Chapter 1852 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1852. I don’t see myself that way. (2) ❀ ❀ ❀

“Uh…”

A look of confusion crossed Baek Sang’s face.

‘Yu Gong? I’ve definitely heard that name before…’

He even felt like he had seen him before. He couldn’t recall exactly who he was, but the image was clearly somewhere in his mind.

“Ah!”

It didn’t take long for the memory buried deep inside to rise to the surface.

Yu Gong, a disciple of Hainan.

One of the bastards who abandoned Hainan during the time when that damned Ho Gamyeong led the Evil Tyrant Alliance to invade it.

And not only that—he had become a dog of Evil Tyrant Alliance and chased after them.

“You bastard!”

In a burst of rage, Baek Sang grabbed Yu Gong by the collar. Fury flared in his eyes.

This damned man, by willingly becoming a lapdog of the evil sect, had driven them to the brink. No—calling it a mere ‘crisis’ didn’t even begin to cover it.

When the dust settled and they reviewed what had happened, they found that Evil Tyrant Alliance had tracked them using ‘Hainan’s sign’. They even heard from the people of Hyeongga Village—who had been evacuated to avoid persecution—that someone who didn’t seem to be from the evil sect had been working with Evil Tyrant Alliance.

There was only one thing that all of this could mean—and Baek Sang had been unable to suppress his rage upon hearing it.

The man who caused that disaster was right here. If not for him, Geum Yangbaek would still be alive. Hainan’s sacrifices would have been halved.

Thwack!

Baek Sang punched Yu Gong in the jaw. Blood sprayed as Yu Gong fell to the side.

“Get up, you bastard!”

As if that wasn’t nearly enough, Baek Sang grabbed Yu Gong by the collar again and forced him to his feet. Even as blood dripped from his split lip, Yu Gong met Baek Sang’s glare with indifference.

“Why, you! Why the hell are you here, you son of a bitch? Aren’t you ashamed before Sect Leader Geum, who watches from the heavens?”

This monster, after doing such horrible things, was not only still alive but continuing to serve the evil sect, now spying on others. It wasn’t just rage anymore—Baek Sang was overwhelmed with disgust.

But despite taking in the full brunt of Baek Sang’s fury, Yu Gong simply scoffed.

“Seems you’re not getting it.”

“You…”

“This isn’t the time for you to be taking your anger out on me. Oh? Is that too much for your dim mind to grasp?”

Baek Sang clenched his teeth and raised his fist again. That’s when Baek Cheon, unable to watch any longer, softly spoke.

“Sang-ah.”

“Sahyung! Don’t stop me!”

“Let him go.”

Baek Sang ground his teeth but eventually let go. Not because he agreed with Baek Cheon—but because he knew he shouldn’t let his anger dictate things right now.

“...This is pointless, Sahyung. That bastard’s not even human. What are you hoping to get from him?”

Yu Gong chuckled slightly, as if he agreed with Baek Sang’s sentiment.

But he didn’t show any shame. He stood and looked at Baek Cheon with a dismissive gaze.

“So, can I go now?”

There was obvious mockery in his tone.

“Oh, wait—are you thinking of killing me? I’d appreciate it if you made that clear. Whether you let me go or kill me—either way…”

“Either way, it doesn’t matter to you.”

As Baek Cheon finished his sentence, Yu Gong’s expression subtly twisted. Baek Cheon continued calmly.

“Because you’re already as good as dead.”

Yu Gong didn’t show much change on his face, but Baek Sang felt like a crack had suddenly formed. Sure enough, a chill now radiated from Yu Gong’s eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“Are you going to lecture me now, oh noble one?”

“....”

“You don’t exactly look like it. Or maybe you do—since the only thing still working is that mouth of yours?”

Yu Gong spat venom.

“You’ve become this pathetic and still want to chase noble dreams with sparkling eyes?”

“....”

“What should I say then? All I see is a pathetic bastard who chased after some righteousness and chivalry, only to crash and burn all the way to the depths of hell. What meaning is there in a sermon from someone like that? Looking at you just makes me realize how right my choice was.”

“Shut your mouth, you bastard! Sahyung is not someone a scumbag like you should dare to-”

“Sahyung?”

Yu Gong cut him off and tilted his head.

“Isn’t that a title for disciples of the same sect? Referring to someone who’s been expelled as ‘sahyung’? Now that’s classic Mount Hua.”

“You…!”

Flames sparked in Baek Sang’s eyes. He looked ready to draw his sword. Had Baek Cheon not been standing nearby, he probably already would have.

“So how does it feel? Being cast out by your own sect?”

When Baek Cheon didn’t respond, Yu Gong let out a sneer.

“Hard to imagine, huh? Even after all your devotion, they expelled you. At least I walked away on my own.”

Step.

Yu Gong stepped toward Baek Cheon.

“...And yet, you’re still living like this? They say that dogs follow their owners unilaterally even after being abandoned. Is that what you are?”

Yu Gong’s gaze pierced Baek Cheon like a blade.

“Do you really want to be recognized that badly? Deep down, you know, don’t you? Everyone finds you burdensome and annoying. They wish you’d just disappear quietly. If it were me, I would rather run away in the field than wag my tail and try to get some cold rice. At least that would preserve a shred of dignity.”

Baek Sang gripped his sword.

There’s a limit to patience. That bastard had clearly crossed the line. You don’t speak to someone like Baek Cheon that way—not to a man who sacrificed everything for everyone else.

But before Baek Sang’s fury could explode, Baek Cheon spoke calmly.

“So, you want to die.”

“Haha. If you want to kill me…”

“No.”

Baek Cheon shook his head.

“I’m talking about you. You think dying would be better than living. That’s why you’re provoking me.”

Yu Gong clamped his mouth shut. The corners of his lips trembled ever so slightly.

“It’s pointless. Neither I nor Baek Sang will give you that kind of death.”

“Running your mouth as you please.”

“…He once said this: every word a person speaks carries their true feelings. Whether it’s an insult or mockery, there’s a hidden emotion behind it.”

For a brief moment, Yu Gong wanted to avoid Baek Cheon’s gaze, but Baek Cheon’s eyes wouldn’t let him go so easily.

“Do I look pitiful to you?”

“Are you even asking—!”

“To your eyes, maybe. But I don’t see myself that way. I don’t regret anything.”

Baek Cheon’s voice didn’t waver for even a second.

“Unlike you.”

Yu Gong clenched his teeth.

You don’t regret anything? What a ridiculous lie.

He remembered clearly what Baek Cheon used to be like—so vividly it hurt. A man so radiant that just looking at him made others feel inferior.

He had seemed blessed by the heavens, but flew too close to the sun and lost his wings. Now he had crashed, buried in filth, never to soar again.

How could someone like that not have regrets? It was impossible.

Even Yu Gong still sometimes dreamt of the past—when he belonged to Hainam, had a master, senior and junior disciples, and didn’t worry about the future.

On those nights, he would wake soaked in cold sweat and drink until he could forget. He had to drown the memories of a time that would never return.

And yet someone who had lost even more than him claims to have no regrets?

Then Baek Cheon looked straight at Yu Gong and asked,

“We don’t have time. Where are the hostages?”

Yu Gong bit his lip hard.

“Got brain damage from the burns, did you? I already told you I’ve got no reason to tell you—”

“There is a reason.”

“…”

“There is someone there who needs to be saved. That’s reason enough. For me—and for you too.”

A hollow laugh burst from Yu Gong’s lips.

‘What the hell does he think I am?’

No matter how many times he turned it over in his head, he couldn’t see any other choice. Anyone in his position would’ve done the same. It wasn’t just his life at stake. Who could blame him?

Of course, Yu Gong knew all of these were excuses. Meaningless ones, repeated over and over.

However, he never denied one fact in the midst of all that.

“Too bad. Words like that don’t mean anything to trash like me.”

His heart had dried up long ago—far too long ago to be moved by such glowing ideals. All that remained was mockery and venom, ready to lash out in any direction.

Maybe that’s why.

“You still think you’re some kind of hero?”

The reason he chose to speak again—despite everything.

“Don’t you get it? Your stage is over. Maybe if you’d said that back then, I might’ve been moved, maybe even inspired.”

Yu Gong knew exactly what would wound Baek Cheon the deepest—because he, too, had lost everything.

“But not anymore. Once an actor steps off the stage, he’s nothing. The only reason your glittering words could shake someone back then was because you were on that stage. But now, who’s going to laugh or cry over what a clown says after wiping off his makeup? They’ll just laugh at how pathetic he is for not realizing he’s already offstage.”

Yu Gong—and now even Baek Cheon—stood behind the curtains of a stage no one looked at anymore. A dark, damp place where the forgotten gathered, where no honor or principle had meaning.

He wanted Baek Cheon to understand this truth.

But the sharp blade of his words didn’t only cut Baek Cheon—it cut into himself too.

Yu Gong turned abruptly, staring at Baek Cheon one last time.

If he looked any longer, he thought he might vomit.

Not because of Baek Cheon—but because he saw his own reflection in him. In the figure of someone who’d rolled down to a place he never wanted to be. He didn’t want to look at that any longer.

The moment he stepped forward, Baek Sang shouted,

“Take one more step and—!”

“Then stab me!”

Yu Gong snarled.

“Quit yapping and cut me down! It’ll be easier for both of us.”

He picked up his fallen mask and covered his face again.

Not for any special reason. He knew there was no going back to their side. But at some point, not wearing it felt uncomfortable. That was all.

Yu Gong took another step.

He was secretly waiting. Waiting for a sword to fly into his back. Waiting for Baek Cheon to scream and immediately cut off his head.

Then, he could die laughing. See? In the end, nothing’s changed. He’d have said, sneering.

But instead of a sword, it was a short sentence that struck him.

“Hainam is here.”

Yu Gong froze before he could stop himself.

“They’re fighting, risking their lives.”

He tried to ignore it. It had nothing to do with him anymore.

“If you don’t help… they really might all die.”

Grit.

Yu Gong ground his teeth and slowly turned, creaking like rusted metal.

His eyes, brimming with rage, met Baek Cheon’s calm gaze in midair.

Next Chapter

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