In front of Hyeon Jong, who seemed to physically embody the expression "shivering," Chung Myung constantly raised his voice.
"No... I didn't say anything weird..."
"What?"
"Hey, wait a minute, sir alliance lord! Hold on!"
Tang Gunak panicked and hurriedly restrained Hyeon Jong. There was no way he could deal with him drawing his sword, but he was worried that Hyeon Jong might be harmed for no reason.
Seeing Tang Gunak holding onto him, Hyeon Jong snapped back.
"Is Chung Myung a person who thinks or not?"
"Of course, I am, aren't I?"
"Then why is he doing this?"
Chung Myung's words popped out again. Whether he said yes or no, he would be angry, so why bother asking in the first place?
"No, what's the big deal about this..."
"What's the big deal? What's the big deal! Are you saying those kids know enough to be appointed as household heads?!"
"Of course, they know nothing and are ignorant, and they're doing whatever they want, so it's understandable that you're not happy."
"...No, not to that extent."
Hyeon Jong quickly shut his mouth. He hadn't thought much about being immature, but hearing it from him twisted his insides strangely. How did he raise these kids...
"But it's the same the other way around, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
"Who do you think the sir alliance lord is considering for the position of household head?"
Hyeon Jong hesitated for a moment and answered.
"Well... except for special positions like military advisors or military leaders under the alliance lord, it's natural to choose leaders of sects directly, right? Like the leaders of Jongli sect or Moyong family..."
"So do you think those fuckers are trustworthy?"
"Well, they... probably..."
Instead of those kids, Chung Myung's words that followed Hyeon Jong's mouth shut down any further thoughts.
"What have those fuckers done? They're just gate masters, and they're people who haven't even had a proper fight, haven't they? Frankly speaking, they're fuckers who haven't had a proper battle, leading the evil sects and elites in a fight against the Demon Cult and leading Hainan to escape south of the river. They've proven their ability to handle people even without me, as evidenced by their handling of the river bandit group this time."
"..."
"On the other hand, what have those gate master fuckers proven? The ability to run a sect well? If that's the case, we'd better use Eunha Merchant Guild Master. That fucker handles money well, at least."
Hyeon Jong's upper body leaned back slightly. Although it wasn't a forceful statement, he felt like he was being pushed back somehow. In the end, Hyeon Jong, who was cornered, quickly turned his head to Tang Gunak for salvation.
"S-Sir family lord?"
"Yes?"
"W-What do you think... sir family lord...?"
My words were begging him to somehow put an end to this nonsense.
But even though Tang Gunak must have felt Hyeon Jong's desperate plea, his response was far from what he expected.
"I've thought about it a bit, but I don't think Mount Huas Chivalrous Knight's words are necessarily wrong."
"...Yes?"
A sense of betrayal flashed in Hyeon Jong's eyes. It seemed as if he was saying, "How can you say that here? You traitor fucker?"
Tang Gunak added with a somewhat bitter expression.
"I would have opposed it in the past, but I've painfully realized that the ability to run a family has little to do with judgment or leadership on the battlefield..."
His shoulders slumped. Hyeon Jong closed his eyes tightly. He wanted to retort, but he had chosen the wrong person to ask out of desperation.
"B-But, sir family lord. That's not what I meant..."
"No, it's okay. It's a question you can ask naturally. But... I sincerely think there's reason in Mount Huas Chivalrous Knight's choice."
"...Do you really think so?"
Tang Gunak nodded heavily.
"I've had the leisure to... well, at least to maintain some dignity, but now it's not even that situation, is it? What we should prioritize now is proven ability."
Hyeon Jong felt a strange mixture of relief and discomfort. After all, Tang Gunak, of all people, had acknowledged that the Mount Hua's Five Swords had the ability to lead so many people, hadn't he?
As both the alliance lord and the ceremonial sect leader of Mount Hua, Hyeon Jong couldn't help but feel pleased with even empty words.
However, that fleeting feeling of satisfaction crumbled in an instant when he saw Chung Myung's smug expression, as if saying, "See? I told you so."
And thanks to that, his wavering resolve became firm.
"No matter how... But this is too much!"
"No! The military leader and vice alliance lord are in favor of it!"
"I am the alliance lord, damn it!"
"Dictator!"
"Enough!"
Hyeon Jong breathed fire. It sounded reasonable, but ultimately, it was a temptation of evil. He must not simply give in.
Hyeon Jong addressed Tang Gunak with gravity, as if insisting he pay close attention.
"If this opinion is adopted, it means that not only the elders of each sect but also, depending on the circumstances, even the sect leaders may have to follow their orders, wouldn't it?"
"...That's right."
"Does that make sense to you? Do you really think the leaders of each sect will genuinely accept this?"
Tang Gunak hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
"They will have to accept it."
"Really?"
"They will. No, they must. If there is resistance, I will make them accept it."
Hyeon Jong's mouth hung open in astonishment.
Tang Gunak spoke with a sense of certainty, as if it were obvious.
"After all, isn't relinquishing power and authority what this is all about? Those who resist this are actually implying that they only verbally relinquished their authority. They must accept this to prove that their words were sincere."
Hyeon Jong slowly blinked his wide eyes.
The more Tang Gunak spoke, the more his stance solidified. And as a result, Hyeon Jong found himself sinking deeper into uncertainty.
"So... really?"
Chung Myung shrugged.
"That's right. If there were a better alternative, I would choose it. But for now, this is the best option, right? Or does the ceremonial sect leader have another way in mind?"
"Well..."
"Oh. By the way, just to let you know, there are five seats. Considering that we need to fill them with only five gate masters from the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, some might be eager to snatch them away."
Hyeon Jong's hand began to tremble.
This guy. He's a devil.
"How... How do you all feel about this?"
Hyeon Jong's gaze, which couldn't possibly be fooled by Chung Myung's words, turned to Baek Cheon, Yun Jong, and Jo Gol, who were sitting nearby as if on pins and needles.
They cautiously responded.
"...Household head?"
"That's right!"
"Us?"
"That's what it means."
"Why?"
Hyeon Jong's tension eased with Jo Gol's response. They wanted to make them household heads. Those...
"No matter how you look at it, it doesn't make sense!"
"No, it's not about whether it makes sense or not. We need to consider if there's a better alternative! There isn't, right? There isn't!"
"*Sigh*..."
A sound of resignation seemed to escape. Hyeon Jong's beard trembled.
"Hey, hey, you! If we proceed like this, won't the disciples under heaven say something? Won't they criticize the old ceremonial sect leader of Mount Hua for greedily appointing his young disciples to key household head positions?"
"Well, that could certainly happen! But sect leader, I think I need to learn from Southern Edge sect leader here."
"Huh? What's that...?"
Chung Myung chuckled.
"The Southern Edge sect leader also endured humiliation for the sake of the sect's future, but since the ceremonial sect leader is no longer a sect leader, why not endure a little criticism... Ugh!"
Chung Myung's face narrowly avoided Plum Blossom Sword, which whizzed past.
"No, don't just throw your sword like that! What will you do if you leave a mark on that pretty face of yours!"
"Hey, that was aimed at you! If it was Baek Cheon, I wouldn't have thrown it!"
"...Ah. This is a bit painful."
Hyeon Jong groaned as he rubbed his head.
He might talk like a farmer, but Hyeon Jong knew that Chung Myung wasn't just spouting nonsense. Knowing made it even more complicated.
"It's not right. No matter how you look at it, it's not right. There's no justification. This could potentially undermine the alliance before it even starts."
At those words, Baek Cheon, Yun Jong, and Jo Gol all nodded in agreement.
"That's right, ceremonial sect leader."
"It's the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life."
"We should be speaking nonsense! And in the meantime, why is Yiseol senior sister left out?"
"Senior sister doesn't seem interested."
"What? So if we order, she'll do it?"
"Yeah."
"...."
It was a bit ambiguous to deny it, but... no, forcing it would probably end up with us dying in the end. But still, it somehow felt... different.
At that moment, Yun Jong and Baek Cheon's hands simultaneously lifted under Jo Gol's thick shoulders.
"Accept this person."
"To be honest, what he says is true."
"....Are you serious? Really?"
Why would you want to live voluntarily as a slave!
Meanwhile, Hyeon Jong was too busy clutching his head to groan. Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
"I mean, I can't do it if the other sir gate masters might oppose it, right?"
"Well, it's not necessarily..."
"Then let's just deal with that first?"
"What?"
"Wait. I'll go get permission. Geez. There's nothing moving forward unless I do everything myself. Ah, it's all on me."
"Just a moment! Where are you going, Chung Myung?"
"I said I'll go get permission! I'm going to meet the other sir gate masters quickly and get it. Ah, I'm already so busy! I'll be right back!"
Chung Myung bounded out of the room, leaving Hyeon Jong wide-eyed.
"S-Stop him."
"Yes?"
"Go, catch him! Catch that madman immediately! Hurry!"
"Chung Myung, you bastard!"
"No, this shouldn't be said out loud!"
"For god's sake, act like a human being, damn it!"
Tang Gunak watched in bewilderment as the Mount Hua people rushed out as if trying to put out a fire.
'Mount Hua is really unlucky.'
More so, to appoint the Five Swords as household heads. Tang Gunak couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh as he briefly pondered their suggestion.
In fact, Chung Myung's suggestion wasn't completely random. None of them, as much as they had experienced crises, had led people in such dire situations. Whether by choice or well-planned design, they had been preparing to lead someone all along.
That meant...
'This means that this issue isn't just a momentary whim.'
Perhaps the Mount Hua's Chivalrous Knights had been...
Tang Gunak cut off the train of thought that had been endlessly running through his mind.
'That's too much of a stretch.'
It's not something that can be done with human ability alone. Even if they were prepared, they wouldn't have been able to predict the timing so perfectly.
Anyway, if all of this were to go according to Chung Myung's plan, it would become a groundbreaking event in the Martial Arts World. Even Jang Ilso, who seemed to have created a sensation, would be left speechless.
'It's a ridiculous idea, but honestly, I'm curious.'
How the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, led by the Five Swords of Mount Hua, would turn out. Tang Gunak's fingertips trembled slightly. It was a light excitement, as a soldier, that couldn't be helped.