Return of the Mount Hua

So, you’re all gathered here. (3)

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“Retired Sect Leader?”

A look of bewilderment flashed across Chung Myung’s face. But Pung Yeong Shin Gae spoke as if stating the most obvious thing in the world, his tone calm and composed.

“Yes. As you know, Cheon Myeon Susa, Dam Yeohae, is not someone who can be easily caught.”

“Well…”

Chung Myung let his words trail off.

Lightfoot techniques that contend for the best under heaven, and arts of transformation that can fool even ghosts. Add to that his position as the leader of Haomun, and pursuing and capturing Cheon Myeon Susa becomes all but impossible.

If Jang Ilso was the most difficult among the Evil Sects to face head-on, then Cheon Myeon Susa was the hardest of them to track down.

“Of course, the General knows that as well, so you intended to move personally, but…”

A rare smile touched the corner of Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s lips as he paused. There was even a faint hint of mischief in his features.

“To be frank, I don’t believe that even if the General personally steps in, Dam Yeohae can be caught.”

“Hey, aren’t you underestimating me a bit too much?”

“That is simply my opinion.”

“Uuugh.”

Chung Myung scratched his head roughly, as if he had a headache.

“No matter how elusive he is, he can’t fool my senses. I’ve already sensed his presence once.”

“Of course. But the Cheon Myeon Susa I know would never allow himself within the reach of your senses to begin with.”

“Well… Uh… I suppose so. Yes”

Chung Myung let out a long sigh.

In truth, he didn’t feel slighted at all. Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s words were simply close to being straight up facts.

The most terrifying aspect of Cheon Myeon Susa came from his relentless cunningness. There were already several chances to take his life, and yet, in the end, didn’t he still survive and slip away?

As Chung Myung was now, the moment Cheon Myeon Susa appeared before his eyes, it would take no more than a few breaths to smash him down to the lowest level of hell.

But just as Pung Yeong Shin Gae had said, there was no way that bastard would show himself anywhere near Chung Myung. He would surely mobilize all Haomun’s resources to track Chung Myung’s location and choose to flee instead.

“…But isn’t that the same for you as well, Shin Gae?”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae, answered calmly as if he had anticipated the question.

“As you know, I am also well-versed in the arts of disguise.”

“Ugh.”

At this point, Chung Myung shook his head seemingly unable to argue anymore.

Indeed, if weighed objectively, Pung Yeong Shin Gae was the perfect candidate. He possessed intelligence network on par with Haomun, knew how to make use of it, and his movement arts vied with Cheon Myeon Susa’s for the best under heaven.

Even if one scoured the world and found another who met those two conditions, only Pung Yeong Shin Gae would also possess the martial prowess to face Cheon Myeon Susa on equal terms.

The problem was….

“Will you be all right?”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae looked at Chung Myung without answering.

“Weren’t you planning to wash your hands in the golden basin [금분세수(金盆洗手)*] and step back from the front lines once this was over? No, to be honest, you’ve already stepped back from the front lines, haven’t you?”

A faint smile touched Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s lips.

“Stepped back from the front lines, huh…”

He looked Chung Myung straight in the eye and continued.

“Of course, that’s true. But with people still suffering, I can’t be the only one making such excuses.”

He spoke as if he had several people in mind, but the underlying meaning was one: with Chung Myung going through hell himself, how could he stand aside?

Understanding that, Chung Myung let out another sigh.

“I don’t think you really need to go that far.”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae shook his head firmly.

“Neither the Beggars Sect nor I have repaid all we owe to Gangho. This is work for the Beggars Sect, yes, but it is also to settle my personal debt.”

Chung Myung fixed him with a stern look for a long moment. Pung Yeong Shin Gae nodded and added.

“Allow me to go, so that when the day of my death comes, I can depart with fewer regrets.”

“…Hoooo. When you put it like that, I can’t stop you.”

Chung Myung let out a small sigh. Then he straightened his posture.

“I entrust this to you, Retired Sect Leader.”

“Gladly.”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae bowed his head in respect before taking his sit. Hong Daekwang could not hide his dismay.

“Ah, n-no, to decide that so arbitrarily…”

“That’s enough, Sect Leader.”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae cut Hong Daekwang off firmly.

“This is something that should have been done long ago. From now on, I will return to being nothing more than an elder. All affairs, great and small, will from here on be handled solely by the Sect Leader.”

“W-Wait a moment, Retired Sect Leader. You sound like someone who intends to leave the Beggars Sect for good.”

“Not all that different”

“What?”

Hong Daekwang’s eyes went as round as lanterns.

“No one knows how long it will take to track Cheon Myeon Susa. In that time I will not be able to leave Gangnam, so I wonder if, while alive, I will ever set foot in the headquarters again. From here on, you must make your own way, Sect Leader.”

“What are you saying? We haven’t even finished putting the Beggars Sect’s internal affairs in order! If the Retired Sect Leader vacates his seat, will those elders watching with eyes like those of a hawk just leave me alone?”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae let out a faint snort.

“Do you really think they keep silent because they fear me?”

“Well…….”

Without meaning to, Hong Daekwang’s gaze turned to Chung Myung.

Of course, if it came to sheer fear, it was far more terrifying to think of that lunatic storming into the headquarters at any time, snatching up the Dog Beating Staff, and cracking someone’s skull open without hesitation….

“The Sect Leader has already proven his ability within the sect through this war. If the General’s favor is with you, no one will try to shake your position for the time being.”

“…It’s only for the time being.”

“If you cannot stabilize the Beggars Sect by then, it simply means your ability goes no further.”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s eyes turned cold.

“In that case, step down of your own accord before you are cast out. That will be for the sake of the Beggars Sect.”

His tone was so icy that the others listening shivered without realizing it. Under that crushing weight, Hong Daekwang exhaled heavily, struggling to breathe.

Then, the same Pung Yeong Shin Gae who had cornered him so mercilessly suddenly offered him a faint smile.

“The Sect Leader can do it. If my eyes are not mistaken, so it will be. Believe in yourself.”

“…..Understood.”

Hong Daekwang nodded heavily and sighed, his expression weighed down with burden. What comforted him, at least, was the knowledge that while pursuing Dam Yeohae, Pung Yeong Shin Gae would remain in contact with the Beggars Sect.

‘If I ask for advice along the way, he won’t just brush me off, right?’

Hong Daekwang still found it burdensome and frightening that he had to shoulder a Great Sect like the Beggars Sect alone.

And then, another voice rose.

“Well… No matter how I think about it, wouldn’t it be better to deliberate a little more carefully before making such a decision? There’s no need to draw such a hard line…”

“My mind is already set.”

“That’s why I’m saying you should reconsider at least once…”

“That will not happen.”

“…I’ll go mad at this rate.”

It seemed Chung Myung felt the same distrust towards Hong Daekwang. No matter what they did, Pung Yeong Shin Gae wouldn’t yield, and Chung Myung scratched his face in frustration, letting out a groan.

“Ugh…. I should’ve used him and tossed him at the right time. I raised him too well.”

“Huh? You mean me?”

“Good grief.”

Clap.

At that moment, Im Sobyeong clapped his hands loudly, to break the mood.

“At any rate, let us settle it here then. The matter of Cheon Myeon Susa will be handled as we’ve agreed.”

The others nodded without any particular objection.

It was true no better method came to mind, but it would also have looked a little odd for others to step up and oppose what Pung Yeong Shin Gae and Chung Myung had decided.

‘How odd.’

Jongli Gok’s eyes darkened slightly.

It was, in itself, a flawless resolution. Even if he had been the one presiding over this meeting, the outcome would have been no different. And yet, he felt a subtle sense of discord.

‘Is this how it usually is?’

He pondered briefly, and then belatedly grasped the source of the unease.

‘Meetings after a victory, in the name of postwar arrangements, are usually nothing more than a formality for carving up interests. That’s how it usually went.’

Thus people would trumpet their own merits, struggling to secure their share of influence in what was to come. But here, in this place, no one raised such a voice.

Only then did Jongli Gok look once more over the faces present here.

‘The Beggars Sect and the Tang Clan. And… Namgung, is it.’

Nokrim wasn’t even worth bringing up. Looking only at those present, the faces gathered here were perfectly those of Hwasan’s ‘brother’ sects [형제 문파 – sibling sect/kindred sect]. 

Up until now, this sort of gathering had never seemed strange. That was simply the nature of Cheonumaeng. But now… Well… Something felt different. How should one put it.

Gupailbang has fallen, and Sapaeryeon has been annihilated. The family heads of the Five Great Families have all lost their lives, so now only two proper alliances remained under heaven.

‘Cheonumaeng and the Five Outer Palaces?‘

No, it’s the same for the Five Palaces. The Sun Palace Lord lost his life, and the Blood Palace Lord fled, isolated, after losing his subordinates. As for the Potala Palace, they will not set foot in the Central Plains. In the end, isn’t it only the Beast Palace and the Northern Sea Ice Palace that remain?

Those two sects are not present now, but… Even if they had come, the fact would not change that every sect here maintained good relations with Hwasan.

Which meant. 

‘This council that Hwasan once led merely to decide the affairs of Cheonumaeng… Has it now become the council that determines the fate of the entire world?’

A strange unease seized Jongli Gok.

He had already watched Gangho move under the leadership of Gupailbang – no, it would be right to say that he had managed Gangho as one of them.

Even now, he swallowed dryly when he recalled those days – when smiles concealed hidden blades, and every discussion was laced with veiled threats. Compared to that, what unfolded before his eyes now was not just unfamiliar, but almost bewildering.

‘No, I must adapt now.’

At a glance it looked lax, even careless – but it is anything but that.

If the present situation seemed lax, it may have been precisely because Chung Myung’s authority had become that immense. The achievements and prestige he had amassed far outstripped what had once been the highest authority Beop Jong held.

Yes, that was how it must be seen. Who would dare to challenge the authority of Hwasan Geomhyeop now?

“Next, what’s most urgent is, first of all, the sects that suffered damage this time…”

Bang.

Just then, the tent flap, which had been closed, was flung open with a force that nearly tore it.

The oppressive presence that stormed in was so great it was as if the air itself roared.

“W-What is it?”

“…..Soso?”

Startled, Tang Pae sprang to his feet.

The one who flung open the tent was Tang Soso, drenched in blood and pus to the point she barely looked human.

At the fierce aura she exuded without saying a single word, everyone present flinched for an instant. Tang Soso’s murderous gaze was fixed on one person.

“Sahyeong.”

“….Uh, uh. Yes?”

“Medicinal supplies, manpower, facilities to receive patients.”

“…”

“Get them within half a day.”

“H-Half a day? No matter what, half a day is…”

The dagger in her hand caught the sunlight and flashed ominously.

“Bring them. Sahyeong”

“……Yes.”

“Hurry. Unless you want more corpses to tend to.”

Chung Myung nodded vehemently, as if something in him had broken. Tang Soso, who had been glaring at him with eyes full of killing intent, turned her body around sharply.

Then she suddenly halted, her eyes darting back.

“Ah, and.”

Tang Pae, caught at the end of that gaze, shivered with a chill.

“When the meeting is over, don’t slip off anywhere – come straight over. Right away.”

“…..Yes.”

Flap.

The tent flap that had been thrown back slid down smoothly.

In the heavy silence that lingered, Chung Myung’s dejected voice finally emerged.

“For now… let’s make treatment of the wounded and support for the Medical Hall the top priority.”

“……Let’s do that.”

“The Beggars Sect will seek out physicians and mobilize them.”

“As many medicinal ingredients as possible, too. Don’t worry about the money.”

“Understood.”

“………Wow, that was terrifying.”

A few nodded quickly in agreement.

Feeling strangely hollow, Jongli Gok let out a sigh to himself.

‘We’re doomed.’

He felt the future of Gangho growing darker and darker.

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*Public declaration of retirement. Pouring water into a golden basin and washing their hands, it symbolized cutting ties with bloodshed, vendettas, and the life of martial conflict.

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