At the edge of the large pavilion's eaves, Chung Myung stood holding a bottle of liquor in one hand, staring blankly at the moon.
A little farther away, Five Swords watched him. Normally, Tang Soso would have gone wild if a patient drank alcohol, but even he couldn't bring himself to rush over now and simply observed quietly.
"What do you think he's thinking about?"
"I don't know."
Baek Cheon shook his head in response to Tang Soso's question.
"He's someone whose mind you just can't read."
"…That's true."
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul sighed simultaneously. The expressions of the Mount Hua disciples watching Chung Myung were quite complicated.
"Sahyung."
"Why?"
"How does Chung Myung know all those things?"
When Yoon Jong didn't answer, Jo Gul glanced at him cautiously and continued.
"Well… isn't it a bit strange? Of course, if Chung Myung comes from a place that held a grudge against the Demonic Cult in the past, it wouldn't be odd for him to know some details about them…"
Jo Gul stopped mid-sentence and quietly closed his mouth. What he originally wanted to say was, 'Doesn't he know too much even for that?'
But he couldn't bring himself to say it. Discussing Chung Myung's past was something they tacitly avoided.
No one explicitly forbade talking about it, but everyone naturally steered clear because they knew it would make everyone uncomfortable.
After this incident, what confused Jo Gul the most was Chung Myung's reaction when he saw the Demonic Cult's high priest.
'He recognized him.'
There were countless possible scenarios.
For example, Chung Myung's ancestor might have been a Mount Hua person who fled before the battle with the Demonic Cult at the Hundred Thousand Mountains because he couldn't bear the burden.
So even though he knew all the martial arts of Mount Hua, he couldn't return because of guilt—like Yu Yiseol's father.
A great sect falling into ruin. How many people wouldn't have stories tied to it?
That's why no one had tried to dig into Chung Myung's past until now.
But now Jo Gul began to think differently.
'Even if that were the case… could he recognize the high priest from a hundred years ago? Would someone passing down history really describe the high priests' appearances in such detail?'
It was unknowable. But one thing was certain: Chung Myung's knowledge of the Demonic Cult went beyond what could be explained by hearsay.
"If it's strange?"
"…Yes?"
At that moment, Yoon Jong turned to Jo Gul with dark eyes.
"Why? Are you trying to suspect Chung Myung now?"
"Ah, no, that's…"
Yoon Jong frowned and said firmly.
"Don't say useless things. No matter how he knows it, Chung Myung has done his best to help us all this time. That fact will never change."
"I know that too…"
Jo Gul lowered his head with a sullen face. He couldn't deny Yoon Jong's words, nor did he want to.
"Come to think of it, it feels like just yesterday I got hit by that guy and slammed into the ceiling."
Looking back, time really flew by.
Who would have imagined Mount Hua would come to this?
"…Come to think of it, everything happened after that guy came into Mount Hua."
"Huh?"
"Right? If it weren't for him, would we even be worrying about the future of the murim world?"
Yoon Jong, reflecting quietly, looked at Chung Myung with new eyes.
If it weren't for Chung Myung, Jo Gul would have returned to his family. Yoon Jong would have guarded the deserted Mount Hua alone. Yu Yiseol might have stayed somehow, but Tang Soso wouldn't have come, and Baek Cheon's fate would be uncertain.
No, even before that, Mount Hua might have collapsed, scattering everyone to find their own paths.
"It all started when that guy suddenly joined Mount Hua."
"…That's right."
Yoon Jong answered softly and fell into thought for a moment.
What was Chung Myung thinking then?
Looking back now, it's clear Chung Myung wanted to make Mount Hua great again. How could he think that walking into such a ruined sect?
"…I just don't know."
Just as Jo Gul bitterly smacked his lips, Yoon Jong glanced back with a very reluctant look.
"Um… sasuk."
"Yes?"
"…It's a bit strange that I told Jo Gul to shut up and now I'm saying this, but I've had a somewhat plausible… no, rather a somewhat… anyway, I've had a thought."
Unlike Yoon Jong, his preamble was long and his tone odd.
"What on earth is it?"
"Well… about that Chung Myung guy."
Baek Cheon's eyes hardened slightly. He felt uncomfortable bringing up a topic already discussed once.
"The reason we're looking at Chung Myung with some suspicion… no, ambiguous eyes is because he knows too much about the past Demonic Cult, right?"
"That's right… isn't it?"
"He also knows too much about the war a hundred years ago. So, um… maybe…"
When Yoon Jong paused slightly, everyone swallowed dryly.
"Uh, maybe what?"
Hearing the urging voices, Yoon Jong nervously glanced at Chung Myung and spoke.
"Well… that Chung Myung guy…"
Then he squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out.
"Could he be from the Demonic Cult?"
A moment of silence followed.
Baek Cheon's eyes widened. Those standing nearby also stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
Baek Cheon stammered with a flustered face.
"Ah, no… no… you bastard. That's nonsense…"
But at that moment, someone clapped loudly beside him.
"That's… convincing!"
"…The mystery is all solved."
"Huh?"
Baek Cheon looked around dumbfounded. The sahyung-sajae all nodded with faces full of great realization.
"Come to think of it, he fits the Demonic Cult more than the Justice faction."
"…Then it makes sense why he knows so much about the Heavenly Demon sect."
"His personality too."
"Right, his attitude! His personality!"
"Ah, no…"
Cold sweat began to trickle down Baek Cheon's neat forehead.
Such absurd, ridiculous, and very plausible… no! Damn it! Plausible! What am I thinking!
"Say something reasonable! Who hates the Demonic Cult more than Chung Myung here? His hatred is at a level that needs medical treatment and counseling."
"Look, sasuk."
At that moment, Jo Gul clicked his tongue and said.
"Sasuk probably grew up too sheltered to know."
"It sounds a bit sharp coming from you."
"…Let's move past that."
Jo Gul arrogantly gestured toward Baek Cheon and asked.
"Which sect does sasuk hate the most?"
"Southern Edge."
Without hesitation, the answer came immediately. Jo Gul nodded as if to say, 'See?'
"Where is sasuk originally from?"
"…Southern Edge."
"Anything else to say?"
Wow… this can't be refuted.
"People who turn their backs are the scariest. If that guy was once a Demonic Cult member who got pissed off and ran away, it all makes sense. His terrible personality and ridiculous martial arts."
Listening to Jo Gul, Yoon Jong added seriously.
"If it were someone else, maybe not, but that guy might think, 'I hate the Demonic Cult, so I'll go to Mount Hua, which the sect hates most, and shake it up.' That's the kind of guy he is."
Baek Cheon quietly closed his mouth.
Even Baek Cheon once got so pissed at Jin Geum-Ryong and Southern Edge that he charged into Mount Hua, their most hated sect. Whether this theory is possible or not, Baek Cheon has no right to say it's impossible.
If he said 'That can't be' here, he'd surely get bombarded with 'Hey? So who was the one who did what even a Demonic Cult member wouldn't do?'
"…No, enough nonsense."
"I'm saying there's a possibility."
"Not just a possibility, it's high."
"Confirmed."
Baek Cheon pressed his temples hard. He couldn't tell if these guys were serious or joking anymore. His head was throbbing.
He sighed deeply.
"Anyway… if there's something to say, he'll say it. You know that Chung Myung doesn't tell us unnecessary things, but always tells us what's necessary."
"That's true."
"He knows about the Demonic Cult but hasn't mentioned it to us until now. You know why, right?"
"…Yes."
Everyone nodded. It was impossible not to know. If they had learned the true power of the Demonic Cult three years ago, they might have lost heart.
Even now, they were dumbfounded by the gap with the Demonic Cult; back then, it must have been worse.
Chung Myung still held the bottle, staring blankly at the moon. Baek Cheon glanced at him and spoke calmly.
"In other words, he thinks we've grown enough to handle knowing all those truths now."
"…"
"So let's wait a little longer. When the time comes for us to know, he will surely tell us."
"Yes, sasuk."
Yoon Jong nodded. Then he glanced at everyone and lowered his voice a bit.
"More than that… well… I'm not sure if I'm the only one thinking this, but…"
"What thought?"
"Did sasuk understand the conversation between the sect leader and Chung Myung earlier?"
Baek Cheon didn't answer. Yoon Jong awkwardly scratched his head.
"I felt it ended ambiguously… so I don't really know the conclusion. If you understood, could you tell me?"
"Uh… well…"
Baek Cheon's face was very reluctant.
Because he also didn't fully understand the last conversation between the two. What exactly did 'just do as the Heavenly Friends Alliance has been doing' mean?
"Honestly, I don't really…"
"I'll explain that!"
"Ah, damn! You scared me!"
Startled by the sudden voice, Baek Cheon stepped back.
Im So-Byeong had appeared, gently waving a fan.
"Hehehehehe."
"…"
"Hehehehehe."
Im So-Byeong fully opened the fan, half covering his mouth, and laughed unpleasantly.
"…Why are you like this? There must be a reason."
"Ah, sorry. I just felt amused thinking about it."
Im So-Byeong shrugged and got to the point.
"It's nothing special. Mount Hua's Sword Saint, that is, Taoist Chung Myung, has declared they will unify the murim world under the Heavenly Friends Alliance."
"Ah, so that's it… What, you crazy bastard?"
Baek Cheon's pupils trembled as if an earthquake struck.