Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1498

Chung Myung watched Hyunpoong Shin-gae cry. Tears streamed down the old man’s face.

It might seem odd, but seeing Hyunpoong Shin-gae so emotional made Chung Myung feel a strange comfort.

It was a comfort that told him his past actions had not been for nothing.

“…Thank you,” Chung Myung said softly.

The words were simple, but they held so much meaning, so many feelings, that Hyunpoong Shin-gae could not grasp them all.

“…Please don’t say that, Sword Saint.”

Hyunpoong Shin-gae shook his head weakly.

“How could you say such a thing? This loyalty should have been offered to the Sword Saint long ago. This courage should have been shown sooner. Only after it’s all so late… can I repay even a little of that terrible debt…”

He couldn’t finish his words, biting his lip to hold back his emotions.

After a moment, he looked at Chung Myung, his face filled with guilt.

“Because I have neglected the Beggars’ Sect for too long, it will not be easy. I am sorry to say that I must ask for the Sword Saint’s help…”

Chung Myung interrupted him firmly.

“It doesn’t matter. Just tell me where to go. Opening the path is my job.”

A small smile appeared on Hyunpoong Shin-gae’s face.

“That’s right. You always were like that, Sword Saint.”

Suddenly, Hyunpoong Shin-gae looked like he was remembering something from long ago. His eyes became sad.

“…There are many things I want to ask, and many things I want to say… Cough!”

He coughed, a dry sound from his wrinkled mouth.

“Hoo…”

He smiled, holding his hand to his heart.

“As you can see… I don’t have much time left.”

“…Hyunpoong-gae.”

Chung Myung started to speak, but Hyunpoong-gae shook his head.

“Don’t look at me with such pity. The Sword Saint has not shortened my life. Rather, you have given me one last chance.”

Hyunpoong Shin-gae, with a faint smile, looked towards a staircase leading down.

“And… I also have a favor to ask of the Sword Saint.”

“A favor?”

Chung Myung’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Hmm?”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord, who had been listening, suddenly frowned. A faint noise came from the upper floor. The soundproofing between the floors had been lifted.

Then, a faint but clear voice followed.

“…Come up.”

“Yes!”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord answered and said to Baek Cheon and his group.

“We must go up again.”

“Yes.”

Everyone nodded.

Led by the Heavenly Sang Manor Lord, they went to the upper floor and saw Hyunpoong Shin-gae lying on a bed in a dimly lit room, with Chung Myung standing beside him.

The room looked the same, but the air felt heavy now. The dim light seemed to press down on them, and the silence was thick with unspoken feelings.

“Cough. Cough, cough!”

“Master! Are you alright?”

Hyunpoong Shin-gae coughed, and the Heavenly Sang Manor Lord rushed to his side, his face worried. The situation was not good.

“You must rest. You have been awake for too long.”

“…It’s alright.”

“No, you must save your strength…”

“(A weak cough).”

“It’s alright now.”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord bit his lip.

“I… I have done something truly terrible to you.”

“No, Master. How can you say such a thing? It is only natural for a disciple to follow the will of their master.”

Hyunpoong Shin-gae shook his head weakly at the Heavenly Sang Manor Lord, who was earnestly disagreeing.

“I already knew it too. But I ignored it. Everything I was trying to do was achieved through your sacrifice.”

“…”

“Fulfill the wishes of these people. After that, you can do whatever you want.”

“Master…”

“Can you do it?”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord, who had been silent, nodded.

“I will follow your command.”

“It’s not a command, but a request. Can you grant it?”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord closed his mouth tightly.

Hyunpoong Shin-gae waited quietly. The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord, who had been staring at Hyunpoong Shin-gae for a long time, finally spoke.

“…I will do so.”

Hyunpoong Shin-gae reached out his trembling hand and grasped the Heavenly Sang Manor Lord’s hand. The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord also clasped his wrinkled hand.

That small gesture showed how much they cared for each other.

With their hands clasped, Hyunpoong Shin-gae looked at Chung Myung and the Five Swordsmen.

“It won’t be easy, but… if these people help you, you will be able to do it.”

“Yes, Master.”

“And… I believe that even if it has cooled down so much, there is still hot blood flowing within you.”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord flinched slightly.

“(A weak cough)…”

“…Yes, Master.”

“I have only just realized now that if you are alive, there is always a chance to turn things around.”

“…”

“Perhaps I didn’t trust you. I only now realize how foolish I was…”

“Please don’t say such things. You did your best.”

It was a firm voice. A faint smile spread across Hyunpoong Shin-gae’s lips.

Sometimes, a touch can say more than words.

They were walking the same path, so no more words were needed. They understood each other deeply.

“Sword… Hero.”

Hyunpoong Shin-gae said, looking at Chung Myung.

“He is a capable person… he will be of help.”

Chung Myung nodded.

“But Sword Hero, as you know… the path that you must walk is very difficult and painful. It will be a thorny path that never ends.”

It was a worried comment. Chung Myung replied bluntly.

“What else can I do? That’s the only path there is. I can’t just sit down and do nothing.”

“…”

“And there is no such thing as an eternal thorny path. Every path eventually has an end. I am just going towards that end.”

Hyunpoong Shin-gae’s eyes softened.

He was the one who lacked courage. He was afraid of the thorny path and had given up. If he had broken through, the Beggars’ Sect and the world would be different now.

“…That’s right.”

Chung Myung was always like that. He knew it was hard, but he walked that path anyway. That is why so many people followed him in the past, and why so many people are looking at him now.

“I believe in you. Sword… Hero.”

Chung Myung nodded.

Then Hyunpoong Shin-gae looked towards the ceiling, as if he was looking at the sky.

“It has been long, too long… Only now… have I finally gained the courage to ask for forgiveness.”

“…Shin-gae.”

“(A weak cough)… Please open the window.”

“Yes, Master.”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord quickly opened the small window. It creaked, as if it had not been opened for a long time.

Cool night air poured in through the wide-open window, carrying the scent of damp earth and distant flowers. It pushed out the stuffy air in the cramped room.

“The air is a bit cold, Master…”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord turned his head and froze.

Hyunpoong Shin-gae’s eyes were closed. His face was peaceful.

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord bit the inside of his mouth.

He shouldn’t cry.

Hyunpoong Shin-gae was now free from pain. He should laugh.

But he couldn’t.

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord moved to the bed and carefully took Hyunpoong Shin-gae’s hand.

No one will know how much this old man had carried and endured.

“…I will fulfill your request, Master. So…”

Rest in peace.

He buried the words in his heart. The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord grasped Hyunpoong Shin-gae’s hand for the last time and released it. Then he said to Chung Myung and his group.

“Can you give me some time… to sort things out…”

“Leave him there.”

“…Yes?”

Chung Myung was staring at Hyunpoong Shin-gae.

“Those who died fighting were buried there.”

“…”

“That was the rule back then.”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord’s shoulders trembled.

“The war is over, but it must have still been a battlefield for him. He has been fighting until now. He is not just someone from the past. He is a warrior who kept fighting even when everyone else had stopped.”

“…Hwasan Sword Hero.”

“So leave him there. That’s what he would want too.”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord bit his lip until it turned white. He was about to cry.

No one had said these words to Hyunpoong Shin-gae, and no one could have said them. Except for Chung Myung.

“…I will… I will do that.”

Chung Myung nodded.

A new wind was blowing in through the open window. It was small, but the window was open.

By Hyunpoong Shin-gae’s will.

“Amitabha.”

Hye-yeon chanted and began reciting scriptures. The disciples of Hwasan also chanted and paid their respects to Hyunpoong Shin-gae.

No one knows everything he has done.

But he deserves respect for enduring in this dark room.

“Let’s go down.”

“Alright.”

Baek Cheon clasped his hands and turned around.

Soon, Chung Myung and the Heavenly Sang Manor Lord also glanced at Hyunpoong Shin-gae and left the dark room.

“…I will close it.”

The Heavenly Sang Manor Lord moved the mechanism, and the stairs rose upwards. The door to the ceiling closed.

Chung Myung stared at the closed door.

That door will never be opened again.

It may be a small tomb for someone who had fought alone for so long.

But Chung Myung thought it was the right place for Hyunpoong Shin-gae.

‘Watch over us from there.’

Chung Myung will prove that it was not all for nothing. And everything that Chung Myung does will be carried to the small, quiet dark room.

To the resting place of one who never gave up.