My Work Starts Now! (2)
"Senior Brother. Are you awake yet?"
Jin Hyeon slowly opened his eyes.
Mu Jin’s face, and the dark night sky behind him, swam into his blurred vision. Jin Hyeon screwed his eyes shut, then opened them again.
"W-where...?"
"We’re on the way back to Wudang. We haven’t left the mountain path yet."
At those words, Jin Hyeon jerked upright.
"Ugh."
"Your internal injuries are severe. You should be careful, Senior Brother."
"...Internal injuries?"
Jin Hyeon’s eyes trembled.
In his mind flashed the plum blossoms that had flown toward him.
I lost.
It didn’t take long for him to accept it. Denial was impossible when what he had seen with his own eyes was so vivid.
"...What happened to the others?"
"After you fell, the rest of them were defeated as well. So I acknowledged our loss and withdrew."
Jin Hyeon glared at Mu Jin with terrifying eyes.
But only for a moment. Soon enough, all the strength seemed to drain out of him.
It couldn’t be helped.
He wanted to blame him for not fighting to the end, but that was nothing more than Jin Hyeon’s own stubborn pride. If he had fallen and the other disciples had been beaten too, the outcome would have been obvious even if the remaining men had rushed in.
It had been wiser to retreat before the disciples were hurt any further.
"...Good."
"I’m sorry, Senior Brother."
"No. It wasn’t your fault. It was all because I... because I wasn’t good enough."
Jin Hyeon bit down hard on his lip.
A complete defeat.
The crushing sense of helpless loss began to bear down on him. What made it even more painful was that this defeat had not come from some mistake or accident.
I never even managed to see what that sword really was until the end.
He had been beaten in terms of skill.
By not the Mount Hua Divine Dragon, but the Righteous Sword of Mount Hua, who had once been regarded as inferior to him.
That fact alone made Jin Hyeon feel as though he could not breathe.
And if even the disciples were all defeated, doesn’t that mean that power isn’t limited to the Righteous Sword of Mount Hua alone?
Mount Hua’s second-generation disciples were stronger than Wudang’s second-generation disciples.
Was he supposed to believe such an absurd thing?
"...What happened to the Lodge?"
"For now, I told the lodge leader to vacate the lodge by tomorrow morning. Since the Righteous Sword of Mount Hua asked for it in Senior Brother’s name..."
Jin Hyeon closed his eyes.
It was true. If Wudang lost to Mount Hua, he had sworn on his honor that even the lodge in Namyang would be abandoned. That promise, made without much thought, was now binding Wudang’s present down like chains.
I’ve smeared Wudang’s name in filth.
It wasn’t just a few people who had witnessed the fight between Wudang and Mount Hua. As long as they had eyes and mouths, the news would spread beyond Namyang and reach farther still.
Just as Mount Hua had devoured Zhongnan’s name and made it tremble across the world once more, it was obvious now that Wudang’s name would become the very fuel that stoked Mount Hua’s fame.
No, that’s a secondary problem.
Right now, reputation didn’t matter. The lodge, Hwayeong Gate—none of that was important. They had not come to seize Namyang for such petty reasons.
Jin Hyeon clenched his jaw and spoke with force.
"Mu Jin."
"Yes! Senior Brother!"
"Return to the main mountain at once and report the situation here."
"Yes!"
"The disciples will stay here, treat their injuries, and wait for orders from the main mountain. This is no time to rush back in disarray."
"I will obey Senior Brother’s orders."
Jin Hyeon’s expression stiffened.
I kept my promise to leave Namyang. I’ll keep the promise not to interfere with Hwayeong Gate as well. But I never said we’d return to Wudang.
He bit his lip again.
He knew perfectly well it was a thin excuse.
Breaking a promise made under one’s own name was shameful beyond measure, but sometimes one had to sacrifice personal pride for the greater good.
"Mu Jin, depart at once."
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
Then, a voice cut in.
"No need for that."
Everyone’s heads turned at once. The bushes rustled, and a figure slowly walked out.
"S-senior Uncle!"
"How is Senior Uncle here...?"
Everyone was stunned beyond words.
The person who stepped through the brush was a face they all knew far too well.
The newcomer glanced at Jin Hyeon, then frowned.
"You were the one who got beaten?"
Jin Hyeon bit his lip.
"...I apologize."
"Were you ambushed by a group attack? There were more people from Mount Hua than expected? Or did another sect come to their aid?"
"...."
Jin Hyeon could say nothing.
Of course he couldn’t.
Exposing his humiliation in front of the person who had appeared now was too much to bear. Because this was Mu Jin—his senior uncle.
Mu Jin.
Anyone who knew that name would immediately think of one title.
The Wudang Three Swords.
The Mu generation, the first-generation disciples who carried Wudang’s true martial strength.
And among them, the one said to be the strongest of the Wudang Three Swords.
That Mu Jin had appeared here.
"The sect leader wasn’t at ease, so he told me to come take a look myself. Seems his judgment wasn’t wrong after all, Jin Hyeon."
"...Yes, Senior Uncle."
"Tell me yourself. What happened in Namyang?"
Mu Jin and Jin Hyeon were both watching him, so Mu Jin slowly stepped forward.
"Senior Uncle, I can explain tha—"
"Mu Jin, don’t speak out of turn."
"...Senior Brother."
Jin Hyeon, who had been silently observing the exchange, finally opened his mouth with a grave expression.
"I will explain, Senior Uncle."
"Hmm."
Mu Jin slowly stroked his beard.
If Jin Hyeon was telling the truth, then it meant no second-generation disciple had been able to stand against Mount Hua’s second-generation disciples. That was far more serious than Jin Hyeon’s defeat alone.
"Has Mount Hua grown that strong?"
It was impossible by ordinary standards.
Martial arts were passed down from generation to generation. If the generation above was strong, the one below would be strong too; if the generation above was weak, the one below had no choice but to be weak as well. Occasionally, there were exceptions, but not on the scale of an entire generation.
Mount Hua had been a fallen sect. So their upper generation’s martial arts should have been pitifully mediocre. And yet the younger generation was stronger than Wudang’s disciples? Could that make any sense?
"Hmm."
Mu Jin tilted his head and thought it over, then looked at Jin Hyeon and gave a heavy nod.
This child has no reason to lie to me.
"Jin Hyeon."
"Yes, Senior Uncle."
"You said you made a promise using your own name?"
"...Yes. However... my personal honor is..."
"You brat!"
Mu Jin barked at him in a low voice.
"It may not seem like much to have your name dirtied. But is your name something that belongs only to you? If you commit some vile act, the world won’t curse you alone—it will curse Wudang. Why don’t you understand that this is a stain on Wudang’s name!"
"...I’m sorry."
Mu Jin frowned, clearly displeased.
"A swordsman’s word isn’t something to be taken lightly. Nor is your honor."
"...Yes."
"We will abandon Namyang."
"Senior Uncle?"
"Namyang was only ever a place we sought in order to stay out of sight. Now that it has come to this, we’ll skip Namyang entirely and head straight to the Sword Tomb."
"But we still haven’t pinned down the Sword Tomb’s exact location, have we? Isn’t that why we needed Namyang?"
"No need to worry. The main mountain has already deciphered its location."
"Ah!"
Jin Hyeon’s eyes trembled.
Then there was no reason to waste time in Namyang anymore. They could go directly to the Sword Tomb and excavate it.
"Being defeated by Mount Hua is disgraceful. But compared to what we must do now, such a thing is trivial. There will be many chances to wash away this humiliation, so pull yourself together."
"Yes, Senior Uncle!"
The light returned to Jin Hyeon’s downcast eyes.
If we can just open the Sword Tomb, then I can repay this humiliation a hundred times over.
"Those who think their injuries are severe should return to the main mountain. Support will be arriving soon, so there’s no need to force yourselves. Only those who can still move will come with me."
When the second-generation disciples who had naturally assumed they would go with him hesitated, Mu Jin frowned.
"I’ve said it again and again—a swordsman must judge himself with cold eyes! Do you mean to become a burden to your senior brothers?"
Only then did three of them step forward and bow their heads.
"We’re sorry, Senior Uncle."
"There’s no shame in it. How is being injured shameful? Return to the main mountain and receive treatment. I’ll handle the rest. Surely you don’t doubt me, Mu Jin?"
"Of course not, Senior Uncle."
"Good."
Mu Jin smiled faintly.
"Go and wait. After I report what happened in Namyang to the main mountain, tell them that I led the children straight to the Sword Tomb."
"Yes!"
As the second-generation disciples hurried off along the forest path, Mu Jin turned back to Jin Hyeon.
"Can you move?"
"I won’t be any trouble at all."
"Mm."
Mu Jin nodded.
"Good. Then follow me—"
At that moment, Mu Jin turned his head slightly.
"Senior Uncle?"
Mu Jin frowned toward one side of the brush.
"Who’s there?"
"Pardon?"
Jin Hyeon’s gaze, and the gazes of the other disciples, followed his.
Rustle, rustle.
With the sound of grass being stepped on, a man in a pitch-black outfit slowly emerged from the darkness.
Black clothes?
A black night raider’s garb. And a black face covering.
Anyone could see he looked suspicious, and yet he strolled out as casually as if he belonged there, then stood before them. He adjusted his mask without a care and opened his mouth.
"I’m just a passing bandit, but let me ask you something. What’s this Sword Tomb thing?"
"...."
"...."
A passing bandit?
Did he just say he was a passing bandit?
Mu Jin’s eyes shook.
In all my years...!
Mu Jin prided himself on having seen more than a few ridiculous things in his life, but this was a first. What kind of bandit openly announced that he was a bandit?
And in front of Wudang disciples, no less.
"A bandit wandering around these remote mountain paths?"
"...Uh."
The masked man flinched slightly.
"Then a mountain thief?"
Is this idiot for real?
Mu Jin was thinking exactly the same thing his junior had thought just one day earlier.
And the same junior, who had thought it the day before, felt a strange sense of wrongness in the stranger’s tone and build.
Don’t tell me that’s...
Before the thought could even settle, the words had already burst out.
"Mount Hua Divine Dragon?"
"...."
The masked man cocked his head.
"...No, what did I even do for you to jump straight to that? No, wait. I’m not that person."
Jin Hyeon’s face twisted.
You’re way too obvious, you idiot!
"I thought that even if you were from Mount Hua, you’d at least know a shred of dignity. And yet here you are, hiding your face and calling yourself a bandit! Have you no shame?"
At Jin Hyeon’s shout, the masked man—no, Chung Myung—shrugged.
"I’m telling you, I’m not. Seriously."
"How disgraceful!"
"You seem to be missing the point."
"Hmm?"
"Soon enough, you’ll admit that I’m not me. That’s usually how it goes."
He had seen countless people learn that lesson the hard way.
"There’s a limit to mocking people..."
Just as Jin Hyeon was about to vent his fury, he saw Mu Jin raise a hand slightly. Jin Hyeon quietly shut his mouth.
"Then."
Mu Jin smiled faintly.
"You’re saying you’re not a Mount Hua disciple, but a bandit."
"Haha, finally someone who understands."
"Indeed. You are absolutely not a Mount Hua disciple."
"Huh?"
Mu Jin slowly drew the sword at his waist forward.
"I will simply cut down a bandit here. There was never a Mount Hua disciple to begin with. Is that not so?"
"Oh?"
Chung Myung let out an appreciative sound.
Not bad, this old man.
"If you take off the mask now and apologize, I might let this end with only a light beating. But if you keep spouting nonsense, you’ll learn just how merciless my sword can be."
"Oh, really?"
Chung Myung smirked and said, "Then I should warn you too. If you tell me what this Sword Tomb is right now and hand over the information obediently, I’ll let you walk away in one piece."
"...."
"Otherwise, you won’t be walking back. I guarantee it."
Mu Jin’s smile deepened.
"So Mount Hua has grown stronger."
"How embarrassing, saying things like that."
You fool, don’t look pleased about it! At least try to hide your identity!
"There are rumors that the Mount Hua Divine Dragon is the strongest among them?"
"Hahaha. You flatter me."
Even Jin Hyeon had given up by now. That man was impossible to understand by ordinary logic.
"Well then."
Mu Jin slowly unsheathed his sword.
"Shall I see for myself the sword of the famed Mount Hua Divine Dragon?"
"You really don’t listen well, do you? I already told you, I’m not from Mount Hua."
Chung Myung drew the sword at his waist.
"There’s a plum blossom design engraved on that blade, though."
"...Ah, I meant to change it first and forgot."
Chung Myung winked with one eye.
"Please pretend you didn’t notice. Be polite."
Mu Jin’s smile grew even deeper.
"Very well."
Blue light spilled from his eyes.
"Then when you end up badly injured, I’ll have something to say about it. Prepare yourself."
"Wudang really hasn’t changed at all over the years."
Chung Myung leveled his sword at Mu Jin.
"Can I say one more thing?"
"...What is it?"
Chung Myung grinned with a thin, nasty smile.
"You might want to watch your head. It’s kind of a habit of mine."
The smile vanished from Mu Jin’s face.