Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1653

Whoosh!

The sword sliced through the air.

The sword cut through the air cleanly. But it wasn’t as sharp as it used to be.

Had it become dull?

No, not quite. This sword now had a gentle quality.

Wudang swords were meant to be gentle, not just sharp.

The gentle flow in his fast sword movements showed his skill was reaching its peak.

Whoosh!

The sword was thrust out again.

Suddenly.

But this strike wasn’t as smooth as the last one. The swordsman seemed troubled, thrusting the sword out several times before shaking his head.

Just then.

“Senior Brother! Senior Brotheeeeer!”

The swordsman turned his head slightly. His disciple, pale as a ghost, was rushing toward him.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“B-Big trouble, Senior Brother Jin Hyun! H-Have you heard the news?”

Jin Hyun frowned slightly.

“What news are you talking about? Speak properly…”

Jin Hyun started to say something sharp, but his disciple cut him off, crying urgently.

“Jang Il-So is leading the Sahe Alliance this way!”

Jin Hyun’s slightly open mouth snapped shut. A chill settled in his eyes.

“Is that a fact?”

“Yes! The rumor is spreading fast. They say they’re moving this way. The Beggars’ Sect, who were watching the Sahe Alliance, sent word.”

“Is that so?”

Jin Hyun nodded heavily.

He didn’t say anything else. Frustrated by this reaction, his disciple, Jinsong, asked.

“So, what happens now, Senior Brother?”

“…What do you mean, what happens?”

“It’s the Sahe Alliance! We, Wudang, can’t fight them alone, can we?”

“…”

“I heard that Shaolin was crushed too… Before they come, we should leave this place and…”

“Silence.”

At the sharp rebuke, Jinsong flinched and shrank back.

“Be careful what you say. Words can’t be unsaid.”

“I’m… sorry, Senior Brother.”

“The Sect Leader will decide what we do. We just follow orders.”

How could he argue with that? Jinsong nodded.

“However.”

“Yes?”

Jin Hyun couldn’t hold back his thoughts, adding something he didn’t need to say.

“If we were going to run away now, we wouldn’t have closed the gates in the first place.”

Jin Hyun’s lowered sword hummed briefly.

Tap tap tap.

The usually quiet Wudang grounds were filled with hurried footsteps.

“We are here to see the Sect Leader.”

“Greetings, Sect Leader!”

Some people saw the hurrying group and quickly paid their respects. The group was in such a hurry that they didn’t even glance at the bowing disciples, hastening their steps.

Streaks of white hair flew about. It was the Heo generation, the highest rank in Wudang. Heosanja, the acting Sect Leader, led them with a stern face.

They hurried past Sangcheong Palace, where the Wudang Sect Leader lived, and stopped at a small, remote cottage far from the center of Wudang.

Heosanja looked at the old and broken cottage, not fit for living, with heavy eyes and said firmly.

“Stay here.”

“Yes.”

Heosanja took a deep breath, went to the door, and spoke politely, even though he was the Sect Leader.

“Sect Leader, are you inside? It’s Heosan.”

Others would find it strange.

Heosanja was the current Sect Leader of Wudang. But he was calling the person inside the cottage the Sect Leader. There couldn’t be two Sect Leaders, and yet…

But those who came with Heosan were used to it, accepting this strange behavior.

“Come in.”

As soon as he had permission, Heosanja opened the door and stepped inside.

His face hardened when he saw the scene inside.

Simplicity was important to a Taoist, but this cottage was so old and broken that it had cracks, and the wind blew fiercely. It felt more like a place for simple living than training.

Heosanja looked to one corner. An old man with white hair, wearing an old and worn Taoist robe, was sitting there.

Heosanja bowed respectfully.

“Heosan greets the Sect Leader.”

The old man bowed calmly in return. But then, a look of reproach crossed his face.

“Sect Leader Brother, how many times do I have to tell you? I am no longer the Sect Leader of Wudang.”

“Please don’t say that, Sect Leader. How could someone like me be the Sect Leader of Wudang? Everyone knows I am only the acting Sect Leader because things are difficult. I am not the right person for this job.”

Heodojinin sighed deeply at Heosanja’s humble reply. He had told him not to call him that several times, and had even gotten angry. But the elders and Heosan didn’t listen.

His once thick black hair and beard, like the warrior Guan Yu’s, were now white. He looked very different from his younger days, but his cold face and sharp eyes were still the same.

His gaze made him feel even more detached than before.

“Yes. Why have you come?”

“Have you heard? The Sahe Alliance is coming!”

Heodojinin didn’t answer, but his eyes showed he had heard the news.

“What should we do now, Sect Leader?”

When there was no answer, Heosanja spoke again.

“The elders think it’s useless to fight them. It’s hard to stop them with Wudang’s power alone.”

“A difficult task…”

“Yes. So, how about retreating secretly…”

“‘Retreating secretly.’ So, you’re saying we should run away after all.”

“That is what the elders want for now.”

“Do you think so too, Sect Leader Brother?”

“I… I don’t know. What is the right path for Wudang…”

Heosanja trailed off.

It was a difficult decision.

Fighting the enemy was like suicide. The Sahe Alliance was stronger than before. They had already defeated Shaolin, the Peng Family, and the Mount Hua Sect.

It was almost impossible for Wudang to handle them alone.

But they couldn’t run away. Wudang had not been involved in worldly affairs since closing its gates. If they retreated now, they would be criticized for closing the gates only to run away after opening them.

They couldn’t easily give up practicality or reputation.

That’s why Heosanja knew.

He knew how difficult Heodojinin’s decision on the Yangtze River had been. He knew how much he had carried with that decision, right or wrong.

“It’s… too difficult for me. Please guide me, Sect Leader.”

“…Retreating secretly.”

Heodojinin repeated the phrase quietly, then nodded slowly.

“The most important thing is not to lose Wudang’s disciples for nothing. Go to Shaolin. If you join forces with the remaining Shaolin disciples, you can hold out until the Heavenly Union Alliance helps.”

Heosanja paused. He felt something strange in Heodojinin’s words.

Something was wrong.

“…Go? What do you mean?”

Heosanja asked, puzzled. Heodojinin didn’t answer. Heosanja became anxious.

“Shouldn’t the Sect Leader lead us? Why would you say that…”

“…”

“Sect Leader?”

Heodojinin smiled faintly.

“We can retreat once.”

“…”

“But we cannot retreat twice. If we retreat twice, the first retreat means nothing. Wudang will be known for running away twice to save their lives. That must not happen.”

“N-No, Sect Leader. But…”

“So, we must prove it. That Wudang is not just retreating. That we are ready to fight.”

“…”

“Lead the disciples to Shaolin. I will stay here and protect what I failed to protect in the past.”

“What do you mean, what you failed to protect? What is it?”

A cold chill filled Heodojinin’s eyes.

“Wudang’s honor.”

The weight of those words crushed the surroundings. Heosanja flinched, suffocating. The energy from Heodojinin was so sharp that even Heosanja trembled.

“Sect… Leader.”

“The honor that I abandoned… The honor that I let sink in the Yangtze River.”

Heodojinin’s voice was like a blade honed over time.

“I will protect it. This time, I won’t fail.”

Heosanja felt suffocated.

He desperately wanted to stop him. He wanted to say it was pointless.

But how could he?

He knew how Heodojinin had lived since Wudang closed its gates. He knew how bitterly he had lived, bearing the consequences.

What could Heosanja say to Heodojinin? Heodojinin said calmly.

“Gather the disciples. Decide quickly.”

“Sect, Leader.”

“Brother.”

Heosanja hesitated. Heodojinin’s tone changed. Heosanja didn’t dare to answer back and nodded.

“Lead the disciples to Shaolin. Leave only those who share my will here.”

Heodojinin slowly stood up.

“I don’t need anyone to die with me. But it would be alright if a few were willing to die for Wudang’s honor. I will make sure their deaths are not wasted.”

“Sect Leader…”

“There’s no need to stop me.”

A chilling smile bloomed on Heodojinin’s lips.

“I have waited for this moment since that day.”

Heodojinin murmured and looked up at the old ceiling.

He had been waiting for this day.

Only one thing.

When he closed his eyes, he saw the face of a man who grabbed him by the collar and vented his anger. Along with Jang Il-So, who had ridiculed him that day, it was a face he had never forgotten.

“It’s a shame I didn’t get a chance to apologize. But… it doesn’t matter.”

The smile on his lips softened slightly.

“Apologies are not made with words.”

The meaning will be conveyed.

Through his death.

Even to him, who is far away.