Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1515. We experience all sorts of things in life (4)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Kwaaaaaaaang!
With a great noise, the Lone Tiger Divine Beggar was sent tumbling miserably.
“Wow!”
The moment he opened his mouth, his entire body carved with sword wounds, dead blood came gushing out in waves.
Lone Tiger Divine Beggar, who was struggling to hold onto the ground with his trembling hands, slowly turned his head. At the sight he faced, he momentarily forgot his own condition and stared blankly with his mouth agape.
Blue sky.
The magnificent ceiling of the great hall and the walls that had shielded the interior from the outside were now gone. Instead, only an endlessly blue sky filled his vision.
“The- The great hall...”
It was quite literally half-destroyed. The shocked Lone Tiger Divine Beggar couldn’t even finish his sentence.
In fact, it is only natural. When martial artists of this caliber had battled inside this decrepit pavilion, there was no way it could have withstood the impact. Rather, it would be correct to say that what should have collapsed long ago had managed to hold on until now.
Yes, just like…
Step.
Chung Myung approached him just then.
The battle in the hall had already ended. The moment Chung Myung’s single sword strike brought down the upper floors, all eyes had become fixed upon him as if glued.
"Mo- Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword... Cough!"
A blood-mixed cough burst from Lone Tiger Divine Beggar's mouth.
There was no way around it.
Even the Jade Mystic Divine Art (ì˜¥í˜„ì‹ ê³µ(玉玄神功)) that he had practiced with all his might, and the secret art Eighteen Palms of Chasing Righteousness that only the sect leader of Beggar Union could learn, were of no use in the face of that monstrous being.
He, the greatest master of Beggar Union, had been defeated without any room for excuse by a young brat who had not even reached thirty.
Step.
Chung Myung took another step closer, as if pressuring Lone Tiger Divine Beggar, then slowly stopped in place. Then he lifted his chin and gazed at the broken ceiling, at the sky visible beyond it.
“Hmm.”
Chung Myung, who looked at the sky for a moment as if feeling some kind of emotion, spoke calmly.
“It’s refreshing.”
“...”
"The wind’s blowing too. Don’t you think?"
It was an out-of-the-blue remark. Lone Tiger Divine Beggar, who was staring blankly at Chung Myung, clutched his chest and forced his body up.
The match was already decided. He could no longer face this sword demon.
No, even if he could face Chung Myung, it would be the same. The moment that Shaolin had appeared here beyond his expectations and sided with them, the outcome had already been determined.
He knew. Struggling any further would only increase meaningless sacrifices.
Even so, Lone Tiger Divine Beggar could not admit defeat.
"...I..."
Coughing up blood, Lone Tiger Divine Beggar glared murderously at Chung Myung.
“I cannot accept this. I will never acknowledge Traceless Beggar’s reign!”
“...”
“Beggar Union is rotting away! If things continue this way, Beggar Union will no longer be Beggar Union! I! I will change Beggar Union...”
"Oh, there."
Chung Myung nodded with a wide smile. At the sudden remark, Lone Tiger Divine Beggar blinked as if he didn't understand. Chung Myung pointedly said.
“That ‘I’ is the problem. ‘I’.”
“...”
“It doesn’t have to be you. Anyone can change Beggar Union. It’s not something that ‘I’ must do.”
Lone Tiger Divine Beggar’s face twisted at those words.
"You don't know what kind of place Beggar Union..."
“Just a bunch of idiots, right?”
“…What?”
As if he had already guessed what Lone Tiger Divine Beggar was going to say… No, perhaps as if he understood Lone Tiger Divine Beggar's heart, Chung Myung chuckled and said.
“They all look lacking compared to you, the ones growing up seem utterly unreliable no matter how you look at them, and you probably think that unless you change things, turn them upside down, and forcefully lead them, it seems like everything will collapse miserably."
Chung Myung's gaze slightly turned to the side.
“Thoughtless, stupid, not a speck of talent to be found even if you washed your eyes out, the ones who are at least a little decent in skill are all out of their minds as if they took a knife to the head when they were young, and on top of that, they’re overflowing with useless confidence…”
"Who the hell is this bastard talking about right now?"
“...Chung Myung-ah. Watch where you’re looking.”
“Don’t look at us! It’s not about us!”
Chung Myung shook his head and stared at Lone Tiger Divine Beggar again.
"So 'I' had to do something. Procedures and justification are just secondary issues, and the minor side effects during the process will all be made up for by the good results.”
Chung Myung grinned and asked Lone Tiger Divine Beggar.
“Yeah?”
“...”
"That's exactly why you couldn't do it."
Chung Myung's gaze flickered toward the sky.
"A person who thinks he's superior alone and can do everything by himself will ultimately only make everyone suffer. Only a person who believes that even those who seem less capable than him can accomplish what he cannot, is qualified to be a leader.”
Lone Tiger Divine Beggar's fingertips trembled faintly.
“Are you saying I am lacking?”
“No. I’m saying you’re not suited for it.”
“...Why?”
“Because you only want to change the present.”
Lone Tiger Divine Beggar looked as if he didn't understand at all. Chung Myung elaborated.
“You might not be wrong. If you become the Ark, the opening might be better for a while. But the changes you make will ultimately make the opening more difficult.”
“Why?”
“Because when you die, no one will be able to replace you.”
Lone Tiger Divine Beggar flinched. Chung Myung spoke as if drove in the nail.
"'Only I can do this' is just another way of saying 'no one else can'. That's not how a sect works. It has to be something that can be done even without me, something that can be protected even without me. But you can’t accept that. Because to your eyes, every beggar who isn’t you is just stupid and lacking.”
Calmly, yet somehow as if making a declaration.
“That is why they must change it themselves. The ones who will live in the future of Beggar Union must change it with their own hands. Not decrepit old ghosts with only a few days left to live!”
Chung Myung abruptly turned his head sharply. The elders who received his gaze flinched and then gritted their teeth. One elder hesitantly objected.
"Where does some bastard who isn't even from Beggar Union dare to lecture..."
“Let’s just stop, all of you!”
At that moment, a thunderous voice burst out. It wasn’t Chung Myung nor the elders.
Hong Dae-gwang. He clenched his teeth and glared at the elders.
"Don't you even know shame?"
“Thi- This rascal!”
"If you're so confident, why hide? Since the Shaolin people are here anyway, why not just proudly announce it to the world and take the position of sect leader?"
“What…”
“Aren’t you all making this mess here without even calling the disciples because you’re ashamed too!”
"Silence! You bastard not even an elder!"
Hong Dae-gwang glared at those words.
“Since when did Beggar Union become a place where you need a position to speak?” “...”
“From the sect leader to the youngest beggar, we are all beggars. We are people who live in the lowest places. That's why there are no high and low ranks, that's why anyone can raise their voice and speak! Wasn't that what Beggar Union was?"
Tendons bulged on Hong Dae-gwang's jaw.
"If you have so many things you want to grasp in your hands! If you want to divide up ranks and positions and suppress others! Then cast off those rags and go to another sect. With your status as Beggar Union elders, plenty would welcome you. Why cling to these filthy rags!"
Just as the elders flared up and were about to rebuke him.
“Answer him.”
A resonant voice came from behind them.
"Se- Sect Leader?"
"No..."
The elders’ faces were filled with bewilderment. By the door that hadn't completely collapsed yet, Beggar Union Sect Leader Wind Shadow Divine Beggar and other elders were standing. Led by Ugly-Faced Beggar, these were the ones who had long since left the great hall.
Seeing this, some elders inside the hall closed their eyes as if in resignation.
'It's over.'
The sect leader's presence meant those sent to rally the ordinary beggars had failed.
It also meant that their defeat was almost certain.
Wind Shadow Divine Beggar opened his mouth again.
"This is a place where elders are present. And it's a place where the great affairs of Beggar Union are decided."
But surprisingly, Wind Shadow Divine Beggar's questions were directed at Hong Dae-gwang, and they weren't even favorable.
"So by what right does an unqualified you dare speak here?"
Depending on how you heard it, it sounded like a rebuke telling him not to dare step forward but to withdraw. However, Hong Dae-gwang did not back down an inch and shouted confidently.
"Why ask something so obvious! It's because I'm ashamed, ashamed!"
“...Hm?”
Wind Shadow Divine Beggar's face hardened slightly as if that wasn't the answer he expected.
"Because you're ashamed? Is that all?"
“What other reason is needed?”
Wind Shadow Divine Beggar licked his dry lips with his tongue. A slight anxiety colored his face. Hong Dae-gwang frowned as if he had no intention of matching his pace and continued.
"We are people who live by begging. We roll around without working, and even if we freeze to death somewhere, no one gives a damn.”
“…Of course. Is that not what a beggar is?”
"Yes. Of course! That's why, if nothing else, we shouldn't do shameful things. If beggars who have nothing even do things that make them step on their own feet, they'll become truly worthless bastards! Even if they call us filthy beggar trash, we're still human. When we want to at least act like humans and be treated as humans, what other reason is needed for that!"
A look of confusion crossed Wind Shadow Divine Beggar's face. His mouth opened and closed several times.
Though it was a brief moment, no one could take their eyes off Wind Shadow Divine Beggar and Hong Dae-gwang.
"Huu."
Wind Shadow Divine Beggar let out a short breath and let go of all the thoughts spinning in his head. And he brought out what he wanted to ask, not as the sect leader of Beggar Union, but as himself.
"…The present… What do you see in Beggar Union now?"
"What are you asking? It's a complete mess. Does this look like a den of beggars? It's a den of demons, more like Hao Sect’s lair."
“…Then, why do you think Beggar Union became this way?”
“Why do you keep asking the obvious?”
Hong Dae-gwang retorted as if it were absurd. Wind Shadow Divine Beggar nodded with a bitter face.
“Right… I asked a pointless question. This is all my….”
"That's not it!"
"Hm?"
Hong Dae-gwang, who had once again caught Wind Shadow Divine Beggar off guard and completely ignored his intention, glared fiercely and swept his gaze around the interior of the half-destroyed great hall. Then he shouted.
“Here! In this important place where the fate of Beggar Union is being decided!”
His gaze that swept over everyone finally landed on Lone Tiger Divine Beggar.
"Where are the beggars?"
Lone Tiger Divine Beggar's eyes shook greatly for a moment.
"Just because you wear rags and pretend to be beggars, does that make you beggars? Yangban who pile up money in the headquarters, who never once beg with their own hands and live in comfort, are they beggars just because they wear rags? Are the elders here really beggars?”
The faces of several elders reddened on their own. In fact, it wasn't just the elders who felt a pang of guilt. Wind Shadow Divine Beggar also blushed.
It was true that he had spent a time of hardship, but it was also an undeniable fact that he had lived eating rich and expensive food in lavish pavilions.
If one looked only at his way of living without knowing his status, who in the world would call him a beggar?
“The reason ruin befalls Mount Hua is because a bastard who isn’t like a Taoist runs amok.”
"What? That bastard was doing fine and then…!"
“Chung Myung-ah. Stay still!”
“Shut up!”
Before Chung Myung could even explode, Hong Dae-gwang shouted loudly again.
“And the reason Mount Hua finds its glory again is because they are more Taoist than anyone in the world.”
In Hong Dae-gwang’s eyes, glaring at Lone Tiger Divine Beggar, burned unwavering will and conviction stronger than ever.
"Development? Reform? Don't make me laugh. What help would it be to beggars if the people gathered here made Beggar Union strong? There are no beggars in this great hall. In the end, it will just fill your own bellies.”
"Yo- You bastard..."
“Did you ask for my opinion?”
Hong Dae-gwang looked at Wind Shadow Divine Beggar again and said.
“Fine. I’ll be honest. I don’t give a damn whether you’re sect leader or elder. Just as someone who is not a Taoist cannot discuss the future of Mount Hua, yangban who are not beggars cannot discuss the future of Beggar Union. If you want to make Beggar Union right, both sides should step down! Beggar Union…!"
Hong Dae-gwang paused for a moment and clenched his fist tightly. Then he roared as if screaming.
"Beggar Union will be decided by the beggars. You yangban with only grease on your bellies!"
In the middle of the great hall that had become almost completely open on all sides, that radical and seemingly insane statement echoed thunderously.
Baek Cheon, who had been staring with his mouth agape, suddenly snapped to his senses and snapped his head around.
'Chu- Chung Myung….'
And Baek Cheon saw it. Chung Myung, with his mouth even wider open and looking more shocked than anyone. A cold sweat ran down his back.
Uh… Isn't this completely fucked up? Uh…
|Note
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