Chapter 1894 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1894. So You're All Gathered Here. (3) ❀ ❀ ❀

“By the Grand Union Leader himself?”

A look of bewilderment crossed Cheong Myeong's face. Yet Pungyeong Shingae spoke with the calmness of someone stating the obvious.

“Yes. As you know, Thousand Faced Manipulator, Dam Yeohae, isn't someone so easily caught.”

“Well…”

Cheong Myeong trailed off.

The greatest lightness skill under heaven, plus a disguise technique that could fool even ghosts. Combined with his position as master of the Hao Sect, hunting him down was as close to impossible as one could get.

If Jang Ilso was the most difficult man in the Evil Sect to fight, then Dam Yeohae was the hardest to track.

“Of course, even the General knew that, which is why he intended to step in personally…”

Pungyeong Shingae's lips curled slightly, a rare smile, one that even carried a hint of mischief.

“...but to speak frankly, I don't think even if the General steps in himself he could actually catch Dam Yeohae.”

“Hey now. Aren't you underestimating me a little too much?”

“That’s only my opinion.”

“Urgh.”

Cheong Myeong scratched his head like it was all a headache.

“No matter how elusive that bastard is, he can't fool my senses. I already felt his qi once.”

“Of course. But if it's the Dam Yeohae I know, he would never allow himself to come within range of your senses in the first place.”

“That’s… well… uh, I suppose so. Yeah.”

Cheong Myeong let out a long sigh.

The truth was, he didn't feel slighted at all. What Pungyeong Shingae said was nothing but fact.

The most frightening thing about Dam Yeohae was his vicious cunning. There had already been several opportunities to take his life, yet he had always managed to survive and escape.

As he was now, if Dam Yeohae appeared before Cheong Myeong, it wouldn't take more than a few breaths before Cheong Myeong smashed him into the lowest depths of hell.

But as Pungyeong Shingae said, Dam Yeohae would never show himself near Cheong Myeong. He would surely mobilize all the resources of the Hao Sect to track Cheong Myeong’s movements and commit fully to escape.

“…But wouldn't the same apply to you, Shingae?”

Pungyeong Shingae answered calmly, as if he had anticipated the question.

“As you know, I'm also quite skilled in disguise.”

“Urgh.”

At this point, Cheong Myeong just shook his head, conceding defeat.

Indeed, if one looked at it objectively, Pungyeong Shingae was the perfect candidate. He possessed intelligence-gathering power equal to the Hao Sect, knew how to use it, and his martial arts were on par with Dam Yeohae's.

Even if you searched the whole world, there would be few with these two qualities, and among them, the only one capable of standing equal to Dam Yeohae in battle was Pungyeong Shingae.

The problem was…

“Will you be all right?”

Pungyeong Shingae looked at him in silence.

“Weren’t you planning to wash your hands of all this and retire from the front lines once this was over? Strictly speaking, you’ve already stepped down from the front lines, haven’t you?” [tl note: geumbunsesu, 금분세수(金盆洗手), literally means “washing one’s hands in a golden basin”, an idiom for formally retiring from the martial world.]

Pungyeong Shingae smiled faintly.

“Retired from the front lines, is it…”

He met Cheong Myeong's eyes and continued.

“That’s true. But when there are still others suffering, how can I be the only one to play weak and step away?”

His words seemed to consider many people, but his meaning was clear.

Cheong Myeong was still breaking his back in this hell, so how could he alone pull his foot out?

Understanding this, Cheong Myeong sighed once again.

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

But Pungyeong Shingae shook his head firmly.

“Neither the Beggars' Union nor I have repaid the debt we owe to the martial world. This isn't just for the Beggars' Union, it's also my personal debt to pay.”

Cheong Myeong stared at him for a long moment with a hard expression. Pungyeong Shingae nodded and added:

“Let me leave this world with a little less regret when the day comes that I die.”

“…Hah. If you put it that way, I can't stop you, can I?”

Cheong Myeong let out a soft sigh, then straightened up.

“Then I'll be counting on you, Grand Union Leader.”

“Gladly.”

Pungyeong Shingae bowed in courtesy and sat back down. Hong Daegwang, meanwhile, was unable to hide his dismay.

“W-wait, you can't just decide that on your own…”

“This is as far as you go, Union Leader.”

Pungyeong Shingae cut him off firmly.

“This is something that should have been settled long ago. From now on, I will return to being just an elder. All the affairs of the Beggars’ Union will fall fully under your responsibility.”

“P-please wait, Grand Union Leader. You sound as if you mean to leave the Beggars' Union for good.”

“It's not all that different.”

“…What?”

Hong Daegwang's eyes went wide as lanterns.

“The pursuit of Dam Yeohae may take who knows how long. Until then I can’t leave Gangnam, so it's doubtful I’ll ever set foot in the headquarters again. From now on, you must handle everything alone.”

“What are you saying? The internal affairs of the Beggars' Union aren’t fully settled yet! If you leave your seat now, the elders will tear me apart!”

Pungyeong Shingae chuckled.

“Do you really think they’ve been silent all this time because they fear me?”

“Well…”

Hong Daegwang's eyes instinctively flicked toward Cheong Myeong.

If we're talking about fear, honestly, it wasn't the Grand Union Leader but that lunatic bastard—the one who could show up at the headquarters anytime, snatch up Great Long Staff, and smash skulls with it—that they were far more afraid of…

“The Union Leader has already proven his ability through this war. And if he has the General's favor, then no one will dare challenge him for the time being.”

“…For the time being.”

“If you can't stabilize the Beggars’ Union within that time, then it only proves your ability ends there.”

Pungyeong Shingae's eyes grew cold.

“In that case, step down yourself before you're cast out. That would be what's best for the Beggars' Union.”

His voice was so frigid that even the others listening felt chills. Hong Daegwang himself exhaled under the crushing pressure.

Then suddenly, the same Pungyeong Shingae who had just cornered him gave a faint smile.

“You can do it, Union Leader. If my eyes aren't wrong, you will. So trust yourself.”

“…Understood.”

Hong Daegwang nodded heavily and sighed, his face weighted with burdens. The only consolation was that during the pursuit of Dam Yeohae, Pungyeong Shingae would remain in contact with the Beggars' Union.

‘If I ask for advice along the way, he won't just abandon me.'

Still, the fact that he had to take full responsibility for a great sect like the Beggars' Union on his own weighed heavily on him and filled him with dread.

And then, another voice spoke.

“Uhm… don't you think it might be better to think it through a little more carefully before deciding? There's no need to draw such a hard line…”

“My mind is already made up.”

“That's why I'm saying, maybe you could reconsider just this once…”

“That will not happen.”

“…This is driving me insane.”

Hong Daegwang wasn't the only one feeling uneasy. It seemed Cheong Myeong felt the same. Since there was no way to change Pungyeong Shingae's stubborn mind, Cheong Myeong groaned, rubbing his face as if he were washing it dry.

“Urgh… Should've just used him moderately and tossed him aside. I raised him too much.”

“Hm? You mean me?”

“…Aigoo.”

Clap.

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

“Well then, let's settle the matter of Thousand Faced Manipulator like this.”

No one objected.

It wasn't that anyone could think of a better plan, but more that it felt awkward to oppose something decided between Cheong Myeong and Pungyeong Shingae.

‘How strange.'

Jongli Gok's gaze darkened.

There was nothing wrong with the way the matter was handled. It was clean and proper. Even if he himself had been the one presiding at the center of the council, the result would have been the same. Yet a faint sense of dissonance lingered.

‘Was this always how it went?'

After pondering for a moment, Jongli Gok finally realized what felt off.

‘A war council after victory usually amounted to nothing more than dividing up spoils under the pretense of postwar cleanup. That's how it always was.'

Everyone would usually be busy proclaiming their merits and fighting for influence over the future. But here, not a single voice was raised in that way.

Only then did Jongli Gok take another look at the faces gathered in the tent.

‘The Beggars' Union, the Tang Family… and… Namgung? The Nokrim isn't even worth mentioning. Judging by the faces seated here, it's practically all sects brotherly tied to Mount Hua.'

Until now, this arrangement had never struck him as odd. Because the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was originally that kind of group. But now…

The Ten Great Sects had collapsed. The Evil Tyrant Alliance had been annihilated. All the heads of the Five Great Families had lost their lives. Which meant, in truth, there were only two proper alliances left in the world.

‘The Heavenly Comrade Alliance and the Outer Five Palaces?'

But no, the Outer Five Palaces were the same. The Sun Palace Lord was dead, the Blood Palace Lord had fled in isolation after losing his men. The Potala Palace would never step foot into the Central Plains. That left only the Southern Savage Beast Palace and the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

Neither of those two were present here. But even if they had come, it wouldn't change the fact that everyone present was on friendly terms with Mount Hua.

Which meant…

‘This council once led by Mount Hua to decide the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's matters… has become the council that determines the fate of the whole world?'

Jongli Gok was seized by a strange feeling.

He had watched the martial world move under the leadership of the Ten Great Sects. No, more accurately, he had managed it himself as one of them.

The thought of those days, where smiling faces hid daggers beneath as discussions dragged on, still made his throat dry. Compared to that, the scene before him now was not just unfamiliar, it was downright disorienting.

‘No… I must adapt.'

At first glance, it may seem sloppy, but it’s not.

If anything, the reason it may seem so sloppy was because Cheong Myeong's authority had become so absolute. His achievements and standing had already surpassed the weight of Beopjeong with ease.

Yes, that was how to think of it. Who now would dare challenge the authority of the Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword?

“The next urgent matter is, first of all, to address the sects that suffered damages in this battle…”

Bang.

Suddenly, the tent flap was ripped open as though it might be torn apart entirely. The pressure was so immense it almost sounded like an explosion.

“W-what's going on?”

“…Soso?”

The startled Tang Pae leapt to his feet.

The one who burst through the tent was Tang Soso, her body drenched in blood and pus, her appearance barely human.

The fierce aura radiating from her silenced everyone at once. Her murderous gaze fixed on a single man.

“Sahyung.”

“…Uh. Uh. Yes?”

“Medicinal herbs. Personnel. Facilities to house patients.”

“…..”

“Get them. Within half a day.”

“H-half a day? No matter how urgent, half a day is…”

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

“Get them. Sahyung.”

“…Yes.”

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

Cheong Myeong nodded so violently he looked broken. Tang Soso shot him one last glare sharp enough to kill, then spun on her heel.

Just before leaving, she stopped, her eyes snapping back.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Her gaze fell on Tang Pae, and he shivered with chills.

“When this meeting ends, come straight to me. No wandering off. Straight away.”

“…Yes.”

Flap.

The tent door fell back into place.

A heavy silence followed, broken only by Cheong Myeong's subdued voice.

“First… priority goes to medical support for the wounded and to supplying the Medicine Hall.”

“…Yes, let's do that.”

“The Beggars' Union will round up physicians and mobilize them.”

“Gather as many herbs as possible. Don't worry about the cost.”

“Understood.”

“…Wow, that was terrifying.”

A few others nodded quickly in agreement.

Jongli Gok, feeling oddly deflated, let out a sigh to himself.

‘We're doomed.'

It felt like the future of the martial world was growing darker by the moment.

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