Chapter 1647. Let's Go, Quickly! (1)
Jo Gul stood dumbfounded, staring at the person in front of him, and asked,
"...What did you say?"
"I asked why I should do this."
Is he in his 40s?
The middle-aged swordsman looked at Jo Gul with an extremely terrifying expression.
"Did you not hear what I said?"
Instead of answering, a cynical laugh escaped Jo Gul's mouth.
Half-jokingly, he had once shouted that there were no superior or inferior positions in Mount Hua, but in reality, Mount Hua was not a sect that had absolutely no hierarchy.
And this swordsman in front of him was a senior who must have lived twice as long as Jo Gul.
In this kind of situation, even Jo Gul shut up without having time to think whether his argument was right or wrong.
"What? Is there a problem?"
As Jo Gul rolled his eyes and asked, the middle-aged swordsman snorted loudly as if he was astounded.
"Are you asking if there's a problem? You should ask what isn't a problem. Can't you clearly see with your own eyes and still not realize?"
"What?"
"How can I train here!"
The middle-aged swordsman, Moyong Banghwa, pointed behind him with his hand.
All kinds of people dressed in all sorts of clothing were silently staring at him.
Swordsmen, Taoists, monks, beggars...
Seeing them all mixed in the vast training ground made him feel as if he was witnessing the end of the world. What a strange sight.
But Jo Gul kept tilting his head as if wondering what the problem was.
"So, what are you talking about?"
"I'm going crazy!"
Moyong Banghwa pounded his chest as if his heart was about to explode.
"I mean training, training! This isn't just any training, it's training to prepare for war!"
"That's... right? That's why we're working so hard now, right?"
"You don't know how frustrating it is for me to see someone like you! People from other sects look at me with wide-open eyes like that, how can I train here? If I train here, won't I be stuck in basic training that doesn't match the flow of my sect?"
"...Is that so?"
Jo Gul really had no idea what he was going through, and his eyes widened. Moyong Banghwa raised his voice.
"What a waste of time in such a critical moment before the war! What was Budangju thinking when he gave such an order?"
"Uh..."
If it had been the usual Jo Gul, he would have said: No, it's an order from above, so why are you blaming me and making a fuss? If you're really frustrated, go upstairs and protest!
This response would have burst out like a cannonball.
But he couldn't do that now.
After all, Jo Gul was a budangju (sub-unit leader). It's a position where one must maintain face and prestige. In fact, he couldn't say that he was a person who did things without thinking about what he was told from above.
"Well, first, calm down. Training is something you have to do...."
"Noooo!"
Jo Gul gasped at the strong response that came before he finished speaking.
"I mean discipline, special discipline! If you can train openly in front of other disciples of the sect, why is it called a special sect? Doesn't Mount Hua also have that concept?"
Eh? Jo Gul slightly tilted his gaze.
'Does such a concept exist in Mount Hua?'
If... there is a rule that says not to spread the sect's secret techniques to others, but I don't think there's anything that says not to practice in front of others, right?
If Chung Myung heard those words, he would say... If it's a martial art that can be learned by looking at it out of the corner of your eye, it's even lower than third-rate trash, so why call it a special sect?
'Or else, he would have jumped and beaten them up because they were acting like idiots and didn't want to train.'
In short, if it were Mount Hua, this claim would be considered pure nonsense.
But, unfortunately, this wasn't Mount Hua, and even more unfortunate, the other spectators seemed to agree with Moyong Banghwa's logic.
"...What do you mean?"
"I can't continue training here!"
"What?"
Jo Gul asked the question several times.
"N, no, what do you mean?"
"What are you asking again after hearing this? I can't train!"
Jo Gul looked at Moyong Banghwa in confusion.
"According to the rules of the Moyong Family, I can't practice secret techniques where others can see! But Budangju said to practice here, so it's one against the other."
"Well..."
"But there's nothing to be done because we can't repeat the monotonous training from before the war, right? It would be better for me to go to a place where no one is watching and sharpen my sword alone."
"So now... Are you saying you're going to organize a protest or something?"
"A protest?!"
Jo Gul gasped at the sudden explosion of sound. Moyong Banghwa's beard trembled with anger, like someone who had gone mad from being treated unjustly.
"That..."
His emotions seemed so genuine and strong that it could hardly be called acting. Jo Gul was even more at a loss for words.
"Does it look like I'm protesting? How dare you insult me like that?"
"No, what I mean is..."
"We're not asking for explanations from Budangju! Didn't you say that Mount Hua is such a place? It's a place where we don't use authority to control each other, but discuss and coordinate things!"
Before he realized it, the subject of his speech had cleverly changed from "I" to "we," but no one was willing to point it out or refute it.
Jo Gul was increasingly confused.
"...Me?"
Is that so? Mount Hua?
Isn't it just the place where Chung Myung hit everyone? What discussions and coordination were there?
Most importantly, why is he acting like he knows Mount Hua better than I do?!
Bam!
Moyong Banghwa stomped his foot with all his might.
"So! Whether through questions to the superiors or discussions among the Dangju-nim, please give me an answer I can accept."
"..."
"Isn't that the role of budangju?!"
Jo Gul couldn't say anything with his mouth open, only silence, looking confused at Moyong Banghwa's back as he walked away.
Soon, the members of the unit who had been watching from before realized the situation and dispersed into small groups. When more than half of the members left, the training hall quickly became empty.
"I..."
Jo Gul, who was left behind, wore a beaten expression, frustratedly messing up his curly hair.
------------------
"Ugh! How annoying!"
Bam!
Jo Gul violently kicked the wall with his foot.
"It's going to break, huh!"
"If it breaks, can't we rebuild it?"
"Have you ever thought about not breaking it so you don't have to rebuild it?"
"Ugh!"
Due to Yoon Jong's insistence, Jo Gul began to change his target, stomping on the ground.
"I'm going to kick their asses!"
"...Alright. That's how we felt when we saw you. Do you understand now?"
"Ah, you're just fanning the flames!"
Jo Gul shouted as he shot a glare at Yoon Jong.
"What's up with Sahyung? Is everything going well with Sahyung's unit?"
"Hmm. Everyone is very enthusiastic."
"Eh?... Is that so?"
"That's right."
Yoon Jong smiled happily.
"They were so enthusiastic that the beggars from the Beggars' Union insisted we practice Tagu Bongjin too."
[Tagu Bongjin is the name of the beggars' union technique, meaning 'Dog Beating Stick Technique.']
"..."
"They were like, 'Come on, do we have to do it now? If we don't do it now, do we practice in the middle of a war?'"
"The Beggars' Union said that?"
"Yes. Sure, hmm... Yeah, they are free people. Like the wind that comes with empty hands and leaves with empty hands, not bound by rules and norms...."
"Speak without gritting your teeth, Sahyung. If you do, you'll lose all your molars."
"Urgh..."
Yoon Jong grabbed his head and trembled. Jo Gul looked at Yoon Jong with sympathy.
At least Jo Gul was criticized by the Moyong Family, but wasn't Yoon Jong criticized by the Beggars' Union? Since psychologically they were closer to the Beggars' Union than to the Moyong Family, the blow they received would be enormous.
"Bastards!"
Jo Gul gritted his teeth again, as if the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
They weren't blatantly ignoring him. However, they provocatively and continuously challenged him as if they didn't want to acknowledge him as Budangju.
"If they were going to do that, they should have protested from the beginning!"
"Because what the superiors approve and what the individual feels can be different."
"No! Did we take that position because we wanted to? We were forced into it," Jo Gul complained.
"...Can you stop thinking about things like that?"
The two exhaled heavily together.
"I'm dying, really."
If their ages were closer, they would have tried to amend it, but since they were older than Jo Gul or Yoon Jong, they couldn't treat them carelessly.
At this point, even they doubted whether the supposed strength of the Kangho referred to "age" and not "experience."
"Damn it, they are really annoying! If they want to discuss something, they should go to the sect leaders! Why bother us, the innocent ones?"
"...Since all the sects are temporarily dissolving, the sect leaders can't come forward and say anything. Isn't that a good reason?"
"Eww... That's horrible."
Jo Gul gritted his teeth, then stopped and turned his head as if remembering something.
"Sasuk. What about Sasuk? ...Hiiiiiiik!"
When Jo Gul saw Baek Cheon turn his head in the darkness, he was startled and took a step back.
"F-F-Ghost! N-No! Sasuk! What's wrong with you?"
"No, my God. Why are you like this? Sasuk now looks like that Jang Ilso."
That wasn't an exaggeration. Baek Cheon's face was deathly pale, as if it had just been dusted with flour. Moreover, he had dark shadows around his eyes, making it seem like he was wearing makeup at first glance.
Baek Cheon looked at the two people with wide-open eyes and trembling lips. Then he spoke weakly.
"Yoon Jong-ah."
"Yes?"
"...Maybe this sounds rude. No, it's definitely rude."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I envy you. Because you're an orphan."
"No! Sasuk, have you gone mad?!"
As Jo Gul ran towards him and shouted as if to kick him, a weak voice came out of Baek Cheon's mouth.
"...My father was telling me to give the right instructions."
"..."
"That damn Jin Geumryong was laughing at me from one side with his arms crossed."
Eh...
"Every time I said something, he always asked, 'Is it correct according to Budangju now?' which really makes me-...."
"Wait a minute, Sasuk. First of all, let's not talk about sensitive topics. No matter what, there are limits to being human, right?"
"Is there no way to become an orphan?"
Cheon Baek complained.
"NO! There's no such thing! Wake up, crazy!"
Jo Gul grabbed Baek Cheon and shook him, and Yoon Jong just shook his head while watching the scene.
How stressed he was to be like this?
"Really, all of them...."
I don't know why, but this is too much.
Now he really wondered what would be the fate of the Kangho.
"We're on the verge of war, and now they do stupid things? This is important! Right now, we're busy coordinating. What do they have in mind?"
"...Maybe things will get better when the war starts."
"But from what I've heard, things aren't that simple. During the previous war with the Demonic Cult, they fought to the death on the front lines, but behind the scenes, they did the same things we're seeing now. And that continued throughout the war. Remember that they wanted to eliminate us all because of that behavior? Do you think people change just because a hundred years have passed?"
"That's right... Hmm? But, where did you hear that story?"
"Yes?"
"It's a story from a hundred years ago. I never heard it," said Yoon Jong.
"Eh...? Where did I hear this story?"
Seeing Jo Gul tilt his head, Yoon Jong sighed deeply.
Will this continue throughout the war?
Even though there's an enemy right in front of you?
Just thinking about it is already very grim.
"What about the others?"
"Namgung Sogaju seems to be doing better."
"...Since he's going to be the Gaju of Namgung, it would be too much to attack him directly."
"Then why Sasuk...?"
"Well, in that case... the situation is different."
Yoon Jong sighed deeply once more.
This incident made him realize something.
When they were praised as "The Five Swords of Mount Hua," there was a part of him that felt proud.
But now, seeing things like this, he realized that the praise of the people wasn't for the "talented people" of Mount Hua, but for the talented people of "Mount Hua."
Without the glory of Mount Hua, in the end, whether it was Jo Gul or Yoon Jong, they were just kids that Kangho didn't recognize well.
"...Then Hye Yeon-Seunim will feel better."
"Yes, maybe. After all, he comes from Shaolin, and they are famous for their asceticism. They will treat him differently from us."
"I guess so..."
"Do, Dojang! Dojaaaaaang! Dojang!"
"Eh?"
Just then, they saw someone running hurriedly. When they approached, they saw it was an unexpected person.
"Namgung Sogaju?"
"What happened?"
Shouted Namgung Dowi, who was running ahead of them at a dizzying speed.
"This, this is big!"
"Yes? What's the problem?"
"Hye, Hye Yeon-Seunim! Hye Yeon-Seunim attacked someone!"
"...Yes? Who?"
"Hye Yeon-Seunim attacked a member of the unit! Now!"
Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, and Jo Gul looked at each other.
"...Was it really a disaster?"
"No, it was an accident, hey!"
"I want to come too..."
"Lower your sword, Sasuk!"
A very confused Yoon Jong jumped and grabbed his head.
"L-Let's go first! Let's see what's happening."
Their steps following Namgung Dowi were urgent.
