Chapter 631: Chapter 1519: This Isn't My Fault? (Part 4)
"Then, is everything roughly over now?"
"Well... it seems like that?"
"...I'm exhausted."
After Shaolin left, a sense of relief surged even more. The situation was not completely settled yet, but at least now there shouldn't be a need to fight for their lives. At that moment, Yoon Jong tilted his head as if something bothered him.
"However... don't you feel like we've forgotten something, Sasuk?"
"Forgotten? What are you talking about?"
"No, I mean... It feels like we forgot something even though we didn't..."
Yoon Jong, pondering with a troubled expression, suddenly raised his head. His usually slender eyes widened like full moons. [omg eye reveal]
"Huh?"
Everyone turned to him, asking why.
"Why are you like that?"
"So, Sohyeop?"
"Huh?"
"Where is Sohyeop? Lee Songbaek Sohyeop!"
"Eh?"
Baek Cheon's eyes widened in an instant.
"Weren't you fighting together?"
"Yes! We fought together until the collapse of the headquarters!"
"Then when did he disappear?"
"Well, after the headquarters collapsed..."
The gazes of the bewildered disciples of the Mount Hua Sect turned to the ground.
The remnants of the collapsed headquarters. As they stared at the scene that couldn't be described adequately, everyone looked at each other. Unconsciously, warm smiles appeared on everyone's faces.
"Ohhh! Sohyeop!"
"Dig! Dig quickly! People are dying!"
"...Honestly, I think he's already dead..."
"Don't say unfortunate things and dig quickly, you rascal! Oh, Sohyeop!"
The disciples of the Mount Hua Sect went mad, flipping over the debris.
A moment later, Lee Songbaek, covered in soot, stared blankly ahead as if something had escaped from him.
Everyone couldn't bring themselves to meet his gaze and turned their eyes away. Lee Songbaek spoke.
"...But still."
"..."
"We fought together risking our lives."
"..."
"To forget so easily."
"Well, that's..."
Baek Cheon, sweating coldly, made excuses.
"It's strange... It felt like we were together, but..."
"Perhaps it was a sense of togetherness in our hearts?"
"Yeah, right? The internal sense of unity was strong..."
Lee Songbaek, who was staring at the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect offering feeble excuses, looked at the flawless sky.
'If only those Mount Hua guys had all perished...'
He somehow felt like he knew where and how Southern Edge's deep-rooted hatred of the Mount Hua Sect came from.
"Ahem. Anyway... Are you okay?"
"Yoon Jong Dojang."
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
Amidst the swirling dust, Lee Songbaek, who looked like a ghost covered in soot, expressed his gratitude with dignity. Yoon Jong asked, slightly confused.
"Huh? Why all of a sudden..."
"I should be grateful. If Yoon Jong Dojang hadn't remembered me, I probably would have been buried down there without a word."
"..."
"How can I repay you for saving my life?"
The disciples of the Mount Hua Sect solemnly lowered their heads in embarrassment and desperately exchanged glances.
'Don't you think someone has changed a bit since the beginning?'
'Actually, that's quite common.'
'He got a bit twisted, didn't he?'
'Weren't you the same?'
But no one could say a word.
As Lee Songbaek had said, if they had simply forgotten and left without remembering him buried under the heavy central pillar, what would have happened?
Perhaps Lee Songbaek would have become a vengeful spirit here. And until the day his life... no, until his afterlife(?) ended, he would have cursed Mount Hua.
"In the first place..."
"Ah! You talk a lot! Just being alive is enough!"
"..."
"In the end, as long as you didn't die! Anyway, these days, when something happens, they're all busy whining, right? Huh? When I was fighting, even if I lost an arm or a leg, I just shook it off and went to eat. Tsk tsk."
At that moment, something welled up in Lee Songbaek's eyes as he looked at Chung Myung.
"...Wow. Please calm down, Sohyeop. Take your hand off the sword."
"That's right. Didn't I tell you not to have too high expectations for that guy?"
"Amitabha. Honestly, this is a mess."
A deep sigh came from Lee Songbaek's mouth.
When he thought of the touching scene of the martial brothers' reunion standing on the rubble that covered him, it made swinging a sword seem insufficient.
But what could be done? They didn't know.
Taking a sigh and calming his mind, Baek Cheon spoke with a serious expression.
"Anyway, Sohyeop. Thank you sincerely."
"Yes?"
His respectful demeanor left no room for breach of etiquette.
"Thanks to Sohyeop's help, no one died or was seriously injured, and we were able to finish the job. Mount Hua will remember the spirit you showed us this time."
Lee Songbaek, looking at Baek Cheon, opened his mouth after a moment of contemplation.
"Don't just casually brush it off like that."
"Ah, busted."
"See? It doesn't work."
"That's strange. Usually, it works."
Lee Songbaek chewed his lips. Those disciples of Mount Hua were not at all in their right minds. He felt it painfully.
At that moment, Jo Gol raised his hand.
"But, Sohyeop!"
"Huh?"
"Is that true?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I heard that our Sasuk's hyung-nim is going to become the leader of the Southern Edge Sect. Is that true?"
"...Just call him Jin Geumryong, Gol-ah."
"Ah. Still, he's our Sasuk's hyung-nim. I know a bit about etiquette, you know?"
"Just call him Jin Geumryong. If you don't want trouble."
"Fine."
Lee Songbaek replied with a bewildered expression.
"You mean great Sahyung? There are rumors like that going around?"
"Yes! I definitely heard it."
Lee Songbaek made a serious expression for a moment.
"Nonsense. What are you talking about? Even if Great Sahyung is a chief disciple, how can a chief disciple become the leader of Southern Edge, a position strictly based on seniority and law!?"
Whoosh.
A dagger flew into the hearts of the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect.
"Even if the leader steps down, the next leader among the chief disciples will emerge. Isn't that obvious for a well-established sect?"
Whoosh.
Once again, a dagger was embedded.
"...We almost had no seniority, law, or established sect."
"In fact, when you think about it, there are more things missing than there are."
"So, that's it."
The faces of the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect were filled with gloom. It was more heartbreaking that there was no malice in those words.
"Anyway, what now?"
"Yes?"
"We still have to organize ourselves, and we're planning to leave tomorrow. What about you?"
In response to Chung Myung's words, Lee Songbaek turned his head slightly. The Sect Leader and Ilho Shin Gae were moving quickly. There would be more to do to settle their relationship with them. However, he...
"I don't think I have anything to do."
"Hmm?"
"Okay."
Lee Songbaek stood up from his spot. Brushing off the dust on his clothes, he calmly spoke to the disciples of Mount Hua.
"Since my Sahyungs are worried about me, I'll be going now."
"Y-You're leaving?"
"Yes. Or do I have more to do?"
"No, but..."
As Lee Songbaek shrugged his shoulders as if indifferent, Chung Myung suddenly spoke up.
"Wasn't the reason Southern Edge came here in the first place to build good relations with Beggar's Union?"
Lee Songbaek turned his head towards Chung Myung.
"Of course, the purpose is to obtain information provided by Beggar's Union. You're not a fool, so if you stick around, the Sect Leader will inevitably reward you for what you've done. Right?"
At those words, Lee Songbaek scratched his head.
"Well, I don't know."
"Hmm?"
"The order I received from my Sect Leader was to inform the Beggar's Union that Southern Edge had resumed its activities and to offer greetings."
"..."
"I dare not speculate what more the Sect Leader might have wanted. I simply obey the Sect Leader's orders faithfully."
"...And you're just going to leave us after helping?"
Lee Songbaek smiled faintly.
"Helping you is my duty as a swordsman. But as a disciple of Southern Edge, what's important to me is to follow the Sect Leader's intentions and execute them accurately."
"Hmm..."
"So I'll just go back for now and offer greetings to the new Sect Leader once the situation with the Beggar's Union is settled. I could have returned without meeting the Sect Leader at all, so I consider this a significant achievement."
"..."
"However, because of that, I have one request."
"What is it?"
"Please keep the fact that I helped you a secret."
"..."
"Um, there's really nothing good about making it known...."
Throughout his speech, Lee Songbaek cast a fleeting glance at Baek Cheon. Perhaps he saw someone else in Baek Cheon's face. Everyone nodded sadly.
"A-alright, we'll keep it that way."
"Thank you. Well then, I'll take my leave now."
As if relieved, Lee Songbaek turned around.
"Oh, wait."
But soon, as if he remembered something, he turned back to address everyone.
"Our group is staying at the Union's guesthouse. If there's anything else I can help with, you can find me there. However!"
Lee Songbaek brought his index finger to his lips, smiling playfully.
"Please don't let the Sahyungs find out."
"..."
"Alright, then, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."
"Hmm?"
"I enjoyed fighting alongside you. Until we meet again."
With a bright smile, Lee Songbaek turned and walked away.
Watching him quickly move away, the disciples of Mount Hua sighed.
"So, in the end, he wants us to keep what he did here a secret."
"…If this got out, his reputation would skyrocket, wouldn't it?"
"True."
"But still, keeping it a secret..."
"Perhaps the fear of being caught by ghosts is greater than the expectations for gaining a good reputation?"
"…That could be true."
Even though they spoke this way, the disciples of Mount Hua already knew well enough.
How difficult and remarkable it was not to boast about the deeds one had done. Yet, Lee Songbaek left without a trace of regret, cleanly.
"This is…."
It was the appearance of a righteous swordsman that they had always pictured. The fact that they discovered it from none other than a swordsman of Southern Edge made the hearts of the disciples of Mount Hua feel complex and subtle.
"It feels kind of itchy, doesn't it, Sahyung."
"Do you feel the same way?"
"I wish he weren't from Southern Edge."
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
"Even though Sasuk was originally from Southern Edge, he switched to Mount Hua in the end. If we can twist him properly…"
"That's right…"
"Sasuk, if you keep doing that, your molars will break."
The strange sensation did not last long.
After a long silence, Baek Cheon sighed deeply and spoke.
"If the world was overflowing with righteousness, there would be no need to emphasize righteousness."
"...Yes."
"Righteousness that continues at all times...There are people all over the world who keep that path on their own, without expecting anything."
A light shone in Baek Cheon's eyes for a moment.
It was just a brief moment, but he was caught up in the arrogance that only he was guarding the righteousness of the Central Plains.
However, the actions of the Shaolin monks and Lee Songbaek today made Baek Cheon feel more embarrassed than ever.
"In a world like this… there are still those who practice righteousness. We should support them."
"Yes."
"Yes! Sasuk!"
The disciples of Mount Hua nodded firmly.
On one side of the once-blue sky, the warm glow of sunset was gradually spreading.
* * *
Two hours later. At the Pavilion of Heaven, Pungyeong Shin Gae, exhausted, sat down with a face deeply marked by fatigue. In front of him were the disciples of Mount Hua. They looked freshly cleaned.
Pungyeong Shin Gae spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice.
"The headquarters... has collapsed."
"…"
"Among the Beggar's Union Elders, the injured are overflowing..."
"…"
"Ilho Shin Gae, the top master of the Beggar's Union, was imprisoned with his martial arts suppressed. There probably won't be a revival, and we should consider it as a permanent loss of power."
"…"
"The disciples are still demanding an explanation. Due to the collapse of the headquarters, numerous documents and items were lost. Due to the paralysis of the entire system caused by the death of the west, chaos has erupted!" [not sure]
The more he spoke, the more Pungyeong Shin Gae's voice rose.
"Most of all, the receipts! The receipts! The vast number of receipts piled up in the headquarters were torn to pieces and are flying all over the place, so the beggars of Kaifeng are unable to sleep, picking up every scrap of paper in Kaifeng!"
Especially, Baek Cheon, the person in charge, was soaked in sweat. If they were piled up in the headquarters, the amount of those receipts must have been enormous...
"Anyway..."
Gulp.
Without knowing it, Pungyeong Shin Gae sighed deeply and spoke with a deadpan face and monotone voice toward the disciples of Mount Hua, whose shoulders inadvertently flinched.
"Thank. You. Very. Much. Disciples. Of. Mount. Hua."
...That gentleman's demeanor, the aftermath was a bit... intense.
Haha.
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