Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 953

Two days had passed.

During those two days, the Shaolin monks hadn’t moved at all.

None of them sat down, and none left their positions. With tired, red eyes, they just stared at Plum Blossom Island and the Sword Maniac Alliance ships blocking their way.

Everything was still and quiet outside. But inside, the monks’ hearts were shaking more strongly than ever before.

Everyone, at some point in their life, struggles when what they want to do is different from what is actually happening. Learning to deal with this struggle is part of life.

But the Shaolin monks were facing something bigger than a typical struggle.

The standards of Shaolin were too high for ordinary worry, and the ideals they had learned were too noble.

A monk stepped forward, his face tight with worry. His eyes were red and sore, like he hadn’t slept in days. He could not stay silent any longer.

“Abbot…” Hye Bang’s voice was low and shaky, barely more than a whisper. This was Hye Bang, the monk who had once travelled to Mount Hua, carrying the invitation to the great fighting contest. Now, all his confidence was gone.

He looked at Beop Jeong, his gaze pleading. “Are we just going to… stand here and watch?”

Beop Jeong stood like a statue, his gaze fixed forward. It was impossible to tell if he was listening.

But Hye Bang continued, as if he didn’t care.

“Are you really going to let the Namgung Clan die like that?”

Beop Jeong’s neck muscles twitched slightly. Hye Bang raised his voice.

“Abbot!”

Beop Jeong slowly turned his head and faced Hye Bang, who was showing his anger right in his face.

“Then, what would you have me do?”

“Let me ask you the other way around. What would you like to see happen?”

Hye Bang bit his lip tightly.

Beop Jeong’s words were not wrong. If they jumped into the river now, it would be like throwing firewood into a fire.

But…

Hye Bang looked straight at Beop Jeong and said,

“Is that foolish?”

“Hye Bang!”

“Wasn’t it you who taught me that?”

Beop Jeong closed his mouth, his eyes flickered slightly.

“Shaolin must protect the Central Plains. We must follow the Buddhist path, but we must not let go of doing what is right. You clearly said that.”

“Is this the way to protect Buddhism? Or is this the way to protect what is right?”

“Enough…”

“Were those just words, Abbot!”

“Can’t you be quiet?”

It was not Beop Jeong, but Beop Gye who raised his voice. He glared at Hye Bang with an angry face.

“You can vent your frustration. But the Abbot has to make a decision that risks everyone’s lives here!”

Hye Bang bit his lip until it bled.

“Can you send your fellow monks to their deaths for the sake of honor? Can you say with confidence that it is right?”

Hye Bang couldn’t answer and lowered his head.

Beop Jeong closed his eyes tightly.

In this situation where they can’t do this or that, everyone here is twisted and festering inside. It will only get worse as time goes by. Just as a deep scar remains where pus has formed, perhaps this scar will never disappear even after this situation is over.

‘…Jang Il-so.’

This is why Jang Il-so is frightening.

Jang Il-so has already won.

Even if Shaolin were to jump into that river and, with the help of heaven, rescue all of the Namgung, the scar in their hearts would never heal.

Shaolin, who had been fearlessly moving forward with Buddhism and doing what is right, may no longer exist from this moment on.

The thought that all of this was a plan by a single person made him feel cold and breathless.

A sigh escaped from Beop Jeong’s lips as he opened his eyes again.

He could feel it. The eyes of his disciples looking at him were no longer the same. The worry and distrust within them were clear in their gazes.

And then, something happened that might have been fortunate for Beop Jeong.

Jongli Hyeong, who led the Joint Investigation Unit, and Jao Gae, who had gathered the beggars of the Beggars’ Sect, arrived.

“What on earth is going on here?”

“Amitabha (a Buddhist prayer).”

Jongli Hyeong couldn’t hide his frustration as he spoke, looking at the ships blocking Plum Blossom Island.

“On that island…”

“Yes.”

Beop Jeong nodded weakly.

“There are survivors from the Namgung Clan.”

Jao Gae’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Survivors.

It wasn’t wrong to say that. But wasn’t the word ‘survivors’ usually used to refer to a small number of people who had survived from a force that had been destroyed?

It was a very subtle difference.

“Those vile bastards!”

They were also leaders of their groups. So they understood what the Sword Maniac Alliance was thinking by blocking that place and keeping the Namgung alive.

“Are we too late?”

“We came as quickly as possible, but by the time we arrived, the Myriad Man Clan had already taken the river.”

“This… How could the Myriad Man Clan in Guangxi…”

Jongli Hyeong’s face darkened. The Myriad Man Clan and the Waterway Band alone were strong forces that would be hard to deal with even with the people here.

But if those people had ships and controlled the river, he couldn’t even imagine how much sacrifice would have to be made to break through that place.

Jongli Hyeong asked,

“Is a breakthrough possible?”

Jao Gae answered without emotion,

“Breaking through isn’t that difficult. If we use all the forces we have, what problem could there be?”

“Then…”

Jongli Hyeong’s face lit up as if he had seen hope. But Jao Gae quickly destroyed that hope.

“But this isn’t just a battle to break through. We have to break through the place they’re occupying with our bare hands, reach Plum Blossom Island, rescue the Namgung survivors, and then cross the river again.”

“That means we have to fight the same battle twice. The second time, with tired bodies and carrying people one by one.”

Sweat began to form on Jongli Hyeong’s forehead. Only then did he truly see how impossible this situation was.

“What if we gather our forces on Plum Blossom Island first?”

“We’ll just be surrounded together. Do you think they’ll let us gather our forces?”

“Then, how about we get some ships?”

Jao Gae smirked.

“Do you think Pae Gun hasn’t thought of that? There probably isn’t even a single boat within a few hundred miles. If we go further than that to get a boat, by the time we arrive, the Namgung family will no longer exist on this Yangtze River.”

Beop Jeong nodded. Jao Gae was cynical, but as an elder of the Beggars’ Sect, he quickly understood the situation.

“Then what should we do?”

“What should we do?”

Jao Gae looked at the ships, glaring at the people inside them.

“Either use every last bit of strength, risking your lives to rescue the Namgung… Or you have to watch them die there.”

“Watching them die…!”

Jongli Hyeong’s face turned pale.

‘What on earth is going on?’

He had rushed to the Yangtze River, imagining many things, but he had never imagined such an impossible situation.

“Abbot, what are you thinking of doing?”

Jongli Hyeong asked.

He thought that this was not something he could decide on his own. Breaking through that strong defense and making countless sacrifices, or watching the Namgung die like this, was something he couldn’t do.

“Amitabha (a Buddhist prayer).”

But Beop Jeong shook his head.

“I don’t think this is something we can decide on our own.”

“Then…”

“Since the Paeng Clan hasn’t arrived yet, how about we make a decision after the Paeng Clan Leader arrives?”

“Oh, that seems like a good idea.”

Jongli Hyeong nodded quickly.

He didn’t say that because he really thought Beop Jeong’s words were right. He was just relieved that he could delay the moment of decision that might decide the fate of the group, even a little bit.

In fact, it wasn’t something to be relieved about.

Jongli Hyeong looked back at the members of the Joint Investigation Unit, who were still confused because they hadn’t understood the situation.

‘Damn it…’

There was too much time. Now there were only three days left. It was too short a time to decide fate, but it was a very long time to think about oneself in this situation.

From now on, they would have to worry about their ideals and reality, as if they were being punished.

What an impossible situation this was?

Jao Gae frowned as he looked at Jongli Hyeong, who didn’t know what to do.

‘This is wrong.’

A decision must be quick. A decision that is delayed cannot be a good one.

Moreover, he felt like he already knew what their decision would be from the conversation they had already had.

But… Jao Gae didn’t want to criticize them.

It was true that there had been some tension between the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families. Would they be loyal enough to risk their lives to save the Namgung?

Not only their own lives, but even the fate of their group?

This was something that Jao Gae also wanted to avoid.

Turning his gaze away from his own negative thoughts, he stared at Plum Blossom Island.

‘Namgung Clan Leader. Why did you do such a foolish thing?’

A deep sigh escaped.

But he didn’t want to blame the Namgung Clan Leader too much. Those standing here felt as if their hearts were being cut with a knife, so what could he say about the Namgung’s feelings, who had to watch this whole situation from inside that island?

The price to pay for a single mistake was very high.

Jao Gae, who had been silent, spoke with an emotionless face.

“There’s one thing you should remember.”

Beop Jeong and Jongli Hyeong turned to him.

“What choice you make is up to you. However…”

Jao Gae bit his lip slightly and spoke again.

“The world will remember the choice you make here. And beyond the world, history will remember it.”

“I hope you make the right choice.”

After saying that, he turned away because it was hard to stand facing them any longer.

It wasn’t because of hatred for those two. It was just that seeing them made his hatred for himself grow.

‘What am I?’

Wasn’t he also helping? He was leaving the choice to them and just saying nice things. He might be the most cowardly person here.

As Jao Gae stepped back, a beggar followed him.

“Shall I report the situation to the main group?”

“You should.”

However, if there were only three days left, the main group would not be able to make a decision easily either. It was a very hard choice for the Beggars’ Sect Leader, who had little time left to live because of old age.

“Then I will do so.”

“Wait…”

Jao Gae bit his lip.

He knew it was something he should never do, but he had no choice. It was a path that he, as an elder of the Beggars’ Sect, should not choose, but he, as a martial artist, said,

“Where did you say Mount Hua was?”