Wouldn’t It Be Better Than Dying of Frustration? (4)
“So....”
Heo Do-jin-in quietly set the teacup in his hand onto the table.
“You came back after being humiliated by those kids from Mount Hua?”
Heo San sat with his eyes closed, saying nothing.
“Heo San.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“How strange. This is certainly something you ought to be ashamed of, yet I don’t see the slightest trace of shame on your face. How am I supposed to take that?”
At the calm rebuke, Heo San let out a low sigh.
“Sect Leader.”
“Speak freely.”
“The reason I am not ashamed is that I did my very best.”
“....”
“If I had been careless or foolish and brought this upon myself, I would naturally have come before you to ask for your punishment. But....”
“You did your best, and the only thing lacking was the power to see it through, so there is nothing to be ashamed of?”
“Yes.”
Heo Do-jin-in’s brow tightened slightly.
Heo San possessed both caution and the ability to lead others, which was precisely why he was one of the people he trusted most. For such a man to say this much meant that the matter had truly been beyond human control.
“So you went to the Sword Tomb, came back having achieved nothing but humiliation, and you still say there’s nothing to be ashamed of....”
He lifted the teacup again, took a sip, and then exhaled slowly.
The cup clicked softly as he set it down once more.
“If you say so, then I suppose that’s that.”
“....Sect Leader.”
“If there had been nothing there to begin with, then there would have been nothing to bring back. I have no cause to blame you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
Heo Do-jin-in shook his head, and a bitter smile touched his lips.
“Excessive greed brings disaster. Even though our Wudang already possessed much, we still reached for more. It is fortunate we did not suffer greater loss. Forgive me for sending the disciples out and making them suffer for nothing.”
“How could that be your fault, Sect Leader?”
“I lost my reason to desire.” Heo Do-jin-in’s voice turned faintly self-mocking. “I was too captivated by the name Honwon Dan and the name Yakseon. To think Yakseon would have made such a place.”
He let out a dry laugh, as though he had been toyed with by a man from two hundred years ago.
“Is martial arts ultimately just emptiness? That certainly sounds like something a man would say after leaving behind nothing at all.”
Heo San tilted his head, as though the comment were hard to understand.
But Heo Do-jin-in did not bother explaining what he meant. Sometimes, it was better not to know.
He merely closed his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts, then opened them again and asked, “One thing, however.”
“Yes.”
“There is one part I cannot understand at all. You said you were evenly matched with a child from Mount Hua?”
“That is correct.”
Heo Do-jin-in’s brow furrowed.
Heo San’s martial ability could hardly be called outstanding even among Wudang’s elders. No—if judged by martial skill alone, he was actually somewhat lacking.
The problem was that, even so, Heo San was still an elder of Wudang. He should never, under any circumstances, have been engaged in a match with a child who looked barely old enough to be in his twenties.
And yet it was Heo San himself, of all people, who was admitting it?
“A genius?”
“A prodigy.”
Heo Do-jin-in gave a low sigh.
Heo San continued calmly, “If the match had continued as it was, I’m confident I would have won. But that’s an empty statement.”
“Of course. Winning would have been natural.”
“The problem is that I have no idea how long it would have taken to suppress that child. In other words....”
“You were evenly matched.”
“Yes.”
If what Heo San said was true, then the outcome could have been overturned by the condition of the body that day and a little luck. At that level, it was fair to call them nearly equal.
“Heh. A third-generation disciple of Mount Hua on even footing with a Wudang elder? I laughed it off when I heard that child had defeated Mu Jin too.”
It was no longer something that could be laughed away.
“A prodigy has appeared in Mount Hua.... A prodigy.”
As he fell into thought, Heo Do-jin-in’s hand shifted slightly restlessly. His fingers, which had been holding the heavy teacup, pressed again and again against its surface before lifting away.
Heo San, guessing at the Sect Leader’s tangled emotions, kept his mouth shut and waited for him to collect himself.
Only after the time it took for a cup of tea to go cold did Heo Do-jin-in speak again.
“Then we’ll leave it alone.”
“Is that all right?”
“I understand what you want to say. In the past, Mount Hua was a great Daoist sect, one that once nearly stood above Wudang in name. A prodigy emerging from such a place is certainly not something that can be ignored. However.”
His voice lowered.
“There is a limit to what a single genius can do. Especially in a sect as fallen as Mount Hua. That child will only end up dragging Mount Hua along until he wears himself out and collapses.”
“He was no ordinary child. Setting aside talent in martial arts, he also possessed judgment and boldness.”
“You seem to think very highly of him.”
Heo San nodded heavily.
“I even tried to persuade him to accept an invitation to become a disciple of Wudang if he wished.”
“....To that extent?”
“I told him he might even obtain the position of Sect Leader in the generations to come.”
Heo Do-jin-in’s brow furrowed.
That was clearly beyond the authority of an elder. And yet the fact that Heo San said it so openly meant that if Heo Do-jin-in had seen that child with his own eyes, he would likely have said the same thing.
Could there be any higher praise than that?
It was difficult.
This went beyond admiration and into the realm of acclaim.
And yet—
“Even so, nothing changes.”
“....”
“With the strength of a single person, one can only raise one’s own fame. It is impossible for one man alone to lead an entire sect. The strength of many must come together, and every one of them must possess a firm sense of self. That child cannot bear all of that.”
Heo Do-jin-in shook his head.
“Let us conclude this by merely strengthening our surveillance of Mount Hua a little.”
“Sect Leader, I still can’t shake my concern about that child.”
“There is no need to worry. By the time you see him again, you will understand what I meant.”
Heo San reluctantly nodded.
“Understood.”
“Get some rest. You have much to do.”
“Yes, Sect Leader. Then....”
Heo San bowed and rose to his feet.
Just as he reached the door as if to leave at once, he suddenly stopped again and turned back.
Then he asked, “But....”
“Hmm?”
Heo San turned slightly and looked at Heo Do-jin-in.
“What if that child knows what you just said?”
“....That a single person cannot lead a sect alone?”
“Yes.”
Heo Do-jin-in fell silent for a moment. Then he answered firmly, “That will not happen. And even if it did, nothing would change. Talent is not something one can simply will into existence.”
“....I see.”
Click.
After Heo San closed the door and left, Heo Do-jin-in quietly raised the teacup to his lips.
What if he knows, you ask?
The answer was the same.
That would not happen.
Because this had nothing to do with how extraordinary or brilliant that child happened to be.
All of this could only be learned through experience. And so long as one was still young and full of vigor, one could never truly grasp it.
By the time he did experience it and understand it for himself, that child would no longer be as young as he was now.
But if, by some absurd chance....
If, against all reason, such a thing were to happen?
Then one day, Mount Hua’s name might truly stand before Wudang’s.
Heo Do-jin-in let out a faint, dry laugh.
That’s thinking too far ahead.
Far too far.
* * *
Pa-a-a-a-a-ack!
“Aaaaahhhhh!”
Thud.
Jo Gul toppled onto his side, convulsed for a moment, then lifted trembling hands to grope at his own neck.
It was attached.
It hadn’t broken.
He had been worried that his neck might have snapped from how violently it had been twisted, but thankfully nothing seemed wrong.
And then the pain hit.
“Aaaagh!”
It hurt.
Humanly speaking, this was way too much pain.
As Jo Gul clutched his jaw and rolled around on the ground, Chung Myung clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Tsk tsk. Look at this drama queen.”
Jo Gul’s eyes rolled back.
Drama queen? This was drama?
For a second, he thought his jaw had fallen off.
“Quit whining and get up already. I still have so much affection for you, sa-hyung.”
That blasted affection twice over would grind a person into dust, you lunatic!
Jo Gul sprang to his feet with a wild look in his eyes.
At some point, every disciple of Mount Hua had begun thinking the same thing.
There is no escaping that bastard!
He was more persistent than a hunting dog, more tenacious than a mule. Once he set his mind on something, he would see it through by any means necessary.
Besides, running away and whining here would not make that fist lose any strength!
Then what?
“Aaaaargh! Just one hit! Let me land just one hit!”
Jo Gul flipped his eyes and charged at Chung Myung. What had somehow become a point-pressing session had turned into sparring, but Chung Myung seemed delighted by it, grinning from ear to ear.
Of course, smiling like that did not make him look kind.
What kind of human being grinned brightly while smashing his sa-hyung’s skull?
“That’s it, that’s it! Come at me!”
Pa-a-a-a-ack!
“Your waist is open!”
Pa-a-a-a-a-ack!
“Sa-hyung! Sa-hyung!”
“What?”
“Your foot is open!”
CRUNCH!
In the end, tears welled up in Jo Gul’s eyes.
The top of his foot, stomped on by Chung Myung, screamed in agony.
“Waist! Waist! Waist! Waist! Waaaiiiist!”
Jo Gul was newly discovering just how many different parts of the human body could be called a waist.
It was all one waist, so how could he get beaten in so many separate places?
“Grrk!”
Jo Gul folded over at the waist and lost half his mind. At that, Chung Myung immediately sent him flying with a clean round kick.
A faint scream rang out in the air.
“Next!”
Chung Myung’s eyes flashed as he searched for his next prey. Yu I-seol, catching sight of that look, tightened her grip on her sword and said with dignity, “Don’t hold back because I’m a woman....”
Pow!
“Huh? What was that?”
“...Nothing.”
Yu I-seol bared her teeth and lunged at Chung Myung. Her sword stabbed toward his throat with terrifying sharpness.
She looked ready to slit his throat regardless of martial brother, sister, or whatever else he was.
Chung Myung looked at that razor edge of intent and smiled with deep satisfaction.
“Now that’s killing intent.”
Pow!
Ducking Yu I-seol’s sword in a blur, Chung Myung began methodically battering her entire body.
“You seem to have misunderstood what it means to be light!”
Pow, pow, pow!
“Releasing force isn’t the same as being light. The force has to move lightly, idiot. Just waving it around carelessly is something a three-year-old can do, too!”
“Nghhh!”
Yu I-seol screamed and thrust her sword forward with every ounce of strength she had. Chung Myung’s body quivered for a moment, and then he appeared behind her.
“There we go, your back!”
In one breath, he unleashed twelve consecutive strikes, slapping at Yu I-seol’s back hard enough to make it feel as if he were trying to burst it open, then spun on his heel.
“Done!”
Thud.
Yu I-seol collapsed onto the ground, twitching weakly.
“All right, looks like we’ve done enough for now....”
Chung Myung smiled brightly at the senior brothers and sisters sprawled across the ground.
“Let’s rest a bit and do it again.”
“You bastard!!”
“Are you even human? How are you still human after this?”
“My ancestors! What kind of junior beats up his senior brothers like this?”
Those who had been lying there bolted up like lightning and hurled every insult they could think of at Chung Myung.
“Huh? What? I can’t hear you because you’re too weak.”
When Chung Myung cupped a hand to his ear, the volume of the curses only grew louder.
And from farther away, watching the whole scene, Lee Bo of the Eunha Merchant Guild finally broke into a deeply satisfied smile.
It’s a complete madhouse.
At last, he understood why the young guild master had told him to be careful around Chung Myung.