Chapter 155
Chapter 155. The Black Flame Dragon amid Chaos (5)
When I saw the children’s faces go pale as they listened to Hye-seong and Jang Woo-jae’s conversation, I burst out laughing in disbelief.
‘To think there’s still an old man left who uses the Mind-Subduing Golden Word Command.’
The sound art made by mixing the effects of the Unorthodox Path’s Spirit-Commanding Mind Voice and Lion’s Roar was a martial art avoided within Shaolin Temple because its roots were those of an Unorthodox Path martial art.
Furthermore, considering that the intent behind the martial art itself was also so sinister that monks were reluctant to use it, this was a rough indicator of just how much of a person who wanted to stand above others’ heads this old monk called Hye-seong was.
Seeing that not only the Gold-Silver-Copper Brothers, but even Sa-ryeon and Seong Mo-ran, and on top of that Namgung Seon-hwa, who had learned the Namgung Clan’s heart method, were unable to budge, he must have used the Mind-Subduing Golden Word Command quite often.
I scattered Jade Purity Heavenly Image Power and dispelled the energy of the Mind-Subduing Golden Word Command.
“Phew…….”
“……What was that?”
“I clearly felt suffocated for an instant.”
When the onlookers’ mouths loosened, like children whose tongues had suddenly been freed, a deep furrow formed between Hye-seong’s brows.
“Right now, Benefactor Jin So-un is insulting the Buddha. Do you realize that?”
I tilted my head.
“You were clearly speaking informally a moment ago, so why are you suddenly using polite speech? It feels awkward.”
“…….”
“And is it not you who is insulting the Buddha, Great Master Hye-seong?”
Hye-seong had no intention whatsoever of participating in the matter that had occurred in Yueyang.
“What did you say?”
“Is that not true? Was what Academy Student Jang Woo-jae asked for anything so grand? It was a request for you to stop by his sect briefly and show that the Yujang Sect is an ally of the Orthodox Path murim. Is that so difficult?”
Even his words about returning to the Murim Alliance and opening a meeting were clearly lies.
For the Murim Alliance, what clearer justification could there be than the destruction of small and mid-sized sects like the Yujang Sect?
Even if only to reclaim Yueyang’s hegemony later, their intention now was likely to stand by and watch the Black Path murim commit atrocities.
“I find it difficult to guess why you would knowingly stand by when sacrifices are certain to occur.”
The gazes of Hye-seong and the Righteous Path Association members turned fierce.
Ignoring their contemptuous eyes, I continued speaking.
“Or do those sacrifices simply feel natural to you from the beginning?”
“……You bastard!”
“I have listened and listened, but this is too much!”
These people did not blink an eye when others shed blood, yet when their own mood was disturbed, they reacted at once.
In their eyes, were we and they not beings standing on the same line?
“Enough!”
At Hye-seong’s furious roar, the Righteous Path Association members could not hide their resentment.
“Benefactor Jin…….”
“I said I do not like being called benefactor.”
“……Heh heh.”
After smiling leisurely for a moment, Hye-seong spoke.
“Even if you are a disciple of a Daoist martial sect, in the eyes of the Buddha, you are no different from any other sentient being. The same goes for Benefactor Jang Woo-jae. Even if his sect is not an official ally of the Murim Alliance, from the Murim Alliance’s position, he is a comrade who walks the path of the Orthodox Path together with us.”
Every time Hye-seong continued speaking with a benevolent expression, the onlookers nodded without realizing it.
“As Benefactor Jin says, I could step forward myself. But if, because of that, greater and more numerous casualties occur elsewhere, what would you have me do?”
“Where exactly has such a great matter occurred?”
As far as I remembered, there was no place in the current Jianghu where a greater storm of blood would blow than Yueyang.
“In Sichuan, precisely.”
That insane bald monk.
Hye-seong looked at Jang Woo-jae.
“I, too, find it regrettable. But right now, in Sichuan, beings who have hidden themselves for decades are targeting the entire Jianghu.”
At Hye-seong’s lie, I could not help laughing inwardly.
You bastards do not have that sense of crisis right now!
“Of course, I am not unaware of the crisis faced by the Yujang Sect and Yueyang’s Orthodox Path sects. That is why I, too, am saying I will do everything I can.”
“How reliable.”
As expected, they said the teeth of an old fox were sharper than those of a young tiger.
Before I knew it, Hye-seong had put forward a justification that would allow them to slip away and convinced everyone.
Jang Woo-jae, who had been listening to the conversation, seemed to no longer have the strength to endure and had fallen to his knees on the ground, bowing forward as he shed tears.
Hye-seong, who pretended not to see that sight, spoke.
“Then how about doing this?”
“?”
Hye-seong looked at me with triumphant eyes.
“Is Benefactor Jin’s name not already resounding throughout the world? You should step forward personally in this matter of Yueyang. Furthermore, since you are the current representative of the Murim Academy, do you not also have a duty to help Academy Student Jang Woo-jae?”
I could not hold back a hollow laugh.
So this was how he intended to shift responsibility?
“…….”
Hye-seong was smiling triumphantly.
It was certainly excellent political skill, enough for him to hold even an Elder position in the Murim Alliance.
However.
Compared to those Sojeong Squad bastards who always tried to swindle their comrades and rip away their monthly pay, this was nothing but crude.
An amateur bald monk, that was what he was. Shall I try trampling him slowly?
“Will that be all right?”
At my question, Hye-seong, who had been smiling triumphantly, widened his eyes.
“I am asking whether you will truly be all right with people mocking Shaolin, saying that a disciple of the Taeul Sect solved something Shaolin could not resolve and ran. A. Way. From.”
“…….”
Hye-seong quickly changed his stiffened face and said,
“Would that not be for the peace and tranquility of the Jianghu? If the safety of sentient beings can be guaranteed by smearing Shaolin’s name, there would be nothing that pleases the Buddha more.”
As expected, he was not an easy opponent.
In my view, the place Hye-seong belonged was not Mount Song, but Beijing.
How could the tongue of a man who ate only vegetables roll so smoothly?
“However, I am worried. The survival of the Yujang Sect now rests in Benefactor Jin’s hands. I sincerely pray that you do not fail. If that happens, would there not be a problem not only with the Yujang Sect, but also with Benefactor Jin’s position as representative?”
Words he did not mean.
Did he not worry about going to hell after lying like that?
Anyway, let us see this through to the end.
“Somehow, I cannot feel your sincerity.”
“……Hm?”
“Could it be that you are hoping I fail?”
Hye-seong looked around and burst into laughter as if he found it absurd.
“How could that be? As I said earlier, I merely feel regret.”
“In truth, would it not be good for Shaolin if small and mid-sized sects like the Yujang Sect all disappeared?”
“…….”
“That way, later, it would be easier for Shaolin to enter Yueyang while claiming it will realize justice in a Yueyang ruled by the Black Path, would it not?”
Hye-seong’s expression began to twist slightly.
“How dare you speak such irreverent…….”
“Then will you make one promise? That no matter what happens later, Shaolin will not advance into Yueyang. Before our comrades of the Jianghu, that is.”
“…….”
Hye-seong looked at me with such a cold face that he seemed to forget people were watching.
“As expected, is that difficult?”
A faint laugh slipped out.
“……What nonsense. More than anything, I desire the safety of the Yujang Sect and Yueyang’s Orthodox Path martial sects.”
“But you cannot make the promise, can you?”
“…….”
Now the area around his lips was beginning to twitch.
At this rate, I might really end up going to hell before Hye-seong.
“Then please offer one of those miraculous prayers for Yueyang’s Orthodox Path martial sects.”
As if he would not lose, Hye-seong brought his hands together in prayer with a reverent posture I had never seen before.
“Amitabha.”
It was the first time I had ever heard an “Amitabha” that felt so utterly insincere.
‘It is exactly the same as that day.’
Jang Woo-jae, who had been lying face down and weeping, could not even think to wipe his tear-streaked face due to the sense of déjà vu.
The day he first saw the Black Flame Dragon, whom he had only heard of in rumors.
He had been enraged before an unjust situation.
Jin So-un had thrown dozens of Entry Tokens to the ground without the slightest care, tokens that Jang Woo-jae had only barely obtained by mortgaging his younger sister’s life, and shouted.
-If even the Murim Alliance has forgotten fairness and justice, and has fallen into a group that only seeks its own interests!
And he had done so before the Murim Alliance…… no, before the Elder Council, which could be called the greatest power in the Jianghu.
-I will not enter the Academy according to your will. No, even if you tell me to enter, I will not!
At that shocking sight, Jang Woo-jae had been unable to move for a long time.
Considering his origin,
considering that he came from the Taeul Sect, which was evaluated as inferior to the Yujang Sect, he had spoken without hesitation words that neither Jang Woo-jae nor anyone else in the world would dare to say.
They were truly arrogant words that only a real man could utter.
From that day onward, Jang Woo-jae’s goal had been Jin So-un.
A man who could be confident like him, no, at least on a level similar to him.
That had become Jang Woo-jae’s goal.
He had desperately gathered those without affiliations at the Academy, created a force that could represent their interests, and wanted to stand with him.
Although Jin So-un belonged to the One Hundred Eight Peaks, he had not entered the Twelve Peak Citadels, and although he was close to Namgung Seon-hwa, he had not entered the Orthodox Path Association.
Knowing it would be difficult, he opposed the Righteous Path Association and always stubbornly pushed through what he wanted.
Jang Woo-jae had always wished to stand with such an upright man, but reality was not so lenient.
-The power of the Black Path factions in Yueyang is growing larger and larger. Since Wudang has withdrawn and Diancang is settling in again, try to form a connection with Diancang.
A carrier pigeon letter sent by his sect.
This made Jang Woo-jae realize the fact that he could not pursue only his own goal, only his own dream.
Before the cold reality, he could not move forward confidently like Jin So-un.
When Jin So-un was suffering the most, he could not approach him.
Even when Jin So-un was being shunned by everyone, he could not cheer for him.
‘Even though I did that…… even though I did that, why…….’
Tears poured out in a rush from shame.
This time as well, he did not lower his voice before Hye-seong of Shaolin Temple, the Taishan and Big Dipper of the murim.
This time, not for himself, but solely for others.
Even before the strong, he did not hesitate to speak bitterly.
And that made Jang Woo-jae feel even more ashamed.
During the conversation with Great Master Hye-seong, he had predicted it to some degree.
The Yujang Sect would now disappear from the Jianghu.
It was clear that neither Great Master Hye-seong nor the Righteous Path Association would move for the sake of the Yujang Sect.
Now, the only thing Jang Woo-jae could do was watch as the Yujang Sect, his sect and his family, disappeared into history.
“Then you should step forward personally in this matter of Yueyang. Furthermore, since you are the current representative of the Murim Academy, do you not also have a duty to help Academy Student Jang Woo-jae?”
His disappointment grew even greater at Great Master Hye-seong’s conduct, pushing the Academy Representative into a matter that neither the Righteous Path Association nor the Murim Alliance could step into.
No matter how much of a Jin So-un he was, there was no way he could step forward in such a matter.
He, too, was a disciple of a small sect called the Taeul Sect.
If someone like that said he would step forward even out of bravado, it would be the same as voluntarily shouldering a great danger without any compensation.
And yet.
“Will that be all right?”
This time as well, without fail, he shattered Jang Woo-jae’s expectations to pieces.
“I am asking whether you will truly be all right with people mocking Shaolin, saying that a disciple of the Taeul Sect solved something Shaolin could not resolve and ran. A. Way. From.”
And he embraced him.
As if it had originally been his own matter.
Without the slightest hesitation, he vowed to step forward.
‘Why…….’
Something great welled up from deep within Jang Woo-jae’s chest.
Because he had shown such a shameful appearance before him.
Because his past actions toward him had been so cowardly.
Because unlike himself, Jin So-un…… still shone so brilliantly.
He could not lift his head at all.
Even after the Righteous Path Association passed by and the people scattered, Jang Woo-jae could only keep his head lowered.
“Academy Student Jang Woo-jae.”
His voice came.
A voice still firm, full of confidence, and carrying weight.
“Let us get up now.”
“…….”
Jang Woo-jae could not bring himself to show his face.
As though Jin So-un knew his feelings, he once again wrapped him gently.
“You cannot save your sect while lying face down like that.”
Jang Woo-jae bit his lip hard and slowly raised his body.
His face was a mess with tears and snot, but he did not care in the slightest.
“Will you truly help us?”
“Are the other Academy Students not here together in order to help Academy Student Jang Woo-jae as well?”
“But, but…… when Representative was having the hardest time…… I was not with you. I do not deserve to receive help.”
“Haha, I was wondering what you would say. Academy Student Jang Woo-jae was not the only one who turned away from me at the time.”
The way he spoke as if it were nothing made Jang Woo-jae feel even more ashamed.
“And in that kind of situation, who could easily step forward?”
Then what about you?
Why were you able to step forward so easily this time?
The question surged up to his throat, but he could not bring himself to say it aloud.
“…….”
Just hearing him say that made Jang Woo-jae feel so reassured.
It felt as if all the worries he had agonized over until now had been resolved.
A feeling of relief surged in like a tide.
At the dock, where everyone had now left, a clear voice like jade beads rolling across a silver tray let out a long sigh.
“Phew……. Well, I knew from the start this would happen…… but you did think of a countermeasure before doing it, right?”
At Seong Mo-ran’s words, the Academy Students’ gazes gathered on Jin So-un.
The genius who had shattered the Soul-Destroying Formation of the Demon Spirit Plateau.
The prodigy who had passed the Murim Regular Exam with only his junior brothers.
The master of administration who was operating an enormous Academy on his own.
Everyone stared at Jin So-un, even holding their breath, wondering what such a person would say.
And as if meeting those expectations,
“……Uh, for now, let us examine the situation first.”
“…….”
“…….”
Jang Woo-jae shook his head as if clearing away his thoughts.
It was obvious that because he had cried too much, his energy had weakened and he was seeing things.
“Surely…… you didn’t step forward without thinking? Against the Mukhyul Gang?”
Jin So-un licked his lips as if nervous.
“……It was not exactly a situation where I could just back down, was it?”
My Jin So-un could not possibly be thinking such unreliable thoughts.
There was no way. Surely there was no way, and yet…….
Jin So-un scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and said, “……Still, I have thought roughly about it. Do not worry too much.”
“…….”
“……No, I-I am serious. Did you think I stepped forward without any thoughts at all?”
Somehow, his tone did not inspire trust.
The emotions that had felt so heated cooled, and the feeling of reassurance melted away like snow.
Il-gak, who had been walking at the very back of the group, glanced behind him several times, then approached Hye-seong as though he had made up his mind.
Just as Il-gak was watching for the right moment to speak, Hye-seong asked first.
“Speak.”
“……Pardon?”
“Do you not have something you want to say? Say it.”
“……I was wondering whether it would be better if even I briefly showed my face there.”
When Great Master Hye-seong looked at Il-gak without a word, his words grew faster.
“Ah, of course I will return before it is too late. If I hurry my steps…….”
“How do you intend to go there?”
Il-gak gave the excuse he had prepared in advance.
“……If, by chance, the Yujang Sect survives, will people not look down on Shaolin? If at least I go and show my face…….”
“Do you think the Yujang Sect will survive?”
“If they receive help from various places somehow…….”
Great Master Hye-seong let out a small laugh and spoke self-mockingly.
“Did the Mukhyul Gang and the Black Axe Palace look like such easy opponents to you?”
At Il-gak’s puzzled expression, Great Master Hye-seong continued speaking.
“Do you think the Mukhyul Gang and the Black Axe Palace have been crouching in fear of Diancang all this time?”
“Pardon? What do you mean by…….”
“They are Black Path sects that have grown their power in Yueyang for more than fifty years. Did you think they were some back-alley thugs?”
“…….”
“What they feared was not the Yuwol Sect or the Changseong Sect, who had Diancang at their backs. It was even less the distant Diancang they feared.”
Then what had the Black Path murim feared all this time, making them hold their breath in Yueyang?
“It was the Murim Alliance.”
“……But if they feared the Murim Alliance, should they not be unable to act even now?”
“Tsk, tsk. This is why I have always said that the main mountain must not teach children only meditation.”
Great Master Hye-seong, who had been grumbling, spoke as if scolding him.
“The flow of the great tide has passed from the Orthodox Path to the Black Path. They likely know very well that, as things stand, the Murim Alliance cannot easily appear in Yueyang.”
“…….”
“If you try to predict the tide by looking at a single piece of a wave, all you will do is avoid getting wet.”
“…….”
“If you truly wish to head out into the vast sea, you must read the world. Do you understand?”
“……I will keep it in mind.”
As he spoke, Great Master Hye-seong smiled lightly.
“After we return from Sichuan, you will likely be able to rise to the position of representative. Prepare yourself in advance.”
“……What do you mean?”
“Jin So-un…… that child will be swept away by this current.”
Great Master Hye-seong spoke as though certain of it.