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Ho Gamyeong bowed his head deeply towards Jang Ilso.

“You’re acting as if it’s something new.”

Jang Ilso waved his hand dismissively as if it was a matter of no importance.

Indeed, it was nothing significant.

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From the moment Black Dragon King was defeated at the hands of Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword, the outcome was already decided. No, to be precise, it may have been decided from the moment Namgung Family headed toward Plum Blossom Island.

All Jang Ilso did was lead the flow as he desired. Therefore, receiving the loyalty of Black Dragon King was merely a natural consequence.

“Now, water fortress will definitely come under Ryeonju-nim’s command.”

“It’s been a long journey.”

Jang Ilso shook his head as if annoyed.

“It took three years to acquire water fortress, which could be said to be the weakest force among Evil Tyrant Alliance. It’s boring.”

Ho Gamyeong looked at Jang Ilso with eyes full of admiration.

Three years.

It may seem like a long time. But what if that’s the time to swallow up all of water fortress? Who would dare disparage that duration?

This is an achievement that cannot be described as merely great.

“What about water fortress?”

“They are following along without any complaints. Even if there were complaints, in the current situation, they wouldn’t dare to express them.”

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso looked towards the riverbank. Pleasure ships with lit lanterns adorned the Yangtze River.

“Just a little bit….”

“…Yes?”

“Set a good example by capturing a couple of people with positions. Make sure everyone can see it.”

Ho Gamyeong hesitated for a moment and spoke.

“There is no one in particular who has committed a worthy crime….”

“Tsk, tsk. Gamyeong-ah, Gamyeong-ah. Why are you always so honest?”

“….”

“It doesn’t matter whether someone committed a crime or not. The important thing is that the person who committed the crime is needed.”

“Yes, Ryeonju-nim.”

“Dealing with a problem after it arises is foolish. The truly intelligent one leaves no room for problems. That’s what humans are like. When someone does something different, I feel the urge to try it too. Once the idea of rebellion is planted, it may be suppressed but never disappears.”

“…”

“The best move.”

Jang Ilso slowly traced the bottom of his lips with his fingertip.

“Is to prevent them from even harboring any sense of rebellion in the first place. For that, it’s necessary to instill fear appropriately. Understand?”

“Yes, Ryeonju-nim. I will execute a couple as examples and hang them on the sails.”

But Jang Ilso sighed once again.

“Gamyeong-ah….”

“Yes?”

Ho Gamyeong gave a puzzled look. Jang Ilso shook his head.

“When did I say to kill them? I’m not that kind of person.”

“Then….”

“Keep them alive.”

Jang Ilso said in a calm voice.

“Hang them up alive. It’s better if you skin them. Let them suffer for days, unable to die or live, so everyone can clearly see.”

Ho Gamyeong’s eyes widened slightly.

“Cut out the flesh from time to time, sprinkle salt, and let maggots fester. Every time they fall asleep with the groans of a dying person as a lullaby, shouldn’t they feel like they never want to die like that, even if they die? Makes them think that it would be better to slit their own throat, sink to the bottom of the river, and become food for fish than to die like that.”

The peaceful and calm voice, as if talking about everyday matters, strangely felt several times more cruel than the gloomy voice.

“There are many ways to gain loyalty, Gamyeong-ah. But now I don’t need anything other than fear. They are the ones who obey without a word even to a fool like Black Dragon King, so it is enough to show them stronger power and crueler hands.”

“…I will do as instructed.”

Jang Ilso quietly smiled at the straightforward answer.

“Yes, that will do.”

Ho Gamyeong swallowed dry saliva.

In fact, Jang Ilso’s methods were not particularly cruel. Brutally killing enemies is not something that would be frowned upon in the world of Evil Sects.

The problem was that they were now Jang Ilso’s subordinates who had to rule over.

“Ryeonju-nim. May I ask you a question?”

“Hmm?”

“…What are your plans for Black Dragon King?”

“Why Black Dragon King?”

“Do you intend to keep him alive?”

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso looked at Ho Gamyeong as if amusing.

“What do you think?”

“I think it would be better to kill him. A man like Black Dragon King is never truly loyal to others. He is the type of person who will expose this kind of danger to Ryeonju-nim again at any time.”

“An untamable wolf?”

“Whether the bear-like character of that bastard fits the term ‘wolf’ is questionable, but he will never be tamed regardless.”

“Gamyeong-ah.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how to tame an untamable wolf?”

“…I do not know.”

“You just have to pull out all its teeth.”

Jang Ilso said in a faint voice.

“Pull out its teeth, its claws, and if it still doesn’t obey, cut off its legs.”

“…”

“Then, even if it can’t be loyal like a dog, at least it won’t be able to bite or scratch me, right? Then it becomes no different from a dog.”

“But what’s the point of having Black Dragon King in such a state?”

“Tsk, tsk. Gamyeong-ah.”

“Yes, Ryeonju-nim.”

“What matters is the fact that I have subdued and controlled the wolf itself.”

“…”

“It doesn’t matter whether the wolf has sharp teeth or deadly claws. What’s important is that a wolf, which listened to no one, is now trapped in my cage, wearing a collar in submission, isn’t it?”

“…I understand your point.”

“Anyone can kill Black Dragon King and take water fortress. But that would only lead to the rise of a new Black Dragon King. To have water fortress completely under one’s feet is different. Not just anyone can do that.”

Jang Ilso’s gaze moved to the side. Not towards the Yangtze River but towards the vast lands of Gangnam on the opposite side.

“Others may not understand, but at least two will grasp its meaning. For now, that’s enough.”

Jang Ilso smiled enchantingly.

Acquiring water fortress is the same as saying that Jang Ilso acquired at least 50% of Evil Tyrant Alliance’s forces.

Originally, Jang Ilso was said to be Ryeonju of Evil Tyrant Alliance, but if two of the other three were to unite against him, he would have been powerless to respond. However, from this moment on, Jang Ilso has the power to fight the entire Evil Tyrant Alliance.

“It’s a pity that I couldn’t return the beating, but this is quite a gain.”

Ho Gamyeong, who was quietly watching Jang Ilso laugh and mutter to himself, cautiously opened his mouth.

“Ryeonju-nim.”

“Hm?”

“Then from now on….”

“You just have to leave it alone.”

“…As it is?”

“Right.”

Jang Ilso reached out and picked up a bottle of alcohol. Then he took a sip and stared across the river.

“Aren’t there things in this world that require time? Let’s patiently wait for those water fortress folks to accept me. The presence of enemies on the other side will make that possible.”

“…But couldn’t Shaolin retreat first?”

“They can’t do that.”

Jang Ilso waved his hand dismissively.

“Shaolin is now facing its worst situation. If they retreat like this, there’s no stopping their downfall. Listen well, Gamyeong-ah. The world does not revolve around power alone. No matter how strong Shaolin is, a name once lost cannot be returned.”

“But staying here doesn’t exactly solve anything, does it?”

“Instead, it creates an atmosphere of impending war.”

“…Impending war?”

Jang Ilso looked at Ga Myeong with a strange smile.

“Why do you think I made a three-year pact during the Yangtze River disaster?”

“This is because we needed time to consolidate the internal affairs of Evil Tyrant Alliance.”

“Right. That too. But more important than that was to cut off their momentum.”

“By momentum….”

“No matter how much we disapprove of each other, if war breaks out, we have no choice but to come together. For example, even those in the imperial court who plot against each other day and night unite against a foreign invasion, don’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“What would they have done if we had planted all the seeds of discord and acted as if we would immediately invade Gangbuk?”

“They would have set aside everything to confront Evil Tyrant Alliance.”

Jang Ilso nodded as if satisfied.

“Right. That would have been meaningless, is it? So, I gave them enough time to bare their fangs at each other.”

“…”

“This time is no different. If they retreat now, all the blame will fall on Shaolin. That monk won’t want that situation. That’s why he’s shouting from there now.”

Jang Ilso spread his arms exaggeratedly.

“War is coming soon! The moment this treaty ends, blood will flow! Now is not the time to blame someone!”

“Indeed…”

“What a cunning monk.”

Jang Ilso shook his head.

“But… That cunning also works in our favor. It’s not bad to have a looming threat of war. Even if Shaolin will gain benefits, so will I. In the meantime, I will be able to steadily acquire water fortress and suppress the discontent that will flow from behind.”

Ho Gamyeong gazed across the river with new eyes.

It’s amazing.

As far as he knows, Jang Ilso and Shaolin have never conveyed their intentions to each other since Mount Hua withdrew from Plum Blossom Island.

Yet, as if coordinated, both sides were engaging in actions beneficial to each other. Jang Ilso is deploying water fortress forward to give strength to Shaolin’s words, and Shaolin is not leaving the Yangtze, giving Jang Ilso time to take over water fortress.

‘Maybe this is what true collusion is.’

There is no need for conversation or letters. Both just implicitly move in a direction that is mutually beneficial.

Considering the meaning of collusion, is there any situation more fitting than this?

“In the end, if we just drag out time, everything will flow as you wish, Ryeonju-nim.”

“…I hope so.”

But surprisingly, Jang Ilso touched the tip of his chin with a slightly ambiguous expression.

“It was dangerous. It was very precarious. If I did something wrong, I would have put my own neck on the line.”

Although it wasn’t specifically referring to somewhere, Ho Gamyeong had no choice but to know what Jang Ilso was talking about.

“If there is a variable, it would be Mount Hua. It’s hard to predict what they might do. Especially that…”

Jang Ilso suddenly stopped talking.

One variable, Chung Myung, can somehow be handled. One just needs to consider the worst-case scenario. Chung Myung would surely follow that path.

But….

‘Hyun Jong.’

He had no idea the next step of that old man. He couldn’t understand his way of thinking at all.

‘He’s out of his mind.’

It is understandable to pursue profit, and it is also understandable to pursue Righteousness.

But to cherish his sect more than Bop Jeong and demand the sacrifice of his sect for others at the same time.

Where else in the world is such a deranged human being?

“I don’t know. If the day comes that my head falls…. It must be because of those damn bastards.”

“There will never be such a day.”

“Yes. It must be so.”

A flash of killing intent flashed across Jang Ilso’s eyes as he stared across the river.

‘Not yet… No. Not yet.’

But that time will come at some point.

The day when the entire Mount Hua is soaked in blood by his hands.

Jang Ilso’s tongue slowly traced his red lips. The taste of blood seemed to linger.