This Is My Role (1)
It felt as though a blade forged from sticky, murderous intent were pressed against his throat.
There was only one thing that sensation told him.
This isn’t just a threat.
In truth, such a thing should have been impossible. It made no sense by any reasonable standard. And yet, right now, Beop Jeong’s instincts were telling him with chilling clarity that if he gave the wrong answer here, Chung Myung might truly rise to cut his throat.
Why go this far?
Beop Jeong could not begin to understand the depths of Chung Myung’s anger. What did Mount Hua stand to gain by making an enemy of Shaolin?
“Amitabha…”
A chant mixed with bewilderment escaped Beop Jeong’s lips. He did not realize the faint tremor at the end of his voice.
“Amitabha.”
His own frustration seeped into the prayer. If they were to resolve the crisis before them, the cooperation of the Heavenly Alliance was absolutely necessary.
But if Mount Hua Sword Hero, the very center of that alliance, remained this unyielding, then finding a way to bring them in would become nearly impossible.
Mount Hua Sword Hero was, from the outset, an unreadable man. He would never make a deal that put him at a disadvantage, and intimidation did not work on him. What on earth was he supposed to say to a man who had come here to threaten the Abbot of Shaolin?
Trying to shake this fellow loose through conversation was close to impossible.
If there was one weakness Mount Hua Sword Hero possessed, it was only…
“Alliance Lord.”
Beop Jeong’s gaze left Chung Myung and turned to Hyun Jong instead.
Hyun Jong faced him with a grave expression. At the sound of his name, Chung Myung’s shoulder gave the slightest twitch, and Beop Jeong did not miss it.
Just as I thought.
That Mount Hua Sword Hero did not care one bit for the opinions of anyone in the world, but he did respect Hyun Jong, the leader of Mount Hua. Whether that was because he was the elder of the sect or for some other reason, Beop Jeong could not say, but the reason hardly mattered.
The conclusion was simple: if he could win over Hyun Jong, even that Mount Hua Sword Hero might find it hard to oppose him outright.
“What do you think, Alliance Lord? Do you stand with Mount Hua Sword Hero in this?”
“Abbot, I…”
“Please do not tell me that your disciples’ wishes are the same as the Alliance Lord’s wishes. You understand, do you not, that would be nothing more than an evasion?”
Beop Jeong pressed on quickly, as though he would not allow Hyun Jong a moment to think.
“And please do not forget: I am not asking Mount Hua’s sect leader right now. I am asking the Alliance Lord of the Heavenly Alliance. Even if Mount Hua Sword Hero can speak for Mount Hua’s intentions, he cannot possibly speak for the entire Heavenly Alliance, can he? Are you certain the other sects of the Heavenly Alliance will unconditionally share his view?”
“Mm…”
Worry clouded Hyun Jong’s face.
What weighed on his shoulders now was not the content of Beop Jeong’s words, but the tone.
That tone had clearly changed from before. It was full of the will to press him down.
“A man who leads a sect must sometimes know how to make decisions bordering on the arbitrary for the sake of that sect’s future. Even if something feels frustrating now, even if it seems like a loss, it may in the end become a benefit to the sect. I trust the Alliance Lord can understand that.”
“Th-”
Chung Myung’s face twisted.
He looked as though he wanted to cut in right then and there and strangle Beop Jeong on the spot, but unlike before, his mouth did not open carelessly.
Beop Jeong, who had been watching that reaction out of the corner of his eye, smiled inwardly. It was true—Mount Hua Sword Hero would never directly challenge Hyun Jong’s authority. The only snare that could restrain that unpredictable man was Hyun Jong.
And Hyun Jong was, in truth, a rather soft man.
Unlike Mount Hua Sword Hero, persuading Hyun Jong was not all that difficult for Beop Jeong.
“When I first ascended to the position of Abbot of Shaolin…”
He continued in deliberate calm, feeling his advantage return.
“The first thing I truly felt was its weight.”
Hyun Jong gave a low hum. Anyone who had ever led a sect could not help but understand those words.
“The burden that one choice of mine could alter Shaolin’s fate, perhaps even the fate of the entire world. That is something no one can even begin to imagine unless they have stood in that place themselves.”
“Mm…”
“Was that not the same for the Alliance Lord?”
“……”
Beop Jeong smiled faintly.
“There were many times when I, too, wanted to set everything aside and live as my heart pleased. Each time, what held me back were the two characters that make up the name Shaolin.”
“……”
“Because I am the Abbot of Shaolin, I must listen to my disciples. But at times, because I am the Abbot of Shaolin, I must not listen to them. Acting on one’s mood is surprisingly easy. What is truly difficult is suppressing what you want to do and considering the future of the sect.”
His voice, steady and calm, coiled around Hyun Jong.
Seeing Hyun Jong’s expression grow heavier, Beop Jeong slowly drove the point home.
“I am not asking for help without offering anything in return. Shaolin is a sect that never forgets a debt. If the Alliance Lord, both as the leader of the Heavenly Alliance and as Mount Hua’s sect leader, lends us assistance, then Shaolin will surely repay that kindness. We will promise Mount Hua a return to the Nine Sects, as well as authority we have never granted to any sect.”
Crk.
The prayer beads in Beop Jeong’s hand ground harshly against one another. The sound made those who were listening flinch.
Having once again seized the atmosphere, Beop Jeong smiled gently.
“If that happens, Mount Hua regaining its former glory will simply be the natural course of events. Children are hard to ignore, no matter who you are. But a true leader must be able to see beyond those children and into the sect’s future, must he not?”
Thud.
At that instant, a faint sound of air splitting reached Beop Jeong’s ears. Most likely, the Mount Hua Sword Hero had clenched something tightly in an effort to restrain his anger. But Beop Jeong forced himself not to look back at him.
He had to shut Mount Hua Sword Hero out completely at this moment if he wanted to deal with Hyun Jong.
“But…”
Then Hyun Jong spoke.
“What would change now, even if Mount Hua returned to the Nine Sects?”
“Much would change.”
Beop Jeong met Hyun Jong’s eyes directly, his own gaze cool and level, as though he were showing him reality itself.
“The Heavenly Alliance is certainly formidable. So for now, the name of the Nine Sects may seem small to you. But, Alliance Lord, in the long history of the martial world, were there ever only one or two groups comparable to the Heavenly Alliance?”
That made Hyun Jong’s expression shift slightly.
Beop Jeong did not miss the opening and tightened the reins.
“There were places that once enjoyed fame rivaling the Nine Sects, and at times there were even those that displayed power surpassing them. Yet what remains now are only the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families. What became of all those sects from the past?”
Hyun Jong’s fist, hidden inside his sleeve, slowly clenched. He knew the words were not wrong.
“The Heavenly Alliance is indeed an extraordinary organization. But you know this as well, do you not, Alliance Lord? Such an alliance with the Outer Lands cannot last forever. The moment it collapses, the reality Mount Hua must face will be the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families, both of whom already harbor ill will toward Mount Hua. And at that point, there will only be the Sichuan Tang Family, and even then only because their relationship with Mount Hua is not like the others. In other words…”
Then it happened.
For the first time since their eyes had met, Beop Jeong’s gaze shifted from Hyun Jong to Chung Myung. As if to say that these words were not meant for Hyun Jong alone.
“The moment Mount Hua Sword Hero can no longer protect Mount Hua, it means Mount Hua will have to confront a reality far more miserable than anything in its past. Sect Leader, do you truly believe Mount Hua can survive after making the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families into enemies?”
“Th-”
Chung Myung’s face twisted, and Hyun Jong slowly closed his eyes.
Those words had struck directly at the heart of his worry.
Mount Hua had expanded its power with terrifying momentum. Hyun Jong could not possibly be unaware that this was only because Chung Myung existed. And so Chung Myung was, to him, a presence he could never thank enough and never set aside lightly.
But where there is light, there is also shadow.
Mount Hua had become extremely close with the Sichuan Tang Family and the sects of the Outer Lands, as well as the Green Forest, but its relationship with the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families—those who represented the established order of the martial world—had clearly soured.
If the Heavenly Alliance could continue expanding at its current pace, there would be no problem.
But what of a Mount Hua without Chung Myung?
What if Chung Myung were to perish in the war against the Four Hegemons Alliance, or even if nothing like that happened—what about Mount Hua after Chung Myung had lived out his natural life?
Could it really withstand the pressure from the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families?
The answer was probably no.
Mount Hua had already grown beyond the limits of what a single sect should have been able to do. To demand the same of those who would inherit it in the future was no more than violence disguised as expectation.
A terrible weight, impossible to put into words, pressed down on Hyun Jong.
If only he could witness all of this while still alive, he would not need to hesitate. But how much life did he have left?
Now he had only to choose, but the price of that choice would be paid in full by the people left behind.
Was it truly right to make future generations bear such a burden, all for a fleeting moment of satisfaction? Could he truly make a decision that would cause the giants who had upheld the martial world for centuries to turn their malice toward Mount Hua?
Beop Jeong watched Hyun Jong sink into thought and spoke again.
“Please, I ask that you consider what truly serves Mount Hua’s interests, Alliance Lord… no, Sect Leader!”
That was the final blow.
A long silence followed. Everyone simply waited for Hyun Jong’s answer.
Hyun Jong, who had kept his eyes closed as he wrestled with the decision for a long time, slowly opened them. Then he looked at the disciples of Mount Hua gathered before him.
Each face carried a different expression.
Some gazed at him with desperate hope, some with boundless trust. In others, there was open dissatisfaction at being made to listen to this, and still others seemed lost in deep thought.
Among so many minds and so many intentions, finding the right path was surely the role of the one who bore the name of sect leader.
All this time, he had left countless decisions to them.
It was because he knew better than anyone how lacking he was when it came to deciding alone. But at this moment, Hyun Jong realized something with sudden clarity.
This was a choice given wholly to him.
To delay it would be no different from pushing that responsibility onto his young disciples.
It was a lonely struggle. A harsh trial, like walking alone down an endless road through a night with no end in sight.
And yet Hyun Jong knew of one star that could illuminate that darkness, one star shining more brilliantly than any other in the heavens.
“Abbot.”
Having finished his deliberation, Hyun Jong spoke to Beop Jeong.
“I have clearly understood what the Abbot wished to say.”
“Then…”
“Certainly, if we were to feud with Shaolin now, Mount Hua in later generations might have to endure years of suffering. Perhaps the name of Mount Hua, preserved only by passing through a great crisis, would one day disappear forever.”
Beop Jeong nodded vigorously, satisfied inside. Hyun Jong seemed to have clearly understood his meaning.
“Then is the choice not utterly clear to one who leads a sect?”
“Yes, Abbot. It is utterly clear.”
Hyun Jong faced Beop Jeong with a composed expression.
At that moment, Beop Jeong unconsciously straightened his back. A force unlike anything he had ever felt was radiating from Hyun Jong, who had always been nothing more than kindly and gentle.
“When a disciple of our sect once visited Yunnan, there was an interesting story.”
“…Pardon?”
But what came out of Hyun Jong’s mouth was a completely unexpected story. Beop Jeong frowned.
“What is this all of a sudden…”
“When one of our disciples witnessed people living in poverty in Yunnan, he sold the plum blossom sword he had brought with him, used the money to buy grain, and distributed it among them. No one informed on him, but that disciple came to me of his own accord and confessed, asking to be punished.”
At once, all eyes turned to Yoon Jong. His face turned bright red in an instant.
Hyun Jong looked at Yoon Jong as well, then smiled faintly.
“The Beast Palace Lord later told me about that incident. I will now repeat to the Abbot what that disciple said to him.”
“……”
“If Mount Hua’s glory can make the people of this world live a little more comfortably, then all of Mount Hua’s disciples can proudly boast of that glory. But if it remains merely Mount Hua’s glory, then Mount Hua is no different from any sect that can be replaced at any time.”
Beop Jeong’s face stiffened.
By contrast, Hyun Jong’s expression had grown serene, as though every trace of hesitation had been cast off.
“Abbot, what matters most to Mount Hua is not preserving appearances. If Mount Hua cannot leave behind the will it wishes to pass down to future generations, then no matter how much glory it enjoys, it is nothing more than another sect bearing Mount Hua’s name.”
“……”
“If we cut down what is right and choose survival instead, then Mount Hua would no longer be Mount Hua. Rather than watch such a changed Mount Hua, I would sooner witness its end with these two eyes. That is…”
A great clarity filled Hyun Jong’s eyes. It was a clarity even Beop Jeong found difficult to meet directly.
“This is my role, as one who has been unworthy in every way and yet daringly served as the sect leader of Mount Hua.”
His voice was low and gentle, but it carried a certainty that could not be denied, and it drove straight into Beop Jeong’s ears.
“Return, Abbot. Mount Hua will not comply with your request. If you wished to turn Mount Hua’s will, then you should have brought sincerity instead of logic.”
That was the declaration of Hyun Jong, sect leader of Mount Hua.