Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1729

The room was silent. Hyun Jong looked at Baek Cheon, not saying a word. The air felt heavy with unspoken worries.

His sleeves hid his scars, but not how thin his arms were. His face was pale and dry. His lips were cracked. Dark circles were under his eyes. Seeing Baek Cheon so changed was like a knife to Hyun Jong’s heart.

Hyun Jong’s heart ached even more because Baek Cheon looked calm, like everything was normal. But Hyun Jong could see the pain hidden behind that calm face. He had always seen Baek Cheon as the future of Hwasan, a strong leader who would guide them to greatness.

Maybe he felt different inside. Baek Cheon was trying hard to look calm, even though he had every reason to break down.

That strong and admirable act hurt Hyun Jong. He had always wanted his disciples to become great, but he didn’t really understand the cost.

“The tea is getting cold, Grand Elder,” Baek Cheon said quietly.

Hyun Jong looked down at his teacup. It was still empty because he hadn’t poured any tea.

Usually, he would have filled his cup right away, but he couldn’t do it now.

Hyun Jong hesitated, then finally spoke.

“Baek Cheon… how is your body feeling?”

“I am well,” Baek Cheon replied.

He nodded and added, “I’ve gotten much better since the beginning.”

“I see.”

Hyun Jong didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded.

“I’m sorry. I should have greeted you first.”

“Don’t say that.”

Hyun Jong couldn’t hold it in any longer and sighed. He felt bad for coming into the room without a plan.

What could he say to comfort Baek Cheon? What could he say to give him hope?

He didn’t know. Anything he said would sound like a weak excuse, pretending to understand.

Hyun Jong spoke again with difficulty.

“Baek Cheon…”

“One moment,” Baek Cheon said, stopping Hyun Jong mid-sentence.

Cutting him off was rude, but maybe Baek Cheon was doing it to help Hyun Jong. At least it stopped Hyun Jong from trying to find meaningless words of comfort.

“There is something I must tell the Grand Elder first.”

Baek Cheon stood up. He walked to the bed and slowly took hold of the white cloth covering something, pulling it away.

Even holding and removing the cloth was hard for him. He had to try several times before he could barely do it.

Hyun Jong watched with a heavy heart. Then, he saw what was under the cloth.

“I want to give this back to the Grand Elder now.”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes tightly, feeling dismayed.

Under the cloth was the Ja Ha Sin Sword. It was the sacred sword of Hwasan that Hyun Jong had given to Baek Cheon when he made him the Acting Sect Leader.

What did it mean for Baek Cheon to return it to Hyun Jong?

“…Baek Cheon.”

“Grand Elder, I…”

Baek Cheon hesitated, then seemed to brace himself and spoke calmly.

“I realize I’m not good enough, so I want to step down as the Acting Sect Leader of Hwasan, the position you gave me.”

“…”

“Also, I want to give up my position as the Great Disciple of Hwasan. Please forgive me for being rude in stepping down from the position you gave me. But, if I can explain, it seems that Hwasan doesn’t need an Acting Sect Leader right now. If you have to choose someone else for that position…”

“Baek Cheon.”

Hyun Jong interrupted Baek Cheon.

There was a long silence. Hyun Jong looked deeply into Baek Cheon’s eyes as he looked at the Ja Ha Sin Sword and asked,

“What does this mean? I gave this to you…”

“Grand Elder.”

Baek Cheon smiled sheepishly.

“I thought about this a lot before deciding. It seems like this is the right thing to do now.”

“The right thing to do?”

Suddenly, Hyun Jong’s eyes flashed with anger.

“Did you say the right thing to do?”

“…”

“What’s the right thing to do? Fine! Let’s say it makes sense to step down as Acting Sect Leader! That position is only temporary anyway! But giving up the position of Great Disciple…! What nonsense are you talking about!”

Hyun Jong didn’t miss the words that Baek Cheon let slip.

“Do you not know what it means to be the Great Disciple? Is that really what you think?”

“…Grand Elder.”

“The Great Disciple is the one who will become the next Sect Leader! Are you saying you won’t become the Sect Leader of Hwasan now?”

Hyun Jong’s voice was unusually loud. It was rare for him to show such anger towards a disciple.

“I know! You can’t use martial arts anymore. With that arm, you can’t hold a sword, and you can’t teach disciples!”

“…”

“But what’s the big deal! If the Sect Leader of Hwasan was only chosen based on martial arts skills, would someone like me have become the Sect Leader? Martial arts are only a small part of being a Sect Leader! You know that, don’t you?”

Baek Cheon looked at Hyun Jong without saying a word. In his steady gaze was a deep sadness.

“Yes. It’s a small part, Grand Elder.”

“Knowing that, how can you…!”

“But it’s also a necessary part.”

Hyun Jong bit the inside of his cheek without realizing it.

“I know. I know that even if I became the Sect Leader of Hwasan, no one in Hwasan would disagree. In fact, they would try to help me.”

“Yes, you know that!”

“But would that really be best for Hwasan and its people?”

Hyun Jong didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t answer right away.

“The Sect Leader is in a position to receive help. No one can do everything alone, and that’s true for the Sect Leader too. But Grand Elder…”

Baek Cheon said with a faint smile.

“There’s a big difference between receiving help and being a burden.”

“Baek Cheon!”

“My body is worse than an ordinary person’s now. As someone who has to live the rest of his life as an invalid, even just living in Hwasan won’t be easy for me. Instead…”

Baek Cheon looked toward the window.

He knew it too.

Even though the window was open, he hadn’t felt anyone nearby for days. He was thankful for their consideration. But that consideration also made him very aware of his situation.

“If those guys… if they were the kind of people who would hate to see a cripple as the Sect Leader of Hwasan, I might have desperately tried to become the Sect Leader. But…”

Baek Cheon slowly shook his head. It was slow, but firm.

“Aren’t those guys just hopeless fools?”

Hyun Jong’s lips trembled slightly.

“Many people in Mount Hua are skilled, even without me. No, some are much better at leading than I am. So… why choose *me* to be the leader?”

Hyun Jong was angry and spoke loudly.

“What are you going to do then? You don’t want to be the leader, you don’t want to be the next in line, you don’t even want to help lead right now! What do you want to be?”

“Just an Elder.”

Baek Cheon smiled sadly.

“I’ll still be part of Mount Hua. Isn’t that enough?”

Hyun Jong bit his lip, worried. Baek Cheon looked down, then looked up at Hyun Jong, his eyes clear.

“Even if I can’t fight anymore, I can still help Mount Hua. Mount Hua gave me more than just fighting skills, didn’t it?”

Now Hyun Jong started to understand. Baek Cheon wasn’t just saying these things because he was sad or angry. Hyun Jong couldn’t imagine how much Baek Cheon had suffered in this small room. How much pain was hidden behind his calm face?

Even so, Hyun Jong didn’t want to accept what Baek Cheon had decided in his pain.

“I’m going to ignore what you just said.”

“No matter what, you are going to be the next leader of Mount Hua. Even if you don’t want it, I will make sure it happens.”

“Elder.”

Hyun Jong stood up quickly from his chair and stopped as he turned to leave. He spoke in a serious voice.

“You said you’d be happy just being part of Mount Hua?”

“Then why is your sword so clean?”

Baek Cheon jumped slightly and looked away. His old plum blossom sword was leaning against the wall.

Not the special Divine Jade Sword of Mount Hua, but his own sword, the one he used in every fight. Next to the dusty furniture, it was perfectly clean, not even a speck of dust on it.

Baek Cheon and Hyun Jong looked at each other.

“I won’t say things like ‘Don’t give up’ or ‘It will be okay.’”

“I will find a solution.”

Hyun Jong turned and walked out of the room.

“Elder.”

Hyun Jong stopped when he heard Baek Cheon’s voice. Without turning around, he said,

“To me, you were the best student I could ever ask for. I even thought you were a gift from our ancestors, sent to help me when things were hard. And I still feel that way, even after Chung Myung arrived.”

“I cared for you so much because when Mount Hua was in trouble, you were the only one I believed could fix everything.”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly.

“Let’s talk about this again when you feel calmer.”

Hyun Jong left the room. Baek Cheon stared at the closed door, then turned back. He looked at the plum blossom sword against the wall.

Even though he thought he’d never use it again, he had cleaned it carefully. Baek Cheon looked up at the ceiling.

*‘I can’t lose this.’*

Something had to be lost. If so, then he would lose Mount Hua last. He couldn’t give up the feeling of warmth in his hands.

But… maybe no one else knows. Sometimes, that warmth feels like a very sharp knife.

*Thump. Thump.* Hyun Jong walked quickly, his steps heavy. His chest felt tight with frustration.

*‘How stupid of me!’*

What was he thinking when he talked to Baek Cheon? What was he even trying to say, rushing in like that?

What could he do? He was just helpless.

Seeing Baek Cheon trying to stay calm even after losing both arms, Hyun Jong’s heart ached.

If Baek Cheon had been angry, or even cried and yelled, it would have been easier to handle. But this quiet sadness was crushing him.

He felt lost, everything seemed dark and hopeless. What could he do for a student who had lost everything? He would give his own life to heal Baek Cheon, and be happy to do it!

Just then, Hyun Jong couldn’t hold back his sadness anymore and covered his face.

“It’s been a while.”

A man stood in front of him, appearing suddenly.

It was Jongri Gok.

Jongri Gok bowed deeply, his hands together. Hyun Jong could feel real respect from him now.

Hyun Jong cleared his throat and tried to look calm.

“Yes, Sect Leader Jongri Gok. It has been a while.”

Hyun Jong also put his hands together politely. Jongri Gok looked up, his voice serious.

“Alliance Leader Hyun Jong, I know you must be tired after traveling, but could you give me a little of your time?”

He asked very carefully and politely. Normally, Hyun Jong would always say yes to such a request, no matter how he felt.

But right now, he had no energy left at all.

“I’m sorry. I’m very distracted right now, maybe another time….”

“It’s about Baek Cheon.”

“Or should I say, the acting leader of Mount Hua.”

Hyun Jong looked up quickly, surprised. Jongri Gok’s face was very calm.

“What… are you talking about?”

“Alliance Leader Hyun Jong,” Jongri Gok sighed and started to speak.

“I’m very sorry to bother you with this now, but….”

“Just tell me. What about Baek Cheon?”

Jongri Gok nodded when Hyun Jong urged him. He was being extra careful because this was a sensitive topic. In the past, their groups didn’t get along, but now Mount Hua had helped Jongnam so much.

Jongri Gok looked straight at Hyun Jong.

“Since you asked, I’ll be direct.”

“If Jongnam has a way to heal the acting leader of Mount Hua….”

Hyun Jong’s eyes opened wide.

“Would you be willing to send Baek Cheon to Jongnam?”

Hyun Jong squeezed his hand into a fist inside his sleeve without thinking. His eyes shook with shock, like a small boat in a storm.

Oh.