No, But Those Bastards? (5)
SLURP.
As the tea was poured into the cup, its fragrance spread through the room, subtle and soothing rather than sharp or overpowering.
It was a scent that suited Shaolin perfectly.
Abbot Beop Jeong, the master of Shaolin, gently pushed the cup forward and smiled.
"I hope the tea suits your taste."
Hyun Jong bowed his head as though he were deeply honored.
"How could I speak of taste and no taste when this is tea poured by the Abbot himself? This is a luxury I have never before received in my life."
Beop Jeong quietly shook his head.
"Tea is simply tea. Whether poured by an emperor or by a common man, it remains the same tea. Please, drink comfortably."
"Yes, thank you."
Hyun Jong accepted the cup and let his gaze drift around the room.
Unlike the breathtaking scenery of Shaolin, the Abbot’s quarters were so plain they were almost shabby.
Indeed.
Beop Jeong himself did not seem particularly remarkable either.
For a man with such an enormous name as Shaolin’s Abbot, there was nothing especially imposing about the person sitting before him.
Aside from the dignity lent by the yellow robe around his body, he looked like nothing more than an ordinary old monk one might find anywhere.
And yet that was precisely why Hyun Jong had no choice but to esteem him even more.
He knew better than most how difficult it was to sit in a lofty place and then willingly set aside the authority that seat bestowed.
He truly is worthy of the heavy position of Shaolin Abbot.
Hyun Jong admired him inwardly as he looked at Beop Jeong.
Then Beop Jeong set down his teacup and said, "You must have had a hard journey coming all this way."
Each word carried a gentle warmth.
"If one compares us to those who have come from truly distant lands, how could those of us from Shaanxi dare call our journey long? More than that, thank you for agreeing to meet me on such short notice."
Beop Jeong looked at Hyun Jong, then smiled faintly, deep wrinkles gathering at the corners of his eyes.
"No, I should be the one to thank you. I had assumed I would naturally meet the sect leaders once they arrived, but for some reason none of them came to see me first. Sect Leader, you have saved my face."
Hyun Jong let out a wry smile.
How could anyone not hesitate to face the Abbot of Shaolin? They simply found him too burdensome to approach first.
Hyun Jong himself had only made a casual request without expecting much of it, and now that he had been ushered in so unexpectedly, he was still a little flustered.
"So…"
Beop Jeong looked at him quietly, then began, "I hear Mount Hua’s momentum has been very strong lately. I’m told Hye Bang, who visited Mount Hua, was quite impressed."
"Ha…"
Of course he had been impressed.
He’d seen Chung Myung.
"That is a good thing. I had long felt saddened that Mount Hua, one of the Central Plains’ great sects and a sword sect besides, was slowly losing its strength. But seeing you now, Sect Leader, I can tell how bright Mount Hua’s future is. Amitabha."
Beop Jeong recited the Buddha’s name and slightly bowed his head.
Hyun Jong, a little startled, returned the gesture with his palms pressed together.
"So I hear that Mount Hua did well at the Hwajong Jihoe? Sect Leader, you must truly have suffered."
"I am ashamed. How could that possibly be my merit? It is thanks to the efforts of the children of our sect."
Beop Jeong’s eyes, clear and still as water, lightly swept over Hyun Jong.
"Sect Leader."
"Yes, Abbot. Please speak."
"If you do well at this competition, Mount Hua’s momentum will certainly rise even further."
"That is what I hope."
"But be careful."
Be careful?
That sudden and somewhat puzzling remark left Hyun Jong wordless as he stared at Beop Jeong.
The old monk exhaled softly and said, "Humans are truly lamentable beings. Those who can fully accept another’s joy as their own are few. Most carry envy and jealousy in their hearts."
"…"
"Mount Hua may also become a target of such jealousy, so please be cautious."
Hyun Jong gave a low cough. Then, with a gentle smile, he quietly looked at Beop Jeong.
"Thank you very much for your concern, Master. However, Mount Hua has not yet climbed high enough to become the object of other sects’ envy."
"Hmm."
"So I will set that worry aside for now and focus only on achieving a good result at this competition."
"Amitabha. It seems I have worried needlessly."
Watching Beop Jeong murmur the Buddha’s name, Hyun Jong straightened his posture.
He is simplicity itself.
But there was absolutely no way this was all there was to him.
The Shaolin Abbot who led the thousand-year-old Shaolin Sect could never be an ordinary man.
He was surely dissecting and evaluating Hyun Jong in every detail even now.
Hyun Jong did not know what verdict he would receive.
Still, I should at least make an impression.
That way things would be easier the next time they had to face each other.
Just as Hyun Jong was about to say something else, he paused.
"Hm."
Sensing commotion outside, Hyun Jong and Beop Jeong both turned their heads slightly.
Unlike Hyun Jong, who frowned faintly, Beop Jeong remained serenely calm.
"There is no need to concern yourself."
"…Pardon?"
Beop Jeong smiled faintly.
"When this many people gather, small and large accidents are bound to happen. Most of them are nothing serious, so you needn’t worry."
But those words only made Hyun Jong turn pale.
Accident?
Small and large accidents?
Seeing his expression change, Beop Jeong tilted his head.
"What is the matter?"
"Ah… ha ha. It’s just that…"
Hyun Jong was exceptionally skilled at self-assessment. And that self-assessment applied not only to himself, but to Mount Hua as well.
However many people are gathered here…
If there was any accident to speak of, Mount Hua could not be excluded from the picture.
Were there any other troublemakers in the middle of Shaolin who might provoke a scene?
No way.
Hyun Jong shot to his feet.
"Sect Leader?"
When Beop Jeong gave him a puzzled look, Hyun Jong flinched and said awkwardly, "S-sorry. I was just wondering what sort of trouble had happened outside…"
"Ah. If that is the case."
Beop Jeong glanced toward the door and said quietly, "Kongsim."
At once, a careful voice came from beyond the door.
"Yes, Abbot."
"What happened outside?"
"It appears the disciples of another sect visiting the main temple have collided."
"Hmm."
Beop Jeong wore a wry smile.
He had been prepared for incidents of one kind or another from the moment so many hot-blooded young people gathered together.
But to think there would be bold fools causing trouble on the very first day the gates were opened.
"Which sects?"
"Hainan and Mount Hua, they say."
"Yes. Hainan and…"
Huh?
"…Where?"
"Hainan and Mount Hua."
"Mount Hua. Yes, Mount Hua… Mount Hua, then…"
Beop Jeong slowly lifted his head.
"…"
When his eyes met Hyun Jong’s, Hyun Jong twitched.
"…"
For a moment, an awkward silence descended like hell itself.
Even Beop Jeong, the Abbot of all Shaolin, seemed at a loss for words.
"I-I think I’d better go quickly."
"Ah…"
"Th-then!"
Hyun Jong scrambled out of the room.
Beop Jeong reflexively reached out after him, then let out a dry laugh and withdrew his hand. Slowly, he rose to his feet.
Mount Hua, huh.
What a bunch of hot-tempered young brats.
"How ridiculous."
It seemed he would need to go see for himself.
With a bitter smile, Beop Jeong slowly stepped out of the room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"…What the hell did that bastard just say?"
He’d make them crawl all the way to Hainan?
"What?"
Gwak Hwanso, the foremost among the second-generation disciples of the Hainan Sect, could not hide his disbelief as he stared at Baek Cheon.
Looking at Baek Cheon, who had stabbed his sword into the ground, sheath and all, and stood there with his arms folded, he felt something hot surge up from his gut.
The man’s words and actions were more than enough to make him furious.
What made Gwak Hwanso even angrier was that the arrogant way Baek Cheon stood there, arms crossed, looked strangely cool.
That pale-faced bastard!
As a proud sea warrior of Hainan, he could not accept that such a look was cool.
No. If anything, that bronze-skinned one behind him…
"…You guys take boats?"
"What’s he talking about?"
"N-no."
Gwak Hwanso found himself tilting his head before he knew it.
Why did those Central Plains rat-faces give off the scent of rough sea warriors?
Then a voice like an impatient nudge came from behind him.
"Senior Brother."
"Ahem."
Only then did Gwak Hwanso regain his senses. Frowning irritably, he raised his voice.
"You ruined sect trash sure do have sharp tongues. If this were any other day, I’d never let you off, but this time I’ll be generous…"
At that moment, Baek Cheon lifted one hand slightly and cut him off.
"…What?"
Gwak Hwanso’s speech was suddenly severed. His face twisted as he glared, and Baek Cheon said lazily, "Looks like Hainan fights with its mouth. Mount Hua fights with swords. If you want a fight, come on. If not, get lost. I don’t have the hobby of chasing down cowards and beating them."
"…That bastard?"
Gwak Hwanso bristled and looked ready to spring forward at once, but hands shot out from both sides and grabbed him in a panic.
"Senior Brother!"
"Don’t forget where you are."
"Grrr!"
Gwak Hwanso’s eyes bloodshot, he glared at Baek Cheon.
Damn it. If this weren’t Shaolin…
However much they were disciples of Hainan, they did not have the nerve to draw swords against another sect within Shaolin’s grounds.
"Be glad you’re lucky. If this weren’t Shaolin, you’d be a pulp by now."
"Ah. So you’re saying you’re going to run away? Fine. Then run."
Baek Cheon’s sneering tone sent Gwak Hwanso’s anger soaring to his skull. His whole body trembled.
Then, grinding his teeth so hard they might crack, he growled, "You filthy rag-clad trash don't even know your place!"
Watching him roar like an enraged boar, Yoon Jong and Jo Gul both let out sighs.
Senior Uncle has already reached a new level when it comes to provoking people.
What do you expect? He learned from the best.
As Baek Cheon shattered half of Gwak Hwanso’s reason with those flung-out taunts, the Mount Hua disciples all looked on in admiration.
Yes, if you’re Mount Hua’s senior disciple, you can’t lose even with your mouth.
By contrast, Gwak Hwanso, who was losing purely in verbal combat, looked so furious he was about to lose his mind entirely.
Mount Hua Sect.
A sect that had once been among the Nine Great Sects, now reduced to a fallen sect that had lost its place to Hainan.
And yet those damned fools were daring to provoke Hainan?
Unable to contain his rage, he heard one of his junior brothers speak to him.
"Please endure it, Senior Brother. Those bastards are just going to leave in disgrace anyway. There’s no need for us to dirty our hands. If word gets out in Shaolin that Hainan beat up Mount Hua disciples, wouldn’t the Abbot be furious?"
"Uuugh."
At his junior brother’s words, Gwak Hwanso let out a harsh breath, then nodded after a moment.
He really was worked up, but he could not make a scene here. At least that much reason remained in him.
"Hah. Fine. We’ll let this go this time. But you’d best watch yourselves. Anyone who meets us in this tournament should be prepared to lose a bone. On the arena grounds, you’ll get a taste of Hainan’s sword that you won’t be able to enjoy here."
With that stern warning, he shot Baek Cheon one last glare and turned with a dramatic flourish.
And then, right at that moment—
"Who said you were allowed to leave?"
"…Huh?"
He lifted his head slightly.
From farther back, a bastard with mischief practically smeared all over his face came walking out at a lazy pace. Then, standing there at a slant, he spoke in a bored voice.
"Why are kids these days so spineless? That wasn’t how things were in my day. Once you start a fight, you keep going until only one bastard is left standing. What is this? You just yammer with your mouth and then try to sneak off? Is that how they teach you in Hainan?"
"What?"
Gwak Hwanso stared at Chung Myung in utter disbelief.
Looks like he’s a third-generation disciple, doesn’t he?
A third-generation disciple was daring to step forward in a situation like this?
"And who the hell are you?"
"None of your damn business, asshole."
At that unexpected insult, Gwak Hwanso’s eyes flew wide open.
Chung Myung snickered at the reaction, then unsheathed his sword and tossed it to the ground.
"What? You can’t fight with swords in Shaolin? Then use your fists. Come here. I’ll twist that ugly jaw of yours neatly to the other side."
"Th-…"
"Ah, what, are you already so scared you took off your drawers and ran? Why is there no news from you?"
Gwak Hwanso’s cheek twitched violently.
"S-Senior Brother."
"Enough!"
His eyes now looked half deranged, as though he had lost the rest of his reason.
"I know perfectly well that this is Shaolin. But if we’re humiliated this badly and still just back down, what will the world think of us?"
At his words, Gwak Hwanso’s junior brothers glanced around.
Onlookers were already gathering. It was awkward, but it was too late to retreat now. They could not let people think Hainan was running away from Mount Hua.
"Fine! So you want to throw fists, huh?"
Gwak Hwanso glared back.
"Looks like you think you can’t beat us with swords, but you might have a chance with bare hands. I’ll show you that no matter what you do, Mount Hua can’t possibly beat us. Go back and learn exactly why you were driven out of the Nine Great Sects."
At once, the disciples of Hainan drew their swords and stabbed them into the ground.
Seeing that, Jo Gul jerked his head around to look at Yoon Jong.
"What do we do?"
"What do you mean, what do we do?"
Yoon Jong grinned and drew his sword, stabbing it into the ground.
"First we smash his mouth in. Mount Hua this, the Nine Sects that? I’m taking that bastard."
"…"
Seeing Yoon Jong’s eyes already turned over with fury, Jo Gul smiled brightly.
We’re beyond saving now.
There was no rational person left here.
Well, then what was there to do?
Jo Gul had no choice but to throw himself into the flow too.
With all their swords cast aside, the disciples of Hainan and Mount Hua stood glaring at one another in a standoff.
Chung Myung rolled his neck left and right a couple of times.
"Not causing trouble is important too. But!"
His eyes glinted wildly.
"Beating the bastards who insulted Mount Hua is even more important! If you’re not some beast, you can’t just stand there while the sect that fed you and raised you gets dragged through the mud!"
It was a very simple but devastatingly effective incitement. Madness began to bloom in the eyes of Mount Hua’s disciples.
"Bury them!"
"Ooooooh! Crack their heads open!"
With a roar, the disciples of Chung Myung—no, the disciples of Mount Hua—charged at the disciples of Hainan all at once.