So that’s why. (3)
Groups clad in martial robes of different colors mingled as they swept through the dark mass of enemies.
Watching from atop a high hill, Chung Myung suddenly sank to the ground.
“They’re fighting well.”
He parted his lips as if to say something more, but then closed them again – as if he himself wasn’t quite sure what he ought to say.
And Pung Yeong Shin Gae seemed to understand something of what he was feeling.
“No orders were given.”
“I know.”
“They all came of their own accord.”
“Right.”
“Nor is this everyone. Even now, there must be others hurrying here.”
Chung Myung looked up at the distant sky.
Well, how should he put it?
“…..What a fool.”
Them? No, he was the one who felt like a fool.
He had assumed no one would act unless he gave the order, unless he forced them into submission and held a blade to their throats.
Because that was how it had been. Because in the past he had lived through, that had been only natural.
And because of it, everything had fallen apart.
Hwasan, his fellow disciples. And… in the end, even Chung Myung himself.
“Shin Gae.”
“……Yes, Geomjon.”
Chung Myung muttered quietly.
“I know the past.”
“Yes. You do.”
“So…. That was why I thought I was the only one who could prepare for the future. Because I’m the only person alive and well in this world who has seen with his own eyes and felt with his own body what no one else knows.”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae nodded silently.
Chung Myung spoke slowly, his voice somewhat subdued.
“But… perhaps I’ve simply been trapped in the past.”
“…”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae did not dare answer.
Chung Myung did not seem to expect an answer either. After silently watching the scene unfolding below, he spoke again, almost to himself.
“Even though things are already so different now.”
Chung Myung closed his eyes.
Hwasan could accomplish nothing on its own. The enemy was far too numerous and powerful for Hwasan to face with its strength alone.
That was why he had formed the alliance. To avoid being pushed around as he had been in the past. To prepare for everything and take the lead on his own terms this time.
‘None of that had any meaning.’
Yet only now did he feel he was beginning to understand.
Chung Myung had judged the old system to be fundamentally flawed. A world held rigid under the names of Gupailbang and the Five Great Families. He had believed that this system, in which a handful of people who knew nothing of the world beyond their own narrow confines held sway over everyone else, was the root cause of everything that had gone wrong.
But the scene before his eyes seemed to be asking Chung Myung a question.
Were you, then, truly in the right?
“What was so different about the person I was back then and the person I am now?”
“…”
“The person I was then and the person I am now. Both did foolish things… so why are the outcomes so vastly different?”
“I would not dare……”
“Tell me.”
After a moment of hesitation, Pung Yeong Shin Gae began to speak in a calm, measured tone.
“Geomjon. People are less rational than you might think.”
“That’s…….”
“No, Geomjon. That is not what I mean.”
Before Chung Myung could say anything, Pung Yeong Shin Gae quietly shook his head.
“People want something to believe in. And sometimes, that desire makes them willing to follow even what is wrong. There are also times when people would rather choose a comfortable hell than face a harsh reality.”
“…”
“Hwasan was right in the past. I know that well myself. But, Geomjon. People do not blindly follow someone simply because they are right. That is merely an idealistic belief held by the wise.”
Chung Myung turned to look at Pung Yeong Shin Gae.
“Those people didn’t come all this way because you were right, Geomjon. This plan should never have been possible in the first place. It’s a reckless undertaking, is it not?”
“……Then why.”
“Well. Do they really need a reason?”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae gazed steadily at Chung Myung without any change in his expression.
“When a dear friend is in danger.”
“…”
“Is that not what Cheonumaeng was formed for in the first place?”
Cheonumaeng – 천우맹(天友盟).
The moment he heard those three characters, a laugh escaped Chung Myung’s lips.
He had come up with the name himself. But… apparently even he, the very person who had named it, had failed to truly understand the meaning and weight of those three characters.
“I think I understand…….”
Chung Myung quietly closed his eyes.
“My Sahyeong was too wise, too brilliant – he couldn’t let go of his faith until the very end. And I was too much of a fool to even know what path I was walking.”
Those who walk the righteous path cannot help but believe in the path they have chosen.
Those who have failed on that path have no choice but to walk the path of hypocrisy.
But why had he never realized?
‘It was never about which path we walked.’
What mattered was the very fact that they walked this path together – whatever that path may be. Just as the disciples of Hwasan once did.
‘Sect Leader Sahyeong.’
If only Chung Mun had realized this a little sooner… would things have turned out differently?
Well, probably not.
By the time the Demonic Cult invaded, it had already been too late. That path had already become one Hwasan could no longer take. But at least…
Chung Myung rose to his feet.
“Geomjon.”
“I need to go.”
“Your body cannot withstand it. Surely you know better than anyone what condition you are in?”
“I know.”
Rather than deny it, Chung Myung calmly acknowledged the truth. Then he turned to Pung Yeong Shin Gae.
“But I still have to go. You know why.”
Pung Yeong Shin Gae let out a soft chuckle that sounded almost like a sigh.
“Yes, I do. I will accompany you.”
“I won’t stop you from following.”
Chung Myung gripped the sword at his waist.
❀ ❀ ❀
“They really can fight, huh.”
“…..They certainly can.”
The disciples of Hwasan blinked.
The combined forces of Jongnam, Namgung, and the Beggars Sect had charged straight in and were crushing demonic cultists in a one-sided slaughter. The ground was littered with the cultists’ corpses, and those who had led the charge were already drenched from head to toe in their thick blood.
Meanwhile, there were hardly any casualties on their side so far. It truly was a one-sided battle.
“Actually, it makes sense when you think about it.”
Demonic cultists who had been attacking them here numbered five hundred at most. And even at a glance, the reinforcements who had arrived far exceeded that number.
Wouldn’t the Demonic Cult have an overwhelming advantage if their numbers were similar? Yes. After all, demonic cultists who practiced demonic arts were notorious for being difficult opponents even for reasonably skilled martial artists.
‘But that only applies to reasonably skilled martial artists.’
Until just a few years ago, Jongnam and Namgung had been renowned alongside Wudang as the Three Great Sword Sects of Gangho. It was absurd to describe them as merely ‘reasonably skilled’.
Moreover, weren’t the Beggars Sect’s members who had come to their aid elites carefully selected from among the sect’s countless members?
While an ordinary demonic cultist might easily overwhelm a typical martial artist, it stands to reason that the elite of such prestigious sects would be more than capable of handling the likes of them.
“Those people were this strong, and they’ve been dumping all the hard and annoying work on us this whole time?”
“Wow. I can feel my urge to kill the Abbot growing stronger all over again?”
“…Amitabha. H-He is reflecting on his actions too…”
“Who says he’s reflecting on his actions? Did you ask him?”
“No, but… s-surely.”
Apparently Hye Yeon wasn’t certain either, for he quietly averted his eyes from Baek Cheon. Since the Abbot had closed the sect’s gates and gone into seclusion, any normal person in his position would be reflecting on his actions. But as everyone knew, a man like Beop Jong was far from normal, so it was difficult to say for certain.
“But doesn’t it seem like they’re starting to get pushed back a little?”
“What are you talking about, they’ve been fighting so well?”
“Exactly.”
“Hm?”
Baek Cheon craned his neck and peered ahead.
“Huh?”
Strangely enough, Jo Geol was right. Those who had been driving the enemy back with such vigor were somehow beginning to falter.
“Come on, how long have you even been fighting? Can’t you do it properly?!”
“U-Ugh.”
Groans escaped the mouths of Jongnam’s elders as they heard Baek Cheon’s shout.
“Jin Sahyeong’s brat has no manners at all, does he?”
“Which one are you talking about?”
“……The youngest one this time.”
“I wholeheartedly agree, but you should watch what you say. He’s supposed to become Hwasan’s next Sect Leader.”
“Since when have we cared about some Sect Leader of Hwasan!”
“…We live in a world where we have to care now. If only out of fear of Jin Sahyeong.”
“That’s fair.”
The elders sighed, then groaned again.
“Uuugh. We dragged these old bones all the way here from Shaanxi, running like our lives depended on it. What more does he expect us to do?”
Jongnam’s elders slumped, their already aged faces looking as though they had grown another ten years older.
Indeed, Jongli Gok had threatened to burn down every last thatched hut they had built around Mount Jongnam if their delay caused even the slightest problem, so they had raced here without lying down to rest even once.
Unable to disgrace themselves as Jongnam’s elders by letting anyone see them panting, they had charged straight in, but now their hands and feet were trembling so badly they could barely stand.
“Stop whining and keep pressing them with everything you’ve got!”
Jin Chobaek shouted at the top of his lungs and tightened his grip on the sword. But one nagging doubt would not leave his mind.
‘Is this really just exhaustion?’
Something was strange.
His body felt as heavy as cotton soaked in water. His strength was draining away at an alarming rate, as though he were fighting underwater.
It seemed to have something to do with the dense demonic energy they were emitting, but he had no way of knowing exactly what was happening.
‘And… strange energy keeps seeping in through even the shallowest scratches.’
One thing was certain, the situation was getting worse. And in ways he could not predict.
“What about our disciples?”
“It’s a wonder they’re still standing, strange as that sounds.”
“And Namgung?”
“How would they be any better off? Looks like they ran themselves ragged getting here from Anhui.”
Jin Chobaek furrowed his brow even more deeply. Still, something didn’t add up.
“Running around is what beggars do for a living. Why are they looking so weak?”
“They never get enough to eat, do they? They’re beggars.”
“Ah….”
That was understandable.
“Kiaaaaaaah!”
“Ugh.”
Had they sensed their opponents’ momentum weakening? Demonic cultists intensified their attacks, lashing out with renewed desperation.
“…These devilish bastards.”
He was already sick of them. They had wiped out nearly half the demonic cultists here, yet the remaining bastards were still putting up fierce resistance. At this rate, they might end up suffering heavy casualties.
“And all this against mere vanguards [첨병(尖兵)].”
Jin Chobaek gritted his teeth.
‘We cannot afford to suffer any losses at the hands of these bastards.’
Though he had cut them down with ease, the experience had, paradoxically, driven home just how powerful they were. After all, he had needed to summon geom-gang [from the previous chapter, the sword energy that has form] just to deal with a single nameless demonic cultist.
He was already at a loss as to how they could possibly face the Demonic Cult’s main force, which had reportedly numbered tens of thousands in the past.
The thought left him in despair.
Of course, the Demonic Cult could hardly have regained its former might, but even if only half its strength remained, it would still be more than Gangho, ravaged by the previous war, could handle.
With that in mind, what future could they have if they were already struggling against the likes of these?
“Haaaaah!”
Claaang!
The sword he brought down with all his strength was stopped by the enemy’s weapon.
He was not facing a stronger opponent. His own strength was no longer what it had been at the start.
‘What’s this?’
Sure enough, the sword energy enveloping Jin Chobaek’s blade had somehow shrunk to roughly half its former size. The sight left Jin Chobaek considerably shaken.
“Regroup! Check your condition! These bastards are using poison!”
No, it was not poison. He knew that much. But he had no other way to describe it. To Jin Chobaek, who understood little of demonic energy, this was an inexplicable phenomenon.
And then.
Slash!
“Aargh!”
Jin Chobaek let out an involuntary groan as demonic cultist’s spear sliced through his shoulder.
“Sahyeong!”
“Damn it!”
Jin Chobaek bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.
“Uh, they really do seem to be struggling.”
“…That seems to be the limit for people without immortal energy.”
“Hmm. Is demonic energy affecting them that badly? We’ll have to remember this.”
“But Jongnam is a Taoist school too. Shouldn’t its elders at least have some immortal energy?”
“Would it be called immortal energy if it were that easy to build up?”
Baek Cheon let out a hollow chuckle.
Hwasan was an unusual case, for ordinary Taoists could train their entire lives without properly accumulating even a trace of immortal energy. And though they called themselves Taoists, how could men tainted by worldly concerns who pursued nothing but profit have accumulated any?
“It would be easier to believe a beggar had amassed a fortune.”
“It’s that bad?”
Watching Hwasan’s disciples converse so calmly, Jin Geumryong snapped at them.
“Is this really the time for that nonsense?! The situation is getting worse by the moment.”
“We expected this to some extent.”
“Dongryong, you bastard!”
“…Stop making such a fuss. And stop calling me that.”
Jin Geumryong frowned, puzzled by Baek Cheon’s unshakable composure. Baek Cheon gave him a faint grin.
“Jongnam is here.”
“So what?”
“Then they must be here too. They probably got a little lost along the way, but they’re not that stupid.”
“Hm?”
It happened just then.
“Woooooooooah!”
A roar rang out, loud enough to shatter the heavens.
“W-What is that?”
“I told you they’d be here by now.”
The Five Swords, who had been watching the battle and catching their breath, all drew their swords again.
The corners of Baek Cheon’s mouth lifted.
“We started this, so we should be the ones to finish it.”
Jin Geumryong saw them.
Hwasan’s disciples preparing to fight again. And behind them, swordsmen in black martial robes racing towards them.
“Well, Hwasan Sect has arrived.”
Baek Cheon bared his teeth.
“Let’s put an end to this. It’s dragged on long enough.”
As if answering his words, Hwasan’s swordsmen, who had come racing in like the wind, leaped over Baek Cheon’s head.
________
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