Mount Hua Will Be in Total Chaos (5)
“No!”
“Ah, come on! Say something that actually makes sense!”
Faced with the fierce opposition, Hyun Jong stared in disbelief, his mouth hanging open.
“W-What do you mean it doesn’t make sense? You idiots are going!”
“Are we the same as the Sect Leader?”
“Absolutely not, Sect Leader. There’s no way a sect leader should personally step forward for something like this.”
Hyun Young and Hyun Sang were stubborn as mules. Confusion flooded Hyun Jong’s face.
“All the disciples are going out together, are they not? What’s so strange about me leading them myself?”
“The nature of the matter is the problem.”
Hyun Sang shook his head, his expression firm.
“You are no longer the leader of a small sect. Think about it the other way around. Would the Sect Leader of Shaolin or Wudang personally lead their disciples to invade the Green Forest over something like this?”
“Th-They probably wouldn’t?”
Those old boys were all famously heavy in the rear. Of course, Beop Jeong of Shaolin had loosened up a little lately.
Hyun Young cut in as if there was no more need to even discuss it.
“In any case, absolutely not. Just stay at the main sect and mind the house.”
“I agree with Hyun Young on this one.”
“Ughhh.”
Hyun Jong let out a long, miserable sigh.
Damn you all.
How long had he waited for the day he could lead Mount Hua’s disciples, transformed from their former selves, and sweep across the martial world? Yet who would have thought these men would be the ones to stop him so firmly?
Hyun Sang glanced at him for a moment, then smiled as if he understood exactly what Hyun Jong was thinking.
“Isn’t this matter too trivial for the Sect Leader of the great Mount Hua Sect to handle personally? There will be a better day.”
“Hngh, fine.”
Hyun Jong was not entirely satisfied, but he understood what they meant.
Still, the optics would be bad.
They were building justification, yes, but in the end this meant meddling in another faction’s affairs. For the head of the sect itself to personally march out and command such a thing was, admittedly, a little awkward.
As if a needle had pricked the inflated pride in his chest, Hyun Jong gave another deep sigh.
“Instead, you must pay closer attention. All the disciples are going out.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Please don’t worry.”
Hyun Jong’s expression grew heavier.
“This is about raising Mount Hua’s name.”
“……”
“The benefits we’ll gain through the Green Forest, and the groundwork this lays for the Heavenly Alliance, are important. I can’t say it outright, but building some kind of relationship with the Green Forest is important too.”
The two men listening became serious.
“However.”
Hyun Jong looked at them both with a stern face and said,
“Nothing in Mount Hua is more important than the safety of the disciples.”
“……”
The weight in his voice pressed down on their shoulders.
“If you come to a choice, do not hesitate. As long as you always put the disciples’ safety first, your worries will be easier to bear. No matter what must be sacrificed, protect them all.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
Hyun Young answered in a rare, grave voice.
“Please do not worry. We do know that the children are Mount Hua’s foundation and future.”
“Hngh… That’s exactly the problem. You know it only in your head. With you going along, I just can’t feel at ease.”
“Now wait a minute, Sect Leader—are you starting to sound like Chung Myung? You’re picking on people even now?”
“Sigh.”
Hyun Jong shook his head and looked at Hyun Young with obvious distrust, then turned to Hyun Sang.
“You must be under a lot of pressure.”
Hyun Sang merely gave a low chuckle.
“Please don’t concern yourself too much. We likely won’t need to do much at all.”
“Hm?”
“Do you think that brat Chung Myung will keep his mouth shut?”
“……That’s true.”
When Hyun Jong reluctantly agreed, Hyun Sang smiled.
“That fellow surpassed us long ago, in both martial skill and scheming. All we have to do is keep him from going completely off the rails.”
“That sounds like the hardest job of all.”
“It probably is, yes….”
Hyun Jong let out another long sigh, then said again,
“In any case, do your best and—”
“Aigoo, enough already! We’re already seventy years old. Do we really have to keep listening to a lecture at this age?”
“You brat!”
“Come on, Sahyung! If we stay here any longer, we’ll be listening to the exact same nagging until the sun goes down.”
“Mm, shall we?”
Hyun Jong stared at them in bewilderment.
“Ah, I still have plenty left to say—”
“Aiiii!”
But Hyun Young, rising to his feet, strode out with a look that said he’d had enough. Hyun Sang followed behind him with a wry smile.
“Come on, let’s go! You fools!”
Hyun Jong hurriedly got up from his seat and tried to chase after those two disciples.
“Hmph.”
Baek Cheon carefully inspected the disciples with sharp eyes.
Having checked everything from their clothes to their belongings one by one, he soon frowned as though something still bothered him.
“Cuffs!”
“Pardon?”
“Button your collar properly! Don’t leave everything hanging open like bandits!”
“Yes, sir!”
At the icy rebuke, as sharp as if a blade had fallen from his mouth, the disciple in question hurriedly tightened his collar.
Baek Cheon’s cold face was full of dissatisfaction.
“Never forget that the way you dress and act shows the world what Mount Hua is. If you behave like a bunch of hooligans on a mountain, I’ll break your backs.”
“Y-Yes, Sahyung!”
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong, lined up nearby, glanced at him sidelong, then leaned their heads together and muttered.
“Why is he being so prickly?”
“……Isn’t this Mount Hua’s first proper expedition? When it was just us hauling carts around, there wasn’t much reason for people to care, but if this many people move at once, anyone would look twice.”
“That’s true enough. But isn’t he worrying a bit too much? His stomach’s been bad lately, too.”
“……That has nothing to do with this.”
It’s because of Chung Myung.
“The elders will handle the leadership, of course, but they can’t personally mind every little detail like that.”
“Sasuk really does seem stressed.”
Jo Gul grinned.
But at that very moment, the blame suddenly flew to the wrong target.
“You’re laughing?”
“……”
Turning on them like a ghost, Baek Cheon said,
“What do you think you’re doing? You’re not checking the children’s clothes.”
“R-Right now.”
“If even one of the Cheong generation causes trouble, I’ll snap both your necks.”
“……S-Sasuk.”
“What?”
“Chung Myung is an exception, right?”
“……”
The instant Jo Gul finished asking, Baek Cheon’s words came to a sudden halt.
It was probably just an illusion, but for an instant, it even seemed as though the shadow beneath Baek Cheon’s eyes dropped lower.
“By the way, what’s Chung Myung doing….”
Since the subject had come up, Jo Gul turned his head to look for Chung Myung—and then blinked.
“What is that bastard doing over there?”
“Huh? Where?”
“Over there, I said. That one.”
“……Huh?”
Yoon Jong blinked hard.
“Huh? Chung Myung is… Hmm. Yeah, that does look like Chung Myung….”
It was truly strange.
Thanks to Chung Myung—because of him, really—they had gone through too much in life and been tormented far too many times. So by now, Yoon Jong could spot him instantly from a hundred paces away.
And yet, just now, he hadn’t recognized Chung Myung’s back at a glance.
Why are his shoulders slumped like that?
This was a sight one almost never got to see.
Sensing that something had gone wrong, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Baek Cheon all rushed toward the place where Chung Myung stood.
And then….
“Whoa….”
“What the hell is that?”
“Heh… hah….”
They fell silent, their words trailing off in shock. Anyone would have, seeing what stood in front of Chung Myung.
Kiiee!
To be fair, it wasn’t really that strange a sight.
Baek Ah was just standing there as usual, one forepaw on its flank and its belly sticking out proudly.
That is, if not for the black martial robes it was wearing.
“……Who dressed a weasel in clothes?”
“A-And there’s even a plum blossom design on its chest.”
At the sight of the weasel wearing Mount Hua’s robes, the three of them were too stunned to speak and could only stare blankly at the scene.
“Who in the world did this….”
“I did!”
Just then, someone nearby raised a hand and trotted out.
“Cute, isn’t it?”
“……”
After confirming who had appeared, the three of them smiled at the same time.
Soso.
Of course it’s Soso.
If it’s Soso, there’s no stopping her.
They were reasonably important people within Mount Hua themselves, but none of them had the nerve to argue with Dang Soso. It wasn’t that they were weak-willed.
Anyone would feel the same way if they’d ever had a long needle jammed into the top of their head. Anyone!
“……At this rate, even beasts are becoming disciples.”
“If you think about it, that’s not so strange. There are bastards worse than beasts already.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
All of them turned their eyes toward the bastard worse than a beast.
“……”
Chung Myung had always worn a smile that made people anxious, angry, or vaguely uncomfortable, but right now he looked like a man whose country had been stolen from him.
“A sacred Mount Hua robe, and some beast is wea—”
“Why? Isn’t it cute?”
“……Sasuk.”
Chung Myung turned to Baek Cheon with a face that looked close to tears.
“……Is this okay? Really, is this okay, Sasuk?”
“……”
Without a word, Baek Cheon patted his shoulder.
“Calm down, Chung Myung. You’ve already come too far to be surprised by something like this.”
“……Mount Hua is doomed.”
For the first time in a very, very long while, Baek Cheon felt a deep sense of sympathy and pity for Chung Myung.
Kiiee!
“What do you mean, ‘kiiee,’ you little frozen bastard! I’ll skin you alive!”
Just as Chung Myung was about to start his usual wrestling match with Baek Ah, the elders and Hyun Jong entered the training yard. Everyone hurriedly took their places and lined up.
“Is everything ready?”
At Hyun Jong’s question, Unam standing at the front clasped his hands and answered.
“Yes, Sect Leader. All preparations for departure have been completed.”
“Mm.”
Hyun Jong straightened his shoulders and said solemnly,
“Listen well.”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
“This matter—”
“Let’s keep it short, Sect Leader. The kids have already been standing here for ages, and now you’re going to start another long lecture?”
Hyun Jong’s face twisted into something tragic at the muttering voice that cut in from the side.
How does this man become less mature the older he gets?
“Hngh!”
Hyun Jong let out an annoyed sigh and shouted,
“Everyone, listen to your elders, raise Mount Hua’s name, and come back safe!”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
“That is all!”
As Hyun Jong turned sharply around, Hyun Sang stepped forward with a faint smile.
“It will be a long road to the Green Forest, so everyone must be careful not to cause trouble.”
“Yes!”
The answer rang out loud and clear.
“Never forget that you carry Mount Hua’s name on your backs. The moment you leave this mountain gate, you are Mount Hua, and Mount Hua is you.”
At those words, responsibility and tension flickered across the disciples’ faces. Hyun Sang said in a grave voice,
“Let us depart.”
Everyone began to move.
What filled the disciples’ hearts in this moment was not the burden of facing the Green Forest, nor even the weight of carrying Mount Hua’s name.
We’re going to show what our training was for!
If we went through all that hellish suffering and come back without accomplishing anything, I’ll die from the injustice of it.
I don’t care about the Green Forest or whatever else—I'm going to wipe them all out!
Just as their excitement was reaching a boil and they were about to head toward the mountain gate, a cold voice suddenly pierced their ears.
“Go ahead and cause trouble if you’re so confident.”
“……”
Every head turned toward one place.
Chung Myung, veins bulging in his eyes, was glaring at them.
“I’ll make sure you learn what real trouble is.”
“……”
Their elevated spirits cooled instantly.
If we cause trouble, we die.
Careful. Be even more careful.
The bandits aren’t scary. That bastard is a thousand times worse.
Hyun Sang turned and clasped his hands toward Hyun Jong.
“Then we will be taking our leave, Sect Leader.”
“Mm.”
Hyun Jong nodded heavily. At that gesture, Hyun Young shouted out,
“Let’s go!”
The disciples of Mount Hua all turned at once and marched toward the mountain gate.
A helpless smile slowly appeared on Hyun Jong’s lips.
Can you see this, Master?
The face of the previous Sect Leader had kept flickering before his eyes from early on.
“Mount Hua is stepping back into the world.”
He watched the departing disciples with all his heart.
“Please watch over them.”
This was the moment the great Mount Hua Sect’s journey into the martial world began.
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