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“Yes?”

Hyun Jong quietly stared at Chung Myung and then opened his mouth.

“I’ve heard similar words from you a few times before. But… it seems like today, those words carry a slightly different meaning.”

Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, asked Chung Myung with a deep sense of gravity.

“In my view, you seem to think that the conversation we need to have from now on must differ from those we’ve had in the past. Is my guess correct?”

“Yes, Sect Leader. It is right.”

“Then.”

He paused for a moment and spoke again after a while.

“Is there any reason why you think it needs to be different from before?”

The reason why Hyun Jong asked this question was because he wanted those who might not understand the situation to realize the importance of the upcoming discussion.

And indeed, it was a fitting decision.

…If only the clapping of hands were normal.

“The reason?”

“That’s right.”

“…Sect Leader is asking for the reason?”

“…”

Hyun Jong, sensed something was off, and took a quick look at Chung Myung’s complexion. Then he quickly shut his eyes tightly. This is because Chung Myung’s head was tilted awkwardly to one side.

‘Why is he suddenly acting again?’

What on earth did this Hyun Jong do!

“Sect Leader.”

“…Y- Yes.”

“I don’t even know where to start explaining this.”

“H- Hng?”

Hyun Jong wanted to say, ‘If you don’t know how to explain, then there’s no need to force it.’ Really.

But, having some tact, those words couldn’t come out of his mouth.

“I don’t know if Sect Leader thought I was crazy or something.”

“…Is it that obvious?”

“…..”

Hyun Jong realized that he had made a mistake and quickly changed his words.

“N- No! That’s not it! How could I possibly think of you like that? No. Of course not! I’m speaking nonsense.”

“…Keuhum.”

Chung Myung cleared his throat slightly as if he was letting it slide this time. However, Hyun Jong did not miss the small twitching of Chung Myung’s eyes and lower eyelids.

“Sect Leader.”

“Y- Yes.”

“When I joined Mount Hua, what did Mount Hua have?”

“…Yes?”

“Frankly, wasn’t Mount Hua no better than a band of beggars, worse than even bastard of Beggar Union!”

“I- It wasn’t that bad…”

“That’s right.”

Hyun Jong’s timid rebuttal was immediately suppressed by Hyun Young.

“Beggar Union had more money than Mount Hua. Even beggars ate better.”

“…”

No, well…. That’s not wrong either.

“It sounds like you’re saying Mount Hua was worse than beggars…”

“And how is that wrong? Beggars don’t have debt.”

“…”

Hyun Jong, who was speechless, just cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Anyway!”

Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m saying this now, but was Mount Hua even a place for people to live?”

“…”

“After I joined, I found out that all our martial arts were sold and all of them disappeared!”

The head of Martial Art Hall Hyun Sang and the head of White Plum Blossom Dormitory Un Gum flinched and turned their heads.

“The sect had no money, only debt!”

Hyun Jong and Hyun Young looked at the distant ceiling.

“The kids aren’t training and are just playing gangsters among themselves!”

“Why are you bringing up that story now?”

“Jo-Gol, close your mouth.”

“…Yes, Sahyung.”

Chung Myung shouted with a puff of the nose.

“In such a situation, what? Direction? Discussion?”

“…”

As his eyes flickered more violently, everyone tried even harder to avoid his gaze.

“Discussion or not, we’re about to get beaten up by those Southern Edge Sect bastards! We need to deal with that first!”

“Tha- That’s right. Right.”

“After dealing with those Southern Edge Sect bastards, now Wudang bastards are picking fights, and once we sort them out, now it’s Shaolin and Evil Tyrant Alliance!”

“Ca- Calm down, Chung Myung.”

Seeing Chung Myung’s face turning red and on the verge of bursting, Hyun Jong was horrified and tried to stop him.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t wrong. It has become a memory now, but was Mount Hua a normal sword sect when Chung Myung joined? If Chung Myung hadn’t found Mount Hua’s ledger at that time, they would have been kicked out of the main mountain and had their plaque taken down.

“Thinking about it makes me furious again? What kind of damned sect…!”

Everyone bowed their heads. Thinking about it, it wasn’t their fault, but they felt somewhat embarrassed for no reason.

“Huuk! Huu…!”

After taking a long deep breath and barely calming his excitement, Chung Myung looked around at everyone.

“Anyway, until now, we’ve been busy resolving the matters that are right in front of us. Otherwise, the sect would have been in danger of collapsing.”

“Yes, yes.”

Hyun Young nodded as if he understood everything.

“Of course! First of all, people have to fill their stomachs before they can do anything. You’re going to starve tomorrow, so what can you do?”

“Keueu. As expected, the elder knows everything.”

“Aah. Indeed. You’ve done a great job.”

“Hehe. I do nothing.”

Chung Myung grinned and scratched the back of his head.

But this time, no one cast a dissatisfied look at Hyun Young, who was blatantly favoring Chung Myung. First of all, it was true that Chung Myung had calmed down because of him.

Chung Myung raised his head and looked at everyone.

“Until now, it was about coping. But from now on, it’s not. As you know, Mount Hua has become a decent sect in its own right.”

If someone from another sect had heard this, they might have thought Chung Myung was being quite humble. That’s how huge Mount Hua’s current position in Kangho was.

Of course, the sect still had the weakness of lacking mid-level and senior martial masters to support its backbone, but they had built enough reputation and fame to overcome that and more.

“That’s why I want to ask, Sect Leader.”

Chung Myung looked straight at Hyun Jong and asked.

“What do you think, Sect Leader? What kind of relationship do you want to have with Ten Great Sects?”

“Humm.”

Hyun Jong let out a heavy sigh.

Though it was a roundabout way of saying it, the meaning behind Chung Myung’s words was simple.

Until now, Mount Hua had no power to choose anything. Most of what Mount Hua has done so far has been a struggle to survive, and it has been busy dealing with the immediate crises that came their way.

But….

‘It is not the same anymore.’

There was only one true meaning behind Chung Myung’s words. Now, Mount Hua had gained some leisure. It was a mere sliver of breathing room, but it allowed them, at least momentarily, to catch their breath.

Therefore, it was now possible to discuss and negotiate.

About the direction in which Mount Hua should head.

Hyun Jong quietly looked around at everyone. All eyes were on him, awaiting the words that would come from his mouth.

“This is merely my will, but…”

Hyun Jong felt it necessary to preface his statement with this. Chung Myung told him that he was the sword of Mount Hua. And the only person who will wield that sword is Hyun Jong.

But that’s just Chung Myung’s will.

Hyun Jong did not desire that. Rather than being the one to wield the sword named Chung Myung, he wanted to be someone who moved forward together with the person named Chung Myung. No, he wanted to be the one who walked with every one of Mount Hua, as well as Chung Myung.

‘After all, Mount Hua has come this far as a sect.’

Hyun Jong, who had made up his mind, opened his mouth.

“It seems we can no longer continue together with Ten Great Sects.”

Then Chung Myung asked back with an expressionless face.

“Why?”

Hyun Jong spoke after a moment of contemplation.

“Actually, it was never my intention to distance ourselves from Ten Great Sects. As Sect Leader of Mount Hua, what I wanted most was to restore Mount Hua’s past prestige and become an honorable successor to the ancestors of Mount Hua.”

“Yes.”

“Thus, deep down, I have been hoping for a return to Ten Great Sects. Even though our relationship had soured to some extent, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to return to a good relationship if they reached out first.”

Chung Myung nodded.

It was a perfectly reasonable thought. Chung Myung, known for his radical views, might shudder at the thought, but even if Cheong Mun was the sect leader now, wouldn’t he have thought the same as Hyun Jong?

“However, through this incident, I realized. The path they want to take is very different from ours.”

A slightly sad look crossed Hyun Jong’s face. He, too, must have been greatly disappointed by this incident. Nevertheless, his tone was infinitely gentle and cautious.

“Once again, this is merely my thought. Of course, I am Sect Leader of Mount Hua. However, Mount Hua is not a sect where Sect Leader decides everything. No, it must never be such a sect.”

Hyun Jong asked with a voice as calm as water.

“What do you all think?”

Hyun Yeong scoffed.

“Now that we’ve come this far, do you think that old senile fool Bop Jeong will welcome us?”

“…Calling him a senile old fool is a bit…”

“Aren’t Shaolin and Wudang the two pillars that make up Ten Great Sects?”

“Yes.”

“We’ve confronted Shaolin’s Bop Jeong head-on in front of everyone, and we’ve beaten the Wudang Sect Leader to a pulp in front of everyone! Do you think they’re mad enough to get along with us!”

“…”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Chung Myung.

“What? So what!”

However, Chung Myung proudly spread his shoulders as if he had done nothing wrong.

“So, don’t waste your efforts in vain. In the first place, those yangban probably had no intention of getting along with us. Why should we even try?”

“Hmm.”

Un Gum, who had been quietly listening the whole time, smiled faintly.

“Though your words may be harsh, I share the same view. We’ve come too far to turn back now.”

“…”

“And even if they desired it, as Sect Leader said, their path is different from Mount Hua’s.”

“Yes!”

“That’s right, Sect Leader!”

Words of agreement poured in from all around. Hyun Jong quietly nodded.

This is not because Mount Hua has become stronger. Mount Hua was a sect that knew the bitterness of being weak more than anyone. That’s why they chose not to follow the wrong path.

“So.”

This time, Hyun Jong asked everyone.

“What kind of sect do you think Mount Hua should be?”

“…”

This time, not everyone could answer easily. It was a question too deep to be answered simply.

At that time, Hyun Jong’s gaze turned to none other than Yoon Jong.

“Yoon Jong-ah.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Answer me. What kind of place do you want Mount Hua to be?”

At Hyun Jong’s question, Yoon Jong’s eyes deepened with contemplation.

“Sect Leader. I’m sorry… I don’t know such grand things.”

“Hm. Is that so?”

When Hyun Jong asked back with regret, Yoon Jong opened his mouth again.

“However, I think I know what I must do.”

Confidence resonated in his voice. Everyone’s gaze turned towards Yoon Jong.

“This time, when Namgung Sogaju came to us for help, I wanted to assist him more than anyone. And I was truly proud to be part of Mount Hua, rushing to the Yangtze River to aid him. So far, I have experienced many things in Mount Hua. But I have never been more proud of being a disciple of Mount Hua than I was then.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Yoon Jong nodded slowly.

“Therefore, I intend to act on what I felt. Even if it’s difficult and arduous, I try not to turn away those who come to me for help. As Mount Hua has faced difficulties in the past, we do not hesitate to help those who are struggling and distressed.”

A gentle smile spread across Hyun Jong’s lips.

“To listen to what conscience dictates and to simply act on it. That’s the kind of place I envision Mount Hua to be.”

When Yoon Jong finished speaking, he nodded.

“I have my own vision of Mount Hua, and Yoon Jong has his vision of Mount Hua.”

He made eye contact with all of Mount Hua’s disciples one by one.

“But all those visions don’t necessarily need to converge into a single opinion. If each of us strives to achieve the Mount Hua we envision, eventually, it can become a place better than any one of us could imagine…”

Hyun Jong trailed off slightly, then closed his eyes and thought.

“I believe so.”

A profound silence settled in the room.

Hyun Jong’s words deeply resonated in everyone’s hearts.

‘Yes. That will do.’

They will face countless difficulties ahead. But if they do not ignore what they know now and persistently pursue it, those numerous challenges will eventually be overcome.

And when that time comes, both they and the world will know. What kind of sect Mount Hua truly is.

It was the moment when Hyun Jong was about to open his mouth again.

“Is that okay?”

“…”

When he slowly opened his eyes, Chung Myung gazed at him with a meaningful expression, his eyes gleaming.

“What Mount Hua does each person want to achieve?”

“…”

“Really? So, I don’t have to hold back?”

“…”

No.

Perhaps it’s time to look for a different approach, Chung Myung.