The preparations are now complete. (4)

The dark riverside.

A few weary men, dressed in shabby clothes, stomped their feet anxiously.

“Did we miss them?”

“How could we? This information came straight from the headquarters!”

“Well, didn’t Shaolin leave a while ago? Even if they’re fast, there shouldn’t be such a gap…”

“There must be some reason.”

“Aren’t they on a mission to save Hwasan Geomhyeop? What could be more important to Cheonumaemg? Even if mount Hwa erupts and burns everything down, they wouldn’t care as long as they save Hwasan Geomhyeop first… and they’re taking their sweet time.”

“Just wait a bit longer.”

“Fine.”

As the beggars craned their necks, gazing upstream, a voice called out.

“There, there comes Cheonumaemg!”

“Damn it, why are they so late!”

The beggars, spotting the approaching crowd in the distance, hurriedly dashed towards them.

“Where is he?”

“It doesn’t seem like he is in the front… Wait! There! It’s Hong Daekwang!”

As soon as they spotted Hong Daekwang amidst the crowd, the beggars shouted loudly.

“Hong Daekwang! Hwaeum Buntaju! Over here! Come here!”

The commotion caught Hong Daekwang’s attention.

“What’s going on!”

A group of beggars by the riverside waved their hands, shouting to him in unison.

“Buntaju, we have news…!”

“No time to stop and listen, come with us, you rascals!”

However, before Hong Daekwang could hear everything, he impatiently cut off the beggars’ words, causing them to flinch as they ran towards him.

“Buntaju! We have a situation report!”

“Alright, speak quickly!”

“…H-here? Here is… um…”

The beggars looked around nervously, realizing that this place was crowded with Cheonumaeng’s men who had been running with Hong Daekwang. If they didn’t move, they wouldn’t be able to provide the information.

Hong Daekwang, oblivious to this, not only failed to consider the circumstances but also became more agitated.

“What the hell, why are these beggars so relaxed! Useless beggars who can’t even beg properly and starve to death! Speak up already!”

“T-there are listeners…”

“If you won’t talk, then get lost! Don’t bother busy people.”

“F-Fine… I’ll speak!”

The beggar began to speak reluctantly as if he was in pain.

It was virtually impossible for a Buntaju of a small branch like Hwaeum to make such a commotion among the members of the headquarters.

But Hong Daekwang was no ordinary beggar. He was not only a key figure rumored to be the next Sect Leader of the Beggars Sect, but also the only beggar who had connections with the highly influential Hwasan Sect, currently the most prominent sect in Gangho.

So, even if they were from the headquarters, they had to give in… or rather, they had to compromise.

“Firstly, as instructed by the leader, don’t act alongside Cheonumaeng…”

Unable to decide what to do, the beggar, rolling his eyes around, finally closed them tightly and spoke.

“…T-they… told us to move towards Gupailbang…”

However, despite their efforts to speak discreetly, their attempts were completely in vain.

“What? Gupailbang? You’re telling me to stick to Gupailbang?”

“B-Buntaju, please, lower your voice…”

“But has this guy really gone senile? Sending people to say such nonsensical things? Alright, next!”

“T-the leader instructed…”

“I said next!”

A sigh escaped the beggar’s lips as he reported.

Hong Daekwang was never an ordinary beggar, but now, hanging around Hwasan Geomhyeop, he felt utterly unruly.

“…Currently, Surochae is heading towards Nanjing…”

“Hey, you, beggar bastard!”

Without hesitation, Hong Daekwang swung his hand and struck the reporter’s head forcefully.

Thwack!

“Aaargh! W-why did you hit me…”

“Do you think the Yangtze River has multiple branches? Are there any other directions? Are those ships going any other way?”

“…”

“Don’t waste time and tell me important information! Before I kick you out.”

“Yes! Um… We received intelligence that the remnants of the Black Ghost, who were entrenched in the east of Gangnam, are also moving towards Nanjing!”

“…Black Ghost?”

“Yes.”

Hong Daekwang’s face contorted momentarily.

Once known as part of Shinjuopae, the Black Ghost now served as loyal dogs of Jang Ilso.

‘Are they saying that Surochae, Black Ghost, and even Jang Ilso directly leading Maninbang are all heading to Nanjing?’

And considering that the forces of Maninbang, which had headed to Haenam, are also moving northward, it means that at least sixty percent of the entire Sapaeryeon is gathering in Nanjing.

In terms of scale alone, it far exceeds the number of people gathered at Black Dragon Fortress during the Yangtze River Disaster. There hasn’t been such a concentration of forces in one place in the past hundred years of history.

‘That crazy bastard… Is he really going to try it?’

If it comes to this, it’s not just a matter of whether or not Hwasan Geomhyeop can be saved.

The Just Sects based in Gangbuk and Sapaeryeon based in Gangnam could collide head-on with the massive city of Nanjing between them.

War.

This one word came to Hong Daekwang’s mind.

Two forces clashing around the massive city of Nanjing?

‘It won’t end with just a brief clash!’

Originally, starting a fire is the most difficult part. But once it catches, spreading is no trouble at all. During the Yangtze River Disaster, the pact of Gangnam Non Aggression Treaty served as water thrown onto the flames, but this time, no sect will accept such disgrace.

In the end, there will be no path other than fighting until one side turns to ashes.

‘Was it… Was it supposed to escalate to this extent?’

What exactly was the beginning?

Was it the attacks on the ships stationed at Jiujiang? Or was it the movement of Jang Ilso itself?

‘No… It’s before that.’

In the end, it was clear that all of this was caused by Hwasan Geomhyeop’s move to Gangnam. If he hadn’t headed to Hainan island, Haenam would have been reduced to ashes, but it would have taken a lot more time for a war like this to break out.

There’s no law stating that a small matter can’t escalate infinitely, but this has far surpassed such levels.

“What about us? What are the headquarters bastards doing?”

“They’ve just dispatched reinforcement troops to Nanjing!”

“Well, wait. There are beggars coming to Yangtze too.”

“They deemed it insufficient and sent additional troops from Red Squad and Blue Squad.”

“…This is insane.”

Hong Daekwang’s face turned even paler.

The information held by the Beggars Sect’s Sect Leader is far more extensive than what an ordinary Daeju can imagine. In the Beggars Sect, they understand the world based on this.

However, the fact that headquarters are sending support directly means that there is a high probability of a clash between Sapaeryeon and Gupailbang in Nanjing.

“Letters of summons have been sent to other sects as well. It’s a general call-up. Meanwhile, small and medium-sized sect around Nanjing are also rallying their members.”

“Damn it, do they think they can just come because of that!”

If they were the kind of people who could easily arrive upon receiving just one letter, they wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of gathering everyone. Those who have always been on the outskirts of power probably watch the current situation with amusement, urging the prominent figures to handle it themselves.

“So what? Are they going to provide support?”

“The letters haven’t even arrived yet. At least a day or more…”

“Argh, damn it! So they’ll only come after everything’s already gone to hell! What’s the point! They should have sent support earlier!”

“Well, there was nothing we could do! Paegun moved too suddenly…”

“Isn’t preparing for that headquarters’ job? What are those beggars even doing, eating their food and doing nothing!”

Amidst Hong Daekwang’s fierce outburst, a beggar contorted his face in an attempt to justify himself.

“W-We also have something to say, this was unreasonable.”

“Go search for reason in a Confucian school! Why seek reason in this outskirts, huh?”

“No, that’s not it. Normally in such situations, Shaolin buys time until Wudang and Jongnam arrive.”

“…What?”

“Wudang and Jongnam. Wudang and Jongnam!!! No matter how hard they try, how will they fill the gap left by those two sect! Do you know the status those two sect hold within Gupailbang?”

Hong Daekwang tightly sealed his lips.

No matter what anyone said, the center of Gupailbang was undeniably Shaolin, but the sects that perfectly supported Shaolin were Wudang and Jongnam. Yet, at this very moment, those two sects had both entered Bongmun.

“W-Well, that’s true but…”

Hong Daekwang awkwardly trailed off.

Normally, he would have cursed incessantly, questioning why those damn bastards had to create such a situation by entering Bongmun unnecessarily.

But now, from Hong Daekwang’s perspective, he couldn’t utter those words.

This is because it was an undeniable fact that Hwasan had a great influence on the fortunes of those two sects.

‘Damn it! Things are getting messed up!’

Hong Daekwang raised his voice for a reason.

“No, but that doesn’t mean we should just sit idly by! We should send someone to unlock the gate! Are those crazy bastards just going to lock the gate and watch as others either perish or survive?”

“It seems like someone has already been sent from the headquarters.”

“And?”

“They seemed unable to even deliver the message, let alone enter. It seems they were simply driven away without any chance for dialogue.”

“…This is infuriating, really.”

Even in Bongmun one should assess the situation! What kind of stubbornness drove them to persist in this circumstances? Anyway, those damn Gupailbang bastards ruin everything because of their pride. It’s all because of their petty pride.

“That’s all for the report. Due to the reasons mentioned earlier, Buntaju has been tasked with joining Gupailbang…”

“I’ll handle that myself! Enough!”

Hong Daekwang cut in sharply.

Even if Wang Geoji himself led the elite forces and joined Gupailbang, he had no intention of going under him. In fact, his allegiance was not to Gupailbang but to Cheonumaeng.

“You’ve all heard it, but the situation is…”

“Is it true that Black Ghost Fortress is heading from the east towards Nanjing?”

However, at that moment, Tang Gunak, who had been silently listening to the conversation, suddenly asked.

“W-Well, yes.”

The beggar, who discreetly glanced at Hong Daekwang, nodded.

“Half of Maninbang led by Jang Ilso is heading from the west towards Nanjing.”

“What an obvious statement…”

“The other half of Maninbang is moving northward.”

Hong Daekwang’s face gradually hardened.

“And isn’t it true that Surochae controls the river, blocking it?”

He understood. What would come next.

Tang Gunak muttered in a grim voice.

“Our children are heading towards that very Nanjing. The place where the three sects of Sapaeryeon are gathering from all directions, converging at its center.”

There’s no way out.

Hong Daekwang’s face turned pale.

Until now, Hwasan Geomhyeop had turned countless seemingly impossible tasks into reality. For him, conventional wisdom didn’t apply.

But no matter how formidable Hwasan Geomhyeop was… he could never survive heading towards Nanjing.

‘No, this can’t be…’

Hong Daekwang’s gaze hastily turned across the river.

The world beyond was stained in black, ominously silent.