âThen I wish you good luck!â
âI will greet you sometime again, Alliance leader!â
âMay the family lord be strong!â
Hyun Jong stood at the Gate of Mount Hua and bid farewell to everyone leaving Mount Hua.
Mount Huaâs Five Swords, who were watching this, looked lost.
âIt is done.â
â⊠It is finally done now.â
âI thought I was going to fall; I mean itâŠâ
Exhaustion was evident on their faces.
âIt felt better to fight against the opponents⊠I had no idea that handling so many people would be so difficult.â
âI would have felt a bit at ease if Chung Myung wasnât there.â
âNext time we plan something like this, letâs just send that bastard out.â
â⊠The head tells me we shouldnât do that, but my heart agrees to it, a bit too much.â
They all sighed simultaneously. It felt like in just a couple of days, their lifespan had been shortened.
Jo Gulâs face contorted.
âIf only that mad guy hadnât come, I wouldnât have felt like that.â
âI know, right!â
Just the thought of Jang Ilso made them all stiffen. Baek Cheon thought for a moment and broke the silence.
â⊠Hegemony LordâŠâ
Their first impression of the man was entirely different from their imagination. His clothes and accessories were all too flashy. They didnât fit the title of the Hegemony Lord, and the weight of being the clan leader.
But⊠he had a shocking presence.
The time that Jang Ilso stepped into Mount Hua was too short. It wouldnât be strange to call it a minuteâs visit. But, even in that short period, he left a clean mark on the disciplesâ hearts.
As proof of that, when he left, no one could look away from his back. They realized he was so different from the enemies they had tackled until then, but it felt hard to say howâŠ
âActually, in terms of strength, the high priest of the Demonic Sect is a lot more shocking.â
âYes, definitely.â
It was unknown who was stronger between Jang Ilso and the high priest because, as they were still growing, it seemed impossible to gauge someone like Jang Ilsoâs skills just by observing them.
âBut⊠there is something about him that goes beyond mere skills.â
âRight. I felt it too.â
Baek Cheon nodded at Yoon Jongâs words. This wasnât simply a matter of strength.
âHe is a monsterâŠâ
Chung Myung labeled Jang Ilso as a monster.
Typically, in the realm of the strong, terms like âmonsterâ and âgeniusâ were used to describe a personâs skills. But it appeared that Chung Myung wasnât using the term in that sense.
âIt means that the person known as Jang Ilso is a monster.â
In a way, this could be seen as a significant compliment.
And Baek Cheon had no choice but to agree. Even from a distance, he had witnessed with his own eyes how the elders of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, and individuals from the Palace like Meng So, were. Yet, none had overwhelmed him quite like Jang Ilso did.
Baek Cheon lightly bit his lip. At that moment, Yoon Jong quietly added something.
âIt isnât just Jang Ilso, sasuk.â
âHmm?â
âThe red and white-robed warriors of the Ten Thousand People clan who followed him were equally frightening.â
Baek Cheon nodded at those words. The warriors of the Ten Thousand People clan in their white and red robes.
Though they seemed to be overshadowed by Jang Ilsoâs presence, the aura emanating from them was no less formidable.
âStrong.â
They couldnât help but acknowledge once more the formidable nature of the Ten Thousand People clan.
Mount Hua had fought and won against members of the Ten Thousand People clan, so they now had confidence that if they were to fight again, they might not win, but they would at least not lose.
However, after encountering Jang Ilso and his elite, they realized how naive they had been.
âI guess the Ten Thousand People we saw were just the tip of the iceberg.â
ââŠYes.â
âAndâŠâ
Baek Cheon spoke as if biting down on his lip.
âAnd now we will have to handle them.â
ââŠâ
After meeting with Wudang, Chung Myung said this. As their reputation increased, Mount Hua was recognized by the world, and the people Mount Hua would have to deal with would be stronger and more fearsome.
Now, he painfully understood the meaning of those words.
âButâŠâ
âHmm?â
That was when Jo Gul, who had been silent, opened his mouth. His voice, which held a strength that didnât match the atmosphere, made them all listen to him.
As Baek Cheon looked at Jo Gul, he grinned.
âIt isnât just us dealing with the others, right?â
ââŠâ
Instead of answering, Baek Cheon looked away.
On the other side, he could see the North Sea Ice Palace, Nanman Beast Palace, and the Sichuan Tang family all gathered, talking amongst themselves.
Baek Cheon nodded.
âRight, trueâŠâ
âEveryone must be strong. But that doesnât mean that one can come against the Heavenly Friends Alliance alone! If they make a mistake, the Alliance can gather around and step on them!â
ââŠâ
âWell, to begin with, those bastards have a lot of grudges here and there, but I donât think anyone will help them if they flock to us and try. All we have to do is repay the sorrow that we suffered because of Mount Huaâs bad condition!â
Baek Cheon smiled.
âWhy is this brat slowly turning into Chung Myung with each day?â
Maybe he was too? Eh⊠it couldnât beâŠ
Baek Cheon shook his head to shake off the terrible thoughts.
Yoon Jong then spoke with a slightly shocked look.
âYou know⊠I can see how great Wudang and Shaolin were.â
âWhy them suddenly?â
âUntil now, they have dealt with the Ten Thousand People Clan, right?â
Baek Cheon closed his mouth at those unexpected words, and as if he had been taken over, Yoon Jong continued.
âI saw the strength and martial arts of Shaolin during the tournament, and even fought against Wudang⊠to be honest, I didnât think they were as scary and intimidating as the Ten Thousand People clan. But now that I think about it, I think it wasnât because Shaolin or Wudang were weaker than the Ten Thousand People clan, but because we were confident that they held no ill feelings towards us.â
â⊠you arenât wrong.â
Baek Cheon shook his head.
Certainly, if one was from Shaolin or Wudang, they could not be much weaker compared to the Ten Thousand People clan. But it did not feel like this when they sparred against Wudang.
Maybe it was because of Jang Ilsoâs presence⊠maybe it was because they really thought they werenât real enemies, as Yoon Jong said.
ButâŠ
âNow that the Heavenly Friends Alliance has started, Wudang and Shaolin might one day be enemies of Mount Hua.â
When they thought about that, their hearts clenched.
Shaolin to be an enemy⊠ShaolinâŠ
âUh?â
Baek Cheonâs eyes shook violently at the sudden thought.
âThat⊠Hae- Hae Yeon! What of Monk Hae Yeon! Where is the monk?â
âUh?â
âI donât think I have seen him since the event began! Has anyone seen Monk Hae Yeon!â
âUh?â
âNow that you mention itâŠ?â
Everyone looked at each other with blank looks as if no one knew.
âI-I will look aroundâŠ.â
â⊠I am here.â
âEek!â
Jo Gul was startled at the voice that suddenly came from behind him and turned around. Hae Yeon, who had suddenly appeared.
âM-monk!â
âN-No, monk. Why is your face so lean!â
â⊠w-what happened?â
Amid the intense reactions of everyone, Hae Yeonâs eyes turned watery.
The Five Swords of Mount Hua, who were looking at his head, which was shining more, turned teary-eyed.
âJust where were you all this while?â
â⊠in the boarding room.â
âS-since when?â
âFrom before the event began.â
ââŠâ
Baek Cheon was shocked.
Wait, it has been a couple of days since the event began⊠Was he confined in the boarding house until now?
âN-No⊠but why?â
âThatâŠâ
Hae Yeon spoke with a bit of fluster.
âThat⊠I received a message before. If I sit in the place where the Alliance starts⊠people who see that will think that Mount Hua and Shaolin have some hidden tiesâŠâ
âAhâŠâ
âThat is why I should not be seen.â
âAhâŠâ
Did that mean he was hiding himself in a room inside Mount Hua, which was so tightly crowded, without water and food for days?
âThe Elder stopped by for a while. And he made a request. Do not step out until everyone leavesâŠâ
⊠of course.
No, to be precise, if it was Shaolinâs position, it would make sense. But this person wasnât just any other disciple but Hae Yeon.
If he were any other monk disciple of Shaolin, no one would go this far. But Hae Yeon was no ordinary monk. Wasnât he a promising figure in Shaolin, the one Shaolin was putting all its resources into, to nurture him for the future, and the one whose reputation had already spread around the world?
And now they had been traveling together too, but that was a time when Mount Hua didnât get so much attention. However, in the current situation, if it were revealed to the public that such a monk, like Hae Yeon, was staying in Mount Hua, then new rumors would arise.
âNo. Well⊠I do understand that.â
âW-why is your face like that, though?â
âLike someone who didnât even get to eat porridge.â
âOh my god, this man⊠havenât you done closed-room training?â
When the word porridge came up, Hae Yeonâs face turned sad.
âIt isnât like thatâŠâ
âIs that so?â
â⊠since I got stuck, and food wasâŠ.â
âUh? You havenât eaten a thing for 5 days?â
âNooâŠ.â
âN-No, I did eat.â
âUh?â
Then what is the problem here?
âThat⊠since Mount Hua was all busy, the Tang family brought me a mealâŠâ
â⊠they gave it?â
Hae Yeon looked around, unsure about speaking. He appeared as if he had committed some theft and then softly whispered.
âThat⊠just grassâŠâ
ââŠâ
ââŠâ
âAhâŠâ
Everyone who understood that couldnât even respond back with sympathy. Hae Yeon mumbled in a somewhat sad voice.
â⊠How can a human live by eating grass alone?â
Ahh⊠so, so normallyâŠ
But Jo Gul, who didnât understand that, tilted his head and spoke loudly without realizing it.
âBut donât the monks live on grass?â
âGul.â
âYes, sahyung.â
âShut up.â
ââŠâ
Baek Cheon spoke to Yoon Jong with a slightly confused look.
âYoon Jong.â
âYes, sasuk.â
âTake the monk to the diner and give him a proper meal.â
âYes.â
âBoiled eggs⊠and put some meat under the rice, too.â
â⊠Yes.â
Yoon Jong took the lead as he patted Hae Yeon on the shoulder.
âLet us go, monk.â
â⊠Thank you.â
Hae Yeonâs face became bright and cheerful as he expressed his thanks.
His round head seemed to shine even more than before. Baek Cheon looked a bit blankly at him, walking with light footsteps as if he was happy.
â⊠One has to eat to live.â
Yu Yiseolâs indifferent voice pierced the ears of Baek Cheon.
âAh, wait, now that I think of it, Samae.â
âYes, sahyung.â
âWhere is Chung Myung? I havenât seen him for a while.â
Baek Cheon, who was relieved as long as Chung Myung was out of sight, began to look for Chung Myung out of habit. Yu Yiseol pointed to one side.
âOver there.â
âWhere?â
âThere.â
The place she pointed to was the corner of the pavilion, and Baek Cheonâs eyes shook.
In a place that was hard to see because of the shadows, Chung Myung was pushing someone against the wall and hitting them in the same spot.
â⊠Eh, looks like the Green Forest King?â
âRight?â
ââŠâ
Shaolinâs best disciple was secretly eating meat, avoiding the eyes of people, while Mount Huaâs best disciple was out there beating up the Green Forest King.
âIs all this truly alright?â
Baek Cheon once again felt that the future of Kangho was bleak.