On the surface it was well wrapped, but none of those present believed that Baek Cheon’s so-called ‘good’ words truly contained a ‘good’ meaning.

‘Good heavens...’

‘That Abbott is...’

The sect leaders of the Heavenly Friends Alliance stared at Baek Cheon with faces as if their eyes might pop out.

Of course it wasn’t the first time they’d seen Beop Jeong get his comeuppance; there had always been someone here bold enough to throw himself against him. Still...

‘The method is different, but this one’s a bit more...’

Namgung Do-Wei furtively watched Beop Jeong’s expression. Sure enough, the corner of his mouth twitched faintly. That tiny tremor was enough to infer what kind of mood Beop Jeong was in.

Even Jo Gul, who otherwise would have kicked the babbott at the drop of a hat, looked somewhat taken aback as he glanced around and whispered to Yoon Jong.

“S-sahyung.”

“Why?”

“Is h-he allowed to do that?”

“Do you think so?”

Yoon Jong answered indifferently. Jo Gul, however, could not be so calm.

“B-but why is the sasuk behaving like that?”

“Why? That man has always been like that.”

At a loss for words, Jo Gul snapped his mouth shut like a clamshell.

‘That’s true, but...’

From the outside, one might think Jo Gul was the most reckless after Chung Myung at Mount Hua, but that would be wrong. Ask any disciple of Mount Hua and without exception they’ll say Baek Cheon is the most unhinged person in the sect.

No, still. The opponent is Beop Jeong...

At that moment, the silent Beop Jeong opened his mouth.

“Acting Sect leader.”

It was brief, but everyone there noticed; Beop Jeong’s voice had clearly dropped lower than before.

“Yes, Abbott.”

“...Is that Mount Hua’s will?”

“It is.”

But Baek Cheon, facing Beop Jeong, remained calm.

“...Does the Alliance leader also agree with this?”

Beop Jeong glared sharply and Hyun Jong glanced at Baek Cheon’s back before shaking his head.

“You mustn’t ask it that way, Abbott.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have already delegated all authority on this matter to the Acting Sect leader. So this is not a question to ask me. Even if you ask me, I could not simply overturn Acting Sect leader’s will now.”

The corners of Beop Jeong’s eyes visibly trembled.

Even those who felt nothing but hatred toward Beop Jeong felt a momentary unease at the sight. Still, they couldn’t deny that the sense of satisfaction outweighed that unease.

“Then Mount Hua is saying it will not share that will with Shaolin.”

“Yes. But this is merely Mount Hua’s will. The Heavenly Friends Alliance may have a different one.”

Beop Jeong, who’d been glaring at Baek Cheon with terrifying eyes, turned his gaze to Hyun Jong.

“What is the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s will?”

“The situation has changed, so you must ask that will again.”

“Then I ask it here and now.”

“No, Abbott, that’s...”

“Is there any difficulty?”

Coldness dripped from Beop Jeong’s face.

“You said the matter is urgent and that formality and courtesy may be ignored. You won’t now tell us that such an urgent matter needs extra time, will you?”

They had even chosen the next sect leader in front of him, so asking for opinions in front of him was in line with that. It was an excessive demand, but there was no flaw in the reasoning.

Just as Beop Jeong was about to spit another word and press Hyun Jong further,

“You don’t need to ask us.”

Namgung Do-Wei sat upright and spoke calmly.

“We have already answered. There has been no change from the beginning.”

Only then did Beop Jeong’s expression relax.

“A wise choice, Young Lord of the Namgung Family. Old grievances...”

“Please don’t misunderstand, Abbott.”

Beop Jeong flinched at Namgung Do-Wei’s interrupting remark. What misunderstanding was he talking about? If taken literally, it would mean Namgung had already expressed intent to rejoin the Five Great Families.

Namgung Do-Wei, seeming to read the question in Beop Jeong’s eyes, spoke.

“Namgung has clearly stated earlier that it will follow the decision of the sect leader.”

“That is...”

“The sect leader of Mount Hua.”

Only then did Beop Jeong realize what Namgung Do-Wei meant and involuntarily grit his teeth.

“Nothing has changed. If Mount Hua’s Acting Sect leader has decided, Namgung will stand with that will. The Namgung Family will not return to the Five Great Families.”

“Young Lord!”

The moment Beop Jeong raised his voice, a low chuckle slipped from Tang Gunak.

“A Five Great Families without Namgung hardly gives the Sichuan Tang Family any reason to return. Abbott, the Tang clan will also follow Mount Hua’s decision.”

Grit.

Beop Jeong bit his lip and glared at Tang Gunak. Baek Cheon and Namgung Do-Wei were young and could be swayed by hotheadedness. But how could Tang Gunak, old enough to know the ways of the world, say such a thing?

But Tang Gunak was simply untroubled.

“There are things in this world that can’t be calculated with an abacus alone. Besides... if I said I would rejoin the Five Great Families, the Tang Family might want to see a change in its family lord; what could I do about that? I can’t just retire to the back room already.”

At that, everyone glanced at the Tang Pae. The emblem coughed awkwardly.

“No... I didn’t actually think that far. I just thought I should speak to the lord seriously in private, that’s all.”

“...You had thought about it then.”

“Well, seeing this right before my eyes...”

“You might feel a bit wistful about it, I suppose.”

“Ahem, slander.”

The mood began to lighten at Tang Pae’s banter. No one laughed outright, but brief chuckles drifted here and there. In that changed atmosphere, Beop Jeong’s expression hardened even more.

“A-and the Ice Palace too!”

At that, Seol So-Baek shouted, his face flushed with excitement.

“The Northern Sea Ice Palace will also stand with Mount Hua’s will. If Mount Hua protects the Heavenly Friends Alliance, the Ice Palace will stand with Mount Hua and protect the Heavenly Friends Alliance to the end!”

Baek Cheon smiled faintly at Seol So-Baek.

“Thank you, Palace Lord.”

“Oh, please it is nothing! Isn’t it only natural!”

Meng So lightly tugged Seol So-Baek’s sleeve to calm him and looked at Beop Jeong with a meaningful smile.

“Given the situation, even if the Nanman Beast Palace were to join the Nine Great Sects separately, the abbott wouldn’t be pleased about it, would he?”

“...”

“A guest cannot request a seat when the host does not welcome them, so the Nanman Beast Palace will also remain in the Heavenly Friends Alliance. You won’t be left feeling slighted, Abbott, so that’s fortunate.”

It was a remark with a sting. Yet Beop Jeong felt that resolute core and could not find words to retort.

People’s gazes naturally turned to the one remaining person. Receiving those looks, he brusquely spoke.

“What are you looking at?”

Im So-Byeong openly showed his displeasure and gestured like shooing a stray dog.

“If all those noble Justice faction people aren’t going in, and if bandit bastards noisily stick their spoons into the Nine Great Sects’ bowl without tact, we’ll get a wooden block banged on their heads. I’m not an idiot.” 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

“...”

“You should at least give me choice and let me choose. You all could’ve asked me first.”

Still getting stared at, Im So-Byeong grimaced and waved his hand dismissively.

“Ah, we are staying. We are staying. Do you need me to say it with my own mouth?”

That was it. No more than a moment after Hyun Jong mentioned dissolving the Heavenly Friends Alliance, every sect within it had agreed to its continuation.

Im So-Byeong snorted and said,

“But isn’t that a bit hasty? For us it’s one thing, but the Justice faction would gain something by going over there. Young Lord of the Namgung Family, aren’t you feeling regret? Aren’t you secretly pounding your chest?”

At that, Namgung Do-Wei glanced back at him with an annoyed face and sighed.

“As I said... Namgung will merely stand with Mount Hua’s will.”

“Well, that...”

“When you receive a favor, you must repay it. That’s obvious. But that’s not all.”

Namgung Do-Wei continued decisively.

“Even when there was only favor involved, Namgung intended to follow Mount Hua. But now it’s not simply favor between Mount Hua and Namgung. In a short time we trained together, sometimes striking and being struck, cursing and rolling on the ground together is better.”

Namgung Do-Wei’s gaze turned to Baek Cheon. If Hyun Jong was merely someone he was grateful to, Baek Cheon meant something slightly different.

“Do you know what you call such people?”

“Yes?”

“They’re called comrades.”

Namgung Do-Wei looked at Baek Cheon as he spoke and gave a faint smile.

“Of course, it’s not deep affection; more a grudging bond, closer to a rival than a comrade. Still, a friend is a friend, isn’t he? If repaying Mount Hua is Namgung’s duty, choosing to go with a comrade is Namgung’s will.”

Namgung Do-Wei’s gaze then turned to Beop Jeong.

“And... in any case the Acting Sect leader considered me worthy and showed trust. In the Abbott’s eyes I likely still appear an unreliable novice.”

Beop Jeong frowned. Namgung Do-Wei shrugged.

“If I’m not a fool, it’s right to choose the place that values me more. And if friends are there as well, what reason would Namgung Family have to hesitate? There’s not a single reason for us to return to the Five Great Families.”

Im So-Byeong snorted at that remark.

“I thought you were born into a great lineage, but it turns out you just think you’re great. Are you going to live resenting those born without status?”

Laughter grew a bit louder at Im So-Byeong’s jibe.

But only Beop Jeong could not laugh. Rather than laugh, he glared at Baek Cheon with eyes chilled to the bone.

‘This is why... this is why this situation had to be stopped.’

He already knew. Win Mount Hua and you win everything; lose Mount Hua and you lose everything.

So he had steered Hyun Jong and Chung Myung, the heart of Mount Hua, onto a path from which they couldn’t escape. Yet someone he had not expected at all had suddenly jumped out and ruined all his plans.

‘No, not yet.’

Beop Jeong forced down the swelling fury and rage. He might previously have bellowed a roaring shout then, but he was not the same as before. He still had a path.

Beop Jeong drew his patience to the limit and stared at Baek Cheon. If the situation had reached this point because of Baek Cheon alone, then breaking Baek Cheon’s will would return everything to its proper course.

“Acting Sect leader.”

“Yes, Abbott.”

“Do you believe Mount Hua’s choice now is the right one, Acting Sect leader?”

Baek Cheon silently met Beop Jeong’s gaze.

Beop Jeong’s heavy gaze, like that of a titan of the age, pierced down on Baek Cheon.

“You chose this in a fit of passion and raised your voices, but Acting Sect leader, you have not proven that your choice was justified. If you make a wrong choice driven only by blood and no logic, how will you bear the countless blood that must be shed because of it?!”

Baek Cheon’s lips tightened. Beop Jeong raised his intensity further.

“Are you truly going to walk the path of an eternal sinner, Acting Sect leader? Do you not know how deeply your choice will plunge the world into suffering?!”

It was a frostlike roar. The beads in Beop Jeong’s hand trembled as he could not fully control his emotions.

Baek Cheon quietly looked at Beop ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Jeong, as if prepared to accept all those decisions. After a long pause he slowly opened his mouth and asked.

“You call it blood?”

“Indeed.”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, Abbott.”

Beop Jeong’s gaze sharpened.

“What on earth misunderstanding are you talking about?!”

“Of course I am still a hot-blooded youth. Naturally I can misjudge things and lack experience.”

“If you know that...”

“But.”

At that moment, Baek Cheon’s even-toned voice cut off Beop Jeong and pierced his ears sharply.

“I may be that way, but the sect leader of Mount Hua does not choose the sect’s direction based on mere hot-bloodedness. That is what the position of Mount Hua’s sect leader demands.”

“What...”

“Make no mistake. The person you are facing is not the Great Disciple Baek Cheon, but Mount Hua’s Acting Sect leader Baek Cheon.”

“Acting Sect leader!”

“And!”

At that moment Baek Cheon glared at Beop Jeong with a fierce expression.

“If you know what Mount Hua is, if you know what Mount Hua’s ancestors did for the world! Before you foolishly curse and raise your voice...”

Baek Cheon’s cold gaze, after a pause, cut Beop Jeong.

“First, show the proper respect to one who represents Mount Hua. That is the duty a person must keep. Do you understand?”

Crunch!

The prayer bead in Beop Jeong’s hand finally shattered into pieces.