An awkward atmosphere lingered.
No, in fact, the current atmosphere was closer to cold than awkwardness.
'That insane bastard…'
Of course, in the past, Chung Myung wasn't particularly polite to the abbot. But back then, the relationship between Shaolin and Mount Hua wasn't so bad.
Baek Cheon bit his lip tightly.
'And that gap has turned extreme.'
A tiger didn't necessarily get angry because a pup barked. It just ignored it for a while and then bit it to death when it got on its nerves. In other words, it was no different from saying that a pup was guaranteed a chance to tease a tiger, too.
But now?
Would Chung Myung really look like a pup in the abbot's eyes now?
Baek Cheon thought, absolutely not. No matter how much the abbot was the sect leader of Shaolin and the unrivaled leader in the murim world, he couldn't treat Mount Hua's Sword Saint, Chung Myung, like a pup.
The current status of Chung Myung was more than enough to make even the abbot feel uncomfortable.
So, the current situation was bound to be like a sheet of thin ice.
But, fortunately, or unfortunately, it wasn't the abbot who reacted to those words, but Beop Gye, who followed behind the abbot and entered.
"Look here, Taoist."
Beop Gye glared at Chung Myung with cold eyes and said.
"There is a minimum courtesy required when dealing with an elder of the same side. Don't they teach that in Mount Hua?"
If it were the usual Beop Gye, he would have never stopped at this level. He was the head of the Discipline Hall, who dealt with Shaolin's monks.
However, he knew why the abbot had come all this way, so he cut down the words.
But Chung Myung's reaction made his effort meaningless.
"Courtesy?"
Chung Myung chuckled.
"Ah, courtesy is nice. I like it too."
Then he looked at Beop Gye and said.
"But since you live in the mountains, you only know one thing and not the other."
"… What do you mean I don't know?"
"It is basic to be polite to your superiors and elders, but there is another basic in the murim world."
"… What is that?"
Chung Myung stared at the two uninvited guests and twisted the corners of his mouth.
"It is that those who feel unfortunate need to be courteous."
"…"
Beop Gye's mouth shut.
"Am I wrong?"
Chung Myung's crooked smile pierced into Beop Gye's eyes. Anger surged in him for a moment, but even if he was Beop Gye, he couldn't let go of his anger.
It was also because the abbot was right in front of him…
'Mount Hua…'
That name suppressed Beop Gye's urge to act rashly. Before he knew it, the weight of Mount Hua had become just as heavy inside him.
A calm voice reached Beop Gye's ears as he was torn between his rising anger and the weight he felt.
"Right, young Taoist, no, Mount Hua's Sword Saint. As you said, the one in need has to be courteous."
"A-Abbot."
The abbot smiled broadly. That smile eased the tense atmosphere a little.
"I was worried that your personality might have changed since it has been years since we last met, but it seems like you haven't changed at all."
"They say that when a person changes, it is time to die. Now that I think about it, you seem to have changed a little, abbot?"
"…"
The abbot's mouth went half open at those words.
What on earth should he do now?
"This guy!"
Fortunately, the abbot had someone he could call an ally. If he was someone from whom this young Taoist emerged, then so be it.
Hyun Jong, whose face twisted into a grimace, gave a loud scolding.
"He is the abbot of Shaolin. Can you not be polite?"
"No, how can you be polite anymore, sect leader?"
But Chung Myung asked back as if he found it all absurd. Hyun Jong flinched.
"… How?"
"Yes!"
"That is?"
"Of course!"
Chung Myung said, pounding his chest.
"But since he is the leader of Shaolin, he should be greeted and talked to. If not, oh my, this place would be a sea of blood right now. Someone might die, someone will die! Now that I think about it, didn't someone say it was time for death a little while back?"
"No one said anything like that! Get away now!"
"Ah, that is strange. I think someone did say it."
"Will you not go now, you brat!"
"Yes, yes."
Chung Myung regretfully smacked his lips and got up from his place, slowly heading to the back. Even as he did so, he didn't forget to glance at the abbot as if he wanted to get angry and fight him right away.
"… Amitabha."
The abbot uttered a short prayer to calm down his emotions, which were hard to explain.
How could the demon, who was casually picking fights with the head of the Shaolin, listen so well to Hyun Jong?
Hyun Jong spoke with an embarrassed look.
"I am sorry, abbot. I took him in as a disciple, but I couldn't teach him right…"
"No, why are you apologizing to him…!"
"Will you not be quiet!"
When Hyun Jong opened his eyes widely and grabbed the plate as if he were going to throw it, Chung Myung flinched and dug into the corner. He leaned his head against the wall, mumbling something, but Hyun Jong desperately ignored it.
'If I send him away, the abbot will feel uncomfortable, and if I leave him alone, my insides will burst out.'
It was driving Hyun Jong insane because he couldn't do a thing there.
"Sect leader."
At that moment, the abbot smiled brightly and opened his mouth.
"I am just jealous. How much more secure must the sect leader be with such great descendants in Mount Hua?"
"They are just troublemakers. I have to somehow turn them into Taoists before I die."
He said that, but Hyun Jong's face was filled with a sense of pride that he couldn't hide. At least for this moment, the abbot couldn't help but envy him.
"Please sit down."
"Yes."
As the abbot sat in the center, those who entered sat around him.
Hyun Jong looked at the two of them quietly. It was just the abbot and Beop Gye sitting in front of him, but an inexplicable weight pressed down on his shoulders. It felt like the room was filled with the presence of those two people.
'The abbot of Shaolin.'
Didn't they say that you had to be of sufficient rank to know the level of the opponent?
When he was struggling to save Mount Hua, he didn't realize how great a person the abbot was. Only now, after going through so much, could he understand how great a person the abbot was, who had managed the huge sect called Shaolin without a hitch.
And how much weight he was holding.
"Ahem."
Hyun Jong opened his mouth, coughing as if trying to shake off the presence of the abbot.
"You must have had a hard time coming this far."
"No problem at all."
The abbot smiled broadly and opened his mouth.
"I thought it was far because it was called Shaanxi, but when I came in a hurry this time, it didn't take that long. If I had known sooner, I would have visited often."
"I feel so embarrassed because those words seem to blame me for not being able to visit often. I should have come to greet you earlier, but you embarrassed me by coming here first."
"The sect leader is one of the busiest people in the world, and I… ah, what a mistake."
"Uh?"
The abbot rubbed the back of his head as if he had made a mistake. The moment he saw the hand touching his bald head, he thought that Chung Myung was right and tried to say something. Still, Baek Cheon's hand, which was already waiting, immediately covered his mouth.
And thanks to that, the abbot continued what he was trying to say.
"You aren't the sect leader. I should have referred to you as the Alliance leader, and I made a mistake by not calling you as such. Please forgive me."
"Ah, forgive? Sect leader is enough to refer to me."
"That cannot be. Everyone has a title that fits their position."
Then Hyun Young, who was next to him, opened his eyes slightly.
'That monk…'
The fact that he insisted on going up to Mount Hua and calling Hyun Jong the Alliance Leader, instead of the Sect Leader, meant he planning to make a deal with the Alliance Leader now.
"Ahem."
Hyun Jong, too, understood the intention and coughed.
"I need to be careful with my words and actions when I have the abbot in front of me. If I ask a question, it seems like I would rush you, and if I make small talk, it would seem like I am wasting your time."
"Hahaha. I came here to see you, and you are taking my time."
"Abbot."
Hyun Jong sighed and looked at the abbot.
"If it is not rude, may I ask why you had to come to Mount Hua?"
The abbot made a subtle expression.
"To be frank…"
Then he paused for a moment and opened his mouth.
"I thought that the ties between Shaolin and Mount Hua weren't what they used to be. There were many things going on, and there were times when it was great."
Hyun Jong waited for the abbot's next words with a nervous expression.
"But… I didn't think I would be able to get a cup of tea just because of that. The plum tea that the sect leader gave me the other day was really good."
"Ah…"
Hyun Jong's face turned red. Now that he thought about it, the abbot of Shaolin had come as a guest, but he didn't offer him a cup of tea and got right to the point.
He would never have made such a mistake under normal circumstances. Still, the sudden visit of Shaolin's abbot to Mount Hua had clearly shaken him.
"I made a mistake. Un Am! Go and get the tea, hurry!"
"Yes!"
Un Am also realized his mistake and jumped up and ran outside.
"I am sorry, abbot. I was quite flustered with the sudden situation."
"No. No. It wasn't my mistake. I just felt that the Alliance Leader no longer thought of me like he used to."
"How could that be? That could never be the case."
"Then, I am fortunate. Hehehe."
Chung Myung's face was slightly distorted as he watched the situation unfold.
'This snake-like bald head!'
With just a few light words, the abbot instantly took control of the atmosphere in the room and completely seized control of the situation.
Furthermore, when mentioning past events, he used the title of 'sect leader.' When discussing the present, he would use 'Alliance Leader,' pointing out that the treatment was different because the status was different.
Regardless of whether he liked the person or not, he could not help but acknowledge his ability to achieve what he wanted with just a few words. That is why he must have risen to the position of the abbot of Shaolin.
"The tea is coming soon…"
"Alliance Lord."
The abbot opened his mouth in a soft voice.
"The tea is nice, but there is something more important."
"What…"
"You heard the story, right? I am talking about the Yangtze River."
The abbot spoke as if he expected Hyun Jong to know. It was just yesterday that the Namgung family occupied Plum Blossom Island in the Yangtze River.
"…Yes, I heard."
"As I thought."
The abbot looked back. The beggar he had clearly seen when he came here was not around.
"The situation is worse than I thought, Alliance Leader."
"Yes. That is what I heard, too."
"There is just one reason why I came here, Alliance Leader. Please lend me your strength."
At that moment, the abbot bowed his head deeply to Hyun Jong on the spot. It was as if he was bowing and begging.
"W-what are you doing!"
Hyun Jong, who had been lost in thought, jumped up in shock. He was so shocked that he jumped over the table and grabbed the abbot to hold him up.
"W-why are you doing this, abbot?"
The greatest Shaolin sect's abbot was bowing to him!
Even Hyun Jong couldn't help but be flustered.
But Chung Myung, who had watched the process, finally let out a hollow laugh.
"Huh…"
The old snake was now wrapping its tail around the neck of Hyun Jong.
'Is this how you act out now?'