Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1546. Nevertheless (1)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Youthful folly, childish fantasy... That's not what this was.
Even if it were, it wouldn't matter. The immaturity of a child makes one frown, and the delusions muttered by one who has nothing invites ridicule, but the Yoon Jong of now was neither a child nor one who had nothing.
The sect leaders could not say a word. Not even Hyun Jong.
Because they knew that against this burning yet ice-cold resolve that’s sharp as a honed blade, any blunt words they might offer would only reveal how shabby their own actions had been.
“Yoon Jong-ah...”
Baek Cheon finally spoke. But he too only moved his lips briefly before stopping.
I understand your heart, but now is not the time to be stubborn.
He had intended to say that, and he still thought it was what needed to be said.
But he couldn't bring himself to do it. How much resentment had he swallowed while hearing those same words countless times? But now that he was about to say those words directly to Yoon Jong, his lips would not part.
Whether it was maturity or simply seeing what he had failed to notice before, he didn't know.
He just hoped that, at the very least, it wasn't a fear born from having more to possess and more to protect.
No one dares to speak. Agreeing with Yoon Jong's words would be childish, yet no one had the courage to suppress him either.
Knowing everyone's feelings, Yoon Jong spoke.
“I have no intention of burdening the alliance through shortsightedness.”
“...”
"But I believe this is something someone must do. So please don't stop me and let me go. That is all I ask.”
In the end, Baek Cheon spoke in a voice mixed with a sigh.
“No.”
“Sasuk.”
“I’m not denying your words. But I can’t let you go alone.”
"I..."
"No matter what you say, the answer is no. If you want to go alone, you'll have to cut me down first. Not until my head rolls will I allow it."
Yoon Jong bit his lip tightly.
If Baek Cheon had spoken by wielding authority, Yoon Jong would have immediately rebelled. But Baek Cheon was now not the acting sect leader of Mount Hua, but a sasuk of a sect, and was concerned about the situation.
How could one argue right or wrong against that?
Then someone spoke up.
“So it’s fine as long as he’s not going alone?”
When Baek Cheon turned his gaze, a man was standing there with a calm expression.
“I will ask. If he is not alone, will you let him go?”
"...That’s..."
"No, let me change the question. Even if that person doesn't go, if we say we're going, would you stop us?"
Baek Cheon bit hard inside his mouth.
Gwak Hwanso. Representing Hainan Sect and attending this gathering, his gaze fixed on Baek Cheon with more determination than ever.
“Gwak Sohyeop. This is….”
"Now that I think about it, though we requested to join Heavenly Comrade Alliance, we never properly completed the initiation ceremony."
It couldn't be helped.
From the moment they had escaped Hainan Island until now, there hadn't been a single moment of leisure for that.
“If we say we will go, will you send him along with us?”
“Gwak Sohyeop.”
Before Baek Cheon could even try to dissuade him with a worried voice, Gwak Hwanso shook his head.
“Please don’t stop us. No, even if you do stop us, we must go."
“Why?”
Gwak Hwanso glanced at Yoon Jong.
“Because we forgot.”
"...What?"
“Not always, but every now and then. And… now sometimes.”
Gwak Hwanso slowly shook his head. His expression was grave.
“No. Now there are more times when we don't think about it than when we do."
Soon everyone's faces darkened. They realized who he meant.
Those who remained on Hainan Island.
They had comforted themselves and tried to feel at ease, saying that the Evil Tyrant Alliance wouldn't have the capacity to vent their anger on Hainan, that Hainan wouldn't be an important place to them now.
But was that really the case?
There was no way to know.
They might have been left alone to focus on the war, or a cruel blade might have been wielded to make an example of them.
Whatever choice Evil Tyrant Alliance had made, all the people here could do was hope and pray for the safety of those still living on Hainan Island.
"I don't want to vent my anger or whine. I simply realized anew. There's nothing wrong with what that person said. It hurt so much back then, but now I’ve grown used to it and live as if it’s nothing.”
“...”
“We lost countless brothers and sisters, and we lost our sect leader. Honestly, we were miserable the entire time. Abandoned by Ten Great Sects, attacked by Evil Sects, we wondered why only we had to suffer such unjust pain.”
A few of Five Swords nodded. They couldn't help but sympathize, as Mount Hua had felt the same way in the past.
"But thanks to Yoon Jong Dojang's words, I realized how ridiculous that was. The ones who suffered most were those who remained on Hainan, yet here we were, acting as if we were the world's greatest victims after abandoning them."
A self-mocking laugh escaped him. Hyun Jong, heartbroken by that laughter, tried to console him.
"Gwak Sohyeop. Don't blame yourself. Was it not something you couldn't help?”
"Yes. That's right, Maengju-nim. We lacked the strength and the ability. At the time, there was no other choice. But the thing is."
Gwak Hwanso looked at Hyun Jong and asked quietly.
"Is it the same now?"
Hyun Jong fell silent. Determination was plain on Gwak Hwanso’s face.
"Hainan Sect is still inadequate and lacking. We don’t have the ability to retake Hainan Island, and all we can do is hope that this guilty feeling somehow reaches those suffering across the sea. But…”
Gwak Hwanso caught his breath for a moment and then continued.
"Now there are. People we can save with our own strength, people we can help with our own strength."
“Gwak Sohyeop...”
“If we sit here doing nothing when there are places within our reach, then wouldn’t that be the same as admitting that the reason we didn’t go to save the people of Hainan Island was simply because we were afraid?”
Hyun Jong closed his eyes.
Even knowing that Gwak Hwanso's words would eventually drag this meeting in a direction no one wanted, he couldn't bring himself to stop him. How could he?
Gwak Hwanso clenched the sword at his waist tightly.
"I still cannot take pride in my sword unlike Yoon Jong Dojang. I have achieved nothing and protected nothing. I still do not fully know the grand reason why I should wield this sword. But, just one!”
Gwak Hwanso gritted his teeth faintly.
"I know that we must not show such a sight to our Sect Leader who died a tragic death."
“...”
"Hainan Sect will go to rescue Anhui."
Then someone interjected.
"No. That's presumptuous, Gwak Sohyeop. That is not Hainan Sect’s place.”
Gwak Hwanso sighed.
If someone else had said that, he would have exploded in anger. But if the one speaking was that person, he could understand. No, it was impossible to speak of this without including him.
“I will go.”
Namgung Dowi, his expression hardened, spoke as if spitting the words out.
"If no one else goes, I'll endure it. Even if I have to stab my own legs to stay put, I'll endure. But if someone goes, it cannot be without Namgung Family.”
The sect leaders let out long, trembling breaths.
What they had been forcing down was now bursting out and spreading, like a dam cracking here and there while gushing streams of water.
Heavenly Comrade Alliance was young. That was why they sometimes moved by heart rather than logic.
And what was leading this meeting right now are not Maengju Hyun Jong nor Vice Alliance Leader Tang Gun-ak, but the young martial artists of each sect.
"This..."
Tang Gun-ak pressed his temple as if his head ached.
His sharp gaze soon returned to Yoon Jong, who had been the starting point of all this.
He met Tang Gun-ak's eyes calmly. It was not a confidence born from having done nothing wrong. It was the resolve of someone ready to face punishment if that was the consequence.
That was... conviction in himself.
Tang Gun-ak opened his mouth as if to say something, then stopped. He himself didn’t know if he wanted to scold Yoon Jong or praise him for being admirable.
And the moment he opened his mouth, those on Yoon Jong’s left and right stepped forward toward Yoon Jong as if to guard him.
It was Jo-Gol and Tang Soso. It was probably an instinctive move, but that one step was enough to silence Tang Gun-ak.
The two glared at Tang Gun-ak with slightly tense faces. It was clearly their intention to protect Yoon Jong, but Tang Gun-ak took it a little differently.
Their eyes were asking him. Have you forgotten how your heart tore when Chengdu was attacked? Have you forgotten the agony of turning away from Chengdu?
Naturally he had not forgotten, and could not forget.
Even after retaking Sichuan and cutting that Jang Ilso into a thousand, ten thousand pieces, even if he dyed Tang Family's signboard completely red with that blood, it would not be enough to wash away all the resentment.
Tang Gun-ak sighed softly.
“How could I not understand your feelings? If I could have had my way, I would have been buried in Sichuan back then. But the bastards who dragged me here at that time…”
He chuckled mid-sentence.
Come to think of it, there truly was no greater contradiction. His logic changed this way and that, and his stance flipped at will.
Still, he couldn't rebuke them.
“Acting Sect Leader.”
“Yes, Gaju-nim.”
That was why Tang Gun-ak called Baek Cheon.
Here, those who once led Jungwon and those who will lead it in the future are all gathered together. He couldn't see anyone other than Baek Cheon who could consider the positions of both sides and find a path.
“What should we do?”
Baek Cheon glanced back slightly.
Calm Yoon Jong, Jo-Gol and Tang Soso with hardened faces, Yoo Iseol whose thoughts were still unreadable, and even that bastard Chung Myung with his eyes closed.
Baek Cheon looked around at everyone and stared straight at Tang Gun-ak.
“It is right not to send them.”
“Sa- Sasuk!”
Tang Gun-ak narrowed his eyes and examined Baek Cheon's intentions.
“The reason?”
"Because Strategist's words that we will lose everything the moment we are defeated by them are not wrong."
Instead of immediately refuting him, Yoon Jong clenched and unclenched his fist.
He just stared blankly at Baek Cheon’s back. The back of one who has endured much more than him, and who holds a will much firmer than his own.
“Then, is that what we should do?”
“It is right to send them.”
“…What?”
Tang Gun-ak and Hyun Jong's mouths fell open. Baek Cheon spoke calmly.
"Defeat, loss—those are ultimately types of loss. But Heavenly Comrade Alliance wasn't created to pursue profit.
“Hold on, Acting Sect Leader!”
“Both are right. Just because one is right does not mean the other is wrong.”
Tang Gun-ak let out a faint groan. Of course, that was true. But such obvious words solved nothing.
“So what should we do?”
"If two are right, would three be wrong?"
“...What did you just say?”
“And if three are right, four would be right too.”
Baek Cheon, dressed in pure white martial robes, wore a gentle smile.
Tang Gun-ak somehow felt himself being overwhelmed by Baek Cheon. Without any of his usual aura or pressure.
"If you ask me to choose the correct one from two answers, I cannot respond. Because neither is wrong. But why must we do so?”
“Baek Cheon-ah.”
“Everyone is here.”
Baek Cheon looked at everyone in the great hall.
"Don't ask us what to choose. The command you two should have given was to make the best method. You should have ordered us to somehow find a way to save those who are suffering without being defeated by our enemies.”
“Is, is that possible?”
Baek Cheon shook his head.
"I don't know. But wasting time on meaningless emotional clashes and debating differences is far worse than struggling to find a better way."
“...”
"Right now, Heavenly Comrade Alliance has gathered people from every sect in the world. Though it might be impossible with my experience and thoughts alone, it would be different if we put our heads together. Even if it is clumsy and crude, wouldn’t we be able to create at least one usable method?”
Hyun Jong and Tang Gun-ak stared blankly at Baek Cheon. It wasn't just because they were dumbfounded. It was just…
“I intend to be the sect leader of Mount Hua, and also become the world’s greatest swordsman, as well as a strict yet caring teacher, and someone dependable that my disciples can always trust and follow."
“That’s impossible, Sasuk.”
“He’s already botched a few of those.”
"Failure."
“You punk...”
When Baek Cheon ground his teeth and spun around, Five Swords flinched and quickly looked away.
Calming his heart and looking forward, Baek Cheon continued.
"Achieving all that is difficult, but not impossible. Arduous as it may be, I'll strive for it. So why must the alliance choose only one path?"
A deflated laugh escaped from Im Sobyeong's mouth.
“Hah… So they say the real madman was someone else.”
Five Swords nodded in agreement. Baek Cheon looked at Hyun Jong and Tang Gun-ak clearly and said.
“Please give the command.”
“...”
“Then I will find it. By any means necessary, even if I have to wring out everyone here. It won’t be perfect, but it will still be an answer worth having.”
Laughter flowed from Yoon Jong's mouth like escaping wind.
'Sasuk.'
To him, Baek Cheon's back now loomed larger than anyone else's in the world.
“Easy to say.”
But Tang Gun-ak coldly cut off Baek Cheon's proposal.
"If both were possible, why would we struggle? We agonize precisely because it's impossible."
“Gaju-nim.”
"This is fundamentally a problem stems from insufficient forces. It's not a problem to be solved through tactics. We cannot solve two problems simultaneously."
Baek Cheon let out a long breath and bit his lips slightly.
It was then.
“Then just increase it.”
Tang Gun-ak's gaze shifted. Chung Myung, who had only maintained silence, spoke with an indifferent face while slouching in his chair.
“If we can’t do both because we lack force, then we just have to increase our force, right?”
“...Aren’t we in this situation precisely because we can’t?”
“It’s possible.”
“Right. It’s possible… Huh? Possible?”
Tang Gun-ak was startled.
“Yes, it is possible.”
“How? Don’t tell me you called Beggar Union?”
Chung Myung's face crumpled.
“To hell with Beggar Union! What kind of fighting force are those beggar bastards! We would be lucky if they don’t just eat up our ration.”
“...”
"You know. Those bastards who laze around and eat for free. Yet are damn strong."
“...What on earth...”
"No need to explain. Since they seem to have arrived just in time."
Just as Tang Gun-ak and Hyun Jong were about to ask what on earth he was talking about,
"G- Grand Sect Leader! No, Maengju-nim! Guests have arrived!"
“Guest? What guest?”
The door to the great hall flew wide open, and a familiar… no, a very familiar face appeared.
"Y- You! Why are you here? What, this is insane!"
Yoon Jong saw it. The sight of Baek Cheon’s dignified face, which had inspired a surge of respect just a moment ago, was now contorting into something almost comical.
Of course, it was understandable.
"Mouths exist for speaking, not for barking. Still haven't learned proper manners."
“Guh...”
The man who instantly struck Baek Cheon speechless with rage clasped his hands in a polite salute, his face eerily identical to Baek Cheon's.
“Southern Edge Sect Jin Geumryong. I pay my respects to Maengju-nim."
A bomb had just dropped in the middle of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
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