Mount Hua Walks Its Own Path (3)
"...We won."
Baek Cheon spoke in a trembling voice.
They had won.
At last, that damned Chung Myung had even beaten Hye Yeon of Shaolin.
"That damn bastard...."
Baek Cheon bit down hard on his lip.
He should have been happy.
He should have been leaping with joy at the flood of relief and triumph rushing through him.
But he couldn't. If he opened his mouth again, it felt like tears would spill out at once.
Even now, holding back his tears by clamping his lips shut and gripping the hem of his robe was an act of desperate will.
"Sasuk!"
Perhaps they all felt the same. Even Yoon Jong, clutching at his shoulder, had a quaver in his voice.
How tightly had they been wound? How long had they been holding their breath?
Chung Myung never lost.
That was an unshakable belief among Mount Hua's disciples.
And because of that, they had worried all the more.
Of course, even if Chung Myung had returned in defeat, their faith would not have wavered in the slightest. But Chung Myung himself would never have been able to accept that defeat.
So they had wanted him to win, no matter what.
If the knees of the one who silently carried Mount Hua on his small back were to buckle, the ones watching would have suffered as though their own kneecaps had been cut away.
"...He won, Sasuk! That guy won!"
Jo Gul shouted, clenching both fists.
"Yes. He won...."
And then, at that very moment.
Yu I-seol, who had been quietly watching the ring, spoke in a subdued voice.
"...Different from usual."
"...Huh?"
Baek Cheon turned to her, puzzled.
"What are you talking about?"
"...That."
Yu I-seol's expression was, unusually, a little ambiguous.
"Thinking something bad."
"...."
"Huh?"
Baek Cheon's head snapped toward the ring.
No, wait—could it be?
Heo Do-jin-in could not tear his eyes away from Chung Myung as he pointed his sword at Hye Yeon.
And he did not seem to be the only one who was shocked.
"...Wasn't that just Buddha's Radiance?"
"Good heavens. He learned Buddha's Radiance too, and even after unleashing it...."
The sect leaders were left speechless.
Buddha's Radiance was considered the finest defensive form among the Seventy-Two Supreme Arts.
Of course, no matter how much of a genius Hye Yeon was, he was still young, so he could not possibly have mastered it to perfection. But even so, Buddha's Radiance was still Buddha's Radiance.
And yet Chung Myung had pierced through that supreme defense and forced Hye Yeon to his knees.
"...So the real genius was someone else entirely."
"Indeed."
"He was called the greatest rising star under heaven, but I had thought the title was a bit overstated.... Now it feels as though that title itself failed to capture the boy properly."
Praise poured out in a torrent.
But Heo Do-jin-in could read the subtle current of feeling hidden beneath those words.
Schadenfreude.
And embarrassment.
Schadenfreude born from the fact that Shaolin, after spending a fortune to prepare the Heavenly Summit Martial Meet, had ended up handing its glory to Mount Hua.
And embarrassment from those who had been inwardly pricked by Chung Myung's words earlier, now disguising that shame with even more exaggerated praise.
So, this is what people are like in the end.
Heo Do-jin-in knew it well.
Everyone here might be a sect leader of the Nine Great Sects, and they might all swagger about with great dignity, but in the end they were still people. Having a high position did not automatically make one refined, nor did it make one privy to some great truth.
They were simply those who were a little stronger and a little smarter, enough to seize the seat of sect leader. Or perhaps they had been born into a superior lineage.
"The result turned out a little different from what everyone expected. The Abbot must have a rather complicated mind right now."
"So it seems."
Heo Do-jin-in glanced sideways at Beop Jeong.
As expected, the old monk's face had stiffened into something that could not possibly be more miserable.
And for good reason.
At this point, it would have been better not to make it to the finals at all.
Better than losing to Mount Hua before the eyes of every martial artist in the world who had gathered to watch.
Everything Shaolin had prepared to present to Hye Yeon would instead become Mount Hua and the Mount Hua Divine Dragon's. Since they had prepared so carefully, they would now have to give up even more than they intended.
And besides....
This will shake the entire martial world.
Possessing the greatest rising star under heaven was not something to be taken lightly.
What was more, Mount Hua had now proved that its younger generation truly stood at the pinnacle. This victory would serve as the exclamation point on that proof.
What would become of a sect that possessed both the strongest rising stars of the present and the strongest martial artist of the future?
Even the people gathered here were probably already thinking about how to curry favor with Mount Hua. If this snowball kept rolling downhill so steeply, then perhaps....
The order of the martial world, long defined by the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, could collapse.
And perhaps this was the price for the sins of the Nine Great Sects.
If Mount Hua had still belonged to the Nine Great Sects at this moment, the result of this martial conference would have ended at little more than a change in internal ranking among the orthodox sects.
But Mount Hua was no longer part of the Nine Great Sects, and to bring it back into that fold, one of the sects would have to be driven out.
Who would do such a thing?
Shaolin, which had already been pushed back and had surrendered the initiative to Mount Hua?
Heo Do-jin-in smiled faintly as he stared at Beop Jeong.
Abbot. Your insides must be in utter chaos.
Beop Jeong's fist, hidden within the folds of his golden robes, was clenched so tightly that it looked ready to bleed.
Even as he watched Chung Myung point his sword at Hye Yeon's throat, he still could not believe it.
How am I supposed to deal with this? Amitabha.
Everyone gathered here had seen Shaolin's pride being crushed with their own eyes. Words travel a thousand li without rest; today's events would race through the mouths of the people and spread across the world in no time.
Beop Jeong grimaced and bit his lip, then forcibly smoothed his expression.
I must appear composed.
If he could show composure even in defeat, the world would believe Shaolin still retained its strength.
For those already prepared to believe in Shaolin's resilience, merely giving them room to imagine was enough.
Slowly, Beop Jeong loosened his whitened fist.
What he had to do now was simple.
Praise that Mount Hua Divine Dragon.
Even the defeated had a dignity they must uphold.
By acknowledging Chung Myung and elevating his status, the victor would gain legitimacy, and Shaolin would also preserve its own dignity by admitting defeat willingly.
Beop Jeong rose slowly to his feet.
First, I will declare the Mount Hua Divine Dragon's victory and acknowledge our defeat.
The plan had gone awry, so it would take a little more time, but if he could just cleanly manage this, there would still come a day when Shaolin's power would prove itself.
"This martial match is—"
It was right as Beop Jeong was about to declare Chung Myung the winner.
Whoosh.
Chung Myung sheathed his sword, then spun around sharply.
Beop Jeong's mouth closed awkwardly.
Declaring victory over someone who was already walking away would not look good.
The victor should stop in place before the words of triumph rang out. That was the proper way of things.
After turning away, Chung Myung looked around, then picked up the scabbard of his plum blossom sword lying on the ground and slid the blade back inside.
Srrng.
Then he wore the sword at his waist again and straightened his clothes.
Beop Jeong nodded heavily.
At least he is a disciple of Mount Hua.
The boy's manners were rough, but he did seem to know how to bring a fair contest to its end.
And perhaps Beop Jeong's thought was not far off, because after setting his clothes in order, Chung Myung straightened himself up. Then he brought both hands together.
Now all he had to do was extend those hands in salute, and Beop Jeong could declare Chung Myung the winner.
For the moment, Chung Myung would take all the glory, but someday....
That was when it happened.
Hm?
Chung Myung, hands joined, glanced sidelong at Beop Jeong.
It was not an especially strange action. Throughout the entire match, and even before it, that Mount Hua Divine Dragon had kept acting as though he were aware of Beop Jeong's presence.
And yet Beop Jeong felt a sudden flicker of alarm because of the faintly crooked smile hanging on Chung Myung's lips.
A smile?
Of course there was nothing strange about smiling.
He had just secured victory in the Heavenly Summit Martial Meet, so it would have been stranger if he did not smile.
And yet that smile made Beop Jeong inexplicably uneasy.
Chung Myung and Beop Jeong's eyes met once more.
The moment he saw the faint curve in Chung Myung's eyes, Beop Jeong's heart sank.
No!
He could not tell exactly what the boy was about to do, but there was no doubt he was planning something.
Determined not to watch that happen, Beop Jeong opened his mouth to shout almost convulsively.
But before he could even speak, Chung Myung thrust his hands forward in salute to Hye Yeon and shouted loudly, "Mount Hua's Chung Myung knows his limitations and hereby forfeits this match."
Beop Jeong's body went stone-still on the spot.
Hye Yeon, still receiving the salute, stared at Chung Myung with a blank face, as though he could not understand what was happening.
Silence.
Silence fell over all of Shaolin so completely that it seemed even the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.
And then....
Clack.
Baek Cheon reached up and covered his own face.
"...He did it."
Beside him, Yu I-seol muttered in a tiny voice.
"Idiot."
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul stood there with their mouths hanging open, unable to say a word.
Baek Sang, watching from behind the ring, let out a hollow laugh.
"Hah, hahahaha.... If you're going to be insane, at least do it in moderation.... That lunatic."
Mount Hua's disciples were shocked, but they were nothing compared to Beop Jeong.
Blood vessels burst visibly in his eyes.
A roar burst from the Shaolin Abbot's mouth so rough and savage it was hard to believe it came from a monk.
"W-What are you talking about! Forfeit?!"
"Exactly what it sounds like. I'm forfeiting."
Chung Myung scratched his ear indifferently. Then he blew on his finger and said in a dead, empty voice, "Congratulations. Shaolin wins."
"Y-you...."
Beop Jeong trembled all over as though he might topple over at any moment.
His face had lost all color. His body was convulsing uncontrollably. And the veins standing out red in his eyes, swollen from how hard he was straining, made it plain just how furious he had become.
Th-that bastard headed for hell....
A forfeit?
Was that even something a human being could say?!
So long as one wasn't blind, anyone could see who had won. And the people gathered here were certainly not blind.
But after winning everything, he had simply forfeited?
Was there any situation in the world more ridiculous for a winner than this?
"Y-you! Y-you....!"
If this spread, Shaolin would become a laughingstock for the entire world.
"Y-you....!"
Just as Beop Jeong was about to let out another roar, his body suddenly went rigid.
"Abbot!"
"Abbot! Pull yourself together, Abbot!"
"Uweeeeeek!"
His internal energy must have twisted, because Beop Jeong finally coughed up blood onto the ground. The startled Shaolin disciples hurried to his side.
Watching the scene, Chung Myung snorted.
"What a weird old guy. Why's he the only one spitting up blood and making a fuss?"
Then he gave Hye Yeon and Beop Jeong one last look each, before turning away without hesitation.
Was it arrogance?
Maybe.
But this was not simply an act of humiliation directed at Shaolin.
I don't need that kind of thing.
This tournament had been prepared from beginning to end by Shaolin.
The glory bestowed upon the winner of this tournament existed only because Shaolin acknowledged it.
And now they wanted Mount Hua to gratefully gulp down the honor Shaolin was offering?
What a joke.
No matter how good a thing might be, if it came from Shaolin, he did not need it.
To accept the honor Shaolin gave him would be no different from submitting to the current martial world represented by the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.
Chung Myung had no intention of walking that path any longer.
"Mount Hua walks the path of Mount Hua."
Of course, it would not be easy.
Maybe it would be even harsher than anything he had endured so far.
Still.
Chung Myung's eyes moved to the Mount Hua disciples staring blankly back at him.
It can't be that impossible, can it?
Right?
Senior Brother?
— You stupid mudfish!
He had known they'd curse him out.
Ah well.
Chung Myung grinned and walked toward the Mount Hua disciples waiting for him.
Well done.
Chung Myung's gaze rose to the sky high above.
The cloudless blue stretched vast and clear, looking down at him.
Smiling at that sky, Chung Myung ran the rest of the way and threw himself into the arms of his fellow Mount Hua disciples.
The Heavenly Summit Martial Meet.
After all that time, the champion of the tournament had gone exactly as everyone had first expected: Shaolin.
Only...
The impact of the tournament had begun to flow in a completely different direction.