Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1713

“This way!”

The medical hall was a mess of shouting and rushing feet as the injured geomancers from the shaman clan were moved inside. The sounds of patients being laid on beds and frantic searches for medicine filled the air.

“Elder Heogong first!”

“Quickly, bring the Geumchang medicine and Yosangdan! His condition is terrible!”

“Bring Sajuk Mujin this way too.”

“Damn it, bandages! Where are the bandages? Where are the medical people?”

Urgent and desperate voices erupted from everywhere, and the commotion grew even more intense.

The Mount Hua disciples stood like statues in the noisy medical hall. Dust motes danced in the air, but no one moved. The only sounds were the frantic shouts of the shaman clan and the crackling of unseen flames. The silence of the Mount Hua group was heavy, pressing down on everyone.

Finally, Gwak Hwi spoke, his voice weak and confused. “Clan Lord… what are you saying? Baek Cheon… he can’t be saved? No. That’s not possible.”

He shook his head slowly, as if trying to wake himself from a bad dream.

“……”

“Then are you saying that Sajuk Baek Cheon is going to d… die?”

It was a foolish question, but Tang Gunak didn’t blame Gwak Hwi. He simply opened his eyes, which had been tightly closed, and let out a deep sigh.

At that reaction, Gwak Hwi burst out.

“Just a moment, Clan Lord! It’s just that his clothes are a little burnt! I know it’s not easy to treat burns, but still, it’s Sajuk Baek Cheon! Someone so strong wouldn’t be affected by something like this…”

Gwak Hwi, crying out desperately, looked at Baek Cheon and gasped, unable to finish his sentence.

He felt silly for saying ‘something like this’. He knew Baek Cheon was alive *because* he was strong. Anyone else would have died from these burns.

“If it were truly just a wound to his clothes… you would have been right.”

“……Yes?”

Tang Gunak slowly shook his head.

“But the Great Leader’s wound is not just that. The burns you see on the outside may be nothing. The real problem is… the burns inside.”

“…….”

“If it was just skin, we could use needles to help him heal. But the burns are inside. The places where we put needles are burned too. We can’t reach his energy. No, I doubt there’s any energy left in the first place.”

Everyone struggled to ignore reality.

Instead of turning away, they stared at Baek Cheon lying on the bed.

“It’s a miracle that he’s still breathing. I can’t… as a doctor, I can’t do anything more for him. I’m sorry.”

He’s dying.

Baek Cheon is dying.

“Uh……”

A dazed sigh escaped from Baek Sang’s lips.

He had never imagined this. He had repeated countless times that he was risking his life, that he could die at any moment. But he never thought that death would come so close.

He always believed that Baek Cheon would be there. He believed that even if they died, Baek Cheon would always be there.

Because that’s the kind of person he was. He was someone who shouldn’t die.

‘No way.’

That’s right. Baek Cheon alone must not die. They couldn’t let that man go so meaninglessly.

Then, an idea flashed through his mind, and Baek Sang trembled as he rummaged through his pockets.

“Y-you said the problem is energy, right? H-here it is! Energy can be replenished with spirit pills, can’t it?”

He hurriedly took out what he had and thrust it at Tang Gunak.

“It’s a Jasodan, one of the few left in Mount Hua! I received it from the Head Matron. First, use this to boost his energy and treat him…”

“It’s impossible.”

Tang Gunak’s eyes swept over Baek Sang and the Jasodan in his hand, a look of pity crossing his face. Baek Sang twisted his face and cried out.

“W-why? We have spirit pills like this!”

“The Jasodan is a spirit pill that gathers the energy of extreme yin and the energy of extreme yang to achieve a state of harmony.”

“……”

“The Great Leader’s body has already absorbed as much of the Jasodan’s energy as it can. Even if you inject more energy into him, it will only overflow.”

“But didn’t you say he was lacking energy? Now you’re saying it’s overflowing. What kind of strange nonsense is that?”

Tang Gunak sighed deeply again. It sounded like he was saying two different things, but it’s like this…

No, to be precise…

“I understand that you don’t want to accept it.”

“…….”

“But there’s nothing more I can do. I’m sorry, this all happened because of my inadequacy.”

Tang Gunak bowed deeply to the disciples of Mount Hua. Of course, it wasn’t his fault. This was well known not only to the disciples of Mount Hua but also to Tang Gunak himself.

Nevertheless, he lowered his head because he understood what Baek Cheon and his death meant to the disciples of Mount Hua.

“Uh……”

Rather, Tang Gunak’s appearance made the disciples realize the reality: Baek Cheon, the Great Leader, would soon stop breathing.

Faced with a bleak and terrifying reality, no one dared to open their mouths.

But then, a sharp shout burst out like a thunderbolt.

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Sahyung!”

“Get out of the way!”

Jo Gul roughly pushed aside Gwak Hwi, who was flustered, and limped towards Baek Cheon. Tang Gunak stood in his way.

“What are you trying to do?”

“If he’s lacking energy, then we just need to inject more energy, right?”

“It’s no use. Right now, the Great Leader doesn’t even have the strength to hold the energy he receives in his body. It’s like trying to fill a pot with a hole in the bottom. The energy just leaks out.”

When Tang Gunak firmly refused, Jo Gul glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Clan Lord, you may know medicine well, but you don’t seem to know reason?”

“What are you talking about?”

“The way to fill a pot with a hole in the bottom is to pour in more water than is leaking out! Damn it, if it’s all leaking out, then we just need to keep pushing more in before it all empties!”

Tang Gunak bit his lip tightly.

“Then… the pot will break.”

“Isn’t that something we’ll only know if we try?”

“Listen, Dojang Jo Gul.”

“Get out of the way. If you block me any further, I won’t stand still even if you are the Clan Lord!”

A fierce killing intent poured out from Jo Gul’s entire body. Tang Gunak squeezed his eyes shut.

Tang Gunak knew that Jo Gul knew what he was doing. Even if what he was doing might lead Baek Cheon to his death faster, he simply couldn’t stand by and accept this death.

What words could be of use in front of someone so desperate?

“C-Clan Lord.”

Baek Sang, who had come almost crawling, grabbed Tang Gunak’s sleeve.

“S-save Sahyung… please save Sahyung, Clan Lord.”

“……”

“No. S-Sahyung can’t… he’s someone who can’t die like this. If you told me to die instead, I would, so please… please save Sahyung!”

“Listen……”

“No, damn it! Sahyung isn’t someone who should die here like this!”

No one could do anything about Baek Sang, who was almost fainting. In the end, Yoon Jong and Hae Yeon barely managed to raise their bodies, grab him, and pull him back.

“Sajuk……”

“Benefactor.”

Baek Sang, who had been momentarily unfocused as if he had lost his soul, suddenly poured out his resentment towards Baek Cheon, who was lying as if dead. Anger and resentment boiled in his eyes.

“That damn man, damn it! Yeah, I knew he’d end up like this someday! A man who isn’t even healthy throwing his body around like a rag all the time, I knew this would happen someday! What’s so important! What’s more important than his own life!”

“……Sajuk.”

“Sahyung, tell me. Are you satisfied now that you’ve ended up like this? Are you so proud that you kept the words you were spouting? You moronic bastard, answer me!”

“Sajuk, you’re going too far…!”

Yoon Jong bit his lip and tried to shout, but he flinched because Baek Sang was streaming tears down his face, soaking it completely.

“This… this moronic fellow… this idiot……”

“…….”

Baek Sang collapsed on the spot and began to heave, unable to even sob.

The disciples of Mount Hua lowered their heads one by one. Although the degree of expression may be different, anyone living under the name of Mount Hua would feel the same way.

Perhaps Baek Cheon knew his fate. It may have been none other than himself who took the step towards this ending, to save even one more person and to prove to himself that the words he had spoken so far were not just empty words.

But no one here could be proud of such Baek Cheon. They couldn’t applaud and cheer for a great and wonderful choice.

“Clan Lord……”

Hae Yeon made a half-hearted gesture with trembling hands and faced Tang Gunak. His heart may be the same as the disciples of Mount Hua, but at least his affiliation was different, and he had to do this difficult task: to step forward, have a conversation, and repeatedly look for non-existent methods.

“Is there really… no other way?”

Tang Gunak said bitterly.

“Right now, the Great Leader is both lacking and overflowing with energy.”

“……What does that mean?”

“The yang energy of the Sun Palace Lord is filling his body. It’s like being poisoned by a deadly poison.”

“…….”

“That energy is devouring the Great Leader’s energy, turning it into a parched desert. So even if you eat Jasodan, the yang energy of the Sun Palace Lord will burn that energy as well, further damaging the Great Leader’s body.”

“Then……”

Hae Yeon’s face turned pale.

“If there were even a spirit medicine of extreme yin……”

“It’s the same.”

Tang Gunak shook his head.

“When a burning fire meets ice-cold water, it doesn’t immediately subside but momentarily spreads and rises. Right now, the Great Leader doesn’t even have the strength to withstand that fleeting shock. It’s like a house that’s been completely burned down. No matter how you try to put out the fire, you can’t stop the house from collapsing……”

Hae Yeon stared at Baek Cheon with a blank face.

Now he could fully understand the situation. According to Tang Gunak, all medicines were ineffective for Baek Cheon in his current state.

“A…Amitabha……”

All Hae Yeon could do was desperately chant the Buddha’s name in a trembling voice.

‘Isn’t this too cruel?’

If it hadn’t been for Baek Cheon’s life-risking strike, it would have been impossible to break through the Sun Palace Lord at once and open the way. But the price was too terrible.

Step.

In the midst of the bleak atmosphere, someone approached and stood at Baek Cheon’s bedside. Neither Gwak Hwi, who had blocked Jo Gul, nor Tang Gunak could stop this person.

Because this person who slowly approached was Yoo Iseol.

She stared blankly at Baek Cheon lying on the bed and closed her eyes.

– Then Sajae can protect me.

Yoo Iseol had failed to protect him. Rather, Baek Cheon had protected her and the other disciples of Mount Hua, leading such a body.

What is strength? What does martial arts exist for?

A low voice leaked out like a whisper.

“No, Sahyung.”

Everyone held their breath.

“It can’t be like this. You still have to give me more chances.”

“…….”

“Please.”

The end of her voice trembled. Yoo Iseol, who had never wavered even when faced with her own imminent death, was trembling now. This unexpected sight severed the last thread of hope for the Mount Hua disciples.

Plop.

Someone collapsed on the spot, and someone else began to cry.

“Damn it……”

Even the great Jo Gul couldn’t control the rising emotions and covered his face with both hands.

A deep sense of powerlessness swept over everyone.

What’s the point of becoming stronger? What’s the point of carrying out the right intentions? When you can’t even protect what you need to protect.

How can they bear such great loss and deep pain?

“Damn it!”

Wham!

Jo Gul gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the floor. But then, someone unexpected opened their mouth.

“I would like to hear the story in a little more detail.”

Tang Gunak flinched in surprise and turned his gaze.