Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1228

“Well…,”

He knew he had to speak, but his mouth felt frozen.

He felt like leading them all to Gangbuk, their destination, right now.

But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t do that.

‘This isn’t a mission I can decide on my own.’

He was currently leading the members of the Cheonwu Alliance, the group he was leading, to rescue Hainan, the place they needed to reach. But if he abandoned the mission and returned to Gangbuk, the time would inevitably be delayed.

Then everything would go wrong.

Wasn’t the reason they chose the most dangerous land route in the first place to reduce the time it took to reach Hainan, even by a little? This wasn’t a situation where they could afford to waste time, led by momentary sentiment.

But…

Seeing Hyeong-uk’s face filled with despair, Baek Cheon bit his lip without realizing it.

But could he really leave them like this? If he did, it would be no different from proving that they only just said words about the importance of the common people, and in reality, they were abandoning them using a bigger reason as an excuse, just as Hyeong-uk had said.

How would that choice be any different from Beopjeong’s?

‘I am….’

It was when Baek Cheon’s face twisted in pain. As his expression changed, Hyeong-uk hurriedly knelt down to the ground on the spot.

“I-I’m sorry!”

His voice trembled as he spoke, filled with dismay.

“I-I, I spoke without knowing my place….”

“……”

“I’m sorry. Even though it was not something I should dare say to the person who saved my life… I was so frustrated that I said foolish things. P-Please forgive me….”

“Please don’t do this….”

Baek Cheon forced down the word ‘please’ and tightly closed his eyes. He grabbed Hyeong-uk’s shoulders and raised him up, and Hyeong-uk looked at Baek Cheon with frightened eyes.

Baek Cheon sighed and said,

“I’m not angry, and I have no intention of harming you. I… we are not those kinds of people. It’s just that what you said really touched me that I was just thinking hard about what to do. So you don’t have to act like this.”

“…I’m sorry, Warrior. It was not something I should dare say to those who have given us the kindness of saving our lives… It would have been easier for the Warriors to just close your eyes and pass by, no matter what happened to the likes of us….”

Tears welled up in Hyeong-uk’s eyes.

“They say that those who don’t know gratitude are not human but beasts… It seems that I am that beast.”

“……”

“Just think of it as a foolish person saying silly things without knowing any better, and don’t worry about it. How could I possibly hold back the Warriors who are on their way to do great things? I am grateful just for you erasing their traces.”

What really stung Baek Cheon was that there was no fake feelings in Hyeong-uk’s words.

It wasn’t that Hyeong-uk was afraid of Baek Cheon and suppressing his true feelings; it seemed that Hyeong-uk genuinely thought that people like Baek Cheon didn’t need to worry about them.

Baek Cheon, unsure of what to do, looked at Hyeong-uk and unconsciously turned his head towards the window. He saw the group sticking their heads out. But they, too, looked sad, as if they didn’t have any answers.

Rather, they were sending hopeful glances, as if Baek Cheon might be able to come up with an answer even in this situation.

A shiver ran through Baek Cheon’s shoulders, the weight of the decision pressing down on him.

Hyeong-uk, who was as white as a sheet as if he would faint at any moment if he didn’t say something, and the eyes of the Cheonwu Alliance members, all looking only at him.

Baek Cheon, unable to withstand all the pressure, opened his mouth to say even foolish things, just then…

“What’s with the atmosphere? Did someone die?”

Chung Myung, who entered with a face full of annoyance, carelessly dumped the two wild boars he was carrying on his back with a heavy thud.

“Aah, damn it! It’s so hard to even see a piglet in this mountain! Senior Brother, take this and feed the people!”

“Meat! Let’s grill it!”

“Boil it! What if those who haven’t even seen meat before get sick from eating grilled meat!”

“Ah, I got it!”

“You never think!”

The tense mood disappeared the moment Chung Myung appeared. Baek Cheon unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. His shoulders, which had been tense, relaxed in an instant.

“But seriously, what’s going on? That old man seems to be still alive, so why is the atmosphere like a funeral home again?”

“Ah… that’s….”

Baek Cheon looked back and forth between Hyeong-uk and Chung Myung. He was in a situation where he couldn’t come up with an answer, but he thought that Chung Myung might be able to find one.

No, even if there was no answer, Chung Myung wouldn’t hesitate like he did.

“Actually….”

Baek Cheon began to explain the situation as it was.

“……”

After a while, Chung Myung, who had heard the whole story, looked back and forth between Hyeong-uk and Baek Cheon.

Hyeong-uk was making a remorseful expression as if he wanted to bite his tongue and die, and Baek Cheon slightly turned his head as if Chung Myung’s gaze was burdensome.

“No….”

“……”

In a situation where it was not easy to come up with an answer, the difficult answer that Chung Myung squeezed out fell in the middle of them.

“Sasuk, are you really an idiot?”

“Chung Myung! He is the Acting Sect Leader!”

“He is Sasuk, and he is an idiot, but he is the Acting Sect Leader!”

“Kid, you can’t call Sasuk an idiot.”

“Ah, right.”

Baek Cheon’s face was horribly twisted. He was seriously thinking, but these guys….

He asked Chung Myung with an unhappy face.

“…Do you have an answer?”

“No…. You used to be a bit annoying, but you were still smart, but how can a human’s condition get worse as they get older? You’re worrying about this? This?”

“……”

“And you guys were all just standing there here? While they were like that?”

Chung Myung glared at the others with fierce eyes. Everyone flinched and subtly turned their gazes elsewhere.

“Ugh, what’s my fate? What was I thinking, bringing these things with me….”

Chung Myung sighed deeply, as if the ground was sinking.

“Is there a way?”

“A way to freeze to death!”

Chung Myung glared and shouted at Hyeong-uk.

“Hey, Mister!”

“Yes? Yes, yes! Warrior!”

“A person shouldn’t act like that. If someone helps you, you should be grateful. No matter how frustrating it is, you shouldn’t ask innocent people to take care of everything you have left!”

“…I’m sorry.”

“People like you make it scary for people to help others. Because of one thing you said, people who desperately need help in the future might miss out on that opportunity. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…Yes.”

“To be honest, if you have to take responsibility for a person’s entire life just to help them, who would be scared to even give small gifts of money or food?”

“……”

“Frankly speaking, the reason why beggars can barely make a living is because they are grateful for the money they receive and don’t ask for more than that. If someone gives you a small coin with good intentions and then you ask them to provide you with a house, who would want to help a beggar? Then all the beggars would starve to death! Do you know what I mean?”

Hyeong-uk couldn’t even try to explain and lowered his head deeply. It was his true feelings that came out after being pressed, but even he thought it was shameless.

“And!”

Chung Myung’s eyes turned sharply to Baek Cheon.

“If you’re going to help, then help! If you’re going to refuse, then refuse clearly! What are you doing, hesitating! What are you going to do if the Acting Sect Leader is so indecisive? If the enemy attacks, are you going to worry about whether to fight or make peace? Then everyone will die, you idiot!”

Baek Cheon pursed his lips and lowered his head. Chung Myung asked.

“Do you know what the bigger problem is?”

“…I don’t know.”

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with a disappointed look.

“It’s that Sasuk doesn’t understand at all what kind of position the Sect Leader of Hwasan is.”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung as if asking what that meant. But instead of answering, Chung Myung kicked off the floor and flew his body.

“The worst bastard is you, you bastard!”

“Yelp!”

Chung Myung’s kick landed squarely on Lim Sobyeong’s jaw. Lim Sobyeong screamed and crashed into the wall.

“Is it fun? Huh? Is it fun? This evil bastard! I treated you like a person because you seemed to be having a hard time climbing the cliff! You couldn’t stand me being away for a moment and you’re playing with people? Oh yeah! You’re going to die today, you evil bastard!”

“Ack! Aack! Hwasan Sword Saint! That’s not it!”

“Die! Die, you bastard!”

Hyeong-uk’s face turned blue as he watched Chung Myung kick Lim Sobyeong to death.

“…You may not understand, but the one getting beaten is the evil sect, and the one beating is the righteous sect.”

“…Yes?”

“It’s true.”

“……”

Of course… on the surface, it looks like the one beating is the evil sect, and the one getting beaten is the righteous sect. Lim Sobyeong looks like a scholar who was born and raised in a noble family….

“Hoo! Hoo!”

Chung Myung, who had given him a good beating, gasped for breath and dragged the bloodied Lim Sobyeong and threw him in front of Baek Cheon.

“Kkeueu….”

“Can’t you be quiet?”

“……”

“Sit!”

“Yes, sir!”

Lim Sobyeong quickly got up and sat upright. Chung Myung said with an annoyed look.

“The Green Forest elites, a group of skilled people, know the way here, right?”

“…I know.”

“If you use a different route than the cliff, it’s easy to get about thirty people across the Jang River. Right?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“I get angry just thinking about it. But this bastard!”

As Chung Myung raised his hand, Lim Sobyeong hurriedly covered his head and bowed deeply.

“Ack! Please don’t hit me! I’m sick!”

“If you’re that sick, you should have died! You’re still alive, you bastard!”

“……”

“Tsk.”

Chung Myung, who had been glaring back and forth between Lim Sobyeong and Baek Cheon, suddenly reached into his arms.

Screeeech!

Baek-ah, who had been as quiet as a mouse, screamed as if he had foreseen his fate.

“Ah, can’t you be quiet?”

….

Chung Myung sullenly dropped the limp Baek-ah in front of Lim Sobyeong.

“Write a letter.”

“…What did you say?”

“Send a separate dispatch of Green Forest elites. The goal is to get everyone here out to Gangbuk. If you take them to the manor, the Sect Leader will help them settle down.”

“…It’s a difficult task.”

“Can’t you do it?”

“It could be dangerous…. Even if it’s a request from the Hwasan Sword Saint….”

As Lim Sobyeong slowly moved his butt, Chung Myung turned his gaze sharply to Baek Cheon. As if rebuking him for what he was doing.

Only then did Baek Cheon understand what Chung Myung meant by saying that he didn’t know what the position of Acting Sect Leader was, and he nodded and opened his mouth.

“What if it’s a request from the authority of the Hwasan Acting Sect Leader, not the Hwasan Sword Saint?”

Hearing those words, Lim Sobyeong immediately straightened his body and sat upright. The playful expression he had until now changed, and he began to show the dignity of the Green Forest King.

“Is this a formal request?”

At Lim Sobyeong’s serious question, Baek Cheon nodded heavily. Lim Sobyeong immediately responded.

“If it’s a request from Hwasan, then of course I have to listen. It’s not an easy task, but if I gather the skilled people of Nokpae, it won’t be that difficult. Crossing the Jang River is a bit of a problem, but the Jang River Navy is not showing the same surveillance as before, so it’s possible if we take advantage of the night.”

“Then….”

“However!”

Lim Sobyeong stared straight at Baek Cheon and said.

“The elites of Nokchae are not originally meant to be gathered for this kind of work, so you must also consider the fact that my face is being make me look bad by giving this order.”

“……”

“So.”

A smile crept across his lips.

“I believe that the price for this request will definitely be paid someday.”

Baek Cheon nods with a stiff face.

“I will definitely do so.”

A satisfied smile spread across Lim Sobyeong’s face. At that moment, a strange voice brushed past his ear.

“Ah, of course, you have to repay your debts….”

“……”

“That is, if that someone is still alive when they return to Gangbuk. There’s no way to repay a debt to a dead person, right? Don’t you think so?”

“……”

“Honestly, who would care if one evil bastard died in Gangnam….”