Chapter 683
“Then I wish you good luck!”
“I will greet you sometime again, Alliance leader!”
“May the family lord be strong!”
Hyun Jong stood at the Gate of Mount Hua and bid farewell to everyone leaving Mount Hua.
Mount Hua’s Five Swords, who were watching this, looked lost.
“It is done.”
“… It is finally done now.”
“I thought I was going to fall; I mean it…”
Exhaustion was evident on their faces.
“It felt better to fight against the opponents… I had no idea that handling so many people would be so difficult.”
“I would have felt a bit at ease if Chung Myung wasn’t there.”
“Next time we plan something like this, let’s just send that bastard out.”
“… The head tells me we shouldn’t do that, but my heart agrees to it, a bit too much.”
They all sighed simultaneously. It felt like in just a couple of days, their lifespan had been shortened.
Jo Gul’s face contorted.
“If only that mad guy hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have felt like that.”
“I know, right!”
Just the thought of Jang Ilso made them all stiffen. Baek Cheon thought for a moment and broke the silence.
“… Hegemony Lord…”
Their first impression of the man was entirely different from their imagination. His clothes and accessories were all too flashy. They didn’t fit the title of the Hegemony Lord, and the weight of being the clan leader.
But… he had a shocking presence.
The time that Jang Ilso stepped into Mount Hua was too short. It wouldn’t be strange to call it a minute’s visit. But, even in that short period, he left a clean mark on the disciples’ hearts.
As proof of that, when he left, no one could look away from his back. They realized he was so different from the enemies they had tackled until then, but it felt hard to say how…
“Actually, in terms of strength, the high priest of the Demonic Sect is a lot more shocking.”
“Yes, definitely.”
It was unknown who was stronger between Jang Ilso and the high priest because, as they were still growing, it seemed impossible to gauge someone like Jang Ilso’s skills just by observing them.
“But… there is something about him that goes beyond mere skills.”
“Right. I felt it too.”
Baek Cheon nodded at Yoon Jong’s words. This wasn’t simply a matter of strength.
‘He is a monster…’
Chung Myung labeled Jang Ilso as a monster.
Typically, in the realm of the strong, terms like “monster” and “genius” were used to describe a person’s skills. But it appeared that Chung Myung wasn’t using the term in that sense.
‘It means that the person known as Jang Ilso is a monster.’
In a way, this could be seen as a significant compliment.
And Baek Cheon had no choice but to agree. Even from a distance, he had witnessed with his own eyes how the elders of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, and individuals from the Palace like Meng So, were. Yet, none had overwhelmed him quite like Jang Ilso did.
Baek Cheon lightly bit his lip. At that moment, Yoon Jong quietly added something.
“It isn’t just Jang Ilso, sasuk.”
“Hmm?”
“The red and white-robed warriors of the Ten Thousand People clan who followed him were equally frightening.”
Baek Cheon nodded at those words. The warriors of the Ten Thousand People clan in their white and red robes.
Though they seemed to be overshadowed by Jang Ilso’s presence, the aura emanating from them was no less formidable.
‘Strong.’
They couldn’t help but acknowledge once more the formidable nature of the Ten Thousand People clan.
Mount Hua had fought and won against members of the Ten Thousand People clan, so they now had confidence that if they were to fight again, they might not win, but they would at least not lose.
However, after encountering Jang Ilso and his elite, they realized how naive they had been.
“I guess the Ten Thousand People we saw were just the tip of the iceberg.”
“…Yes.”
“And…”
Baek Cheon spoke as if biting down on his lip.
“And now we will have to handle them.”
“…”
After meeting with Wudang, Chung Myung said this. As their reputation increased, Mount Hua was recognized by the world, and the people Mount Hua would have to deal with would be stronger and more fearsome.
Now, he painfully understood the meaning of those words.
“But…”
“Hmm?”
That was when Jo Gul, who had been silent, opened his mouth. His voice, which held a strength that didn’t match the atmosphere, made them all listen to him.
As Baek Cheon looked at Jo Gul, he grinned.
“It isn’t just us dealing with the others, right?”
“…”
Instead of answering, Baek Cheon looked away.
On the other side, he could see the North Sea Ice Palace, Nanman Beast Palace, and the Sichuan Tang family all gathered, talking amongst themselves.
Baek Cheon nodded.
“Right, true…”
“Everyone must be strong. But that doesn’t mean that one can come against the Heavenly Friends Alliance alone! If they make a mistake, the Alliance can gather around and step on them!”
“…”
“Well, to begin with, those bastards have a lot of grudges here and there, but I don’t think anyone will help them if they flock to us and try. All we have to do is repay the sorrow that we suffered because of Mount Hua’s bad condition!”
Baek Cheon smiled.
‘Why is this brat slowly turning into Chung Myung with each day?’
Maybe he was too? Eh… it couldn’t be…
Baek Cheon shook his head to shake off the terrible thoughts.
Yoon Jong then spoke with a slightly shocked look.
“You know… I can see how great Wudang and Shaolin were.”
“Why them suddenly?”
“Until now, they have dealt with the Ten Thousand People Clan, right?”
Baek Cheon closed his mouth at those unexpected words, and as if he had been taken over, Yoon Jong continued.
“I saw the strength and martial arts of Shaolin during the tournament, and even fought against Wudang… to be honest, I didn’t think they were as scary and intimidating as the Ten Thousand People clan. But now that I think about it, I think it wasn’t because Shaolin or Wudang were weaker than the Ten Thousand People clan, but because we were confident that they held no ill feelings towards us.”
“… you aren’t wrong.”
Baek Cheon shook his head.
Certainly, if one was from Shaolin or Wudang, they could not be much weaker compared to the Ten Thousand People clan. But it did not feel like this when they sparred against Wudang.
Maybe it was because of Jang Ilso’s presence… maybe it was because they really thought they weren’t real enemies, as Yoon Jong said.
But…
‘Now that the Heavenly Friends Alliance has started, Wudang and Shaolin might one day be enemies of Mount Hua.’
When they thought about that, their hearts clenched.
Shaolin to be an enemy… Shaolin…
“Uh?”
Baek Cheon’s eyes shook violently at the sudden thought.
“That… Hae- Hae Yeon! What of Monk Hae Yeon! Where is the monk?”
“Uh?”
“I don’t think I have seen him since the event began! Has anyone seen Monk Hae Yeon!”
“Uh?”
“Now that you mention it…?”
Everyone looked at each other with blank looks as if no one knew.
“I-I will look around….”
“… I am here.”
“Eek!”
Jo Gul was startled at the voice that suddenly came from behind him and turned around. Hae Yeon, who had suddenly appeared.
“M-monk!”
“N-No, monk. Why is your face so lean!”
“… w-what happened?”
Amid the intense reactions of everyone, Hae Yeon’s eyes turned watery.
The Five Swords of Mount Hua, who were looking at his head, which was shining more, turned teary-eyed.
“Just where were you all this while?”
“… in the boarding room.”
“S-since when?”
“From before the event began.”
“…”
Baek Cheon was shocked.
Wait, it has been a couple of days since the event began… Was he confined in the boarding house until now?
“N-No… but why?”
“That…”
Hae Yeon spoke with a bit of fluster.
“That… I received a message before. If I sit in the place where the Alliance starts… people who see that will think that Mount Hua and Shaolin have some hidden ties…”
“Ah…”
“That is why I should not be seen.”
“Ah…”
Did that mean he was hiding himself in a room inside Mount Hua, which was so tightly crowded, without water and food for days?
“The Elder stopped by for a while. And he made a request. Do not step out until everyone leaves…”
… of course.
No, to be precise, if it was Shaolin’s position, it would make sense. But this person wasn’t just any other disciple but Hae Yeon.
If he were any other monk disciple of Shaolin, no one would go this far. But Hae Yeon was no ordinary monk. Wasn’t he a promising figure in Shaolin, the one Shaolin was putting all its resources into, to nurture him for the future, and the one whose reputation had already spread around the world?
And now they had been traveling together too, but that was a time when Mount Hua didn’t get so much attention. However, in the current situation, if it were revealed to the public that such a monk, like Hae Yeon, was staying in Mount Hua, then new rumors would arise.
“No. Well… I do understand that.”
“W-why is your face like that, though?”
“Like someone who didn’t even get to eat porridge.”
“Oh my god, this man… haven’t you done closed-room training?”
When the word porridge came up, Hae Yeon’s face turned sad.
“It isn’t like that…”
“Is that so?”
“… since I got stuck, and food was….”
“Uh? You haven’t eaten a thing for 5 days?”
“Noo….”
“N-No, I did eat.”
“Uh?”
Then what is the problem here?
“That… since Mount Hua was all busy, the Tang family brought me a meal…”
“… they gave it?”
Hae Yeon looked around, unsure about speaking. He appeared as if he had committed some theft and then softly whispered.
“That… just grass…”
“…”
“…”
“Ah…”
Everyone who understood that couldn’t even respond back with sympathy. Hae Yeon mumbled in a somewhat sad voice.
“… How can a human live by eating grass alone?”
Ahh… so, so normally…
But Jo Gul, who didn’t understand that, tilted his head and spoke loudly without realizing it.
“But don’t the monks live on grass?”
“Gul.”
“Yes, sahyung.”
“Shut up.”
“…”
Baek Cheon spoke to Yoon Jong with a slightly confused look.
“Yoon Jong.”
“Yes, sasuk.”
“Take the monk to the diner and give him a proper meal.”
“Yes.”
“Boiled eggs… and put some meat under the rice, too.”
“… Yes.”
Yoon Jong took the lead as he patted Hae Yeon on the shoulder.
“Let us go, monk.”
“… Thank you.”
Hae Yeon’s face became bright and cheerful as he expressed his thanks.
His round head seemed to shine even more than before. Baek Cheon looked a bit blankly at him, walking with light footsteps as if he was happy.
“… One has to eat to live.”
Yu Yiseol’s indifferent voice pierced the ears of Baek Cheon.
“Ah, wait, now that I think of it, Samae.”
“Yes, sahyung.”
“Where is Chung Myung? I haven’t seen him for a while.”
Baek Cheon, who was relieved as long as Chung Myung was out of sight, began to look for Chung Myung out of habit. Yu Yiseol pointed to one side.
“Over there.”
“Where?”
“There.”
The place she pointed to was the corner of the pavilion, and Baek Cheon’s eyes shook.
In a place that was hard to see because of the shadows, Chung Myung was pushing someone against the wall and hitting them in the same spot.
“… Eh, looks like the Green Forest King?”
“Right?”
“…”
Shaolin’s best disciple was secretly eating meat, avoiding the eyes of people, while Mount Hua’s best disciple was out there beating up the Green Forest King.
‘Is all this truly alright?’
Baek Cheon once again felt that the future of Kangho was bleak.
