Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1229

“Can’t you stand straight?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Did I not tell you to stand straight?”

Hyeong-uk looked confused. *Doesn’t everyone know what’s normal?* He was surprised by what he was seeing.

Someone trying to be understanding might try to make sense of it. These scary members of the Evil Sect were suddenly hitting their friend like he was nothing. And the one hitting him seemed to be the youngest! It was hard to understand.

But… *Is this going too far?* It wasn’t surprising that the youngest one was yelling at someone.

But the person being yelled at, looking sad and ashamed, wasn’t even a person – it was a beast!

“If you stray off course, you’re dead.”

“⋯⋯.”

“If you think you can run while resting, then I’ll just get myself a nice scarf. Do you understand what I mean? We live together, we die together!”

“Cheong-myeong, we live together.”

“That’s the same thing!”

“It’s very different…”

“Anyway!”

Cheong-myeong glared at Baek-ah as if he would devour him, then took something out of his pocket and waved it in front of his black nose.

“This is the Myriad Mile Herb that the Beast Palace Lord gave me… Or something like that. You said you can smell this from miles and miles away, so if you’re even a little late, you’re really dead. Got it?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Got it?”

Baek-ah, with a small bundle tied around his neck, nodded with a dejected face.

“Tsk!”

Cheong-myeong clicked his tongue and glared at Baek-ah as if he couldn’t trust him.

“I can’t trust you at all!”

Despite the unbelievable sight, those around him remained calm.

“Well… guess that’s Cheong-myeong for you,” one of them muttered. “Nothing we can do. Let’s go.”

Keyi!

Baek-ah turned his body swiftly.

“I’m really telling you, be carefu… Hey! I’m not finished talking! Hey!”

Baek-ah ran with all his might without looking back and disappeared from Cheong-myeong’s sight.

“Wow, look at that speed.”

“He’s really moving!” one villager exclaimed. Another chuckled, “Back in a day? Why the hurry?” A third shook his head. “He’d rather run a mile than listen to Cheong-myeong nag for another minute. I don’t blame him.” “Me neither,” someone else agreed with a smile.

Everyone shook their heads, watching Cheong-myeong wave his fist and shout at Baek-ah, who was already far away.

As if he was disappointed he couldn’t tease Baek-ah anymore, Cheong-myeong smacked his lips and turned to Im So-byeong. Startled, Im So-byeong busily rubbed his bluish-purple eyes.

Cheong-myeong opened his mouth.

“You too! If by any chance…”

“If by any chance I don’t rescue the people properly, I’ll be dead, is that what you’re saying?”

“Tha-at…”

“And if there’s even a word that those rotten Evil Sect bastards mistreated the people, you’ll peel off their skin, is that what you’re saying?”

“Absolu-…”

“And you wrote in the letter that the cliff was too dangerous for normal people, so they should take another way, right?”

“⋯⋯.”

Cheong-myeong was speechless. Im So-byeong spread his fan with a triumphant smile.

“Hehe! Who do you think I am? I’m Im So-byeong, the Green Forest King, right-hand man to the Mount Hua Sword Saint! I will do exactly what you asked! Kyaaak!”

Im So-byeong, hit in the middle of his forehead by the flying scabbard, rolled on the floor.

“Who’s the right-hand man, who! You Evil Sect bastard! How dare someone who uses the word ‘evil’ try to invade the pure Taoist body! I wouldn’t even eat with Evil Sect people!”

Baek-cheon sighed as he watched Cheong-myeong treat Im So-byeong like a rat again. Then, he completely turned his gaze away and said to Hyeong-uk.

“Don’t mind him.”

“⋯⋯Yes.”

“More than that…”

He composed himself and said.

“No matter how late, those who will escort you will arrive within five days, so please wait until then.”

Hyeong-uk looked at Baek-cheon with a helpless expression.

“Warrior… I’m really… really sorry. I didn’t mean to say it with that intention…”

“I know.”

But Baek-cheon shook his head calmly.

“It’s not that I only helped because you complained. I just realized I was wrong and changed my mind.”

“How can we ever repay this kindness…”

Hyeong-uk couldn’t finish his sentence due to gratitude, apology, and embarrassment, so Baek-cheon smiled silently.

“If you’re really thankful, tell your story in Gangbuk. If they ask why, tell them exactly what happened, nothing more, nothing less.”

Hyeong-uk’s complexion turned slightly pale at that moment.

He could guess what kind of gaze the warriors’ companions would send him if they found out about his shameless actions.

But Baek-cheon shook his head as if he had guessed such concerns.

“They are not such people.”

“⋯⋯.”

“The reason I’m asking this favor is because they also need to know what kind of things those suffering in Gangnam are going through and how they are living.”

“Warrior…”

“We’re not as amazing as you think. We’re just a bit better at fighting with swords than most people. You might think we know everything and ignore problems, but really, there’s a lot we don’t know and can’t fix.”

“Ah…”

Hyeong-uk nodded as if he understood what he meant.

“So please convey it as it is, without adding or subtracting anything. That will be enough of a reward.”

Hyeong-uk nodded with a firm face. As if he would keep that promise even if he were to be pointed at.

Baek-cheon smiled gently at the determined face.

“Then we are busy with our journey, so we will be going now.”

“I’m not a smart or well-spoken man, but I know you are people who don’t need fancy words. So, I will truly wish for your safety.”

“Yes.”

Those who had been watching the conversation between the two from behind smiled at Hyeong-uk and turned their bodies.

“Then take care!”

Dang So-so smiled brightly and waved her hand.

Those who had been treated to a meal by her came out to the entrance and watched the Cheonwoo Alliance group leave, but they still couldn’t easily answer or greet them. They just didn’t know what to do and could only watch.

But Dang So-so bowed her head with a flawless face and turned her body. Because she knew that the burden they would feel would increase if she kept looking at them.

“Let’s go!”

“Okay.”

The Cheonwoo Alliance group quickly disappeared into the distance.

The villagers stood silently, watching the dust settle on the empty road where the group had disappeared. They glanced at the pile of grain in the village center, a golden island in their usual hardship. A mix of emotions, too complicated for words, filled their faces.

“Hyeong-uk, you…”

“Don’t say anything.”

Hyeong-uk sighed deeply.

“I cursed at the Evil Sect bastards, calling them beast-like… But when I was faced with it, I realized that I was no different from a beast.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Hoo…”

Hyeong-uk, with his shoulders drooping, headed to the house where his father was lying. The villagers stared at his back with complex faces.

Whoosh!

Those led by Im So-byeong ran out like the wind.

They had wasted time due to an unexpected event. To make up for it, they needed to increase their speed, even if it meant taking some risks.

Baek-cheon, who had been running silently for a while, glanced at Cheong-myeong running next to him. He was staring straight ahead with a consistently expressionless face.

Baek-cheon sighed briefly and looked ahead again. This was his fault without any room for excuses.

Because his vision had become too narrow, he hadn’t even thought of using someone he could use, even though they were right next to him. He was disqualified as the leader of the group, as well as the acting sect leader of Mount Hua.

But what really complicated Baek-cheon’s mind was something else.

This time, the Green Forest King helped us find a solution. But what if he hadn’t been here? Would we have been able to solve it then? Maybe some problems just don’t have easy answers.

“You have a lot on your mind.”

At that time, a nonchalant voice dug into Baek-cheon’s ear. Baek-cheon sighed without realizing it. Anyway… this guy doesn’t miss even the smallest things.

Cheong-myeong said.

“There’s no need to think complicatedly.”

“⋯⋯.”

“The world is never as simple as you think. There’s never a perfect answer that can satisfy everyone.”

“⋯⋯.”

“But the leader has to come up with an answer even in the midst of that. That’s why it’s difficult.”

Baek-cheon nodded.

“You’re worrying about what you should have done if the Green Forest King wasn’t there, right?”

“⋯⋯How did you know?”

“Tsk tsk. Dong-ryong, Dong-ryong. Why do you overestimate yourself so much?”

“⋯⋯.”

“You’re the kind of person whose thoughts are so well-displayed on your face, but you think you’re a very serious person who hides his inner thoughts well.”

“Keueung.”

Cheong-myeong chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“What answer would there be?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Trying to find an answer to a problem that has no answer is a stupid thing to do.”

“Then…”

“The important thing isn’t finding a non-existent answer. It’s not creating such a problem in the first place.”

“Huh?”

Baek-cheon asked back in bewilderment, and Cheong-myeong took a long breath.

“That’s what Mount Hua is for, and that’s what the Cheonwoo Alliance is for.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Don’t think you have to do everything yourself and make all the right choices just because you’re in charge now. It’s not because your uncle isn’t good enough. No leader has ever done everything alone.”

Baek-cheon closed his mouth tightly.

“Even the founders knew it was hard, so they started Mount Hua and brought people together. Even that wasn’t enough, so they joined with other groups and listened to everyone’s ideas. The more people who help, the more we can do.”

Baek-cheon, who had been listening quietly, slightly widened his eyes.

He knew it too. No, he knew it too well.

Yet he had completely forgotten.

“It’s not that he was able to do it because there was the Green Forest King. It’s that he could only do that much because there was only the Green Forest King. If the Yuryeongmun had come together, it would have been faster, and if a few more great sects had joined, the Evil Sect bastards wouldn’t have been able to act like this in the first place.”

“⋯⋯That’s right.”

“The answer that uncle is trying to find is where uncle is going now. Being good isn’t just about what we do ourselves. If we can get more people to believe in being good, like your uncle does, then maybe we can build a world where problems are easier to solve.”

Cheong-myeong, who had been speaking quietly, suddenly clicked his tongue with an unpleasant expression.

“So don’t think useless thoughts and just look ahead and run. If you run, the day will come when you find that answer.”

“⋯⋯A young brat is rattling off the right things.”

“That’s right.”

“Being presumptuous to the acting sect leader!”

“We need to discipline that bastard!”

“Oh?”

Playful voices poured out from behind. Baek-cheon smiled faintly. He seemed to know the meaning of what Cheong-myeong had said.

‘It’s okay to worry.’

The important thing is to keep going even when you’re worried. If being good was easy, why would the idea of ‘being good’ be fading away in the world?

This is the path he chose, the path he believes in. So he has to keep going, and be confident.

Because the people following him, and even those watching from far away, will support him.

“⋯⋯It’s not the time to waste time with useless talk, so let’s hurry!”

“Yes!”

Baek-cheon kicked off the ground first and shot forward. The disciples of Mount Hua and the young sect leaders of other sects also closely followed behind him.

Cheong-myeong smiled as he looked at the backs of those running ahead.

“They’re really a bunch of guys who need a lot of help.”

Taat!

Soon, he also quickly followed the group.

The place they were heading to was the south.

The farthest place from the Central Plains, Hainan.