Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1445 What Should I Do? (5)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
As the day dawned, those who had collapsed like the dead the night before began to stir one by one.
Though Sichuan was known for its warmth, the morning on this field was especially chilly. No, perhaps it wasn’t the temperature that was cold but their hearts as they faced this morning.
"What should we do now?"
"First, we need to prepare to leave. Since they said we're going to Mount Hua."
Amid the unsettled air, Tang Family members packed up their bedding and glanced about restlessly.
Not far from them, Mount Hua disciples woke up with similarly disheveled faces, rubbing their eyes and washing up with dry cloths.
"Ugh... I thought my mouth was going to freeze."
Jo-Gol got goosebumps.
Honestly, camping out in the open like this wasn’t anything new for them. Following that ruthless bastard around had made sleeping on the roadside as routine as breathing.
Nevertheless, the distinct chill and ache in their bodies this time likely meant their bodies were that much more exhausted.
“But Tang Family examined us yesterday.”
“Yes, Sahyung. They even gave some advice."
"Oh, really? What did they say?"
"They said if I want to die before thirty, just keep living like this."
...Yoon Jong shook his head.
Truthfully, Five Swords was all in terrible shape. They had to somehow make time to recuperate and recover. Especially...
“Sasuk, are you fine?”
Baek Cheon turned at Yoon Jong's worried question.
"...Your face looks very pale."
"My face is naturally white."
“No, I mean, it’s really pale....”
"White to the point of paleness."
“....”
Yoon Jong was at a loss for words as Baek Cheon stared back with an expression that seemed to ask, ‘Jealous?’ The corner of his mouth twitched. This guy would be better off just dropping dead.
Yun Jong turned away and stole a glance at Tang Family.
"More importantly, the atmosphere is terrible."
"Hmm."
Baek Cheon nodded at those words.
The absence of people isn't immediately felt. They probably hadn’t felt it clearly in the chaos of yesterday. But now, after a night’s rest, the reality must be setting in.
Those with whom they had lived face to face are now gone forever. And now, the survivors had to leave Sichuan and start anew in unfamiliar lands.
“I’m worried. I wonder if they’ll be....”
"Hey, you're worrying about the strangest things."
“...What?”
Yoon Jong looked at Jo-Gol with a puzzled look. Jo-Gol’s face was twisted in clear irritation. Yoon Jong heaved a deep sigh.
“What are you complaining now?”
"Since when do cats worry about mouse? Why is Mount Hua fussing over Tang Family? Do those yangban look like the kind of people who would crumble just because a few halls burned down?”
“....”
"Even now, Tang Family is probably in a better situation than Mount Hua, so Sahyung should worry about us instead."
Yun Jong smiled wryly. Of course, Jo-Gol wasn't entirely wrong. After all, Tang Family still had most of its fighting force and held significant influence.
But the Sichuan Tang Family’s situation wasn’t as simple as Jo-Gol made it sound. The crucial point was that they now had nothing left but things to lose.
Just as Mount Hua was driven to the brink of collapse after losing its predecessors and the essence of its martial arts, the Sichuan Tang Family will experience the same fate. Even with Tang Gun-ak and their remaining martial artists, it wouldn't change.
They might be fine for now. But as the generations pass, that collapse could come suddenly like a dam bursting without warning.
'Perhaps the one suffering the most right now might not be Gaju-nim, but Sogaju.'
Yoon Jong's gaze turned to Tang Pae. He was helping the elderly with an unreadable expression.
He must have a lot on his mind. If Yoon Jong were in his position, his head might have already exploded from the weight of worries and responsibilities.
“But where’s Gaju-nim?”
"Yeah? I haven't seen him for a while."
It was when the disciples of Mount Hua were looking around for Tang Gun-ak.
“There.”
They spotted Tang Gun-ak walking toward them from the distant fields.
Baek Cheon let out a soft groan-like exclamation. It was because Tang Gun-ak’s expression seemed a bit more at ease than yesterday. Of course, he was always a man of few expressions, so it may have just been Baek Cheon’s feeling.
Tang Gun-ak approached the area where Tang Family members had gathered and gestured lightly.
“Sogaju.”
“Yes, Gaju-nim.”
Tang Pae, who approached Tang Gun-ak as if he had anticipated this, bowed his head.
"The preparations to leave will soon be complete. To ensure there are no problems..."
"No. First, have everyone stop what they're doing and gather in one place."
“...Yes?”
Tang Pae raised his head with a slightly bewildered expression. But soon he responded as if understanding Tang Gun-ak's intention.
"Yes. I will gather the martial artists."
"I clearly said everyone."
“...Gaju-nim?”
Tang Gun-ak spoke with an unchanging expression.
"Everyone with the Tang surname. Anyone who can speak and express an opinion, gather together without leaving anyone out.”
Tang Pae hesitated to reply. Not because he didn't understand the command. It was because, as far as he knew, this was something unprecedented in Tang Family.
Though called the Sichuan Tang Family, strict distinctions existed within. There were secret techniques each had to hide from others, so those with different roles rarely gathered in one place.
But instead of even gathering each person in charge, Tang Gun-ak asked to gather everyone.
“You still don’t understand?”
“Tha- That’s not it. Gaju-nim, I understand. I'll carry it out immediately."
Tang Pae nodded vigorously.
And so, every person bearing the Tang surname gathered in one place.
From a fair distance away, Mount Hua’s disciples watched them quietly. Tang Family hadn't specifically asked them to leave, but somehow they felt they should.
“What a strange sight.”
"Right."
The prestigious Sichuan Tang Family. It would certainly be a rare sight to see the people of this prestigious family, which secures at least the second position among Five Great Family, all gathered closely together in such a desolate field.
"But... will it be okay?"
“What do you mean?”
"This isn't exactly a safe place, is it?"
At Yoon Jong's words, Baek Cheon glanced warily to the south.
It was true that Myriad Man Manor had withdrawn, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t attack again. Especially Jang Ilso, who may be planning something they cannot even imagine at this moment.
“Would Gaju-nim be unaware of such thing?”
"That may be true, but..."
“It’s one of the two. Either he’s absolutely certain that Myriad Man Manor won’t attack again, or....”
Baek Cheon's gaze fixed on Tang Gun-ak, who sat in the center of Tang Family people.
"Or he considers the issue that needs to be addressed here more important than the threat of Myriad Man Manor."
“...It must be the latter.”
Yoon Jong nodded as if understanding and looked at Tang Gun-ak.
"I get it, but... can they really find a solution just by talking like this out in the open?"
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Suddenly, a disapproving click of the tongue reached them. Yoon Jong turned his head glumly toward the source of the sound. There stood that demon, Chung Myung, looking at him with a face like an old man who had lived a hundred years.
“What’s with a kid being so impossibly stiff and narrow-minded?”
“I’m older than you....”
And I'm your Sahyung, Chung Myung. Though it feels strange to point that out.
"Finding a solution isn't what's important. Trying to find a solution is what's important."
"Huh? What's the difference?"
"If the only thing that mattered was reaching the right conclusion in that meeting, then only certain people would ever speak up."
“Ah....”
Yoon Jong nodded as if he understood. He had experienced it himself. Where he had thoughts but couldn’t bring himself to speak them aloud.
"What's important is enabling people to speak. Allowing anyone to open their mouth, anyone to express their thoughts, and ensuring those thoughts aren't ignored."
"...Isn't that just common sense?"
"Yes, it's common sense. The problem is that this common sense was never realized in Tang Family."
Tang Family has changed a lot. There was a stark difference between now and when Chung Myung first visited them in this lifetime.
But that change only happened because Tang Gun-ak, who had triumphed in the power struggle with the Elders, chose to listen to Chung Myung's words.
What if it had been Tang Pae instead of Tang Gun-ak, or Tang Zhan instead of Tang Pae, who had responded to Chung Myung's words? And if Tang Gun-ak had been hostile to Chung Myung?
Then Tang Family wouldn't have changed at all. Tang Pae or Tang Zhan would have ended up walking the same path as Tang Bo in the past.
“Rather than enforcing rigid limits with strict hierarchy, let anyone speak for the sake of the family. Everyone listens to each other's opinions and seeks a better path. Not simply to preserve what has been passed down from the past, but to move forward even at the cost of breaking with the past."
A bitter shadow crossed Chung Myung's face.
Tang Bo worked hard all his life for that obvious thing. And he had died without ever achieving it. Perhaps the scene unfolding now was the very one he had dreamed of, again and again, in life.
Chung Myung was once again impressed by Tang Gun-ak.
'What a great person.'
Someone who had almost collapsed in despair pulls himself together in just one night and moves forward again. Even if he cannot come to a conclusion, he finds a way to reach a conclusion.
Chung Myung suddenly found himself wondering. What if that man had become the head of the Sichuan Tang Family? Well...
“...Tang Family would have collapsed."
"Huh? Collapsed?"
“N- No.”
Chung Myung flinched and waved his hands dismissively. Just the thought alone made him break out in a cold sweat. Even now, Tang Gun-ak was listening intently to his family people with a serious expression. Chung Myung thought that it might be a great fortune for Tang Family to have Tang Gun-ak as their patriarch at such time.
So Tang Family members should be happy....
"Hey, they're fighting over there?"
"Huh?"
"Whoa. Hidden weapons are flying."
"What?"
"Wow, are they serious?"
Cold sweat ran down Chung Myung's face.
It seemed there had been quite a bit of built-up resentment between them. What had begun as a peaceful gathering was now rapidly devolving into chaos.
"Living together as a family doesn't necessarily mean getting along well."
"It's funny hearing Sasuk say that?"
“W- What did I say?”
Chung Myung let out a soft chuckle at Baek Cheon’s flustered reaction.
'It's understandable.'
Strict laws, perfect hierarchy, and status that only applies within the family. Tang Family members have suffered from this pretense all their lives.
And now, the very patriarch who had guarded those laws had created a space where that hierarchy was lifted. It was only natural for the pent-up frustration to explode.
"Is that, is that really going to turn into a disaster? It’s a total mess?”
“Don't worry.”
Chung Myung chuckled.
"Gaju-nim isn’t a child, how could he not have anticipated something like this? He must have known. Right now, he's probably pleased..."
Chung Myung suddenly closed his mouth.
“Gaju-nim?”
Everyone's eyes turned to Tang Gun-ak.
“...You mean that guy over there, right? Chung Myung?”
Amid the brawling family member, Tang Gun-ak sat frozen with a pale face.
"...Seems he didn't anticipate this?"
"That expression looks like 'Save me.'"
“Chung Myung-ah?”
Chung Myung, who had been staring blankly at Tang Gun-ak, slowly raised his head and looked up at the blue sky. It felt like a familiar face was smiling down at him from above.
- Told you the Dang family was a mess.
"You son of a....”
I hadn’t expected it to be this bad. Ugh.
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