Chapter 1902 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1902. There’s Something I Want to Ask. (2) ❀ ❀ ❀

“Hmph!”

“Heeeng!”

It was truly a pitiful sight. At least, that was how it looked to those watching.

Who was Jin Geumryong?

Even if his brilliance had faded somewhat now, he was once the eldest disciple of the Zhongnan Sect, one of the Three Greatest Sects Under Heaven, and the man already set to become the next sect leader. He was a genius of such renown that one could not talk about genius in the martial world without mentioning Jin Geumryong.

Even among the Zhongnan Sect, which carefully selected the finest talents of Shaanxi, he was acknowledged as a swordsman on another level. He led the disciples of Zhongnan for many years, never once allowing his authority to be challenged. He was an overwhelming ruler.

And then, who was Baek Cheon?

He was none other than the deputy sect leader whom the young disciples of the once-fallen Mount Hua all trusted and followed wholeheartedly.

The reputations of these two men were actually higher outside their sects than within. No one doubted that when these two became the sect leaders of Zhongnan and Mount Hua, Shaanxi’s martial world would enter an unprecedented golden age.

But the sight they were showing now was disgraceful.

Mount Hua’s disciples could tolerate it somewhat, since they were used to treating Baek Cheon as a silly older brother type who was easy to tease. But the disciples of Zhongnan all hurriedly turned their eyes away, as if they had witnessed something unbearable.

Jin Geumryong himself seemed not to notice such gazes from his juniors.

“No, forget it.”

“...Huh?”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

Jin Geumryong leaned back deeply into his chair. Resting against a short backrest that barely reached his waist, he tilted even farther back and stared down at Baek Cheon with his characteristic arrogant expression.

“Come to think of it, there’s nothing to thank me for.”

“...What are you saying? And what’s with that insufferable face?”

That face is your face too..... That same insufferable face.

Everyone thought the same thing, but none dared to say it aloud. Jin Geumryong gave a small laugh.

“Didn’t you say it yourself? Helping the weak is the natural duty of a martial artist.”

Flinch.

Realizing what Jin Geumryong was about to say, Baek Cheon’s eyelids twitched.

“What the hell are you…”

“I didn’t particularly help you as my younger brother. I simply helped someone weaker. There is no need to thank me for that.”

Jin Geumryong flashed a dazzlingly bright smile, as if drawn in a painting. His neat white teeth sparkled.

“It is only natural for the strong to help the weak. One cannot expect thanks for that. Nothing could be more petty.”

“.....”

“Through this chance, I have also come to understand the heart of helping the weak. I believe people call this chivalry? Well… it was not as bad as I expected.”

At Jin Geumryong’s shocking declaration, Yoon Jong and Jo Geol found themselves clapping before they realized it.

“Wow…”

“I’m scared he might actually learn. Truly scared our sasuk might actually learn.”

The exclamations welled up from the depths of their hearts.

The thought about their faces being the same was retracted. No matter how hard Baek Cheon tried, he could never make such an arrogant expression. From a distance, Yoon Jong and Jo Geol felt their stomachs twist as if they might collapse under that overwhelming arrogance.

So it was only natural that Baek Cheon, struck directly by that expression, could not remain unscathed. No, more than unscathed. He could not even process Jin Geumryong’s words in his mind. His head jerked stiffly side to side like a broken spinning wheel.

Then suddenly his head stopped at the center.

“...What did you just say?”

“Tsk tsk. Pretending not to understand. What I meant is, the reason I helped you was…”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Baek Cheon tilted his head slightly.

“Saying the strong helped the weak doesn’t make sense.”

“What?”

At that moment, a smile similar to Jin Geumryong’s appeared on Baek Cheon’s face.

“The weak one is you.”

“.....”

“You lost to me.”

An indescribable chill swept through the tent.

It was so terrifying that one clueless person almost looked around to see if the Ice Palace people had arrived. Everyone grew tense, desperately gauging the atmosphere. Cracks spread across Jin Geumryong’s composed face.

“...What?”

“Why? It’s the truth. The last time we fought, I won, didn’t I? Naturally, that makes me the strong one.”

In an instant, Jin Geumryong lunged forward and grabbed Baek Cheon by the collar.

“Come outside this instant. Today I’ll fix your rotten manners.”

“No thanks. I don’t fight with people weaker than me.”

Even then, Baek Cheon did not stop smirking.

“Y-you bastard…”

“If it bothers you, you should have won. Who told you to lose? Oh dear, I made a mistake. If I knew it would turn out like this, I should’ve let you win back then. You are my senior, after all. Don’t you think so?”

Correction. No, addendum.

It was obvious Baek Cheon could not be as arrogant as Jin Geumryong. But Baek Cheon had his own perfect strength. A maddening strength that all of Mount Hua’s disciples knew well.

“When it comes to provoking people…”

“He’s the best in the Central Plains. Without a doubt.”

Even Chung Myung can’t beat him at that.

“Come out, you bastard!”

“A disciple of Mount Hua does not fight someone weaker.”

“Die!”

“Hey! Did you just hit me?”

Before anyone realized, the two brothers were brawling without caring about anyone’s gaze. The disciples of both sects stared blankly, then exchanged sympathetic looks as if by silent agreement.

“You have it hard.”

“You too.”

Between the dull thuds of fists and feet, sighs leaked out here and there, mixing together.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Are you going to leave?”

“I must.”

Hye Bang slowly nodded.

“I have already disobeyed the sect’s orders. Though I had the justification of helping the common people, I have delayed far too long. It is a sin that even a thousand days of silent meditation will not easily atone for.”

Hearing Hye Bang’s calm words, a trace of sorrow flickered in Hye Yeon’s eyes.

 “Was it not an unjust order?”

Hye Bang did not answer right away. Instead, he smiled faintly. Then he asked:

“So, you will… not come with me?”

“…Sahyung.”

Hye Yeon’s fingertips trembled faintly.

To return to Shaolin. Even the thought alone stirred something deep within his heart.

“I…”

He hesitated, unable to answer easily. Seeing this, Hye Bang nodded as if he understood without needing to hear the words.

“Hye Yeon-ah.”

“Yes… yes, Sahyung.”

“Do you hate the Abbot?”

Hye Yeon did not answer. Abbot, Beop Jeong. Every time that name came to mind, a piercing ache welled up in his chest.

“I do not know.”

“…..”

“But I do think the Abbot has taken a wrong path. I am convinced the Shaolin he envisions is mistaken.”

“Amitabha.”

“But…”

Hye Yeon closed his eyes and murmured.

“I also know that the Abbot cared for me and cherished me more than anyone else.”

That was what made it so hard.

To Hye Yeon, Beop Jeong was like a father gone astray. Someone he knew was in the wrong, but whom he could neither easily correct nor change. And yet, even so, someone he could not turn away from.

“If the only one the Abbot were ruining was himself, perhaps I could look away. But he is defiling Shaolin’s path of the Buddha.”

Once, Hye Yeon had believed it too.

If revering the lofty Dharma was so noble, then surely spreading that Dharma must be the most important task of all. Thus, he believed, raising Shaolin’s prestige would benefit the world.

When had that belief begun to change?

“I no longer see the Abbot’s way as the Buddha’s path. I see it only… as the path of tyranny.”

“Hye Yeon.”

“Shaolin!”

Hye Yeon’s large eyes were wet. He spat out the words.

“…It cannot be Buddha, can it?”

“…..”

“We are only beings who struggle to walk the Buddha’s path, not those who have mastered the Dharma. Therefore we can always be wrong, and we can also commit sins. Knowing a little more of the Dharma than others does not make one necessarily right. This… this is obvious, isn’t it? I…”

The words that poured out quickly faltered.

He had never confessed this to anyone.

To deny the Abbot was like condemning Shaolin. To affirm the Abbot was to deny his Dharma. As a disciple of Shaolin and also a monk, neither option had been possible for Hye Yeon.

So until now he had hidden his true heart. Something had always remained inside, like a tight knot in his chest. But now, at last, he was laying it bare before Hye Bang.

Hye Bang quietly watched Hye Yeon’s deep sorrow, then smiled gently.

“There is a saying.”

“…What saying, Sahyung?”

“That the moment a child acknowledges a parent’s faults is the moment the child truly becomes an adult.”

“Sahyung…”

“You have grown up, Hye Yeon. This Sahyung is glad.”

Hye Bang lightly patted Hye Yeon’s shoulder.

“Do not torment yourself too much.”

“…..”

“We are the ones who transmit the Buddha’s words and at the same time seek the Buddha’s will. As you said, Shaolin cannot be Buddha, and the Abbot even less so. The Dharma is high and great, but each follower of the Buddha is small and frail.”

Hye Yeon’s eyes trembled faintly.

“So act on what you believe is right. Your will is Shaolin’s will.”

“…Then why, Sahyung, are you returning to Shaolin? Why do you follow the Abbot’s command?”

Hye Yeon stared at Hye Bang, as if he could not understand.

“Haha. What a strange thing to say. If I had followed the Abbot’s orders to the letter, could I even be here now?”

“Ah…”

Realizing his own foolishness, Hye Yeon scratched his head awkwardly.

“The Abbot cannot be Shaolin itself. But that also means we cannot excuse Shaolin’s sins as only the Abbot’s fault. We are sinners for our silence. We must not forget that.”

“…..”

“My returning to seclusion is to atone for Shaolin’s sins. And someday, when I have cast away the delusion in my heart and come back into the world… then I will repay our debt to the world.”

“Will the Abbot permit that?”

Hye Bang looked up at the distant sky without answering.

“And… even so, can Shaolin truly become Shaolin again?”

Seeking an answer, Hye Yeon gazed at Hye Bang. Feeling his gaze, Hye Bang stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly.

“The Buddha’s path is like chasing a faint light far away, wandering a road shrouded in mist.”

“…..”

“We desire to attain enlightenment, but we know better than anyone how difficult attaining it is. If we cannot accomplish it in this life, then in the next, or the one after that, we will continue to seek the answer.”

Hye Bang smiled softly and looked steadily at Hye Yeon.

“Compared to that, speaking of Shaolin’s future is actually easy.”

“…Sahyung.”

“You search for your answer outside. I will search for mine inside. Our methods may differ, but the road we wish to walk is the same. At the end of it, there will come a time when we meet again, joyfully.”

Hye Bang placed his palms together toward Hye Yeon. Hye Yeon too returned the gesture with utmost reverence.

As Hye Bang watched Hye Yeon close his eyes and press his palms together, a faint, unreadable smile touched his lips.

‘Someday, when you return to Shaolin, that day will be the day Shaolin’s name rises again across the world.’

Hye Bang truly believed it.

❀ ❀ ❀

If anyone wants to donate to motivate me (I'll use the money to buy the RAWs from Naver Series too). Thank you so much!

- Buy Me a Coffee

- Patreon

- Trakteer (this one for Indonesian)