HDCLSSRS Ch 24

Chapter 24: Mount Hua or Namgung? (2)

 

“I’ve been doing well, but… may I ask what brings the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan to Mount Hua?”

“It’s not Mount Hua the Young Lord has come to visit, but rather a guest of Mount Hua.”

The reply didn’t come from Namgung Cheonchu but from the sect leader himself. He looked between the two with amusement, and his gaze eventually landed on Baek Ryeoil.

“Let’s continue this conversation inside. I imagine there’s quite a bit to be said.”

They moved to the Sect Leader’s Hall, where the elders and other key figures were already waiting. Soon, hot tea and refreshments were served.

“My, my. I imagine everyone must have been quite surprised by what happened in my absence. Even I was taken aback when I first heard from the Young Lord about the young master.”

“My apologies.”

When Seong Muyeon bowed his head, the sect leader waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m not here to place blame, so don’t worry. I just find it rather amusing.”

“Amusing?”

“We’re preparing for war against the Demonic Sect, and now the direct son of the Demon Sect Leader has come seeking protection from his enemies. Isn’t it fascinating how unpredictable the world is?”

“Ha ha…”

There was nothing amusing about it.

“But what is the Young Lord of Namgung doing here?”

Namgung Cheonchu was seated across from Seong Muyeon. He had assumed the sect leader summoned him to decide his future, but now, unexpectedly, Namgung Cheonchu was here too?

Baek Ryeoil and the rest of the attendants stood around the table, but Baek Ryeoil was glaring at Namgung Cheonchu with a deep frown, as if he found his very presence intolerable.

“Ah, the Young Lord of Namgung insisted he had something important to say to the young master. He was quite adamant about it on the way here.”

At the sect leader’s words, Namgung Cheonchu nodded.

“I was determined to see you again. We’ve come to invite Young Master Seong Muyeon to join the Namgung Clan.”

“What? Me?”

“My, my. So you came here to take away Mount Hua’s guest.”

The sect leader chuckled as he spoke.

Namgung Cheonchu gave an awkward laugh.

“Is that how it seems? My apologies, Sect Leader. It’s just that I share a special connection with the young master. He saved my life, you see.”

In Namgung Cheonchu’s clear gaze, one could sense unwavering trust. He could’ve simply said he was saved… even though Seong Muyeon had used him, throwing him this way and that, and left him bruised and battered. Recalling that time filled Seong Muyeon with a faint sense of guilt.

As a cold sweat trickled down Seong Muyeon’s back, Baek Ryeoil spoke up.

“Seems you’ve forgotten I was there too, Young Lord Namgung.”

“Ah, I’m deeply grateful to you as well, Dojang Baek. However, you already have a home and a place to return to, so I’m not worried about you. But the young master, from what I’ve heard, has no such stability. That’s why I rushed here. Isn’t that right, young master?”

“Y-yes, that’s right…”

“So if there’s no particular reason to stay here at Mount Hua, why don’t you come with us to Namgung?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected proposal, Seong Muyeon could only open and close his mouth. Still, he couldn’t forget how Mount Hua and Baek Ryeoil had taken him in, allowing him to eat and live without worry until now…

“I mean no disrespect to Mount Hua, but it is rather detached from the secular world. For someone who doesn’t train in martial cultivation, life here can be quite inconvenient. On the other hand, the Namgung Clan is merely a worldly family and doesn’t concern itself with such ideals. You’d be far more comfortable with us.”

Seong Muyeon nodded unconsciously. After all, this was a place where taoist priests lived—the food was bland, the lodgings modest, and he had to do everything by himself. It wasn’t without its inconveniences.

But Namgung Cheonchu’s proposal had come so abruptly that he couldn’t bring himself to answer immediately.

“Young Lord, I appreciate your offer, but it’s so sudden I don’t quite know how to respond…”

Suddenly, the back of his head prickled. He turned around and met the fiery eyes of Baek Ryeoil.

It was as if they were saying, “How dare you betray us?”

Seong Muyeon quickly looked away.

“Are you worried about Dojang Baek? Judging by what I’ve seen, he can be a bit rough around the edges.”

Namgung Cheonchu, who had been sitting straight, now leaned against the backrest, raising his chin defiantly as he stared directly at Baek Ryeoil.

“But worry not. Under the protection of Namgung, no one will dare treat Young Master Seong poorly. I swear it on my name.”

Crack.

The sound of Baek Ryeoil clenching his fist was almost audible.

“Well, now. As it happens, I was just about to officially welcome the young master as an honored guest of Mount Hua.”

The sect leader spoke in a relaxed tone.

“R-really?”

“I’ve heard a lot about you from the Young Lord. You did quite the admirable thing. I also heard some things from the elders. And most importantly, you’re someone Ryeoil brought here. And I trust that boy.”

He looked at Seong Muyeon with eyes that seemed to see straight through him, then continued.

“Then it seems the decision lies in your hands now. Young Master, choose here and now. Mount Hua or Namgung?”

“W-what?”

“Yes. Please decide now.”

Namgung Cheonchu agreed.

“I’m curious too. Mount Hua or Namgung? Speak up.”

With Baek Ryeoil growling along, Seong Muyeon grew ever more flustered.

The pressure from both sides demanding an answer left his mind completely blank.

Right now? Just like this?

Seong Muyeon looked at Namgung Cheonchu.

He was waiting sincerely for Seong Muyeon’s reply, openly displaying his earnestness. His mannerly posture and clear eyes were like a lavish meal—delicious and nourishing.

Baek Ryeoil, on the other hand…

Seong Muyeon turned to look at Baek Ryeoil. His eyes were gleaming as he glared at Seong Muyeon with the kind of intensity that screamed, “Betray me and you’re dead.” A chill ran down Seong Muyeon’s spine—a primal fear, like that felt in the face of a predator. He was intense, like junk food you couldn’t stop eating even though you knew it was bad for you.

Mount Hua or Namgung.

Baek Ryeoil and Namgung Cheonchu both burned with fervor from opposite sides.

“……”

“Young Master?”

“Seong Muyeon.”

The two young men and the sect leader all looked at him intently, urging a response.

“I…”

Seong Muyeon’s pupils trembled with uncertainty.

“I… I can’t decide!”

In the end, Seong Muyeon leapt to his feet and fled the room.

Silence descended briefly over the chamber. Then the sect leader burst out laughing.

“Ha ha ha! My, oh my. Seems I may have overstepped. I was only teasing a little—I didn’t expect him to take it so seriously.”

“A joke? I was being sincere. After everything Mount Hua has done for him, running off to Namgung would be pure betrayal!”

Baek Ryeoil glared at Namgung Cheonchu as he grumbled.

“Don’t push him too hard, Ryeoil. He’s not a bad person.”

“You don’t know, Sect Leader! You don’t know what kind of guy that bastard really is!”

“Then just let him go to Namgung, what’s the problem?”

Baek Ryeoil’s face twisted with hostility.

“Why don’t you just hand him over, Dojang Baek? We’ll take full responsibility for his care.”

Namgung Cheonchu nodded fervently.

“Not a chance! He’s mine!”

“You call a person ‘that’?! That just proves even more that I can’t entrust him to you!”

“That’s enough, both of you!”

The sect leader’s voice boomed through the room, silencing the two young men as if they had swallowed their tongues.

“Ryeoil, go find the young master and tell him he has three days to make his decision. Young Lord, you said you’d be leaving in three days—will that be alright?”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Namgung Cheonchu nodded reluctantly.

“Then it’s settled. I’ve been away from Mount Hua for a long time and have much work to catch up on. The two of you may leave now.”

Namgung Cheonchu and Baek Ryeoil exited, shooting daggers at each other with their eyes.

“Namgung Cheonchu. I save your life and now you have the gall to come here? You should’ve just gone home and trained. You weren’t exactly impressive the last time.”

“Someone might think I came to see you. Mind your own business. I’m only here for Young Master Seong Muyeon.”

Still staring at Namgung Cheonchu, Baek Ryeoil reached over a low wall and pulled his arm back. Dangling from his grasp was Seong Muyeon, who had dashed out of the sect leader’s hall but hadn’t fled far and was hiding behind the wall.

“Let’s go, Seong Muyeon.”

“What about the sect leader?”

“He’s giving you three days to think.”

“Oh.”

Seong Muyeon adjusted his disheveled clothes and gave a small nod of greeting to Namgung Cheonchu. Just as he was about to walk after Baek Ryeoil, Namgung Cheonchu spoke urgently.

“…Young Master. If you’re in need of help, please blink twice.”

“…What?”

Namgung Cheonchu whispered so softly that even Baek Ryeoil couldn’t hear, then lowered his voice even more as he continued.

“Or you can write it on my palm. If that guy is keeping you here against your will, just give me some sort of signal. Trust me, and I’ll…”