Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1724

Jo Gul’s voice was low, worried. “Will he… will Martial Uncle be alright?”

Yoon Jong didn’t answer right away. He just looked down at the wooden floor of their room. The silence stretched out, heavy with unspoken fears.

Jo Gul rushed on, “No, Senior Brother,” (He used the respectful term, but his voice was urgent). “I know you’re upset. But if we’re honest with ourselves… isn’t Martial Uncle worse off than anyone right now? It wouldn’t be a shock if… if he didn’t wake up tomorrow.” (Jo Gul’s voice almost broke on the last words.)

“A person like that… Someone who can’t even hold a brush properly, is it really right for him to handle that much work…?”

Yoon Jong, who had been silent, turned to Jo Gul. Jo Gul flinched at the grave look in his eyes and closed his mouth.

Yoon Jong bit his lip slightly and asked, “So, can you tell Martial Uncle to quit and rest? Knowing how he feels?”

“……I can, but he won’t listen.”

Yoon Jong sighed deeply at Jo Gul’s grumbling. Jo Gul still didn’t understand that Baek Cheon was finished as a fighter.

Yoon Jong repeatedly tightened and loosened his grip on the book. This showed his restless mind. Eventually, this caught Jo Gul’s attention.

“By the way, Senior Brother.”

“What.”

“What’s that you’ve been holding? You’ve been holding it since you were in the office, but you don’t seem to be looking at it.”

Yoon Jong glanced down at the book in his hand. It was a nameless book without a title.

“……Martial Uncle gave it to me.”

“Yes? Martial Uncle?”

“Yes.”

Yoon Jong’s eyes darkened. He forced his lips apart with difficulty.

“It’s the list of names of the people of Mount Hua.”

“Huh?”

“And… the rules of Mount Hua… and what the Great Disciple of Mount Hua must protect are written there.”

Jo Gul narrowed his eyes.

“No, how…?”

“It seems he prepared it in advance before this happened. He also wrote down what he felt and what he wanted to say while serving as the Acting Sect Leader.”

Jo Gul’s face flushed, and he burst out, “What is that…! Why are you giving that to Senior Brother?”

“……”

“No, did Senior Brother receive it because he gave it to you? Without even knowing what it means?”

“Geol.”

“Are you out of your mind? Someone who is barely holding on handed that over, and you happily accepted it and are fiddling with it? You….”

“Do you think I wanted to receive it, you bastard!” Yoon Jong shouted back angrily.

Jo Gul didn’t listen and jumped up.

“Give it to me.”

“……What are you going to do?”

“What am I going to do? I’m going to go and throw it in Martial Uncle’s face!”

“……”

“What kind of position is the Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua that he can just hand it over as he pleases! He deserves to be beaten for three days and nights.”

“Sit down.”

“Senior Brother!”

“I said sit down!” Yoon Jong finally exploded with anger and shouted.

Jo Gul gritted his teeth and reluctantly sat back down. But the way he crossed his arms tightly showed that he still couldn’t understand.

Yoon Jong sighed and called him as if to calm him down.

“Geol.”

“Isn’t this something that was already planned?”

“……”

“Everyone knew that Martial Uncle would lose his martial arts! It’s just that it happened a little sooner than expected.”

This was the reason why Jo Gul was angry.

“But what is this? Why are you all looking at Martial Uncle with those eyes! Martial arts? Is that so great? If he can’t wield a sword, is Martial Uncle worthless? I didn’t listen to Martial Uncle because he was stronger than me!”

“Be quiet. People outside will hear.”

“Damn it, let them hear if they’re going to listen! Did I say something I shouldn’t have!”

Thud!

Jo Gul, enraged, slammed his fist on the small table next to him. The teacups overturned from the impact, and tea poured onto the floor.

Drip.

Yoon Jong, watching the tea flowing down the table, closed his eyes tightly.

The future that will come someday is different from the reality that has already happened. No matter how much you prepare, it can never be the same.

“Anyway, I can’t accept it. Martial Uncle is….”

“Geol. This is what Martial Uncle has decided.”

“Senior Brother!”

“And… do you really think that’s the way to go for Martial Uncle? On the battlefield….”

“Damn it, who do you think I am, a fool? I can carry him on my back!”

“What about Martial Uncle’s feelings?”

At those words, Jo Gul finally closed his mouth.

“Yes. If you do that, you can comfort yourself and be satisfied. But what about Martial Uncle? A person who can’t even use martial arts properly joins the battlefield, where even one more person is needed, while being protected by you? Have you ever thought about what that would mean to Martial Uncle?”

He couldn’t say anything. Jo Gul just kept clenching his fist.

Yoon Jong washed his face roughly with his chapped hands. A weariness that was hard to put into words washed over him.

“This is just… preparing for the future. As you know, Martial Uncle is not someone who will easily let go of everything.”

This was true. Baek Cheon had said the same thing when he handed over this book.

But both Yoon Jong and Jo Gul knew how much was hidden behind that word, preparation.

– Actually, I think I’m a little late. It’s something I should have done a long time ago.

Recalling Baek Cheon’s words, Yoon Jong clenched his fist tightly without realizing it.

‘But Martial Uncle… it’s too early for me.’

No matter how deeply he sighed, his heart only sank to the bottom of an endless, distant lake.

Thud.

Baek Cheon stared blankly at the brush rolling on the floor. The brush had slipped out of his hand through the loosened bandages.

Baek Cheon stared blankly at the brush as the lamp flickered several times, then struggled to get up.

Throb!

Pain that felt like his whole body was being torn apart with a knife assailed him. He staggered for a moment, then clenched his teeth so hard that they made a cracking sound to endure the pain.

Drip.

Sweat that had gathered on his chin fell to the floor.

Throb! Throb!

He could tell instinctively. This pain would not go away.

As Tang Gunak had said, his body was now nothing more than a cracked bowl that had been forcibly patched together. No matter how much it improved, as long as the cracks were not completely eliminated, this pain would be with him for the rest of his life.

He stretched out his hand, which had a bandage half-unraveled, with all his might.

Lift your arm, reach out, and grab it.

That simple movement, which he had never consciously thought about, now felt more difficult to Baek Cheon than any complex martial arts technique in the world.

The tips of his hands, which trembled like an aspen, finally touched the brush.

Clatter.

But, cruelly, the brush moved away from him and rolled further away.

“…….”

Baek Cheon stared blankly at the scene.

‘You think it’s okay even without martial arts?’

He was partly serious. He had prepared himself mentally. He had repeatedly vowed not to become a useless human being, even if it meant losing all his fighting skills.

But.

“Hngh……”

He hadn’t imagined that he would become such a wreck, far beyond simply losing his martial arts.

Plop.

Baek Cheon slumped to the ground as if collapsing. He laughed, a sound that felt unreal.

What could he do now?

He had imagined a life unable to wield a sword. But a life unable to even hold a brush?

Could he live if he needed help just to breathe? Was he really ready for that?

Words he didn’t want to say slipped out.

“A burden……”

He had prepared for death. He believed that made him strong.

But perhaps Baek Cheon had underestimated life, not death. He had naively believed that death was the greatest pain he would face.

What could he do? What should he do?

Baek Cheon crawled towards the brush again. Pain shot through his body like many sharp knives, but this physical pain was nothing compared to the torment his mind was enduring.

He stretched out his thin arm with all his might and finally grasped the brush.

Srrr.

But it was only for a moment; the brush, barely held, slipped from his grasp and fell again.

He didn’t give up and grabbed the brush again. It was a movement weaker than a newborn’s grip. But Baek Cheon’s face was drenched in sweat for that feeble gesture.

“……Gotta hold it.”

Yet, he couldn’t hold it.

“Hold it……”

Hadn’t he always firmly believed that there was nothing he couldn’t achieve with effort? That there was nothing he couldn’t overcome if he didn’t give up? That even if he failed, his will would endure? Hadn’t he believed that more firmly than anyone else?

But what was here now?

Could he overcome it with effort? Was there victory? No, above all, what will was he to leave behind with this pathetic struggle?

“Hold it, damn it!”

Thud.

But neither the brush nor his hand would listen to him in the end.

Baek Cheon silently lowered his gaze. Before he knew it, the bandages and the floor were a mess of ink.

Suddenly, he felt ridiculous.

“Hngh……”

He had overcome even the rivers of blood on the battlefield, yet now he was brought to tears by mere ink.

“Hoo-ooh……”

Baek Cheon’s shoulders trembled slightly. His thin arms, no longer able to support his body, buckled, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud.

Baek Cheon, his cheek pressed against the floor, looked at the brush lying beside him.

A sword that cannot be wielded.

A brush that cannot be used.

A person who can do nothing.

‘Is there any value?’

If a person’s life was meant to leave something behind, his life had already ended. He didn’t know if he had finished his purpose in life, but he had shared what he knew.

But if so, what was this body left behind?

Wasn’t it just an empty person with nothing left to convey? Shouldn’t it be called a ghost that should have moved on, but was still here for no reason? Was there really any value left?

Knock, knock.

It was at that moment. Someone knocked on the door. Baek Cheon’s eyes instantly filled with terror.

He didn’t want to be seen.

Baek Cheon had faced countless enemies and overcome fear by summoning his own courage. But now, he was terrified of showing this pathetic state.

“D-Don’t come in!”

He screamed hysterically and frantically scanned his surroundings.

The floor was a mess, and his appearance was, needless to say, a wreck. He couldn’t even manage to lift his body from the floor.

“Don’t open it! Go back! Whoever you are, not now……!”

It wasn’t an order or a warning. It was closer to a plea. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this. It was too miserable and awful.

“Go back! Please……”

Creak.

But, ignoring his desperate voice, someone opened the closed door and slowly stepped into the room.

A suffocating silence flowed.

One person stood, and the other crawled on the floor. Baek Cheon, recognizing the other in such a contrasting situation, let out a sad laugh without meaning to.

If it had been someone else, he might have garnered some sympathy.

If Chung Myung had been standing there, he might have burst into tears.

Of course, even that would have been just as miserable, but it would have been better than this.

Reality was harsher than imagination.

Baek Cheon looked up at the face frozen as cold as ice, with a mocking smile. What made Baek Cheon even more despairing was the fact that the emotion in that person’s eyes wasn’t ridicule, but genuine, heartfelt resentment.

“……Dongryong-ah.”

“Y-You……!”

Baek Cheon bit his lip until it bled.

“You…….”

“Don’t come closer!”

Baek Cheon screamed at the person who was trying to help him up.

“Don’t touch me! Damn it, I said don’t touch me!”

“Dongryong-ah!”

“I told you to get lost, Jin Geum-ryong! My body! My body…….”

The voice, filled with spite, faded. He couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t do anything.

All he could do was clench his lips tightly and stifle his tearful voice.

Jin Geum-ryong’s face, watching Baek Cheon, soon twisted into a fierce and mean expression.

“……Serves you right, you damn bastard. I knew it would end up like this……. I…… I told you so!”

“Shut up!”

Baek Cheon’s eyes were bloodshot.

He confronted him with a fierce spirit, but Jin Geum-ryong didn’t get angry anymore. He took a deep breath and then stared straight at Baek Cheon with determined eyes.

Baek Cheon’s eyes, bloodshot with despair, and Jin Geum-ryong’s eyes, coldly seething with anger, locked for a moment. Finally, Jin Geum-ryong spoke.

“Do you want to wield a sword again?”

“……What?”

“I. No, we can make it happen.”

For a moment, Baek Cheon doubted his ears. What was he saying…….

“Abandon Hwasan.”

Jin Geum-ryong’s voice was strong and firm. Baek Cheon’s eyes widened.

“If you abandon Hwasan and go back to where you belong.”

Each word was etched into his mind.

“We too can make you strong again. Make you like you were before, at your best.”

Jin Geum-ryong reached out to Baek Cheon, who was staring blankly, forgetting his anger. His touch was cautious.

“Let’s go to Jongnam, Dongryong-ah. You don’t need to suffer this pain anymore.”