Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1644

The silence was heavy. It stretched out, making the air thick.

Jang Il-so spoke first, breaking the silence.

With a sigh, Jang Il-so sat back down and waved his hand.

“Let’s stop, Ga-myeong. I don’t think we need to argue about this.”

Ho Ga-myeong stared at Jang Il-so without answering.

“You’re right. I was a little less composed, and I was too hasty. But I am thinking.”

Lines of tiredness were carved deep into Jang Il-so’s face, like marks on old wood.

“The best way to win is to destroy what won’t work. We should crush them quickly.”

“So don’t say I’ve given up.”

“Really?”

“Doesn’t it seem that way?”

Jang Il-so looked directly at Ho Ga-myeong. His eyes, usually bright, were now like pale, curved moons in the dim light, showing a hint of sadness.

Ho Ga-myeong closed his eyes.

He was calm again. But Jang Il-so’s words were still a polite refusal. Ho Ga-myeong understood. He felt a growing feeling of hopelessness. He couldn’t ignore it.

“If you wish it, I will follow your will.”

Ho Ga-myeong spoke slowly, then paused.

“But, Lord, can I ask one more thing?”

Jang Il-so paused.

He usually said, ‘Ask me anything.’ But now, the words were hard to say.

“Do you understand, Lord?”

Jang Il-so was silent. *Understand what?* his mind screamed. *Does he even understand himself anymore?* He looked away, unable to meet Ho Ga-myeong’s steady gaze.

It was a question others might find silly, a question to be laughed at and forgotten. But for Jang Il-so, it felt like a punch to the stomach. It stole his breath and left him speechless.

“I asked if you were enjoying yourself for a reason. It was our first goal, and I thought it was what you wanted.”

Ho Ga-myeong’s voice was calm.

“Lord, do you remember Wang-sa?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Even after we got revenge, I thought about him. I didn’t understand why someone with everything would crush a small family like ours. Why would someone so great do something so foolish?”

“You… understood?”

“Yes.”

“That man?”

Ho Ga-myeong nodded. Jang Il-so was curious.

“Alright. Why did that pig crush your family? Was it just greed?”

“There wasn’t.”

“Hmm?”

Ho Ga-myeong shook his head.

“There was no reason. He didn’t need one.”

Jang Il-so’s face hardened.

“Wealth became the goal, not the means. Even if he couldn’t use the wealth before he died, he still had to grab more and hold onto it.”

“So it didn’t matter who he hurt. He just killed and stole because there was wealth.”

Jang Il-so stared at Ho Ga-myeong.

“Am I now…”

He stopped, then finally said,

“…the same as that pig?”

A cool night breeze whispered through the crack in the door. It carried the scent of damp earth and rustled softly, touching the faces of the two men like a cold finger.

Ho Ga-myeong rubbed his cold fingers and took a breath.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just curious.”

“About what?”

“What do you mean by taking over the Jianghu? Is there a goal, or is it just meaningful to you?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

Ho Ga-myeong bowed deeply.

“I will leave.”

“Please sleep. Even martial artists need rest.”

Ho Ga-myeong turned to leave. Jang Il-so stopped him.

“Ga-myeong.”

Ho Ga-myeong stopped, but didn’t turn around. Jang Il-so stared at his back.

“If I am just chasing a flame, what will you do? Will you criticize me, or turn away?”

Ho Ga-myeong turned around, his eyes calm. He looked at the shadows on Jang Il-so’s face.

“Since you helped me that day, I have never thought of leaving you.”

“If the world abandons you, I will be the last one by your side.”

It was enough, but Ho Ga-myeong added,

“Because that’s what we decided.”

“Rest well.”

Ho Ga-myeong bowed and left.

Jang Il-so stared at the closed door and reached for the liquor bottle.

But he only touched broken glass and spilled liquor.

“Haha.”

He laughed sadly.

He grabbed the broken bottle. Sharp pieces cut his hand, and blood mixed with the liquor.

He didn’t seem to feel the pain. Jang Il-so looked to the side.

The mirror showed a stranger. His lips were cracked and dry, like desert earth. Dark shadows under his eyes made him look like he hadn’t slept in days. His face was pale and strained, a mask of worry.

He threw the bottle at the mirror. It crashed and fell to the floor.

“Haha. I look terrible.”

Was he wrong?

Even when he met Ho Ga-myeong, Jang Il-so wasn’t happy. He wanted something more.

What’s different now?

Is it bad to be a moth?

Even if he burns his wings, isn’t it better than being a pig eating filth?

He thought so. At least, he wanted to think so.

But work with them to survive?

Jang Il-so covered his mouth. He felt sick. His stomach twisted at the thought of fighting with them.

He knew it was a way to survive. But his body refused. Maybe his soul refused.

Anger and hate he couldn’t stop.

He had destroyed half of Shaolin. He had killed many righteous people, but the hate didn’t cool down.

It burned even more when he faced them.

“Haha… Hahaha. Ga-myeong, Ga-myeong.”

Ho Ga-myeong was right, but wrong.

Surviving is Jang Il-so’s way. Throwing away everything to win is Jang Il-so’s way.

But what does survival mean if it’s not Jang Il-so’s way?

He would be the same as them.

“Ga-myeong…”

Jang Il-so slumped in his chair, looking at the ceiling. He felt hopeless.

“Why…”

He closed his eyes. He remembered Ho Ga-myeong’s eyes.

A little disappointment, distrust, and anger.

Those eyes made Jang Il-so feel weak.

He felt like he had seen it before.

“Ga-myeong…’

Nothing has changed. He hasn’t changed anything.

He will gain what he can. He won’t give up what he can gain now.

A lamp flickered beside Jang Il-so.

“Military Officer.”

Ho Ga-myeong walked past those who greeted him.

He didn’t care about their expressions.

‘Lord.’

Ho Ga-myeong bit his lip.

– Hahahaha. You look sad. Dying is romantic, isn’t it?

Jang Il-so was always calm. He laughed even when he was about to die. He never gave up.

And he never changed.

So, why is Jang Il-so different? What went wrong?

Is the future too hard for him?

No. He will laugh even if the sky falls. He won’t collapse.

Then why?

“Why…”

Ho Ga-myeong groaned.

Nothing has changed.

Even if Jang Il-so does something he doesn’t understand, Ho Ga-myeong will help him, even if it costs his life.

He meant it.

If Jang Il-so goes to hell, Ho Ga-myeong will be there. But he hoped Jang Il-so could laugh, even in hell. That was the Jang Il-so he knew.

Ho Ga-myeong bit his lip until it bled.

Now he understood.

“It’s different. No, it was different.”

Ho Ga-myeong and Jang Il-so wanted different things.

Ho Ga-myeong wiped the blood from his mouth and went to his office. The sun was rising.