Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1712. That’s it (7)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Paaaaat!
Mount Hua disciples climbed Mount Wudang in one breath, breaking through the forest where flames were spreading.
'Please! Please!'
Baek Sang drew up his internal strength until his dantian felt crushed.
He knows. The fact that he doesn’t belong to the stronger side within Mount Hua. So, it would be far better for someone stronger to carry Baek Cheon up the mountain. Even for Baek Cheon’s sake.
But Baek Sang refused to hand over Baek Cheon on his back to anyone else. This is something he must do. It was his role, one he cannot yield to anyone.
Kwang!
His body, having kicked off the ground with all his might, shot up the mountain like a streak of light.
“This way!”
After climbing the steep mountain path without rest until his breath reached his chin, antique and lofty halls revealed themselves before him. Though clearly different from Mount Hua's, they exuded a familiar Taoist scent.
"Wudang...!"
"Which way is the Medicine Hall!"
"Th- This way."
"No! Wudang's Medicine Hall doesn't have space to accommodate all these people!"
“Damn it! Then isn't it enough to just send in the critical ones first right now!”
Out of frustration, Baek Sang shouted sharply. The Wudang swordsman flinched and nodded.
“Where?”
“There! That hall!”
It was just then, as Baek Sang ran in a single breath and was about to kick open the door to the Medicine Hall.
“Please wait a moment! You mustn’t!”
Someone shouted urgently and stopped him. Baek Sang and all Mount Hua disciples turned to look at the one who had cried out.
One Wudang disciple with relatively less severe injuries turned pale as he looked at them, then shouted again.
“T- The Medicine Hall is not allowed!”
"What nonsense are you spouting now? Not allowed?"
"Wudang hasn't... officially lifted the seclusion yet. In principle, even bringing outsiders inside like this is not permitted.”
"…What?"
"But the Medicine Hall of all places! Th- This exceeds our authority. The Sect Leader must come..."
Dumbfounded, Gwak Hwe roughly spat out a curse.
“Sect Leader? Damn it! Where are we supposed to find a person who isn't even here? We didn’t see even the tip of his nose the entire fight!”
“A- Anyway, that’s the only way.”
"So? What should we do? Just die like this?"
"In… principle, Wudang disciples can enter the Medicine Hall, but for Mount Hua disciples… tha- that’s, outside the hall…"
A fierce bluish killing intent rose in Gwak Hwe's eyes.
"What did you just say? Outside the hall?"
The other Mount Hua disciples were no different. Killing intent began to rise from their entire bodies.
Everyone looked at Baek Cheon carried on Baek Sang's back and couldn't contain their anger.
"Did you just say outside the hall?"
“N- No...”
Even the one who had stepped forward to stop them couldn't continue speaking after seeing Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon's condition was serious at a glance. It wasn't at a level that could be explained with just the word 'critical'.
“This son of a dog! We risked our lives to help and this is the nonsense you spout!"
“If you haven’t lifted the seclusion, then why are you walking around outside in the first place?!”
“Th- That’s… because of the circumstances, the Acting Sect Leader declared it temporarily. It cannot be considered a formal lifting of the seal.”
"You…!"
“Of course, I- I understand how you feel. But Wudang’s rules are such. Please...”
“Rules?”
Someone asked coldly.
As if that were a signal flare, the Mount Hua disciples all put down the Wudang disciples they had been carrying onto the ground.
The hands that had desperately saved people now clenched only the cold air. Along with an unseen handful of betrayal.
The Wudang disciples who were flung down looked at the Mount Hua disciples in confusion. In that moment, they had to face gazes filled with fierce hostility.
The Mount Hua disciples gritted their teeth and cried out.
"They say you shouldn't take in animals with black hair." (H: Idiom of ingrate.)
“Even repaying kindness with enmity has its limits.”
If they had been treated this way themselves, they wouldn't have been this angry. But it was Baek Cheon. For Baek Cheon, of all people, to be treated this way was something a person who lived in Mount Hua would never tolerate.
“If you could understand...”
“Shut your mouth, you dog-like bastards!”
The second-class disciples were now on the verge of drawing their swords outright. Baek Sang clenched his teeth and shouted.
“Enough!”
“But, Sahyung! Those bastards…!”
“I told you to stop! Shut your mouth!”
Baek Sang's enraged roar made everyone clamp their mouths shut. Baek Sang also bit his lip hard. If it came to his insides burning, he was no different. If anything, his was worse.
But there was no time to waste on such arguments now.
"Fine. We'll treat him here!"
"Sahyung!"
Baek Sang silenced the protests with a bloodshot glare, then bowed his head with clenched teeth.
“In return, you can provide the medicines needed for treatment. We need them immediately! Start with wound medicine and medicinal water!”
“Tha- That’s...”
However, the one who had blocked Mount Hua, Mu Ui, showed difficulty this time as well.
Baek Sang fell silent. There was neither hostility nor anger in the gaze looking at Mu Ui. It was simply transparent.
Mu Ui, rather flustered, stammered out an explanation.
“E- Everything belonging to a sect under seclusion cannot leave the sect. Outsiders must still be regarded as… outside.”
"Haha..."
Baek Sang let out a hollow laugh.
It hadn't even been a quarter-hour since he had trembled at Evil Tyrant Alliance's wickedness of sacrificing their subordinates with their own hands. But having escaped that hellscape, what he faced was the archaic behavior of Righteous Sects, which was worse than Evil Tyrant Alliance.
“So you won’t give them to us….”
Tak.
Baek Sang swept a cold gaze over everyone and grasped his sword.
“Then there’s no helping it. If you won’t give them, we’ll take them.”
"W- What do you mean?"
"Move. Unless you don't want to die!"
Baek Sang drew his sword. The faces of the Wudang disciples stiffened all at once.
"Look here! Don't you know that drawing swords within Wudang's grounds is forbidden? Even if you don't observe the courtesy of removing your sword, at minimum..."
"Sure, keep talking. Let's see if you can still talk even with a sword shoved in that mouth."
“What kind of outrageous…!”
Baek Sang walked firmly towards Wudang disciples. All while supporting and carrying Baek Cheon on his back with one hand.
Seeing this, the Wudang disciples struggled to squeeze out their remaining strength and stood up.
The situation was on the verge of an explosion. A different kind of bloodshed from that with Evil Tyrant Alliance martial artists was about to erupt.
"Open the Medicine Hall and bring the Acting Sect Leader inside."
“Sa- Sasuk!”
Everyone turned their heads in shock. Heo Gong was looking at them while being supported by Mu Jin.
“Right now.”
“But, Sasuk! Sect Leader...”
"I will take all responsibility. Escort him."
“…Yes, Sasuk. P- Please come this way!”
The Wudang disciples urgently opened the Medicine Hall doors wide.
Watching this, Baek Sang briefly glanced at Heo Gong. Heo Gong coughed and said.
"Rules exist for the sake of people."
“...”
“I dare to apologize on behalf of Wudang.”
Even bowing his head seemed difficult. Despite his own unwell state, he paid his respects to the best of his ability. Seeing this, Baek Sang said nothing further and shot into the Medicine Hall.
Right now, saving Baek Cheon came first.
“Gaju-nim!”
“I know.”
They hurriedly laid Baek Cheon on the bed. Tang Gun-ak tore off Baek Cheon’s upper garment without hesitation.
“Ugh….”
“Heuk.”
In that instant, sounds of gasps or sighs leaked out here and there.
It was to the point that the word horrifying didn’t even come to mind.
Seeing a body so utterly charred red and black evoked not sorrow but a strange sense of dissonance. It felt like seeing something other than a human lying on the bed.
However, no matter how much they tried to deny it, they couldn't deny the fact that the person lying in this condition was Baek Cheon.
"Gaju-nim! Will Sahyung be alright?"
“Step back!”
"A- Alright! Step back!"
Baek Sang pulled on the clothes of the gathered sahyungs and retreated. Tang Gun-ak, with an infinitely serious face, examined Baek Cheon’s condition and began rummaging inside his robes.
“B- But Gaju-nim also needs treatment right now...”
“Silence!”
Tang Gun-ak firmly silenced everyone.
In fact, it wasn't wrong. He too was in a situation with severe injuries and accumulated fatigue from dealing with the Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
However, now was not the time to consider such things. Baek Cheon was at the crossroads of life and death. Who could discuss flesh wounds in the presence of such a person?
Tak.
Tang Gun-ak opened the small box he took from his robes. Inside the box, which had kept its shape even during the intense fight, lay golden needles wrapped in blue silk.
"Guard the surroundings. His breath could be cut off by the difference of a single strand of hair, so there must be no interference whatsoever."
“Yes, Gaju-nim!”
The Mount Hua disciples began to maintain an ironclad vigilance around the surroundings. Killing intent filled with the will to cut down anyone who approached, whoever they might be, emanated from everyone.
Wooooong.
Soon, Tang Gun-ak channeled his internal strength into the extremely thin golden needle in his hand. The needle, tinged with a soft golden light, elongated by about an inch upon receiving the energy.
Tang Gun-ak carefully brought the golden needle close to Baek Cheon's body.
But he hesitated and couldn’t bring himself to insert it. He merely kept lightly touching and withdrawing it from the skin, charred black to the point where calling it skin was embarrassing.
Ttok.
Beads of sweat formed on his chin and fell. Having focused all his concentration, he was now sweating profusely.
And finally.
Seuseut.
He carefully inserted the golden needle into Baek Cheon's shoulder.
However.
Pasak.
Tang Gun-ak's eyes shook violently. The skin where the needle had penetrated… crumbled away like powder.
Tang Gun-ak hurriedly retrieved the needle and bit his lip until it bled.
'Again!'
The needle wrapped in golden energy slowly penetrated Baek Cheon's shoulder once more.
Paseuseu.
But this time too, it was retrieved before even halfway in.
"This..."
Tang Gun-ak’s hand began to tremble slightly.
After trying several times to find a spot to insert the needle, he hesitated for a long moment, then finally closed his eyes and straightened his bent back.
“…Gaju-nim?”
Baek Sang asked in a dazed voice. While deliberately ignoring the ominous premonition welling up in his chest.
“Why treatment…?”
Tang Gun-ak sighed deeply. His eyes looking back at Baek Sang were dark.
“I… cannot.”
"…What?"
"Medical arts are originally like this, but Tang Family's medical arts especially focus on boosting the energy remaining in the patient's body. But... right now, there's no energy left in Acting Sect Leader's body that could serve as a catalyst for medical treatment. The situation is even such that his body cannot withstand my energy."
“What, what do you mean by that?”
Baek Sang looked at Tang Gun-ak with a face that said he didn't understand, no, didn't want to understand. His expression was greatly contorted with desperation.
“Gaju-nim!”
“...”
"So… what does that even…"
But for a moment, strength began to drain from Baek Sang's entire body.
Tang Family was both a master of poison and medicine. Thus, the patriarch Tang Gun-ak was inevitably one of the world's top physicians.
And now, such a man was saying something strange.
"With my medical arts..."
“Gaju-nim!”
Baek Sang unconsciously shouted. He wanted to cover his mouth. He didn't want to hear it.
Tang Gun-ak too couldn't contain his pity. But soon, he uttered the words everyone wanted to deny so badly.
“My medical skills cannot save Acting Sect Leader.”
As if he couldn't bear to look at Baek Sang anymore, Tang Gun-ak tightly closed his eyes. Baek Sang collapsed right there.
Thud.
He looked back and forth between Baek Cheon and Tang Gun-ak with a dazed face.
"Lies…"
This verdict, which he couldn’t resist in any way, hurt more sharply than a blade driven into his heart.
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