Chapter 116

Chapter 116

“Goo~d!”

Youngho drew in a deep breath as he savored a rare moment of rest.

He was not the only one enjoying the break. The Asura Squad, whose injuries had not yet fully healed, his escort Horyeung, and even Hwa Ryeong were lying there…?

“No, why are you here?”

Hyeon-gang let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded. Hwa Ryeong, her arm drooping limply like a cat’s, pointed at him and spoke.

“What do you mean ‘you’ to your master… ‘you’…….”

Even her speech had slowed.

“No, I mean, why are you lying here with us, Master? Don’t you have work to do?”

“I am a person beyond saving unless it involves treatment…….”

“I already knew that long ago. But aren’t you the chief authority of the Medical Pavilion of Hwa Ryeong?”

At that, Hwa Ryeong’s eyes flashed as she spoke.

“Organizing documents is not my specialty.”

“That’s true. Things like that are definitely better left to experts.”

When Youngho agreed with her, Hyeon-gang narrowed his eyes and said,

“Fifth Young Master. You won’t be like this after you become the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance, right? You’ll actually handle your duties, right?”

“Duties? Of course I will.”

“Right? You see, Master. The head of an organization should—”

“Train. Training. As the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance, that is my duty.”

“…….”

Hyeon-gang, Kang Chowon, and even the Asura Squad all stared at Youngho with rotten looks.

Unbothered, Youngho hummed a tune and said,

“No matter how high one’s position is, one must always know one’s place and do only what one can do, giving it their utmost.”

“Child, you actually understand something?”

Hwa Ryeong said with a smile.

It was a realization known only to those who had worked themselves to the bone in high positions.

It was already clear how much the Chief Aide would suffer because of Youngho when he became the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance in the future.

Meanwhile, Muyeon still fidgeted anxiously as he spoke toward Youngho.

“Young— no, Fifth Young Master. No, Fifth Young Master. Shouldn’t we start heading back to the Unorthodox Alliance soon?”

“If we go back to the Unorthodox Alliance, we’ll have to resume that hellish training again. Let’s rest a little longer before going. The kids aren’t fully healed yet either.”

“That’s true. I don’t want to do that damned training either, but I think doing that training would actually be better for my mental health.”

“Hehe, Muyeon. Everything flows according to its natural course in the end.”

“Hey. You damned bastard!”

In the end, Muyeon could not contain his anger and shouted.

“What, now?”

Yet Youngho remained perfectly calm.

“You’re not unaware of how serious this situation is! Please tell me you’re not! You’re amazing, aren’t you?!”

“That’s right. But from what I can see, the situation isn’t serious.”

“Hey, I heard you went through all sorts of hell last time to stop the Orthodox–Unorthodox War? Don’t you hate war?”

“That’s right. I don’t want the Orthodox–Unorthodox War.”

“Then move!”

“I’m telling you, there’s no need to move.”

Muyeon felt like he was genuinely going insane.

‘Why am I stuck with this lunatic bastard…!’

Feeling the warm sunlight across his whole body, Youngho spoke.

“In the past, I had to go through all sorts of hell to stop the war.”

“You’re saying it’s different now? Huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

Muyeon was flustered by the indifferent yet confident voice.

“Now, even without going through that nonsense like before, I can stop the war from breaking out.”

“Really?”

Color began returning to Muyeon’s face.

“Thaaat’s right! I trusted you, Fifth Young Master! So what’s the plan?”

“There’s nothing we need to do in particular.”

“Did the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance already make all the plans?”

“Of course. What do you take our Master for?”

“Forget that. What’s the plan, roughly?”

Muyeon’s sparkling eyes were slowly becoming burdensome for Youngho.

After letting out a yawn, Youngho spoke.

“The name of the plan is as follows.”

“Yeah! Say it!”

“It is called, Youngho.”

“Right, called Young—.”

Muyeon trailed off mid-sentence in his lively voice.

“……What?”

“I’m the plan.”

“What kind of bullshit is that?!”

“Horyeung, explain it for me.”

“Yes.”

Horyeung was the only one not lying down. As one entrusted with the heavy duty of escorting Youngho, he never treated his responsibilities lightly.

“To put it simply, the Fifth Young Master is unbelievably strong. Now, even the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance cannot handle him.”

Once again, they were reminded just how monstrous Youngho’s existence was.

“In the past, the Fifth Young Master was weak. Of course, weak compared to now. Even so, against most experts of the Transformation Realm, he could achieve victory through his innate combat sense. Though if he had truly fought that way, those of us nearby would have died.”

Horyeung cleared his throat once before continuing.

“But now it is different. Before the Orthodox–Unorthodox War even begins, if the Fifth Young Master were to release just a bit of his Martial Presence in front of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families, those bastards would not dare provoke us.”

“What do you mean? He’s become that strong?”

At Muyeon’s incredulous tone, Horyeung nodded as if understanding.

“Yes. Perhaps someone of the same Transformation Realm might differ… No, even I do not know the limits of the Fifth Young Master.”

This was something even Horyeung’s disciples, including the Asura Squad, were hearing for the first time.

“In short, he has become too strong. And this will now extend into the balance between Orthodox and Demonic as well.”

“Ah!”

With that single missing piece of information filled in, Muyeon quickly calculated and realized why the Orthodox–Unorthodox War would not occur.

“So that’s it! But is that even logically possible?”

“It is possible because it is the Fifth Young Master.”

However, Muyeon was the only one who fully understood.

“What do you mean, Master?”

Just as Horyeung was about to explain further, Muyeon clapped his hands and said,

“I’ll explain it from here on! As a former Wandering Warrior, my guess should fit quite well in this situation.”

As everyone’s gazes, which had been directed at Horyeung, shifted toward Muyeon, Horyeung took a step back.

“Now, think about it. It’s a very simple problem. Of course, it has only happened once in the entire history of the world.”

“So what exactly are you saying?!”

When Kang Chowon grew frustrated, Muyeon snickered.

“Let’s think of us as kingdoms. The Orthodox Sect as one kingdom, the Unorthodox Faction as another kingdom, and the Demonic Cult.”

“Isn’t the Demonic Cult a kingdom too?”

“How can a bunch of so-called religious fanatics who don’t even pay taxes be called a kingdom?”

Muyeon clicked his tongue once and continued.

“Suppose the Orthodox Sect and the Unorthodox Faction go to war. Then who would gain the opportunity to profit?”

What was he talking about? Not actually profiting, but gaining the opportunity to profit?

“If the Orthodox Sect and the Unorthodox Faction wage war, the Demonic Cult can attack while both sides are weakened. Then at least one of those two kingdoms would collapse.”

“Ah!”

It was exactly as he said. Striking when the opponent had grown weak.

Muyeon was saying that if even one of the three powers made a flawed judgment, it would fall as it was.

It was simple military strategy, yet to ordinary people or those of the Jianghu, it was completely unknown.

If one had never studied that field at all, how could they possibly know? It was no different from an infant who had only ever used a spoon seeing chopsticks for the first time.

At first, the infant would not even be able to hold them, but later would stab Dongpo Pork and eat it, and with greater skill, would be able to pick up objects.

And if they advanced further, they would even be able to remove the bones from a fish.

If one were to liken it that way, those capable of deboning fish with chopsticks could already be called Strategists.

If they went even further, they would become a Strategist like Zhuge Liang, whose name would remain in history.

Now, the Asura Squad had come to know the chopsticks called military strategy.

“If one kingdom rashly wages war against another, the kingdom that did not start the war would have leeway to devise schemes.”

Understanding came quickly. To be honest, it was something one could grasp with just a bit of thought.

Muyeon had merely realized the answer a little faster than the others.

Youngho, apparently pleased with Muyeon’s explanation, wore a satisfied smile.

“That wench is right. The Orthodox bastards were already somewhat reluctant to wage war because of my Master, but now that a monster like me has appeared, war is no longer something they merely hesitate over—it’s something they absolutely must avoid.”

“You’re really that much of a factor, Fifth Young Master?”

At Jongpal’s question, Youngho let out a faint chuckle.

“Yes. Originally, the probability of us losing would have been around sixty or seventy percent. No matter how formidable my Master is, he only has one body.”

“Then what are our chances of winning now?”

“If we estimate conservatively, fifty percent. At most, sixty percent.”

A moment of silence fell.

The Asura Squad did not understand war. But they understood fighting. Among all people, martial artists best understood how significant even a mere ten percent could be in battle.

If even in a one-on-one fight to the death, a ten percent advantage was critical, how much more important would it be in war?

“So we can assume the Orthodox–Unorthodox War won’t happen for the time being?”

“That’s right. And if things truly go wrong, I have one final trump card, so it’s fine. Though it’s a bit of a shame.”

“A trump card?”

“Yeah, something like that exi—.”

“Fifth Young Master!”

Suddenly, someone called out to Youngho. The voice sounded strangely familiar.

Turning his head, Youngho said,

“What? What are you doing here?”

Yeo Jeonghye was glaring at him while pressing her temples with her fingers.

Youngho rose to his feet and said,

“You crossed the Yangtze River and came all the way here?”

As if she had been part of their group from the start, Youngho treated Yeo Jeonghye with complete nonchalance. Anyone looking at him would think—

‘He’s so irritating.’

‘Unbelievably irritating.’

For some reason, one felt like punching him square in the philtrum.

Yeo Jeonghye looked at Youngho with eyes that flickered beyond love and hate into outright madness.

“It is the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance’s command.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“You came all this way just for that?”

“I happened to be nearby. And I came under orders as well.”

“As expected of the Branch Hall Master of the Gold-Blood Hall. But I’m the youngest among my senior and junior brothers, so I’m not sure I can properly carry out Master’s command.”

“…….”

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

Even if he claimed he wasn’t sure he could do as well as his senior brothers, hadn’t he killed them all in the first place?

“The Eldest Senior Brother is still alive.”

‘Mind-reading?!’

“So why did you come?”

Returning to the main point, Yeo Jeonghye wiped cold sweat from her brow, realizing she had almost been dragged into Youngho’s pace.

“The Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance ordered me to assist the Fifth Young Master.”

“Why? I’ve got plenty of people to assist me.”

Youngho glanced at the Asura Squad members lying behind him.

“The Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance said the Asura Squad are filled with people too much like the Fifth Young Master.”

“…….”

There was nothing to refute. The phrase people like Youngho had lodged itself deeply in his mind.

And more than Youngho, it was the Asura Squad who were shocked by Yeo Jeonghye’s words.

“Aaah! To become like the Fifth Young Master?!”

“No! To abandon a martial artist’s pride like that?!”

Youngho looked at the convulsing Asura Squad members, then met Yeo Jeonghye’s eyes with a benevolent gaze.

“Fine, I suppose I do need someone to assist me. Did Master tell you to go somewhere with me?”

“Yes.”

“Where to?”

“The Murim Alliance.”

“…….”