The news that Mount Hua had entered Bongmun spread throughout Jungwon.
It is news that would not have attracted attention in the past, but the power of the name Mount Hua in the present Kangho was incomparable to before.
And the reactions of those who heard this news were remarkably similar.
“Ba- Bangjang!”
Bop Kye, his face pale as a sheet, burst open the door. Bop Jeong, who was offering incense, turned around with a stern look.
“...How can you be so mannerless?”
“It’s, it’s a huge matter, Bangjang!”
“What’s the problem now?”
“Mount, Mount Hua......!”
As soon as the name Mount Hua comes out, Bop Jeong’s eyebrows are raised noticeably.
“...What has Mount Hua done now to cause such a commotion? Did they go Gangnam this time and pick a fight with Evil Tyrant Allliance?”
By now, Bop Jeong stance regarding Mount Hua....... No, to be exact, he was confident that he wouldn’t be surprised by what Mount Hua Divine Dragon did. He had learned the hard way from several experiences that common sense did not apply to that man.
“Mo- Mo- Mount Hua! Mount Hua has entered Bongmun!”
“Yes, Bongmun. That’s indeed a huge matter..... What?! Bongmuuuuun?”
Bop Jeong’s eyes popped out momentarily.
“Bongmun? You said they entered Bongmun just now?”
“Yes, Bangjang! The news comes from Beggar Union!”
“How, how could that be? Something must have been misrepresented. Either that or there was something wrong with Beggar Union!”
“I was so shocked that I checked several times... but it is said to be undeniably true.”
Bop Jeong was speechless for a moment and mumbled with a blank expression on its face.
“...So they really did enter Bongmun?”
“Yes, that’s what they say.”
“...Why?”
“....”
Bop Kye had known Bop Jeong all his life. And he could swore, this was the first time he’d ever seen Bop Jeong at such a loss for words.
But he couldn’t blame Bop Jeong for this. When he first heard this news, Bop Kye stood dumbfounded, muttering nonsense.
“N- No. Just why?”
“Calm yourself, Bangjang.”
“...Amitabha. Amitabha! Amitabha!”
As if decades of discipline didn’t help, Bop Jeong was unable to calm his mind even after repeatedly chanting Buddhist mantras.
“Amitabha! Amitabha! Amitabha and whatnot! What the hell is Mount Hua thinking! What is he thinking! He’s out of his mind...”
“Ba- Bangjang! The disciples are listening! P- Please lower your voice....”
“Ugh....”
Bop Jeong tore at his hair. Regrettably, he didn’t have hair to tear out, so he scratched his bald head.
“Why... Why on earth is that Mount Hua always like this? How? Why!”
He couldn’t understand.
Of course, Bop Jeong knows. Mount Hua.... No, all the things that Mount Hua Divine Dragon does seem insane, but they all have their own reasons.
But isn’t this too much?
“He gained this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the name of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance equal to that of the Ten Great Sects, and he’s just going to enter Bongmun?”
The southeast wind does not always blow.
You have to strike while the iron is hot and paddle when the tide comes in.
For Mount Hua and Heavenly Comrade Alliance, this may be an opportunity that will never come again.
There will never be a time when Wudang entered Bongmun, Shaolin stranded due to opposition from other sects, and Namgung remains silent.
Neither a person nor a force can move without a head.
Even if Mount Hua gained popularity through the same activities, as long as Shaolin, the Wudang, and Namgung were in good shape, they would never leave Mount Hua to solidify its position.
There’s no need to even obstruct them. The mere regular activities of the three major sects would be sufficient. By nature, people want new wind, but at the same time, they are most comfortable with what is familiar.
What bothers Bop Jeong most is that Mount Hua Divine Dragon is not a stranger to this fact.
What on earth....”
“Sha- Shall we write a letter for Mount Hua?”
“...If they had entered Bongmun, a person wouldn’t have been able to enter, so what would letter do?”
“That’s true, however...”
Namgung Hwang snorted.
“...Mount Hua Divine Dragon. No, it’s Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword. As expected... He’s someone I can take lightly.”
Namgung Hwang acknowledges Chung Myung. No, anyone who was there would have no reason not to acknowledge him.
‘Jang Ilso was never lacking compared Black Dragon King.’
What he felt and saw was not the only reason. No matter how beneficial it may be, there’s no way someone like the Black Dragon King would willingly serve someone weaker than him.
He must be at least as strong as a tiger. (??? ?? ??? ? ???.)
‘That young man fought for a moment with such Jang Ilso.’
Of course, he doesn’t think Jang Ilso would have gone all out. However, what Chung Myung achieved there still shines without losing any of its glory.
Even the name Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword is insignificant compared to his immense feat.
However....
“What is more frightening than his martial art is his ability and determination to lead Mount Hua at such a young age. And... the boldness to make such a ridiculous decision like sealing the gate of Mount Hua Sect without hesitation...”
Namgung Hwang showed his teeth in a grin.
“Dowi.”
“Yes, Gaju-nim.”
“To put it bluntly, he’s too much for you. That is not a seedling that can be described as something that only comes out once every hundred years.”
“...I understand.”
Namgung Dowi, who answered quietly, bit his lips. But soon again, he looked at Namgung Hwang with firm eyes.
“However.”
His eyes didn’t waver a bit.
“If a descendant of the Namgung Family aims for someone, shouldn’t they be of that caliber?”
Namgung Hwang stared his son in the eye without saying a word. They hadn’t lost any of its ambition.
“Yes. That’s what my son should be like.”
Namgung Hwang grinned.
“There couldn’t have been any other reason for Mount Hua’s Bongmun. He must’ve known. Gathering gold and power a hundred times over means nothing if your hand lacks strength.”
“....”
“Don’t forget, Dowi. The reason why Namgung Family can be the world’s greatest is not because its wealth has reached Heaven, nor because its power reaches all parts of Anhui.”
Namgung Hwang spoke in a loud voice as if to declare.
“It is because Namgung Family is strong.”
Namgung Dowi nodded his head firmly.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“But.”
Namgung Hwang, who stiffened his expression, gritted his teeth.
“The current Namgung Family cannot stay as it is. And neither can I, as I am now. I couldn’t defeat the Black Dragon King, and the Namgung Family couldn’t bring down the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Don’t forget, Dowi. The reason we suffer this terrible humiliation is ultimately because we are weak.”
“...Yes.”
Namgung Hwang nods his head.
“Even Mount Hua, who has achieved the most, enters Bongmun to build their skills, so we can’t just sit back and be left behind. All external activities of the family members are to be prohibited. For some time to come, the Namgung Family will focus on internal growth to prepare for the upcoming chaos.”
“I will obey, Gaju-nim.”
Namgung Dowi answered with a bow. Namgung Hwang’s eyes grew darker and darker at the sight.
‘Hmph.’
If they had achieved as much, it wouldn’t be strange for them to be exuberantly active. (??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??.)
Even if that Chung Myung were to show off his abilities right in front of him, Namgung Hwang would rather give him applause. The abilities Chung Myung showed at the Yangtze certainly deserved praise.
‘Still, his hunger doesn’t go away? How shameless.’
As an elder of Kangho, he can’t lose face.
“You’re feeling regretful for no reason, Mount Hua. There’s no need for Mount Hua to be active anymore.”
Udeudeuk.
Namgung Hwang clenched his fist until his knuckles whitened.
‘It’s better to bite my tongue and die than to go through such humiliation again.’
He knows. He has no right to blame Heo Dojin.
Nevertheless, what pushed him was nothing more than an ugly way of blaming others for the shame he felt about himself for not having the courage to choose a proud death.
He will never go through such humiliation again.
“Three years will pass quickly. The moment the non-aggression pact ends, I will tear the Black Dragon King and Jang Ilso with my own hands and avenge this humiliation.”
A determined will shone in Namgung Hwang’s eyes.