Read Novel Full Chapter 1169: Was I Really Wrong? (4)
Chapter 1169: Was I Really Wrong? (4)
Step by step.
Beop Jeong, having slowly exited the courtyard of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
He wanted to see the bright moon, but unfortunately, the moon was hidden behind clouds and could not be seen.
Beop Jeong sighed with regret and then shook his head.
“But clouds always pass by eventually,” he thought.
No matter how thick the clouds are, they can never block the moonlight forever.
If you endure and wait, the moon will show itself again, and when dawn comes, the sun will rise; that is the way of the world, isn’t it?
“Abbot.”
Jong Ri-Hyung opened his mouth as if in admiration.
“I, Jong Ri-Hyung, truly admire the insight of the abbot.”
“...Is that so?”
“Yes, abbot. I never expected you to make such a proposal to the Heavenly Friends Alliance. Even if it doesn’t come to pass, who could refuse a proposal granting Shaolin as much authority as the Nine Great Sects?”
“It will happen.”
“Yes. Actually... pardon? What did you say?”
Beop Jeong answered calmly.
“Not a single word I said there was empty talk. Every proposal I made will be fulfilled.”
“Se-sect leader. Mount Hua is...”
“Mount Hua has that qualification. They have already proven it.”
“...”
“And...”
Beop Jeong slowly shook his head.
“This matter should have been settled long ago. Even if others don’t know, we do, don’t we?”
“...But abbot, isn’t that just the matter of the previous generation?”
“I too have used that excuse to evade responsibility until now. But looking back, it was a poor excuse that makes me go red with shame.”
“...”
When Jong Ri-Hyung fell silent, staring at Beop Jeong as if struck dumb, Beop Jeong smiled gently.
“If you wanted to completely separate the previous generation’s affairs from the present, then we should have also relinquished the glory they achieved. Not wanting to take responsibility for what the previous generation did, yet wanting to fully enjoy the rights as a sect leader of the Nine Great Sects—that is shameless, isn’t it?”
“Th-that’s true, but...”
“Not only will I carry out all the proposals I made to Mount Hua, but I will also restore their lost honor. We must also speak of what they did for the world in the past.”
“...Then why didn’t you say this inside?”
“That is not something to be used as a condition. It is shameful to speak of what should be done as if it were a favor.”
Jong Ri-Hyung looked at Beop Jeong as if he couldn’t understand.
“But abbot, there will be considerable resistance.”
“No, if Mount Hua and Shaolin recognize each other, no sect among the Justice faction will easily oppose it. Wudang has lost its voice, and Southern Edge... well, Southern Edge has also lost much of its standing due to the long Closed Gate training.”
“...”
“Other sects have nothing to lose, so they have no reason to pick a fight with Mount Hua. Simply put, Mount Hua will fill the vacancy left by Southern Island and take over the role of Wudang, which has lost its legitimacy.”
“...Depending on how you think about it, that might be true.”
Though he doubted whether things would go as smoothly as Beop Jeong said, Jong Ri-Hyung did not voice his skepticism.
In truth, it was not that he didn’t want to point it out, but that it was difficult to do so.
Beop Jeong was never an easy person to deal with, but the current Beop Jeong felt different from the one he knew.
There might be only a handful in the entire world who could easily speak up in front of the current Beop Jeong.
“Then truly Mount Hua...”
“It must be done.”
Beop Jeong quietly nodded.
“It is not to take by force, but to unify. Mount Hua has already formed the Heavenly Friends Alliance and proven its qualification to be the leader of multiple sects. If we do not treat such a sect appropriately, it will only sow the seeds of further discord.”
“...”
“Shouldn’t we unite to stop them? Before that great cause, pride and rights are insignificant.”
“...”
“Your words, abbot, are absolutely right.”
Jong Ri-Hyung nodded.
In fact, they had nothing to lose. It was a bit frustrating that Mount Hua, a formidable sect, was receiving more recognition than its actual strength...
“There is no reason not to acknowledge their achievements.”
In the end, everyone will come to accept it.
“I think I misunderstood you a little, abbot.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, abbot. Honestly... I thought you opposed them because you feared Mount Hua would shake Shaolin’s position.”
“Shaolin, Shaolin...”
Beop Jeong shook his head.
“Shaolin is where I belong, but Shaolin itself cannot be the goal. Shaolin is just a temple. A temple’s role is to spread the Dharma and save sentient beings, and that is enough.”
“I am foolish and do not fully understand what you mean.”
“What meaning does Shaolin have if the murim world falls? Everything will eventually return to dust anyway.”
“...”
Jong Ri-Hyung fell silent for a moment, looking puzzled even after hearing those words.
“Anyway, it was a truly great strategy. It will be hard for them to refuse this proposal. Who else but you, abbot, could come up with such an idea?”
“Great you say...”
Beop Jeong shook his head again.
“That is not so, sect leader.”
“Yes?”
“The great one is not me, but Mount Hua.”
“Isn’t that excessive humility?”
“No. Think about it. If the leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance were not Mount Hua, could I have made such a proposal to them?”
“That is...”
Beop Jeong gave a bitter laugh.
“Impossible. What sect in the world has created a force rivaling the Nine Great Sects and surpassing the Five Great Families, and then would give up that position over lofty ideals and agreements?”
Jong Ri-Hyung nodded unconsciously.
If the roles were reversed and Jong Ri-Hyung were Hyun Jong, would he have listened to Beop Jeong’s proposal? No way. He would have stood up immediately, dismissing it as worthless.
“Only because it is Mount Hua are they listening to me. Only because it is Mount Hua are they considering my proposal. Therefore, the great one is not me, but Mount Hua that made these words possible from my mouth.”
Beop Jeong muttered quietly.
“I knew this long ago. It was a fact I already knew. Yet, blinded by stubbornness and greed, I failed to see them properly... All the current troubles were caused by me.”
“That cannot be. Who does not know that you have worked hard for the world, abbot?”
“If the direction is wrong, everything is wrong.”
Beop Jeong spoke softly and then looked up at the sky again.
“It is not too late yet; it can be corrected. But it is shameful that even correcting it depends on their kindness.”
A sigh escaped from Beop Jeong’s lips.
As he told Jong Ri-Hyung, if it were another sect, they would not even try to listen properly to Beop Jeong’s words.
No need to look far. Even yesterday, if Hyun Jong had come and told similar stories, Beop Jeong would have openly despised him and issued a guest ban.
Though he was insulted and shamed, he thought it was his own fault and came; yet they did not curse him but seriously considered and pondered his words.
‘How bitter.’
He did what he had to do. But the bitterness of that duty was due to their attitude.
“Abbot. They will accept the proposal, right?”
“Probably.”
Beop Jeong slowly nodded.
“No, they must. Otherwise, a real crisis will come.”
The Four Sects Alliance are not everything.
The abbot now believes that the Demonic Cult will return.
Having acknowledged that Chung Myung is superior to himself, there is no reason not to believe what he says.
Though their positions differ and paths may diverge, one should not mock Mount Hua’s Sword Saint for worrying about things that are not foolish.
“Um... but, abbot.”
“What?”
Jong Ri-Hyung glanced at Beop Jeong and then spoke.
“If... though unlikely, they reject your proposal... what do you plan to do then?”
“That will not happen.”
“But there is the saying ‘one in a thousand, one in ten thousand.’”
A sigh escaped from Beop Jeong’s lips.
“Then I must have misjudged them. Otherwise, they are those who cling to trivial things and fail to see the bigger picture.”
“...”
“But I believe they will not do so. Their hearts for the world are sincere. There is no doubt about that. Hyun Jong, the sect leader of Mount Hua, and Mount Hua’s Sword Saint are all admirable people.”
Jong Ri-Hyung thought for a moment and cautiously spoke.
“I still think you overestimate them, abbot.”
“I only hope that is not the case.”
Beop Jeong turned his head and took in the quiet courtyard.
‘Now it is them who must worry.’
It will probably not be an easy worry.
They are human too. It won’t be easy to destroy the foundation of the Heavenly Friends Alliance they have worked so hard to build.
The Heavenly Friends Alliance embodies their ideals. Letting go of those ideals will be a more painful process than Beop Jeong letting go of his own delusions and pride.
It is something no one can easily demand of anyone.
Yet Beop Jeong hoped they would make the right choice.
‘The world must not be divided.’
Otherwise, they will never withstand the successive invasions of the Four Sects Alliance and the Demonic Cult.
And... Beop Jeong was certain.
If they reject this proposal and continue reckless actions, they will eventually pay the price for their recklessness.
And that will be an irreparable loss for the murim world that must stop the Four Sects Alliance and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the Demonic Cult.
Chung Myung has the power and strategy to shake the world, and Beop Jeong has the ability and skill to perfectly utilize the sword called Chung Myung.
Even if Chung Myung devises strategies, he cannot control the Southern Edge sect or Wudang at will. But Beop Jeong has the power to humble those proud sects and make them follow Chung Myung’s orders.
If Chung Myung and Mount Hua lead, with Beop Jeong and Shaolin supporting behind, and all the Justice faction follow in perfect order, what is there to fear from the Four Sects Alliance or the Demonic Cult?
‘The best choice for you is to join hands with me. Never forget that fortune will not always favor you, Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.’
Beop Jeong closed his eyes.
A low mutter escaped his mouth.
Then Beop Jeong opened his eyes and looked at the sky again, but the moon was still hidden behind the clouds.
“The sky is cloudy.”
“They say it will rain for a few days.”
“...Yes. It seems so. But after those days, won’t the bright moon rise again?”
Beop Jeong glanced once more at the courtyard as if reluctant, then slowly moved forward.
He had done all he could; now all that remained was to wait. Though the wait would feel like a year in a day.
“Let’s go. There is much to do in advance.”
“Yes, sect leader.”
The two began to walk.
The dark clouds covering the sky thickened, and the darkness deepened, coloring the courtyard even darker.
Along with a silence so deep that not even a breath could be heard.