Chapter 1904 - Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1904. There’s Something I Want to Ask. (4) ❀ ❀ ❀

“So you mean to say something like this as a joke…”

“I am serious.”

“Please be serious, Alliance Leader!”

Jongli Gok was almost about to breathe fire.

“Who does not know that the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was formed with Mount Hua at its center! Are you saying there is someone who does not know that all the sects now belonging to the Heavenly Comrade Alliance are closely connected with Mount Hua?”

The core of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was Mount Hua. No one in the world could deny that fact.

There was no need to exaggerate. If Mount Hua wished, it could knead the direction of the Alliance and even the smallest rules as easily as kneading dough. Jongli Gok had already confirmed this truth during the previous meeting.

“And me? I, the leader of Zhongnan, Mount Hua’s old enemy? You cannot truly believe that makes any sense.”

“Heh heh.”

“No, please don’t just laugh at me…”

Hyun Jong casually shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

“As you said, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was formed with Mount Hua at its center. It began with that rascal, and since he is the heart of Mount Hua, that much is undeniable. And that is exactly the problem.”

“…What?”

Jongli Gok flinched and looked at Hyun Jong.

“What do you mean by that…”

“I was not the one who started the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. But I know well what kind of place the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is. It was formed so the sects that had ties of friendship could help one another.”

That was the appearance of it.

But to put it accurately, it was an alliance that gathered around Mount Hua to guard against outsiders such as the Ten Great Sects and the Evil Tyrant Alliance. That was the true nature of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

At least, that was how Jongli Gok saw it.

“What exactly is the problem with that?”

“It is a problem. Why would such a place, formed by sects gathered in friendship, need a leader or a center?”

“…What?”

“If such a thing is needed among true friends, then they are not truly friends. If one cannot put other matters aside and simply look upon the other with goodwill, are they really friends?”

The Jongli Gok of old would, without a doubt, have exploded at this point, saying, ‘What kind of nonsense is that from a delusional fool? Ideals are ideals and reality is reality. Are you planning to ruin a well-working alliance with such lofty talk?’

No, not even that. More than shouting, he would have sneered at Hyun Jong for thinking such things. He would have said he was nothing more than a small-minded man who did not even know how to look out for his own interests.

But now it was different. Jongli Gok knew all too well that while Hyun Jong might appear foolish, he was not truly a fool. Because of that, Hyun Jong’s words now sounded somewhat different.

“…You mean to say that a system overly centered on Mount Hua could become a problem?”

Instead of answering right away, Hyun Jong lifted his teacup and quietly savored the aroma. Then he fixed his gaze on Jongli Gok.

After a moment, Hyun Jong’s expression changed slightly and he nodded.

“That could be so.”

“…What?”

“Why did I never think of that?”

“What?”

“Hmm. Then shall we go with that?”

“No, Alliance Leader?”

Jongli Gok stared at Hyun Jong in blank confusion. Hyun Jong let out a quiet laugh.

“The truth is, my whole body has started to ache these days.”

Hyun Jong exaggeratedly tapped his shoulders as if groaning in pain.

“I have wanted to step down for some time now, but the person I had originally marked for the role hurriedly passed away…”

He was speaking of Tang Gunak.

“So now I must find another person to hand it over to… but the other one suited for the position has said he will go to Gangnam.”

That was Shin Gae.

“Then among those who remain, I must choose someone suitable, must I not?”

Hyun Jong let out a light sigh.

“But everyone else seems too busy just managing their own sects. And Mount Hua cannot take the Alliance Leader position again. Which leaves only one person.”

“You mean me?”

“Who else could it be?”

Jongli Gok could not hold back the sigh that burst from him. At first it sounded somewhat reasonable, but the more he thought about it, the more it was not. That could not be.

“Sect Leader, I am Jongli Gok.”

“…..”

“I know well the grace Zhongnan and I have received from you. That is why I try, in whatever way I can, to repay it and stand upright.”

“I know that.”

“But I am also Jongli Gok.”

His gaze sank for a moment.

“People do not change so easily. The reason I act like this now may simply be because improving relations with Mount Hua is advantageous for Zhongnan. If circumstances change, I might once again do something to harm Mount Hua.”

Jongli Gok knew himself well.

There are those who are so moved by others that their values change entirely. But Jongli Gok was not born that way. For him, it was impossible.

If he had been a merchant rather than a martial artist, he would have left behind greater accomplishments. That was how Jongli Gok saw himself. But if such a man were to become the leader of a great alliance, what kind of consequences would follow?

“Thank you for the trust you have given me, but I am not someone worthy of such regard. The reason I say this is because I still carry misgivings within me.”

Jongli Gok could feel it.

The presence of something that still stirred inside him.

The void in the Central Plains. The collapse of the once tightly packed powers, leaving behind empty spaces. Not once had he failed to consider how he should move within this new world so that Zhongnan would gain the greatest benefit.

That was why Jongli Gok must not rise to the seat of leader. Now was the time to set that place down and step back.

And so…

Tak.

While Jongli Gok was lost in thought, Hyun Jong placed a teacup filled with warm tea before him.

“Alliance Leader?”

“Do as you wish.”

“…What?”

“Do as you wish.”

A look of bewilderment appeared in Jongli Gok’s eyes.

“What are you saying?”

Hyun Jong gave a faint smile.

“Sect Leader, I am a lacking person.”

“….”

“I stood by and did nothing while Mount Hua crumbled before my eyes. If you had been in my place, Sect Leader Jongli, perhaps it would never have come to the brink of annihilation.”

“That was the past. The you of now, Alliance Leader, is…”

“Do people change so easily?”

Jongli Gok was struck silent. For it was he himself who had just said those very words.

Hyun Jong smiled gently.

“But even someone lacking… no, precisely because I lack, there is one thing I can do well. That is to learn.”

“What is it you say you have learned, and from whom?”

“Beop Jeong.”

The abbot of Shaolin. At the mention of his name, Jongli Gok flinched.

“Beop Jeong?”

“Beop Jeong is an extraordinary man. More so than anyone else here.”

Jongli Gok could not deny those words.

Even if now he was the leader of a fallen, ruined Shaolin, how great had he once been? The man who once held the prestigious Ten Great Sects in his hand and shook them at will. That was Beop Jeong.

In truth, Jongli Gok still found it difficult to accept that such a Shaolin had fallen so utterly.

“Yet even that remarkable man failed to accomplish one thing, and so he faced a disastrous end.”

“What is it… that he failed to do?”

“To let go.”

Jongli Gok’s eyes trembled faintly.

“The position of the North Star of the martial world. An empty title, yet he refused to relinquish it. In order to hold on to that seat, Beop Jeong sought to sway the world. Because of that, Shaolin suffered a disgrace that may never be erased.”

Jongli Gok stared blankly at Hyun Jong.

“Even such an outstanding man could not shape the world to his will. How could I possibly do so? Of course I cannot. Which is why I choose the easier way.”

“And that is… to let go?”

Hyun Jong slowly nodded.

“Become the Alliance Leader. And lead the Alliance as you see fit. Mount Hua, as one of the Alliance members, will do its utmost to support you.”

Jongli Gok’s gaze sank. Cold and sharp, his eyes seemed as though they would pierce through Hyun Jong.

“Is it so that Mount Hua won’t become the next target?”

Despite his question, Hyun Jong’s expression did not change. But for the briefest moment, a heavy silence settled between them.

“Well.”

Hyun Jong gave a quiet laugh.

“It would be more accurate to say it is because otherwise the discontent hidden under the name of friendship would begin to spill out.”

“Before it festers and bursts from within?”

Hyun Jong silently nodded.

For the first time, an expression of admiration crossed Jongli Gok’s face. This man clearly understood what people were. That gratitude, as an emotion, fades far quicker than one expects.

And when gratitude toward Mount Hua fades, what will remain is only unease toward the sect that has the world in its grasp.

“So you mean you do not wish to bear the burden of karma, and therefore will not bear authority either?”

“No.”

Hyun Jong shook his head firmly.

“It is only that I will not take on what I cannot shoulder.”

“….”

“I do what is needed. But what is not needed, I do not do. What is excessive, I discard. What is lacking, I fill. And in that way, like flowing water, I find the place where I should be.”

Hyun Jong’s gaze grew endlessly deep.

“That is the way of the Taoist.”

Jongli Gok remained silent.

Excessive. In today’s Heavenly Comrade Alliance, Mount Hua’s presence was far too excessive. Compared to Shaolin’s influence in the old Ten Great Sects, Mount Hua’s power now was far greater. It was, without a doubt, overflowing.

Therefore…

“…To let go.”

How simple and easy an answer it was.

‘But how many in this world can truly live by that answer?’

To discard wealth because one has too much, to cast away greed because one’s greed is excessive, to break one’s ambitions because they are too great. Where could such a person be found?

Right now, Hyun Jong had given the most perfect answer, both as a Taoist and as the leader of a sect. An answer that even suited Jongli Gok’s own tastes, no, one that only someone like Jongli Gok could truly understand.

It was worthy of respect. Worthy of admiration. But Jongli Gok was not such a man.

“Can you really live without regret? I will covet. I will take advantage. I will wield power. That is the kind of man I am.”

Jongli Gok clenched his fist tightly.

“Even if this choice of yours ends up harming Mount Hua, can you truly say you will feel no regret?”

Instead of answering immediately, Hyun Jong quietly drank his tea.

Then, quite suddenly, he asked,

“Is the fragrance of this tea not wonderful?”

“…..”

“I always knew I was lacking. Yet others never allowed me to step down from this seat.”

“That is true. Because you were the one most suited for this position…”

“But was that truly so?”

“…What?”

Jongli Gok looked at Hyun Jong with puzzled eyes. What did he mean by that?

“If I had truly resolved to step down, do you think they could have stopped me?”

“…..”

“Of course not. The truth is, I could never cast aside the greed lurking in the corner of my heart. And throughout this war, I have seen clearly how much harm that greed has brought to Mount Hua.”

“Alliance Leader.”

“I kept thinking… I still have things I can do. I still carry burdens that may serve everyone better if I bear them. I still…”

Hyun Jong slowly shook his head.

“All of that is nothing more than the greed of someone unwilling to accept his own shortcomings, unwilling to let go.”

“…..”

“When I return to Shaanxi, I plan to hand everything over to those who come after me and retreat to the back room. Regret? Well. Even the desire to not regret is a kind of greed. All I can say is that, for now, this feels right. That feeling is all I have.”

At that, Jongli Gok let out a laugh, as if in disbelief.

Not because Hyun Jong’s words were absurd, but because the man before him felt like a sage who had transcended all things. A living immortal. Could there be a more impossible existence than that?

Hyun Jong continued calmly.

“Of course, Sect Leader, you may do as you wish. Greed too is part of being human. Is that not natural?”

“…And yet just now, you said one must let go.”

At those words, Hyun Jong grinned. It was truly a sly grin.

“And that is why the Tao is difficult. Because it changes with each moment.”

Jongli Gok felt his head spin.

“Will you accept it, then?”

“And what of Mount Hua?”

Jongli Gok asked the question with slightly heavy breaths.

“Does Mount Hua also approve of this decision? This position and authority were not created by you alone, after all…”

“Ah, you mean that?”

Hyun Jong rose from his seat. Then, quite suddenly, he bowed deeply toward Jongli Gok.

“Alliance Leader…”

“Mount Hua will, of course, continue to work alongside you in many things. But as for me, I may soon retire from public affairs, so let me greet you in advance. Please take care of the Alliance, Sect Leader. No, Alliance Leader. Thank you for accepting such a burdensome request.”

“No, I…”

With these words, Hyun Jong turned and walked toward the entrance of the tent without a moment’s hesitation. He lifted the curtain, neither too quickly nor too slowly.

Jongli Gok’s eyes widened as he saw what lay beyond.

Through the open tent he saw them. Mount Hua’s disciples, all ready to depart, waiting for Hyun Jong.

Their faces showed no complaint, no concern. It was as if they already knew everything.

“This will be my answer.”

“…..”

“Well then.”

Hyun Jong gave a gentle smile and stepped out of the tent.

“Alliance Leader…”

Flap.

The entrance fell shut, leaving Jongli Gok alone inside the tent. After a long silence, he let out a hollow laugh.

“Truly… we are so ill-matched.”

He quietly wrapped his hand around the teacup before him, then slowly drank the tea that had not yet cooled.

The faint plum blossom fragrance, which he had smelled countless times before, tickled the tip of his nose. Somehow, he felt that this scent would linger for a long, long time.

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