If You Mess With Mount Hua, I’ll Show You What Happens! (3)
"Have you heard any news from Sohaeng?"
"...No news yet."
"I see...."
Wi Lip-san let out a low sigh, his hollow face looking as though every trace of life had been drained from it.
"Gate Leader. You should rest a little longer."
"...I know. I know, but...."
Seeing him trail off like that, Yeom Pyeong could only suppress a heavy sigh of his own.
He can't afford to rest peacefully, can he?
The Johwagwan had no intention of coexisting with Hwayeong Gate. From the moment it was first established, they had been picking fights without end, and now, even after defeating Wi Lip-san in a duel, they were still not satisfied. They were demanding that Hwayeong Gate leave Namyang.
It was a coercive, overbearing demand.
But Hwayeong Gate had no strength left to denounce that overbearing demand.
The martial world was a place where the strong devoured the weak. Those without power could do nothing against those who had it. Yeom Pyeong had lived his whole life in the martial world, yet only now did he feel the brutal truth of it in his bones.
"Have the disciples of Wudang arrived yet?"
"Not yet. But if we consider the timing, they should be here soon."
"I see.... Cough! Cough!"
"Are you all right, Gate Leader?"
"...I am fine."
"Your internal injuries are severe. Please lie down at once."
"I suppose I should."
Though he answered that way, both Wi Lip-san and Yeom Pyeong knew this was no time to simply lie down and rest comfortably.
If Wudang's disciples arrived, they might be driven out on the spot. How could they spend their time in bed when the Hwayeong Gate they had protected all their lives was on the verge of having its signboard torn down?
"How are the disciples holding up?"
"...They're deeply unsettled."
"I thought as much. Yes.... I thought as much."
A low sigh slipped from Wi Lip-san's lips.
Even after hearing that his disciples were wavering, he felt no resentment toward them at all. These were the very people who were still standing by his side even as they found themselves in open conflict with Wudang's secular branch.
So I haven't lived my life in vain.
That alone already felt like more than enough repayment.
"Gate Leader."
Yeom Pyeong let out a small sigh at the end of his words.
He was, in effect, Wi Lip-san's senior disciple. He had spent years at Wi Lip-san's side, helping lead Hwayeong Gate, but even he could not find another solution this time.
"...Gate Leader. Wouldn't it be best if you spoke to the leader of the Johwagwan again, even now?"
"Useless."
Wi Lip-san shook his head.
"If they wanted something else, then such a conversation might mean something. But all they want is to drive us out of Namyang. What would we even talk about? They want one thing, and we cannot give it to them. We'll only be running in circles."
"Then are we supposed to just stand here and take it with our eyes open?"
"...Our main sect will come to help us soon."
"Gate Leader...."
Yeom Pyeong's face twisted slightly. Wi Lip-san was always sharp, always sensible, but the moment the name Mount Hua was mentioned, his judgment would blur. It was a chronic weakness of his.
"Our opponent is Wudang. No matter how much Mount Hua has made a name for itself lately, Wudang is still the unrivaled Taoist sect, isn't it? What could Mount Hua possibly do?"
"...."
"You should be glad if they even come to offer assistance. If Mount Hua is sensible, they'll try to stay out of this. What good would come of opposing Wudang? Gate Leader, you need to be realistic. Help won't come from anywhere. This is something we have to solve ourselves."
Wi Lip-san looked at Yeom Pyeong quietly.
He knew his words were not wrong.
"Even so...."
"That's why I told you long ago to stop sending tribute to Mount Hua. Why do you keep pouring effort into a place that won't help when needed? If the young master had been sent to Wudang or Shaolin, would this have happened?"
It was all perfectly sound reasoning.
And yet Wi Lip-san still couldn't bring himself to nod.
"We are a vassal branch of Mount Hua."
"...."
Yeom Pyeong pressed his lips together.
"One must never abandon one's roots, and one should never abandon them. If we deny that we are Mount Hua's vassal branch and cast Mount Hua's name away, do you think things would improve?"
"Gate Leader...."
"If you live like that, every vassal branch in the world becomes no different. If Wudang loses its name, you abandon Wudang. If Shaolin's momentum fades, you abandon Shaolin. No, no. That is not how I want to live."
"No one will appreciate that."
"I'm not asking for anyone's appreciation. I'm simply keeping what I must protect."
Yeom Pyeong let out a long sigh.
Frustrating. Inflexible.
And yet....
That is exactly why he is the Gate Leader.
In the end, the reason he kept lecturing like this was because he respected Wi Lip-san. If Wi Lip-san were the kind of man who would casually abandon Mount Hua, Yeom Pyeong would never have respected him so deeply in the first place.
"And I believe in them."
"In what?"
"That Mount Hua won't abandon us."
Yeom Pyeong shook his head.
"Gate Leader, that's not a matter of sincerity or feeling. It's a matter of ability. Does Mount Hua even have the power to deal with Wudang?"
"...There are times when heart alone is enough."
It was just as Yeom Pyeong was about to say something else.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
The sound of someone pounding on the main gate echoed loudly.
Wi Lip-san and Yeom Pyeong's faces stiffened at once. They had locked the main gate and were refusing visitors. For someone to keep knocking anyway meant they had come with business.
And the only people who could possibly have business with them right now were....
"Gate Leader Wi! Gate Leader Wi, are you inside? I've come today to settle this once and for all, so get out here!"
Yeom Pyeong's face twisted.
It was the voice of the Johwagwan leader.
Dammit. Already!
They could not have come without a reason. They must have brought Wudang's disciples, who had surely already arrived.
"What do we do, Gate Leader?"
"What choice do we have?"
Wi Lip-san let out a deep sigh.
"We have to go out. If we don't come out after they've come all this way, we'll be branded cowards."
With a faltering motion, Wi Lip-san rose from the bed.
"What is it?"
"You know perfectly well, yet you keep dancing around it with your words. I've come today to settle this."
Watching the Johwagwan leader shove his way in like a boar hit by an arrow made one wonder whether the man truly was a secular disciple of Wudang at all.
At the very least, if he had studied even a little of the scriptures, he could not possibly behave like this.
"I have nothing more to say."
"Nothing more to say? You lost the duel, so you should've packed up and cleared out of Namyang. What are you still clinging here for, hoping to squeeze out something more?"
"Where is it written that the loser of a duel must leave?"
"It's not written anywhere! But isn't your face the problem?"
Wi Lip-san let out a quiet sigh.
There was no law saying one must leave after losing a duel. Not unless some wager had been set to begin with, of course.
But once matters had escalated to the point where leaders of sects were dueling each other, it was an unspoken rule that the loser would leave without complaint.
No, to be exact, it was less an unwritten rule than the simple fact that the loser could not hold on any longer.
The leader's skill was the measure of his sect. When it had been made plain as day that one side was weaker in the same region, how could they possibly hold out? Wasn't it obvious which side would be chosen by anyone wishing to learn new martial arts?
"Enough of this nonsense. Leave at once."
"I told you, I have no intention of doing that."
The Johwagwan leader's eyes turned fierce.
"Do you need to see blood before you'll come to your senses?"
As the atmosphere grew sharply heavier, one of the men standing watch behind him slowly stepped forward.
"Leader. Allow me to speak on your behalf."
"Ah, would you? Even with something so trivial...."
"It's all right."
"Then I can only be grateful!"
His manner was completely different from when he faced Wi Lip-san, full of courtesy and restraint. Naturally, Wi Lip-san's attention was drawn to the man who had stepped forward.
A black Taoist robe.
And on his head, a Taoist crown.
The pine-tree embroidery stitched onto the robe revealed the man's status. There were countless sects beneath the heavens, but only one could embroider a pine tree on its chest.
He's a disciple of Wudang.
The man stepped forward and gave a calm, formal salute.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Jin Hyeon, a second-generation disciple of Wudang."
"I am Wi Lip-san."
His posture was impeccable, his movements disciplined. If they had met in any other situation, he would have been worthy of admiration. But the precise movements he displayed now were aimed squarely at Wi Lip-san.
Wi Lip-san studied him for a moment, then suddenly his face hardened.
"Wait! Did you say Jin Hyeon just now?"
"Yes, Gate Leader."
"Then you're the one they call that... Bujeolgeom?"
"How embarrassing. I have been burdened with such a hollow reputation."
Having learned the man's identity, Wi Lip-san's expression darkened.
Bujeolgeom. So today's luck is already poor.
Bujeolgeom Jin Hyeon.
Or Geomryong Jin Hyeon.
Among the many young talents Wudang had produced over the years, he was considered one of the finest. The world did not hesitate to praise him as the Dragon of the Sword.
The future's greatest sword of Wudang. And perhaps the man who might become the greatest sword in the whole world.
The fact that Wudang had sent Jin Hyeon was practically a declaration that they were taking this matter seriously.
"I have heard about the situation from the leader of the Johwagwan. Is it true that you wish to remain in Namyang?"
"It is."
Jin Hyeon gave a small shake of his head.
"I don't think that's a wise decision."
Jin Hyeon's voice was low, but it carried authority.
"Namyang isn't a particularly large region. If two martial schools exist in such a place, trouble is inevitable. The disciples will have to be split between them, and both sides will only suffer for it."
"I know that. But why should we be the ones to leave when we were the first to establish a school here?"
"That doesn't matter. What matters is that if two schools exist, both will suffer, and anyone can see that the greater loss will fall on Hwayeong Gate."
"...."
Jin Hyeon smiled faintly.
"How about this?"
"Pardon?"
"The secular branch of Wudang did, after all, cause damage to Gui Gate when it established itself here, so we'll offer compensation in our own way. If you move out of Namyang, we'll cover every last expense."
Yeom Pyeong, who had been quietly listening, twisted his face.
These highway robbers.
Did they really think the problem was that they couldn't afford to move?
To settle in a new place meant starting everything over again. Hwayeong Gate was a sect of Namyang. Its disciples lived with their roots in Namyang, and all of their history was in Namyang.
To leave Namyang meant throwing all of that away and starting from the ground up.
"I appreciate the offer, but...."
Wi Lip-san shook his head.
"Hwayeong Gate has no intention of doing that."
"Hmm."
Jin Hyeon gave a low murmur that made his displeasure plain.
"Gate Leader."
"...."
"If you insist on staying in Namyang, there is one other way."
Wi Lip-san brightened slightly and looked at Jin Hyeon. Merely hearing that there was another way was enough to stir a little hope.
"What is it?"
"If Gate Leader insists on operating a martial school in Namyang.... remove the plum blossom emblem from your signboard."
Wi Lip-san's face stiffened.
As he stood there, unable even to answer, Jin Hyeon continued at his leisure.
"Two sects can coexist. But two Taoist temples cannot. However faint Mount Hua's Taoist coloring may be, we cannot acknowledge coexistence in a place that already has Wudang's secular branch."
"Wh-what do you mean by that...."
"Choose."
Jin Hyeon's voice rang out coldly.
"If you're willing to remove Mount Hua's name, then we will recognize Hwayeong Gate. If you wish, we could even take your son in as a secular disciple of Wudang. Then Johwagwan and Hwayeong Gate would be fellow disciples under the same school, and the two of us could get along. But if not...."
The air turned cold.
There was a blade hidden inside those words.
"Then the name of Hwayeong Gate will disappear from Namyang forever."
The weight of it was different because it had been spoken by Jin Hyeon and no one else.
Seeing Wi Lip-san frozen in shock, Jin Hyeon smiled faintly.
"So what is Hwayeong Gate's answer?"
"We...."
Wi Lip-san's lips trembled.
Though only a short time had passed, his expression changed countless times. After agonizing over it again and again, he finally let out a long sigh and said,
"We cannot betray Mount Hua."
"...."
"Even if the day comes when our signboard is taken down, we are still Mount Hua's vassal branch. That is not something we can cast aside."
"Ha...."
Jin Hyeon shook his head.
"So you'd rather drink punishment wine than honorable wine? I can't help you there. I'll give you three shichen. If you haven't cleared out by then, we'll make you clear out."
Wi Lip-san bit down hard on his lip.
"For an act carried out by the famous Wudang, isn't this a little too petty?"
"You're mistaken."
"...."
Jin Hyeon's voice was cold as ice.
"It isn't that Wudang, famous throughout the world, does things like this. Because we do things like this, Wudang's name echoes across the world. And we tried to do everything we could for you. It was the leader who refused that offer and chose to be unreasonable."
"We...."
"That is enough. I have nothing else to say. Three shichen."
Then, low enough that only Wi Lip-san could hear, he muttered,
"If you wanted to throw in your lot with someone, you should've picked a better place. Mount Hua's vassal branch, of all things. Do you really think Mount Hua will help Hwayeong Gate against us Wudang?"
"...I...."
Wi Lip-san could say nothing at all.
Jin Hyeon's face wore a clear, unmistakable sneer, and it sealed his mouth shut.
How futile.
Wudang was bullying Hwayeong Gate, pushing them with absurd demands in order to protect their own faction. Yet Mount Hua was doing nothing to help them.
What, then, had all those years of devotion he had poured into Mount Hua been for?
"Mount Hua doesn't dare come here. Gate Leader, you should be a little more wise...."
That was when it happened.
"What the hell is he talking about?"
"...."
At the indifferent voice coming from behind him, Jin Hyeon turned around on reflex.
"Who are you?"
"Ah, move! Why are you blocking the door?"
His senior disciples, who had been standing in the way of the entrance, quietly stepped aside.
And through the opening they made, a man strolled in with easy, shambling steps.
Who?
Before he could even finish forming an impression of this stranger, Jin Hyeon had to endure words he had never once heard in his entire life, words that pierced straight into his ears.
"It's me, you malko bastard."
Jin Hyeon's mouth dropped open before he could stop it.