Chapter 1191: Why Did It Turn Out Like This? (1)

“Abbot.”

“......”

“Abbot!”

Only after calling repeatedly did Beop Jeong turn to Jong Ri-Hyung. Jong Ri-Hyung’s face was flushed red. Beop Jeong asked calmly.

“What is the matter, Sect leader?”

“Are we really going to return like this?”

“And if I do?”

Jong Ri-Hyung grew agitated as if frustrated.

“This isn’t something to end half-heartedly! Seeing their arrogance, you respond like that?”

“It was a proposal made personally by the Abbot. No, no, how can you say it was the Abbot’s proposal? Wasn’t it a proposal made by the Nine Great Sects themselves?”

Jong Ri-Hyung continued with fiery eyes and an agitated tone.

“You’re right, truly, what a generous offer the Abbot made. He reached out, enduring even harsh words that didn’t need to be heard, and yet how could they kick that hand away like this?”

But Beop Jeong only smiled faintly at him.

“Isn’t it fine?”

“Pardon?”

“When one grows old, there’s nothing more pleasing than watching bold young people. Moreover, perhaps because Shaolin is Buddhist, it’s even rarer to see such resolute, determined souls there.”

“Th-this isn’t that kind of...”

“Let it be.”

Beop Jeong quietly shook his head.

“It’s regrettable that an easy path went awry, but from our perspective it’s not entirely a bad thing.”

Jong Ri-Hyung tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand at all.

“How can this not be a bad thing? We failed to absorb them, and the Abbot was openly humiliated... ahem, no, um...”

“I was humiliated, yes.”

“Th-that wasn’t what I meant...”

Jong Ri-Hyung trailed off and furtively avoided Beop Jeong’s gaze.

No matter how he tried to sugarcoat it, whatever had been said, to outsiders it would only look like Shaolin’s Abbot, Beop Jeong, being scolded by the newly appointed acting Sect leader of Mount Hua, Baek Cheon, and slinking away.

The dignified Abbot of Shaolin being humiliated by Mount Hua’s greenhouse Acting Sect leader, how delighted gossipmongers would be. No doubt, within days the rumor would spread across the murim world so everyone would know.

“Thinking of it that way is a bit embarrassing.”

“Abbot?”

Jong Ri-Hyung stared at Beop Jeong as if he couldn’t grasp it. He said it was embarrassing, but by all appearances Beop Jeong’s face did not look embarrassed at all.

Maybe it was his imagination, but he even seemed somewhat relieved.

“I said it’s not entirely a bad thing.”

Unable to contain himself, Jong Ri-Hyung asked again.

“In the end hasn’t everything ended in catastrophe? The Heavenly Friends Alliance declared it would take a different path from the Nine Great Sects. As a result, hasn’t the murim world split into two camps even more clearly than before?”

“Four Sects Alliance and the Demonic Cult are eyeing central lands hungrily, and yet we split among ourselves. What absurdity is this?”

“Amitabha.”

Frustrated at Beop Jeong’s calm response of ‘Amitabha,’ Jong Ri-Hyung raised his voice again.

“This cannot be. Just because we’re the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families, were we always on good terms? Weren’t there times when we clashed more bitterly than enemies? Yet when danger threatened the murim world, they’d put it aside and unite as if nothing had happened. Isn’t that why the Nine Great Sects remained the Nine Great Sects?”

“Indeed. That’s how it was.”

Beop Jeong nodded calmly as if acknowledging the truth of that statement.

“But how can one say such shameless things? Even if they’re young, this is unacceptable!”

Beop Jeong smiled faintly.

“Sect leader.”

“Yes?”

“When the later generations commit wrongs out of ignorance, it’s not their fault but the fault of their predecessors.”

“Th-that is—”

“Ultimately, that statement is just spitting on my own face. It was our failure to properly inform and persuade them, who can we blame?”

Jong Ri-Hyung cleared his throat as if uneasy. Beop Jeong smiled again.

“And... Mount Hua’s Acting Sect leader’s words did not stem merely from bravado or ignorance. It’s not that he said it because he didn’t know or couldn’t learn from the world; rather, he spoke because he learned too well and understood too clearly.”

“What do you mean by that...?”

Beop Jeong shook his head without elaborating.

“So just watch.”

“Abbot. But now time is urgent...”

“The more urgent it is, the more you should take the long way around.”

Jong Ri-Hyung began to bite his lip. Frankly, he couldn’t fathom what Beop Jeong was relying on to be so carefree.

“Abbot, do you really not know?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean how greatly the Abbot has been harmed by the collapse of this meeting. Already...”

Jong Ri-Hyung stopped mid-sentence. But Beop Jeong finished the thought as if he knew what the man intended to say.

“You’re saying my position has already been reduced to the smallest, and by proposing a needless council and being humiliated, more will now mock me, right?”

“It’s all right.”

Jong Ri-Hyung didn’t answer, but Beop Jeong continued as if he’d already received the reply.

“Such things aren’t that important. The crucial point is that, one way or another, the Nine Great Sects find themselves isolated and without allies.”

“That’s what I—”

Just as he was about to agree in frustration, a bewildering remark struck Jong Ri-Hyung’s ear.

“In this situation, where could anything be better than this?”

Jong Ri-Hyung blinked with a dazed expression.

“N-no, Abbot. Are you speaking incorrectly? How can this be a good thing? It’s hard to find anything worse than this.”

At that, Beop Jeong lightly shook his head.

“How things are depends on how you think about them. Consider this, Sect leader. Now the Nine Great Sects’ standing has decreased even within the Justice faction, and they can no longer act as they please. Isn’t that so?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

“So it’s an extremely favorable situation.”

Jong Ri-Hyung couldn’t hide his bewilderment and stared at Beop Jeong. In his mind he thought irreverently, ‘Has he gone mad from being humiliated?’

But Beop Jeong merely chuckled at that expression.

“It seems my words are hard to understand, Sect leader.”

“Honestly, they are.”

“Sect leader, do you know why people cheered and sided with the Heavenly Friends Alliance instead of the Nine Great Sects?”

“Well...”

Jong Ri-Hyung couldn’t answer, not because he didn’t know, but because he didn’t want to say it aloud.

“Because of the council?”

“......”

“That’s part of it, yes. But that’s not all. People supported the Heavenly Friends Alliance because the Nine Great Sects were the strong and powerful ones.”

“Ah...”

Only then did Jong Ri-Hyung, understanding what Beop Jeong meant, nod vigorously.

Others might point fingers hearing such words, but Jong Ri-Hyung knew Beop Jeong wasn’t entirely wrong.

In the public mind, the Nine Great Sects were absolute powers and absolute authorities. Because they were seen as the Justice faction protecting the murim world, people didn’t openly show hostility, but who could say there weren’t those who resented their moves?

“Then what you mean, Abbot, is...”

“Yes, Sect leader. With this incident, the Nine Great Sects will no longer be the strong ones.”

The Abbot continued quietly.

“Four Sects Alliance has taken hold of the southern rivers, and the Heavenly Friends Alliance controls the western part of the northern rivers. As a result, the Nine Great Sects’ standing should be considered reduced to less than half of what it was.”

“......”

“So people will no longer see the Nine Great Sects as formidable powers that can do anything they please. And those within the Nine Great Sects will feel the same.”

A subtle smile crossed Beop Jeong’s face.

“When an external enemy appears, the inside naturally unites. Do you know why the Nine Great Sects haven’t united before?”

Jong Ri-Hyung hesitated as if pondering, then offered an answer.

“Because the external enemy wasn’t a proper, serious enemy, right?”

“Yes. Though they’ve been beaten back once, Four Sects Alliance was not enough to bring down the Nine Great Sects. But now what? The moment the Heavenly Friends Alliance split from the Nine Great Sects, Four Sects Alliance ceased to be a pushover. Moreover, the Nine Great Sects must now contend with the Heavenly Friends Alliance over the center of the Justice faction.”

“No one wants to have what they hold taken from them. The moment I declare today’s result, the sects of the Nine Great Sects that have been stepping back will have no choice but to reconsider.”

“...Will that really happen?”

To the still doubtful voice, Beop Jeong closed his eyes and intoned ‘Amitabha.’

“Just look at the sects in Sichuan right now. Qingcheng and Emei Sect suffer from Four Sects Alliance’s pressure from the south and the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s dominance from the north. Can they endure without the roof of the Nine Great Sects?”

“...It would be worse for the outer sects. The outer wall sects are located in Yunnan, after all.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

In fact, one of the major reasons the Sichuan sects rebelled against Beop Jeong was the secret internal power struggles within the Nine Great Sects.

Historically, the sects around Henan centered on Shaolin, the Wudang sect, Mount Hua, Kongtong, Southern Edge, and the Beggars’ Union held vastly different amounts of power compared to the outlying sects located in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Qinghai.

The sects that rose against Beop Jeong as his position narrowed were all outlying sects. But now they too will no longer be able to continue this confrontation.

If they try to grab a bit more power from Shaolin they’ll risk having everything taken by the Heavenly Friends Alliance, what choice would they have?

“If so, the immediate problem will at least be resolved.”

“That’s not all.”

Beop Jeong slightly shook his head and said.

“The reason the Nine Great Sects had to weigh so many things with every choice was because they were the strong ones; everyone was ready to criticize their decisions. But now the Nine Great Sects can no longer be called absolute powers, so even if they act to save themselves, there’s little room for criticism.”

“Ah...”

“And in that context, the Heavenly Friends Alliance elevating the value of righteousness means that from now on, whenever the world needs help, they’ll turn to the Heavenly Friends Alliance, not the Nine Great Sects. It’s a bit awkward, but it gives us an excuse to step back.”

Beop Jeong smiled faintly.

“But can’t we handle a little awkwardness? So, Sect leader, don’t rush to hide today’s events—publicize them. Tell them Beop Jeong of Shaolin was soundly humiliated by Mount Hua’s young Acting Sect leader, had his proposal refused, and was sent away.”

“...Can we really do that?”

“It’s not that we can, it’s that we must.”

“Ah, understood, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Abbot.”

“Amitabha.”

Beop Jeong quietly intoned ‘Amitabha.’

They won’t know what they’ve done. Soon they’ll see the changing situation and realize it.

“Listen, Acting Sect leader. Every action bears responsibility. That responsibility will now fall on the Heavenly Friends Alliance, not the Nine Great Sects.”

Beop Jeong was merely accelerating that progression a bit. For now, that was enough.

“But Abbot...”

“Speak.”

Gauging Beop Jeong’s expression slightly, Jong Ri-Hyung opened his mouth again.

“But in the end, in any case, we must fight Four Sects Alliance, and the Heavenly Friends Alliance completely separating from the Nine Great Sects is...”

Beop Jeong shook his head.

“They will only take a slight detour. In the end, things will flow according to reason.”

“A bold young man becoming a timid old one isn’t because his courage failed or because fellowship was eroded. It’s simply because the world isn’t a place where ideals alone are enough.”

“Indeed.”

“Once they understand why the predecessors had to compromise, we’ll be able to accept a Heavenly Friends Alliance that has learned the world’s principles instead of a reckless, unpredictable young one. In the end, by taking a slight detour, they’ll be able to follow a better path.”

“I understand.”

Jong Ri-Hyung finally nodded as if he’d comprehended everything. Even he had thought Baek Cheon’s grand ambitions wouldn’t last long, hadn’t he?

Indeed, it would be far more beneficial to absorb those already bent and compliant than to swallow a stiff-necked Heavenly Friends Alliance.

However...

“But, Abbot.”

“Yes, Sect leader.”

“Um... I’m asking just in case, if by some one-in-a-thousand, one-in-ten-thousand chance, the Heavenly Friends Alliance truly carries out their will to the end, then what would happen...”

What would happen?

The end of the question was swallowed by anxiety. Beop Jeong slowly closed his eyes.

“Then...”

After a long, silent pause, eyes closed, Beop Jeong looked up at the sky. The endless sky was painfully blue.

“It will be one of two things. Either everyone perishes equally. Or...”

“Like life sprouting anew from the ashes, a world different from before might unfold.”

Jong Ri-Hyung suddenly shuddered. The lingering resonance of Beop Jeong’s hazy voice remained for a long time.