Why Is So Much Coming? (5)
“……”
Chung Myung’s lower eyelids twitched.
“Ah, no—”
His gaze was fixed on the procession of people surging madly toward the mountain gate.
From here, it only looked like a lot of people coming in. But if you went out to the front of the gate and looked down over Mount Hua, the line of people climbing the mountain path was so massive it seemed like a giant dragon winding its way up the mountain.
“Why are so many people coming?”
Chung Myung muttered in a daze, then snapped his head around.
Already, those who had entered Mount Hua were standing in a long line. The queue wrapped around the training grounds more than twice before stretching all the way to the Sect Leader’s quarters where Hyun Jong was waiting.
“……And the event hasn’t even started yet.”
“Of course not.”
“Huh?”
Tang Pae, who had been standing beside him, smiled faintly and spoke.
“Once the event begins, there won’t be any chance to meet the Sect Leader. The people in charge of the event can’t possibly greet every guest from every sect one by one, can they?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“So most sects come before the event starts, hoping for a private audience with the Sect Leader.”
“……But this many?”
“It’s not usually this much, no…….”
Tang Pae smiled as if pleased.
“It just means interest in the Heavenly Alliance is burning hot.”
“……”
Chung Myung stared at the crowd, disbelief written all over his face. No matter how he looked at it, the number of people was absurd.
I mean, sure, I did hype it up a bit and told people to come in numbers.
But this? This much effect?
“You seem rather taken aback. Still, I suppose you wouldn’t often see this many people at Mount Hua. But you’ll need to get used to it now, Daoist brother. You’ll be seeing scenes like this often from now on.”
Mount Hua not seeing crowds? What nonsense. In the old Mount Hua, this was everyday life, you bastard!
Only, for some reason, the sight felt strangely unfamiliar as well…… Hmm…….
Why was that?
Back then, Mount Hua must have held events this large more than once, so why did he have no memory of it…….
“Ah…….”
Suddenly, the voices of his senior brothers from the past flashed through Chung Myung’s mind.
— Senior Brother! Senior Brother! Please, for the love of God, don’t come out of your room!
— No, Senior Brother! At least go over there and train or something. I even prepared liquor for you! Just tell me where you want it, and I’ll carry the food and drinks straight to you.
— Senior Brother! The Sect Leader says you’re absolutely not allowed to come into Mount Hua!
— And if you run into anyone passing by, you absolutely must not pick a fight or beat them up! No, even if you do beat them, do not, under any circumstances, make them disabled!
— Why don’t you go take a trip to Zhongnan or something? What? Why? Just go when I tell you to, damn it!
Chung Myung’s gaze drifted toward the distant sky.
Back then, I didn’t know this was such an important event.
As they say, only by switching places can you understand the other person’s position…….
If one of Mount Hua’s disciples now picked a fight with the guests and ended up beating them down?
Chung Myung would probably go berserk, beat the hell out of the idiot until he was dust, and then throw him off a cliff. But didn’t the senior brothers of the past lack the power to beat Chung Myung down in return? Of course they’d only have been driven to the brink of madness.
Ah, well…… sorry about that.
Feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment, Chung Myung coughed awkwardly.
“Ahem!”
Then he looked ahead again.
In front of the newly cleaned and neatly renovated halls of Mount Hua, the crowd had gathered in swarms, while the few Mount Hua disciples and the Tang Family attendants ran around in a frenzy, managing the guest registry and keeping order among those entering.
This feels weird.
He couldn’t help remembering the first time he had climbed Mount Hua after being reborn.
The Mount Hua he had seen through that collapsing gate was so different from the one he knew.
No vitality, no trace of the graceful spirit peculiar to Daoist sects. The buildings were all on the verge of collapse, and there wasn’t a hint of life in the faces of those guarding Mount Hua.
How could anyone put into words the feeling of standing before a Mount Hua that had become half-ruined, like a haunted wreck?
And now, after all that, people were gathering here again.
“Tsk.”
What an odd feeling…….
Chung Myung rubbed the tip of his nose, which had grown faintly stinging, then straightened his shoulders with renewed energy.
“Everyone looks busy, so maybe I should help too!”
And just as he was about to stride cheerfully toward the guests—
Squeeze.
“Hmm?”
Someone grabbed at his sleeve. Chung Myung turned around and found Tang Pae holding onto him with an awkward smile.
“W-Well, my father said…… that Mount Hua will have to handle many such events from now on, and that there will be plenty of occasions when you’ll need to host things independently as the leader of the Heavenly Alliance.”
“And?”
“So…… he said that rather than having the Mount Hua Divine Dragon do small things personally, it would be better to keep an eye on the overall flow of events…….”
“……”
“T-things like this are when you should step in! When something big happens!”
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and glanced sideways at Tang Pae.
Tang Pae, clearly embarrassed, averted his gaze and looked up at the far-off sky.
“Did Tang Gun-ak tell you to say that?”
“……Not exactly…….”
“……”
Time had passed, and Mount Hua had changed a great deal.
But the way Chung Myung was treated hadn’t changed much at all.
Now they’re even putting guards on me in the Tang Family! My God, what kind of life is this?
Still, Chung Myung was proving, in his own way, that he had grown. If this had been the old him, he’d have shouted, “Who the hell are you to keep an eye on me?” and smashed the guy’s skull on the spot. But now he was only giving him the side-eye.
I really have become much kinder.
At this rate, he’d ascend to heaven before long. Ascend, indeed.
— You’re putting a lot of effort into talking nonsense.
“Hey, what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Pardon?”
“……Never mind.”
He let out a long sigh and looked ahead. Then, suddenly, he tilted his head.
“Still, this is strange.”
“What is, exactly?”
“These are martial artists who’d start fighting the instant their eyes met, and yet with so many of them gathered here, not a single loud voice is rising.”
“Hahaha. You must be joking, surely?”
“What?”
Tang Pae chuckled softly and said,
“The people who came here mostly want to leave a good impression on Mount Hua and the Heavenly Alliance. Naturally, they can’t go causing trouble at a banquet held for such a purpose.”
“Oh, so that’s normal?”
“……What seems so strange to you?”
“No, it’s not that…….”
Chung Myung looked up at the sky.
— You bastards invite people and treat them like this? Fine, I’m taking your signboard down today! Get over here, all of you! I was already sick of wearing this Taoist cap that doesn’t even suit my head. Today, I’m untying this thing! Get over here, you bastards!
“……”
Sorry, Senior Brother. I didn’t know that was how things were…….
Chung Myung quickly lowered his head before he could hear another round of cursing from the heavens.
“No, but…….”
Then his face twisted sharply.
“The guest list is already overflowing, so why the hell hasn’t the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace arrived yet? What, are they so big they’re slow on their feet too?”
“Haha…… the Beast Palace is quite far away, isn’t it? We informed them well in advance, so they’ll arrive in time for the main ceremony.”
“Tsk. I heard they’d be here soon.”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue and was just about to launch into another complaint when—
A loud murmur suddenly rose from the direction of the mountain gate.
“Huh? They’re here?”
He craned his neck to look, and just then someone shouted at the top of their lungs.
“It’s the Peng Family! The Hebei Peng Family is here!”
“Oh?”
At a name he hadn’t expected, a grin crept onto Chung Myung’s face.
“I sent them an invitation, but I didn’t think they’d actually come.”
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“It’s the Qingcheng sect! Qingcheng is here too!”
“Isn’t that the Beggars’ Sect over there? Right, it is! The Beggars’ Sect is coming too!”
“Oh! The Kongtong Sect! Kongtong Sect!”
At the familiar names called from all directions, Chung Myung let out one astonished exclamation after another.
“Now that’s a parade of heavy hitters.”
Tang Pae grabbed Chung Myung by the sleeve with a determined look and started pulling.
“This is no time for that! Please, come to the mountain gate!”
“Huh? Why?”
“People of standing deserve proper treatment. The Sect Leader doesn’t have to personally greet every guest, but it would be best for someone with enough standing to step forward. Given the fame of the Mount Hua Divine Dragon, it should be a fitting match. Quickly!”
“Ugh. Such a pain.”
With an expression that screamed irritation, Chung Myung was dragged along by Tang Pae toward the mountain gate.
Those who had been waiting to sign the registry and enter Mount Hua made way one after another at the arrival of such eminent guests. And along the open path, members of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families strode in with dignified confidence.
Clack.
At the mountain gate, Chung Myung straightened his back.
Gah!
Has Tang Pae lost his mind?
What is he thinking?
The Mount Hua disciples, who had been busy guiding the guests, were the first to spot the scene and froze in horror.
He couldn’t even shove Chung Myung into a corner, and instead he’d brought him out where everyone’s attention would gather?
We’re doomed!
We have to fix this!
Elders! Where are the Elders?!
And then, at that very moment, Chung Myung calmly clasped his hands in a formal salute and extended them forward.
“Welcome to Mount Hua. I trust you had a difficult journey.”
“……”
“……”
Baek Cheon, who had already gone pale, slowly dropped his jaw.
The other members of the Mount Hua Five Swords beside him looked equally soul-struck as they watched.
“……Did you see that? Chung Myung actually spoke like a human being.”
“He didn’t even use informal speech.”
“……Is that what they call ‘manners’?”
For those who didn’t know Chung Myung, it would have been a perfectly ordinary sight. But those who did know him were all practically watching their jaws hit the floor.
Even the way he held his salute was impeccable. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was a disciple of a prestigious clan, trained in the strictest etiquette.
Well, no. That wasn’t exactly wrong, either.
The guests who had received the greeting looked at Chung Myung with brightened eyes.
“I am Peng Ak, an elder of the Peng Family. May I ask your name?”
“It is an honor to meet you, Elder. I am Chung Myung, a third-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”
“Oh? Then you must be the Mount Hua Divine Dragon and the foremost talent of the current generation?”
Chung Myung gave a gentle smile and lightly shook his head.
“That is nothing more than an overblown reputation. To hear such words from an elder of the Peng Family is almost too much for me to bear.”
“Hoho. Just as rumor said, you are quite the talent!”
Blue veins bulged on Baek Cheon’s clenched fist.
“……He’d be better off causing a ruckus, that bastard…….”
“I-I can’t even watch this with my eyes open, Sahyung!”
“What the hell did that bastard eat?”
Just what had happened to him? Watching Chung Myung, who had suddenly transformed into the picture of a model disciple from a famous clan, made their stomachs churn and their tempers flare hot enough to set fires.
That despicable bastard…….
It was a tremendous relief that he hadn’t caused trouble, but why did it still irritate them so much?
Yet despite their silent agony, Chung Myung’s beautifully refined, fluid smile never once wavered.
“Please come inside. The Sect Leader has been eagerly awaiting your visit.”
“What welcome words. Then would you help us present ourselves before the Sect Leader and offer our greetings?”
“It would be my honor.”
He bowed once more and turned around.
As they watched Chung Myung walk with such composure, the guests exchanged quiet remarks among themselves.
“They said his personality was extremely rough…… but he doesn’t seem that way at all.”
“Rumors from the martial world are always exaggerated, aren’t they?”
“Now I see why Mount Hua has made such a name for itself. Its imposing spirit truly is dazzling.”
“Kya…… kya-r…….”
“Hmm?”
At the strange sound that suddenly came from the front, those following him tilted their heads and fell silent.
But Chung Myung kept walking as if nothing had happened. His ears and the back of his neck were red as beets.
“Let’s go greet them first.”
“Yes.”
Led by the Peng Family, the visitors entered the mountain gate and stepped into Mount Hua.
But……
As he looked around, Peng Ak frowned slightly.
Why do the Mount Hua disciples all look like that?
For some reason, every one of their expressions was twisted into something grim and miserable. Completely unable to understand it, Peng Ak only tilted his head in confusion.
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