You’ll Learn It Too (1)
Baek Cheon drew in a long breath.
Mount Hua Cult...
His heart thudded hard against his ribs.
Whenever he heard those two words, the memories of the North Sea came flooding back without fail. The cultists he had no better word for than madmen, and the sight of that Great Cult Leader so overwhelming that he had seemed almost inhuman.
Baek Cheon slowly opened and closed his fists.
It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t afraid.
Anyone who had faced the Demonic Sect knew this much: the reason those two words inspired fear was not simply because they were strong.
The true terror lay in the sense of standing before something that was human and yet not human at all, something alien and wrong. That was not the kind of fear one easily overcame.
Of course, this had been a path he had chosen himself. But now that he had to cross the Yangtze River and go face the Demonic Sect, a cold tension seemed to seep into every inch of his body.
“Then,” Jo Geol spoke first, as always, “does that mean only the people here are going?”
“...Hm?”
At the question, Baek Cheon looked over the people gathered around him once more.
Yu I-seol, Yoon Jong, and Jo Geol. Dang So-so and Hye Yeon. Add Cheong Myeong to that, and there were seven in all.
Seven, huh...
It struck him all over again how small a number that really was. Against the Evil Tyrant Alliance and the Demonic Sect, they would look like nothing more than grains of sand.
And yet...
That bastard Cheong Myeong is right too.
If all of Mount Hua crossed into Jiangnan, then should anything unexpected happen, pulling back would become far too difficult. Considering that enemy territory lay ahead, moving with the smallest possible force was clearly the best choice.
“Cheong Myeong.”
“Yeah?”
“...What about Baek Sang or Gwak Hwe? I think we could probably take a few more people.”
There was a clear difference between the strength of the people here and that of other Mount Hua disciples. But among those left behind, there were certainly some who had shown remarkable improvement.
“No.”
But Cheong Myeong shook his head without even bothering to think it over.
“We’re not taking any more.”
“...Is that so?”
“Remember this, Sasuk. We’re not going there to gain experience. We’re going there to fight and win.”
“Mm.”
Then Cheong Myeong said calmly, “Right now, unless it’s the people already here, I can’t trust them. This fight isn’t something we can do while babysitting anyone.”
Baek Cheon studied him for a moment, then gave a firm nod.
“Understood.”
He turned to the others.
“Anyone who wants to stay can—”
“Would you quit saying useless things and get a move on already, Sasuk?”
Baek Cheon clamped his mouth shut at Jo Geol’s interruption. Yoon Jong smacked the back of Jo Geol’s head and scolded him.
“What kind of way is that to speak to a senior disciple, you punk?”
“No, seriously, Sighyeong! Is there anyone here who’d actually stay behind? That old man always says something weird right when things are going smoothly.”
“That is true.”
...Huh? Yoon Jong? What did you just say?
“Let’s go.”
Yu I-seol stepped forward. Dang So-so naturally took her place at Yu I-seol’s side, and Hye Yeon also stepped out with his palms pressed together.
“Amitabha. Though I am not a disciple of Mount Hua...”
“No, let’s just go with that.”
“Call it a rough initiation.”
“Monk. At this point, no one would even believe you if you said you were a Shaolin disciple.”
“...”
Hye Yeon coughed awkwardly, his face turning bright red.
“At any rate, I’ll come as well. I hear the common people of Jiangnan are suffering, and as a Buddhist... yes. There’s no way I can stand by and do nothing.”
There was a bitter note under the words. Everyone here understood the source of that bitterness, so no one bothered to point it out.
“Then that makes seven...”
“Eight.”
At the voice that cut in unexpectedly, everyone turned their heads. A very familiar figure was walking toward them.
“Let’s make it eight.”
“Sasuk.”
Baek Cheon looked at Un Geom coming toward them with a broad smile and could not hide his surprise.
“I happened to overhear by chance, but... this is a matter of the sect, so don’t scold me for eavesdropping.”
“How could I possibly do that?”
“I’m someone you can leave here without worry. What do you think, Cheong Myeong? Am I someone who meets that condition?”
Cheong Myeong frowned slightly.
“Sajil...”
“Let’s not say I should stay behind to teach the children. In any case, this is a trip to come back from, not to die on, isn’t it?”
Un Geom smiled again.
“This isn’t your business. It’s Mount Hua’s.”
“...”
“If someone is taking charge of a mission that means storming enemy territory, it’s unthinkable for that leader to be a second-class disciple. If I can’t go with you, then I’ll use every authority I have to oppose this.”
Cheong Myeong shook his head.
“There’s no need for that. If I can have my back entrusted to Sajiljo, then I’d be honored.”
“Thank you.”
Un Geom nodded, then looked toward Hyun Jong.
“...Sect Leader.”
“Do not worry, Elder.”
Un Geom said with a composed expression, “I will bring the children back alive, no matter what it takes.”
Hyun Jong stared at him for a moment, then nodded. He even gave Un Geom a pat on the shoulder.
“I entrust them to you.”
“Leave it to me.”
They could not possibly leave such a dangerous mission to the children alone.
Of course Hyun Jong knew it, and Un Geom knew it too. These children were strong enough that they did not need his help just to survive.
But this was not simply a matter of martial prowess. What mattered was that they would not have to shoulder this heavy burden alone. Strong or weak, this was the responsibility of those above them in the sect, a burden to be shared.
“Sasuk.”
When Baek Cheon spoke, Un Geom reached out with his one remaining hand and pressed firmly down on his head.
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I just don’t want to sit here and wait helplessly while worrying about all of you.”
“Yes, Sasuk.”
Baek Cheon nodded. He had no intention of putting on airs either. If Un Geom came along, the feeling of stability would change completely.
If that was true for Baek Cheon, then it was certainly true for everyone else. No matter how hard he tried as Mount Hua’s eldest disciple, he could not replace the weight of age and experience.
Having one of the sect’s elders with them would surely be a great comfort to everyone setting out.
“Then there are eight.”
At Baek Cheon’s words, Un Geom smiled.
“Well now. It seems there’s someone who doesn’t think so.”
“Hm?”
A clear voice rang out as if it had been waiting for exactly this moment.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Huh?”
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. Namgung Dowi, dressed in white martial robes, was walking toward them.
“...No, Young Patriarch?”
Namgung Dowi stopped in front of Hyun Jong and Cheong Myeong, then bowed deeply with clasped hands.
“Please take me with you as well.”
“...Young Patriarch.”
Hyun Jong frowned before he could stop himself.
“This is dangerous.”
“I know.”
“And surely you understand that now is not the time for the Namgung Clan to be taking risks?”
“Yes. But...”
Namgung Dowi looked Hyun Jong straight in the eye.
“Isn’t that true for Mount Hua as well?”
Hyun Jong could not easily answer that.
For the Namgung Clan, what value did Namgung Dowi hold? And for Mount Hua, what value did these disciples hold? No one would be able to say with certainty that the answer to the former was greater than the latter.
Hyun Jong turned, looking at Cheong Myeong with a troubled expression.
Receiving that look, Cheong Myeong fixed Namgung Dowi with a cold stare.
“I’ll ask you one thing.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Dowi nodded, a little tense.
“The Namgung Clan lost its Patriarch.”
“...”
“It’s already in danger after losing its elders. If you lose the Young Patriarch too, it’s obvious how much harder things will become.”
Namgung Dowi nodded heavily.
“Knowing that, you still want to head for Jiangnan? Isn’t that just some cheap self-satisfaction, an excuse to dodge the responsibility on your shoulders? As the Young Patriarch—no, as the Patriarch of the Namgung Clan, shouldn’t the first thing you think about be the safety of your family?”
It was a heavy, crushing question.
But Namgung Dowi did not avert his eyes from Cheong Myeong’s and answered calmly.
“I did not rush here without any thought, Dojang.”
His face, breathing deeply, already held the shape of a decision.
“So I thought about it. If my father were here, what would he say?”
“...”
“The answer came too easily. To act when there is still room to spare, when one need not suffer great losses, is neither righteousness nor anything close to it.”
Namgung Dowi’s expression hardened as he spoke.
“I want to make the Namgung Clan into the kind of sect it once was. But what I seek to recover is not the Namgung Clan’s prosperity—it is the Namgung Clan’s spirit.”
“...Young Patriarch.”
Namgung Dowi bowed deeply.
“So please, give me a chance as well. I am a Namgung who was saved by Mount Hua’s righteousness. At the very least, please do not cut off my chance to repay that righteousness myself. I beg you.”
Having said that much, even Cheong Myeong could only nod in the end.
He wanted to stop him if he could. He understood better than anyone now how hard things would be for those left behind. But...
“Remember one thing, and remember it straight.”
“...What?”
“You’re not going there to die. If there’s a spirit you need to protect, then come back alive and speak it with your own mouth, with your own hands.”
Namgung Dowi nodded with a face full of iron resolve.
“I will do exactly that.”
“If you become a burden, I’m leaving you behind. I don’t have the spare hands to take care of you too.”
“I will follow with my life on the line.”
Cheong Myeong nodded. Baek Cheon let out a long breath and tallied them up.
“Then that makes nine.”
“No. Ten.”
“Hm?”
At Cheong Myeong’s abrupt declaration, confusion flickered across Baek Cheon’s face. There was someone else?
“Come out.”
“...”
“Ah, hurry up. We don’t have time.”
“Grrr...”
After a moment, with a faint groan, the thick brush along the riverbank rustled. Then two people slowly poked their heads out from inside it.
“...King of the Green Forest?”
“Ah, no. Patriarch Dang?”
Im So-byeong looked like he was about to die on the spot, while Dang Gun-ak coughed awkwardly, his face reddening with embarrassment.
“No, Father! What on earth are you doing hiding in there like that?”
Startled, Dang So-so shrieked, and Dang Gun-ak covered his mouth with a hand, coughing repeatedly.
“It’s not as though... I intended to keep doing this.”
“Then what?”
The answer came from Im So-byeong instead.
“What else? All of a sudden there’s murderous intent boiling up along the riverbank, and then I hear that bastard’s disgusting laugh! How the hell was I supposed not to come out?”
“...Ah. Right.”
Everyone nodded in instant agreement. So that was why it had felt so crowded over here.
Then Dang Gun-ak, clearly eager to escape this situation as quickly as possible, spoke up.
“But that tenth person... are you referring to me?”
“No.”
Cheong Myeong shook his head again without the slightest hesitation.
“Patriarch, you need to stay here and open a route in case something happens.”
“That alone should be within the Lord Alliance Leader’s duties...”
“There may be a situation where I need you.”
Dang Gun-ak fell silent for a moment, thinking. Then he slowly nodded.
“I see what you mean.”
“Yes.”
Dang Gun-ak raised a hand and patted Im So-byeong on the shoulder.
“Then take care and go.”
“...Pardon?”
“If it isn’t me, then isn’t it you?”
“Pardon?”
“...”
“Pardon?”
Im So-byeong let out a helpless laugh, as if to ask what sort of nonsense that was, then looked around. The moment his eyes met Cheong Myeong’s, his already pale face turned ghostly white.
“N-no, I’m a strategist...!”
“They need a strategist there too.”
“I have to protect the Green Forest...”
“If you die, someone else will just become King of the Green Forest. That’s how the Green Forest works.”
“No, what kind of ridiculous—!”
“You seem to have forgotten.”
Cheong Myeong gave a snort.
“The Green Forest is part of the Heavenly Friends Alliance now.”
“...”
“If you’ve gained the rights, then you’ve got the obligations too. Quit whining and get over here. Or tear up that contract.”
“You little bastard...”
Im So-byeong lowered his head, looking as though he had lost the world. Realizing there was no way to slip out of this, he spat onto the ground, then pressed down hard on the wrinkled hem of his robe before shuffling over.
“Damn demon of a man.”
Then, with his shoulders slumped, he took his place behind Cheong Myeong.
“That makes ten.”
Mount Hua’s disciples, Namgung Dowi, and Im So-byeong.
The number was now exactly ten.
It wasn’t that much more than the seven they had first expected, but somehow just reaching ten made everything feel different.
“Then...”
Cheong Myeong looked over everyone standing around him.
“Let’s go. Let’s go butcher those bastard Demonic Sect dogs.”
A flash of Cheong Myeong’s white teeth showed between his lips.
---