"Abbot…"
Beop Gye swallowed dryly and cautiously opened his mouth.
"I do not say that I do not understand what you are saying, abbot…"
Abbot's gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced through Beop Gye.
For a moment, Beop Gye felt the urge to shut his mouth, biting his lips tightly, but he opened his mouth again. Fear should not delay honest advice. Otherwise, everything would truly go awry.
"Abbot… if you truly were concerned about that situation, wouldn't it have been right to seriously discuss it when Mount Hua's sect leader came to us? To blame them after everything is over…"
"Discussion?"
The cold voice flowing from the Abbot's mouth interrupted Beop Gye's words.
"With whom do you say I should discuss?"
"With Hyun Jong of Mount Hua…"
"That scarecrow?"
Beop Gye tightly closed his eyes.
No matter what happens, one should not call another sect's leader a scarecrow. It would be a great humiliation even to a small minor sect, let alone a sect as large as Mount Hua.
Abbot is not ignorant of this fact. As the exalted abbot of Shaolin, he has been extremely careful with his words and actions.
However, recently, Abbot has often lost his composure regarding matters related to Mount Hua.
'No…'
A strange light flickered in Beop Gye's eyes.
Would the Abbot he knows really use such words against someone just out of simple enmity? …Really?
'What am I thinking!'
Beop Gye quickly erased the suspicion that had arisen in his mind. It was unimaginable. Would Abbot, the Shaolin's abbot, feel rivalry toward Hyun Jong, merely the sect leader of Mount Hua?
At that moment, the Abbot shouted.
"What meaning is there in discussing with Hyun Jong? Do you not know who truly decides the crucial matters in Mount Hua?"
"…That is…"
"Hyun Jong might not know. If he were a good person, he might not guess what Mount Hua's move to the south means, or how that cunning the Hegemony Lord would exploit them. But!"
Abbot ground his teeth.
"That Mount Hua's Sword Saint! Do you think he went to the south without predicting all this?"
Beop Gye closed his mouth like a clam. Abbot openly scoffed.
"No way. That guy, who seems to have ten snakes in his belly, wouldn't be unaware of this situation. He went knowing full well! Knowing!"
Beop Gye dared not refute this.
Considering the abilities of the Mount Hua's Sword Saint he had observed, it would be stranger if they did not predict all this.
"Those who endlessly talk about cooperation and civilians with their mouths could not endure their petty vanity and ultimately drove all the southern civilians into hell! This was the chance to overthrow the Four Sects Alliance and liberate the south! Such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity wasted like this!"
Abbot's face flushed bright red. The refined old monk who pursued Buddhist law moments ago was nowhere to be found.
"Despicable! Despicable! Their intentions are clear to me! If only they endured a little disgrace, bore a little criticism, and waited, they could bring peace to the world! But they ruin it like this! Is this Mount Hua's way?"
It was a frost-like fury.
"Moreover!"
Abbot's hand trembling as he gripped his robe.
"You mean to say they conspired with those Evil Sect bastards to do this!"
"…"
"If Mount Hua had handled all this alone without joining hands with Jang Ilso, I might have called them foolish but not doubted their sincerity! But how am I to accept that those who claim justice fought alongside the Evil Sect's lackeys? The spirits of those who died at Black Dragon Pirates and the Namgung souls at Plum Blossom Island still wander the heavens! And they allied with the Evil Sect Alliance?"
Abbot spoke as if spitting fire. Beop Gye's body trembled involuntarily at the intense rage.
But what followed was not a shout filled with wrath, but a hollow laugh.
"Huh… hahaha…
Abbot suddenly laughed hollowly and shook his head.
"It's exhausting… just exhausting."
"…abbot."
"Those who know nothing will now praise Mount Hua. And also praise Jang Ilso. Saying they defended the Central Plains against that terrible Demonic Cult. And they will blame us, asking where we were."
Beop Gye closed his mouth.
Judging by the revealed circumstances, it is not wrong. Shaolin did nothing during the Hangzhou rebellion, did they?
No, to be frank, Beop Gye was confused about what role Shaolin played in the recent series of events shaking the murim world.
Always stepping back, waiting for the situation to ripen, only to have the Four Sects Alliance or Mount Hua take the initiative repeatedly.
Beop Gye spoke in a grave tone.
"… Abbot. In my opinion… considering the gravity of the Demonic cult's name, perhaps we should not have waited like this."
Abbot silently stared at Beop Gye.
After a long heavy silence pressuring Beop Gye, a voice like a lament escaped Abbot's mouth.
"Even you think like that?"
"That's not…"
Abbot cut off his words with a deep, sinking voice.
"That is why we had to wait even more."
"…Yes? That is…"
"Don't you understand?"
Abbot said, staring piercingly at Beop Gye.
"If Mount Hua truly feared the Demonic Cult, if they were alert, they should not have rushed to the south rashly but naturally tried to join hands with us. No, to put it bluntly, they should have bowed to us!"
"A-abbot… the Heavenly Friends Alliance is no longer a small coalition."
"What does that mean?"
Abbot gritted his teeth.
"Who exactly are those in the Heavenly Friends Alliance you mentioned?"
"That is…"
"The Four Heavenly Friends sects, rejected even by the Justice faction as heretics. The Namgung Family, having lost their power and nowhere to go! And the sects from the western regions not even considered Central Plains people, and Mount Hua, expelled from the Nine Great Sects!"
"…"
"Among them, is there truly a sect with great influence in the murim world?"
"…No, there isn't."
"Everyone only sees the facade! Everyone!"
Bang!
Abbot slammed the floor in frustration.
"Just because Mount Hua defeated Southern Edge, did the Southern Edge bow to Mount Hua?"
"…"
"Just because Mount Hua defeated Wudang, did Wudang give up their position to Mount Hua?"
"No, abbot."
"That is the limit of Mount Hua as a sect, and the limit of the Heavenly Friends Alliance as a coalition. No matter how much they perform and expand their influence, would the proud prestigious sects of the Nine Great Sects submit under Mount Hua?"
Beop Gye could not answer this.
Can you imagine Shaolin bowing to Mount Hua and joining the Heavenly Friends Alliance?
No. Such a thing can never happen.
Probably the other Nine Great Sects think similarly. Unless it's the Beggars' Union, who don't care about face or pride.
"…It's not because I am Shaolin's abbot that we must unite around Shaolin. Do you know why Shaolin has always been at the center when the martial world faces turmoil?"
"That is…"
"Because only when dealing with Shaolin do they step back! Simply put, if Namgung Hwang were alive, would he have given up the leadership of the Five Great Families to join the Heavenly Friends Alliance?"
"…"
"The Heavenly Friends Alliance cannot unify the murim world. Therefore, they gather only those they can easily control to expand their power. Even knowing this causes clear division in the Central Plains!"
Abbot's shoulders trembled with rage.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"…Yes, abbot."
Beop Gye nodded unconsciously.
There was nothing wrong with Abbot's words.
No matter how much one thinks about it, the scene of the Heavenly Friends Alliance subjugating the prestigious sects of the Nine Great Sects, the existing powers of the Central Plains, does not come to mind. Ultimately, the stronger the Heavenly Friends Alliance becomes, the more the North is clearly divided into two forces: the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the Nine Great Sects.
Moreover, these two forces have already accumulated deep animosity toward each other.
Even without mentioning Shaolin, Mount Hua and the Nine Great Sects have never had good relations. Leaving unresolved issues until now has caused wounds to fester and rot.
"Do you think they don't know this?"
"…"
"Is there truly a place for the Nine Great Sects in the Heavenly Friends Alliance they envision?"
"That is…"
"But how long must I show mercy to them? How long must I think of them as those to be embraced? Even Buddha did not show mercy to the Devil. So how long must I, who cannot reach that profound meaning, endure?"
Killing intent flowed from the Abbot's eyes.
The Abbot was the first to recognize Mount Hua's potential and support them. And Mount Hua exceeded his expectations. Therefore, he sent Hae Yeon, naturally timid and with weaknesses, to them to learn their spirit.
Though sometimes displeased with their actions, those with ability deserve some freedom. Thus, he treated them with patience rather than condemnation.
But…
'I can no longer tolerate their recklessness.'
If Buddhism tried to solve everything with mercy, there would be no disciplinary tools like the execution blade punishing those who break rules.
Rotten sprouts must be cut off.
Otherwise, other healthy sprouts will rot too. The rotten sprout called Mount Hua has already caused many evils. If division accelerates like this, not only the Demonic Cult but even the Four Sects Alliance might become uncontrollable.
"…Not even realizing they are being played."
The Abbot bit his lips tightly. Eventually, thick blood began to seep from his lips.
"I should have heard those words back then."
"Abbot?"
"No."
Abbot shook his head.
"If we leave things like this, it will become uncontrollable. Call the Beggars' Union. We must interrogate the Heavenly Friends Alliance about their alliance with the Four Sects Alliance."
"I-Is this the time to say that?"
When Beop Gye asked in surprise, Abbot silently glared coldly. Eventually, Beop Gye stood and bowed his head.
"I will do so."
"Hurry."
"Yes!"
Beop Gye ran out.
Left alone, Abbot slowly turned his head and stared at the flickering lamp. Though no breeze stirred in the room, the lamp flickered as if revealing his inner turmoil.
"Mount Hua… Mount Hua's Sword Saint Chung Myung."
Crunch.
Abbot clenched his fist tightly as if it would burst, then exhaled deeply. Trying to calm himself, he reached out and lightly grabbed the wooden beads that had fallen to the floor.
Crack.
At that moment, his worn wooden beads cracked open.
Abbot stared blankly at the cracked wooden beads. Unable to look away for a long time, a hollow laugh escaped his mouth.
"Huh… haha."
The lamp flickered even more violently.
"Hahahahaha. Hahahahahahaha!"
In the room where no one approached, only the feeble laughter of the old monk echoed endlessly.