What kind of wealth and fame would I enjoy? (4)
“Chung Myung.”
“Yes?”
Hyun Jong stared at Chung Myung in silence before he began speaking.
“I’ve heard words similar to what you’ve just said from you several times. However… today, it seems to carry a slightly different meaning than usual.”
Hyun Jong asked Chung Myung with a deep sense of purpose.
“I believe, from my perspective, that the conversation we will have from now on should be different from what they have been until now. Am I correct in my guess?”
“Yes, Sect Leader. You are correct.”
“Then.”
He paused for a moment before continuing.
“Do you have a reason to believe that things should be different from now on?”
Hyun Jong asked this question to convey to those who didn’t understand the situation that the conversation from this point forward was important. It was a reasonable decision.
…If only the clapping of hands that followed was normal.
“A reason?”
“Yes.”
“Can you… tell me why?”
“…,”
Sensing something strange, Hyun Jong glanced at Chung Myung’s expression. Then, he closed his eyes tightly. It was because his head was tilted to the side in an unnatural manner.
‘Why is he having another fit?’
What on earth did Hyun Jong do now!
“Sect Leader.”
“…Uh, yeah.”
“I don’t know where to start explaining this.”
“Huh?”
Hyun Jong wanted to say, ‘If you don’t know how to explain it, there’s no need to bother.’ Really, he did. But because he was a considerate person, he couldn’t bring himself to say those words.
“Until now, you might have thought of me as someone who’s gone mad.”
“…Do I look like I did?”
“…”
Realizing he had made a mistake, Hyun Jong quickly changed his words.
“Oh, no! It’s not like that! Do you think I would think of you like that? No. Not at all! You’re talking nonsense.”
“Ahem…”
Chung Myung cleared his throat as if he would let it slide this time. But Hyun Jong didn’t miss the fact that Chung Myung’s eyes were trembling slightly beneath his gaze.
“Sect Leader.”
“…Yeah.”
“When I entered Hwasan, what was in there?”
“Huh?”
“Wasn’t it a martial sect that didn’t even deserve to be called a sect, where those present could even rival beggars?”
“Well, to that extent…”
“That’s right.”
Hyun Jong’s feeble rebuttal was immediately crushed by Hyun Young.
“Money was more abundant in the Beggar’s Sect than in Hwasan. The beggars ate better.”
“…”
Well, I mean… that’s not entirely wrong either.
“It sounds like you’re saying Hwasan was worse than beggars…”
“What’s wrong with that? Beggars don’t have any debts.”
“…”
Hyun Jong, with his words stuck in his throat, just coughed for no reason.
“Anyway!”
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.
“It’s a bit late to bring this up now, but back then, was Hwasan a martial arts sect where people lived?”
“…”
“As soon as I joined, the martial arts were sold off and everything went up in smoke!”
The plum blossom dormitory master Un Geom and the one responsible for martial arts in the sect Hyun Sang flinched and turned their heads.
“The sect had no money and was drowning in debt!”
Hyun Jong and Hyun Young stared up at the distant ceiling.
“The brats weren’t even practicing – they were just fooling around playing gangsters among themselves!”
“Why are you bringing this up now?”
“Jo Geol, shut your mouth.”
“….Yes, Sahyeong.”
Chung Myung snorted and continued very loudly.
“In such a situation, what discussions? What direction?”
“…”
As his eyes flickered, everyone did their best to avoid eye contact.
“We were about to get beaten up by the Southern Edge bastards right away! What do we do about that first?”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“After dealing with the them, Wudang started a fuss, and after that, it’s Shaolin and the Sapaeryeon!”
“Calm down, Chung Myung.”
Seeing his face turning an alarming shade of red, ready to burst, Hyun Jong panicked and tried to calm him down. In hindsight, he wasn’t entirely wrong. Now it’s a memory, but was Hwasan a normal sect when Chung Myung joined? If he hadn’t found Hwasan’s account books back then, they would have been driven out of their mountain and would still be wandering around the world.
“Thinking about it gets me mad again. What a ridiculous sect…!”
Everyone lowered their heads. In retrospect, it wasn’t their fault, but it still felt embarrassing for some reason.
“Hoo! Hoo…”
Taking a long deep breath, Chung Myung managed to calm down a bit and looked at everyone.
“Anyway, until now, we’ve been dealing with what’s right in front of us. Otherwise, the sect would have collapsed.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
Hyun Young nodded as if he understood everything.
“Now is not the time,”
Chung Myung’s words held a single true intention. Now Hwasan had a semblance of breathing room. It was a fragile respite, but at least they could catch their breath for a moment.
So, now they could discuss and negotiate.
It was about the direction Hwasan would take.
Hyun Jong looked around at everyone in silence. They were all looking at him, waiting for his words.
“This is just my personal desire…”
That’s why Hyun Jong added these words. Chung Myung had referred to himself as the sword of Hwasan, and only the Sect Leader could wield that sword.
But that was Chung Myung will.
Hyun Jong didn’t want that. He wanted to be someone who walked alongside Chung Myung, not just as a person wielding him as a sword but as someone who moved forward together with Chung Myung. No, not just with Chung Myung, but with everyone in the sect.
‘Hwasan has come this far because it’s a family.’
With determination, Hyun Jong spoke.
“Chung Myung.”
“It seems like we won’t be able to stay with the Gupailbang any longer.”
Upon hearing this, Chung Myung asked with an expressionless face,
“Why?”
After a brief pause, Hyun Jong continued,
“Actually, until now, my distancing from the Gupa wasn’t my intention. As the Sect Leader of Hwasan, my greatest wish was to restore it’s former glory and become an honorable successor to the previous Sect Leader.”
“Yes.”
“So, I secretly hoped for a return to good terms with the Gupailbang. Although our relationship had strained somewhat, I thought that if they extended their hand first, returning to a good relationship wouldn’t be a bad thing.”
Chung Myung nodded in agreement. It’s a reasonable thought. He may be quite aggressive, but wouldn’t Chung Myung have had similar thoughts if he were the Sect Leader?
“But I realized through this incident that their path is very different from ours.”
A hint of disappointment flashed across Hyun Jong’s face. He must have felt significant disappointment through this incident. Nevertheless, his tone remained incredibly gentle and cautious.
“Once again – this is just my opinion. Of course, I am the Sect Leader of Hwasan. However, this is not a sect where Sect Leader decides everything. No, it should never be such a sect.”
Hyun Jong asked in a calm voice,
“What do you all think?”
Hyun Young chuckled,
“Now, after saying we’ll be friends, do you think the stubborn old Gupailbang leader will accept?”
“Well, the stubborn old Gupailbang leader…”
“There are two factions at it’s core: Shaolin and Wudang, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“The Abbot of Shaolin directly confronted us in front of everyone, and the Elder of Wudang got beaten up in front of everyone! Do you think these crazy people will be friendly with us?”
“…”
All eyes turned to Chung Myung.
“Why? What!”
However, Chung Myung proudly spread his shoulders as if he had done nothing wrong.
“So, don’t waste your efforts trying too hard. In the first place, those bastards probably have no intention of getting along with us. But why do we have to be that way?”
“Hmm.”
Un Geom, who had been quiet all along, chuckled.
“Your words may have been a bit aggressive, but I agree with you. It’s too late to turn back now, even if they want that.”
“…”
“And even if they do want it, as Sect Leader said, their path is different from Hwasan’s path.”
“Yes!”
“That’s right, Sect Leader!”
Agreeing words poured in from various places. Hyun Jong nodded silently.
These words didn’t come out because Hwasan had grown stronger. It was a sect that knew better than anyone the troubles of a weak sect. That’s why they didn’t want to take the wrong path.
“Then.”
This time, Hyun Jong asked everyone.
“What kind of sect do you think Hwasan should become?”
“…”
This time, no one could easily answer. It was too deep of a question to answer simply.
At that moment, Hyun Jong’s gaze turned to none other than Yoon Jong.
“Yoon Jong.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Give us your answer. What kind of place do you want Hwasan to be?”
Yoon Jong’s gaze deepened significantly in response to Hyun Jong’s question.
“Sect Leader, I’m sorry, but… I don’t know of such great things.”
“Hm, is that so?”
With a tinge of disappointment in his voice, Hyun Jong asked again, and this time, Yoon Jong spoke up.
“But I think I know what I should do.”
There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. All eyes were on him.
“When Namgung’s young lord asked for help this time, I wanted to help him more than anyone else. And I felt really proud of Hwasan running to the Yangtze river to help him. I’ve experienced many things with Hwasan up until now, but I’ve never been as proud of being a member of this sect as I was then.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
Yoon Jong nodded slowly.
“That’s why I want to act on what I’ve felt. Even if it’s difficult and challenging, I want to help those who come seeking our assistance. Just as Hwasan faced difficulties in the past, I want to extend a helping hand to those who are struggling.”
A gentle smile formed at the corners of Hyun Jong’s mouth.
“Listen to what your conscience says and simply act upon it. Hwasan that I envision is such a place.”
As Yoon Jong finished speaking, Hyun Jong nodded.
“I have my own Hwasan, and Yoon Jong has his own.”
He made eye contact with every disciple in the room one by one.
“But there’s no need for all of these to come together under one opinion. If each of us builds the vision we want, it will eventually be a better place than anyone’s thoughts…”
Hyun Jong’s voice trailed off slightly, and he closed his eyes, deep in thought.
‘I believe in that.’
A profound silence settled in the room.
Hyun Jong’s words resonated deeply in everyone’s hearts.
‘Yes, that’s right.’
In the future, they would face many challenges. However, as long as they didn’t turn away from what they knew and worked together, they could overcome those difficulties someday.
And when that time came, both they and the world would come to know what kind of sect Hwasan was.
Hyun Jong was just about to speak again when,
“Is it really okay?”
“…”
He discreetly opened his eyes to find Chung Myung wearing a meaningful expression, his eyes sparkling.
“Each building their own Hwasan?”
“…”
“Is that true? Then I don’t have to hold back either?”
“…”
No.
Let’s find another way, Chung Myung.
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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