Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1519. This isn’t my fault? (4)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“So, is everything pretty much over now?”
“I guess so…?”
“…Feels kind of draining.”
Now that even Shaolin had left, the sense of exhaustion washed over them more heavily. Though the situation wasn't fully resolved yet, at least there'd be no more life-or-death battles.
Just then, Yoon Jong tilted his head as if something was nagging at him.
"But... don't you feel like we've forgotten something, Sasuk?"
"Forgotten what?"
"No, I mean... We didn’t forget anything, but it strangely feels like we did…”
Yoon Jong, who was muttering with a sour face while thinking hard, suddenly snapped his head up. His usually narrow eyes became as wide as lanterns in an instant.
"Huh?"
Everyone turned to where he was staring.
"What's wrong?"
“So- Sohyeop?”
"What?"
"Where is Isong Sohyeop! Isong Baek Sohyeop!"
"Huh?"
Baek Cheon’s eyes instantly widened greatly.
"Wa- Wasn't he fighting alongside us?"
"He was! He... fought hard together with us until the great hall collapsed!"
“Then when did he disappear?”
"Well, when the great hall collapsed..."
The gazes of Mount Hua disciples, who were conversing with flustered faces, all turned toward the ground in unison.
The wreckage of the collapsed great hall. Staring blankly at the devastation beyond description, they slowly looked at each other. Without exception, a warm smile bloomed on everyone's faces.
“Aigooooo! Isong Sohyeoooooop!”
"Dig! Dig! Hurry up and dig! Someone's dying!"
"...Honestly, I think he's already dead..."
"Don't say unlucky things and hurry up and dig, you bastard! Aigo, Isong Sohyeop!"
The disciples of Mount Hua went wild and started throwing up debris.
A moment later.
Isong Baek, covered head to toe in white dust, was staring blankly ahead with eyes that seemed to have something drained out of them.
Everyone couldn't bear to look at those eyes and averted their gaze. Isong Baek's mouth parted.
"...Still."
“...”
"We fought together risking our lives."
“...”
“Yet you forget so completely?”
"Tha- That's..."
Baek Cheon broke out in cold sweat as he tried to make excuses.
“That’s odd… I really felt like you were with us…”
“Maybe we were together in spirit?”
"R- Right? I think our inner sense of unity was just that strong…”
Isong Baek silently observed Mount Hua disciples' pathetic excuses before turning his gaze to the flawlessly blue sky.
'I hope every last Mount Hua bastard drop dead...'
He seemed to somehow understand where and how Southern Edge Sect's deep-rooted hatred of Mount Hua had come from.
“Ahem. Anyway, um… are you alright…?”
“Yoon Jong Dojang.”
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
Isong Baek, who looked like a white ghost from being covered in so much dust, still clasped his fists politely. Yoon Jong asked, a bit flustered.
“Yes? What’s this all of a sudden…”
“I must thank you. If Taoist Yoon Jong hadn't managed to remember me, I probably would have been stuck down there and died for sure.”
“...”
“How can I possibly repay the debt of saving my life?”
Mount Hua disciples solemnly bowed their heads while desperately glancing at each other sideways.
'Don't you think this guy changed a bit from before?'
'Actually, that's normal.'
'He's gotten quite twisted?'
‘If it were you, wouldn’t you be the same?’
But they couldn’t say a word.
As Isong Baek had said, what would have happened if they had simply forgotten about him and left, when he was buried and crushed under that heavy central pillar of all things?
Perhaps Isong Baek would have become a vengeful ghost here. And for the rest of his life... no, for the rest of his ghost life, he would have cursed Mount Hua.
“In the first place,...”
“Ah! Hey, you talk too much! You’re alive, that’s what matters!”
“...”
"As long as you didn't die in the end, that's what matters! Really, kids these days are always busy whining whenever something happens, I tell you. Huh? In my day, even if an arm or a leg flew off while fighting, we’d just think ‘oh well,’ dust ourselves off, and go eat. Tsk, tsk.”
At that moment, something surged from Isong Baek's eyes as he looked at Chung Myung.
“...Whoa, whoa. Calm down, Sohyeop. First, please take your hand off the sword.”
"See? I told you not to expect too much from that man.”
“Amitabha. Honestly, this is karma.”
A deep sigh escaped Isong Baek's mouth.
Thinking of those who had stood on the debris covering him and even staged a touching brother disciples reunion scene, it wouldn't be enough even if he threw his sword right now.
But what could he do? They said they didn’t know.
As he sighed and calmed his heart, Baek Cheon spoke with uncharacteristic seriousness.
"In any case, Sohyeop. Thank you very much."
"Yes?"
His cupped-fist salute was perfect in its propriety without a single flaw.
“Thanks to Sohyeop’s help, we were able to finish the matter without anyone dying or getting seriously injured. Mount Hua will not forget the righteousness you’ve shown today.”
Isong Baek stared quietly at Baek Cheon before opening his mouth.
"Don't try to gloss over it so carelessly like that."
“Aww, I’m caught.”
“See? I told you it wouldn't work.”
“How strange. It usually works.”
Isong Baek bit his lips. Mount Hua bastards are all out of their minds. He realized it to his very bones.
At that moment, Jo-Gol raised his hand high.
“By the way, Sohyeop!”
"Yes?"
“Is that true?”
"What do you mean?"
"I heard that our Sasuk's older brother is going to become the sect leader of Southern Edge Sect?"
“...Just call him Jin Geumryong, Gol-ah.”
"Ei. But he's our respected Sasuk's older brother. I know some manners, you know?”
“Just call him Jin Geumryong. Unless you want to die.”
"...Yes, sir."
Isong Baek replied with a look of disbelief.
“You mean Daesahyung? A rumor like that is going around?”
“Yes! I definitely heard it.”
Isong Baek took on a serious expression immediately.
“That’s nonsense. Daesahyung is a second-class disciple. How could a second-class disciple become a sect leader? There are clear hierarchies and proper procedures to follow!"
Stab.
A dagger flew and pierced the hearts of Mount Hua disciples.
"Even if the sect leader steps down from his position, the next sect leader will come from among the first-class disciples. Isn't that natural for any sect with proper sense?"
Stab.
A dagger was lodged once again.
“...We almost have no hierarchy, no proper procedures, and no sense at all."
“If you think about it, there’s more of what we lack than what we have.”
“Exactly.”
The faces of Mount Hua disciples were tinged with gloom. The fact that there was no malice in that statement made it even sadder.
"Well, anyway. What are you going to do now?"
"What?"
“We plan to depart tomorrow since we have some things to wrap up. What about you?”
At Chung Myung's words, Isong Baek glanced sideways. Bangju and Lone Tiger Divine Beggar were moving busily. There was definitely more work to be done to sort out their relationship.
However, as for him…
“I don’t think there is anything for me to do.”
"Hm?"
"Heave-ho."
Isong Baek staggered to his feet. He lightly dusted off his clothes and spoke calmly to Mount Hua disciples.
“My senior and junior brothers will be worried, so I will be on my way now.”
"L- Leaving already?"
"Yes. Unless there's something else I should do?"
“That’s not it, but…”
As Isong Baek shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘see?’, Chung Myung suddenly spoke.
“Didn’t Southern Edge Sect come here in the first place to build a good relationship with Beggar Union?”
Isong Baek turned his head towards Chung Myung.
"Of course, the purpose would be the information that Beggar Union provides. You're not stupid either, so you must know that if you stick around here, Sect Leader will have no choice but to pay you back for what you've done?"
At those words, Isong Baek scratched his head.
"Well."
"Hm?"
“The order I received from Sect Leader was simply to announce to Beggar Union’s Headquarters that Southern Edge Sect has resumed its activities and to offer greetings.”
“...”
“I dare not guess what else Sect Leader wants. I will simply follow Sect Leader’s command faithfully.”
“...Even after helping us?"
Isong Baek smiled slightly.
"Helping you all was me as a swordsman. But what is important to me as a disciple of Southern Edge Sect is to simply follow Sect Leader’s will and execute it precisely.”
“Hah…”
“Thus, it’s enough for me to return and later offer greetings again when Beggar Union is settled under its new sect leader. I could have returned without being able to meet the branch leader at all, so I think this is quite an achievement."
“...”
“However, for that reason, there is one thing I must ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Please keep it a secret that I helped you.”
“...”
“There’s really nothing good about that being exposed…”
While speaking, Isong Baek kept glancing at Baek Cheon. He was probably seeing someone else in Baek Cheon’s face.
Everyone nodded with a pitying look.
"W- We'll do that."
“Thank you. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Isong Baek turned his body as if relieved.
“Ah.”
But then he turned back as if he had just remembered something and said to everyone.
"Our group is staying at the Jinying Inn. If there's anything else I can help you with, you can find me there. But!"
Isong Baek brought his index finger to his lips and smiled somewhat playfully.
"Please don't let Sahyung find out."
“...”
"Well then, Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword."
"Yeah?"
“It was a pleasure fighting alongside you. I’ll see you again next time.”
Isong Baek smiled brightly and turned his body.
Watching his figure quickly fade into the distance, Mount Hua disciples sighed.
“So in the end, he’s asking us to keep quiet about what he did here.”
“…Isn’t this something that would earn him enormous fame if it got out?”
"Yes."
“But still keeping it a secret...”
"Maybe his fear of being caught by that demon is greater than his expectations of the good things that would come from gaining fame?"
“...That might be it."
Though they spoke like this, in truth, Mount Hua disciples already understood well enough.
How difficult and incredible it was to not boast about one’s own deeds.
And yet Isong Baek left without the slightest hint of attachment, cleanly and without regret.
"Really..."
This was the very image of Chivalrous Righteousness that they had always thought of. The fact that they found it not from anyone else, but from a swordsman of Southern Edge Sect, left the disciples of Mount Hua feeling somewhat conflicted and complicated.
"It's making me feel all tingly, Sahyung."
“You too?”
"It would have been nice if he weren't from Southern Edge Sect.”
“Well, it’s not like it’s impossible.”
"What?"
“Our Sasuk was also from Southern Edge Sect, but eventually came over to Mount Hua. Maybe if we coax him well…”
“Stop it...” [said while gritting]
"Sasuk, you'll hurt yourself doing that. You'll break your teeth."
The strange feeling did not fade for a long time.
After a long silence, Baek Cheon let out a long breath and spoke.
“If the world were overflowing with Righteousness, there’d be no need to emphasize Righteousness in the first place.”
"...Yes."
“The reason righteousness continues on, anytime and anywhere… is probably because there are people all over the world who protect that path themselves without expecting anything in return.”
A light of reflection entered Baek Cheon's eyes.
For a brief moment, they had been arrogant enough to believe they alone guarded the Chivalrous code of Jungwon.
But the sight of Shaolin monks and Isong Baek today made Baek Cheon feel utterly ashamed.
“In a world like this… there are still people practicing righteousness. We must not lose to them either."
"Yes."
“Yes! Sasuk!”
Mount Hua disciples nodded resolutely.
One side of the once brilliantly blue sky was slowly being dyed in the warm hues of sunset.
* * *
Two hours later, Heavenly Ascension Tower.
Wind Shadow Divine Beggar sat down with a face drooping from exhaustion. In front of him stood the disciples of Mount Hua. They were now all cleanly washed.
Wind Shadow Divine Beggar opened his mouth in a half-hoarse voice.
"The headquarters.... has collapsed."
“...”
“The elders of Beggar Union are overflowing with injuries…”
“...”
“Lone Tiger Divine Beggar, the greatest master of Beggar Union, was imprisoned and had his martial arts skills suppressed. I doubt he’ll be reinstated, so it’s effectively a permanent loss of strength.”
“...”
"The first-class disciples are still demanding explanations. Countless documents and equipment were lost when the great hall collapsed. The entire system was paralyzed due to the massacre of all the carrier pigeons, and everything is a mess!”
The more he spoke, the more his anger seemed to burst forth with his voice grew increasingly louder. Cold sweat ran down the faces of Mount Hua disciples.
"Above all, the promissory notes! The promissory notes! The massive promissory notes that were piled up in the headquarters were torn to shreds and scattered, so all the beggars of Beggar Union can't even sleep and are going around picking up every scrap of paper in Kaifeng!"
Especially Baek Cheon, who was the person in charge, was drenched in sweat all the way down his back. The promissory notes piled in the headquarters, how much were those even worth…
“In any case…”
Flinch.
Toward Mount Hua disciples who unconsciously hunched their shoulders, Wind Shadow Divine Beggar spoke with a soulless expression and voice.
“Thank. You. So. Very. Much. Esteemed. People. Of. Mount. Hua.”
…That yangban has quite a... severe grudge.
Haha.
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