The Reason Why the Leaders Often Have White Hair
After confirming the death of the Black Fan Master, Dokgo Saeng strode over to stand before the officer who had thrown a spear at him.
The officer, with his wrist severed, was trying to stop the bleeding when he looked at Dokgo Saeng.
Dokgo Saeng knelt on one knee and glared at the officer.
In response, the officer slapped Dokgo Saeng across the face with his good hand.
Slap...! Everyone expected Dokgo Saeng to kill the officer, and I thought so too.
However, after receiving the slap, Dokgo Saeng merely chuckled and stood back up.
He displayed an attitude that the elder’s severed hand made him unworthy of being his opponent.
Truly a strange man.
Dokgo Saeng looked at me. “I think you should take over as the next master.”
I nodded and called out to Dokgo Saeng.
He approached me and received a slap across the face.
With a loud slap, Dokgo Saeng fell flat on his back.
I walked over and grabbed his hair. “Why are you acting so cocky? You want me to send you to the master?”
I glared at Dokgo Saeng as if we were about to kill each other.
No matter who glared harder, it was clear that Dokgo Saeng would be the one to die.
Dokgo Saeng spoke. “What do you expect me to do after killing the master?”
To be honest, since arriving at the Black Fan, what Dokgo Saeng just said was the most shocking.
People should live their own lives.
Perhaps it was because he had lived under someone who gave orders since birth.
He couldn’t shake the thought that without a leader, there would be chaos.
Even this Dokgo Saeng, who had a rebellious spirit stronger than anyone else, was caught in that mindset. ‘This is a troublesome group.’
I released Dokgo Saeng’s head and stood up, looking around. ‘This is difficult.
Very difficult.’ If it were a group like the Black Cat Chamber, composed entirely of martial artists, I could absorb them cleanly.
However, they were mixed with commoners, making it hard to distinguish who was a martial artist and who wasn’t.
Being in such a strange environment made it seem impossible to mix with the Hao Moon members as well.
What should I do in this situation? I had intended to kill the leader to liberate them, but they were slaves waiting for the next leader.
If things turned out this way, the responsibility would fall heavily on me.
After all, I had killed the leader of the slaves, the Black Fan Master.
‘Damn…’ After much contemplation, I decided I had to bear this burden.
Since I had committed the crime of killing a person, I would have to pay the price. “Dokgo Saeng, gather all the ones next in line after the officer and bring them to the main hall. Treat the elders who survived, and let those who remain live.”
Dokgo Saeng gestured a few times and gave a few commands, then waved his hands as if telling the leaders to enter the main hall.
Coincidentally, I watched the leaders enter from the seat where the Black Fan Master had sat.
Some sat confidently, while others hesitated and took seats at the back.
Regardless, sparing these people was the only good thing the Black Fan Master had done.
Perhaps he had anticipated his defeat and left with the elders for the heavens.
Or maybe not.
By the way, did they sit in order of rank? Dokgo Saeng sat to my left.
“Is everyone gathered?” The youngest leader sitting at the back replied, “Yes, all the leaders are here.”
I took a deep breath and organized my thoughts.
There was only one thing I wanted to tell them.
Even without me, they risked being wiped out by some powerful expert in the future.
However, I couldn’t say such things, and I would surely be treated like a madman.
It was true that I was mad, but sharing a story that hadn’t happened yet wouldn’t serve as a warning at all.
I opened my mouth. “It is best for me to appoint a master and have the entire Black Fan organization come under my command.”
There should have been questions, but since I had been making such a fuss outside, no one dared to ask.
I was also curious and asked, “Is there anyone stronger than Dokgo Saeng?”
As soon as my question ended, Dokgo Saeng glared at the other leaders.
Wow, this guy has such a bad temper? After all, he had the temperament to curse at the elders, so the other leaders probably didn’t dare to challenge him easily.
“The next master will be Dokgo Saeng.” Seeing Dokgo Saeng’s mouth twitch, I pointed at him with my finger. “If I tell you to do it, do it.”
Dokgo Saeng closed his mouth.
I issued a command for the change of the Black Fan. “The first thing as the master is to mobilize everyone to break down that old city wall.”
Dokgo Saeng responded, “Starting with the city wall?” How on earth should I explain this? It’s just how I feel… Should I explain it like this? I suppressed my temper and asked the other leaders, “Do you need an explanation?”
In unison, the leaders replied, “Yes.”
I slapped my forehead and then explained. “The city wall is too closed off. You might think it’s a good wall protecting you, but it poses no obstacle to the masters of the martial world. It couldn’t even protect the life of the strongest Black Fan Master among you. It’s a kind of mental formation. You keep looking inward and creating various laws that bind each other.”
“Is that a problem?” I nodded. “It is a problem.”
“Why?” “You generally can’t communicate with those living outside. You’re too closed off. You need to understand what others are saying for anything to change, right? Ah, I’m exhausted.” I took a moment to catch my breath, feeling faint from the unpleasant odor of the leaders.
After slapping my cheek again, I continued. “Start by breaking down the city wall. Go outside more often. The world is wider than the Black Fan. When the wall disappears, we should also get rid of the name ‘Fort’.”
‘Fort’ originally means a small castle.
It seems they named it that because it was a force that started within the walls.
The Black Fan simply means a black fan, referring to the shape of the wall.
“When I come back next time, if I find you running a slave auction or going around collecting debts from gambling, or anything that irritates me, I’ll start by killing Dokgo Saeng, and all the leaders whose faces I remember will die too. You’ll be sending greetings to the Black Fan Master in the heavens. How have you been? I’ll be saying that.”
One of the leaders asked me, “Could you please be a bit more specific about the method?”
“I don’t know, you bastard. You think of the specifics. Isn’t that what being a leader is about? What’s this guy’s name?” The other leaders told me his name, his affiliation, and which leader he was.
I pointed at him. “Ask him for all the specifics and proceed.”
Since there were many ordinary people mixed in here, it was a moment when I had to muster my strength to speak. “Forget the name Black Fan and come up with a new name among yourselves, then report it to me. Especially don’t use the character ‘black’ (黑). You bastards, you’re like black-hearted yellow dogs.”
A somewhat foolish-looking middle leader replied, “Then can we use ‘white’ (白)?”
I looked at him and replied, “Don’t ask questions. Not until the meeting is over.”
“Understood.” Damn, the flow was interrupted unexpectedly.
“…….” I was about to let it go, but my temper flared, and I snapped at him. “Are you a fucking white dog?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“There’s a way to name a force.”
“Understood.” I calmed my anger and spoke to the officers. “If you have any questions, ask.”
“We only know the name. We don’t know what you do.” I scratched my forehead for a moment.
Introducing myself to the Black Dog, I began. “I am…”
“Yes.”
“I am Ija Ha, who was once the chief of the Yilyang Hyun. Now I am the leader of the Hao Moon. A regular customer at Chunyang Restaurant. Skip the Black Cat Chamber. What else is there? I’m not a fake executioner.”
As I continued to ramble on about useless things, one of the leaders interrupted. “Let’s leave it at that.”
“Should I? By the way, how many laws do you have?”
“A lot. More than a hundred.”
I commanded Dokgo Saeng. “Reduce it to three.”
“You want to suddenly reduce a hundred to three?” I glared at Dokgo Saeng. “Start with three. If there’s really a law that needs to be added, you all can gather and add one by one through discussion. However, let’s add new laws only after you’ve broken down that black wall together.”
The other leaders replied, “Understood.”
I found meetings more exhausting than fighting.
This was because we lived in entirely different worlds.
There’s a reason why leaders of the martial world often appear with white hair.
When trying to gather opinions from such fools, it’s only natural for one’s hair to turn white.
If it’s hard for me to meet with these idiots, how much harder would it be for the leaders of the martial world? When meeting with smart people, it drains your energy even more.
The head of a prestigious sect might say, “Master, that’s a bit…” An elder from a powerful family might say, “Please reconsider.” The smartest military strategist in the central plains might say, “But this raises some concerns.” Listening to this nonsense makes one feel the urge to draw their sword.
Still, as the master, I had to endure, endure, and in the end, my hair would turn white.
I muttered in the flow of consciousness, “This is why martial artists should live by the sword.”
The foolish leader spoke again. “That’s right.”
I sighed. “……I must endure.”
Suppressing the thought of wanting to escape, I spoke to the leaders. “Remember my words. It won’t be easy to gather like this, so let’s have a meal together today, and then I will leave. Prepare food for everyone to eat together.”
“The master hasn’t dined with us.” I snapped my fingers. “Alright. From now on, the leaders should eat together three meals a day. Eliminate the tolls and release the captured people. Burn all the documents related to the bounty, and open the master’s warehouse so that the leaders don’t pocket the wealth. Use it for those who will be struggling for a while. And build proper houses here. Hire outside people and pay them fairly to build some structures. Even beggars outside will live cleaner than you.”
After saying this, I realized it was quite a difficult task.
I naturally passed the responsibility to Dokgo Saeng. “Got it?”
Unexpectedly, Dokgo Saeng nodded and replied, “Let’s do it. I understand what you mean.”
I asked, slightly taken aback, “You understood?”
Dokgo Saeng replied calmly, “It’s reasonable, so there’s no reason not to do it.”
“Has this guy suddenly attained enlightenment? He understands what I’m saying. Summarize it.” The other leaders all focused on Dokgo Saeng.
Dokgo Saeng summarized my words in an angry tone. “Break down the city wall.”
I responded, “Next.”
“Go outside more often.”
“Correct. Next.”
“Live among the people of the world.”
I looked at Dokgo Saeng, just like the other leaders, without saying a word.
Dokgo Saeng continued, “Don’t kidnap and sell slaves. Prohibit gambling. Don’t extort tolls from the sailors of other places. Live cleanly. Tear down the old houses and build new ones. Use the funds needed for that from the wealth accumulated by the master. Don’t let the leaders pocket that money.”
At that moment, I couldn’t understand why the atmosphere among the other leaders had suddenly become subdued.
In any case, Dokgo Saeng continued, “Discard the name Black Fan and come up with a new name. Eat with the leaders. Reduce the laws. Discuss and add one by one.”
Why had the atmosphere become so solemn? “Start all of this after breaking down the city wall together.”
I looked around and replied, “You summarized well. But why is the atmosphere like this? Suddenly.”
The oblivious leader spoke to me. “Dokgo Saeng used to say this often. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s similar. Right? Everyone has heard this before?”
“I’ve heard it often.”
Suddenly, I glared at Dokgo Saeng in silence.
Dokgo Saeng continued to glare at me as well.
This guy had been angry from beginning to end.
In his gaze, there were countless stories.
While locking eyes with Dokgo Saeng, I shared more unspoken conversations than when I had been chatty.
Suddenly, memories of my conversations with Dokgo Saeng came to mind.
How’s the atmosphere of the Black Fan these days? What’s it like? It’s full of idiots.
Ija Ha, I think you should take over as the next master.
What do you expect me to do after killing the master?
In the midst of the awkward and ambiguous silence, the foolish leader broke the silence. “Um, should we prepare food?”
All the leaders waited for my response.
I let out a short sigh and replied, “Forget the food. Bring me some alcohol.” I think I need to drink a bit today.