Return of the Mount Hua

You can just leave it be. (2)

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An interim refuge hastily established by Shaolin and Kongtong in the Yangtze River basin. From the deepest room, a cold voice emanated.

“Please explain.”

In response to the rebuke from Paengga’s patriarch, the Lightning Fast Blade[閃電快刀], Paeng Yeop [팽엽 – 彭曄], the Abbot sighed inwardly.

“Abbot.”

“I’m listening, Lord Paeng.”

“Why is it so difficult for you to answer why this has happened?”

“Clan Leader…”

“During the journey here, I’ve heard countless stories. But among them, one voice rang the loudest.”

Paeng Yeop stared straight at the Abbot.

“Shaolin abandoned the morals and principles, abandoning Namgung at Maehwado.”

Beop Jong closed his eyes.

“And while Shaolin and Kongtong remained motionless, Cheonumaeng stepped forward and rescued the Namgung family without any casualties.”

“…”

“Abbot.”

Paeng Yeop clenched his lips and continued speaking.

“Please answer. How did this happen? Are the things I’ve heard truly all facts?”

“Amitabha Buddha.”

Beop Jong remained silent, as if trying to calm his troubled heart. However, to Paeng Yeop, that silence sounded like an attempt to deflect responsibility.

“Please, say something!”

“Enough!”

The one who raised his voice at that moment was not the Abbout, but Bokmasanin* [伏魔山人] Jongrihyeong [宗利形], a Sect Leader of Kongtong. Jongrihyeong glared at Paeng Yeop with fiery eyes.

“Do you have the right to speak like this, Lord Paeng?”

“Why wouldn’t I have the right to speak?”

“While Shaolin and Kongtong were doing their best to resolve things here, where was Paengga?”

“…”

“No matter how far the distance from Paengga to here may be, it’s not the time for you to arrive just now! Who is it that shows up and gives orders after the work is done?”

“It took time to obtain the family’s permission.”

“Do you think that’s an excuse?”

Paeng Yeop glared at Jongrihyeong with a fierce look. However, the fact remained that he had nothing to say. By the time they arrived, everything was already finished.

“If Hebei Paengga had arrived on time, we could have taken different measures! Originally, the reinforcements we agreed upon never came, so what could we have done among ourselves?”

“So, were you just watching whether Namgung dies or not?”

“Watch? Your words are too harsh!”

“Then, am I wrong in what I said?”

The voices grew louder.

Beop Jong silently watched the two of them argue.

Paeng Yeop, who seemed ready to jump up at any moment to confront Jongrihyeong, suddenly let out a deep sigh.

“…I apologize.”

“…”

Unexpectedly, as Paeng Yeop offered an apology, Jongrihyeong momentarily fell silent. Then, he glanced at Paeng Yeop, blushed, and cleared his throat.

“No, I was too harsh in my words too, Lord Paeng.”

“…I also didn’t expect to arrive so late. The elders of the family all opposed it together.”

“Hmm.”

Unlike sects that accepted disciples as needed, clans passed leadership through bloodline. The succession occurred when the next head was of an appropriate age.

The problem was when the succession happened too quickly.

Although they had stepped back from the front lines, the elders and the previous head, who still had strength, interfered like the ones with most authority in the matters of the current head.

Namgung clan was fortunate that such issues didn’t occur, given that Namgung Hwang was the youngest. But, in truth, this was a common issue. The Sichuan Tang had also faced a similar problem. When you looked closely, it was a chronic issue of Five Great Families.

Particularly in the case of the current head like this, the meddling elders were all family elders, so it was truly challenging to cut them off harshly.

“I understand.”

Jongrihyeong nodded his head, but deep down, he had different thoughts.

‘It’s fortunate that Paengga didn’t arrive on time.’

Would the situation have been different if they had been there?

Well, even if Paengga had joined early, the Abbot probably wouldn’t have changed his mind. Perhaps even more criticism would have been directed at him. After all, despite three powerful factions gathering, they were just watching from the other side of the river.

It was better that Paengga arrived late, as it provided an excuse for not intervening.

“So, what do we plan to do now?”

“…What do you mean?”

“What’s done is done. Shouldn’t we discuss what’s next?”

Paeng Yeop nodded in response to Jongrihyeong’s words. He had been feeling frustrated as well. Beop Jong had remained silent throughout the ordeal.

“Abbot.”

When Paeng Yeop called him, Abbot finally spoke.

“First…”

“Yes.”

“I must offer my apologies. Because of this old monk’s foolishness both sects are experiencing this disgrace that should never have happened, and I have no face left.”

Abbot bowed deeply.

“No, Abbot.”

“Why are you saying this?”

Jongrihyeong argued with Beop Jong but couldn’t help but smile inwardly. He had been watching Chung Myung’s and Beop Jong’s confrontation with a sense of amusement.

But that didn’t mean he could fight with Shaolin with them. If Kongtong had another hill to rely on instead of Shaolin, they wouldn’t have come all the way to the Yangtze River in the first place.

In any case, they were all factions that rode under Shaolin’s banner. Whether they lived or died, they had no choice but to trust Shaolin. Perhaps it was the same for Paengga.

The situation was that the Namgung and Tang families, which had been the core of the Five Great families, had separated from the them, which meant that the remaining three families were about to enter into a power struggle with each other.

Now it was a situation where they should be called the Three Great Families instead of Five, but even the smallest reputation of being the best of three was essential in Gangho.

And in those struggles, Paengga would definitely need Shaolin’s strength. No matter how far it had fallen from its absolute position in the past, Shaoin was still Shaolin.

With its current authority and power, Shaolin could easily crush at least two sects other than Namgung or Sichuan Tang.

This expedition was carried out despite the opposition of the elders and the previous head. Even if he had to get Shaolin’s absolute support to avoid the criticism of returning empty-handed and only overturning his reputation, Paeng Yeop had to obtain it.

Rather, it meant that Panegye needed to persuade Beop Jong even more than Jongrihyeong.

“But… in the end, we have to see things through to know the outcome.”

“…Does that mean the situation here at the Yangtze River hasn’t concluded yet?”

“That’s right.”

Abbot said with a serious expression.

“Right now, everyone is too focused on small matters. Our initial reason for gathering the Gupailbang wasn’t to save Namgung.”

“Ah…”

Jongrihyeong looked at the Abbot as if he had just remembered. It was a fact that he had forgotten as well.

“Originally, the reason we gathered was that those vile Sapaeryeon minions showed signs of invading Gangbuk. It wasn’t to save Namgung.”

“That’s correct, Abbot.”

Jongrihyeong hastily nodded, feeling a glimmer of insight.

Perhaps it was nothing more than wishful thinking, but Jongrihyeong knew it. In this world, there were people who believed in wishful thinking with their eyes closed.

“If you misunderstand your duty just because the world criticizes you, a greater disaster will come.”

“…Do you think, Abbot, that Sapaeryeon can attack Gangbuk like this?”

“Yes, I believe the likelihood is high.”

“But, really…”

“If not, there would be no reason for the Surochae’s fleet to remain here at the river. Initially, weren’t we in a situation where we couldn’t attack Gangnam because of the Yangtze treaty?”

“Now that you mention it…”

Jongrihyeong wore a subtle expression.

Thinking logically, there was no reason for them to camp there. Even if they were skilled in life at water, waiting indefinitely on a supply-limited ship couldn’t be easy.

“But, Abbot, if they do attack, it will be difficult for our three sects to handle.”

Honestly, Jongrihyeong couldn’t quite grasp it. He had never truly felt the extent of Sapaeryeon’s power. But one thing was certain: if a war were to break out like this, the three sects present here would bear the brunt of the damage.

“That’s absolutely impossible.”

And Beop Jong was scratching exactly where it itched for Jongrihyeong.

“Let’s send formal letters to the other sects.”

“Formal letters?”

“Yes.”

Beop Jong nodded his head.

“The previous request for assistance was sent in Shaolin’s name only. But this time, the formal letter will include the names of the leaders of the Odaese and Gupailbang. Then, the weight will change.”

“I see.”

“While we can’t be sure if they will respond, at the very least, we can properly inform them of the situation here.”

“Indeed.”

Paeng Yeop nodded his head. Even if they didn’t come to Yangtze, these three sects would have a valid reason to not repel Sapaeryeon’s invasion.

“But… don’t we have Cheonumaeng here?”

At Jongrihyeong’s question, Abbot lowered his head.

“That’s why we should send the formal letters even more.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t trust Cheonumaeng.”

“Abbot.”

“I’m not denying their heroic deeds. But no matter how much I think about it, the situation where they entered Maehwado and returned without a single casualty is too unnatural.”

“…”

“If twenty of them had died, I wouldn’t say such things. But none of them died? None of the Tangga died? The only ones who died were from Namgung. In such a situation, can we really trust Cheonumaeng?”

“That does sound unnatural.”

Paeng Yeop nodded his head in agreement.

Having seen the situation, Jongrihyeong still had an uncomfortable expression, but Abbot’s words sounded much more convincing to Paeng Yeop’s ears. In other words, Abbot’s assertion seemed closer to the truth for those who hadn’t seen the situation with their own eyes.

No, maybe that wouldn’t matter at all. People often preferred a pleasing lie over an uncomfortable truth, so Paeng Yeop had to believe those words as well.

Though his conscience was stirred, he forced it down, thinking of the elders of his family who had watched him leave.

“So please, help us. If you do, everything will return to normal.”

“We understand.”

“We will do so.”

After the conversation ended, a strange atmosphere lingered in the room. The two of them, unable to bear it, bowed their heads and quickly rose from their seats. Beop Jong didn’t stop them.

Alone in the room, he slowly picked up the praying beads and rolled them.

Maybe it was forced. But…

‘If Sapaeryeon really attacks Gangbuk, will this still sound forced then?’

Everything would change if that happened.

Those who had criticized them would now turn their focus and criticism towards Cheonumaeng. They would claim that they could have eliminated Jang Ilso but chose to withdraw to save their own lives, deeming their own lives more valuable. That’s what led to this entire situation.

Sometimes, instead of waiting for the course of events to change, one must change the course themselves.

‘If not me, then who will go to hell?’

He closed his eyes firmly. In the stillness that settled in the room, the faint sound of rolling beads resonated.

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*Bokmasanin (伏魔 山人):

• 伏魔 (Fú Mó) means “Subduing Demons” or “Suppressing Demons.”

• 山人 (Shān Rén) means “Mountain Person” or “Mountain Hermit.” – maybe it can mean a Taoist, because Kongtong has it’s roots in Taoism.