Paat!

The scenery became a blur.

The disciples of Mount Hua crossed the mountain like black lightning.

Baek Cheon was constantly focused on Chung Myung, who was in the lead.

“Sasuk.”

Only at Yoon Jong’s call did Baek Cheon turn his head. Yoon Jong’s expression was slightly shaken.

“Why did the Ten Thousand People Clan let us go?”

“…”

Baek Cheon frowned slightly and thought. He couldn’t give a clear answer to this either.

“I don’t know either.”

“We have already been to war with them once. If it were me, I would never have let anyone go…”

Although Jang Il-so visited Mount Hua to celebrate the creation of the alliance, that didn’t mean that Mount Hua and the Ten Thousand People Clan had reconciled with each other.

They were still enemies.

Baek Cheon laughed bitterly.

“… how can we know the thoughts of someone like that?”

It was truly bizarre. By nature, an impression of a person tends to fade with each encounter.

No matter how strong the impression was each time, if you encountered someone too many times, you got used to it. Familiarity created comfort, and comfort took away anxiety.

But the Hegemony Lord Jang Il-so was the opposite.

The impression he had when he first met this person was now twice as strong as before. The smiling face, the gentle gestures—nothing could be forgotten as if the movement was engraved in his eyes, and that gave him chills.

This was the first or second time he felt such a strong presence get noticed by him.

“Still, we were lucky.”

“… well.”

“Uh?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes turned to Chung Myung’s back.

If, instead of this situation, they had faced Jang Il-so in a situation where there was nothing they needed to protect, would Chung Myung have retreated like they did now?

No, probably not.

He was a guy who didn’t know how to back down from anything or anyone he considered an enemy. There might be some hesitation for the safety of the group… even so, he wouldn’t have backed down like he did now.

There was just one reason.

Baek Cheon’s eyes turned to the burden that Chung Myung was carrying.

‘He couldn’t bear it.’

He wasn’t afraid of death. What he was afraid of was that the recovered remains would be abandoned again in this far land.

In order to avoid that situation, he accepted the humiliation.

It wasn’t difficult for Baek Cheon to imagine how Chung Myung must be feeling now.

“What kind of relation is this?”

Jo Gul quietly joined the conversation. Although they were out of breath from running, they couldn’t hide their curiosity.

“If they are the 13th generation disciple, doesn’t that mean they participated in the war against the Demonic Sect?”

“… right.”

Baek Cheon also clearly saw that parts of the white bones were stained black. Hadn’t he already seen that before? That was the typical change that came when one was attacked with the Demon Flower.

“Just what is the tie between such a person and Chung Myung?”

“… maybe their ancestor?”

Jo Gul frowned slightly at Baek Cheon’s words.

“Of course, marriage isn’t prohibited in Mount Hua, and one can indeed marry freely, but… still, in the midst of such a war could…”

“That sounds strange. The 13th generation disciple at that time would mean they were an elder. They were already old enough to see the grandkids.”

“Ah…”

Jo Gul nodded like he understood.

“It wouldn’t be surprising if Chung Myung said he was the descendant of that person. From the moment he first heard about Mount Hua, he tried to explain some ties.”

But Jo Gul tilted his head again as if there was something he still couldn’t understand.

“Then why did Chung Myung come to Mount Hua?”

“Hm?”

“Others would feel awkward turning their backs on Mount Hua and leaving on their own, but if they are descendants of someone, that should be…”

“You never know.”

Baek Cheon shook his head.

“Just because the ancestors sacrificed their lives for Mount Hua, there is no guarantee that their descendants will remain with Mount Hua till the end.”

“… Right.”

“Perhaps, even though he is a descendant of that person, he felt guilty about leaving Mount Hua and was unable to return for a long time. Chung Myung, well, for him, it is an ancestral thing, so that shouldn’t matter.”

This made Yoon Jong frown.

“But no matter how filial a person is, how can he weep so much just because he found the remains of an ancestor who passed away 100 years ago?”

“…”

“This is the first time I have seen Chung Myung like that. No… I never even imagined he would have such a side. This is so….”

“…”

Baek Cheon also didn’t understand it and just looked at Chung Myung’s back.

He couldn’t know.

What kind of story was there with that guy, and why did he have to be like that?

But…

“Sajil is sajil.”

At that time, Yu Yiseol spoke.

As the people looked at her, Yu Yiseol continued to run, looking ahead with her usual expressionless face.

“Does it make a difference if you know it?”

“… No, sago. It isn’t like that.”

“Whatever his story is, it is his business.”

A smile appeared on Baek Cheon’s lips as he heard that.

Although she was a silent one, she did get her point across from time to time and put the minds of others at ease.

“Right.”

Baek Cheon cleared his throat once and continued to speak.

“Right, I think the same. No matter what the story is with this guy. Even if that guy is a descendant of those who left Mount Hua, or a descendant of someone who did something against Mount Hua and ran, or a murderer who killed hundreds of people somewhere and fled to Mount Hua…”

“Sasuk. Please think about it one more time.”

“Have you lost it?”

“…”

Oh, was that a bit excessive?

“Hmm. Well.”

Baek Cheon cut in.

“I wouldn’t be surprised no matter what comes out of his mouth. I don’t even want to worry about it. Right now, the guy himself is too much to handle, so how can we handle that much?”

“… he is like that too.”

“Stop thinking useless things. The first thing to do is to return to Mount Hua.”

“Yes.”

Yoon Jong answered calmly and glanced at Chung Myung’s back.

‘The descendants of those who ran away.’

Actually, it was most reasonable to think that way.

But Yoon Jong knew not only that, but everyone probably knew the truth.

The story behind Chung Myung wasn’t that simple.

Perhaps what they saw this time was the cause of a strange heaviness that Chung Myung would occasionally show.

‘I guess we are still not good enough.’

Yoon Jong bit his lip slightly.

If he thought they were trustworthy enough, Chung Myung would have told them the story. Nevertheless, the fact that he hadn’t said anything yet means that they were still lacking.

So, Yoon Jong decided not to scold Chung Myung.

‘One day…’

If Chung Myung could one day completely trust and rely on them, then he would definitely tell them.

Definitely.

“Do not fall behind, Jo Gul!”

“Yes, sahyung!”

The disciples of Mount Hua ran forward, each with their own thoughts.

Following Chung Myung.

“Hmm.”

When the disciples of Mount Hua were far enough away that they couldn’t be seen, Jang Il-so smiled, amused.

“Spirit, huh…”

Jang Il-so, chuckling like this was funny, covered his mouth with white fingers and spoke in a mocking voice.

“What spirit is with such smelly remains! I thought he was a really smart one… well, he is an interesting one.”

“Clan leader!”

Ho Ga-Myung, who couldn’t continue seeing Jang Il-so like this, raised his voice.

“We cannot let them go! Don’t you realize it? That man is a tiger cub!”

“Ga-Myung.”

Jang Il-so arched his eyebrows and clicked his tongue as if feeling sorry.

“Why are you so excited? What is so great about a tiger cub?”

“Clan leader!”

Ho Ga-Myung gritted his teeth, his stomach on the verge of bursting.

“Anyone who sees a tiger cub tries to raise it. But in the end, they are likely to get bitten by the adult tiger it grows into.”

“…”

“Of course, the clan leader is no ordinary person, but that tiger cub is not ordinary either. Maybe those damn fangs will one day find their way to the neck of the clan leader! There will be no use regretting our decision then!”

Despite Ho Ga-Myung’s fierce and desperate cries, Jang Il-so’s expression was displeased.

“So?”

“Let me chase him! I will kill that guy and come back! What could be a bigger mistake than watching the clan leader lose his name? Even now, that guy…”

“Ga-Myung.”

Ho Ga-Myung, who was speaking, was momentarily shocked and closed his mouth.

Jang Il-so’s voice was colder than usual. No… it seemed like it was boiling rather than cold.

“Did you say I would lose my name?”

“…Clan leader!”

Jang Il-so slowly looked at Ga-Myung.

Ho Ga-Myung, seeing the eyes flashing with madness, unconsciously forgot to breathe.

“You are right. Someday, one day, that tiger… no, that monster might cut my head off.”

“…”

“I know. If you think about it, I could kill him here. It is extremely foolish to release a tiger cub with anger into the field without killing it. No matter how weak and feeble one is, they need to flex their body and get rid of any pain.”

“But why…”

“Ga-Myung.”

Jang Il-so’s tone of voice was as soft as always, but it seemed as if the howl of an animal could be heard.

“What is the meaning of comfort and all that?”

“…”

“The moment a man with a knife worries about his own safety, he loses the right to live with a knife. Once you start climbing the cliff, there is no way back down. It is impossible to stop midway. He who clings to the cliff has no choice but to climb again and again.”

Jang Il-so spread his arms wide. The wide silk sleeves fluttered majestically. There was probably only one person in the world who suited this exaggerated gesture well.

“Speak! Who am I? Who is it that I want? Do you want me to be a pig in a fence and refuse to climb higher for the sake of my life? Or do you want me to be a wolf who falls off a cliff and dies, even if that means risking my life?”

“Clan leader….”

“Answer me!”

A loud voice rang out, and Jang Il-so’s eyes glared at Ho Ga-Myung as if he wanted to tear him apart.

“Who am I?”

Ho Ga-Myung closed his eyes.

It wasn’t to avoid but to understand the situation.

“You…”

A groan-like voice came down.

“… Hegemony lord… Hegemony lord Jang Il-so.”

That much was enough.

Jang Il-so, who was holding his own face as if trying to rip it off, bent down and laughed.

‘Not yet.’

Uncontrollable laughter came out.

‘It isn’t the time to turn the tables yet. Not yet.’

Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon had a role to play even now.

Comfort? Name? Life?

Of course, they were all very important. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect his life.

But to him, what was more important than life was value.

What he could not stand the most was living a cheap life where change didn’t happen.

‘It isn’t like that yet.’

Five sects?

Ten Thousand Clan?

Hegemony Lord?

None of them were amusing.

He could never be satisfied with just that. He was born like this. Even if he took the entire world into his hands, he wouldn’t be happy with it.

He would do anything to satisfy his hunger. Even if it meant cutting off his own head.

Jang Il-so stuck out his red tongue and licked his lips.

‘This is just the start.’

Jang Il-so laughed out loud, recalling Chung Myung’s fierce gaze.

There was unconcealable fear and awe in the eyes of Ho Ga-Myung and the troops as they looked at him.