Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1367. Do you know what shame is? (2)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Sahyung."
"Hm?"
Lee Jayang, who was running after Mount Hua disciples, asked Gwak Hwanso beside him.
"Did you understand their conversation earlier?"
Gwak Hwanso's eyebrows twitched slightly. Then Lee Jayang volunteered words that hadn't even been asked for.
"Honestly, I don’t quite get it. From what I heard, they helped those villagers on their way to Hainan Island, saving them from Evil Sects bastards when their lives were at risk, right?"
"It seems so."
"Then, in the end, those villagers received such a great favor and yet refused to give them even a single grain of rice?"
"I suppose so..."
Lee Jayang looked ahead, clearly puzzled. He was referring to Heavenly Comrade Alliance members running in front.
"Yet how can they be so calm? Spouting incomprehensible words and that’s it?”
Lee Jayang’s expression clearly showed his frustration. Seeing this, Gwak Hwanso asked casually.
"What would you have done?"
“Huh? What did you..."
“If you were in Mount Hua Sect’s position, what do you think you would have done?”
Lee Jayang furrowed his brows and answered immediately.
“…I would have beaten them bloody.”
His voice grew slightly heated as if the mere thought angered him.
“Aren’t people supposed to know gratitude? How can we call them human when they plead with their mouths about gratitude and having no way to repay the debt, yet won't give up even a single grain of what they have?"
“That’s true.”
“The difference between humans and beasts is that humans understand gratitude, right? They act grateful when they receive help, but when it’s time to give back, they turn away as if nothing happened. Such people don’t deserve help in the first place!”
Gwak Hwanso didn’t express any strong agreement, only nodding slowly as if to acknowledge his point.
"Don't you agree, Sahyung?"
When Lee Jayang asked, Gwak Hwanso thought deeply for a moment before smirking.
“I think I would have done the same. As you know, my temper wouldn’t allow me to let that slide.”
“Right?”
Lee Jayang nodded as if this was the most natural conclusion. As if to say he wasn’t the odd one here.
“But… I don’t know. Do you think they felt any different than we would have? We’re only imagining it, but they actually experienced it. They must have been even angrier, not less.”
“Of course.”
“And, um…. You know, it’s not like they’re particularly more mild-tempered than us.”
At these words, Lee Jayang's face contorted.
Honestly, it was understandable. While no one could deny now that they were true Taoists, when Lee Jayang first saw them at the Murim Competition, they were nothing but troublemakers.
Especially that acting sect leader of theirs. He might have had the looks of a respectable man, but among all the madmen Lee Jayang had ever met, he easily ranked at the very top.
The memory of them suddenly charging in and starting a brawl was still vivid. Weren’t they the ones who went berserk just because their sect was insulted? And they did it at Shaolin, of all places.
'Then why are they enduring it now!'
Given the circumstances, it was understandable that they couldn’t afford to make a big deal out of it or waste time. But still, leaving behind a few harsh words wouldn’t have been too difficult.
It was then that Gwak Hwanso spoke softly.
"There's a saying in Taoism."
"Yes?"
“If you call the Tao the Tao, it is no longer the Tao.”
Lee Jayang frowned. What was this head-in-the-clouds talk now?
"By that logic, the moment you call kindness kindness, it ceases to be kindness. The moment you say, ‘I gave, so you must return the favor,’ it is no longer a genuine act of generosity.”
“Ha…”
Lee Jayang let out an incredulous laugh.
How could that make sense?
Even those who practice chivalry are still human. How can anyone continue without any reward, or risk their life for something without value?
Wasn't it because young martial artists dream of being heroes that they aspire to chivalrous deeds, hoping to make their names known throughout Kangho?
“So you’re saying that even after showing kindness, even if they receive nothing in return and are even treated with contempt, they should just accept it as natural?”
“….”
“Then who would ever do such a thing?”
“They do.”
Lee Jayang was struck speechless. He could only stare blankly at the people running silently ahead.
"Of course, they’re still human, so they can’t possibly feel good about it. But it seems they believe that single sack of grain was reward enough."
“Are they insane…?”
Gwak Hwanso chuckled at Lee Jayang’s blunt and crude remark.
His own thoughts weren’t too different from Lee Jayang's. But he seemed to vaguely understand why they thought that way.
“They’re not looking for immediate repayment. Instead, they hope that those who received their kindness will, in turn, become people who can give without expecting anything in return.”
"How could that ever work as easily as Sahyung says?"
“Would it work right away? They simply continue endlessly. Then gradually, people who understand their intent will emerge."
Lee Jayang shook his head with a slightly nauseated expression.
He understood the logic, but the whole idea seemed far too impractical. People hesitate to give even when faced with martial artists who could take everything from them. How could they possibly change?
"I think it’s nothing more than a foolish empty dream."
Lee Jayang spat out the words with a sneer.
"They can dress it up in fancy words all they want, but if you strip it down to the bare reality, aren't they essentially being chased away with barely one sack of grain as payment for saving dozens of lives?"
“….”
“The person who gave them that grain probably only did it to save face. Do you really think he was genuinely grateful? People don’t change that easily. You know that, Sahyung. You know how selfish and cruel people can be.”
Gwak Hwanso nodded slowly.
Having lived facing the harsh sea, they knew better than most. Just how selfish people could be when their lives and livelihoods were at stake.
“I’m not disrespecting them, but if they think that one sack of grain changed anything, then it’s just them turning a blind eye to comfort themselves. Nothing has actually changed.”
“…Yes. That might very well be true.”
"Do you think otherwise, Sahyung?"
“To be honest, I think you’re right.”
Gwak Hwanso let out a bitter smile.
He wasn’t denying the path they were trying to take, but the world isn’t such an easy place. Moreover, commoners weren't so pure-hearted. Rather, having nothing might make them even more selfish.
His gaze drifted to Chung Myung, running ahead. Chung Myung’s clothes were so tattered that calling them rags would be an understatement, and dried blood clung to them from the wounds he had suffered.
'What you're trying to do might be even harder than placing the entire world under Mount Hua's feet.'
And it might all be in vain. Nothing more than a painful struggle with no reward. But still…
“Still, I want to believe that they’re not wrong.”
"...What?"
“I just want to believe that.”
Gwak Hwanso muttered softly and kicked the ground..
* * *
"How vicious..."
Baek-bi's face contorted.
Baek-bi, Ho Gamyeong’s guard and right-hand man, tortured countless people and extracted information from them.
That Myriad Man Manor martial artists fear Military Advisor Ho Gamyeong even more than Bangju Jang Ilso owes much to the work he has done beneath the surface.
In his hands, even the most resolute individuals would break within a single quarter-hour. If he was given free rein over someone for that time, he could make them recall not just the first steps they took as a child but even the taste of their mother’s milk.
For such Baek-bi, making one powerless commoner speak should have been nothing. No, not even a quarter-hour—the time of a few breaths should have sufficed.
It should have been that way, really.
Yet now Baek-bi's eyes watching the fallen one before him were filled with revulsion. is eyes, always maintaining their coldness even when watching blood, pus, and filth pour forth, trembled faintly.
"How..."
A voice that sounded like a sigh escaped.
To be honest, what lay before him could hardly even be called a person anymore. It was more like a lump of flesh, mangled and collapsed, unable to struggle or writhe as its strength had nearly run out.
He was clearly still alive. His crimson-soaked chest still rises and falls faintly. But it was clear that not much time remained.
Baek-bi clenched his teeth. If he had his way, he wanted to grind that body that wouldn't confess into powder while still alive. But further torture was impossible. Now even touching him with a finger might sever his breath.
He had failed to extract information from that one. Completely and utterly.
"Hah..."
Just then, a small sound that might have been either a sigh or laugh leaked from the man's mouth. Baek-bi, gritting his teeth, went to Ho Gamyeong and bowed his head.
"...My apologies."
Ho Gamyeong observed him silently for a moment and then said with a puzzled look on his face
“Strange.”
“….”
"Were you being merciful?"
"…No. I believe I left nothing lacking."
"Then that would mean this man is extraordinary. Even you, who’ve made seasoned martial artists weep like children, couldn’t make him talk.”
For a moment, a look of frustration flashed across Baek-bi’s face.
Warlords who had once ruled entire regions, ruthless demonic cultivators, and merciless murderers who had taken countless lives—none had been able to withstand his torture in silence.
Yet, a mere ignorant peasant from a remote mountain village had endured his torture to the end. How could this situation even be explained?
Step.
As Ho Gamyeong took a step forward, Baek-bi stepped aside and bowed his head. Ho Gamyeong walked over at a leisurely pace and coldly looked down at Hyeong Wook, who was still breathing.
“What reason do you have to endure this far?”
Still, no answer came. Ho Gamyeong crouched down and whispered into the gaping hole where an ear should have been.
“Don’t you want to be at ease? Even if you received favor from them, they're already gone. You'll likely never meet again."
“….”
"Just look away for a moment. If you do, I will heal all your wounds and grant you wealth beyond measure. This is the first time I’ve ever made such an offer in exchange for information.”
“….”
“This means I acknowledge you. You’ve done enough. Even if you speak now, no one in the world would dare condemn you.”
Surprisingly, Ho Gamyeong’s words were sincere. He truly impressed the man before him.
"Even if you die here like this, no one will acknowledge it. No one will consider you remarkable. Everything can only be gained while alive."
“….”
"Now, this is the last time. Answer. Just tell me where they went, and I'll immediately treat you and promise you status and wealth that no one would dare disrespect. And I will spare all the villagers. I promise all this in the name of the military advisor of Evil Tyrant Alliance, Malice Rakshasa.”
Ho Gamyeong's voice sweetly penetrated Hyeong Wook's ears.
“But if you refuse, neither you nor anyone here will survive. And even those you’re risking your life to protect won’t know how miserably you died here. Surely you don't want to die so meaninglessly?"
“….”
“So…”
Ho Gamyeong's eyes glinted coldly.
"Answer. Where did they go?"
At that moment, a faint sound leaked from Hyeong Wook's mouth. A sound so small that even Ho Gamyeong, a martial artist, could barely hear it.
“Speak more clearly.”
Ho Gamyeong pressed his ear close to Hyeong Wook’s mouth.
Blood oozed thickly from Hyeong Wook’s parted lips. From the opened mouth came a precarious sound that seemed about to break at any moment.
"...Uh..."
"Which direction? Again."
“….”
"Speak clearly. Quickly."
A fleeting look of triumph crossed Ho Gamyeong’s face.
Considering how rare it was for any emotion to show on his face, it was easy to guess the surge of elation he must have felt inside.
As everyone held their breath, Hyeong Wook's voice finally flowed into Ho Gamyeong's closely pressed ear.
"...Go... eat... shit..."
A moment of silence fell.
Ho Gamyeong's face slowly twisted like a demon's.
"You...!"
Ho Gamyeong's fist, loaded with internal strength, struck Hyeong Wook's head violently.
Kwaaaaaang!
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