The World of Sound - Chapter 110
Only Noblemtl
The Black Panthers who had attacked Cheonhwa’s party knelt before Cheonhwa in various forms.
Those who entered the guest house were only able to poke the brains of those who were injured by Mu-o, but although they were saved through first aid, their injuries were so serious that they could have been damaged if left untreated for too long.
That’s why I was scared, anxious, and had my head down.
The fact that they possess powers so powerful that even the smallest creatures dare not even look at them means that they cannot even dare to guess the extent of the inaction of their masters.
“Excuse me, are you from the ‘Palace’?”
And the fact that such tiny creatures as cows and squirrels possessed such powers meant one thing.
Spiritual being.
If we look at the path they have taken, we can reach one conclusion.
Namman Beast Palace.
Could it be that Cheonhwa is a character from the Namman Beast Palace?
With such fearful thoughts, Bapsae-nun barely managed to scream, but the answer he got back was different.
“Palace? Oh, the Namman Beast Palace? I’m from there, but I don’t belong there.”
It means that he does not belong to the Namman Wild Beast Palace.
But that alone was not enough to give me peace of mind.
Coming from the Namman Beast Palace, where entry is not allowed to just anyone, means that you have either received their approval or have stolen something secretly.
Either way, it couldn’t be without risk.
They had barely managed to obtain trading rights, so if they dared to persecute someone who was recognized by the Southern Manchurian Beast Palace, the Yunnan exclusive trading rights, which was the main business of the Black Panthers, could be in jeopardy, and if they had stolen it, it could have incurred the wrath of the Southern Manchurian Beast Palace.
If the fire was directed towards the Central Plains, it would naturally cut off trade, and the nearest city, Guizhou Province, would be the first to suffer, so fears were heightened.
“So, that luggage was the purpose in the end?”
“Yes… … I have committed a sin worthy of death.”
So, Bapsaeunun and his men explained everything they knew in detail according to Cheonhwa’s questions.
No, since he confessed even things that were not asked, Cheonhwa could easily understand what had happened in Jungwon while they were away.
“I was planning to give a tribute to Hyeonwolmun or something?”
“Yes. Because they are the strongest sapphires around here.”
anarchy.
After the martial arts competition, the martial arts world of the Central Plains could be defined in one word.
Many sects were attacked, and as a result, the power structure and balance of power were completely destroyed and went through a process of reorganization.
In fact, up until this point, it was quite expected, but as the process intensified and some movement occurred, the same bleak and desolate scene as the one I had seen before was created.
“Sapa? If it’s the Hyeonwolmun, isn’t it the sect of Jeongsaji?”
The logic of power.
The principle of self-respect and self-respect that is believed in the Demonic Cult has also taken root in the land of Central Plains.
The word of the strong becomes law, and thanks to this crazy environment where anyone with power can be forgiven for anything, fighting was constant, countless warriors were sacrificed again, and various sects disappeared, were absorbed, and were created.
New factions are created by being destroyed, absorbed, or united to fight against the strong.
“It used to be like that, but it’s not like that anymore. It’s not just Ansunhyeon, it’s the same in other places. There are very few places where you can maintain a proper relationship. If you keep that kind of ambiguous position, you’re at risk of being attacked.”
In the process, the concept of a love affair almost disappeared.
Either the right or the wrong. You are forced to choose between these two options, and if you don’t choose, you will be attacked by one side and disappear.
The justification was also appropriate.
Unidentified evil spirits who may be members of the Demonic Cult.
Because if you lump them together, there’s no need for any other excuse.
Even the smallest clue would be attacked, and even if there was no connection at all, it would be created and that was it.
Once they were wiped out, no one would be able to say anything even if their innocence was proven later.
Because they can also frame you for a crime that never happened.
“It has become an era where even ordinary small-scale martial arts have to choose their affiliation. Even the top class like us have to join an alliance or join hands with an alliance.”
“You’re blind?”
Numerous conflicts and wars have occurred under the pretext of reporting the same story.
He was forced to decide his affiliation and was later forced to join the ‘Maeng’.
Even if you decide to belong to a sect or a political faction, if you don’t join the ‘Maeng’, you will suffer the same fate.
“Yes. If you have been in Yunnan for a long time, you probably don’t know. The establishment of the Black Island Alliance and the Jeongcheon Alliance has been decided. Although it is not yet a complete system, they are currently working on expanding their power.”
Here, the word ‘maeng’ refers to the Jeongcheon Maeng of the Jeongpa faction and the Heukdo Maeng of the Sapa faction.
As seen in the Martial Arts Competition, the formation of the Martial Arts Alliance was ultimately aborted due to opposition from large factions such as the Sado League, and the Jeongpa and Sapa factions are each establishing alliances and working hard to bring all the sects of the Central Plains into their fold.
The Black Alliance is centered around the major powers of the Sa-pa faction, such as the Jeongcheon Alliance and the Sado Alliance, led by the Gupa-il-bang Five Great Sega families.
In fact, if they were going to absorb power in such a haphazard manner, there was no reason not to take the form of a martial arts alliance, but the fact that they made that choice was probably due to vested interests.
This means that both the ruling and opposition parties wanted to protect their own interests and vested rights.
And actually, the story I heard from Bapsaeun wasn’t much different.
More detailed vested interests will be decided later, but for now, the size of the alliance is no different from the power of the alliance, so they are competing to increase their influence and secretly moving to destroy the power of their opponents.
In the midst of all this, the one who took a more active approach was the Sapa faction. Externally, it was known that the Sapa faction opposed the formation of the Murim Alliance, but in reality, when looking inside, the Jeongpa faction had a greater tendency to reject the Sapa faction.
Moreover, given the circumstances, it was impossible to bring Saphain into the Jeongcheon Alliance.
On the other hand, the Safa people are thoroughly moved by the logic of power and vested interests, so they don’t pay much attention even if a sect that was affiliated with a political party is incorporated into the Safa.
They only consider whether they are stronger than them, what power they have, what interests and property they have.
So, it was possible to consolidate power more widely and more quickly, and it was also easy to threaten those who were hesitant.
“Because the speed is a bit faster on the Heukdomyeong side, we at the top are having a hard time deciding which side to line up on and what to give.”
So, at the moment, rather than focusing on expanding power, the focus has shifted to strengthening internal stability, or more precisely, reorganizing the internal hierarchy.
It is forbidden to attack sects that are members of the same Black Alliance, but the Alliance does not intervene in even the smallest strife that occurs within the Alliance.
As such, the secret power struggle and expansion of power between factions within the Black Alliance was bound to be a major topic of discussion.
Once the structure of the Black Alliance is firmly established, it will be difficult to move forward, so before that, they plan to absorb as many factions as possible and increase their power.
“So you were after our luggage?”
“yes…….”
At the same time, groups such as the Sangdan, which were inseparable from those martial arts schools, were contemplating which side they should take and what they could give to solidify their relationship and solidify their position within the organization.
From the beginning, they approached Cheonhwa’s party’s cart with the intention of eating it all up, but that was also the reason why they tried to offer it to the Hyeonwolmun faction, who were now part of the Sapa faction.
In an era where gathering even a handful of internal energy and securing even one more master is necessary to protect one’s sect and power, Yunnan Mountain medicinal herbs, famous for their effectiveness in increasing internal energy, are excellent means of entertainment and bribes.
“I see.”
If you look closely, the public sentiment becoming more hostile was in the same context.
The property and physical damage caused by frequent fights are also a problem, but the increase in protection taxes paid to the local rulers, separate from the payment to the government, and the occasional requisition of human and material assets inevitably have a great negative impact on the people’s livelihood.
So, at this point, it would have been reasonable to expect him to leave the office, but the problem was the inviolability of that damn official duties.
Few people reported the incident to the authorities for fear of retaliation, and even if they did report it and prove that they had been harmed, the best they could get was a beating and a compensation order, so it was useless.
From the perspective of those who had to continue living in the area after that, they had to fear being harassed, and even if they were in collusion with the government and taking bribes, it was difficult to properly prosecute them.
So, it was natural that public sentiment became increasingly hostile by the day, and an atmosphere of avoidance and fear of the martial arts world was formed.
“In a word, it’s a mess.”
Then what does Jeongcheonmaeng do?
They are the same guys.
They were doing similar things in the areas where they had planted their flags, just to a different degree, and since they were bending their arms inward, they were taking care of their own sects and places that were in partnership or allies, and since they couldn’t rashly cause friction with the Black Alliance, they were turning a blind eye to the distant areas that their influence didn’t reach and pretending not to know about them.
“It went very well.”
After hearing the story up to that point, Cheonhwa immediately blurted out something incomprehensible.
He had a very satisfied smile on his face, as if he was satisfied with the current chaotic situation.
“Eun-gong?”
“So you’re saying that the stronger one has the upper hand?”
Of course, the Cheonhwasik calculation method was behind it.
“Right… … right?”
“Okay. Starting today, I will take over the top position of Black Panther.”
The words he spat out next were blacker than any of the Sapphis.
I declared that I would take over the Black Panthers like a gang of thugs who take over businesses by force.
“Huh?!”
That was the reason why the Bapsaeunun and the other drones on top were so surprised.
There is nothing that a person with the ability to do anything like a thousand flowers cannot have, but to put a legitimate business in his own mouth?
Even those known for being the most vicious among the Sapa did not say such things.
They looked at each other to see if they had heard wrong, but their eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, suggesting that they were not the only ones who had heard wrong.
“Anyway, the strong ones will eat them all up, right? Is there anyone among you who is stronger than me?”
“That, that’s not it, but even so… … !”
“Don’t worry. I just need to take advantage of it. In return, I’ll make sure that no one else touches it.”
Are you going to collect protection taxes on behalf of Hyeonwolmun?
At that moment, the pupils of the blindfolded bird’s eyes shook violently.
Even though I was listening, I didn’t really understand what was being said.
Of course, if Cheonhwa comes forward and protects them, it won’t be a loss for them either.
In a situation that can be called a chaotic time, if you can receive protection from a stronger person, you will be able to continue your business more stably.
“… … It’s not just the problem of the Hyeonwolmun Gate. What are you going to do about the Heukdo Alliance… … .”
But the problem is that it is not only the Hyeonwolmun or other minor sects that must be confronted with the logic of that power.
From the moment that Hyunwolmun declared himself a Sapa and joined the Black Alliance, turning his back on them was the same as distancing himself from the Black Alliance.
“It doesn’t matter. Just give them a few and they’ll figure out how to stop bothering you.”
“……yes?”
So I asked back with a worried expression, but this time too, Cheonhwa only gave a Cheonhwa-like answer.
Even if the entire martial arts world, not just the Black Sword Alliance, attacked him, they couldn’t scare him.
“If you don’t like it, then don’t. But you should stop thinking about doing business with the Namman Beast Palace.”
Cheonhwa drove the wedge into them, who still had a dumbfounded expression on their face.
They warned that if they refused, they would lose the Yunnan trade rights, which were their bread and butter and provided them with great profits.
It is unknown what kind of relationship they have with the Nanman Beast Palace, but I was sure that if it was a request from them as their brother, they would immediately cut off the deal and start trading with another merchant group that I recommended.
“That, that’s… … !”
Then, when he took out the certificate he had received from Mengpa while leaving Yunnan, everyone’s faces were filled with shock.
Because it was something they could not have been unaware of as they were trading with Yunnan.
“Or, do you really want to try exclusive trade with Yunnan?”
It is a sign of the Southern Beast King who stands at the top of the Southern Beast Palace, which is extremely difficult to build intimacy with.
Having it meant that Cheonhwa held their lifeline in his hands, so unless they were willing to give up the Yunnan trade, they would have no choice but to comply with whatever he demanded.