Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1153. Well, if it's absolutely necessary (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“…Bangjang.”
Bop Jeong squeezed his eyes shut.
'Is this a hearth demon?'
Lately, whenever he thinks about Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword, he often feels his stomach churning. He knew it shouldn't be this way, yet it was.
“Amitabha.”
He recited the Buddha's name out of habit, trying his best to calm his mind. After he somehow regained his composure, he opened his eyes and looked at Jongni Hyeong who was looking at him with a worried face.
"I understand what you're worried about, Sect Leader.”
“….”
"I fully understand that it's not good to leave the main sect unattended for too long. I also understand that you’re anxious because it feels like we're wasting time here without achieving any significant results."
“That’s not necessarily the case, but….”
Jongni Hyeong, who was feeling embarrassed for no reason, shifted his position slightly. Bop Jeong said.
“But in a situation like this, it is difficult for us to be the first to withdraw from here."
“Bangjang, I understand your sentiments, but staying here like this won't gain us anything."
“….”
"To speak frankly, we've already lost the public's favor along the Yangtze River."
Jongni Hyeong sighed and continued speaking.
“It’s not just a problem at the main sect. The way the local people treat us compared to Heavenly Comrade Alliance is strikingly different. Because of this, the morale of our disciples is plummeting as time goes on."
“…Amitabha.”
“I’m worried that if we continue like this, we’ll not only be wasting time, but may also lose something we shouldn't. Lost time and profits can be recovered somehow, but as you know, Bangjang, once lost pride is not easily regained."
Jongni Hyeong's point was valid. He was also a person who had risen to the top of a sect. He was not someone who could not figure out what was right and what was wrong.
In his view, what Bop Jeong was doing now was nothing more than simple stubbornness.
"Bangjang, they say victory and defeat are common in war. Even if we lose this time, isn't it true that the one who wins in the end is the ultimate victor?"
“…That’s right.”
"This place is already a battlefield where we have lost. A great general does not dwell on defeat. Instead, they use that time to regroup and focus their efforts on preparing for the next battle."
Bop Jeong's lips twitched slightly. It was because he didn't like the word 'defeat' that Jongni Hyeong had used.
None of this sat well with him.
The word defeat, and the fact that the target of the defeat was not even Evil Tyrant Alliance but Heavenly Comrade Alliance, and not even the fact that they hadn’t exchanged a single blow in this supposed defeat.
But what frustrated and gnawed at him the most was that, despite hearing all this, he couldn't muster the courage to refute it.
A war that was not fought, but was lost.
That was the battle of the Yangtze River as Bop Jeong watched.
“Haven’t several sects already expressed their intention to support after receiving Bangjang’s stance?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“They probably couldn’t just sit by and watch this situation. But Abbot, where will you tell them to go? Here, to the Yangtze River? Will you call them here when there's no war in sight?"
“….”
"Will you, Bangjang of Shaolin, receive guests here like an innkeeper? What will they think when they see Bangjang here? Would they really be impressed by Bangjang who burned his body to restrain Evil Tyrant Alliance?”
Bop Jeong’s lips twitched once again. However, Jongni Hyeong did not stop talking even after seeing that reaction.
"A person's authority comes from their position. A position can mean rank and status, but it also literally refers to the place where one resides. The Emperor sitting on the throne in the Imperial Palace and the Emperor sitting in a tent on a field do not appear the same, do they?"
That wasn't wrong either.
"The place where you should receive them is not here. The place where you belong is none other than Shaolin. Am I wrong?"
A rare sigh escaped Bop Jeong.
That's all true. All true. But the problem was that Bop Jeong wasn't lingering here out of ignorance.
'A lost battlefield....'
Perhaps that term was correct. There's nothing more foolish than clinging to a lost battlefield. Trying to regain momentum on a battlefield where it has already been lost only leads to more damage.
However….
"I understand what you are saying, Sect Leader. However..."
When Bop Jeong showed signs of hesitation, Jongni Hyeong asked first.
“Is it because of Heavenly Comrade Alliance?”
“….”
“Bangjang… I understand your concerns about them as well. But now that the front has stabilized, what can they do?"
Jongni Hyeong spoke quickly, as if frustrated.
"I don't know why they're still staying here either. But why should that be a reason for us to stay with them? If they want to stay here and block Evil Tyrant Alliance, if they want to act as a shield, then so be it. Why should that be our loss? If anything, it's to our advantage. But right now, Bangjang, you're not considering that simple..."
Bop Jeong’s eyebrows twitched for a moment.
"Did you say 'simple'?"
Jongni Hyeong immediately closed his mouth at the icy tone in Bop Jeong's voice.
Bop Jeong also realized that he had overreacted, so he closed his eyes and chanted a mantra. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and devoid of the previous coldness.
“Sect Leader. Let me ask you this. In your opinion, have I made any critical mistakes since I arrived here in the Yangtze River?”
"That…."
Jongni Hyeong couldn't answer easily. The first thought that came to his mind was, 'Yes.' If you look back, everything Bop Jeong did after getting entangled with the Yangtze River seems like a mistake.
But Jongni Hyeong wasn't the type of person to think of things that simply.
'Did Bangjang really make a wrong move?'
That was merely a matter of hindsight. At the time, Bop Jeong made the best possible decisions. In fact, when others were swayed by emotions, he was the only one who remained rational.
The problem was that all of those cold and rational decisions turned out to be disastrous moves. No, all of those judgments have been forcibly turned into disaster by Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
Was it really the right decision to march onto Plum Blossom Island, where the enemy was entrenched and laying traps? At the time, even he was shocked by the coldness of Bop Jeong, but if they had indeed advanced on Plum Blossom Island, everyone knew what would have happened—even a three-year-old child could guess.
Wasn't it Jongni Hyeong himself who said that one shouldn't be engrossed in a lost war? Mount Hua overturned a fight that had already ended, making Shaolin and Kongtong mere bystanders.
'The same goes for Magyo.'
Was it really sensible and rational to head toward Hangzhou, practically the base of Evil Tyrant Alliance and Black Ghost Fortress, in order to block Magyo?
It is also Jongni Hyeong who said that a great general should choose the battles he can win. Even in his view, Hangzhou was not a battlefield where they could fight. That judgment was absolutely correct.
If only Mount Hua hadn't gone to Gangnam on their own and decapitated the bishop, turning Shaolin and Kongtong into spineless cowards.
“Bangjang….”
"No matter how much I ponder, I don't understand what mistakes I've made. Even if I think about it ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, the decisions I should have made are clear."
Jongni Hyeong nodded. Even he could not deny this.
"But what was the outcome of those correct decisions? The momentum of Heavenly Comrade Alliance has risen to incomparable heights, and the credit for the incident that occurred in the Yangtze River has also been completely taken by Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Everyone in the world points their fingers at Shaolin and praises Mount Hua. Even!”
Udeuk.
Bop Jeong grabbed the wooden table in front of him, his fingers digging into the hardwood.
“Even Evil Tyrant Alliance gained the merit of stopping Magyo, so some are even saying that they’re better than Shaolin, which just gave up.”
“….”
“It is deplorable.”
Bop Jeong laughed bitterly.
“If things were going according to plan, they should have already been defeated and disgraced. But did they? They won on the battlefield where they should have lost and gained profits. In a way that is almost unimaginable.”
“….”
“I ask again, Sect Leader. Is it really wrong for someone who’s been scared by a turtle to be wary of a pot lid? Is that really such a foolish thing?"
“Bangjang….”
“No. I think there is nothing more foolish than repeating the same mistake after you have suffered enough. If you can't understand it rationally, then at least you shouldn't repeat the same mistakes."
“…So you're staying here because of that? Because you can't let your guard down, not knowing what Heavenly Comrade Alliance might do?"
“….”
"Do you believe there’s a reason they haven't left the Yangtze River?"
Bop Jeong removed his hand from the table without answering. His palm was drenched with sweat. As he looked down at his palm, Bop Jeong let out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.
"I understand if I may seem frustrating."
Jongni Hyeong couldn't bring himself to deny it.
“Amitabha. But if we make another mistake, we might be pushed to a point of no return. That’s something we must prevent at all costs, isn’t it?"
Jongni Hyeong closed his eyes tightly. He realized that no matter what he said, he could not change Bop Jeong's mind.
“Since you say that, Bangjang… I will not persuade you any further. However, Bangjang, you must consider one thing. What you’re saying now is something no one will understand."
“….”
"Depending on how they hear it… Yes. Depending on how they hear it, they might think that..."
Jongni Hyeong hesitated slightly, then bit his lip and spoke forcefully.
“It seems like Bangjang is simply scared of Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.”
At that moment, a blade-like sharp gaze leaked out from Bop Jeong. Jongni Hyeong flinched and immediately lowered his head, mumbling.
"Of course, I don’t think that way... but those with narrow minds might see it that way."
“….”
“So, Bangjang, please consider it one more time. As you are in a position to lead from above, you know well that sometimes the best choice isn’t the best outcome. When your thoughts are too far ahead for others to understand, it can create distance and cause division."
Jongni Hyeong left his seat after saying his last words.
"I won't force you. But Bangjang, please think not of the best process, but of the best outcome. With that, I take my leave."
Jongni Hyeong left the room. Bop Jeong watched him go in silence.
He knew.
He knew that despite what Jongni Hyeong said, he was desperate to appease his disciples and defend Bop Jeong. Even while dealing with the headache of it all, he would probably still try to help Bop Jeong in some way.
But even knowing this, instead of feeling grateful, Bop Jeong felt a deep sense of emptiness.
“…Scared….”
How absurd. It was so absurd it was laughable.
Who was he? He was the current Bangjang of the millennium Shaolin, Bop Jeong. Why was he afraid of someone who was merely one of the third-class disciples of Mount Hua? And not because of physical power, but because he couldn't understand the man's thoughts?
How could this not be funny?
“That might really be true… Hohoho.”
The empty laughter of Bop Jeong filled the room.
And for a long time, no sound of Buddhist chants or the clattering of prayer beads could be heard from that room.
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Thank you for the Chapter """