40 — It Is No Big Deal. (5)

The Mount Hua disciples looked at the one who had stepped forward.

“Hmm.”

In an instant, everyone’s gazes converged; his supremely confident bearing alone revealed his rank within the academy.

Compared to the others in line, his clothing wasn’t particularly different. Yet that very plainness made his presence stand out all the more.

But that feeling was….

“Uh…. hmm.”

“Strangely, somewhat….”

“Right?”

The Mount Hua disciples glanced at one another with faces that couldn’t shake their unease.

“Similar… though.”

Their eyes fixed on the man who had walked out.

A face paler than his deep robe, a lean, elongated build, and—above all—a self-assured, subtly cheeky expression.

“Did the Green Forest King have a brother?”

“But his face looks completely different.”

“How to put it… not sickly, more like a well-born Green Forest King.”

“Ah, that fits exactly.”

Green Forest King. In other words, if Im So-Byeong had been born to nobility instead of a bandit chief, he might have turned out very much like the man before them.

“Something about him feels a bit….”

“Exactly.”

While the Mount Hua disciples were unsettled by the strange déjà vu, the scholar who had stepped forward bowed formally to the two elder masters.

“How could Elder Sang Seo have taken such a momentous step? Had you sent word beforehand, I would not have committed the discourtesy of failing to receive you properly in the hall. Please do not embarrass your disciple.”

Elder Sang Seo narrowed his eyes.

“I specifically instructed you to receive the guest. Does one who studies rites and benevolence forget etiquette?”

“How could that be?”

The scholar smiled faintly as he answered.

“I merely thought one should know who the counterpart is to avoid impropriety. I judged it best to first hear who had come.”

The elder glared at the scholar as if displeased, then sighed.

“They are the eccentrics of the Central Plains. You say they’re the Taoists of Mount Hua in Shaanxi?”

“Mount Hua…”

“Have you not heard of them?”

“Of course. How could I not?”

The scholar smiled broadly, then turned swiftly, faced the Mount Hua disciples, and bowed deeply.

“It is an incomparable honor to pay respects to the famed sword-handlers of Mount Hua. I am a scholar studying at the Confucian Academy, called Jwa Go-Hak.”

It was a flawless display of etiquette, leaving no room for reproach.

For that reason, Baek Cheon could only respond in kind, clasping his hands in return as if entranced.

“I am Baek Cheon, a second-class disciple of Mount Hua.”

“I have heard your name often.”

“Heard often… you say?”

Jwa Go-Hak laughed heartily.

“Ha ha. What do you mean? Mount Hua’s reputation reaches even this remote foothill of Mount Tai.”

“R-Really?”

Baek Cheon’s lips twitched without his realizing it. The Mount Hua disciples whispered among themselves.

“Good.”

“Very much so.”

“Leave him. He was treated unfairly in Jinan, after all.”

“I feel sorry for nothing.”

“It’s not your fault, Han-Bin.”

At first Baek Cheon seemed wary of Jwa Go-Hak, but then he beamed and clasped the scholar’s hand.

“I am most grateful for your hospitality.”

“Not at all. We are honored that you welcome this nameless scholar so warmly.”

Jwa Go-Hak’s gaze flicked slightly behind Baek Cheon.

“Ah…. then that person?”

“Yes. He is Hae Yeon, a monk of Shaolin.”

“Indeed! The prodigy of Shaolin who won the World Martial Arts Tournament is that person.”

“That’s right.”

“Then… might that person be?”

Baek Cheon nodded as if it were obvious in response to Jwa Go-Hak’s question.

“Yes. The one beside him is Chung Myung, Mount Hua’s third-class disciple. He is the one who faced Hae Yeon at this year’s tournament.”

“Ah, I see. I never imagined I would meet the renowned Mount Hua Divine Dragon here.”

Jwa Go-Hak kept looking at Hae Yeon and Chung Myung with wonder.

Just as Baek Cheon felt a strange warmth at the scholar’s friendly attitude, it happened.

“So. How do you find them?”

Elder Sang Seo asked.

“What is your impression of meeting in person those so often sung about as the rising talents of the Central Plains?”

Jwa Go-Hak answered with his perpetual smile.

“I can only say—indeed.”

“Indeed, huh. What do you mean by that?”

“Must I put it into words?”

“There are times when etiquette must come first, and times when etiquette must be set aside.”

“If that’s the case.”

Jwa Go-Hak nodded, then looked Baek Cheon square in the eye.

“Indeed, as I thought, they are remarkable.”

“Are they?”

“And.”

“Hmm?”

A peculiar smile tugged at the corner of Jwa Go-Hak’s mouth.

“They are remarkable—precisely only as much as I had imagined.”

Baek Cheon’s face hardened.

The words alone were hard to parse, but the tone carried more than the phrasing.

He wasn’t the only one who sensed it.

“Utterly arrogant.”

“Is that so? Do you really think so?”

“…What do you mean?”

Jwa Go-Hak shook his head.

“It is not arrogance. I do not claim any particular superiority over these people. If anything, compared person to person, they are surely superior to me in every way.”

“And yet?”

“But that’s all there is to it.”

His voice was calm and absolute. Even So Jung-Gyeong seemed intrigued and pressed him.

“Explain in more detail.”

“It’s not something that requires a long explanation. Consider this: before the sages corrected the order of the world and distinguished right from wrong, people did not escape barbarism. When rivers flooded, they offered humans to appease the river’s wrath; when drought came, they did not hesitate to behead kings.”

Jwa Go-Hak spoke with utter calmness.

“But what of now? Because the sages eradicated barbarism and defined right and wrong, people can live like humans. Were the people of old inferior—incapable of escaping barbarism?”

“They were not.”

“They simply lacked the opportunity to learn what is right. I believe the martial arts of the world are no different.”

“So you mean their innate talent surpasses yours, but the martial arts they learned do not measure up to what you have mastered?”

“Exactly so.”

“…What did you say?”

Baek Cheon stared at Jwa Go-Hak, too stunned to speak.

“What is that person saying? He twists his words so much it’s hard to understand.”

“So to put it bluntly… is he saying Mount Hua’s martial arts are barbaric?”

“…It seems that way?”

The other Mount Hua disciples couldn’t hide their astonishment.

To belittle Mount Hua—well, that might happen. Though unacceptable, the world was wide and opinions varied.

But Jwa Go-Hak wasn’t merely belittling Mount Hua’s art; he dismissed all martial arts under heaven, and he did so from the cool remove of a scholar who disdained martial practice.

“How can that not be the root of arrogance?”

At So Jung-Gyeong’s reproach, Jwa Go-Hak sighed as if exasperated.

“Esteemed head scholar, please consider.”

He continued with steady conviction.

“Everything in the world is an extension of study—from small matters like making a living to great matters like rectifying the principles of the world.”

“….”

“But look. Do those who practice martial arts properly study and develop their art?”

Jwa Go-Hak’s gaze slid across the Mount Hua disciples.

“They hide away in remote valleys and speak of ascension and liberation—empty words. Even when they learn something better, they hoard it instead of sharing. Clear water turns foul if it stands still; the Central Plains is a vast pool of stagnation.”

Veins bulged on Baek Cheon’s forehead, and his shoulders twitched.

He forced a smile, but the contorted expression looked grotesque rather than pleasant.

“So you claim you are different?”

“I am not the different one. The martial arts here are. At least the arts here are not like the Central Plains’ custom of revering a few experiences as sacred. Here they debate, share, and inquire.”

A faint smile returned to Jwa Go-Hak’s lips.

“Would you dare belittle the Central Plains’ martial arts that are still trapped in past methods?”

“But this bastard…”

Just as Jo Gul rose to flare, Baek Cheon raised a hand slightly to restrain him.

“Sasuk?”

Baek Cheon cleared his throat softly. This time his smile was perfect and practiced.

“Indeed. I am well acquainted with your views.”

“If you felt hurt, I apologize. But facing reality is a prerequisite for progress. I dared to speak a reckless mouthful.”

“Not at all. Criticism is always painful, but isn’t that what gives it meaning?”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“However, well…”

“…Yes?”

“What you say is all true… but isn’t it true that with words you could even insult Confucius?”

At that remark, the corner of Jwa Go-Hak’s eye twitched.

“Taoist?”

“I’m curious.”

Baek Cheon glanced at Jwa Go-Hak and twisted the corner of his mouth.

“That criticism, carelessly spouted without properly experiencing the Central Plains—does it really come from confidence in skill, or simple bravado from a polished scholar?”

“….”

“They say even historical figures like Jo Gwal had no equal when debating military strategy with their mouths… How about your ability?”

“Jo Gwal?”

Jwa Go-Hak’s face stiffened.

The implication was clear: a man who pretended courtesy but had no real skill, all talk.

“Ha ha, it’s surprising that the Taoists also know the significance of Jo Gwal’s military doctrines.”

“Oh, you find that surprising? I find your insight in this hidden valley that can gaze upon the world even more astonishing.”

“Foresight is not confined by place. Didn’t Zhuge Mu-hou once look upon the world from a small chamber?”

“Indeed. It is an honor to meet another Zhuge Kong-Ming here. But forgive my ignorance—does Confucianism lack the virtue of humility?”

“….”

“….”

The two glared at each other as if ready to kill. Seeing this, Yoon Jong quietly approached Baek Cheon and tugged his sleeve.

“Sasuk, there’s no need to go that far….”

“Yoon Jong.”

“Yes?”

“To be honest… I didn’t really care about the exam or anything. If I failed, I thought it would be fine as long as I had done my best.”

“…Suddenly?”

“But not anymore.”

“Yes?”

Baek Cheon slowly turned his head to look at Yoon Jong. His face twisted like a specter as he ground his teeth.

“You won’t be allowed to leave until we’ve taken care of these bastards. Got it?”

“Ah….”

This man has snapped again.

He’s driving me crazy, really…….