Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1301. Is there a place to rest on this earth? (1)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
It was silent.
No, actually, the word silence didn’t quite fit.
The groans and screams of the wounded and poisoned constantly filled the air.
And yet, it felt silent.
Neither those treating the injured, nor those assisting them, nor even those preparing to move again had anything meaningful to say.
Because they had come to realize it.
They had been fighting the enemy all this time.
They had desperately pushed through the enemies blocking their path, stabbing their swords into throats still pulsing with life, fighting and fighting again.
It was unimaginably difficult and terrifying, but at least the enemy was just as desperate to stop them.
So paradoxically, they could see hope.
Because that desperate struggle was proof that their battle was moving in the right direction.
But just a moment ago, the formidable foes blocking their path had willingly stepped aside without resistance.
As if they could target them again anytime.
As if to declare, ‘There’s no need to block your path desperately because there’s no escape for you anyway’.
That realization struck everyone here.
Gwak Hwanso channeled energy into the lower abdomen of his sahyung who trembled from poison.
Even while desperately helping the wounded, his mind was busy with other thoughts.
'Can we survive?'
Is there really light at the end of this path?
Or perhaps… perhaps they had already stepped into a swamp from which they could never escape from?
A swamp where the more they struggled to free, the deeper they would sink…
Gwak Hwanso bit his lip hard.
'What stupid thoughts are these?'
He had come here knowing full well that their chances of returning alive were slim to none.
They were here to prove something.
To show the world that those bearing the name Hainan Sect had not been helplessly crushed by the enemy.
There is no need to feel discouraged just because they wered forced to confront a truth they already knew.
"Sahyung."
Lee Jayang approached him at some point and spoke quietly. Gwak Hwanso asked.
“…How is the situation?”
“We could somehow treat the poison thanks to Tang Family members. If it were just us, there would be nothing we could do.”
“…That’s a relief.”
A sigh of relief escaped Gwak Hwanso’s lips.
‘If Tang Family weren’t here…’
He realized once again just how reckless and naive their plan to resist Evil Tyrant Alliance had been.
If they had chosen to make their final stand on Hainan Island, they would ultimately utterly be crushed even with the advantage of the terrain.
What could they have done when they didn't even have a way to neutralize the enemy's poison?
Those with strong internal strength can expel poison.
This was common knowledge in Kangho.
But that only applies when one’s body is in perfect condition with the luxury of focusing entirely on circulating energy to counter the poison.
How many of Hainan Sect could actually manage that?
Every time the topic of poison came up, Gwak Hwanso wanted to rip out his own tongue for ever having casually said how poison was nothing if one's skill was high enough.
What on earth do you know that makes you say such things so easily?
"But… while poison can be treated, the wounds…"
"Right…"
These weren’t cases of inhaled poison but wounds inflicted by weapons coated with venom.
Even without poison, such wounds would be fatal.
Recovering from such injuries in a short time was impossible.
“Casualties?”
"...About four."
“That’s fortunate.”
Gwak Hwanso spoke indifferently but immediately flinched and fell silent.
'Fortunate?'
Four had died.
Four people with whom he had shared over a decade.
Yet he calmly said it was fortunate.
A suffocating sense of self-loathing surged through him.
Loathe for himself, who was treating human deaths as mere numbers without even confirming exactly who those four were.
“Let’s move.”
At those words, Kwak Hwanso snapped his head sharply with a bloodshot gaze.
He no longer had the patience to politely listen to such words.
If someone dared to spout hollow rhetoric about how this was just the nature of the battlefield…
But Gwak Hwanso was frozen in place.
It was Namgung Dowi. He was looking at him with a gaze full of quiet sorrow.
"We cannot waste more time. We don't have much time left. If we don't move, we'll lose even more people."
Gwak Hwanso heard it.
How Namgung Family had lost over half their forces at Plum Blossom Island.
How they had barely escaped that hell-like place with Mount Hua's help.
There, Namgung Dowi had lost his family, and even his father.
Yet far from fleeing, he willingly walked back into this hell.
But instead of running away, he walked back into this hell on his own two feet.
How was such a thing possible?
Gwak Hwanso had never thought much about it before. But having experienced this himself now, he finally understood.
Just how unimaginable Namgung Dowi’s actions truly were.
“…Namgung Sogaju.”
“Yes.”
"...Are you alright?"
It might have seemed an abrupt question.
But Namgung Dowi seemed to understand exactly what Gwak Hwanso was trying to ask. His gaze was calm as he answered.
"How could I be?"
“….”
"But what choice do I have?"
Namgung Dowi's eyes were calm.
“This doesn’t end with Namgung or Hainan. If we fail to stop Evil Tyrant Alliance, eventually everyone under heaven will experience this same fate."
"But..."
"If turning away and running could solve the problem, But since it won’t, there’s only one thing left to do. To face it without looking away."
Gwak Hwanso’s shoulders trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Namgung Dowi gave a faint, slightly awkward smile.
"Of course, well... I’m speaking grandly, but I didn’t come to this realization on my own. I merely saw and learned it."
Namgung Dowi glanced toward Chung Myung and Baek Cheon.
They seemed to be having a serious conversation as if discussing their next steps.
After watching them for a moment, Namgung Dowi shrugged lightly and continued.
"The truth is, I still don’t know. Whether what I’m doing is truly right or the best direction there is."
“….”
"But at least there are people who understand it. And so, all I can do is follow them, believing that I’ll be able to see what they see someday."
After pausing for a moment, Namgung Dowi let out a long breath and slowly nodded.
"Yes. That's all there is to it."
That was why he stood here.
“…I don’t understand.”
"Of course you don’t. Even I who speak these words don't quite understand."
Namgung Dowi chuckled softly and patted Gwak Hwanso on the shoulder.
"But one thing I do know is this: someone who stands in a position to lead others must never show that kind of expression."
“….”
"No matter how difficult it is, no matter how complex and confused your heart may be, at least the expression you show on the outside must never waver. Only then will others not waver in turn."
Gwak Hwanso nodded.
He was right.
Many here would be looking to him.
“Let’s go.”
"Yes."
Gwak Hwanso lifted his heavy body.
And then he immediately joined Geum Yangbaek who was encouraging the disciples and assisting where he could.
Namgung Dowi watched him for a moment, then shook his head slightly, a faint sense of sorrow passing over his face as he turned toward Baekcheon and Cheongmyeong.
It would be difficult.
Though he spoke as if knowing better, hadn't Namgung Dowi himself fallen into confusion and despair, unable to do anything properly when his family members began dying at Plum Blossom Island?
Witnessing someone you laughed and spoke with just yesterday die screaming in front of you wasn’t a shock anyone can simply endure.
And time didn’t wash it away.
No matter how numbed you become, it remains as a scar on your heart that never truly disappears.
If this war continues endlessly, someday those scars and wounds will cover them entirely, leaving nothing left of their hearts.
"Acting Sect Leader."
Baek Cheon turned to look at Namgung Dowi.
"Those who can barely move have increased considerably."
Baek Cheon nodded heavily.
Namgung Dowi continued to ask.
"...What do you intend to do?"
It was a question laden with countless unspoken meanings.
It wasn’t something they could say in front of others, but Baek Cheon and Namgung Dowi stood in positions leading their respective sects.
They had to consider every situation.
"We'll lead everyone forward."
“Our speed will slow down.”
"I know. But we’ll still bring everyone."
"…Understood."
There was much he wanted to say.
If they moved forward with this many injured, it would be even harder to shake off the pursuing Myriad Man Manor main force.
That might truly put everyone in danger.
But Namgung Dowi said nothing. The choice was Baek Cheon’s to make.
And more than that, there was no way Baek Cheon was unaware of these facts.
Namgung Dowi simply wanted to ask one thing.
"Acting Sect Leader."
“Yes, Sogaju.”
“What does Hainan Sect mean to you?”
At those words, Baek Cheon looked straight into Namgung Dowi’s eyes.
Baek Cheon stared at him in silence for a moment before slowly opened his mouth.
"No different."
“….”
“From Namgung Family.”
Namgung Dowi let out a faint chuckle after a brief pause.
It was a wise answer to a foolish question.
Up until now, he thought that Baek Cheon was excellent in every way, but lacking Taoism aspect expected of a Taoist sect leader.
But that too had been Namgung Dowi’s misconception.
No different from Namgung Family.
That was right. Thinking about it, Mount Hua had no reason to come all the way to Plum Blossom Island.
But Namgung Dowi had seen them as a ray of light and had knelt before them in desperate earnestness, and Mount Hua risked their life without hesitation at his request.
What more answers could be needed?
These were simply such people.
The light that Namgung Dowi saw back then was so dazzling.
So blinding that he wished to become like them.
But once he stepped into that light, he understood.
These people were like candles.
Were they not emitting light while burning themselves?
But perhaps it was precisely because of that self-immolation that their light shone even brighter.
"What’s the plan?"
“No different from the start.”
Baek Cheon spoke firmly.
"Judging from the enemy’s movements, it’s clear they’re setting up another defensive line ahead of us."
"Nokrim King said the same.”
“We’ll break through.”
“….”
"We have no time to detour. The main force led by Ho Gamyeong is likely right on our heels by now. And they already know every detail of our movements so escape isn’t an option.”
"Acting Sect Leader. I don't mean to oppose your opinion. But how is this any different from before?"
"It will be different."
It wasn’t Baek Cheon who answered, but Chung Myung.
Namgung Dowi turned to Chung Myung with a puzzled look.
Without offering any other explanation, Chung Myung firmly repeated.
"It will be different."
Namgung Dowi stared at him for a moment and then slowly nodded.
If Chung Myung said so, there was no need for further explanation.
Namgung Dowi firmly believed in that person, in Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword Chung Myung.
Namgung Dowi lightly patted his chest.
"Then I too will stake my life. We will definitely break through."
Chung Myung chuckled at Namgung Dowi's bright smile.
“You brat.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, a faint smile bloomed.
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