True Respect for the Strong
Every organization requires capable administrators to manage its affairs and keep the wheels turning, and chief among them is the General Administrator.
Being an organization itself, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult naturally had one as well.
Though the Heavenly Demon was indisputably the supreme ruler of the Cult, the cult's nature dictated that whoever was strongest claimed the throne; raw martial might did not necessarily translate to administrative acumen. Furthermore, maintaining the title of undisputed supreme required dedicating vast amounts of time to seclusion and cultivation.
In contrast, the General Administrator was perpetually buried under the Cult's endless administrative burdens. Starved of time to cultivate, he was inevitably weaker by comparison.
The same held true for the present Namgung Clan.
Yet, unlike in the Namgung Clan, the General Administrator of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was treated with immense reverence.
The reason was simple.
It was a position nobody wanted.
During the days when Namgung Yun was the Heavenly Demon, whenever a cultist dared disregard or torment the General Administrator, Yun would summon the offender before him.
There was no need for a lecture, nor did he bother explaining the administrative necessity of the post.
A single sentence was enough.
"Would you like to take his place?"
Without fail, every single one of them would slam their head against the stone floor, frantically begging for forgiveness.
In the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, where becoming strong was the supreme imperative of existence, the seat of General Administrator was viewed as nothing more than a time-devouring curse—a post to be avoided at all costs.
Yet the position could hardly be abolished.
Consequently, the General Administrator in the Cult was recognized as a noble soul—one who sacrificed his own right to pursue absolute martial strength for the sake of his fellow cultists.
Naturally, no one dared mistreat him, and his family enjoyed exceptional privileges.
Their children were eligible to become personal disciples to the Elders, and the martial manuals bestowed upon them were always one tier higher than those granted to others.
Having spent a lifetime in such an environment, it was only natural for Namgung Yun to hold genuine respect for the General Administrator.
"When someone undertakes an arduous post that everyone shuns, sacrificing the very cultivation time needed to grow strong, is it not basic human decency to respect them?"
"He did not take it willingly," Mo Seok-heon sneered. "He does it because he is weak, and such menial labor is all he is fit for."
"The Anhui Mo Clan possesses a truly bizarre interpretation of Respect for the Strong."
"What did you say?"
"The moment you speak of pawning such duties off on the weak, your so-called Respect for the Strong ceases to be Gangjajon at all."
Humans are not gods. Naturally, none can peer into the future.
And that held just as true for Namgung Yun, who had once been hailed as the greatest martial artist in history.
"In the Jianghu, it is far from rare to see those once deemed certain to become masters suddenly stagnate at a certain realm, just as it is common for those written off as hopeless mediocrities to ultimately rise as peerless experts."
For that very reason, even though the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult maintained a system where the strong claimed everything, there was one thing provided equally to every single cultist without exception:
The opportunity to become strong.
"Yet you, Senior, believe that someone saddled with the duties of General Administrator can never possibly grow strong, and thus deserves no respect. Tell me, Senior—can you see the future? If you possess such divine foresight, then I shall readily offer my apologies."
"……."
Mo Seok-heon could not reply. Naturally, he possessed no such ability to divine destiny.
"True Respect for the Strong demands that, regardless of circumstance, the path and opportunity to become strong must be continually granted. Any 'Respect for the Strong' that fails to do so is nothing more than crude survival of the fittest—the law of the jungle."
"The weak being meat for the strong is the very essence of Gangjajon!" Mo Seok-heon barked.
And that is precisely why you lot are so pathetically shallow....
Had anyone dared utter such nonsense in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Elders would have beaten them bloody and thoroughly corrected their foolish notions long before the Heavenly Demon even needed to step in.
Leave it to the Orthodox hypocrites to twist things this badly.
"If the strong oppress the weak, the weak will never be given the chance to grow strong," Yun replied coolly. "For the strong will constantly suppress them out of paranoia, terrified of losing their own supremacy. Deprived of opportunity, the weak cannot rise, while the strong waste precious time and energy keeping them down instead of cultivating."
In the end, it was nothing more than self-cannibalization. The overall strength of the organization would inevitably regress.
What kind of Respect for the Strong was that?
"The sole purpose of revering the strong is to forge greater strength. But the moment you choose the law of the jungle, the birth of true power is thwarted from the start."
In short, though they might appear similar on the surface, 'Respect for the Strong' and 'The Weak Are Meat for the Strong' were fundamentally incompatible philosophies.
"Whether the Anhui Mo Clan prizes true strength or crude savagery is none of my concern. However, trying to pass off a half-baked law of the jungle as Gangjajon leaves a rather foul taste in my mouth."
"And what if I refuse to accept that?"
Venom had begun to bleed into Mo Seok-heon's voice. Was he incensed that a fledgling junior had dared talk back to him without flinching?
Or was it...
That he had been utterly dismantled by the boy's logic?
"As I said, it matters little to me. Still, I trust this sufficiently explains why I show respect to our General Administrator."
"……."
Mo Seok-heon glanced at Namgung Uncheon, then glared back at Namgung Yun. His fingers twitched restlessly, itching to wrap around the hilt of his blade.
Then his gaze fell upon Hong Jong.
The twitching abruptly ceased.
"Are not the dogs of your Namgung Clan cut from the very same cloth?"
At that, Namgung Yun simply smiled.
"Indeed. Which is precisely why I hold the exact same sentiment toward the Namgung Clan."
"……."
Mo Seok-heon was struck completely dumb.
What more could he possibly say when the boy openly held his own family in the same low regard?
I should never have engaged this brat in an argument.
A grown man stood to gain nothing from a war of words with a slip of a child.
Winning brought no glory, while losing meant suffering a humiliating defeat.
Though Mo Seok-heon burned with the urge to sever Namgung Yun's neck on the spot, not even the Heaven-Collapsing Hegemonic Blade dared commit murder in the heart of Namgung Clan territory—least of all with a master like the Eccentric Beggar Immortal watching his every move.
"...It seems the Namgung Clan has grown quite lax, raising its young to be so utterly insolent," Mo Seok-heon spat at Namgung Uncheon. It was the only parting shot left to him.
It was a pathetic, petty retreat, but if he did not vent his boiling fury somehow, he felt he might lose his mind.
"We shall see if that clever tongue of yours holds up in a spar."
With that final venomous remark, Mo Seok-heon swept out of the inn, his entourage trailing behind him.
"Tsk, tsk. In a moment like that, it would have been far better to laugh hearty and praise the lad's mettle before walking out," Hong Jong clucked his tongue. "I knew the fellow was narrow-minded, but his worldly wisdom doesn't even come close to matching his martial title."
"Hyung-nim, just how much courage do you have?" Namgung Geol murmured, clicking his tongue in disbelief as he hastily corrected his phrasing after catching Hong Jong's eye. "To speak so brazenly before... before the Heaven-Collapsing Hegemonic Blade himself."
"Aye, you impudent brat. If I hadn't been standing here, you'd have taken a sound thrashing at the very least," Hong Jong chimed in.
"I am deeply grateful for Senior's assistance," Namgung Yun replied serenely. "However, Senior was treated to quite the entertaining show, so I imagine you gained plenty from it as well."
"What? You rascal! Do I look like some idle loafer wandering the streets just hunting for amusement?"
"Those are rich words coming from someone who has been tailing me for days."
Except for Namgung Yun, the faces of every Namgung Clan member in the room froze as they turned in shock toward Hong Jong.
"Oho? You realized I was tailing you? I took considerable care this time, you know."
"If you truly cared, you would have changed your clothes and taken a bath."
The distinctive stench clinging to an elder beggar was not something that could be erased simply by concealing one's presence. With even a fraction of attention, it was impossible to miss.
Hong Jong threw his head back and guffawed. "Gwahaha! Even so, your younger brothers here didn't notice a thing, did they?"
"They are greenhorns who haven't tasted the Jianghu," Yun remarked bluntly. "If they catch the exact same smell everywhere they go, they ought to find it suspicious at the very least."
Namgung Geol and Namgung Yeon lowered their heads, their ears burning crimson.
"Aren't you being far too harsh on them?" Hong Jong chided with a grin. "Granted, I wasn't tailing you with deadly intent, but I certainly didn't make it easy to spot either."
As a beggar accustomed to living with filth, Hong Jong knew countless ways to mask his scent—standing downwind was the most basic rule, and there were plenty of tricks like masking it with stronger odors or maintaining greater distance.
The two boys looked up with slight relief at Hong Jong taking their side, but Namgung Yun's next words drove their heads right back down.
"Well, if they wish to remain mediocre martial artists for the rest of their lives, I suppose that's fine."
"I have no rebuttal to that," Hong Jong admitted with a chuckle. "In any case... does this mean you took such a brazen stance against the Anhui Mo Clan from the very beginning because you knew I was backing you?"
"Was it not beneficial for Senior as well? The prestige of arbitrating between the Namgung Clan and the Anhui Mo Clan is quite valuable. Furthermore, you will get to see what you came here to see. A double gain, wouldn't you say?"
"...Here I thought you were merely an extraordinary martial talent, but you have dozens of sly old vipers coiled inside that head of yours."
When Namgung Yun had first struck down the three Mo Clan scions, Hong Jong had chalked it up to youthful impetuousness. Even if the boy was fiercely dedicated to righteousness and determined not to yield an inch of ground on his clan's home turf, his opponent was still the Heaven-Collapsing Hegemonic Blade. One wrong move could have escalated into a catastrophe.
Yet if he had acted with full knowledge that Hong Jong was waiting in the wings...
It's as if he even saw through exactly what I came here to see.
Of course, even Hong Jong could not have fathomed that Namgung Yun would have acted in the exact same manner whether the old beggar was present or not.
"Now then, I suppose we should discuss what comes next," Hong Jong said, shifting his gaze. "You're the General Administrator of the Namgung Clan... Namgung Uncheon, was it?"
"Yes, Elder."
Namgung Uncheon, who had been observing Namgung Yun with a profound, unreadable expression, turned to face Hong Jong.
"Our Beggars' Sect will act as the intermediary between the two clans for now. Given the tension, having both parties meet directly would hardly be prudent."
"We are deeply grateful for Senior's trouble."
"Your clan will also need time to assess the situation. I shall pay a visit to your estate around noon tomorrow."
Leaving those words behind, Hong Jong departed the inn alongside the Anhui Branch Manager.
Only the members of the Namgung Clan remained behind in the quiet tavern.
"...For now, the three of you will return to the estate with me," Namgung Uncheon commanded. He, too, had realized that this entire incident was an orchestrated trap by the Anhui Mo Clan.
No wonder they kept summoning me to their residence without any real business.
That had been the sole reason he was accompanying Mo Seok-heon today in the first place.
Even so, the fact remained that Namgung Yun and his group had stirred up serious trouble.
"All three of you are to confine yourselves to your quarters and reflect. What disciplinary measures will be taken shall be decided once I report this matter to the Clan Patriarch."
"Understood," Namgung Yun nodded pliantly.
Following Namgung Uncheon, the group made their way back to the clan estate.
Along the walk, Namgung Yeon kept casting strange, indecipherable glances toward Namgung Yun.
"Phew... So that is the Little Chivalrous Hero."
Not long after exiting the inn, the Anhui Branch Manager finally let out a breath and spoke.
"You kept quiet as a dead mouse in the inn, yet your voice returns swiftly enough out here," Hong Jong remarked playfully.
"With an Elder present, not to mention the Heaven-Collapsing Hegemonic Blade and the Namgung Clan's General Administrator, where would I find the nerve to open my mouth?"
"That Namgung brat seemed to speak his mind easily enough."
"Anyone with eyes could see that boy is anything but normal."
Grumbling under his breath, the Anhui Branch Manager's expression turned dead serious.
"He is an extraordinary talent."
"Indeed he is. His martial arts, his silver tongue, and the terrifying speed at which that mind of his works."
"I felt as though I was watching some ancient monster who had spent a century rolling through the mud of the Jianghu."
The Anhui Branch Manager shook his head in lingering amazement.
"Your judgment was spot on, Elder. The Little Chivalrous Hero is a figure we must keep our eyes on and gather intelligence about."
"Did you think I climbed to the seat of Elder on luck alone? If I lacked an eye for people, my rotting corpse would have been discarded in some ditch years ago."