Chapter 1099: The Mount Hua-ification of the Entire Central Plains? (Part 4)

"Bangjang..."

Beopgye swallowed dry saliva and cautiously spoke up.

"I am not unaware of what Bangjang is talking about, but..."

A sharp glare from Beopjeong pierced through Beopgye. The impulse to close his mouth immediately overwhelmed Beopgye, but he soon opened it again. He couldn't postpone his words out of fear. If he did, everything would truly become distorted.

"Bangjang... If you were truly concerned about that situation, wouldn't it have been appropriate to seriously discuss it when the leader of Mount Hua came? Blaming them after everything is over..."

"Discuss?"

The chilling voice that flowed from Beopjeong's mouth interrupted Beopgye's words.

"With whom should I discuss?"

"With Hyun Jong of Mount Hua..."

"That scarecrow?"

Beopjeong closed his eyes tightly. Regardless of the circumstances, it was inappropriate to refer to the leader of another faction as a scarecrow. Even for a small and medium-sized faction, it would be a humiliating expression, let alone for Mount Hua alone.

Beopjeong was well aware of this fact. He, who had been extremely careful in his actions to fit the dignified position of the leader of Shaolin, was none other than Beopjeong.

However, recently, Beopjeong had frequently lost his composure regarding matters related to Mount Hua.

'No...'

A strange light flickered in Beopgye's two eyes. Could the person he knew as Beopjeong really use such an expression toward someone who was merely the leader of Mount Hua, just because of a simple rivalry? Really?

'What am I thinking!'

Beopjeong quickly rejected the suspicion that popped into his mind. It was an unimaginable thing. How could the leader of Shaolin, Beopjeong, who held a dignified position, feel a sense of competition with Hyun Jong, who was nothing more than the leader of Mount Hua?

At that moment, Beopjeong spoke sharply.

"What's the point of discussing with Hyun Jong? Does he even know who is the one deciding the real significant matters in Mount Hua?!"

"...That..."

Beopjeong squashed the suspicion that had come to his mind in an instant. It was utterly unimaginable.

"Hyun Jong may not know. If that man only thinks of himself as a good person, he might not understand what it means for Mount Hua to go south, or how the cunning Paegun will exploit and devour them. One thing!"

Beopjeong ground his teeth.

"That Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword! Do you really think that he headed south because he couldn't predict all of this?"

Beopgye closed his mouth like a clam. Beopjeong openly chuckled.

"That's impossible. Do you think the person who seems to carry ten snakes in his stomach didn't know this situation? He went despite clearly knowing! He knew!"

Even Beopgye couldn't muster the courage to refute these words. Considering the abilities of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword that he had witnessed so far, it was rather strange that he couldn't predict all of this.

"The ones who endlessly discuss righteousness and commoners with their mouths ended up pushing all the people in Gangnam into hell! This was the chance to crush that Evil Tyrant Alliance and liberate Gangnam! And they ruined such a brilliant opportunity like this!"

Beopjeong's face turned crimson. The appearance of the righteous leader who pursued justice just a while ago was nowhere to be found now.

"It's absurd! Absurd! To endure a bit of injustice, to endure a bit of criticism, you could have brought peace to the world! Ruining it like this! Is that the way of Mount Hua?"

It was a scorching rage.

"Moreover!"

Beopjeong's hand, grabbing the edge of his robe, trembled.

"Why did he have to conspire with those Evil Sect bastards to commit such an act!"

"...."

"If Mount Hua had not joined hands with Jang Ilso, and had dealt with all this alone, I might have been angry, but I wouldn't have doubted their sincerity! But! How should I accept the fact that those who advocate justice fought alongside the main force of the Evil Sect? While the souls of those who died at the Black Dragon House and at Plum Blossom Island are still wandering in the sky! Joining hands with the Evil Tyrant Alliance?"

Beopjeong spoke as if he were spitting out fire. Beopgye's body involuntarily trembled at the intensity of the bitter anger.

However, what followed was not a fierce rebuke but a bitter laughter full of disappointment.

"Ha... hahaha..."

Beopjeong suddenly laughed bitterly and lowered his head.

"It's tough... really tough."

"Bangjang."

"People who know nothing will now praise Mount Hua. And they will praise that Jang Ilso as well. They will say they defended the Central Plains against the dreadful Demonic Sect. And they will blame us. They will ask, where were we?"

Beopgye closed his mouth.

Judging by the revealed circumstances, his words were not entirely incorrect. Wasn't it true that there was nothing that the Shaolin did in the chaos of Hangzhou?

No, to be fair, in the recent series of incidents that shook Gangho, Beopgye was confused about what role the Shaolin played.

Always waiting for the situation to mature, stepping back one step, and then repeatedly losing leadership to the Evil Tyrant Alliance or Mount Hua, wasn't that the case?

Beopgye spoke with a somber tone.

"...Bangjang. In my opinion... considering the weight that the name Demonic Sect carries, shouldn't we have acted sooner?"

Beopjeong stared at Beopgye in silence. From the mouth of Beopjeong, who had been pressing Beopgye with such heavy silence for a long time, a voice that sounded like a sigh emerged.

"Do you also think that way?"

"It's not that...."

Beopjeong cut him off with a voice that sank low.

"That's why we had to wait even more."

"...What? Is that..."

"Do you not understand?"

Beopjeong glared at Beopgye as if trying to pierce through him.

"If Mount Hua truly feared the Demonic Sect, if they had been cautious about us, they should not have rushed to Gangnam recklessly. No, to put it more bluntly, they should have naturally joined hands with us, if not bowed their heads to us!"

"But, Bangjang...the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is no longer a small alliance."

"What does that mean?"

Beopjeong ground his teeth.

"Who are those in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance that you mentioned?"

"Well..."

"Sichuan Tang Family, who are rejected by the righteous sects. The Namgung Family, who have lost their power and have nowhere to go! And the sects that are treated as outsiders by the Central Plains, and Mount Hua, driven out of the Ten Great Sects!"

"...."

"Is there really a sect among them that wields significant influence in Kangho?"

"...Not really."

"They are all just putting on airs! All of them!"

Thud!

Beopjeong struck the ground as if expressing his frustration.

"Just because Mount Hua defeated the Southern Edge Sect, did the Southern Edge Sect bow to Mount Hua?"

"...."

"Just because Mount Hua defeated the Wudang Sect, did the Wudang Sect willingly surrender their position to Mount Hua?"

"No, Bangjang."

"That's the limit of a sect like Mount Hua and the limit of an alliance like the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. No matter how much they perform and expand their influence, do you think those prestigious members of the Ten Great Sects, proud and high-minded, will join Mount Hua under any circumstances?"

Beopgye couldn't bring himself to respond to these words.

Could you imagine Shaolin bowing to Mount Hua and the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?

No, such a thing could never happen.

Probably, other sects in the Ten Great Sects were also thinking similarly, unless they were as open-minded and unbothered about face and pride as the Beggar's Union.

"...It's not because I am the sect leader of Shaolin that I have to gather around Shaolin. Do you know why every time there is chaos in the rivers and lakes, Shaolin becomes the center?"

"That's..."

"They only step back when dealing with Shaolin! There's no need to say more. If Namgung Hwang were alive, do you think he would have handed over the leadership position of the Five Great Families and joined the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?"

"..."

"The Heavenly Comrade Alliance cannot unite Kangho as one. Therefore, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is only gathering those who they can easily control to expand their influence. Even though they are aware that such actions are causing a clear division in the Central Plains!"

Beopjeong's shoulders trembled with anger.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, Bangjang."

Beopgye nodded unconsciously.

In truth, there was nothing wrong with Beopjeong's words.

No matter how much one thinks about it, the sight of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance subduing the prestigious members of the Ten Great Sects in Kangho is unimaginable. Ultimately, as the Heavenly Comrade Alliance becomes stronger, Gangbuk will be clearly divided into two forces: the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and the Righteous Sects.

Moreover, these two forces were already accumulating strong resentment against each other, weren't they? Even without citing the example of Shaolin, from the beginning, Mount Hua and the Ten Great Sects had a relationship where emotions couldn't be good. As they kept burying things that should have been resolved long ago, wounds festered and rotted away.

"Do you think they don't know that fact?"

"..."

"Do you think there is a place for Ten Great Sects in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance they imagine?"

"That's..."

"But how long should I show mercy to them? How long should I consider them as people to be embraced? Even Buddha did not show mercy to Mara. Yet, how far should I endure when I, who cannot fully adhere to that profound meaning, should show compassion to them?"

A fiery light appeared in Beopjeong's eyes.

Initially, Beopjeong was the one who confirmed the potential of Mount Hua and supported them. And Mount Hua exceeded his expectations. Therefore, it was he who sent Hye Yeon, who was naturally timid and had weaknesses, to them to learn their passion.

Although Mount Hua occasionally showed movements that he did not like, it was a law that appropriate indulgence should be allowed to those with abilities. Therefore, he tried to deal with them with patience rather than condemnation.

However...

'I can no longer overlook their provocations.'

If Buddhism tried to resolve everything with mercy, there wouldn't be something like the disciplinary knife (戒刀) to punish those who violated the rules.

Rotten shoots must be cut off.

Otherwise, even the healthy shoots will decay. Already, the rotten shoot called Mount Hua has created numerous diseases. If the division continued to accelerate like this, let alone the Demonic Sect, they might not even be able to handle the Evil Tyrant Alliance right away.

"...They don't even realize they're playing with fire."

Beopjeong bit his lips tightly. Eventually, thick blood began to seep from his lips.

"I should have heard those words back then."

"Bangjang?"

"No."

Beopjeong shook his head.

"Letting it go like this will make it uncontrollable. Summon Beggar's Union. We need to investigate the part where Heavenly Comrade Alliance joined forces with the Evil Tyrant Alliance."

"At a time like this?"

Surprised, Beopgye asked, and Beopjeong just glared at him with cold eyes. Eventually, Beopgye stood up and bowed his head.

"I will do so."

"Hurry."

"Yes!"

Beopgye rushed outside.

Left alone, Beopjeong slowly turned his head and stared at the burning lantern. Even though there was no wind in the room, the lantern kept swaying. It seemed as if his inner turmoil was being revealed.

"Mount Hua... Chung Myung."

Thud.

Beopjeong, who clenched his fist as if it were about to burst, soon exhaled a long breath. Then, as if trying to calm his mind, he reached out and lightly grabbed the fallen wooden stool.

Creak.

At that moment, the stool stained with his handprint split in two.

Beopjeong stared at the split stool for a while. From his mouth, which had been silent for a long time, a bitter laughter escaped.

"Huh... Haha."

The lantern swayed more violently.

"Haha... Hahahahahahah. Hahahahahahaha!"

In the empty room where no one approached, the powerless laughter of an old monk echoed endlessly.