Hurry Up and Go, Girl! (1)
Something impossible had happened.
What was an elder of the Mount Hua Sect?
They were individuals who had entered the prestigious orthodox Mount Hua Sect in their childhood...
...and trained in its teachings for at least a cycle of sixty years, and sometimes for over a century.
Once someone attained the rank of elder, regardless of their individual talent, their martial prowess was considered to have far surpassed that of a first-class expert.
They were undeniable proof of strength.
Powerhouses who reigned at the very top of the harsh, dog-eat-dog world of the Jianghu.
That was what it meant to be an elder of Mount Hua.
Yet, such a figure had just lost.
And to a young young master who had not even reached twenty.
"..."
"..."
The first-generation disciples of Mount Hua who witnessed this stood with their mouths agape.
They knew he was strong, and they had already thought of him as a monster when he defeated them. But...
But to defeat the elder?
Calling him a monster was an understatement.
He was an existence that defied common sense.
"A grandmaster of a generation..."
One of the junior disciples muttered.
At those words, Yun Sang found himself agreeing without realizing it.
Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang Sect.
Bodhidharma, the patriarch of Shaolin.
The Heavenly Demon, the founder of the now-vanished Demonic Cult.
Figures who had left giant, indelible footprints on the Jianghu.
They were referred to as the grandmasters of their generations.
Perhaps the person standing before their eyes right now was destined to become such a great grandmaster.
Thinking of it that way made this defeat acceptable.
To serve as a mere chapter in the journey of a grandmaster who would leave his name in the annals of the Jianghu...
*Thud.*
"Ugh... That was close."
It was at that moment.
Han Cheong-un, who had been maintaining a solemn posture, let out a deep sigh and slumped to the ground.
"What are you doing, Sect Leader?"
"I'm exhausted. I used up all my internal energy and physical strength."
"Didn't you win with overwhelming ease?"
"Are you kidding me? Do you think a Mount Hua elder is some neighborhood mahjong hustler?"
"..."
"I barely won by the skin of my teeth, and you're saying..."
This was true to some extent.
Facing a massive deficit in internal energy, he had to win purely through technique.
Furthermore, considering their future relationship with the Mount Hua Sect, he had to keep the man alive rather than kill him.
Defeating a Mount Hua elder under such unfavorable conditions was a highly demanding feat for the current Han Cheong-un.
"It was a close call."
"..."
"What? Why are you looking at me with such pity?"
"No, it's just... nothing."
"You look like you have something to say."
"If I must say, I am simply marveling at the new realization that greatness and patheticness can coexist in a single person."
"Why, you, Vice Sect Leader..."
Watching Tang Jin and Han Cheong-un bicker, the title of "grandmaster of a generation" felt a bit excessive.
Wasn't he lacking far too much dignity?
Just then, Baek Su-ah approached Yun Sang and spoke.
"Senior Brother, what will you do now?"
"Hmm..."
"Since the elder has fallen, you hold the highest seniority here, Senior Brother."
That was true. But...
"But isn't the Zaha Divine Sword in your hands, Junior Sister?"
At Yun Sang's words, Baek Su-ah thought for a moment, then thrust the Zaha Divine Sword toward him.
"Is this fine now?"
"Haaah..."
It seemed he would have to make the decision after all.
Yun Sang let out a deep sigh and pondered.
Yes. No matter what, I must make the right decision in this situation.
Yun Sang straightened his posture and addressed Han Cheong-un.
"Young Master Han... No, Sect Leader Han."
"Yes?"
Han Cheong-un, who had been pinching Tang Jin's cheeks while Tang Jin did the same to him, arguing over who should let go first, turned his head.
Yun Sang spoke.
"We have lost. We wish to resolve this situation according to your terms."
"Are you saying I can do whatever I want?"
"...Could you show us leniency?"
"How far does this leniency go?"
"The safety of the elder and my junior brothers. And I ask that you return the Zaha Divine Sword."
"That's basically everything, isn't it?"
"If an apology is required, I hope you will take my life instead."
Han Cheong-un stared intently at Yun Sang.
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, he seemed to mean it.
I cannot afford to lose a man of this caliber here.
Han Cheong-un nodded and spoke.
"Very well. Then I shall settle this."
Han Cheong-un straightened up and continued.
"First, Elder Hyeon-myeong ignored the prior agreement between our sects and attempted to commit an act of violence. I will formally hold the Mount Hua Sect accountable for his crimes."
"...Understood."
"And I expect Mount Hua to faithfully fulfill the promise made to our Extreme Dao Sect."
"Very well."
The contract between Mount Hua and the Extreme Dao Sect.
It consisted of three terms.
The Zaha Divine Sword would belong to Mount Hua.
The Extreme Dao Sect would have priority claim over one item other than the Zaha Divine Sword.
The remaining treasures would be split fifty-fifty.
"This was the original agreement between the Sect Leader of Mount Hua and myself. Do you acknowledge this?"
"I acknowledge it."
"Ahem. You clearly said you acknowledge it? There is no mistake?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"For real?"
"..."
Why was he asking repeatedly like this?
Feeling a surge of irritation, Yun Sang silently chanted a Daoist prayer, regained his composure like a true Daoist, and spoke.
"I swear on the names of the past patriarchs of the Mount Hua Sect that we will faithfully execute all terms of the agreement."
"Ah, I see. Very well."
Han Cheong-un finally nodded in understanding.
Then, with a sly grin, he spoke.
"The Zaha Divine Sword has already been handed over. And the item I claim priority over is this."
Saying so, Han Cheong-un showed them a red pouch he had prepared beforehand.
"What is that?"
"A treasure that was inside this secret cave. I claim ownership of this pouch. And, of course, everything contained inside it."
Han Cheong-un shook the pouch, which was only about the size of a fist.
Yun Sang nodded readily, not thinking much of it.
There must be something he desires very much inside it.
Judging by its shape, it didn't seem to be a martial arts manual. It was likely some kind of elixir.
"Very well. I accept."
The moment Yun Sang said those words...
Han Cheong-un's grin stretched from ear to ear. He opened the pouch and said:
"Yuyi Bag, sweep up all the treasures before me."
Then, an astonishing sight unfolded.
All the treasures filling the secret cave of Muyong-sintu were sucked into the tiny pouch.
The onlookers stood frozen, their jaws dropping.
Within the span of a few breaths, every single item had vanished into the Yuyi Bag.
Han Cheong-un smiled brightly and said:
"There. I have taken my share as agreed."
"..."
To Yun Sang, who was gaping like a fish, Han Cheong-un drove the final nail in the coffin.
"Please make sure to keep your promise."
"No... You..."
"Though, since you swore on the names of Mount Hua's past patriarchs, I'm sure you will."
"..."
He was a swindler.
A swindler stood right before them.
Having cleared out Muyong-sintu's secret cave cleanly...
...indeed, very cleanly, Han Cheong-un even destroyed the cave itself just in case. Then, leading the entire group, he returned to the Mount Hua Sect.
Unlike their journey to the cave, they did not stop by any villages on their way back to Mount Hua. They simply ran along the mountain paths at full speed, taking the shortest route possible.
As a result...
"We are now able to sit face-to-face and drink tea like this, Sect Leader."
Han Cheong-un spoke with a smile, looking at the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua sitting across from him.
And the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua...
...was so infuriated that his inner thoughts slipped out of his mouth.
"Should I kill this bastard?"
"Oh my, what violent words. For someone who calls himself a Daoist, you lack dignity..."
"Ugh..."
Well, even so, Han Cheong-un did not bat an eye.
Sipping his tea with an easygoing attitude, Han Cheong-un spoke.
"I went through all that trouble to clear Muyong-sintu's secret cave and even retrieved Mount Hua's lost sacred relic."
His words were true.
"Yet, why do you look at me as if I were a swindler, Sect Leader?"
"Because you are one."
Well, that was also true.
Han Cheong-un had claimed ownership of only a single item inside the cave.
Impressed by Han Cheong-un's lack of greed, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua had even promised to split the rest of the treasures fifty-fifty.
But that promise was meaningless from the start. Because...
"A sacred treasure? That alone is already a priceless treasure, is it not?"
"Right?"
A sacred treasure.
They were rare artifacts discovered once in a blue moon, each worth far more than a thousand pieces of gold.
Han Cheong-un had taken the most valuable item in the cave. But as if that weren't enough...
"You even swept up all the other items in the cave?"
"Pretty smart, right?"
"You son of a—"
"Uh-uh, mind your dignity. The past patriarchs of Mount Hua are watching."
If the patriarchs were in my shoes right now, wouldn't they understand?
The Sword Immortal of Mount Hua thought to himself.
Han Cheong-un spoke to him.
"Well, let's put the matter of the cave aside for now. I'd like to discuss something a bit more serious."
"What is it?"
"What do you plan to do with Elder Hyeon-myeong?"
"..."
At Han Cheong-un's question, the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, as if getting a headache just thinking about it.
He had already heard about the situation.
His junior brother had disobeyed his orders and tried to hand over Muyong-sintu's secret cave to the Wulin Alliance.
How hollow had he felt when he learned of this?
I knew my junior brother was obsessed with the Wulin Alliance, but...
Still, he had never imagined that Hyeon-myeong would prioritize it over his own sect. Hyeon-myeong's actions placed the Wulin Alliance above the Sect Leader himself.
It was only natural for the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua to feel betrayed. However, even so...
"It is difficult to overlook the fact that you crippled him."
"Strictly speaking, he is only half-crippled. I left room for recovery."
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"It's different."
"What?"
"Being truly crippled means having the tendons of your limbs severed, your dantian destroyed, and then being locked away in a dark dungeon without a single ray of light for decades."
"..."
"Compared to that, what I did is nothing."
For some reason, it was hard to argue with him.
Perhaps it was because of the cold chill reflecting in Han Cheong-un's eyes as he spoke.
Does he hold a personal grudge against my junior brother? Otherwise, how could he harbor such malice?
But he soon shook his head.
There was no way Han Cheong-un, who had no prior experience in the Jianghu, could have any connection with Hyeon-myeong, an elder of Mount Hua.
In any case, this incident had created a debt of gratitude and resentment between Mount Hua and Han Cheong-un.
After all, he had half-crippled a Mount Hua elder. However...
"Retrieving the Zaha Divine Sword is undoubtedly a great favor to Mount Hua."
"I know."
"It would be best to offset the issue between you and my junior brother with that favor."
In short, they should call it even.
That was what he was suggesting.
"It feels like I'm the one losing out here."
"It seems you take our Mount Hua Sect too lightly."
"Me? No way."
"..."
"I know Mount Hua's strength better than anyone."
If one were to name the sects of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Noble Families that achieved the most brilliant military exploits during the two Great Wars between Orthodox and Unorthodox factions, they would be Wudang, Shaolin, and Mount Hua among the sects, and the Peng family among the noble families.
How could he possibly underestimate Mount Hua?
Mount Hua was strong.
However, that was...
"...only when Mount Hua is intact."
"What?"
"Nothing, just talking to myself."
"..."
Han Cheong-un chuckled.
Even if he told the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua now, the man wouldn't understand.
In the original timeline, the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua would die in the First Great War.
After that, the Mount Hua Sect had to finish the war without a leader.
Even after the First Great War ended, they failed to appoint a new Sect Leader.
Although he didn't know the details since he wasn't an insider, he had heard that the conflict among the elders over who would become the next Sect Leader was severe.
Consequently, when the Second Great War broke out...
...Mount Hua, lacking a central figure, scattered and fought like a disorganized rabble.
Of course, Mount Hua was still Mount Hua.
Even in that state, they were strong and served as a significant force for the Orthodox faction, but the Mount Hua Sect itself suffered devastating losses.
By the end of the war, it was difficult for them to even maintain their name among the Nine Great Sects.
That was Mount Hua's future.
Han Cheong-un stared at the Sect Leader of Mount Hua and spoke.
"I cannot agree with your terms, Sect Leader."
"So you insist on pushing this to the end?"
"Of course not. But we must calculate things accurately."
"What calculations, and how?"
"You consider my half-crippling of Elder Hyeon-myeong as a debt I owe to Mount Hua, correct?"
"Even if Hyeon-myeong committed a wrong, wasn't your hand too harsh?"
"I think that's just the typical stubbornness of a great sect, but well, I won't argue about that right now."
"You..."
"Hyeon-myeong is a traitor to Mount Hua."
Han Cheong-un cut off the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua. The Sect Leader frowned and spoke.
"It is true that my junior brother engaged in a lot of political activities within the Wulin Alliance. But it is not to the extent of betraying his own sect."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. In the first place, that is none of your business, is it?"
"I see. Then, is it also none of my business that an elder of Mount Hua has learned the martial arts of the Qingcheng Sect?"
"..."
The Sword Immortal of Mount Hua's eyes widened.
It was the most shocking statement he had heard so far.
Clenching his fists so hard that the veins bulged, he spoke.
"Do you... do you know what you just said?"
"Yes, I do."
"..."
"During our duel, Elder Hyeon-myeong used the Splitting Light Hand as a hidden trump card."
"..."
"It is a high-level martial art of the Qingcheng Sect designed to blind the opponent's vision. And an elder of Mount Hua used it."
The Sword Immortal of Mount Hua's body trembled violently.
And Han Cheong-un drove the final nail in the coffin.
"You must know what this means, Sect Leader."
The moment Han Cheong-un finished speaking, the Sword Immortal of Mount Hua sprang to his feet.
Then, he roared toward the outside.
"Bring Hyeon-myeong here this instant!"