Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1738

All eyes were fixed on his hand. The air was thick with tension as everyone watched.

His hand was weak now, almost useless, but it was the hand that had once guided Mount Hua.

He opened his palm, then slowly, deliberately, closed his fingers around empty air.

You could see it clearly. His hand was empty, but he held it as if grasping something real, something precious.

A sword. It was the one thing his hand had always held. Even now, without a blade, the gesture felt completely natural, ingrained in his very being.

A wave of emotion swept through everyone watching.

Seeing him like this, a painful truth hit them again. It felt wrong, so wrong, that his hand was empty. The sword he held was only in his mind, and that was heartbreaking. They understood what Mount Hua had lost.

Yet, some others saw something entirely different in Baek Cheon’s gesture.

He could no longer fight enemies. He could no longer paint the plum blossoms. He could no longer put his dreams into his sword.

But even so, Baek Cheon still holds a sword.

Baek Cheon’s lips parted.

“I wanted to become stronger,”

Everyone was captivated by his quiet words.

“More than anyone else in the world. More than anyone, I wanted to become stronger and prove myself.”

It wasn’t just that Baek Cheon spoke honestly.

His words spoke to everyone there. They all lived in Kangho, a dangerous world where death was always close, like walking on a knife’s edge.

It was difficult to explain why they lived in such a world, why they held a sword in their hand.

In the past, they would have said they were chasing glory. But now, they could not easily utter those words.

Hadn’t they seen others chase glory and lose everything, ending up with nothing?

What would they remember then?

Those who chased false glory in this world would have felt their strength leave them, their hands becoming empty.

The same fate could easily happen to them.

Knowing that, why were they all here? Even now, with no hope of glory, why couldn’t they drop their swords?

“But then, I began to understand something.”

Baek Cheon quietly stretched his hand forward and presented it to Hyun Jong.

“Do you remember?”

It was an unexpected question. Hyun Jong simply stared at Baek Cheon without a word. More precisely, at his eyes, shining brightly between his gaunt fingers.

“What must be held in this hand is strength. But martial arts do not simply mean strength. Martial arts needs purpose. Strength without will is just like the power of a bully.”

“……”

“Do you remember?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes continued to shine clearly. Hyun Jong knew. What was contained in those eyes was neither distrust nor animosity.

Rather, they held a deep trust. Even in this state, Baek Cheon’s eyes, as he looked at Hyun Jong, remained steadfastly unchanged.

“These are the words the Supreme Elder told me.”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes tightly.

That’s right. Yes, that was it.

Those were his words. He had conveyed them with all his heart to Baek Cheon, who was still full of youthful spirit, believing without a doubt that this boy would one day spread the will of Mount Hua throughout the world.

“Will and strength. Martial arts cannot be complete if either is lacking. But if you must choose only one, do not hesitate to abandon strength. Will without strength is miserable, but strength without will is dangerous. These are also the words of the Supreme Elder.”

Hyun Jong simply listened with his eyes closed. The voice resonated deeply in his ears.

Then, Hyun Jong opened his eyes. Baek Cheon’s thin hand, palm open, was right in front of him.

“So, I ask you. What should I hold in this hand?”

“……”

“What!”

Hyun Jong’s lips parted slightly. But he could not utter any words and closed them again.

“Sword and inner strength? Yes, I could obtain them. I could go to the place the Supreme Elder wishes, heal my body, and pick up a sword again, couldn’t I?”

Baek Cheon looked around at the others. Everyone turned their heads, unable to meet his gaze.

“But with what should I fill my will?”

Hyun Jong hesitated once more.

The words he needed to say were stuck in his throat. It felt like ripping his own skin to force out these painful words.

“…Will is there too,”

“Yes. Of course, there will be. But can that become my will?”

“Baek Cheon-ah.”

“I dare to ask, Supreme Elder.”

“……”

“Where is *your* will, Supreme Elder?”

Unable to bear his tormented heart, Hyun Jong squeezed his eyes shut again.

Of course, it was in Mount Hua. There was no need to hesitate in answering. But he could not say that.

Saying the wrong words, failing to give the right answer – it all hurt Hyun Jong deeply, like a fresh wound.

“My will is here,”

Baek Cheon said firmly. He spoke calmly, as if stating something everyone already knew was true.

“I ask again, Supreme Elder. What should I hold in this hand?”

Everyone looked at his hand.

It was empty. Therefore, it could hold anything.

“If I can have martial arts, I will. If not, I will hold onto will. Those are your words, Supreme Elder.”

Hyun Jong had tried to place martial arts in his hand.

No, everyone had.

For everyone in Mount Hua, that hand was more than just his own. It was the hand of Mount Hua itself, holding the hopes of them all.

The one holding that hand was asking.

“Has that will changed now?”

It hurt.

“Are you going to give me strength without will? Do you want me to throw away everything you taught me? Is it right to destroy what Mount Hua stands for?”

It hurt terribly.

Even those who had remained silent out of respect for Hyun Jong’s will now looked at Hyun Jong at these words. The eyes of the disciples guarding Baek Cheon’s back now felt not just clear, but even sharp.

Hyun Jong silently endured it.

“What’s the point of strength like that? If strength is all that matters, how am I different from the Demonic Sect? If strength can get me anything, how am I different from that Tyrant?”

Baek Cheon’s gaze struck Hyun Jong like lightning.

“The future you speak of, Supreme Elder, is wrong!”

“Baek Cheon-ah!”

The other Supreme Elders from Mount Hua were shocked and tried to stop Baek Cheon. His words had just completely rejected Hyun Jong’s authority.

But Baek Cheon didn’t move at all.

“If the Supreme Elder’s wish has changed, I cannot follow it. I will not.”

“You impudent boy! Watch how you speak!”

“That is no longer the Supreme Elder’s wish.”

Thoom!

Baek Cheon clenched his fist and struck his chest hard.

“That determination is here.”

“……”

“Even if the Supreme Elder has given up on it, that determination hasn’t disappeared. It’s here. That determination has become my will, and now it is my strong resolve.”

“Baek Cheon….”

“Everything I have is in Hwasan.”

Baek Cheon slowly turned to face the disciples. All the disciples had come to see him. Now, they looked at him.

It was a strange feeling.

Usually, he would look for Chung Myung first. Chung Myung was always watching him. But not now. He wasn’t worried about Chung Myung’s gaze.

Even though he knew Chung Myung was there, he looked at everyone in Hwasan, not just Chung Myung.

Each and every one of their eyes shone like stars.

Sometimes, those lights felt like a burden. When they felt too heavy, when he trembled alone in the dark.

He wasn’t that great a person.

But now, he seemed to understand what he had to do and what he had to say. Those gazes were telling him.

“I am weak. The Supreme Elder may have thought I was great, but I am more insignificant and lacking than you think. I know that very well.”

“……”

“That’s why I desperately needed someone to hold onto what I had, so I wouldn’t lose it. Someone to push me up the steep path when I was out of breath, someone to look up with me when I was tired of the abyss.”

Baek Cheon’s fingers trembled slightly.

“All of that is in Hwasan. And… everything I have is in Hwasan.”

Even so, his words were stronger and firmer than ever.

“You said that if I had to hold only one thing in this hand, it should be my will.”

“……I did.”

Hyun Jong swallowed his pain and answered.

“My will is in Hwasan. So, I will follow the old teachings of Hwasan. I will also carry out my will. I will be an example for those who follow.”

Hyun Jong was holding his breath, or rather, he couldn’t breathe.

“That is the duty that those who carry on should uphold, and the will that those who wield the sword must fulfill!”

Everyone understood.

They had lost Baek Cheon in one way. But because of that, they had gained something else.

Baek Cheon as a martial artist might have disappeared, but the person Baek Cheon standing there was shining much brighter than before.

And they also understood how much that person, that weakling, was needed in Hwasan and who was truly carrying on the will of Hwasan.

“Therefore, I refuse. The place where I should be is right here. Please reconsider, Supreme Elder.”

Baek Cheon bowed deeply.

Even though he was not well, he stood tall. He did not look weak or unsure. Hyun Jong quietly looked at Baek Cheon and the faces of the many disciples behind him.

‘Magnificent….’

It was even better than he had hoped. It was so amazing, he hadn’t even dreamed it could be this good.

Maybe Baek Cheon was standing in a place that even the predecessors of Hwasan hadn’t reached.

Hwasan would change because Baek Cheon was there. He could see Hwasan rising in the world, with Baek Cheon as its symbol.

The young boy who had come to Hwasan long ago had finally come this far. Hyun Jong, who was watching him, had become old, but the boy had grown up so wonderfully.

Therefore, Hyun Jong could clearly see what he had to do.

“Sect Leader.”

“……Yes, Supreme Elder.”

“Can you give me the authority to make this decision again?”

Unam looked at Hyun Jong without a word. After a long silence, Un Am nodded.

“As you wish.”

“Thank you.”

Hyun Jong rose from his seat and slowly walked towards Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon stared at Hyun Jong with wide eyes.

One step. Another step.

Before, Baek Cheon had gone to Hyun Jong. But now, Hyun Jong was walking towards Baek Cheon.

Everything was different, but one thing was the same: the one walking saw a hope in the place they were trying to reach.

Thud.

Hyun Jong stopped in front of Baek Cheon.

Silence filled the air. The air felt heavy with tension.

Baek Cheon sat up straight, and Hyun Jong stood before him. They looked at each other without speaking.

Baek Cheon had knocked on the doors of Hwasan with that hand.

What should Hyun Jong do with this hand now?

Hyun Jong’s hand slowly reached out.

Seeing the strong and firm touch, Baek Cheon bit his lip, overwhelmed. He reached out his hand towards Hyun Jong, trying to raise his weakened hand to meet Hyun Jong’s thick hand.

At that moment, Hyun Jong’s hand reached out a little further.

Their hands missed each other, and Baek Cheon’s eyes widened in dismay.

Thwack.

Hyun Jong’s hand didn’t touch Baek Cheon’s hand or his shoulder. It touched the Jahashin Sword at his waist.

He had refused to accept it, pushed it away, and said it was impossible. But now, Hyun Jong held the Jahashin Sword.

“Supreme….”

Hyun Jong took the Jahashin Sword from Baek Cheon’s waist without hesitating. He glanced at Baek Cheon and turned away.

“From this moment on, Jin Dong-ryong is no longer a disciple of Hwasan. He is kicked out of Hwasan.”

Baek Cheon stared at Hyun Jong’s back, unable to believe it.

“However! Considering what Jin Dong-ryong has done for Hwasan, he will not be completely cut off from Hwasan forever.”

Collapsing.

“All disciples of Hwasan must know this and must not show any kindness to those who have been expelled.”