Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1737

Hyun Jong looked at the man in front of him, his mind heavy.

The young man wore the white uniform of a Hwasan disciple. He looked pale and tired.

Baek Cheon wore white clothes and sat on the dark floor. He looked very pale and weak, like ice. He seemed ready to fall apart, but you could also see a strong spirit in him.

Like a crane…

A celestial crane.

Hyun Jong thought about why ancient Taoists used the crane as their symbol. It wasn’t just because they were beautiful.

Hyun Jong thought about the Tao. It was supposed to be the best way to live, but it was also very hard. It felt both good and cruel at the same time.

Was a Taoist’s life, always trying to find enlightenment, any different from a crane standing on thin legs?

But people weren’t cranes. A crane might look calm on the water, but a person living like that would suffer a lot.

So, the Tao was both the best and worst thing.

The path to enlightenment was a symbol of good, but also a harsh punishment.

Hyun Jong had to ask himself.

He was the Head of the Hwasan Sect and the Supreme Elder. He had lived as a Taoist, but had he really found enlightenment?

Buddhists said the world was full of suffering, and living was a struggle.

Confucians said the world was chaos, and living meant bringing order back.

So, what was the Tao?

If everything was natural, was his pain, and Baek Cheon’s pain, natural too? If so, was accepting that pain the path to enlightenment?

If that was true…

What was the point of being a Taoist?

Could he even call himself a Taoist if he didn’t understand that?

“Disciple, Baek Cheon.”

Hyun Jong wasn’t sure of himself.

“I need to ask you something.”

He wasn’t sure if he could give the right answer to the man looking at him with clear eyes.

“Is it true that you are expelling me from the sect?”

Hyun Jong had given the order. Un Am had just nodded. But Baek Cheon asked about the Sect Leader, not Hyun Jong. Hyun Jong’s decision was personal, but the Sect Leader’s decision was Hwasan’s decision.

So, Baek Cheon asked, “Is it really Hwasan’s decision to expel me, or just yours?”

“It is,” Hyun Jong said, nodding.

He might be overstepping his authority, and he might be arrogant. But Hyun Jong thought…

Was it wrong?

Taoists were supposed to follow their hearts.

Even if everything around him said he was wrong, could he ignore what his heart told him?

“No. That’s not right,” Baek Cheon said.

“This is your will, Supreme Elder, not Hwasan’s will.”

Hyun Jong’s eyes narrowed.

“No one can deny that you care about Hwasan’s will. Not the disciples, not anyone. However…”

Baek Cheon looked at Hyun Jong with clear eyes.

“That doesn’t mean your will is always the same as Hwasan’s will.”

Sorrow clouded Hyun Jong’s face.

Baek Cheon was right. Completely right.

But what did it matter? Right and wrong only mattered to those who wanted to do what was right. What was the point of arguing about it when he knew he was being arrogant?

“Even if you’re right,” Hyun Jong said sternly, but his voice was sad.

“I am the one who carries out Hwasan’s will now.”

“And I decide what Hwasan’s path is.”

Hyun Jong spoke firmly.

“So, my decision won’t change. As the Supreme Elder, I have the authority to expel you, Baek Cheon. I won’t accept any objections.”

Hyun Jong’s face twitched, but his resolve was clear. He was like a stone wall.

Baek Cheon kept pushing against that wall.

“Why?”

“Because it’s right.”

“I said it’s not right.”

“What is right for me might be different from what is right for you. But I believe this decision is right.”

“I said that’s not Hwasan’s will.”

“But it is my will. As the leader, my will is now Hwasan’s will.”

Hyun Jong knew how to step back. He had done it his whole life.

But he also knew that there were times when he couldn’t. He couldn’t step back now, for Baek Cheon’s sake, not his own.

“Supreme Elder,” Baek Cheon whispered. His face was as white as his uniform. His voice was weak, but you could still hear the question in it. “Why?”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes. *Why, why, why?* The question echoed in his head. He felt tired, so tired of these questions. Each one was like a small stone adding to a heavy weight on his chest. He didn’t want to explain, to argue anymore.

He opened his eyes and looked at Baek Cheon. “Baek Cheon,” he said, using the name he shouldn’t. It felt strange to say it now, like calling out to someone who was already gone.

“It is a path for you.”

“That’s just an excuse.”

“It’s a path for all the disciples of Hwasan.”

“That’s an excuse too.”

“I’m not trying to argue!”

“I’m not trying to argue either.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes stared right through Hyun Jong. They burned with a fierce light.

Even those who couldn’t see his eyes could feel his spirit. Outside the open door, many people were watching.

Even disciples of Hwasan couldn’t easily come to this place. But that’s why only they could see this with their own eyes.

‘Senior Brother,’ Yoon Jong thought, staring at Baek Cheon’s back.

He looked like he might fall at any moment. The people watching were sweating. Even in perfect health, it would be hard to face Hyun Jong and the elders.

But Baek Cheon didn’t back down.

“What is it for?” Baek Cheon asked firmly.

“What is the right path for me?”

“Baek Cheon-ah!”

“Is expelling me really for my own good?”

Baek Cheon held out his thin hand.

“If I can hold a sword again, does anything else matter? Is that really for my own good?”

His voice didn’t shake.

But to Yoon Jong, it sounded like a desperate scream. Maybe everyone felt that way.

There was no martial power here.

But it was more intense than any battlefield.

“You’re breaking the rules set by our ancestors!”

Hyun Jong’s eyebrows twitched.

“You’re destroying everything Hwasan has done!”

“Stop it.”

“Are you trying to deny the Sect Leader’s life?”

“Baek Cheon!” Hyun Jong shouted.

But Baek Cheon didn’t back down, even though his body trembled and he bit his lip to stay conscious.

But Baek Cheon’s spirit had to weaken eventually.

It wasn’t because he was overwhelmed, but because his spirit was fading. Hyun Jong looked at him with sorrow.

“You have… a future.”

Hyun Jong knew. He had lived many years. He knew how great Baek Cheon’s future could be, and how much he could achieve.

Because he had to spend the best years of his life in sorrow, he couldn’t ignore what Baek Cheon would lose.

Youthful impatience can take away many things.

Value isn’t forever. Even the most precious things will fade. And when you look back, you’ll realize how important the things that seemed small were.

“It might hurt now. It will be very painful. But you’ll understand that the pain you feel now is better than the pain you would feel later.”

“How can you choose that for me?”

“Baek Cheon-ah,” Hyun Jong said with a deep breath.

“Life is long.”

“You can rise again. You can shine again.”

Baek Cheon’s face hardened.

“Supreme Elder.”

“Do you think it’s because it’s you? It’s not. I would have made the same choice for anyone.”

Hyun Jong looked past Baek Cheon at the Hwasan disciples.

“The sect doesn’t exist for the people. It exists for the people.”

“It’s the same for everyone. I don’t want Hwasan to hold you back. I don’t want Hwasan to be your shackle. The ancestors wouldn’t want that either.”

Yoon Jong was about to nod when he saw Chung Myung standing next to him. Chung Myung had been gone lately. His face was unreadable, but Yoon Jong thought he saw a flicker of something – sadness? – in his eyes. It was a look Yoon Jong hadn’t seen before, yet somehow it felt like he knew it.

“Hwasan should be your foundation and your stepping stone. If it can’t be, then the name of Hwasan is worthless!”

“I’ll take off that mask. If the name of Hwasan becomes a burden, I’ll erase it myself!”

Everyone knew that Hyun Jong’s decision wouldn’t change. He was willing to give up the name of Hwasan. How could anyone argue with that?

But could they criticize him? Could they say he was wrong?

That’s why they were silent and sad.

The two men were alike. They understood each other, but they were now on paths that would never cross.

Yoon Jong realized that others were watching too.

Hae Yeon, Nangong Dowi, Tang Gunak, Poong Young-shin-gae, Jin Geum-ryong, and Lee Song-baek were all watching.

Jongli-gok was probably listening too. This was Baek Cheon leaving Hwasan.

‘Senior Brother,’ Yoon Jong thought, biting his lip.

He couldn’t change Hyun Jong’s mind. Maybe he shouldn’t.

Everyone probably understood Hyun Jong’s heart. He was carrying the burden that Yoon Jong and the Five Swords couldn’t.