“Ugh. This is the worst.”

Chung Myung’s face twisted in frustration.

“Oh, ugh. Now, I am in a situation where I am being mistreated by descendants who are like the Evil Sect and cannot move as I please. Ugh!”

After complaining for a while, he turned back to look at Chung Jin’s grave.

“Yah, what do you think of this?”

There was no way the grave could respond. The tomb of Chung Jin remained silent.

“Why aren’t you answering, bastard! Are you not going to answer?”

If Chung Jin were watching this from heaven, he would probably be swearing. Of course, since he knew Chung Myung the best, he might be thankful that he wasn’t kicking the mound.

“Ugh! That… ughh!”

Chung Myung couldn’t even fully express his complex feelings in words and could only make groaning sounds.

If you thought about it, wasn’t Hyun Jong a distant descendant of him?

No matter his position as a sect leader, if he had the Plum Blossom Sword Saint in front of him, he should be lying flat and bowing!

But now, Chung Myung was unable to do what he wanted because of Hyun Jong’s orders. Isn’t this strange?

“Ugh. Everyone has grown up.”

What about before? Everyone was just so naïve and fell for Chung Myung this, Chung Myung that…

“Ugh… this is so creepy.”

Chung Myung sighed deeply.

“Ugh. It is good that everyone has their own opinion… I tried to follow everything he said, but it feels like I cannot do my job right….”

-The only thing the sahyung can do is cause a mess.

“What are you saying! Whose side are you on!”

-Hahaha! I won’t be on your side if I am human!

“Ah! Don’t do this!”

He was already going crazy with just one man not listening, and now he was going insane with two!

Should he maybe do the ritual to make him ascend?

“Ugh. That isn’t the problem.”

Chung Myung crossed his arms.

Actually, he said it jokingly, but this was ending up as a rather sensitive issue to him.

Should he respect the sect leader Hyun Jong or view him as a descendant and lead him?

So far, he had maintained a moderate stance on things. There were moments when he needed to lead. Still, he also needed to respect the man in Mount Hua who had devoted his entire life to protecting Mount Hua until he came back.

But now he had the feeling that the two sides of him and Hyun Jong would end up clashing more in the future.

“What do I do…”

Chung Myung’s lips, as he thought and looked at the sky, twitched a bit.

“I don’t know. Think later!”

And so he jumped up.

“But not this time. No one can stop me!”

The grassy mound watched in silence as Chung Myung happily went down.

“What?”

Why wasn’t it there?

“I am sure I left it here?”

Chung Myung threw the items into the cabinet. Since the closet was so simple that it held just a few casual clothes, it would turn empty without a couple of things.

“This cannot be!”

Chung Myung’s eyes trembled.

“Did I put it somewhere else? Is my memory getting worse already? At this young age?”

If one included his past lives, he was at an age where he should be getting senile now, but anyway, wasn’t this a new body? But he was already forgetting…

“Are you looking for this?”

Swish!

Chung Myung was startled by the voice and turned around.

Familiar people, led by Baek Cheon, were standing at the door. In Baek Cheon’s hand, there was a dangling black cloth.

“M-My night clothes!”

“It is obvious what you are planning to do. So I am confiscating this.”

“Confiscating?”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes at the unexpected words.

Confiscated? His things?

The shock was so much that his mouth dropped.

In both his past life and this, he had stolen other people’s things but never had anyone taken his things. And this? Confiscation?

“Sasuk.”

“What?”

“I think sasuk has lost his senses right now, but I am Chung Myung.”

“I know that, you bastard! That is why I am doing this!”

Baek Cheon shouted, his face contorted with anger.

“It isn’t like covering your eyes and crying! The sect leader is telling you not to go. Do you think it will be resolved if you wear night clothes and tag along?”

While Chung Myung was searching for a retort, Jo Gul laughed.

“See now. I told you he would be like this.”

“… Hm. You did good.”

Uncharacteristically, Yoon Jong patted Jo Gul on the head. A look of pride spread across Jo Gul’s face.

Baek Cheon looked like he was about to spit fire out of his eyes, and Yu Yiseol, standing resolutely beside him, remained silent. Baek Cheon spoke sternly.

“No matter what you did, I tolerated it until now!”

“Ah, sasuk. That’s not to say he isn’t a dragon; it’s that we cannot put our hands or feet on…”

Kuak.

“… No, right, he is a dragon, indeed.”

When Yoon Jong’s hand, which was stroking Jo Gul’s head, clenched, the words changed.

“But… not this time! No matter how much he is like that, you cannot ignore the sect leader’s orders! Aren’t you the one who said that if the sect goes back, things will go wrong? History won’t speak one word of us.”

“…I can speak three words, though?”

“…”

No… he kept telling him that his actions weren’t things to brag about!

“No, sasuk!”

“What!”

“Do you think this will be alright without me?”

“We might get ruined with this.”

“Then why are you going ahead with this? Sasuk, help me persuade the sect leader…”

“But!”

Baek Cheon cut off Chung Myung’s words and said,

“Sometimes failure is better than success. Rather than ignoring the sect leader’s words to achieve success at will, a painful failure following the words is better for Mount Hua!”

Flinch.

Chung Myung stepped back without realizing it.

Even Chung Myung couldn’t refuse this perfect logic.

“Even if I lose my life for not taking you along, I will not regret this!”

“Really?”

“…”

Baek Cheon, who was speechless at the question, wanted to say something.

But then the Five Swords whispered behind him.

‘I guess he will regret it?’

‘I honestly regret everything. Does not regretting make sense?’

‘Well, this is the right amount of confidence….’

When Baek Cheon turned back with red eyes, the Chung disciples flinched and looked the other way.

“…Of course, I might regret it. But it doesn’t change the fact that this choice is the right one! So, you should give up and follow the decision of the sect leader.”

“Oh my….”

Yoon Jong helped Baek Cheon.

“Right. It would be better to do what sasuk is saying.”

Jo Gul too quickly sided.

“Right, you bastard! Anyway, this is what the sect leader ordered, and you must not disobey it. So, are you going to tell the other sahyungs to follow you, or will you follow? Have some conscience.”

Yu Yiseol frowned and continued.

“Scolding.”

“…”

“I am being scolded a lot this time.”

Chung Myung looked like the soul had escaped his mouth.

‘It wasn’t the Hyun disciples alone who were the problem.’

Now, both the bright Baek disciples and the Chung disciples were trying to exercise power.

Sahyung! Sect leader sahyung!

Was he going to have to put up with this treatment? Uh? Him? He, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, Chung Myung, to these small…!

-If it’s the sect leader, you need to follow them, you bastard! If you ignored me in the past life, shouldn’t you at least listen this time?

“When did I ever ignore you! I did everything you told me to!”

“Why are you suddenly screaming!”

“…Ah, no, it isn’t that.”

Just as Chung Myung was flustered and about to speak, Baek Cheon spoke first.

“Anyway, it won’t work this time. If you follow us secretly, we will stop and return to Mount Hua. After that, if you ignore the orders of the sect leader and go to Yangtze alone, I will personally ask the sect leader to put you in the repentance cave for a year!”

“What? Has Sasuk lost it?”

“I am saying this because I am not insane! Because I am not! You are the fucked-up crazy one! How dare you disobey the orders of your sect leader! Don’t you even know the proverb: Deceiving the teacher is like deceiving the ancestors?”

“De… deceiving the teacher is like deceiving the ancestors?”

“Yes, that!”

Chung Myung was now so enraged that it felt like he could collapse.

Yah, you bastard…

What you were all doing now was deceiving the ancestor. You bastards were all coming after your ancestor…

Oh my.

“Don’t make me say it twice! Don’t do anything unnecessary, and stay put!”

Baek Cheon turned around without care, leaving Chung Myung in a daze.

And then Yoon Jong quickly followed, asking.

“Will this be alright?”

“It was something that had to happen at some point. Now that guy can know what has to be protected and what doesn’t.”

Baek Cheon took a bold step. At the same time, he felt nervous and slowly peeked a glance back.

“Well, he isn’t the guy to lose his bearing at this.”

Five Swords shrugged their shoulders and left Chung Myung. Then, the other Chung disciples, who were holding their breath and unable to move, slowly began to snoop around.

Seeing Chung Myung sit on his bed, feeling lost, they all clicked their tongues and said one word before leaving.

“Chung Myung is now done.”

“Now is the time to let go.”

“It is really just Sasuk leading us. Let us stick with Sasuk in advance.”

“If you think about it, the next sect leader will be Baek Cheon Sasuk and Yoon Jong Sahyung. If you think about it, he has all the power.”

“Right? Why didn’t I think of it until now?”

Sahyung. Sect leader Sahyung…

The kids were all grown up now, really…

But why…

‘Do I feel like crying?’

Huhu. Huhuh.

Mount Hua, right Mount Hua.

This damned one! Die!

“We will come back safe, sect leader.”

“Y-yes.”

Hyun Jong nodded with a heavy look at the lined-up disciples in front of him.

Baek Cheon, Yu Yiseol, Baek Sang, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, Tang Soso, and Hye Yeon.

This was a familiar combination. Whenever something important happened, the disciples of Mount Hua—and one from Shaolin—went around like this.

But why…

‘Does this feel so odd?’

Just one person was missing, but somehow, the uneasy feeling in his chest wasn’t calming down.

“Th… that… um…”

Hyun Jong stuttered as if he was trying to find the right words, but he couldn’t help but look around.

‘Where is he?’

Why didn’t he even see the shadow of that bastard?

He thought it would make him feel at ease to see Chung Myung’s sad face, but that guy was so angry that he didn’t even come out.

Hyun Jong, who gave up, controlled his expression and looked at the disciples.

“As you might know… this is a very sensitive issue…”

“Yes, sect leader. We will keep an eye to only resolve the issue and make no problems.”

“Right.”

Seeing the confident words of Baek Cheon made him feel reassured… surely. Definitely so, but….

Hyun Jong almost bit his index finger without realizing it.

“I-If you happen to face any problem, don’t solve it on your own and run right away to us.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

“Those pirates are vicious. So be on guard.”

“Yes.”

“Never try to solve any issue on your own. Since we have promised to open the door back for any issue, report the situation regularly and request support in an emergency.”

“… Yes.”

“Eat three meals a day. If you don’t drink enough water, your stomach will hurt. Ah, you might catch a disease…”

“If you keep doing this, the disease will catch them!”

“… Uh, right.”

In the end, Hyun Jong shook his head in response to Hyun Young’s outburst.

His face was getting hot, and his heart was pounding; he couldn’t calm himself down. It felt like sending out the disciples for the first time.

“Sect leader, don’t worry. We will continue to be cautious! Please trust us.”

“Yes.”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes tightly. When his disciples said such things, how could he, the sect leader, not believe them?

“Please be careful.”

“Yes, sect leader!”

Those who had addressed Hyun Jong all at once turned and left the gate.

“Have a nice trip, sahyung!”

“Be careful!”

“Come back healthy! Punish those pirate bastards!”

Baek Cheon turned, nodded, and took a quick look around.

“… I don’t see him.”

“He doesn’t seem to be there.”

“He cannot be secretly following us, right?”

“Eh. He wouldn’t do that after all that.”

Baek Cheon sighed.

‘First outing without Chung Myung.’

It was true that he was nervous, but he was going to do his best. They would have to use this chance to prove that they could stand alone without Chung Myung.

‘Don’t feel too bad, you bastard.’

Baek Cheon, who had looked at Mount Hua with his own eyes, turned his head and took his steps ahead.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Mount Hua’s disciples walked out of the gate proudly.