Chapter 628

“Only a few decades ago, we stood together and risked our lives fighting for the Han Chinese. And now, you’ve turned your swords on us.”

At that moment, Yayul Mok was genuinely furious.

More than two hundred people had been massacred in the recent tragedy. Most of the victims had been powerless old men, women, and children.

They were Miao people, just as he was. And after doing that to them, the Han Chinese still had the nerve to ask for help.

“We’ve already shed enough blood. Not for ourselves, but for you Han Chinese.”

His voice trembled with anger.

“Nanman will not shed blood in vain again. Stop causing trouble and go home.”

The words came out sharp and firm as a blade. Having finally said everything he’d been holding back, Yayul Mok felt a weight lift as he looked at the Han Chinese man before him.

Jin Taekyung, was it?

Half a day ago, Yayul Mok had known almost nothing about him. He’d heard in passing that Jin Taekyung was a renowned young prodigy from the Central Plains, but that was all.

If the absurd rumor that he was a Supreme Peak master was true, though, he might rank among the three greatest warriors even here in Nanman, where Yayul Mok had been born and raised.

He blocked Father’s punch. Maybe the rumor is true.

Yayul Mok knew better than anyone how formidable his father, Yayul Cheok, was.

Before turning forty, his father had become Nanman’s greatest warrior. He had made the Miao people its strongest tribe and, with the recognition of all, become lord of the Nanman Beast Palace.

Nor was that all. His martial power had won the admiration of even the Han Chinese of the Central Plains, who treated the people of Nanman as barbarians. Yayul Mok had heard that was when his father earned the name Beast Miao King.

I thought Uncle Baeksang was the only one who could exchange blows with Father.

Yet Jin Taekyung’s martial arts were astonishing, especially for someone no older than Yayul Mok himself. He had blocked a punch from Yayul Cheok without much difficulty—a punch Yayul Mok could barely see, let alone stop.

True, its force had driven Jin Taekyung back nearly one jang.¹ That was hardly a reason to underestimate him.

And besides…

He was big. A head or two taller than an ordinary grown man, with broad shoulders and a muscular build his clothes couldn’t hide.

Facing him at close range now, Yayul Mok felt as though he were looking at a beast standing on two legs.

Maybe it was his size. Or maybe it was the way the eyes and mouth that always seemed to be smiling had gone still. Either way, Yayul Mok swallowed hard without meaning to.

Then Jin Taekyung spoke.

“Hey.”

“……!”

“Why’d you jump? I just called you.”

Yayul Mok flinched at the sudden low voice. “Wh-why did you call me?”

“Why are you stuttering?”

Because you’re looking at me like that, you bastard.

Until now, Jin Taekyung had always seemed lighter than a feather. With the smile gone from his face, he felt more like a boulder weighing ten thousand geun.²

—Grrr…

The white tiger beside Yayul Mok seemed to feel its master’s unease. Pretending to be calm, Yayul Mok stroked his beloved tiger’s neck as it shrank back beside him.

“I-I didn’t stutter.”

“……”

“Why did you call me? If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“Hmm. Nothing much.”

Jin Taekyung gave him an odd look, scratched the back of his head, and said, “Thanks for telling me.”

“Huh?”

“Thanks for being honest. There were things I didn’t know, and you’ve cleared up quite a bit for me. I understand what’s going on around here a little better, too.”

What is he talking about?

This was nothing like the reaction Yayul Mok had expected. He stared at Jin Taekyung for a moment, then asked, “So you mean… you’re going back?”

“Hm?”

Jin Taekyung tilted his head. “How did you get that from what I said?”

“No, but you said you understood.”

“Yeah. Of course I understand. It’s not like I’m incapable of empathy.”

“Then?”

“That’s a separate matter.”

“What?”

“This’ll take too long if I explain everything, and my mouth hurts. So let’s cut to the chase and ask one thing.”

Jin Taekyung leaned back against a tree and lowered his voice.

“Do you honestly think the Great Faction War was fought only for the Han Chinese?”

“……!”

“And since we’re on the subject, do you think the Nanman people who died in that war died like dogs for no reason?”

“That’s…”

“That’s what?”

Yayul Mok found himself at a loss for words. For some reason, the answer wouldn’t come. As he searched his muddled thoughts for one, Jin Taekyung’s quiet voice reached him again.

“There are two reasons you can’t answer. First, you know I’m right, but you don’t want to admit it. And second…”

Jin Taekyung held up two fingers.

“Because you’re still a brainless brat.”

“What is that supposed to—”

“Don’t ask me. Think about it yourself. Why did the Nanman Beast Palace take so many warriors tens of thousands of li³ to help the Central Plains? Just because an ancestor of the Fire Gate Clan brought order to Nanman ages ago? Even that white tiger beside you would laugh at that.”

“……!”

“Most people in Nanman probably oppose joining the alliance for the first reason. They think all that blood was shed for nothing, and they don’t want to repeat it.”

Jin Taekyung went on with a sigh.

“If you look at it that way, it isn’t entirely wrong. Who the fuck wants war? So what if you fight like hell and gain land, gold, and silver treasures? People are dying like ants in every direction. And some of those ants might be my friends, my family, or my lover. They could even be me—or you. By the way, do you have a girlfriend?”

Yayul Mok shook his head before he could think.

“An ex-girlfriend?”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘girlfriend’?”

“A lover. A woman you date and have feelings for.”

“Uh, no.”

“Oh. So you had one?”

“No.”

“Right. So you had one?”

“……I’ve never had one. Not even once.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“What a guy. A promising candidate for the virgin-boy technique. If you hold out like this for fifty years, you might even become a Martial God. Fine, let’s take lovers off the list of victims.”

Jin Taekyung smiled, looking pleased for some reason. Yayul Mok felt his mood sour as the tension went out of him.

The man was impossible to get a read on. So was this conversation.

“What the hell are you trying to say? Why did you suddenly go off on a tangent about lovers?”

“Who knows? I’m not entirely sure myself. But I do know one thing.”

The faint smile left Jin Taekyung’s face.

“The people of Nanman who left home and died in the Central Plains all those years ago did not die for nothing. And if the same thing happens again, their deaths won’t be for nothing this time, either.”

“……”

“I’m sincerely sorry about what happened with the Heavenly Demon Escort Bureau. But if there were people crazy enough to do something like that… I would have killed them myself.”

“Even though they were Han Chinese, like you?”

“What does that have to do with it?”

Was it his imagination, or had Jin Taekyung left him speechless several times today?

Yayul Mok pressed his lips together and stared at him before saying, “No matter how good your words sound, Nanman won’t help the Central Plains.”

“It’ll be hard to convince you. I still have to try.”

“It’s pointless.”

“What?”

“It’s as good as decided. The first tribal council reached a conclusion fifteen days ago.”

“First? Sounds like there’s going to be a second.”

“Nanman is vast. Gathering all thirty-two tribes in one place takes time, so the four great chieftains, including my father, consider matters first.”

“And they decided against joining the alliance? Go on.”

“In three days, every tribe in Nanman will gather for a council. But the other great chieftains have already made up their minds. I doubt anything will change.”

Yayul Mok was telling the truth. The Nanman Beast Palace was a symbol of unity, but that didn’t make the tribes equal.

If the three great chieftains led by Baeksang, the Great Chieftain of the Bai people, stood together, even the Beast Miao King—Nanman’s greatest warrior and lord of the palace—could not decide on his own to join the alliance.

Those are the rules here.

Yayul Mok watched Jin Taekyung closely. How would this young, powerful Han Chinese from the Central Plains react now that Nanman’s joining the alliance was all but impossible?

He’ll probably be disappointed. If not, he’ll surely exhaust himself trying to persuade us somehow…

“I’ll do what I can. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”

“Huh?”

Yayul Mok couldn’t hide his surprise. Jin Taekyung sounded far calmer than he’d expected.

“B-but the result is already decided, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. You also said it isn’t over yet.”

“That’s true, but…”

What is with him?

Yayul Mok frowned. “Don’t you have to persuade us somehow?”

“That’s what I said I’d try to do. If I can’t, I’ll go home. After I deal with something more important, of course.”

“More important?”

“You’ve got the wrong idea.”

Jin Taekyung scratched his chin.

“I didn’t come here as a diplomat. I’m more like a firefighter.”

“A firefighter? What’s that?”

“Someone who puts out fires.”

“Didn’t you set fire to the pasture as soon as you arrived?”

Jin Taekyung fell silent at the earnest question.

“…It’s a metaphor. What I mean is, persuading people isn’t exactly my greatest talent.”

“That seems true.”

“…You fucking bastard. Now I’m getting annoyed for no reason. Anyway, it’d be a shame if Nanman didn’t join us, but if trying doesn’t work, there’s nothing we can do.”

“But you’re Han Chinese. And you belong to the Murim Alliance.”

“So?”

“I don’t know the exact circumstances, but I know well enough that the Central Plains is in danger. At a time like this, when you should be begging us for help no matter what, you came to help us?”

Jin Taekyung let out a quiet laugh at the way Yayul Mok looked at him, as though he were some strange creature.

“What would you do if the pasture caught fire again?”

“Put it out at once.”

“Why?”

“If we don’t put it out, the flames will spread in every direction.”

“Good. There’s your answer.”

“……!”

“Don’t make it complicated. There’s a fire, so I’m trying to put it out. Just like the people of Nanman who left this land for the Central Plains decades ago.”

Yayul Mok was silent for a moment. Then, with a troubled look, he asked, “So you came here just to help us… without expecting anything in return?”

“What if I did?”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Believe what you want. But before any of that…”

Jin Taekyung naturally turned around and began walking. Then he continued with a suddenly hardened expression.

“At least feed me properly, asshole.”