Chapter 1193: Why Is This Happening? (Part 3)

Rumors spread faster than the wind. And some rumors spread even faster than that.

The rumor that Baek Cheon, who had become the Deputy Sect Leader of Mount Hua, rejected the proposal from the Beopjeong spread like wildfire, sweeping through the entire Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

It was, of course, a bewildering development. Baek Cheon was not an inadequate person to fill the position of Sect Leader, but Hyun Jong held an unwavering position as the Sect Leader within Mount Hua.

Usually, in any group, it is a basic principle not to change the leader when the momentum is good. But Mount Hua, which had been expanding its influence with a formidable momentum, had suddenly undergone such a drastic change. Where could the reason for this sudden change be found?

"What?"

Some were shocked.

"Oh, no, why?"

Some were perplexed.

"What on earth...?"

Some worried.

The reactions were diverse, but there was a common thread of shock and concern running through them all.

The fact that Mount Hua led the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was something that everyone in the alliance acknowledged. There was reason to worry whether the sudden changes in Mount Hua would not also affect the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

But no matter how great the shock they received...it couldn't compare to the sudden lightning bolt that struck the disciples of Mount Hua.

They had comfortably gone to bed and woke up to find their sect leader had changed.

The disciples of Mount Hua stood dumbfounded, looking at each other.

Other disciples from various sects passed by quickly, whispering to each other. Normally, they might not have paid much attention, but today, the situation was different, and even the hushed whispers bothered them.

"Well, then..."

Chung Hwa asked with a bewildered expression.

"What's going to happen now?"

"What do you mean...?"

"Isn't it obvious? Baek Cheon Sasuk has become the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, right?"

"Oh, no, are you just going to end it like that, casually saying, 'That's how it is now'? It's a change of Sect Leader, isn't it?"

"...Originally, it wouldn't be like this."

"Even if Mount Hua is a sect without a proper lineage..."

"This bastard! Calling Mount Hua a sect without a lineage! Our lineage is solid! We were just going through a tough time."

"Either way..."

"It's different!"

Chung Hwa, with a raised voice, turned her head to look at Baek Hyun.

"And... if the position of Sect Leader were to change, shouldn't it go to the Un Am Sasukjo, not Baek Cheon Sasuk? Then, what's going to happen to the Un Am Sasukjo?"

"...I don't know. It's what the Sect Leader did, so shouldn't they have discussed it with each other?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

Everyone's expressions became complex and strangely changed.

It wasn't a bad thing, they knew. After all, wasn't Baek Cheon always meant to be a person who would eventually surpass the Sect Leader? The problem was the timing and the order, but no one objected to Baek Cheon becoming the Sect Leader. It was just that a slightly, very slightly different situation had arisen from what they had expected.

However, those small differences were causing quite a bit of confusion.

"Excuse me...Um... well...."

"Yes?"

Impyeong tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

"Then Sect Leader... No, the former Sect Leader... No, not that, but Hyun Jong-jin... Uh, not that either...."

Baek Hyun closed his eyes tightly.

"Let's just call him the Sect Leader for now."

"And what about Baek Cheon Sasuk?"

"...Let's call him Vice Sect Leader."

"But that's against the formalities..."

"Let's just go with that for now!"

"Why are you getting angry?"

"Argh, geez!"

Impyeong quickly opened his mouth again.

"Then... what about the Sect Leader? Now that he's given up the position of Sect Leader."

"He becomes the Great Sect Leader."

"Great Sect Leader?"

"Yes."

Baek Hyun nodded, providing additional information.

"Predecessors who pass on the position of Sect Leader are referred to by the title 'Great (太上).' So, the Sect Leader becomes Great Sect Leader, and the elders become Great Elders."

"Ah...."

Impyeong remained silent, seeming to ponder something, then suddenly furrowed his brow as if he had come to a conclusion.

"No, Sasuk, then... Great Sect Leader refers to the senior position above the Sect Leader, right? Like Great Sasuk[?] or Great Elder."

"That's right."

"Then what about the disciples of Un generation?"

"...Huh?"

"So what do we call them? They're neither Elders nor Great Elders...."

"That... um... uh?"

Baek Hyun scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"...Could they become Great elders? That's... um... Usually, the terms Great Elder or Great Sect Leader are used to address senior Sect Leaders and Elders, but they also indicate a position one level higher than the Sect Leader... I guess?"

"Then what about the current Sect Leader? Earlier, you said the Sect Leader would become Great Sect Leader, right?"

"That... um... then the Sect Leader would become Great Great Sect Leader, I suppose?"

"Huh?"

"Great great, this rascal! Great great!" [idk lol]

"...Great Great Sect Leader?"

"Well, um..."

Impyeong's gaze became cloudy. There was a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Is that really a proper title that already exists?"

"It's it really there! Why wouldn't it be?"

"Hmm…."

Im Pyeong nodded with a face that seemed to concede for the time being.

"But, Sasuk, then."

"Yes?"

"Does this mean every time the generation goes up by one, one more 'Great' character gets added?"

"As far as I know…"

"Then, if Yoon Jong inherits the position of Sect Leader and Sect Leader is still alive then, should we call him Great Great Great Sect Leader?"

"…"

Baek Hyun covered his face with both hands. Words that he never wanted to say under normal circumstances inevitably slipped out.

"What kind of dog lineage is this…"

"...You said our lineage was solid."

"It's solid, you bastard! Solid! Which martial arts sect in the world has three people be Sect Leader in one generation! Where in the world is there a lineage as solid as this!"

"Do you really mean solid?"

"Ugh…."

"Ah, this…."

At that moment, Chung Hwa, who had been silent, spoke again.

"Well, but…"

"What now?"

"Oh, nothing. I understand the rules, but something seems strange. According to what you said, doesn't the 'Great' character signify 'former' or 'senior'?"

"It's more a sign of respect than 'former'…"

"Then, what about Un Am Sasukjo?"

"…Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I mean, for the elders, they automatically become elders, so you just add one 'Great' character at a time. But Un Am Sasukjo has never taken the position of Sect Leader, so wouldn't it be wrong to call them Great Sect Leader?"

"…"

"Then, in our Mount Hua, we have Great Great Sect Leader, but we don't have Great Sect Leader?"

"…"

"But if Un Am Sasukjo is a Great Elder...you can't call the Sect Leader Great Sect Leader."

His mind became a mess. Baek Hyun urgently turned his head. This was not a problem he was supposed to organize. Wasn't there someone else who organized things like this?

"Sasuk! Please do something about this… Huh? Sasuk?"

Baek Hyun chuckled. Baek Sang, who was supposed to be organizing things, was sitting in a corner with a blank expression.

Why is that guy acting like that again?

"Sasuk?"

"Well, that…"

"What?"

"What does it matter, you guys…"

The soul escaped from Baek Sang's mouth.

"At this age… At this age, I became an elder… At this age…"

"…"

"The guys from our neighboring sects are all aging in reverse… Why am I the only one who became an elder… Only me…"

"Ahem."

With a sense of sympathy, Baek Hyun coughed quietly.

"Ah, well... It's not all that bad..."

"No, now that Mount Hua's reputation is rising, our name will gradually spread throughout the world. If someone hears of Elder Baek Sang from Mount Hua, what might they think..."

"Wow, Sahyung! Since you're a Taoist, won't they immediately conjure an image of a wise white-haired gentleman? Haha, how dignified!"

Excitedly shouting, Baek Hyun suddenly lowered his gaze, feeling a piercing stare from Baek Sang, who seemed ready to kill.

Only after hearing Baek Sang's words did the disciples of the Baek generation realize the predicament they were in, causing them to sigh one by one.

"An elder..."

"I haven't even married yet..."

"Exactly. If I become an elder, will I ever get a wife?"

"I'd hate that even if it were me..."

The eyes of the still hopeful disciples of Mount Hua were moist with tears.

"What's a Taoist doing with marriage?"

"Hey! Mount Hua allows marriage!"

"Really. Chung Myung's going to foam at the mouth and flip over. That guy seems to think this place is Wudang's hut or something."

"Well, the rules of our sect are like that, but why..."

"Excuse me."

At that moment, Gwak Hye subtly raised his hand, and all eyes turned to him.

"Um... I think you might be overlooking an important fact."

"Hmm? What is it?"

"...When a native disciple gets married, don't they have to set up a household on Mount Hua? They can't leave the mountain gate."

"Right. That's just common sense."

"Do you have the confidence to set up a newlywed household with Chung Myung around?"

"..."

For a moment, all the Baek disciples were speechless and looked slightly upward. And in a short time, they many possible futures flashed through their minds.

Lowering their heads simultaneously, they smiled with satisfaction.

"Let's give up."

"It's a bad idea."

"Marrying is just accumulating sins."

Should people who were supposed to be Taoists drag innocent people into this situation? Even if there was someone open-minded who understood it all, it was still a problem. After all, who would enjoy the sight of their partner rolling around on the dirt floor like a puppy?

"What's the meaning of the rules when reality is like this..."

"It's noisy."

Baek Hyun impatiently waved his hand with a disgruntled expression. Then, he redirected the topic to another area.

"That aside, where is the Sahyung that caused all this? He should come and explain something by now."

"Who? Baek Cheon Sahyung?"

"Yeah. That... Ugh. Sect Leader now."

"If it's Baek Cheon Sahyung, he's probably by now..."

Guak Hye, with an expression as if imagining something, looked into the distance.

"If he's Baek Cheon Sahyung, he's probably paying a heavy price for what he did."

"...Surrounded by a pack of demons?"

"Isn't that likely?"

Baek Hyun nodded slowly, as if imagining something.

There was no way those devils would leave him alone.

He sighed softly and glanced at the other disciples. Their faces were a mix of excitement, worry, and concern.

Speaking in place of the absent Baek Sang, Baek Hyun said.

"As you all understand, Sect Leader has not yet made a definitive statement. Since Sect Leader is not one to hide anything from his disciples, he will surely provide a clear explanation of what we need to know and the reasons behind it."

"Yes, Sasuk."

"Yes, Sahyung."

"So stop playing around unnecessarily, you lot. Our conversations among ourselves might not be a problem, but we're not the only ones here, right? We don't need to give the impression that we're confused and indecisive for no reason. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes."

"Good. Everyone disperse."

"Yes!"

As everyone scattered, Baek Hyun sighed and turned his head.

"Sahyung."

"Why am I become a financial advisor... No, why..."

"Ah! Someone might think you're from the Beggar's Union! Pull yourself together and let's go!"

"What on earth is that guy thinking..."

Dragging the disheveled Baek Sang along, Baek Hyun smiled subtly.

'Baek Cheon Sahyung as the Sect Leader.'

That, too, was unsettling. It wasn't that they didn't trust Baek Cheon, but for them, the only Sect Leader of Mount Hua was Hyun Jong.

Yet, amidst those concerns, one emotion was unmistakably rising. It was an inevitable development.

'Mount Hua might become a bit more interesting.'

He could be quietly confident about that. Perhaps other disciples were having similar thoughts.