Early morning.

“Ughh.”

Kwak Ho, carrying a large bucket of water, trudged along.

“I cannot believe the situation I am in, bringing food to even dogs!”

The dogs of the Beast Palace, brought in and left during the Alliance ceremony, remained in Mount Hua and now moved around like they owned the land.

There were many opinions about sending the dogs down the mountain right away. Still, Hyun Jong, the sect leader, expressed the opinion, ‘If we are related to them, how can we drive out their pets just because they are dumb?’ Thus, it became impossible to do so.

Thanks to this, collecting dog food became an added duty for the Chung disciples.

“Ugh, they are a lot cuter than I thought, so it is fine…”

Actually, Mount Hua was a barren land.

The environment? No, the people.

It wasn’t like this in the past, but now, even if he washes his eyes and looks, the only thing he saw were demons gritting their teeth at each other. So to speak, wasn’t it like hell had come onto Mount Hua, whose only residents always fought each other?

For those living on such a Mount Hua, the presence of dogs that wagged their tails when you got close was a great comfort. Watching them pant and wag their tails while showing their stomachs, he was able to forget his devil-like sahyungs.

The problem was that comfort and annoyance had separate issues…

What could he do? If it was unfair, then he should have had better growth.

“I think it is time for us to take on Myung disciples… Only then will I be free of chores.”

After sighing and talking to himself, Kwak Ho turned and said,

“Guys, eat now…”

Uh?

But at the sight before his eyes, Kwak Ho forgot what he was saying and closed his eyes.

What was he looking at?

The dogs were all lined up in a row.

Well, he could roughly understand that. If a dog climbed Mount Hua, they, too, had to follow the rules of Mount Hua. If they acted like they lived on the street, wasn’t it obvious that the mad dog worse than them would come and make them into pulp?

The problem was that the dogs were lying down with their four paws straight in the sky.

‘Are they all dead?’

No, no. That didn’t seem to be the case…

It looked like they were alive, with their four legs trembling. It wasn’t like they ate something strange, so why were they in such a strange form…

Ahhhh!

At that moment, with a subtle sound, Kwak Ho flinched.

Baek Ah was lying in a crooked position in front of the dogs lying in a row.

“…”

Her form, seen from the back… looked like the mad dog of Mount Hua drunk with alcohol.

At this feeling of déjà vu, Kwak Ho felt goosebumps rise on his body.

‘No, it is all done now…’

Just by looking at this, didn’t it seem like the damn marten was training them?

The Beast Palace had picked up the dogs they saw on the street, and they varied in size, but the largest of the dogs was almost the size of a human. And yet, they were being played by a marten…

Kwak Ho’s nose went cold.

It’s like…

Ahhhhkk!

When Baek Ah let out a low snarl, the dogs got up like a lightning storm.

And they all lined up in a very trained form.

Baek Ah slowly got up from the place, looking annoyed. A white, cotton ball-like thing with its black eyes open and all the dogs in line curling their tails in.

Swish!

As Baek Ah shouted briefly, the dogs suddenly began to run towards the mountain gate with all their might.

Kiik!

Baek Ah snorted, looking at the sight.

“…”

“…”

At that moment, the marten and Kwak Ho looked at each other, and a moment of silence passed.

Kyak.

Baek Ah opened her eyes wide and tilted her cute head to the side as if she knew nothing. This made Gwak Hoe go silent.

‘Um, that is an abomination…’

It was just like its master!

There was nothing good in this damn Mount Hua; not even the animals were sane!

“Ugh!”

Hyun Young’s face contorted as he came running late after hearing the situation. He was irritated.

“We are not in some neighborhood war. Bandits, pirates, and everyone else… do they think this is some playground where everyone takes a stab at us?”

“It is something we cannot do anything about.”

Un Am shook his head.

Places that conducted business on a scale similar to Mount Hua were usually commercial hubs known as the Nine Great Sects or the Great Sects. Such entities often had a firm establishment of business that ran for a long time.

Hwang Jongi sighed and said,

“Even if Mount Hua has become the leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance and is making a name for itself in the world, it is still inferior to the Nine Great Sects.”

“Hmm.”

“From their perspective, this is a good place to stab.”

“Ugh. A good place to stab, huh.”

At that sarcastic voice, it sounded like his stomach twisted.

“These bastards, do they think we are so easy?”

“Chung Myung, be patient now!”

“Be good! Kuak!”

“Now! There it is, mooncake! Have the mooncake now!”

Jo Gul, Yoon Jong, and Baek Cheon held down Chung Myung, who was trembling in anger, and from all directions, they stuffed sweets into his mouth.

“Ugh! Let go! Will you not let go? Now, even these inferior bastards are putting a stop to the work! Ughh! Are they pirates who aren’t afraid of splashing water? Let’s see!”

Chung Myung… pirates were those who played in the water, bandits were those who messed around on land, and they were people who climbed the mountain to pay them taxes.

Mount Hua had developed in many ways, but the most developed aspect was his unwavering mental strength. What he meant was, despite all that he said, the meeting would continue calmly, ignoring what Chung Myung would say.

“What do you think is the best to do?”

“What can we do? Chung Myung is 100% right!”

Hyun Young spoke as if he didn’t need to think about it.

“If we stay quiet even after being beaten, they will end up bullying us. Haven’t we already experienced that?”

“Yes.”

“Furthermore, this isn’t just someone else’s problem; it’s about the Eunha Merchant Union and the Ghost Clan. In times like this, if we don’t step in, who will?”

Hyun Jong quietly nodded. It was a gesture that seemed to confirm Hyun Young’s words were right.

But it seemed like Hyun Sang didn’t think the same.

“It isn’t that easy to consider, sect leader.”

“Hmm?”

Hyun Jong looked at Hyun Sang, who was saying the unexpected.

“The opponent isn’t an easy one to take on.”

“Not easy?”

“Yes.”

Hyun Sang nodded with a heavy look.

“Going against bandits is scary, but that is nothing compared to facing those who rule the waters. No matter how rugged and great the mountain is, it is a place where we can step. But, to deal with the pirates, we have to take a ship and go to the Yangtze River.”

“… right.”

“Fighting a pirate on a ship is much more dangerous than facing one on land. Moreover, our kids have almost no experience riding a ship.”

“I feel the same way.”

“There might be some variables. So it isn’t an easy thing to consider.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong looked concerned.

“I think the same, sect leader.”

Even Un Am sided with Hyun Sang.

“The opponent is one of the Yangtze River 18 families. Of course, Mount Hua has changed from the past, but going against them, making an enemy out of them is a decision we need to be careful about.”

Shenzhou’s Five Sects had a weight that pressed down on Hyun Jong.

Didn’t they already have a strained relationship with the Ten Thousand People Clan, which was one of the Five? In this situation, adding more enemies from the Five Sects wasn’t a good decision.

“Then what do you think we should do?”

“Confronting someone with force isn’t the only way out.”

Un Am glanced around and said,

“It is clear why the pirates are suddenly targeting the Eunah escorts. They probably heard about the significant profits being made. They might be after the valuables, but they also know it won’t last. In the end…”

“In the end?”

Un Am hesitated and spoke in a low voice.

“I guess they are asking us to pay a toll to travel across the Yangtze River, just like other clans do.”

“… Did you say toll?”

“Yes, sect leader.”

Hyun Jong’s face contorted.

“Do you mean to say that I need to pay a toll to the pirates and beg them to let me cross the river?”

“Sect leader, listen to this. It doesn’t have to be something you think of negatively. From what I know, merchants run by other sects also pay the toll to the bandits when crossing the Yangtze River.”

“…”

“It is cheaper than trying to increase the work for no reason.”

Hyun Jong looked back at Hwang Jongi to confirm if this was correct. Hwang Jongi nodded.

“Yes, sect leader.”

“Huh…”

Hwang Jongi further elaborated on his thoughts.

“Actually, whether it’s bandits or pirates, paying the right toll and avoiding trouble is basic practice. And thanks to the good ties with the Green Forest, Eunha didn’t have to pay any toll to the bandits.”

“So you mean we pay the pirates now?”

“… Sect leader, I have been preparing for the tolls all along.”

Hyun Jong’s eyes twitched.

What did this mean?

Hwang Jongi lowered his gaze, looking remorseful.

“If… if they are doing this for a toll, it isn’t a personal one, but rather for the special delivery, and they want to be paid a better amount for it.”

“Huhuhu.”

Hyun Jong burst out laughing, finding the situation absurd.

“Does this even make sense?”

“It isn’t easy to understand, but…”

Actually, it was a difficult topic for Hwang Jongi to respond to. He wasn’t in a position to ask Mount Hua to do anything, which was why Un Am responded.

“Anything solved with money is better than solved with violence, sect leader. Isn’t it better than putting the disciples in danger?”

Un Am’s voice was firm. Hyun Jong touched his forehead as if it hurt.

“Um Am. But even so…”

“Sect leader, do not forget this. Nothing is more important than the disciples, even if the object ends up being the pride of Mount Hua.”

Hyun Jong slowly closed his eyes, but his worries didn’t last long. He opened his eyes and nodded.

“You are right. Avoid danger if you can.”

“Right decision.”

“Then…”

“Ah, wait!”

At that moment, Chung Myung, who was held by Baek Cheon, suddenly got up.

“Now, now, Chung Myung is…”

“Ah, get out of the way!”

Chung Myung grabbed Jo Gul, who was trying to push him back and threw him.

Thud!

Jo Gul, hanging on the wall, slid down. Chung Myung continued to speak, not caring.

“What senior sasuk said is right. If it can be done without fighting, we should do it.”

“What?”

“Solve it without a fight…”

“Right, WHAT?”

“…”

Chung Myung closed his mouth and looked around. Everyone seemed to be thinking, ‘Did I hear that wrong?’ or ‘There is no way he can speak like this.’

“No, everyone is too much. Do I look like some bloodthirsty demon or something?”

“… that is better.”

“We can get along fine with demons.”

“…”

Chung Myung’s cheeks trembled.

“But are these real?”

“So what did you think?”

Just before Chung Myung was about to lose it, Hyun Jong interrupted to stop it. Chung Myung, who had half-shouted, groaned slightly and opened his mouth.

“But this isn’t the situation for it. If they wanted tolls, they wouldn’t have killed the escorts. They could have taken things and held them hostage until we gave them money.”

“… umm.”

Everyone nodded at those words.

“What is certain is that the situation is more complicated than we thought, and this will happen more frequently from now on. In such cases, it is impossible to judge the situation in advance and draw conclusions from a thousand miles away from the incident.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Go and see.”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“Whether it leads to death or a meal, we need to go there first to figure out the situation. If it can be resolved with words, then we do that. If not…”

“If not?”

“If not, well. Hehe.”

Chung Myung smiled brightly and scratched the back of his head.

“Do I have to spell it out?”

“… no, no.”

They understood without him elaborating further.

Hyun Jong nodded quietly. There was some truth to both sides. But what was certain was that it wasn’t easy to make a judgment based on the current information alone. In the end, there was just one decision he could make.

“Listen.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

“The decision is on hold for now. First, we will dispatch a team to investigate what has happened, bring in some truth, and find the missing people.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

It was a decision that no one would disagree with.

“And…”

Hyun Jong’s eyes fell directly on Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung is being excluded from the investigation team this time. Understand it.”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung’s eyes grew wide at these unexpected words.

“I am?”

“Yes.”

“Me?”

“Yes!”

“… I am being left out? Why?”

“Why? Are you really asking me why?”

Hyun Jong burst out into a chuckle.

“Didn’t I tell you this is just to investigate?”

“Yes. But why?”

“If there is one person in the world who doesn’t fit the word ‘investigation’ as much as you, tell me, and I will send you.”

“Jo Gul sahyung.”

Hyun Jong was shocked by the words he heard. The answer turned out to be much more plausible than he had expected, and everyone, including Hyun Jong, turned to Jo Gul.

An expression of anger flashed across Jo Gul’s face.

“Why me…”

It was so subtle. No matter how much they thought about it, it was difficult to point out.

“Well, of course, Jo Gul is a bit unreliable….”

“Come on, sect leader!”

“Right. Chung Myung is still better than you!”

“Oh my… how can you say such harsh words to me….”

“What is harsh about it, you bastard!”

Jo Gul tried to rush at Chung Myung, but before he could throw a punch, someone grabbed him by the collar.

“The sect leader is right here, you ignorant fool! This bastard! I just said not to do anything reckless.”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

“Ah! Sahyung! My mouth! It hurts!”

“I always say, stay within the limit.”

Yoon Jong, who started to subdue Jo Gul immediately, dragged him to the corner. Hyun Jong, who was staring blankly at the scene, shook his head.

“Anyway! Not this time! This is the order of the sect leader!”

“Huh….”

Chung Myung’s mouth opened in shock.