We Can Make This a Little Bigger. (2)
Wi Lip-san, the leader of Hwayeong Gate, looked at the people gathered around him and swallowed dryly.
Seriously. Up until now, they hadn’t shown the slightest interest in us…
Of course, he had eyes and ears; he knew they hadn’t deliberately been neglecting him.
But wasn’t it also true that ever since he’d arrived at Mount Hua, he’d been treated like a sack of barley left sitting in the corner?
And now, without warning, they’d called him over and were all staring at him with intense, burning eyes.
It was the kind of look you’d give a glittering golden calf.
"Ahem."
Uncomfortable under those absurdly bright gazes, Wi Lip-san cleared his throat softly.
Hyun Jong, seated in the place of honor, smiled at him and spoke in a calm voice.
"The reason I asked for the presence of the leader of Hwayeong Gate is to discuss what comes next."
"Yes, Sect Leader. I’ve been waiting."
"First, I should apologize for having brought you here and then failing to pay proper attention to you all this time. It was never my intention, but circumstances were—"
Hyun Jong never got to finish.
"Sect Leader!"
"……"
"We don’t have much time! I’m sure Leader Wi understands, so please skip the introduction and get to the point."
"……"
Before Hyun Jong could even get a few words out, Hyun Young cut him off. The others, who should have stopped him under normal circumstances, were instead nodding along as though they agreed completely.
Seeing that response, Hyun Jong let out a long, weary sigh.
Daoists, all of them.
Not even bandits would be this impatient. Not even bandits!
"Ahem. Very well."
In the end, Hyun Jong raised both hands in surrender and looked straight at Wi Lip-san.
"Leader of Hwayeong Gate."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"This time, Mount Hua intends to open a branch sect in Xi'an. Could you take charge of that effort?"
"I-in Xi'an?"
"Yes."
Wi Lip-san’s eyes widened.
He hadn’t come all the way to Mount Hua without thinking. He had already been told that Mount Hua intended to invest more seriously in its branch sects, and he had come here to discuss how to move forward on that basis.
But…
Xi'an?
He had never imagined the Sect Leader would say Xi'an out of nowhere.
"Sect Leader… you said you were opening a branch sect in Xi'an?"
"That’s right."
Hyun Jong nodded quietly.
"It might be good to relocate Hwayeong Gate to Xi'an as well. If not, then we could leave Hwayeong Gate in the care of the disciples and have Leader Wi establish a new sect in Xi'an. Either way, whichever is more convenient for you…"
"P-please, wait a moment, Sect Leader."
Wi Lip-san interrupted before he knew it.
He knew it was rude, but he was so shocked that etiquette was the last thing on his mind.
"C-could you explain that a little more slowly…?"
When Hyun Jong turned toward his disciples with a look of mild reproach, the disciples flinched and lowered their heads.
"Ahem. Well, then…"
Hyun Jong calmly explained the situation to Wi Lip-san one point at a time.
"Ah…"
After hearing the explanation, Wi Lip-san looked around.
"What do you think?"
"……Sect Leader. It is truly an honor to be entrusted with such an important task."
"Oh."
"However, I am not sure whether I am capable of carrying such a burden. Surely there must be someone better suited than I am…"
"No, Leader!"
Before he could finish, Chung Myung slapped his own chest in frustration.
"There’s only Hwayeong Gate among Mount Hua’s branch sects, so where the hell are we supposed to find somebody else? What, are you kidding me? There isn’t anyone else! There’s only one branch sect left here! One!"
"……"
At that, the Mount Hua elders flushed red.
You could’ve said it a little more nicely!
Did you really have to put it that way? How embarrassing!
Honestly, that brat…
Wi Lip-san was left speechless, staring at Chung Myung like a man who’d had cotton stuffed in his mouth.
That young priest never changes, even with the Sect Leader sitting right there.
He wasn’t an evergreen pine tree—how could he stay so utterly, stubbornly thoughtless…?
"If we’re going to build up the branch sect from scratch now, that alone will take ages. By then, the fact that we won the younger generation martial arts tournament will sound like some story from a legend. You’ve got to row while the water’s in."
That much was true.
Every matter in the world had its proper timing.
"And think about it carefully, Leader. You’re just going to hand this over to someone else?"
"……Hmm? What do you mean by that?"
Chung Myung snorted.
"From here on, Mount Hua is going to throw everything it has into expanding its branch sects. In other words, all the money Mount Hua makes and all the power it builds up will be poured into that."
"Hmm?"
"And you’d be the one overseeing all those branch sects. Right now you’re talking about strength and humility and all that, but if some other guy ends up sitting in that position and giving you orders, would you still be able to laugh it off?"
"W-well…"
Wi Lip-san’s face went blank.
Orders?
Some other sect leader giving him orders?
"I’d have to think about that…"
"Think about what? What’s there to think about? Hwayeong Gate has done so much for Mount Hua over the years—are you supposed to just swallow that injustice? If I were in your place, I’d be so angry I wouldn’t sleep."
"……"
He wasn’t wrong.
To speak plainly, it was Hwayeong Gate that had stayed firm when Mount Hua had fallen and its branch sects had deserted one after another.
And yet, if the fallen stone were to kick out the embedded stone—if some sect that hadn’t endured those hard years were to act like Hwayeong Gate’s superior…?
I wouldn’t be able to take that.
Wi Lip-san’s face began to warm. Chung Myung gave a strange little smile and went on.
"Of course, if you take charge of the branch sect, you’re going to have a hard time for a while. But has anything worthwhile ever come easy? If you’re thinking about Hwayeong Gate, this is the chance you should grab. Think about the future. You could end up in the position of overseeing every Mount Hua branch scattered across the world…"
"I’ll do it!"
"……That was fast."
Wi Lip-san nodded again and again with a determined expression.
"The faster the decision, the better."
"You’ve thought it through properly."
Chung Myung snapped his head around and looked at Hyun Jong.
"He says he’ll do it."
"……"
Hyun Jong stared back at him, dumbfounded.
Why does this feel like a scam…?
……It wasn’t exactly wrong. There had been some subtle exaggeration and a bit of distortion, but the overall shape of it was essentially the same.
But wasn’t that subtlety exactly the problem?
The fundamental question remained, uncomfortable and unresolved: was it really acceptable for a Daoist priest to swindle a branch sect like this?
Still, Hyun Jong had already decided that from now on, at least in matters involving Chung Myung, he would no longer argue based on common sense.
"Very well. We’re grateful you’re willing to step forward so readily."
"No, I should be the one thanking you. However, Sect Leader, if you truly want this to go ahead, my strength alone won’t be enough."
After taking a deep breath, Wi Lip-san spoke again.
"Hwayeong Gate is a branch sect of Mount Hua, yes, but we have never properly inherited Mount Hua’s martial arts. It’s embarrassing to say so, but even compared to the branch sects of other major sects, let alone the smaller and mid-sized ones, Hwayeong Gate’s martial level is far inferior."
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong nodded.
How could they have passed down proper martial arts when the upper generations of Mount Hua themselves had never properly learned them?
This was not Hwayeong Gate’s fault. It was Mount Hua’s fault.
"That is why I previously asked that Hwayeong Gate’s disciples be given the chance to train at Mount Hua. Sect Leader, however much Mount Hua’s reputation has risen now, if Hwayeong Gate’s martial strength does not support it, then expanding the branch sect will remain a distant dream. So… please set aside the urgency for a while and let Hwayeong Gate’s disciples…"
"We don’t have time for that."
But Chung Myung cut him off sharply.
"Like I said, the water’s in right now. If you drag this out clumsily, the water will drain away and we’ll be rowing over bare ground."
"Uuuh…"
The elders nodded repeatedly.
Things often could not be solved by effort alone. Every matter had a proper season.
"Both sides have a point, and that makes this difficult to decide."
Hyun Jong let out a low murmur and looked at Chung Myung.
"Chung Myung."
"Yeah?"
"What do you think? Do you have a way to solve this?"
"Huh? This?"
Chung Myung tilted his head, looking genuinely baffled.
"Is there some kind of problem?"
"……"
Hyun Jong’s expression stiffened.
There was no way Chung Myung hadn’t understood Wi Lip-san’s point. So that meant he already had a solution in mind.
And yet, even knowing that, Hyun Jong did not feel reassured, because Chung Myung’s answers always had a way of drifting far beyond what any ordinary person would consider reasonable.
"……What exactly are you planning?"
"What? It’s simple. If you’re weak, then get stronger. If you pass down Mount Hua’s newly restored martial arts, then of course they’ll become stronger."
"That much is obvious, but the problem is that we don’t have the time for it."
"Tch. That’s just a fixed idea too."
"Hm?"
Chung Myung straightened his shoulders.
"Who says you have to learn Mount Hua’s martial arts at Mount Hua? If we’re opening a branch sect, most of Hwayeong Gate’s disciples will have to go to Xi'an anyway, right? Then they can learn there."
"……Huh?"
Chung Myung grinned.
"At the newly opened sect in Xi'an, Hwayeong Gate’s disciples learn the new martial arts, and then they teach those same arts to the new disciples who join afterward. Why go through the hassle of doing everything twice? Just handle it all at once."
"That’s right. That would work!"
Hyun Young chimed in immediately, as though the answer had been obvious all along.
But Hyun Jong looked at him with great displeasure.
So now he doesn’t even think, and whenever Chung Myung says anything, he just starts shouting that it’s right.
At this rate, if Chung Myung said they should throw the Sect Leader away, Hyun Young would probably clap and say it was right.
"Haaah."
Hyun Jong shook his head and asked,
"Then who do you think should go?"
"That’s something Sect Leader should decide."
"……Is that so?"
Everyone’s eyes turned to Hyun Jong.
After a brief moment of thought, Hyun Jong nodded.
"Baek Cheon."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"You go."
"I will obey Sect Leader’s order."
Baek Cheon nodded firmly and cupped his hands.
"Select a few of the Baek generation, and also a few from the Cheong generation. If it were up to me, I’d send Unam, but the Un generation already has too much to do here at Mount Hua, so that would be difficult."
And when it came to instructing disciples, the Baek generation did have some advantages over the Un generation.
Besides, Baek Cheon’s reputation was actually greater than that of Mount Hua’s Un generation, so in the secular world he would likely be more effective than Unam or Un Geom.
"Hyun Young."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Go and assist Baek Cheon."
Hyun Young frowned and asked,
"Will that be all right? If I leave, there may be problems."
"Xi'an isn’t that far from Mount Hua. If anything requiring your help comes up, we’ll send word."
"……Tch. So you’re telling me to shuttle back and forth between both sides. If you work this old man to death like that, you’ll be punished."
"Don’t pretend to be frailer than you are, you black-haired old man."
"Tch."
Hyun Young let out a sigh. But he did not object any further.
He knew better than anyone how much work was involved in opening a new sect. If he wasn’t there to handle the finances directly, it would only take longer.
"Then I’ll look for a suitable place and get the gate open as quickly as I can."
"Good. I’ll leave all related matters to you."
Hyun Young nodded.
But Baek Cheon still looked somewhat uneasy, as though there was one more thing on his mind, and turned to Hyun Jong.
"……However, Sect Leader."
"What is it?"
"There is one thing I must ask."
"Go on."
Baek Cheon hesitated slightly before speaking.
"……Must we take that one with us?"
He hadn’t pointed. He hadn’t even turned his head.
But the moment the words that one came out, everyone in the room turned to look at Chung Myung.
"……"
Hyun Jong also looked at Chung Myung with a complicated expression.
By all logic, of course Chung Myung had to go. Opening a branch sect was the most important matter before Mount Hua right now, and they absolutely needed Chung Myung’s strength.
Even if Zhongnan had shut itself away in the mountains almost like a secluded sect, Xi'an was still the place where Zhongnan’s influence reached the farthest. At the same time, it was also a place swarming with Zhongnan’s branch sects.
And yet the thing that bothered him was…
He’s already causing trouble here. Can we really let this kid loose in a city that big?
His head was already starting to throb.
But the hesitation was brief. The answer was already there.
"……We should take him."
"……"
Everyone in the room let out a synchronized sigh so deep it sounded as if the floor had caved in.
"What’s with that reaction?"
Only Chung Myung tilted his head, unable to understand what was going on.
And so it was decided: the Mount Hua disciples, the Hwayeong Gate disciples, and Chung Myung would head to Xi'an.
Which, unfortunately for the peaceful city of Xi'an, was a terribly unlucky decision.