Chapter 81 : Chapter 81

Chapter 81. Comfortable? Fun? Huh? (3)

At the Tang Clan’s firm opposition, True Master Cheongheo spoke.

“Please present conditions that we can accept.”

“You are demanding.”

“If the talks collapse, we will have no choice but to resolve this matter by other means.”

“…….”

True Master Cheongheo’s words were a veiled threat.

If it had been merely for negotiations, he would not have brought the Two Swords Squad in full.

The Myriad Poisons Demon Snake turned his gaze and looked at the flag of the unit waiting to one side.

‘Tsk, do I have a choice?’

The Immortal Sword Squad.

It was the name of the Two Swords Squad of the Murim Alliance, a unit formed by gathering only the experts of Taoist sword sects that belonged to the Nine Sects.

Wudang, Mount Hua, Zhongnan, Diancang, Qingcheng, Kunlun, and so on.

Even among such illustrious sects, it was a sword squad composed only of those at elder level or among first-class disciples of particularly high standing.

If that force were deployed on the battlefield, the current stalemate would tilt to one side in an instant.

“How much are you willing to give?”

“Even if not half of Sichuan, we will concede the border region between Yunnan and Guizhou.”

Even that amounted to three-tenths of Sichuan.

It was not the originally demanded half, but it was not bad.

‘You can’t be full with the first spoonful anyway…….’

The Myriad Poisons Demon Snake made up his mind.

“In addition to those conditions, add just one more.”

“Speak.”

“The Qingcheng Sect Leader must personally apologize to us.”

“…….”

True Master Cheongheo fell silent.

Then the Myriad Poisons Demon Snake lifted the corners of his mouth and said, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say it yourselves? That the cause of this war lay with that bastard from Qingcheng.”

“That bastard…….”

“How dare he…….”

The disciples of Qingcheng erupted in anger.

If it were up to them, they would draw their swords immediately and cut off the Myriad Poisons Demon Snake’s head.

His intent to smear Qingcheng one last time, after they had suffered the greatest losses in this war, poured fuel onto their fury.

However…….

“Will that suffice?”

“True Master Cheongheo!”

The one who shouted at True Master Cheongheo’s words was Abbess Hyeonwol of the Emei Sect.

The Tang Clan Head also added a word with a grave expression.

“Do you truly regard Qingcheng as fellow comrades of the Murim Alliance?”

Even to these two, this was excessive.

Even if Qingcheng had been at fault first, within the broader framework of the Murim Alliance, it had been an unspoken rule to protect and defend one another.

Yet now True Master Cheongheo was trying to pin responsibility for this affair entirely on Qingcheng until the very end.

To force Qingcheng to acknowledge responsibility for the war and have the Sect Leader formally apologize to them?

For the Taoist of Qingcheng, it was humiliation so great that dying with a blade in his mouth would be preferable.

Yet…….

“I came here with full authority delegated by the Murim Alliance. If you have objections, raise them later through the Alliance’s main headquarters.”

True Master Cheongheo pressed his claim forward, brandishing the massive signboard of the Murim Alliance.

Qingcheng had two choices here.

Submit and endure humiliation that would not wash away even after a hundred years…….

Or withdraw from the Murim Alliance altogether.

For reference, leaving the Murim Alliance at this moment was tantamount to a death sentence for Qingcheng.

Already greatly weakened by this war, the Qingcheng Sect would lose even the protection of the Murim Alliance.

Could they really last ten years like that?

Three years would likely be difficult.

True Master Cheongheo was pressuring the Qingcheng Taoist—no, the entire Qingcheng Sect—to endure humiliation.

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the Qingcheng Taoist.

From the middle of all this, he had not watched the scene but merely kept his eyes closed in heavy silence.

Yet perhaps he felt the weight of all those gazes.

He opened his eyes himself, looked steadily at True Master Cheongheo, and spoke.

“If I apologize…… will this war end?”

“That is so.”

“…….”

As the Qingcheng Taoist fell silent again, True Master Cheongheo spoke.

“As one who also bears the responsibility of being a sect leader, I understand your position and feelings.”

“…….”

“But for the sake of peace, please make the right decision.”

“…….”

Toward the Qingcheng Taoist, who remained silent to the end, True Master Cheongheo whispered softly.

“Shouldn’t you protect Qingcheng’s future?”

Words delivered in a voice so small that no one else could hear.

Those words reached deep into the Qingcheng Taoist’s heart.

“Step aside.”

He passed by True Master Cheongheo and headed toward where the Myriad Poisons Demon Snake and the Red Blood Saber Ghost stood.

All the gazes pouring onto him cut like blades.

A sect leader of the Nine Sects acknowledging responsibility before the Eight Gates of the Evil Way and begging for forgiveness?

It was something he had never even imagined.

How could one endure such humiliation and still claim to be a prestigious orthodox sect?

But…….

‘There is no other way.’

The Qingcheng Taoist let out a sigh.

His steps as he walked resembled those of a condemned prisoner heading to the execution ground.

No, they were even more miserable than that.

“Sect Leader…….”

“Urgh……. Sect Leader.”

The disciples of Qingcheng also watched the scene with tears streaming from their eyes in indignation.

Today’s disgrace would follow the name Qingcheng for as long as it existed.

Even so, it had to be done.

There was no way not to do it.

For survival, pride had to be abandoned.

At last, the Qingcheng Taoist arrived before the Myriad Poisons Demon Snake and the Red Blood Saber Ghost.

“This incident is…….”

As he was about to open his mouth while looking at the two before him…….

“I wondered what was going on and came to see…….”

An unexpected voice was heard.

The Qingcheng Taoist hurriedly turned his head to look, and there……

“What kind of nonsense are you doing right now?”

There stood Han Cheong-un, his brow deeply furrowed.

***

As Han Cheong-un ran toward the battlefield, he considered countless possibilities.

What in the world had happened for both sides, with plenty of strength still remaining, to halt the fighting?

He learned the reason the moment he arrived.

The Murim Alliance’s flag visible on the battlefield.

The instant he saw the clearly fluttering character ‘Two’, he felt he understood the situation.

And the moment he saw it…….

“……!”

A raging fire surged up within Han Cheong-un.

The one leading the Two Swords Squad now was that man.

How could he not know?

Even if he wanted to forget, he could not.

[Tsk tsk, you should have just died. Why did you bother surviving?]

[Thanks to that, I had to dirty my hands even more. Tsk, this is why you shouldn’t get involved with rootless trash.]

[It can’t be helped. Still, you’ll remain a hero of the murim. Take it as an honor and die peacefully.]

Every single word he had spoken remained vividly in his ears.

How could he forget words he had chewed over and over tens of thousands of times while rotting away in prison?

If his connection with Namgung Sang was an ill-fated one, then True Master Cheongheo Hyun Won was nothing less than an irreconcilable enemy.

The betrayal he suffered at that man’s hands was so devastating that it reshaped Han Cheong-un’s entire outlook on life.

“…….”

Han Cheong-un stood there blankly.

If he surrendered to these emotions right now, he had no idea what kind of disaster he might cause.

He gently closed his eyes, steadied his mind, and soothed himself.

Then…….

“Hoo……. It’s not time yet.”

He had to prioritize the current situation over emotion.

Having sorted his feelings, he ran again and arrived at the center of the battlefield.

Just in time for the moment the Qingcheng Taoist was about to apologize to the unorthodox faction.

***

Han Cheong-un walked slowly forward and surveyed his surroundings.

The Myriad Poisons Demon Snake, the Red Blood Saber Ghost.

Unfortunately, both of them still looked perfectly fine.

Glancing toward the allied side, the Qingcheng Taoist, Abbess Hyeonwol, and the Tang Clan Head did not appear to have suffered major injuries either.

That was at least fortunate.

It was fortunate, but…….

“So you were all just taking it easy.”

He and Cha Mugyeom had truly fought with lethal intent, exchanging ultimate techniques as if to kill each other, yet over here it seemed they had merely been sizing each other up.

What was this sense of betrayal?

Especially when he was in a state where the word “betrayal” could easily trigger him.

With a cold expression, Han Cheong-un approached the Qingcheng Taoist and spoke.

“What are you doing right now?”

“It would take long to explain. But for now, step aside. There is something I must do…….”

“Are you perhaps going to apologize to those unorthodox bastards and suggest ending the fight here?”

“…….”

“Unbelievable. You really were going to do that.”

Han Cheong-un pressed his forehead as if his head hurt and let out a sigh.

Then…….

“Let’s at least ask the reason first. I have that much right, don’t I?”

“That is…….”

At that moment—

“Enough!”

The person Han Cheong-un had been deliberately ignoring intervened.

True Master Cheongheo spoke to Han Cheong-un in a heavy voice.

“For the peace of the murim, the Sect Leader of Qingcheng has made a great decision. How dare a fledgling lacking both years and experience recklessly criticize him?”

“…….”

True Master Cheongheo’s stern rebuke.

Han Cheong-un slowly turned his gaze toward him.

Then…….

“…….”

For an instant, True Master Cheongheo flinched.

From the eyes of that young man staring at him, he felt blatant killing intent and hatred.

How many in the world could there be?

People who could display such naked hostility toward the Sect Leader of Wudang.

As he flinched, Han Cheong-un spoke.

“You are Hyun Won of Wudang, right……?”

He barely managed to force out polite speech.

In truth, even unleashing every insult in existence would not have been enough for a man like this, but he restrained himself.

“…….”

Of course, even this sounded unpleasant to True Master Cheongheo.

“So you are Han Cheong-un?”

“That is so.”

“I hear that at a young age you assumed the position of sect leader of a faction.”

“I did.”

“Then why has someone who bears the role of a sect leader intervened in the war in Sichuan?”

“What did you say?”

“If external forces interfere in a war occurring in Sichuan, the repercussions of the war could grow even larger. Did you move so lightly without considering even that simple thought?”

True Master Cheongheo’s severe reprimand.

To that reprimand from the Sect Leader of Wudang and an elder of the Murim Alliance, Han Cheong-un……

“What kind of bullshit is that, you crippled bastard!”

At last, he exploded.

Honestly, he had endured quite a lot.

***

“Bullshit? Crippled bastard?”

“Did he just insult him?”

“No way. Surely not to the Sect Leader of Wudang…….”

At Han Cheong-un’s shocking outburst, everyone present gaped in stunned silence.

“Those orthodox guys are more fiery than expected.”

“Seriously.”

“Hm……. I like him.”

Even the unorthodox faction was looking at Han Cheong-un with eyes full of amazement and admiration, as if thinking, “Wow, this kind of audacity is a first.”

“Ahem……. Ahem…….”

True Master Cheongheo was flustered.

Though skilled in political maneuvering, he had never been so openly insulted to his face.

And for good reason.

He was the Sect Leader of Wudang.

He was also an elder of the Murim Alliance and the head of a political faction representing the Taoist sword sects.

He was a prominent figure of the orthodox murim, strongly mentioned as the next Murim Alliance Leader.

In other words, he had lived his entire life in a position worthy of universal respect and recognition.

When and where had he ever heard such words?

As he stood there flustered, Han Cheong-un spoke.

“So what you’re saying is that even if the unorthodox bastards invade Sichuan, we should just sit still?”

“……That is not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean? What exactly are you saying?”

“…….”

“Speak clearly. What do you mean?”

At that, True Master Cheongheo suddenly let out a deep sigh and……

“Amitabha…….”

“Huh?”

“To be this narrow-minded and shallow of intent…….”

“…….”

“They said a new star had appeared in the murim to illuminate the future, but it was all empty fame.”

“…….”

Then he suddenly put on a benevolent smile and said to Han Cheong-un,

“Child. Just as a sparrow cannot understand the will of a phoenix, you are still…… hngh!”

KAAAANG!

True Master Cheongheo, who had been speaking, hurriedly raised his sword.

If he had not, his neck would have been severed by Han Cheong-un’s spear.

Barely blocking the attack, True Master Cheongheo twisted his face and shouted angrily.

“What do you think you are doing?”

“Tch, you blocked it.”

Was he really trying to take his head?

Han Cheong-un smirked in regret and said, “It’s nothing special. I just find it ridiculous that a dog-faced Taoist, with nothing enlightening to say, uses Wudang’s backing to act like there’s something profound there.”

“……What did you say?”

“Life must be very comfortable, huh? With the signboard of Wudang’s Sect Leader, you just act like a refined Taoist and everyone in the world steps back for you.”

“You…… you bastard, what are you saying…….”

“Comfortable? Fun? Huh?”

As he spoke, Han Cheong-un ground his teeth.

“But what can you do? Watching you act like that makes my teeth grind and my stomach churn.”

Han Cheong-un had once been the same.

He respected the authority of the Wudang Sect Leader, and because he respected it, he accepted most of what the man said even when he could not understand it.

Since it was the Wudang Sect Leader speaking, he assumed there must be deep meaning behind it.

But what had that trust returned to him as?

Even if that hypocritical mask deceived everyone under heaven, it could no longer deceive Han Cheong-un.

“You dog-faced bastard. Drop the honeyed words and speak straight. When the unorthodox faction invades Sichuan, is lending a hand a good thing or a bad thing?”

“…….”

True Master Cheongheo realized it.

The person before him was someone with whom words would not work.

And that type of person was…….

‘I hate them.’

He resembled the type of person True Master Cheongheo detested most.