Wow, he really has no shame at all. (1)
The front gate of Hwasan Sect was packed to the brim with people.
“Hey, I said don’t push!”
“What? Are you blaming me after you cut in line?”
“Cut in? I’ve been waiting here since dawn today!”
“Dawn? Daaaawn?! I’ve been standing here since last night, drenched in the night dew! You show up late in the morning and pretend you came early? You’ve got some nerve!”
“W–What nonsense! Don’t bluff like that…!”
Just as the two were about to grab each other, the people standing nearby stepped in to stop them.
“Are you both crazy? Do you even know where you are, picking a fight like this?”
“This is Hwasan, Hwasan! You looking to get struck by lightning or something?”
“If we get kicked out because of you two, don’t think we won’t toss you off a cliff!”
Yoon Jong, who had been sweeping the training ground and caught sight of the commotion, muttered with a dazed expression.
“Geol-ah.”
“Yes, Sahyeong.”
“Why exactly are those people all flocking here? And what’s with all their baggage.”
“Come on, how can someone who’s going to be the next Sect Leader not know something like that? They’re here because they heard Hwasan has opened the gate – they’re all here to show their faces.”
“…That many?”
“It’s not that many… Well, okay, it is a lot.”
Jo Geol cleared his throat as he looked at the seemingly endless line of people stretching beyond the gate.
“If you think about it, it’s not that surprising. Even before the sect closed its gates, Hwasan always had a lot of visitors.”
“That’s true.”
“But it’s only natural, isn’t it? People who haven’t been able to visit for three years are now all coming at once to pay their respects. Besides, Hwasan’s status has risen even more compared to before.”
Even before the gates were closed, Hwasan had practically secured its place as the leading sect of Shaanxi. Now, after successfully repelling the recent invasion by the Evil Sects, their standing had become firmly solidified.
Now that the general consensus was that even Jongnam lifting Bongmun wouldn’t be enough to overturn this situation, prominent figures across Shaanxi were anxious to establish ties with Hwasan.
Moreover, even outsiders who hoped to build connections with Cheonumaneg, were traveling long distances without hesitation, making it clear that the queue would grow longer by the day rather than shrink.
“The way things turn out in this world, really…”
Yoon Jong shook his head in disbelief, and Jo Geol snickered beside him.
“Well, even if no one else gets used to it, you have to. Once you become Sect Leader, you’ll be the one who has to deal with all those people.”
“…”
Yoon Jong looked at the crowd gathered at the gate with a face full of dread.
Those people? All of them?
“No, actually, that’s not even the worst of it. If it’s like this now, by the time you become Sect Leader, the line might stretch all the way down to Hwasan’s entrance.”
“No way… It couldn’t go that far…”
“You say that so easily. But I’m being generous with that estimate.”
“G-Generous?”
“Of course! When you finally rise to the position of the Sect Leader, won’t it be at least twenty or thirty years from now? The current Sect Leader is still strong and healthy, and Sasuk’s eyes are still as sharp as ever.”
“…That was a strange way to put it. But anyway.”
“What do you think Chung Myung will be like thirty years from now?”
“…”
Not Hwasan, but Chung Myung?
“W–What do you mean, what’ll he be like? Thirty years from now…”
Yoon Jong fell silent.
“Not long ago, he was Hwasan Shinryong, and now he’s Hwasan Geomhyeop. In thirty years or so… he’ll probably be something like Peerless Plum Blossom Sword Emperor, Greatest Under Heaven [환우제일매화무적검황(寰宇第一梅花無敵劍皇)]”
“…I’d laugh along if it sounded like a joke, but the problem is – it doesn’t.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“…”
“To lead the sect while wrangling that guy, Sahyeong is going to have more than a few headaches.”
Jo Geol chuckled gleefully, while Yoon Jong – for the first time – seriously considered whether he should just pass the position of Sect Leader on to Jo Geol.
“…The Sect Leader’s job really does sound exhausting.”
And just then.
“HWASAN SHINRYOOOONG! I mean, HWASAN GEOMHYEOP! B–Big trouble!”
Someone leapt over Hwasan’s gate like a bolt of lightning, screaming at the top of his lungs.
“…You’ll have to deal with people like that, too.”
“Indeed.”
The two of them shook their heads as they confirmed that the person who’d jumped the gate was none other than the beggar, Hong Daekwang.
“Maehwado?”
“Y-Yes, exactly!”
Hong Daekwang gulped down the water Hyun Yeong had brought him, quenching his parched throat before continuing.
“Namgung Clan has taken over Maehwado! Our precious Thousand li blue pigeon flew an actual thousand li to deliver the news!”
“…At that point, isn’t it basically animal abuse?”
It’s just a pigeon, after all. Just because its wings are a little blue, they keep sending it thousands of li like it’s nothing. Poor thing.
Chung Myung stared intently at the blue pigeon grooming its feathers on Hong Daekwang’s shoulder.
What’s it getting fed to be that obedient? Flying back and forth a thousand li and not even trying to escape?
If it were Baek Ah, it would’ve eaten two wild boars on the way, flopped on its back, and topped it off with a drink.
Really now… come to think of it, that thing’s pretty useful…
“Ah! No way!”
Startled, Hong Daekwang quickly cupped the blue pigeon in both hands, shielding it.
“What?”
“You’ve got your eye on our bird, haven’t you? This is a sacred creature of the Beggars Sect! Absolutely not!”
“Come on, don’t be so stingy. Good things should be shared, you know.”
“I said no!”
“Tsk. The Beggars Sect has gotten so stingy. It wasn’t like this in the old days.”
“When exactly are you talking about, these so-called ‘old days’ of yours?”
“Oh, there was such a time.”
Right. Those days were different.
Even if they were secretly hiding a bottle of liquor in their robes, the moment they saw Chung Myung they’d politely offer it with both hands, insisting he takes it even when he declined. That was real kindness. But now? Tsk, tsk…
“No, let’s get back to the point.”
At that moment, Hyun Yeong cut off the chatter and asked again,
“So you’re saying Namgung Clan drove out the pirates and occupied Maehwado?”
“Yes, that’s right, Elder. Disciples of the Beggars Sect confirmed it on the Yangtze River and immediately sent the messenger bird. It’s the freshest news, straight from the main branch to us.”
“Hmm. Namgung Clan, huh…”
With a dissatisfied look, Hyun Yeong turned to Hyun Jong.
“It seems things are turning serious, Sect Leader.”
“…So it does. I didn’t think Namgung Clan would…”
As Hyun Jong and Hyun Yeong exchanged concerned words, Hong Daekwang glanced at Chung Myung with newfound curiosity.
‘What kind of guy is he, really?’
Now that things had unfolded this way, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
Before any of this even happened, Chung Myung had come to him asking about Namgung Clan’s movements. At a time when no one – not even the Beggars Sect – had considered Namgung Clan a factor, this guy had been sitting way out here in Shaanxi, already seeing through what would unfold down at the Yangtze.
‘Is that something you can pull off just by being smart?’
Hong Daekwang had thought he knew Chung Myung well enough by now, but the more he got to know this strange Taoist, the harder he became to predict.
“Excuse me, Hong Buntaju*.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
Startled back to his senses, Hong Daekwang quickly turned his gaze to Hyun Jong. Letting his thoughts wander in front of the Sect Leader – especially Hwasan’s – was a clear breach of decorum.
“What does the Beggars Sect make of all this? I doubt Sapaeryeon will sit quietly.”
“The Beggars Sect is also watching the developments along the Yangtze very closely.”
Hong Daekwang swallowed dryly.
“But it’s difficult to predict what might happen next. As you know… there are just too many variables.”
If it were a conventional war, predicting its flow wouldn’t be all that hard. Even if many people are involved, it’s still only a few key figures who actually move the forces.
But a war in Gangho follows a completely different logic.
Each sect has such a strong sense of individuality and operates as its own independent power that things like orders rarely work as intended. Because of that, things can unfold in ways entirely different from what the one who planned it envisioned.
Take this case – who would’ve expected Namgung Clan, which had been dead silent for three years, to charge straight to the Yangtze and crush the pirates the moment they heard the news?
No one… no, almost no one, had even considered the possibility.
“That’s why the Beggars Sect is asking for Hwasan’s opinion as well.”
“Our opinion?”
“Yes.”
Hong Daekwang’s eyes subtly shifted to the side.
Hyun Jong, not missing that glance, gave a bitter smile.
Why would the Beggars Sect – masters of information – need to ask for Hwasan’s opinion? There was only one answer.
‘Chung Myung.’
At some point, without his knowledge, Chung Myung must’ve said something to Hong Daekwang to investigate the Yangtze’s situation. And that statement must’ve proven accurate.
“Chung Myung-ah.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think Sapaeryon will do next?”
“Well, that’s…”
Chung Myung shrugged casually.
“It all depends on what Jang Ilso feels like doing.”
“W–Well, yes, but…”
That was undeniably true, yet completely useless.
“But honestly, that doesn’t really matter.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Chung Myung let out a small chuckle.
“To be honest, Sapaeryeon is actually predictable. Those bastards? Their next move is obvious.”
“And?”
“The real variables are those guys. The bald ones and the horse-face bastards.”
“H–Horse-face…?”
Of course, ‘bald’ referred to Shaolin, and ‘horse-face’ to Wudang.
“First, we have to see what the horse-face decides to do.”
Chung Myung snickered.
“Even if they’ve sealed their gates, it’s not like they’ve shut off their ears. Once they hear Namgung Clan is out there beating up the Evil Sects, you know they’ll start fuming.”
“…That does sound about right.”
Right now, the ones most desperate to reclaim their honor were none other than Wudang.
No matter how much Namgung Clan had been seething over the disgrace of the Yangtze River Disaster, could their humiliation and rage possibly compare to Wudang’s?
“If it were me, I’d have already torn down the gates and run straight to the Yangtze… but the problem is, their sect leader is Heo Do, of all people.”
Chung Myung scratched his cheek.
Heo Do Jinin’s thoughts were so predictable that, ironically, it made them hard to predict.
“And more important than that is the bald one…”
“Ugh.”
From the corner, Hye Yeon let out a groan.
But Chung Myung neatly ignored Hye Yeon’s reaction and continued speaking.
“Depending on how that monk responds, the situation could change drastically.”
“What do you think he’ll do?”
“…You want my opinion?”
“Yes. Your opinion.”
“If it’s my opinion…”
Chung Myung made a strange face.
“I think I know.”
“Well?”
“I really hope he doesn’t. Any person with even the slightest bit of shame wouldn’t do something like that. But since he’s a shameless man, he probably will.”
“W–What are you saying now?”
“It’s hard to explain, really. But if I’m right, then probably around now…”
It was just then.
“Sect Leader!”
Bang!
Un Am burst through the door in a rush, his face slightly pale.
“What is it?”
Sensing instinctively that something serious had happened, Hyun Jong asked. Un Am opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
But.
“Right now.”
“…Hm?”
Before Un Am could even finish speaking, someone else spoke first.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the speaker – Chung Myung.
“At the front gate.”
“…”
“The Abbot of Shaolin has arrived.”
“…”
“Am I right?”
Un Am, looking as if he’d just run into a ghost, stared blankly at him before slowly nodding in a daze.
“H–How did you know? I came running the moment I saw him.”
“Ha.”
Chung Myung let out a short laugh and looked up at the ceiling.
“Wow, he really has no shame at all. A damn beggar would have more self-respect. That rotten bald bastard. A filthy rich monk who’s worse than a street beggar.”
“…”
In the corner, Hye Yeon’s bald head turned as red as a plum blossom.
________
*Buntaju – branch leader in the Beggars Sect. More about the titles can be found in the glossary.
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