"… Sect leader."
Baek Cheon clenched his fist without realizing it.
Those were the words he longed to hear so desperately.
Yet, they were also words he dared not hope for. The abbot's words were sharp enough to pierce the hearts of those listening nearby.
If he were in that position, Baek Cheon couldn't help but wonder what he would have said. Could he have boldly chosen to oppose Shaolin in pursuit of what was right?
Of course, as Baek Cheon, the second-class disciple of Mount Hua, he could do so.
But, could Baek Cheon, if he was the sect leader of Mount Hua, truly make that choice?
Understanding the difficulty of that choice, Baek Cheon's heart raced as he watched Hyun Jong.
The others felt the same.
The eyes of Mount Hua's disciples looking at Hyun Jong were filled with trust and pride. Didn't he stand firm against Shaolin's abbot and uphold his own justice, Mount Hua's righteousness?
Naturally, the abbot and Beop Gye couldn't align with the intense atmosphere.
The abbot's face was filled with shock.
"How…"
It wasn't the first time he had been rejected. But it was the first time in his life he encountered someone who declared they would take a different path.
Even though the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families had rejected his proposal, they were unable to face him directly. They barely managed to send a letter from afar and then retreated.
If they were sitting in front of the abbot, they wouldn't have dared to say they wouldn't follow orders.
But… what kind of confidence did Hyun Jong have to say such things in front of him?
In front of the abbot, the leader of Shaolin with a thousand years of history?
"Alliance leader… no, sect leader."
The abbot gulped, struggling to continue his speech.
"Is this truly the will of Mount Hua? Is this really it?"
He was filled with anger and resentment.
Since the abbot was also human, this memory would cloud his future judgment. It was truly burdensome for Hyun Jong to leave a bad memory in the abbot of Shaolin.
Yet, Hyun Jong simply stared at the abbot with calm eyes.
No matter how strong the wind blew, a plum tree with deep roots in the ground would never shake.
"Right."
The abbot opened his mouth slightly and then closed it again as if even his deep teachings were not enough to control his emotions.
"Do you think I made all these suggestions for Shaolin's glory?"
"…."
"Although the paths might be different, all of this was for the sake of the people of the world. Even so, does Mount Hua still refuse to join Shaolin's hand?"
Chung Myung's eyes turned fierce. The moment he was about to speak, Baek Cheon grabbed his wrist as if telling him to trust Hyun Jong.
"The path of all the people of the world…"
Hyun Jong nodded slowly.
"Mount Hua doesn't doubt Shaolin's words. No matter what the method is, I do not doubt the fact that what the abbot wants is peace."
"Why do you refuse, then?"
Hyun Jong smiled brightly.
"Abbot. How could there be just one path?"
"…."
"Mount Hua is also a place that serves all the people of the world. No matter what we do, we strive not to erase the word 'harmony' from the heart."
"Then…"
"But."
Hyun Jong's voice turned firm.
"Just because the intentions are the same doesn't mean that the path is the same. Shaolin and Mount Hua can work towards the same result in their own way."
"…"
"Isn't it the arrogance of the abbot to think that the only way to make the world peaceful is to work with Shaolin?"
The abbot's face contorted.
The word arrogance made him angrier than anything he had ever heard.
"It isn't Shaolin but Mount Hua that is arrogant!"
"This human is…!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Chung Myung became angry, and the Five Swords grabbed him by the clothes.
"You…"
Chung Myung was briefly angry, but he also knew that he shouldn't use violence here, so he grabbed his thigh.
After a brief moment of silence, the abbot took a deep breath as if he thought his words had been excessive. However, although he might have regained his composure, his eyes were still fierce.
"I guess there is no point in continuing this conversation."
"I am sorry, abbot."
"I respect the voice of the sect leader. But…"
The abbot's eyes turned to Hyun Jong.
"You must remember one thing. Every choice has its price."
It was so blatant that several of the disciples' expressions changed.
But Hyun Jong simply nodded calmly.
"If there is something we have to pay for, we will do it."
"You could have chosen not to pay for anything. If only the sect leader was a little wiser."
Hyun Jong looked at the abbot without another word. Those profound eyes were pressuring the abbot.
"If I had been a bit wiser, I certainly wouldn't have rejected the proposal of the abbot."
"Then…!"
"Isn't that what harmony is meant to be?"
"…"
"A wise man will seek profit. But a man who seeks harmony should follow the path of his heart, not profit."
The abbot closed his mouth.
"That is the path of Mount Hua, in my opinion."
The abbot closed his eyes without another word. Only the prayer beads in his hand quickly spun around his fingers. After a long silence, he slowly opened his eyes.
"Negotiation, huh…"
A strange smile appeared on his lips.
"It sounds like Shaolin doesn't seek harmony."
"That isn't what I meant."
"… I fully understand what Mount Hua meant."
The abbot got up.
Sitting here any longer would only add to their humiliation. What reason would there be to face those who were no longer allies?
"I enjoyed the tea, sect leader."
"… Yes."
"It is okay not to see us off, then."
The abbot looked around at everyone in the room. The last person he saw was none other than Chung Myung.
"Are you satisfied with what you have done, Mount Hua's Sword Saint?"
"It seems the abbot is upset that things haven't gone his way."
Chung Myung spoke with a sly smile.
"Isn't that what life is all about?"
"That is a good word."
The abbot nodded with a firm look.
"But now, it isn't Shaolin but Mount Hua that must face hardships. You will have to deal with the wind that Shaolin was blocking."
"Ah, right. But your shoulders are narrow. You couldn't even stop the Evil Sect bastards from pushing in."
The abbot kept his mouth shut.
There was so much to say, but speaking in that situation would only make the others laugh.
It wasn't just a failure in negotiation.
It was a one-sided rejection.
It was the first time he failed to achieve his own goal despite risking everything and going all out.
'No, no.'
To be exact, it was the second time. The first incident where his intentions were in vain was the Worldly Murim tournament.
'I should have known then.'
The fact that Mount Hua could one day stand in front of Shaolin.
"Amitabha."
The abbot gave a low grin, turned away from Chung Myung, and opened his mouth.
"Then, I will take my leave."
He walked out without leaving a single trace of regret. Beop Gye, who followed him, didn't even glance at the others or offer a greeting.
Tak!
The moment the door slammed shut, the tension in Mount Hua's disciples, who had been tense with anxiety, slowly drained away.
"PHEWWWW!"
"… I thought I was going to suffocate."
"… I was scared."
The abbot is the abbot.
The pressure directly radiating from Shaolin's abbot was not something they could handle. But no one showed any shame and held on till the end.
"Sect leader… are you alright?"
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong let out a sigh at Hyun Young's words.
"I am not sure if my decision was right. But Hyun Young, don't we already know too well that being tempted by the easy path for a moment can lead to greater trouble?"
"… that is right."
"I don't know. Maybe it was my pride that caused us such a difficult burden."
"Is Shaolin really such a big burden? After all, they are just a bunch of bald people living together."
However, Chung Myung smiled and said to Hyun Jong, who still seemed to be unable to shake off his concerns.
"There couldn't have been a more perfect answer, sect leader."
"Right."
"We think the sect leader was right!"
A smile finally appeared on Hyun Jong's lips.
'These guys, too.'
With these kids, he could never take the easy way out. The water ahead must be clear for the water behind to be clear, but sometimes, the clearest water makes the water ahead clear on its own.
Tak.
At that moment, Hyun Jong's gaze turned to the door.
A low sigh escaped from his mouth as he saw a person who followed the abbot silently.
"How could they be so reckless! How dare they speak to the abbot like that!"
The face of Beop Gye turned bright red.
If it wasn't for the abbot, he would have exploded in anger several times. What he saw wasn't the attitude one should show towards the abbot of Shaolin. It was a sight that showed not even the slightest respect for Shaolin, which had protected the peace of the world and mediated numerous sects for hundreds of years.
Even the abbot, who would have normally scolded Beop Gye, said nothing this time. He simply kept his lips tightly shut and walked towards the gate with large strides.
"Mount Hua's Sword Saint… Hyun Jong."
A boiling voice leaked out from the abbot's mouth.
In his entire life, he had never experienced such humiliation! He felt as if he had gulped a hot coal, his insides boiling and burning.
'Since when has Shaolin been treated like this?'
After all this time working so hard for the world, how could everyone only think of themselves?
Clench.
The abbot bit down on his lip tightly.
"Amitabha…"
Unable to bear the rising anger, he clenched his fists.
"I still believed that there would be a limit to what Mount Hua would do, but I was wrong."
"Abbot…"
"Let us head back to Shaolin."
It wasn't that he couldn't deal with the Four Precepts Alliance because the Heavenly Friends Alliance refused to help. He just wanted to minimize the damage.
If that didn't work, he should let them know now.
It wasn't because Shaolin was weak that he endured it. Why was Shaolin called the thousand-year-old Shaolin, and why did it not lose its status as the star of the murim world for decades?
To those Evil Sect people and the Justice faction that forgot morality!
At that moment, the abbot's feet stopped.
"Beop Gye!"
"Yes, abbot!"
"Bring Hae Yeon! We can no longer have Shaolin's disciples in such a place."
"Ah, I understand."
At that moment, Beop Gye, who had had enough of the abbot's anger, was about to turn back.
"You don't have to do that, abbot."
A calm voice was heard from behind them. The abbot and Beop Gye turned back.
There stood Hae Yeon, a disciple of Shaolin. He was wearing the robes of Mount Hua, which didn't suit him.
"You have come at a good time. Pack your bags! We will go to Shaolin together. No, you don't even have to pack! Let us leave right now."
"Abbot."
Hae Yeon lowered his hands in a bow and stared at the abbot.
His clear, large eyes were as calm as a lake.
"I am not leaving."
"… what did he say?"
When the abbot asked, doubting his ears, Hae Yeon shook his head.
"I said I am not going back."
"This…"
The eyes of Beop Gye turned as cold as ice. Soon, his stormy anger poured onto Hae Yeon.