Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1535

Baek Cheon listened to the insects chirping. Usually, it was a peaceful sound, but today it felt strange. He and Yoon Jong stood facing each other, a tense silence hanging in the air.

The two men stared at each other in silence.

Baek Cheon finally spoke, his voice quiet. “Die, you said?”

He tried to keep his voice calm, but inside, a cold feeling started to grow. “Isn’t that what we all risk when we pick up a sword?”

He said it like it was obvious, but Yoon Jong’s face stayed hard.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about!” Yoon Jong said, his voice sharper now.

Baek Cheon looked closely at Yoon Jong with calm eyes.

Baek Cheon realized something new: he had never truly opened up to this thoughtful junior brother, despite their closeness.

“Hmm.”

A gentle smile touched Baek Cheon’s lips.

“I appreciate your concern, but there’s no need to be so serious. I am…”

In that instant, Yoon Jong’s sword flashed out, a streak of angry red light, aiming straight for Baek Cheon’s neck!

Startled, Baek Cheon quickly blocked with his sword, sending out many small sword attacks like flower petals.

Clang!

The moment the swords crashed, Baek Cheon was pushed backward.

“What…!”

But before he could even register his anger at the sudden assault, Yoon Jong kept attacking Baek Cheon.

It felt as if he was being surrounded on all sides at once. Baek Cheon felt the pressure, like a huge mountain falling on him.

Shink!

Baek Cheon’s sword tip swiftly scattered dozens of Plum Blossom Sword Ki. The red petals, blooming like clouds, formed a wall between Yoon Jong and Baek Cheon.

Boom!

Without hesitation, Yoon Jong stepped forward strongly. Twisting his waist as if to break it, he swung his sword horizontally in one swift motion.

Whoosh!

With a sharp tearing sound, Baek Cheon’s plum blossom petals were swept away by the sword Ki, like plum blossoms unable to resist a sudden, violent storm.

Thud!

Yoon Jong, having created an opening, swiftly lunged forward, bringing his sword down upon Baek Cheon’s head.

Baek Cheon’s eyes went wide.

Claaang!

Baek Cheon pushed his sword up to block Yoon Jong’s sword coming down. The swords crashed together in the air with a loud clang!

Crack! Crack!

Yoon Jong pressed down with the force to shatter Baek Cheon’s sword. Baek Cheon, just as stubborn, gritted his teeth and tried to push the sword back, but Yoon Jong remained as unmoving as a mountain.

Creak. Crack.

Baek Cheon’s feet gradually slid backward. The bones in his body screamed in protest. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t overcome Yoon Jong’s constant force.

Baek Cheon’s face twisted in pain and Yoon Jong’s indifferent expression met across the crossed swords.

At that moment, Yoon Jong spoke.

“No matter how…”

As if he still had strength to spare, even while pressing down on Baek Cheon.

“…flashy the deception, if there’s no power behind it, it’s just an empty shell.”

Thoom!

In that instant, Yoon Jong’s sword pushed Baek Cheon away. Stumbling back several steps, Baek Cheon finally stopped himself by plunging his sword into the ground.

Yoon Jong, his eyes narrowed, watched him.

“Therefore, what you should pursue isn’t showing off, but the true meaning within.”

Baek Cheon slowly raised his head to meet Yoon Jong’s gaze.

“…Those are words from my martial uncle.”

Baek Cheon did not reply.

The expression on his face was not the shame of being pushed back by his junior brother, nor self-disgust, nor anger at Yoon Jong’s excessive behavior. It was simply…

“You’ve become incredibly strong.”

“Is it that I’ve become stronger?”

“…”

“If people still see you as a mere fledgling, Martial Uncle, you might be able to deceive them. You could package yourself with sword skills that look real and confident talk. But, Martial Uncle.”

Yoon Jong’s cold eyes seemed to pierce through Baek Cheon.

“No one sees the acting leader of the Mount Hua Sect as a fledgling anymore.”

Baek Cheon was silent. That silence was a more definite affirmation than any answer.

“Therefore, every enemy you face will try to kill you with all their might. Without any mistake.”

“Yoon Jong-ah.”

Yoon Jong bit his lip and glared at Baek Cheon.

“I’ll say it again: you will die.”

Baek Cheon, who had been silent as if he had lost his words for a long time, sighed.

“Does everyone know?”

“They’d have to be fools not to. How could they not know?”

“Then why haven’t you said anything until now?”

Yoon Jong answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Because you are my martial uncle.”

It was an answer with so much meaning, it was hard for Baek Cheon to understand everything at once.

Baek Cheon stared straight at Yoon Jong, who was gazing back with a hardened expression, and asked:

“Then… why are you doing this now of all times?”

Yoon Jong’s hand, gripping the sword, tightened. It was a different question, but the answer he had to give was the same.

“Because you are my martial uncle.”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly.

Yes. It wasn’t that they couldn’t speak because they didn’t know. It was because they knew each other so well that they couldn’t speak.

Yoon Jong said coldly.

“Step back.”

It was Yoon Jong who uttered the chilling words, but it was also Yoon Jong whose eyes twisted as if cut by them.

“No one wants to see you die, Martial Uncle.”

“Hmm.”

Baek Cheon straightened his posture and sheathed his sword. His eyes, looking far away at the distant peaks of Mount Hua, were distant.

“Winter will be here soon.”

“…Martial Uncle.”

“When the cold winter comes, this Mount Hua will be covered in snow, as if it were a lie that it was once full of plum blossoms.”

Baek Cheon’s gaze, which had been directed far away, turned back to Yoon Jong.

“Every flower eventually withers. It’s something you can’t avoid or deny. But…”

A resolute voice rang out clearly.

“There is no flower that doesn’t bloom just because it knows it will wither.”

Baek Cheon stood firm, like a plum blossom facing the coming winter.

“It’s like a plum blossom,” Baek Cheon said. “It blooms even more beautifully because it knows it will soon fall. It blooms *because* it will lose.”

Yoon Jong bit his lip, worry etched on his face.

“There’s no need to throw yourself into it and lose,” Yoon Jong pleaded.

Baek Cheon remained silent.

“Just step back and rest properly. Isn’t it enough to recover your body? Then…” Yoon Jong stopped, his voice cracking.

A hollow laugh escaped him. He knew his words were meaningless.

Even a weakened Baek Cheon could aid the war effort. On the battlefield, even the smallest help could save lives. How could Yoon Jong not understand this?

Putting his brothers in danger to save himself? That was not an option for Baek Cheon.

“Master Uncle,” Yoon Jong said, his voice thick with emotion.

“There is nothing to worry about,” Baek Cheon replied.

Baek Cheon shook his head slowly but firmly. “I know that you could be in danger because of me. Knowing that, I will never allow such a situation to arise.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about right now!” Yoon Jong shouted, his frustration boiling over.

Seeing Yoon Jong’s anger, Baek Cheon smiled faintly. He realized Yoon Jong was capable of such strong emotions.

The fact that he was the cause was both sad and gratifying.

“Hwasan needs me,” Baek Cheon stated.

Yoon Jong was silent.

“It’s not arrogance or conceit. It’s just that I have a role to play.”

“I can do it,” Yoon Jong insisted.

“You can’t yet. You know that.”

“I…” Yoon Jong clenched his fist, his knuckles white.

He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. He would have to take over Baek Cheon’s role someday, but that day was not today. He couldn’t replace Baek Cheon right now.

“In the end, you’re going to the battlefield?” Yoon Jong asked, his voice heavy.

“Yes.”

“You won’t listen no matter what I say,” Yoon Jong said, defeated.

“Probably not.”

Yoon Jong nodded heavily. “Then I’ll have to stop you myself.”

“Yoon Jong,” Baek Cheon said softly.

“If you won’t listen to words… what else can I do?” Yoon Jong turned sharply and descended the mountain.

Baek Cheon watched Yoon Jong disappear, his expression bitter.

He sighed softly. “Come out.”

Rustling leaves announced someone’s presence.

“I wouldn’t have known you were there,” Baek Cheon admitted.

“I might not be as strong as I was,” Baek Cheon said, “but I still know when something is wrong. My instincts are still sharp. The sound of insects stopped for a moment.”

Yoo Iseol nodded, understanding. She had almost revealed herself when Yoon Jong confronted Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon turned to Yoo Iseol, who was quietly sighing. “Are you going to stop me too?”

“I feel like I should,” she admitted.

“So you’re not going to stop me.”

“Because I would have done the same,” Yoo Iseol replied. She would have made the same choice as Baek Cheon.

“I see,” Baek Cheon said, nodding. He felt a little relieved. But he couldn’t stop himself from sighing. “It’s difficult.”

Baek Cheon stared blankly at the moon rising in the sky. The pale moon, half-covered by clouds, seemed to look down at him.

Yoon Jong quickened his pace, a heavy feeling in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

It wasn’t just Baek Cheon’s stubbornness. It was his own frustration at understanding Baek Cheon’s decision. Perhaps it was helplessness.

If Yoon Jong could replace Baek Cheon, he wouldn’t be in this situation. He had thought he had more time, and that complacency had led to this. If Baek Cheon were to die in this war, Yoon Jong would never forgive himself.

No, his regrets were secondary. The important thing was that Baek Cheon survived, along with everyone else.

‘Supreme Elder…’ Yoon Jong thought, then quickly shook his head.

If the Supreme Elder intervened, he might stop Baek Cheon, but the situation could worsen. And he wasn’t sure if forcing Baek Cheon to stay put would solve anything.

He felt trapped and heavy-hearted, as if all paths were blocked. He was impatient and desperate, but he saw no solution.

Then, Cheong Myeong came to mind.

It wasn’t just Baek Cheon that he couldn’t understand. Why was that damn bastard still silent? Surely Cheong Myeong knew what Yoon Jong knew?

Yoon Jong’s pace quickened.

‘If it’s that bastard…’

He had to hear it. Why was Cheong Myeong silent? Why was he acting like this was someone else’s problem, with war about to break out? Why was he condoning Baek Cheon going to the battlefield in his condition?

In the darkness, Yoon Jong’s eyes narrowed. ‘If it’s that bastard… he’ll give me some kind of answer.’

No, he would *make* him give an answer. Definitely.