Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1364

Knights who wander do good deeds without wanting anything back. That’s the rule they follow. If they expect payment, it’s no longer a kind act, but just business.

Baek Cheon slowly nodded and began to speak.

“I understand your situation.”

He tried not to sigh. “However, Village Chief, we are also in a difficult spot. Could you please help us just this once? If we, who are trying to escape from being chased by the Four Faction Alliance, have to cut off our food, it will be hard to make sure we live.”

The usual Baek Cheon wouldn’t have given such a long explanation.

He wasn’t trying to get pity by talking about their problems. He simply wanted to know.

He wondered if his good deed, done without wanting anything back, would actually make things better. Would their kindness actually make the world a slightly better place?

“Wandering Knight…”

It seemed Baek Cheon’s feelings weren’t reaching the old man.

“How could simple people like us talk about the affairs of knights?”

“……”

“We know nothing. We just hope to get by and live each day. Please, have mercy on us.”

The old man bowed his head again. Seeing this, Baek Cheon couldn’t help but laugh sadly.

What could he do?

If a strong person used their power to bully, he would at least try to fight back. But when a weak person asks for understanding by talking about their problems, what could he say?

“No!”

Jo Gul, who had been holding his breath, spoke loudly, his face red.

“It’s not like we’re trying to steal from you, we’re offering to buy it! And at a much higher price! You can just go to a big village and buy more grain with that money…!”

“Geol.”

“Sasuk, isn’t this too much? It’s not like it’s a very dangerous thing to ask!”

“Enough!”

Baek Cheon firmly told Jo Gul to stop. Jo Gul shut his mouth, but he couldn’t hide that he was not happy.

“Please, Wandering Knights.”

The old man bowed and spoke again.

“It may seem like nothing to you, but for simple people like us, we have to risk our lives for each of those things. It’s like sleeping during the day might be nothing to a tiger living in the mountains, but for a rabbit, it’s a matter of life and death.”

Jo Gul was about to argue back, but someone’s hand quietly stopped him. Jo Gul, who was about to push it away without thinking, stopped. It was Yoon Jong who had blocked his mouth.

Yoon Jong quietly looked at the old man before speaking.

“Village Chief, I understand what you’re saying. But we also risked our lives when we helped the people of this village.”

The old man closed his mouth, as if he had nothing to say to that.

“To come to this Gangnam on purpose and punish the bad people of the Four Faction Alliance is not easy, nor is it something that can be easily decided. But no one here disagreed.”

“Wandering Knight…”

Yoon Jong looked at the old man with a slightly different look than usual.

“That’s why we are asking you to give us only something small, something that cannot be compared to what we have given. Is it really not possible?”

“Father!”

Hyeong Wook couldn’t stand it anymore and shouted, and the old man turned back with angry eyes.

The old man, who had given Hyeong Wook a scary look, looked back at Baek Cheon and his group. The eyes that had been glaring at Hyeong Wook softened as if the look had been a lie, and were filled with awkwardness and embarrassment.

“How could I not know that? But warriors… If we help you and something bad happens to us, wouldn’t that be pointless?”

Yoon Jong was surprised and blankly looked at the old man.

Even Yoon Jong, who always supported the common people, had not expected these words. The old man made his point even stronger.

“Please understand our position. The kindness we have received is as big as the sea, but… we are ashamed to say that we are just foolish people who do not have the strength to pay back that kindness. What can those who barely make a living from the land and survive on the grain given by the evil groups do?”

“……”

“I beg you like this. Please, just take back those words.”

The old man’s very low bow made those sitting in front of him uncomfortable. It felt as if they were bullying those weaker than them.

Baek Cheon, who had been quietly watching, finally spoke.

“In the end, you’re saying that we shouldn’t expect grain and should leave this place as soon as possible.”

“That’s…”

The old man’s voice trailed off. He didn’t exactly say no. Baek Cheon didn’t ask him to continue. With each other’s positions so firm, convincing him was pointless.

And in truth, they couldn’t convince him.

Even if those with swords tried to convince with kind words, would they only be heard as kind words? Once the first offer was turned down, the Heavenly Union and the Hainan group had no choice. Those who thought they were doing what was right would have no other choice.

The old man was still looking around carefully, as if he was sorry, and Hyeong Wook next to him was biting his lip.

Baek Cheon, who had been quietly watching the two, turned to look at those sitting behind him.

Most of them couldn’t hide their sadness and anger. In particular, Dang Pae, Nangong Dowi, and Seol So-baek seemed to have a hard time accepting this.

On the other hand, there were also two people who reacted differently.

Im So-byeong, who was smirking as if he had expected this, and Chung Myung, who had a blank expression, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.

A sigh escaped from Baek Cheon’s lips.

“Then…”

“Wait, just a moment!”

At that moment, Hyeong Wook quickly spoke. The old man tried to stop him and pressure him again with that same look, but this time, Hyeong Wook didn’t easily give in.

“This doesn’t make sense.”

“What else…”

“It was the villagers who owed these people. Father, you were just unconscious, weren’t you? You didn’t see how hard these people worked to protect the village.”

The old man raised his white eyebrows.

“What are you trying to say?”

“I mean, this isn’t something we can decide ourselves. We have to ask the villagers too! We have to tell them the situation and let them choose. Even if Father is the village chief of Hyeongga Village, you can’t just choose everything as you please, can you?”

The old man sighed.

“Will that be alright?”

“Yes! Then I will also accept it.”

Hyeong Wook quickly nodded and said to Baek Cheon and his group.

“Wandering Knights! I will gather the villagers and ask for their opinions. I know it’s a bother, but could you please wait until then?”

Baek Cheon looked back at those behind him. They didn’t seem to disagree and just stared blankly at Baek Cheon.

“…Then I’ll leave it to you.”

In any case, this was the only way left. There was no other choice.

“Yes! Then just a moment…!”

Hyeong Wook quickly ran outside. A quiet cough reached Baek Cheon’s ear as he stared blankly at the door that had been opened.

“Um… warriors.”

“…Yes?”

“Before that….”

It was the old man. His face was once again full of apologies.

“I’ll say it again…”

Baek Cheon looked around at the villagers who were huddled together in front of him. He wondered if they really had to go this far, but the old man’s words that this was the only fair way weren’t wrong.

“No matter what you choose… we will not hurt you in any way. That is promised by me, the acting leader of the Mount Hua Sect…”

Baek Cheon turned his head, and Geum Yang-baek nodded with an unhappy face. He couldn’t possibly be happy, having to say such strange things in front of everyone like he was acting in a play, without even knowing why.

“I, Geum Yang-baek, the leader of the Hainan Sect, will promise it in my name.”

Once even Geum Yang-baek seriously said this, the villagers strongly waved their hands.

“Oh my! What are you saying!”

“Yes! Yes! Isn’t it thanks to you that we survived? How could we possibly have such an outrageous thought about those who saved our lives?”

“Yes! That’s right. Only beasts who don’t know how to be thankful would do that.”

Still, the villagers who had seen them fighting against the Four Faction Alliance were definitely more friendly than the village chief.

“Is that enough now?”

Hyeong Wook glanced at the old man and asked, and the old man nodded.

“Have the discussion in the back.”

“Yes. Then this way.”

Hyeong Wook led the villagers to the back of the house. He seemed worried that their voices might be heard, so they moved to a place that was quite far away.

Once even the old man turned around and went inside the house, Jo Gul, who had been watching, spoke.

“Still, the villagers’ thoughts will be different, right?”

“Probably.”

“That’s right. That old man was unconscious when we saved those people, wasn’t he? Of course, it’ll be different.”

Baek Cheon just nodded silently.

“I think so too.”

This was more of a wish than a confident answer, and it was the last hope that Baek Cheon had for them.

But then, a mocking voice was heard.

“It seems our Taoists have lived in the mountains for too long.”

It was Im So-byeong. He was looking at Baek Cheon with a faint smirk.

“If you hope for things from people, all that’s left in the end is disappointment.”

“I know what you mean, but…”

“No. The Taoists don’t know.”

“…Yes?”

Im So-byeong chuckled and said.

“Why Mount Hua has become a popular topic for so many people. And why, even though it’s still not as strong as the Nine Great Sects, it has caught the attention of so many groups.”

“That’s…”

“You’ll probably find out soon.”

Just then, as if to prove Im So-byeong right, Hyeong Wook returned faster than expected.

The fact that he returned so quickly without the discussion taking long meant that most of the villagers had the same opinion.

‘Then?’

Just as he was hoping it might be good news, Baek Cheon saw it.

The worried look on Hyeong Wook’s face as he approached. And the slowness of his steps.

Hyeong Wook, who met Baek Cheon’s eyes, lowered his head without a word.

He felt like he knew what the answer was without even hearing it.

Im So-byeong’s voice, laughing as he spoke, was heard.

“Be kind to those in trouble. Pay back the kindness when you receive it.”

“……”

“The name of Mount Hua has become special because there are so few who do those obvious things.”

Before Baek Cheon could answer, Hyeong Wook came and stood before him. And with a long sigh, he spoke.

“…I’m sorry, Wandering Knight.”

Baek Cheon’s shoulders dropped.

“The villagers… want the Wandering Knights to leave… leaving the grain behind… Yes, that’s what they want…”

Crack.

Baek Cheon clenched his fist tightly. The sound of his knuckles cracking echoed loudly.