Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1546

Nevertheless (1)

Jo Gul could not speak. He just stared.

This was not the Yoon Jong he knew. The Yoon Jong he knew always smiled a little. He seemed like a friendly person.

But now, Yoon Jong’s face was hard. His eyes were cold. Jo Gul felt a chill in the air around him. It was hard to even open his mouth to speak to Yoon Jong now.

“Yoon Jong-ah.”

Baek Cheon sighed and called out to Yoon Jong, trying to change his mind.

“It is not possible.”

Before Baek Cheon could say anything, Im So-byeong’s firm voice interrupted. Im So-byeong glared at Yoon Jong with a cold look.

“Does Yoon Jong understand how serious this situation is?”

“Of course.”

“No, I don’t think you do.”

Im So-byeong answered back quickly and angrily.

“The Heavenly Union moving now is exactly what the Four Evils Sect wants. Are you saying we should do what the enemy wants?”

“…”

“I understand what you’re worried about, but moving now is definitely not the right thing to do. We must protect Hwaeom now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Hwaeom has all our strength and everything we need to protect. If we spread out our people, the Demonic Army will attack this place in any way they can. They will use even the smallest weakness to break us apart.”

“That’s right.”

Tang Gunak agreed.

“So, we can’t lose any strength, not even one person.”

Im So-byeong’s face was unusually cold. He strongly refused to listen to any reason or request.

Even though he didn’t have an official title, he was clearly the strategist of the Heavenly Union and the leader of the large Green Forest Clan.

He was not someone a young disciple of Mount Hua could easily argue with.

Also, the Green Forest King seemed ready to use force if needed. He wouldn’t let a small argument change the alliance’s plan.

But even with all that pressure, Yoon Jong stayed calm.

“Is that why I shouldn’t go?”

“Yes.”

“That’s not a reason for me not to go. It’s a reason for what the Heavenly Union must do.”

“Yoon Jong.”

“How long will we only protect this place?”

Yoon Jong’s quiet voice echoed in the silent hall.

“People are dying, villages are burning, and people who have worked hard all year are losing everything. How long do we have to wait while this keeps happening?”

“…”

“Seven days and nights?”

“Yoon Jong.”

“Or a month?”

“Jang Il-so will definitely move. When that happens…”

“If he doesn’t move, does that mean we will only protect Hwaeom, even if everything else is destroyed?”

Im So-byeong stopped talking.

Jang Il-so would move. He was sure of it.

But he couldn’t convince others that he was certain. There was always a chance something unexpected could happen. More importantly, saying he could completely predict Jang Il-so’s actions was just being arrogant.

Yoon Jong continued.

“You asked for a reason?”

“…”

“Then I’ll give you one. Because there are people waiting for help.”

It was a common thing to say. Im So-byeong sighed.

“Yoon Jong, that’s a common thing to say…”

“Common?”

Yoon Jong’s voice changed completely. A sharp, cold energy came from him.

Yoon Jong looked at Chung Myung.

“You answer me.”

“S-Senior Brother!”

Jo Gul tried to stop him, but Yoon Jong didn’t even look at him. He only stared at Chung Myung.

“Is what I’m saying a common thing to say?”

Chung Myung didn’t answer. His lips were pressed together tightly.

“Answer me.”

Only after Yoon Jong asked him again did Chung Myung sigh deeply.

“The Green Forest King isn’t wrong.”

“…”

“I understand how you feel. You’re that kind of person, Senior Brother. But now is not the time to move like that. It would be better to have the Beggars’ Union or the Illusory Shadow Clan gather people in Hwaeom. This place is safer.”

Yoon Jong listened quietly and nodded.

“Is that your answer?”

“Senior Brother.”

Jo Gul fidgeted, trying to help them reach an agreement. But neither of them paid attention to Jo Gul. Even Im So-byeong, who had been trying to stop them, was now quiet.

Im So-byeong stayed silent because he felt this was more than just an emotional fight between martial siblings.

With everyone watching him, Yoon Jong spoke quietly.

“I’m curious.”

It was a serious and cold question.

“Why have you been so critical of the Nine Sects all this time?”

“Yoon Jong-ah!”

Baek Cheon jumped up from his seat. That was going too far. But Chung Myung stopped him before he could say anything.

“Compare things that are similar. We’re not just trying to protect ourselves right now.”

“Then who else are we protecting?”

“Everyone in Hwaeom. And the common people in Gangbuk. Everyone…”

“What about Gangnam?”

“Huh…?”

Yoon Jong answered back coldly.

“What about the people in Gangnam? Weren’t they suffering the most?”

“What are…”

Chung Myung almost said something rude, telling him to stop talking nonsense, but he stopped himself.

They were talking about Gangbuk now, so why was he suddenly bringing up Gangnam?

“Do you remember?”

“⋯⋯Remember what?”

“When we lost to the Myriad Man House in the Jang River and signed a treaty to give up all of Gangnam, we couldn’t sleep for three days and nights.”

Everyone’s face became serious as they remembered the Jang River tragedy from years ago. Years ago, they had lost a battle there and had to give up land, causing much suffering.

Chung Myung also stopped talking.

“What bothered us wasn’t the loss itself. It was knowing the suffering that many people in Gangnam would face because we weren’t there. The guilt of not being able to protect them was worse than losing to the Demonic forces.”

Several people nodded slowly. Everyone there could understand that feeling.

“You know that best, Chung Myung. You were the one who had the hardest time back then.”

Chung Myung didn’t answer. His eyes just seemed to sink into darkness.

“But…”

Yoon Jong looked at everyone and then looked back at Chung Myung.

“What about now?”

“⋯⋯”

“Are you suffering?”

A heavy silence filled the hall.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? The suffering they’re going through hasn’t gotten any better. Maybe it’s even worse now that we’re about to go to war. But now, no one cares about the suffering of the people of Gangnam.”

“Yoon Jong-ah, that’s…”

“Because it can’t be helped.”

Yoon Jong even interrupted Hyun Jong.

“Yes, because it can’t be helped. Because we don’t have the strength. Because we can’t do anything about it right now. So, we had to accept it. But…”

Yoon Jong’s eyes narrowed.

“Is that really true?”

He smirked.

It was a smile that made fun of himself, but it also seemed to mock those who were watching. That’s how much Yoon Jong’s words were like sharp arrows hitting everyone’s hearts.

“We retreated because we had no choice. So, we tried to protect at least Gangbuk. But now, we have to ignore the suffering of the people of Gangbuk again. Why? Because it can’t be helped.”

Jo Gul looked at Chung Myung without thinking. He couldn’t tell what Chung Myung was thinking from his face.

“So, we give up Gangnam, give up Gangbuk, and if we still don’t have enough strength, we’ll even give up Hwaeom? Then what? What will you do if you still don’t have enough strength after that? Will you just protect Mount Hua, leaving the Heavenly Union and everything else behind?”

“Yoon Jong-ah!”

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

Yoon Jong glared right at Hyun Jong.

Jo Gul felt like he couldn’t breathe.

It was Yoon Jong, of all people.

Yoon Jong, who trusted and followed Hyun Jong the most in Mount Hua along with Yoo Iseol, was now glaring at Hyun Jong.

“Everything you say is correct. There’s nothing wrong with it. But… strangely, doesn’t that correct statement sound like what we’ve been strongly arguing against, saying it was wrong?”

“Senior Brother, now…”

“I thought I felt this way because I was still young. Everyone else is better than me, so I thought they would naturally have different ideas. But the conclusion that everyone here has come to is, ‘Let’s hide here like turtles and wait, no matter who dies’?”

“Senior Brother!”

Chung Myung frowned and raised his voice as if he couldn’t listen anymore.

“Don’t talk carelessly. Everyone here cares about the common people. The reason we have to do this is because if we lose…”

Chung Myung stopped for a moment. Then, he closed his mouth.

The words he was about to say sounded like what he had heard in the past.

Chung Myung had made fun of Beop Jeong for saying the same thing to him. All those words were now coming back to Chung Myung.

He was contradicting himself.

His own logic, his threats, and his actions were now trapping them.

Everything that had brought the Heavenly Union to this point was now making it hard for him to choose.

“I don’t expect you to agree with me. Everyone has different thoughts. But don’t force that choice on me.”

“Why?”

Baek Cheon, who had been listening quietly, glared at Yoon Jong and asked.

“It’s just you. What can you do by going? What will you do with that righteousness you’re talking about? Are you just going to save a few people to make yourself feel better?”

“Baek Cheon-ah, you’re being too harsh!”

Hyun Jong tried to stop him, but Yoon Jong spoke as if he had been waiting for that question.

“As Uncle says, I might not be able to save anyone on my own. People might even point at me and laugh at me for doing something foolish.”

Yoon Jong closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them.

“But at least, I can prove one thing.”

“Prove?”

“That it wasn’t a lie.”

Yoon Jong looked back at Chung Myung.

“That everything we’ve done so far wasn’t just a game for those in power. That we didn’t just offer a helping hand after protecting everything we had, acting like we were doing them a favor.”

He paused and then grabbed the sword at his waist.

“Also, that everything we’ve done so far wasn’t for future rewards. That I’m holding a sword because I’m ready to walk that path even if there’s nothing to gain!”

Chung Myung was silent. He just stared at the plum blossom sword that Yoon Jong was holding.

He looked from the plum blossom sword to the martial uniform Yoon Jong was wearing, to the small plum blossom on his left chest, and finally to Yoon Jong’s face.

Yoon Jong looked right at Chung Myung and said clearly.

“That’s what I’ve learned in Mount Hua.”

Chung Myung closed his eyes as if he was overwhelmed. His eyelashes trembled slightly.

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Status: Ongoing Author: Released: 2019 Native Language: Korean
Bookmark
Followed 9 people
[English Translation] Chung Myung, the legendary Plum Blossom Swordmaster of Mount Hua, awakens after a hundred years of slumber only to find his once-mighty sect reduced to ruins. With unwavering determination, he disguises himself as a young disciple and embarks on a mission to restore Mount Hua to its former glory. From training new disciples to facing lifelong enemies, Chung Myung must revive the sect while uncovering dark conspiracies that threaten the martial world. "Return of Mount Hua Sect" is an epic tale of resurgence, sacrifice, and fierce battles that will shake the world!

Read Settings

not work with dark mode
Reset