Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1188. This is the path we will walk from now on (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Bop Jeong, who had been glaring at Baek Cheon as if he was about to attack at any moment, took a deep breath. Then, he slowly sat back down.
However, his eyes emitted an even colder light than before.
“I already told you, didn’t I? It’s nothing but lip service.”
His voice cut through Baek Cheon like ice.
“Choosing what cannot be chosen. Perhaps that’s true. But the one who must make such a choice is the leader. The one who must make the choices that no one else will!”
"……"
“That’s why we compare what cannot be compared and make decisions that should never be made! Didn’t you yourself say with your own mouth? That you would bear that responsibility. So, are you now saying that it is right to abandon a thousand lives to save just one?”
Baek Cheon doesn't answer. Then Bop Jeong frowned as if to say, "See?"
"Anyone can discuss ideals. But who will compensate for the lives of those who die because of those ideals?”
“Who gave you the right to make that choice?”
Bop Jeong opened his eyes wide at Baek Cheon's question.
“Is it because you are Bangjang of Shaolin that you can weigh the lives of others? Or is it because you, Bangjang, are none other than Bop Jeong?”
"You! Acting Sect Leader!"
“To choose the unchoosable. To bear that responsibility.”
Baek Cheon murmured as he shook his head.
"Don't speak as if only Bangjang has taken on that responsibility. It is a path that many have already walked, and something that our predecessors have agonized over again and again. And they have already passed down their conclusion to future generations.”
“…To future generations?”
A look of puzzlement crossed Bop Jeong’s face. What could their predecessors possibly have passed down?
"It is a word that Bangjang is very familiar with. We call that teaching ‘Chivalrousness.’”
Bop Jeong's face was distorted.
“What kind of obvious nonsense……”
"What's wrong with the obvious?"
Baek Cheon's face was filled with passion.
“Those who think themselves wise measure everything. But truly wise person do not measure what should not be measured! Does Bangjang think our predecessors were unaware of what Bangjang is saying? Does Bangjang think they were simply too foolish to discuss that fact?”
"……"
“Not just thinking with the head! Not simply weighing logic and reason, but following the path your heart tells you! Our predecessors called this ‘Chivalrousness.’ And they entrusted us only to uphold it! Not because they were unintelligent, but because it was the only right answer.”
The faces of Bop Jeong trembled.
“They already knew. They knew what would happen when future generations, trusting only in their own intellect, started to judge the value of things!”
“What in the world…”
"That is why, when teaching the disciples, we emphasized Chivalrousness more than anything else. Within that simple teaching lies the answer to what should take priority. Let me ask you, Bangjang! What did the great, illustrious predecessors of Shaolin pass down to you?”
Bop Jeong clenched his fist tightly. His mouth was firmly shut, not moving an inch. But Baek Cheon already knew the answer to that question.
Of course, it could not be otherwise. No other sect emphasized Chivalrousness and the salvation of all living beings as much as Shaolin. Isn't that why Shaolin became the North Star of Kangho, has remained the North Star of Kangho until now, and has been able to remain its protector?"
“What would those predecessors say if they saw the current Bangjang? Would they truly pity your sorrowful self-sacrifice? Would they praise Bangjang for making the right choice while shedding tears of blood?”
"Silence!"
Bop Jeong’s roar burst forth.
It was the sound of his reason snapping, and at the same time, the sound of the Chivalrousness he had been precariously maintaining being shattered.
"The more I hear it, the more it seems there’s nothing you can’t say! Are you implying that Shaolin has abandoned Chivalrousness?”
“Then are you following it?”
"What!"
“What on earth does Bangjang think Chivalrousness means?”
“And you think Mount Hua understands it?”
“I don’t fully understand it. But there are those in Mount Hua who do.”
Baek Cheon's gaze immediately turned to one person.
"Yoon Jong!"
When the voice calling him suddenly fell upon him like a reprimand, Yoon Jong was startled and looked at him.
"Do you mean me?"
"As a disciple of Mount Hua, answer me. What is Chivalrousness?"
"Chivalrousness is..."
Yoon Jong closed his eyes quietly. It was a sudden and bewildering question, but he couldn’t afford to give a hasty or superficial answer. This was a moment where sincerity was more important than ever.
Thus, Yoon Jong's response began in a rather unexpected place.
"The Tao (Way/Path/도가도비상도(道可道非常道)) that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao. Just as the Dao is no longer the Tao once it is called the Tao, the moment we label Chivalrousness as 'Chivalrousness,' it ceases to be true Chivalrousness." ("도가도비상도(道可道非常道). 도를 도라 칭한다면 더는 도가 아니듯, 협의를 협의라 부르는 순간 협의는 더 이상 협의가 아닌 것입니다.")
His voice grew increasingly calm and composed.
"The Tao, the more one seeks it, the further away it seems, like grasping at clouds. It is not the perfect or ideal thing that people often imagine it to be. Likewise, Chivalrousness is not perfect. At times, it is difficult, at times selfish, and at times unreasonable—because the human heart is like that."
"And also."
"But that is precisely why Chivalrousness is Chivalrousness. The Tao is about letting things take their natural course. Then, like water, it will naturally flow downward. Sometimes curving, sometimes pausing, and sometimes dispersing, but always moving towards its supposed to. The human mind is the same. The human heart is the same. Though at times foolish, wicked, or selfish, it eventually, like water, moves toward a greater expanse."
A profound light flickered in Yoon Jong's eyes as he opened them again.
"So, in the end, Chivalrousness is about trusting people. It is about responding to the call within your heart. If one can do that, they will ultimately find their way to the right path."
Baek Cheon nodded vigorously and looked at Bop Jeong.
"Have Bangjang heard?"
But Bop Jeong, still enraged, retorted sharply.
“What did I hear! It’s just another empty idealism! And so, that great idealism will save those who are about to die…?”
“Ah, seriously, I can't listen to this anymore.”
Bop Jeong's head turned to one side at the sudden mocking remark that came from somewhere. Im Sobyeong, who was sitting by the door, quietly turned away from the gaze and continued to speak stubbornly.
“If your heart is so big, wanting to help all people in the world and save even one more life, I don't understand why you stay in a temple and swing your fists. If you had taken up an official position, you would have been of much greater help."
“W- What are you saying…?”
Bop Jeong looked at Im Sobyeong with an incredulous expression. He may be Nokrim King, but he was still the leader of Evil Sect. How could someone like him say such things in front of Bop Jeong?
“What he says isn’t wrong.”
What made Bop Jeong even more startled was Namgung Dowi. Sogaju of Namgung Family, the head of Five Great Family, was backing up the words of Nokrim King.
“If doing greater things and achieving grander ambitions is always the right thing to do, then doesn’t that make the very existence of Kangho a contradiction? The reason we can exist is because the power of the empire cannot reach every corner of the world and cannot look down on everyone. If you truly wish to discuss the greater good, wouldn’t it be better to strengthen the empire and make Kangho disappear entirely, rather than talking about it from the small confines of Shaolin?”
"Sogaju!"
Bop Jeong’s eyes filled with bloodshot fury.
“Is everyone going to turn on me like this? Are you really going to push this absurd sophistry and…?”
"Please stop, Bangjang."
At that moment, a calm voice interrupted Bop Jeong's speech.
Bop Jeong was momentarily speechless. It was because of the voice that he knew all too well. It was Hye Yeon.
“You are wrong, Bangjang.”
"...What did you say?"
“I said, you are wrong, Bangjang.”
"You…"
A look of bewilderment appeared on the face of Bop Jeong.
He could accept it from the others. But not Hye Yeon. No matter how much Bop Jeong has mentioned the excommunication, Hye Yeon was someone he had personally raised and taught.
How could someone like Hye Yeon say something like that?
“Right now, Bangjang, in your attempt to refute their words, you are saying things you should not.”
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
“What did Buddha, what did Siddhartha do after attaining enlightenment through long asceticism?”
At the unexpected question, Bop Jeong stared intently at Hye Yeon instead of answering. Hye Yeon continued.
“After Buddha attained enlightenment, after suffering through seven times seven days of contemplation, he came to the conclusion to spread his teachings and save all sentient beings. What was the first thing Buddha did?”
Once again, there was no answer. As if Hye Yeon hadn’t expected one, he provided it himself.
"It was to preach to those within reach of his hands and accept those who came within reach of his feet as disciples.”
“Hye Yeon. You, you…”
"Amitabha."
Hye Yeon pressed his palms together and continued speaking.
“Buddha sought to save the world, but he did not write a scripture that could reach every corner of the world himself, nor did he use his past status to spread his teachings farther. What Buddha did for the suffering beings of the world was simply to spread his noble teachings to those near him and guide them. Yes, that was all.”
Hye Yeon's clear and transparent eyes turned towards Bop Jeong.
“His words became scripture, and his teachings became the Dharma. Wasn't it through such spreading and flowing that it eventually reached you, Bangjang?”
Bop Jeong's eyes trembled.
As Bangjang of Shaolin, he cannot deny those words.
"According to Bangjang's logic, what Buddha did was nothing more than something small. It would merely be the actions of a foolish person who failed to see the bigger picture. The Buddha, who had realized the great Buddha's way, did nothing for the sake of all people in the world. But Bangjang, were his teachings truly in vain?”
"……"
"Therefore, anyone who considers themselves a follower of the Buddha should not condemn Acting Sect Leader’s intentions. Isn’t the Dharma originally an infinitely selfish path that begins with saving oneself? So how can you call someone who tries to save those within their reach foolish and selfish?”
"You punk..."
"Before you were Bangjang of Shaolin, if you were a Buddhist who followed the teachings of Buddha..."
Hye Yeon's voice swept through Bop Jeong and shook him with a resounding force.
“Instead of excusing yourself with words of throwing yourself into hell, you should have first pondered what truly aligns with the Way of the Buddha.”
Hye Yeon declared with great sorrow, but also with great determination.
“Bangjang… You are wrong.”
Those words pierced Bop Jeong’s heart like a sharp dagger.
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