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Joyful and loud laughter echoed through the mountain, sending shivers down the disciples' spines.
"Ohohoho!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Ihiiiiiiii!"
"...Are you hearing that noise?"
"Y-you too?! What a relief, I thought I was going crazy."
"Maybe we've all gone crazy at the same time."
"Can you be any more pessimistic?"
The disciple quipped as he hurried towards his Sahyung, Yoon Jong, staring at the horizon with a complicated expression.
"Sahyung?... Are you alright?—"
'J-Jo Gul Sahyung?!'
Even Jo Gul seemed on the verge of tears.
Opening his mouth slowly, exhausted, Yoon Jong questioned.
"Do you hear... laughter..."
"We hear it too."
"The world must be ending..."
Jo Gul replied, even more depressed.
'What the hell?'
Every time those Sahyungs went on missions with Chung Myung and the rest of the Five Swords, they returned even stranger.
It made him forget completely the envy he felt for not being able to venture into Kangho.
'No, no. I think traveling with Chung Myung is the problem, not Kangho...'
Anyway—
"Huhuhuhuuuu!"
"UghhhaHAhah!"
'Why is it sounding more and more awful?'
"Do you hear those noises?!"
The leader of the second-class disciples, Baek Cheon, exuding a reliable and tense aura, walked towards the small gathering of junior disciples, accompanied by Yu Iseol and Tang Soso.
"They're coming from the Sect Leader's office, Sasuk."
Immediately, Baek Cheon called them to follow him to the potential emergency in the Sect Leader's office.
They had never heard such bizarre noises before. It sounded like carriage wheels grinding inside their ears.
No, he would much prefer it to be that than his suspicions being correct.
Reaching Hyun Jong's residence, so urgent to discover the source of the noise, the eldest opened the door, followed faithfully by several curious disciples.
"Chung Myung! What did you do to the Sect Leader?!"
The instinctive shout of someone who had already experienced too many adventures alongside that maniac echoed through the room, which finally fell silent.
"..."
Baek Cheon blinked a few times, trying to understand the situation.
Chung Myung, surrounded by the elders including the Sect Leader, was trying to save his life from the hands pinching and stretching his cheeks while Un Am and Un Gum were smiling at the scene from ear to ear.
At that instant, Hyun Jong assumed the posture of the highest authority and questioned them.
"What is this commotion? Did something happen?"
"..."
There was no way to respond.
"W-well, we heard some noises..."
"We thought it was something serious."
Yoon Jong added.
"We thought Chung Myung had lost his mind... more than usual."
Jo Gul ignored the goosebumps and looked away from the threatening glare he was receiving, which seemed to scream:
'Enjoy while I'm stuck, bastard.'
"Ohohoho!"
"..."
At least now they knew the source of those noises.
"We were just celebrating! I was about to call you, but it's good you're all here already. Come in!"
The beaming Hyun Jong invited them in and returned to his seat, coughing into his fist.
"Hyun Young, put Chung Myung down."
"But, Sect Leader—"
"You're killing him."
Hyun Young looked down, finding Chung Myung with teary blank eyes from being lifted by his cheeks.
"He seems happy to me."
'How is that happiness?'
"Hyun Sang."
The elder was ready to grab the Finance Hall's Head and free the poor lifeless disciple.
With the doors closed again, the Sect Leader carefully held something wrapped in soft cloth with both hands.
As the object was uncovered, the deep curiosity caused everyone to narrow their eyes in surprise, with a certain innocent confusion in their expressions.
"Oh!... What is it?"
"A white flower?"
"It's beautiful... I think."
"Plum blossom?"
The mixed reactions made Hyun Jong smile with pride at being able to present such an artifact.
"It's normal that you don't recognize it..."
Neither he nor any elders knew the value of that exquisite, singular-looking flower before recovering it.
Unfortunately, in times of financial hardship, not recognizing the importance of such a sacred object, it had been sold. The Sect Leader felt deeply ashamed of this fact after discovering its true worth.
A comfortable silence formed in that crowded room as they waited calmly for Hyun Jong's explanation.
"The White Plum Blossom of the Nocturnal Fragrance."
His voice, filled with difficult-to-describe emotions, created a prideful atmosphere as if it were another proof that they were on the right path and slowly recovering the honor that Mount Hua had hundreds of years ago.
"It is said that this small flower represents the spirit of Mount Hua's righteousness."
He repeated the words left in the scrolls by their ancestors, including the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
Hyun Jong could only imagine how important that flower, made of neither the brightest metal nor the most eye-catching, must be to carry as much value as the Divine Sword of the Violet Dawn...
Maybe even more.
While the children absorbed those words, the red orbs never left the white blossom since they had been shown for the first time.
The spirit of Mount Hua's justice? That was right.
A Divine artifact passed down through generations representing Mount Hua's authority? Certainly.
That small and unpretentious bloom, which despite its beauty could easily be forgotten among different gold decorations, symbolized righteousness in its purest form.
The goal of every martial artist dedicated to understanding the Tao.
It wasn't something striking or astonishing. It didn't draw attention or convey any imposing sentiment to most who looked at it, but isn't that how the righteous should be?
It wasn't exactly beautiful to see, but it was just.
Enchanting in how it silently blended into the environment, as it should be.
The embodying of the virtuous—silent, hidden, and honest.
Not a path filled with glory and applause, but rather difficult choices without any compensation, perhaps even more burdens than rewards in following such a thorny way.
Yet, there was always some madman willing to follow it.
And for Chung Myung, it only reminded him of one person.
The first one to earn his respect and the one who was much more than a Sect Leader to him, Cheon Mun.
Cheon Mun was such a maniac, a fool who had received no reward for walking the best path he could find.
On the contrary, he had lost everything but still followed the path ahead of everyone, knowing that looking back would shame his entire journey.
While Hyun Jong explained to those chicks the small details that Chung Myung himself had left written in books and scrolls found when the Sect Leader's secret basement was discovered, the youngest allowed his mind to wander more than he would like, with faintly blurred memories of his past, not noticing the silence around him.
"Chung Myung?"
His little trance was immediately broken, and confusion was etched on his face from the looks he received.
"What?"
"Why are you back there? Come here and hold the Divine Object."
Hyun Young called out loudly, waving his hands grandly.
"Eh? What for?"
Chung Myung twisted his face slightly but followed to the center of the room, passing by the curious disciples.
"You should be the first to hold it."
"Why?"
Why were those guys suddenly performing some kind of ritual? Was there any importance to who held it first?
"Because you were the one who helped us find it, you little rascal!"
Chung Myung had asked Hong Daekwang directly to find information about the item so that they could buy it back.
"But Sect Leader, is there something special about this flower?"
Jo Gul's question summed up the doubts of most of the disciples.
Most could understand the historical context and the pride of recovering an item left by their ancestors, but they couldn't deny that the simple flower didn't seem to carry the same weight and majesty as the sword at Hyun Jong's waist, previously used by the legendary Great Virtuous Sword.
"Ya! It's the symbol of the spirit of justice of Mount Hua, passed down by our legendary ancestors, you idiot! What more do you need?!"
An agitated Baek Cheon was held back to prevent him from lunging at the junior.
Chung Myung clicked his tongue at the chaos and approached the Sect Leader, holding the item without directly touching it.
"What do you think, Chung Myung-ah?"
Hyun Jong whispered amid the commotion as if having a private conversation with him.
This goblin was secretly the most desperate of all to recover that item, despite not caring much about The Divine Sword of the Violet Dawn given by Shaolin.
He looked at those flowers with a deep gaze.
"It's just a white plum blossom."
The Sect Leader smiled at the characteristic response and nodded in satisfaction, extending the item toward him.
"Hold it for a while; we still need to open and clean a proper space in the YuYuan temple."
"In that case, the Sect Leader should hold and watch over the item."
"Just hold it already, you bastard!"
"..."
Hyun Young was becoming increasingly aggressive day by day. It was a bit worrying, but Chung Myung obeyed properly.
Instantly, his hands treated the item with extreme delicacy.
Strangely, this uncommon scene calmed the small commotion among the disciples. It was one of those moments when their junior seemed so distant that even their gazes couldn't reach him.
Carmine orbs reflected profound and nostalgic feelings, while his fingers softly slid over the curves of the item, complementing each other like a portrait.
It was hard to describe. So they just watched the scene in silence, afraid of interrupting and internally forbidding themselves from even thinking of questioning anything when his expression was already so complicated.
"...Doesn't this feel like one of those moments when something big happens?"
Jo Gul's soft voice drew everyone's attention in the silent room.
Suddenly, the flower-covered in beautiful white began to glow, enveloping itself in blinding light and slowly covering Chung Myung's body.
"..."
"Dude, I was joking."
"Is this bastard now casting curses?!"
"C-chung Myung is disappearing!"
Baek Cheon pointed out the more serious problem, which wasn't finding the culprit.
Chung Myung calmly let himself be taken by the light, as there seemed to be no alternative.
He didn't feel any malicious energy in the glow surrounding him, but the thin layer of light that covered him prevented him from communicating and calming those scared bastards.
For a split second, he saw the elders reaching out towards him, only to be gently repelled, including the Sect Leader.
'Looks like it's going to be a long shitty day...'
Chung Myung casually walked through an extensive, bright white corridor. He had to squint to avoid being blinded, and the end of the damn passage never seemed to arrive.
How did he get there? And how could he get out of there as quickly as possible?
He didn't know either.
Stopping his steps after walking a considerable distance and realizing that he probably wouldn't get anywhere, the disciple touched the wall, feeling a warmth lightly enveloping his body.
He didn't know the Sect's sacred relic had this kind of power, or any power, to be honest. That item had been in the sect even longer than Chung Myung himself, so it made sense that he wasn't familiar with it, but this situation was unexpected.
Was it a well-made illusion?
It seemed a bit too real for this to be the case.
Anyway, he didn't know what all this meant, but the excessive amount of light was quickly bothering him.
"Should I just break everything?"
"Your violent tendencies remain the same, I see."
!!!
His fingers grasped the sword's hilt out of pure instinct, instantly trembling when his mind identified that clear and unique voice.
A voice he hadn't heard in years...
A voice he shouldn't be able to hear, and one that his current body didn't recognize, yet his heart seemed to threaten to explode in discordant beats.
His natural reflex told him to turn around. A swordsman should never turn his back on a potential enemy.
But
The soft voice was filled with so much tenderness that Chung Myung felt his body freezing in place.
He didn't want to turn around.
"Aren't you going to greet your Sect Leader?"
Is this a joke?
'This is too much even for a fucking illusion play.'
"Chung Myung-ah."
"That's enough."
He whispered unintentionally in an attempt to stop the mental confusion and push away the figure behind him, who didn't seem to have taken his threat into consideration.
"You won't be able to do a thing if you just stand there."
"..."
"That's unlike of you. Look at me already, you brat."
Chung Myung took a deep breath and turned around at once, ready to draw his sword and fight whoever it was—
What he saw was a huge room, not the corridor he had walked through moments before.
Chung Myung recognized that space with the palm of his hand, even though everything was painted in white.
The Sect Leader's office.
The same from over 100 years ago, which he constantly visited to be congratulated or most of the time, to be scolded.
A choked sigh escaped his lips.
Right in front, at the Leader's desk, someone was sitting.
Cheon Mun smiled at him with that serene expression that only served to make the disciple's heart ache. That gentle appearance could fool anyone about his true personality.
"Illusion..."
"Wouldn't you be able to see through an illusion before anyone else?"
The understanding voice continued to compress his chest.
Chung Myung felt breathless even as he maintained a calm expression.
"So how?"
Cheon Mun shrugged playfully and got up from the desk calmly.
"How could I know the workings of a world I no longer belong to?"
Chung Myung's face slowly twisted as if in pure agony.
With every step Cheon Mun took toward him, the younger one took a small step back instinctively.
"So, this—You—!"
Chung Myung was startled when he bumped into the wall that shouldn't have been there.
Cheon Mun was suddenly so close and reached out his arm so slowly until the hand settled on his face and surprised him.
It was warm as if it were real...
As if it were alive in front of him.
Chung Myung swallowed hard, and his body stiffened with the touch that should bring comfort.
There were too many complicated feelings in his chest for him to feel at peace in this confusing reunion.
"Sect Leader—"
"Have you been taking care of yourself?"
The elder interrupted him as if reading his thoughts.
The younger one looked at him with surprised and wide eyes similar to a true child's.
Cheon Mun felt his heart breaking at the scene.
"I left you alone, haven't I?"
"Don't say that."
In a whisper, he begged him.
Chung Myung slightly lowered his head in shame.
In his mind, he kept replaying the moments when he unleashed his anger and frustration on the man who bore a burden that Chung Myung simply didn't understand.
This man upon whom he had heaped so many cruel words during the war that took everything from them.
"Can you fill the void of what you've lost with what you've gained that way?"
"Is there any meaning in the things we gain at the cost of losing what we shouldn't have? I don't know about that."
"I won't accept this decision until the moment I die."
Shameless words of a child who had the privilege to express his anger, after being shielded from the frightening world of adults.
How could he not feel ashamed and disgusted with himself for not understanding how difficult it was to protect something?
How could someone like Chung Myung, who never had anything to protect, understand it in the first place?
"I was just a foolish brat who didn't understand about anything but the sword."
Not knowing how each one of those decisions hurt the Sect Leader, he continued throwing increasingly cruel words in his direction, nurturing a seed of disappointment that had been planted in the wrong place.
He could never understand until he was in the same situation.
Cheon Mun slowly closed his eyes and raised his head.
How could he hold any resentment towards this child?
'I never wanted you to understand. I would prefer you to always be an immature child for the rest of your life.'
"It must have been difficult, my disciple..."
Chung Myung smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Ey~ It wasn't that hard—"
Plop!
The small drop of water fell to the ground and echoed through the silence of the room.
"H-huh?"
Chung Myung felt the droplets of water forming in his eyes and soon falling without his permission.
"N-no, that's not it, I swear! This shit—Are my eyes broken?!—"
Before he could make any excuses, his body was pulled into a hug.
More and more of that warm embrace spread through his body.
Like a dam that had been neglected for so long it could no longer handle not even a mere crack and only the rushing water flowing at absurd speeds, remained.
This was Chung Myung's mind, that had never stopped for a second since that war began.
'I am sorry, Myung-ah.'
'You were forced to carry such a heavy burden, to swallow all the pains that I needed to swallow one day. More than that.'
Chung Myung tried futilely to stop the tears that flowed in sequence, but the soft embrace prevented him.
He hadn't realized how overwhelmed his mind was.
It shouldn't be like this. This wasn't how he wanted to reunite with Cheon Mun. Yet his body seemed to surrender to that nostalgic comfort, from someone who had always been by his side.
Without realizing it, his hands had grasped the white fabric, digging his nails of trembling fingers not to let go anymore.
Cheon Mun accompanied him from afar.
That arduous journey from beginning to end was shown to him, while he was denied the right to do anything.
When his child was hurt, when his children bled, and when his children cried, Cheon Mun could only watch.
Even so, what eased his heart was knowing that Chung Myung was there.
He just thought and hoped that his disciple would do a good job taking care of his descendants, as he knew he could, even if his methods were not conventional.
Mount Hua, which had lost everything, which had been betrayed and burned, needed someone like him.
Seeing him help those kids grow day by day filled him with expectancy that they could reclaim everything they had lost.
Over time, however, he realized that perhaps he was too focused on the sect's development and missed so many important details.
Chung Myung was such a unique and intricate existence to comprehend.
Perhaps if he hadn't cared for him since he was just a baby with pretty big eyes of such a different color, Cheon Mun might not have understood him either.
He was so good at hiding when he was in pain. Like when he found him in his room, hiding and burning with fever because he didn't feel he needed to tell anyone.
Suddenly the small question grew like vines in his mind, scratching his heart.
Do you feel lonely?
A child who had lost everything in an endless war and was forced to wield his sword again as soon as his eyes opened in a new era.
No rest. No breaks.
To the point of seeking his image and advice while staring at the bright night every time, still clinging and searching for any of his traces.
A child abandoned by the world he saved? It was painful to imagine and even worse to watch.
Chung Mun wanted to tell him how proud he was, and that it would be hard for anyone to do a better job.
However, that child was not ready to listen yet and would never believe him.
So his hands encircled him and forced him to nestle even closer.
If he could lessen even a bit of the burden on those shoulders, smaller than they used to be, he would.
He would be there to listen to that silent crying, filled with guilt, regrets, and sorrow.
It was the least and the most he could do for his disciple.
"So the Sahyung has been watching me? This whole time?!"
Chung Myung tried to escape the shiny handkerchief the other was using to clean up the mess of tears and his runny nose.
“Yes, yes. Now stay still.”
"...The entire time?"
“It's okay. I can forgive some cursing.”
Chung Myung coughed awkwardly.
Well, If he knew he was being watched so closely... No, he would have cursed him the same way.
“The Sect Leader is more generous than I remembered.”
“I'll wait for you, then we can talk about it.”
'What's with that threatening tone?'
Now he seemed like the Sect Leader he remembered, though.
A smile grew on both of their faces.
“Ah! And what do you think? About the brats? I taught them everything myself.”
“They're becoming just like you.”
“Hehehe, right?”
“That wasn't a compliment.”
“Oi.”
Cheon Mun chuckled.
“Good job, Chung Myung-ah.”
“...”
“If I had known, I would have insisted more on giving you some disciples.”
The youngest scratched the back of his neck, feeling flustered.
It was never easy to get a compliment from this man, so it was a bit hard to handle.
“They... are talented, I guess. I don't think it would have worked with other kids...”
"Hoo."
Chung Myung got irritated seeing that smile grow even wider, almost hiding the eyes that seemed to see through him.
“I remember you saying they were stronger than those of the same age in our generation.”
“Well, it wasn't a lie.”
“You sounded like a proud father—”
“Ugh! There's a limit to everything.”
The youngest contorted his face, but it was hard to hide the red cheeks or the beautiful sparkle in his eyes.
...Just as Chung Myung had saved those children, maybe he had also been saved.
“Speaking of which! How does time work here? How much time has passed?”
“Hm, maybe a day? There's not a big difference in time.”
“Huh?! A day is too fucking much!”
The youngest suddenly got agitated.
“You saw it too! Those assholes aren't normal! If I stay out for a day, I'll wake up to the sect on fire again!”
“...”
The worst part was that there was no way to disagree, given the things he'd seen.
Children are reflections of their parents.
So kids raised by Chung Myung would probably be able to turn everything upside down if they wanted to.
"But Chung Myung..."
The youngest disciple automatically lifted his head.
"Wouldn't you prefer to stay here?"
...Huh?
Stay here? In this place?
Seeing the doubt on the stupidly naive face, Chung Mun elaborated more, with a caring smile exactly as Chung Myung remembered.
"Those kids will probably never go back to what they were before. They are stronger and more determined, even if you leave them now, they will know what to do together. So... If you think you've done enough, stay here. You have every right to rest."
"..."
Tempting words that grabbed Chung Myung's attention.
Wasn't this always the thought that came to his mind?
Every time he made a bit more progress towards his objective, every time things got a bit harder and more chaotic, he wondered...
Is it enough?
Was there even one damn ancestor who had worked harder than Chung Myung, who had to revive a sect beyond its days of glory if he didn't want to repeat the same mistakes of the past, all while even taking care of his allies?
There was so much weight on his shoulders like never before.
Maybe a weight greater than being a pillar in the middle of a war, or more than being the only hope.
That's because his goals now had nothing to do with his survival.
Being the only one to survive was not a victory, but the worst of defeats and the cruelest of punishments. He knew that now.
Of course, he wanted to rest.
He wanted to see Cheon Jin again and apologize for arriving too late to save him, for not giving due value to his role in the sect, which was more important than something as simple as great inner energy or having talent.
He wanted to look Tang Bo in the eyes and curse him for making him take care of his family in his place and wanted to tell him that his damn blood continued to circulate and create scary children...
He didn't want to see anyone else get hurt or die anymore.
He didn't want to kill anyone else.
It was all he wanted, to go back to when he didn't need to care about growing up and becoming an adult.
When just the sweet and intoxicating smell of flowers around him was enough...
...
"Sect Leader... Are you testing me?"
"You got me."
"But look at this guy—"
Chung Myung sighed, exhausted. Suddenly, all the longing he felt had disappeared.
"Forget it, I still have things to do."
He waved his hand nonchalantly.
"I'm someone who finishes what I start... Yes, I'm that kind of bastard. Tch!"
The youngest grabbed his hair in frustration. Suddenly It seemed more like a vent...
"Myung-ah?..."
"Also those bastards can't survive a second without me. Hah! Stroooong? Determined?! Those dumbasses must be destroying everything and making a huge mess, especially that Dongryong."
"C-Chung Myung—"
"No no, Samae is even worse—Ugh! I don't even want to imagine. That's it! I need to go back immediately. There's too much to do! Too much! I need alcohol."
"...You're having a hard time."
Chung Myung hummed and stuck his nose up proudly, pushing his belly forward and putting his hand on his waist.
"Still, they're not sooo bad, I say. They're cute minions—I mean, descendants."
"You're true feelings are leaking. And don't change your temper so quickly, it's frightening."
Cheon Mun had probably gotten a bit unaccustomed to the instability of that little troublemaker.
The youngest approached with an apprehensive whisper.
"But Sahyung, descendants are scary... Now I understand why Sahyung talked so much about that future crap. Sometimes they even surprise me."
"..."
"Also! I've had this question since the beginning. How do you live here? It's all white. You can't see properly. I'm sure you've tripped here, admit it."
"... Didn't you say you were late?"
"Eh?! That's true! How do I get out of here? Should I break everything?!"
"You haven't changed one bit"
"Why does that sound more like criticism than praise?... S-sahyung? Oi?"
Successfully ignoring that little walking headache, Cheon Mun approached the door and pointed to the handle.
"Touch here and think about the place you'd like to go, then open it."
He explained didactically.
Chung Myung remained silent, observing him for a few seconds, minutes, without much haste.
The agonizing feeling of slowly forgetting the face of someone so important in his heart, Chung Myung wanted to prevent it as much as possible, engraving every detail he could of that gentle face that hid a personality as bad as his own, honestly.
A laugh got stuck in his throat mixed with other emotions.
Easily noticing, the man with the gentle face slowly opened his mouth as if in slow motion.
"If you're alive, you must live. You know that, right?"
"...Who doesn't?"
The low voice and the pout on the delicate face resembled exactly that of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
"Geniuses are usually the first to forget stupidly obvious things."
That guy always liked to have the last word...
He was the one who hadn't changed.
Chung Myung approached without wasting more time and grabbed the handle, the thought quickly floating and taking shape of the same scenario he was in before, with those noisy kids shouting his name with unmeasured concern, the elders as or even more desperate.
What a mess.
When he opened his eyes again, Cheon Mun was still there watching him with eyes hard to meet.
"Now that I know you're watching me from above, I feel a bit shy. Try not to spy on me too much."
"Too late for that. Besides, you keep calling me and asking for advice—"
"Which you never give me, you damn man!"
Chung Myung felt a small pat on his hair.
Similar to the ones he received when he was younger when that Sahyung decided to console him a bit.
"You don't need them."
"We... won’t see each other again for a long time, right?"
"Take your time. Don't think about meeting me again anytime soon."
"Does this guy hate me that much?—"
Cheon Mun laughed quietly.
There was no need to explain to someone as smart as Chung Myung what was behind his words.
With no need to say more, the younger man just opened the door and walked through the bright wall unaffectedly.
Feeling nothing except perhaps a slight tingling surrounding him.
He was getting tired of all that light.
‘What’s taking so long? I reincarnated faster than this...’
Let me see those foolish brats already.
Eyelashes fluttered in discomfort, indicating that the eyes would open soon.
It wasn’t like waking up from sleep or a coma, but something more instant, with his mind already alert and functioning perfectly.
He immediately sat up in the bed where his body had been laid. His room, arranged as he had left it, but there were several blankets all over the place.
Those rebellious kids had done this before.
‘Sleeping all huddled up like this... What’s even the point?’
He stretched his arms slightly, preparing to get up when the door burst open with a loud bang.
"Sahyung!"
Tang Soso struggled not to drop the tray in her hands but quickly approached, distressed.
The distorted expression on the girl’s face startled him.
"C-calm down."
"Calm down?! You jerk! Why does everything you do turn into a huge mess?! How dare you go around shining and then pass out?!"
‘It wasn’t a choice, though.
Probably that scolding wouldn’t stop even if he explained.
"Where are the others?"
At least his attempt to distract her seemed to have worked. No, actually, the girl was in even more anxious.
"That’s right! We need to show you to the others before—Come on, come on!"
Before...?
Before what?!
Chung Myung was easily dragged out by Tang’s descendant.
Oh, How quickly his longing to see them had disappeared...
"Our allies are coming as quickly as possible. Just a few more days—"
"We don't have days! It needs to be as soon as possible."
The imposing voice of Tang Gunak sent shivers down everyone's spines, but the one who seemed like he was directly out of hell this time was... Hyun Jong.
"As soon as they arrive, we will immediately go to war—"
In the general meeting room, the enormous table was occupied by the highest authorities at that moment, including the main disciples of Mount Hua, who seemed to have a dark cloud hanging over their heads.
They all immediately looked toward the door that burst open with a bang.
"He's here! He woke up, that bastard!"
"C-chung Myung?!"
"Divine Dragon!"
"Stupid madman!"
In the room covered in dark energy, the atmosphere instantly softened, and everyone stood up and rushed to surround the newly awakened bandit Taoist.
Chung Myung, however, looked at them with profound terror in his eyes.
"War? What is this? When did we suddenly go to war? Who attacked us?!"
Full of doubts, Hyun Young pushed aside anyone in his way to grab the boy by the shoulders and lift him.
"My child, who else would it be? Those damned beggars who set you up and put you in a coma. The Beggars’ Union..."
The Beggars’ Union.
When those cursed words were spoken, everyone turned their vicious gazes to the corner of the room.
Only then did Chung Myung notice Hong Daekwang, completely immobilized by ropes, blindfolded, and gagged.
...
"Why is Jo Gul Sahyung there too?..."
"It's the price for cursing a junior."
Baek Cheon said proudly and wiped the displeased frown off his face.
"Treachery must be paid with vengeance."
There was nothing worse than hearing that phrase coming from Yoon Jong.
"Death to all."
'Yes, from the beginning, Samae is the worst of all.'
"I brought ropes specially made by the best blacksmiths of the Tang family. With them, we will bind and immobilize all the beggars."
Lord Tang said seriously, his cold eyes analyzing Chung Myung from head to toe, looking for any problems.
Chung Myung felt his eyes well up with tears.
'Why so many ropes?'
'Why immobilize beggars?'
"Don't worry, Chung Myung-ah."
"S-Sect Leader?!"
The cold and low voice didn't make the situation any better.
"In the name of our ancestors, we will exterminate the beggars who attacked you so dishonestly. I cannot let something like this go unpunished. Placing a curse on one of a sect's sacred items is a sin worthy of death."
Chung Myung wanted to go back.
He wanted to accept Cheon Mun's offer.
'Sahyung, descendants are terrifying.'