Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1173

Near the large house by the riverbank, the familiar faces of Baek Cheon, the Five Swords, and Hye-yeon were gathered. Maybe they understood Chung Myung best, especially as he was now.

They sat a short distance apart, watching the river with blank expressions.

Silence.

Only the sound of chirping insects and the waves of the Yangtze River washing onto the shore quietly filled the air.

Usually, when these people were together, it was noisy and lively. That’s why this silence felt so strange and uncomfortable.

Yoon Jong’s eyes had been fixed on the endless flow of the river, but his mind wasn’t really seeing it. He shifted, a small movement in the heavy silence, and glanced at the others. Their faces were still, almost like stone. *Heavy,* he thought, the word echoing the weight in his own chest.

Jok Geol felt Yoon Jong watching him. He turned his head slightly and asked,

“What do you think, Senior Brother?”

“About the Abbot’s words?” Yoon Jong asked.

A sigh escaped Yoon Jong’s lips.

What did he think? Normally, it wouldn’t be a difficult question, but right now, it was hard to answer. However, it wasn’t a question that could be ignored.

“Well, I don’t know,” Yoon Jong said quietly, shaking his head.

“There was nothing wrong with the logic, was there?”

“Are you serious?” Jok Geol suddenly raised his voice.

“No… If that’s the case, why even ask? Just think whatever you want.”

“It’s because you’re saying something ridiculous! How can you say there’s nothing wrong!”

“Then, do you think the Abbot’s words are wrong?”

“Senior Brother, you still have a long way to go!” Jok Geol clicked his tongue.

“If we only cared about logic, then even the scholars in the royal court would always be right, wouldn’t they? They are smart men who passed difficult tests, so everything they say would make sense!”

“What does that mean?”

“Yet they still fight amongst themselves, each claiming their words are right! Just because something is logical doesn’t mean it’s right. What’s more important is what is right. Besides, it’s coming from someone we can’t trust, so who cares if it’s right or wrong?”

Yoon Jong stared silently at Jok Geol, looking uncomfortable.

Yoon Jong, who was usually good at arguing with Jok Geol, didn’t have a response. He couldn’t trust Beop Jeong either. But…

“Geol-ah, what you’re saying isn’t wrong, but… that doesn’t solve everything, does it?”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“The problem is that I was thinking the same thing.”

Jok Geol seemed speechless for a moment, gaping before biting his lip.

“Weren’t you?”

“I…” He tried to say something but lowered his head instead.

Baek Cheon, who had been quietly listening to Jok Geol and Yoon Jong, now turned to Hye-yeon.

“Venerable Monk.”

“Speak, Benefactor Baek Cheon.”

“I have a question. Please don’t misunderstand, I simply want to confirm something.”

Hye-yeon quietly nodded, already knowing what Baek Cheon would ask.

“One cannot see into another’s heart, so you can’t know everything just by watching. But, at least I feel like there was no lie in what the Abbot said.”

“I see,” Baek Cheon nodded sadly. He didn’t really need to confirm it.

There was no reason for the Abbot to lie. If he lied after joining the Cheonwoo Alliance, he would face a huge backlash. He would lose both his reason and any real benefits. Maybe the Nine Great Sects would even have to give their leadership to the Cheonwoo Alliance. There was no reason for the Abbot, the respected leader of the famous Shaolin monastery, to hurt himself, was there?

“Um, Sasuk.”

“Yes.”

Tang Soso carefully watched Baek Cheon’s face. Seeing her expression, Baek Cheon felt a pang of heartache. It was rare for Tang Soso to look like that.

“I don’t know what Sasuk thinks, but… I don’t think the Abbot’s idea seems so bad.”

“Soso-ya!” Jok Geol raised his voice, but Yoon Jong stopped him with a stern look.

“Th-” Jok Geol bit his lip. Tang Soso, seeing his and Yoon Jong’s faces, sighed and continued.

“Actually… I understand Senior Brother Jok Geol’s distrust of the Abbot and the Nine Great Sects, and I know it’s hard for others to give up the Cheonwoo Alliance that they’ve led until now. But…”

“You don’t need to be careful. Speak freely.”

“Yes, Sasuk.” Tang Soso nodded and continued.

“Even so, it’s true that fighting with the Nine Great Sects would be helpful.”

“Say something that makes sense!” Jok Geol retorted.

“What makes you trust them enough to hand over command? What guarantee is there that the Abbot won’t push us into the most dangerous places? He’s the kind of guy who would do that!”

“Geol-ah!” Baek Cheon scolded him sternly.

“Watch your words.”

“I’m sorry.” Jok Geol, seeing Hye-yeon’s lowered face, realized his mistake and apologized awkwardly. He should have been more considerate of Hye-yeon’s feelings.

“I misspoke, but honestly, I think it might be more dangerous to fight with those guys.”

“More dangerous?” Tang Soso stared intently at Jok Geol.

“How could it get more dangerous here?” she asked. “People who go into Gangnam with only ten people and fight the evil Demonic Sect, what could possibly make it more dangerous?”

“No, that’s…”

“I’ve been saying it over and over. He’s going to die like that. Chung Myung is really going to die like that. He thinks his body is a rag doll. He thinks he’ll heal after sleeping, no matter how injured he gets. A person’s body isn’t like that!”

The other Five Swords couldn’t look at Tang Soso.

“This time… the battle ended quickly. But you know war isn’t usually like that. Then Senior Brother will overwork himself to death again, and without resting or healing, he’ll go back to the battlefield. And…” Tang Soso looked around at the others.

“Who can stop him?”

“No one, right? It wasn’t like that this time either. I couldn’t even stop him. No, I didn’t stop him. I was just making it worse, saying I’d go with him.”

“Soso-ya…”

“Thinking about it now, I wonder if I was in my right mind. If one of us had died, I would have regretted it forever. What was I thinking?”

Baek Cheon saw that the tips of Tang Soso’s fingers were trembling as she tried to stay calm.

*That’s right.* Tang Soso was a doctor, so she would feel it even more. If someone died, she would feel a greater responsibility, even though no one had asked her to.

“What will change if we fight with the Nine Sects?”

“If it’s the Abbot, at least he won’t send Senior Brother to a place where he’ll die. Because Senior Brother needs to be alive until the war is over. And he can stop Senior Brother from going back to the battlefield all beat up.”

“Why would the Abbot do that?”

“Because it’s beneficial!” Tang Soso glared at Jok Geol with angry eyes. Jok Geol bit his lip.

“I’m not expecting any favors from them. If you’re not an idiot, you’d know it’s beneficial to keep Senior Brother alive until the very end.”

“Then if we do it…”

“Can you stop him? Do you really think we can stop Chung Myung?”

Tang Soso said, trembling, “It’s a good thing if he doesn’t rush out first with blood rushing to his head. I’m scared, Senior Brother. I’m scared that I’ll see him die…”

Just as Jok Geol was about to say something, Yoo Iseol, who had been silent, spoke.

“It’s not just Chung Myung’s story.”

“Yes?”

“It’s the same for us, being in danger.” Yoo Iseol’s indifferent gaze swept over everyone.

“It’s strange that no one has died yet.”

“That’s…” Baek Cheon closed his mouth. Everyone knew the answer anyway.

“Yes, Senior Brother. It’s Chung Myung.”

“Right. That guy has been saving us even while fighting.”

“That means he’s in even more danger.”

“Yes, that’s right.” Baek Cheon sighed sadly.

Everyone knew it, but they hadn’t felt it as strongly as they did now.

The Abbot’s words brought the reality they had been ignoring to the front.

“Then all we have to do is stop him with our fists, right?” Jok Geol was still stubborn, as if he couldn’t understand.

“Stop talking weak. Who helped us get this far in Mount Hua? And now you’re saying we should rely on others? If they were really going to help, they would have helped us before, not now!”

“Geol-ah.”

“No, Sasuk! I’m not stupid. I have to say what I…”

“It’s not just Chung Myung’s problem, as your Sa-mae said.” Baek Cheon looked at everyone.

“Are you really okay with dying?”

“That’s a stupid question!”

“Think about it and answer.”

Baek Cheon’s heavy voice shut Jok Geol up.

Baek Cheon, looking at Jok Geol biting his lip, opened his mouth again.

“We have always risked our lives. We have said we’re not afraid to die for what’s right.”

“Yes,” Yoon Jong agreed.

“But… honestly, I’m questioning it too. Was it really my will to risk my life, or was I just boasting because I thought I wouldn’t die anyway?”

“Sasuk!”

“I’m not saying that’s the case for you.”

“I mean that’s the case for me. For me…” Baek Cheon closed his eyes, trying to sort out his thoughts.

“What will happen to the Cheonwoo Alliance? What should we do with Chung Myung?” He opened his eyes and shook his head.

“That’s for later. We don’t even know what we want, so how can we decide anything else?”

Everyone stared at Baek Cheon.

“Before we talk about the Abbot’s words and the future of the Cheonwoo Alliance, let’s ask ourselves,” Baek Cheon said, his voice calm but firm.

“Can we really do everything we’ve said we would, even if it costs us our lives? And…” His gaze swept over everyone.

“Are we ready to let those next to us die for the sake of what we want to protect?”

Everyone’s faces turned pale.

Baek Cheon didn’t let them breathe. “Someday, when a sword is in my chest on the battlefield, and I’m growing cold…”

“Can I really be sure I won’t regret it, even as I look at my fellow disciples who have died beside me and become corpses?”

His words were like sharp blades, cutting through their hearts, which had suddenly turned cold, as if splashed with icy water.