Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1532. What do you know? (2)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
As if asking 'Why? Did I say something I shouldn't have?', Baek Cheon leaned back fully against his chair.
Considering that the leaders of each sect representing Heavenly Comrade Alliance were gathered, it was a posture that one could not even dare to imagine.
But no one paid it any mind. No, they couldn't. Because all their attention was fixed elsewhere.
And for good reason.... it was gaping open.
Tang Gun-ak's mouth, which was always firmly shut with strength, was hanging foolishly open. Like someone who had just seen a meteor fall onto his head while sleeping.
That expression on Tang Gun-ak’s face?
It was safe to say not even his daughter Tang Soso, let alone his own parents, had ever seen him make such a face.
In the hearts of those who saw that rare sight with their own two eyes, fear began to swirl.
Jo-Gol, fearing that poisoned hidden weapons might suddenly rain from Tang Gun-ak’s sleeves at any moment, was the first to grab his chair and inch away from Baek Cheon.
'Ah....'
Then he flinched and glanced sideways. The thought that Yoon Jong might shout at him came belatedly.
But what Jo-Gol saw at that moment was Yoon Jong’s back, already a safe distance away.
'Sahyung?'
No, he was the one who always emphasized how important loyalty between brother disciples was…
Creak!
Just then, the sound of a chair scraping was heard from the other side. As everyone’s gaze turned, Yoo Iseol, who had at some point moved far away from Baek Cheon, said with a blank face.
“Because it’s hot.”
“....”
“Really.”
“....”
This was absolutely not a betrayal.
If a person causes this much trouble, there was no way to clean it up.
Even if Tang Gun-ak rushes in front of Hyun Jong and threatens to beat Baek Cheon to death, Hyun Jong should say, ‘Huhu. How can a needle kill someone? Please use my sword.’ and hand over his Plum Blossom Sword.
But while everyone, even Tang Soso, was desperately reading Tang Gun-ak’s expression, only the person in question, Baek Cheon, was facing Tang Gun-ak directly with a face that said everything was annoying.
After a breathtakingly tense standoff.
“…Are you saying you know better because you’ve experienced it?”
"Yes."
“Hmm.”
Tang Gun-ak shot words instead of hidden weapons.
"Haah...."
“Heuuuk.”
"Hnnn."
At the same time, sighs of relief burst out from all directions.
“Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.”
Hye Yeon continuously chanting, sincerely thankful that hell had not unfolded in the mortal world. Perhaps in his eyes now, Tang Gun-ak looked like Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.
And Baek Cheon, who would surely appear as almost an Asura in those eyes, opened his mouth.
“I am not ignoring the Sichuan Tang Family. I can assure, Mount Hua is the sect that recognizes Tang Family’s worth more than any other in the world."
“That's....”
Before Tang Gun-ak could finish speaking, Hyun Jong's voice interjected quickly and quietly.
"I would like to clarify that all statements made by Acting Sect Leader are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect Mount Hua’s official stance."
Tang Gun-ak, who was left speechless again, stared at Hyun Jong blankly.
Hyun Jong, as if his neck was twisted, only stared at the distant window and dared not meet Tang Gun-ak’s eyes.
"...Right. I… suppose so. Acting Sect Leader."
Tang Gun-ak thought.
If the day came when Mount Hua burned again, it might not be Magyo's doing but his.
Baek Cheon continued.
"It's not me who underestimates Tang Family's abilities, but rather Gaju-nim."
"...Me?"
A Doubt flashed in Tang Gun-ak's eyes. Baek Cheon looked at him and answered resolutely.
“Yes. What Soso said was not wrong. Tang Family can exert tremendous influence even in small numbers, and with them at our backs, we fight twice as hard."
"Hmm..."
“If Soso’s proposal does not fit Tang Family’s way of doing things, then it is natural for Gaju-nim to refuse. But saying you cannot accept it because Soso's words are wrong is rather difficult for us to accept. Because that..."
Baek Cheon's gaze turned to Tang Soso and Tang Pae.
“Is an insult to those who protected our lives in that place akin to hell.”
Five Swords all nodded in unison. Then they looked at Tang Gun-ak with looks that could, in some ways, appear slightly provocative.
In those gazes, Tang Gun-ak felt an inexplicable emotion welling up inside him.
Pride? Satisfaction?
No.
The emotions that instantly enveloped Tang Gun-ak were… none other than anger and hatred.
An ordinary person would have flown into a rage and poured that anger out on them without a filter. But fortunately, Tang Gun-ak was not an ordinary person.
Instead of lashing out, he was momentarily bewildered by the emotion that had swept over him. He questioned it.
Was this something to be so furious about? Furious to the point of murderous intent, even?
And soon, he realized the cause of his emotions.
This wasn’t a feeling of being upset because they 'opposed' him. This was a feeling of being upset because 'they' oppose him.
To put it simply….
'They are no longer children.'
When a wolf cub bites and hangs onto a large wolf’s leg, the large wolf either licks the cub or disciplines it with a light bite that won’t cause injury.
But when a wolf that was no longer a cub comes to bite the leg, then a fight ensues that only ends when one of the two submits.
Humans were no different.
He had often argued with them, but the fact that his feelings were so different this time was proof that he now recognized them as equals.
“Acting Sect Leader.”
"Yes."
“Are your words right now meant to praise the efforts of your Sajil? Or…”
"No."
Baek Cheon shook his head without even hearing the rest.
“I didn’t step forward as their Sasuk. I stepped forward as one martial artist. Tang Soso, and Tang Sogaju, are naturally martial artists I must respect. Not because of their status, but because of their ability."
Five Swords, and even Chung Myung, nodded as if it were a matter of course. At the same time, the corners of Tang Soso’s eyes turned red.
Tang Gun-ak quietly observed this scene. The corners of his lips twitched slightly. Those he had acknowledged as equals were now acknowledging his daughter and son.
Which meant...
“I’ll ask one last time.”
"Yes."
"As one who has experienced the most battles within Heavenly Comrade Alliance, as one who broke through adversity from Hainan to this place, and as Mount Hua's Acting Sect Leader, what do you think of those two's claims?"
“....”
“Do you think there’s a reason for Tang Family to choose that path?”
Baek Cheon's eyes became a little clearer and sharper.
“It is not for me to dare discuss the affairs of Tang Family.”
“...Is that so?”
Tang Gun-ak spoke as if muttering. Baek Cheon added.
"But if I were the head of the Sichuan Tang Family, I would not ignore the experience and opinions of one who must lead Tang Family in the future."
The question had been asked with Tang Soso in mind, but the answer returned with Tang Pae at the forefront. But it doesn't matter. Both Tang Soso and Tang Pae shared the same opinion.
Tang Gun-ak's expression was heavy. Everyone was watching in silence, waiting for the decision he would make.
Tang Gun-ak's gaze briefly turned to Chung Myung.
He was talkative, loud, and loved to step forward anytime, anywhere.
Yet he hasn't expressed a single opinion since this began. He had merely stood with his arms crossed, silently observing from behind Five Swords.
Tang Gun-ak smiled a somewhat awkward smile.
“Then I....”
* * *
"Aak!"
Jo-Gol screamed and jumped. A needle had once again plunged into his fingertip. Yoon Jong spoke without even looking at him.
“Stop making a fuss. You’re the guy who didn’t even groan when a knife stabbed your gut.”
“Keung. This and that hurt in totally different ways, okay?”
“…We’ll never be able to beat Tang Family in our lifetime.”
"Huh?"
"No."
Yoon Jong shook his head.
In the end, Tang Gun-ak decided to accept Tang Soso's opinion.
Though it came with the condition that they would test it until just before the war and revert if it proved unfeasible, it was effectively no different than an approval.
“…Honestly, isn’t this insane?”
Jo-Gol looked at Yoon Jong in disbelief and said.
“No, splitting a sect into smaller units means the patriarch's orders can't be relayed individually. That's practically entrusting the lives of Tang Family's members to the discretion of other sects!"
“Sounds about right.”
"Sahyung, could you make such a decision?"
“What’s so great about that?”
“It is a great thing! Sahyung, could you die according to Sogungju Seol So-baek’s command?”
“Sogungju is a great person, so it is only natural that I would....”
“What if it was General Han?”
Yoon Jong fell silent. Instead, his eyebrows twitched.
“No, not even General Han, but what if it were one of the Ice Palace's unit leaders?"
“Hng.”
Finally, Yoon Jong let out a sigh mixed with a groan.
“Fine. You’re right. It’s definitely something unimaginable under the old ways.”
“Right?”
“So, isn’t it amazing that Gaju-nim accepted it without a second thought?”
“…Isn’t there a chance he might withdraw it even now?”
“Are you saying that because you don’t want to sew?”
Seeing him hesitate, it seemed to be true.
"Quit scheming and work harder. You remember what Soso said about dragging those who can’t do it properly to the Swift Medical Group (신의단(迅醫團)), right?”
“...I wonder what she ate growing up to be so merciless."
"She grew up eating poison."
"Ah...."
Swift Medical Group. A special organization of Heavenly Comrade Alliance temporarily established based on the opinions of Tang Soso and Tang Pae.
Right now, Tang Soso was spending frantically busy days gathering Tang Family martial artists excluding elder-level members and Tang Family daughters who had learned medical arts and movement techniques, dividing them into units and educating them.
Of course, the nominal leader of Swift Medical Group was Tang Pae, and the actual leader was Tang Gun-ak, but Tang Soso was playing the role of the real power behind Swift Medical Group, just like in Mount Hua.
Jo-Gol still felt wronged.
"I mean, everything ended up going as she said, so why are they making us do this!"
“I’ve told you at least ten times. No matter how many physicians are in the back, there’s a world of difference between a martial artist who knows how to perform simple first aid and one who doesn’t. Just knowing that can save three out of ten people.”
“Ugh.”
Jo-Gol scratched his head vigorously.
He had no way of winning with logic, so he was doing it reluctantly like eating mustard while crying, but it really didn't suit his temperament.
“No! Sasuk, what on earth is so fun about this for you?”
“...This becomes surprisingly addictive once you get into it."
"What a remarkable young lady you've become, really!"
On the other hand, Baek Cheon was practically like a fish in water. Even the onlookers couldn't help but admire his work. a hair’s breadth.
“Wow… look at this. The spacing really doesn’t have a hair’s breadth of difference.”
“Look how tight it is. Could probably filter rainwater.”
"Sasuk. Can you embroider plum blossoms, plum blossoms?"
“It’s not embroidery!”
Jo-Gol threw down his tattered rag and grumbled.
“No, what’s the point of us being good at this? We should just be good with swords.”
"If you want to swing a sword well, do this first."
"What?"
Yoon Jong spread out and set down the cloth he had been holding. His sewing was also similar to Baek Cheon's, with each stitch dense and uniform.
“As I’ve been watching, I’ve noticed a common trait among the ones who scream that they can’t do this well.”
“...What common trait?”
“They’re hot-tempered, aggressive, and prefer to swing their swords as their heart desires rather than according to a proper form.”
“…Huh?”
“That’s right. Guys like you.”
Yoon Jong clicked his tongue.
"This is a matter of patience before skill. And swords are no different. Swords that can't overcome and restrain the impulse to swing fast and strong are merely Evil Sects swords."
“....”
“If you want to become stronger, first learn how to restrain the sword.” “That's right.”
Even Baek Cheon chimed in to support Yoon Jong.
“How can those who cannot even handle a needle properly handle a sword properly?”
“....”
“Whether it’s a sword or a needle, it has to be perfect in the hands of Mount Hua’s sword warrior. So, all of you, stop grumbling and do your best. Because that will save your lives and mine.”
"Yes!"
“I’ll keep that in mind, Sasuk!”
Baek Cheon nodded and was about to look back at his clothes when something caught his eye.
He suddenly stood and walked to the next table. What caught his eye was a cloth that looked like a total rag. A complete disaster.
“Whose is this?”
“…Uh, that’s…”
"Tell me straight. Which bastard sewed like this! I clearly said to do it as precisely as when performing swordsmanship! Which bastard is it!"
“Sasuk. About that.”
“If you don’t answer prop...!”
“Tha- That’s Chung Myung’s, Sasuk.”
“....”
Baek Cheon, who had been silently looking down at the cloth that looked like a child had scribbled on it for fun, wordlessly returned to his seat and sat down.
And he quietly began sewing again.
* * *
“How is it?”
"Aaaaaaaak!"
The startled Tang Gun-ak flinched and stepped back.
He had just asked how it was, but his cute and pretty…. though sometimes even awkward for him as a father, his daughter had thrown a fit.
"Why won't they listen! Why!"
“....”
“No, so what if they know more about medical art! Have they ever been to a battlefield? Have they ever treated people while swords were flying? Anyway, whether it's this bastard or that bastard, have they all caught some disease that makes them unable to keep quiet, can’t to keep their mouths shut!"
Still, they were the family's older brothers and sisters, so calling them ‘this bastard’ and ‘that bastard’ and talking about their ‘mouths’ was a bit much...
…Tang Gun-ak said these words in his heart.
“It must be difficult.”
"It is difficult!"
Kwang!
Tang Soso slammed the floor hard. Then she shouted with eyes blazing.
“But we have to do it!”
"...Hmm."
“I’m not doing it because it’s easy, it's because it must be done! The headache I’m having now is better than crying in front of a dying person!”
Her words were firm, filled with resolve and determination. Seeing his passionate daughter, Tang Gun-ak smiled faintly.
“That’s my daughter.”
These were the words spoken as a patriarch and as a father.
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