Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1734

Yoon Jong blinked, his mind struggling to catch up. “What?” he breathed, staring at Jo Gul, who stood panting in the doorway.

“…What did you just say?” Yoon Jong asked again, his voice barely a whisper.

“S-Senior Brother!” Jo Gul gasped, clutching at the doorframe. “Did you… did you hear me?”

“Before that!” Yoon Jong snapped, his patience fraying. “What news are you talking about?”

Jo Gul’s face was as white as paper, his eyes wide with fear. “H… Have you heard…? The news… about Martial Uncle… being expelled?”

“Nonsense!” Yoon Jong exploded. “That’s rubbish!” He pushed back from his table, his chair scraping loudly on the wooden floor.

“The rumors are spreading like wildfire within Mount Hua!” Jo Gul insisted, his voice trembling.

“Nonsense! If that were true, we would have known first. Does it make sense to hear such news from someone else?” Yoon Jong retorted, trying to maintain a calm facade.

“N-No… I also know that it should be that way, but…” Jo Gul stammered, his face still pale.

Seeing Jo Gul’s expression, Yoon Jong understood the situation a little better. The rumors were so widespread that they couldn’t be dismissed as mere nonsense.

Yoon Jong jumped up from his seat.

“Let’s go,” he said firmly.

“W-Where to?” Jo Gul asked, startled.

“We need to confirm this. We’re going to see the Supreme Head.”

Jo Gul was silent.

“This ridiculous matter must be dealt with quickly. What if these absurd rumors spread further and reach Martial Uncle’s ears? Let’s go, quickly!” Yoon Jong urged.

“Yes, yes!” Jo Gul nodded vigorously. Seeing this, Yoon Jong bit his lip tightly.

‘I won’t let this go,’ he thought.

He didn’t know who had spread this ridiculous rumor, but he would find them and make them pay the price. He would use every method at his disposal to ensure it.

However, Yoon Jong’s resolve was shattered miserably by a single, calm voice.

“It is true.”

“……Yes?” Yoon Jong’s expression turned blank.

Had he misheard? Or had he asked the wrong question?

Neither was likely. That was why Yoon Jong couldn’t understand this situation. And it seemed Yoon Jong wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand this answer. The expressions of the Five Swords standing with him were no different from his own.

Yoon Jong looked ahead.

Hyun Jong, with a stern face, and the two elders of Mount Hua, who had arrived in Mount Hua only this morning, were facing them with expressions that were difficult to fathom.

He swallowed hard.

Facing Hyun Jong wasn’t a rare occurrence for the disciples of Mount Hua, but Yoon Jong’s body stiffened with tension. It was probably because he felt something in the gazes of the elders that hadn’t been there before.

“Supreme Head… What you just said…” Yoon Jong began, his voice hesitant.

At that moment, Hyun Jong’s eyes pierced through Yoon Jong.

Yoon Jong flinched without realizing it.

He had heard of it.

Long ago, when they were in danger in Gangnam because of the Sapae Lord, people said the Supreme Head’s eyes were very cold.

He had simply laughed it off because he hadn’t seen it himself. But now, Yoon Jong couldn’t help but understand why the disciples had all told him the same thing. Hyun Jong’s eyes were that cold and detached.

Therefore, he could intuitively understand that all of this was a clear reality.

“H-Head…” Baek Sang stammered.

“What is it?” Hyun Jong asked, his voice sharp.

Yoon Jong’s voice burst out, interrupting Baek Sang, who was stammering as he tried to ask again.

There were more things to ask, but his mind, muddled with confusion, could only squeeze out these words. And those words perfectly represented the feelings of those standing here, facing Hyun Jong.

“Why!”

Yoon Jong had never raised his voice to Hyun Jong before. But now, Yoon Jong wasn’t even aware that his voice had risen.

“Did you ask for a reason?” Hyun Jong asked, his face unreadable.

“Yes, Supreme Head. Why…” Yoon Jong pressed.

“Exceeding authority.”

“……Yes?”

Hyun Jong’s eyes sank coldly.

“The position of Acting Head is merely a position to act on behalf of the Head of Mount Hua.”

Yoon Jong was silent, waiting for Hyun Jong to continue.

“Being in that position does not grant the authority over the life and death of the disciples. The Acting Head is merely someone who issues orders in place of the Head when the Head is absent.”

Yoon Jong blinked blankly.

Who didn’t know that?

“However, Baek Cheon, the First Disciple of Mount Hua, forgot this fact and pushed the disciples into danger. He led the disciples recklessly into a cliff occupied by the enemy, putting everyone in danger.”

“Su-Supreme… Head. That’s…” Yoon Jong started to protest.

“If!” Hyun Jong shouted, cutting him off.

“If the escape from the cliff had been delayed even slightly, the Mount Hua Sect would not have been able to avoid annihilation.”

It was a perfect reason, even though it was given late.

In particular, the fact that all the disciples of Mount Hua would have died a miserable death on that cliff if they had made a single mistake was undeniable.

“But that was something that had to be done…” Yoon Jong insisted.

“Had to?” Hyun Jong glared at Yoon Jong with eyes full of anger. Yoon Jong flinched once again without realizing it.

“Was it truly a decision that had to be made, to put all the disciples in danger for such a small act of bravery?”

Confusion filled the eyes of Yoon Jong and the other Five Swords.

“But that wasn’t a decision made solely by the Acting Head, was it? That was at the request of the Cheonwoo Alliance…!” Yoon Jong argued.

“Who had the authority to decide whether or not to accept that request?” Hyun Jong countered.

“That’s…”

Yoon Jong bit his lip without realizing it.

It was Baek Cheon. He had thought so. But Yoon Jong couldn’t help but realize it. The one who had clearly existed in that place where Hyun Jong was absent.

“Head…” Yoon Jong said softly.

He was sitting on one side of those sitting in front of the Five Swords.

Unam.

Although he had practically given all authority to Baek Cheon and was only assisting him, the current Head of Mount Hua, in name, was clearly Unam.

And Yoon Jong couldn’t help but realize that Baek Cheon hadn’t asked Un Am for permission even once in all the decisions made in Mount Hua.

Even though he hadn’t taken the position of Lord or Vice Lord, he had clearly accompanied them on this journey.

“B-But even so, expulsion… Supreme Head, this is…” Yoon Jong stammered, struggling to find the right words.

“Is it too much?” Hyun Jong asked, his voice dangerously low.

“I’m…”

“Is expulsion too much, even after committing an act that could have caused all the disciples of Mount Hua to be lost?”

Yoon Jong had no choice but to close his mouth.

“We were lucky and didn’t suffer any casualties. But if we had been unlucky and lost disciples, would you still say the same thing?”

Yoon Jong remained silent.

“Sacrificing one’s own life is bravery, but sacrificing the lives of others is arrogance. Is expulsion truly too much as the price for that arrogance?”

Hyun Jong continued with a distorted face.

“You may think it’s too much. But if we ignore this, will it happen again?”

There was no room for error in his words.

But Yoon Jong couldn’t accept it. Wasn’t it Hyun Jong himself who had given Baek Cheon the position of Acting Head, knowing that he was such a person?

“There are plenty of other disciplinary measures, aren’t there? Is it really necessary to impose such an extreme punishment as expulsion…?” Yoon Jong pleaded.

Yoon Jong had no choice but to stop Jo Gul.

‘Could it be?’ Yoon Jong thought, his heart pounding.

Jo Gul’s eyes widened in shock.

“Supreme Head Disciple. Could it be that…?” he stammered.

Hyun Jong’s voice cut through the air, cold and final. “Just go back.”

“……”

“No matter what you say, my decision will not change. So, go back.”

“No! Even so!”

Just as Jo Gul was about to shout, Yoon Jong gripped his shoulder tightly.

“Senior Brother!” Yoon Jong said firmly.

“Let’s get out of here first.”

“But Senior Brother, if we back down here!”

“I said, come out!”

Yoon Jong put strength into his hand, dragging Jo Gul towards the door. Baek Sang, Yoo Iseol, and Tang Soso reluctantly bowed their heads and followed them.

Yoo Iseol glanced back at Hyun Jong, her dark eyes questioning, but giving nothing away. Hyun Jong did not respond, merely staring at the cold teacup.

As the Five Swords left, Hyun Sang, who had been silent until now, spoke, “Senior Brother.”

“……”

“Is it really necessary to go this far?”

At those words, Hyun Jong closed his eyes.

“I understand your feelings, Senior Brother, but there might be another way…”

“Yes, there might be.”

“……”

“But that would take too much time again.”

A bitter look appeared in Hyun Jong’s eyes.

“Now is wartime. Who can guarantee that he will be alive after the next war?”

Hyun Jong had already heard everything.

If he had his way, he would tie Baek Cheon up here and send only them to the battlefield. But that was no longer possible. Hadn’t he heard that the Blood Palace group held a grudge against Baek Cheon and had come all the way to the boundaries of Mount Hua?

The Blood Palace were skilled in bizarre and unfathomable sorcery that martial artists of the Central Plains could scarcely imagine. Having been targeted by such individuals, the rear was no longer a safe place for Baek Cheon either.

‘And….’

If it was Baek Cheon that Hyun Jong knew, no matter what his condition, he would never try to remain behind alone. In the end, as long as he existed as the Deputy Sect Leader of Mount Hua, it meant he would always have to face life-threatening dangers.

“Senior Brother…”

“I will take all responsibility,” Hyun Jong said firmly.

“……”

When Hyun Sang gave up trying to dissuade Hyun Jong with a sigh, Hyun Young spoke this time.

“The disciples will be quite shocked.”

“……”

“In any case, Baek Cheon is Baek Cheon. No matter how much Chung Myung is there, and Yoon Jong is there, if you consider what that fellow means to the disciples of Mount Hua…”

He could guess the rest without hearing it.

The expulsion of someone who was like a symbol of Mount Hua. Who could predict what kind of place the aftermath would turn Mount Hua into? However, everyone would know that at least the impact would not be positive.

Perhaps everything they had painstakingly built might collapse. For Mount Hua, Baek Cheon was like a cornerstone.

“Even so, are you really… really not going to change your mind?”

Hyun Jong nodded without answering.

This might be Hyun Jong’s stubbornness. But now, Hyun Jong knew that he was being stubborn, yet he did not try to back down.

Several late decisions. Several instances of passing the buck. And several instances of turning a blind eye.

How much had he lost in that excuse of thinking about future generations? But Hyun Jong had no intention of losing this time, even if this decision gave Mount Hua a significant shock.

Hyun Jong could not risk the future of that young disciple who had brought so much change to Mount Hua.

“This is unbelievable!” Hyun Jong sighed.

“Why are you stopping it?” Jo Gul asked, confused.

“……”

“No. What the Supreme Head Disciple is saying doesn’t make sense, does it? If we expel people for things like that, honestly, how many people would be wearing Mount Hua uniforms here?” Jo Gul exclaimed.

“……”

“Of course, I admit that Uncle is a bit more insane than the rest, but even so…”

“Gul,” Yoon Jong warned.

“I can’t do this. I’m going back in to negotiate again…”

“Gul!” Yoon Jong shouted, scolding him, and looked at Jo Gul.

“The Supreme Head Disciple is not trying to expel Uncle.”

“Yes? What does that…” Jo Gul trailed off, confused.

“He’s trying to send Uncle… to Jongnam.”

“……”

Jo Gul’s face turned strange for a moment. Only when the blood that had rushed to his head cooled down could he understand what Yoon Jong had said.

“Oh…”

He understood. But he didn’t understand.

“No… I know what you mean, but isn’t it… expulsion?”

“……”

“Can a disciple who has been expelled return to the sect?”

“It would be impossible.”

“Then… then isn’t it different? If Uncle is expelled, he will have to live as a disciple of Jongnam forever, won’t he? Then Uncle…”

The strength gradually drained from Jo Gul’s voice.

“Uncle…”

He had no choice but to understand.

He had been somewhat anticipating it as well.

There was no way to send Baek Cheon to Jongnam through normal means. Baek Cheon would refuse no matter what. Trying to change his mind with soft words like persuasion was unimaginable. Hadn’t they already confirmed Baek Cheon’s ironclad position?

“Even so…”

“It seems the Supreme Head Disciple thinks this is the only way,” Yoon Jong said gravely.

Jo Gul’s face twisted miserably.

“But what about Uncle?”

“……”

“I understand the logic. But what about Uncle? What about Uncle’s feelings, being expelled from Mount Hua without any fault? Is this really the right way?”

Yoon Jong closed his eyes.

“Do you really think so, Senior Brother?”

What is right?

Yoon Jong still did not know. Perhaps living was a constant penance of searching for what is right.

And at that moment, Jo Gul’s hand gripped Yoon Jong’s shoulder painfully.

Just as Yoon Jong, who had opened his eyes, was about to speak, he realized Jo Gul’s gaze was not on him.

“……”

Yoon Jong slowly turned his head.

And Yoon Jong saw him.

Their Deputy Sect Leader, wearing the pure white uniform of Mount Hua, was approaching them with a face like stone. He was heading towards the main building where Hyun Jong was.

Oh.