Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1163

The room felt strange.

Of course, everyone knew the Buddhist Abbot. He had visited Mount Hua many times to talk.

But usually, Hyun Jong or Chung Myung spoke with him. This was the first time so many people were together. So, the mood in the room became very sensitive. Everyone was being careful and watching each other. No one wanted to speak first.

Hyun Jong started the conversation.

“I should offer tea, but I am not prepared.”

“It’s alright, Alliance Lord,” the Abbot said gently.

“It seems this is the Alliance Lord’s residence, and it is truly simple. It shows the Alliance Lord’s character.”

“It’s just that I haven’t really set up my place here yet. It’s not meant to be simple.”

“Haha. You are still humble. Every time I see you, Alliance Lord, I feel ashamed of myself.”

“Middle-head, put some spit on that mouth of yours… Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!”

The others awkwardly stopped Chung Myung from speaking. Yoo Iseol and Tang Soso poked Chung Myung’s sides.

The Abbot looked at Chung Myung as if to say, “You never change.” Hyun Jong, embarrassed, apologized.

“I am sorry… As you know…”

“There is no need to apologize,” the Abbot chuckled.

“The strange behavior of a normal person is rude, but the strange behavior of a hero becomes a story, right? The Mount Hua Divine Dragon has earned that right.”

Hyun Jong sighed. He was proud of his disciple, but sometimes he was also ashamed.

“I have nothing to say…”

“I mean it,” the Abbot said with a smile.

“Yes?”

The Abbot continued, “Looking at what the Mount Hua Divine Dragon has done in Hangzhou, and what he has done for the world, I should be the one respecting him. It’s clear who has helped the people more.”

“…So, please don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you,” Hyun Jong replied awkwardly, wondering what the Abbot was really thinking.

He couldn’t understand the Abbot’s thoughts, but he didn’t sense any insincerity in his words or actions. Still, Hyun Jong wasn’t sure how to act towards the Abbot. He was already feeling stressed, but he knew he had to be polite.

“Abbot,” Tang Gun-ak said sternly, looking at the Abbot.

“Yes, Clan Lord?”

“It’s good to be friendly, but why are you here?”

“Humph!” Jongri Hyung made an unpleasant sound.

“I heard that Clan Lord Tang is the second-in-command of the Heavenly Union Alliance, and the power of the Heavenly Union Alliance must be great. But you are not even the Alliance Lord, and you are questioning the Abbot like this.”

Tang Gun-ak glared at Jongri Hyung, who met his gaze without backing down.

“That’s right. I was too eager,” the Abbot said gently, resolving their conflict.

The Abbot bowed deeply.

“First, on behalf of the Nine Great Sects, I thank you for stopping the chaos in Hangzhou.”

“How could…”

“It was a heroic act that will be remembered. I was wrong, and I didn’t realize you would do such a great job.”

“…And I hope you will forgive me for not thanking you sooner because I was narrow-minded.”

“What are you saying, Abbot? We are grateful for your visit.”

As the Abbot humbled himself, Hyun Jong felt he had to be even more respectful. Everyone there felt the power of the Shaolin Abbot’s position. Even though they had complained so much, the Abbot’s presence made them nervous, especially since he was being so polite.

“If you were going to thank us after it was over, you should have helped in the first place.”

“Chung Myung!”

“Did I say something wrong?”

Just as Chung Myung seemed to calm down, he spoke sharply again. Baek Cheon tried to stop him, but the Abbot nodded.

“That’s right. I was foolish.”

“…And you deserve this gratitude more than anyone else. Thank you.”

Chung Myung, who had been staring blankly at the Abbot, suddenly looked surprised.

“Ah! I see!”

“Uh, uhm?”

“You bastard, Hao Munju!”

“…Uhm?”

“Who do you think you are, acting like a great bald head, you heretic… Mmph! Mmph!”

Chung Myung was dragged away again. This time, Hae Yeon joined Yoo Iseol and Tang Soso in poking Chung Myung’s sides.

“Krrrgh!”

Even those stopping Chung Myung were confused. Jo Gul and Tang Soso looked at the Abbot, wondering if he was acting strangely.

“Is it strange?” the Abbot asked Hyun Jong with a smile, as if he understood their confusion.

“Rather than strange…” Hyun Jong cleared his throat, covering his mouth.

“It seems you have changed a bit, so I am a little embarrassed.”

“There is no need to think that way. I have simply stepped back and am looking at things from a distance.”

“From a distance?”

“Amitabha,” the Abbot nodded.

“I knew that the most important thing for a monk to avoid is ego, but I was trapped in my own ego without realizing it. I have only just realized that.”

“…Everyone has something good they want to do. I forgot that just because their good is different from mine, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I was forcing my good on others.”

“…Abbot.”

“If what I thought was wrong turned out to be right, I should have admitted it. But I couldn’t. So, I kept saying that what wasn’t wrong was wrong. The more I did that, the more confused I became.”

Hyun Jong trembled. The Abbot’s words related to the Way of Mount Hua.

The Abbot smiled gently.

“So, I have let it go. Isn’t it all emptiness?”

“That’s right, Abbot. That’s right,” Hyun Jong agreed.

“Then today…”

“I have come to apologize and to propose something.”

“You said a proposal?”

“Yes, a proposal,” the Abbot said with a smile.

“Having let go of everything, I have realized that what I am doing now, and that my ego, is leading everyone down the wrong path.”

Hyun Jong paused.

“Do you mean that we are all on the wrong path?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“How…”

“…Amitabha,” the Abbot chanted quietly, then opened his eyes and met Hyun Jong’s gaze. The sincerity in his eyes made Hyun Jong tense.

“I believe the Alliance Lord knows the current situation in the Central Plains better than anyone.”

The Abbot continued when Hyun Jong nodded, “Gangnam is suffering from the evil deeds of the heretics, who will try to cross the Yangtze River and invade Gangbuk at any time. The Demonic Sect has reappeared after a hundred years. It’s a dangerous situation.”

“Hmm, that’s right.”

“But… what about us, who must protect the Central Plains? Aren’t we just arguing with each other?” The Abbot’s tone was self-deprecating.

Chung Myung’s eyes sharpened again, but the Abbot continued, “Of course, I know that I am mostly to blame. That is why I came to apologize. I am truly sorry again. I am lacking…”

“Ah, no, Abbot. It’s not your fault alone. I am also greatly at fault.”

The Abbot smiled.

“The more you say that, the more ashamed I become. I was like someone who lived in a well and thought the sky was only as big as the well opening. I thought the world would go the way I wanted. When I realized that wasn’t the case, I should have accepted it, but I couldn’t let go of my pride and looked at the world with a distorted view.”

“Abbot…” Hyun Jong looked at the Abbot with trembling eyes.

If the Abbot of Shaolin was humbling himself this much, Hyun Jong felt he had to believe his sincerity. Even Jongri Hyung looked surprised, as if he didn’t expect the Abbot to say such things.

“Then, what is the proposal you mentioned…”

“When the heretical sects flourish and the Demonic Sect emerges, what should we do? The answer is obvious. We have only struggled because we couldn’t see eye to eye.”

“…Therefore, I propose to the Alliance Lord that we unite before something irreversible happens.”

Hyun Jong nodded immediately. He had hoped for this, but he couldn’t trust the Abbot and the Nine Great Sects. If they were willing to work together, he wouldn’t refuse.

“If the Abbot says so, then of course we will…”

“No, Alliance Lord,” the Abbot said firmly.

“Yes?”

“That is not enough. Do you know why I couldn’t accept Mount Hua?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

“Because it wasn’t mine.” The Mount Hua disciples frowned at the strange words.

The Abbot explained, “To be precise, it was because they were not within the same group. When I found out that a place I thought was like that wasn’t, I hated it and got angry. This is all my fault. But… Alliance Lord, the world is not only for the talented. Some may be lacking like me.”

“…That may be so.”

“To those people, the harmony of the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, and the Heavenly Union Alliance will seem fake. They will pretend to be friendly, but they will eventually split up again.”

Everyone nodded. Even they would find it hard to believe it.

“Then what should we do?”

“We must throw it away. We must let go of what we have. And first, we must tear down the fence. There is only one way to do that.”

The Abbot smiled gently, saying something unexpected, but also something they had hoped for.

“Dissolve the Heavenly Union Alliance and return to your original positions. Shaolin asks Mount Hua to return to the Nine Great Sects.”

Gasps filled the room.