Why Is This Crawling Out Here? (2)
Beop Gye returned at last and carried the coffin back out.
In the room, where the stench of death still lingered, the three men faced one another in heavy silence.
"Amitabha."
Beop Jeong, having chanted the Buddha’s name, looked at Hyun Jong and said, "Sect Leader, as you surely know, traces of a demonic cultivator have already been discovered in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains."
Chung Myung turned his head slightly and glanced at Hyun Jong.
"Oh?"
"Mm. That was brought up once in a separate meeting the sect leaders held before the martial arts tournament began."
"Traces of a demonic cultivator, huh…."
Chung Myung fell into thought for a moment.
That was certainly important news.
But the discovery of a demonic cultivator’s traces and the discovery of remnants of Mahwa on the dead were problems on entirely different levels.
"Shaolin was one step ahead of the other sects in obtaining this information, wasn’t it? And once you knew, you couldn’t exactly sit still."
"You ordered your secular disciples to check the surroundings again."
"Yes. We worked with the Beggars’ Sect to begin tracking the demonic cultivators’ traces. The order came before the tournament. But then… we lost contact with the people sent to watch the area around the North Sea Ice Palace, and when we checked… Amitabha."
Meaning they’d found a disciple who had died by demonic arts.
Chung Myung frowned faintly.
So the Demonic Sect was in the North Sea?
No. It was too early to jump to that conclusion.
With only this information, nothing could be said for certain.
Until the situation was properly understood, nothing should be assumed. The Demonic Sect was the kind of place that made fools out of people who leapt to conclusions.
"Finding traces of the Demonic Sect is an exceedingly grave matter. We have already endured a terrible war. If we ignore this, it may lead to another. The Central Plains must investigate the North Sea and the North Sea Ice Palace."
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong nodded gravely.
Anything involving the Demonic Sect was not something anyone in the martial world could simply brush aside.
Especially not Mount Hua. No matter how many sects existed under heaven, was there anywhere that carried a grudge against the Demonic Sect as deep as Mount Hua did?
"However…."
Hyun Jong furrowed his brow, gave a low cough, and spoke.
"The discovery of demonic sect traces is certainly important. But I do not quite understand why the Abbot would bring this matter to us in particular."
"Sect Leader."
Beop Jeong’s tone was firm.
"As the Abbot of Shaolin, I asked to meet with Mount Hua because there is something I wish to request of you."
He looked steadily at Hyun Jong and Chung Myung. His eyes were sunk in such darkness that it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
At last, he opened his mouth with great weight.
"Would Mount Hua be willing to investigate the North Sea for us?"
"…Pardon?"
Hyun Jong’s eyes flew wide open.
"You mean the North Sea Ice Palace?"
"That is correct."
Beop Jeong nodded slowly. Then, chanting the Buddha’s name in a low voice, he continued.
"Of course, I am well aware this will not be easy. But there is no one other than Mount Hua who can accomplish such a task."
"But…."
Hyun Jong trailed off, looking a little flustered. It was not a matter that could be answered with any ease.
"I think the Abbot is overestimating Mount Hua."
"It is not an overestimation."
Beop Jeong stared at Hyun Jong with eyes that were as profound and emotionless as a deep lake.
"As you know, the Outer Palaces and the Nine Great Sects do not get along. To be precise, one might say they are nearly enemies."
Hyun Jong let out a quiet sigh.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t that they were enemies of each other; it was that the Outer Palaces held a one-sided grudge against the Central Plains. But there was no need to point that out now.
"The Outer Palaces bear hostility not merely toward the Nine Great Sects, but toward the people of the Central Plains themselves. Because of that, it has already been a hundred years since anyone from the Central Plains has been able to enter their territory."
Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed slightly as he listened.
At last, he thought he understood why Beop Jeong had lowered his pride and asked to meet him. And sure enough, Beop Jeong added,
"However, there is one sect that has recently entered the territory of one of the Outer Palaces. Not merely to exchange greetings, but one that has formed good relations with them and begun to interact with them."
Hyun Jong’s eyes narrowed.
"You mean the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and our Mount Hua."
"That is correct."
Beop Jeong nodded broadly.
"Sect Leader, I know this will not be easy. But among the sects of the Central Plains, Mount Hua is the only one that has made even a little progress in building a good relationship with one of the Outer Palaces."
Hyun Jong was about to say something, but Beop Jeong gave him no opening.
"Of course, I also know that the North Sea Ice Palace is not the same as the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. But they share the bond of being Outer Palaces. If they hear that you are friends with the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, they will not treat you with absolute hostility. Only Mount Hua has any realistic chance of entering the North Sea Ice Palace without triggering conflict."
Beop Jeong lowered both hands and bowed his head slightly toward Hyun Jong.
Not a Buddhist bow, but a human one.
"I beg you. Sect Leader, for the sake of the world, please make this decision."
"Umm…."
Hyun Jong made a low, troubled sound.
No matter how badly relations had soured, it would be uncivil to refuse so coldly when the Shaolin Abbot had humbled himself so deeply. More than that, wasn’t this for the sake of the entire world?
What am I supposed to do?
Just as Hyun Jong was falling into agony over the unexpected proposal, a decisive voice came from beside him.
"What happened to the demonic sect traces? Is that all?"
Beop Jeong’s eyes took on the faintest flicker of interest as he looked at Chung Myung. The child who had shown clear hostility toward Shaolin was now, the moment the Demonic Sect was mentioned, setting Shaolin aside and directing that hostility toward the Demonic Sect instead.
"Nothing is certain yet. But one thing we can guess is that the person responsible must have exceptionally high mastery of demonic arts, enough to leave behind a Mahwa of that degree."
Chung Myung lightly tapped his cheek with a finger.
Well, it’s not exactly exceptional, though.
Still, it wasn’t something that could be ignored.
What mattered was that someone who had learned demonic arts of that level was roaming the North Sea.
And perhaps the Demonic Sect was taking advantage of the severed connection between the Central Plains and the North Sea.
"What’s the worst-case scenario?"
"If the North Sea Ice Palace itself has fallen under the Demonic Sect’s control. In that case, the Demonic Sect would move south from the north and head toward the Central Plains."
"Hmm."
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.
It wasn’t impossible.
However….
"Yeah. Well, I get it."
He stretched his back and sat up straight.
Then, with eyes that had regained their usual liveliness, he looked back and forth between Hyun Jong and Beop Jeong.
"If you’re done talking, can we go now?"
"…Hm?"
Beop Jeong lifted his head in surprise.
Go?
"S-Senior Brother. The discussion is not yet finished."
"Yeah, I know."
Chung Myung answered lazily while picking at his ear.
"I pretty much got the gist of it. So the Demonic Sect showed up in the North Sea, and you want Mount Hua to go confirm it. The other people of the Central Plains can’t enter the Outer Palaces’ territory, but Mount Hua has experience going into the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace’s territory and building a relationship with them?"
"Yes, that is what I mean."
"But why us?"
"…."
Beop Jeong went blank, looking as if his soul had left his body.
"Why, you ask? Did you not just say the Demonic Sect has appeared?"
"Oh, I heard that part too. I’m asking why Mount Hua has to go. There’s Shaolin, Wudang, and a whole pile of other sects. Why Mount Hua, of all people?"
"Did I not already explain that?"
"Ah. Because we have experience?"
Chung Myung gave a snort, as if he had just heard something ridiculous.
"Have you tried it?"
"Hm?"
Chung Myung looked at Beop Jeong with utter indifference and went on.
"What, Mount Hua had some magical edge that made us friends with the Beast Palace? It just happened somehow."
"…."
"So Shaolin can do it too. I’ve tried it, so I know. There’s nothing people can’t do if they really put in the effort. So if Shaolin works hard, I’m sure you can do it."
Beop Jeong’s mouth fell open before he realized it.
What on earth was this brat saying now?
"E-Effort?"
"Yeah. Compared to a Shaolin that works hard, something like Mount Hua is nothing. We’re just worried that if we stick our noses into something this important, we’ll mess it up. So I think it’d be better if we just went back to Shaanxi and watched Shaolin handle it while we clap from the sidelines. Right, Sect Leader?"
Hyun Jong looked back and forth between Chung Myung and Beop Jeong, a little flustered.
But after a moment, his face soon recovered its usual calm.
"That is so, Abbot."
Beop Jeong addressed the two of them, trying hard to maintain his composure. But he could not quite hide the sigh buried in his words.
"This is for the sake of the world."
"Yes, I know. It was the same before too, wasn’t it?"
Chung Myung’s words pierced straight into Beop Jeong’s gut.
And Beop Jeong had no answer to that.
"Rather than waste any more time, I think we’ll take our leave. The Ice Palace is still a place where people live, so if we’re lucky, maybe we can talk things through. Well then."
"Wait."
Just as Chung Myung was half-rising, Beop Jeong raised a hand sharply to stop him.
"Please wait a moment."
His eyes looked unusually serious.
Chung Myung sat back down without another word. Beop Jeong gave a small nod and spoke quietly.
"I know. No, I understand. Sect Leader, Shaolin is not a place that even dares speak of repaying Mount Hua for this in the future. So I fully understand your reactions now."
Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed a little in suspicion.
What is this bald fraud scheming now?
Honestly, by this point, he should already have backed off. However calm he pretended to be, there was no way Beop Jeong looked fondly upon Mount Hua.
And yet he wanted to keep talking?
That meant he still had something hidden up his sleeve.
"When someone has lost trust and still wishes to make a request, they must first bring out the compensation. That is only natural, but this humble monk failed to follow the proper order."
"Compensation?"
"Indeed."
"Oh?"
Chung Myung let a faint smile curl onto his lips.
Until now it had just sounded like a load of nonsense, but if compensation was involved, then it might at least qualify as something worth hearing.
"So what is this compensation?"
"Beop Gye."
At Beop Jeong’s call, the door opened once more and Beop Gye entered.
That guy’s busy as hell.
He’d brought in the coffin earlier, and now….
"Hm?"
Chung Myung tilted his head.
This was about sending Mount Hua’s disciples all the way to the North Sea. Unless the compensation was truly extraordinary, there was no way this conversation would make sense. But what Beop Gye was carrying looked far too small and plain to be called a reward.
A box.
The long box wasn’t especially large. Even if you filled it with gold, it probably wouldn’t come anywhere close to the compensation Chung Myung had in mind.
"Here it is, Abbot."
"Mm."
Beop Jeong took the box Beop Gye handed him and placed it quietly on the tea table in front of them.
"Then."
Beop Gye brought his palms together and left the room. As if he did not even have the right to see the box opened.
That reverent attitude only made it harder to guess. Chung Myung stared at the box.
What the hell is it?
So far, their behavior hadn’t strayed very far from the palm of his hand. Their words were obvious, their actions too. But in this moment, even Chung Myung found it difficult to read them.
What in the world was inside that box?
"This is the compensation."
"That box?"
"More precisely, the item inside it."
"…So not money, but an object."
Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed again.
Noticing that he was deep in thought, Hyun Jong gently asked on his behalf,
"Abbot, please do not tease us so. Show us what is inside the box."
"Of course."
Beop Jeong gripped the lid. Yet instead of opening it at once, he smiled meaningfully.
"If this object is the price, then Sect Leader, you will naturally accept this proposal. It is such an advantageous bargain."
"…."
Before Hyun Jong could respond, Beop Jeong opened the box.
What?
At the sight of the object, Hyun Jong frowned.
There was no dazzling brilliance, no astonishing treasure.
Inside the box lined with silk lay only a single, old-fashioned sword in its scabbard.
What does it say?
Something had been inscribed on the scabbard in a sweeping, dragon-and-snake-like hand, but the passage of time had worn it down so badly that it was difficult to read clearly.
"Abbot. This sword is…."
And then it happened.
"Huh?"
Chung Myung jerked in disbelief.
…Huh?
At the same time, Hyun Jong also flinched. It was the first time he had ever seen Chung Myung look so startled and thrown off balance.
Chung Myung blinked and stared dumbly at the sword in the box. Then, as if offended by the absurdity of it all, he muttered,
"No, wait… why the hell is that crawling out from here?"
Hyun Jong could only tilt his head in confusion.
What kind of sword was this, to make the boy so utterly flustered?
Then Beop Jeong quietly reached out, picked up the sword, and slowly drew it from its scabbard.
At that moment, Hyun Jong unconsciously raised a hand to shield his eyes.
Unlike the old, timeworn scabbard, the blade that emerged poured forth a bright, pure light.
Anyone who saw that light would be unable to deny that this was a divine weapon.
Beop Jeong looked steadily at the two of them, then smiled faintly.
"This sword is called Jaha."
As expected.
Chung Myung’s gaze dropped in an instant, deep and dark.
And upon hearing that name, Hyun Jong’s face also stiffened. Seeing their expressions, Beop Jeong added,
"The Purple Jade Divine Sword. A sacred relic that symbolizes Mount Hua. It was the cherished sword of the Great Sage Sword, Chung Mun, who was once the Sect Leader of Mount Hua."
"Ah… ah…."
Hyun Jong’s eyes, suddenly overflowing with emotion, trembled like reeds battered by a storm.