What the Hell Are You Talking About? I’m the Strongest! (4)
"Sect Leader."
Hyun Jong wordlessly poured tea into his cup. The fragrant aroma drifted through the room, filling the air with a quiet warmth.
Whenever anger rose in his heart, Hyun Jong would brew tea like this and drink it. There was nothing better for calming the body and settling the mind.
"The disciples of Southern Edge will arrive today."
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes, Sect Leader. There will be no problems welcoming the Southern Edge people."
"That is a relief."
Hyun Jong let out a low sigh.
This time, at least, we won’t have to show our shame.
Being inferior in martial arts was one thing, but what had embarrassed Hyun Jong most was that he had not been able to properly host the disciples of Southern Edge.
What sort of feeling had it been to be forced to show, bare and naked, the collapsing halls, the meager meals, and the ruined training grounds to the very people he least wanted to see them?
Especially for Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, this had been a deeply sensitive matter.
Even enduring the slightly mocking looks of the Southern Edge disciples had not been easy. Until now, he had only been able to bite back his lips and endure those derisive gazes, but…
"The more I think about it, the more I realize that child, Chung Myung, really did us a great service."
Unam wore a bitter smile.
There were plenty of people within Mount Hua who said Hyun Jong spoiled Chung Myung too much, but Unam understood his feelings completely. From the perspective of Hyun Jong and Unam, Chung Myung was no different from a benefactor who had shattered the heavy stone lodged in their bellies and dragged it out.
This was not merely a matter of food and survival.
Mount Hua was a sect with a long and storied history. At the very least, they had to present something that looked respectable to others. Though they taught that appearances were little more than formality, people inevitably judged others by what they saw.
No one listened to the lofty words of a man who looked like a beggar.
Chung Myung had not only solved Mount Hua’s problem of survival, but had also restored the sect’s dignity. So how could they not cherish him?
The smile on Unam’s face must have been a little awkward, because Hyun Jong gave a low cough and offered him tea.
"Drink."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
Unam lifted the cup and took a light sip, savoring it carefully. Then he nodded slowly.
"How is it?"
"The fragrance seems stronger. It has been dried for quite a while, so one would think the aroma would have faded by now."
"Indeed."
Hyun Jong nodded with obvious satisfaction.
"Properly dried plum blossoms can actually grow more fragrant. I only learned that after drying plum blossoms for several decades."
Hyun Jong gazed silently at his cup before speaking again.
"Mount Hua is the same. I only endured. I spoke of restoring the glory of the past, but in truth, merely surviving from day to day was already difficult enough."
"…Sect Leader."
Hearing the concern in Unam’s voice, Hyun Jong smiled as if to reassure him.
"And yet, by enduring and enduring, this day has come. Sometimes, rather than some scheme or clever plan, simply waiting is the answer."
It was a strange thing to say, carrying an odd sense of enlightenment.
Unam looked at Hyun Jong with renewed admiration.
We are not the only ones moving forward.
Sometimes, one comes to believe that a sect leader has already been perfected. But a human being continues advancing until the day he dies. If it was Hyun Jong walking the path of the Dao, then he would never stop refining himself until his final breath.
How could that not be dependable?
"Mount Hua will recover the glory of the past during the Sect Leader’s generation."
"That would be fine, but even if that happens, it would not be my achievement. It would simply be thanks to the disciples’ efforts."
"How can you say it is not the Sect Leader’s achievement?"
"Unam."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"I am a man who knows his own shortcomings. If Mount Hua had not fallen so far, how could I have become Sect Leader? If my senior brothers had not left Mount Hua, I would have spent my life simply reciting scriptures and passing the years."
Unam answered in a solemn tone.
"They left Mount Hua, and in doing so, proved that they were unworthy of the position themselves. Sect Leader, you are the rightful leader of Mount Hua."
Hyun Jong only smiled in response.
It was a slightly awkward subject. Better to change the topic.
"So, how are the second-generation disciples?"
"They have finished training and are now calming their minds and bodies."
At the mention of the second-generation disciples, Unam’s expression darkened slightly.
"Sect Leader."
"Go on."
"Honestly, I’m a little afraid."
"Afraid…? Why?"
Unam let out a low sigh before continuing.
"As I said before, Mount Hua’s momentum is better than it has ever been. But depending on the outcome of this Hwajong Jihoe, that momentum could be broken, could it not?"
"Do you think the second-generation disciples cannot handle the disciples of Southern Edge?"
"I want to believe in the children as well. But… as you know…"
Unam did not bother finishing the rest.
He knew, and Hyun Jong knew, that the gap between Mount Hua and Southern Edge had widened to an absurd degree.
Mount Hua was only now barely clawing its way out of the deepest dark age in its history, while Southern Edge was enjoying an unprecedented golden age. Naturally, the difference in the disciples’ level was enormous.
No matter how hard the second-generation disciples had trained, defeating Southern Edge’s disciples was still a distant dream.
Unam was worried that the disciples who had only just begun to gain hope might once again be swallowed by a sense of defeat.
"How about the third-generation disciples?"
"…Pardon?"
"They’ll be taking part in the Hwajong Jihoe as well, won’t they? Are those children prepared well?"
Hyun Jong’s sudden change of subject left Unam slightly puzzled, but there was no way he could refuse to answer the Sect Leader’s question.
"Their preparations… seem almost excessively thorough, if I may say so."
Excessive.
Thoroughly excessive.
Since Unam had happened to see the third-generation disciples training a few times along the way, he could only describe it that way.
Because all of the children’s training had been entrusted entirely to Un Geom, he could not interfere and tell them how to do things, but to Unam, it looked like a training method that was far from normal.
"They’ve only recently entered the sect, after all…"
Hyun Jong nodded quietly.
He fully understood Unam’s concern.
"Unam."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"If there’s a mountain in front of you, what would you do?"
"Well…"
Unam had difficulty finding his words.
"Exactly. You’d have no choice but to cross it. If there’s a path, you take the path. If you have time, you rest along the way. But if you have neither, what else is there to do but climb over it?"
"I fear they may not be able to cross it."
"Even so, they would gain experience. Next time, wouldn’t they be able to cross the mountain more easily?"
Unam let out a deep breath.
He did not fully agree with everything the Sect Leader said, but asking further would not change the answer. Even if he asked again, it wasn’t as though the Sect Leader would somehow conjure up a perfect solution.
Seeing that Unam’s expression remained tense, Hyun Jong smiled and said,
"The Hwajong Jihoe is, fundamentally, a place for exchange."
"…Yes."
"Victory and defeat are not what matters. Isn’t what matters whether one can use that exchange as a stepping stone to grow further?"
"Your words are correct, Sect Leader."
"They are guests who have come from far away. Make sure nothing is lacking."
"I will keep that in mind."
Unam bowed deeply.
"Eunha Sangdan’s Hwang Daein has also agreed to help, so there should be no problems."
"Hwang Daein… Yes. I had meant to pay him a visit at some point."
"You are terribly busy, Sect Leader. Hwang Daein would understand that."
"Yes. If he would do so, I would be grateful."
Ever since that day, Hwang Daein and the Eunha Sangdan had been, quite literally, dumping gold into Mount Hua. The scale of their investment was enough to make one suspect they were trying to turn Mount Hua into the second Hangzhou or Suzhou.
"Won’t Southern Edge use this against us?"
"Everything will flow according to its proper course."
It was a calm answer, as always.
Unam bowed deeply once more, then slowly rose from his seat.
"Then I will conduct one last inspection."
"You’ve worked hard."
"Not at all. Then, I shall take my leave."
Unam stepped backward as he withdrew.
After he quietly closed the door and went outside, Hyun Jong lowered his gaze and looked at the teacup Unam had left behind.
The cup was only half-empty, still steaming softly, as though it were reflecting Unam’s state of mind.
"Victory and defeat are not important, hm…"
Hyun Jong muttered quietly.
"Once one becomes a Daoist, one can lie so naturally."
Hyun Jong knew full well that victory was more important than anything else. But this Hwajong Jihoe was a match they could not win. And yet he had to send his disciples into that unwinnable contest.
They could not win unless a miracle happened.
Unless a miracle happened…
Hyun Jong suppressed the heaviness in his heart and quietly closed his eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"This is still a small place, isn’t it?"
The Southern Edge disciples, looking around Huayin, wore faint smiles of contempt at the corners of their mouths.
They had already visited once two years ago, but Huayin was truly a tiny city. Compared to Xi’an, the place they usually went, it was no different from a village.
"Senior Brother, was Mount Hua really one of the Gupailbang in the past?"
"Of course."
"But for a place where one of the Gupailbang is based, isn’t it awfully small and shabby?"
Jin Geum-ryong smiled faintly as he spoke.
"You have it backward. Because Mount Hua was here, a town like this could exist at all. In the past, Mount Hua’s power was so great that simply having people pass through the mountain was enough to develop a village around it."
"I see."
Zong Sor-hun nodded as if he finally understood.
"Still, it has fallen terribly now, hasn’t it?"
"That is also true."
Jin Geum-ryong nodded quietly.
Zong Sor-hun glanced around and then spoke again.
"Honestly, I don’t really understand the point of this meaningless event. What’s the use of exchanging swords with a Mount Hua whose level is so obvious? I’d rather swing my sword one more time than waste time like this."
"The elders of the sect have their reasons for doing this. Mind your tongue."
"That may be true, but…"
Zong Sor-hun turned his head slightly back.
Seeing the one person following behind them, he let a subtle smile creep onto his lips.
"Still, I suppose this Hwajong Jihoe does have its own meaning. Taking revenge on behalf of someone who was humiliated is rather rewarding, after all."
It was a deliberate provocation.
But Yi Song-baek, the target of that provocation, said nothing at all and simply kept walking in silence.
Boring.
Zong Sor-hun frowned.
Ever since Chung Myung had settled Hwang Daein’s matter, everyone in Southern Edge had come to know that Eunha Sangdan had chosen to trade with Mount Hua instead of Southern Edge.
The way people looked at Yi Song-baek, the one who had given the excuse for it by flattening Chung Myung in front of the Eunha Sangdan’s young master, could hardly be warm.
No reaction at all. Not even fun to tease him.
Since that incident, Yi Song-baek had become a different person. He had already been fairly solemn before, but now he had become not just solemn, but taciturn as well.
"Since Mount Hua has been humiliated after a hundred years, we should repay them for it, shouldn’t we, Senior Brother?"
"That is how it will be."
Even while Jin Geum-ryong and Zong Sor-hun chatted casually as they walked, Yi Song-baek did not join in once.
His eyes shifted beyond Huayin, toward the towering Mount Hua beyond it.
Mount Hua?
The last time he had visited this place, he too had felt quite lighthearted. But now, when he looked at Mount Hua, there was no way he could avoid seeing the shadow of one person laid over it.
Maybe we’re walking into a tiger’s den right now.
For a moment, Yi Song-baek thought he could see Chung Myung’s smiling face before him.