Why Are You Acting Like That? (5)
Yoon Jong swallowed hard.
The gazes of countless people were fixed on him now—the Beast Palace warriors, the Beast Palace guardians, and even the Beast Palace Lord himself.
His legs felt just a little wobbly.
Then, the Beast Palace Lord’s thunderous voice rolled over him.
“I’ve heard that you used your own money in Kunming to help feed the poor.”
Yoon Jong gave a slight nod.
If he opened his mouth and tried to answer carelessly, his voice would probably shake.
“Why?”
“...Pardon?”
The Beast Palace Lord pressed him hard. “You’re a man from the Central Plains. You came here on a mission. So why did you do something like that? It certainly wasn’t the sort of thing that would keep you from standing out.”
Yoon Jong pressed his lips together.
He had already discussed this with Jo Gul. But this time... he might need to say something different.
He closed his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts, then lifted his head and met the Beast Palace Lord’s eyes.
“I’m not sure I understand the meaning of the question.”
“I asked why you did it.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“Hmm?”
Yoon Jong’s trembling stopped. He drew a slow breath, then looked straight at the Beast Palace Lord.
“Does a person need a reason to help another person?”
“...”
The answer seemed so unexpected that the Beast Palace Lord actually flinched a little.
“Whether they’re a Yunnan native or from the Central Plains doesn’t matter. If there are people in front of me who need help, I help them. That is what I was taught in my sect.”
As Yoon Jong spoke with calm certainty, Chung Myung and Jo Gul muttered under their breath.
“Well, it was a bit much.”
“Yeah. Way too much.”
Those bastards...
“Ahem.”
After a loud cough, Yoon Jong faced the palace lord again, his expression free of even the slightest hesitation.
“So what, you’re saying that if you met the same sort of situation again, you’d do exactly the same thing?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Yoon Jong shook his head firmly. “That isn’t what the Dao is. If you call something the Dao, it is no longer the Dao. Circumstances and the heart are never the same, so how could the situation ever truly be the same? I simply act as my heart leads me.”
“As your heart leads you.”
The corners of the Beast Palace Lord’s mouth lifted slightly.
“So at the time, you simply felt like helping them.”
“Yes.”
“Even if it meant selling the sword of your sect.”
“...”
Why did he keep bringing up the sword?
“I do regret it.”
“Then you mean you’re sorry for it?”
“I regret it. But I don’t regret helping them.”
Yoon Jong spoke with unmistakable conviction. That made the palace lord tilt his head slightly and ask again, “An odd thing to say. What do you mean by that?”
Yoon Jong seemed to choose his words carefully, closing his mouth for a moment. Then, after a short pause, he spoke.
“It was wrong of me to act carelessly and put my sect brothers in danger. That is something I should reflect on, and something I ought to blame myself for. But I cannot be ashamed of helping people.”
Yoon Jong closed his eyes briefly.
Then he opened them again and looked at the Beast Palace Lord.
“Mount Hua is everything to me. That is why I am not ashamed of what I did. If it were the Mount Hua I know, it would value the safety of starving people far more than some sword. At the very least, that is how I was taught, and that is how I have acted.”
“Even if it goes against the will of your sect?”
“Would Mount Hua ever teach me that swords are more important than people who are dying?”
His tone was growing sharper now, the questions seeming to provoke him more and more.
“A Taoist who climbs a mountain and talks about the Dao is ultimately just a selfish man turning away from the storms of the world and pursuing only his own safety! That is precisely why a Taoist must know the world and pay attention to it! The Dao isn’t something you keep in your heart—it’s something you act out with your hands and feet!”
Yoon Jong’s voice rang clearly through everyone’s ears.
“If it were my sect leader, he’d sell even his beard if that’s what it took to save them. Of course Mount Hua’s glory is important. But if it doesn’t lead to a better life for the people of the world, then what is that glory even for? Just for the meager amusement of a few Daoists?”
Little by little, his shoulders straightened with pride.
All the confusion inside him shattered and reordered itself.
“I’ve been searching for this answer all along. Why must it be Mount Hua? Why must Mount Hua seek the glory of the past? Do you know the answer?”
“What is it?”
“There isn’t one!”
“...”
It was an odd answer.
And yet there was undeniable certainty in Yoon Jong’s voice.
“There isn’t a reason—we have to create that reason ourselves. If Mount Hua’s glory makes the lives of the people in this world a little easier, then every disciple of Mount Hua can proudly boast of that glory. But if it remains nothing more than Mount Hua’s own glory, then Mount Hua is no different from a sect that can be replaced by any other at any time!”
Yoon Jong’s voice hardened with resolve.
The answer to a question he had carried for so long now came into the world through his own mouth.
“I’ll make Mount Hua into a place that cannot be replaced. I’ll make it a place where everyone in this world can rejoice in Mount Hua’s glory together! That is the mission I have as a disciple of Mount Hua!”
The Beast Palace Lord shuddered.
How can he...
He was unwavering.
This wasn’t a matter of whether his direction was right or wrong.
This boy understood everything—what he had to do, what role he must fulfill as a martial artist, and what he should pursue as someone who sought both martial and Daoist ideals.
Was there anyone among the Beast Palace warriors of his age who could claim even a fraction of that insight?
Mount Hua.
The sect that had produced the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
He had only ever heard of the greatness of their swordsmanship...
Yes. Mount Hua was a Daoist sect.
Mount Hua was a sect created by Daoists who pursued the Dao. And that Dao had clearly passed into this boy.
So much so that even the Beast Palace Lord, listening to him, felt his head bow of its own accord.
He closed his eyes.
He himself had also avoided danger under the guise of reality.
Without shame.
The Beast Palace Lord opened his eyes wide.
“Beast Palace warriors, listen well!”
“Yes!”
“From this moment on, all Central Plains merchant groups are forbidden from entering Yunnan!”
“Yes!”
“From here on out, all trade between Yunnan and the Central Plains will be conducted only through merchant groups acting as Mount Hua’s代理—no, through merchant groups representing Mount Hua!”
“P-Palace Lord!”
“Please, reconsider...”
“Shut up!”
The Beast Palace Lord roared in fury.
“How much more do you intend to shame me? A man with no connection to Yunnan whatsoever is trying to feed Yunnan’s poor by selling his own sword, and you expect me, the Beast Palace Lord, to turn my back on them just to preserve some old instruction? Is that really the pride you want? Is that what it amounts to?”
The Beast Palace Lord’s face had turned red as fire.
It showed just how furious he was.
“What’s wrong with what they said? Wouldn’t the ancestors have wanted the people of Yunnan to go hungry? If that were the kind of ancestors we had, then we have no need to respect them either. If I ever meet our forebears in the afterlife, I’ll be the first to stand straight and say it! I’ll tell them the people of Yunnan mattered more to me than some old instruction!”
The guardians lowered their heads deeply.
Did they not also care for the people of Yunnan?
The leading guardian stepped forward then and bowed to the Beast Palace Lord.
“Please do as you wish, Palace Lord.”
“...”
“I’ll be the first to meet our ancestors in the afterlife, so I’ll be the first to stick out my neck and ask forgiveness. What is the problem if only I get cursed and the people of Yunnan can be happy?”
“...First Guardian.”
“It’s been a long time. Far too long. I think we’ve all done enough by now. We were old and foolish, so we didn’t understand. Thanks to that Mount Hua Daoist, we’ve come to our senses. We were chasing after something empty. It’s a relief we’ve realized it now, even if it’s late.”
The Beast Palace Lord nodded.
“Hear me!”
“Yes, Palace Lord!”
“I will permit no further objections! If you acknowledge me as the Beast Palace Lord and respect my authority, then you will say nothing more about this! I will give Mount Hua exclusive trade rights and reopen commerce with the Central Plains!”
“We obey!”
The Beast Palace warriors all knelt at once and bowed their heads.
Then the Beast Palace Lord, Maeng So, looked over everyone once before slowly descending the steps.
Walking up to Chung Myung and Yoon Jong, he smiled broadly.
“I have nothing to say except thank you.”
“Think nothing of it. I’m just glad it worked out.”
At Chung Myung’s words, he laughed in good spirits and nodded.
“I had accepted the descendants of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint as guests of the Beast Palace. But that was a decision tinged with other motives.”
“...”
“But not any longer. From this moment on, I will recognize you—not as descendants of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, but as disciples of Mount Hua—as both guests and friends of the Beast Palace. From now on, Mount Hua’s disciples will receive no different treatment anywhere in Yunnan from the members of the Beast Palace, and they will never be discriminated against simply for being from the Central Plains!”
Baek Cheon stepped forward.
Chung Myung and Yoon Jong moved aside left and right, and Baek Cheon took the center before cupping his hands respectfully toward the Beast Palace Lord.
“On behalf of Mount Hua, I thank you for your generosity, Palace Lord.”
“You’ve come at just the right time. Truly...”
The Beast Palace Lord looked up at the sky.
The sun of Yunnan blazed down fiercely. He lowered his gaze and gripped Baek Cheon’s hand tightly.
“I’m truly glad you came.”
“We’re glad we came to Yunnan as well.”
Baek Cheon smiled softly and nodded. This time, the Beast Palace Lord turned to Yoon Jong.
“And... Yoon Jong Daoist.”
“Yes, Palace Lord.”
“I’ve learned many things thanks to you, Yoon Jong Daoist. Though I am a crude man and do not truly know what the Dao is or what is right, I at least now know that Mount Hua possesses the Dao.”
“I’m humbled.”
“Come by Yunnan from time to time and teach us your Dao.”
“I’m only a young Daoist still walking the path of learning. Compared with the vast Dao held by the sect leader and the elders, what I have is no more than the foolish rambling of a wicked man.”
“Hahaha! Then we’ll have to go visit your sect leader ourselves. We can’t ask him to travel this far, after all.”
Laughing heartily, the Beast Palace Lord then gave Chung Myung’s shoulder a few proud thumps.
“If Mount Hua possesses both Dao and martial might, then it won’t be long before you reclaim the glory of the past. Can the Beast Palace play a role in that?”
“Eh. If you want to suffer for no reason, how are we supposed to stop you?”
“What was that? Kwa-hahahahahaha!”
The Beast Palace Lord really did beat Chung Myung’s shoulder with all his excitement.
“...I’m going to die like this.”
“Ah—right!”
Chung Myung, who had almost been driven up to his knees in the ground, groaned as he pulled his feet free.
Then he grumbled, “Anyway, it turned out well, and a deal’s a deal, so make sure you keep your end of it. Don’t slack off.”
“Of course. A man’s word is worth a thousand gold pieces!”
“Yeah, I’ll trust you. We’re friends, after all.”
“Hahaha! Right, friends!”
The two men smiled at each other and shook hands.
“Well then. Will you stay a few more days before leaving? The newly brewed peach blossom wine is just about ready.”
“Hmm. That’s a wonderful invitation, but I think we should head back now.”
“Already?”
“Yes. There are people waiting for us so hard they’re probably stretching their necks out.”
Chung Myung turned his head and looked into the distance.
We’ve been away for a long time.
He was already missing it.
The sheer, steep mountains.
The scent wafting from the altar.
And the laughter of the sect leader and elders as they smiled brightly while looking at them.
“A disciple of Mount Hua can’t live away from Mount Hua for long. It’s time we go.”
“That’s a shame.”
“No need to worry. We’ll see each other again. If anything happens in Yunnan, we’ll come running at once.”
“Hahaha. That’s as reassuring as anything could be!”
After saying their farewells to the reluctant Beast Palace Lord, Mount Hua’s disciples slung their bundles over their shoulders and walked out through the main gate of the Beast Palace.
And then, at that moment—
“Our guests are departing.”
Thud!
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Beast Palace warriors lined up there all stamped their feet in unison. With so many martial artists pounding the ground at once, the earth trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
“The Beast Palace never forgets its friends!”
“The Beast Palace never forgets its friends!”
Following the Beast Palace Lord’s lead, the warriors shouted until their voices were raw.
Mount Hua’s disciples turned back.
The sight of the Beast Palace warriors stomping the ground while facing them was etched clearly into their eyes. At that sight, all manner of feelings washed over them, and the disciples of Mount Hua felt their throats tighten just a little.
They had been dragged in when they arrived, but they were leaving as friends.
“We’ll see you again!”
Baek Cheon shouted loudly and cupped his hands toward them.
Then, shaking off even the faintest lingering regret, he turned around.
The best parting was a clean one.
They would meet again, so there was no reason to cling to regret.
So then...
It was time to go back.
Back to Mount Hua, where everyone was waiting!