If You’re Going to Do It, Do It Properly! (3)
“What on earth are they doing in there?”
“Beats me.”
The Mount Hua disciples stared at the Dang Family lord’s quarters with puzzled expressions.
It had been a long time since they’d sobered up enough to open their eyes, but the loud shouting coming from the lord’s chambers still showed no sign of stopping.
“Can you make out what they’re saying?”
“...From this far? No way.”
Jo Gul let out a sigh.
Not only they, but even the Dang Family servants were too wary to approach the lord’s quarters. It was only proper for subordinates to pretend not to hear their superiors when they were shouting their heads off.
Whenever the Mount Hua disciples tried to edge closer, unable to curb their curiosity, the Dang Family servants glared at them with blade-sharp eyes, as if to say one more step and they’d fire hidden needles.
“Tch.”
So they had no choice but to keep their distance and listen to the muffled roar of voices.
“What kind of conversation is this, anyway? It sounds like a fight.”
Listening only to the volume, it was basically a brawl. But whether it was Tang Gun-ak or the Beast Palace Lord, that was one thing—but if Chung Myung was involved in a fight, there was no way the lord’s quarters would remain intact...
At that very moment, all sorts of worries flashed through their minds.
Crash!
At last, the door to the lord’s quarters flew open, and one person stepped out.
“Haaah.”
It was Chung Myung. He looked like he’d seen a ghost as he exhaled a stream of white breath from his mouth and trudged out, dragging his feet.
“...I won.”
“...”
Won? Won what?
Peeking sideways into the chamber, they saw Tang Gun-ak and Maeng So slumped in their chairs like their souls had left their bodies.
“...”
The Mount Hua disciples tilted their heads and carefully approached Chung Myung.
“What exactly did you do in there?”
“Well...”
Chung Myung glanced back, then smiled with the deepest satisfaction in the world.
“Let’s say I managed to seize a right that’s completely useless, only makes things inconvenient, but still can’t be surrendered no matter what.”
“...”
They had no idea what he was talking about, but looking at Chung Myung’s face, they could make a rough guess.
He hit them again.
“Ughhh...”
“Damn it...”
The groans drifting from inside the lord’s quarters made Baek Cheon feel strangely desolate.
So now even the lord of the Dang Family and the lord of the Beast Palace have fallen prey to that damned man’s hands.
What was the martial world even coming to?
Still, Chung Myung, the one who’d caused this earthshaking incident, only wore a pleased expression like a puppy that had just been fed.
“Is everything loaded up?”
“Not yet. They said they’d finish repairing the cart by today.”
“Huh? The cart? The one we brought?”
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t you say we were going to sell it? Why are they repairing it? You planning to drag that heavy thing around again?”
“I was going to sell it, but...”
“Hm?”
“...the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like this was something only we could do.”
“...Huh?”
Then Jo Gul, standing behind them, gave a vigorous nod, a savage glint in his eyes.
“Turns out it’s amazing. Seriously. There’s no better training method for strengthening your lower body. We can’t just keep this good thing to ourselves! We’re dragging it back to Mount Hua so I can kindly introduce this excellent training method to the martial siblings too.”
“...T-Then we have to drag it all the way back to Mount Hua?”
“We’ll have to endure it.”
“For the sake of our martial siblings, I can bear that much!”
For a moment, Chung Myung’s face went pale.
...Was this okay?
Were these guys really all right after saying something like that?
It only now truly hit him that Baek Cheon and the others had all somehow developed personalities Mount Hua had never produced in the past. Chung Myung was only just realizing it anew.
“Anyway, the cart won’t be fixed until tonight, so at the earliest we can’t leave until tomorrow morning.”
“Really?”
Chung Myung made a thoughtful sound and stared at them meaningfully. Guessing what he was thinking, Jo Gul blurted out a yell.
“We agreed you wouldn’t lay a hand on us! You said it with your own mouth! Let me go home already, you damned bastard!”
“Huh? Who said I was going to do anything?”
Chung Myung answered airily, though he clicked his tongue in obvious regret.
This is exactly the time to put them through the wringer.
Still, a promise was a promise.
“Fine. Then rest today and leave tomorrow morning.”
Jo Gul finally let out a long breath of relief.
“At last, I’m going home... Good heavens. We came all the way to Sichuan, and only now am I finally getting to stop by my own home...”
He’d have no excuse even if people called him an unfilial son.
Jo Gul snapped his head around and said to Yoon Jong,
“Sahyung. You probably don’t have anything to do, so come with me to my house.”
“Hmm, should I?”
“It’ll probably be more comfortable than staying at the Dang Family.”
Yoon Jong nodded readily. Jo Gul’s gaze moved to Baek Cheon.
“What about you, Sasuk?”
Baek Cheon looked at him for a moment, then turned to Chung Myung and said,
“I think I should stop by the Sahae Merchant Group with Baek Sang as well. He said he has something to discuss with the merchant lord.”
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung nodded.
Among the Mount Hua disciples who had come to the Dang Family, the busiest by far was Baek Sang. In Hyun Young’s place, since the elder couldn’t come in person, he had to coordinate the matter of tea trade with Yunnan.
“Looks like things from Finance Hall suit you better than I thought.”
“The elder is pleased as well. In fact, Baek Sang has always been quick with that sort of work.”
“Unlike Jo Gul, the merchant’s son, who’s a complete idiot?”
“Hey! Why am I being dragged into this again?!”
Jo Gul exploded, his face red as he jabbed a finger in outrage. But Chung Myung merely snorted and clicked his tongue back at him.
“This kind of work should’ve been Jo Gul-sahyung’s job in the first place.”
“If I could do that, I’d have inherited my family already!”
“Fair enough.”
Jo Gul did have a decent sense of self-awareness.
In truth, he wasn’t entirely devoid of business sense. It was more a matter of interest than ability. Baek Sang was deeply interested in the work of Finance Hall, while Jo Gul would rather gnaw his own arm off than do any sort of arithmetic.
“Anyway, got it. Tell everyone to gather by tomorrow morning.”
And so, at last, sweet, sweet rest was granted to the Mount Hua disciples.
With that conversation concluded, the disciples scattered in different directions.
Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, Baek Sang, and Yoon Jong headed to the Sahae Merchant Group, while Yu I-seol was dragged off by Dang Soso to tour the market stalls.
Yu I-seol, who had no interest in such things whatsoever, even twisted her usually expressionless face into a deep frown. But it seemed impossible to rein in Dang Soso, who had been suddenly flooded with enthusiasm.
As for Hye Yeon, with some incomprehensible explanation about needing to care for his body and mind after being eroded by demons, he set out in search of the nearest temple.
Thanks to that, Chung Myung was left alone at the Dang Family residence, where he was enjoying a long-missed, peaceful rest.
“Haaahh...”
A tiger as huge as a house had flopped over on its back, drenched in cold sweat. Sprawled on top of it, Chung Myung was holding a wine bottle in one hand while stroking Baek Ah, who was busily putting on a show with the other.
“This is nice.”
How long had it been since he’d last had a proper break?
Come to think of it, he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d truly rested. If a person ran nonstop without rest, eventually their legs would snap. Sometimes, you needed to set everything down and simply breathe.
“Everything’s good. Everything really is good, but...”
The tiger fur was softer than expected, and the belly was much warmer than expected. Sleep was drifting over him in waves.
There was only one problem...
“...Mister.”
“Hm?”
“Aren’t beggars supposed to have work to do?”
“What kind of work would a beggar have?”
“...”
Hong Dae-gwang, the obstacle to Chung Myung’s peace, grinned at him.
“Besides, as far as I’m concerned, I am doing my job properly.”
“...I’m sure you are.”
Chung Myung shook his head.
“If you came all the way to Sichuan, shouldn’t you be running around and digging up information? You’re the Beggars’ Sect, for crying out loud. At least get us some useful intel.”
“Tsk tsk. You speak like someone who doesn’t know the world.”
Hong Dae-gwang clicked his tongue in rebuttal.
“Where in this world are there places without beggars? Sichuan is full of them. Everything worth finding out has already been figured out by the beggars here. Why should I waste time prowling the streets when the local beggars have already gathered what matters?”
“...”
“But! No matter how many beggars Sichuan has, they still can’t go inside the Dang Family residence. It’s more profitable to inspect the inside of the Dang Family than to wander aimlessly outside.”
Hearing it that way, it was actually a fairly convincing excuse, and Chung Myung let out a snort of laughter.
“So, have you gained anything useful?”
“Of course. There’s even some information you’ll find interesting.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
Instead of answering, Hong Dae-gwang narrowed his eyes and looked at Chung Myung.
“For free?”
“...”
“As your senior in life, let me tell you this: everything comes at a price. Mount Hua Divine Dragon. If you want information, you need to pay a fair...”
“You really think the food and drinks you’ve been chugging since you got here were free? So what, everything comes with a price, huh? Then maybe you’d like to leave by tearing up grass off the roadside and chewing on that on the way back.”
“...My mistake.”
Having watched Hye Yeon do it, I can tell you that’s no way for a human being to live. I’m not a goat, you know...
“Ahem.”
After a loud cough, Hong Dae-gwang spoke with feigned seriousness.
“I did hear quite a few things, but most of them have nothing to do with you. There’s only one thing that does.”
He glanced left and right to make sure no one was around before lowering his voice to a whisper.
“You know what I told you before?”
“Huh? Before about what?”
“About the Dang Family lord charging into Maninbang alone.”
“Ah... That? What about it?”
Hong Dae-gwang’s expression turned quite serious.
“It seems that was something done in the face of more resistance than we thought.”
“...”
“It’s true that the lord’s standing within the family has risen dramatically, but even so, he can’t do whatever he likes. And this was a matter that could put them at odds with none other than Maninbang, no?”
“Right.”
“As a result, there was apparently a great deal of resistance within the family. Why should the Dang Family have to become Mount Hua’s shield, they said. Even so, the Dang Family lord seems to have pushed ahead while ignoring the objections, and he apparently took quite a few unpleasant words for it.”
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung nodded slowly, then lifted the bottle in his hand and drank deeply. Wiping the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, he said,
“Well, that was unnecessary of him.”
His gaze turned toward the far sky.
Late at night.
Scratch, scratch.
The brush filled the blank paper line by line.
By the lamp’s light, Tang Gun-ak was working through documents when he carefully set the brush down and slowly rubbed at his eyes.
I’m tired.
Since Mount Hua’s visit, he had been pushing himself a little too hard. He had to focus on making the Thousand-Year Cold Iron swords, of course, but he also needed to renegotiate tea trade with Yunnan, and ultimately it would be his responsibility to establish the foundations of the Heavenly Alliance.
Work was pouring in from every direction, and there was no chance to rest. More than that, he knew this was one of the most critical moments in determining whether the Dang Family could soar back into the world once again.
“Hoo...”
He picked up his teacup and frowned faintly. Seeing that the tea had gone cold, it seemed time had slipped by while he’d been so absorbed.
Should have the tea replaced...
Then—
Knock, knock.
He heard someone rap on the door.
Hm?
Knocking on the door meant someone had approached all the way to it.
No matter how focused he’d been, there were only a handful of people in the Dang Family who could have approached this far without his noticing.
He spoke slowly.
“What is it?”
“Shouldn’t you ask who it is first in a case like this?”
“Do I really need to when it’s obvious who it is?”
Creak.
When the door opened, someone stood under the spilling moonlight.
Chung Myung.
He was carrying a bottle in each hand, grinning broadly.
“How about a drink?”
Tang Gun-ak glanced at the documents he had been writing. Then he smiled quietly.
“Sounds good. I was just free for the moment.”
Glug, glug, glug.
The wine was poured into empty cups.
In a small pond set within one corner of the vast Dang Family grounds, two men sat facing each other atop an old-fashioned pavilion built over the water.
As the white cups filled with wine, the full moon shimmered in them—like the moon floating on the pond’s surface.
“So you’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Yes. We’ve got a lot to do.”
At Chung Myung’s calm answer, Tang Gun-ak let out a low chuckle.
“I consider myself a fairly busy man, and yet watching you makes me wonder if I’m being far too leisurely.”
“Ah, come on. It’s not like that.”
“I’m not just saying that.”
Even at Chung Myung’s flippant tone, Tang Gun-ak gently shook his head.
“The people of Mount Hua may not feel it. After all, they’re always moving with you. But from the outside, Mount Hua has accomplished far too much in far too short a time.”
“...”
“I’m almost envious. I don’t have your passion or your ability.”
“You’re being a little too dramatic.”
“Dramatic, is it...”
Tang Gun-ak smiled faintly.
“I’d be pleased if that were all it was.”
Then, after tilting his cup slowly, he dipped his head slightly toward Chung Myung. Startled, Chung Myung’s eyes widened.
“What’s with that?”
“Thank you for taking Soso with you to Mount Hua.”
“...”
At words he hadn’t expected at all, Chung Myung closed his mouth.
“Of course, I know it’s not something I should say as lord of the family. But as her father, it’s something I have to say. It may be a little awkward for me, but Soso looks happier than ever since going to Mount Hua. Before, she was like a flower without scent. But now, seeing how she is, I can tell she wasn’t truly happy at the Dang Family.”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes.”
Chung Myung said it firmly, shaking his head.
“Of course she looks livelier now—she’s living a much more vibrant life, so that’s only natural. And since you hadn’t seen her this way before, it’s natural you’d feel that even more strongly. But Soso wouldn’t have been unhappy here. She’s always been spirited and positive. Right now, she’s just found a different life that suits her better.”
“...”
“And the one who helped her grow that way would be you, Lord.”
Tang Gun-ak looked at Chung Myung in silence for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“I see. Thank you for saying so.”
“Ah, no. I’m the one who should be thankful. I heard you held back Maninbang. Apparently, that caused you some trouble.”
“It’s nothing.”
Tang Gun-ak said it flatly.
“And being opposed over any matter is only natural. That’s their role.”
“That may be true, but...”
“I did not do it to be praised.”
Before Chung Myung could say anything else, Tang Gun-ak deliberately lifted his cup.
“Will you drink with me?”
“...”
In the end, Chung Myung let the rest go and smiled as he raised his own cup.
“Sure.”
Their cups clinked lightly.
The moon reflected in the wine trembled for a moment, then slowly regained its shape.
After emptying their cups, the two men simply looked at each other in silence.
Drinking in the pavilion above the pond brought a strangely unique joy.
“Once the alliance is formed, a lot of things will change.”
“They will. A structure is necessary, after all.”
“Maybe the relationship between Mount Hua and the Dang Family will change a little too.”
“We’ll have to accept that.”
Chung Myung smiled in a lazy circle as he refilled Tang Gun-ak’s empty cup. Watching the ripples stirred by the wine, Tang Gun-ak said quietly,
“Many things may change. Yes, they probably will. But one thing won’t.”
“Hm?”
A quiet smile settled on his lips.
“The fact that you and I are friends.”
“...”
Instead of replying, Chung Myung looked up at the sky where the moon hung overhead. The full moon shone white against the pitch-black night.
“It’s a good night.”
“It is.”
The two of them smiled at each other.
“A very good night.”
Their drinking went on without an end, until the moon tilted and the edge of the sky began to pale with dawn.
Just like the days long ago, when Chung Myung and Tang Bo once shared drinks together.