Why Is This Crawling Out Here? (5)
Bang!
Chung Myung kicked the door open and bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"Innkeeeppeerrrrr!"
"Yeeees, sirrrrr!"
A bright, overly cheerful voice answered that grand shout.
"Coming right noooow!"
The innkeeper sprinted toward the entrance, his eyes practically sparkling. There was a reason he was greeting them with such absurd enthusiasm: the inside of the large inn was dead empty, so quiet you could hear flies buzzing around.
How long has it been since we had customers?
After the Heavenly Martial Arts Conference ended, the crowds that had packed Mount Song dispersed in waves, and even Luoyang saw fewer and fewer people coming into inns. Of course, while everyone was still on the way home the places had been packed to the rafters, but now that everyone who was going to leave had left, it felt even emptier than usual.
"Food! No—rooms!"
"Yes, sir! Rooms, you said? Just one?"
"No."
Chung Myung glanced over his shoulder and jerked his chin back.
"All of them."
"……H-huh?"
The innkeeper let out a scream of joy so intense it practically cracked the air. About fifty people were marching toward the inn.
He bowed so low it looked like he was trying to drill his forehead into the ground, then said briskly, "Yes! I’ll prepare the rooms right away."
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"That cart."
What Chung Myung pointed at was the cart trailing behind the group.
A cart was no problem at all!
The innkeeper’s eyes lit up as he nodded shrewdly. "Yes! The cart can go in the stable—"
"Cut the crap about the stable collapsing. The cart needs a room too."
"……What?"
"A room for the cart. No, wait—a room to put the cart in!"
The innkeeper, wondering if he’d misheard, froze for a moment, then tilted his head. "Um, so… you mean you want to put the cart in a room?"
Chung Myung grinned.
"Of course. That cart matters more than people."
"……."
The innkeeper decided he had just received a very strange group of customers.
"Mount Hua?"
"Are those really the Mount Hua Sect disciples?"
"Ohhh…"
Not only the people working at the inn, but even the occasional customers who happened to be there stole glances at Mount Hua’s disciples.
In the past, even if they wore black martial robes with prominent plum blossom patterns, nobody would have recognized who they were. But now, without anyone even needing to say a word, many people could tell they were Mount Hua disciples—and they looked at them with reverence.
"Look at those proud, upright frames!"
"Ohhh. That fierce, bright-eyed look."
"Truly worthy of the Mount Hua Sect, who outperformed the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families at the Heavenly Martial Arts Conference."
"Maybe that splendid build is the secret behind their superb swordsmanship?"
On the way there, they’d been treated like bandits; on the way back, they were being treated like skilled swordsmen with outstanding physiques.
This was why so many people fought tooth and nail for fame. The same actions and the same appearance could be judged completely differently depending on a person’s standing.
It was like how, if a beggar was panhandling on a busy road, people would frown in annoyance—but if that beggar happened to be the Beggars’ Guild leader, they’d look at him with admiration instead.
Still…
Damn it.
Why do they keep staring like that?
It’s driving me insane.
Unfortunately, the Mount Hua disciples were not enjoying the flood of attention very much.
After making sure the cart was properly secured, Chung Myung came down and spotted the other disciples huddled in a corner where as few eyes as possible could reach them. He scowled.
"What are you doing?"
"……No, it’s just…"
Baek Cheon fidgeted and said, "I should say it doesn’t feel familiar… I’ve never had to deal with looks like that before."
"You fight just fine in front of all those people at the Shaolin arena."
"That was on a martial stage."
Baek Cheon scratched the back of his head.
"We’re so used to holed-up life in the mountains that just looking at other people feels awkward enough, and now they’re all staring so openly that I can’t do anything."
"……You really are something else."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue as if they were hopeless.
But even he could somewhat understand it.
Now they had earned their name and could lift their heads a little, but until not long ago Mount Hua had just been some pitiful little sect in Shaanxi. So it made sense that they’d be uncomfortable under such heavy attention. And it wasn’t even ordinary attention—it was those bright, sparkling eyes.
Chung Myung snorted and turned to look over everyone.
There was a mix of awkwardness and a strangely proud air on their faces.
They’ll get used to it.
Once you gain fame, attention comes with it naturally.
Until the martial arts conference, nobody had paid Mount Hua any mind, but now the entire world would watch even their smallest move. Compared to that, this kind of staring was nothing.
Come to think of it, it used to be huge.
Back when Chung Myung used to leave Shaanxi with his senior brothers and stop somewhere else, everyone in the martial world would gather just to see them pass.
Well, of course.
Back then, Chung Myung was famous as one of the Three Great Swordsmen Under Heaven. How many chances in a lifetime did you get to lay eyes on one of the world’s three greatest masters of the sword?
"Tch, tch, tch. This is something you should be taking for granted! How can a person be so shy!"
Chung Myung puffed out his chest and shouted.
But that swagger didn’t last long.
"Is that Mount Hua Divine Dragon?"
"I heard he was the runner-up at this martial arts conference. They say it was practically the same as winning first place, though?"
"I heard that too. Some even said he’s the one closest to becoming the greatest master under heaven in the next generation. Truly! No wonder his bearing is so extraordinary."
"……."
Chung Myung’s shoulders slowly began to rise in a very suspicious way.
"C-cough."
He cleared his throat and tried to look stern again.
"Back in my day…"
"Isn’t Hye Yeon from Shaolin also said to be a genius who appears once in several hundred years? I heard he mastered several of the difficult Seventy-Two Supreme Arts. But that Mount Hua Divine Dragon actually crushed Hye Yeon one-sidedly, didn’t he?"
"That’s right, that’s right. If you consider the difference between Mount Hua and Shaolin, wouldn’t the genius said to appear once in several hundred years actually be that Mount Hua Divine Dragon instead?"
"……Hehe."
Chung Myung finally couldn’t stand it anymore and broke into a shameless grin, scratching the back of his head.
Seeing that, Baek Cheon and the others’ expressions gradually soured.
"He loves it."
"That one—if someone offered him candy, he’d follow them without even asking who they were."
"……He’s so weak to praise."
"Idiot."
After enduring the barrage of merciless criticism, Chung Myung gave a loud cough.
So what? He was supposed to do something about liking it?
"Alright, alright! Here’s your food!"
Chung Myung whipped his head around. The inn staff were rushing out with plates piled high on both hands and arms.
"We made it to Luoyang pretty fast."
"……So it seems."
"……Please collect yourself, Sect Leader."
"Grrrrr…"
Hyun Jong clutched his head with a pained expression.
"What exactly is troubling you so much?"
"No… It’s nothing."
Hyun Jong shook his head with tear-filled eyes. It was too late now to say anything about the Purple Jade Divine Sword and return to Shaolin.
More importantly…
Would those men even side with me?
Hyun Jong looked at the elders in front of him with a strange expression. If he laid everything bare, maybe Hyun Sang would quietly be on his side. But Hyun Young would probably fly into a rage, screaming that some old fossil was blocking the children’s future.
Rather than see that…
Hyun Jong shook his head with a soft, resigned sigh.
He still had a horrible amount of lingering regret. But the choice he had to make as Mount Hua’s Sect Leader was as good as already decided.
Chung Myung was right. No divine relic, no sacred treasure, was more important than Mount Hua’s disciples. He could not send his disciples into that dangerous northern sea just to obtain some so-called holy object.
As Mount Hua’s Sect Leader, that was unacceptable. Even if, one day, he had to die and kneel before his ancestors in repentance, that would not change.
"That may be true, but I still can’t seem to let go of it…"
"Yes?"
"No… never mind."
Hyun Jong shook his head fiercely, as if trying to throw the thought away, then spoke.
"How are the children?"
"They seem a little tired, but they’re holding up well. Still, we don’t know what might happen on the road back to Mount Hua, so I think it would be best to press on."
At Hyun Sang’s words, Hyun Jong nodded.
Most accidents happened in situations like this. They had achieved such good results that some relaxation was inevitable, and in times like these there was always the danger of doing something they normally wouldn’t…
"You worry over everything."
That was when Hyun Young spoke in a dry tone.
"Don’t keep treating our disciples like children. What do you think those brats would do?"
Hyun Jong smiled faintly at those words.
Hyun Young had complete faith in the disciples. Sometimes it almost seemed as if he trusted them even more than the Sect Leader did.
"More than anything, do you really think that brat Chung Myung would let anything happen? As long as that fellow is among them, any troublemaker will need to be prepared to be dragged all the way back to Mount Hua tied up like a sack."
Ah.
So he wasn’t trusting the kids.
What was slightly sad was that Hyun Jong found himself agreeing with Hyun Young.
"There will be a great deal to do once we return to Mount Hua. So don’t worry about things like that right now. Look further ahead. Isn’t that what the Sect Leader is supposed to do?"
Hyun Jong answered with a smile.
"Yes. And it is your duty to help me do that."
"Of course, Sect Leader."
The elders of the Hyeon generation looked at each other and smiled.
They knew it.
It was not yet time to raise a toast. And even if that time did come, the ones raising that toast would not be the Hyeon generation standing here.
Even so, they couldn’t hide this swell of pride.
"Let’s retire early tonight. We’ll need to be busy again from tomorrow."
"Yes, Sect Leader. Please rest well."
Hyun Sang and Hyun Young bowed their heads and left the Sect Leader’s room.
Good expressions.
Left alone, Hyun Jong smiled quietly.
Seeing them laugh with such easy faces made him feel, truly, that Mount Hua was no longer what it had once been.
It still doesn’t quite feel real, though.
At times, Hyun Jong felt as if he were floating in the air.
Everything happening now still felt dreamlike.
It’s fortunate that child came.
Still, it was not good to sink too deeply into thought. Hyun Jong rose to tidy his resting room.
And then—
"Hm?"
Looking toward the door, Hyun Jong frowned slightly.
"Come in."
Creak.
At his words, the door opened carefully, and someone stepped inside.
"What is it?"
"……Sect Leader."
Yu I-seol.
It was an unexpected visitor. She looked at Hyun Jong with a face that revealed nothing at all.
Hyun Jong studied her for a moment, then an idea flashed through his mind.
Ah!
He gave a small exclamation.
"Come to think of it, it’s close by."
Yu I-seol slowly nodded.
"……Yes. That’s right. Come to think of it, you probably haven’t been able to visit there in quite some time. I’m sorry. As the Sect Leader, I should have paid more attention."
"It’s nothing."
"I see."
Hyun Jong nodded slowly, then said in a low voice, "Go on. But don’t be too late. We’ll leave early tomorrow, so join us before we reach Mount Hua."
"……Yes. Then."
Yu I-seol gave a slight bow and quietly stepped outside.
Hyun Jong’s gaze grew heavy.
"Hmm."
He paced around the room for a moment, then finally brushed off his robe and slowly left as well.
Creak.
It was still the darkness before dawn.
Fully prepared, Yu I-seol left the inn. The cold morning air pierced deep into her lungs.
She glanced back once, then was just about to quicken her pace when—
"Are you ready?"
At the sudden voice, Yu I-seol came to a halt.
"……Yoon Jong?"
Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Dang Soso were already waiting for her outside.
When Yu I-seol shot them a questioning look, Yoon Jong smiled lightly.
"The Sect Leader asked us to escort Yu Sago. Well, the escort part is only half the reason—we also thought we’d keep you company on the road."
"……."
"Would that be difficult? If Yu Sago truly doesn’t want us to, we won’t go."
Yu I-seol looked at them in silence, then lifted her gaze to the still-dark sky.
"It’s fine."
"……Yu Sago?"
"You’re not strangers."
Her eyes returned, steady and direct, to Yoon Jong.
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul smiled with satisfaction.
"Yu Sago! I’m going too!"
"……Nobody told you to come along."
"Me too! Me too!"
"All right. Follow along."
"Yes!"
Dang Soso beamed and clenched her fist.
Looking at them, Yu I-seol asked in a flat voice, "Then can we go now?"
"No. Just a moment…"
Just then, the inn door burst open, and Baek Cheon appeared with a twisted expression, dragging someone by the nape of the neck.
"At least listen when people talk, you damn bastard! Quit drinking already! Since when did you drink this much again?"
"……Mmmn?"
"Damn it!"
In the end, unable to hold himself back any longer, Baek Cheon hoisted Chung Myung up and flung him right in front of Yu I-seol.
She reflexively smacked him a few times as he came down, then neatly set him on the ground.
"You really meant for us to take this one with us. I have no idea what the Sect Leader is thinking."
"……."
Yu I-seol quietly looked over the people gathered there, then gave a light laugh.
"I’ll go."
"Gul! Carry him!"
"……I’d rather carry a cow."
"Quit talking and carry him."
"Ugh."
Jo Gul picked Chung Myung up in a messy heap and slung him over his back. Then he let out a sigh with a grimace.
"So where exactly are we supposed to go?"
No one asked why they were going. Even though Hyun Jong had not said anything in advance, everyone acted as if they had already agreed on it.
"The mountain."
"……The mountain?"
"Yes. Not far from here."
Baek Cheon nodded.
"Then let’s get moving. We’ll know when we get there."
"Yes."
With Yu I-seol at the front, Mount Hua’s disciples vanished into the darkness at a run.