Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1609

I didn’t really want to follow him. I just needed to get away from everyone staring at me.

I wanted to find a quiet place, somewhere not everyone knew about. I remembered Chung Myung often came here alone.

Now, people were looking at me the same way they looked at him. Walking the same path, I finally understood something. Believing you are right, knowing you are doing the right thing, doesn’t always make you feel good.

Baek Cheon quietly looked at Chung Myung. Maybe Chung Myung had lived with these stares for years.

Sometimes, Baek Cheon was jealous of Chung Myung. He could see things others missed, and he was brave enough to talk about things others were afraid to say.

But now Baek Cheon understood. It was hard to carry that weight alone.

Chung Myung: “Shaolin? What happened there?”

Baek Cheon: “About the Blood Demon Sect… it’s okay. No big fights. They just left, didn’t cause any more trouble. The Shaolin monks will guard Mount Song now.”

Chung Myung nodded slowly. Baek Cheon continued to explain.

Baek Cheon: “I asked Abbot Hyebang to help with the remaining Suro bandits. He agreed, so they will leave and go to Shaanxi in a few days.”

Chung Myung: “Okay.”

This time, Baek Cheon asked.

Baek Cheon: “What about Hae Yeon?”

Chung Myung looked towards Mount Hua, towards the empty halls.

Chung Myung: “He’s locked himself in his room since we got back.”

Baek Cheon’s face showed his worry.

Baek Cheon: “…I see. Should I go talk to him?”

Chung Myung stopped him quickly. His voice was firm.

Chung Myung: “Leave him alone. It’s better to leave him alone right now. He won’t listen to anyone.”

Baek Cheon sighed softly.

Baek Cheon: “…Okay.”

Baek Cheon couldn’t imagine how Hae Yeon must be feeling. If it was him, he wouldn’t be thinking straight either.

So, for now, he could only wait for Hae Yeon to get better on his own.

Chung Myung stared into the distance.

Chung Myung: “He’ll get up. He’s that kind of guy.”

Baek Cheon silently watched Chung Myung.

He pretended not to care, but he seemed worried. He probably checked on Hae Yeon’s room a few times.

Baek Cheon took a deep breath.

Baek Cheon: “He will.”

Hae Yeon was like glass, easy to break, but also surprisingly strong. Baek Cheon knew he would get through this, eventually.

Baek Cheon: “What happened to the Abbot?”

Chung Myung replied, still looking at the sunset.

Chung Myung: “He’ll probably… go back. To Shaolin.”

Baek Cheon: “To Shaolin?”

Chung Myung nodded slightly. Baek Cheon looked surprised.

Baek Cheon: “Can he? After so many people died because of him? How can he face the monks at Shaolin? If it were me, I’d be too ashamed to go back.”

Chung Myung spoke quietly, as if to himself.

Chung Myung: “Because he has nowhere else to go.”

Chung Myung’s voice sounded a little bitter. Baek Cheon wondered why.

Baek Cheon: “So, what about Shaolin now?”

Chung Myung: “They won’t be strong for a while.”

Even though Shaolin was still powerful on Mount Song, Abbot Beopjeong had lost his strength to lead. The monks left at Shaolin had been against him from the start.

But they weren’t strong enough to kick him out either. Hyebang wasn’t ready to take over.

It would be awkward for a while. They would have to live together, even with the old anger between them, until time healed the wounds.

Baek Cheon sighed softly.

Baek Cheon: “What is the Abbot thinking?”

Chung Myung: “…Well. I don’t know.”

Baek Cheon: “If only he had…”

Baek Cheon sighed, looking at the sky far away. He shook his head.

If only the Abbot had listened to others… so many people wouldn’t have died for nothing.

But Baek Cheon couldn’t say it out loud. The words felt stuck in his throat.

Without thinking, Baek Cheon touched his neck. He felt uneasy, but didn’t know why.

Chung Myung had been watching him quietly. He leaned back, resting on one arm, and spoke.

Chung Myung: “He must have believed he was right.”

Baek Cheon didn’t say anything.

Chung Myung continued, “Believed he wasn’t wrong. That he was on the right path. Even if others disagreed, he thought he was right, and everyone would see it in the end.”

As soon as Chung Myung said those words, Baek Cheon understood. He knew what was making him feel uneasy.

Chung Myung nodded.

Chung Myung: “Yeah. Is that really wrong?”

A cold feeling went through Baek Cheon’s fingers. *Yes, it’s wrong.* That’s what he wanted to say. The results showed it clearly. They could talk for a whole day about all the mistakes the Abbot had made.

But Baek Cheon couldn’t just say “yes” to Chung Myung. He didn’t know for sure.

Until you see the end, no one really knows if they are right or wrong. It’s easy for people watching from outside to judge, but it’s not easy for the person in the middle of it.

So, in the end, you just have to keep going. You have to believe you are doing the right thing, hope you are not wrong, and keep moving forward quietly. Just like…

Chung Myung: “He must have realized it too, at some point.”

Baek Cheon didn’t answer.

Chung Myung continued, “But by then, it’s too late to change anything. He’ll regret it over and over. He’ll keep thinking about what happened, again and again, and he can’t go back. He’ll be completely miserable.”

Baek Cheon still couldn’t feel sorry for Abbot Beopjeong. Chung Myung probably felt the same.

But Baek Cheon understood why he couldn’t easily judge someone, even someone who seemed to deserve it. He now knew what it was like to make choices that could affect so many lives. He understood the feeling of walking on a dangerous path, like walking on the edge of a cliff.

Could Baek Cheon say he was any different? Was he really on the right path now?

The story was not unbelievable. Just a short time ago, he had brought up a story everyone else wanted to forget.

What if it was just a baseless fear? What if it only seemed that way because the circumstances aligned?

Then Baek Cheon’s actions might have broken a possible friendship before it even started. Suspicion would create more suspicion, and in the end, they might turn against each other.

Was that truly the right thing to do? Baek Cheon’s fingertips trembled slightly.

‘Courage…’

He used to believe that. That courage was about moving forward strongly with what you thought was right. Even if it meant dying, doing what was ‘right’ was courage.

But who decides what is ‘right’ in the end?

Like Baek Cheon now, Beop Jeong must have believed it too. That a decision made after much hard thought must be perfect.

That even with many worries, he couldn’t give up the ‘justice’ he had found.

When that ‘justice’ brought suffering to everyone, what must Beop Jeong have felt?

He shouldn’t be pitied. He doesn’t deserve pity. But still…

“Getting scared now?”

Cheong Myeong’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Baek Cheon turned and saw Cheong Myeong smiling softly, his face in shadow from the evening light.

It was different from the mocking smile he usually had when Baek Cheon tried his best.

Baek Cheon answered softly.

“Not really scared… more like just knowing. Knowing that there’s no perfect choice in this world. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I prepare, in the end, I will lose something.”

Cheong Myeong watched Baek Cheon silently. Baek Cheon went on.

“I’ll probably regret it too. There will be days when I feel sad that things could have been better if I had chosen differently. But… whatever happens to us, it’s better than not choosing at all.”

He didn’t say why.

But both Baek Cheon and Cheong Myeong understood.

That in the end, someone has to decide, and someone has to be responsible for it. To delay a choice is just giving that responsibility to someone else.

That’s why they can’t go back on what they’ve done.

Even if they become like Beop Jeong one day, and people blame them, it’s better than someone else suffering that pain.

“So, I will not back down.”

Cheong Myeong quietly stared at Baek Cheon. Now the sun had gone down behind the western mountains, and only the last light remained around them.

Baek Cheon looked straight at Cheong Myeong and said,

“So, this isn’t your fault.”

Cheong Myeong’s lips twitched slightly. But Baek Cheon was faster.

“There might have been a way, somewhere, for you to stop the Sect Leader’s choice from the start.”

“…”

“You’re probably still looking for it. Because you’re that kind of guy. You’re thinking that if you had chosen correctly, if you could have found that path, they wouldn’t have had to die like that.”

Cheong Myeong’s face hardened.

“I…”

“You’re really unbelievable.”

“…Huh?”

Cheong Myeong looked confused by the sudden harsh words. Baek Cheon frowned as he looked at him.

“I can’t believe how much you think of yourself to even think like that. Aren’t you a little weird?”

Cheong Myeong slowly opened his mouth.

“No…”

It wasn’t just the words, but hearing them from Baek Cheon, of all people, that was strange.

“Don’t underestimate people.”

“…”

“Even if the Sect Leader made the choice, everyone there decided to follow it. And even if you make a mistake, it’s none other than us who decide to follow that mistake.”

Cheong Myeong pressed his lips tightly together.

“So don’t have such crazy thoughts that you’re carrying everyone’s lives. It’s annoying.”

“Martial Uncle.”

Baek Cheon stood up quickly.

“You don’t decide how I live, I do.”

He looked up at the sky. Night was coming, pushing away the evening light. The light would disappear, but it would still be bright until the very end.

“So stop looking so sad and gloomy.”

“…”

“I won’t wait forever.”

With that, Baek Cheon turned and walked down the mountain.

Cheong Myeong watched him walk away, then looked up at the darkening sky.

*Plop!*

He lay down right there.

“…They’ve all grown up. Those kids.”

He laughed softly, as if he was thinking about something else.

Did Cheong Mun feel like this when he looked at him, back then?

No, probably not. Cheong Mun probably never looked at him like that until the very end.

Cheong Myeong had been leading the way.

He thought he had to bring Mount Hua back to life himself, pulling everyone along.

But at some point, they started leading him. Or rather, pushing him forward. Telling him not to slow them down.

“…Sect Brother.”

When he closed his eyes, he saw Cheong Mun. Not his kind smile. But his serious face.

That face was definitely…

– I will not accept this decision until I die.

Cheong Myeong blinked and looked down.

Those were the words Cheong Myeong had said to Cheong Mun before, when he was stopped from saving Cheong Jin.

Words he had said many times, and regretted many times. But still, words he could never forget.

Maybe he was still stuck in the past.

Stuck there, knowing he had to move on, but unable to take a step because he was afraid of losing what he had. A sad person who only knew how to hold on tightly to what he had.

Cheong Myeong laughed a little.

“Really… they won’t even let me stop for a second.”

He stood up.

Wasn’t that enough to understand?

It didn’t matter if he was a sad person who couldn’t get out of the mud of the past. Because now there were people living lives different from that mud.

That’s why they were shining, and that’s why he felt worried.

The sky now looked the same as when he had argued with Cheong Mun before.

But now, Cheong Myeong was where Cheong Mun had been. So now, he had to give an answer. A different answer from what Cheong Mun had given then.

The answer Cheong Mun had wanted to hear most.

Cheong Myeong smiled slightly and took a step down.

Cheong Mun, who he had imagined, finally smiled kindly at Cheong Myeong.