Who the Hell Is the Mount Hua Disciple? (2)
“The—...”
After a moment’s hesitation, Sang Man-hui shook off the absurd thought that had just flashed through his head.
Fuck the Jongnam Sect!
Why in the world would one of those lofty disciples of the Nine Great Sects show up looking like a damn beggar? ...Huh? A beggar? Then maybe...
No, forget the Beggars’ Sect for now!
“Ahem!”
Sang Man-hui cleared his throat loudly.
Jongnam was currently in seclusion. Of course, there was a chance they had ended it already and the news simply hadn’t reached here yet. But even if that were true, what reason would they have to come all the way out to Nam-chang after reopening their gates?
So it absolutely couldn’t be Jongnam.
“Is it you?”
At that moment, the strange man asked with a glitter in both eyes. Sang Man-hui flinched and looked back and forth between Jin Yang-geon and him. Then, finally deciding whose side he should be on, he raised his voice.
“You shameless brat!”
Of course, Jin Yang-geon’s face was also full of bewilderment. But who wouldn’t be shocked in a situation like this?
Even Buddha himself would have toppled backward from his seat if some weirdo like this had smashed down his gate and barged in.
“How dare you cause a ruckus here! Do you even know who’s in this place?”
“I do.”
“......”
“That’s why I came. So, I hear the Mount Hua bastard’s in here?”
“You knew that and still—!”
Red with fury, Sang Man-hui shouted.
“You know Mount Hua, and yet you don’t know how terrifying Mount Hua is?”
“Oh?”
Chung Myung tilted his head slightly.
“You sound pretty damn sure you know what Mount Hua is, then?”
“Of course I do!”
Sang Man-hui glared fiercely.
“Mount Hua! Isn’t that the sect that beat the Wudang Sect in a duel, and even sat at the helm of that incredible Heavenly Alliance?”
“......”
The corner of Chung Myung’s mouth twitched.
“That’s not all! They crushed the treacherous forces of Maninbang’s combat unit and even brought down the infamous Red Snake Blade Yeop Pyeong, that scourge of the evil path, along with his Red Snake Unit... Why are you smiling?”
Chung Myung’s hand, trembling ever so slightly, rose toward his face.
Then he used his fingertips to forcibly drag the corners of his mouth down from beneath his ears.
“Ahem. Why do I keep... *khk*, khkhm!”
Sang Man-hui eyed him warily, now convinced the man was even stranger than he’d first thought.
“Stop them!”
“Protect the manor lord!”
Just then, Mount Hua’s disciples—who had come over the low walls on either side of the inner gate—charged in like a thunderclap and threw themselves between Sang Man-hui and Chung Myung. In an instant, dozens of swords were pointed at Chung Myung.
“Tsk.”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Haa... I really have become a lot kinder.”
In the old days, the moment someone drew a sword in front of him, righteous or demonic alike, they’d have been sent to stand beside King Yama. Even Yama would’ve been groaning, What, that bastard again?
And yet here he was, just standing there and watching after seeing blades drawn in front of his face.
“Haah.”
He really had become kinder, so why was everyone still trying so hard to eat him alive? Chung Myung genuinely couldn’t understand it.
Right, Sasuk?
—Did you sell your conscience at a market stall, you bastard?
...Wow, your mouth is getting rougher by the day.
Did you spend too much time bickering with immortals up there in the celestial realm or something?
“Phew. Whatever.”
Just as Chung Myung was sweeping his gaze over the Golden Sword Manor warriors and starting to lift his sword, someone shouted from behind.
“Stopppppppp!”
“It’s not too late yet! No blood has been shed yet!”
“Grab him! Just grab that bastard first!”
Somehow, from the commotion behind them, the Mount Hua Five Swords—each of them dressed like beggars too—came running up in a flurry and spread out to surround Chung Myung.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
“What the hell, why are there so many disciples?!”
“I almost died trying not to hurt anyone.”
“...I just swung at him.”
“I stabbed at her, that’s all.”
Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, and Jo Gul, panting for breath, stared at Yu I-seol and Dang Soso in disbelief.
Seeing the two of them lift their chins with such bold expressions, the three of them only smiled wryly and shook their heads.
“Ahem. In any case...”
Baek Cheon cleared his throat and stepped forward in front of Chung Myung.
“Are you the manor lord of the Golden Sword Manor?”
“......”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. We are people from Mount Hua.”
“Mount Hua?”
“Yes. We may look a little dreadful, but that’s only because we rushed all the way here from Shaanxi, so please pardon our appearance.”
Baek Cheon’s tone was truly serious and dignified.
“We have heard there is someone here impersonating a disciple of Mount Hua. Whatever the reason, claiming to be one of Mount Hua without the permission of our sect is unacceptable. If you cooperate in handing over the criminal, Mount Hua will not forget it.”
If the usual Baek Cheon had said that, no one would have doubted him. They might even have been dazed by the grace and authority in his bearing.
But, unfortunately, this was not that moment.
“Mount Hua Sect?”
“That is correct.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
“In that state?”
“......”
Baek Cheon covered his mouth with his fist and gave a small, awkward cough.
“Appearance is merely an outer shell. We are simply—”
“I mean, I agree with that. But...”
Sang Man-hui pointed his chin toward the back of Baek Cheon’s group with a sullen expression.
“From what I know, Mount Hua is supposed to be a sect of righteousness...”
Baek Cheon’s eyes followed his gesture toward the back.
Past the shattered gate, he could see the disciples of the Golden Sword Manor sprawled all over the place like overturned scarecrows. Not one or two, but nearly fifty of them.
After briefly losing the ability to speak, Baek Cheon opened his mouth with an awkward face.
“...This may require a little explanation...”
“Good heavens!”
“......”
“What kind of righteous sect barges into another sect without warning, beats its disciples senseless, and then demands that their guest be handed over? The Mount Hua Sect I know would never do such a thing!”
...Um, I’m not sure what kind of Mount Hua sect you know, but the Mount Hua I know does this sort of thing all the time.
“You bastards! You’ve been sent here by that Cheol-mo-bang, haven’t you? You came here to stir things up, didn’t you!”
“Stir things up? Cheol-mo-bang?”
Sang Man-hui ground his teeth, his anger surging.
“You’re trying to drag away a Mount Hua disciple so he can’t ask Mount Hua for help, aren’t you? You think I wouldn’t know?”
Thwack!
As he listened, Chung Myung slapped a fist into his palm without realizing it.
“Not bad.”
“Hey, you crazy bastard! What do you mean, not bad?!”
“This whole mess started because you threw a fit when I said we should talk first!”
“You deserve to be hit!”
“Yeah, he deserves a beating!”
Watching the beggar-looking bastards suddenly bickering among themselves, Sang Man-hui frowned. Then Yoon Jong, who had been the only one not involved in the confrontation, glanced toward the manor lord’s chambers behind Sang Man-hui and said,
“Manor Lord. You’re being deceived right now. The one inside is not a disciple of Mount Hua! We are the real disciples of Mount Hua!”
“...You are?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Sang Man-hui stared blankly at Yoon Jong, then asked in return,
“Let’s reverse the situation and think about it.”
“Pardon?”
“If you were in my place, between the person inside and the lot of you, who would you think is the disciple of Mount Hua?”
At that, all the Five Swords stretched their necks toward the inside and looked at Jin Yang-geon.
Dressed in neat white robes and wearing a Daoist cap, he looked, to anyone’s eyes, like a refined, scholarly Taoist.
“Hmm.”
The five of them nodded and exchanged glances.
As fellow brothers who had spent so many years together, they understood one another perfectly without words. Warm, satisfied smiles bloomed on their faces.
This won’t work.
If I were him, I’d believe that guy too.
Yeah. Even the sect leader would fall for it.
This was doomed from the start.
Seeing the Mount Hua disciples smile awkwardly, Sang Man-hui clicked his tongue.
Where on earth did they dig up these crude idiots...?
Jin Yang-geon not only had the bearing of a true Daoist, but every one of his actions carried the dignity of a gentleman. By contrast, these guys acted no different from street thugs from the back alleys.
Even a three-year-old child would have little trouble figuring out who the real Mount Hua disciple was.
“Enough nonsense! For the crime of daring to invade the Golden Sword Manor and cause a disturbance, I’ll make you pay dearly! What are you all standing there for!”
Just then, Chung Myung grinned and spoke to his martial brothers with smug satisfaction.
“See? I told you. Talking doesn’t work.”
“This is your fault, you bastard!”
“When have you ever actually tried talking? Try it once before you say shit like that! Please, just this once, Chung Myung!”
Chung Myung shrugged and sneered at Jin Yang-geon beyond Sang Man-hui.
“You bastard, stay exactly where you are.”
After twisting his neck loudly from side to side, Chung Myung let his arms drop, and the Five Swords naturally moved to either side of him.
But their faces were full of unease. Their bodies were ready to fight on instinct, but they still couldn’t shake the sense that they were needlessly tormenting innocent people.
Yoon Jong hurriedly asked Baek Cheon,
“Sasuk. Is this really all right?”
Baek Cheon answered with a deeply solemn face.
“Think about it, Yoon Jong.”
“Yes?”
“We’ve already caused the incident. If we let that impersonator slip away now, we’ll have made a mess for nothing and gained nothing in return, won’t we?”
“......”
“If you’re going to make a mess anyway, you’d better get something out of it. First, we catch that bastard! We can figure out how to clean up afterward!”
Yoon Jong, left speechless, felt a sudden surge of doubt.
Was it really all right for this man to become Mount Hua’s sect leader?
“What are you waiting for! Subdue them and make them kneel before me at once!”
“Yes!”
The disciples began tightening the encirclement around Chung Myung’s group. Sang Man-hui clicked his tongue.
Although the outer disciples had been beaten miserably, they were still only outer disciples. The true strength of the Golden Sword Manor lay in the inner disciples here, and in addition, the elders who had arrived late were now joining them one by one.
Even if those men really were Mount Hua disciples, there was no way six of them could win now.
Thinking the outcome had already been decided, Sang Man-hui spun around and went back into the manor lord’s chambers.
Jin Yang-geon was waiting as he had been at the start, his posture unchanged. Even after such an absurd disaster, he remained seated without the slightest movement, and the thought of a truly upright gentleman came naturally to mind.
“I apologize for having to put you through such a disturbance.”
“Hah... ha ha. You’re too kind, Manor Lord.”
“We’ll deal with it shortly, so please wait just a little longer.”
“They’re the ones who came to see me, so perhaps I should handle them myself...”
“What are you saying! Why use a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken? We’ll take care of them, so please don’t worry.”
“Ha ha...”
Jin Yang-geon chuckled softly and glanced outside. Then, taking advantage of the brief moment when Sang Man-hui turned his head slightly, he quickly swallowed.
I’m screwed!
What kind of lunatics were these, calling him an impersonator and a fraud out of nowhere?
I need to get away as fast as possible.
His plan had already gone badly off the rails. If those bastards got captured and he had to meet them face to face, things could get even worse.
“Manor Lord.”
“Yes, Daoist?”
Looking at Sang Man-hui, who was filled with trust, Jin Yang-geon smiled calmly.
“It is most urgent that we request reinforcements from Mount Hua, so I think I should move at once.”
“Ah, is that so? But don’t you need to confirm who those men are first?”
Jin Yang-geon shook his head with a firm expression.
“Those who gain a reputation are always followed by flies. If you try to deal with each one individually, there will be no end to it.”
“Ah, I see!”
He gathered the stack of promissory notes and stood up.
“If I send word now, I should have a reply within three days. Then we can speak again.”
“Yes. Then I leave it in your hands...”
That was when it happened.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Hiiik?”
Hearing a scream that didn’t even sound human, something white flew in and smashed into the tea table between Jin Yang-geon and Sang Man-hui.
Crash!
The tea table shattered to pieces and flew in all directions. At the same time, the expensive tea set was also smashed to fragments, scattering with a sharp clatter.
“You... you pathetic—! Huh? S-Third Elder?”
Just as Sang Man-hui was about to explode in anger at having beggars hurled in here, he took one look at the person collapsed in a foaming heap and nearly jumped out of his skin.
The Third Elder, one of the true experts of the Golden Sword Manor, lay there rolling his eyes back in his head. One leg was rigidly thrust upward, trembling spasmodically, and the sight was utterly chilling.
“...The Third Elder...”
Realizing that something was going terribly wrong, Sang Man-hui jerked his head up.
And then...
“Reinforcements?”
Thunk!
At last, Chung Myung stepped into the manor lord’s chambers.
“Here I am, you bastard. Reinforcements from Mount Hua!”
White steam leaked from between his lips as he grinned with the sinister look of a hellish specter.