“Just stop pushing!”

“Stand in line, for heaven’s sake! A line!”

“Aren’t you too ashamed to look at the people from Mount Hua! Just line up already!”

The next morning…

A murder of crows as large as a cloud gathered in front of Huayoung Gate.

No one said anything about disciples being accepted again. Instead, even before the sun had risen on a new day, they were all hoping to re-enroll their kids back into the gate.

“Excuse me! Those who cut the line, I will not let them join.”

“Now, now! The sub-sect can surely accommodate such a small number of kids, so do not be in a hurry!”

“Ah! I said don’t cut the line!”

And the Mount Hua disciples were the ones who were attempting to control the crowd.

And…

“Hehehehe.”

Chung Myung smiled brightly and put a bottle to his lips.

Gulp.

“Hehehehehe!”

He didn’t even need snacks now.

Seeing the number of people flocking to them made him feel refreshed like he was drinking the purest valley water.

“There is the money I have. Here.”

Hearing this, Hyun Young burst into laughter,

“Huhuhu, money, you say.”

“Are they not?”

“No, they are money.”

“…”

“And not a one-time thing, but a pleasant surprise that arrives each month!”

“… Elder, please calm down!”

This man was more hyper than the idiot.

… but his heart could be understood.

Since most of the Southern Edge Gates had fled, Huayoung Gate was the sect that taught martial arts in Xi’an.

It seemed that Nam Ja-Myung was still trying to please them, but once people choose to leave, they rarely come back.

“This is special!”

“All that is left is for money to be made!”

Chung Myung and Hyun Myung were giggling, looking at each other.

And Baek Cheon, who saw this while trying to control the crowd, shook his head.

“…Sasuk?”

“Uh?”

“Isn’t this a good thing, considering we performed a nice deed?”

“Gul.”

“Yes, Sasuk.”

“Those two over there… no, that elder and juvenile are beings that these normal people shouldn’t look at.”

“… I will make sure of that.”

They were all saying or thinking that, but even their lips were twitching. And when the sun rose, it was Jo Gul that had the most excitement on his face.

‘This is why the people of Kangho work together.’

Helping someone and receiving their grateful gaze was an experience that couldn’t be described with words.

What happened last night was too shocking for Jo Gul, who couldn’t understand the teachings and rules of a sect belonging to the Forces of Evil.

It was only now that he understood why Yoon Jong was desperately trying to help the civilians.

Not just that, but the faces of other disciples held pride in their eyes and posture.

Of course…

“Kekekeke.”

“Kekekekeke.”

…except for those two.

But!

“My way is…”

“Uh?”

“A-No. It is nothing.”

Jo Gul shook his head.

It was still too early; it was not yet time.

But as Chung Myung had said, they had to think deeply about a lot of things. And a day would come when they had to walk down their own path.

Isn’t that what Tao is?

While the disciple had various thoughts, Chung Myung and Hyun Young were busy counting the money coming in with the crowd.

“Well, their response is a lot better than expected.”

“Right. I didn’t think their reaction would be this strong.”

As the two of them looked around with a slightly shocked faces, a loud voice was heard from behind,

“It is the Righteous Sword of Mount Hua, Disciple Baek Cheon!”

“… eh?”

When Chung Myung turned around, Hong Dae-Kwang was standing behind them with a proud face.

“The rumors that Mount Hua’s warriors are the best in the world must be widely spread throughout Xi’an. However, I cannot believe what I haven’t seen with my own eyes. Besides, it could be a once-in-a-while thing, but with so many witnesses, this was no fluke, right?”

Hong Dae-Kwang looked more proud than the disciples of Mount Hua.

Chung Myung nodded happily,

“When the fight was in full swing, we didn’t even get a peek at your nose, but now that it has ended, you are putting your shoulders wide as if we had fought together last night! Droop those shoulders!”

“… I-I am no warrior. And besides, if you had lost, I would have to call for reinforcements…”

“Lost?”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes,

“Are your eyes meant as decorations? Who will lose?”

“Kuahhh!”

Hong Dae-Kwang shot out a huge cough and avoided his gaze.

‘It wasn’t you but disciple Baek Cheon who took down Yeop Pyung!’

This was the most unpredictable thing for him.

“If-If I thought you would lose, I would have run last night.”

“Your feet are too fast! You must have been confident that you could run, even in the final hour!”

“… Hm!”

Hong Dae-Kwang changed the topic.

“Whatever.”

“Right, whatever, as long as the Righteous Sword of Mount Hua has gained a name by taking that man down, the skills of Mount Hua can be perfectly verified now.”

He turned his gaze from Chung Myung, who kept criticizing him, to Hyun Young.

“Honestly, the people of Mount Hua might not be able to realize this, but if this were something another sect had faced, then this would be considered a piece of huge news all over Kangho. A second-class disciple catching Yeop Pyung isn’t a small thing.”

As if he didn’t like how these two men were acting about this issue, Hong Dae-Kwang shouted,

“An achievement as great as this! It is a big event that earns him the right to be called the future best! It looks like the skills of Mount Hua have been verified.”

“Shhh!”

“Uh?”

But Chung Myung told him to be silent.

“Don’t speak about all of that. If our Dong-Ryong gets too much wind in his lungs, who will take responsibility for that? Let’s wait and see where this leads to.”

“…”

What is this little bastard thinking?

Hong Dae-Kwang, who greatly admired Chung Myung and the others for their deeds yesterday, now felt his admiration collapse.

No matter how good the fight was, Chung Myung was Chung Myung.

“But.”

Hong Dae-Kwang coughed,

“The risk will not be small.”

“You think it will be dangerous?”

“Yes, Elder. So far, Mount Hua has had no large enemies.”

“If Southern Edge had heard that, they would tear down their doors, right?”

Hong Dae-Kwang chuckled a little.

“Since Southern Edge is a sect, even if they broke open their entrance, I doubt they would attack Mount Hua so quickly. They still have a position to hold, and most everything has changed.”

Hong Dae-Kwang took a deep breath and continued,

“Besides, the Ten Thousand People Clan, no matter what anyone says about it… it is still an existence which Mount Hua will have a hard time handling.”

“Um, right.”

This wasn’t something they could simply sleep on; every opponent was a terrifying existence for Mount Hua.

Even if they defeated their enemies this time successfully, there were scores more out there and with skills that Mount Hua shouldn’t touch.

And if one counted the special units the Ten Thousand People Clan held, it surely would surpass everyone. The power they held was comparable to that of a sect.

And as Mount Hua was still growing their second and third-class disciples, it was bound to be a burdensome task to fight.

“Right, those fucking bastards.”

“…”

“What?”

“N-Nothing.”

Hong Dae-Kwang shut his mouth and shook his head.

Right well.

What could be said to him?

“We don’t have to worry about those evil idiots.”

“Why?”

“They only do things which bring them profit.”

“…”

“Whatever it is, there is all this talk about loyalty and pride, but they will not spend even a drop of sweat on non-profitable things.”

“…”

No. Well, that wasn’t entirely wrong…

“What do they benefit from coming to Shaanxi and fighting with Mount Hua? What is Mount Hua? A sect with a small village below the foothills of their mountain, a sect as small as a rat’s tail, and the most barren sect so no one would move right away. Isn’t that a place people end up by mistake?”

“R-Right.”

“And you think they will bring their full force for us? For Mount Hua? Them? Hahah!”

Chung Myung waved his hand as he smiled.

“If they even try to wriggle in, I will put a stake through their heart.”

“Right. What you say is true, but if Mount Hua decides to stay in Shaanxi, it will all come to a head someday.”

“And why is that a problem for us?”

“Uh?”

“If we don’t stick to Hua-Um, they should be the ones getting nervous. I will pound them as flat as a fish.”

“…”

Chung Myung looked annoyed,

“Ah, just the thought is making me angry. I have been so patient watching these kids. I feel like throwing things.”

“…”

Hong Dae-Kwang vowed to himself not to be an enemy of Chung Myung no matter what.

“Well.”

Roughly summing up the conversation, Hong Dae-Kwang saw more people flocking in.

“There are a lot of upsides and downsides, but… well, Xi’an has Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon.”

And they couldn’t help but admire this.

Twists and turns, all of which happened in a short period of time. Considering that Huayoung was here for less than a month or so, and Chung Myung was bringing all the people of Xi’an into one place.

“There won’t be anything hard to handle until Southern Edge decides to come out.”

“It will be the same even if Southern Edge chooses to come.”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung shook his alcohol bottle as he continued,

“People are flocking in to get this place running. We will need to buy the places next to us and push them away and expand ourselves.”

“…expand here?”

“You have to paddle when the water flows.”

“Then Huayoung Gate will be bigger than Southern Edge.”

“So what.”

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulder,

“Well, by the time they decide to open up their gate, we will make sure not to leave a single piece of land in Xi’an. We have to hit the ground hard!”

“… what did Southern Edge even do to you?”

“If you want to hear it all, one day won’t be enough.”

One day wasn’t enough, huh?

Just the thought of them made him angry!

“And?”

“And what? Head back.”

“Everyone?”

Chung Myung nodded,

“If Huayoung Gate can improve their skills, then this will go well. The reason we created this in the first place was that we wanted to have a larger influence here without the main sect being present. If we stick together for too long, it will not work that way.”

“… but Huayoung Gate alone doesn’t seem sufficient?”

At those words, Chung Myung shook his head.

“Do not look down on them.”

“Uh?”

“The power of a sub-sect doesn’t come from the strength they possess. Rather, it comes from the pride of their parent sect. The reason why a sub-sect is termed powerless isn’t that they lack strength but because of the distrust between a sub-sect and their main sect.”

“Ah…”

Hong Dae-Kwang admired Chung Myung.

This guy who looked like an insane bastard sometimes made good points.

“Huayoung Gate, who witnessed the kind of power Mount Hua has, is not weak. They might lack strength now, but that will be resolved with time. If we really want to help them, then instead of sticking to each other, we have to go back and spread the name of Mount Hua.”

“Sounds plausible.”

Hong Dae-Kwang nodded his head. He was from the Beggars Union, the largest information-gathering force, and he knew what Chung Myung meant.

It wasn’t about a single branch being highlighted but for the Beggars Union’s name to be unleashed and open for the world.

In the end, the important thing was to unite everyone under one banner. It was no exaggeration to say everything depended on the reputation of the main sect.

“Fine.”

“Uh?”

“I will help.”

“… what?”

“Nothing much! I will spread the word that the Righteous Sword of Mount Hua defeated the Red Snake Blade yesterday! I will let even those who live in the mountains know the name of the Righteous Sword of Mount Hua!”

“… uh, wait a minute. That…”

“If that helps Mount Hua, I should do it!”

“Huh. I don’t think that would be a good thing.”

“Tch tch. What is with you?”

“… fine.”

Chung Myung said as if he had made the decision.

“But instead!”

“Uh?”

“It is about the title he has, The Righteous Sword of Mount Hua.”

“Eh?”

“Not that. Call him Dong-Ryong or Oh-Ryong.”

“Such titles aren’t used anymore, so why?”

“Then let’s stick with Dong-Ryong.”

“…”

“Then every time that the title is heard, every time that name is heard, he feels a little humble.”

“…”

“It is good for all. Hehehehe.”

No matter what anyone says…

This little brat was the devil.