Chapter 1169: Was I Really Wrong? (Part 4)

Jubuk. Jubuk.

Slowly, Beopjeong emerged from the manor of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, raised his head to gaze at the sky.

He wanted to see the bright moon, but unfortunately, it was obscured by clouds.

Beopjeong sighed in disappointment and shook his head.

'But clouds are bound to drift away someday.'

No matter how thick the clouds may be, they cannot permanently conceal the moonlight. If you patiently wait, the moon will reveal itself again, and eventually, when dawn comes, the sun will rise—it's the nature of the world.

"Bangjang."

Jonglihyung spoke as if in admiration, opening his mouth.

"I truly admire Bangjang's insight."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes, Bangjang. I never expected you to make such a proposal to the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Even if it doesn't materialize, who could refuse an offer from the Ten Great Sects that grants authority comparable to Shaolin?"

"It will materialize."

"Yes. Actually... Yes? What did you say?"

Beopjeong replied calmly.

"I haven't spoken a single falsehood there. All the proposals I made will come to fruition."

"B-Bangjang. Mount Hua..."

"Mount Hua has the qualifications for that. They've already proven their qualifications."

"..."

"And..."

Beopjeong slowly nodded.

"This should have happened long ago. Even if others don't know, don't we know?"

"...But Bangjang, isn't that just a matter of our ancestors?"

"I, too, have been saying that, avoiding it with excuses. But looking back now, it's truly an excuse that doesn't seem like an excuse. It's enough to make my face turn red involuntarily."

"..."

Jonglihyung, now silent, stared at Beopjeong with a speechless expression. Beopjeong smiled at him.

"If I wanted to completely separate the affairs of our ancestors from the present, it would have been right to relinquish the glory achieved by them. I don't want to take responsibility for what our ancestors did, but as the leader of the Ten Great Sects, I want to fully enjoy those rights. Isn't that an audacious thing?"

"That, that's true, but..."

"I will not only implement what I proposed to Mount Hua but also restore their lost honor. We should talk about what they did for the world in the past."

"...Then why didn't you say that inside?"

"That is not something to be used as a condition. Speaking as if it were a burden to do what is obvious is also nothing but shameful."

Jonglihyung looked at Beopjeong as if he couldn't understand.

"But Bangjang, there will be resistance."

"No, there won't be. If Mount Hua and Shaolin acknowledge each other, no sect in the Ten Great Sects will easily resist. Wudang has lost their right to speak, and Southern Edge... well, Southern Edge has also lost a lot of their standing in their long Bongmun."

"..."

"Other sects have nothing to lose, so there's no reason for them to stand against Mount Hua and us. Simply put, Mount Hua will fill the vacancy left by Southern Island and take the role of Wudang who have lost their legitimacy."

"...Depending on how you think about it, it could be possible."

Indeed, there remained a doubt about whether things would go as smoothly as Beopjeong suggested, but Jonglihyung chose not to articulate that fact.

In truth, it wasn't that he didn't want to point it out, but rather, it was difficult to do so.

Beopjeong was never an easy person to deal with from the start, but the current Beopjeong felt different from what he knew.

Wasn't it safe to say that, in the entire world, very few could easily voice their opinions in front of the current Beopjeong?

"So, are we really going to..."

"Yes, we must."

Beopjeong nodded quietly.

"It's not to take from them but to reconcile with them. Mount Hua has already proven itself worthy of creating the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and becoming the leader of various sects. If we don't treat such a sect appropriately, it will only become another seed of discord."

"..."

"We need to unite our strength to stop them, don't we? In the face of that righteousness, pride and rights are all trivial matters."

"...Bangjang's words are more than reasonable."

Jonglihyung nodded his head.

In truth, they had nothing to lose. It might be a bit tough for a sect that used to be ignored to receive treatment greater than the actual power it had, but...

'There's no way not to acknowledge their achievements.'

In the end, everyone would come to accept it.

"I think I misunderstood you a bit, Bangjang."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Bangjang. Honestly... I've been thinking that you might view them as adversaries because of Mount Hua, fearing they would shake Shaolin's position."

"Shaolin, Shaolin..."

Beopjeong shook his head.

"Shaolin is where I reside, but Shaolin itself cannot be my purpose. Shaolin is merely a temple. It should serve the role of spreading the Dharma and saving sentient beings."

"I'm not clever enough to understand what you mean."

"What meaning does Shaolin have if the Central Plains collapses? It will all go up in smoke anyway."

Jonglihyung, even after hearing that, briefly closed his mouth as if he found it perplexing.

"Anyway, it was a really remarkable strategy. It will be difficult for them to reject this proposal. Who else could think of such a thing if not Bangjang?"

"Remarkable..."

Beopjeong again nods.

"That's not it, Sect Leader."

"Yes?"

"What's remarkable is not me but Mount Hua."

"Isn't that a bit too modest?"

"No, it's not. Think about it. If the leader of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance wasn't Mount Hua, could I have made such a proposal to them?"

"That's..."

Beopjeong chuckled lightly.

"It'd be impossible. What sect in the world could create a force that surpasses the Five Great Families and rivals the power of the Ten Great Sects, and sits in the head of the throne, but would they give up that position just because of the pretext of justice and righteousness?"

Jonglihyung unconsciously nodded.

If Jonglihyung were in Hyun Jong's position, would he have listened to Beopjeong's proposal? Absolutely not. He would have immediately stood up and left upon hearing words that held no value.

"Only because it's Mount Hua, they were willing to listen to me. Only because it's Mount Hua, they are considering my proposal. So, what's remarkable is not me but Mount Hua, which allowed these words to come from my mouth."

Beopjeong spoke sincerely.

"I already knew this from before. It's a fact I was already aware of. Even so, consumed by my pride and greed, I couldn't see them properly... I brought this whole situation on myself."

"Is that possible? Who wouldn't recognize Bangjang's efforts for the world?"

"If the direction is wrong, everything is wrong."

Beopjeong spoke softly and looked back at the sky.

"It's not too late to correct it. The fact that even correcting it relies on their generosity is just shameful."

A sigh escaped Beopjeong's lips.

If it were another sect, as Jonglihyung said, they wouldn't have bothered to listen to Beopjeong. There was no need to go far. Just yesterday, if Hyun Jong had come and laid out a similar story, Beopjeong would have openly disdained him and issued an order to send him out. 

That's why he came here with the mindset that even if he had to endure insults and humiliation, it was all his fault. Yet, instead of cursing him, they took his words seriously and pondered over them.

'It's bitter.'

He did what needed to be done. However, the bitterness in what needed to be done was none other than the attitude of those people.

"Bangjang, do you think they will accept the proposal?"

"Probably."

Beopjeong's head nodded slowly.

"No, they must. If not, a real crisis will come."

The defeat of the Evil Tyrant Alliance was not the end.

Even Bangjang now believed that the Demonic Cult would return.

He acknowledged that Chung Myung was superior to himself, so there was no reason not to believe what he said.

While their viewpoints may diverge due to their different positions, it was crucial not to mock the concerns of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword for being foolish and ignorant.

"Well... But, Bangjang."

"Yes?"

Jonglihyung glanced at Beopjeong and cautiously opened his mouth.

"If... it's unlikely, but if they happen to reject Bangjang's proposal... What do you plan to do then?"

"That won't happen."

"But there's a saying, 'one in a thousand, one in ten thousand.'"

A sigh escaped from Beopjeong's lips.

"If that happens, then I must have misunderstood them. Either they are people who are so attached to small things that they cannot see the big picture, or..."

"..."

"But I believe they won't do that. Their hearts are sincere in working for the world. There is no room for any doubt in that. The Sect Leader of Mount Hua, Hyun Jong, and the Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword, all of them are excellent individuals."

Jonglihyung thought for a moment and cautiously spoke.

"I still think Bangjang, you are overestimating them."

"I just hope it's not the case."

Beopjeong turned his head and looked at the tranquil garden.

'Now they have to contemplate.'

It might not be an easy contemplation.

They were also human. Destroying the foundation they had built called Heavenly Comrade Alliance which they had worked so hard to construct would be by no means easy.

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance embodied their ideals. Letting go of those ideals would be a more painful process than Beopjeong letting go of his own delusions and pride.

It was so difficult as it seemed impossible to ask anyone to let go willingly.

But even so, Beopjeong hoped that they would make the right choice.

'The Central Plains must not be divided.'

Otherwise, they would not be able to withstand the successive invasions of the Evil Tyrant Alliance and the Demonic Cult.

And... Beopjeong was convinced.

If they did not accept this proposal and continued to recklessly engage in foolish actions, eventually, they would pay the price for that recklessness.

And that would be an irreparable loss for Kangho, who must stop the consecutive invasions of the Evil Tyrant Alliance and the Demonic Cult.

Chung Myung had the strength and scheming to shake the world, and Beopjeong had the ability and resourcefulness to fully utilize the sword called Chung Myung.

Even if Chung Myung created a plan, he wouldn't be able to control the Southern Edge Sect or the Wudang Sect as he pleased. However, Beopjeong was a person who had the power to press the noses of those prestigious sects and make them follow Chung Myung's orders.

If Chung Myung and Mount Hua stood at the forefront, with Beopjeong and Shaolin assisting them, and if all the sects in the world unquestionably followed them, what was there to fear, whether it was the Evil Tyrant Alliance or the Demonic Cult?

'For you, the best choice is to join hands with me. Don't forget that your luck won't always be with you forever. Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.'

Beopjeong closed his eyes.

A low sigh escaped his lips. Beopjeong opened his eyes, but the moon remained obscured behind the clouds.

"The weather is cloudy."

"They say rain will come for a few days."

"...Yes, it seems so. But after these few days pass, the bright moon will rise again, won't it?"

Uttering these words, Beopjeong slowly moved his feet away from the manor. He had done everything he could; now all that was left was to wait. Even though a day of waiting felt like a year, it was what needed to be done.

"Let's go. There will be much to do in advance."

"Yes, Bangjang."

The two of them started walking. The thickening clouds in the sky made the already darkened manor even darker.

In the profound silence, not even a breath could be heard.

[I skipped Chapter 1170 by accident, so head to the 340th release if you want to read it. It's not integral to the plot, so you can also just skip it for now and read it later.]