Chapter 914: There Is No Such Thing As A Fight Between 2 Evil Spirits (4) |
“What…”
“….”
“Is it here?”
The head slowly turned to the side.
Hyun Jong unconsciously shut his eyes at the sight. He knew all too well what that guy was thinking when his head snapped to the side.
“Ahem. So…”
“Yes.”
“We have a letter from Shaolin.”
“Ahh, Shaolin.”
“Is it the Shaolin I know? The place where all those shiny bald-headed people live together on a mountain called Mount Song?”
Hyun Jong’s gaze scanned the room anxiously.
He was hoping there might be another shiny bald (?) person there, but fortunately, everyone there had thick hair….
Thick… hair….
“What is it?”
Hyun Jong’s gaze lingered on Hyun Young for a moment, and then Hyun Young tilted his head.
“That…”
“Uh?”
“N-Nothing.”
Hyun Jong gulped the words he couldn’t bring himself to say and slightly averted his gaze. His eyes turned wet.
That poor guy suffered all his life…
“Ahem.”
Hyun Jong coughed loudly and turned his gaze back to Chung Myung.
“Yes. That is that Shaolin.”
“Huhhh?”
Chung Myung said with a face of sudden surprise.
“The Shaolin is sending us a message? Oh my! I thought all we had to share were warm fists and cool swords, but a letter, too! The civilized attitude of trying to solve problems through dialogue is between us and those…”
“N-No, Chung Myung. Even so, it isn’t like they cannot send us letters….”
“Ehhh?”
Chung Myung asked with his eyes wide open.
“No, Sect Leader! A letter?”
“The letter….”
“A letter is something written in words, right?”
“Uh? Yes. Right. But why bring it up…”
“Sending something written in words means you understand what is being said. Those bald Shaolin bastards cannot possibly understand what is being said, so how can they send letters?”
“…”
“If they could understand what is being said, they wouldn’t be acting like this! How can those hairless bastards even read letters? They are all useless!”
Chung Myung unleashed a torrent of harsh words that would have made the abbot foam at the mouth and collapse if he had heard them.
Meanwhile, Hyun Jong was very thankful that there were no outsiders present.
“… Yes, oddly enough, they sent a letter. So, I would like to discuss the contents first.”
“Why?”
“… please now.”
When Hyun Jong spoke earnestly, Chung Myung nodded, crossing his arms.
“Well, I will listen.”
“Right. Right. Think carefully….”
“You can even listen to a dog bark, so how can you not listen to a monk barking?”
“…”
Hyun Jong quickly opened his mouth, reminding himself that the best way to talk to Chung Myung was to simply state the business.
“This is a letter from the abbot of Shaolin. It is addressed to the Heavenly Friends Alliance, not Mount Hua.”
“What is the content?”
“Hmm.”
Hyun Jong relayed the content with a slightly worried expression.
“The movements of the Four Precepts Alliance in the Southern lands are unusual, so they want to discuss it, and the Heavenly Friends Alliance leader is being asked to attend. And… your name is also mentioned separately. He is asking you to make time to come to Shaolin.”
Hyun Jong quickly checked Chung Myung’s expression after finishing his speech. He expected Chung Myung to lose his composure and throw a fit.
But, strangely, Chung Myung didn’t show any particular reaction and just nodded his head with his arms still crossed.
Hyun Jong, slightly puzzled, asked cautiously.
“… Are you alright?”
“Uh? What?”
“No, it’s just…”
To say this with my own mouth…
“Well, it seems like a good thought.”
“G-Good thought?”
“Yes. In conclusion, they are telling the sect leader and me to come to Shaolin, right?”
“R-right.”
“O-of course, it is a good idea.”
Chung Myung smiled brightly.
Hyun Jong, seeing that flawless smile, was about to nod in relief.
“I am glad you think so…”
“He told me to come because he wanted me to break his head, so why would I not go! That bald bastard! Come on, I am coming along too!”
“Where are you going now, you brat!”
As Chung Myung tried to fly out, the Five Swords, who had been waiting, flew in like rays of light, grabbing his limbs and hanging on. His quick response, reminiscent of a perfect footwork technique, was so impressive that he couldn’t help but admire him.
“Let go? Will you not let go? Okay!”
“W-where are you going, you bastard!”
“Where am I going! Where am I going? I am going to Shaolin!”
“Why Shaolin!”
“We need to go! The bald one told me to come! What is wrong with going because he told me to come!”
Chung Myung rolled his eyes.
“That guy has been quiet for three years and lost his senses! Ah, nice then! I will show him why I trained for three years! If I tattoo a plum blossom on his shiny head, he will become a true Buddha!”
“S-Shaolin, you say!”
“That is not what I should say! Why do you think I even trained for three years!”
Uh? Wasn’t it because of the Evil Sect?
Hyun Young spoke quietly as Hyun Jong sighed, holding his head in his hands.
“Sect leader.”
“… what is it?”
“I think there is a need for us to think.”
“Think?”
“Yes. Sect leader, what do you plan to do, sect leader?”
“Hmm.”
Hyun Jong thought for a moment and then said,
“Well, no matter how strong we are, we aren’t on the same level as Shaolin. Since the abbot personally sent a letter to us regarding the Four Precepts Alliance issue, wouldn’t it be polite to go and see him?”
“I have different thoughts, though.”
Hyun Jong looked a little surprised at Hyun Young’s words, asking for an explanation.
“As we saw during the recent breakout of the Evil Sect, Shaolin doesn’t think much of us.”
“….”
“But the fact that he insists on inviting us means that he has another ulterior motive, doesn’t he?”
Most people had noticed that Shaolin, the leader of the Nine Great Sects, despised the Heavenly Friends Alliance. He just didn’t speak out about it.
At that moment, a blunt voice suddenly interrupted them.
“What is the ulterior motive? It is just a slipping foot for him.”
“Uh? Slipping foot?”
Hyun Young looked back at Chung Myung. Chung Myung licked his lips as if he was displeased and shook off his four sahyungs, who were holding onto his limbs.
“If the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families had properly responded to the call, would the Shaolin have turned to us? Because those bastards didn’t listen to him, the abbot sent us a letter.”
“….”
“I bet they are holding onto a statue of Buddha and crying out now. Hehehehe!”
“Chung Myung. If you rejoice at the misfortune of others, you won’t be able to attain enlightenment…”
“Ehh, then all those Shaolin bastards would end up in hell! When they go to hell, won’t the Buddha say, ‘Hey! You bastards! I came down here specially to wait for you!’ and hit them with Buddhist scripture!”
“….”
Let us not talk anymore.
Hyun Jong was speechless at the disciple’s personality, which was endlessly gloomy. At the same time, Baek Cheon tilted his head.
“But Chung Myung.”
“Uh?”
“If what you said is true, then it is what you wanted, right?”
“That is also right.”
“Then why are you so angry?”
“No!”
Chung Myung’s eyes, which had calmed down, began to shine again.
“That arrogant bastard told our sect leader to come there!”
“….”
“Do they still think they are that great off? Even if he came running barefoot and begged, I wouldn’t have gone out once, but what? He wants us to attend there? Just like that!”
“….”
While Baek Cheon was speechless, someone nodded.
‘Samae?’
No, why was she siding with…
In the midst of all this, Hyun Jong, who hadn’t forgotten his duties as a sect leader, calmed down the chaotic situation.
“Please keep your mouth shut, everyone…”
“Yes, sect leader.”
“If you say that, it is unfair, sect leader. Only one person opened his mouth, so why are you… ack!”
Jo Gul, who had been beaten by Yoon Jong for interfering and was thrown into the corner, expressed his frustration with eyes like a puppy drenched in rain, but no one looked back at him.
“… It is a letter sent to the Heavenly Friends Alliance, so we should send a reply. What do you think we should do?”
“Let us chew it down.”
“Burn it down, too.”
“Oh. Why are you all like this? Let us politely decline it.”
“Can we just not ask him to come to us?”
In the end, the eyes of Hyun Jong turned wet.
These kids were so spoiled. They were not at a stage of being disciplined anymore.
“Sect leader.”
In the meantime, Baek Cheon opened his mouth seriously. However, Hyun Jong, who still had a glimmer of hope for Baek Cheon, felt happy.
“Yes, Baek Cheon. Speak.”
“The Shaolin has indeed requested us, but there is no reason for us to necessarily accept their request.”
“Y-You think so?”
“Yes, sect leader. If we look at this objectively, Shaolin has always ignored our requests or set conditions for us. So, is there any reason for us to do as they say?”
Hyun Jong nodded at the right words. But he still couldn’t shake off the worry in his eyes.
“But I am worried. Looking at the current situation, it seems like war might break out soon…”
“War doesn’t break out so easily.”
The one who said those words was Chung Myung.
“Even if you growl and fight like that, war isn’t easy to happen. Especially for those who have something to lose. Whether it is Shaolin or someone else, they all don’t want to get hurt.”
“…”
“That might be one of the reasons why the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families aren’t listening to Shaolin now.”
“Are you saying that they are afraid that if they gather for no reason, a real war might actually break out?”
“Yes.”
Jo Gul raised his hand with a puzzled look and asked.
“No, but it isn’t like war won’t break out just because they don’t come out. Jang Ilso won’t be satisfied with just the Southern Lands forever, right?”
“Jang Ilso hasn’t moved yet. People tend to postpone things even if they are inevitable.”
“Hmm.”
It certainly made sense. Jo Gul nodded.
“Well, they know they will get caught anyway, but they want to hide it for a day longer… ackk! Why are you hitting me!”
“You stole alcohol!”
“I-it was before! Long back! It wasn’t now! And I got hit for it then, too!”
“Then get hit again!”
Baek Cheon said, completely ignoring Yoon Jong, who grabbed Jo Gul by the collar and started to shake him.
“So even if we don’t listen to Shaolin this time, there won’t be any problems for a while, right?”
“Yes.”
“But the sect leader’s worries are also reasonable. Chung Myung, Shaolin is so proactive. The atmosphere is also ominous.”
“Sasuk.”
“Uh?”
“If Mount Hua was in the Nine Great Sect, do you think we would have gone out and fought as Shaolin told us to?”
“That is…”
Baek Cheon couldn’t finish his words.
In the past, he might have said yes. But now, his answer was already set.
“People are all the same. Even when Shaolin hears the name of the leader of the Nine Great Sects being called, it is because of a crisis. Isn’t it normal for everyone to try to defeat Shaolin at least once?”
“… right.”
“Those people who are always so emotional are unanimously listening to Shaolin in an ambiguous situation like this? Hehe. That is ridiculous. There must have been hundreds more of those like the abbot right now.”
After finishing his words, Chung Myung laughed with a bitter tone, reflecting on the past.
‘Those insane bastards.’
Even with the Demonic Sect right in front of them, those people had said, ‘We are leaving, we are stepping back.’ They were just barely alive. If those bastards had just moved properly, the sacrifices would have been halved.
When the most basic things, life, and profit, were at stake, Chung Myung knew how petty people could be, and he could clearly see what would happen in the future.
“Then what about the Yangtze River?”
“They will probably give them some time and step down.”
“… if the abbot does that, the reputation of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families will really fall to the ground!”
“Not many people risk their lives for the sake of reputation, you know. Honor is something you can recover, but losing your life is the end of it all. No matter how much you give them, they will probably make excuses like they can recover everything if they just destroy the Evil Sect in the end.”
“Ughh.”
“That is why war is something that cannot be resolved through a meeting. Usually, it is one insane person…”
Chung Myung, who had been rambling on and on, suddenly closed his mouth.
Then, his eyes gradually widened, and he smiled brightly.
“W-why are you doing that?”
Chung Myung looked back with a blank expression as Baek Cheon asked in confusion.
“Sasuk.”
“Uh? What?”
“… war could break out, right?”
“What?”
Chung Myung mumbled, tilting his head to the side.
“If we just wait a moment like this…”
His expression became strange as he remembered the existence of the card he had forgotten about.
“Maybe it could really set Shaolin on fire?”
“What are you even talking about, you brat!”
“W-we need to check out a bit, though! Where is that beggar man! The beggar!”
When Chung Myung kicked the door open and left without a proper explanation, the others could only stare blankly at the spot where he had been.
“What is he thinking now?”
“How could I know…”
“I am hungry.”
Everyone let out a sigh.