“Welcome, abbot.”

As Beop Jeong approached, Hyun Jong greeted him with a bright smile as if he had never hardened his expression.

“I’m delighted to see you again. Though it’s been a short time, have you been well?”

Beop Jeong returned Hyun Jong’s smile with a gentle grin.

“Thanks to the Sect leader’s concern, I have been safe. I didn’t even step outside the room, worried something might happen.”

Hyun Jong’s mouth twitched at Beop Jeong’s jest. To others it might not be obvious, but the elders of Mount Hua could clearly see a faint bitterness woven into that smile.

To make a joke first in a setting like this signals a certain ease. The initiative was already in Beop Jeong’s hands.

“Please come inside.”

“Yes. Thank you, Sect leader.”

Tang Gunak frowned slightly and spoke.

“Abbot. It seems proper to address him as Alliance Lord for now.”

Beop Jeong closed his eyes and nodded.

“Indeed. I was thoughtless. Please forgive this monk’s mistake, Alliance Lord.”

“No, no. What does a title matter? I am the Alliance leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, but also the Sect leader of Mount Hua, so neither is incorrect.”

Hyun Jong waved inward and Beop Jeong followed his lead.

The difference was unmistakable. The atmosphere this time was not the same as on the previous visit. Those who came to greet him now showed even more deference; although the old grievances between them had been deeper then.

That atmosphere raised Beop Jeong’s spirits slightly.

Not simply because they treated him with more caution, but because he felt he had already heard the answer in that air.

‘The distance must be closed gradually.’

They had long histories and accumulated resentments; a change in position wouldn’t make them smile together overnight. Beop Jeong’s role would be crucial going forward. If he failed to show sufficient tolerance, their union would be worse than no union at all.

Despite that burden, Beop Jeong could smile. He had climbed the tallest mountain, could he not resolve the remaining minor issues?

Beop Jeong glanced around and spoke.

“By the way, hasn’t Mount Hua’s Sword Saint come out?”

“Ah, well...”

For a moment Hyun Jong’s face flushed.

“I’m sorry. That person hasn’t been feeling well...”

“Alliance Lord. I’m not accusing him of rudeness for not coming out to greet me. I’m merely wondering whether that person will participate in this meeting...”

“No. He is waiting inside.”

“Ah, then that’s fine.”

Only then did Beop Jeong nod again, pleased.

Refusing to greet him but attending the meeting meant emotionally he might not accept him, yet he would respect Mount Hua and the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s decision, right?

‘He is that sort of person.’

Of course, it would be ideal if Mount Hua’s Sword Saint came running to greet him.

But Beop Jeong knew that was mere greed. No one could wield Mount Hua’s Sword Saint at will. To indulge such a desire would surely invite consequences.

Mount Hua’s Sword ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Saint had to be handled with the utmost delicacy. Frankly, Beop Jeong himself wasn’t confident he could control him perfectly.

People often called such figures a double-edged sword, but to Beop Jeong Mount Hua’s Sword Saint was more like a sword without a hilt; anyone who grasped it must be prepared to have their fingers cut off.

‘But Mount Hua’s Sword Saint, fortunately, I have that hilt.’

Beop Jeong’s gaze fixed on Hyun Jong’s back as he walked ahead.

Hyun Jong was the key to handing the sword that no one else could grasp to his hand. It might be impossible for him to wield Chung Myung himself, but only Hyun Jong could move that blade.

And Beop Jeong was the one who could move Hyun Jong. So ultimately it would be little different from him directly controlling Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.

‘Sect leader. The Sect leader’s choice was certainly not wrong. Had I been in his position, there would have been no other way. Isn’t that the burden a sect leader must bear?’

Murmuring those words inwardly, Beop Jeong closed his eyes and softly exhaled.

How could Hyun Jong feel at ease bowing his head and returning to the Nine Great Sects?

But Hyun Jong likely had no other choice from the start.

What a sect leader must prioritize above all is not the fame of the sect or building a stronger power, but ensuring the sect’s survival and continuity.

Especially for Hyun Jong, who had watched his sect fall to ruin and face the removal of its signboard with his own eyes, there could be no alternative.

Feeling a thread of sorrow, Beop Jeong exhaled once more.

“Please enter.”

“Yes, Alliance Lord.”

Beop Jeong entered the room with neat movements. A spacious chamber already held one person seated. Meeting that person’s gaze, Beop Jeong smiled and greeted him first.

“An honor to meet you.”

“We saw each other three days ago, didn’t we?”

“Three days is a long time. From now on, shouldn’t we visit each other more often?”

“You speak as if it’s already decided. You might end up wearing yourself out, you know?”

“That’s unrelated.”

“Yes?”

Beop Jeong smiled faintly as he looked at Chung Myung.

“Even if I don’t receive the answer I hope for today, isn’t it unhealthy for us to keep our distance like this? It’s right that we meet more often.”

A twitch passed over Chung Myung’s mouth. Seeing that, Beop Jeong forcibly suppressed the grin that threatened to rise.

Because he had won a trivial verbal spar?

No, it wasn’t that. The reason Chung Myung closed his mouth was Hyun Jong. It wasn’t that he lost the argument—Hyun Jong’s mere entrance silenced him.

In the past, Beop Jeong might have felt a small sting of jealousy watching Mount Hua’s Sword Saint favor Hyun Jong, a man whom he respected only for his character. But now, this sight seemed reassuring and pleasing to him.

“We’ll talk more later.”

“Very well.”

As Beop Jeong prepared to sit in the center, Hyun Jong pointed to the inner seat.

“Abbot. Please come this way.”

Beop Jeong glanced at the honored seat Hyun Jong pointed to and shook his head.

“No, Alliance Lord. My place is here.”

“But...”

“It would put my mind at ease. Please grant my request.”

“...If you insist that much.”

Hyun Jong nodded and took the honored seat. The others entered and found their places.

Thud.

With the sound of the door closing, a quiet silence fell over the room. Beop Jeong did not break it; instead he surveyed those present.

First, the Sect leader and elders of Mount Hua, Mount Hua’s Sword Saint, the figures called the Five Swords, and Hae Yeon.

Also present were Tang Gunak, lord of the Tang Family, the young lord Tang Pae, Namgung Do-Wei, young lord of the Namgung Family, and the two palace lords of the Outer Wall. Even Im So-Byeong, King of the Green Forest, was there, though perched near the door as if ready to leave at any moment.

‘These are the pillars of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.’

To attend the meeting deciding the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s direction required the proper rank and standing. It was a bit odd that Mount Hua’s Five Swords and Shaolin’s Hae Yeon were present together, but if others accepted it, Beop Jeong would not argue.

After all, this was still the Heavenly Friends Alliance.

Beop Jeong took a deep breath.

‘This is the final step.’

In terms of time it had happened suddenly, but that was only on the surface. Including the long hours of Beop Jeong’s deliberation, this stage was hard-won.

He was about to face the results of that long, long torment.

“Alliance Leader.”

Beop Jeong began to speak. It would be rude to make them speak first, and it would also be rude to leave them in such a tense air for too long.

“I would rather not, but today I wish to lay aside ceremony. Our situation is not at all relaxed, and above all, I can no longer bear it easily.”

“...I understand, abbot.” 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Alliance Leader. And everyone present here.”

Beop Jeong slowly looked at each person in the room.

“First, I offer my thanks. Because you were here, matters that Shaolin and the Nine Great Sects alone could not resolve were settled, and those we could not have saved were saved.”

“...”

“And I wish to formally apologize for having been petty and unable to accept those facts as they were.”

As Beop Jeong bowed his head, Hyun Jong quickly tried to stop him.

“D-Don’t do this, abbot.”

“No, Alliance Leader.”

Beop Jeong shook his head.

“No matter what answer I receive, once time passes some things cannot be undone. So I wanted to address this before hearing the reply. If matters have come this far, the fault lies with Shaolin more than with the Nine Great Sects. No, it’s not Shaolin’s fault; it’s mine.”

“Abbot...”

“I’m sorry.”

Beop Jeong bowed deeply once more. Those seated around him, as if encircling him, all wore complicated expressions.

To formally receive the abbot’s apology would be a good thing, yet the current circumstances prevented them from accepting it wholly with joy.

Beop Jeong lifted his head and spoke again with a stern face.

“What the Heavenly Friends Alliance has pursued will not be forgotten by the Nine Great Sects. Nor will we forget that you reminded the murim world of what it had been losing.”

“...”

“We could spend days discussing what the Heavenly Friends Alliance has done, but as you know, the world is not in a leisurely state. Therefore...”

All eyes remained fixed on Beop Jeong.

“As Shaolin’s Sect leader, and as a representative of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, I seek an answer to the proposal I made earlier.”

The words left Beop Jeong’s mouth slightly sooner than expected. Hyun Jong involuntarily closed his eyes.

“Alliance Leader. May I hear your answer?”

Beop Jeong studied Hyun Jong and Chung Myung’s expressions at once. Though he sensed the outcome was half-decided, his mouth went dry and his stomach burned; he knew better than anyone how crucial this answer was.

Still, he did not rush Hyun Jong; Hyun Jong’s pace, perhaps even more agonizing than his own, had to be respected.

A short silence stretched, yet to those involved it felt like an eternity.

“Regarding the proposal you mentioned before...”

At last Hyun Jong spoke.

“I will give an answer to your proposal, Sect leader.”

Beop Jeong couldn’t help clenching his fist tightly. Every nerve in him focused on Hyun Jong’s lips.

“The Heavenly Friends Alliance...”

A sigh, resigned and irrevocable, escaped Hyun Jong’s mouth.

“I intend to accept the proposal you made, abbot.”

The moment those words ended, Chung Myung’s eyes snapped shut.

As if they would never open again.