Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1726

He couldn’t speak.

‘The Hollow Taoist…’

The moment Baek Cheon saw the faint smile on Heo Gong’s face, which was noticeably thinner, Baek Cheon looked surprised.

‘Oh dear…’

He had certainly heard the news. That Heo Gong had made a difficult decision to save him.

People probably tried to tell him gently. But Baek Cheon was smart. He knew what had happened.

Yet, knowing all this, Baek Cheon hadn’t even thought about visiting Heo Gong to thank him. He acted like it didn’t matter. But really, he was only thinking about himself. He even forgot to be polite.

The moment he realized this, Baek Cheon’s face turned red.

“I, I’m sorry…”

Baek Cheon, realizing his mistake, tried to move quickly but lost his balance and stumbled. Heo Gong reached out and gently steadied his shoulder.

“Be careful.”

“Ah…”

“If you fell to your death in a place like this… wouldn’t I be blamed since I’m with you? I’m not sure I could handle Hwasan’s anger.”

He spoke gently, but with a hint of a joke. There was a sense of ease in his words. The confusion in Baek Cheon’s eyes deepened slightly.

“Isn’t that so?”

Only after Heo Gong asked again with a smile did Baek Cheon finally calm down, clear his throat, and bow deeply to Heo Gong, though it was late.

“I heard you saved my life. I was foolish, and I’m late in thanking you. Please, forgive me.”

“Forgiveness…”

Heo Gong murmured quietly, then smiled faintly.

“Aren’t we Taoists?”

“…Yes?”

“I just did what I felt was right. It was never something to thank me for. So, why would I need to forgive you?”

…”

“Sit down. I’ll even give you my spot today.”

Baek Cheon nodded and carefully sat down. Soon after, Heo Gong also casually sat beside him, as if it were nothing.

Silence fell between them, heavy with Baek Cheon’s guilt. He couldn’t say anything.

As the awkward silence stretched on, Baek Cheon, unable to bear it any longer, was about to speak when Heo Gong spoke first.

“It’s quite a view, isn’t it?”

“Yes?”

Baek Cheon awkwardly looked ahead again.

Well, if it had been a few days ago, he might have agreed with Heo Gong’s words. But now, it felt strange to call the blackened mountainside a decent view.

“Don’t you think so?”

When Heo Gong asked again, an awkward smile appeared on Baek Cheon’s lips.

“It is, but…”

“You don’t think so at all.”

Baek Cheon eventually gave a bitter smile.

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. We just see things differently.”

…”

“Of course, the outside looks very ugly now… But, well, those burnt trees and grass aren’t what this mountain is really about, are they?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes showed doubt. Seeing his expression, which seemed to ask what he meant, Heo Gong smiled briefly.

“If the trees on this mountain were replaced with different trees, would it stop being Mount Wudang?”

“Yes?”

“Or, what if all the trees on this mountain suddenly disappeared? Would this mountain no longer be Mount Wudang?”

…”

“It wouldn’t be.”

Heo Gong’s voice was calm.

“In the end, Wudang is the mountain range itself. That’s why people call this mountain Wudang, even though spring and summer are different, and autumn and winter are different again, isn’t it?”

Baek Cheon stared blankly at Heo Gong for a moment.

He felt confused.

The Heo Gong he remembered was a stricter and sharper person. Someone others couldn’t easily approach, someone who seemed like he would sleep with a sword even at night.

But the person in front of him now was so different from the Heo Gong he knew. It was as if a completely different person was sitting there, with only a similar face.

“Taoist…”

A long, deep sigh escaped from Baek Cheon’s mouth as he roughly guessed the reason for the change.

“I’m sorry. Because of me.”

“You’re making me repeat myself. It’s not a good habit.”

“But…”

“I like this place. Well, I used to like it. When I came here, I felt like my chest was opening up a bit.”

He seemed to understand. That’s why Baek Cheon had also climbed up here, almost without thinking.

Heo Gong’s gaze turned upward. Beyond the mountains and fields, to the high sky.

“I once believed I could reach the highest place in the world.”

…”

“No, I thought I had to climb there. And I was sure I had enough talent to do it.”

Baek Cheon nodded silently.

“The Sect Leader always said that Heo Gong must lead Wudang to become the greatest sect in the world, and become the greatest swordsman in the world. And he said that I could do it.”

Although not as much as Hae Yeon of Shaolin, Heo Gong was also a prodigy who received all the expectations of Wudang. It was natural for him to aim for the highest position in the world.

“I believed those words without a doubt. Yes, until I met your martial sister.”

A sigh escaped from Baek Cheon’s mouth.

“That’s…”

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t blame her. I just… realized something. That I can’t climb there.”

Baek Cheon’s face hardened.

“Do you understand? I don’t know why, but I had been living only to climb there. The value of my life was all in that. But… that day, I suddenly realized something. That I cannot become the greatest swordsman in the world.”

“Taoist…”

“After realizing that, I suddenly had this thought. What value do I have, having lost my purpose?”

Heo Gong smiled briefly.

But Baek Cheon glimpsed a faint pain in that smile. He could recognize that emotion because it resembled the despair that was gripping him and wouldn’t let go.

“Not anymore, though.”

“…Not anymore? Then you mean you’re not attached to it anymore?”

“That’s right.”

Something stirred within Baek Cheon. It was a feeling completely different from emotion or admiration.

“Is that true?”

Baek Cheon asked again. Heo Gong, who was about to answer, paused and turned to look at Baek Cheon. He noticed that his voice was strange.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Isn’t it just an excuse?”

“Baek Cheon,”

Baek Cheon bit his lip tightly.

He knew he shouldn’t be like this. Heo Gong had even given up his martial arts for Baek Cheon. He was, literally, a benefactor.

Moreover, he owed him his life, so the debt of gratitude could never be small. Baek Cheon’s words and actions were completely wrong.

But even knowing that, he couldn’t stand it.

“I’m not trying to put down your enlightenment. You must have learned a lot. But… I still want to ask one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Could you say that even if you hadn’t lost it?”

Heo Gong was silent for a while, surprised.

Baek Cheon kept biting his lip as if trying to hold back his feelings, but he couldn’t stop the emotions that had burst out.

The emotions overflowed so much that he couldn’t control them.

“Could you have said that before you were defeated? What if there was still hope? Would you still have come to think that way someday? Or are you just fooling yourself, pretending you don’t care, just because you’ve already lost it and can’t get it back?”

Baek Cheon’s face twisted.

He wasn’t angry. He was disappointed. He hated himself for saying such things to his benefactor.

“People who have something precious know it’s important. But people who don’t have it might say it’s not a big deal. It’s easier to say you don’t want something if you can’t have it. What do you say? Can you really say no?”

Baek Cheon’s voice became louder. His trembling lips and lost eyes showed that he was confused.

“If you could get another chance, if you could get your martial arts back and be the way you were before! Would you say the same thing as you do now? Can you really do that? Really?”

“Baek Cheon…”

“What even *is* a Taoist!”

Baek Cheon’s eyes were bloodshot. His desperate cry echoed through Mount Wudang.

“Is a Taoist someone who isn’t greedy? Is a Taoist someone who laughs it off, saying that this is where I was meant to be, when they fall while running? Is a Taoist someone who says they’re following the Tao, no matter what happens? What even…!”

Baek Cheon’s thin hand trembled. Heo Gong simply looked at him with pity.

After panting for a while, Baek Cheon closed his eyes. His eyelashes trembled.

“I never wanted the heavens… I never did.”

…”

“I just…”

Baek Cheon’s head slowly drooped.

“I’m just…”

His words faded away. Heo Gong, who had been watching him, stood up. Then, looking at the sky, he spoke.

“What is a Taoist…”

Heo Gong, thinking about Baek Cheon’s question, sighed.

“That’s right. Now that I think about it, you’re right. I acted too proud. Everyone’s pain is different.”

…”

“I was rude. Forgive me.”

With these words, Heo Gong turned to leave.

Baek Cheon flinched and raised his head to see Heo Gong walking away.

He had to say something. He had to say something.

“Taoist…”

He had to apologize. For being rude. For being an idiot.

But then, Heo Gong’s voice was heard. There wasn’t any disappointment or anger towards Baek Cheon.

“What was your dream?”

Baek Cheon couldn’t answer and stared at Heo Gong’s back.

“To make Hwasan the greatest sect in the world, to become a great Sect Leader, and maybe to become a little famous. It could have been a life of giving back what you gained. Or maybe you were trying to achieve something I can’t even imagine. But…”

Heo Gong’s voice, without turning around, slowly reached Baek Cheon’s ears.

“What were you going to do after you achieved all that?”

Heo Gong stopped walking and turned back slightly.

Baek Cheon couldn’t look into those calm eyes and lowered his head. He looked away.

“Maybe you need to answer that question now.”

Heo Gong took another step and walked down the mountain. He was limping. His injury hadn’t completely healed. He had come all the way here, thinking Baek Cheon would be here.

Baek Cheon closed his eyes, feeling faint.

When he opened his eyes again, only a clear sky was above him.

‘I am…’

He said in a weak voice.

‘The worst person.’

As he lowered his head, a tear formed in his eye.

Oh.