Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1225

“You awful people! How can you do such a thing! You’ll be struck by lightning!”

“Well, I’ll be… In all my life, I’m hearing an evil person talk about being struck by lightning.”

Jo Gul hauled the evil fellow away, who was spouting nonsense.

“Let go! Let me go! Aargh!”

“Senior Brother! This villain is resisting!”

Yoon Jong looked towards the cave mouth. Even in the bright day, the inside was swallowed by shadow. It looked cold and unwelcoming.

“Hmm,” Yoon Jong said softly. “It’s natural to be afraid of being stuck in such a dark place. Can we really blame him for that?”

Jo Gul looked unsure. “…So, what now?”

Yoon Jong smiled gently. “What do you mean, ‘what now’? That’s an easy question, Jo Gul.”

Yoon Jong smiled gently as he answered.

“We should be kind to everyone, whether they are human or animal. People are born good, so how can we hate them for one mistake?”

At those words, Jo Gul looked at Yoon Jong like he suddenly understood something.

“Then…”

Yoon Jong nodded very gently, as if to say the thought was right without even hearing it.

“Yes. Throw him into the cave right away.”

“…Senior Brother, something doesn’t quite make sense.”

“It does. Those who follow the Way must be kind even to the smallest creatures. But those evil fellows are worse than animals, even worse than the smallest creatures, aren’t they?”

Yoon Jong made his point clear with a gentle face.

“So there’s no reason to wait.”

“⋯⋯.”

Before Jo Gul could say anything, Hae Yeon kicked the villains and shoved them into the cave. Watching the monk chant ‘Amitabha’ while stuffing people into a cave where no light reached made you wonder, ‘What is Buddhism about?’

“You, you awful people!”

“Aaaaargh!”

The evil fellows, thrown into the cave, struggled desperately, their eyes rolling back in their heads.

Jo Gul shook his head without thinking.

The Black Ghost Demonic Faction was known for being very evil, even among the Savory Path. Jo Gul was surprised. Even after they were hurt and could not fight back, they struggled so much.

‘Well, they must be very vicious to have become Savory Path in the first place.’

If they weren’t so vicious, they couldn’t kill ordinary people like flies.

“The Savory Path Union won’t let this go!”

“Soon, your bodies will be torn apart and used to feed animals! You terrible villains!”

“Oh, really?”

Jo Gul grinned and grabbed a rock that had been brought next to the cave.

“Huh?”

“Well, I guess you can keep cursing us from in there until that happens to us.”

Rumble!

A boulder the size of a house began to block the cave entrance. The faces of those trapped inside turned white.

“W-wait a moment…”

“No, no!”

“What are you doing, you crazy people!”

Rumble!

The entrance was almost completely closed. The Savory Path members, who had lost their inner power and were injured, could not move the rock. It was clear they would soon starve to death in the darkness.

At this point, they changed their tone.

“S-save us!”

“We were wrong! We won’t do it again!”

“P-please!”

But…

Thud!

The rock completely blocked the cave.

“Aaaaargh!”

“You’re worse than the Savory Path!”

“I’ll curse you even as a ghost! Aaaaargh!”

Those left in the darkness screamed in despair until they were hoarse and could no longer make a sound.

“Let’s go back.”

“Yes.”

Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Hae Yeon gazed silently at the rock blocking the cave before turning around. Before they could take a few steps, Hae Yeon spoke in a slightly heavy voice.

“Abbot.”

“Yes?”

“They will die, won’t they?”

Yoon Jong’s smile faded a little, and his eyes became serious. Hae Yeon shook his head.

“No, Abbot. I am not saying this choice is wrong. They deserve to be punished. People like that must have killed many people. So, it is natural.”

Hae Yeon, who was a vice-captain, continued.

“Amitabha… But even so, I still feel uneasy, to be honest.”

“…You seemed to be happily pushing them in?”

“Ahem. W-what are you saying, Disciple Jo Gul?”

“No. Isn’t that true…”

“Ahem! You misunderstand, misunderstand!”

Yoon Jong chuckled as he watched Hae Yeon’s face slowly turning red.

“To be honest, I don’t feel as good about it as the monk does. I would have felt better if they were a little stronger, but I also feel like we’re bullying the weak.”

“Amitabha. That’s very true.”

“But… well. I don’t think we need to worry. The punishment we have given them is only to destroy their martial arts and starve them for a while.”

“Yes? They are…”

Hae Yeon looked back, questioning. With their injuries, they could not move the rock or dig through the cave walls. So, their only end was to die painfully inside…

Yoon Jong said.

“They will not be able to get out of there on their own, but there are those who can help them out, aren’t there?”

“…Are you talking about the villagers?”

“Yes. The rock is large, but if everyone works together, it won’t be too hard to roll it aside. So, if the villagers want to, they can save them at any time.”

Hae Yeon nodded, understanding.

“But will they really save them?”

“That is not our problem.”

“…Yes?”

Yoon Jong smiled slightly.

“From the start, knowing Chung Myung’s personality, they should already be dead.”

At those words, Hae Yeon nodded. Chung Myung’s order to trap them was unexpected.

Hae Yeon thought Chung Myung was surprisingly sentimental, but he had never seen him show mercy to the Savory Path or villains.

“But, he probably chose this method for one reason. We are not the ones to punish them. The villagers who were almost killed by them are the ones who should punish them.”

“Ah…”

“That’s why Chung Myung left their fate to the villagers, making sure they wouldn’t be hurt even if they were freed later.”

“To go that far…”

Yoon Jong shook his head at Hae Yeon’s words.

“They say they had to be nice to their enemy because they were weak. Even if we tell them we took revenge for them because we are strong, will they really be happy?”

Hae Yeon nodded, understanding.

“Chung Myung…”

“Sometimes, I think he’s quite thoughtful.”

Yoon Jong smiled gently. At that moment, Jo Gul answered directly.

“Senior Brother. Get a grip. Do you think Chung Myung really thought about that?”

“Huh?”

“I think that guy is just angry and doesn’t want them to die easily.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Honestly, what’s the point of just cutting off their heads and killing them? It’s just a sting and it’s over!”

“⋯⋯.”

“If we’re going to kill them anyway, they should die thinking about their sins. They committed sins, so why should they die so easily!”

Yoon Jong, who thought Jo Gul’s point was reasonable, closed his eyes tightly.

A dog only sees dogs, and a Buddha only sees Buddhas.

After a few more steps, Jo Gul carefully spoke.

“Senior Brother.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you see it earlier?”

It was unexpected, but Yoon Jong knew what Jo Gul meant.

“You mean the villagers’ reaction?”

“Yes.”

Jo Gul hesitated, unusually quiet.

“I don’t know what to say… Honestly, it’s a bit…”

“I know what you mean.”

Yoon Jong sighed. Jo Gul was probably shocked.

Their swords are only for helping the weak and punishing the wicked. To help the world with goodness.

But the weak fear even the swords in their hands. To those who cannot use swords, the swords of the Savory Path and the swords of the Righteous Sect are the same.

“It’s a problem we have to understand.”

“But…”

“People cannot show their true feelings. Goodness is just something to guess and believe in.”

“⋯⋯.”

“If someone who cannot fight back fears even the smallest bit of badness hidden in goodness, can we say that is wrong? Isn’t that natural?”

Jo Gul took a deep breath. Yoon Jong was right, he couldn’t blame them.

“I don’t want to say those people are wrong. But… I just feel a little sad. If we have to be feared even after doing good… Then we are…”

At that moment, Yoon Jong spoke firmly.

“Don’t be wrong, Geol.”

“Yes?”

“Goodness itself has no value.”

“⋯⋯.”

“We are not trying to make a world full of goodness.”

Jo Gul was confused. But Yoon Jong explained.

“Goodness is only important when people need help. A truly good world is where people don’t need to help each other. It’s a world where everyone can live without needing help.”

“Ah…”

“Goodness without strength is just being nice. So, goodness can only be done with strength. But Geol, a world where everything is done with strength is not good. The world our children will live in should be a world where ‘goodness’ is just a story from the past.”

Yoon Jong looked down at his sword.

“The day Mount Hua is truly Mount Hua again will be when this sword is no longer needed. A world where we don’t have to use swords. A world where we don’t need to protect anyone with a sword.”

Jo Gul looked at him, speechless.

Yoon Jong smiled gently.

“If I had been born in that world, I could have lived in a quiet place, reading books. In that world, people would have given me food and smiled at me.”

“⋯⋯.”

“It’s not their fault. Let’s think of it as our fault.”

“⋯⋯Senior Brother.”

Jo Gul scratched his head and said.

“When I talk to you, I feel like I’m an idiot.”

“It’s not just sometimes…”

“Yes?”

“Nothing.”

Yoon Jong chuckled and walked faster, and Jo Gul hurried after him.

“Senior Brother! Wait for me!”

Hae Yeon smiled as he watched them.

‘A world without goodness…’