Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 848

They die.

It wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar word. In fact, it was perhaps quite familiar.

But the word, spoken softly from Chung Myung’s lips in the quiet room, felt very heavy to everyone, like a massive stone.

“⋯No⋯”

Baek Sang tried to say something, but then closed his mouth again.

He simply didn’t know what to say.

Chung Myung smiled slightly.

“We were lucky, weren’t we?”

“⋯⋯”

“If Heo Do hadn’t stepped in to stop the war.”

“⋯⋯”

“No, if the timing of stopping that war had been just a little bit later.”

Everyone turned their heads, unable to meet Chung Myung’s gaze.

“If Maninbang hadn’t just held his ground to buy time, but had really charged in with the intention of fighting a war.”

“⋯⋯”

“Could we all really be sitting here like this, discussing fame and profit?”

Baek Sang bit his lip.

“But that’s⋯⋯”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung interrupted Baek Sang, shrugging his shoulders.

“As martial artists, we should always be prepared to die. If someone who fights with a sword thinks they won’t get hurt and die, that’s just foolish.”

“⋯⋯”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s okay to die.”

Chung Myung shook his head.

“The world has already changed. The battlefields we’ll be on next won’t be as easy as they’ve been so far. We can no longer fight like we are just practicing or learning. Those days are gone forever. From now on, battles will be about life and death.”

The Sympathy Demon Sect has changed the world.

And everyone sitting here knows that.

“But so⋯⋯”

Baek Sang frowned, picking at a loose thread on his sleeve. He still didn’t look convinced.

“Isn’t that why we’re uniting the sects and increasing our power? With the strength of the Heavenly Union Alliance⋯⋯”

“Martial Uncle.”

Chung Myung stared intently at Baek Sang and asked.

“Do you really think so?”

“⋯⋯”

Baek Sang chewed on his lip, then sighed.

Chung Myung said.

“I like money too. I like fame, and I like honor, you know?”

“⋯⋯And?”

“But if I have to give up someone’s life here in exchange, I don’t need any of that.”

Chung Myung’s voice was calmer and firmer than ever.

“Do you know what really puts someone in hell?” Chung Myung asked, his voice low.

Baek Sang hesitated. “…Seeing our friends die?”

“No,” Chung Myung said, shaking his head slightly. “That’s not it.” He looked down at his hands for a moment. “The real hell is living through it. And then, later, realizing you could have stopped your friends from dying.”

Silence fell in the room.

“What really makes a person suffer deeply is regret,” Chung Myung finished quietly.

It was a calm voice.

But those who heard it felt their hearts sink with an unknown sorrow.

“Someone is going to die. It’s unavoidable. We’re all acting like nothing’s wrong, going about our business as usual, but we all know it. Sooner or later, one of us here is going to die. And it’s not going to be long from now.”

“⋯⋯”

“At that time⋯⋯”

Chung Myung cast his gaze upward.

“The brilliant fame hanging on our shoulders.”

“⋯⋯”

“The great wealth in our hands.”

“⋯⋯”

“The lofty honor of saving the world.”

As everyone remained silent, Chung Myung, who had been looking up at the ceiling for a moment, slowly opened his mouth again.

“Do you think any of that will be worth a penny?”

Baek Cheon stared at Chung Myung without a word.

Baek Cheon knew.

Those weren’t words Chung Myung was saying to his fellow disciples. Those were words Chung Myung was saying to himself.

“I don’t want to regret it.”

“⋯⋯”

“If I can’t avoid seeing someone die, at least I have to make sure that it’s not a death caused by my carelessness. It shouldn’t be a meaningless death because of my wrong choices. It shouldn’t be a death that could have been avoided.”

Yoo Iseol nodded slowly, her eyes firm and unwavering, showing her complete agreement.

“Mount Hua has to become stronger. It’s not enough as it is now. It’s not just because of Maninbang. It’s not because of the Sympathy Demon Sect, and it’s not because of Jang Ilso.”

It was out of fear.

Out of a desperate fear of losing something.

If there had been even a single casualty in this battle, Mount Hua would never have been the same. And everyone knew it. This result wasn’t achieved through skill, but purely through good luck.

‘It should have been like this from the start.’

Chung Myung bit his lip.

He had said that he would make Jang Ilso regret giving Mount Hua time. But that was just a desperate struggle filled with venom.

Chung Myung was that terrified.

Defeat Maninbang?

What meaning was there in a victory achieved by sacrificing countless disciples?

He had experienced such victories to the point of exhaustion. Even if you searched the entire world now, there wasn’t a single person who had experienced more victories, more glorious victories, than Chung Myung.

So what was left for Chung Myung?

Nothing was left.

Really, nothing at all.

At that moment, Baek Cheon, who had been staring at Chung Myung, opened his mouth.

“So⋯⋯”

All the disciples turned their gaze to him. At this moment, the person who could represent the disciples of Mount Hua was Baek Cheon, no matter what anyone said.

“Are you saying that if we close the doors and train like crazy as you said, no one will have to die?”

“How could that be? But at least⋯⋯”

Chung Myung slightly closed and opened his eyes. And then, with a determined face, he said.

“At least the living won’t be ashamed in the face of that death.”

Baek Cheon laughed as if he was very surprised.

“There’s nothing so great about it.”

“⋯⋯”

“I agree.”

“Martial Uncle!”

“Senior Brother!”

The fellow disciples shouted in surprise, but Baek Cheon didn’t even glance at them. He just looked at Chung Myung.

“I told the greedy bastard to stop being so greedy, and now he’s doing something even worse. I should say it’s just like you.”

Meanwhile, a look of bewilderment crossed Baek Sang’s face. Having spent a long time with Baek Cheon, he knew better than anyone. Once the Great Senior Brother had made up his mind like that, he would never change his words.

He turned his gaze to Yoon Jong as if asking for help.

“Say something.”

“About what he said?”

The wooden floor of the training hall was cold beneath Yoon Jong’s feet. Dust danced in the faint sunlight that streamed through the high windows. The air was still, thick with the weight of the unspoken question hanging between them.

“Indeed,” Yoon Jong said, his voice quiet but firm. He paused, taking a slow breath to gather his thoughts before speaking calmly.

“I believe there’s no disadvantage for me either.”

“…What?” Baek Sang asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

Yoon Jong shrugged slightly, a small, almost unnoticeable movement. “From the start, I haven’t cared much about being the best in business, getting respect, or becoming famous. I just want to practice the sword. Mount Hua is a place to find understanding through the sword. Isn’t that enough?”

He shrugged slightly and continued.

“I understand what you are saying, Martial Uncle. But I think any path that lets me do what I need to do is good enough.”

Before Baek Sang could say anything, Jo Gul clicked his tongue at Yoon Jong.

“Honestly, you’re such a stubborn ox…”

“Why? Do you think differently?”

“If I say I do, you’ll hit me. What can I say?”

“I won’t hit you.”

“How can I believe those words?”

“I said I won’t hit you.”

“Yes, yes. It’s the word of a senior brother as high as the heavens, so I must obey… Ack! You said you wouldn’t hit me!”

Baek Sang sighed. Baek Sang knew it was pointless to argue with them.

Lastly, he looked at Yoo Iseol, but she had already agreed to the closed-door training, so there was no point in asking. Besides, seeing her sitting calmly with a blank face, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“Just give up, Martial Uncle.”

Gwak Hwi smiled bitterly.

“Honestly, after hearing that, what can we say? You already know it too, don’t you, Martial Uncle?”

“…Yes, I know…”

Baek Sang scratched his head vigorously.

This chance is too good to miss. It’s really too good! Baek Sang thought hard. “Chung Myung, can’t we really do both?”

“I’m not that skilled at juggling.”

“…”

“We are doing closed-door training to train as hard as we can. We are not holding back at all. If we could do both things (training and other opportunities), we wouldn’t need to do this intense training.”

A sigh escaped Baek Sang’s lips.

Looking back, he noticed that everyone’s eyes had already changed.

‘These bastards, really.’

They had protested so much, but after hearing only a few words, they all seemed to have already accepted it. No, it wasn’t just acceptance; they looked ready to step forward and shout that they should start closed-door training and cultivate as soon as possible.

His heart felt heavy, but Baek Sang didn’t say anything else.

He had no choice but to understand. Baek Sang felt the same way, after all.

Maybe he could argue more. He could try hard to change their minds.

But he couldn’t do that.

What if, because of his choice, Baek Sang found Baek Cheon seriously hurt one day?

Baek Sang would never forgive himself. Never.

Knowing that, he couldn’t bring himself to object.

“It seems like… we have decided what to do, mostly.”

At that moment, Hyun Jong, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, opened his mouth heavily.

“When Chung Myung came to me last night and brought up this story, I also had many concerns. About what is right.”

“…Sect Leader.”

“Mount Hua has many opportunities. And Mount Hua’s shoulders bear a heavy responsibility.”

Hyun Jong, of all people, would feel that even more.

The others only needed to think about what Mount Hua was losing. But Hyun Jong, as the leader of the Heavenly Union, a group of important sects, also had things he had to bear. Even if he limited himself to Mount Hua, he would have to consider more than his disciples.

“My mind couldn’t find an answer. So, for the first time, I asked myself what I really wanted.”

As everyone paid attention, Hyun Jong smiled gently.

“My heart told me. Neither a thousand gold pieces, nor fame echoing through the world, nor the honor of making Mount Hua’s name shine…”

His eyes were shining more clearly than ever before.

“Are worth losing even one of you for.”

“…Sect Leader.”

Hyun Jong smiled.

Maybe a sect leader shouldn’t say this kind of thing. But it’s also what a good sect leader should feel in their heart.

Hyun Jong’s heart was clearly saying so now.

The opportunity that Mount Hua held now was what he had desperately wanted in the past.

But now Hyun Jong knew.

“I don’t need Mount Hua to become the greatest sect in the world.”

“…”

“Even without that name, Mount Hua is Mount Hua. Mount Hua is Mount Hua, even if it’s not the strongest or greatest sect. But…”

A warm warmth filled Hyun Jong’s eyes.

“Mount Hua without you is not Mount Hua.”

Everyone clenched their fists tightly.

There were countless words in the world, but there were no words that could stir their hearts more than these.

“I will protect Mount Hua as the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.”

“…”

“Does anyone object?”

Silence.

Everyone silently looked at Hyun Jong. After a moment of silence, someone answered first.

“No, sir.”

Baek Sang.

As he answered, everyone followed suit.

“No, sir.”

“We will follow the Sect Leader’s will!”

Hyun Jong slowly nodded.

“All disciples of Mount Hua, listen.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

“In the name of the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, I hereby order closed-door training from this moment on. We don’t know how long it will last.”

“Yes!”

Hyun Jong looked at everyone with warm eyes.

It might be an unreasonable request. But no one stepped forward to object, and no one sent dissatisfied glances anymore.

Even if they had other thoughts in their minds, they were trying to do what he said.

How could he not protect these people?

“Let’s go back. To Mount Hua.”

“Yes! Sect Leader!”

Thus, Mount Hua’s journey to Shaanxi was decided.

Just as everyone was smiling warmly at Hyun Jong, a chilling voice was heard.

“So, it’s decided, then?”

Crack. Crack.

Chung Myung tilted his head from side to side. The sound of bones cracking from his neck was somehow creepy.

“Ah, there’s one thing I didn’t mention.”

“…Huh?”

“The fact that someone’s going to die soon isn’t necessarily just because of the war.”

“…”

“I’m going to give it my all this time too. If you’re going to die anyway, isn’t it better to die by my hand than by someone else’s? Don’t you think?”

“…”

“Just saying. Keep that in mind.”

The Mount Hua disciples looked very scared. As they looked at Hyun Jong with frightened deer-like eyes, Hyun Jong gave a kind smile and looked away.

“Let’s hurry back without wasting time. We’re going to be busy now.”

“…”

They didn’t know it then, but this training would be like going to hell.

It was only then that the disciples of Mount Hua realized that they had walked into hell with their own feet.