Chapter 72: You Would Have Done Well Even If You Converted to This Side

The die, flicked by his thumb, rose to eye level as if to show off, scattering blood droplets around.

“Not this time.”

It meant do not touch the die. Gwak Dae-pyeong’s threat felt sincere.

The die rolled previously was a result made of force rather than a gamble. So this time, he was going to see a result purely made of luck.

Betting life and death on luck.

The moment that luck was decided was a short time if short, and a long time if long.

The split second before the flicked-up die fell to the floor.

Thud! Roll, roll.

And while that die rolled on the floor.

Everyone gathered here shut their mouths and stared only at that tiny object, each picturing their desired number in their heads.

‘Odd! Odd! Odd!!’

Because they knew that no matter how crazy Gwak Dae-pyeong was, they could trust him at least regarding the result of a bet.

The safety of Go County was determined by whether this guy cooperated or not.

The result that came out like that.

“It’s an odd number.”

“Huuu…”

The sigh that had been held back leaked out.

Confirming the result as an odd number, an indescribable thrill flowed along the fingertips.

I wondered if this was why fellows called gambling addicts came to be.

“Since an odd number came out, I will move as you wish.”

“How do you know what I will request?”

“I wouldn’t know. But I know one thing. Since he wants something, that old man must have come all the way here and quietly watched me flicking the die. At any rate, the result of the bet was to do as your side wished, so the rest is none of my business.”

It was a very simple and straightforward conclusion.

Hearing up to that point, it sounded like the words of a thoughtless idiot, but that was not the case at all.

“It must mean it is not my time to die yet, either.”

He knew that a fight would have broken out if things went wrong.

And he also knew what kind of result would come from it.

“He is truly a gentleman who lives on the edge of a blade.”

“It’s better than living a dull life. Kehehe.”

Gwak Dae-pyeong accepted Baek Mu-ho’s assessment with a laugh.

“Honestly, wasn’t it fun for everyone?”

Speechless, I licked my lips.

Although it was not my intention, it was true that I had focused.

Still, I did not want to agree.

“Now, then, just give me a rough explanation.”

Gwak Dae-pyeong’s attitude, asking for the price unlike someone who had lost a bet, was cheerful. Feeling slightly annoyed, I spoke with a bit of pettiness.

“The poison that was spreading in Go County was a trick played by the Demonic Cult. The outsider you killed was a person from an unorthodox faction of another region who had sensed it. So, I plan to alienate those unorthodox forces and the Demonic Cult to make them fight.”

“Hmm…”

Gwak Dae-pyeong seemed to fit the running situation in his head for a moment.

Had about enough time to count to three in my head passed? Having finished organizing his thoughts, he opened his mouth again.

“If they were fellows from Black Abyss Heavenless Faction, one of the Six Heavens, it wouldn’t be a story that would work, but if it’s the Beonmoktap fellows… well. The problem is that, given their nature of being calculative, they will definitely try to ally with somewhere else. Just like they approached us. And if even the Black Abyss Heavenless Faction fellows start moving, it means Sichuan will go crazy from then on… Whose scheme is this?”

“This side.”

At Gwak Dae-pyeong’s words, Baek Mu-ho poked his thumb at me to point.

“Short-tempered kids don’t think. The blades of those who would have swung their swords at the orthodox factions without a second thought will be pointed at the Demonic Cult instead. Then a lot of them will die.”

“It’s better than all of Sichuan being ruined.”

“You don’t care if all unorthodox factions die? Setting aside a guy like me, there are quite a few fellows like that old man among the unorthodox. In times of chaos, that type dies first. Stepping forward uselessly to protect their own people. And you still don’t care? Hahaha!”

Gwak Dae-pyeong sneered, looking at me.

“You would have done pretty well even if you had turned to this side.”

[Right now, you are closer to the demonic than you think.]

Why did Master Bodhidharma’s warning come to mind? As something touched a nerve in my chest, a surge of emotion felt like rising.

“That’s just how it looks to me. If you think you’re not, just ignore it. Don’t make such a scary face.”

At the snickering Gwak Dae-pyeong’s words, I realized that my face was currently stiffened more than I thought.

I had clearly won the bet, and everything had gone as desired, but I felt somewhat uncomfortable.

It was not a very good feeling, so I was about to brush it off and stand up when,

Thud! Roll, roll.

once again, the sound of the die rolling on the ground was heard.

Checking the number on the bloody die that rolled to a stop at my feet, my gaze met Gwak Dae-pyeong’s.

“It’s an odd number?”

“What does this mean?”

“What else could it mean? It is as you see.”

It was not an answer to the question.

But I soon realized.

“I said I would resolve things with you through conversation. And that I would cooperate on the newly set board. That is, working with that old man… but thinking about it, I didn’t make a bet regarding that friend over there.”

This roll was targeted at Baek Mu-ho.

Although there was a moment of doubt whether this guy, who was skilled at gambling, was playing some sort of trick when throwing the die, that doubt completely vanished now.

This guy was truly gambling.

With his own life on the line.

“He is a real crazy bastard.”

“Yeah, look forward to working with you for the time being.”

***

The next place we headed was where Teacher Emerald Bamboo was.

I had planned to wait a few days to receive a reply, but the situation had changed.

Despite the late hour of the night, the private meeting with Teacher Emerald Bamboo was achieved easily.

“Indeed. I heard what you have done here in the meantime. Things have turned out badly.”

Teacher Emerald Bamboo showed deep regret along with a shallow sigh.

“Are you leaving right away?”

“It seems we must.”

“Huu.”

A deep, deep sigh, different from a moment ago. Revealing the emotions contained in that deep sigh, Teacher Emerald Bamboo asked.

“……What do you think of Sichuan?”

It felt as if a worn-out wardrobe was creaking. I could not pretend not to hear Teacher Emerald Bamboo’s question, asked as he rubbed his heavy eyelids.

I answered without falsehood.

“It is a mess.”

“I see…”

The end of his words trailed off. At that trailing end, Teacher Emerald Bamboo chuckled.

“It is truly like a wild child who doesn’t listen to a damn word.”

“……You have changed a lot.”

It sounded like he was complaining about it being hard.

A complaint. That was the word furthest from the Teacher Emerald Bamboo I knew.

As if reading my thoughts, Teacher Emerald Bamboo’s smile grew bitter. It was the smile of someone thoroughly worn down by the ways of the world.

The bitter smile I had once seen on grandfather’s face as well.

That expression he made while forcing down alcohol in deep agony.

“When your position changes, what you see changes as well. The higher a person’s eyes rise, the less they can see below. Only after moving away from the center, lowering my eyes, and coming here did I realize how useless my stiff stubbornness was. Emerald Bamboo, Green Bamboo, what is all that. Instead of clinging to useless nonsense and stubbornness, I should have found a way to save even one more person.”

There was power in his words. An elderly old man shed the shell of time and clashed with sincere feelings.

Because I knew what kind of person Teacher Emerald Bamboo was, it resonated with me even more.

Therefore, I understood why that strict and stubborn old man had become like this.

As if Teacher Emerald Bamboo’s smile was contagious, a worn-out smile was drawn on my mouth while Teacher Emerald Bamboo’s words continued.

“Even if those who stand above are strict, they must contain within them the sentiment of saving the world and its people.”

“The reason you speak of the duty of a ruler to a mere martial artist is…”

“Even though you are young, you are a dragon, so won’t you become great someday? I only hope that someday in the future, these words will remain inside you.”

Someday.

At any time.

In the future.

These were words discussing the distant future, not the present.

“Cherish them. Although you are not a ruler, if your vessel is large, won’t there be that many more people to save and rescue?”

Deep insight was visible in Teacher Emerald Bamboo’s wrinkled face.

He knew.

How Sichuan was running.

And that if things went on like this, Sichuan would become a mess incomparable to now.

Words spoken by someone worrying about all people, wishing that such things would not happen in my era.

“Please cherish them.”

“……”

“I beg of you.”

Teacher Emerald Bamboo’s waist bent.

The one who was like bamboo bent and broke himself.

Believing that this was the way to save many people in the future.

‘It feels like a will.’

What kind of future was Teacher Emerald Bamboo painting?

What was he planning to do for Sichuan?

Hearing what he said, it seemed he had some thoughts of his own.

However, it did not seem that the picture he was drawing in his head was a happy future.

I could not answer.

***

Coming outside after finishing the private meeting with Teacher Emerald Bamboo, Baek Mu-ho was waiting.

“Did you hear everything?”

“Yeah, since it was so solemn. It was strange. He was the one bowing his head, but instead, I felt overwhelmed.”

He did not move seeking benefit.

The heart contained was only uprightness.

He was someone who had to be acknowledged.

As expected of grandfather’s friend.

“So? Are you going to get involved in earnest?”

It was of a different scale from the affairs entangled at Shaolin or Mount Hua. It was a fight over hegemony in a region.

It was hard to expect an activity like overturning the war situation or determining the board with just two rising stars.

Even so, would we intervene?

“Let’s review the running layout once again.”

“Why check again when we know everything?”

“It is a highly complicated situation. Organizing is important.”

Suggesting to review the political situation again, I organized what I knew.

“The Martial World forces in Sichuan can be broadly divided into three.”

Orthodox factions. Unorthodox factions. Demonic Cult.

Among them, the main forces of the orthodox side were the Qingcheng Sect, the Emei Sect, and the Sichuan Tang Clan. There were several other forces, but those three were the core that would serve as the pivot.

Due to the attack on Shaolin and Mount Hua, the entire orthodox factions were in an uproar, and some hardliners were preparing as if to wage war immediately.

In fact, in the case of the Qingcheng Sect, they had started clean-up operations by striking the bandits around Sichuan.

“The unorthodox factions are also a headache.”

Looking at the two unorthodox forces in Go County, the movements of the unorthodox factions were roughly visible.

While there was a figure like Elder Baek Pung-rip who worried about this situation and sought to avoid conflict, there was also a crazy bastard like Gwak Dae-pyeong.

Just like the unorthodox experts who visited Go County, there were also those who knew the Demonic Cult was behind the guys who used poison throughout Sichuan, yet harbored other thoughts utilizing this.

It would differ depending on how Black Abyss Heavenless Faction, one of the Six Heavens that formed the strongest force in Sichuan, moved, but considering the unorthodox forces scattered everywhere in the region who might bounce anywhere.

“The unorthodox factions are the biggest problem…”

Unlike the orthodox side, where even hardliners tried to watch the situation for now, this side had no sense of unity.

So it was trickier.

Once a war broke out, the unorthodox factions would also unite, but if the situation progressed that far, the board was already finished.

“And the actions of the Demonic Cult bastards are no joke either…”

This was because they were guys who moved to divert attention by promoting external chaos under the pretext of organizing internal confusion.

It was a relief, if it could be called that, that if causing chaos itself was their goal, they would not step to the forefront.

‘If the orthodox and unorthodox clashed and collapsed to the level of mutual destruction, they would step up then, but unless a special variable appeared, they would just swallow their saliva and watch for opportunities until then.’

If so, what was Baek Mu-ho’s thought?

“Even without going over those things one by one, I understand perfectly.”

“Really?”

I had my doubts.

“It means the unorthodox are fucking bastards who are anxious to fight due to pent-up desires, and the Demonic Cult guys are thick-faced, unconscionable, iron-skinned trash, right?”

“Uh…”

‘……Is that right?’

Although all the detailed parts were omitted, looking at it one by one, it seemed it might be right?

No, it seemed he just threw in some rough curses, but surprisingly, they hit the mark.

“What about the orthodox?”

“Crazed retards who are preparing to destroy them if a single chance arises. If they’re going to fight, they should just throw the first punch coolly. The situation is like this, yet they are only reading the room like losers.”

Aside from how many curses were included in a single sentence criticising the orthodox.

Yes, you did understand.

Acknowledged.

“Well, as they say what is seen differs when the position is different, since the scale is what it is, it is also right to exercise caution.”

In fact, because the orthodox factions were refraining from preemptive strikes, Sichuan had not gone completely to hell.

However, if the orthodox really intended to wage war and aimed to seriously crush the Demonic Cult forces in Sichuan, it might have been better to drive in from the very beginning, as Baek Mu-ho said.

Of course, if that happened, this war would definitely spread beyond Sichuan to the entire Central Plains, and could lead to a ‘Great War between Orthodox and Demons’ beyond a regional war.

At any rate, the current situation was that each purpose was entangled, and strange war clouds were enveloping Sichuan.

Considering that this could truly be the beginning of a great war spreading throughout the entire Martial World, it could not be thought of as merely someone else’s business.

Although I wondered if I was driving my thoughts this way because I was stimulated by hearing Teacher Emerald Bamboo’s words.

“Is there a way to suppress the movements of the unorthodox factions?”

The most important work currently. The core part was indeed this.

In the midst of that.

“Huh?”

Even though it was late evening after sunset, people stepping into the government office were visible. Coincidentally, three of the four were people I already knew.

And a gentle elder, who naturally drew my eyes, gave a warm smile toward me.

***

A certain deep place.

A martial artist, who was the guard commander guarding that deep, deep place, was suddenly startled, feeling a flow of powerful strength shaking heaven and earth.

“What on earth is… this!”

The problem, rather than the existence of the power, was the direction in which that power was boiling.

This was because it was the place where the most honorable existence in this deep place stayed.

Preparing for death, the guard commander leaped into the deep place.

“W-What…!”

The deep place was full of fire demons.

All the fires were running wild.

The flame of a candle flared up as large and fiercely as if it would swallow a tile-roofed house in one breath.

Dozens of such flames were running wild.

Toward the center, the largest flame at the center of the altar, a girl was kneeling and raising both hands to offer worship.

And the moment that flame vanished like a lie.

“It is an oracle, guard commander.”

In the space where only darkness existed after the light disappeared, the girl’s voice resounded clearly.

“Holy Maiden…”

“It is just as you have seen. He who had been silent for a long time has given an answer. Following the oracle, we must go to attend the Great One.”

Every time the girl walked with light steps, a strange thing happened.

The clothes and ornaments scattered around moved on their own to wrap around the girl’s body.

The girl, fully dressed in all attire, declared with a bright smile like no other.

“Heavenly Demon is waiting.”