Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1245

People get angry when you force them to face a truth they don’t want to see.

That was exactly the situation with the Hainan people.

They knew the truth, but didn’t want to hear it. They saw it, but wanted to look away. Baek Cheon, this young man, was forcing them to see it. He was shouting the truth they wanted to ignore.

And because they were human, they reacted accordingly.

“What are you saying!”

“Even if you’re a special envoy from the Cheonwu Alliance, your words are too much!”

“Can you take responsibility for what you’re saying?”

Baek Cheon didn’t argue back. He just listened quietly to their angry words. He stared at each person who was shouting.

Because he was so calm, the heated atmosphere gradually cooled down.

Baek Cheon waited patiently until everyone was silent, and then he spoke.

His voice, cold and calm, cut through the tense crowd.

“Do I really need to explain why I’m saying these things?”

His short words were both thoughtful and sharp.

The people there knew better than anyone that Hainan had been abandoned by the Nine Great Sects. Those who still had hope were clinging to the last bit of kindness, and those who talked about reality were just trying to change the minds of those who had turned away.

No one there really believed that the Nine Great Sects would actively help Hainan.

“Talking about cooperation, talking about the right path…”

Baek Cheon’s voice reached those who were struggling to control their anger.

“They talk in circles, using polite words. They say they are right and have big ideas. They agree without disagreeing, and then nothing changes.”

“…”

“Yes. We can do that. But…”

Baek Cheon glanced back. Through the slightly open door, they could see the trees swaying in the strong typhoon and the Hainan disciples guarding the outside in the storm.

“But now is not the time for that. Do you know what we saw on the coast on our way here?”

“…What did you see?”

“We saw countless ships being taken and new ships being built.”

At those words, Geum Yang-baek bit his lip.

“Did you say taken?”

“Yes. They took every fishing boat they could find.”

The faces of everyone in the hall hardened. If ships were being taken, it meant only one thing.

Invasion.

They didn’t need to confirm it. They could already feel the Saepaeryeon’s attack coming.

“Sect Leader.”

Baek Cheon looked at Geum Yang-baek and spoke.

“As soon as this typhoon ends, the Saepaeryeon will attack Hainan.”

“…Acting Sect Leader.”

“We don’t have time for nice words,” Baek Cheon continued. “We need to be direct. The Cheonwu Alliance wants Hainan to join us. This is a chance to make Hainan famous again, not just with empty promises, but by helping those who truly need it.”

Geum Yang-baek was lost in thought and didn’t speak for a moment. The elders, unable to stand the silence, whispered anxiously.

“Sect Leader, this is crazy. To leave the Nine Great Sects on our own? It’s never been done before.”

“That’s right. Think about it. Even if we protect Hainan’s name that way, what happens after? How will Shaolin or Wudang treat us?”

“And what will the world think?”

But others had different opinions.

“Why are you worrying about the future now? Will there even be a future if Hainan falls?”

“Isn’t that right? The Nine Great Sects are just watching. It makes sense to join those who are helping us now.”

“It’s not like we’re joining a Demonic Sect by leaving the Nine Great Sects, and the Cheonwu Alliance is just as good as the Nine Great Sects, right?”

As Geum Yang-baek remained silent, their voices grew louder. Geum Yang-baek, who had been listening with his eyes closed, slowly opened them and looked at Baek Cheon.

“Acting Sect Leader.”

“Yes.”

“…Asking us to leave the Nine Great Sects is a lot to ask. I’m sure you know that.”

“Of course.”

“You must have a lot of confidence to make such a suggestion. Right?”

“Yes, that’s right, Sect Leader.”

Baek Cheon nodded firmly.

“I believe that joining the Cheonwu Alliance will give Hainan a reason to be, real benefits, and a future.”

“A reason, benefits, and… a future.”

Geum Yang-baek quietly studied Baek Cheon and his group, his eyes deep. They did seem to have a future.

‘They’re young.’

Now that he looked, the representatives from each sect were all young. Some might be angry that it seemed like they were looking down on Hainan. But Geum Yang-baek felt something else.

The Cheonwu Alliance was changing with the younger generation leading the way. Hainan was already behind.

He wanted to see it too. What the Cheonwu Alliance, led by these young martial artists, would be like in the future. And what it would be like if Hainan’s young sect leader was with them.

But… whether that future was also possible for Hainan was another question.

He spoke heavily.

“It’s embarrassing to say this, but Hainan’s situation is too urgent to talk about reasons and the future.”

“Sect Leader.”

“Quiet.”

A worried voice came from behind, but Geum Yang-baek stopped them by raising his hand slightly.

“Some might be excited by what Acting Sect Leader is saying, and others might like the future you’re painting… but frankly, those words don’t mean much to me.”

Baek Cheon nodded quietly. Hainan’s situation was too desperate to talk about those things.

“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about the future with the Cheonwu Alliance. But, can we really talk and work together when we’re not equals?”

“That’s right.”

“Then please tell me clearly what you have planned. What can you do for us…”

Geum Yang-baek looked straight at Baek Cheon and asked.

“If Hainan joins the Cheonwu Alliance, what can the Cheonwu Alliance do for us?”

Baek Cheon took a deep breath and said.

“We can’t promise anything specific.”

“…”

“If we have to promise something, it’s that we will never ignore Hainan when it’s in danger and about to fall apart, and that we will protect what needs to be protected.”

Geum Yang-baek’s eyes narrowed. Baek Cheon continued.

“And I think that’s more important than anything else. When we don’t need to risk our lives for each other, we can say anything and make any promise. When you joined the Nine Great Sects, did you expect them to abandon Hainan in this situation?”

“…Of course not.”

“But we came running like this without any promises.”

“…”

“That’s all we can do, and that’s all we want. The ‘friendship’ in Cheonwu Alliance means trusting each other, not just helping when it’s useful.” Baek Cheon’s eyes shone.

“What we can give you is that trust. We will be there for each other when we need each other, not just when it’s convenient.”

Geum Yang-baek looked at Baek Cheon strangely.

A strange silence filled the room.

Just as the Cheonwu Alliance members guarding Baek Cheon and the elders guarding Geum Yang-baek were starting to feel uneasy, Geum Yang-baek spoke.

“Acting Sect Leader.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll ask you directly. For Hainan, which is about to fight its final battle with the Saepaeryeon, is there anything the Cheonwu Alliance can do?”

The elders looked at Geum Yang-baek in surprise.

The words were more direct than they were used to hearing from him. It also seemed too greedy to ask someone who had come so far to help.

At that moment, Baek Cheon spoke.

“To solve Hainan’s current situation, all our Cheonwu Alliance can do is…”

Everyone stared at Baek Cheon, listening intently. After a moment, Baek Cheon’s voice was heard clearly, yet eerily, in everyone’s ears.

“…Nothing.”

Whoosh.

Everyone realized again that it was raining outside. The sound of the rain, which they hadn’t noticed until now, became clear. A silence as cold as the rain spread through the hall.

How long did the heavy silence last?

Finally, Geum Yang-baek spoke calmly.

“Tomorrow.”

“…”

“To a sect that might have to close its doors, what you can do is offer a relationship that might be helpful later.”

Geum Yang-baek laughed.

“But you can’t help us right now?”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes.

He had a lot he could say. There were many things he wanted to say. But he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. Because no words would help Hainan now.

The Saepaeryeon’s attack was happening sooner than they expected, and they had arrived in Hainan without any way to stop them.

“I’ll ask again, Acting Sect Leader.”

Geum Yang-baek spoke, holding back his emotions.

“Are the ten of you all the Cheonwu Alliance is sending to Hainan? Or is there another plan to help?”

His last hope was in those words. But Baek Cheon crushed it.

“Right now… these ten are all there is, Sect Leader.”

No matter how strong the Cheonwu Alliance was, the only ones who could help with the disaster that would strike after the typhoon were the ten people here.

Ten people. It wasn’t a small number, but it was too few to change the outcome of a battle where a sect was fighting for its survival.

Yes. It was too few.

“Just…”

Geum Yang-baek couldn’t finish the sentence and bit his lip.

“Is that all there is?”

A voice filled with anger, despair, and hopelessness echoed through the silent hall.