Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1653. It's a Good Day (3)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Paaaaat.
The sword cuts through the empty air.
It was an impeccably clean strike. But the tip of the sword no longer possessed the same sharpness as before.
Has it become dull?
No, that's not it. What this sword now contained was merely softness.
The sword of Wudang is one that embodies softness rather than sharpness.
The fact that flowing softness was imbued within the swift sword strike meant that the skill of the one wielding this sword was reaching the peak realm.
Paaaaat.
The sword was swung once again.
Halt.
But this sword strike did not flow as smoothly as before. As if something was weighing on his mind, the swordsman thrust his sword a few more times before shaking his head.
It was then.
“Sahyung! Sahyuuuuung!”
The swordsman glanced to the side. His saje, pale as a ghost, was rushing toward him in haste.
"What's all the fuss?"
“We- We’re in big trouble, Jin Hyeon Sahyung! H- Have you heard the news?"
The person called Jin Hyeon frowned slightly.
"What news are you talking about? Speak properly..."
As Jin Hyeon was about to scold him sternly, his saje cut him off and shouted urgently.
"Jang Ilso is leading Evil Tyrant Alliance here!"
Jin Hyeon's slightly open mouth shut tight. Unlike before, a coldness appeared in his eyes.
"Is that true?"
“Yes! The rumor is spreading everywhere right now. They say Beggar Union sent word that the enemy forces are moving this way."
"I see."
Jin Hyeon nodded heavily.
But that was all. He added no further words. Frustrated by this unexpected reaction, his junior brother Jin Song asked.
"So what happens now, Sahyung?"
“…What ‘what happens’?”
"It's Evil Tyrant Alliance, Evil Tyrant Alliance. They're not opponents our Wudang can fight alone, are they?"
“….”
“I heard even Shaolin was crushed … Shouldn't we abandon this place before they arrive..."
"Silence."
At the sharp rebuke that flew at him, Jin Song flinched and shrank back.
"Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back by any means. That's why you must not speak carelessly."
"I'm... sorry, Sahyung."
“It is Sect Leader who decides how to deal with this situation. We simply follow his orders.”
How could he deny those words? Jin Song nodded his head.
"However."
"Yes?"
However, perhaps Jin Hyeon could not fully suppress his own thoughts either, for he added words he needn't have said.
"If we were to run away at a time like this, we wouldn't have bothered to go into seclusion in the first place."
Jin Hyeon's lowered sword let out a short hum.
Tatadatadat.
The urgent sound of footsteps echoed loudly through the Wudang yard, which had been utterly tranquil just moments before.
"W- We greet the sect leader."
"Sect Leader, may you be at peace!"
Several people moving through the grounds hurriedly paid their respects upon seeing the group rushing by. They were in such a hurry that they didn't even glance at the bowing disciples, focused solely on quickening their pace.
His lush white hair fluttered in the wind. The highest generation of current Wudang, the Heo generation. Leading them with a stern face was Wudang Acting Sect Leader Heo Sanja.
Passing even the Shangqing Palace where the Wudang sect leader resided in one breath, they finally stopped their steps only upon reaching a small thatched cottage in a rather remote area of Wudang.
Heo Sanja, looking at the dilapidated hut that seemed unfit for human habitation with a heavy gaze, spoke decisively.
“Stay here.”
"Yes."
Heo Sanja took a deep breath and approached the door before opening his mouth in a respectful tone that didn't match his position as acting sect leader.
"Sect leader. Are you inside? It is Heo San."
It would be considered strange if others saw it.
The current Wudang sect leader was naturally Heo Sanja. However, Heo Sanja was calling the person inside the cottage 'sect leader.' Though there couldn't be two sect leaders in one generation.
However, the elders who followed him here accepted this strange exchange without question as if it were completely natural.
“Come in.”
With permission granted, Heo Sanja immediately opened the door and stepped inside.
And the moment the interior scene entered his view, his face stiffened momentarily.
Though frugality is basic for Taoists, this desolate hut was so old that it had cracks everywhere and the draft was severe. Rather than a place for cultivation, it felt more like a place for ascetic practice.
Heo Sanja's gaze shifted to one corner. A white-haired old man in worn, aged Taoist robes sat there.
Heo Sanja bowed respectfully to him.
“Heo San greets Sect Leader.”
The old man also calmly returned the greeting. But soon, a brief look of reproach clouded his face.
"Sect Leader Sahyung. How many more times must I tell you that this Taoist is no longer Wudang's sect leader?"
"Please do not say that, Sect Leader. How could someone as lacking as I become the sect leader of Wudang? It is a matter known to heaven and earth that I am merely assumed the unsuitable position of sect leader temporarily due to unfavorable circumstances."
At Heo Sanja's answer as he lowered himself, the old man, Heo Do, let out a deep sigh. He had admonished them not to call him that many times and even gotten angry. However, not only the elders but even Heo Sanja wouldn't listen to him.
His once jet-black hair and beautiful beard like Guan Yu's had already turned completely white, making it difficult to find traces of his past appearance, but his cold face and gaze were not much different from the past.
No, rather, the depth in his gaze had grown even greater with sense of detachment that they had never seen before in Heo Dojin.
"Very well. What brings you here?"
"Haven't you heard the news that Evil Tyrant Alliance is coming this way?"
Heo Dojin didn't respond properly, yet the way his eyes darkened showed that he already knew.
“What should we do, Sect Leader?”
When there was no answer, Heo Sanja opened his mouth once more to urge him.
"The elders are discussing how we are outnumbered. Realistically, it is difficult to stop them with Wudang's strength alone."
"A difficult task..."
"Yes. So they are suggesting we employ the stratagem of the Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell..." (금선탈각(金蝉脱殻))
"Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell. So in the end, you're saying we should flee."
"That is the elders' intention for now."
"Does Sect Leader Sahyung think the same?"
"I... am not sure. What is truly the path for Wudang..."
Heo Sanja trailed off.
It was bound to be a difficult decision.
Fighting the enemy head-on is no different from a suicide act. The current Evil Tyrant Alliance was unlike the one of the past. They are already the hegemon of the era who trampled Shaolin, Peng Family, and Kongtong Sect.
For Wudang to handle such a force alone was nearly impossible.
But that doesn't mean they can run away. Wudang has avoided worldly affairs since going into seclusion. But if they retreat now, they will receive all kinds of criticism that the only thing they did after finally opening the gates was run away.
Neither practical benefits nor honor can be easily discarded.
That was why Heo Sanja couldn't help but know.
How difficult the choice Hye Do Jin-in had made back at the Yangtze River was. Regardless of right or wrong, what a burden that decision carried.
“It’s… too difficult for me. Please give me guidance, Sect Leader."
"...Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell."
Heo Do Jin-in, who had been silently repeating the phrase, slowly nodded his head.
"The most important thing would be not to lose Wudang's disciples in vain. Go to Shaolin. If you join with the Shaolin disciples remaining there, you should be able to hold out until reinforcements from Heavenly Comrade Alliance arrive."
Heo Sanja, who was about to nod almost instinctively, paused. Heo Do Jin-in's words struck him with a strange sensation.
Something was off.
"...Go, you say? What do you mean by that?"
Heo Sanja asked as if puzzled, but Heo Do Jin-in did not answer him. Heo Sanja became a little anxious.
"Naturally, shouldn't Sect Leader lead them? But why do you say such things..."
“….”
“Sect Leader?”
At the urging for an answer, Heo Do Jin-in smiled faintly.
"One can retreat once."
“….”
"But one cannot retreat twice. The moment you retreat twice, the meaning of the first retreat is also determined. Wudang will be pointed at forever for having fled twice from the enemy because its life was precious. That must not happen."
"N- No, Sect Leader. But..."
“So we must prove it. That Wudang is not just retreating. That it is filled with the will to stand and fight against them."
“….”
"Take the disciples and go to Shaolin. I will remain here and protect what I failed to protect in the past."
"Failed to protect? What exactly was that?"
For a moment, a cold chill seeped into Heo Do-jin's eyes.
"Wudang's honor."
The weight of those brief words seemed to instantly press down on the surroundings. Heo Sanja flinched as if the air had tightened around his throat. The energy emanating from Hye Do Jin-in was so sharp it could make even his disciple tremble.
“Sect... Leader.”
“I threw away… the honor that I, of all people, drowned in the deep waters of the Yangtze River.”
Heo Do-jin's voice was like a blade sharpened over a very long time.
"I merely wish to protect it. This time, without fail."
Heo Sanja felt suffocated.
He desperately wanted to dissuade him. He wanted to stop him, saying it was a meaningless act.
But how could he?
He knew. He knew exactly how Heo Do Jin-in had lived after Wudang went into seclusion. How he carried the price of what he committed, living in bone-deep ascetic suffering.
What could Heo Sanja dare say in front of such Heo Do Jin-in? Heo Do Jin-in continued calmly.
"Gather the disciples. The sooner the decision, the better."
"S- Sect leader."
“Saje.”
When Heo Sanja still hesitated, Heo Do Jin-in's tone changed. At the completely transformed momentum, Heo Sanja dared not reply and ended up nodding his head.
“Lead the disciples and go to Shaolin. And leave here only those who share my will.”
Heo Do Jin-in slowly brushed off his seat and stood up.
"I don't need those who will die with me. But it would be fine to have a few who will die for Wudang's honor. I will ensure their deaths are not in vain."
“Sect Leader….”
"No need to stop me."
A smile that felt even eerie blossomed brightly on Heo Do Jin-in's lips.
"From that day, that moment, I have lived waiting only for now."
He murmured quietly as he lifted his gaze to the worn ceiling.
There was not a shred of falsehood in his words about waiting only for this day.
Except for one thing.
When he closed his eyes, one person's face kept rising in his mind. A man who had grabbed him by the collar and poured out his resentment. Along with Jang Ilso who had mocked him that day, it was a face he had never forgotten for a single moment.
“It’s a shame I didn’t get a chance to apologize. But… it hardly matters now.”
The smile lingering on his lips softened slightly.
“An apology is not something made with words."
His intention will ultimately be conveyed.
Through his death.
Even to him who must be far away.
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