An overwhelming rage surged within Beopkye, and his eyes burned with fury. Until now, Hye Yeon's arrogance had been tolerated because there was a clear justification for his attitude. However, this current act had unmistakably crossed the line.
"Shiju." [respectful title]
Beopkye's voice rumbled like thunder, far from the voice of a Buddhist monk; it was unbelievably low and menacing.
"This is a Shaolin ceremony."
"..."
"It means outsiders should not meddle. Do you understand?"
Chung Myung stared at Beopkye in silence.
"You might not have understood the situation well, so I won't question the crime of attacking the Way of Shaolin. But if you dare to interfere again, I will consider it an attack on Shaolin."
"..."
"So retreat. What you are about to face is something you cannot handle!"
Beopkye had reasons for making this statement. He remembered that this was the Mount Hua Sect, a fundamental consideration for Shaolin to execute its rules within another faction. This statement was the least consideration he could offer as someone executing Shaolin's discipline.
Hence, the members of the Mount Hua Sect should understand the situation and withdraw. Any reasonable person with at least minimal brain function would know the meaning of obstructing Shaolin's ceremony.
However, what he heard next completely shattered his expectations.
"It seems you are the one who doesn't understand."
"..."
For a moment, Beopkye's eyes widened slightly.
"This is the Mount Hua Sect."
Chung Myung declared, revealing this fact.
"Within Mount Hua, to harm someone, you need permission from the head of the Mount Hua Sect. This is the law of the Mount Hua Sect."
"..."
"So, I suggest you remove your hand from our bald head immediately. Before I slice your head, not your hand."
Beopkye's face contorted horribly.
"How dare you!"
His anger had reached its peak, and he was on the brink of losing his composure.
The events inside the room were meant to be part of the negotiation process. However, this was different. It was a threat and a power struggle. How could someone claim that Shaolin needed permission from another faction to conduct its rituals? Such a thing had never existed in the thousand-year history of Shaolin.
Of course, executing discipline within the Mount Hua Sect might be crossing a line, but it was a reasonable boundary that could be accepted. Yet, Chung Myung was holding a sword, stating that he could never concede when it was clearly within an acceptable limit.
Wasn't this a challenge to Shaolin, if anything?
"Do you understand the significance of your actions now? I said it might be something you cannot handle."
Beopkye's voice was brimming with rage. Yet, Chung Myung just smirked as if it were laughable.
"Something I cannot handle?"
It was a blatant, mocking laugh that was hard to ignore.
Beopkye, who had never been subjected to such overt mockery, had a contorted, enraged expression on his face.
"It seems you have quite a big mouth for someone who just started speaking."
Chung Myung tilted his head from side to side.
"I don't think you really understand. Up until now, there's been nothing I couldn't handle."
"..."
"So let's check it out. Whether I can handle this or not."
Beopkye gritted his teeth.
The insufferable arrogance of this individual was indeed an indictment. It was an undeniable fact that during the Yangtze River Tragedy, this young disciple was the only one to uphold the dignity of his sect.
However, this was no longer a matter that could be brushed aside using that one incident as a justification.
"Shiju has gone too far. No matter what you say about this being the Mount Hua Sect, do you really think it will protect you?"
"Don't delude yourself, Baldy."
"What...?"
"Right now, Mount Hua is protecting you now, not us."
Chung Myung revealed his intentions.
"If this weren't the Mount Hua Sect, and I wasn't a follower of the Mount Hua Sect, I would've chopped your head off long ago. And the bald head of the leader next to you, too."
Beopgye's jaw dropped.
"So, get lost. Before my patience runs out. There's a limit to what even a person can endure."
Beopgye, lost for words, stared at Chung Myung with an incredulous expression.
At the very least...there was one thing he could be sure of.
'This person is out of his mind.'
Who would dare utter such words in front of the leader of Shaolin? Even the leaders of the Evil Tyrant Alliance would be hard-pressed to do so.
What kind of place was Shaolin? It was true that due to the current state of power dynamics, it may not have wielded the same influence as it did in the past, but that did not mean the authority of Shaolin diminished.
The current Shaolin was no different from the one that led the nation for centuries.
And yet, Chung Myung was completely negating the authority of Shaolin. It was too humiliating, and now he was on the verge of becoming furious. It was impossible to know what to say or do. He was trembling like a student who had been given a punishment and could do nothing but glare at Chung Myung in exasperation.
"Shiju!"
Then, an unexpected voice burst forth – it was Hye Yeon.
He urgently shouted, "This is beyond the matters of Shaolin! I understand Shiju's intentions, but if you care about me, please don't interfere...."
"What did you say? Shut up, Baldy!"
"...?"
Startled, Hye Yeon looked at Chung Myung in confusion.
"I'll handle it, so keep your mouth shut!"
"Ah, Amita..."
And then, Beopjeong, who had maintained his silence until now, finally spoke.
"Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."
The two pairs of eyes collided intensely in the air.
"Don't force it."
"...?"
"The world operates by the principle that if you gain something, you also have something to lose. If you've chosen to be hostile to Shaolin, you can no longer meddle in Shaolin's internal affairs."
It was an extremely cold and unfeeling tone of voice.
"This is practically the result of your own choice. If you've made your decision, then you must learn to accept the consequences."
At a glance, it seemed like a softly persuasive tone, but that voice carried the authority and power of the leader of the Shaolin for a thousand years. Most people, when faced with that voice, would have given in and stepped back on their own.
But the one standing before him was Chung Myung.
"I know it well."
"...What did you say just now?"
He gazed at Beopjeong with deeply somber eyes.
"I said that I know it well. As you mentioned, in this world, everything comes with a price. That's why I'd like to ask you..."
Chung Myung paused for a moment and then broke into a twisted grin, provokingly.
"How do you intend to pay the price for causing harm to someone within the territory of Mount Hua Sect?"
At this point, Beopjeong glared at Chung Myung with an expressionless face.
"Until now... I've shown you a great deal of mercy."
"..."
"But this is not merely a matter between you and me. If you continue to meddle in this matter, the wrath won't be directed at me, but at Shaolin, and it won't be me who has to bear that anger, but Mount Hua Sect."
Chung Myung's gaze grew increasingly dark.
With an almost overpowering force, Beopjeong's last words resounded within the territory of Mount Hua Sect like a driven wedge.
"I'd like to ask you."
The power emanating from his body was truly overwhelming.
"Are you really confident in facing Shaolin's wrath?"
It was not the gaze of someone looking at a companion on the same path, but the gaze of someone looking at an adversary.
Purely an antagonistic gaze.
It was as if Beopjeong was silently conveying that depending on how Chung Myung responded, Mount Hua Sect and Shaolin could either become enemies or not.
It was indeed a heavy question, and the answer had to be even heavier.
However, Chung Myung remained calm as ever.
"Do you have the confidence to turn Shaolin into an enemy…?"
He paused for a moment, then chuckled lightly.
"I think someone else will give that answer, not me."
"Hmm?"
At that moment,
Step by step, a person walked over and stood next to Chung Myung.
It was Baek Cheon.
He glared at Beopjeong with eyes as sharp as a well-honed blade.
And yet another person, Yoo Iseol, with her characteristic expressionless face, filled the space at Chung Myung's side. Her face remained as emotionless as ever, but her hand was resting on her waist where her sword hung.
There would be no other way to demonstrate a more resolute determination.
They were not alone.
Yoon Jong, who calmly walked over to stand by Baek Cheon, and Jo Geol, whose shoulders tensed as if they were ready to dash forward at any moment, stood by Yoo Iseol's side.
Finally, even Tang So So, Baek Sang, and the Mount Hua Sect disciples who had been watching from afar drew closer to surround Beopjeong and Beopkye.
The expressions in their eyes were clear.
"Is this... the will of Mount Hua Sect?" Beopjeong asked. In this place, there was only one person who could answer that question.
"I don't know what the circumstances are, Bangjang. Or Hye Yeon."
Baek Cheon briefly surveyed the two men, then looked at Hye Yeon.
"But... what I am certain of, whether this is right or wrong, is that Mount Hua Sect doesn't know of abandoning comrades who fought and shed blood together."
Beopjeong clenched his fists.
There was no wavering in Baek Cheon's voice, no hint of hesitation in his gaze.
"Even if it means making Shaolin our enemy, it doesn't matter. Mount Hua Sect will choose to die together with our comrades instead of abandoning them. That's..."
He declared calmly.
"What Mount Hua Sect has learned from our ancestors a hundred years ago."
As Baek Cheon finished speaking, Chung Myung suddenly looked up at the sky.
'...Dying together.'
A hundred years ago, it was an unbelievably foolish act.
An act filled with nothing but regret.
But now, their descendants were mentioning that past event, claiming to have learned from that past, which they believed was only filled with regret.
'Perhaps we...'
A small smile tugged at the corner of Chung Myung's mouth.
'Perhaps we weren't as foolish as we thought.'
Feigning no anger, Beopjeong spoke with a wry smile.
"Do you have the right to say such a thing, Mount Hua's Righteous Sword?"
"Of course, Master."
The answer came from someone other than Baek Cheon.
"All of Mount Hua Sect's disciples can represent the sect. That's how Mount Hua Sect teaches us."
"...Sect Leader."
Hyun Jong walked over, and upon seeing Hye Yeon still kneeling on his knees, his face hardened.
"Even if Master Hye Yeon is not a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, Mount Hua doesn't distinguish between disciples and colleagues. If you intend to harm him, you should be prepared to face the entire Mount Hua Sect."
As that gentle yet resolute voice echoed, Hye Yeon's shoulders began to trmple.
Unable to bear it any longer, he lowered his head, tear droplets rolling down from his large eyes.
Observing the scene, Master Beopjeong sighed.
"Sect Leader...I suppose it looks like Shaolin is acting foolishly."
"That's not how it is."
"If that's not the case, how dare Shaolin interfere in punishing a disciple of Shaolin? Sect Leader, you will surely come to regret this."
"Ha!"
Suddenly, laughter burst from Chung Myung's lips. Beopjeong asked with an irritated expression,
"...What's so amusing?"
Chung Myung, unable to contain his laughter, shook his shoulders as if he couldn't help it, then lowered his head.
"It seems that you, Master, still don't understand Mount Hua Sect."
"I don't understand?"
Suspicion crossed his face. What more was there to understand or not understand?
Chung Myung laughed for a moment and then kindly explained,
"If you don't know, I'll tell you. Listen carefully. Mount Hua Sect fought against Myriad Manor even when they had nothing. They fought with the Evil Tyrant Alliance until the end, even in the midst of everyone being busy begging for their lives."
"..."
Hearing this, Mount Hua Sect's disciples laughed heartily.
"That's not all. They even fought a full-scale war with Demon Sect a hundred years ago."
"I see, is that how it was?"
"...At this point, isn't being fearless a tradition?"
Watching the Mount Hua Sect disciples suddenly laugh among themselves, Beopjeong couldn't hide his bewildered expression.
"That's what Mount Hua Sect is like."
At that moment, Chung Myung's voice forcibly caught his attention.
"Does Shaolin now seem like a threat to us?"
"..."
"Sorry, but this is a sect full of crazy people who will fight with each other until the very end."
"Cough."
"No, that's enough."
"...He's going too far."
Chung Myung lightly ignored the complaints of the other disciples.
"So, if you want to threaten someone, you should look at who you're dealing with."
The sound of Beopjeong grinding his teeth spread eerily.
"And... just in case, I'll tell you something. Remember this."
Chung Myung's icy gaze pierced Beopjeong.
"In history, there have been factions that faced Shaolin and remained intact. But there has never been a single faction that openly challenged Mount Hua Sect and remained intact."
"..."
"So, don't push it too far with threats, and get out of Mount Hua Sect immediately before my patience runs out."
Beopjeong's face revealed crimson veins. At least now, his face looked more like a devil from hell than a monk who worshipped the Buddha.
"Shaolin... Today's disgrace will not be forgotten."
"Alright."
He looked at Chung Myung, Hyeon Jong, and other Mount Hua Sect disciples, and he seemed to be engraving their faces in his mind as if to remember them. Finally, he turned around without saying a word after briefly glancing at Hye Yeon.
"Mas... Master!"
"Let's go!"
He led Beopkye and walked away, leaving Mount Hua Sect behind.
"Uh..."
Hye Yeon looked at Beopjeong's back with a bewildered gaze. At that moment, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"Jo...Jo Gol Dojang."
"Why are you sitting on the ground with your knees covered in dirt? Get up."
"I..."
Yoon Jong also smiled and held Hye Yeon by the other shoulder, helping him to stand up.
"Our monk has got us into a big mess. It seems like he can't even go back to Shaolin."
Hye Yeon bit his lip.
How could he express this feeling?
"Thank you."
No matter how much he thought about it, this was the only thing he could say.
Baek Cheon patted his shoulder without saying a word and smiled wryly.
Of course, they still had their worries about what would happen next. But...
"There's no reason to hesitate when there's work to be done."
Chung Myung's words and Hyun Jong's words have paved the way in their hearts.
"If it's not right, it's not Mount Hua."
This was the will that the Mount Hua Sect must continue with.