Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1728

“Um…” Jo Gul spoke, his voice barely a whisper. He stepped into his room and stopped, surprised. “This is my room,” he began, confused, “but why is everyone here?”

From the bed, Yoon Jong’s voice was low and sharp. “Keep it down, Jo Gul.”

Yoo Iseol, sitting beside Yoon Jong, nodded in agreement, her expression serious. “You’re disturbing us.”

Hae Yeon, sitting cross-legged on the floor, looked up gently. “Please be quiet,” he said softly. “It’s best if we are all quiet right now.”

“Oh… sorry,” Jo Gul mumbled, looking around at his friends. He felt a mix of confusion and sadness seeing them all crammed into his small room.

‘These blasted people,’ he thought.

This was clearly the room that Mount Hua Sect had given him.

Mount Hua was a Daoist sect, and they believed in being simple and not wasting things. So, Jo Gul’s room was small and plain.

Why were so many people gathered in this tiny, cramped room!

Yoo Iseol and Yoon Jong were on the bed, and Hae Yeon and Namgung Dowi had taken the remaining space. Jo Gul, barely squatting by the doorway, grumbled.

“I mean, why here of all places…,”

“You don’t have anything else to do, do you?”

“If you have nothing to do, then train!”

“Training in someone else’s sect is a bit much.”

“That’s right.”

“Please, that will not do,” Hae Yeon said gently.

“Come to think of it, you have quite the nerve, Jo Gul.”

Jo Gul gave up and closed his eyes. He’d rather talk to a wall than argue with these people.

With Jo Gul’s silence, the room became quiet again. Usually, when these friends got together, they talked non-stop. But today was different. They were all quiet, like they had agreed not to speak. They just sat there, waiting.

Hae Yeon spoke first, breaking the silence.

“It has been two days since the Acting Sect Leader has left his room.”

Everyone looked into space. They all knew this, but they didn’t want to talk about it.

“Shouldn’t we… at least go and check on him?”

Hae Yeon was right to say this. It was the obvious thing to think. Having lost the use of both arms, Baek Cheon would find it hard to do anything. Someone needed to take care of him.

But even knowing this, none of them wanted to knock on Baek Cheon’s door.

“Of course, I know it’s difficult, but… how long are we going to…,”

Jo Gul didn’t want to hear Hae Yeon keep talking quietly to himself, so he sighed and spoke.

“I know. I do, but… it’s not easy, Monk.”

“Please.” Hae Yeon sighed softly.

“Hyung. Instead of that, can’t we ask someone else to check on him?”

“Someone else, who?”

“Well, the Wild Beast Palace Lord, or someone.”

Yoon Jong shook his head.

“Many people have died and been injured. Also, the Four Evil Sects are still close by. We don’t know when the war will start again.”

“No……”

“In the middle of all this, asking someone to look after one injured person is too much.”

“Too much! Sasuk is……!”

“I feel the same way you do,” Yoon Jong said. “But people from other sects don’t see Sasuk the way we do, right?”

Jo Gul bit his lip. Yoon Jong sighed.

“And it’s the same for us. Right now…….”

He hesitated, unable to finish. Jo Gul frowned.

“Why? Are you saying we should forget about Sasuk’s injury and get ready for the next battle?”

“……”

“How can you say that… Ack!”

Yoo Iseol suddenly hit Jo Gul’s head with her sword.

Jo Gul’s eyes widened.

“Why, why did you hit me, Sago!”

“Don’t take it out on others.”

Yoo Iseol glared at Jo Gul.

“You know it.”

Jo Gul looked down.

Sago was right. Jo Gul knew that Yoon Jong didn’t mean what he said. If Yoon Jong really thought that way, he wouldn’t be here in this room.

Yoon Jong had to say those words because of his position. Jo Gul mumbled.

“I’m just worried about whether Sasuk is eating properly….”

“Again.”

“Ah, I got it. That…….”

Jo Gul hesitated, trying to apologize for getting angry earlier. But then, Namgung Dowi spoke.

“A martial artist who was so strong, he could break rocks and jump across wide rivers…”

Everyone looked at him.

“Is now in a state where he can’t even feed himself…….”

The room went silent. It might sound rude, especially to the disciples of Mount Hua, who were quick to get angry.

But no one was angry, because Namgung Dowi’s words were full of regret, sadness, and sorrow.

“I can’t even imagine what the Acting Sect Leader must be feeling. If I were in that situation…….”

Namgung Dowi couldn’t speak and sighed.

They understood again.

The life as a martial artist that they wanted was full of light. Baek Cheon’s life might have been the same. He had walked a path that was so bright that even Namgung Dowi was jealous.

But the brighter the light, the darker the shadows would be. Baek Cheon was probably lost in a very dark and sad place.

Tap. Tap.

Jo Gul tapped the floor with his finger.

“Is there really no way? Anything would be fine, if there’s any way at all…….”

“If there is a way, what are you going to do?”

“Of course, I have to get it. Anything, anywhere, if necessary! Even if it was the most dangerous place, like a den of evil people or the Emperor’s palace!”

Yoon Jong sighed as he listened to Jo Gul.

He felt the same way.

But not everything has an answer. Even Tang Gunak and Chung Myung, and even Poong Young-shin, who had gathered information from everywhere, had given up.

There was nothing they could do. But Jo Gul still asked as if shouting.

“Monk! Won’t the Shaolin Great Revitalizing Pill work?”

“Please……” Hae Yeon looked troubled.

“I am an outcast…….”

“Then…… if we talk to Monk Hye Bang well, wouldn’t it work out somehow?”

“It might be possible to get it…… but the Great Revitalizing Pill doesn’t really heal the body.”

“Yes?”

“Elixirs are like strong medicines,” Im So-byeong began, his voice serious. “They usually make you stronger. But some are so good at healing, people only think of them for that.”

Yoon Jong sighed, “Ah…”

“Elixirs won’t cure the Acting Sect Leader,” Im So-byeong continued. “Not any elixir in the world, not even the best ones.”

Jo Gul started to complain, “No, this is…”

“That’s right!”

*BANG!* The door crashed open. Jo Gul yelped as he fell back, hitting his head with a thud. Im So-byeong stepped into the room, not even looking sorry. He just shook his head.

“Tsk, tsk. A martial artist should be able to dodge a door.”

Jo Gul rolled his eyes. “Is it okay to slam someone’s door open like that? Huh?”

“Well, doors are for opening, aren’t they? And you’re supposed to be good at dodging things!” Im So-byeong retorted.

“Seriously?” Jo Gul muttered.

Im So-byeong, holding his fan, entered and said calmly, “The rumors say elixirs are precious and can cure anything. But they’re not really made to treat strange illnesses. They’re for making your inner energy stronger, so healing is just a side effect.”

“What about the Hunwon Elixir?” Yoon Jong asked. “Yakseon made that, and he’s a doctor who treats people.”

Im So-byeong replied, “That’s why he stayed in the Jianghu. If not, he would have worked for the Emperor!”

“Oh? I guess that makes sense,” Jo Gul said, looking confused. Thinking about things in the martial world made his head spin.

“Then… is there really no hope?” Yoon Jong asked cautiously.

Im So-byeong half-opened his eyes. “Who knows?”

“Just like people in the Jianghu love elixirs, rich people love tonics. They want them even more than martial artists want elixirs.”

“I’ve heard there are rare medicines that can make any sick person feel better,” Im So-byeong continued. “Legendary medicines, they say.”

“Where can we find them?” Yoon Jong asked eagerly.

Im So-byeong chuckled. “If I knew, I’d have taken it already! It’s just a legend. Like I always say, you just don’t get it.”

“Hey!” Jo Gul started to get up, but Yoon Jong kicked him lightly, pushing him back down.

“Is there any way to find information about these medicines?” Yoon Jong asked.

Im So-byeong sighed. “If there was, the Beggars’ Sect would have already announced it.”

Im So-byeong tapped his cheek with his fan, looking thoughtful. “These things don’t just appear when you look for them. You just have to hope for… fate.”

Fate, huh?

Yoon Jong repeated the word and then chuckled sadly. It was better not to hear such stories. Hopeless hope was worse than despair.

“Damn it,” Jo Gul complained. “You’re just saying obvious things. Did you come here just to say that? You must be bored.”

“Ah,” Im So-byeong said, spreading his fan and waving it in front of his face. “I forgot why I came. That’s why you need to pay attention.”

Everyone looked at him suspiciously. Im So-byeong looked around the room and said, “The Sect Leader has arrived.”

“Oh…” The Mount Hua disciples jumped up, but they couldn’t be as happy as usual. Their faces darkened.

“Grand Elder!” they exclaimed.

“He’s here?”

Running outside, they saw Hyun Jong surrounded by people. He looked tired from traveling, but he still looked like the Hyun Jong they knew.

“That…!” Oh Geom stopped, unable to approach. The important people surrounding Hyun Jong made it impossible to interfere.

“Senior Brother,” one of them said.

“Let’s wait…”

“Yes.”

They realized that Hyun Jong was not just the Grand Elder of Mount Hua, but also the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Union.

He must have important things to do after such a big battle. They couldn’t bother him now.

Just then, Hyun Jong turned and saw them. Jo Gul tried to hide, but Hyun Jong spoke to the people around him.

“Wait a moment. I need to do something first. Thank you for understanding.”

The people around him nodded and stepped back.

Hyun Jong walked towards Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Yoo Iseol quickly.

Their faces grew serious as he approached. Before they could understand why, Hyun Jong patted their shoulders gently.

“You’ve really been through a lot,” he said.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Jo Gul’s head dropped. He felt overwhelmed. Emotions he hadn’t noticed before surged up as he faced Hyun Jong.

“Sect Leader…”

Hyun Jong patted their shoulders, understanding their feelings.

Then, Dang So-so approached them. “You’ve worked too hard, Senior Brothers.”

“So-so…”

Dang So-so looked unbelievably thin and tired. Yoon Jong knew it wasn’t just from overwork.

Dang So-so was usually bright and energetic. The reason she looked so sad was…

‘She knows.’

She must already know about Baek Cheon’s condition.

Dang So-so’s heart was probably heavier than theirs because she was a doctor. She had always worried that this would happen to the Mount Hua disciples.

She blamed herself, and it showed in her eyes.

From a logical point of view, Dang So-so had no reason to blame herself. She had always tried her best to prevent this. Baek Cheon hadn’t listened to her, and neither had they.

But no matter what they said, Dang So-so wouldn’t stop blaming herself.

There were many things they wanted to say, but they couldn’t. The fact that Dang So-so knew meant…

“Yes, where is he?” Hyun Jong asked, lowering his hand. “Where is Baek Cheon?”

The air grew heavy, and the disciples’ shoulders slumped.