Why Should I Apologize When I’m the Host? (3)
Hyun Jong quietly looked over everyone. Silence fell, and the men and women present swallowed hard against the rising tension.
The Sect Leader of Mount Hua.
In the past, he had been nothing more than the leader of a minor sect no one had paid attention to. But now, no one could possibly think of Hyun Jong in such a dismissive way.
The Sichuan Tang Family gave him the seat of honor, and the rulers of the outer lands bowed their heads to him with proper respect.
Was it the seat that made the man?
Hyun Jong wasn’t even releasing any sort of imposing aura. He had merely swept his gaze across the crowd in calm silence. And yet, from him came both a gentle warmth like a spring breeze and a weight that seemed to press down on the entire surroundings.
Those who had known Hyun Jong from before felt the full measure of how different his standing had become, while those who had not were forced to hold their breath before the dignity of Mount Hua’s Sect Leader.
But Hyun Jong didn’t seem to notice the attention fixed on him at all.
“Hmm…”
As though he had roughly grasped the situation, he let out a long, deep sigh.
“...I don’t know why this scene feels strangely familiar. Am I mistaken?”
No, Sect Leader.
That’s not a mistake…… We’ve seen this plenty of times. Of course we have.
Jo Gul’s gaze turned to Hyun Jong. Or rather, to the person standing behind him.
“...S-Sasuk?”
“...Wow, Sasuk.”
Baek Cheon stood behind Hyun Jong with a satisfied smile. The way he looked at the other disciples seemed to say, You idiots. You should have gone to fetch the Sect Leader first.
“...So the really smart one is someone else after all.”
“No, think about it. He watched us bust our asses trying to stop that crazy bastard and just left us to it, didn’t he?”
“That’s kind of pissing me off.”
“Shh.”
The Mount Hua disciples, who had been muttering among themselves, quickly shut their mouths when Yoon Jong, who had come over without them noticing, gave them a warning glance.
“Hm.”
Hyun Jong’s eyes settled on Yang Gyeong.
“I am Hyun Jong of Mount Hua.”
“...I am Yang Gyeong of the Cheongbaek Sect in Hunan.”
Yang Gyeong spoke with a slightly intimidated expression. He had never imagined such a formidable figure would appear so suddenly.
In any sect, a Sect Leader generally did not move about carelessly. A Sect Leader represented the entire sect, and every word they spoke determined what kind of sect that was, so naturally they had to be cautious.
But Mount Hua’s Sect Leader had appeared here before the other disciples had even arrived.
As the situation changed so abruptly, Yang Gyeong drew his shoulders in as though he could barely breathe.
“May I ask what this is about?”
“...Yes, Sect Leader. The thing is, what happened was...”
Yang Gyeong explained what he had suffered. Naturally, since he was speaking from his own perspective, he trimmed away his own faults and exaggerated Chung Myung’s misconduct a little. No, there wasn’t even much point in calling it exaggeration—he simply told it as it was. There was nothing more to exaggerate anyway.
“So that is how it came to be.”
“Hm.”
After hearing everything, Hyun Jong deeply furrowed his brow. Then he looked at Chung Myung, who was still being held back by the disciples.
“Chung Myung.”
“Yes.”
“Is everything the Sect Leader said true?”
“Yes.”
Although the story had clearly tilted in Yang Gyeong’s favor, Chung Myung did not object and answered readily. Something similar had happened, after all.
“I see.”
Hyun Jong looked at the proud Chung Myung and slowly nodded.
“I have one question.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Do you feel even a shred of shame for what you did?”
“No.”
The answer came immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
Hyun Jong stared at Chung Myung for a moment, then nodded. After that, he raised his voice a little.
“Unam!”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
Unam, who had been standing like a guard beside Hyun Jong, immediately clasped his hands and bowed.
“Expel Yang Gyeong, the Sect Leader of the Cheongbaek Sect, and the rest of his people from Mount Hua.”
“Yes!”
“As of today, the Cheongbaek Sect is forbidden from entering Mount Hua. And let it be made clear that they may never again establish any relationship with Mount Hua.”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
Yang Gyeong’s face turned ash-gray in an instant.
“S-Sect Leader!”
He looked at Hyun Jong desperately. But Hyun Jong didn’t even spare him a glance, instead clicking his tongue while looking at Chung Myung.
“Even a Daoist should know how to endure sometimes.”
“There’s a time to endure and a time not to.”
“So this time, you decided it was a time not to endure?”
“That’s not it... Hehe.”
When Chung Myung scratched the back of his head awkwardly, Hyun Jong shook his head as though there was nothing he could do. But only for a moment. Soon, he said quietly,
“Well done.”
“...”
“If something like this happens again, you don’t have to endure then either.”
“Yes.”
Chung Myung stuck his stomach out as if to say, See? The disciples’ faces twisted miserably.
“N-No, Sect Leader... If you say it like that...”
“What are we supposed to do after that...?”
“T-That won’t do. Please, no!”
Meanwhile, the others were unable to hide their shock. Things they had never seen before kept happening one after another. It was one thing for the Sect Leader himself to step in like this, but for that Sect Leader to defend a disciple who had kicked the face of another sect’s leader was something they had never once witnessed in their lives.
Yet what was most bewildering of all was that the young disciples were openly objecting to the words of the Sect Leader of a major sect.
Even the elders, who should have come forward to rebuke them, and the first-generation disciples standing behind them did not show much reaction, as though this was all perfectly natural and familiar.
Hyun Jong smiled warmly.
“If trouble arises, it will be enough if you block it the way you did this time.”
“...We didn’t block it, though.”
“And we probably won’t be able to block it either...”
“Hahaha.”
Hyun Jong brushed away the disciples’ misery with a benevolent laugh, then casually turned his gaze back toward Yang Gyeong. The eyes that had just been filled with warmth as he looked at his disciples suddenly sharpened with a chilling cold.
“What are you doing? Get them out of here!”
“Yes!”
As the first-generation disciples approached, Yang Gyeong looked around with trembling eyes. Then he shouted,
“S-Sect Leader! Is this truly Mount Hua’s intention?”
Hyun Jong did not answer.
“Are you truly shielding those outsiders and oppressing the sects of the Central Plains? Are you saying that in front of so many people?”
Hyun Jong’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“It seems you are badly mistaken.”
“What?”
As Hyun Jong spoke, the first-generation disciples moving toward Yang Gyeong stopped in their tracks. Hyun Jong raised his voice so everyone in the hall could hear him clearly.
“Mount Hua does not protect the outer lands. No—whether one comes from the outer lands or the Central Plains, Mount Hua does not judge a person by origin or background.”
“Th-Then how can you...”
“Mount Hua simply protects Mount Hua’s friends.”
“...”
“Understand this clearly. The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and the North Sea Ice Palace are friends of Mount Hua, and they stand in the same cause as we do. Mount Hua will not tolerate insults directed at its friends. If you insult them, then wherever you are, Mount Hua will stand against you.”
“Th-That...”
Yang Gyeong found himself speechless.
There was no way to refute it. The most important thing here was that the Sect Leader himself, the very embodiment of Mount Hua, had taken the side of those outer lands sects and was pouring his anger directly at Yang Gyeong.
Yang Gyeong’s courage was far too small to withstand that pressure.
Hyun Jong then looked across the entire venue. It was as though he was not speaking to Yang Gyeong alone.
“So long as Mount Hua stands under the name of the Heavenly Alliance, we will not sit idly by while our friends are treated unjustly! Even if doing so brings loss to Mount Hua, it makes no difference!”
Those who met Hyun Jong’s gaze subtly lowered their heads and avoided it. Having once sided with Yang Gyeong, however halfheartedly, they could not dare meet that gaze now.
“So...”
Hyun Jong paused for a moment, then calmly brought his hands together in a formal salute. A gentle smile returned to his lips.
“Everyone here, please do not dwell on a minor incident, and instead enjoy the opening ceremony.”
“Y-Yes, of course!”
“Understood, Sect Leader!”
Quick replies flew from all around, and Hyun Jong straightened his back.
“Sect Leader Yang.”
“Y-Yes! Yes!”
The startled Yang Gyeong answered in a hurry. A small flicker of hope rose in a corner of his heart. But all he could hear was a cold voice.
“Leave Mount Hua with your disciples.”
“S-Sect Lead...”
“I’m ending it here only because this is a good day. If you had dared insult them in front of Mount Hua like this on any other day, I would never have let it pass.”
Yang Gyeong clenched his teeth but could not say a word.
He had no idea what consequences Hyun Jong’s words would bring, or what would happen afterward. But one thing was certain: there was not a single person present who would stand against Hyun Jong and support Yang Gyeong here and now.
“I won’t say it twice.”
Those cold words delivered the final blow.
With his head hanging low, Yang Gyeong silently turned and withdrew. His Cheongbaek Sect disciples followed after him with slumped shoulders.
Watching them move toward the mountain gate along the path opened by the crowd parting before them, Chung Myung ground his teeth.
“Damn it, I should’ve beaten him more!”
“...You hit him enough, you bastard! How much more did you want to beat him?”
Being thrown out of Mount Hua was embarrassing enough, but the truly serious matter was that he had been kicked in the face by a third-generation disciple.
If that fact became known, he would probably be unable to show his face for a while.
Of course, it would already be hard to show his face anyway, considering the enormous footprint stamped there.
“Tch. Well, fine. At least we humiliated him.”
“Right, right. So calm down...”
“Damn it, but thinking about it just makes me mad again! What, a barbarian? I ought to rip that bastard’s mouth off...”
“Hey, stop it! Please!”
“Quit it, you bastard!”
The disciples rushed to hold Chung Myung back again. Hyun Jong watched the scene and smiled contentedly.
“Hoho. Your relations really are good, aren’t they?”
“How does that look good? How?”
“Someone do something about him!”
“Hahahahaha.”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Hyun Jong gazed at the distant mountains, and the Mount Hua disciples’ faces twisted in misery.
He knows perfectly well what he’s doing and still acts like that!
He really is hateful sometimes. Seriously!
Then the disciples of the Ice Palace and the Beast Palace stepped out from among the crowd and stood before Hyun Jong. Their expressions were rather awkward.
“...Thank you, Sect Leader.”
“We’ve only caused trouble...”
“Please don’t say that.”
But Hyun Jong firmly shook his head.
“It is I who should apologize for allowing you, guests from far away, to hear such unpleasant words. Mount Hua will take greater care so that nothing like this happens again. Please, put this matter out of your mind.”
“...Sect Leader.”
The eyes of the disciples from the outer sects filled with emotion as they looked at him. They could feel with complete certainty that Mount Hua’s words about considering them friends were not empty courtesy.
It was a feeling beyond words……
“Wouldn’t it be easier if we just beat the mouths off anyone who speaks carelessly until they can’t talk anymore? Let’s start with those bastards from earlier.”
“...”
The emotion……
That feeling……
“Hey, you asshole, does that even sound like something a human would say?”
“Why wouldn’t it? If they spout nonsense, they should get hit! Besides, it wasn’t just disrespecting those gentlemen—it was disrespecting us too!”
“How the hell did it become about us again?”
“Think about it! If this were Shaolin, do you think that bastard would’ve talked like that to a sect allied with Shaolin? He’d have been groveling and asking for their favor!”
“...Huh? Come to think of it, you’re right.”
“Exactly! He was looking down on us! We’ve got to strip him clean! I need to drag those bastards from earlier back here!”
“Hey!”
“Why? You gonna stop me again?”
“No. We’re coming too. Now that I think about it, I’m pissed off too!”
“Right?”
The disciples of the Beast and Ice Palaces, who had been standing around uncertainly, looked awkwardly at Hyun Jong.
Hyun Jong then smiled as benevolently as ever and spoke.
“Un Geom.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“...Send them all into the repentance cave to cool their heads.”
“...Yes.”
Hyun Jong felt anew that the trouble wasn’t caused by outsiders, but by Mount Hua’s own disciples.