This Really Shouldn’t Be Happening. (1)

“Th-this bunch of mutts like these…”

The disciples, having had this situation caught by Hyun Young of all people, quickly calculated their position.

The sect’s rites? Strict rules? Human duty and natural order?

What a joke. The person spitting fire right now is not someone for whom such petty standards apply. No — to be precise, one can’t even tell whether such standards apply. Before you could debate rites and duty, a cane would be driven into the kid’s butt, so that proposition can never be proven.

But unfortunately, this was by no means Hyun Young’s problem.

In most groups, rites and duty cannot overcome authority and hierarchy. Thus the disciples’ choice was as natural as could be.

“Now then, Sect leader.”

The disciples urgently turned to find Hyun Jong. They intuited that if he hesitated a moment longer, the staff in Hyun Young’s hands would fly toward their heads.

And Hyun Jong, naturally, met their expectations.

“This was my order, so don’t take your anger out on the kids. Chung Myung was about to break the rules, so I was lecturing him.”

Hyun Jong soothed Hyun Young with a gentle smile.

Given the pretext that the Sect leader was admonishing a disciple who broke rules, and Hyun Jong’s usual kindness and generosity, anyone would be convinced.

If only the opponent weren’t Hyun Young.

“A lecture?”

“Yes.”

“You mean tie him up like a traitor and lecture him that way?”

Hyun Young’s eyes glittered. That look, which carried an almost deadly resolve of ‘to hell with rank — if things go wrong I’ll overturn everything,’ must be nothing but Hyun Jong’s misperception. No, it had to be a misperception.

“Um….”

“Alright, then untie him first and we’ll talk.”

“……”

“I said, untie him.”

Hyun Young speaking to Hyun Jong like that wasn’t especially a problem at Mount Hua. If there was any problem at all, it was that Mount Hua traditionally had no strict up-and-down hierarchy.

In a sect where it was accepted that a sasuk could paddle a sajil without complaint, a disciple talking back to a sahyung was hardly an issue — even if that sahyung was the Sect leader.

So the one who seemed more unpleasant than the disciple glaring a sahyung was that young disciple clinging to him and flapping like a freshly caught mackerel — and that was not solely due to any lack of Hyun Jong’s cultivation.

“…Untie him.”

“Now then, Sect leader.”

Hyun Jong squeezed his eyes shut.

There was nothing wrong with Hyun Young’s words. Where is it normal to bind someone like a criminal and drag them in for trying to leave the mountain without permission? The other disciples had to accept that logic.

But one fundamental question remained.

‘But isn’t that reasoning only valid if the one being brought in is a normal human?’

If that bastard ignores common sense, why must the other side act sensibly? It was absurd.

However, the disciples didn’t need to debate whether to release Chung Myung — Hyun Young had already unbound the rope he himself had used to tie Chung Myung.

“Tsk tsk. You heartless bastards.”

After patting Chung Myung’s head a couple times, Hyun Young cleared his throat and continued.

“So, what on earth happened?”

“Well…”

“You tell us. What kind of commotion is this?”

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung, under Hyun Young’s gaze, made a soaked-puppy face and explained the situation. It went without saying how disgustingly pathetic that sight was.

“…What did you just say?”

And after hearing Chung Myung’s whole story, Hyun Young’s expression hardened.

“A personal matter? Did you just call it a personal matter?”

Chung Myung flinched and nodded.

“Yes.”

“So you’re saying it wasn’t anything significant, just some petty personal business, and you tried to climb the wall without asking the Sect leader’s permission?”

“…Well.”

“Answer properly! Is that right?”

“Yes…”

Chung Myung shrank back, unable to withstand Hyun Young’s force for a moment — the very fellow who feared nothing in the world.

‘Huh?’

‘Could this be?’

The disciples looked at each other with eyes full of hope.

Something was different. This time, definitely different.

‘Come to think of it…’

‘That actually makes sense!’

The reason Chung Myung’s insane antics had been tolerated until now was because, in any case, all of it was said to be for Mount Hua’s sake.

Whether it was Mount Hua’s wealth, honor, or interests, wherever Chung Myung moved, there was always something Mount Hua would gain.

But this time was different. Now that he’d admitted it was a personal matter unrelated to Mount Hua, he could no longer be pardoned in the name of that cause.

In other words, no matter how much Hyun Young shouted that the storeroom comes first and rules be damned, this time it would be hard to cover for Chung Myung.

Indeed, judging by that expression, he looked more angry than protective.

‘Finally.’

‘Is today the day?’

The disciples’ hopes flared. This time they felt they could finally throw that madman into the repentance cell.

“Answer straight! Is it truly just a personal matter?”

“Uh… yes, that’s right.”

“Ha… haha.”

Hyun Young began laughing as if incredulous. Seeing that, Hyun Jong said bitterly.

“Hyun Young, don’t be so angry. I understand how you feel, but Chung Myung must have his reasons…”

“Wahahahahaha!”

“…Hm?”

Hyun Young laughed louder and more merrily, then opened his hands wide and patted Chung Myung’s back energetically.

“Yes, that’s it! You rascal! You should’ve said it earlier!”

“Yes?”

“Sect leader! Sect leader! Did you hear? It’s a personal matter!”

“Yes, I also…”

“A personal matter!”

If you asked, at least give him a chance to answer… .

But regardless of what Hyun Jong thought, Hyun Young wiped away the tears welling in his eyes and continued.

“Ever since you suddenly fell onto Mount Hua, you’ve been rolling here and there, stabbed here, cut there…”

Hyun Jong, about to say something, closed his mouth quietly. Something different from what he expected was coming out.

“A fellow with no ties to Mount Hua, who became a wreck trying to save a dying Mount Hua… I was truly worried sick. And you call it a personal matter?”

Hyun Young trailed off and wiped his eyes again. At the same time, the disciples stealthily glanced at one another.

‘Could it be he’s moved to tears right now?’

‘It looks that way?’

‘Why would that be?’

‘How would I know that?’

To ordinary minds, Hyun Young’s inner world was vast and unfathomable. If you pick the person most similar to Chung Myung in Mount Hua, it would be him.

“That means at last you have enough leeway to take care of your own affairs, doesn’t it?”

“…”

“It took this long since you entered Mount Hua. How many years has it been?”

“Uh… well…”

Hyun Young patted Chung Myung’s back once more.

“Kid. Just say it, say it. Why are you so shy? After all these years of neglecting yourself and fighting to save Mount Hua, now you ask for time to handle a personal matter, and do you think the Sect leader would deny that?”

“…”

“He’d be glad, of course he’d be glad. Who would look down on that? You didn’t sell yourself off — you tore yourself up, broke yourself, suffered for our sect! Who would treat a person that way? Isn’t that right, Sect leader?”

“Uh… well.”

By then Hyun Jong realized it too.

If he shook his head here, he’d become human trash. No, not even trash — he’d become a monstrous head who takes in orphans and tortures them, sucking their blood and flesh dry.

“Sect leader?”

“Yes… exactly. If you’d just asked, of course that’s how it would be.”

“See?”

Hyun Jong desperately avoided Chung Myung’s look that seemed to say, ‘Your words just now sounded a bit different, didn’t they?’

“My thinking… was short? Yes. Yes, that’s right.”

“Exactly. This time you were thoughtless.”

Let it be so. It seemed it had to be so.

Hyun Young sighed as if lamenting.

“But still, I’m so happy. I never thought the day would come when you’d tell me this. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my heart.”

Chung Myung’s head tilted awkwardly to the side.

Everyone sensed from that motion, ‘Things seem to be working out, but is this right?’ yet no one dared voice it.

In front of the moved Hyun Young, the disciples lowered their voices and whispered.

“Are we the bad guys right now?”

“It seems that way.”

“…Why did it come to that?”

“I don’t know the reason, but think about it. If the Green Forest King had heard this, what would he say?”

“He’d click his tongue and say, ‘We even give a few years’ service folks a home leave’… probably.”

“…Probably.”

Why? They did the right thing and yet became the trash. What about it?

“But…”

And it seemed Hyun Young likewise recalled a forgotten fact.

“So who was it?”

“Yes?”

“Which one of you tied up a disciple who suffered so much and dragged him back like a traitor? Which madman did something that would even frighten those from the Evil Sect?!”

The disciples’ faces went pale in an instant.

At that moment, Yoon Jong bit his lip and stepped forward.

“Sahyung!”

“Yoon Jong!”

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul reflexively reached for Yoon Jong. They knew his temperament, but even truth must be timed — one wrong word now could get him in even more trouble.

But Yoon Jong, unable to hold back, bowed respectfully toward Hyun Young and spoke.

“Elder!”

“Oh, it’s you?”

“We only did as the sasuk instructed!”

“…”

For a moment everyone fell silent. Jo Gul could not bear that silence. Betrayal in this situation — who would do such a thing? Filled with indignation, Jo Gul shouted immediately.

“It’s true!”

“The sasuk ordered it!”

“The sahyung…”

Hyun Young’s slowly turning gaze finally fixed on Baek Cheon.

The other disciples also turned to him, their eyes conveying, ‘How could a person ask someone to do such inhuman things? Truly unimaginable.’

Receiving all those looks, Baek Cheon could only give a slight smile.

“You sons of bitches.”

Even the Evil Sect wouldn’t bother with them.

“Baek Cheon.”

“…Yes, Elder.”

“Come with me for a moment. Let’s talk privately.”

“…Yes.”

The two quietly left the room.

Those left behind looked at each other with faces that showed they didn’t know what to say.

“…Is this right?”

The voice, casually uttered by someone, voiced what everyone felt.