Chapter 1498: How Dare I Not Follow? (Part 3)

"Please have a seat for now."

Some time passed.

Master Lu, who had calmed his mind to some extent, gave up his seat.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine."

"There's no need to refuse."

As Master Lu signaled outside, attendants quickly approached and served tea to the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect who had taken their seats. Baek Cheon couldn't help but be impressed.

'Impressive.'

This person had just left the world a while ago, and Master Lu, who had experienced his death, already appeared calm. Internally, it might be different, but at least outwardly.

This time, Baek Cheon's gaze shifted to Chung Myung.

Normally, he would have protested why he was given tea instead of alcohol, but now he accepted it without a word. Baek Cheon wondered if Chung Myung was taking the current situation much more seriously.

At that moment, Master Lu cleared his throat and spoke.

"Since my Shifu asked for help, I, as the sect leader of the Beggar's Union, will do my best to assist Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."

Baek Cheon's gaze slightly sank.

'Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.'

Helping Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword, not the Mount Hua Sect or the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. There could be various interpretations of this. Depending on how you think...

"Um, but."

"Hmm?"

Just as Baek Cheon's head was about to get a little complicated, Jo Gol suddenly spoke up.

"What should we call the Sect Leader?"

Everyone's attention instantly focused on Jo Gol. Everyone stared at him blankly, and Jo Gol nervously extended his hand.

"Oh, no, that came out a bit strange! It's not that, but what should we call the Sect Leader? I mean..."

"...If you're talking about a nickname, there are several. The most common one was Traceless Beggar (無痕丐). Sometimes I was called the Nangu Wind."

"Oh..."

It felt obvious but fitting. A nickname that suited the Sect Leader, a Beggar's Union leader without substance.

"But if you want a suggestion, how about calling me Pungyeong Shin Gae? I like that. Pungyeong Shin Gae Li Guo (李果). That's my name."

" 'Pungyeong Shin Gae'. 'The shadow of the wind.' "

While maintaining silence, Chung Myung chuckled and said.

"A nickname that makes you think of someone."

Master Lu... No, Pungyeong Shin Gae smiled slightly, seeming slightly embarrassed.

"People have their own preferences, don't they?"

"Good fortune and personal preferences. Some people carry nicknames that don't suit them at all. The Beggar's Union guys are lucky. They can spread a nickname of their choice."

"I think it's a fitting nickname. Chivalrous Sword."

Chung Myung raised his eyebrows slightly. However, before he could say anything, Jo Gol intervened again.

"And I have another question."

"What is it?"

Looking genuinely confused, Jo Gol asked, his face twisting.

"Well... it may sound a bit strange to say this out loud, but why do you show so much respect to him...?"

This time, everyone's gaze turned to Chung Myung. Indeed, Pungyeong Shin Gae showed respect to Chung Myung.

Jo Gol added.

"Oh, no, I mean, if it's Sasuk or Sect Leader, I can understand showing respect, but... Well, come to think of it, he's also the chief of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, so it could be possible, but..."

It seemed like Jo Gol threw the question because he couldn't express himself properly. Pungyeong Shin Gae answered as if it didn't matter.

"There's no particularly profound reason. It's just that it's the disciple's duty to not show disrespect to those whom their Shifu has shown respect to."

"Well, there is a seniority, though..."

"On the contrary, that seniority is the reason. Can you, as a disciple, disrespect someone whom your Shifu has treated so honorably?"

"Uh..."

Jo Gol's mouth was shut. Certainly not. Was it not a situation where a grandson spoke casually to someone respected by his great-grandfather? Unable to argue any further, Jo Gol shrunk silently.

"Any more questions?"

"No... none."

"Well... now we need to discuss the internal affairs of the Beggar's Union."

Pungyeong Shin Gae's gaze turned slightly to the side, reaching Lee Songbaek.

"Ah..."

Lee Songbaek, who quickly noticed the uncomfortable atmosphere, nodded his head.

"I will leave."

"Well. Yes, please..."

"Stay."

Both Pungyeong Shin Gae and Lee Songbaek turned to look at Chung Myung.

"I'd be strange to have come this far and pretend not to know."

"Hmm. If the Chivalrous Sword says so."

Pungyeong Shin Gae still had an uneasy expression, but eventually nodded. Anyway, as far as he knew, Lee Songbaek was a man of few words and gravity, so he wouldn't make a fuss.

Pungyeong Shin Gae fixed his gaze on Chung Myung and was about to speak. However, surprisingly, Chung Myung subtly stepped back.

Seeing this, Pungyeong Shin Gae, with keen insight, turned to Baek Cheon and opened his mouth.

"As Deputy Sect Leader also knows...."

"Please speak comfortably. Right now, the content is more important than formality."

"...Is that okay?"

"Yes."

Pungyeong Shin Gae looked at Baek Cheon as if searching and nodded his head. Inwardly, he evaluated him as more practical than what he had heard.

"As you know, the Beggar's Union is currently without a commander."

"...That's what I heard. With the absence of the sect leader, there's no other choice. But what I don't understand is, was it necessary to go to such lengths? You didn't have to hide your appearance so much..."

"It wasn't like that."

Pungyeong Shin Gae nodded silently.

"The reason I had to pretend was not just to avoid meeting outsiders. There was an even bigger reason inside."

"What do you mean..."

"Beggars are so free-spirited that if they have any dissatisfaction, they don't hesitate to question, even if the other party is the sect leader. If I had taken a position there, the Beggar's Union would have been in chaos."

"...You could control an absent sect leader and suppress a rebellion, is what you're saying."

"Exactly."

Baek Cheon nodded as if understanding. Pungyeong Shin Gae continued quickly.

"Ever since Shifu created this place, the successive sect leaders have all taken a similar approach. Suppressing dissatisfaction by seeking a suitable successor and smoothly passing on the position when dissatisfaction is about to overflow."

Everyone nodded. It might not be the best way, but it certainly had an effect.

"Was that the plan this time as well?"

"Yes."

"Then, may I ask who the originally considered successor was?"

Pungyeong Shin Gae smiled wryly at that question.

"Don't worry. It wasn't Hong Daekwang."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Sect Leader is sensible."

"...Poor Buntaju."

Sighs involuntarily escaped from the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect. Still, although there was considerate goodwill, Hong Daekwang was not a candidate for the sect leader.

"So that's what happened. I roughly understand."

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Yoon Jong turned and looked at Baek Cheon.

"You understand, Sasuk?"

"I mean, I'm guessing what the sect leader plans to do in the future. Since there may be some dissatisfaction with the sect leader within the Beggar's Union, even if he reveals his appearance again, there may be limits to internal control."

"...Exactly."

"The Sect Leader seems to be planning to reclaim lost authority by transferring the sect leader position to a successor."

"Oh."

Yoon Jong also nodded as if he now understood. Pungyeong Shin Gae looked at Baek Cheon with surprise as if he had suddenly realized something.

"...More clever than I heard." [poor dong ryong...oppressed by mad dog...]

"You flatter me too much."

Baek Cheon bowed slightly. Seeing this, the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect looked at each other.

"Then it's simple. Just select a new sect leader, and ask that sect leader to help us."

At that, Tang Soso chimed in.

"If possible, it would be better if it's not a request but an order. Right, Sago?"

"....If it's a senior's order, it's only right to follow."

With the thought that things were resolving better than expected, Tang Soso laughed brightly. Pungyeong Shin Gae took a deep breath and spoke.

"Yes, Deputy Sect Leader is right. That's the way I see it. Then most of the problems should be resolved."

"It's simple."

"Yeah, it's simple. Just a little... there's a small... trivial problem."

"A problem... you say?"

A slight unease crossed the faces of the Mount Hua disciples. This felt somewhat familiar... 

"Don't look at me like that. It's not that big of a problem. It's something that can be easily solved."

"Oh... well, that's a relief."

"What is the problem? May I ask?"

Baek Cheon inquired. Pungyeong Shin Gae opened his mouth with a slight frown.

"Well, the recent situation in Kangho unexpectedly took an unexpected turn, there were many changes within the Beggar's Union."

"What...?"

"With the excuse that it's unacceptable to leave the sect leader's position empty in such an urgent situation, the elders formed a separate faction to create power. In fact, it's just a superficial pretext, and their real goal is probably to seize power within the Beggar's Union"

"And you couldn't stop such movements?"

Pungyeong Shin Gae nodded.

"There was no need to stop it from the beginning. It's been happening commonly over the past hundred years. When the power becomes too overwhelming, it's a matter of passing on the position to the successor and suppressing the power. It's something that has happened many times, so there was no need to move."

"I see. I trust your judgment. So, this time..."

"However, this time..."

As if the story wasn't over, Pungyeong Shin Gae spoke with a somewhat gloomy voice, and Baek Cheon's face gradually became serious.

"In fact, this time, the situation has changed a bit. No one expected the Evil Tyrant Alliance to create such a disaster."

"That...isn't it?"

"So, the problem has grown a bit. Those who felt the crisis came out, and they gathered faster than Shifu and I had predicted. As a result, we missed the right timing for intervention."

"...."

"Moreover, in this emergency situation, we can't just hand over the position to inadequate candidates, so they are resisting by saying that they will take over the position of the sect leader themselves."

"Backlash."

"Impure disciples."

"If it were Mount Hua, they would have been hung upside down on Yeonhwa Peak."

The disciples of Mount Hua let out a sigh.

"Well."

Baek Cheon nodded heavily and spoke.

"I understand the situation. To summarize, there are forces within the Beggar's Union that are resisting the sect leader. Since they are not to be taken lightly, we have to endure some discord. That's what you're saying."

"That's right."

Baek Cheon nodded slowly.

Certainly, it wasn't such a serious problem. Such issues often occurred when choosing a successor in any sect. Compared to the concerns he had, it was really a trivial problem.

"We will do our best to assist the sect leader."

"Will you do that?"

"Yes. First, there's something we need to confirm. How large is the force of the resisting faction within the Beggar's Union?"

"Well, it's about six-tenths." [really not sure!!! all numbers not sure!!!]

"Six-tenths?"

Baek Cheon understood. Although it wasn't a negligible force, it wasn't threatening. If they suppressed the remaining dissatisfaction to some extent, it would be possible to handle this much.

"I understand. Then, we need to keep six-tenths of the forces in check and..."

"No, not that...."

"What?"

Pungyeong Shin Gae's face showed a slightly embarrassed expression.

"...Our side..."

"What?"

"Our might be a little less than..."

"...What?"

"But, well, it's a trivial problem. The sizes of the forces aren't that significant. If you come, that'll be the end of it."

"...Just a moment. You're saying the Sect Leader's side is about four-tenths? We have to fight and defeat six-tenths?"

"Oh, it might be a little less than this. Neutral forces are there too."

"Then, how much is it?"

"About one-tenth?"

Baek Cheon's calm eyes shook as if experiencing an earthquake.

"Oh, no, Sect Leader. With a situation like this, what on earth are we going to do? And... Master Shin Gae seemed very confident, didn't he?"

Pungyeong Shin Gae shrugged and looked at one person.

"Well, he must have believed in someone's abilities, right?"

"...."

"Even if it's the same task, the difficulty varies depending on who does it."

It absolutely wasn't easy to win six-to-one. However, if the one leading this force was the legendary 'Plum Blossom Sword Saint,' it became a much less formidable task.

So, Elder Hyun Pung Gae could tranquilly rest in eternal peace.

"I just follow the faith of my Shifu."

Upon hearing Pungyeong Shin Gae's firm words, everyone looked at Chung Myung.

Sure enough, despite all the circumstances, there was a distinct smile on Chung Myung's lips.

"Hmm. Is that so?"

Muttering, Chung Myung stood up from his seat and approached Pungyeong Shin Gae. Pungyeong Shin Gae stared at him with expectant eyes.

Chung Myung said.

"Therefore...all we have to do is utilize the power of the sect leader's followers, crush an alliance of elders who have almost already taken complete control of the Beggar's Union, and boldly place an ally in the Sect Leader's sect."

"Exactly."

"As for how, I'll somehow figure it out somehow, right?"

"Yes."

"I see. Haha. Just a moment."

"Yes?"

Click.

Chung Myung reached out under the desk where Pungyeong Shin Gae was sitting. The device that Pungyeong Shin Gae had moved before worked again.

"Huh?"

Kigigigigik!

With a dull noise, the door of the upstairs, which was thought to never open again, opened. The stairs slowly descended.

"Why the machine?"

"Chung Myung?"

"What are you doing...?"

At that moment, Chung Myung's eyes flipped. His body shot straight towards the stairs like a beam of light.

"You senile old man! Talking big and stuff!"

"Hold him!"

"Block him!"

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had been feeling something ominous since the stairs came down, attacked Chung Myung, who jumped to the upstairs, all at once.

"Let go! Why aren't you letting go?!"

"What are you trying to do!"

"Hey, why don't you come down here, old geezer! What, faith? Are you talking about faith! Crazy!"

Chung Myung's feet kicked off the empty air. The wind pressure from the tip of his foot only pounded the ceiling.

"Aren't you getting up? Huh?"

"Chung Myung! He, he passed away!"

"He might still be alive! Are you sure? Have you checked?"

"Make a reasonable argument!"

Chung Myung's two eyes flickered horribly.

"What if he's dead? So, what? Is it over if he dies?"

"Then it's over!"

"It's not over! It's not over! I thought so too! Let go!"

"What are you talking about, you crazy bastard!"

Chung Myung even foamed at the mouth.

"For some reason, I felt like something was going well! Hey, you crazy old man! Come out and see! Uaaaaah!"

Chung Myung's desperate scream echoed widely, penetrating through the Pavilion of Heaven.

In those days, there were no decent human beings among people.

And the one who paid such a desperate price for forgetting that fact was Chung Myung.