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âThere isnât enough alcohol there!â
âComing there!â
âMeat! More meat here!â
âThere is no one to take the meat! Run to the diner!â
âYes!â
After the ceremony, which was unprecedentedly short, the banquet followed.
Those who witnessed the start of the Alliance sat together in groups of two and three at the tables, reflecting on the dayâs events and discussing the future.
âWhen we came here, wasnât it a bit different from what you expected?â
âThatâs exactly what I was thinking⌠I assumed the Heavenly Friends Alliance would announce a bold intention to dominate the western and Central Plains.â
âThis man! Is the Heavenly Friends Alliance the only power in the central and western regions? There are the Qingcheng and Emei sects with their eyes wide open, and the Kunlun and Diancang sects are also there! And if you consider Kongtong, itâs also on the western side!â
âRight.â
âAnd even though they are currently in training, the Southern Edge is also there! Itâs difficult for this Alliance to confront so much force!â
âYes⌠yes, I understand, butâŚâ
The people about to respond exchanged glances, falling silent with odd expressions on their faces.
Honestly, before the ceremony, everyone would have agreed with this without a second thought.
The Qingcheng, Emei, Kongtong, Diancang, and even the Southern Edge.
This meant that five of the Nine Great Sects, which hadnât joined the Alliance, were in the west.
ButâŚ
âDiancang and Kunlun are so far away that they donât normally intervene with the Central Plains.â
Moreover, considering the distance between the two sects, thereâs little to discuss even though they are from different sects. Although itâs said that the Nine Great Sects are one faction, their influence doesnât seem to extend to the Central Plains.
âAnd Qingcheng, along with the Emei sect, are a bit slow, even among the Nine Great Sects.â
Had they not witnessed the opening ceremony, they wouldnât have ranked the Qingcheng or Emei sect below the Heavenly Friends Alliance; now, they harbored doubts about whether the two sects could deal with the Heavenly Friends Alliance.
Of course, if one considered the strength of each sect, Qingcheng and Emei might be superior to the four sects of the Heavenly Friends Alliance. Even if that werenât the case, they wouldnât be significantly weaker. However, the Nine Great Sects operated less as a unified entity. In contrast, the Heavenly Friends Alliance functioned as a single body. The extent of this difference was unknown.
âAnyway, this is strange.â
âRight.â
The people of the Central Plains remained silent, each lost in their thoughts, unable to voice their concerns aloud. A slightly odd atmosphere enveloped them.
They had come together with the notion that the presence of the Heavenly Friends Alliance would herald a new era for the Central Plains. Still, they expected this change to take at least ten years, if not twenty.
No single sect thought that the Alliance would exert a strong influence on the western side of the plains immediately upon its formation. Yet, observing the current developments, it all seemed rather peculiar.
A declaration that appeared too kind and gentle, yet the will and hope behind it were more upright and firmer than anyone elseâs.
ââŚalthough they phrased it mildly in the end, if one really thinks about it, it was no different from a declaration of war.â
âIt isnât that serious⌠How can Sichuan Tang declare such a promise when it is the most famous sect in the Central Plains and Mount Hua is a Taoist sect?â
âDo you really see it as such? ThisâŚâ
But as he was about to continue, he looked around and then fell silent. It wasnât something he could discuss openly with members of the Heavenly Friends Alliance nearby.
âFoolish people. Such behavior.â
He clicked his tongue, observing the others who were lost in their carefree thoughts.
âThey donât understand what it means to be brothers.â
This might not be normal, but what if the Kunlun Sect, a member of the Nine Great Sects, had a problem with this and went to war?
Would the other Nine Great Sects step in and help?
Impossible.
None of the Nine Great Sects would side with Kunlun. The work of each sect belonged to their own respective sect. In the end, when something major happened in Kangho, the sect was nothing more than a member of a loose alliance that acted under one name.
But what if the same thing happened at the Nanman Beast Palace?
It seemed clear that the Sichuan Tang family and Mount Hua would come to their rescue right then, and even the distant North Sea Ice Palace would rush there.
In the end, even if only one of those sects turned into oneâs enemies, one would have to deal with all three other sects at the same time. There was no way that such a decision could be made lightly.
âNothing has changed, but at the same time, everything feels so changed.â
The moment the heads of the four sects, which ruled their own part of the Central Plains, shared the cup of brotherhood, the meaning of this sectâs Alliance changed entirely.
It was unheard of for sects to share such a drink. When it came to things in the world, it was impossible to predict how things would change the next day. Kangho was a place where todayâs friends stabbed you in the back tomorrow.
The heads of prominent sects, who probably knew better than anyone else, forming ties as brothers? This was something that wouldnât happen in a normal situation.
But no matter how much he thought about it, the reason for it couldnât be guessed. No matter how much grace they received, the sects outside the Central Plains didnât have to consider themselves as brothersâŚ
âWhat are you thinking so deeply about?â
âUh? N-No. Itâs nothing.â
âDrink! You need to drink! Think about things later. Isnât this a good day!â
âR-right! Hahahah! That is how it should be for us!â
The noisy drinking banquet continued.
Those who had no particular thoughts simply celebrated the start of the Heavenly Friends Alliance. At the same time, those with their own agendas looked around, observing the members of various sects enjoying their drinks.
Those burdened with many thoughts found themselves unable to cope with the situation, sinking into deep contemplation with stern expressions.
Meanwhile, the one who had turned the situation so peculiarly⌠No, the culprit who had changed the atmosphere in such a strange manner, revealed the face that had annoyed the world.
âNo, did I say something wrong?!â
ââŚâ
âIf youâve seen it all, then head home. Why do you sit around and drink alcohol as if this is your living room! Make some noise now!â
â⌠okay, but speak quietly. Chung Myung, someone might hear us!â
âI want them to listen, so listen up! All these people are here to have some funâŚâ
At that moment, Chung Myung stopped speaking and then said,
His eyes brightened as he looked at the white bottle held up to his nose.
â⌠take this and go up there and drink.â
âUh, is that okay?â
ââŚYes, please. Go ahead.â
âHehe. Then alright.â
Chung Myung took the bottle from Baek Cheon, making him sigh.
âSasuk, are you alright? This is the sectâs event.â
â⌠then you can follow him and stop him when he acts out.â
âYouâve made a very wise and thoughtful decision, Sasuk.â
ââŚâ
At that moment, Chung Myung, who was drooling over the bottle of alcohol, looked at Baek Cheon with a sad expression.
âBut when will these men leave?â đrđđ˛đ ebđođŻel.com
âI heard that huge events like this normally last for around 3 days and nights.â
âWhat? 3-4 days? Are they haunted by some alcoholic ghost or something? Taking 3 days to sober up?â
â⌠Man, when it comes out of your mouth, I have no other way to express my sadness.â
âHehe. Donât be sad, though. This is a great day.â
ââŚâ
Should he just kill them?
Baek Cheon sighed with a blank expression and continued speaking.
âAnyway⌠normally, we would hold the banquet for 3-4 days, but the sect leader thought it would not be a good idea to hold the banquet for such a long time, so we decided to hold the banquet only until today.â
âUgh! As expected of your sect leader. It hurts my stomach to see strangers drinking my alcohol in my home.â
ââŚThey came to celebrate with us.â
âCelebrate my ass. I guess they came here only to drink. Have they ever been to a place like this and truly celebrated something?â
âYes.â
âUh? There is?â
Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with a blank look, as if he was shocked.
âAm I the strange one?â
Baek Cheonâs thoughts fell as he looked at the expression of concern.
âWhere in the world did this guyâs personality go wrong?â
What must he have experienced before stepping into Mount Hua for him to be this lost? No, should he just think of it as if it was expected?
âW-well, actuallyâŚâ
Just as Chung Myung was turning a bit annoyed, a hand reached out from somewhere and blocked them.
âEhh?â
An elegant noble with silk clothes and a crown smiled at the two.
âStop the fights and have a drink. This is a rare drink.â
âUhâŚâ
âAhâŚ?â
The two people were shocked for a moment as they opened their mouths at the same time.
âYou⌠you! This isâŚâ
âWaitâŚâ
Even if the sky fell, why did it have to fall like this? Chung Myung clicked his tongue and shouted.
âSo annoying!â
But when he saw the person who was in front of him, he was shocked.
âN-No, fuck⌠have you lost itâŚ?â
No one should not be allowed climb onto Mount Hua. But if one thought about their life, there would be those who wouldnât climb.
And the man in front of them was such a person.
âHuhu, I came to congratulate you as I couldnât stop myself⌠cough! Ah, this damned mountain! What coldness is around this! Cough!â
Baek Cheonâs jaw twitched at the sight of the man coughing, his mouth covered by his hand, and his shoulders trembling.
âHaha. I am so touched that you are happy to see meâŚâ
âNo! H-has this man lost his mind?â
Chung Myung rushed at the man and grabbed him by the collar, but instead of shouting loudly, he looked around with trembling eyes. Fortunately, no one looked at them as they were all busy drinking and chatting. Chung Myung pulled him closer and scolded him in a whisper.
âDid you almost die and survive only to lose your mind? Have you lost it? You are insane!â
âHehe! Such a true friend came, risking their lifeâŚâ
âWhat are you even saying, you insane bastard!â
Embarrassed, Chung Myung turned away from him.
âKuak! D-does one need to think much to come and congratulate you?â
âIt is because it is you! If it was someone else, I would have killed him, you insane bastard!â
This man, dressed nicely, was Im So-Byeong, the Green Forest King.
âNo, what kind of an Evil Faction bastard would come crawling into this place? There are people here who would kill you on sight!â
Now, the sects of the world have truly come to Mount Hua. The current Mount Hua was a gathering place of skilled warriors who came from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.
For the Justice faction, it might be the safest place, but for the Evil Faction, this was no different from the depths of hell.
It was clear that even those who wouldnât normally make eye contact with Im So-Byeong ran rampant around, threatening to cut off his head if he dared come.
Then what confidence did this man have to come here?
âI am asking seriously. Have you lost it?â
âAh, no. Just wait, donât be so excited.â
Im So-Byeong held out his hand and smiled.
âThat is why I came in disguise!â
ââŚâ
âHehe. No matter how many people are around, who would think that I would come here, dressed in such attire? If one mentioned the Green Forest King, they would only envision a rough, bandit-like warrior clad in leather.â
ââŚâ
âAs proof, Iâve already spent 2 days here, and not a single person has recognized me. I am safe!â
Chung Myungâs eyes shook.
âN-NoâŚâ
It seemed to make sense⌠no, even so, he shouldnât do that⌠but itâs true that no one recognized himâŚ
âHaha, I donât know.â
But not a single one here was normal.
â⌠So, why did you come here?â
âOf course, I had to come.â
To Chung Myungâs slightly dull look, Im So-Byeong wore a serious expression.
âItâs just that we havenât been able to publicly speak about it, but isnât Green Forest also a sect that shares brotherly ties with Mount Hua?â
â⌠Who?â
âIf the Heavenly Friends Alliance is spreading its news, would there be a way for Green Forest, the center of the alliance, to not come?â
âThat is whatâŚ.â
âHehe. Do not worry. I understand it all. I will meet the other leaders and then go back. So, how about a drink till then? What do you think?â
Chung Myung smiled happily as he saw Im So-Byeong shake the bottle.
âGet out, you evil bastard!â
Life could not get easier just because one climbed a mountain.