Chapter 952: Don't Lower Your Head (Part 2)

Two days had passed.

And during these two days... the monks of the Shaolin sect had not moved a single inch from their initial positions. Not a single person sat down, and not a single person left their spot. All he could do was stare with bloodshot eyes at the fleet of the Evil Tyrant Alliance that stood between them and Plum Blossom Island.

Although there was no physical movement and the environment remained eerily quiet, their inner turmoil was more intense than ever. In life, everyone experiences moments of inner conflict when the gap between reality and one's ideals becomes unbearable. Going through these moments and finding one's own stance is what defines "living."

However, the Shaolin monks of this particular moment had not gone through the typical process. The threshold of Shaolin surrounding them was too high for ordinary suffering, and the ideals they learned were too great.

"Bangjang..."

One of the Shaolin monks could not stand it anymore and looked at Beopjeong with bloodshot eyes.

Hye Bang (慧訪), who had previously visited Mount Hua to deliver an invitation for the martial arts competition, spoke with an almost suppressed voice.

"Will we just... continue to watch like this?"

"..."

Beopjeong kept his gaze fixed ahead, showing no signs of movement. It was impossible to tell if he was listening, or perhaps not listening, at all.

But Hye Bang seemed to express that it didn't matter either way.

"Bangjang!"

It was only then that Beopjeong slowly turned his head. He fixed his gaze on Hye Bang, who was venting his anger.

"And what should I do?"

"..."

"Don't ask me in reverse. What do you think we should do?"

"..."

"Do you think we should fight against the Evil Tyrant Alliance like this? Do you believe it's right to disregard all the odds and rush into that river, into a devastating battlefield and die?"

Hye Bang clenched his lips tightly.

There was no fault in Master Beopjeong's words. Indeed, a charge into that river was no different from carrying firewood and leaping into the flames.

But...

Hye Bang looked directly at Master Beopjeong and spoke.

"Is that foolish?"

"Hyebang!"

"Weren't you the one who taught me all this, Master?"

At those words, Beopjeong fell silent again. His eyes wavered slightly.

"...Shaolin must protect the central land. What we should pursue is not only the Buddha's way, but also maintaining a balance. I'm sure you've said something similar."

"..."

"Is this the path to protect the Buddha's way, or is it the path to protect the balance?"

"Enough..."

"Was it just empty talk, Master?"

"Can't you keep your mouth shut?"

The one who raised his voice was not Master Beopjeong but Master Beopkye. He glared at Hye Bang with an angry expression.

"You can just vent your frustration. But the Master has to make a decision that could affect everyone's lives here!"

Hye Bang bit his lips until they bled.

"Do you think you can drive the Shaolin monks and disciples into a path where they all die for the sake of your precious balance and confidently say it's the right thing to do?"

Hye Bang couldn't bring himself to respond and lowered his head. Master Beopjeong closed his eyes tightly. In this seemingly inescapable situation, everyone present was feeling trapped and overwhelmed.

As time passed, the situation was bound to worsen. Just as a deep scar remains where an abscess once formed, perhaps these scars would never disappear even after this ordeal came to an end.

'...Jang Ilso.'

Why he feared Jang Ilso was precisely because of this.

Jang Ilso had already won.

Even if Shaolin leaped into that river and somehow saved everyone from the Evil Tyrant Alliance, the scars etched into their hearts would never fade. The Shaolin monks who once wielded both Buddhism and balance as their weapons might cease to exist from this moment on.

To think that all of this had stemmed from the strategy of one person sent shivers down their spines, making it difficult to breathe.

From Master Beopjeong's perspective, an inevitable sigh escaped his lips.

He could sense it. The gazes of his disciples watching him were no longer the same as before. Their doubts and mistrust had become evident in their eyes when directed at him.

And then, something that might have been fortunate for Master Beopjeong occurred.

Jong Lihyung, who lead the Kongtong Sect, and Jao Gae, who rallied the beggars of the Beggar's Sect, had arrived.

"What on earth is happening here?"

"…Amitabha."

Looking at the fleets blocking Plum Blossom Island, Jonglihyung could not hide his frustration and spoke out.

"On that island..."

"Yes."

Master Beopjeong nodded weakly.

"There are survivors from Namgung."

At that moment, Jo Gae's eyes flickered slightly.

Survivors.

It wasn't an incorrect term. But wasn't the word "survivors" usually used to describe a small group of people who have survived a power that was already on the brink of destruction?

It had a rather subtle connotation.

'Those vile bastards!'

They, too, held a position leading a martial clan. So it was unfathomable why the Evil Tyrant Alliance was blocking that place and leaving Namgung alive.

"Are we late?"

"...We arrived as quickly as possible, but when we got here, Myriad Man Manor had already taken control of the river."

"This, this is... How could the Myriad Man Manor in Guanxi..."

Jongli's complexion darkened noticeably. Myriad Man Manor and Su Lo Chae were more than enough to deal with them. But because these powerful groups had secured boats and occupied the river, he couldn't even imagine how many sacrifices it would take to break through.

Jonglihyung asked, "Is it possible to break through?"

Jao Gae answered with a sigh, "Breaking through isn't that difficult. Is there a problem if we throw everything we've got at them?"

"Then..."

Jonglihyun's expression showed a glimmer of hope. But at that moment, Joo Gae suddenly dashed his hope.

"However, this isn't a battle of breaking through an encirclement. After breaking through the place they occupy, we need to reach Plum Blossom Island unarmed, rescue Namgung's survivors, and then cross the river again."

"..."

"It means we have to fight the same battle twice. The second time, we will have to carry people one by one while we are already exhausted."

Jonglihyung began to sweat profusely. It was only at that moment that he truly grasped how unthinkable this situation was.

"What if we gather our forces first on Plum Blossom Island?"

"We'll just end up surrounded together. Do you think they'll leave us alone to gather our forces?"

"..."

"Then, how about we go a boat too?"

Jao Gae chuckled. "Do you think Paegun didn't consider that? There probably isn't even one small boat within several hundred li from here. If we go further to get boats, by the time we arrive, the Namgung family will no longer exist on this Yangtze River."

Beopjeong nodded. Jao Gae, despite his sarcastic demeanor, was indeed quickly and accurately assessing the situation, just like an elder of the Beggar Sect.

"So, what should we do?"

"Whatever we can do."

Jao Gae looked at the boats that were anchored. More precisely, he was probably sizing up the people inside them.

"Gather all the strength we have, even if it's strength we don't have, and stake our lives to rescue Namgung. Otherwise, we'll have to watch them die over there."

"D-Die over there...!"

Jongli's face turned as white as a sheet.

'What in the world is going on?'

As he raced all the way to the Yangtze River, he had considered many possibilities, but he never imagined such an absurd situation.

"S-So, what do you think, Master?"

Jonglihyung ended up asking because he thought this was a situation where he simply couldn't make a judgment. Breaking through that ironclad defense and causing numerous casualties, or just watching Namgung's family die in such dire straits, he couldn't bring himself to do either.

"...Amitabha."

But Beopjeong lowered his head.

"I don't think it's something we can decide on our own."

"So, then..."

"Since the Peng Family hasn't arrived yet, how about making a decision after they arrive?"

"Oh, that's a good idea."

Jongli nodded vigorously. However, Beopjeong's words were not a definitive judgment of right or wrong. He was merely relieved that he could postpone a momentous decision that might determine the fate of the martial arts world.

In fact, upon closer examination, there was no need to blindly postpone it. Jongli glanced back at the perplexed members of the Beggar's Sect, who were still struggling to understand the situation.

'Darn it...'

Time was way too abundant. Three days were all that remained. It was an exceedingly short time to determine their fate, yet an overly long time for self-reflection in the face of this situation.

Now they had to agonize intensely, as if receiving punishment, over the gap between their ideals and reality.

What an unbelievable situation.

Looking at Jongli, who was at a loss for what to do, Jao Gae furrowed his brows. 

'He's wrong.'

Decisions had to be made boldly, whether one liked it or not. Delaying and postponing decisions were never the right path.

Furthermore, they could already glimpse what decision these people would make in their conversation. 

But Jao Gae didn't want to blame them unnecessarily.

There was undoubtedly a subtle alliance between the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Families. Could they be expected to risk their lives for the Namgung family's sake? Not only their own lives but also the fate of their martial arts sect?

Jao Gae, too, was hesitant to stake his life for this cause.

Turning his gaze away from his self-mockery and self-loathing, he stared at Plum Blossom Island.

'Namgung Gaju, why did you do something so foolish?'

A deep sigh escaped.

But deep down, the head of the Kongtong Sect also didn't want to blame him too badly. Those standing here were feeling as if their hearts were being scraped out with a knife, but what could be said about the Namgung Family's feelings, who had to endure and watch all of this unfold from the island?

The price they had to pay for a single mistake was unbearably cruel.

Jao Gae, who had been keeping silent, spoke with a seemingly emotionless face, "It might be good for you to remember one thing."

Both Beopjeong and Jongli turned to him, waiting for his words.

"What choices you make will ultimately be a matter of your hearts. However..."

Jo Gae bit his lip slightly and continued, "The choice you make here, both heaven and history will remember."

"..."

"I hope you make the right choice."

With that message delivered, he turned away. He couldn't bear to stand there and face them any longer. It wasn't out of hatred for those two. It was just that looking at them only fueled his self-loathing.

Wasn't he also an accomplice? By postponing the decision, he might be the most cowardly one among them.

As Jao Gae walked away, and a beggar followed him closely. "Should I report the situation to the main temple?"

Jao Gae hesitated for a moment, then responded, "Yes, do that."

But if there were only three days left, the main temple might not make a decision so easily. This was indeed a cruel choice, especially for Beggar Sect's elder who had little time left due to old age.

"Then I shall do so."

"Wait a moment..."

At that moment, Jao Gae bit his lip. He knew it was something he should never do, but he had no choice. As the elder of the Beggar Sect, he shouldn't make such a choice, but as an individual, he had to ask.

"...Do you remember where Mount Hua is located?"