Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1382

Red Tiger’s face suddenly became very still, in a strange way.

‘Trust…’

Jang Il-So was probably right. Red Tiger knew this. But he couldn’t agree right away. The Mount Hua Sword Saint he thought he knew was very different from the one Jang Il-So was talking about.

Red Tiger wondered, ‘What kind of person *is* the Mount Hua Sword Saint?’ He didn’t really know him. He had never met him or even spoken to him. But from what he had done and what people said, Red Tiger could guess what kind of man he was.

‘The absolute rising master.’

He had survived a battle with the Tyrant, and even joined forces with the Tyrant to defeat a bishop of the Demonic Cult.

No matter how much someone might underestimate the Mount Hua Sword Saint, it would be difficult to deny that he was one of the most skilled masters in the world. And he was so young.

‘Moreover, he is the center of the Heavenly Union.’

He was barely past his coming-of-age ceremony, yet he stood tall as one of the pillars in the arena of giants vying for control of the world.

But the true strength of the Mount Hua Sword Saint wasn’t in his martial prowess or his power.

‘The most important thing is his sense of chivalry.’

Wherever the title of Mount Hua Sword Saint echoed, those two words invariably followed. It was the strongest force, making even his martial prowess and the power he had built seem insignificant.

That’s why Jang Il-So’s words didn’t make sense.

The Mount Hua Sword Saint, who was regarded as the embodiment of chivalry, didn’t trust people…

“Hard to believe?”

Red Tiger shook his head.

“It’s not that it’s hard to believe, but I don’t readily understand it. It’s hard to be chivalrous, like he is known to be, if you don’t trust people.”

“Hmph.”

Jang Il-So let out a small snort. His eyes curved into crescents.

“No, that’s not it. You’ve got it completely backwards.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Even the most perfect good person could also be very greedy.”

Red Tiger gave a short nod.

“The case of the Mount Hua Sword Saint isn’t much different.”

Jang Il-So subtly turned his head to look out the window, then asked,

“What is helping, in the first place?”

“…What do you mean by that…?”

“Think about it. What is helping? Have you ever seen a poor person helping a rich person?”

Red Tiger looked confused. It was absurd. Why would a poor person need to help a wealthy person?

“I’ve never seen that happen. But isn’t it normal for the person with more to give to the person with less…?”

Red Tiger stopped speaking. Only after uttering those words did he understand what Jang Il-So was trying to say.

“Do you understand?”

Jang Il-So’s eyes shone like the jewels he wore all over his body.

“Helping is fundamentally an act of giving to someone weaker than oneself. Of course, anyone can do that. Anyone. But…”

His low, soft voice rang out eerily.

“No one tries to help everyone in the world. No one tries to help everything that comes within their reach. And no one considers it natural to do so.”

“…”

“What does this mean? It means he thinks everyone in the world is weaker than him. Even if he doesn’t realize it himself.”

Red Tiger’s expression became strange.

“But, Chief. It’s not like the Mount Hua Sword Saint is the only one who thinks that way.”

“That’s right. But he turns that thought into reality. He does what others only wish for. That means he evaluates himself as incredibly great.”

Jang Il-So stopped speaking and chuckled briefly, as if amused. His red lips looked particularly chilling.

“Of course, he probably doesn’t realize this himself either.”

Perhaps Jang Il-So’s words were right.

Certainly, the Mount Hua Sword Saint was peculiar. It was difficult to explain him with just the word ‘amazing.’ What he had achieved was amazing, but the actions he had taken to achieve it were definitely not normal.

“Trust comes from acknowledging others. But that guy never acknowledges others. The extent to which he acknowledges others is when the other person is within his reach. Only up to that point.”

“That’s…”

“Yes.”

Jang Il-So slowly nodded.

“It’s like how an adult looks at toddlers. You might praise a child who walks better than their peers, or you might be amazed if a child who can barely stand can recite the Thousand Character Classic. But…”

A mocking tone crept into Jang Il-So’s words.

“Can you call that feeling trust?”

Adults don’t trust children. That’s a separate issue from whether they can have good feelings towards children.

Adults can highly value a child’s potential and acknowledge their greatness, but in the end, they can’t take their eyes off their immaturity.

If that’s the case, then he has no choice but to become a chivalrous person.

If the world were full of three-year-olds, even Red Tiger, who could never be called a truly good person—no, even Red Tiger, who should rather be called a villain—would become a chivalrous person. Because he wouldn’t be able to leave the children within his reach alone.

Right now, Jang Il-So is saying that the Mount Hua Sword Saint Chung Myung’s chivalry, which borders on madness, ultimately comes from a distrust of people—more precisely, a distrust of immaturity.

It’s completely the opposite of the world’s assessment. Will the world agree with this assessment?

No, before that, if the Mount Hua Sword Saint were to hear these words, what kind of reaction would he show?

Even if I don’t know for sure, it certainly wouldn’t be pleasant.

“I understand… what you’re saying, Chief…”

Red Tiger, feeling slightly confused, raised his head to look at Jang Il-So.

“But what does that have to do with what you said before…?”

“Tsk tsk. If I’ve said this much, shouldn’t you understand?”

“…I apologize.”

Jang Il-So took a swig of alcohol straight from the bottle, wetting his mouth. Only after wiping the alcohol from his lips with his thumb did he answer.

“Didn’t I say? People lie even to themselves. The key is that the child named Chung Myung firmly believes that he trusts everyone.”

“…”

“Then it’s simple. All I have to do is figure out what kind of judgment his own hidden intentions, which he doesn’t know, will make. Do you understand what that means?”

“It’s difficult…”

Jang Il-So stared silently at Red Tiger. His bright eyes, devoid of even a trace of emotion, seemed to weigh down on him.

“What would you do if a child were near the water?”

“Well… I would watch them first.”

“What if that child fell into the water?”

“…Depending on the situation, I might run to help.”

“Even if that child has nothing to do with you?”

Red Tiger frowned slightly.

“Of course… I can’t say I’m a good person, but isn’t that how people are? It wouldn’t take much effort to save just one child.”

“Yes. That’s right, depending on the situation.”

Jang Il-So nodded, as if he had gotten the answer he wanted.

“Then let me ask you, what if many children were divided into factions and fighting each other by that water?”

“…”

“What if, in the process, children could fall into the water and die countless times? What if immature children who can’t even walk properly are foolishly fighting in a dangerous place without properly knowing the consequences?”

Red Tiger closed his mouth.

“You… Yes, what would you do?”

Of course, he had to go. Anyone would give the same answer. If you were human, you had to go.

A stiff voice flowed from Red Tiger’s mouth.

“If they’re children… I’d have to run. Because they’re not adults.”

“Yes. That’s right. Of course, you would.”

“…”

“Do you understand?”

Red Tiger nodded.

“It’s not difficult to bring in that Mount Hua Sword Saint. All you have to do is create a big event. Just gather as many immature beings who can’t even take care of themselves and create a big scene, and he’ll try to come no matter what.”

“…”

“There’s no need to put in any other effort.”

Of course, the Mount Hua Sword Saint would certainly not agree with Jang Il-So’s words. He would surely come to a conclusion after numerous grounds and calculations.

But right now, Jang Il-So is saying that the conclusion has already been decided. He’s saying that it will happen after the workings of his own hidden intentions, which even the Mount Hua Sword Saint himself doesn’t know.

‘Is this possible?’

Is it within human ability to see through someone’s choice more clearly than the person themselves and create a plan accordingly?

Jang Il-So was speaking casually, but chills ran down Red Tiger’s spine as he listened to those words. After hearing these words, he finally understood why Jang Il-So thought military strategy was meaningless.

Using normal plans and strategies won’t work against someone’s real purpose.

“Then… are you saying that the Mount Hua Sword Saint will come on his own?”

“Isn’t he already doing that?”

“…”

“All I have to do is narrow down that child’s choices appropriately. Then the choice that child will make will inevitably become obvious. And…”

Jang Il-So gave a crooked smile.

“That child attracts people in and of himself. He doesn’t know it himself, but… More people will gather because of that child’s existence. Like firewood gathering in an empty lot.”

“…”

“Isn’t that enough?”

Red Tiger unknowingly opened his mouth blankly.

‘Are you saying that Chief had envisioned this situation from the moment he left the main base?’

Predicting that this would happen just by revealing himself and moving? Then was the conspicuous, enormous four-horse carriage for that reason?

He felt speechless.

Suddenly, he felt fear. Strength, tenacity, and malice. There were countless reasons why people feared Jang Il-So, but right now, Red Tiger felt like he had fully found the reason why he should truly fear Jang Il-So.

Who on earth could stand against such a person?

A trembling voice leaked from Red Tiger’s mouth.

“In the end… if everything you’ve said is true, Chief, then no one in the world can stand against you. Because no one else would fathom such depths.”

“Well. I don’t know.”

“…Yes?”

The corner of Jang Il-So’s mouth twisted strangely.

“It’s easier to understand other people than to understand yourself. Even for me, it’s hard to know myself.”

“…”

“If someone… yes, if someone were to figure out me, even the me I don’t know. If there was someone who understood the hidden intentions within me, even the ones I don’t know…”

Jang Il-So slowly stroked his white neck. His eyes flashed.

“That person would be the one to take my head.”

“…”

“Of course, that won’t happen. Haha.”

Jang Il-So laughed and drank his alcohol. Red Tiger trembled, a sense of dread seeping into his toes.

Jang Il-So was right.

That would never happen. Because no one in the world could understand this person. Because no one in the world could look into this deep abyss.