The monk entered Abbot’s room with an angry face. His gaze turned to Hyun Jong and Chung Myung, who were already far away.

“… Abbot.”

The voice of the monk sounded like he was holding back clear anger, and the Abbot glanced up.

And the monk asked,

“What do we do now?”

“What are you talking about?”

“About Mount Hua!”

The Abbot sighed,

“To say that a person who devoted their life to Buddha is angry and raising his voice. You and I are both a long way off.”

“But, Abbot!”

“Lower your voice.”

The monk went silent and pondered his words.

Anger was rising from within, but he had to listen to the Abbot. It was because they truly were people who followed Buddhism, and in fact, it was because he knew that the Abbot was the angriest right now.

“Don’t be so angry.”

The Abbot smiled,

“They will eventually do what we want them to do.”

“… is that so?”

“They cannot help it.”

The Abbot touched the sword in front of him.

“A Divine Weapon isn’t just a symbol of a sect. It is an object which contains the history and spirit of the sect. What would we do if the Green Jade Buddha Staff was stored in someone else’s place?”

“Then we and that sect would go to war for the sake of it.”

“Right.”

The Abbot nodded.

“But didn’t they say something different?”

“The current Mount Hua is risking everything to go on a different path than Shaolin.”

The Abbot lowered his voice,

“So they have no choice but to brag like that in front of us. In particular, Mount Hua has lost a lot in the past due to the Demonic Sect. Those who have lost their own sect’s traditions will cling to what remains even more than others. They might say this now, but tomorrow or so, they will come to us on their own feet.”

The monk glanced at the door.

It wasn’t that he doubted the words of the Abbot. But he couldn’t control this anxiety that was rising from within.

“And this isn’t to satisfy the feelings of Shaolin members. It is the world. If those who claim to be a sect refuse to work for the sake of the world, how can they be called a sect that is on the right path?”

He took a sip of his tea.

“Hyun Jong is the sect leader of Mount Hua and not much is known about him nor does he know much about the world, but I know he is a Taoist. And such a person will not stand by and watch the world plunge into chaos.”

“You really think so, sir?”

“When have I been wrong?”

The monk hesitated a little.

Maybe in the past, he would have accepted this right away but not now. It was because the Abbot’s predictions never came true when it was about Mount Hua.

The Abbot smiled, looking at the expression of the monk, who wasn’t sure.

‘Everyone makes mistakes.’

The important part was correcting them.

It was true that Mount Hua brought great disgrace to Shaolin. However, if this situation could be managed well and Mount Hua could be brought under the influence of Shaolin, the disgrace would change.

And this wasn’t just a matter of their name and pride.

He wasn’t sure how, but Mount Hua surely found its way into the heart of the Nanman Beast Palace.

This was something not just Shaolin but no other sect could do.

‘The Demonic Sect cannot be given any time.’

In order to do that, they had to make Mount Hua cooperate with them. Personal feelings needed to be put aside.

“Children who are lost will always miss their parents. Mount Hua is a family which has lost so much. Such people cherish this sword, which was once wielded by the sect leader who led Mount Hua to its peak, and there is no way they can simply give up on such a thing. Amitabha.”

“…”

“It would have been more certain if we recovered the Legacy of Plum Blossom Sword Saint, but this sword has no small meaning for them. And by tomorrow morning, they will come here on their own feet.”

Looking at the relaxed face of the Abbot, the monk nodded. If the Abbot was this confident, then he would also feel relieved.

It surely would happen.

But…

It should have happened…

The next morning.

“… they left?”

It was the first time the monk had seen such a face on the Abbot.

The Abbot, who was feeling lost, looked at the monk.

“… yes.”

“N-No. What do you mean? They left?”

The monk closed his eyes,

“When I went to check and see what they were doing, they had already emptied their place.”

“…”

The eyes of the Abbot shook.

“N-no. W-wait…. Amitabha!”

He kept chanting about his dissatisfaction and tried to organize his thoughts.

“Where, where were they leaving?”

“… Wouldn’t they be heading for Mount Hua?”

“In this situation, they just left…?”

The monk decided not to answer this time. Arguably, it was the first time in his life that he was being asked such stupid questions.

“The word of So Dong, who was in charge of the place, said that the building was empty as soon as the sun came up.”

“…”

The Abbot felt so twisted.

“They left? N-No. It cannot be like this. It cannot. Are they leaving in such a situation? In this situation?”

The Abbot jumped up, quite shocked. And he walked across the room like a crazy person.

“Amitabha!”

The monk looked at him with a confused expression,

‘He is so great.’

Even in this messy situation, he was controlling his emotions, as a true leader of Shaolin…

“Amitabha, Amitabha! Damned Amitabha!”

“…”

No.

No.

The Abbot’s eyes were blazing.

“No, what are those crazy people thinking about?! Be it Mount Hua or something else? If they just leave here, it isn’t turning away from Shaolin but the world! The world will fall into chaos! If they leave like this, who will take care of this!?”

That is probably our task.

Are you asking because you don’t know Abbot?

The monk gulped, not wanting to answer.

He had never seen the Abbot like this in his whole life, and if he spoke right now, it felt like the Abbot would pick up the table and break his head with it.

“No! You fucking idiots of Mount Hua!”

“Calm down, Abbot. Someone might hear.”

“Do you think I can calm down? We are going down in hellfire!”

The monk shut his eyes, unwilling to see the Abbot lose his mind.

‘Mount Hua is always a problem.’

From the start to the end, anything related to Mount Hua never went the way Shaolin expected.

The honor Shaolin tried to gain through this competition fell to the ground and was buried under the rubble. And now the Abbot was losing his mind at their actions and was even cursing.

‘They are a variable.’

In front of the monk, the giggling face of Chung Myung appeared.

Mount Hua was a problem, but that devil was someone they couldn’t control. And as long as that devil sits with Mount Hua, everything will be dyed in his color, and Mount Hua will become a wall for Shaolin in the future.

The angry Abbot shouted at the monk.

“Catch them! Catch them now! No! I will go and bring them!”

“C-calm down, Abbot! What will happen to the name of Shaolin if the Abbot chases after them?”

“Is our pride really the problem now?! Those crazy idiots! Mount Hua! Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon… Kuak!”

“Abbot! Abbot! Calm down!”

As the Abbot grabbed his neck, the monk moved in panic. Despite being strong, he was still an old man with high blood pressure.

Baek Cheon frowned as he turned his head and looked at Mount Song.

“I felt like I heard something just now?”

“What sound?”

“Like a scream…”

“It must be the sound of an old raccoon falling on the ground.”

“Uh?”

Baek Cheon turned around with a face asking what it meant, and Chung Myung smiled.

‘How dare you bald heads try to play Mount Hua!’

What?

World?

You figure it out

Chung Myung did not want the disciples of Mount Hua to be pulled into meaningless fights in the name of the ‘greater good’. He had a hard time experiencing it once, and he knew nothing would ever come back even if he gave up everything for the sake of the world. Would the world do the same good deeds they were asking others for?

“Kuak. I feel so cold inside.”

Chung Myung grabbed a bottle and gulped it.

Seeing this, Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes.

‘No, what did they even talk about with the Shaolin Abbot?’

It must have been something important, but no matter how much he asked, Chung Myung wouldn’t say, and Hyun Jong, who would normally tell the disciples…

Baek Cheon glanced at Hyun Jong gently, he slowly walked behind them.

Hyun Jong, who should be looking at them with a warm smile, was now…well…

‘Like he committed some crime?’

Even he looked back at Mount Song with pity. And then he mumbled something,

“Bring… bring it… call it. Ancestor… my ancestor…I hope light shines on us!”

Hyun Jong, who took a few steps, flinched and looked back, and then he began to run toward Mount Song.

But he couldn’t even move a few steps before Hyun Young and Hyun Sang caught him from either side and dragged him back.

“Let go! Let go, you bastards! W-what are you doing!”

“Sect Leader. Let’s head back to Mount Hua and then talk.”

“Chung Myung told me never to send you back to Shaolin. We walk straight back.”

“Oh… Oh, this isn’t right! You bastards! How can I face my ancestors when I dieeeee!”

“…”

Baek Cheon, who watched the elders, turned back to Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung.”

“Uh?”

“… why is Sect Leader like that?”

“Well? Because he left something important on Mount Song?”

“Important?”

“Hehehehe. What can be important there? All the important ones are right over here.”

Chung Myung pointed at something.

Clack! Clack!

“…”

Four large carts followed behind the disciple of Mount Hua. Each one was loaded with something, and a large cloth covered their contents.

‘So that is all money?’

To be precise, it was the money Mount Hua and Chung Myung earned this time.

What was even more creepy was the fact that only one cart belonged to Mount Hua, and the rest were for Chung Myung.

“Sasuk. This trip to Shaolin has been very nice.”

“… right.”

“The people have a lot of mercy to give us things generously. Let’s enjoy it well. Heheh.”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes.

‘You devil.’

There was only one mistake made by Shaolin.

They dared to hold this competition, unaware that someone like this idiot was on Mount Hua. And then they would have to pay the price again in the future too.

“Well…”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung and said,

“You did well.”

“Uh?”

“This competition and all wouldn’t have been possible without you. You…”

“What?”

Chung Myung widened his eyes.

“Don’t speak like we have accomplished something with this child’s competition, sasuk.”

“…”

Chung Myung’s reaction was scary.

“The martial arts of the different sects in the world. The deeper their roots, the stronger they are. A second class disciples and new first classes does not have the power to represent their sect. The real power of a sect is in the elders and the prominent first-class disciples. So…”

He continued,

“Even the ruined Hainan Sect which was in our hands is still stronger than Mount Hua if these things are considered.”

Baek Cheon nodded his head.

“Yes, right.”

“There are a lot of things we have to do in the future. Be prepared to roll hard and die. And one day…”

Chung Myung, who was speaking, raised his head and looked in the distance. And mumbled,

“Right. One day.”

Baek Cheon didn’t bother asking what it was.

He just smiled, looking at Chung Myung.

Right.

One day.

A day would come when Mount Hua would stand proudly as the best sect in the world.

With this evil bastard.

“Let’s go! To Mount Hua!”

“Yes!”

After completing a long and distant mission, the disciples finally made their way back home.