Chapter 1177: I Have Something To Say (Part 2)

Several people were gathered in the room.

The Sect Leader of Mount Hua, Hyun Jong, and the elders of Mount Hua.

And Tang Gunak, who held the position of the vice leader of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

The four of them were staring sternly at one person.

However, the one receiving those gazes, Chung Myung, was just smiling brightly.

"Really...."

Hyun Jong, as if his words were stuck, cleared his throat and asked again.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes. What's the big deal."

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.

"In fact, the answer was decided from the beginning, wasn't it?"

"Even so...."

"Does Sect Leader have a different opinion?"

Hyun Jong sighed deeply and exhaled.

"...My thoughts are not that different."

"Yes. If my thoughts and Sect Leader's thoughts are the same, there is nothing more to think about."

Chung Myung's gaze turned to Tang Gunak.

"I apologize to the Tang family head."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

Tang Gunak shook his head.

"The Tang family has not suffered any losses. Thanks to you and Mount Hua, the status of the Tang family is now twice as high as it was at the time of the Five Great Families."

Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung with eyes full of kindness.

"And it's not just the status. The Tang family in Sichuan, who had only thought about the benefits of their own family in Sichuan, has learned what consitutes a righteous sect, thanks to you and Mount Hua. This is an invaluable experience that cannot be exchanged for anything else."

"Well, I'm a bit embarrassed."

"No, you should be proud...."

"In fact, to be honest, the Tang family in Sichuan had some aspects like that. Selfish and vicious. Ugh, just thinking about it."

"...."

Tang Gunak's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"...Anyways."

"Yes."

A small sigh escaped from his lips.

"The other sect leaders have also said that they would fully follow Mount Hua's decision, so there should be no opposition. But I have one thing I want to ask."

"Yes."

"Are you really okay with that?"

"...."

Tang Gunak asked with a more serious expression.

"That may be the more righteous path, but the decision to give up everything you've accomplished so far is no small matter. Even if Mount Hua regains the title of the Ten Great Sects, even if it attains a position equal to that of Shaolin or other major sects, those are just words."

Chung Myung fell silent.

"Wasn't what you've been working towards more than just status?"

"Well, yes, but... It's okay."

As those words ended, Hyun Young, who had been sitting with a sullen face, muttered, "What's okay? Damn it," and grumbled under his breath, but bit his lip after seeing Hyun Sang's fierce expression.

"I understand. Equal status, the Ten Great Sects. What's the meaning of those words? In reality, it's like giving cash and receiving a promissory note. No matter how large the amount on the promissory note is, it could turn into a scrap of paper overnight, right?"

"I'm well aware. But why?"

"Originally, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance wasn't the goal but the means."

Chung Myung shrugged.

"Mount Hua didn't create the Heavenly Comrade Alliance because it wanted to become a great place. We came together under the name of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance because we wanted to protect even one more person. But giving up a safer path just because of attachment to that means is like an actor losing the plot."

"Do you trust Beopjeong?"

"Of course not."

Chung Myung stated matter-of-factly.

"I believe in myself and Mount Hua. And the other sects under the name of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Do you think I'd politely listen to what that big, bald guy thinks? Nonsense. He has no head!"

"...."

With a confident smile, Chung Myung continued.

"So, for now, let's go in. It's better to be under the roof of a house you don't like in a downpour than to stand in a field."

Tang Gunak shook his head.

"The more I hear, the less I understand."

"What do you mean?"

"The Heavenly Comrade Alliance was our roof, wasn't it?"

"...."

Tang Gunak met Chung Myung's gaze directly.

"It's contradictory. If this continues, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance could claim that it can give up everything for the sake of righteousness. It could be praised for making a decisive decision for the future of Kangho. But won't we end up losing something we shouldn't lose?"

Chung Myung closed his eyes without a response.

"I think what we shared within the Heavenly Comrade Alliance wasn't just power. Haven't we seen something beyond that? But now, choosing only to become stronger and safer...."

Chung Myung slowly opened his eyes again.

His gaze was infinitely sunken.

"I've been feeling it for a while now."

"...What are you saying?"

"Perhaps I'm just running towards a predetermined outcome and simply ignoring that outcome."

Tang Gunak fell silent. The weight contained in Chung Myung's words was too heavy. 

"Parents hope their children grow up right. They hope they don't yield to injustice, maintain integrity, and become someone who knows how to help the weak."

"Indeed."

"But no parent would want their child to die for someone else."

"...."

"While shedding tears over what has already happened, you might receive praise for doing well. However, no one would let their child jump into a fire pit to save others."

Tang Gunak closed his eyes.

He seemed to understand what Chung Myung wanted to say.

"But at some point, I found myself pushing Mount Hua and its disciples into that pit. As Mount Hua's cries grew louder, as Mount Hua became even more formidable, the more in danger it became."

Chung Myung shrugged.

"Of course, it's not just Mount Hua; the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is the same. For example, like that."

"...I know."

"At some point, I began to dream of that. Defeating the Evil Tyrant Alliance, defeating the Heavenly Demon, defeating everyone, and finally bringing peace to Kangho. A moment when everyone can be happy."

"Isn't that what we all desire?"

"But there is no Mount Hua there."

"...."

"Mount Hua, Tang Family, Namgung Family....Nokrim and both Outer Palaces. No one."

Chung Myung looked up at the ceiling with a heavy expression.

"In the end, it turned out well. Everyone protected what they wanted to protect and achieved what they wanted to achieve. But... I couldn't laugh at that."

His voice was calm, yet strangely desperate.

"Because nothing changed. It's the same result."

It was a statement that was hard to understand. But the emotions contained within were vividly apparent—the deep bitterness and regret.

"I've just been doing what I wanted to do, but at some point, Mount Hua has become a formidable sect upholding righteousness. And everyone suddenly thinks they have to risk their lives for the sake of that righteousness."

"You..."

"What's at the end of that?"

Tang Gunak couldn't bring himself to answer.

"Incidents like the Hangzhou Rebellion will happen again and again in the future. Each time, it'll be because of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, because of Mount Hua, because of Tang Family. It'll become natural to go to the front and fight the fiercest."

At those words, Tang Gunak couldn't help but nod his head.

No matter how much he wished to deny it, hadn't everything in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance already started to lean in that direction?

"Then someday, we might face an outcome where others enjoy everything we've preserved through our sacrifices."

That was the path Mount Hua had taken in the past.

Chung Myung had regretted it keenly, vowing never to repeat the same mistakes.

But wasn't it ironic? Despite all his resentment and regret, Chung Myung, too, was walking the same path.

As he understood Cheon Mun's questions and the past better, his choices also resembled those of the past Mount Hua.

And he was afraid that the result might be the same too.

"So what?"

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders again.

"If I were truly a great leader, I might be okay with it. But to be honest, I'm a narrow-minded and selfish guy. I can't stand seeing others enjoy what we've achieved through our hard work. I just need to become a bit more cowardly."

"You..."

"That would be right."

Chung Myung smirked.

"Those damn guys won't budge even if we tell them to move their bodies now. They won't fight as much as others want them to. So, I have to stop them. Make it less dangerous, less difficult."

"But... didn't you say that by doing that, we can't defeat the Demonic Cult?"

"I might find another way. In the first place, there was no answer from the beginning."

"Irresponsible."

"I know."

Chung Myung sighed.

"But this is my limit. It's getting harder. I have to discuss it with that big baldie. He may not be trustworthy, but he might see aspects of the situation better than I do."

Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung with heavy, sinking eyes.

"...You've become an adult."

"It sounds like I've become cowardly."

"If it's a compliment, then it's a compliment. Because you can't live by ambition alone forever."

A bitter smile formed on Chung Myung's lips.

The answer came easily. He simply looked back on what he wanted to protect the most.

What he wanted to protect was not righteousness, not the Central Plains, not the world, but Mount Hua and Mount Hua's disciples. And the future of Mount Hua.

Wasn't it Chung Myung who had vehemently disagreed with Cheon Mun's words that to protect the future of Mount Hua, they had to protect the world?

But at some point, he, too, was on the same path as Chung Myung. Now, he had to change that path.

"Does Maengju-nim have the same thoughts?"

"I'm just a small person."

Hyun Jong shook his head.

"It is as Chung Myung said. I wouldn't dare call myself the parent of those children, but in this world, what parent would wish for their child's blood to bring peace to the world?"

"...."

"I just hope that the blood spilled by those children will be a little less. Even if the price of their choices means others will shed more blood... That's the burden of guilt I have to bear."

"I understand. Completely."

Tang Gunak closed his eyes and nodded.

They had to protect the common people and the world. But just as the Tang Family was to Tang Gunak, the disciples of Mount Hua were also the ones they had to protect.

Perhaps more precious than anyone else in the world.

Discussing righteousness while endangering those who may be more precious than everything in the world might be the futile act of someone submerged in ideals.

That's why Tang Gunak understood their words. Both of them were individuals who thought of Mount Hua in such a frightening manner that they had no choice but to make this decision.

"I understand both of your intentions."

Nothing much would change.

It was just entering a larger enclosure. There, Mount Hua, now part of the Ten Great Sects, would be present. The Tang Family, who would join the Five Great Families, along with the Namgung Family and the newly formed central sects, and Nokrim, will be there as well.

Even if their name changed, their bonds wouldn't disappear.

So, only one thing would change.

"All right, then."

With a slightly bitter expression, Tang Gunak finally separated his lips, which had been tightly pressed together.

"The Heavenly Comrade Alliance ends here."

Everyone who heard those words simply closed their eyes.

As if they couldn't bear to look at each other's faces.