Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1182. I have something to tell you (6)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Baek Cheon's words were nothing short of a lightning strike.
Everyone stared at him, wide-eyed, in a daze. It was so clear what he had said, yet they found themselves questioning whether they had heard it wrong. Shock. There was no other way to describe their reaction except utter shock.
But no matter how stunned everyone else felt, can it compare to the shock felt by the disciples of Mount Hua?
Those who lived with the two words “Mount Hua” as their destiny, without exception, stared at Baek Cheon with their eyes wide open, as if they could not believe it.
Even Jo-Gol, who had been in the most heated confrontation with Baek Cheon moments ago, could only gape at him in dumbfounded silence.
"That…."
At that moment, a voice escaped from Chung Myung's mouth, half lament, half groan.
“That crazy guy….”
The expression may be different, but there are no words that can express the feelings of the Mount Hua’s disciples as well as those words.
Hyun Jong, who was as shocked as his disciples, if not more so, looked at Baek Cheon in a daze and asked.
“Di- Did you Sect Leader just now?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“…To you?”
"Yes."
Baek Cheon, who was the only one maintaining his composure in a space swirling with confusion and distrust, nodded calmly.
“To be precise, I am humbly requesting that you appoint me as Acting Sect Leader. Becoming Sect Leader requires following the proper procedures and formalities according to the sect’s rules. However, the appointment of an Acting Sect Leader, who would be delegated Sect Leader’s authority, can be done at any time if the current Sect Leader issues the order.”
“That, that may be true, but….”
No, what meaning does that hold right now? Whether it’s Sect Leader or Acting Sect Leader, aren’t they just different titles?
What Baek Cheon was really saying was that he intended to take over the decisions for Mount Hua, both large and small, in Hyun Jong’s place.
No matter the circumstances, in a place like Mount Hua where strict rules were followed, it was absolutely impossible for a disciple to directly ask the sect leader.
“Baek Cheon-ah. I understand what you are saying, but this is unreasonable. You may be the eldest second-class disciple of Mount Hua, but you are not the eldest disciple. Above you is Un Am. Even if you make this request, it should go through Un Am…”
“I have already discussed this with Un Am Sasuk.”
“…With Un Am?”
"Yes."
Baek Cheon nodded and explained.
“This disciple already conveyed his intention to Un Am Sasuk this morning. Un Am Sasuk gave permission to do so.”
“No, that fool….”
Hyun Jong opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly shut it again.
He couldn’t easily rebuke Un Am for making such a decision without permission, especially since Un Am was not present at the meeting. Wasn’t the fact that Un Am wasn’t here proof that he couldn’t influence the major decisions of Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Mount Hua?
'Even when I told him to come, he refused.'
If Un Am had attended this meeting and supported Baek Cheon, the situation might have looked a little better, but it would have given the impression that there were someone above Baek Cheon. By not attending, Un Am allowed Baek Cheon to stand on his own. Un Am was that kind of person.
Hyun Jong opened his mouth, somehow calming down his confusion and bewilderment.
“I don’t think this is the right place to make such a decision.”
Baek Cheon nodded.
“Yes. This disciple has thought deeply about this request for a long time. Please understand that this is not a rash decision made out of youthful impatience.”
“…But, Baek Cheon-ah. If you had such intentions, shouldn’t you have sought the agreement of the other disciples as well? From their reactions, it seems this is the first time they are hearing about it.”
“That is something that should not be done.”
Baek Cheon shook his head firmly.
“Gathering the collective will of the lower-ranking disciples to request the position of Sect Leader is, in appearance, no different from uniting from below to overthrow Sect Leader. Such a thing must never happen at Mount Hua.”
“….”
“So this is something I must take on alone.”
At those words, Hyun Jong's shock subsided somewhat.
It was extremely difficult to bring up such request as a disciple. It might be even more difficult than risking one’s life and diving into a perilous situation.
However, Baek Cheon does not show even the slightest wavering. His unshaken determination even made Hyun Jong regain his composure.
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
Hyun Jong nodded slowly.
“No, what is this….”
However, Hyun Young's reaction was somewhat different from Hyun Jong's.
“No matter how twisted the rules of the sect may have become, how can such a thing happen? And in front of outsiders, no less?”
Hyun Young's eyes turned bloodshot.
“Sect Leader, we must punish this wanton rascal immediately.”
“Wait.”
“Sect Leader!”
“I said wait!”
When a stern force emanated from Hyun Jong, Hyun Young flinched and shut his mouth. Once things calmed down, Hyun Jong faced Baek Cheon. He was like a sect leader more than ever.
“If this is an unreasonable request, then of course, a punishment fitting the sin will follow. But before that, we must listen first. Baek Cheon.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“As you told me, everything must have a reason. Why do you ask for the position of Sect Leader? Is it because you find me lacking?”
“No.”
“So is it because you dislike my decision?”
“Even less so.”
“Then why?”
“As I mentioned, it’s because our positions differ.”
Hyun Jong waits without answering. It seems as if urging him to continue.
“Sect Leader is not wrong. Sect Leader is absolutely right. One of the Sect Leader’s greatest duties is to protect the disciples. To carry on the will of Mount Hua to future generations. How can it be wrong to want to uphold said duty?”
"Then?"
“But the position of those who will inherit is different.”
“….”
“The elders should continue the legacy, but we have no future generation to protect yet, so the present is more important to us. Therefore, what we must do is not to preserve.”
Baek Cheon spoke with a calm but resolute tone.
"What we must do is prove to the world that what we have inherited from our predecessors is not wrong."
Hyun Jong's eyes widened.
"From the recent past, to those who gave their lives for the world a hundred years ago, and even further back, from the ancestors who first established the Taoist temple called Mount Hua Sect on the peak of Mount Hua Lotus Peak!”
“….”
"We must prove with our hands, our swords, and our lives that the will that has been passed down, generation after generation, still exists in Mount Hua, and that it has been strengthened with the resolve of many, surpassing even the past."
Hyun Jong's tightly clenched fist began to tremble faintly. None of those watching the scene noticed it. Even Hyun Jong himself, the person involved, did not know. Everyone was just drawn in into every word Baek Cheon said.
"It cannot be said that the decision to protect the younger disciples is wrong. But neither can it be said that the decision of the disciples to fight for the weak, without regard for their own lives, is wrong."
"…Yes."
To say that such words are wrong would undermine the very meaning of everything Mount Hua stands for. It is a statement that cannot be denied.
“Therefore, I truly understand and respect Sect Leader’s decision. However, as a disciple of Mount Hua, as someone who must carry on its will, I must also uphold our Chivalrousness. There is only one way to reconcile these two righteous but differing wills into one."
Baek Cheon's words, which were like a declaration, continued.
"It is for those who have lived with the sole duty of passing down this responsibility to entrust that burden to those who must now prove it."
“….”
"That is why I must become Sect Leader of Mount Hua."
Even the elders no longer showed anger. They simply stared at Baek Cheon with blank eyes.
“I conveyed this intention to Un Am Sasuk. And I suggested that Un Am Sasuk inherit Sect Leader’s position. However, Un Am Sasuk firmly refused. He said that he believed my intention was right, but that he is not the one who should prove it, but rather someone who must protect it."
"Un Am did…?"
"If that is how Un Am Sasuk feels, then it can only be inherited by those who must prove themselves. The person best suited for that role in Mount Hua right now is none other than this disciple, Baek Cheon.”
Hyun Jong bit his lips tightly.
It's not that he’s angry. His eyes were stinging from the realization that the little boy he had once known had grown up to speak these words.
'When did this happen…?'
He knew Baek Cheon had grown up. He had even thought that Baekcheon had matured better than he had expected. But it seems that a disciple's growth always surpasses what their elders imagine.
For anyone who raises a disciple, this is the moment they dream of. The emotions flooding in were more than enough to make up for all the time spent.
However….
“Baek Cheon-ah. I fully understand your intentions. But still….”
“Am I lacking?”
Baek Cheon asked, shaking his head slightly.
"Sect Leader, when will I no longer be lacking?"
“….”
"Will I no longer be lacking ten years from now? Will I be perfect after another twenty years?"
"That’s…"
“There will never come a time when the future generations will not seem to lack anything in the eyes of the previous generations. There is only an appropriate time. And I believe that time is now."
“….”
"If you think I am lacking, then guide me. If you think I need improvement, advise me and push me forward. But you can still do that even after I take the position of Acting Headmaster."
Hyun Jong looked at Baek Cheon with an expression that was difficult to describe. After licking his lips for a while, Hyun Jong let out a sigh that felt like the ground was going to collapse and asked.
"Since when?"
Before Baek Cheon could even open his mouth, he asked again.
"Since when have you been thinking this way?"
Baek Cheon closed his eyes briefly to gather his thoughts and then answered.
“It started because of something Jo-Gol Sajil said.”
“…Jo-Gol?”
“Yes. Jo-Gol said everything was going wrong, and I told him to think about what he should do. Then I thought about it myself—what should I do?”
"I see."
“I said to the disciples who could not find their answer: Those who do not take responsibility for the decisions have no right to comment on the decision of Sect Leader.”
“…..”
“That applies to me as well. I respect Sect Leader’s decision and intend to follow it. But my position, my thoughts, and my will differ. Yet, as someone who does not bear the responsibility, I cannot defy Sect Leader’s decision. That’s why I’ve wrestled with it, agonized over it, and thought deeply. In the end, I reached only one conclusion.”
Baek Cheon said with his fist clenched.
“Then I should take responsibility for it. If the right to choose belongs only to those who bear the responsibility, then I must become the one who takes on that responsibility.”
At those words, the disciples who were standing behind Baek Cheon bit their lips tightly.
'Sasuk!'
In particular, Jo-Gol was looking at Baek Cheon's back with a face on the verge of tears. He had thought his words had gone unheard, but that wasn’t the case. Baek Cheon hadn’t dismissed or ignored them. In fact, no one had taken Jo-Gol’s words more seriously than Baek Cheon.
“Therefore, I intend to carry on. I intend to prove, with my hands, with the swords of my Sasuk and Sajil, that the disciples who have received the teachings of our predecessors are walking the right path.”
Baek Cheon took a deep breath. As if to infuse his next words with his full conviction.
Finally, that deep breath flowed out, transformed into a declaration of his resolve.
“The heavy responsibility, the burden, the irreplaceable value of the lives of my fellow disciples…”
“….”
“I will bear it.”
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