Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1739

Can They Endure? (5)

The disciples of Hwasan Sect watched in stunned silence as a shocking ceremony began. It looked like a punishment, but for whom and why?

Yoon Jong stopped moving, frozen like a statue.

He heard the words, but his mind couldn’t grasp them. It was as if his brain had suddenly turned to mush.

Then, right in front of him, everything changed. A new, terrible scene began to play out.

As soon as Hyun Jong finished speaking, the elders stood up and approached Baek Cheon. Two of them grabbed Baek Cheon’s arms, pulling him to either side.

“Uh…”

‘What am I even looking at?’

Jo Gul stirred as if he couldn’t stand it any longer. Tang Soso firmly pressed down on his shoulder.

To Yoon Jong, this whole scene felt unreal. None of it felt real.

‘What are they doing…?’

What on earth?

Riiiiip!

Baek Cheon’s martial uniform was torn apart.

The uniform of Hwasan. Clothing that proved he was a disciple of Hwasan, clothing that only a disciple of Hwasan could wear, was mercilessly destroyed.

Yoon Jong’s eyes fixed on the red plum blossom on the torn uniform. It felt like the fallen flower filled his whole world, making him dizzy.

“Sasuk…”

The elders’ faces were twisted in anguish. Baek Cheon’s back slumped, as if he’d lost the will to resist.

It was all ridiculous.

Hyun Sang gripped Baek Cheon’s Plum Blossom Sword with a hardened face.

According to the rules, he should cut Baek Cheon’s limbs and tendons with that sword. This was a symbolic act, showing that Hwasan was taking back everything it had given to Baek Cheon, even his martial arts.

But Hyun Sang merely held the Plum Blossom Sword and turned away.

Hyun Young couldn’t hide his disappointment and shifted uncomfortably, but soon he, too, turned his head away.

All that remained was Baek Cheon, his back exposed, his long hair disheveled and hanging down.

‘This is a lie, right?’

“Do something!”

A voice, as if heard from underwater, barely reached his ears.

He slowly turned to see Jo Gul grabbing Chung Myung by the collar. Jo Gul’s face was contorted, looking less angry and more terrified and helpless, like a child.

“Do something!”

Jo Gul desperately looked at Chung Myung, pointing to the main hall.

But Chung Myung didn’t say a word, his face hardened. Chung Myung’s eyes, devoid of emotion, and Jo Gul’s eyes, filled with desperate longing, formed a stark contrast.

Yoon Jong strangely let out a hollow laugh.

Because it didn’t feel real. Because it was absurd. Because he couldn’t even cry. Any reason he could come up with would feel awkward, but the laughter wouldn’t stop.

“Do something!”

The shout faded away. The world grew muffled, and an endless droning noise spread around him.

Everything was just like a dream.

Hyun Young and Hyun Sang, having left the main hall, headed to a place other than their own quarters. In this unfamiliar place, there would be nowhere else to avoid people’s gazes.

“Sahyung.”

In front of the quarters given to Hyun Jong, Hyun Young quietly spoke.

“Sahyung… Please open the door.”

No answer came.

He sighed and was about to call Hyun Jong again when Hyun Sang shook his head, stopping him. Then, he carefully pushed the door open.

Creak.

The unlocked door opened with a weak sound. Through the half-opened door, Hyun Jong’s back could be seen, sitting upright.

That figure seemed somehow small and lonely today.

“Sahyung…”

A voice filled with sorrow escaped Hyun Young’s lips.

Honestly, it was a familiar sight. Hadn’t they overcome such difficult times in Hwasan? To them, sorrow and despair were not unfamiliar emotions.

But today, Hyun Jong’s back looked different from what Hyun Young had seen until now.

It seemed faded and faint. Or perhaps, it had simply worn away.

Hyun Young stared at Hyun Jong’s back for a long time, then took a difficult step forward. Even then, he couldn’t bring himself to touch him and only let out a long sigh.

“Sahyung. You did well.”

“…”

“It may be difficult now, but someday, that child will understand. Sahyung’s heart.”

Hyun Jong didn’t answer. He just stared out the window, his eyes fixed on the sunlight streaming in. It was a bright, dazzling light, almost painful to look at directly. It seemed to highlight the emptiness in the room, and perhaps, in his own heart.

“It will be different. The one looking at the path to be taken and the one looking back at the path already walked must be different.”

“Sahyung…”

A hollow voice escaped Hyun Jong’s lips.

“But… Hyun Young-ah. I’m scared.”

“…”

“Was driving that child off this path truly for the child’s sake, or was it just my fear of not being able to bear seeing someone else walk the arduous path I walked?”

“Sahyung…”

“I’m scared of that.”

Hyun Young sighed deeply once more. Hyun Jong asked.

“Was it the right decision?”

Hyun Young slowly shook his head.

“It probably wasn’t.”

“…”

“It wasn’t a decision that the one leading Hwasan should make. This incident will leave deep wounds on the remaining disciples. Perhaps Sahyung has blocked the path they could have walked.”

“…That’s probably right.”

“Among the decisions made as the sect leader, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it’s the worst.”

Hyun Jong nodded calmly, as if he had expected it. His thoughts were not much different. Baek Cheon was that necessary to Hwasan.

“So, are you disappointed?”

“No.”

Hyun Young answered plainly without hesitation.

“Rather, I would have been disappointed if Sahyung hadn’t made this decision. What can we do? Sahyung is that kind of person, and that’s how we’ve lived.”

Hyun Jong was silent for a moment. Soon, shoulders that seemed the heaviest in the world began to tremble slightly.

“Sahyung…”

Hyun Young was about to speak again, but Hyun Sang grabbed his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Hyun Sang quietly shaking his head.

Eventually, Hyun Young nodded as if he understood.

“Don’t blame yourself too much, Sahyung.”

“…”

“I will greet you again tomorrow.”

The two left the room quietly without saying any more.

Thud.

With the sound of the door closing, Hyun Jong was left alone in the room again. Then, he looked again at the sunlight pouring through the window.

‘Oh, Primordial Celestial Lord…’

It was only a handful, but that was why it was dazzling.

His memory was hazy. He didn’t know how time had passed. The lasting impact of what happened weighed heavily on Yoon Jong.

Yoon Jong opened his eyes. He was back in his room, and the air felt still. Time had passed while he was lost in his thoughts. He wasn’t alone. Unwanted guests were there, their faces grim.

“……”

The silence in the room was heavy, pressing down on them like a weight. No one spoke. It felt like the air itself was holding its breath. Yoon Jong could feel the weight of their shared worry, a cold knot in his stomach. The problem felt too big for words, the emotions too raw to speak aloud.

“……This can’t be happening.”

Even Jo Gul’s voice, as he finally broke the silence, was faint.

“Is this… Is this right, Sahyung?”

“…….”

“Is it?”

Yoon Jong could offer no reply.

They, too, believed that Baek Cheon should somehow be sent to Jongnam. But this was different. None of them had ever considered such an extreme measure as expulsion.

Expulsion… This wasn’t right. It felt like punishing someone too much for a small mistake.

“Expulsion… This isn’t right, this… This really isn’t right.”

Jo Gul, muttering with a dismal expression, hung his head low. He seemed incapable of even anger. His face was pale and his eyes were dull, like all the light had gone out of them.

Yoon Jong hesitated for a long while before finally speaking.

“What does Sasook say?”

“He’s still there,”

Tang Soso replied in a listless voice.

“Since then… continuously.”

Yoon Jong squeezed his eyes shut. He understood all too well. He wouldn’t be able to accept it. He couldn’t possibly accept it.

“Bloody hell….”

Jo Gul, roughly wiping his face, buried it in his hands.

Even the hot-tempered Jo Gul knew. This wasn’t something that could be solved by simply getting angry or throwing a tantrum. Hyun Jong’s stance was just that firm.

They couldn’t stand against such resolve from Hyun Jong.

So, in moments like these, they could only think of one person as the sole solution.

“What about… Cheong Myung? What does that rascal say?”

Everyone, lost in their own thoughts, looked at Yoon Jong. Jo Gul’s face twisted.

“He says he can’t change what the Supreme Elder decided. He said it’s the least he can do as someone from Hwasan.”

Yoon Jong bit his lip without realizing it.

It was undeniable. Wasn’t it because they all knew this fact that they couldn’t do anything and simply turned away?

But even so….

“Wouldn’t it be better this way?”

“……Pardon?”

The disciples of Hwasan turned to Baek Sang.

Baek Sang looked nervous under their hard stares. But then he took a deep breath and spoke.

“I mean, for Sahyung.”

“How can you say such a thing?”

“You all know it too. That man… if it weren’t for something like this, he’d never leave Hwasan.”

“…….”

“It’s a sad thing for us, but for Sahyung….”

“Can you still say that after hearing what Sasook said?”

Yoon Jong asked sharply. Baek Sang bit his lip slightly.

“Then what? Do you want Sahyung to wither away in Hwasan like that?”

“That’s not what I meant….”

“Maybe Hwasan is more important to you than Sahyung, but I am not! I….”

Baek Sang trailed off, as if unable to say the rest.

“I don’t know, damn it.”

He cursed, scrubbing his face roughly.

It wasn’t that they disagreed. They were just lost and didn’t know what to think. Everything was too confusing and happened too fast.

Silence fell again. Confusing, but they didn’t quite know the nature of this confusion.

The light of the setting sun seeped in through the small window.

The air in the room grew cooler as the last light faded, and long shadows stretched across the floor, making the room feel even more somber. The silence stretched on, long after the light had turned redder and dimmer, until the room was plunged into darkness.

Jin Geum-ryong stared at the main hall. He stood completely still, like a statue.

His eyes were fixed on one figure. A figure who hadn’t even thought to tidy his torn clothes, standing motionless.

Perhaps Baek Cheon’s time had stopped the moment his clothes were torn, his Plum Blossom Sword was taken, and he was expelled from Hwasan.

And as much as Baek Cheon was frozen, so too was Jin Geum-ryong.

“Sahyung.”

Even as Lee Song-baek’s worried voice brushed past his ear, Jin Geum-ryong didn’t so much as glance away.

He felt angry, a deep anger rising inside him.

Perhaps it was because of the miserable figure before him, or perhaps it was because of that miserable situation.

It was truly contradictory. Knowing full well that he was the one who had brought Baek Cheon to his current state, an inexplicable resentment gripped him.

‘Affection….’

Jongri-gok was right.

It wasn’t Baek Cheon who couldn’t bear Baek Cheon’s situation. It was the one watching him.

Too precious to lose. Too precious to ignore. Too precious to confront.

Just like Jin Geum-ryong back then.

“……Let’s go.”

“Sahyung.”

“I must see the Sect Leader.”

Jin Geum-ryong bit his lip once and finally turned around.

“Baek Cheon Dojang….”

“He is Jin Dong-ryong now.”

“…….”

A complex emotion clouded Jin Geum-ryong’s voice. “He will eventually come to Jongnam. And when that time comes…I will have to make sure he regains everything he has lost so far. Until then, it’s just a short while. Just a very short while.”

With those words, Jin Geum-ryong strode away. Lee Song-baek, who was about to follow, hesitated and turned his head. Baek Cheon, sitting alone and blankly in the darkened hall, looked so lonely and isolated that it was hard to leave him.

Looking at Baek Cheon’s lonely back, Lee Song-baek remembered Jin Geum-ryong when he was lonely too.

If he could come to Jongnam as Jin Geum-ryong said, it might be a blessing in disguise. At least he wouldn’t look so lonely as he does now. Neither Baek Cheon nor Jin Geum-ryong.

But….

‘Sahyung. There are… people who cannot be broken.’

A deep sigh escaped Lee Song-baek’s lips.

As Lee Song-baek was about to take his reluctant steps, he paused for a moment and turned his head as if sensing something.

There was a person approaching Baek Cheon.

‘Cheong Myung Dojang.’

Lee Song-baek silently watched Cheong Myung walk towards the motionless Baek Cheon. But soon, he turned his head.

He didn’t want to interrupt their talk.

Thud. Thud.

Cheong Myung stood before Baek Cheon.

The dim moonlight cast half his face in shadow. His eyes, looking down at Baek Cheon, held no discernible emotion.

He looked like a statue made of stone, with no feelings at all.

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Status: Ongoing Author: Released: 2019 Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Chung Myung, the legendary Plum Blossom Swordmaster of Mount Hua, awakens after a hundred years of slumber only to find his once-mighty sect reduced to ruins. With unwavering determination, he disguises himself as a young disciple and embarks on a mission to restore Mount Hua to its former glory. From training new disciples to facing lifelong enemies, Chung Myung must revive the sect while uncovering dark conspiracies that threaten the martial world. "Return of Mount Hua Sect" is an epic tale of resurgence, sacrifice, and fierce battles that will shake the world!

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