Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1725

The wind swept past, rustling his robes. With his eyes closed, Chung Myung felt the breeze gently touch him.

It was cold.

Though not as fierce as on Mount Hua, the mountain winds of Wudang were still quite chilly. It felt like the mountain was warning those who dared to build their homes in places where people weren’t meant to be.

Chung Myung felt a slight movement in the air and slowly opened his eyes. A familiar figure stood before him, looking down.

“Trouble?”

“How original,” Yoo Iseol replied.

Chung Myung glanced sideways at her curt reply. He saw the blue tiles and the clear sky.

He was on the roof of the main hall. Chung Myung hadn’t climbed up here much lately.

Why was that?

He knew the reason, but he didn’t want to admit it. He didn’t want to think about the real reason he was on the roof. Thinking about it meant facing something he was trying to avoid.

Instead, Chung Myung asked quietly,

“…What is it?”

Yoo Iseol gazed down at the Wudang scenery, not replying. A brief silence followed, but Chung Myung didn’t push her.

Finally, she spoke.

“I came here because I had a lot to say,”

“But…”

She glanced at Chung Myung, who was lying on the roof.

“I don’t think I can say it now.”

Chung Myung’s eyebrows quickly went up and down, a sign he was annoyed.

“Then why did you com—”

Yoo Iseol cut him off.

“Is there really no way?”

Chung Myung closed his mouth, as if something heavy was blocking his throat.

“Senior Brother Baek Cheon.”

“…”

“Is there nothing you can do?”

Their eyes met briefly, but Chung Myung looked away first.

“It’s not like I… can do everything.” He hated saying those words. They felt like a failure.

Yoo Iseol’s long hair fluttered in the wind. Her fingertips showed her emotions, even though her face didn’t change.

Yoo Iseol stared at Chung Myung’s back as he looked at the sky, and then she spoke.

“That’s not like you.”

“…”

“That’s right. But…”

A dark shadow fell over Yoo Iseol’s eyes.

“The old you would have said that a way could always be made.”

“…”

“And we would have believed it. Even with doubts, in the end.”

The sound of Yoo Iseol’s robes brushing past him reached Chung Myung’s ears as she turned away. The sound of her robes as she turned was loud and almost harsh.

“I will find a way. I haven’t become an adult like you yet.”

Soon, Yoo Iseol left. Her walk was slow, showing her sadness.

The sudden absence felt not just empty but bitterly sad. Chung Myung sighed softly.

“Sect Leader.”

Chung Mun’s face appeared. He looked at Chung Myung with a pitiful expression and a small smile.

“It’s not easy, is it…”

The wind buffeted even the tall mountain peaks.

His sleeves fluttered violently because his arms inside them were too thin.

It was cold.

Baek Cheon smiled sadly.

His body had become so weak that even this was difficult. The wind, which he would have found refreshing before, now felt colder and sharper than the icy winds of the Northern Sea.

Nevertheless, Baek Cheon liked this place.

He preferred being in a place where no one could see him, even if it was cold and difficult, rather than in a warm place where others could see him.

Suddenly, he thought about Chung Myung.

Maybe that was why Chung Myung used to climb onto the roofs of the halls whenever he could – to avoid the gazes of others, so he wouldn’t have to worry about his confused thoughts being discovered.

Was that guy from back then feeling something similar to what Baek Cheon was feeling now?

Baek Cheon let out a hollow laugh.

No, it must have been different. He didn’t know what worries Chung Myung had back then, but at least Chung Myung had a future ahead of him. He wasn’t stuck at the bottom like Baek Cheon was now.

A dizzying mountain range stretched out below. It was charred black by fire and looked grotesque.

Of course, it wouldn’t stay like this forever. Even though it looked like this now, grass and trees would stubbornly grow again. The mountain would slowly but surely become its original self again.

But Baek Cheon couldn’t. He was like the collapsed cliff face over there. Once it had crumbled, there was no way to fix it; it was just crushed rock.

But…

He tried not to think about it, but Baek Cheon’s mind was eventually filled with the conversation from yesterday.

“…What are you talking about?”

When Baek Cheon asked, Jin Geum-ryong silently looked back at him. His gaze was very clear.

“…There’s a way?”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon murmured blankly, like someone who had been hit hard.

“You’re saying… there’s a way to fix my body?”

Jin Geum-ryong nodded firmly again with a serious face.

“That’s right.”

Soon, Baek Cheon’s face twisted miserably.

“Nonsense!” Baek Cheon’s voice was sharp. “Don’t talk nonsense. Even Hwasan, even the Tang Family said it was impossible! How could Jongnam…?” He stopped, his voice shaking. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Get a grip,”

Before Baek Cheon could finish speaking, Jin Geum-ryong cut him off coldly.

“Since when have Hwasan or the Tang Family been such great sects?”

“Just because they can’t do it, you think Mount Jongnam can’t either? You know better than anyone that Mount Jongnam is a much larger and stronger sect than they are, don’t you?”

Bai Cheon couldn’t deny it. His eyes widened, showing his shock.

“If you need me to say it again, I will. Even if they can’t do it, Mount Jongnam can. If we use all our power, we can heal you.”

Bai Cheon’s pale lips cracked, and a little blood came out. He was very thirsty. He was in so much pain that he didn’t notice how weak he was or how ashamed he felt to be seen like this by Jin Geum-ryong.

“You can… heal me…?”

Jin Geum-ryong sighed softly.

“Of course, it might not be a full recovery.”

“……”

“I can’t promise to make you perfect again. I am not a doctor, so I can’t be sure. But… I think I can at least help you learn martial arts again.”

Jin Geum-ryong looked at Bai Cheon’s thin arm. It was so weak that he could barely lift a brush.

Bai Cheon’s fingers moved a little, as if even that was too much for him.

“I can help you hold a sword again… to practice martial arts again.”

“……”

“If you leave Mount Hua and join Mount Jongnam.”

Jin Geum-ryong’s voice was cold. But Bai Cheon could see that he was also very sincere.

“This isn’t about you leaving Mount Hua forever. It’s about you coming back to where you belong. You are…”

“Shut… yer gob.”

“What?”

Bai Cheon bit his lip hard.

“If you’re done talking nonsense, leave.”

“……”

“I am the Deputy Sect Leader of Mount Hua. Even now, that is still true.”

Jin Geum-ryong’s face, which had been calm, suddenly looked sad.

“Jin Dong…!”

He almost shouted, his face red with anger, but he stopped himself. The red color went away, and his face became pale.

Instead of shouting, he sighed and walked over to Bai Cheon, gently touching his shoulder.

“Let go. What are you doing…”

“Just stay still. You can’t even fight back like this!”

Jin Geum-ryong helped Bai Cheon stand up. He carefully helped him sit on the bed, then stood up without looking back.

Jin Geum-ryong looked at Bai Cheon, who was breathing hard, and said calmly:

“I admit, I was too quick to speak.”

“……”

“But I meant everything I said. If you come back, the Sect Leader will be very happy to see you.”

“I am…!”

“Be quiet and listen!”

Jin Geum-ryong spoke angrily, his voice low.

“I don’t say this easily, and I know you are loyal to Mount Hua. I just want you to know that Mount Jongnam is also very serious about this. We are ready to give you our most precious things, even if we don’t know if you will get better!”

“……”

“The choice is yours. If you come back, Mount Jongnam and I will take all the blame.”

After saying everything, Jin Geum-ryong turned and walked to the door. He left the room and closed the door slowly but firmly.

A moment later, Jin Geum-ryong’s voice came from outside the door.

“Dong-ryong.”

“……”

“I am your brother. And Mount Jongnam is your family.”

Bai Cheon clenched his weak hand into a fist without thinking.

“Don’t forget that.”

Jin Geum-ryong’s footsteps faded away.

For a long time, Bai Cheon stared at the door Jin Geum-ryong had closed, then looked down.

The brush, which he couldn’t use anymore, was still on the floor.

Bai Cheon laughed weakly.

“Haha…”

It was a sad, quiet sound.

Bai Cheon remembered the conversation from the night before and looked at the wind that stung his eyes.

The burnt mountains were empty and sad, but the fields were still green. He felt ashamed for even thinking about his own problems.

His heart beat faster. Could he really leave Mount Hua? The thought was like a cold hand on his chest.

“I am the Deputy Sect Leader of Mount Hua.”

Bai Cheon said this to himself again and again.

This was Bai Cheon’s pride, his whole life. But it was also something he would soon lose.

Yoon Jong or Baek Sang would take his place… or maybe Cheong Myeong would.

And Bai Cheon would slowly disappear. Maybe he wanted it, maybe not.

He didn’t feel angry. This was what he wanted, and it was natural.

He just felt sad.

His wounds would heal, and his sadness would fade. People would stop feeling sorry for him. He would just be someone they didn’t think about anymore.

And the light he had lost would shine even brighter through someone else: Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, Yoo Iseol, Tang Soso, Hae Yeon, and…

Bai Cheon looked up at the sky.

He felt bitter knowing that he would have to watch them shine from a dark place.

Because he could have had that too. A bright future with them. A future that could have been even better than theirs.

Didn’t you give it up yourself?

That was right. If he hadn’t, he might not feel so bad. Because he had chosen this… that’s why he felt even more regret.

Bai Cheon chuckled to himself.

He knew that if he said he would go to Mount Jongnam to get better, his friends would be happy for him. They might even pat him on the back and say that it didn’t matter which sect he was in. Yes, they would. Because that’s who they were.

But Bai Cheon also knew that this choice would… separate him from them. Even if they stayed friends, he could never be a true brother to them again.

What is right? No, what do you want?

He was looking at his thin arm and then at the sky when he heard a voice behind him.

“Ahem. Sorry to bother you, but…”

He turned around, surprised, and saw someone he knew.

“This is my spot, you know.”

“Ah…”

Heo Gong smiled at Bai Cheon, who was embarrassed.

“Oh.”