No! This Is Going Too Far! (4)
"Ah, what in the world is going on here?"
Wi Lip-san, the chief of Hwayeong Gate, stared ahead with a dazed expression.
Out of nowhere, martial artists he had never seen before had flooded into Namyang, and the disciples of Mount Hua had rushed out with fire in their eyes. In a situation like this, it would have been unthinkable for him—the man who nominally represented Hwayeong—to stand around with his thumb in his mouth and merely watch.
So, even though he had no real idea what was happening, Wi Lip-san hurriedly led his disciples toward the place where the crowd had gathered.
By the time they reached the Sword Tomb along the only mountain path leading up here, the air was already thick with furious murmuring.
"It’s pointless coming here now! The Wudang bastards and the others already went in and sealed off the entrance."
"They sealed the entrance?"
"That wicked little brat who went in last collapsed the entrance! I’ve lived a long time, and I’ve never seen such a damned brat in all my life! Tsk!"
To Wi Lip-san’s sorrow, just the words wicked and damned were enough for him to guess who that last child was.
And before he could even fully grasp the situation, the ground began to tremble with a sound that shook the very bones of the mountain.
"W-what is this!"
"It’s collapsing! Get out of here right now! Move!"
"Good heavens, what on earth is happening?"
Those who had still been clinging to hope and staring at the Sword Tomb entrance, and even those who had been scheming to wait and rob whoever came back out with a divine weapon in hand, all reeled in horror and scrambled backward.
And then—
Kwaaaaaarrrrrr!
With a roar that sounded like the sky itself was caving in, the ground around the Sword Tomb entrance began to sink all at once.
"H-huuuuh?"
"M-my heavens!"
Those who had retreated stared at the collapsed ground with pale, trembling faces. At least twenty jang had caved in, maybe more.
And the people down below?
There’s no way they survived.
Even if they were martial artists, they were still human. Some things a person could withstand, and some things they simply could not. This was clearly the latter.
No matter how famous those who had gone down were on the Jianghu, under a collapse of this scale they were nothing more than flesh and blood.
"This... this can’t be happening. The place collapsed...!"
"Then what happened to the divine weapons?"
"Divine weapons, my ass. It’s all over. The only ones who should be pitied are the fools who went inside."
Emptiness at the thought that the divine weapons could now never be found again mingled strangely with the relief that no one else would be getting them either.
But what Wi Lip-san felt was neither of those things.
"N-no...!"
He stared at the collapsed Sword Tomb with eyes stretched wide enough to split, then sank weakly to the ground.
"This... this cannot be."
This could not happen.
At the very least, they should not die like this.
Only now was Mount Hua’s future beginning to come into view...
Of course, Mount Hua had many more disciples than just the ones who had come here. But Wi Lip-san knew. Even if Mount Hua truly was a spring from which talent endlessly gushed forth, there would be no one to replace those who had come here.
Especially Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
There could be no one to replace Chung Myung. A person like that was not someone you could simply raise by raising him.
"How could this happen...?"
Again and again, he regretted not stopping them. However much they were disciples descended from Mount Hua’s main sect, however much they were masters he could not even think of crossing hands with, he had underestimated how little experience they had in the wider Jianghu.
I should have told them it might be dangerous.
He didn’t know whether they would have listened if he had tried to stop them, but at least he wouldn’t be suffering this bone-deep regret now.
Remembering the words Chung Myung had once said to him, Wi Lip-san’s vision blurred at the edges.
"You said you’d raise Hwayeong Gate to a rock-solid foundation, Mount Hua Divine Dragon... Did you not?"
He had spoken as if he would gladly shoulder Mount Hua’s future on his back, and this was the disaster that followed?
"...Father."
Wi Lip-san, too overcome with sorrow to even bother wiping his tears, turned to look at Wi So-haeng.
"...I’m not sure if I should say this, but do you think there might be any chance of survival inside?"
With a devastated expression, Wi Lip-san shook his head.
"A person is still only a person."
"But we might as well check! If we dig right now—"
"So-haeng."
Wi Lip-san let out a long, heavy sigh. Grief was something he could not do anything about, but reality was reality. They had to accept it.
"I know how you feel, but it’s time to put this behind you."
"But still...!"
Wi So-haeng looked at the collapsed Sword Tomb with a face that could not relinquish its last shred of hope. Of course, he understood too. People could not survive something like this easily. But thinking of the Mount Hua disciples he had spent so much time with, he could not bring himself to let go.
"Heaven really is cold-hearted..."
Wi So-haeng covered his eyes and broke into a low, trembling sob.
That was when it happened.
"Damn it, they’re all dead! Serves them right!"
"If we can’t get the divine weapons, then it’s better if no one gets them! Just thinking of the Wudang bastards and the other sects dying down there makes me feel better!"
"Hah. What a waste! What a waste!"
The violent reactions coming from all around made Wi So-haeng’s face turn bright red with anger.
"You—!"
"Leave it be."
"B-but Father! Isn’t that far too vile?"
"The Jianghu has always been such a place."
"... "
Wi Lip-san’s expression turned bitter.
The Jianghu was utterly heartless. So many delighted in another person’s misfortune and slandered the fortunate. And here, above all places, were people gathered who were prepared to harm others just to obtain divine weapons. There was no one here who would pray for the dead to rest in peace.
If those who had gone inside had come out with divine weapons, they would have had to fight these people once again. Exhausted as they were, and burdened with divine weapons on top of that, they would have been the finest prey imaginable.
And if he had wanted to watch someone else take the divine weapons and walk away safely, he would not have stood guard here in the first place.
Maybe it was fortunate, in a way, that Namyang had not yet been drenched in blood and another major bloodbath had not erupted across the Jianghu.
But the young Wi So-haeng could not swallow it.
"Isn’t that going too far?"
Instantly, all eyes turned to him.
"People might have died, and they’re saying serves them right? Is that something a human being should say?"
"Who’s this brat?"
"Don’t know. Looks like some clueless kid. Hey, kid, back off. You’ll die if you keep that up."
"Y-you insolent—!"
Just as Wi So-haeng was about to snap back in outrage, Wi Lip-san let out a sigh and stepped in front of his son.
"I am Wi Lip-san, the leader of Hwayeong Gate in Namyang."
"...Hwayeong Gate?"
"There was such a place?"
Ignoring their reactions, Wi Lip-san went on.
"Those who have nothing to gain should return home. The residents of Namyang are already trembling in fear because of all the Jianghu folk who have swarmed here."
"Who are you to order us around!"
"And what right does the chief of some unheard-of sect have to speak to us like that!"
Though he had spoken politely, only insults came back at him, and Wi Lip-san’s face twisted.
He had tried his best to endure it. But if one spoke of whose insides were in worse turmoil, Wi Lip-san would not be losing to Wi So-haeng. In the end, a roar burst from his throat.
"I told you not to insult the dead and get the hell out of here right now! I’m barely holding myself back from ripping your mouths open, so keep that in mind!"
"Huh?"
"Has this guy lost his mind?"
"Sounds like someone important to him died in there. Heh heh heh."
Wi Lip-san’s hand tightened around the hilt of the sword at his waist.
At the very least, preventing these people from mocking those who had died in the Sword Tomb would be the best memorial he could offer Mount Hua’s disciples.
Just as he was about to shout again—
Pok, pok.
Wi So-haeng jabbed him in the back.
"Don’t stop me! I’ve endured enough! I can’t stand another word from those shameless bastards!"
"N-no, Father! That’s not it! L-look! Over there! Over there!"
"Hm?"
Wi Lip-san turned his head. His gaze swept across his son once, then slowly followed the direction of the finger pointing out ahead.
Huh?
The place Wi So-haeng was pointing to was the very center of the collapsed Sword Tomb.
No, why?
That was when—
Twitch!
"Huh?"
Wi Lip-san blinked.
Did I see that wrong?
Surely he had just seen something move there a second ago...?
Twitch!
"Aah!"
Wi Lip-san’s eyes widened to the size of brass lanterns.
This time, he had absolutely not seen wrong. It had definitely moved.
No, don’t tell me...!
Just as Wi Lip-san was about to leap down—
Thunk!
With a dull sound, something burst up through the ground. It did not take long to realize that the thing was an arm.
Scrape, scrape.
The arm that had punched through the ground slowly groped around the surroundings. And at last—
Fwoosh!
Dust and debris shot everywhere as someone shoved his upper body abruptly through the hole.
"Aghhh! I nearly fucking died!"
A familiar voice.
A familiar face.
And an even more familiar tone of irritation.
"C-Chung Myung Daoist!"
Without hesitation, Wi Lip-san leaped into the pit. As he ran toward Chung Myung, tears began to well up in his eyes.
The Chung Myung he had assumed was dead had, in the end, crawled out alive from the Sword Tomb.
"Waaahhh! That damned old bastard Yakseon! Wahhh! Sahyung! Sect Leader Sahyung! Please beat the shit out of that son of a bitch for me!"
He had no idea what he was yelling about, but Chung Myung was bellowing as he pointed angrily at the sky several times.
Then another voice exploded from inside the hole.
"Get out of the way, you fucking bastard!"
"I’m getting out! I’m getting out right now!"
With a face twisted in irritation, Chung Myung crawled out. Right behind him, the disciples of Mount Hua began to pour out one after another.
"Grrrnnnngh."
"I really almost died."
"If I ever go into a cave or underground again, I’m not human."
The Mount Hua disciples, looking like a bunch of beggars who had crawled out of a sewer, flopped onto the ground as soon as they emerged. It was a sight that made it easy to imagine just how painfully they had fought their way out of there.
Wi Lip-san could no longer hold back his emotions and rushed forward, gathering the Mount Hua disciples in a tight embrace.
The disciples, not knowing what was going on, stared at him wide-eyed in confusion.
"Whoa! Why is this old guy acting like this?"
"L-leader?"
With a trembling voice, Wi Lip-san said,
"Thank goodness. Thank goodness! You’re all... you’re all really back!"
Chung Myung and Baek Cheon scratched their heads awkwardly. Well, it was nice to have someone welcoming them, at least.
"Waaahhh! Mount Hua Divine Dragon! Help me! Help me pull me out! My leg’s stuck!"
"Ah, that damn beggar old man! Seriously!"
Grinding his teeth, Chung Myung hauled Hong Dae-gwang up as he struggled. Along with him, the Beggars’ Sect members hanging off Hong Dae-gwang popped out one after another like sweet potatoes still clinging to their roots.
"Hey! Come out one at a time, damn it! You’re heavy!"
Chung Myung snapped in annoyance, but Hong Dae-gwang, seeming to have no strength left even to answer, simply collapsed the moment he got out.
"Huff! Huff! I really... really thought I was going to die. Honestly..."
Starting with Mount Hua and the Beggars’ Sect, the survivors began crawling out in a daze from inside. Only after everyone had emerged did the Wudang people come out last.
Heo Sanja looked up at the sky with a faintly hollow expression.
"...To think I’d see the sun again."
He had genuinely thought he was going to die.
If Chung Myung had not pulled off that bit of improvisation at the critical moment, they really would have been done for. It had been that close.
But the crisis was not over yet.
The groups who had been watching those who entered the Sword Tomb escape began to converge, gathering in a ring around the crater created by the collapse.
Heo Sanja frowned at the ominous energy rolling off them.
And then—
"No. Those bastards?"
Chung Myung’s eyes, already stretched to the edge of exploding with irritation, began to turn.