Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1388. You're making fun of people (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"This…!"
Jo-Gol, his eyes bloodshot with rage, opened his mouth to shout. But before he could, someone gripped his shoulder so tightly it felt as if it might break.
When he turned, he saw Yoon Jong shaking his head with a stern expression. Seeing that expression, Jo-Gol bit his lip tightly.
This wasn’t a request or a negotiable opinion. It was an order given to them in the name of the acting sect leader. From the moment ‘excommunication’ was mentioned, no room for compromise existed. Jo-Gol knew this. He knew.
But still…
"Do we really have to do this?"
The words slipped out despite himself. Baek Cheon nodded resolutely once again.
"Do not mistake what you want to do for what must be done. What we must do right now is clear."
Jo-Gol's expression darkened.
"Then at least let me….”
“I told you.”
Baek Cheon didn’t even let him finish. His face was fierce.
“No objection allowed. If you are a disciple of Mount Hua, follow my orders. If you really want to go, then hand over the plum blossom engraved on your chest and leave.”
At that ice-cold voice, Jo-Gol trembled with anger and clenched his fists.
"Sa…."
“We will obey Acting Sect Leader’s command.”
But before Jo-Gol could resist further, Yoon Jong cut his word short.
"Jo-Gol. Move forward and open the path."
“….”
"Now!"
Jo-Gol looked at Yoon Jong and Baek Cheon alternately. Then, without a word, he turned sharply and moved forward. Yoo Iseol and Tang Soso, who had been silently watching, followed him toward the front.
"Out of my way! You bastards!"
With a roar full of resentment, Jo-Gol instantly slaughtered those blocking the path ahead. The group, which had momentarily hesitated, began to move forward again at a rapid pace.
Kicking off the ground, Baek Cheon looked back at Yoon Jong beside him.
“Help Jo-Gol.”
"Understood."
"...Thank you for calming him down."
“There’s no need for such words. Obeying Acting Sect Leader’s orders is only natural.”
“….”
"And I don’t think Sasuk made the wrong decision. The moment our intentions conflict, we would all perish together. Even if the direction is wrong, we must steadfastly pursue it to the end for even the slightest path to open, isn't that right?"
Baek Cheon nodded. Yoon Jong’s words precisely captured the reasoning behind his decision.
And in fact, more than anything, that punk Chung Myung wouldn't want them coming to his rescue.
Even if they abandoned everything and rushed to him, all they would face would be his face filled with despair. Baek Cheon didn't want to see that.
"However..."
At that moment, Yoon Jong's voice flowed out a little belatedly. Baek Cheon turned to look at him.
"The heart wishes to follow the Tao, but the body is merely human, and that’s what makes it so difficult. I think I understand those words now.”
“….”
“I know that Sasuk’s decision was right, and I understand that it’s the best choice Sasuk can make…”
Yoon Jong hesitated slightly before continuing.
"If it ever comes to pass that Chung Myung dies while we escape safely to the north, then I will never forgive Sasuk for the rest of my life."
“….”
“Even if that’s the wrong thing to do.”
It was almost like a curse. But Baek Cheon’s expression did not change at all. Yoon Jong left behind a word that could be heard as admiration or perhaps even ridicule and ran forward.
“You’ve become Sect Leader, Sasuk.”
Left alone, Baek Cheon closed his eyes for a moment. His eyelashes fluttered faintly. But when he opened them again, there was not even the slightest hint of hesitation on his face.
“You two, take the left and right flanks.”
Hye Yeon and Namgung Dowi looked at him with a look of disbelief at his composed command. But it was only for a moment. They sighed, nodded, and split to the left and right.
Now all that was left were Baek Cheon and one other person.
“Good decision.”
“….”
"I was worried that Acting Sect Leader might make a reckless decision, but it seems my worries were unfounded.”
"Nokrim King..."
“Yes, I’ll watch the rear. Then.”
Im Sobyeong stepped back, muttering faintly as he went.
“But still, I thought that if it were Acting Sect Leader, you might have made a different decision.”
Baek Cheon didn't answer. He was too busy suppressing the frustration that threatened to burst at any moment. He exhaled a long, deep breath to keep it hidden from the others and bit down hard on the inside of his cheek.
'Damned bastard...'
Blood seeped from his tightly clenched fist. His nails dug into his palm, cutting into the flesh.
But he hid his hands beneath his sleeves. No one could tell from his expression what emotions he was experiencing now.
“Hurry. We’re heading straight to the Yangtze River! As soon as possible!"
* * *
Chung Myung raised his head slightly and scanned the enemies closing in from all sides.
“Hmm. No need to worry.”
Judging by the way the enemies were swarming, it was clear they weren’t paying any attention to the other side. Meaning there was nothing else to worry about.
A small part of him had been concerned that Baek Cheon might let his emotions get the better of him and make a decision that was tantamount to suicide, but fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t that much of a fool.
If Baek Cheon were the type to make such a choice, Chung Myung wouldn’t have let him become the acting sect leader in the first place. Looking closely, all of Chung Myung’s actions stemmed from his complete trust in Baek Cheon.
Even without saying it out loud, he was certain that Baek Cheon would never make a foolish decision.
Chung Myung smiled faintly.
'How long has it been?'
Since he believed that someone would understand his intentions without explanation and act accordingly. Trusting not just in that person's intelligence, but in the person themselves.
The face of someone flashed through his mind.
The face of the one who always scolded and reprimanded him, yet always believed in him.
“Ei, what a ridiculous thought. Not a chance."
Chung Myung chuckled and lifted his sword. Though he was putting on a brave front, the situation wasn’t one where he could afford to be relaxed. After all, Baek Cheon making the right choice also meant there were no more obstacles for those insufferable Myriad Man Manor bastards focusing solely on him.
Even for Chung Myung, overcoming this situation wouldn’t be easy.
“Well, still….”
"Dieeeeee!"
He parried the incoming dao with a single stroke and immediately severed the attacker’s neck. Hot blood gushed out from the severed carotid artery. At the same time, Chung Myung launched his body and consecutively deflected the flying daggers of enemies targeting his vital points.
"Not easy doesn’t mean impossible!"
If he had to die just because he was surrounded, if he had to surrender his life just because the enemy was targeting him alone, then even twenty lives wouldn’t have been enough for him in his past life.
Kwaaang!
Enemies clad in red robes rained down on his head as he kicked the ground hard.
“Plum Blossom Sword Demon, we won't let you escape!"
“Sword Demon?”
Udeudeuk.
Chung Myung gripped his sword hilt so tightly it felt like it might break, then thrust his sword toward the sky. In an instant, he deflected the raining spear tips and ruthlessly slashed through the exposed torsos of his enemies.
"You should call me Sword Sovereign, you stupid bastards. How dare you attach such a disrespectful title to your elder? Asking for death. Ptoo!”
Chung Myung spat out the blood that had filled his mouth and glanced behind him.
'Not yet.'
A little longer. Just a little more.
His objective wasn't to escape from here or to run away.
If he fled too soon, the enemy forces would split. Then those lagging behind would likely choose to pursue the main group rather than chase after him, whose chances of being caught were slim.
To prevent this, he needed to draw as many of them as possible deeper in. To ensure they wouldn't take their eyes off his back.
Then, Mount Hua and Hainan Sect will be able to cross the river during that gap. On the other side, Shaolin Sect and the rest of Ten Great Sects would be waiting, creating a tangled web of forces that would make pursuing them far more difficult.
"Hahah..."
It was somewhat funny.
Abandoning the one he wanted to save a little more for the sake of the many. That was the choice Cheong Mun had forced upon him one day. And Chung Myung never forgave Cheong Mun for making that choice until the moment of his death.
Even while still respecting and cherishing him, he had never been able to let go of that resentment inside him. Perhaps Cheong Mun regretted that fact until the moment of his death.
But now, it was none other than Chung Myung who was forcing that cursed choice on Baek Cheon, just as Cheong Mun had done to him in the past.
'I'll have to apologize to Sahyung when I meet him in the afterlife.'
He had planned to pour out his complaints first if they ever met again. If he had known it would come to this, he would have at least said he understood when he went to kill that damn Heavenly Demon. He would have at least said that much.
Would Baek Cheon resent him? Just like he resented Cheong Mun in the past?
Maybe.
But he had to endure. And he would. Because Baek Cheon was someone who was more than capable of being the sect leader of Mount Hua. In the future, he would have to make countless choices like this.
Just like the great Cheong Mun.
"Then what remains is..."
Chung Myung fixed his gaze on the enemies rushing in like a tidal wave.
“Chase him! He’s alone! Don’t give him a chance to rest!”
“…You’re underestimating me.”
As if being alone was supposed to mean something.
Now there was no Tang Bo behind his back, but Chung Myung had become stronger than his past self.
Now there was no Cheong Mun trying to protect him at all costs, but he had become someone who could protect others on his own.
In the past, he was someone who could never grow up, but now he had become someone who understood what was most important.
“So there’s no need to make a big deal out of it!”
Chung Myung's sword cut through the air like an illusion. Drawing plum blossoms with the tip of his sword, he tore apart those who charged at him in an instant, then surged forward like a snake quickly slithering through the bushes.
“Ooooh!”
Puuuung!
A cloud of black poison powder exploded before his eyes.
Holding his breath for a brief moment, Chung Myung lowered his body even further and surged through the cloud of poison.
As soon as he broke through the black smoke, dozens of chain sickles flew in from all directions, but Chung Myung cut them all down with a single stroke.
For a fleeting moment, it felt as though the sensations of his past life had returned to his body. It felt like he could do anything, break through anything. So something like this...!
“There you are, you idiot! Who the hell told you to fight alone?”
Chung Myung, with both eyes wide open, suddenly turned his head.
But there was nothing there.
No Jo-Gol charging forward with gritted teeth, no Baek Cheon glaring at him as if to kill him, no expressionless Yoo Iseol, no sobbing Tang Soso…
They weren't there.
Chung Myung chuckled.
Paaat.
Chung Myung kicked off the ground and shot forward at lightning speed.
A leaf hanging alone at the tip of a branch swayed in the slow breeze. Even as the wind died down and the world returned to silence, the lone leaf continued to sway and sway.
|Note
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Following orders and claiming it's the “right thing to do,” even when it goes against your own sense of justice, and then blaming others when things don’t go your way—honestly, that just feels like an excuse people make when they’re not ready to take real responsibility.
Human emotions are so deep and complex, and I’m really impressed by how delicately the author portrayed all of this.