Seated across from each other at the small tea table in the center of the modest room, the two men faced each other.
"It seems I have nothing to offer besides tea for our guest. I didn't invite you here, so don't curse me for the lack of hospitality."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Clunk, clunk.
The tea in Chung Myung's cup slowly rose. Watching it quietly, Chung Myung lifted the cup as soon as it was full.
"If it's tea provided by the Southern Edge sect leader, it can't be compared to anything like ordinary mountain tea."
"I'm glad you think so."
Chung Myung's cup, held in his hand, gradually emitted steam, soon releasing a fragrant aroma.
"It seems you enjoy hot tea."
"Yes. I can't stand lukewarm things."
Jong Ligok replied with a small smile.
"It's a young person's privilege to prefer certainty over mediocrity. But... if you enjoy tea so much, you might not fully appreciate its fragrance and flavor."
"I've heard that before. So, I've made great efforts to truly enjoy tea. But then..."
Interrupting in the middle, Chung Myung downed the tea in one gulp, nearly boiling hot.
Thud.
Setting down the empty cup neatly on the tea table, Chung Myung chuckled smugly.
"Nature can't be changed, after all."
"It's... truly regrettable."
Jong Ligok simply smiled wryly and refilled Chung Myung's empty cup. Then, he leisurely asked,
"So, what's the matter?"
"I feel like there's something we need to discuss."
"Us?"
"Yes."
Setting down the teapot, Jong Ligok leaned back in his chair. Though his posture was relaxed, his gaze was sharp and fixed on Chung Myung.
"It doesn't seem like we have much to talk about."
"Do you really think so?"
"You are aware that you're the military leader of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance. But Southern Edge is not a sect within the Heavenly Friendship Alliance. What could you possibly want from me..."
Chung Myung firmly cut off Jong Ligok's words.
"No. I didn't come here as the military leader of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance."
"Then?"
Jong Ligok's gaze was momentarily sharp, but it passed as quickly as it came. With a poker face, he calmly replied,
"Then... there's even less reason for us to have a conversation."
"Do you really think so?"
After a brief silence, Jong Ligok crossed his arms.
"Your words and actions don't match. You claim to prefer certainty, yet all you've been doing is asking questions."
"That's inconsistent?"
"I won't deny it."
Chung Myung chuckled.
"I ask for your understanding. It's... hard to put into words. It's something I need to do, something I came here for, but now that I see your face, I..."
Thunk.
The sound of grinding teeth echoed. Even with Jong Ligok in front of him, there was no hiding his agitation.
"The desire to cut off that stubborn tongue keeps rising uncontrollably."
Killing intent poured out from Jong Ligok as overtly as that of a wild beast. Accepting it gracefully, Jong Ligok smiled faintly. There were words one could never say to the sect leader of the Great Southern Edge Sect, no matter how much of a military leader he was for the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, or even if he held fame under heaven like Mount Hua's Chung Myung.
If Jong Ligok took offense at this, he could potentially undermine the Heavenly Friendship Alliance. It was a statement daring enough not to be made.
Knowing this, Jong Ligok chose a different path.
"Still, it's fortunate."
"What do you mean?"
"At times, I've reflected on whether I'm too rigid. Perhaps I'm not deserving of the name 'righteous sect.' "
Even in Jong Ligok's gaze as he looked at Chung Myung, there was a faint killing intent.
"Without you, without Mount Hua's Chivalrous Knight Chung Myung, how many times do you think I've had thoughts like this?"
Jong Ligok's hand, resting on the tea table, slowly clenched into a fist. The tight grip seemed to reveal his inner turmoil.
"If you were gone. Yes... if you were gone. If you were to die fighting somewhere or even worse..."
Jong Ligok's voice trailed off. He seemed unable to bring himself to speak the last words. Instead, it was Chung Myung who spoke them out loud as if he were vomiting them out.
"If I were to slit that throat? Even if it meant bearing all sorts of disgrace and infamy?"
Jong Ligok didn't confirm or deny. But Chung Myung couldn't miss the meaning behind his silence. Jong Ligok looked directly at him and spoke.
"No matter how much you try to abandon it, you can't. Even in this moment, with you standing before me."
There was no warmth in the gaze they exchanged. Instead, a slightly prolonged silence followed, filled with what seemed like endless stares. Jong Ligok was the first to turn his head.
"Why have you come?"
The killing intent that had been simmering seemed to dissipate, leaving behind only a calm and indifferent demeanor. Their eyes met calmly, and Chung Myung hesitated for a moment before speaking as if vomiting out his words.
"Southern Edge... needs you."
Jong Ligok's eyes dimmed for a moment. It seemed as though he was trying to grasp the meaning behind Chung Myung's words, or perhaps to find the true meaning hidden within them.
Then, he slowly lowered his head.
"I hope you don't misunderstand. I have no intention of going out of my way to support Mount Hua's event now. My lack of cooperation isn't due to harboring ill intentions, but rather because pretending to be more accommodating would be hypocritical."
"...."
"In conclusion, you don't need to persuade me. Southern Edge will do what Southern Edge must."
Chung Myung's voice flowed coldly.
"No. More than that is needed."
"...More than that?"
"Complete cooperation."
Jong Ligok's complexion stiffened at the unexpected words.
"No, perhaps even more than that."
His gaze turned chilly again.
"...Are you asking for submission?"
"I would hope for that if possible. But the image of Southern Edge submitting to Mount Hua is something I simply cannot envision."
"...."
"But we can work together. Lowering our drawn swords."
Jong Ligok chuckled softly after a brief moment of daze. There was a mixture of incredulity, surprise, ridicule, and appreciation in it.
"If you're saying it so seriously, then I'll give you an honest answer."
"Yes."
"I don't think the Tyrant is wrong. In fact, I see it as a painful truth."
Jong Ligok said calmly.
"Your words were impressive. They restrain those who seek all sorts of desires by breaking down barriers. But... it's a foolish notion. Breaking down those barriers only leads to the creation of new ones."
Lifting his cup, Jong Ligok took a sip before continuing.
"We're no different. As long as there are two sects existing under the region of Shaanxi, we can never truly be 'together.' Until someone achieves complete victory, that is."
Chung Myung's lips, which had been silent, curled into a cold and grim smirk.
"So, did you pull out the secret book of the sect under attack by the enemy and aid in their downfall?"
"..."
"Just to achieve complete victory?"
As Chung Myung walked towards him, he realized anew. He had never asked Southern Edge about this matter, not even once.
They neither condemned nor forgave. It was the same for them. There were no condemned enemies or forgiven ones. They simply turned their gaze away as if such things didn't exist and pretended as if nothing had happened.
Leaving something unspoken was ultimately just hiding it. It couldn't be a solution.
Jong Ligok, who had been silently gazing at the ceiling, looked back at Chung Myung. It was hard to guess what he was thinking from his emotionless face.
"Are you hoping for repentance? If that's what you're thinking, forget it. I have no intention of repenting."
Chung Myung laughed frankly.
Does this person know? What kind of emotions Chung Myung came here with. What he's enduring as he sits here.
"But you're not denying it completely."
"I might as well spin some obvious lies, but it would only be amusing for the South Nanman."
Jong Ligok narrowed his eyes slightly.
"But... that's all there is to it. I won't say it was wrong. If you came here to hear that answer from me, you'd better turn back. I have nothing to say."
As Chung Myung stared intently at him, he asked, "Is it so difficult to say it was wrong just once?"
"..."
"To say it was a mistake, that it shouldn't have happened, and to apologize to the disciples of Mount Hua who died because of it. Is it so difficult to say those words?"
Chung Myung's voice, which had been largely devoid of emotion, began to simmer slightly. No, perhaps it was even sinking. His frank and threatening voice continued to flow.
"Say it."
"..."
"We had to pay the price with our lives. We lost everything. But you won't lose anything just by admitting it. It's just a matter of lowering your arrogant head once."
"Mount Hua's Chivalrous Knight."
"Answer me. Why was it so difficult and challenging?"
Chung Myung bit his lip. His face looked like that of someone holding back tears.
"Among those who protected Mount Hua... you were there too."
Jong Ligok's hand, which had fallen beneath the tea table, trembled ever so slightly, barely noticeable.
"I didn't expect any reciprocation. But at least I didn't expect betrayal. Because humans shouldn't do that. At least not those who are wearing the guise of humans."
Jong Ligok closed his eyes and listened silently to those words. Then a long sigh escaped his lips. And that sigh soon stood in front of Chung Myung, armored.
"So, are we supposed to follow Mount Hua's orders without question this time, because we've committed sins? Are we supposed to pretend it never happened and move on?"
"I..."
"I refuse."
Chung Myung's face stiffened slightly. Jong Ligok remained firm.
"If that's the deal, I won't accept it. Southern Edge hasn't committed any sins against Mount Hua. It was an unavoidable choice. So there's no need for repentance or reflection. No matter what you say, the outcome won't change."
With a slow nod of his head, Jong Ligok looked somewhat weary.
"If you're going to talk about the past, then stop here. I have nothing more to say. That's my position as the sect leader of Southern Edge. Of course, if you want to criticize me for this, I won't stop you. Do as you please."
Chung Myung fell silent. Only the gaze he directed at Jong Ligok was eloquent.
He tried to understand.
The sense of inferiority Southern Edge felt towards Mount Hua. The thirst for stronger martial arts. And even the choices they had to make in a situation they couldn't handle alone.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand. And he realized. Perhaps Chung Myung would never understand or forgive them.
"Speak plainly."
"...What are you talking about?"
"It's not that you don't want to admit it, it's that you can't admit it. Because it's not within your authority to do so."
Jong Ligok's gaze on Chung Myung softened. Concealing all the unbearable weight, the intense conflict, and the resulting precariousness.