Return of the Mount Hua

Wow, he really has no shame at all. (4)

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The Abbot of Shaolin, Beop Jong, bowed his head.

That sight even rendered Hwasan’s disciples, who were watching, speechless.

‘The Abbot of Shaolin…’

…to our sect leader.

It might have been a scene that should fill them with pride. It was only a few years ago that Hwasan had fallen so far it nearly lost its land.

For Hyun Jong, who had once been nothing more than the Sect Leader of a declining third-rate sect, to now stand in a position where the Abbot of Shaolin bowed to him – this was truly remarkable.

Yet, no one present here felt any sense of pride. 

They were simply stunned and shocked by the unbelievable situation.

“Please, don’t do this, Abbot. I don’t know where to put myself.”

“Alliance Leader.”

Beop Jong tightly grasped Hyun Jong’s hand as the he tried to help him up.

“I will not deny that Shaolin has sinned against Hwasan. No matter how lacking we were in strength, if Hwasan closed its gates, it was Shaolin’s duty to handle the Evil Sects flooding into Shaanxi.”

“…”

“Forgive us for failing to do so.”

“…How can that be called a sin?”

A faint groan escaped Hyun Yeong’s lips.

Shaolin and Hwasan had long harbored deep animosity.

And the incident Beop Jong had just brought up was what finally solidified that rift.

Up until then, it could have been dismissed as a matter arising from differences in stance, but in this case, a clear malice was evident.

It was something that could never have happened if Shaolin had truly considered Hwasan an ally.

But Beop Jong had brought up that very matter first and bowed his head.

For someone of such exalted status – the Abbot of Shaolin – to come out in such a humble manner left Hyun Jong with no room to maneuver.

If Hyun Jong were to raise his own stance here, those who later heard of the incident without understanding the deeper circumstances would undoubtedly criticize him.

‘How terrifying.’

It sounds simple. The logic is straightforward.

But could it really be so easy for the Abbot of Shaolin, the Northern Star of Gangho, to bow his head to someone?

Even a mere bow would be difficult, so for him to prostrate himself like that – was such a thing truly possible?

It was a blow no one could have imagined.

Even if it hadn’t been the gentle Hyun Jong on the receiving end, no one would have known how to respond.

“Hwasan does not blame Shaolin. We know how tirelessly Shaolin works for the stability of Henan – how could we harbor resentment?”

“…Alliance Leader.”

“It’s just… it saddens and pains me that there were those who became victims at the hands of those vile Evil Sects.”

Hyun Jong let out a deep sigh.

“So please, don’t do this, Abbot. I cannot bear it.”

Beop Jong nodded and resumed his proper seated posture.

Only then did Hyun Jong release his hand and returned to his seat.

Just then, Un Am entered with a tea set.

“Sect Leader.”

“Yes.”

Feeling somewhat relieved, Hyun Jong accepted the tea set Un Am offered.

“The order may be a little off, but allow me to serve you some tea.”

“To think the Alliance Leader of Cheonumaeng himself would brew me tea – what greater honor could there be?”

“…I can only thank you for thinking of it that way.”

With a slightly pale face, Hyun Jong began brewing the tea.

Holding the familiar tea set in his hands, he felt his startled heart slowly begin to settle.

“Here you are.”

“Thank you, Alliance Leader.”

Beop Jong took a sip of the tea Hyun Jong offered and smiled gently.

“Hwasan’s plum blossom tea truly is exquisite. I believe it surpasses any tea I’ve ever tasted.”

“It’s only because we couldn’t obtain fine teas like others that we simply dried the plum blossoms that grow in abundance on the mountain. How could it compare to the famed teas of the world?”

“If it has its own distinct character, how could it be considered inferior to rare teas?”

The atmosphere began to ease a little.

But those with a keen eye could tell that Beop Jong still held the reins and was leading the flow of conversation.

‘As expected of the head of Shaolin…’

He hadn’t exerted pressure, nor flaunted his status.

Nor had he intimidated anyone.

And yet, everyone in the room was unable to take their eyes off his every move.

Tap.

Beop Jong gently set down the teacup in his hand.

“Alliance Leader.”

“Please speak, Abbot.”

“As I mentioned, the situation along the Yangtze River is dire.”

“…Yes.”

“Namgung Clan has independently occupied Maehwado. Sapaeryeon would never tolerate their presence, pointing blades right at their front yard.”

Hyun Jong furrowed his brows.

“Is the situation truly that urgent? In truth, that island called Maehwado…”

“Yes. That island certainly once belonged to Hwasan.”

Hyun Jong nodded silently.

Even so, there had been no problems for the past three years.

“But Namgung Clan is not the same as Hwasan. Hwasan had no intention of attacking Gangnam, but Namgung Clan is clearly provoking them, aren’t they?”

What Beop Jong should have said was that Sapaeryeon treats Gupailbang and Cheonumaeng differently.

But he deliberately left those words unsaid.

There was nothing to be gained – for either himself or Hwasan – by voicing that aloud.

“The Black Dragon King who was attacked will not simply stand by. And… Paegun, that one will surely make a move as well. If the two main pillars of Sapaeryeon begin to move, then inevitably, the entire Saparyeon will follow.”

Beop Jong pressed his lips together for a moment, then looked around at those present.

His gaze met each person’s eyes, resolute and full of strength.

“And when that happens, it is the common people who will suffer in the end.”

“…”

“Shameful as it is to admit, the current Gupailbang is not enough to rein in Sapaeryeon. So please, Alliance Leader – lend us your strength. If Cheonumaeng joins us, even Sapaeryeon would not dare invade Gangbuk so easily.”

“Hmm…”

Hyun Jong let out a low hum, his brow slightly furrowed.

The mention of the common people weighed heavily on his heart.

He already knew that Shaolin had not revealed all of its intentions.

And in truth, Hyun Jong could not reveal all of his either.

However, regardless of the hidden intentions, Shaolin as it is now cannot control Sapaeryeon. The damage will inevitably fall not on Shaolin, but directly upon the common people. This was an undeniable fact.

Hyun Jong finally parted his lips, which had remained tightly shut.

“What I find hard to understand is…”

“Yes.”

“Is it truly so difficult to face Sapaeryeon with the combined strength of Gupailbang and the Five Great Families?”

This time, Beop Jong closed his eyes briefly.

It was a truth he did not want to admit aloud, but now was not the time to hide it.

“It is because I am lacking.”

“…”

Hyun Jong asked no further. He had already heard as much from Chung Myung.

‘Then what should be done about this?’

The situation was simple. With only the sects currently aligned with Shaolin, they could not stop Sapaeryeon from moving into Gangbuk, crossing the Yangtze River.

And the sects located in Sichuan and the northern regions of the Central Plains had no desire to shed blood fighting in a place outside their own territory.

Had Sapaeryeon truly been powerful enough to threaten them all, there might have been at least a superficial unity. But the issue was that Sapaeryeon, in its current state, was not so strong that everyone was willing to risk their lives.

Hyun Jong himself did not particularly wish to fight alongside Shaolin. Still, confronting Sapaeryeon was something that had to be done.

But every action comes with sacrifice. If no one else was stepping forward, was there truly any reason for Hwasan to involve itself?

Yes. If not for those common people.

“Hmm.”

As Hyun Jong’s silence stretched on, Beop Jong opened his mouth again.

“It is not for the sake of Gupailbang or the Five Great Families. Please think of the people of the world who will suffer if war breaks out, Alliance Leader…”

“The people of the world?”

At that moment, a mocking voice cut through the air.

Beop Jong opened his gently closed eyes. He, too, knew that what followed would be the real confrontation.

“Yes. The people of the world.”

“Ah. Shaolin truly is different, after all. You even know how to bow your head for the sake of the people. Honestly, I’m a little surprised.”

Chung Myung smiled broadly as he looked at Beop Jong. But everyone present, including Beop Jong, knew the truth.

That smile was far from genuine.

“But…”

As expected, Chung Myung’s smile gradually twisted into a smirk.

“Don’t you think it’s rather absurd to take those words at face value, given the situation?”

“…What do you mean?”

“To me, it looks more like it’s you, the Abbot, who wants this war.”

“Chung Myung!”

At Chung Myung’s words, Baek Cheon was startled and retorted in alarm. Even in his eyes, that statement had clearly crossed the line.

Sure enough, the calm expression on Beop Jong’s face subtly hardened.

“May I ask why you think that?”

“It’s simple. What has to be done to prevent the common people from getting hurt?”

“…We have to stop Sapaeryeon.”

“Wrong.”

Chung Myung shook his head.

“What needs to be stopped is not Sapaeryeon, but the war itself. It’s not like the people are suffering just because Sapaeryeon exists. At least not in Gangbuk.”

“…”

“Unless they’re planning to push into Gangnam, the best way to protect the people is to prevent the war from starting in the first place. But the Abbot here seems only focused on fighting and winning. Isn’t that right?”

“They’re the ones who want war. What am I supposed to do to stop them?”

“Surely the Abbot of Shaolin isn’t asking that because he truly doesn’t know the answer?”

Chung Myung’s smirk deepened.

“If you truly wanted to stop the war, you shouldn’t have come rushing here – you should’ve gone to the Yangtze River. And beaten Namgung Hwang bloody if necessary to drag Namgung Clan out of Maehwado.”

“…”

“If Namgung Clan is satisfied with having reclaimed the territory in Gangbuk and doesn’t push all the way to Maehwado, then it’s not exactly the situation you described, where a sword is pressed to their throat, is it? Even if Surochae was humiliated, as long as Maehwado is returned, they wouldn’t be able to start a war on their own.”

Beop Jong stared blankly at Chung Myung.

“Well, I get it. If that happened, Shaolin would get cursed at from all directions. People would say Shaolin handed over the land Namgung Clan reclaimed with their blood, that Shaolin cowered before Sapaeryeon and avoided the fight, that the Abbot of Shaolin is a coward…”

“…”

“But still.”

Chung Myung paused for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.

“Shaolin could be cursed, but lives would be saved.”

Beop Jong’s body trembled slightly. Chung Myung’s final words had pierced him to the core.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t even consider it, did you?”

Beop Jong couldn’t bring himself to answer. It was true – he had not considered that option. No, the idea hadn’t even existed in his mind to begin with.

The reason came spilling out of Chung Myung’s mouth.

“Well, of course you didn’t think of it. In your head, nothing comes before Shaolin. The idea that Shaolin might be cursed while cleaning up Namgung Clan’s mess probably never even crossed your mind. And the thought of people thinking Shaolin is afraid of Sapaeryeon – well, that’s something you couldn’t stomach either, isn’t it?”

“I only…”

“No, well… I’m not trying to blame you. It’s perfectly understandable. Honestly, it’s a really unpleasant situation. From your point of view, it must feel unfair. After all, it wasn’t your fault. I get that. But…”

His cold gaze slammed into Beop Jong like a blade.

At last, the corners of Chung Myung’s mouth twisted, revealing his white teeth.

“If that’s how you feel, then at the very least, you should’ve kept your mouth shut about the people, about the world. Don’t pretend you’re thinking of them, you damn hypocrite.”

Beop Jong finally shut his eyes tightly.

But there was no way to block out that voice as it tore into his ears.

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