Chapter 53: Hah, So This is the Great Man Who Arrived? (Part 3)

"Uuuugh!"

The face of Elder Gimokseung twisted as he received the breakfast tray. After picking up his chopsticks, he eventually set them back down on the table with a loud thud without taking a single bite.

The disciples who were training stole glances at Gimokseung's expression.

"Does the food not suit your taste, Elder?"

"Hmm."

Gimokseung shook his head lightly.

"It's not the food. My mind is just… unsettled."

"Why would your mind be unsettled? If we disciples have done something wrong, please scold us harshly."

"It's not your fault."

With a slightly irritated expression, Gimokseung pushed the breakfast tray away.

"That bastard's face is prancing around the city, and now I can't even swallow my food."

At that, Lee Songbaek (李松栢), the First Disciple of Zhongnan, quietly asked in return:

"Are you perhaps referring to that child from Mount Hua?"

"Ahem."

Gimokseung didn't confirm or deny it, but everyone knew what that uncomfortable cough meant.

"Elder, I don't quite understand. What's so significant about some mere child coming here…?"

"The problem isn't that he's a child."

"Then…?"

"The problem is that he's a child of Mount Hua."

The disciples stared at Gimokseung with incomprehension.

What did it matter that he was from Mount Hua?

They could never understand the deep-seated hostility their elders held toward Mount Hua.

"Haven't I told you repeatedly? Mount Hua and our Zhongnan cannot exist under the same sky."

But Gimokseung was different.

He had grown up hearing countless stories about Mount Hua from Zhongnan's elders—how Mount Hua had tormented Zhongnan, how Zhongnan had struggled under Mount Hua's oppressive aura.

"It's already grating enough that a child from Mount Hua dares to step into Xi'an so brazenly, but to make matters worse, his name is the same as that damned 'Plum Blossom Sword'! Even chewing him up wouldn't be enough to satisfy my anger!"

"..."

The disciples exchanged glances.

('So that's what this is about.')

('That damn Plum Blossom Sword—even though he's been dead for nearly a hundred years, people still talk about him.')

('The Mount Hua bastards probably don't even remember the title 'Plum Blossom Sword,' yet here we are, hearing more about it than even the elders of our own generation.')

Plum Blossom Sword.

Plum Blossom Sword Chung Myung.

When Zhongnan's people spoke of the past Chung Myung, they never attached the honorific -jon (尊) to his title. How could they possibly attach such a noble character to someone they'd rather chew up and spit out?

Lee Songbaek gathered the disciples' gazes.

Anyone could see that Gimokseung's obsession was abnormal, but regardless, he was still Zhongnan's elder—their superior whom they were duty-bound to serve.

And truthfully, as long as Mount Hua wasn't involved, Gimokseung was an extremely rational and gentle man.

"Please don't concern yourself too much, Elder."

"Don't concern myself?"

Gimokseung's eyebrows shot up.

"That child is running around town, loudly proclaiming that he's going to treat Lord Hwang!"

"Haha, surely not…"

"They say there's been progress."

"..."

Lee Songbaek shut his mouth.

Gimokseung didn't elaborate, but the clever Lee Songbaek could infer the unspoken implication.

What if that child actually managed to treat Lord Hwang?

('All hell would break loose.')

Lord Hwang was a man of clear grudges and favors. If he owed his life to Mount Hua, he would never leave them be—he'd support them with everything he had, materially and otherwise.

('We have to stop this.')

After quickly running through the calculations in his head, Lee Songbaek cleared his throat lightly and spoke.

"Elder, if that child displeases you so much, why don't we just drive him out?"

"You?"

Gimokseung's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes. If you were to personally intervene, it might cause a stir, but we're just the First Disciples of Zhongnan, aren't we? What's so wrong about Zhongnan's First Disciples exchanging swords with Mount Hua's Third Disciple?"

"Hmm. But wouldn't people say we were bullying a child?"

Lee Songbaek smiled faintly.

"Who doesn't know that Mount Hua and Zhongnan have had exchanges for a long time? If we happened to meet by chance and engaged in a friendly spar that got a little too intense, who could fault us for that?"

Gimokseung nodded slowly.

"Besides, the Zhong-Hua Sword Conference isn't far off. That would make an even better pretext."

"I understand what you're saying, but I cannot permit it."

Gimokseung's voice was firm.

"He is still a Third Disciple. For you to lay hands on him or challenge him to a duel would be unbefitting of Zhongnan's dignity. How would the martial world view us if we bullied a child from a dying sect?"

Lee Songbaek suppressed a smirk.

The one most fixated on that child was none other than Gimokseung himself. For him to be saying such obvious things now made it hard not to laugh.

But it was a disciple's duty to read their elder's intentions and act accordingly.

"Then we shall take it that you do not permit it, Elder. But if one of the disciples were to… accidentally make a mistake, wouldn't it be enough for them to simply receive due punishment?"

"Of course. Anyone who lays a hand on that child will be punished severely by me."

"We will keep that in mind."

Gimokseung was a man of his word. So his promise of punishment was undoubtedly genuine.

Except for one thing—

Along with that punishment, a reward even greater would surely follow.

"Following our elder's words is our duty as disciples. But is it not also our duty to ease our elder's troubled heart? Leave the rest to us, Elder. Please do not concern yourself further."

"Ahem. Very well."

"Yes, Elder. Then we shall take our leave."

Without another word, Gimokseung nodded, and the disciples bowed deeply before exiting the room.

Gimokseung watched them go, then frowned slightly.

('Those kids are underestimating Mount Hua too much.')

He understood why.

By the time they were born, Mount Hua's decline was already undeniable. In their minds, Mount Hua was nothing more than a withered old tree, clinging to past glories as it rotted away.

But Gimokseung knew.

He knew how mighty Mount Hua had been in its prime.

Even though Zhongnan now stood proudly as the foremost sword sect in the world, the masters Gimokseung had seen in his youth were in no way inferior to Zhongnan's current level.

No—in some aspects, they had been even greater.

And yet, even that Zhongnan had been powerless before Mount Hua. If not for the Demon Cult's invasion weakening Mount Hua, Zhongnan would still be unable to surpass them even now.

('We can never let that era return.')

A resolute glint flashed in Gimokseung's eyes.

"Seeing that child leave Mount Hua and come here… it's safe to assume Mount Hua is resuming external activities."

He had thought they had crushed Mount Hua so thoroughly that they'd never rise again—but it seemed he had underestimated their resilience.

"Once this matter is settled, I'll need to speak with the Sect Leader."

A murderous glint, unbefitting a Taoist, flickered in Gimokseung's eyes.

"Isn't the Elder overreacting, Senior Brother?"

"Isn't he always like this when it comes to Mount Hua?"

"Even so, being wary of that little kid is going too far. No matter how strong Mount Hua was in the past, now they're just a ruined minor sect, aren't they?"

"Well, that's true."

"And even if Mount Hua's glory days returned, they still wouldn't measure up to Zhongnan now."

Lee Songbaek smiled faintly.

"Your confidence is good. But I agree with the Elder—Mount Hua of the past was never a sect to be taken lightly. Even now, Zhongnan would still fall slightly short compared to them back then."

"Senior Brother!"

"But the past is just the past. In the end, the ones who survive are the strong."

Only then did the others nod in agreement.

Go Hwi (高輝), Lee Songbaek's junior and another of Zhongnan's First Disciples, cautiously asked:

"But Senior Brother, what do you plan to do with that child?"

"We'll just have to… gently send him away, won't we?"

Lee Songbaek smirked.

Bullying a child went against his temperament, but leaving that kid here while Elder Gimokseung was so agitated wasn't an option either.

It wasn't like Gimokseung would personally attack the child, but it wouldn't reflect well on Zhongnan if their elder was seen wrestling with a brat.

"But what was Mount Hua thinking, sending a child out alone? If it were Zhongnan, a kid that young wouldn't even be allowed outside the sect gates!"

"Not all sects operate the same way. There must be a reason."

"Hmm. One thing's for sure—Mount Hua's situation doesn't seem great."

"How would we know about another sect's affairs?"

Lee Songbaek cut off the pointless chatter.

"We just need to do our job. Don't forget—our duty right now is to serve the Elder well."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

"We'll keep that in mind."

Only then did Lee Songbaek nod quietly.

"Now, how do we lure that child out…?"

"Wait, Senior Brother. Look over there."

"Hm?"

At one disciple's words, everyone's heads turned in unison.

"Isn't that him?"

"It is."

"He's coming this way?"

"Hmm."

Lee Songbaek let out a dry laugh.

Just as they were wondering how to summon the Mount Hua kid, he was walking right toward them of his own accord.

"What do we do? Now?"

"No need to drag it out."

Lee Songbaek stepped forward and cupped his fists toward the approaching Chung Myung.

"Greetings."

"Huh?"

Chung Myung tilted his head, looking at Lee Songbaek and the other disciples.

Before Chung Myung could even speak, Lee Songbaek took the initiative.

"I am Lee Songbaek of Zhongnan. It's a great pleasure to meet a disciple of Mount Hua."

"Ah, yeah. Hi."

Chung Myung responded indifferently.

Lee Songbaek maintained a polite smile and asked:

"Where are you headed?"

"To see Lord Hwang. Gonna check if there's any progress."

"Ah. I see."

Lee Songbaek suppressed another smirk.

('This kid's got some nerve.')

Even Gimokseung and the world's greatest physicians couldn't cure Lord Hwang. Did this brat really think he could do anything? Yet here he was, shamelessly claiming he could treat him.

"If you're not too busy, would you care to chat for a moment?"

"Sure, I guess. What's up?"

"Haha. It's nothing much. Since ancient times, Mount Hua and Zhongnan have exchanged sword techniques to grow together, haven't they? Even now, we hold regular sword exchange events. Are you aware of this?"

"Oh, really? Didn't know. I haven't been at Mount Hua long."

"I thought as much."

Lee Songbaek smiled faintly.

('If you did know, you wouldn't be standing so boldly before me.')

Even after hearing Zhongnan's name, the kid's expression didn't change. If he had witnessed the Zhong-Hua Sword Conference, he wouldn't be so calm.

"Experiencing Mount Hua's swordplay would greatly benefit my training. What do you say? Would you honor me with a glimpse of Mount Hua's esteemed swordsmanship?"

Lee Songbaek smiled slightly.

He expected a refusal—but he had several ways to trap this kid regardless.

"Ah, so you mean—"

At that moment, Chung Myung tilted his head slightly.

"You wanna fight?"

"..."

Lee Songbaek steadied his voice.

"Not a fight, more like… sparring. Or a friendly duel—"

"That's fighting."

Lee Songbaek's eyes went blank.

(What the hell is with this kid?)

Under that dumbfounded gaze, Chung Myung grinned.

"I'll fight anytime. Just don't regret it."

It was a simple declaration.