Chapter 1100
The current situation was exactly like that.
People in Gangbuk did not react strongly to the news that Magyo had appeared in Gangnam. This is because Gangnam is too far away for them in the first place.
To these people, whose only job was to plow the fields every day, there was no way the hardships that occurred in Gangnam, a place they had never visited in their lives, could have touched their skin.
But what made this seemingly distant calamity feel real was a piece of news that crossed the river:
– Magyo that invaded Hangzhou slaughtered all its inhabitants without leaving a single rat alive.
– The city of Hangzhou, once the most splendid city under the heavens, turned into a city of death within just a few days.
Everyone who heard the news could not help but be astonished and doubt their ears.
What kind of place was Hangzhou? While it might not have been the largest city, it was undeniably the most bustling city in the world. Even those who had never been there knew of it.
How could one not be shocked when such a place was destroyed overnight?
Events like this were not entirely unheard of. Sometimes, when foreign enemies invaded from the north, entire cities would be destroyed, and lines of refugees would flee.
But this incident did not happen in the distant northern regions; it happened in the southern regions, which were rarely invaded. The intensity of the impact could not be the same.
“I- Is this really true?”
“Have we not heard the same thing repeatedly? It must be true!”
“No…. No matter how elusive Magyos are, does it make sense for them to suddenly appear in Gangnam? They didn’t just fall from the sky. And… Hangzhou is such a large city. How could it be destroyed? I just can’t believe it.”
“This man! Haven’t you heard that all the trading routes to the south have been halted?”
“Tr- Trading routes?”
As a joke, there is a saying that even in war, trade does not stop. It is said that merchants are people who will cross battlefields if there is money to be made.
Even when the Yangtze River was completely taken over by water fortress and people had to risk their lives to cross it, wasn’t it the merchants of Jungwon who took the risk and somehow continued to travel beyond the river?
The fact that those people did not head to Gangnam was clear evidence that something really big had happened across the river.
“The- Then what’s going to happen now?”
“What do you mean, what’s going to happen! It will be the same as it was a hundred years ago.”
“N- No way…!”
People were instantly overcome with fear. And then everyone started to remember.
Fear swept through the people. They began to recall stories they had almost forgotten, tales passed down from their elders about Magyo a hundred years ago.
Specifically, stories about how merciless the followers of this Magyo were.
It is said that during that terrible war, blood formed rivers and corpses piled up like mountains. The mere thought that such a dreadful war might happen again was enough to make even those who had no interest in the affairs of Gangnam tremble with fear.
“Shouldn’t we do something to stop them?”
“What and how?”
“No, in the past, didn’t Shaolin and Tewn Great Sects come forward and stop Magyo? Then they should do something this time too!”
“Shaolin? They’re just watching the fire from across the river at Gangnam.”
“No, why?”
“Isn’t Gangnam under the control of Evil Tyrant Alliance? There is no way Shaolin would take the risk of jumping into a fire in a place like that.”
“What do you mean by that! Does Magyo care about who’s Righteous or Evil? Didn’t everyone, both Righteous and Evil, fight desperately against Magyo during the previous war? I heard that Shaolin was the place that played the most active role in that war!”
“It must have been like that back then. But it seems that Shaolin is not up to it right now. Or maybe they just don’t want to join hands with Evil Sects bastard, even if it kills them.”
“H- How stupid….”
People avoid Evil Sects. But they are not afraid of its existence itself. This is because Evil Sects is already very familiar with them.
If they were unlucky enough to get involved with Evil Sects, they might suffer great losses or even lose their lives, but most ordinary people went their whole lives without encountering them.
To them, petty thugs in the back alleys were far more threatening than the grand Evil Tyrant Alliance and such. Therefore, it couldn’t have been pleasant for Shaolin to ignore Gangnam in the name of their pride.
“Then when does Shaolin plan to move?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps when Magyo heads to Gangbuk, they’ll fight.”
“Then what about Gangnam? Are there no people in Gangnam? Are you saying that those who live in a land controlled by Evil Tyrant Alliance are not worth saving? They just let Evil Tyrant Alliance take care of the people?”
“Have you ever seen those high and mighty yangban paying attention to such things? Even when water fortress ran rampant and commoners near the Yangtze River were being slaughtered, they were yangbans who were practicing dharma on the mountain. Was it Sichuan Tang Family or Shaolin that saved the people at that time?”
“These… These punks really deserved a beating to death! As soon as they open their mouth, they says nothing but sweet word about the Chivalrousness and peace of Jungwon! But when trouble arises, they always step back and just watch. If they’re going to argue with all those positions, how are they any different from those scum in Evil Sects!”
Once the water starts to boil, it doesn’t cool down easily.
The fear of Magyo, the worry that they might march to Gangbuk at any time, and the behavior shown by Ten Great Sects, led by Shaolin, all mixed together and began to boil over.
Those called Righteous Sects in Jungwon received special treatment.
Even if they walk around with swords in broad daylight, they will not be stopped, and even if they fight, they will not be stopped by the imperial forces. In fact, many people would go out of their way to support the businesses run by these sects and even directly sponsor them.
The reason all these things were tolerated was because the commoners believed that when they faced injustice, these Righteous Sects would step up to help them.
The officials are strict and usually have no interest in the lives of the commoners. It is a place where people are intimidated and punished if they do not pay their taxes properly.
On the other hand, Righteous Sects was a place that only helped them without taking anything from them. Thus, the commoners had more faith in these so-called Righteous Sects than in the officials.
However, at this moment, the commoners who had been patiently holding back began to doubt the sincerity of these sects. How many people live in Hangzhou? With so many people dying, how can they trust those who are stuck on their ground and remain seated?
“Wha- What should we do? Should we at least evacuate….”
“Hey, man. Do you think evacuating is easy? How will we make a living if we leave here?”
“It’s better than dying. How can you just sit and wait to die?”
“How is that different from dying? Are you going to make your wife and children beg for food?”
“That….”
The days continued without being able to do this or that, just boiling inside.
When the boiling public sentiment was on the verge of exploding, news began to spread rapidly from Gangnam.
– Magyo that was in rampage has been annilihated.
– The elites of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, led by Mount Hua, were dispatched to Gangnam and beheaded the leader of Magyo.
– Heavenly Comrade Alliance temporarily joined hands with Evil Tyrant Alliance to defeat Magyo.
The commoners who heard the news that broke out simultaneously cheered.
“Mount Hua! It’s Mount Hua again!”
“I knew Mount Hua would step up! Whenever there’s a problem, they always come to solve it!”
“Hey! Why are you only mentioning Mount Hua, man? Didn’t Heavenly Comrade Alliance also act together?”
“Isn’t that the same thing! Mount Hua is the leader of Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Heavenly Comrade Alliance is Mount Hua, and Mount Hua is Heavenly Comrade Alliance!”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
For those trembling with fear, this news was like a refreshing drink of sweet water.
“They beheaded the leader of Magyo? Does that mean Magyo is completely eradicated now?”
“Who knows? Shouldn’t we see whether Magyo that appeared this time is the main force or not?”
“But anyway, doesn’t this mean that all followers of Magyo who showed up this time have been dealt with?”
“Seems like it. See, I told you, we can only trust Mount Hua!”
Most of those who raise their voices did not even know that Mount Hua Sect existed just a few years ago. But now, even those people had no hesitation to praise Mount Hua.
Reputation is ultimately built on achievements and actions.
Even actions that were not highly regarded at the time eventually become strengths if they are repeated consistently.
Ever since water pirates invaded the Yangtze River, or even before that when Nokrim fell into chaos, Mount Hua’s actions as they were the first to rush in and rescue the commoners have remained clearly in everyone’s memory.
“While those stupid Shaolin people were just watching, Mount Hua risked their life and ran to Gangnam.”
“Is that really surprising anymore? Isn’t that what Mount Hua has always been like?”
“Mount Hua is responsible for all the hardships, but those scammers will act all high and mighty again! They’re as good as Evil Sects.”
“Ten Great Sects are completely rotten. Bah! I regret the rice I gave to those monks who were begging, very much so!”
People’s reaction was more intense than expected.
There were many people who looked upon what Mount Hua was doing with a good heart, but there weren’t many who believed that Mount Hua’s ability and strength surpassed that of Shaolin.
However, the fact that Mount Hua went to Gangnam and defeated Magyo was no different from the evidence that Mount Hua’s power was no longer inferior to that of Shaolin.
No, even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter. No matter how sharp a famous sword is, if it’s not drawn from its sheath, it’s no better than a stick. Rather than waiting for the famous sword that was not drawn, people began to pay attention to the dagger before them.
“I feel a bit uneasy about this.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
“No matter what, joining hands with Evil Sects is a bit….”
“What is this idiot talking about now? Has Evil Tyrant Alliance massacred the people of Hangzhou?”
“That’s not true, but….”
“Just standing by and watching people die to avoid teaming up with Evil Sects is a twisted priority! Is the job of the so-called prestigious Righteous Sects to defeat Evil Tyrant Alliance or to protect the commoners? What comes first? ok?”
“…That’s right.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Do you think Mount Hua wasn’t aware that some people would say things like you? Honestly, it would have been okay if Mount Hua had just stayed behind like those Shaolin bastards did. Nevertheless, despite the humiliation and risk, they went to Gangnam and rescued people, but you didn’t praise them! I really misjudged you!”
“I, I was short-sighted. Aigo, stop being angry.”
“Don’t ever say something like that again! If you say something like that for no reason, the next time something similar happens, if Mount Hua Sect doesn’t move, only people like us will die! Do you understand?”
“I, I got it.”
Water does not boil all at once.
And it was the same with public opinion about Mount Hua. The work that Mount Hua and Heavenly Comrade Alliance have done over the years has warmed up the world little by little. And when they surpassed the boiling point of Magyo, it finally began to boil over explosively.
To a level that even Chung Myung and Bop Jeong could not have expected.