What’s So Amazing About That? (3)
"Hey, don’t push!"
"Just line up! Get in line!"
"Aren’t you ashamed to show yourselves in front of the people of Mount Hua? Line up, I said!"
The next morning.
A cloudlike crowd had gathered before Hwayeong Gate the moment the doors were opened.
No one had even said they were taking disciples again, and yet those hoping to enter had set up camp in front of Hwayeong Gate before the sun was even up.
"You there! We’re not taking anyone who cuts in line!"
"Come on now! Hwayeong Gate can’t accept that many disciples, so there’s no need to rush!"
"I said don’t cut!"
And the disciples of Mount Hua were left scrambling to keep the surging crowd under control.
And then…
"Heh heh heh heh."
Chung Myung laughed with blinding cheer and tipped the mouth of a wine bottle into his mouth.
Glug, glug, glug, glug.
"Heh heh heh heh."
He didn’t even need a side dish.
One sip of liquor, one glance at the crowd, and his insides felt cleaner than if he’d drunk from a crystal-clear mountain stream.
"That’s all money, right there."
At those words, Hyun Young burst out laughing.
"Ho ho ho. Money, is it, you little punk?"
"Am I wrong?"
"It’s a mountain of money."
"…"
"And not just once, either. Money that keeps coming in every single month!"
"…Please calm down, Elder."
Every now and then, this old man felt even worse than I did.
…Still, I could understand the resentment lodged in his chest.
With every single affiliate branch of Southern Edge having fled, Hwayeong Gate was now the only place in Xi'an where one could learn martial arts.
Nam Ja-myeong still seemed to be trying to do something, unwilling to let go, but public sentiment was not something that easily came back once it had wandered off.
"This is a monopoly!"
"All that’s left is to rake in money with a pitchfork!"
Chung Myung and Hyun Young grinned at each other, practically cackling.
Baek Cheon and the others, watching the scene, shook their heads.
"…Sasuk."
"Hm?"
"Shouldn’t one usually be happier about having made a name as a hero of righteousness?"
"Jo Gul."
"Yes, Sasuk."
"Those two… no, one of them and that one bastard over there—don’t try to understand them with ordinary logic."
"…I’ll keep that in mind."
Even as he said that, the corners of his mouth wouldn’t stop lifting.
In fact, Jo Gul’s face still hadn’t fully settled from the excitement, even now that the sun was high in the sky.
This is why people in the jianghu perform acts of chivalry.
Helping others and receiving their grateful, shining looks in return was an experience whose resonance was hard to put into words.
For Jo Gul, who had worn the robes of a Daoist order yet never truly understood the words righteousness or the Dao in his heart, last night had been a tremendous shock.
Only now was he beginning to understand, even a little, why Yoon Jong had tried so hard to save commoners even if it meant doing something so foolish.
Not just him—there was also an unmistakable pride visible on the faces of the other disciples.
Of course…
"Heh heh heh heh."
"Keh keh keh keh."
…not those two.
Anyway!
"My path, huh…"
"Hm?"
"Ah, no. It’s nothing."
Jo Gul gave a slight shake of his head.
It was too soon. Still too soon.
But as Chung Myung had said, he would have to think more, worry more. Someday, he too would walk a path of his own.
Wasn’t that what the Dao was?
While the disciples were lost in their own thoughts, Chung Myung and Hyun Young were busy calculating income as they watched the crowd keep arriving.
"Still, this reaction is better than I expected."
"It is. I didn’t think it would be this much."
The two of them were looking around with mildly puzzled expressions when a low voice suddenly came from behind them.
"It’s because of Hwa Jeong Sword Baek Cheon, Daoist."
"…Huh?"
Chung Myung turned around to find Hong Dae-gwang standing there with a solemn face, looking absurdly proud of himself.
"Rumors that Mount Hua’s younger generation is the best under heaven must already have spread far and wide even to Xi'an. But people can’t fully believe what they haven’t seen with their own eyes. Besides, once might have been luck. But this time, didn’t you prove it wasn’t luck?"
Hong Dae-gwang straightened his back as though he were the one wearing the glory.
Chung Myung nodded with satisfaction.
"During the whole fight, you were nowhere to be seen, and now that it’s over, you’re puffing yourself up like you fought beside us. I ought to fold your shoulders right off!"
"…I, I’m not a combatant, all right? Besides, if you lot lost, I’d have needed to go fetch reinforcements…"
"Lost?"
Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed.
"Are your eyes just holes full of shit? Who the hell was losing?"
"K-khmm."
Perhaps because he knew he was in the wrong, Hong Dae-gwang coughed loudly and quickly looked away.
This bastard—not him, but Baek Cheon—the hell was anyone supposed to predict he’d crush Yeop Pyeong?
Not even the Beggars’ Sect branch leader himself could have guessed that.
"I-I would’ve already run yesterday if I thought you were going to lose."
"Yeah, because you’re fast on your feet. You probably thought you could still run after the fact."
"…Anyway!"
Hong Dae-gwang hurriedly changed the subject.
"You say ‘anyway’ a lot."
"S-so, anyway, now that Hwa Jeong Sword has captured that Red Snake Blade Yeop Pyeong, the skill of Mount Hua’s younger generation is practically beyond question."
He forcibly ignored Chung Myung’s accusing stare and fixed his eyes on Hyun Young instead.
"Actually, this may not hit Mount Hua all that deeply, but if something like this had happened in another sect, the place would be in an uproar right now. To think someone who’s still barely a second-generation disciple managed to take down the infamous Red Snake Blade of the jianghu."
Unhappy with the blasé attitude of the two men, Hong Dae-gwang spoke with increasing fervor, spitting a little as he went.
"An achievement like this is a massive event, enough to place their names among the candidates for the future strongest man under heaven. So Mount Hua’s ability has now been proven beyond doubt."
"Shh!"
"Hm?"
Then Chung Myung suddenly gestured for him to be quiet.
"Don’t say useless crap. If our Dong-ryong gets swollen-headed, no one’s going to take responsibility when he bursts. He’s annoying enough as it is—what more do you want me to watch?"
"…"
What the hell does this bastard even think about all day?
Hong Dae-gwang had been deeply impressed by Chung Myung’s performance against the Red Snake Unit the day before, but that swelling evaluation was now plummeting straight down again.
No matter how well he fought, Chung Myung was still Chung Myung.
"However."
Clearing his throat lightly, Hong Dae-gwang changed his tone.
"On the other hand, the danger is also not small."
"Danger, you say?"
"Yes, Elder. So far, Mount Hua hasn’t exactly made many enemies."
"If those Southern Edge bastards heard that, they’d probably tear down the gates of seclusion and foam at the mouth."
But Hong Dae-gwang only smiled faintly and ambiguously.
"Southern Edge is an orthodox sect. Even if relations turn sour, they won’t be rushing to destroy each other’s sects. They have positions to consider. But Maninbang is different. They have no such sense of propriety to protect."
Hong Dae-gwang took a small breath and continued.
"And Maninbang, whatever anyone says, is one of the Five Hegemons of the Jianghu that dominate the world. Truth be told… they’re still a difficult existence for Mount Hua to face."
"Mm. Fair enough."
They had charged straight in because this was simply not a place where they could afford to yield, but Maninbang was unquestionably a terrifying opponent.
Even if the Red Snake Unit had been dealt with cleanly, Maninbang had more than five combat units on that level, and strong experts who didn’t even lead units were everywhere you looked.
Add in the ones handling various special assignments, and their numbers easily surpassed Southern Edge, while their power was comparable to the sects among the Nine Great Sects.
For Mount Hua, whose second- and third-generation disciples still needed to grow further, they were simply too much to challenge head-on right now.
"For all that, they’re still just bastards from the unorthodox path."
"…"
"What?"
"Ah, nothing."
Hong Dae-gwang shut his mouth and shook his head.
Fine. Whatever.
What was he even supposed to say to this guy?
"And you don’t need to worry too much about bastards from the unorthodox path either."
"Why’s that?"
"They don’t do things that don’t benefit them."
"…"
"Sure, they blather about loyalty and honor in their own way, but if there’s no money and no profit in it, they won’t shed a drop of sweat. If those bastards had any real backbone, would they have ended up in the unorthodox path?"
"…"
Well. It wasn’t exactly wrong, but…
"What’s the point of those bastards coming to Shaanxi and clashing with Mount Hua? What does Maninbang gain? Mount Hua’s territory is nothing but a tiny scrap in Hwaum County, and the sect itself sits atop Mount Hua in one of the most barren places in the Central Plains, where people don’t even go if they can help it."
"R-right."
"They’d bring their whole formation down here just to swallow that? Them? Hah."
Chung Myung snorted and waved a hand dismissively.
"If those bastards twitch even a little, I’ll eat shit with my own hands."
"Ugh. You do have a point, but unless Mount Hua stays shut up inside Hwaum in Shaanxi forever, it’ll be a problem eventually."
"Why’s that our problem?"
"Hm?"
"If we don’t stay holed up in Hwaum, then it’s them who should be worried. We’ll slice up anything that comes at us."
"…"
Chung Myung’s face twisted, irritation flickering across it.
"Ah, damn it, now I’m pissed again. I’ve been holding back too much because the kids are around. If my temper were up to me, I’d grind them all up and feed them as fertilizer."
"…"
Hong Dae-gwang quietly resolved never, under any circumstances, to become Chung Myung’s enemy.
"Anyway."
Wrapping up the conversation for the moment, Hong Dae-gwang looked again at the crowd gathering outside, and for some reason found himself deeply moved.
"There were certainly many twists and turns, but… in the end, Xi'an is yours, Mount Hua Divine Dragon."
He couldn’t help but marvel at it.
Though there had been plenty of twists and turns, it hadn’t actually taken all that long. Considering Hwayeong Gate had only existed for about half a month, Chung Myung had effectively pacified all of Xi'an in barely a month since arriving.
"Once Southern Edge finally breaks its seclusion, there’ll be nothing left standing in your way."
"Even if they break seclusion, it’ll be the same."
"Hm?"
Chung Myung shook the wine bottle and sneered.
"With this many people crowding in, we can’t run this place with just one building. We’ll buy the halls next door, tear them down, and expand."
"…You want to go even bigger from here?"
"When the waters come in, you row."
"At this rate, Hwayeong Gate’s going to end up bigger than Southern Edge."
"Let it."
Chung Myung shrugged.
"Anyway, by the time those bastards end seclusion, I’ll have Xi'an so packed there won’t be room for a needle. I’ll make them regret closing the gates until they’re pounding the ground with their fists!"
"…What the hell did Southern Edge even do to you?"
"That’d take more than a day to explain."
It really would take more than a day.
Just thinking about it made him angry again. Those bastards!
"And then?"
"Then what? We’re going back."
"Everyone?"
Chung Myung nodded.
"Once the Hwayeong Gate disciples improve a little more, we’ll leave without a shred of regret. The whole reason we made the affiliate branch in the first place was to make our influence grow even without the main sect here. If we keep hanging around, the guest becomes the host."
"…Doesn’t that seem a little too much for Hwayeong Gate alone?"
At the worried murmur, Chung Myung shook his head firmly.
"Don’t underestimate them."
"Hm?"
"The power of a branch doesn’t come from the martial strength it possesses. It comes from pride in the main sect. The reason Southern Edge’s affiliates became so powerless wasn’t because they lacked strength. It was the subtle distrust toward Southern Edge that dragged things down to that point."
"Ah…"
Hong Dae-gwang looked at Chung Myung once more in fresh admiration.
This bastard usually seemed like a complete lunatic, but every now and then he hit the nail right on the head.
"Hwayeong Gate has seen Mount Hua’s strength with its own eyes, and they stood beside us as we crushed the Red Snake Unit. They’re not weak anymore. They may still lack martial strength right now, but that’ll be fixed soon enough. If you really want to help Hwayeong Gate, then don’t cling to them and stay by their side—go back to the main sect and make Mount Hua’s name ring even louder across the land."
"That’s right!"
Hong Dae-gwang nodded energetically.
As a man of the Beggars’ Sect, one of the largest powers in the world, he understood better than anyone what Chung Myung meant.
The Beggars’ Sect didn’t grow because its branch offices were managed well. It grew when its heroic name spread across the world.
In the end, what mattered was making people gather. In a branch sect, everything depended on the reputation of the main sect—it was no exaggeration.
"All right."
"Hm?"
"I’ll help."
"…Help with what?"
"Don’t worry. Within half a month, I’ll spread the word far and wide that Hwa Jeong Sword defeated the Red Snake Blade! I’ll make sure even the folks living in some mountain backwater hear Hwa Jeong Sword’s name!"
"…Uh, hang on. That…"
"If it helps Mount Hua, of course I should do it!"
"Ugh. I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Why are you acting like a child?"
"…Fine."
Chung Myung’s eyes opened with a strangely firm determination.
"But!"
"Hm?"
"That Hwa Jeong Sword or whatever title, right?"
"Huh?"
"Not that one. I mean, isn’t Dong-ryong also called something like the Five Dragons or whatever?"
"That’s a title we don’t really use anymore, but yes. Why?"
"Let’s change that to Bronze Dragon."
"…"
"Then every time people hear the title, every time the name echoes out, they’ll become a little more humble."
"…"
"It’s good for everyone, right? Heh heh heh heh."
No matter how he thought about it…
That bastard was definitely a devil.