Chapter 106 - The Hellish Great Journey (5)
"Damn it, acting so arrogant just because they gained a bit of a meager reputation!"
Nam Hwaseong of the Samwon Sect huffed in anger.
It was obvious that the other party had made a foolish and stupid choice, but for some reason, his anger would not subside.
"..."
"..."
This feeling was no different for the others.
The resentment was especially great among those who couldn't take their eyes off the radiant appearances of Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran—who clearly looked like they had just woken up—rather than Ha Yeongyeong, who had shown up extravagantly dressed to seduce the Black Flame Dragon with her beauty.
"Brother Cheol, seeing them flounder over beauty, it seems the rumors of them being smart are all lies."
Even at Nam Hwaseong's remark, Cheol Sunjik did not answer.
"..."
"Brother Cheol?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
"It's nothing."
Cheol Sunjik traced back the events that had just occurred.
He had made the proposal, and Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran had sent a sound transmission to Jin Sowoon as if they had given up.
Anyone could see that it was a message telling him to choose the Twelve Peaks and Castles over them.
In such a situation, choosing the Twelve Peaks and Castles while pretending to reluctantly give in was the natural course of action.
'But he didn't do that.'
There was no hesitation either.
He was rejected as if it were the obvious choice.
To say that his sense of chivalry was too strong to give up the people who accompanied him, the Taiyi Sect currently had too many Admission Tokens.
The expected number of admissions was four people.
Among the lower sects of the 108 Peaks, there were many that couldn't admit as many disciples as the Taiyi Sect.
Giving up such an opportunity and choosing loyalty?
It was something the Shaolin Sect Abbot would scoff at.
'Could he have figured it out?'
The train of thought naturally led to an absurd suspicion. The things he had planned to do after co-opting the Taiyi Sect.
Things meant to further solidify the alliance and balance the 108 Peaks.
If four people from the Taiyi Sect entered the Murim Academy right now, it would cause a huge ripple among the 108 Peaks.
This would soon cause chaos, and chaos would weaken the solidarity of the 108 Peaks.
Providing a suitable price and reducing the number of their admissions would be better for strengthening the solidarity of the 108 Peaks in the future.
Instead, they would push the Black Flame Dragon up as the hero of the 108 Peaks, raising the Taiyi Sect's status while creating public sentiment that the 108 Peaks truly led Murim.
Of course, during that process, their obligation to distribute Admission Tokens to the Bipung Sect and Gwigung Sect would also decrease, making this killing two birds with one stone. No, killing three birds with one stone.
But all those plans were tangled up by a single word from Jin Sowoon.
"This is a problem."
"What is?"
"The Taiyi Sect."
"I think so too. Aren't they truly arrogant?"
"That's not what I mean. I'm worried that the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans might snatch away this rare opportunity the 108 Peaks managed to grasp."
It didn't really matter whether Jin Sowoon was there or not.
If there was no hero, they just had to make a new one.
However, the Twelve Peaks and Castles had the opportunity to surpass the Nine Sects and One Gang and take the top admission for the first time.
If by chance Jin Sowoon and his precarious companions had their Admission Tokens stolen by the Nine Sects and One Gang here, they would have to wait through tedious years once again.
"But what can we do? They're kicking away their own fortune."
"Even if they refuse, can we let them abandon their duty? We have to make them take responsibility as one of the 108 Peaks."
"How so?"
"Send a letter to the Bipung Sect and Gwigung Sect, telling them they don't need to come all the way up to Zhengzhou."
* * *
"... Why did you do that?"
For some reason, Seong Moran's cheeks were flushed red as she came out of the reception room.
Did I do something wrong?
I thought I kept my loyalty in my own way.
"They keep calling me the Black Flame Dragon. That isn't exactly a good moniker."
"... Young Master Jin."
"Of course, it's because I want to stay with you two."
"..."
"..."
I made a joke to blow away the solemn atmosphere, but things became even more awkward, and the two of them must have been angry at my lame joke because their ears turned red.
"... I am not unconscionable enough to turn a blind eye to someone who ended up in this situation because of me."
"... Still, looking at the situation..."
"Besides, you two aren't insignificant enough for me to trade you for the Murim Academy."
What if I could quickly persuade the Namgung Clan, the Iron Sword Sect, and the Moyong Noble Clan in the future Orthodox-Demonic Great War?
Wouldn't it be much better than their sluggish response in my past life?
Looking at it from that perspective, entering the Murim Academy is important, but forging a solid relationship with them is more important.
"...!"
"...!"
Seong Moran stared at me blankly, unable to close her mouth, and Namgung Seonhwa's expression wasn't much different.
A brief silence lingered.
"I, I will never give up."
Namgung Seonhwa suddenly clenched her fists and spoke.
"Pardon? Isn't that obvious?"
"No matter how hard it gets from now on, I won't say it's hard. No, I won't even think that it's hard."
Were they motivated by those people's rude behavior?
Seong Moran let out a small sigh and spoke.
"Young Master Jin truly is different. I won't complain about it being hard anymore either."
"Is that so? That's a relief. Because it seems like it will get harder just in time."
"Pardon?"
Namgung Seonhwa and Seong Moran, whose faces were burning with passion, frowned anxiously.
Didn't they just say they would work hard?
"Didn't you just hear what they said? Didn't they say the Bipung Sect and Gwigung Sect are two days away?"
"... Yes, they did? But what does that have to do with things getting harder?"
"Those two sects are typical Admission Token snatchers, aren't they?"
"..."
"Then who would be the tastiest prey for them to target?"
"Um... The Taiyi Sect?"
Namgung Seonhwa was avoiding reality.
"No. The Taiyi Sect accompanied by the Namgung Clan, the Moyong Noble Clan, and the Iron Sword Sect."
Seong Moran, who was listening to the conversation, dropped her jaw in dismay and muttered.
"We're doomed."
* * *
The Great Journey.
Compared to the distance traveled to pass the First Gate and the Second Gate, the route for the Third Gate was short.
Yet the reason people called this path the Great Journey was not a matter of distance, but of its harshness.
The Great Journey was so fierce that there was a saying it would be better to call it the Skull-Crushing Journey since most people ended up with smashed heads, and even leading sects like the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Clans often became targets of attack.
For the examinees who had lived their entire lives looking only at the Murim Academy, this Great Journey was their final chance to enter.
The examinees who had no next time clung tenaciously to the preliminary passers like people who had no tomorrow.
"Hm?"
A strange sight caught my eye. Warriors from different sects were mixed together to form a formation.
"... What's up with the formation..."
Kang Seopyo answered my question.
"The warriors of the Moyong Noble Clan aren't used to the White Tiger Sword Array yet, so we mixed them together."
"Is that possible?"
Not to mention the Iron Sword Sect, but the Moyong Noble Clan and the Namgung Clan were groups with immense pride in their own sects' martial arts.
Furthermore, most of them probably knew how trivially the White Tiger Sword Array was treated in the Murim Alliance, yet they mixed themselves together to learn it?
"If they want to eat, they have to."
I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh at the fact that the White Tiger Sword Array created by the genius Zhuge Cheongi was being used merely to protect their rice bowls.
"Excuse me, Young Master Jin..."
Kang Seopyo spoke with an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"Please give orders directly to us from now on."
"Pardon?"
I asked again, thinking I had misheard him, but.
"It's exactly as I said. I'm saying you can speak to us directly without going through anyone else until we reach Wuhan."
"..."
Our chain of command was structured so that if I spoke to Namgung Seonhwa, Seong Moran, and the recently joined Moyong Jaehwa, they would relay it directly to the warriors of their sects.
"If the orders are relayed, wouldn't our response be delayed?"
"Would that be alright?"
It didn't matter to me, but I wondered if the warriors would truly accept it.
"If there's any bastard who doesn't listen, I'll smash his skull."
"No, well, you don't have to go that far..."
"This is something the young ladies, the young master, Squad Captain Cho, and Squad Captain Baek have all already agreed upon."
When I looked around, those who had been listening to my conversation with Kang Seopyo each gave a nod.
"Understood. I will take responsibility for that."
"Thank you."
"That's rather what I should be saying to you."
"No. Not that... Thank you very much."
"Hm?"
Then, Cho Mubin, who was running alongside us, also spoke.
"I thank you as well."
I didn't know what they were thankful for, so I looked at Seong Moran, but she quickly changed the subject.
"M-more importantly, where are we going? We're naturally heading towards Sosil Peak, right?"
To leave Zhengzhou and cross over to Hubei Province, one had to pass through Mount Song. Specifically, the path leading to Taesil Peak and the path leading to Sosil Peak.
Taesil Peak was famous for its rugged and arduous paths, even within Mount Song, which was known as one of the Five Great Mountains.
Instead of answering, I asked Moyong Jaehwa.
"Where would you go?"
"... Pardon?"
"I'm asking which path you would take out of the two, Taesil Peak and Sosil Peak."
"Uh..."
Seeing the flustered Moyong Jaehwa, Namgung Seonhwa grinned.
"Jaehwa liked to run around playing since he was young, so he hasn't studied a single thing about military tactics or strategy."
"S-Sister Seonhwa!"
Moyong Jaehwa blushed and thought for a moment before stammering an answer.
"I, I would go to Taesil Peak."
"That idiot..."
"Phew..."
That was the natural reaction. After all, speed was the most important thing for us.
"Therefore, we will go to Taesil Peak."
"Pardon?"
"Young Master Jin!"
"B-Brother!"
Even Moyong Jaehwa, who had voiced the opinion, turned pale and tried to stop me.
"From now on, we shouldn't only think about those chasing from behind. We must also consider the ones waiting in front."
"Ah..."
"Still, wouldn't a slightly easier path be better to deal with them? Taesil Peak puts us at a disadvantage too."
"What I am worried about among the snatchers are the Gwigung Sect and the Bipung Sect."
Snatchers.
Among the wolves targeting the Admission Tokens, they were the ones who gave up on the exam entirely and waited for a long time, aiming only for the Great Journey from the start. Since they had conserved their strength, they could take on any enemy as long as they encountered a terrain where their martial arts could shine.
"Why are they suddenly coming up?"
"Didn't Cheol Sunjik say they were supposed to join in two days? Mount Song happens to be exactly two days away from Zhengzhou. And Sosil Peak is the terrain archers love the most. Right?"
"Pardon? Y-yes."
"I think he just answered without knowing anything."
"S-Sister Moran. I also answered knowing full well."
As Mount Song drew near, pursuers latched onto our trail from behind.
"It's the Twelve Peaks and Castles."
"Seeing how they even came riding horses, they must be trying to settle things in a quick battle, just like Young Master Jin said."
"Shall we increase our speed?"
I shook my head.
"There's no need to do that. They won't try to approach us until we enter Sosil Peak."
Even if their numbers were small, the Five Great Noble Clans were still the Five Great Noble Clans.
They would worry about being bitten by other wolves if they needlessly clashed with us and sustained damage. Their best choice was to wait until we entered Sosil Peak.
"Now, let's go."
When a flat, wide path and a steep, narrow path appeared, we stepped onto the steep, narrow path without delay.
Then, I could see the group from the Twelve Peaks and Castles, who had been chasing from behind, falter.
"Young Master Jin! They've stopped."
"We'll increase our speed from now on."
"Pardon? The carriage won't be able to keep up with the speed, though?"
"We're leaving the carriage here. We will cut straight across Taesil Peak as is and strike the rears of the Bipung Sect and the Gwigung Sect."
No matter how much I thought about it, since I didn't know when we would meet again, I ought to smack Cheol Sunjik at least once in the face while I had the chance.
