If You Die, You Can Rest All You Want! (4)
"Mm."
Hyun Jong slowly nodded. Then he looked warmly over the elders, the Un generation, and the Five Swords gathered before him.
They had just finished hearing a proper report on this entire journey.
Of course, he had already heard in broad strokes what Mount Hua had done and where they had gone through the Beggars’ Guild. But a story told by the people who had personally gone there and lived through it carried a very different weight.
"This is not a tale to dismiss lightly."
In the end, everything had gone well, and they had returned victorious without suffering major losses.
But if even once in that process they had slipped, not one person here would be able to smile now.
"You all truly endured a great deal."
"Not at all, Sect Leader. We were simply lucky."
Hyun Sang smiled faintly, and though his words were modest, pride he had not quite managed to hide still lingered in that smile.
"Luck is granted to those who do their utmost. Too much humility becomes its own sort of imbalance. You did more than well enough."
Hyun Jong did not stint on his praise, and his face was filled with genuine delight.
The achievements the disciples had brought back from that long journey were excellent beyond measure. But what pleased Hyun Jong even more was the fact that, despite all those dangerous trials, none of them had died or been gravely injured.
That was not something achieved by luck alone.
Thinking of how much Chung Myung and the Five Swords had done behind the scenes to protect the disciples, he found them adorable beyond words.
Taking a sip of tea with a soft expression, Hyun Jong looked over everyone once more before speaking.
"Baek Cheon."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Tell me. What did you feel on this journey?"
"Yes. There is much."
"Speak."
Baek Cheon took a small breath and, with a composed expression, said, "Mount Hua has certainly become stronger than it was in the past, but there are still shortcomings. I learned, painfully, why some sects are called prestigious, and why the sects that command the world stand where they do."
Hyun Jong nodded, as if he liked that answer very much.
"Do the rest of you think the same?"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"So be it. What’s there to make a fuss about?"
Hyun Jong smiled broadly.
He thought he had heard one strange answer at the end, but by now even Hyun Jong had learned to hear that voice with one ear and let it out the other.
"Hyun Young."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"What do you think?"
At that, Hyun Young’s gaze grew slightly darker.
"Sect Leader."
"Yes."
"Mount Hua can no longer be the same as it was before."
"Mm?"
Hyun Jong urged him on with a look that asked what he meant.
"The fact that Wudang challenged us to a martial contest carries meaning beyond what can be seen at a glance."
"You mean the other sects have started keeping Mount Hua in check?"
"That’s certainly part of it. But I think we should be paying attention to something a little different."
Hyun Young took a small breath and continued.
"Until now, Mount Hua has done whatever it wanted."
Hyun Sang, listening nearby, tilted his head as if he had just heard something absurd.
"What kind of nonsense is that? When have we ever—"
"Senior brother. There were certainly things we couldn’t do because we lacked strength and money, but there was never a time when someone else decided what we wanted to do."
"I still don’t understand."
"When we decided to send the children to the martial arts tournament, was there anyone who stood in our way?"
"…No, there wasn’t."
Hyun Young narrowed his eyes as if to say See?
"It was the same when we went to Yunnan, and when we went to the North Sea. No matter how difficult those things were, the choice was still ours. But this martial contest with Wudang was not something we decided."
"Mm."
"Mount Hua’s fame growing is a good thing, but from now on, things like this will happen frequently, whether we want them or not. They’ll keep trying to drag Mount Hua down by repeating offers we can’t refuse and matches we can’t back away from."
"…I see what you mean now."
Hyun Sang finally nodded, as if he had understood Hyun Young’s point.
Keeping them in check…
The Nine Sects and One Gang, along with other powerful sects, all turning their attention to Mount Hua and trying to restrain it. Just thinking about it was oppressive.
As if he still had more to say, Hyun Young spoke again.
"We should avoid getting dragged into their schemes and allowing our reputation to suffer. But what I’m truly worried about is a situation where, because of such things, Mount Hua can’t do what it actually needs to do."
"Hmm…"
"For example, if Wudang had challenged us right before these children set out for the North Sea, or just before everyone went to the Green Forest, that would have been a serious problem."
"Ah…"
Everyone glanced around at one another. None of them had thought that far ahead.
"From now on, whenever we proceed with something, we’ll have to consider how the other sects might react. Things will become more complicated, and more difficult."
"Mm."
Hyun Jong let out a low, troubled sound.
He had vaguely expected they would be kept in check, but hearing it laid out so plainly made it clear this was not something they could dismiss lightly.
Still—
"That’s a good thing."
"Hm?"
Before he had even gathered his thoughts, Chung Myung’s clear voice rang out.
When everyone turned to look at him, Chung Myung grinned.
"Nobody bothers to keep weak sects in check. If the Nine Sects are trying to keep Mount Hua down, doesn’t that mean all the sects under heaven have finally acknowledged Mount Hua as a threat?"
"Heh…"
So much for how the value of a thing depended on how one looked at it. That, too, wasn’t wrong.
"No matter how hard they try, they can’t stop water from flowing. We can’t ignore it completely, sure, but in the end, doing what we need to do properly matters far more."
At Chung Myung’s blunt words, Hyun Young snorted with laughter.
"You brat. If you put it like that, then everything I said seriously just sounds like nagging."
"Hehe. I’m just saying, that’s all."
Watching Hyun Young flick Chung Myung’s forehead in mock annoyance, Hyun Jong smiled faintly.
Neither of them is wrong.
It was important to understand the situation correctly, but it was just as important not to be swept away by it and to hold onto one’s footing firmly.
To keep one’s eyes on the sky while planting one’s feet deep in the ground—that was what Mount Hua needed to do from here on.
"Everyone…"
Hyun Jong seemed about to add something, then shook his head. Instead, he turned slightly and looked toward the door.
Through it, the faint shouts of disciples training outside could be heard.
Even if I don’t say it, they already know.
Whatever happened, if they could keep advancing with stubborn effort from their own places, they would overcome it all in the end. By now, every disciple of Mount Hua knew that without him needing to say another word.
"Then let us set this matter aside for now."
Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung and said, "We should discuss the next matter."
"The next matter?"
"Surely you can guess."
At Hyun Jong’s words, Chung Myung tilted his head.
"There are so many things stacked up like a mountain, how would I know which one you mean…"
"…"
"We need to go check on opening the Hwayeong Gate branch, and we need to talk with the Eunha Merchant Guild about selling tea in Beijing, and since the funds we’ve gathered need to be put to work, we should make additional investments in Huayin, and we also need to help organize the insights the second- and third-generation disciples gained, and since trade with the North Sea has finally begun, we need to figure out how that’s going too…"
"T-That’s enough."
If left alone, he looked ready to keep rambling for at least another hour.
Did we really make this many things happen?
Hyun Jong was once again reminded just how furiously Mount Hua was spinning.
"W-Well, of course those things matter too, but there’s something even more important, isn’t there?"
"The most important thing?"
"Yes."
"Ah!"
Chung Myung’s eyes lit up as if he had finally understood.
"Did the bastards from Zhongnan finally lift their seclusion? We already stomped Wudang flat, so we should crush those punks again too, right?"
"…"
Where exactly did that deep-rooted hostility toward Zhongnan and the Nine Sects come from?
"…Zhongnan has not yet lifted its seclusion."
"Then what is it?"
Hyun Jong gave up trying to draw a sensible answer out of Chung Myung and let out a sigh.
"There are many matters, but the most urgent one is something else entirely."
At those words, Chung Myung grinned as though he had been waiting for them.
"Heavenly Alliance, right?"
"Yes."
Hyun Jong nodded.
"Because of everything you accomplished this time, Mount Hua’s reputation has risen higher than ever, so they say we should move without delay and proceed with the founding at once."
"Oh?"
"They’ve more or less finished coordinating with the other major sects, and I hear they’ve also asked the smaller and medium-sized sects in Sichuan and Shaanxi whether they intend to participate."
"Ha! As expected of the Tang Family! They really are fast when it comes to getting things done! If Mount Hua had handled it, it would’ve taken at least two more months."
"…R-Right."
It was hard to tell whether he was praising the Tang Family or insulting Mount Hua.
"So what did they say we should do?"
"Everyone is to gather at Mount Hua."
"Huh? Here? Not over at the Tang Family?"
Hyun Jong nodded.
"Ordinarily, it would make sense for the Tang Family, which led the matter, to host the founding ceremony. But they said there was no reason not to take advantage of Mount Hua’s newfound fame. They’ve already set out for Mount Hua with key figures from the Sichuan Tang Family, the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, the North Sea Ice Palace, and the Green Forest."
"…Wait, they already set out? Not that they’re going to set out, but that they already did?"
"Yes."
"…What is this, eating stir-fried beans with lightning speed…"
Chung Myung looked incredulous, and Hyun Jong smiled faintly.
"In his letter, I could feel how excited the Tang Family Lord was."
"Heh heh."
Imagining Tang Gun-ak, that stern-faced man, being so pleased he could hardly contain himself, Chung Myung found himself laughing for no reason.
"I agree with the Tang Family Lord. If it’s something we have to do anyway, there’s no reason to drag our feet."
"Wise words."
"So Mount Hua must also prepare quickly."
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
Meeting Chung Myung’s gaze, Hyun Jong nodded firmly. Then he turned his head and gave the order.
"Hyun Young."
"Yes."
"Mount Hua will also begin preparations for the founding of the Heavenly Alliance. Get ready to receive the sects that are coming to Mount Hua."
"Yes. Please do not worry."
"Also—"
Hyun Jong straightened his back fully. At the same time, a gentle yet formidable presence flowed from him.
"The founding of the Heavenly Alliance is not our matter alone. Send invitations to all the sects under heaven in the name of Mount Hua and the Heavenly Alliance."
Hyun Young’s eyes trembled slightly.
"Tell them this is a happy occasion, and ask them to come grace it with their presence."
"…Yes. Yes! Understood, Sect Leader!"
Sending invitations to the sects under heaven was not something just any sect could do. It was effectively a declaration that Mount Hua had risen to a position where, as the leader of the Heavenly Alliance, it could guide the currents of the martial world.
"All of you, listen well!"
"Yes!"
"Position creates power, and power always calls forth responsibility. The work Mount Hua must do will only increase from here, and the burden will grow heavier as well."
Everyone seated there fixed bright, intent eyes on Hyun Jong.
"But this is a burden we cannot refuse. I intend to shoulder it gladly, and I ask you to help me as well."
"Of course, Sect Leader!"
"We will do our utmost!"
With a solemn expression, Hyun Jong nodded.
"And do not forget this."
"…"
"Even if we become the head of the Heavenly Alliance, even if Wudang keeps a wary eye on us, even if the world begins to focus on us—"
The corners of his mouth, stiff until then, finally curved into a soft smile.
"Mount Hua is still Mount Hua, nothing more and nothing less."
At that, the faces that had tensed in unison relaxed a little.
"Now then, let us begin."
"Yes!"
With that resounding answer, heat flared in the eyes of Mount Hua’s disciples.
It was time to announce the name of the Heavenly Alliance to the world.