“No, I said sorry.”

“…”

“That, this brat is seriously!”

“…”

“Look at this guy talking insignificant stuff when this merciful man here is giving him a chance. Is this seriously right?”

“I am not mad…!”

“I am not mad~”

“N-Not!”

Hae Yeon’s face shone bright red.

“H-How can people just be left like that!”

“I didn’t know. No, I should have expected this! The problem is that the monk locked himself in the farthest room because he was afraid of a ghost!! If you are like that, who will even catch the ghost? Huh! Who!”

“I wasn’t taught to catch ghosts in Shaolin!”

“Do you carry that wooden staff with you as firewood for roasting rabbits!”

“What kind of monk eats rabbit!”

“Try touching meat from now on, I will kill you!”

“I never touched meat…”

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul shook their heads, watching Chung Myung and Hae Yeon fight one another.

“Forget Chung Myung, but since when did monk Hae Yeon turn into a fighter like that?”

“Who wouldn’t change? When a typhoon passes by, it sweeps everything along with it.”

“It is true that they fought in the tournament, but…”

They looked cool back then, right? It was an amazing sight.

But…

Baek Cheon sighed.

‘Monk, what is this?’

Surely there were people in the world who jumped into flames. Humans cannot always be rational, so they do a couple of things that are hard to understand.

But…

‘To this extent?’

You came to Chung Myung on your own!

Why? Why walk into hell with your own feet?!

Unfortunately, Hae Yeon was now paying the price for the choices he made.

“But, Sasuk.”

“What?”

“The monk is following us to Mount Hua?”

“Seems like it.”

“He won’t go back to Shaolin?”

“…how can I know?”

“The more I look at him, the odder he seems.”

Does Hae Yeon know this? The fact that the Mount Hua disciples he saw as humans were now looking at him like he was a circus monkey.

Well, thankfully, he was distracted by his fight with Chung Myung.

“Ah, Sasuk!”

“Ah, what now?”

“… why are Sasuk and I pulling the cart?”

“…”

Such a good question,

Instead of answering it, Baek Cheon looked to the sky.

Chung Myung, Hae Yeon, and Hyun Young were on the cart.

“What?” asked Chung Myung, “One person pretends to be a proud man with a sword in hand, and the other only uses a sword used by kids to train with.”

Flinch!

Baek Cheon looked at his waist.

In the place of his sword, which was smashed in the fight with Yeop Pyung, was a wooden sword new disciples used to train.

“… No, this…”

“And one man was stopped by those evil bastards.”

Flinch!

Jo Gul flinched and looked straight forward, not wanting to look Chung Myung in the eye.

“Oh?”

Chung Myung grunted.

“Looking at this reaction, did you think I would forget?”

‘Fucking leech! Stuck on one thing!’

‘Why did God have to make him a petty person who is stuck in the past!’

“Wow, after that fuss, clench your hands, and anyone will only see the great job you did back there?”

“…”

“Ah, no. You did a great job. We almost became the mourners because the two of you were stupid. You would have gone down in history! Huh? Try speaking now! Huh!”

“…”

“…”

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul shrugged their necks.

“Well, this is insane. Now, those who barely even know how to move think they are some kind of phoenix! Until we reach Mount Hua, if you lag behind even a little, I will hit you on your asses!”

“…”

“Run.”

“Yes!”

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul started to run, pulling the cart.

A look of pity passed over the faces of the Mount Hua disciples.

‘He took down Yeop Pyung and yet is being cursed at.’

‘I pity him.’

But no one was about to vocalize those thoughts. However, Hae Yeon, who was there in this uncomfortable situation, spoke up,

“B-But.”

“Uh?”

“To make a human draw a cart is…”

“You want to drag it?”

“… seems quite comfortable.”

“Right.”

Everyone looked at Hae Yeon with blank eyes.

‘That monk’s ability to adapt is shocking.’

‘Look at him speaking calmly.’

‘He is already changing.’

‘Will Shaolin be fine after this?’

Chung Myung, who easily silenced Hae Yeon, raised his voice,

“Run! You slow horses! We have to get to Mount Hua by tomorrow at all costs!”

“It took us three days to get here!”

“If you have guts, you can do anything! Run now!”

“Ughh!”

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul began to speed up. In line with them, the other disciples ran without saying much.

Mount Hua’s peaks were now getting closer.

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong, who was looking at the sky, frowned.

‘Dark clouds…’

There were times when Mount Hua got rain for a day or two, but this time these dark clouds made him feel odd.

Hyun Jong, who had been looking at the dark clouds with anxious eyes, finally spoke out his worries,

“I hope nothing is wrong with the kids.”

His gaze turned to Xi’an, where his disciples were, and shook his head to throw out these bad thoughts.

With Hyun Young and Chung Myung, what wrong could even happen?

“Sect Leader.”

“Yes.”

Un Am, who was with him, moved toward Hyun Jong,

“Your expression looks bad. Are you worried about something?”

“It is nothing like that.”

Hyun Jong shook his head.

“I was just worried that the weather looked ominous.”

“Ah…”

Hyun Jong, with his gaze fixed on dark clouds, spoke after being immersed in thought,

“People are so strange.”

Un Am looked at him, and it felt like he could feel his heart sinking into the deep eyes of the sect leader.

“In the past, when we lived, it was like drowning within a swamp. I thought there was nothing specific I could wish for, just for Mount Hua to soar once again to the top.”

Hyun Jong chuckled.

“And now comes another concern.”

“Isn’t that what it means to be human?”

“Right. Life is like that. Isn’t it the law that those who climb high must also carry more things on their shoulders?”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes.

The more Mount Hua gained, the higher it rose, and the more envious people turned as they became enemies.

Hyun Jong reminded himself of the conversation he had with the Abbot of Shaolin.

“If I carry more burdens, then the children will be able to play in the world a little more.”

But Un Am shook his head with a smile,

“No, Sect Leader.”

“Hm?”

“No one from Mount Hua will ever let you handle things. Be it a disciple or Sect Leader, it is about walking together and shouldering the burdens together. Isn’t that how Mount Hua moves?”

“… your speaking skills have improved a lot.”

“Haha, I guess it is because I have been watching a certain person make things happen through their words.”

Hyun Jong burst into laughter.

“Right.”

These people would never let Hyun Jong shoulder the burden alone, it was so they could run, together.

Then…

“Right.”

It was the moment when Hyun Jong nodded.

“Sect Leader!”

“Uh?”

From afar, someone began to run with a white face.

Hyun Jong didn’t like this and asked,

“What happened?”

“A person from the B-Beggars Union came! They need to meet with Sect Leader right now!”

The moment Beggars Union came up, Hyun Jong knew this was odd.

Beggars Union served information.

And if they came here, it meant something wrong was happening.

“Bring them… no! I will come there and lead them!”

“Yes.”

Hyun Jong followed Un Geom at the speed of lightning and reached the gate; the man from the Beggars Union was drenched in sweat, and he was gasping for air.

“What happened!”

“S-Sect Leader…”

“Forget the formalities! Information!”

“Yes!”

The man took deep breaths and then began to say,

“I am from the Hua-Um Village Beggars Union Branch, Yang Pyo. We had information given to us from another branch this morning! Ten Thousand People Clan! All entered Shaanxi!”

“What!”

Hyun Jong clenched his fists at this news.

“The direction?”

“Given how they are moving, it seems like Mount Hua is their target.”

“Uh…”

“Ten Thousand People Clan!”

The voices of the Mount Hua disciples were filled with despair and gasps.

A fear which couldn’t be hidden spread around.

How could they not be afraid?

Their opponent was that good. It was one of the Five Major Clans of the Evil Faction.

It was a place that could not be compared with Mount Hua because its reputation was that much greater.

While everyone was shocked, Hyun Jong was the only one who was calm,

“And the enemies?”

“Uh?”

“Their entire clan or how many? Any idea on the number of enemies making their way to Shaanxi?”

“Ah! Yes! We have! According to what we heard, there are three troops coming here! Beyond that, we need to wait for more information.”

“Three troops.”

Hyun Jong frowned.

It was because he wasn’t sure how the clan worked and how many people existed in it, so he wasn’t sure how many people composed a troop in the Ten Thousand People Clan.

“From what I know, doesn’t the clan have its own troops organized?”

“Yes, there are a total of twelve troops, but there are also several more groups and units besides them.”

“And three of them.”

It was a relief that the entire clan didn’t come here, but no one leading a clan would do that.

‘It must mean they thought three troops were enough to deal with Mount Hua. They are that confident.’

Mount Hua, on the other hand, didn’t even have their full power.

“Did you inform Xi’an?”

“Yes! By the fastest means too!”

“Good.”

Hyun Jong took a deep breath.

It was something they should know, but this scared him…

“Considering they are moving, where do you think the enemies have reached by now?”

“T-That…”

Yang Pyo answered in a cold sweat.

“I think they must have already touched Hua-Um. Maybe the bottom of Mount Hua…”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes.

This was bad.

But Hyun Jong could urge no one or push anyone, so he stayed silent, and little time passed.

Hyun Jong opened his eyes.

“Un Am.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

“Gather the disciples.”

“Yes!”

Everyone’s eyes shuddered.

“Sect Leader.”

Hyun Sang spoke with a trembling voice.

“With just the disciples… shouldn’t we just take them and abandon our place and join the disciples in Xi’an?”

“If the enemies have surrounded Mount Hua, fleeing will only injure the disciples.”

“…”

“It might be right. That might be wiser. But! I will not let even a single disciple get hurt. They will not harm a single disciple of Mount Hua while I am alive.”

“… I was short-sighted.”

Hyun Sang bowed his eyes, and Hyun Jong’s eyes shone blue.

“I will show them that Mount Hua never yields to anyone!”

Hearing that, the eyes of everyone changed a little.

At that same moment.

“Is that Mount Hua?” asked Son Wol, smiling as he entered.

“Filthy high man.”

“And steep. It isn’t a suitable place for Taoists to live.”

“Kukuku. Does it matter? After today no one will be here anyway.”

Son Wol turned to the village, which was far from Mount Hua.

“… I don’t think it is bad entertainment either. Wouldn’t a taoist be scared if we climbed all the way up to cut off their heads?”

Yado shook his head.

“We are in the stomach of a sect. Mount Hua isn’t a big deal, but if they have support coming, that is a headache.”

“Tch. Coward.”

However, what he said was true.

“Isn’t Black Jackal not here yet?”

“I don’t know him.”

“… pathetic bastard.”

Looking at the peak, Son Wol mumbled,

“Surely… it will look amazing dyed red.”

“No need to delay.”

“Good.”

And he smiled,

“I will kill them all!”

Their troops all began to climb up the steep Mount Hua at a terrifying speed.