Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1365. As expected, you have a big heart (5)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Then we'll be on our way."
"Yes, Hero-nim. Take care!”
Hyeong Wook bowed at a perfect right angle.
There had been many ups and downs, but at least they could tell how genuinely grateful he was. Thus, Heavenly Comrade Alliance also showed him their utmost courtesy.
“Ah, that....”
Hyeong Wook scratched his head awkwardly after finishing his bow.
"Would it be alright if I asked where you are headed?"
"Yes?"
Baek Cheon looked at him with a slightly puzzled gaze. Hyeong Wook quickly waved his hands in a flustered manner.
"Ah, it's not like that. It’s not as if I have any reason to know where esteemed Heroes such as yourselves are going. It’s just, you should be careful if you plan to head north along the mountains."
"Be careful…?"
"No matter how remote this mountain village is, that doesn't mean we're completely cut off from the outside world. We've heard that things are a bit turbulent up north lately, so if you're heading toward Gangbuk, it might be better to choose another route..."
Baek Cheon smiled at Hyeong Wook's warning.
“Oh, that’s what you meant. There’s no need to worry. We’re heading toward Nanjing.”
“Ah....”
Hyeong Wook nodded quickly.
"For- Forgive me. Of course, Hero-nim must have already made their own plans. Someone as ignorant as me should have never…"
"Please don't say that. I am only grateful for your concern."
Baek Cheon bowed his head politely.
"There’s still much I’d like to say, but… time is short, and we must hurry on our way."
"Yes! Of course! Naturally you must!"
"Then."
Baek Cheon smiled faintly and clasped his hands in salute.
As he turned, the others also exchanged farewell nods with Hyeong Wook before turning as one.
Hyeong Wook stood there for a while and watched until everyone's figures receded and finally disappeared.
Paaaat!
The disciples of Mount Hua at the head of the group dashed forward like the wind.
The heavy steps that had weighed them down as they left the village now felt noticeably lighter.
Baek Cheon ran at the front with Jo-Gol closely trailing behind him. Jo-Gol's gaze was fixed on the grain sack slung over Baek Cheon's shoulder.
This grain, which would amount to barely a handful when shared among so many, was carried as if it were a treasure that must never be lost.
“...It’s really amazing when you think about it.”
"Hm?"
Baek Cheon looked back at Jo-Gol’s mumbling. Jo-Gol’s gaze had deepened than before.
“That guy Hyeong Wook.”
"…Yes."
“When we stopped by the village before, wasn’t he the one who distrusted us the most?”
"Was he?"
“That’s what I’m telling you. The other villagers were more friendly, and that guy Hyeong Wook treated us like thugs who came to show off their power.”
Baek Cheon looked up at the sky for a moment and thought back to when he first met Hyeong Wook.
“Right. I think you’re correct.”
Now that he thought about it, Jo-Gol was right. When they first stopped by the village, Hyeong Wook definitely did not hide his distrust of them.
"But seeing that same yangban acting like this now…"
"Does it seem strange?”
“Rather than strange....”
Jo-Gol trailed off, as if struggling to put his thoughts into words.
Fortunately, Yoon Jong refined Jo-Gol’s thoughts into a clearer statement.
"I think I somewhat understand what Chung Myung meant earlier."
Baek Cheon looked at Yoon Jong with curious eyes. Yoon Jong simply shrugged and continued.
"Of course, just because someone is hostile toward us doesn’t automatically make them an evil person. And just because someone treats us with kindness doesn’t mean they are virtuous."
“That goes without saying.”
"Yes. But… the reason his attitude changed must have been because of the goodwill we showed him before."
Baek Cheon nodded in silence.
Of course, there was still some concern. Calling his shift in attitude ‘the right change’ might be arrogant. That was why both Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong were cautious.
But what was important here was not ‘right’ but ‘change’ itself.
Just as Chung Myung had said, chivalry was not merely about making people’s lives easier, but... it might be changing something.
It was still small and fragile, but perhaps it would grow into something far greater.
They might have just confirmed that possibility with their own eyes.
"I used to think that Chivalrousness was something that changed the world. That’s why I was momentarily lost hope and speechless by the villagers’ attitude.”
“Yoon Jong-ah....”
"But thinking about it now, it's like this. Perhaps chivalry and goodwill can't directly change the world. But they might be able to make people a little different."
Jo-Gol nodded at those words.
Because he saw it with his own eyes. Because he had directly witnessed one person changing.
“In the end, it’s people who change the world. Progress may be slow, but if one person after another starts to change, maybe someday the world will be filled with goodwill.”
“That’s difficult.”
"And isn't that why it's Tao (도(道)/Path, Way)? If it were easy, there would be no need to seek it for a lifetime."
Baek Cheon glanced at Yoon Jong. His expression seemed lighter and more refreshed than before. While Baek Cheon had merely felt comforted by Hyeong Wook, it seemed Yoon Jong had seen something he hadn't.
And that was enough. For now, that was enough.
"Let's pursue Tao a bit later. Now is the time to hasten our steps."
“Yes, Sasuk.”
"Our supplies didn’t turn out as we’d hoped, but… we’ll figure that out as we go.”
"Yes!"
Baek Cheon picked up his pace. The wind rushed past his face.
The villagers who turned away from them, Elder Hyeong who pressured them politely until the end, and Hyeong Wook's apologetic expression until the last moment were still vivid before his eyes. It felt like those images would not fade for a long time.
But what remained with him now was only the weight of the sack of grain on his shoulder.
'Let's not try to give an answer.'
Perhaps they were still too inexperienced to come to a conclusion. No matter how much their names spread across the world or how great a responsibility they bore, they were still just young Taoists.
How they should live to uphold Tao they believe in is something to ponder over a lifetime. So rather than hastily passing judgment, it was enough to simply remember. Eventually, these memories and what they've seen here will all dissolve within them.
However....
'Who could it be?'
The 'person he knows' that Chung Myung occasionally speaks of. Baek Cheon suddenly found himself growing curious about them.
In the past, he thought that Chung Myung just conveyed his intentions by putting forward someone who does not actually exist, but recently, he learned that the words Chung Myung uses whenever he mentions that 'someone' were full of wisdom. Even with a profound air that would be difficult to find in Chung Myung.
“Respect....”
As he muttered, Chung Myung, who had been running silently, tilted his head.
"Hm?"
"No, nothing."
"How bland."
When Chung Myung, looking baffled, lost interest and turned away, Baek Cheon let out a wry smile.
'Someday....'
And he kicked the ground with all his might, tightly grasping all the many things that had emerged within him to not let a single one slip away.
❀ ❀ ❀
"They're gone."
Yoo Gong flinched at the gentle words. He was so caught off guard that he momentarily forgot to scan his surroundings and came to a sudden halt. Cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He turned around, creaking, to see Ho Gamyeong’s indifferent face. As their gazes met in mid-air, Ho Gamyeong asked,
"Right?"
Yoo Gong's fingertips began to tremble.
Ho Gamyeong was right. The sect's mark was no longer visible. He was searching frantically but found not a trace.
Though he considered that they might have misinterpreted previous markers and taken a wrong direction, such a possibility was exceedingly low. Ho Gamyeong had already completely deciphered Hainan Sect’s markings. There was no way that Yoo Gong and Ho Gamyeong would have made the same mistake at the same time.
"The markers ending means the rear guard has completely regrouped."
"P- Perhaps I just haven't found them yet. If you would give me a little more time..."
“If I give you time?”
Ho Gamyeong repeated evenly.
“You could find them?"
Yoo Gong couldn't answer confidently. He knew all too well that he was making forced excuses.
Ho Gamyeong narrowed his eyes. At the same time, Yoo Gong instinctively shrank back.
But for better or worse, someone like Yoo Gong wasn't even in Ho Gamyeong's thoughts right now. His mind was entirely occupied with trying to figure out why Hainan Sect and Heavenly Comrade Alliance groups had suddenly changed their movements.
‘Logically speaking, that must mean they realized we were tracking them.’
Otherwise, there would have been no reason for them to suddenly regroup like this.
However, what troubled him was that he couldn't grasp how they had discovered the pursuit. Although Yoo Gong was doing his best to track them, Ho Gamyeong had been keeping a reasonable distance.
There shouldn’t have been any variables that would allow them to notice yet.
"Hmm."
Lost in thought, Ho Gamyeong shifted his gaze back to Yoo Gong.
“What do you think?”
“...Yes?”
“Why do you think they stopped leaving marks?”
“How could I....”
Ho Gamyeong narrowed his eyes.
"I've become curious."
“...What?”
The corners of his mouth twisted into an unmistakable sneer.
"You plucked out your own claws and became a dog. I wondered if you’d still be able to guess what other wolves might be thinking.”
“....”
“But I suppose it was pointless. Yes. A dog is merely a dog."
Yoo Gong bit his lips in humiliation and unease. Seeing this, Ho Gamyeong let out a cold shake of his head.
“That settles it. Your role is finished."
In truth, Ho Gamyeong had spoken without any particular meaning. It was merely a word summarizing the situation.
But Yoo Gong couldn't take it that way. When the words 'dog,' 'hunt,' and 'end' combined, what came to mind was 'disposing of allies after use.' (토사구팽 (兎死狗烹)/ When all the rabbits have been hunted, the hunting dog will be killed and cooked)
The blood drained from his face instantly.
"So step back and....”
"So- Something! There has to be something!"
Ho Gamyeong, about to order him aside, clamped his mouth shut and looked at Yoo Gong. Fearful that his words might be cut off, he poured them out in a frantic rush.
"Ther- There must be something they want to hide! Something that absolutely cannot be discovered! Something no one in the future should ever come across!”
“....”
"They don't want to leave artificial traces. Whatever it is! Because there's something they must hide and must never be discovered, it's not themselves they want to conceal but something else! So that’s....”
Though it was disjointed rambling, Ho Gamyeong understood what he was trying to say.
"Something they want to hide."
A meaningful glint surfaced in his eyes.
“That could be plausible.”
Ttaak!
With a flick of Ho Gamyeong’s fingers, his adjutants quickly closed in from left and right.
"Search the area. Even the smallest detail will do. Report anything that catches your eye. You have one quarter-hour. Any longer would be a waste of time."
“Yes, Advisor-nim!”
As soon as the order was given, the adjutants mobilized their men and scattered in all directions.
Ttook.
Sweat trickled down Yoo Gong’s face, gathering at his chin before falling in droplets. His entire body felt as though it were being gnawed away by anxiety.
Before that sweat could even dry, several of the scouts returned.
"There's a small village about ten li to the northwest."
"A village?"
"Yes!"
Ho Gamyeong stroked his chin, murmuring to himself.
"A village, huh…?"
Was that what they were trying so hard to keep hidden?
It made no sense to him. If he were chasing anyone else, he would have dismissed that detail outright. But...
Ho Gamyeong, staring intently at Yoo Gong, slowly nodded.
"Move out."
When they got there, they would know. What exactly was being hidden.
|Note
Consider supporting me by subscribing on Patreon for 5$. The Patreon membership for Mount Hua and Infinite Mage is the same. The benefit:
Advance chapters of Mount Hua : 76
Advance chapters of Magic Realm Convenience Store Worker : 144 Chapters
Thank you for the Chapter """
Also DONGRYONG HOW COILD YOU DISCLOSE YOUR ITINERARY WITH SUCH PRECISION WHEN YOU ARE ON THE RUN??? JUST SAY YOU GOIMG BAVK TO GANBUCK, HOME, QJ, accross the river jdjdjd