Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1176. I have something to tell you (1)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Chung Myung burst into laughter.
“Anyway, Dongryong needs to know to have confidence. Even after getting so strong, you still feel it's not enough? Though, thinking back to the old days..."
"I told you not to bring up the old days. I've definitely said that."
“Oops! Yes, yes, no question about it!"
Chung Myung raised both hands and exaggeratedly feigned fear at Baek Cheon's glaring reaction. When Baek Cheon let out a deep sigh, Chung Myung burst into laughter and took a swig of liquor.
Soon, after lowering the bottle, a warm voice escaped his lips.
"Sasuk... and all Sahyungs, you're all doing well."
“….”
"I'm not just saying that, I really think so. No one could do better. You all endured so much."
“I know.”
"It’s complicated. Sometimes when I watch, I wonder, 'How could they train so poorly? Are these bastard even human?'"
“….”
"And then other times I think, 'Wow, they do nothing but train. They're really putting in the effort.'"
"Just pick one, pick one. Just pick one please."
Chung Myung chuckled.
"I know. I know you all are working yourselves to the bone. And you're all trying so hard to help, even just a little."
Honestly, it's amazing.
Though he always points out their shortcomings and scolds them, Chung Myung knows how much everyone is trying their best to help him.
"It's just that the burden we have to carry is so huge. No matter how we share it, it's still heavy for everyone."
"Even so."
“That can be a source of strength.”
Chung Myung pressed his fist to his mouth as if he had said something he shouldn’t have. He exhaled slowly through his nose and continued.
"I'm not doing this alone. I’m just a person who can't do anything by myself."
He couldn't have meant it more.
Chung Myung knows. Every time he accomplished something, someone was always by his side.
When he was at the forefront of Mount Hua Sect, Cheon Mun led the way, and Cheon Jin supported him from behind. When he fought the strongest enemies, Tang Bo protected his back.
Without them, Chung Myung would have been just another strong man. It was because of them that he could become Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
"If it weren't for you, Sasuk, and all the others, I wouldn't have come this far. Of course, that includes Sect Leader, the elders, and everyone else from Mount Hua too."
He was saying things he would never normally say.
Perhaps by tomorrow morning, he might want to erase the memory of saying these words entirely. But right now, he just wanted to speak whatever felt right.
“I am especially grateful to Sasuk for many things.”
"Are you this kind of human?" (“그런 인간이 그래?”)
“…I take it back. I was out of my mind for a moment.”
Chung Myung, chuckling softly, shook his head.
“Anyway, there’s no need to waste your time thinking about useless things. Sasuk is doing exactly what Sasuk needs to be doing, and there's nothing more to ask for."
“This little punk might even survive only with his snout.”
“I am an adult.”
"Yeah, keep yapping."
Chung Myung smiled faintly as he looked up at the moon.
Maybe he really was someone who could never become an adult. That thought still remains unchanged.
But even someone like him has moments when he needs to act like an adult. There are times when he has to at least pretend to be an adult.
When the younger ones look up to him, with trust and faith in their eyes, even an immature kid has to stand tall and act like someone they can rely on.
Maybe that’s how it is for everyone?
As more and more people believe that they are adults, won't they naturally start to pretend to be adults even though they are not adults yet?
If Cheon Mun had been here, if Cheon Jin had been here, or even if that rascal Tang Bo had been around, Chung Myung might have remained Mount Hua’s madman, grown in years but never truly matured.
But now, Cheon Mun, Cheon Jin, and Tang Bo are no longer here.
What remains for Chung Myung are those who look up to him, incomplete and still young. They are children who, one day, will spread their wings and shine brilliantly.
So doesn’t he need to straighten his shoulders? Even if they haven’t fully matured, shouldn’t he stand tall and keep his back straight?
‘So this is how it felt, Sahyung.’
He thinks he understands now.
Why Cheon Mun seemed so big, and how he appeared so unshakable.
Perhaps it was Chung Myung's gaze toward Cheon Mun that made him like that. When Cheon Mun led Chung Myung, Chung Myung was pushing Cheon Mun's back without realizing it.
In this world, there are no one-sided relationships. Even what seems meaningless has its own significance.
Just like how this seemingly trivial conversation, these lighthearted jokes, clear away the suffocating fog in Chung Myung’s mind.
‘So I need to become a little more of an adult too.’
A small smile appeared on Chung Myung's lips.
“As I live, I realize that there are times when Dongryong can be helpful.”
“...You wanna pick a fight, huh?”
“It’s a compliment.”
“Yeah, sure, as if.”
Baek Cheon muttered with a bitter expression. Chung Myung chuckled at him.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
“….”
“Evil Tyrant Alliance, Magyo scumbags, we’ll crush them all. And one day, we’ll make Mount Hua the greatest sect in the world.”
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
“Though, thinking that Sasuk or Yoon Jong Sahyung might become the sect leader of Mount Hua makes me want to scream.”
“Then you do it!”
"…Really?"
“No. I take it back. Please, erase that from your memory. I beg you.”
Chung Myung chuckled as he watched Baek Cheon, who was now terrified and serious. And then….
“Ucha!”
He suddenly jumped up from his seat.
"...Why are you standing up?"
“My thoughts are clearer now.”
"Huh?"
Chung Myung shrugged.
"I don't even understand why I was worrying about this. Thanks, Sasuk. It's all thanks to Sasuk."
"...What are you talking about?"
Baek Cheon looks at Chung Myung with a bewildered expression.
"But we still have some liquor left."
"Uh?"
Chung Myung put the bottle of liquor in his hand to his lips and tilted his head back in one breath. The liquor inside gushed out and went down Chung Myung's throat.
"Hey, hey...!"
“Keuhhh!”
Chung Myung emptied the entire bottle in one gulp, shook the empty bottle, and grinned.
“It’s not there anymore?”
“…Crazy guy.”
“Hehehe.”
Chung Myung, who laughed cunningly, jumped down the eaves.
"Sasuk, stop wasting time and go get some sleep. Tomorrow’s training is going to be the same."
"...Even though I’m trying to be concerned for you."
"Who's worried about who? Sasuk? Aigo, I feel so honored I don't know what to do with myself."
“But this brat?”
"Thanks again."
Chung Myung turned his body around.
“See you tomorrow, Sasuk.”
Without looking back, he confidently walked away.
“Hey, you punk! I’m not done talking yet….”
Baek Cheon called, but Chung Myung did not look back.
“That brat….”
Baek Cheon, who had been blankly staring at his retreating figure, eventually shook his head. Then he raised his head and looked at the moon.
The moon was shining dimly, obscured by clouds.
"...At least he could've left some."
His empty voice echoed into the night sky.
Time passed quickly.
Over the next three days, life at the manor remained unchanged. The familiar groans of those suffering from intense training filled the manor, along with the loud voices of those tormenting them.
On the surface, it seemed like a peaceful daily life, but the days passed by in an instant, and the day of the promised meeting with Bop Jeong arrived.
"Have you all thought about it?"
When Baek Cheon, who had gathered them early in the morning, asked, Five Swords' face hardened.
"Have you found your answers?"
Yoon Jong let out a deep sigh and was the first to speak.
“Sasuk.”
“Yes, Yoon Jong-ah.”
“…Of course, we thought about it. To the point where I was tearing my hair out."
At his words, the others nodded in agreement.
They could count on one hand the number of hours they slept in the past three days. They were so exhausted that they could collapse at any moment, but they could not fall asleep even when they entered their quarters. Their minds were consumed by endless worries.
Yoon Jong glanced at the others and shook his head.
"I don’t know about the others, but honestly, I still don’t have an answer. I still don’t know what’s right or wrong."
Baek Cheon listened to his words with an extremely serious face.
“If it were a matter of risking my own life, I’d do it without hesitation. If my death could save others, even if it caused great harm later, I’d still do it willingly.”
Several of the others showed signs of agreement.
“But… I can’t send others to their deaths just to save someone else. If Jo-Gol were to say he was going to sacrifice himself to save commoners, I don’t think I could let him go.”
Jo-Gol bit his lip slightly.
“This doesn’t seem to be a question of right and wrong in the first place. No one in the world could answer this question. Sasuk, I’ve thought about this seriously, but… I’m sorry. I couldn’t find an answer.”
Yoon Jong lowered his head with an apologetic look on his face. However, Baek Cheon did not blame him, but simply smiled gently and nodded.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“…Yes.”
“And the others?”
Since no one spoke, Baek Cheon's gaze naturally turned to Yoo Iseol. Then, Yoo Iseol bit her lips slightly, which was unusual for her and answered.
"I don't know."
“Is that so?”
“No matter what happens, I will fight at the forefront. But… I can’t tell Sajils to do the same.”
“I see.”
Baek Cheon nodded as if he was sure that what she said was right. This time, his gaze shifted to Jo-Gol.
Jo-Gol scratched his head in frustration.
“How can I find an answer that even Sago and Sahyung can’t find?”
“…I wasn’t expecting you to.”
"What?"
“Never mind. So?”
“…Honestly, I used to think it was enough just to risk my own life. But then I started thinking… what if my willingness to risk my life for the cause forces someone else to do the same, even if they don’t want to?”
Everyone looked at Jo-Gol with surprised eyes at those words. Jo-Gol, surprised by that reaction, asked.
"N- No. What's wrong? It's not like I said something I can't say?"
“…He’s actually thinking.”
“He’s growing up, growing up.”
“If he keeps doing this, he might become a real person someday.”
“These yangbans!”
As Jo-Gol flared up, Baek Cheon chuckled and calmed him down.
“Right, well done. What about Soso?”
“Sasuk, honestly, I can’t tell others to go die, but I think I could ask them to die with me.”
“Really?”
“Yes. As long as I don’t survive alone.”
“I see. So that’s your stance?” (“그래. 그럼 소소는 그쪽이구나?”)
“But… I can ask Sasuk and Sahyung to die with me, but I don’t think I could say the same to any Sajils who join us later. They need to survive, even if we don’t.”
Several people nodded in agreement.
“So I don’t know either. I’ve always thought about protecting what’s important, but I never considered that protecting someone else might mean sacrificing those I care about. But… It turns out that what I want to protect and what Mount Hua wants to protect might be different….”
When Tang Soso lowered her head, Yoo Iseol gently patted her shoulder in comfort.
“What about Monk Hye Yeon?”
“Amitabha.”
Hye Yeon recited a short prayer with his eyes closed.
“Siju, the Buddha teaches us to spread the Dharma everywhere and save all sentient beings.”
“Yes. That is the teaching of Buddha.”
"Dividing the value of what we want to protect is nothing more than an obsession with small relationships. It is only right to save more people.”
It was when Baek Cheon nodded in agreement that Hye Yeon, with a bitter smile, spoke up.
"But... if I could do that, I'd be the Buddha, not just a mere human."
“Right.”
“…Come to think of it, that guy is not a monk.”
"He's a monk who has broken his precepts.”
Hye Yeon's face quickly turned bright red.
“Whe- When did I ever break my precepts?”
"Weren't you?"
“That’s what everyone thought?”
"Tha- That's...!"
Hye Yeon folded his arms and kept shouting prayers. Baek Cheon sighed, straightened his expression and looked around at everyone.
“I’m glad that everyone seemed to have thought about it seriously. What did you think after thinking about it? Do you feel like there's an answer?"
"No."
"...Honestly, I can't find one."
“There is no answer to this in the first place.”
Baek Cheon nodded.
“Yes. This is a question without an answer. But you must know. We can just say that there’s no answer and leave it at that, but Sect Leader and Chung Myung must find the answer that does not exist.”
Those who understood even a little bit about the feelings of those making the decision nodded with serious faces.
"So today, no matter what answer you hear, you must never resent or criticize the decision as wrong. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sasuk."
“I will do that.”
"We're in no position to do so."
"Good."
Baek Cheon turned around as if he had decided that was enough. His gaze was more deeply sunken than usual.
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