Chapter 51. Hah, So We’ve Got Some Big Shot Coming, Do We? (3)
"Uuuuugh!"
Gimok-seung’s face twisted as he sat down to the breakfast table. He’d lifted his chopsticks, but in the end he set them back down with a sharp clack without taking a single bite.
The disciples who had been attending him stole cautious glances at his face.
"Does the food not suit your taste?"
"Mm."
Gimok-seung shook his head lightly.
"It’s not that the food is bad. My heart is simply not at ease."
"What do you mean, your heart is not at ease? If these disciples have done anything wrong, please scold us as harshly as you wish."
"It is not your fault."
With an expression edged faintly with irritation, Gimok-seung pushed the breakfast tray aside.
"That bastard I can’t stand is hanging around the inn, and it’s making me lose my appetite."
At that, Yi Song-baek, a second-generation disciple of Southern Edge, asked quietly, "Are you perhaps speaking of that child from Mount Hua?"
"Cough."
Gimok-seung gave no direct answer, but there was no one present who couldn’t understand what that uncomfortable cough meant.
"Elder. I honestly don’t understand. Why would the arrival of some child matter so much?"
"It isn’t the fact that he’s a child."
"Then…?"
"It’s that he’s a child from Mount Hua."
The disciples looked at Gimok-seung with open confusion.
What was it about a child from Mount Hua?
They had never been able to understand the outright hostility their seniors sometimes showed toward Mount Hua.
"Have I not told you this time and again? Mount Hua and we are sects that cannot live beneath the same sky."
But Gimok-seung was different.
He had grown up hearing about Mount Hua from Southern Edge’s elders over and over again—how Mount Hua had tormented Southern Edge, how Southern Edge had struggled under Mount Hua’s aura and influence for years.
"The fact that a child from Mount Hua has entered Xi'an so openly is irritating enough as it is, but to make matters worse, his name is the same as that detestable Plum Blossom Sword!"
"…"
The disciples exchanged glances.
So that’s what this is about.
That damned Plum Blossom Sword has been dead for nearly a hundred years, and people are still talking about him.
You’d think the Mount Hua bastards don’t even remember that title, and yet somehow we hear more about the Plum Blossom Sword than about our own founders.
The Plum Blossom Sword.
The Plum Blossom Sword Saint, Chung Myung.
When people of Southern Edge spoke of Chung Myung from the past, they never attached the honorific saint to his title. There was no way they could grant such a noble character to someone they would be happy to chew up and spit out.
Yi Song-baek gathered his fellow disciples’ attention with a glance.
Anyone could tell that Gimok-seung’s fixation was abnormal, but even so, he was a Southern Edge elder—the very senior they were currently serving.
And as long as Mount Hua wasn’t mentioned, Gimok-seung was actually a rather normal, mild man.
"Please don’t trouble yourself over it."
"Don’t trouble myself?"
Gimok-seung’s brows rose.
"That brat is now running all over town saying he’s going to treat Lord Hwang."
"Haha. Surely not…"
"He says there’s been some improvement."
"…"
Yi Song-baek fell silent.
Gimok-seung said no more, but the intelligent Yi Song-baek could guess what lay behind those words.
What if that child really did treat Lord Hwang?
Then chaos would break loose.
Lord Hwang was a man with clear debts and obligations. There was no way such a man would simply stand by and ignore Mount Hua if Mount Hua had saved his life. He would surely throw every resource he had behind them in gratitude.
We have to stop that.
Yi Song-baek quickly ran the numbers in his head, then cleared his throat and spoke.
"Elder. If that child bothers you so much, why don’t we simply drive him away?"
"You?"
Gimok-seung’s eyes widened slightly.
"Yes. If you were to intervene personally, it would look bad, but we are second-generation disciples. What disgrace is there in a Southern Edge second-generation disciple crossing swords with a Mount Hua third-generation disciple?"
"Mm. But would there not be rumors that we bullied a child?"
Yi Song-baek smiled faintly.
"Who doesn’t know that Mount Hua and Southern Edge have maintained ties for many years? If we happened to meet and compared swords, and things got a little rough in the process, it would hardly be considered shameful."
Gimok-seung slowly nodded.
"Moreover, with the Tournament of Mount Hua and Southern Edge not far off, it would make for even better justification."
"I understand what you’re getting at. Still, I cannot permit it."
Gimok-seung said firmly, "Even so, he is a third-generation disciple. For you to lay hands on him or challenge him to a duel would not suit Southern Edge’s dignity. How would the people of the martial world look upon a great sect bullying a child from a declining school?"
Yi Song-baek nearly laughed out loud.
Of all people, it was Gimok-seung who was most bothered by that child. And yet here he was, making such obvious excuses that it was hard to suppress a smile.
But it was the duty of a disciple to act while considering even the feelings of his elders.
"Then I’ll take your word as a refusal, Elder. But if one of the disciples were to make a mistake, all that would remain is for that person to receive appropriate punishment."
"Of course. Anyone who lays a hand on that child will be punished by me personally."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Gimok-seung was the kind of man who kept his word. So his promise to punish them personally was certainly sincere.
There was just one thing.
Along with that punishment, it was certain that an even greater reward would follow.
"It is a disciple’s duty to obey the words of one’s sect elder. But isn’t it also a disciple’s duty to ease the burden on his elder’s heart? We’ll take care of the rest, so please don’t concern yourself any further, Elder."
"Cough. Very well."
"Yes, Elder. Then we’ll take our leave."
As Gimok-seung gave a silent nod, the disciples bowed deeply and left the room.
Gimok-seung watched them go, then frowned slightly.
Those boys are taking Mount Hua far too lightly.
He understood why.
By the time those boys were born, Mount Hua had already long since declined. In their minds, Mount Hua was nothing more than a dying old tree still clutching the glory of a bygone era.
But Gimok-seung knew better.
He knew how powerful Mount Hua had once been.
Though Southern Edge now made a name for itself as the foremost sword sect under heaven, the sages of the sect Gimok-seung had seen as a child had not been any weaker than the current level of Southern Edge.
No—there had definitely been areas in which they had been even more outstanding.
And even that past Southern Edge had been no match for Mount Hua. If Mount Hua’s power had not been weakened by the Demonic Sect’s invasion, Southern Edge would not have been able to surpass it even now.
We can never return to that era.
A resolute look came over Gimok-seung’s face.
"If that child has traveled all the way here from Mount Hua, then I suppose it’s safe to say Mount Hua has started up its outward activities again."
He had thought they had crushed it completely, ground it into the dirt so it could never rise again. Apparently, he had also been too quick to underestimate Mount Hua’s strength.
"Once this matter is over, I’ll need to speak with the sect leader."
A viciousness uncharacteristic of a Daoist flickered in Gimok-seung’s eyes.
"Elder, aren’t you being a little too sensitive? Senior Brother?"
"You know he’s always like that whenever Mount Hua comes up."
"Even so, isn’t it a bit much to be wary of even that little child? No matter how great Mount Hua was in the past, it’s just a small sect now, one that’s collapsed so thoroughly there’s not even a pillar left standing."
"That’s true enough."
"And even if Mount Hua were somehow to rise again, it still couldn’t possibly compare to Southern Edge as it is now."
Yi Song-baek smiled faintly.
"Spirit is a good thing. Still, I agree with the elder. Mount Hua in the past was certainly not a sect to be taken lightly. The current Southern Edge is still a little behind that era’s Mount Hua."
"Senior Brother!"
"But the past is the past. In the end, the strong are the ones who survive."
Only then did everyone nod.
Yi Song-baek’s junior brother and fellow second-generation disciple of Southern Edge, Go Hui, asked carefully, "Senior Brother. What do you plan to do about that child?"
"Shouldn’t we placate him and send him away somehow?"
Yi Song-baek suppressed a faint smile.
Bulllying a child went against his nature, but with Elder Gimok-seung worked up like this, it was also a problem to leave that child here any longer.
It wasn’t as though Gimok-seung would actually lay a hand on him, but it would be bad enough for a Southern Edge elder to be seen wrangling with a child.
"But what on earth was Mount Hua thinking, sending that child out alone? If this were Southern Edge, no child would ever be allowed to leave the mountain gates by himself."
"Not every sect has the same circumstances. They must have had their reasons."
"Hmm. One thing’s for sure: Mount Hua doesn’t seem to be in very good shape."
"What other sects do is none of our business."
Yi Song-baek cut off the meaningless chatter.
"We only need to do our own job. Don’t forget that what we should be doing right now is serving Elder Gimok-seung properly."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
"I’ll remember that."
Only then did Yi Song-baek give a quiet nod.
"Then how are we supposed to call that child out…"
"Wait a moment, Senior Brother. Look over there."
"Hm?"
At one man’s words, everyone turned their heads in the same direction.
"Isn’t that the child?"
"It is, isn’t it?"
"He’s coming this way."
"Mm."
Yi Song-baek let out a dry laugh.
They had just been wondering how to summon the child from Mount Hua, and yet here he was, coming straight to them of his own accord.
"What now? Right away?"
"No need to drag it out."
Yi Song-baek stepped forward toward the approaching Chung Myung and cupped his hands in greeting.
"Good day."
"Huh?"
Chung Myung tilted his head when he saw Yi Song-baek and the other disciples.
Before Chung Myung could even speak, Yi Song-baek moved first.
"I’m Yi Song-baek of Southern Edge. It’s an honor to meet a disciple of Mount Hua."
"Ah, yes. Hello."
Chung Myung answered flatly.
Yi Song-baek kept his kind smile in place and asked patiently, "And where are you headed?"
"I’m going to see Lord Hwang. I’m checking whether he’s improving."
"Ah. Is that so."
Yi Song-baek nearly smiled.
The child has no shame.
Lord Hwang was a man even Gimok-seung and the finest physician under heaven had failed to cure. It didn’t seem likely that some child like this could do anything for him. And yet he was brazenly talking as if he were treating Lord Hwang, which did not exactly speak well of his character.
"If you’re not busy, would you mind speaking with me for a moment?"
"Sure, whatever. What’s this about?"
"Haha. It’s simply that, throughout history, Mount Hua and Southern Edge have developed by exchanging swords with one another, have they not? Even now, Mount Hua and Southern Edge regularly hold an event where they exchange swordsmanship. Might you be aware of it?"
"Oh? Really? I didn’t know. I only joined Mount Hua not long ago."
"That would seem to be the case."
Yi Song-baek smiled softly.
If he knew that much, he wouldn’t be standing so stiffly in front of me.
Even after hearing the name Southern Edge, not a flicker changed in the child’s face. If he had ever witnessed the Tournament of Mount Hua and Southern Edge, there was no way he could remain this calm.
"Receiving the experience of Mount Hua’s sword is of great help in one’s training. What do you think? Would you perhaps allow me to see the lofty sword of Mount Hua once?"
Yi Song-baek wore a slight smile.
The child would surely refuse, but he had several ways of cornering him…
"Ah, so basically."
At that moment, Chung Myung tilted his head slightly.
"You wanna fight?"
"…"
Yi Song-baek cleared his throat.
"It’s not about fighting. It’s more like training or a friendly match…"
"That’s fighting."
Yi Song-baek’s eyes went blank.
What the hell is this bastard?
Under that dazed stare, Chung Myung grinned.
"I’ll take on a fight anytime. But don’t say I didn’t warn you—you’ll regret it."
It was a calm declaration.