Chapter 598

Chapter 598 - Side Story 32

"Well, I made it when I was too young..."

Tang Gyeong looked at Jin Heon. He meant for him to help.

But Jin Heon also shook his head after reading the letter.

"Suspicious. The feeling is not good. At a time like this, of all times."

"Even you, brother? What's suspicious about it? Dragon Captor Great Hero helped when we were looking for you too. We've been in contact for a long time, you know? It's not like Dragon Captor Great Hero directly asked me for help. What's the problem with me just going to help?"

"He helped when looking for me?"

"He confirmed that you're our brother."

Jin Heon narrowed his eyes.

"Very few people know me even in Hainan Island. How would someone in Henan know that? It's getting more suspicious."

"Dragon Captor Great Hero knows everything. From a long time ago, he's known everything."

"Do you think that makes sense?"

Tang Yu-jeong interjected from the side.

"Hey, Gyeong-ah. You said you talked most about Dad with Dragon Captor Great Hero. About old matters and martial arts. But didn't you ever think it was strange?"

"The Asura Extinction Technique is known throughout all of Jianghu! And how many people in Jianghu know about Dad?"

"That's why it's strange. No matter how much you pretended to be an adult, it's obvious you're a kid. Plus, you're even using a weird alias like Supreme Asura. But wouldn't Dragon Captor Great Hero have known about you?"

Tang Gyeong bristled and shouted.

"If you won't help, forget it!"

Tang Gyeong snatched the letter and carefully folded it away.

"I knew from the start we wouldn't understand each other. I've told you, so don't stop me now. Whatever anyone says, he's a friend who helped me when I was in trouble and someone I respect second only to Dad."

Tang Yu-jeong reached out and blocked his way. Tang Gyeong glared and asked.

"Are you going to stop me?"

"No."

"Are you kidding? What if Dragon Captor Great Hero gets hurt because we're late! Will sister take responsibility?"

"What are you going to do by going?"

"I have to help him."

"I told you there are descendants of the Hungry Ghost King in the Green Forest. They'll be gathered there in droves, and you're going there alone?"

"That's why Dragon Captor Great Hero is suffering! Because of the Green Forest. If it weren't for us, he wouldn't have had to suffer hardship from the Green Forest."

"Who knows what will happen? Tens of thousands of Green Forest bandits are gathered."

"The Green Forest is going to Shaolin Temple. I'm going to Huixian Temple. It's close to Shaolin Temple but a bit separated."

"What do you mean it's close but separated? You're just saying whatever comes to mind because you want to go."

"Stop treating me like a child! I'm not a child. I can take care of myself!"

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong kept bickering. Tang Yu-jeong didn't want to send Tang Gyeong, and the more she resisted, the more urgent Tang Gyeong became and the louder he raised his voice.

Then Jin Heon suddenly intervened.

"I'll go."

"Brother?"

"Your sister is the captain of the Guangdong and Guangxi subjugation forces. Various allied sects will gather at Mount Song, so she can't easily leave. And you still haven't fully mastered handling poison energy, right? So I'll go."

Tang Yu-jeong corrected him from the side.

"Not your sister, our sister."

Jin Heon ignored Tang Yu-jeong and continued.

"Anyway, if you only exchanged letters, you don't know each other's faces, right?"

"You'll go in my place completely?"

"Yes."

Jin Heon looked at Tang Gyeong and Tang Yu-jeong in turn.

"If help is needed because of the Green Forest, whether you go or I go won't make much difference. And if things go wrong, it's better for me to suffer than for you and your sister."

Tang Gyeong wondered if he should accept that if it was possible, but Tang Yu-jeong answered firmly.

"Not your sister, our sister. Hey, Heon, why do you talk like that? We're siblings anyway, so why say it's better for you to suffer than us? That's hurtful."

Jin Heon shook his head.

"Put aside personal feelings. Anyone can see the blood of the legitimate wife and..."

Tang Yu-jeong cut off Jin Heon's words.

"Don't do that. Such words are meaningless. To me, you're both the same younger siblings. That will never happen."

Tang Gyeong, feeling frustrated, shouted.

"Then what are we supposed to do!"

Then the Merciless Twin Axes, lying comfortably in the back, yawned and said.

"Ah, just let him go. What's so important that siblings are fighting and hurting each other's feelings? If it's a trap, just let them taste a sip of Asura Blood or whatever. Then they'll all run away in terror."

"What if they don't run?"

"They'll die. The Demonic Cult Leader and the Martial Alliance Leader all died, so why would they survive?"

Tang Yu-jeong glared at the Merciless Twin Axes.

"That's exactly what we're trying not to do now."

"Why?"

"Well..."

Tang Yu-jeong was about to speak when a strange thought suddenly struck her.

If the Green Forest was gathering at Shaolin Temple, and so there was a problem at Huixian Temple nearby, it was logically understandable enough.

But the identity of this person called Dragon Captor Great Hero was too unclear, which made her uneasy.

So...

Tang Yu-jeong expressed gratitude to the Merciless Twin Axes.

"Thanks, mister."

"...What?"

Tang Yu-jeong said to Tang Gyeong.

"Gyeong-ah. Then going to help is fine, but let's just confirm one thing."

Tang Gyeong and Jin Heon looked at Tang Yu-jeong as if asking what she meant.

***

News spread through Jianghu that Green Forest stragglers were gathering in Henan.

Even though they were called stragglers, their numbers were so large that there were easily tens of thousands.

Like a last desperate struggle, it seemed they were trying to harm Shaolin Temple, no less than a pillar of Jianghu.

In response, orthodox sects from various regions also rose up and gathered in Henan. From Shandong, from Shaanxi, from Jiangxi... from Guangdong and Guangxi led by Tang Yu-jeong.

This could be the last battle. And if they succeeded in defeating the stragglers, it would be a unique case of blocking the Green Forest's rampage with the power of small and medium sects without the help of large sects.

Warriors gathered toward Henan, each with a spirit of broad-mindedness or carrying their own justice.

***

Tang Family Main Estate.

Tang Ha-ran narrowed her eyes upon receiving a report.

Finally found. How information had been leaking from the Tang Family Main Estate.

"Gyeong-i, this child..."

It was revealed that various information had been going out from the Tang Family Main Estate through Tang Gyeong.

To be precise, it wasn't Tang Gyeong's fault.

There was only a problem with the escort bureau and couriers that Tang Gyeong used.

How could Tang Gyeong have known they were connected to the Green Forest?

As the Poison Sect tracked the connection points with the Green Forest, a merchant company that had only been established for about ten years was successively revealed. And they found that it had used some very old promissory notes. They were part of the notes owned by the Hungry Ghost King.

It was revealed that the merchant company, escort bureau, and even the Green Forest all had some relationship with the descendants of the Hungry Ghost King.

The retainers and elders nodded.

"Indeed, so. It's certain that the Green Forest's activities are by the descendants of the Hungry Ghost King."

"Does your husband know?"

Tang Ha-ran shook her head.

"He won't know."

"Just in case, it would be good to inform your husband. The Green Forest is gathering in Henan, and Yu-jeong and Gyeong-i will surely go there."

Tang Ha-ran pondered. Jin Ja-gang wants to stay away from Jianghu affairs as much as possible, and he should.

"Tens of thousands of Green Forest are moving. Even if the young masters can handle themselves, the repercussions could be significant."

Tang Ha-ran decided to accept the advice.

"I'll inform him. Send a message bird. The descendants of the Hungry Ghost King are also related to him, so he'll handle what comes after on his own. However, our Tang Family's forces won't move this time either. As we've done until now, focus more on uncovering the scale of how far their business has reached."

***

Jin Ja-gang received the contact from Tang Family Main Estate.

Seeing Jin Ja-gang's somewhat serious expression, Son Bi wrote characters on Jin Ja-gang's palm to ask.

'What's the matter?'

"It seems the descendants of the Hungry Ghost King manipulated the Green Forest to cause this chaos. So what's happening now was related to them."

Son Bi made a worried face.

She heard rumors that Tang Yu-jeong, Tang Gyeong, and Jin Heon were together, though she didn't know how they met. But the descendants of the Hungry Ghost King are mortal enemies of Jin Ja-gang. Already when the children went out, rumors were openly circulating that they were targeting Poison Dragon's children.

An Ryeong frowned.

"No, what is the Martial Alliance even doing?"

Jin Ja-gang answered.

"The Martial Alliance won't move."

"What? I've thought that was a bit strange from before. Now I can ask. If they're not going to do anything, why does the Martial Alliance even exist?"

"The Martial Alliance is doing its work. However, because it's working in a different direction than what Miss An Ryeong thinks, it may not be visible from the outside."

"So what is that work? What important work are they doing that the Martial Alliance, large sects, and great families won't even think of moving when tens of thousands of Green Forest bandits are rampaging? Ah, this is so frustrating."

Jin Ja-gang said.

"They're blocking those large sects. So they don't move recklessly."

"..."

For a moment, An Ryeong thought she heard wrong. But thinking about it, that was why. Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect also moved by deliberately presenting strange justifications.

"No, why? If only the Martial Alliance and large sects stepped up, the Green Forest would be dealt with in an instant?"

"That's why. If the Martial Alliance and large sects step up, there's nothing for small and medium sects to do."

Son Bi made an "Ah!" exclamation expression and wrote characters on the table.

Self-sustenance.

Then she looked at Jin Ja-gang as if asking if that was right. Jin Ja-gang answered with a smile.

"People benefit from tall virtue, but trees do not benefit from tall virtue."

An Ryeong repeated the meaning.

"People benefit from being tall, but trees don't see the benefit of being tall?"

Small trees cannot grow under big trees. The shade of a massive tree protects tender flowers that have just bloomed from fierce rain and scorching sun, but ultimately, flowers that don't receive rain and sun cannot grow large and die.

"That can be. I agree with your opinion. Because even you were outside the system, you could accomplish all those things."

If Jin Ja-gang had not been free and had been under the system, there would be no current Jin Ja-gang.

"But you know."

An Ryeong asked.

"Isn't that really contradictory? The first thing you did in the Martial Alliance was organize the system. You yourself were outside the system, yet you pushed others into a rigid system. Don't tell me that was to lay the foundation?"

Jin Ja-gang said.

"Through the previous Hungry Ghost King incident, we realized. That great sects alone cannot block storms."

One tree cannot support. It means it's difficult to support a large house with just one pillar.

"There was a need to lay a foundation to grow trees that could become pillars again. The system was the first step for that."

"Your ultimate goal wasn't the system?"

"The system wasn't the end. At the last moment when Taoist Haewol passed away, I was watching people. People who cried, laughed, rejoiced, and grieved. Then at some point, I realized the Taoist had passed away."