If You’re a Disciple of Mount Hua, That’s Enough (2)
"Hah, hahhh. Huh? Hahaha…"
Short, breathy sounds kept leaking from Hyun Sang’s mouth in a steady stream.
"T-there’s no way. Hahaha!"
He had nothing to say.
All he could do was hold back the laughter that kept spilling out of him.
Victory was, of course, a joyous thing. But the other side had been beaten so utterly that even celebrating it outright felt awkward.
If I had become a first-generation disciple! I would’ve run over there myself!
This was the first time being an elder of Mount Hua had felt so unbearably cumbersome.
We really beat Southern Edge!
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t Mount Hua that had won—it was Chung Myung. But wasn’t that basically the same thing? The only regret was that he had to maintain his dignity and couldn’t rejoice to his heart’s content…
"Hahahahaha! We won! We won! Did you see that, Sasuk? That Chung Myung kid made money again!"
"…He made a contribution, surely."
"Isn’t that the same thing? Hahahaha! Just where in the world did that pile of gold roll in from? Hehehehehe!"
"Sa, Saje. Please, some dignity…"
"Dignity, my ass! In a situation like this, who the hell cares about dignity? This is the first time since I entered this damn sect that something like this has happened!"
"C-calm down first…"
"Hahah! Look at the faces on those Southern Edge bastards! Every Hwajong Jihoe I had to watch those jerks go home all smug, and it made me so damn pissed I thought I’d end up with an ulcer! Haha! Look at those starving faces! Their trip home’s gonna be pure hell!"
Hyun Sang tried to stop Hyun Young, then gave up and simply laughed along with him.
He’s not wrong. What’s the point of dignity, anyway?
What had Mount Hua ever gained from keeping its dignity all this time? Nothing but applause for other people’s benefits.
"Kekek! Head Senior Brother! Sect Leader! Did you see it? That Chung Myung kid caused a…… Head Senior Brother?"
Hyun Young rushed up to Hyun Jong, then flinched at the utterly serene expression on his face.
"It’s all… been…"
"No! Why are you trying to ascend so casually, old man? Pull yourself together! Sasuk!"
Hyun Jong shook his head.
He felt as if his soul had briefly left his body, but that wasn’t what mattered now.
"This isn’t a dream, is it?"
"No dream is this absurd!"
"Yes. Right. Of course."
Hyun Jong smiled with deep, satisfied contentment as he looked toward Chung Myung. Chung Myung was surrounded by the other disciples, apparently irritated as he shouted and cursed at them, but his senior brothers and martial uncles were still hugging him happily all the same.
This is it.
How long had it been since he had seen Mount Hua’s disciples gathered together like that, laughing with one another?
More moving than the fact that they had defeated Southern Edge was the sight of his disciples being so genuinely happy.
"Sect Leader."
At that moment, Un Geom approached with a warm smile and spoke to Hyun Jong.
"Our joy is beyond words, but perhaps we should begin sorting things out. Leaving Southern Edge as they are would not be good either."
"Yes, that is true."
Hyun Jong turned to him with a pleased smile.
"You knew this would happen?"
"I did not expect it to go this far. However."
"However?"
Un Geom glanced to one side as he spoke. Naturally, where he was looking was Chung Myung.
"I thought that brat would at least preserve Mount Hua’s dignity."
"He preserved it too much."
"Indeed. He’s a boy who exceeds expectations in far too many ways."
"Yes, that seems to be so."
There were still many questions left unanswered, but what did any of that matter now?
"Let’s go. We should see those people off, and also greet the families who came here."
At that, Hyun Young hurriedly cut in.
"Shouldn’t we at least send them off with gifts? That way they’ll spread the story everywhere they go, won’t they? Sasuk! Let’s stuff their pockets with money! We’ve got money to spare now, so we should just shove some into their hands and make sure they go around praising Mount Hua—mmph! Mmph!"
Hyun Sang grabbed him and dragged him away, and Hyun Jong let out a long sigh, shaking his head.
Sama Seung said nothing.
They said that when a person was pushed truly to the brink, they no longer even felt anger, and that seemed to be true. The fury that had ruled him only moments ago had vanished without a trace. What remained was a deep emptiness unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life.
How did it come to this?
Southern Edge had never once lost at the Hwajong Jihoe. And yet now, at the very end, they had suffered a crushing defeat unlike any they had known before—and unlike any they would ever know again.
The proud member of the Nine Sects and One Gang, the ruler of Shaanxi, Southern Edge had been utterly overwhelmed by Mount Hua, a sect that everyone had once dismissed as so fallen it was only waiting to take down its signboard.
It was an unbelievable turn of events.
Why?
This wasn’t something that could be brushed off as a simple loss.
This defeat would change the balance of Shaanxi. Anyone with sense might still refer to Southern Edge as the overlord of Shaanxi—for now—but those words would inevitably be followed by a silent, unspoken caveat: who knew what the future held?
And then…
Sama Seung looked at the disciples standing before him.
Some were still collapsed, unable to regain their senses, while others were tending to those who had fallen. But most of them simply stared into space, their faces hollow.
Watching the light go out of their eyes made something swell sharply in his chest.
These boys will come to fear Mount Hua too.
Just as Mount Hua’s disciples had once feared Southern Edge.
After the Demonic Sect’s assault, the despair Mount Hua had felt toward Southern Edge would now be Southern Edge’s burden to bear. They would have to experience what it meant to stand before a wall that could not be crossed, to be crushed and broken by it.
Why?
It was all because of that bastard.
Malice flickered in Sama Seung’s eyes.
We didn’t lose to Mount Hua.
They had lost to Chung Myung alone.
If not for Chung Myung, none of this ridiculous disaster would ever have happened. The losses suffered by the third-generation disciples could be written off as an accident. After all, Southern Edge’s third-generation disciples were much younger than Mount Hua’s, weren’t they?
But once Chung Myung had so brutally crushed the second-generation disciples, there was no room left for excuses. From now on, whenever Southern Edge was mentioned, that damned name of Chung Myung’s would come attached to it.
What kind of humiliation is this?
It was disgrace.
Disgrace unlike any Southern Edge’s long history had ever known.
"I…"
The Southern Edge disciples lowered their heads as they watched Sama Seung grind his teeth.
"Damn it…!"
Only now fully realizing the situation, Sama Seung’s eyes widened in rage and humiliation. His heart pounded as if it might burst, and the world before him kept going dim for fleeting moments.
"How am I supposed to face the Sect Leader?"
His groan only made the faces of the Southern Edge disciples darken further.
Just as he was desperately searching for words, he noticed the Mount Hua Sect Leader approaching.
Grit.
His lips, bitten shut too hard, split again. The metallic taste of blood spread across his mouth.
But he could not show those Mount Hua bastards how much pain he was in. That would only please them.
Forcing his expression under control with great effort, Sama Seung addressed Hyun Jong first.
"Congratulations, Sect Leader."
"You must have suffered a great deal."
Hyun Jong replied with a gentle smile.
"This time, we were fortunate."
"…Then we were unfortunate."
Flames seemed to flash in Sama Seung’s eyes.
He knew he should restrain himself, but the moment he heard Hyun Jong’s voice, a firestorm erupted inside him.
Without meaning to, he bit down on his lip again and snapped coldly,
"You may rejoice as much as you like, Sect Leader. Mount Hua will never see a day like this again, after all. This may be the last joy you ever taste, so you should savor it! Ah, yes! Savor it!"
"Th-this…"
Just as Hyun Young was about to explode, Hyun Sang quickly caught his sleeve.
Sama Seung continued as if venting poison, his voice rising higher and higher.
"I acknowledge that we lost at the Hwajong Jihoe. But don’t forget that it does not mean Mount Hua has truly defeated Southern Edge! A mere duel between third- and second-generation disciples changes nothing! Nothing at all!"
Hyun Jong listened to Sama Seung’s sharp words and still smiled faintly.
"That is certainly what I believe."
"…"
"I will gratefully accept the elder’s advice. Please send my regards to the Southern Edge Sect Leader as well."
Sama Seung glared at him with fierce, narrow eyes.
How dare this man… in front of me!
At the previous Hwajong Jihoe, this was a man who had not even dared to meet his eyes. And now, having won once, he was acting as if he’d become someone important…
"You…"
And then—
"Ha. That damned attitude really never changes, does it?"
"…"
Sama Seung’s head snapped around.
That voice was already far too familiar. It was a voice he would never forget, even in his dreams. Chung Myung was approaching with his senior brothers and sisters at his side.
Sama Seung’s eyes reddened.
This is all because of this bastard.
Under Sama Seung’s gaze, fierce enough to spit fire, Chung Myung jabbed Jo Gul in the side before he could even speak.
"Sasuk! Attitude! Huh? Attitude!"
"I’m your Sasuk, idiot!"
"Exactly. If you’re an older person, at least act like one. Why are you being such a rude prick?"
"…Who the hell are you talking to right now?"
"Who else? You, Sasuk!"
Chung Myung kicked Jo Gul once, then turned and gave Hyun Jong a formal bow.
"Sect Leader. Since the matches are over, I thought it proper to greet our opponent, so I came over."
"Heh heh. Yes, yes, that’s right."
Good manners, too. My boy.
Once Hyun Jong gave his easy approval, Chung Myung glanced sideways at Sama Seung. With that smiling face of his, Sama Seung started trembling all over.
It’s all because of this guy.
And… perhaps from now on, this man would remain Southern Edge’s greatest enemy and obstacle.
Then perhaps…
Sama Seung’s hand twitched inside his sleeve.
If he was willing to accept infamy, he might be able to earn a great merit unlike anything his sect had ever seen. He himself would never recover from it, but at least Southern Edge could…
Just then, Chung Myung smiled faintly and said,
"Would one strike be enough?"
"…"
Sama Seung’s eyes wavered.
This bastard…
Realizing that Chung Myung had seen through his intent, Sama Seung’s face turned white.
What kind of scheming does a mere brat have…?
If Chung Myung were caught off guard, he might be able to kill him in a surprise attack. But if Chung Myung was prepared, then given the power he had already displayed, killing him in a single blow would be impossible.
And if he failed to kill Chung Myung, Sama Seung would bear the disgrace alone, while his sect would gain nothing. No—his sect would likely share that disgrace with him.
Watching Sama Seung stand there trapped, unable to move forward or back, Chung Myung smiled.
"I have a feeling we’ll be seeing each other often. Next time, I’ll greet you first."
"…"
At last, Sama Seung, saying nothing, glared at him with bloodshot eyes, then spun on his heel.
"We’re leaving!"
Without waiting for his disciples, he strode out of Mount Hua alone, at a brisk pace.
"T-that…"
"Mm."
Listening to the sighs drifting from here and there, Chung Myung snorted quietly.
Serves you right for acting all big.
As if you’d get anything out of it.
"Chung Myung."
At the voice calling him, Chung Myung turned his head.
Hyun Jong was looking at him with an expression far too complex to read. Seeing affection and regret, pride and apology all at once in that face, Chung Myung found himself unconsciously closing his eyes just a little.
At times like this, Chung Mun’s face appeared in Hyun Jong’s.
He, too, used to look at Chung Myung with those same eyes now and then. Back then, Chung Myung hadn’t known what that expression meant. But now he did. Having taken charge of Mount Hua, he understood naturally.
After a long hesitation, Hyun Jong’s voice pierced into Chung Myung’s ears.
"…You worked hard."
Chung Myung smiled faintly.
"Think nothing of it, Sect Leader."
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