Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1245. Is that all? (5)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
The elders' shocked voices spilled out from all directions.
“Ten people?”
"Are, are you saying these are all who came?"
“How could this be....”
Heavenly Comrade Alliance members around Baek Cheon were rather taken aback by their reaction.
“...Sahyung. Why is everyone acting like this?"
When Jo-Gol asked in a whisper, Yoon Jong replied with a bitter smile.
"Perhaps... they thought we were just the advance party."
"Advance party?"
"They must have thought we couldn't possibly come all the way to Hainan with just ten people... that we came with more people and just crossed the sea first."
"Ah..."
Jo-Gol looked at Hainan's elders with a dumbfounded expression.
Of course, Jo-Gol might find this assumption bewildering, from the elders’ perspective, it was the only logical conclusion.
From Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s perspective, they sent notable figures and the leaders of each sect to show their utmost sincerity. However, from Hainan’s standpoint, it was unimaginable that such individuals would move without an entourage or reinforcements.
What sect leader in their right mind would leave their sect behind and cross into hostile territory alone? This is something that goes completely against common sense in Kangho, and even against common sense of the world.
Naturally, the elders assumed reinforcements must be waiting elsewhere. It was a misunderstanding born from being unable to thoroughly examine each other's circumstances.
"Then why bother coming all the way here in the first place?"
“Abandon Ten Great Sects to join Heavenly Comrade Alliance? Are they just here to squeeze the last bit of value out of a dying sect?”
"This is outrageous!"
The elders’ rage flared like wildfire, and it was directed squarely at Heavenly Comrade Alliance members.
Some of the guests’ eyes widened in shock at the intense backlash, while others frowned in disapproval. Even considering Hainan’s dire situation, such an ungrateful response toward people who risked their lives to come seemed unwarranted.
"Enough..."
“Sect Leader! How is this any different from stripping even the fur off a sick tiger!"
"They won't help us, but they want to take our name! Why should we receive such treatment..."
"ENOUGH!"
Geum Yangbaek’s voice roared like that of a beast, silencing the hall in an instant.
The elders looked at Geum Yangbaek in stunned silence. Despite having stood by his side for many years, it was the first time they had seen the sect leader this enraged.
"You men of the Southern Sea..."
When Geum Yangbaek shot them a cold glare, the elders all hung their heads low..
"Even if what these guests have said differs from our expectations, it doesn’t change the fact that they braved mortal danger to come here and offer their aid. Isn’t that true?"
“Sect Leader....”
“The ones who should have helped us are nowhere to be found, yet we lash out at those who at least showed their hearts because they didn’t give us enough? However cunning human hearts may be, is this truly the disgrace the elders of Hainan should show?"
The elders could not bear to look at Geum Yangbaek directly and only lower their heads further. A small sigh escaped from Geum Yangbaek's lips as he glared sharply at them. He turned his head to look at Baek Cheon again and said.
"I apologize for showing such an unsightly sight. Everyone is simply desperate…”
“No, Sect Leader. We should have prepared more....”
"No. I'm just grateful for your understanding."
Geum Yangbaek smiled faintly. But unlike before, his smile now had a clear shadow.
"I understand well what Acting Sect Leader has said."
“Sect Leader, I have not....”
"No."
Geum Yangbaek shook his head.
“It’s not that we are swayed simply because reinforcements weren’t brought. We simply had unreasonable expectations."
“....”
“And even if, as some of our less dignified elders suggested, you came merely to exploit the name of Hainan…”
“Ah, that’s...!”
"Yes, I am aware. That couldn't be. Even as the sect leader of Hainan, I don’t believe our name is significant enough to command the efforts of all those present.”
Geum Yangbaek laughed self-mockingly.
“If, by some chance, you had come with such intent, the lengths you went to would make it an honor to allow ourselves to be used."
Geum spoke with an air of resignation, as though he had already transcended the matter. Baek Cheon bit his lip firmly.
Then, Geum Yangbaek slowly shook his head.
"However, Acting Sect Leader. I apologize, but I must decline Heavenly Comrade Alliance's invitation."
“...Sect Leader.”
“The reason is simple.”
Geum Yangbaek lifted his head slightly to gaze at the ceiling. Though his eyes were fixed above, it was clear he was looking at something far beyond the wooden beams.
“Hainan has always been part of Ten Great Sects, but it could never truly belong among them. We were merely a stopgap to fill the void left by Mount Hua’s absence.”
His words were self-deprecating, but his tone was calm and steady.
“Thus, we have always endured tacit discrimination, even within Ten Great Sects. And I suspect that underlying that discrimination was a deep-seated disdain for us as islanders of the southern seas.”
"That's..."
"Islanders can't be trusted. Islanders have no loyalty. Islanders betray as easily as eating, and change their attitudes moment by moment like the sea."
Geum Yangbaek let out a dry chuckle.
"This is probably a feeling difficult for mainlanders like yourselves to understand. And... perhaps even Ice Palace Gungju would find it hard to understand. What the discriminated must endure to fit in with those who discriminate.”
Baek Cheon asked Geum Yangbaek as if he didn't understand.
“But, Sect Leader. Doesn’t that give you all the more reason to act? As Sect Leader said, no matter how hard Hainan tries, it will never truly be part of Ten Great Sects. However, Heavenly Comrade Alliance does not discriminate between the sects that belong to the alliance. Even Nokrim is recognized as a member of the alliance. So....”
Baek Cheon stopped himself mid-sentence.
It wasn’t just because he felt it futile to continue persuading him, more than that, it was because Geum Yangbaek was smiling faintly. That smile unsettled him.
Geum Yangbaek said.
"Acting Sect Leader, what do you think loyalty is?"
"...Pardon?"
"Just as I asked. What is loyalty?"
Baek Cheon couldn’t answer right away. Defining loyalty was simple enough, but it was clear that wasn’t the essence of Geum Yangbaek’s question.
When Baek Cheon did not answer, Geum Yangbaek said.
"I believe loyalty is something proven at the very end."
“....”
“Acting Sect Leader, for a long time, Hainan has been a sect that others found hard to trust completely, and a sect they believed might turn its back one day. No matter how loudly we proclaimed our commitment to Chivalrousness, no matter how many times we tried to explain otherwise, their deeply rooted prejudice never faded.”
“....”
“I’m not just talking about the affairs of Kangho. While Hainan Sect possesses some strength, the ordinary people of Hainan Island, who lack such power, face constant discrimination and prejudice—because their skin is darker, because they do not live on the mainland.”
“Sect Leader....”
“But if we, Hainan Sect, abandon Ten Great Sects and join hands with Heavenly Comrade Alliance at the last moment as Acting Sect Leader said, what do you think they would say?"
Geum Yangbaek continued without waiting for Baek Cheon's answer.
“I knew it.”
“....”
"'Those island bastards were untrustworthy after all.'"
Geum Yangbaek paused for a moment and shook his head.
“Acting Sect Leader. We are not fools. We are not so ignorant as to be unaware that Ten Great Sects have already abandoned Hainan. Despite knowing this, despite having known this, we had no choice."
"Sect Leader. They were the ones who betrayed loyalty first."
"What difference would that make? In the end, all that would remain is the fact that Hainan didn't keep its loyalty."
A sigh escaped Baek Cheon's lips.
“If we were to take the hand extended by Heavenly Comrade Alliance at the last moment… we might indeed reveal to the world the disloyalty of Ten Great Sects and damage their reputation. However… the contempt towards those who remain will only grow worse. Don't people tend to see others' small flaws as larger than their own great mistakes?"
Even Baek Cheon could find no words to refute this.
"Thank you, Acting Sect Leader. Whatever the reason, I can only express gratitude for you risking danger to come all this way to this distant land."
Geum Yangbaek bowed his head deeply. Baek Cheon instinctively moved to stop him but hesitated and drew back his half-stretched hand.
This was because Geum Yangbaek continued speaking in that position.
“However, regrettably, from Hainan’s standpoint, we cannot accept your offer. Hainan Sect may end here, but the people of Hainan Island must continue living afterward. I ask for your understanding of Hainan's position, which must consider even this aspect."
“...Of course. I understand.”
Baek Cheon said with a bitter expression.
"Then… what will you do now?"
"Well."
Geum Yangbaek lifted his head and smiled faintly, almost serenely. If anything, Baek Cheon's suggestion had helped clear his mind.
"Some will leave, some will surrender, and those who remain will stand and prove themselves. As for me, my role is to share the fate of those who choose to stay and fight."
“....”
“When I believed there was a path to survival, I thought perhaps it would be acceptable to change our stance once, just this once, to endure a lifetime of prejudice. But if the end is already determined, we should meet that end in a way that doesn't shame the name of Hainan."
Baek Cheon quietly closed his eyes with a heavy heart.
'We should have come earlier.'
There was nothing he could do. Therefore, there was nothing he could say.
Anything he said now would only insult Hainan.
"The storm will soon pass. When you live on an island long enough, you naturally come to know these things."
Geum Yangbaek looked at Baek Cheon and those seated behind him as he spoke.
“When the storm passes, leave the island. We may be people destined to bury our bones here, but you are not. Unless we all leave together, they won't bother chasing after a single small boat slipping away from the island."
Jo-Gol unconsciously gripped his thigh tightly. Those calm words struck him deeply for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.
"So... when you return to the mainland, please convey just this one thing. That Hainan kept its loyalty to the mainland and Ten Great Sects, and fulfilled its duty as a righteous sect."
Geum Yangbaek said quietly with his eyes closed.
"That alone would suffice."
Baek Cheon, who had been watching Geum Yangbaek without looking away, finally turned his gaze behind him, focusing on one person. But the one he looked at only returned a blank, emotionless stare.
Baek Cheon let out a brief sigh and rose slowly from his seat. Bowing deeply, he clasped his hands in a respectful gesture toward Geum Yangbaek.
"I have clearly received Sect Leader's intent."
Geum Yangbaek also stood up and returned the fist-palm salute to Baek Cheon.
“I wish safety and peace upon your alliance.”
And so concluded an unbearably bitter discussion, with its outcome nothing short of a complete dead end.
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