Chapter 685
“Hmm.”
Beast Palace Lord Meng So was lost in thought for a moment, arms crossed and a stern look on his face. He paused and spoke clearly.
“This is my first time seeing him.”
Everyone’s eyes focused on him.
“Everyone might have their own way of looking at people, but when I first see someone, I tend to think of them as a beast or something familiar.”
Tang Gunak looked at Meng So with a bit of interest, recalling the conversation the three of them had with Chung Myung before.
“Right. When you first saw me, did you think of me as a Black Panther?”
“Right. Ah, and a big snake also comes to mind.”
“Oho.”
Meng So glanced at Tang Gunak and continued speaking.
“People usually think of snakes as dangerous because of their venom, but while small snakes will bite if stepped on, the large ones are rarely hostile to humans. Even if you hit them or stamp on them, they walk away, as if they are untouched.”
There was an odd look in the eyes of Hyun Jong as he looked at Tang Gunak.
“When the time comes for such an indifferent snake to hunt, it will snatch its prey and gulp it down at once, whole, and it possesses swiftness and speed which cannot be compared to other animals. And once they are full, they can relax and not hunt for months.”
Tang Gunak smiled as if this was fun.
“Indeed, it’s still the same. Then what was it like when the Alliance leader saw him?”
“Like a huge bison, the head bison.”
This was a statement that could be understood without having to listen to the explanation. Tang Gunak, thinking that Meng So’s words made sense, frowned.
“Didn’t you originally say that Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon looks like a snake?”
“… a fierce weasel.”
“…”
Oddly, Tang Gunak laughed with a bit of an understanding expression, which seemed to have lowered the anxiety level from before.
“It makes sense, though…”
“Weasel. A big one. Very, very big and… fierce weasel the size of a house.”
“…”
“The claws are covered in poison and constantly grow throughout the entire year with venom on them…”
“That is.”
There was no need to listen to this anymore. First of all, one couldn’t help but sympathize with the fact that the weasel was a truly ferocious animal, contrary to its appearance.
At that time, Meng So’s smile turned bitter.
“But this time, when I saw Hegemony Lord…”
Everyone in the room waited for Meng So’s next words. They were curious about what kind of animal Meng So could think of for Jang Ilso.
“… nothing comes to my mind. Which is why I am afraid of him.”
At the words of Meng So, which felt a bit like shock, Tang Gunak’s expression went stiff.
Meng So was someone like Mount Tai. Those words felt like a weakness coming from the mouth of a person like him.
However, Tang Gunak and Hyun Jong had already guessed and understood to a limit what kind of person Meng So was like.
He was an honest man who was not one to try and hide his weakness by showing off. Moreover, although he looked imposing because of his huge size, he was a cold-headed and intelligent person.
“In some ways, Jang Ilso is like this vicious tiger and in other ways, he is a cunning fox. He might be a poisonous snake at times, and sometimes he is a huge elephant sunbathing.”
Meng So’s face contorted a bit.
“He dresses up like a peacock but is also a crocodile hiding in the water, waiting for the prey to approach…”
At that time, Chung Myung, who was listening, secretly asked Im So-Byeong.
“What is a crocodile?”
“… are you really asking me that?”
“You don’t know?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t it the end if you don’t know?”
“…”
Im So-Byeong’s heart hurt more than his mind. Just as he was about to speak back, Hyun Jong opened his eyes and glared at Chung Myung. At this, Chung Myung immediately changed the topic.
“But it is a bit odd.”
“What do you mean?” ?r?ew?bn?ve?.c??
“They said they couldn’t see anything. But when I look at what you’re saying, doesn’t it seem like a lot is happening?”
Meng So shook his head.
“One can see parts. But he didn’t match any beast at all. Because something which cannot be found in animals stood out clearly.”
“What is this?”
“Craving.”
Those who heard the words of Meng So nodded with stern faces.
“Of course, animals do not have things like cravings or greed. Sometimes they hunt too much, and sometimes they go after the weak, and sometimes they do cruel things because there is no law for their living.”
“So well put.”
“Because that is true.”
Meng So was calm. The Beast Palace was a place where animals had been considered friends for generations, but that didn’t mean they were revered.
“But no animal is as greedy as a man. I felt a greed that was so great that they couldn’t even imagine the scale of it. It is so odd. I have never seen anyone who fits the term of greed better than this man.”
Everyone nodded at those words. Although they only faced the man for a short duration, Jang Ilso was clearly odd.
“A person fitting of greed…”
Tang Gunak stroked his chin. There was no particular expression on his face. Still, the slightly frowning eyes seemed to tell of all the complex emotions.
“I met Jang Ilso once. It was the first time they had a proper conversation…”
A low sob came out of Tang Guna’s mouth, close to holding back the words.
“In my opinion, the difficult part about Jang Ilso is that he cannot be assessed.”
“…Assess?”
“Yes.”
Tang Gunak closed his eyes as he remembered Jang Ilso, whom he had met before at the Ten Thousand People clan, and then this meeting, too.
“Everyone has tendencies. If one can understand this, they can predict in advance how the character will move when something happens.”
“Hmm… right.”
“But that is impossible to do for Jang Ilso.”
Tang Gunak looked with dark eyes at every one of them and said,
“I felt it during the previous meeting, and then today, when he stepped into Mount Hua this time… Jang Ilso is unpredictable. In other words, no one can know what he will do after leaving Mount Hua.”
“…”
A heavy silence fell.
This was something none of them felt safe about.
Too many emotions had taken over their hearts, but the most felt one had to be discomfort.
There was something about Jang Ilso that just got on their nerves. Something so powerfully present that no sect could ignore him.
“First, we need to find out what he is after. And we also need to figure out why it is only now that he began to move as such.”
Tang Gunak finished speaking, and their gaze then turned to Im So-Byeong. Because there was no one else who could give them a satisfactory answer to this question.
Im So-Byeong rubbed his face.
Still, as if the punches were all worth it, his face, now swollen like a dumpling, was slowly regaining its normal shape.
“Why now…”
Im So-Byeong, silently repeating that, shook his head.
“I think there will be a difference of opinion in this regard.”
“May I know what you mean?”
“Hmm…”
Im So-Byeong thought for a moment, as if choosing the right words, and then looked at everyone.
“As everyone probably knows, there is a long-standing conflict between the Ten Thousand People Clan and Green Forest.”
“Yes.”
“But that is all superficial. Neither Green Forest nor the Ten Thousand People Clan have the intention of engulfing the other. Green Forest, which is simply in need of an enemy to control internal affairs, and the Ten Thousand People Clan, who needed an opponent to go against.”
“Why?”
Im So-Byeong explained in a calm voice.
“Imagine if the Ten Thousand People Clan demolished Green Forest and took it over. What happens?”
“The balance of the Evil Faction will tilt.”
“Then who will come?”
Hyun Jong, who had been silent, narrowed his eyes.
“The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.”
“Yes. That is true.”
It would be impossible for anyone to fully understand and interpret Jang Ilso. Still, Im So-Byeong could understand, or perhaps guess, why he did what he did.
“If a single pebble falls into the calmest lake, it will create big ripples. Although the worlds of the Evil Faction and Justice Faction are different, the Ten Thousand People clan has now grown too big and strong to avoid coming into contact with others. And if they expand their strength further from there, they are bound to offend others.”
“But… in that situation, the Heavenly Friends Alliance rose?”
“Yes.”
The eyes of Im So-Byeong held a bit of firmness.
“Maybe the person in the world who welcomes the alliance the most is probably Jang Ilso. If one sets fire to a quiet forest, it is bound to be noticed right away. But who cares if you set a flame to a burning forest?”
“…”
“Whether you are a warrior or not, you are born in difficult times. And at the same time…”
Im So-Byeong spoke with cold eyes.
“It means that if you are a privileged one who isn’t born in tough situations, then you have no choice but to rot even in a peaceful world. It might be nice for normal people, but for someone like Jang Ilso, it must hurt so much.”
“Yes.”
A low snort came to the ears of Im So-Byeong. It was Chung Myung.
Even considering the times between the two, it was rude to snort when the Green Forest King was speaking. But…
“…things that don’t even know tough times.”
Those who have felt the darkness in those ridiculing words couldn’t blame him for the rude act.
“Ahem.”
Im So-Byeong, who had his flow cut off, cleared his throat and continued to speak.
“There can only be one purpose for Jang Ilso. It is to make the flames bigger and to drive the entire world into chaos. To create a world where he and those of the Ten Thousand People clan go insane.”
“…”
“The means for achieving that is tough for me to guess.”
“Hmm.”
Tang Gunak nodded slowly.
“The existence of the Heavenly Friends Alliance… it means that he thought revealing himself here would help add to the confusion in the world.”
“Right, that was what I judged.”
“Confusion. Right, confusion…”
It made sense. No, that would be almost certainly correct. The biggest concern was not being able to find a clear purpose for Jang Ilso’s visit to Mount Hua, but if his goal was to cause confusion, then what he did made sense.
“Then…”
“Yes.”
Im So-Byeong knew in advance what Tang Gunak was going to say and answered.
“He will do something about it. Definitely.”
“…”
“To create more confusion, and they will try to do something based on that. If it is Jang Ilso, then.”
“Hmm.”
With a dark face, Tang Gunak nodded as he looked at Chung Myung.
‘How strange.’
Normally, he would have shouted too many times before the conversation even got to this point. Still, oddly, Chung Myung said nothing all this while.
Anyone else would have thought he would be silent considering the leaders around, but since when did Chung Myung ever do that?
“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon.”
“Uh?”
“What do you think?”
“Ummm.”
In the end, when Tang Gunak asked him, Chung Myung folded his hands.
“Well, I know that a guy like Jang Ilso or something is not a normal one…”
“Hmm?”
“But why give so much attention to that?”
“…”
“The answer is in the talks we had till now. The answer is he needs the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”
“Uh?”
“There is no need to worry more. Doesn’t that mean we need a situation where the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families cannot move to the evil faction?”
“Yes.”
“Then he will not touch our alliance, for a while at least. From his point of view, the greater the alliance is, the easier his goals are to achieve. Then we know what to do.”
“…”
At that moment, Tang Gunak, who felt a bit relaxed, turned to Chung Myung.
This young Taoist was pointing out the actual content so naturally. The point that felt so difficult for them to identify to understand.
Im So-Byeong looked at Chung Myung and asked,
“Is that all?”
“Uh?”
His eyes were oddly shining.
“I sometimes think that Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon hides the real words. Are you saying not to worry because you don’t think Jang Ilso will be a problem for us for this duration?”
“…”
“Is there something else you are worried about?”
Chung Myung sighed.
Im So-Byeong wasn’t the only one who thought about it. Chung Myung’s eyes were looking down as if his plan had been destroyed.
“Well, now is the time to tell it.”
Chung Myung looked at all of them and said,
“The Heavenly Demon will come.”
His words, the way he said them, everything was calm. Not a single hesitation, as if he was sure of this now.
And that made it feel even more ominous to them.
“… Heavenly Demon?”
Tang Gunak looked lost at that.
“What did you…”
“It is just my opinion, but I am certain of it. The Heavenly Demon will surely return.”
Tang Gunak, who was never anxious about things, turned pale. Even Meng So’s face trembled.
It was clear just how much fear resided in the minds of people at the name of Heavenly Demon.
Chung Myung spoke softly, like talking to himself.
“He will find out then.”
“…”
“What the real confusion is. What the real chaos is. And…”
His face turned dark.
“What real fear is.”
