Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1120

Chung Myung let out a long sigh as he looked at Tang Gunak. Noticing Chung Myung’s troubled expression, Tang Gunak asked, “Are you having second thoughts?”

“No, it’s not that,” Chung Myung replied.

Tang Gunak looked puzzled. Chung Myung grinned and said, “I was just thinking, ‘So, this is the kind of person who becomes a Clan Lord.'”

“…What are you suddenly talking about…?” Tang Gunak asked, confused.

Chung Myung rested his chin on his fist.

“Well, Head Elder Hyun Jong seems to think so. He says that even though I keep saying I don’t want to, I’ll end up becoming the Sect Leader eventually.”

Tang Gunak smiled wryly.

In fact, it would be stranger if they didn’t think that way. Chung Myung’s influence in Mount Hua now surpassed even Hyun Jong’s. Even if Baek Cheon or Yoon Jong became the Sect Leader, Chung Myung could easily control them if he wanted to. He is that powerful.

Whether Chung Myung wanted to do so or not wasn’t the important thing. The important thing was that Chung Myung *could* do it. Considering how big of a problem that fact could be for the sect.

Even Tang Gunak was dealing with a headache because of the elders who didn’t want to let go of their power.

“I think I know what you’re thinking,” Chung Myung said.

Rather than dividing the power, it might be better to concentrate it all on Chung Myung. Unlike the Chung Myung of the past, the current Chung Myung was subtly taking care of people.

“But that’s a useless thought,” Chung Myung stated.

“Hmm? Why is that?” Tang Gunak inquired.

“Because I will never be the Sect Leader,” Chung Myung declared.

Tang Gunak looked at him, not understanding at all.

Of course, Chung Myung might think that he had no desire for power. But the Chung Myung that Tang Gunak knew was someone who would throw a fit if things didn’t go his way and would blow up mountains blocking his path to turn the tide.

Could you say that someone who couldn’t be satisfied unless he directly took the lead and got what he wanted had no desire for power? He might be fooling himself into thinking that he could tolerate it now, but…

Tang Gunak, who had been lost in thought, asked calmly, “If, in the future, Sect Leader Yoon Jong were to do something completely contrary to your thinking, what would you do?”

“Huh…?” Chung Myung responded, a little surprised.

Tang Gunak pressed Chung Myung further, who seemed a little flustered.

“If he were to do something that you see as a loss no matter how you look at it, using the authority of the Sect Leader?”

Chung Myung was silent.

“What would you do then?” Tang Gunak asked.

“I’d persuade him, I guess?” Chung Myung replied.

“If he doesn’t respond to persuasion?” Tang Gunak’s voice was steady, without emotion. But that was why it was even clearer.

“Would you stop him with force? Or would you just stand by and let him go down the wrong path?”

Chung Myung hesitated to answer. Tang Gunak spoke this time with a slightly scolding tone.

“If you’re going to step back, you have to give up the power too. If you’re not going to give it up, you shouldn’t step back. If you act in a confusing way, everyone else will only have a harder time.”

“Hmm,” Chung Myung hummed, pressing his hand against his chin.

‘He must have known,’ Chung Myung thought.

But people don’t necessarily act on what they know. They tend to put off things that aren’t right in front of them, even if they know that the thing they put off will eventually come back as a bigger disaster.

“So, it’s better to just…” Chung Myung started.

“No, I think there’s some misunderstanding,” Tang Gunak interrupted.

“Huh?” Chung Myung looked at Tang Gunak. His expression was indifferent, not befitting this serious conversation.

“If such a situation were to happen, I would just leave it alone,” Tang Gunak said.

“…You would?” Chung Myung asked, surprised.

“Yes. Is there something strange about that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The you I know isn’t someone who can stand by and watch disciples go down the wrong path,” Chung Myung pointed out.

“That’s true,” Tang Gunak admitted.

“Then it’s a contradiction,” Chung Myung concluded.

“No, Clan Lord’s question is wrong from the start,” Tang Gunak countered.

At that, Tang Gunak looked puzzled.

“The premise is wrong?”

“Yes,” Chung Myung said with a face that didn’t waver even a bit.

“If such a situation were to happen, there’s no need to worry. It’s because I’m wrong and Yoon Jong is right.”

Tang Gunak was silent.

“If he doesn’t change his mind even after I’ve persuaded him as much as I can, then I’m just wrong. Yoon Jong is not someone who would go down the wrong path, nor is he someone who can’t find his own mistakes in what others say,” Chung Myung explained.

Tang Gunak wore an absurd expression.

“Does that make any sense? Everyone makes misjudgments and makes mistakes,” he argued.

“Yes. That’s probably true. But… at that time, he’s not a person, he’s someone dedicated to his beliefs, and he’s not a disciple, he’s a Sect Leader,” Chung Myung said.

Tang Gunak was speechless.

‘What on earth is this…’ he thought.

How could a person trust another person this much?

“Is Baek Cheon the same?” Tang Gunak asked.

“Ah… Martial Uncle is a bit different. That guy is reliable in times of war, but he’s a bit of a show-off in normal times,” Chung Myung replied.

Tang Gunak was silent again.

“If he does something stupid, I’ll pull him down right away and replace him with Yoon Jong. Of course, before that, Lee Seol will stab him with a knife and pull him down,” Chung Myung added.

“Huh…” Tang Gunak muttered.

Chung Myung grinned as he watched Tang Gunak, who couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“You get it now? Why I shouldn’t become the Sect Leader,” Chung Myung asked.

Tang Gunak remained silent.

“I felt it today when I heard what Clan Lord was saying. Ah, the Clan Lord is someone who does this, and the Sect Leader is someone who has to think about these things. Then I definitely shouldn’t become the Sect Leader,” Chung Myung stated.

“Can’t you just do that too?” Tang Gunak asked.

“I’m not someone who can do that,” Chung Myung chuckled.

“You asked if I wasn’t sorry, right?”

“I did,” Tang Gunak confirmed.

That was the beginning of this conversation. Wasn’t he sorry to give the Jasodan to other sects instead of the descendants of Mount Hua? The answer to that question was coming out now.

“I’m not sorry at all,” Chung Myung declared.

“…Really?” Tang Gunak asked.

“Yes,” Chung Myung shrugged.

“That’s why I’m telling you. I don’t know anything about the future of Mount Hua. I tried to understand it, but honestly, I still don’t know. And even if I do understand it, I don’t think I can sincerely take care of it?”

“Can’t you just do it?” Tang Gunak repeated.

“There are things you can do with your head, and there are things you can do with your heart,” Chung Myung explained.

Tang Gunak was momentarily speechless. Chung Myung waved his hand.

“So, rather than taking care of descendants I don’t even know the faces of and don’t know when or how they’ll turn out, I’d rather just release the Jasodan and save even one more person. That’s a hundred times better for me.”

“…I don’t know what to say. No matter how important the current disciples are, that’s the glory of Mount Hua that will be passed down through generations and…” Tang Gunak trailed off.

“There’s no value in comparing them,” Chung Myung interrupted.

Tang Gunak flinched for a moment. It was because he felt a strange feeling in Chung Myung’s voice, which had cut him off.

But Chung Myung, whom he looked at again, was still grinning.

“Or, well, you can just make it that way. So that each and every disciple who survives as a result becomes more valuable than a hundred Jasodan. So that they can pass on something more than that to their descendants.”

Tang Gunak was silent.

“Wouldn’t that be enough?” Chung Myung asked.

Tang Gunak ended up shaking his head.

“I don’t know, not at all,” he admitted.

“That’s why I’m telling you. I’m not good at that kind of thing. Do you know what I felt this time?” Chung Myung asked.

“What is it?” Tang Gunak inquired.

“I don’t have to do everything. Everyone can do what they’re good at,” Chung Myung said, turning his head to look at the training hall.

“Martial Uncle Baek Cheon will lead and develop Mount Hua. There’s no one who can do that better than that person. Yoon Jong is the person who will achieve the deeper understanding that Mount Hua lacks right now. Martial Uncle will be more famous, but Yoon Jong will have a greater impact on future generations.”

Tang Gunak was listening carefully.

“Lee Seol will be the example of Mount Hua’s swordsmanship. Just the existence of that person will change the way future generations approach the sword. Jo Gul… well, that guy will just keep nitpicking, but the sect definitely needs someone like that?” Chung Myung continued.

“Hmm…” Tang Gunak hummed.

“And Clan Lord’s daughter will be the one to nurture the female disciples that Mount Hua lacks. Sa-go won’t be able to do that as well as her. And she’s good at communicating, so she’ll be a way to convey things that she can’t say directly to Martial Uncle or Martial Brothers.”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“The rest is the same. Martial Uncle Baek Sang will enrich Mount Hua’s finances, and the younger disciples of the Cheong generation will vividly pass on their current experiences to future generations. Everyone has something they need to do. There’s not a single person who can be lost.”

Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung again with a strangely new feeling.

It was because he hadn’t thought that Chung Myung was looking at each and every disciple of Mount Hua so carefully.

Then another question arose.

“Then, what kind of person do you exist for?” Tang Gunak asked.

“Me? It’s obvious for me,” Chung Myung smiled, revealing his teeth.

“A sword that cuts down the enemies of Mount Hua.”

Tang Gunak was silent.

“I’ll do anything to cut down the guys who are threatening Mount Hua right now. Jasodan? I don’t care about that at all. If it’s to save one disciple who’s in Mount Hua right now, I wouldn’t care about a hundred or a thousand Jasodan. What’s so great about that?”

A deep sigh escaped from Tang Gunak’s mouth.

“I thought I knew you pretty well… but I still don’t know you well,” he admitted.

“You only need to know one thing,” Chung Myung said.

“…What is it?” Tang Gunak asked.

“That I really need the Sichuan Tang Family that much.”

Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung with a slightly sulky face. But as he continued to look at his grinning face, he couldn’t help but smile.

“…If you’re going to use me, take good care of the Jasodan,” he said.

“Of course. Of course,” Chung Myung assured him.

Tang Gunak, who had been looking at Chung Myung with strange eyes, got up and started walking.

“Are you leaving?” Chung Myung asked.

“There’s no fun in watching something so obvious,” Tang Gunak replied.

“It’s kind of fun. Well, see you later,” Chung Myung said.

Tang Gunak opened his mouth with his back turned.

“And… I’ll correct one thing,” he said.

“Yes?” Chung Myung responded.

“You said you were a sword that cuts down the enemies of Mount Hua, right?”

“Yes,” Chung Myung confirmed.

“…I wouldn’t call it a sword that cuts down someone who says that he can’t exchange even one disciple for a thousand precious elixirs,” Tang Gunak said.

Chung Myung was silent.

“I call that a sword that protects. A sword that protects Mount Hua.”

With those words, Tang Gunak silently moved away, feeling Chung Myung’s gaze fixed on his back.

‘I couldn’t ask,’ Tang Gunak thought, slowly closing his eyes.

There was one thing he really wanted to ask, but it was a question that even Tang Gunak couldn’t bring himself to ask.

‘Everyone grows up so perfectly and leads Mount Hua in their respective positions. I know that’s ideal,’ he mused.

Mount Hua, which has become like that, will surely become an incredibly great sect. Perhaps it will become the greatest sect in all of history.

But if Chung Myung’s role is a sword that protects Mount Hua, a sword that cuts down the enemies of Mount Hua… where is Chung Myung’s place in a world where the enemies of Mount Hua have disappeared?

What should he live for in a world where the sword is no longer needed?

‘Does he really think that the position of Sect Leader doesn’t suit him?’ Tang Gunak wondered.

Tang Gunak shook his head.

That’s a story for the distant future. Yes, it’s still too far away. It’s not a story that they, who still have so many challenges to overcome, can talk about.

Tang Gunak strode away, and Chung Myung watched his back the whole time. His eyes were endlessly dark and sunken.