abcnovels
Chapter 694
Chapter 694
Chapter 694
“Pretending to be what?”
Hyun Young asked, a bit puzzled. Chung Myung noticed Hong Dae-Kwang, who looked like he was on the verge of tears.
‘Why am I here…’
Of course, he believed that he must live as if he were one with Mount Hua. But that didn’t mean he had to report like a disciple of Mount Hua, right?
“That…”
A feeling of injustice welled up within him, but kneeling in front of Hyun Jong represented the current situation.
There was no reason to kneel in front of the sect leader of another sect. However, the problem was that Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon next to him was kneeling. He was so afraid of what would happen if he sat down comfortably.
“It appears that there is someone out there impersonating a disciple of Mount Hua in Jiangxi.”
“Huh…”
Hyun Young sighed, unable to hide his shock. Hyun Jong glanced at them and asked,
“I am asking just in case. Have you ever sent a disciple to Jiangxi without my knowledge?”
“Is that possible, sect leader? This is a totally unexpected story.”
“Hmm.”
Hyun Jong quietly brushed his beard and was lost in thought.
“Pretending….”
It wasn’t a very strange story.
The name of a disciple from a prestigious sect itself held power.
Just as many people wanted to align themselves with a sect, simply being a disciple of a prestigious sect ensured good treatment, which was difficult for others to obtain.
Kangho was vast.
No matter how many disciples of prestigious sects there were, if spread across the wide Central Plains, they were only a handful. Even if someone pretended to be a disciple of Shaolin far from Sichuan, it would be difficult for Shaolin to immediately confirm it.
As a result, people who pretended to be disciples of such prestigious sects and committed bad acts were sometimes found in the Central Plains.
Each sect that heard the news had tried to deal with the issue with honor.
Lying about one’s identity meant that they were a scammer, so who knew what a scammer would do in the name of another sect?
This was something to feel quite bad about… but…
‘Why do you seem to be in a good mood…’
Hong Dae-Kwang clearly saw the corner of Hyun Jong’s lips twitching.
And it wasn’t just Hyun Jong.
The elders on the left and right were also having a hard time holding back their laughter. In particular, Hyun Sang had turned his head, and his shoulders were shaking.
“Hehehehe!”
Hyun Jong was the first to come to his senses and covered his mouth with his hand as he cleared his throat.
“If that is true, this is a huge thing…. Hehehe! Ahem… ugh… this is a big deal!”
Excuse me… sect leader. Why have you been struggling to hold back the laughter?
Hong Dae-Kwang looked at them with a doubtful glance, wondering if something was happening that he didn’t know of. At that time, Chung Myung spoke with his eyes open.
“No, it isn’t something to like!”
“….”
“Of course, I understand how you feel. The fact that someone is impersonating us means that we have become that famous, and we have become worth impersonating.”
“Haha, as expected, right?”
“Ah, so you are saying it’s not something to like?”
Hyun Jong couldn’t hold back the laughter anymore, and only then did Hong Dae-Kwang understand the situation, and his face fell.
‘Ah, was it because of that?’
When he thought about it that way, it made sense.
Because this was Mount Hua, right? Mount Hua. Then, it made sense.
“Ahem. Right, well….”
Hyun Jong brushed his beard a couple of times and turned his head to look at Hyun Young.
“You cannot just sit back and watch, right?”
“Right. No sect would allow something like this to happen. Even Shaolin, if something like this happens, dispatches disciples to catch the scammer, even if it is late, right?”
“Yes.”
“On the day he commits a murder and goes into hiding, Mount Hua will have to handle that stigma. There may be a reason, but a reason is just a reason. Once a reputation falls, it will be difficult to regain it.”
Hyun Jong nodded slowly, his face darkened.
“Yes.”
“Can I say something?”
Hyun Jong looked at Hong Dae-Kwang and nodded. Hong Dae-Kwang took a deep breath and said,
“At other times, it might not matter that much. But I think now is a time when we shouldn’t hesitate. The fame of Mount Hua, along with the name of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, is currently the most talked about topic. If something foolish happens while your reputation is still growing, it will stall the force of growth.”
“Umm, as expected.”
Hyun Jong nodded as if it made sense. Then Hyun Young asked Hong Dae-Kwang secretly,
“Branch leader.”
“Yes, elder.”
“I want to know how the Beggars Union handles it when someone like an impersonator appears.”
“T-that is…”
Hong Dae-Kwang scratched the back of his head with a puzzled expression before answering.
“The B-beggars Union doesn’t have such a situation occurring.”
“Uh?”
“… If you think about it, you’ll understand. What kind of person with nothing to do would impersonate a beggar? One impersonates people when they have something to gain…”
“Ah…”
A humble look appeared on Hyun Young’s face.
“That… um, I apologize.”
“… No.”
Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes widened.
Such was the life of the Beggars Union. Even if he became a branch leader or an elder, the people who recognized him were the only ones that mattered. At best, he was just a power-seeking beggar, nothing more.
And it was also a high risk to impersonate a high-ranking beggar because every beggar would know them. So no one would pretend to do so.
“Anyway!”
Thud!
Chung Myung hit the ground hard.
“We have to catch this bastard!”
“…”
“That shameless bastard, why are you impersonating Mount Hua? Is it because they have nothing else to impersonate? I will put flowers over his head now!”
“…W-well, it isn’t something to be that excited about, Chung Myung.”
“Uh? This isn’t something to be excited over?”
Oh my. Look at those eyes.
Seeing Chung Myung’s eyes shining with killing intent, Hyun Jong gulped and leaned a little back. It was best to stay away from a crazy dog.
“Why isn’t this something to be excited about! This is Mount Hua! No, it isn’t even like that! Who made Mount Hua come this far, which even the other bastards didn’t bother to look at?”
Chung Myung, it was amazing that he had great affection for Mount Hua. No matter how anyone looked at this, he was the one who gave the harshest insults to Mount Hua.
How about getting into the habit of thinking one more time before speaking?
“I am the one who suffers… no, we’ve done everything, and you want to throw this away? Why is that man trying to pull a chicken leg from the table when I get angry if someone pulls a spoon on the table?”
“….”
“There is no other use for the young ones other than using them as fertilizers for the plum trees to grow. I will go and get him.”
“You cannot.”
“Why!”
“I am here to stop you from committing the wrong actions, and if you go, those wrong actions will continue to accumulate.”
“…”
Even Chung Myung of the heavens couldn’t refute the words and kept his mouth shut.
“… Then I will kill half of him and bring him back.”
“Did you plan to kill him and bring him then?!”
Hyun Jong clutched his burning stomach. At that time, Hyun Young said,
“Sect leader.”
“Hmm?”
“It isn’t something to just think about.”
“What do you mean?”
“If it is another sect, it would have been anyone else impersonating, but to Mount Hua, he might really be a descendant too.”
“Ahh….”
Hyun Jong’s face went stiff at the thought that passed by for a moment.
In the past, those who left Mount Hua and their descendants all chose to turn their backs on Mount Hua. But they weren’t the only ones who left Mount Hua; even in Hyun Jong’s time, people had left Mount Hua.
“This means they could be descendants of those who left way before.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Hyun Jong thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Even if that is the case, I don’t know why they didn’t come to Mount Hua and why they claim to be the descendants of Mount Hua from so far in Kangho… it is definitely worth checking.”
Hyun Jong glanced at Chung Myung. Seeing that oddly quiet look, Hyun Jong’s eyes caught his.
‘So odd.’
If he was the Chung Myung that he knew, he would be losing his head entirely, saying, ‘If you are the one who left, then you aren’t even a disciple of Mount Hua, so how dare you use the name now!’ But now, he was being quiet.
It’s as if his entire rant was a lie. Anyway, since that wasn’t important right now, Hyun Jong opened his mouth in a heavy tone.
“Right, after listening to it, it seems like it isn’t something to just sit back and watch. Hyun Young.”
“Yes, sect leader.”
“Send the disciples to find the person who claims to be a disciple of Mount Hua and assess the situation there. If needed, they can bring them back to Mount Hua.”
“Yes, I understand. Shall I send Chung Myung?”
“… Why?”
“Uh?”
Hyun Jong looked at Hyun Young with trembling eyes.
“Why, though?”
“…”
“Is he the only disciple in this sect? It’s not even like the food on the table is not to his taste, then why is Chung Myung going out for three meals a day doing other stuff?”
“N-No. Still, because he is the best….”
“We need to be sure! That guy there will lose his life! And that cannot happen! It really won’t happen this time! As the branch leader said, the reputation of Mount Hua is on the rise, so why send this guy there to cause an accident? Before my eyes, anything bad….”
“Really?”
Hyun Jong’s head turned slightly to the side at the sudden voice. The face looking at Chung Myung was shaken.
“… what?”
“No, that… it means that if dust comes into your eyes, then someone has directed it to you.”
For a moment, Hyun Jong’s face turned devastated.
“… Ah, no. I just have to check. Why would I put dust in your eyes? I am also a human with a conscience, right?”
“Chung Myung.”
“Yes?”
“… it is because I don’t think you have it.”
“What?”
“Conscience….”
The elders of Mount Hua shook their heads and closed their eyes. Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes turned red.
Only Chung Myung couldn’t understand the atmosphere and rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, I cannot give in this time either. I must take that bastard down! I have to see him with my own eyes!”
“… at some point, you talk as if giving in.”
“I will say that I cannot give in this time.”
“Then you will give in next time?”
“… Uh?”
Don’t worry! You bastard! They didn’t expect it either!
Hyun Jong held back the words and sighed.
“Hyun Young.”
“Yes, sect leader.”
“Be sure to give him clear instructions before sending him away. Make him aware of things he shouldn’t do and be sure to send in kids to help him if something happens.”
“Can we send him then?”
“Will he not go even if I stop him? It looks like he is already ready to jump over the wall if we say no.”
“Yes.”
Hyun Young smiled as if he had guessed it.
“Don’t worry, sect leader. When did Chung Myung ever go out and cause trouble for us?”
“… are you being serious?”
When Hyun Jong glanced at him, Hyun Young changed his words.
“That… even though he does cause trouble, he brings us more benefits than that! You will make a lot of money this time too! So just expect more and wait. Hahahah!”
Hearing those words, Hyun Jong smiled.
“You two, get out.”
“….”
“Tell Soso to make some stomach medicine for me.”
“… yes.”
As soon as the conversation ended, Chung Myung got up from his seat.
“Then I….”
“W-wait!”
That was when Hyun Jong urgently called him.
“What is it?”
“One thing! Promise me one thing! I can only send you if you promise!”
“What now?”
The requests pouring in were extremely urgent and desperate, too.
“If he is skilled. If that person has decent skills, subdue him and bring him back. Don’t hit him and make him angry. You can promise that, right? Uh?”
“Ah, that?”
An evil smile formed on Chung Myung’s lips.
“Promise.”
“….”
“If he is better than me, I will not touch him. If not, he goes to hell.”
“…”
“For real, okay? I promise.”
Why was it that his sincere words were making him this anxious?
Hyun Jong felt even more sad due to the anxiety for some unknown reason.