Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1188

A hush fell over the crowd as Baek Cheon spoke. “The will of Mount Hua. The Mount Hua accord.”

At first, no one understood what these words meant.

If they hadn’t seen everything that led up to this, they might have thought the new Sect Leader was just saying empty words.

But the people who had been there from the start felt something important in what he said.

Maybe it was the big difference between dreams and real life. People with important jobs could understand this feeling.

Everyone learns. Everyone promises to do what’s right and make the world better.

When you first pick up a sword, when you first start learning martial arts, doesn’t everyone dream of a great future?

But when they learned how cruel the martial world could be, and how hard it was to keep promises of good, they stopped talking about it.

That’s why Baek Cheon’s words felt so important.

Mount Hua wasn’t just a small sect anymore. Being more important meant having more responsibility. And now, the Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua was talking about doing what’s right.

How long had it been since anyone had seen something like this?

“Will…” Beop Jeong’s voice was low and strange, like he was thinking aloud.

“…accord.” He finished the phrase, a slow smile spreading across his face. But it was a cold smile, not reaching his eyes.

“Are you saying Shaolin doesn’t have ‘will’ or ‘accord’ then, Acting Sect Leader?” Beop Jeong asked, his voice smooth but with a sharp edge. “Or have I heard you wrong?”

Baek Cheon smiled back, a real smile that warmed his face. “No, Venerable Abbot, you understand me perfectly. I only meant that Mount Hua and Shaolin want to reach the ‘accord’ in different ways.”

Beop Jeong slowly shook his head.

“Acting Sect Leader, I can’t say you’re wrong. Maybe the reason old men need to listen to young men is because they’ve lost that spirit.”

It sounded like he was agreeing with Baek Cheon, but there was a hidden jab in his words. Someone might think this meant Baek Cheon’s words were just hopeful feelings, and nothing else.

“But sadly, just having spirit isn’t enough to answer my question.”

Beop Jeong shook his head and mumbled.

“Mount Hua’s will is different from Shaolin’s. So, we can’t follow the same path.”

He paused for a moment, then looked at Baek Cheon with dark eyes. His stare was heavy, like a weight pressing down on Baek Cheon, making him want to step back.

“The world is in too much trouble to just say hello and walk away because we disagree. I hope the Acting Sect Leader understands that it’s not easy to think about what every single martial artist and sect wants.”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes, as if agreeing.

He knew that dreams were dreams, and real life was real life.

“If we try to please everyone, we’ll end up with chaos. If the Acting Sect Leader can’t give me a good answer, I’ll have to believe that Mount Hua doesn’t care about the world’s safety and only wants to do what it wants.”

No matter if you used words to make people angry, showed mistakes in his thinking, or even criticized Beop Jeong himself, nothing could move him. He was as solid as a rock that never changes.

‘This is what makes them scary.’

Tang Gunak bit his lip without realizing it.

People who say they’re doing things for the greater good are scary for this reason. That’s why so many heroes and villains have risked their lives to be seen as doing what’s best.

Before, everyone thought the Cheonwoo Alliance was doing what was best for the world. But now, Beop Jeong had taken that role for himself.

So, no matter what Baek Cheon said, wouldn’t it all be turned around with the words, ‘So, Mount Hua is going to ignore the suffering people and only do what it wants?’

Of course, they could ignore it. They could just admit it. But then, Mount Hua would lose a lot of things. Especially since Mount Hua hadn’t fully earned the public’s trust yet.

Tang Gunak watched Baek Cheon, who had closed his eyes as if he was thinking hard.

‘It’s alright, Dojang.’

Tang Gunak didn’t expect Baek Cheon to answer perfectly. That was asking too much of Baek Cheon, who had just become the Sect Leader of Mount Hua. The blame for this situation was on others, so why should he be the one to fix it?

Even if they lost things, even if people criticized them, they just had to stand their ground.

‘Mount Hua won’t have to carry all of that alone.’

Agreeing to follow Mount Hua’s decision didn’t mean making Mount Hua a scapegoat. Just like Mount Hua was willing to share the good things with the Cheonwoo Alliance, they would also share the responsibility that Mount Hua had to carry.

The burden was still too heavy for young Baek Cheon to carry alone. Tang Gunak was one of the younger sect leaders, but now, looking at the sect leaders of the Cheonwoo Alliance, only Maeng So was older than him.

So, just like Hyun Jong had protected him until now, he now had to protect Baek Cheon.

Having made up his mind, Tang Gunak started to speak. But Baek Cheon spoke first.

“Venerable Abbot, you keep making me say the same thing.”

Baek Cheon’s face was very calm.

“If you don’t understand one thing, we’ll just keep going in circles.”

“…What is it that I need to understand?”

“I might not be perfect, but the Sect Leader of Mount Hua can never be. The Sect Leader doesn’t just represent the disciples, but also acts for the sect’s will. I’m going to prove that to you now.”

Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Beop Jeong.

“The greater good you’re talking about is ‘it’s right to save more people.’ Is that right?”

“It’s not that simple. It’s about doing what’s right for the safety of the world.”

“You make it sound very good, but really, it means hurting people who don’t need to be hurt. Isn’t that right?”

Beop Jeong frowned.

“Acting Sect Leader, no one wants to hurt people. And no one would refuse to save someone who can be saved. If we’re reckless and do things we can’t undo, everyone in the world will pay the price. How long will Mount Hua hold onto its dreams that don’t make sense in the real world?”

Baek Cheon shook his head.

“That’s partly right. But it’s also partly wrong.”

“Why is that?”

“Sacrificing fewer people to save more is just deciding that some people’s lives are worth more than others.”

“Hah…” Abbot Beopjeong sighed, a sound of disbelief. Until now, he had really respected Baek Cheon, but this was the first time he doubted him.

“Is *that* what Hwasan calls logic?” he asked, his voice full of scorn. He looked completely shocked and confused.

“We all know that every life is precious, right? No life is worth more than another. But that’s just in theory. Think about this: one person dies, or a thousand people die. If you had to choose, what would you choose, Sect Leader?”

“……”

“Since no life is worth more than another, the lives of more people might be more important than the lives of fewer.”

“Is that so?” Baek Cheon’s mouth twisted slightly.

“I understand what you’re trying to say, Abbot. But your words mean we can put a value on human life, whether we measure it by how many people there are or something else.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“What about one hundred versus one?”

“……”

“No, what about ten versus one? What about two versus one?”

Beopjeong’s face twisted in anger. He felt Baek Cheon was just arguing about tiny details and missing the point.

‘Was he only this much?’ Beopjeong thought. Although they disagreed because of their positions, Baek Cheon’s logic was pathetic and ruined the good impression he had. Beopjeong didn’t want to waste time on this pointless debate anymore.

“Well, it seems like there’s no point in talking anymore…”

“Abbot.” Suddenly, Baek Cheon’s face changed completely.

“Then, I will ask you the question differently.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Since you said you can make decisions, I’ll ask again in reverse. If everyone is equal, which is more important: one life or a thousand lives?”

Beopjeong hesitated, sensing a hidden meaning in the question, even though it seemed the same.

But what could he get from a question that said everyone was ‘identical’?

“As a Buddhist, I can’t choose. But as the Abbot of Shaolin, I would choose a thousand. Since we can’t compare the value of each life, I’ll just choose more people. I can’t ignore it just because it’s a hard choice! That’s what being responsible means, Sect Leader!”

“Of course, I respect your thoughts, Abbot. So, you’re saying that if sacrificing one person can save a thousand, that’s the right thing to do. Is that right?”

“…That is correct.” Beopjeong nodded, tired of trying to make it sound better. At this point, even if Baek Cheon argued, it would be forced.

But Baek Cheon’s next question was something Beopjeong never expected. Baek Cheon’s eyes narrowed, staring intently at Beopjeong.

“Then, if you had to choose between one person’s life and the money to feed a thousand, which would you choose?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’ll ask again. If sacrificing one person could get ten thousand gold coins to save a thousand starving people, what would you do? Would you give up one person’s life to save a thousand?”

Beopjeong’s lips parted slightly.

‘This is…’ he thought.

Only the question had changed a little. Nothing else. But if he said yes, wouldn’t he be choosing money over a life?

As the Abbot hesitated, Baek Cheon asked again.

“Is it the money that’s bothering you? Then what about grain? If you could save ten thousand people by sacrificing one, would you choose grain over a person?”

“L-Listen, Sect Leader… What is this…”

“Is grain also a problem? What if you used that person as fertilizer to grow the grain? If it could grow ten thousand bags of rice, would that be more important to you than one person’s life?”

“Sect Leader!” Beopjeong jumped up, unable to take it anymore. Anger flashed in his eyes, a dangerous look. This was Abbot Beopjeong of Shaolin, and his anger was something truly frightening. Most people would have been terrified.

But Baek Cheon didn’t back down.

“Please, sit down. I’m not finished.”

“What tricky words are these…”

“Why tricky? You said saving a thousand people is more important than saving one, right? So, what’s wrong with saying one life is worth less than fertilizer?”

“Listen here, Sect Leader!”

“From the very beginning!” Baek Cheon suddenly shouted, raising his voice.

“You are comparing things that cannot be compared! You are forcing a choice where there shouldn’t be one! If you do this, you will start to put a value on everything in the world. You will judge things that should not be judged, and you will make things seem less important than they are!”

Beopjeong bit his lip, lost for words.

“First, the lives of Hainan!” Flames blazed in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

“Next, the lives of allied soldiers surrounded by the enemy! Then, the lives of the wounded on the front lines! Then, the lives of other sects! After that, the lives of young disciples who aren’t strong enough! What’s the difference between weighing them, abandoning what’s ‘less valuable,’ and abandoning everything in the world!”

“……”

“Abandon! Abandon! Keep abandoning! What do you hope to protect if you throw away even what you shouldn’t! Where are all these ‘more people’ you talk about, Abbot? Where are these masses you speak of!”

“Th-This…”

“How can someone who throws away those who trust and follow him protect those he’s never met? You talk about the masses, but aren’t you the one who values them the least! If that’s Shaolin’s righteousness, if that’s your righteousness!”

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth.

“Hwasan will never follow that righteousness.”