Chapter 238: The Situation Becomes Serious-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: The Situation Becomes Serious-1
Cheongsong thought deeply.
He was searching for a way to settle this situation as quietly as possible.
Due to Cheongsu’s insane antics, the Qingcheng Sect was now facing a significantly difficult predicament.
He had spread a scandal regarding a disciple of the Emei Sect—and not just any disciple, but the pupil of the current sect leader, Guwol Shin-ni.
Furthermore, it was a scandal so foul it could hardly be put into words.
If this matter escalated further, the relationship between Qingcheng and Emei would spiral out of control. If the situation wasn't defused, it would lead to war.
To a Murim sect, honor was a value for which one would disregard even their own life.
Now that such honor had been dragged through the mud, how could they possibly stay still?
He had to stop it.
The war.
He had to calm it all down.
Every bit of this mess.
He agonized over it again and again.
He had to settle everything before his martial uncle or the Emei elders arrived.
How much time had passed?
Cheongsong’s expression hardened.
With steady eyes, he looked directly at Seol-hyang, who stood before him.
"Lady Seol-hyang."
"Speak."
"Will I not be enough on my own?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Seol-hyang asked, her expression one of confusion.
"I am asking if it is not enough for me alone to seek your forgiveness."
He continued, his tone more serious than ever as he gazed at her.
"I’m sorry, but I want an official apology from the Qingcheng Sect."
Seol-hyang shook her head at Cheongsong’s proposal, making her refusal clear.
What she wanted was to bring the matter to light and receive a formal apology from the sect itself.
She was saying that a mere third-generation disciple seeking forgiveness wouldn't cut it.
"I will get on my knees."
"Whether you kneel or not isn't the—"
"I will kowtow until my head strikes the earth."
Cheongsong blurted out the words before she could even finish.
"..."
Hearing this, Seol-hyang fell silent.
She could feel a will so firm it was almost tangible.
Though his rank was lower and his martial arts weaker than hers, he was still a Main Sect Disciple of Qingcheng. His talent and potential were said to be among the best of the many who had passed through the sect.
And yet, such a man was offering to kneel and strike his head against the ground.
She couldn't even imagine how much he was swallowing his pride.
Just why was he going this far?
"Why?"
She looked at Cheongsong and continued.
"Why what?"
"Why are you going to such lengths? Do you have no pride?"
Seol-hyang stared at him, unable to understand.
"To me, the safety of the Qingcheng Sect comes before my pride. If I can end this by striking my own head against the ground, isn't that a small price to pay?"
Cheongsong revealed his inner thoughts.
The Qingcheng Sect was finally spreading its wings after forming the Sichuan Alliance.
If a war broke out now with the Emei Sect—a fellow member of the alliance—everything they had achieved so far would vanish in an instant.
He didn't want that.
His master, his martial uncle, and even the sect leader... after years, they were finally smiling again.
He didn't want to lose all of that in a single moment.
"Hmm."
Hearing Cheongsong’s firm resolve, Seol-hyang felt her heart waver.
She had been determined to extract an official apology from Qingcheng, if only to restore Emei’s honor.
But after hearing Cheongsong’s words, that resolve began to shake slightly.
Who in the world truly enjoyed war?
If war broke out, countless Emei disciples would be sacrificed. They would die under the mask of a 'honorable death.'
And so, she deliberated.
Should she accept Cheongsong’s proposal, or should she carry out what she had originally intended?
"Whew."
Eventually, she let out a deep sigh.
"Fine."
She looked at Cheongsong and spoke.
"I will accept that proposal."
She continued with a calm expression.
"Thank you! Thank you! I shall kneel this instant!"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Cheongsong repeatedly thanked her.
"However,"
Seol-hyang’s voice cut him off.
"There is a condition."
"A... condition?"
Cheongsong asked back, puzzled.
What kind of condition could there be?
"Every Qingcheng disciple present here must kneel and kowtow."
She spoke with an incredibly composed face.
"W-What do you mean by that?!"
Cheongsong asked in shock.
What was she saying all of a sudden?
Hadn't she just said she would let it end with him alone?
"Do you think the insult I suffered can be settled by the apology of just one person?"
Seol-hyang looked at the startled Cheongsong and continued.
"I do not expect an apology from the First Sword of Qingcheng. Instead, I will take the apologies of everyone here."
She spoke with a firm tone toward the Qingcheng disciples.
"What!"
"What is the meaning of this!"
"How insolent!"
"You want me to kneel?"
The Qingcheng disciples turned red with rage, protesting one after another.
Even though they were secular disciples, they were still martial artists who valued honor more than life. To tell them to kneel was no different from telling them to die.
How could she demand such an outrageous thing?
"This is nonsense!"
"A disciple of Qingcheng never kneels!"
"If we cannot protect our pride, we are not Qingcheng!"
Voices of protest began to erupt from all sides.
"Silence!"
Cheongsong’s shout suddenly rang out across the central clearing.
Perhaps because it was infused with significant internal energy, his shout sounded louder than a thunderclap to those present.
Snap.
The protests that had filled the clearing died down instantly.
For a long time, only silence hung over the area.
"Lady Seol-hyang,"
Cheongsong finally broke the silence.
"Speak."
"Must you really go this far?"
Cheongsong asked her with a pained expression.
"I must. If we are to put an end to all of this."
At his question, Seol-hyang replied with a determined look.
Seol-hyang knew as well. She knew how difficult it was to make so many disciples kneel and apologize.
However, this incident had grown too large to be resolved without showing that level of sincerity.
The majority of the Emei and Qingcheng disciples already knew about the scandal involving her and Jang Sun-woo. Furthermore, they knew that Cheongsu had been left a wreck by her own hands.
In this situation, if the matter was brushed under the rug with just an apology from a single third-generation disciple, the prestige of the Emei Sect would plummet.
How could they easily forgive those who had given them such a great insult?
People would surely think that Emei had forgiven Qingcheng out of fear.
In short, they would be seen as pushovers.
In the Murim, there was nothing more shameful than being treated as an easy target.
Therefore, even if it wasn't a formal apology from the sect, she had to inflict a corresponding level of shame—as proof that Emei was not an opponent to be trifled with.
"..."
Hearing her words, Cheongsong fell into deep thought.
In truth, her demand wasn't unreasonable. Compared to the scandal Cheongsu had spread, it was actually a considerate mercy.
The problem, however, was the Qingcheng disciples.
These were people who had trained in Qingcheng all their lives and lived by that pride.
For him, the safety of the sect came before honor, but for the average martial artist, honor was paramount. Moreover, martial artists believed that if their personal honor was tarnished, it brought shame not only to their sect but to their family as well.
He didn't think they would give up their knees so easily.
‘Sigh.’
Cheongsong sighed inwardly.
Then, he slowly turned around.
Behind him, he saw numerous Qingcheng disciples dressed in their indigo-based uniforms.
Their eyes were filled with irritation and rage.
The emotions in their eyes were likely directed at him, for he was about to ask them to apologize.
He felt a surge of fear. The thought that they might despise and scorn him crossed his mind.
But if he ran away now, many would die.
Many more would become miserable.
He wanted to stop it. For the sake of Qingcheng, which had given so much to someone like him who had done nothing in return.
Cheongsong slowly began to bend his knees.
Thud.
And then, he placed his knees completely on the ground.
"S-Sahyung!"
"How could you...!!"
"Please, get up!"
"Stand up! What is this disgraceful display!"
"Sahyung, you are the future of Qingcheng! Why are you doing this!"
Panicked by his sudden action, the Qingcheng disciples began to shout.
"Get up!"
"Sahyung is not someone who should kneel in a place like this!"
"I said, get up!"
They screamed at Cheongsong to stand.
They couldn't bear to watch.
He was the Eldest Senior Brother they followed like the heavens.
He was the Eldest Senior Brother called the future of Qingcheng.
He was the Eldest Senior Brother whose natural talent made him a wall that many aspired to overcome.
And that Eldest Senior Brother was kneeling before them.
They hated it. They didn't want to see the man they considered the future of Qingcheng kneeling so pathetically.
"Please... please... get up."
"Sahyung... don't... don't kneel in a place like this."
"Sahyung... Sahyung!"
When he didn't respond no matter how much they shouted, the disciples began to plead.
"Disciples of Qingcheng."
Cheongsong, who had remained silent, finally opened his lips.
"I am about to ask a shameful and humiliating favor of you all."
Cheongsong continued with a grim expression.
"And before I ask that favor, I have knelt before you first. This is the minimum sincerity I can show, and the apology I offer to you all."
"Sahyung... how could you..."
"That's..."
"Sahyung..."
Hearing his words, the Qingcheng disciples all looked at him with pained expressions.
Gazing at them, Cheongsong slowly lowered his body.
Thump.
Soon, his forehead touched the ground.
He had kowtowed.
"I beg of you. Please, kneel! Please, stop this war! I will take all the dishonor upon myself. You are simply kneeling because you could not defy the order of me, your Eldest Senior Brother. So please, I beg of you, protect Qingcheng!"
He made a desperate plea, his voice thick with tears.
Tears welled up naturally. Shame and embarrassment washed over him.
But this level of shame...
This level of embarrassment... he didn't care about any of it, as long as he could stop the war.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
The Qingcheng disciples remained silent.
They didn't know what to do in this situation.
They didn't want to beg for forgiveness so wretchedly. They didn't want to do something as dishonorable as kneeling to a woman. Their dishonor was the dishonor of their sect and their families.
How could they do such a thing?
But the Eldest Senior Brother, the one called the future of Qingcheng and admired by so many, was kneeling before them, sobbing and begging.
Begging them to kneel.
Begging them to stop the war.
They fell into a deep dilemma. The request from their senior brother to abandon their very convictions was agonizing.
Only silence pervaded the central clearing.
Despite Cheongsong’s plea, no one stepped forward.
Cheongsong felt despair. Even after begging to this extent, it seemed to be of no use.
He felt tears streaming down his face without end.
Now, war would break out.
And countless Qingcheng disciples would die.
A heart-wrenching pain began to pierce his chest.
Step. Step.
Just then, the sound of footsteps reached Cheongsong’s ears.
The footsteps were coming from ahead.
The sound grew louder and louder.
Step. Step.
Soon, the steps stopped right beside Cheongsong.
Thud.
Thump.
Shortly after, a vibration and a sound that shook the earth were transmitted to Cheongsong.
Feeling the vibration and the sound, Cheongsong knew.
The person beside him had knelt and struck their forehead against the ground.
"We beg for your forgiveness! Please, please forgive Qingcheng!"
And a familiar voice tickled Cheongsong’s ear.
Choke.
Hearing that voice, Cheongsong began to sob.
He knew that voice well.
It was the junior brother who was pricklier and stiffer than anyone else in the world.
It was Cheonggil.
But that wasn't the end.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Starting with Cheonggil, numerous vibrations and sounds were transmitted to Cheongsong.
"We beg for your forgiveness! Please forgive Qingcheng!"
And the voices they let out in unison began to make Cheongsong’s eyes turn red.
In the end, everyone had granted his unreasonable request.
Cheongsong began to weep uncontrollably from the overwhelming emotion.
With this, everything was resolved.
There would be no war between Qingcheng and Emei, and they could now go to rescue the missing disciples.
‘Yes, Qingcheng is safe now...’
His tears grew even thicker.
It was then.
Shiver.
Suddenly, goosebumps began to break out all over his body.
‘What is this?’
Cheongsong felt a sense of bewilderment.
Why the sudden goosebumps?
Vrooooooom.
Soon, a massive, incredibly sticky murderous aura enveloped his entire body.
"Aaaaaaaagh!!!!!"
Exposed to the overwhelming murderous aura, Cheongsong screamed.
And he realized.
He realized why goosebumps had suddenly broken out all over his body.
His body had reacted first to the murderous aura that was about to strike.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!!!!!!!!!"
Then, a thunderous roar echoed through the central clearing.
That shout was laced with an immense, terrifying rage.
Cheongsong knew.
He knew that his plan had just gone up in smoke.
A light of despair began to flicker in his eyes.