongers will be absolutely delighted. ‘The Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families have admitted their fault and repented!’ That’s what they’ll say.”
“That is not what I’m aiming for.”
“No, your head is filled with flowers. Simply put, you’re saying we should admit our fault and apologize. That’s it, isn’t it? There’s no need to talk further. I’ll be leaving.”
As Tang Cheon-u attempted to stand up, Tang Gunhyeon looked around helplessly.
However, Zhuge Lianhua, Hwangbo Nyeong, and the others from the Five Great Families showed no intention of moving.
To be precise, they could not move. Each of them felt that if they made even a single wrong move now, it might bring about a great calamity.
Just as Tang Cheon-u opened the door to leave—
“In my opinion, Brother seems to be the more optimistic one.”
In an instant, the air in the room turned cold. Even within the chilling atmosphere that had sunk heavily, Namgung Cheon continued speaking.
“Do you truly not realize that if this matter is not resolved properly, something far worse will happen?”
Tang Cheon-u glared at Namgung Cheon with murderous eyes and growled lowly.
“There is a limit to arrogance. No matter how much you are the Namgung Clan’s Young Clan Head, this has crossed the line—far beyond it.”
“Is admitting a mistake crossing the line? Or is bowing one’s head to the Unorthodox Faction crossing the line?”
“Think about the consequences. The moment we bow our heads to the Unorthodox Faction, they will gain justification to bite at us. That will only invite an even greater disaster.”
“My thoughts differ.”
“Differ how? Tang Hyeon-gang? Yes, I know. I know the Tang Clan wronged the Divine Physician of Ten Thousand Hands a hundred times, a thousand times. But even so, this cannot be done. This isn’t merely about your personal guilt. If handled poorly, it could drag our entire clan into it.”
“That is precisely why we must resolve the resentment.”
“Here the esteemed young master goes interfering again.”
“If you handle this poorly, Brother’s head might fly off during the war.”
The response was far more direct than expected. Those listening to their conversation were greatly shocked.
Tang Cheon-u radiated killing intent as if he might release hidden weapons at any moment, slipping his hand slightly into his sleeve.
“You’re saying you’d kill me during the war just to apologize? You’ve become far more radical than before.”
Seeing the chilling killing intent flowing from Tang Cheon-u’s eyes, Namgung Cheon looked down at the teacup placed before him.
He stared silently at the cup for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
“Do I still seem that naive to you?”
“It seems you are not anymore. At the very least, I never imagined you would say you’d take my head. Nor did I think you would be this devoted to that damned Sword Exalted.”
“It will not be me who kills Brother during the war.”
“What?”
Tang Cheon-u’s glabella twisted.
What exactly was he saying? It had sounded like a threat, yet now he was speaking words that made no sense.
“The Sword Exalted, no—the power of the Unorthodox Alliance is enormous. On the side of medicine stands the Divine Physician of Ten Thousand Hands, who stands shoulder to shoulder with the Divine Physician, said to be the greatest healer under heaven. And in the field of Martial Learning, aside from the Heavenly Demon, there is the Sword Exalted, considered the greatest.”
At this point, everyone began to roughly understand what Namgung Cheon was trying to say.
And they also realized why Namgung Cheon had summoned not the Murim Alliance’s core figures, but rather these promising individuals.
Hwangbo Nyeong, who had just passed the age of forty, finally grasped Namgung Cheon’s intention.
‘Betrayal!’
Until now, the Sword Exalted had appeared gentle, a man with a temperament befitting his refined appearance.
In truth, that was correct. In reality, Youngho had shown great magnanimity and deep guidance toward his allies.
But only if they were allies and not enemies.
Hwangbo Nyeong knew well the monstrous divine might Youngho had displayed during the battle against the Jiangshi.
Even before reaching his current level of completion, he had already been a monster capable of subduing the Chief Stronghold Leader of the Eighteen Strongholds of the Yangtze Waterways.
Perhaps Tang Cheon-u had come to the same realization as Hwangbo Nyeong, because he sat back down with a slightly pale face.
“It seems you have realized.”
Only now did they understand why Namgung Cheon had been speaking in such a deeply subdued voice.
The Sword Exalted’s Martial Might, the forces he possessed, and the danger of the Unorthodox Alliance.
Namgung Cheon looked at Tang Cheon-u, who stared at him blankly with a bloodless face, and spoke.
“I believe the Sword Exalted is an extremely good person.”
It was a contradictory statement.
Despite clearly harboring deep suspicion toward the Sword Exalted, he said he believed he was a good person.
Namgung Cheon continued without hesitation.
“But in the end, the Sword Exalted belongs to the Unorthodox Faction. I do not distrust him because he is Unorthodox. Rather, because I am a person of the Orthodox Sect, he is someone I cannot easily trust.”
“……”
“Brother, I am no longer the child who knew nothing and merely wished for peace in the world like when I was young. The Orthodox Sect and the Unorthodox Faction can never truly unite. The only path is coexistence through the most ideal compromise possible.”
Their minds began cooling rapidly.
Their muscles tingled.
Everyone present realized something.
The Namgung Clan’s Young Clan Head before them was not merely a young clan head.
He had already ascended to the seat of a ruler.
“The Sword Exalted is a man capable of weakening the Orthodox Sect’s power while simultaneously fighting the Demonic Cult. During wartime, it would not be strange if one or two people suddenly disappeared. That is what war is.”
Gulp!
One of the people seated around the round table swallowed their fear.
“Even if someone survived an attack from the Sword Exalted and managed to return to our side’s camp, their chances of survival would not be very high.”
“Various situations could arise. Their injuries might be so severe they simply die… or the physician might happen to belong to the Unorthodox Alliance and deliberately neglect them.”
If Hyeon-gang heard such statements, he would foam at the mouth and cut their heads off immediately.
But everyone here was serious.
They had no choice but to be.
Looking back at the history of wars, there had been many cases where the Unorthodox Faction betrayed the Orthodox Sect.
‘……But our side wasn’t much better.’
To be honest, it had actually been the Orthodox Sect that more often prevented physicians from performing treatment.
If the Unorthodox Faction delivered one large blow, the Orthodox Sect delivered many smaller ones until the damage became equal.
“Even this would be mild.”
Tang Cheon-u’s eyebrow twitched.
‘When did he grow this much…?’
The boy ten years younger than him had already surpassed him in schemes and calculation.
He was truly a ruler—someone capable of calculating every move and foreseeing the consequences of each action.
“You all must have felt it.”
This time Namgung Cheon spoke not only to Tang Cheon-u but to the other promising figures listening carefully.
“To be honest, the current Unorthodox Alliance is not that far behind the Murim Alliance.”
It was true.
The Unorthodox Faction often lacked talent due to its nature.
Occasionally a dragon would rise from a shallow stream, but more often the Unorthodox foolishly filled the stream before the dragon could ascend.
Treating talented individuals well—that was one of the Orthodox Sect’s prides.
Those listening straightened their shoulders instinctively.
But the next words caused their shoulders to stiffen again.
“But the future Unorthodox Alliance will overwhelm the Murim Alliance.”
Thump—!
Everyone fell silent, as if their hearts had dropped.
In truth, they all knew it deep down.
“The current Murim Alliance is not far behind the Unorthodox Alliance. But that is only true for the generation of the current Alliance Leader and the Alliance Lord. The Blood Sword Ghost, the Divine Physician of Ten Thousand Hands… even now the Sword Exalted is treating extraordinary talents better than the Orthodox Sect does. I am certain. No matter what conditions you offer, the Sword Exalted’s people will never cross over to our side.”
“B-but……”
“There is no argument against this. There is no need to force one. The truth will not change. Simply put—when the Sword Exalted becomes the Alliance Lord, when the generations of the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions are replaced……”
Namgung Cheon slowly looked around the round table with dark eyes.
“The Orthodox Sect will lose. And it will be an overwhelming defeat.”
No one present could propose a wise solution.
Kang Chowon, known as the Blood Sword Ghost, was a powerhouse capable of fighting Namgung Cheon on equal footing.
Though she could not use Hardened Force during sparring and therefore could not unleash the true Emperor’s Sword, the same restriction applied to her opponent.
The man called the next Murim Alliance Leader—Namgung Cheon—was helpless before a mere beautiful woman.
In terms of martial power, there was no need to even compare.
What about intelligence?
The Hao Sect already belonged to the Unorthodox Alliance.
There was no way they could dominate in information.
Even formations and mechanical traps could be easily created or dismantled by Muyeon, known as the Stench Ghost.
What about strategic brilliance?
The Unorthodox Alliance’s strategist was a woman equal to Zhuge Lianhua, the Murim Alliance’s greatest strategist.
And that was Zhuge Lianhua’s own acknowledgment.
They did not possess overwhelming military force either.
But the most despairing fact was that all of this assumed the Sword Exalted was absent.
If the Sword Exalted personally stepped onto the battlefield?
That place would no longer be called a battlefield.
It would be more fitting to call it a slaughterhouse.
Namgung Cheon bit his lip lightly.
‘I’m sorry.’
Even if this situation had not arisen, Namgung Cheon would have searched tirelessly for ways to apologize to Youngho’s subordinates.
But regardless of his personal closeness with Youngho, Namgung Cheon walked the path of the Orthodox Sect.
That meant calculations were unavoidable.
Even if he sincerely wished to meet Youngho, the moment they met he would inevitably begin calculating.
That was the fate of those who bore the Orthodox Sect on their shoulders.
Namgung Cheon looked at the Nine Sects and One Gang, the Five Great Families, and the other promising figures with a solemn expression and spoke.
“If any of you can recall having shown disrespect toward the Unorthodox Alliance, it would be best to seek forgiveness together now.”
He had not mentioned the Sword Exalted directly.
Yet everyone understood.
In the end, they would always have to concede a step first.