The Mountain Is Only Worth Crossing If You Can Climb It (3)
Whispers drifted through the air.
“A challenge?”
“Well... yeah, I guess so. Does that mean Wudang is challenging Mount Hua now?”
“Hey, come on. Isn’t that a little much? That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Hah. What do you mean it doesn’t? Look at the situation! If Wudang really didn’t care about Mount Hua at all, why would they even ask for a spar?”
“That’s true, but... still, it’s Wudang!”
They were trying to keep their voices low, but there was no way such whispers could escape Heo Sanja’s ears.
Damn it.
Before he knew it, Heo Sanja had ground his teeth.
He had deliberately come all the way to Geum-seon Merchant Group and brought up the matter in front of the merchants in order to create a situation no one could easily back out of.
He had believed the elders of Mount Hua, with their lack of experience in Jianghu affairs, would never be able to wriggle out of that trap.
And yet...
That little bastard!
That young daoist had completely turned his plan on its head.
Of course, if one thought about it for even a moment, it might have been a perfectly natural piece of improvisation.
But Wudang had personally come here with their disciples and asked for a spar right to their faces. To calmly read the situation and, in an instant, find the perfect words to throw it back at them?
Absurd.
Not to mention the younger generation— even most sect elders would tense up the moment they heard the name Wudang.
Even those who usually bragged that Wudang was nothing would surely go pale standing before Heo Sanja and Wudang’s disciples.
So just what kind of monster was that brat, to remain so calm and instead trap Wudang in reverse?
I thought he was no ordinary one from the Sword Tomb, but...
Heo Sanja gave a low groan.
Words, once spoken, were like water—once they ran off, they could never be scooped back up again.
No matter what excuse he tried to make now, the word challenge would not be erased from the merchants’ minds.
“A challenge, you say...”
The moment Heo Sanja opened his mouth to salvage the situation, Chung Myung cut him off again.
“Yeah, well, it’s only natural. Wudang may be famous, but its history’s a bit short, isn’t it? Mount Hua came first as a Daoist sect, so helping you out a little with that is only fair—”
“Mm! Mm-mm! Mmm!”
At last, the Mount Hua group holding Chung Myung rushed in panic and clamped a hand over his mouth.
Baek Cheon even grabbed a cloth from somewhere, stuffed it into Chung Myung’s mouth in a frenzy, then wrapped the rest around his face over and over again.
“Ha... haha. Sorry about that. He seems to have taken in too much heat or something... Ah, it’s hot. So hot.”
As if on cue, a cool breeze happened to blow by.
Yet Baek Cheon still fanned himself furiously as though he were boiling.
Watching that, Heo Sanja’s face finally twisted.
It was not obvious at first, but the smile he had been forcing with all his might began to vanish little by little.
That bastard...
If there was one thing Wudang did not want to hear from Mount Hua, it was anything about history.
Mount Hua was one of the orthodox heirs of the Dao in Central Plains: the Quanzhen lineage, and among them, the line that carried on He Dazhong, one of the famed Seven Perfected of the world.
Now that the sects founded by the other Perfected Ones had all declined, the true heir of Quanzhen could undeniably be said to be Mount Hua.
By contrast, Wudang had been founded in the later years of Zhang Sanfeng’s life, so its history was not especially long.
It was the kind of thing one could ignore if one wanted to, but the aftertaste was bitter no matter what, and that made it something no one wanted brought up. And yet that damn brat had jabbed right at that sore spot and gone on and on about it.
And in front of everyone, no less.
“Hah... I’m terribly sorry, Elder. I brought him along as a disciple, but I clearly haven’t been teaching him properly...”
“...”
Wasn’t there a saying that a daughter-in-law who stops the beating is more hateful than the mother-in-law who does the hitting?
Watching Hyun Sang speak with a face that looked genuinely mortified, Heo Sanja felt flames rising in his chest. If that damn brat had openly dismissed Wudang, or if these elders had puffed themselves up and boasted back, he wouldn’t have been nearly so infuriated.
But these people were poking at him with the last things he wanted to hear, needling him where it hurt. The composure Heo Sanja had spent years cultivating was beginning to crack under that subtle torment.
“N-not at all. I’m not foolish enough to get angry over the words of an ignorant young disciple.”
“Thank you so much for understandin—”
“Puhahahahaha!”
At that moment, the cloth stuffed in Chung Myung’s mouth was torn to shreds and scattered into the air.
“What? What? What did I say that was wrong?”
“Aaaagh! Shut that cursed mouth, you bastard!”
Baek Cheon immediately tried to cover Chung Myung’s mouth with both hands, but Chung Myung opened his jaw wide and bit down hard on his hand.
“Aaaagh!”
As Baek Cheon clutched his hand and stumbled back, Chung Myung seized the opening and spoke at once.
“No, Sasuk, you seem to be missing the point, but nothing I said was wrong. You have to know your sect’s history! I wasn’t even going to say this, but if you really think about it, Zhang Sanfeng was basically a Mount Hua disciple too. He climbed Mount Hua in Shaanxi, studied under Hwa Ryong Jin-in, and based on that founded Wudang—”
“Mouth! Mouth! Mouth!”
Now even the disciples who had been holding Chung Myung’s arms and legs rushed in alarm to shut him up.
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul clamped his mouth shut, Yu I-seol started thumping his head with tiny, sharp taps, and even Baek Ah slapped his cheeks with its little forepaws.
“Mm! Mmmmmm! Mmph!”
Chung Myung glared and struggled, but this time the other disciples were more desperate than ever.
Once Chung Myung was finally brought under control, Hyun Sang lifted his face to the sky, let out a deep sigh, and apologized again with all the sincerity he could muster.
“...I-I’m sorry. He knows nothing, so... I will make sure to teach him properly.”
Heo Sanja did not respond at all.
When a person was too angry, words would not come. That was exactly how he felt now.
The reason he was boiling over was not because Chung Myung had spouted nonsense. It was because, to some extent, that nonsense was true.
He did not know the full records of their founder’s deeds either. But among the tales floating around the world, there was indeed one that said Wudang’s founder, Zhang Sanfeng, had studied under Hwa Ryong Jin-in on Mount Hua in Shaanxi.
Damn it.
Which was precisely why he did not want it mentioned. It was no different from admitting that the root of Daoism lay in Mount Hua.
Heo Sanja’s gaze swept over the merchants again. Seeing the strange expressions on their faces, he could only sigh in bitter exhaustion.
So they’re not only afraid of swords.
Judging from the miracles Chung Myung had shown at the Sword Tomb and his performance at the martial arts competition, there was no reason not to recognize the Mount Hua Divine Dragon as the finest talent in Central Plains.
But after what he had seen today, the most frightening thing about the Mount Hua Divine Dragon was clearly that tongue of his.
Heo Sanja ground his teeth inwardly as he looked toward the elders of Mount Hua.
You...
Unlike Hyun Sang, who looked as though he might die from embarrassment, Hyun Young, who had stepped back a pace, was wearing a blatantly satisfied expression.
Whether he simply could not hide his feelings or was deliberately putting them on display, either way it was infuriating.
Then, from behind him, came a grinding sound. Heo Sanja flinched and quickly pulled himself back together.
What a fool... What was the point of being baited by such a transparent provocation!
If he had been his usual self, he would never have gotten so angry over something like this. There was definitely something about that young daoist Chung Myung that twisted people up inside.
The same words, once those eyes and that tone were added, were no longer the same words.
“Hoo.”
After taking a short breath to steady himself, Heo Sanja looked at the elders of Mount Hua again with a calmer expression.
If he entered a spar with his anger still burning, there was no telling what result he would get. First he needed to calm himself down. Only then would the disciples calm down too.
“Hahaha. Indeed. That is why we came with the heart of students seeking instruction. What do you say? Mount Hua does not often have the chance to interact with other Daoist sects, as I understand it. If this opportunity allows your disciples to mingle with ours, would that not be a great help?”
“Hmm.”
Hyun Sang seemed to think for a moment before speaking.
“We are truly grateful for the offer.”
Heo Sanja’s brows twitched at the unexpected answer.
They’re backing down here?
That couldn’t be right.
“However, this is not something we can decide lightly in a place where our sect leader is not present.”
“Even if Mount Hua’s sect leader were here, he would not object. More importantly, is this not for the sake of the disciples?”
With those words, Heo Sanja quietly narrowed the space for retreat, but Hyun Sang shook his head.
“It is not that simple. Mount Hua is not a sect that decides anything on its own. We understand your proposal well, so please give us some time to discuss it with our disciples.”
“...Do you mean to say you would discuss this sort of matter with your disciples? As far as I know, you are the only two elders of Mount Hua...”
“That is correct.”
“Then why go to such lengths?”
“I do not know how Wudang does things, but Mount Hua is different. One is not wiser simply because one has lived longer, and one is not wiser simply because one holds a higher position.”
Heo Sanja was left speechless.
What sect in the world decides matters of consequence by consulting the disciples like this?
It was something he had truly never heard of before.
“So please grant us a little time.”
“Very well. Do as you must.”
Hyun Sang gave a short salute and stepped back. As he returned to the rear, Mount Hua’s disciples crowded around him as if they had all agreed on it beforehand. Clearly, those words had not been empty.
“Heh.”
Watching that, Heo Sanja let out a hollow laugh, struck by a deep sense of incongruity. Then he turned as well and headed back to his own disciples.
“Elder.”
Mu Jin stepped forward and spoke carefully. He had many things he wanted to say, but there was only one thing Heo Sanja had to tell him.
“Mu Jin.”
“Yes.”
“Those people will end up accepting this spar no matter what.”
“Yes.”
“So...”
He bit his lip slightly before continuing.
“Do not stop at the level we first planned. You must crush them completely!”
At that resolute voice, Mu Jin flinched.
“...To that extent?”
“Yes.”
“But they are still second-generation disciples. Of course, there are also first-generation disciples, but even so...”
“You still don’t understand.”
“...Pardon?”
“Forget reason, forget propriety. You must flatten them.”
Mu Jin closed his mouth, unable to find a reply.
I’ve never seen the Elder look like this before.
Heo Sanja’s face, usually full of ease and composure, was set like a general who had ridden onto the battlefield. Seeing that expression, Mu Jin could think of nothing more to say.
“Understood.”
After hearing the answer, Heo Sanja glanced back toward Mount Hua. The gathered disciples were talking noisily among themselves.
Can you stop the flowing water?
Sect Leader...
Until one saw it with one’s own eyes, the meaning of those words could not be fully understood. But Heo Do-jin-in had seen what others could not and taken his seat on that place while looking ahead.
I do not know whether this is the correct current.
But one thing was certain: the momentum of that current was not something to underestimate. Water would always flow somehow. Whether in the right direction or the wrong one, in the end it would become a river.
I will stop it here, even if I have to see blood.
A cold killing intent settled in Heo Sanja’s eyes.