Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1487. I Didn't Come to See You? (2)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Ehhh? Sect leader?"
“That yangban?”
Five Swords stared blankly at the Pavilion Master with disbelieving eyes. Even the generally calm Hye Yeon, and Isong Baek who hadn't been able to adapt to this atmosphere, were left with their mouths agape.
Beggar Union sect leader was famously known as a white-haired old man currently bedridden from age-related illness. This rumor had spread so widely that it was practically common knowledge in Kangho.
But the man standing before them was a robust middle-aged man who showed not a trace of illness.
‘No, before that...’
Baek Cheon asked as if dumbfounded.
“S- So you're saying you’re the sect leader of Beggar Union?”
"I am."
"That...."
Everyone glanced at Baek Cheon. What was he about to say...
“...You seem too wealthy for that.”
Everyone's heads drooped down deeply.
Oh, right. That was certainly a bit strange. It was definitely hard to imagine that someone called the king of beggars would wear quality silk clothes and live on the top floor of such a splendid pavilion.
So it wasn't wrong to say that, but...
“...That’s not important right now. Sasuk.”
“But it’s weird!”
"That's true, but..."
Yoon Jong found it ambiguous and difficult to point it out, so he just shook his head.
Then, the answer to their doubts came not from the Heavenly Ascension Tower Pavilion Master but from Chung Myung.
"I told you. Those beggar bastards are filthy rich."
“...Right.”
“And. That’s exactly why you shouldn’t trust them. Because they’re beggars.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
"Bastards who live their whole lives dealing only with information, there's no way they would easily give out information which is their asset. When you shouldn't even trust what you see with your own eyes, why would you believe rumors?"
“...That’s right.”
When you think about it, it was all too natural. But no one here had thought of that fact.
"...Why did we believe it so readily?"
"Would we ever imagine Beggar Union would deceive us? We're both Righteous Sects."
“We figured if something was off, another sect would’ve picked up on it.”
The Pavilion Master chuckled lightly at Five Swords' words.
"Jungwon are vast, and deceiving people isn't as hard as you think. Just like hardly anyone noticed you impersonating Jin Geumryong."
"Ahem. That's...true."
Given his position, Baek Cheon couldn't refute this statement. But Jo-Gol still tilted his head as if his doubts weren't resolved.
"No, then who is the person that old man Hong Dae-gwang called the Beggar King? It doesn't seem like he would say that about you. Don't tell me you're deceiving even fellow Beggar Union people?"
Pavilion Master didn't give a clear answer. He just let out a meaningful smile.
"...They say there's no one in the world to trust."
Jo-Gol looked at the Pavilion Master with the gaze of a child who had been hit on the back of the head by someone he trusted. The Pavilion Master smiled bitterly at the sight.
But at that moment, there was one person who still held onto his composure and took the proper action expected right now.
“Southern Edge Sect’s Isong Baek greets Beggar Union Sect Leader.”
Isong Baek cupped his fists politely. Only then did Five Swords come to their senses with a flinch, then bowed in a rush.
"We- We greet Sect Leader!"
"Pardon our rudeness."
“Please kill me!”
The Pavilion Master pressed his furrowed brow with an expression that said he was getting a headache.
"No need for formalities. Here we're just..."
His gaze fell on Southern Edge Sect pattern on Baek Cheon's robes.
"...people pretending to be Southern Edge Sect disciples talking to someone pretending to be a brothel pavilion master."
"...Understood."
In any case, they weren't in a situation to properly observe etiquette either.
"So then."
The Pavilion Master spoke to Chung Myung as if time were precious.
"It seems you've received the answer you wanted. Now it's my turn to ask, isn't it? What did you intend to do after finding me?"
The conversation was with Five Swords, but the question was naturally directed to Chung Myung.
Everyone else still seemed pretty shocked by the whole situation, but Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders indifferently as if it wasn't so surprising.
"No particular plans. Just wanted to find you first."
"...Hm?"
"You can't do anything against someone hiding with their butt tucked away. I figured I needed to drag them out first."
A low sigh escaped the Pavilion Master's mouth.
"Everyone tried to do that. There were actually countless attempts. But I never imagined someone would find me through such a method."
“Those people were complacent.”
"No."
The Pavilion Master shook his head.
"Even if other people had thought of the same method as you, they would not have been able to reach this far. It’s only natural that people can’t chase birds. Furthermore, this Obedient Golden Sparrow (청령금작(聽領金雀)) is trained to fly only over rugged mountains and wide rivers....”
“Obedient Golden … what?”
“Obedient Golden Sparrow. This bird."
“Ah, that Thousand-Li Golden Dove?”
“Obedient Golden Sparrow.”
“Yes. Thousand-Li Golden Dove.”
…The Pavilion Master’s facial muscles twitched. Yoon Jong, who saw this, whispered to Baek Cheon.
"The Sect Leader is being pushed back? Is he really the Sect Leader?"
“Not just sect leader, even the Jade Emperor can't win against that bastard..."
“Agreed.”
The Five Swords felt conflicted. Should they laugh or cry at this guy who still says whatever he wants, even in a situation like this?
Chung Myung stared closely at the chirping bird, then grabbed Baek-ah, who was still growling, by the chin and lifted him up.
“Well, the method wasn’t bad, but it’s not like you’re the only one with a mystical beast.”
“Beast Palace’s White Lightning (Baekjeon). I certainly didn’t take that into account.”
“Baek Cheon?”
“Not Baek Cheon, but Baek.... No, never mind. Let's stop."
The Pavilion Master shook his head as if he was tired of dealing with him.
When he had positioned the Obedient Golden Sparrow around Chung Myung, he couldn't even imagine such a thing happening. To think the one being monitored would use the fact that he was being monitored in reverse.
'No. They would think of using it.'
But accurately identifying the target among so many beggars and inducing specific actions was no easy feat.
"How did you know the Gold Sparrow was in Luoyang?"
“Oh, that’s....”
"Did you deduce it was reasonable for it to be in Luoyang?"
“No. Just because… It’s close?”
…The Pavilion Master’s face twisted once again. Yoon Jong whispered to Baek Cheon again.
"Sasuk. That person is completely pissed off? Is he really the sect leader?"
"...If you stand in front of a bastard like that, even King Yama will get angry."
"I agree."
Leaving their sentiments behind, Chung Myung spoke calmly.
“Well. If nothing came up in Luoyang, I was going to poke around somewhere nearby. Figured I would eventually catch something.”
“....”
"Luckily, I caught one right from the start? It’s a relief that Sect Leader is a reasonable person. Lately I've been dealing with nothing but crazy bastards, so I was starting to feel like I was becoming strange myself."
“...You called me crazy earlier.”
"That's true, but your behavioral patterns are normal."
Pavilion Master sighed deeply and shook his head. A person who deals with information should not carelessly reveal their emotions in front of others. However, in front of this person, that code of conduct seemed to have no meaning at all.
After all, what could you possibly hide from someone who predicts your moves from that far away?
“So in the end, you poked at the blind spot of my plan and made it this far.”
"Yes. Well, if you patch it up properly, it should be fine next time."
"Then you’ll just find another blind spot. Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword. They said you weren’t ordinary, and indeed..."
The Pavilion Master nodded and looked at Chung Myung again.
"My doubts are resolved. And I understand why you came. So what do you want to do after meeting me?"
“I just wanted to ask.”
“What is it?”
"What on earth are you doing here."
Suddenly, the Pavilion Master’s eyes sank coldly. It was a look that even carried a strange murderous intent, but Chung Myung calmly glanced around.
"Not a bad place. Perfect for playing immortal."
“What are you trying to say?”
"I'm also a person whose dream is a simple and peaceful life, so it's not that I can't sympathize. But shouldn't one choose the time? If a wildfire is coming and you’re leisurely fishing, that’s not playing the immortal, it’s just being out of your mind.”
“Look here, that....”
“Why did you leave Beggar Union unattended?”
Chung Myung cut off the Pavilion Master’s words and drove straight into the point. The Pavilion Master closed his mouth.
This time, Chung Myung was glaring at the Pavilion Master with cold eyes.
"The world is half-collapsing, but Beggar Union still can't fulfill its role and remains scattered in all directions. Of course, I understood at first. When the head is injured, even the strongest ox can't pull a plow. But... you didn't even think to treat that injured head. Isn’t that strange?”
“....”
"No matter how late, there should have been movement at the headquarters level starting from when the split occurred at the Yangtze River. Right?"
“...I admit.”
The Pavilion Master nodded readily.
Beggar Union's strength comes from large numbers. In other words, a Beggar Union with diminished numbers cannot exert its full power. In that sense, the greatest threat Beggar Union must guard against is none other than division.
The moment they allowed division to continue, Beggar Union essentially revealed to everyone that there were problems with itself... No, at least to Chung Myung.
"Being bedridden and having an unclear mind due to illness isn't an excuse. A sect is supposed to pass on its seat before it reaches that state. Even in my case, if Sasuk lost his mind and tried to get friendly with Southern Edge Sect, I would’ve locked him in the Repentance Cave and only given him water.”
“Chung Myung-ah. Isn’t that not a replacement but an imprisonment...”
“No, Sasuk. That’s called torture.”
The Pavilion Master nodded.
“You saw that Beggar Union wasn’t working properly, so you assumed that something must have happened. So while searching for that cause, you ended up here. Is that correct?"
"No."
“Hm? No?”
“Let’s speak precisely. I didn’t come to find out the cause.”
"...Then?"
The Pavilion Master frowned as if he couldn’t understand at all.
At that moment, four words suddenly came out of Chung Myung's mouth.
"Righteous Blood Beggar Union."
It was a phrase whose context was difficult to readily guess.
But strangely enough, the Pavilion Master flinched momentarily. He couldn't hide his signs of agitation.
'Why?'
Baek Cheon's two eyes were colored with questions.
Righteous Blood Beggar Union was a term commonly used when praising the righteous spirit of Beggar Union. But why would he be agitated by such ordinary words?
“Beggar Union is definitely not the same as before. I thought that was to be expected. Not all sect can always be at its peak. Both the glittering talent and the shining skill can fade at some moment."
“....”
“But after meeting members of Beggar Union, I changed my mind. They’re not incompetent. Yet Beggar Union is. Since something that can't happen is happening, there's only one reason. Someone made Beggar Unoon incompetent."
Baek Cheon swallowed dryly. The story that Chung Myung was laying out now was truly heavy.
"So I wanted to know. Who brought Beggar Union I knew down to this level? Who on earth is the one who has been intentionally blocking Beggar Union from doing its role."
"...You."
“So I didn’t come here to find out the cause.”
Chung Myung's eyes shone ominously.
"I came to eliminate it."
His hand slowly moved to the sword at his waist.
In that moment, the Pavilion Master's face turned pale. An oppressive pressure and taut tension swept over him, like he could lose his head with just a twitch of a finger.
“Answer me.”
“....”
“You better come up with a reason I can accept. If not, you’re dead. I guarantee it.”
The tips of the Pavilion Master's fingers trembled briefly.
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