Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1370

Red earth, raw and exposed, formed a fresh mound. The old man, his face streaked with dust and tears, wiped his eyes with hands thick with soil. He had just placed the last handful of earth on his son’s grave.

A choked sob escaped him. “How can a child die before his father… You heartless wretch!”

He knew it wasn’t Hyeong-uk’s fault. But the words tore from his throat anyway, a desperate cry against the unfairness of it all.

His son had been brutally tortured before his very eyes, until his last breath.

It wasn’t that he cared more about his own life. How could his old age be worth more than his son’s youth?

If the old man had given in to his anger and attacked the evil men, others would have suffered too. The villagers, his daughter-in-law, and his young grandchildren would have shared Hyeong-uk’s fate.

That’s why the powerless are forced to turn away. The common people have eyes but cannot see, mouths but cannot speak.

“That’s right… That’s right, I…”

The old man couldn’t continue and sobbed. The villagers came to comfort him.

“Village Chief… Hyeong-uk died like a man.”

“He won’t be forgotten.”

But these words brought no comfort. Instead, they fueled the old man’s anger.

He spat and shouted, as if in a fit. “What does that mean? It’s all over when you die! We suffer because we cling to empty ideas like loyalty and gratitude!”

The old man hit his thigh hard. His eyes were bloodshot, and angry words poured out. “Live virtuously? We all know that’s right, but we also know it leads to this! Do you think we have no conscience or shame? You bad people! You awful people!”

The cries of the widow and the orphaned children echoed around them.

“Knights-errant! How many passed by, glanced at us, and offered help? So what? What changed? Where were they when we ended up like this!”

Silence fell over everyone.

“That’s why we should have turned away… We shouldn’t have interfered, I told him so…”

The old man collapsed, wailing. The villagers watched, overwhelmed by their mixed feelings.

It was true they had escaped death thanks to the Mount Hua Sect. But the one who tried to repay that kindness suffered a terrible fate and now lay buried in the ground.

What was the right thing to do?

“…Still, aren’t we alive because of them?”

“How do you know that? Maybe things would have been fine even without their help!”

“How can you say that? They helped us with good intentions…”

“Good intentions? Is that why we’re in this mess? The Village Chief is right. Where were they while we were surrounded by those evil men, trembling in fear? Didn’t they run to save themselves!”

Voices rose around the grave, each person speaking their mind.

It was not a sight to show before the dead, but they were all deeply affected by what had happened.

“If you couldn’t protect us to the end, you shouldn’t have helped us at all!”

“Isn’t it better to help even a little? Many wouldn’t even do that much.”

“Isn’t this all because of that? We had false hope, and now look! If Hyeong-uk hadn’t known where those men went, he wouldn’t have died so horribly!”

Then, the old man, who had been lost in his grief, suddenly turned his bloodshot eyes to the people.

“…Whose… Whose fault is that?”

“…Village Chief?”

“If everyone had kept their mouths shut, we would have been fine! But who sold Hyeong-uk out?”

The old man’s face was twisted with grief and anger.

He had seen and heard it all. The villagers, whom he had thought of as family, had betrayed his son.

If they had been silent, Hyeong-uk might not have died. Or at least, he wouldn’t have suffered so much.

The sight of those who had pushed his son to his death, now acting as if nothing had happened, filled him with rage.

“How could you do this! How well did my son treat you all? How much did he care for you! He begged them to save you, even if it meant his own father being stabbed! But how…! How!”

The old man screamed, his voice cracking.

“If you have mouths, say something! Huh?”

Some lowered their heads. Others shook their heads, pretending they hadn’t done anything. The old man gritted his teeth.

“You cursed people…”

“Why is it our fault?”

Someone finally spoke up.

“…What?”

The old man glared. The man, looking dissatisfied, repeated his question. “I’m asking, why is it our fault?”

“…You, you shameless…”

“Yes! I am shameless. But didn’t the Village Chief tell us to do that?”

The old man’s eyes widened in shock.

“I did?”

“Didn’t you say that to survive, we shouldn’t think about gratitude, but only about saving ourselves? Didn’t you tell us that gratitude and righteousness are for those who can afford them?”

The old man stared, stunned.

It was true. He had said those words. But he hadn’t meant this. The old man said, “Is Hyeong-uk an outsider? Shouldn’t we help each other?”

“We have to survive first!”

The man shouted, venting his anger. Others glanced at the old man, trying to stop him.

“Hey! What are you doing to the Village Chief!”

“Can’t you stop him?”

“No! Did I say anything wrong?”

The man didn’t hold back. “We turned away the knights-errant who saved us, trying to survive. Why should I risk my life for Hyeong-uk! I have to live! Me!”

“…”

“Weren’t you all thinking the same thing? I wasn’t the only one who told them Hyeong-uk knew where those knights-errant went. You all felt the same!”

“Hey! We just buried Hyeong-uk! This isn’t the time to say this!”

“Don’t pretend to be good! I heard you selling Hyeong-uk out!”

“I, when did I…”

Veins stood out on the man’s neck.

“If we had kept our mouths shut, we would have all died! Should we have all died to save one guy?”

The man glared at the old man. “What’s the difference! I did what you told me! You said not to think about morality! What did I do wrong? Tell me!”

The man, screaming, collapsed to the ground, his legs weak.

“What do you want me to do!”

He pounded the ground, wailing like an animal.

Hearing that sound, the old man felt his strength leave him.

Who could he blame? The man’s words were true. The old man had told them to act that way.

Those words had killed his son and destroyed the village.

‘That’s right. We have to live.’

Was just being alive enough?

Even if it meant betraying those who helped them, even if it meant pushing a friend into the hands of evil men, was it worth it to save his own life?

Was that the right thing to do?

“Heh heh…”

A crazed laugh escaped the old man’s mouth.

“Heh heh heh…”

But it wasn’t laughter. It was the sound of someone who had lost their way.

The villagers couldn’t look at the old man and turned away.

After a long time of groaning, the old man spoke, his voice slightly firmer. “…Prepare to leave.”

“Yes?”

Everyone was surprised and looked at the old man.

“Village Chief, what does that mean?”

“I’m not telling you to leave the village. I have no power to tell you what to do.”

Some people mumbled at these words.

“I’m saying we can’t live here anymore, so let’s go.”

“W-We can’t live here anymore?”

“Do you think they’ll leave us alone?”

“…Th-Then? Didn’t they just leave?”

It was a naive question. The old man smiled weakly. “If life were that easy, we wouldn’t be suffering. Hyeong-uk is dead, but we still resisted them. Sooner or later, disaster will strike the village.”

The villagers, who hadn’t thought about it, looked at each other, worried.

It was true. The village was on the 사패련’s radar. Even if they survived this, they could be persecuted for any small reason.

“We have to leave… We can’t stay where we’ll die.”

“W-Wait, Village Chief. We’ve lived here our whole lives. Where are we supposed to go?”

“How would I know?”

“…O-Our homes and fields are here…”

The old man laughed sadly. “Then stay.”

No one answered. The old man’s eyes were empty.

“We have to live… We have to survive somehow. We have to go somewhere no one knows and live, even if it means clearing fields by hand…”

Everyone’s faces grew gloomy as they realized how hard their lives would be.

The old man stared at the grave. His heart was empty.

What had he lived for? He had only seen this… Why had he struggled so much?

He knew that if he abandoned others, they could abandon him. Why did he think he was so smart?

He didn’t know anything.

“Prepare now.”

“Yes? R-Right now?”

“Can you be sure those who left won’t send others back?”

“…”

“If I were them, I would destroy the village and say it was an accident. We have to live. We have to keep living these hard lives. So, prepare…”

The villagers lowered their heads.

Where did it go wrong? Why did they have to suffer so much?

“Move quickly. Let’s leave before they do anything.”

“Th-That, Village Chief?”

“What are you doing…”

“N-No, not that, th-there! Over there!”

A man pointed, his face pale. The old man looked.

“Heh heh…”

At the village entrance, a group of men was coming. They had cold faces and large swords. The old man laughed in despair.

“It seems we’re too late…”

Perhaps this was the end for the village. The old man closed his eyes.