If You Lose to Those Bastards, You’re Dead. (2)
Sama Seung quietly studied Hyun Jong, the Mount Hua Sect Leader seated across from him.
Hyun Jong, huh.
He was the one who had somehow kept the crumbling Mount Hua Sect from falling apart completely, the one who had dragged the sect back from the brink of ruin. The Sect Leader of Zhongnan had once said that if this had been another era, Hyun Jong would have been an outstanding leader beyond compare.
Overrated.
Hyun Jong had never once shown anything remarkable. If you dressed up any ordinary man with enough flattering assumptions, you could make him sound great. A man’s worth was judged by his accomplishments, not by his personality.
Sama Seung turned his head slightly and looked around the room.
To Hyun Jong’s left and right sat the Hyun generation—the Martial Hall Leader, the Finance Elder, and the others—along with the Un generation disciples, including Unam and Un Geom.
All of Mount Hua’s key figures had gathered here to greet him. It was not the first time he had seen such a sight, but…
Indeed.
It felt a little different this time.
The people he had seen at the last Hwajong Jihoe had all looked worn down by life, as if they were being crushed by something invisible.
But there was no such oppression in these people now. If anything, there was even a faint sense of ease about them.
I don’t like it.
Sama Seung’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The source of this confidence was not particularly important. Whether it came from money, martial skill, or nothing more than baseless arrogance, there was no way Mount Hua possessed anything that could surpass Zhongnan.
He simply disliked the fact that Mount Hua’s senior figures were confident at all.
“I hope the tea is to your liking.”
When Hyun Jong spoke casually, Sama Seung gave a small nod.
“The aroma is rich.”
“I’m glad you find it agreeable.”
Sama Seung smiled faintly.
“It is indeed strong in fragrance, but I’ve never been fond of plum blossom scent in the first place.”
Hyun Jong’s eyes twitched slightly.
But he quickly regained his composure and spoke in his usual gentle tone.
“May I ask why?”
“A forest carries many scents. The smell of earth, the fragrance that seeps from the trees, even the scent of dew. But when plum blossoms are in full bloom, there is only plum blossom fragrance. It’s so overpowering it drowns out everything around it.”
Just as Mount Hua once had, long ago.
“The world is a place where things live in harmony. That is why I prefer the subtle fragrance of leaf tea over the scent of plum blossoms, which disrupts that harmony.”
The Hyun generation managed to keep their expressions mostly composed, but the Un generation could not hide their flushed faces. To criticize the tea offered by the Sect Leader of another faction was no different from openly picking a fight.
But the Hyun generation understood Sama Seung’s words a little differently.
Was he saying the old Mount Hua, which pursued tyranny, rejected harmony?
The fact that he would bring this up right now meant that Zhongnan still had not forgotten the grievances of the past.
It was not the sort of thing an elder could just casually say in front of another sect’s Sect Leader. And yet none of the people here could point out Sama Seung’s rudeness.
As he had said, etiquette belonged to the will of the one in power. The moment you could not punish insolence, etiquette became nothing more than a hollow shell.
With only a few words, Sama Seung had seized control of the atmosphere and bent it to his will. Smiling thinly, he continued.
“Sect Leader.”
“Speak.”
“At Zhongnan, we’ve decided that after this Hwajong Jihoe, we have no intention of continuing this event any longer.”
Hyun Jong frowned.
“May I ask why?”
“It’s simple.”
Sama Seung’s lips curled slightly.
“A spar with Mount Hua no longer benefits Zhongnan’s growth in any way. The gap has already widened far too much, hasn’t it?”
Hyun Jong slowly closed his eyes.
It was a disgraceful thing to say, one too vile to bear by eye or ear. The elders seated beside him were also unable to hide their anger.
That bastard…
Hyun Young’s beard trembled.
It was, quite simply, utter contempt. How could he say such things in front of a Sect Leader?
At that moment, Hyun Jong, who had been quietly resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
“The Hwajong Jihoe is not merely an event for exchanging martial matches. In the first place, the Hwajong Jihoe exists for the friendship between Mount Hua and Zhongnan…”
“Isn’t that just a pretense?”
Sama Seung cut Hyun Jong off mid-sentence.
“You…!”
Just as Hyun Young was about to explode, Hyun Sang pressed his hand firmly onto Hyun Young’s knee, warning him not to act rashly.
Hyun Young looked back and forth between Hyun Sang and the Sect Leader, then bit down hard on his lower lip.
Isn’t this going too far?
Who in the world did not know that the Mount Hua of today and Zhongnan were not even worth comparing? Even Mount Hua’s own disciples knew that bitter truth all too well.
And yet Mount Hua was still a sect with history and tradition. Though it was not true now, until a hundred years ago it had proudly stood among the Gupailbang, and once it had even aspired to be the number one sword sect under heaven.
Even if it had been some third-rate sect with no disciples at all, it would still have been rude to behave this way before its Sect Leader’s face. Sama Seung knew that well enough, which meant he was deliberately being insolent now.
Sama Seung glanced at Hyun Young and smiled faintly, in a way that was almost mocking.
Knowing exactly what that smile meant, Hyun Young could only clench his thigh and endure.
The jianghu was ruthless.
Those without strength had no choice but to bear it.
Sama Seung swept his gaze over everyone gathered in the room and spoke in a low voice.
“Zhongnan and Mount Hua have never once had a good relationship. No, to be perfectly honest, wouldn’t it be more accurate to say we were practically enemies? I’m sure all of you here would love to chew me alive right now.”
“...That’s a bit much.”
“Then tell me, does anyone here have any goodwill toward me? No, let me ask more plainly—does anyone here have goodwill toward Zhongnan?”
No one answered.
It was not difficult to say yes. But who here could pretend it was true? They knew it, and Sama Seung knew it too.
“There is nothing more futile than trying to reattach a string that has already been cut.”
Sama Seung’s voice was firm.
He spoke as if everything had already been decided, and this was no more than a notification.
For an elder of a sect to speak with such finality meant the matter had already been settled with the Sect Leader. In other words, this was not merely Sama Seung’s personal opinion; it was Zhongnan’s official stance.
What was more, Zhongnan was now openly declaring that it intended to place Mount Hua beneath its feet. This was a declaration that Mount Hua would no longer even be considered a rival.
It was humiliating.
So humiliating.
Just when no one could bring themselves to speak, Unam cautiously broke the silence.
“Isn’t this a little sudden?”
“It was something that should have been done long ago.”
“Elder.”
When Unam still did not back down, Sama Seung looked at him with a slight air of contempt.
“Then do you believe Mount Hua is still qualified to stand as Zhongnan’s opponent?”
Unam fell silent. He could not answer that.
Sama Seung gave a low laugh and continued.
“At this point, I think Zhongnan has already shown Mount Hua enough courtesy.”
“Courtesy? That is a rather harsh way to put it!”
As Unam raised his voice, Sama Seung smiled coldly.
“And what part of that was harsh?”
“...!”
“Zhongnan has long forgotten the grudges of the past and continued to help Mount Hua. In fact, wasn’t it already unfair that the Hwajong Jihoe was held at Mount Hua every time? And even so, Zhongnan continued to provide Mount Hua with a certain amount of support whenever the Hwajong Jihoe was held. And still you would blame Zhongnan?”
That was not it.
Unam ground his teeth.
The reason the Hwajong Jihoe had always been held at Mount Hua was obvious.
So Zhongnan could come in person, laugh at Mount Hua’s decline, and then show every disciple of Mount Hua the sight of Zhongnan defeating them in martial combat.
And the wealth they had handed over under the pretense of support had been nothing more than bait, a way of ensuring Mount Hua could not refuse the Hwajong Jihoe.
“Sect Leader.”
Sama Seung cut through the others’ words and spoke with cold certainty.
“If you still find this difficult to understand, then let me make it clear for you. Once you see the results of this Hwajong Jihoe, Mount Hua itself will be the first to say it will never hold another one again. If you don’t want to ruin the children, I suggest you think carefully.”
Sama Seung rose to his feet. Then, even though no order had been given to show him out, he strode toward the door as if he were about to leave on his own.
When everyone else stood in stunned confusion, unsure what to do, Hyun Jong asked quietly toward Sama Seung’s back.
“Is Zhongnan walking the path of tyranny?”
Sama Seung stopped.
Then he turned slightly and looked back at Hyun Jong.
There was no expression on Hyun Jong’s face, and that made his meaning impossible to read.
“That is not for me to decide.”
And then Sama Seung opened the door and left.
The faces of those left behind filled with sorrow.
“How can he be so outrageous?”
Hyun Young could no longer hold back his anger and slammed a hand onto the tea table. The table cracked sharply, and the tea splashed across the floor. Yet no one even thought to blame him for it.
Un Geom spoke heavily.
“They have always behaved badly whenever the Hwajong Jihoe was held, but this is the worst I have ever seen.”
“Exactly. This has gone too far!”
“To think an elder would behave that way before a Sect Leader!”
“Shouldn’t we lodge a direct protest with Zhongnan?”
Everyone added their outrage one after another.
But among them, only Hyun Jong slowly shook his head, looking somewhat desolate.
“...Leave it be.”
“But Sect Leader!”
“Words are sometimes empty things. What meaning would there be in anything we said?”
Unam lowered his head. The others, too, bowed their heads, their faces twisted with anger.
Hyun Jong said,
“I can endure as much humiliation as I must. Even if someone spat in my face, I could smile as though nothing had happened. That is not what I worry about.”
“...Then?”
“I am worried about the children.”
“Ah…”
Unam’s eyes trembled.
“The way they spoke so directly makes it clear this Hwajong Jihoe will be exceptionally brutal. I can endure being hurt and insulted however much they like, but what am I supposed to do about the suffering the children will have to bear?”
Sorrow shadowed Hyun Jong’s face. As the Sect Leader of a weak sect, the burden on his shoulders was too heavy to bear.
“Then at least now…”
Unam began, then stopped himself.
What he had meant to say was, Shouldn’t we stop the Hwajong Jihoe now? But before the words could even finish forming, he realized how absurd they sounded.
For a martial artist, giving up a duel out of fear of the opponent was a humiliation worse than death.
Moreover, those competing were of the same generation. If one of them surrendered without even fighting someone of the same rank, that disgrace would haunt the disciple for the rest of their life.
“My sin is too great.”
Hyun Jong let out a deep, weary sigh. The others remained silent, unable to find a single word that could comfort him.
That was when Un Geom, who had been quietly listening the whole time, finally spoke.
“Sect Leader. It is not something you should blame yourself for alone.”
Hyun Jong’s gaze turned to him.
“They intend to use this duel to expose the clear gap between Zhongnan and Mount Hua, and to spread throughout Shaanxi the claim that Mount Hua no longer has the right to be called a prestigious sect. It would be a fatal blow to our sect, which has already fallen far from its former standing. That is surely their intention, is it not?”
“It likely is. But do you have some other idea?”
“There’s no need for a grand strategy. If we simply don’t lose the match, isn’t that enough?”
“...?”
“Sect Leader.”
Seeing Hyun Jong rendered speechless by such an absurd answer, Un Geom’s mouth curved ever so slightly.
“Trust the children. There may be good news yet.”
“...?”
Under the doubtful gazes of everyone present, Un Geom smiled serenely.
Now it’s your turn to prove yourself, Chung Myung.
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