Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1169

“Mu…”

Jo Gul mumbled, his eyes wide with confusion as he glanced around the room. The air in the simple meeting room felt thick with unspoken tension.

But no one spoke up to help Jo Gul. Beop Jeong’s words weren’t just aimed at him; they were meant for everyone in Mount Hua. They hung in the air, heavy with accusation.

“What are you even saying…?” Jo Gul finally managed, his voice barely a whisper.

Beop Jeong simply shook his head slowly, his monk’s robes rustling softly in the silence. “Doesn’t it seem obvious?” he asked, his voice calm but firm.

“Who among you suggested going to that Hainan?”

Silence filled the room.

“Did the Mount Hua Sword Champion wish to do so of his own accord?”

Beop Jeong’s gaze pierced through Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon lowered his head, looking as if he had unknowingly committed a sin.

“Even if he did, you all should have stopped him. It’s obvious who would be in the most danger on that trip to Hainan.”

No one dared to speak.

“But I wouldn’t be surprised if you all ended up going to Hainan anyway. And, of course, the Mount Hua Sword Champion would have been at the forefront.”

No one could bring themselves to say no.

They all knew that there was a high probability that it would end up that way.

Weren’t things always like that in Mount Hua?

“Mount Hua has done things that are more than just reckless time and time again. Let’s put aside the matter of the Myriad Man Manor. What about the Northern Sea? What about the Yangtze River? And what about Hangzhou?”

Each time one of those incidents was mentioned, everyone’s face twitched briefly.

“Was there even one incident that wasn’t dangerous? Was there even one place where you didn’t have to risk your lives?”

Silence hung heavy in the air.

“And, of course, the Mount Hua Sword Champion was always at the forefront, as if it were only natural.”

Jo Gul bit his lip.

These words were just facts. But to Jo Gul, they felt like a scolding. It was as if they had always pushed Chung Myung into danger.

“He risked his life countless times and returned alive countless times. And those achievements were directly linked to the glory of Mount Hua and the alliance of righteous sects, the Heavenly Union. Those who followed him naturally spoke of chivalry and their own exploits. But…”

Beop Jeong looked at everyone with stern eyes.

“I ask you all, even if the Mount Hua Sword Champion hadn’t been at the forefront, would you really have been able to fight with your lives on the line? Would you have been able to uphold justice even if it meant death?”

Silence stretched.

“I think not. Yes, I don’t think so.”

Beop Jeong’s voice was firm.

“I don’t think you would have been able to. The reason you’ve been able to find the courage to face such powerful enemies is because the Mount Hua Sword Champion was in front of you. Until now, you’ve just been mistaken in thinking that it was courage you summoned yourselves.”

Baek Cheon bit his lip tightly.

The fact that he couldn’t refute anything, even though his insides were burning, was tormenting Baek Cheon.

“Of course, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. If there’s someone like the Mount Hua Sword Champion in front of you, it’s only natural to want to rely on him, isn’t it? But…”

Beop Jeong slowly shook his head.

“In the end, that reliance will end up pushing the Mount Hua Sword Champion forward. Someday, you’ll regret it after driving him into a death trap. You’ll realize what you’ve done.”

Beop Jeong’s eyes, which had been on Baek Cheon, turned back to Jo Gul.

“So, even the Shaolin Temple must rely on the Mount Hua Sword Champion’s back? Am I to do nothing but place an even greater burden on his shoulders, since I can’t do anything myself?”

“That’s…”

“That’s not the Shaolin way, at least. It’s certainly not what I, as the Abbot, should be doing.”

Jo Gul clenched his fist as if he were suffocating.

He couldn’t argue.

To confess, Jo Gul hadn’t considered Beop Jeong to be such a great man for some time now.

The position he held as the Abbot of Shaolin might be impressive, and his martial prowess as a warrior should be respected, but he didn’t think of him as someone to be respected or cautious of as a human being.

The only things he had shown so far were always regretting being a step behind Chung Myung, or being disgraced by heading in the opposite direction of where Chung Myung wanted to go.

But at this moment, Jo Gul and the others present couldn’t help but realize it deeply.

Why that Beop Jeong had become the Abbot of Shaolin. How great the person who ascended to the position of Abbot of Shaolin was.

Even they had forgotten that the one who had been winning against Beop Jeong all along wasn’t Mount Hua, or them, but just Chung Myung.

“Do you understand? Mount Hua Sword Champion?”

Silence.

“Until now, you have done things that no one could have imagined without batting an eye. That has become your strength, and it has become a guide for those who follow you. But…”

Chung Myung bit his lip briefly at Beop Jeong’s gaze towards him.

“You must have felt it too. You couldn’t have not known. It’s like living dangerously, always close to disaster.”

Silence.

“Even if you succeed ten times, the moment you fail even once, you will lose everything. No, perhaps you will lose even more painfully because you have achieved so much. The things you least want to lose, that is.”

Beop Jeong quietly asked Chung Myung.

“Isn’t it too much?”

Silence.

“It’s a feeling that those who have a place to lean on can’t understand, a burden borne only by those who feel they must take responsibility. It must have become more and more overwhelming. The more people rely on you, the more dangerous the situation becomes, and to keep this situation going, you have no choice but to push yourself harder, do you not?”

Beop Jeong said with a hint of pity.

“Even knowing what lies at the end, you can’t stop. That’s the path you’re walking. It’s like walking barefoot on a thorny path forever. At first, it’s just a small scratch, but as those scratches increase, the drops of blood that flow from those wounds accumulate. Then, someday, those drops of blood will become so numerous that they can’t be ignored, and they will soak your entire body.”

Perhaps at this moment.

Chung Myung may have met someone who understood him for the first time.

Someone who understood what he was doing and what kind of life he was living.

“But Mount Hua Sword Champion, that’s not the only path, is it?”

Beop Jeong swept his gaze over the others.

“If you are with us, you won’t have to shoulder so much. Shaolin and the Nine Great Sects are still lacking, and I am still foolish, but we are capable of sharing your burden.”

Silence.

“So, please, abandon your stubbornness now.”

Chung Myung still looked at Beop Jeong with eyes full of distrust.

“That’s unexpected.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t realize the Abbot was so eloquent.”

It was a clearly sarcastic remark. Something that would be inappropriate to say to the Abbot of Shaolin, no matter how one looked at it.

But Beop Jeong, instead of being offended by those words, simply chuckled.

“Living my life, I’ve come to see the day when I, a humble monk, receive praise from you.”

“Does it sound like praise to you?”

“Then is it not?”

Chung Myung shook his head.

There is no one more difficult to deal with than someone who has completely let go of themselves. No provocation works against someone who has nothing to be hurt by or angry about.

Chung Myung was now keenly aware of that fact.

“Words flow out as if they’ve been oiled, but what guarantee do we have that all of that isn’t just the Abbot’s ambition dressed up in nice words? We’ve already been fooled enough by the Abbot. There’s no trust between us in the first place, so there’s no way we can believe just because you tell us to.”

“Listen here, Mount Hua Sword Champion.”

“Speak.”

“As you say, let’s say that all of this started with my excessive ambition.”

“I’m sure it did.”

“Then are the words I’m saying wrong?”

Chung Myung frowned. He couldn’t quite understand what Beop Jeong was trying to say.

“Well…”

“That’s not true.”

Beop Jeong said firmly.

“Your attempts to uphold justice can also be seen as a kind of ambition. Isn’t it human nature to live for what one pursues in the first place?”

Silence.

“Justice isn’t such a grand thing. When one’s own ambition doesn’t stop at one’s own personal greed but aims for something greater, doesn’t that ambition become justice?”

Beop Jeong murmured like an enlightened high priest.

“I simply hope that the world can overcome this crisis a little more easily. And what I need to do to achieve that is all too clear. If we can mend the divided orthodox sects and unite our strength, what could be better?”

There wasn’t even a slight tremor in those words. Not even a little.

So much so that even those who heard those words nodded their heads without realizing it.

“And the small ambition I hold, the justice that ambition creates, will clear away the thorny bushes in front of the path you walk. Eventually, it will also guide the path of Mount Hua.”

Chung Myung glared at Beop Jeong without a word.

“Just know one thing.”

Silence.

“It may sound like an excuse, but everyone makes mistakes and does wrong. What’s important is to learn from those mistakes and move forward, isn’t it?”

Beop Jeong closed his eyes and put his hands together in a gesture of respect.

“Amitabha. I understand all the mistakes I have made. That’s why I bow my head and apologize like this. So, please, understand this flawed man once.”

Chung Myung clenched and unclenched his fist without realizing it.

Everyone makes mistakes. What’s important is not to dwell on those mistakes, but to move forward.

I sympathize. I understand. Chung Myung is the one who is putting that maxim into practice with all his might.

“Abbot.”

“Speak.”

Chung Myung sighed deeply and opened his mouth.

“Let’s say everything the Abbot says is correct.”

Silence.

“But that conclusion is just a statement that you will condone and turn a blind eye to those in Hainan dying. Who will bear that sin?”

“Who else? Of course, it’s my share to bear.”

“…Do you think that’s something that can be borne with just your life?”

“Perhaps not. Yes, my life alone may not be enough. But… what can I do? Should I demand the blood of others because it’s difficult to bear alone? Or should I ask others to share the responsibility with me?”

Silence.

“If not me, then who will go to hell? I will simply accept all of it. If the world can escape this crisis and save even one more person, wouldn’t I be able to laugh even in the sulfurous fires of hell?”

Beop Jeong smiled gently.

“I’ve said all I have to say. Now, all that remains is the choice. Will you accept my proposal, or will you not?”

Beop Jeong briefly chanted a Buddhist invocation and rose from his seat.

“I don’t expect an answer from you here. I will visit you again in about three days. Sect Leader.”

“A-are you leaving?”

“I hope that the Sect Leader will make the right decision as well. I, a humble monk, know where I must go. I hope that the Sect Leader will do the same. Then.”

Beop Jeong bowed deeply and left the room with Jongri Hyung.

A heavy silence fell in the room. It was thick and uncomfortable, like a blanket pressing down on them. The air felt still, and no one dared to break the quiet.

And at that moment.

Chung Myung got up from his seat and left the room without a word. His face was unreadable, but his quick departure spoke volumes. The weight of Beop Jeong’s words, whether true or false, was clearly heavy on his shoulders.

“…Chung Myung-ah.”

Only a small murmur flowing from Baek Cheon’s lips as he looked at his retreating figure wandered aimlessly around the room.