Chapter 1906 - Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1906. There’s Something I Want to Ask. (6) ❀ ❀ ❀

Cheong Myeong was still fuming. Baek Cheon’s face as he watched that scene looked half out of his wits.

“So much has happened. I’m so exhausted……………….”

“Is calming that bastard harder than fighting the Evil Tyrant Alliance?”

“It still seems like he’s not fully calm yet.”

At that, Yoo Iseol, who had been watching Cheong Myeong, suddenly nodded and muttered.

“He’s gotten kinder. As I thought.”

“Excuse me?”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

“Sago?”

Five Swords jerked their head around, startled, but Yoo Iseol answered without changing her expression (though it rarely changes).

“Because everyone is standing on their own two feet.”

A strange silence fell. Five Swords muttered, a little pale.

“Well, if it were the old days……………….”

“Right. There wouldn’t have been anyone standing on two feet.”

“So we’re supposed to accept that as him becoming kinder?”

“That doesn’t seem right... It shouldn’t be...”

They all sank into deep thought. Is perfectly black water different from black water that has a slightly transparent sheen? Or should they be seen as the same black water?

What is the Tao and what is perception?

Where do humans come from and where do they go…………….

“Snap out of it, Geol-ah!”

“Ah. Ah! I nearly ascended.”

If he’d ascended over something like this, even if he went to the immortal realm he’d be mocked for at least a thousand years.

Anyway, despite twists and much anguish, Cheong Myeong somehow managed to calm himself down.

“My money… my power… my territory… my Henan….”

Actually, it was still somewhat ambiguous whether he was truly calm, but at least he wasn’t rampaging in a frenzy, so that was something.

“Ahem. Is everything settled?”

Only then did Hyeonjong sneak his face in. As if by agreement, everyone’s eyes turned wide and glaring white; Hyun Jong slyly averted his gaze.

“Don’t I deserve a break from seeing rough stuff now?”

“….That’s true.”

“And my joints ache too much now.”

It seems he’s changed a little. The Grand Sect Leader?

“You seem to have many complaints.”

At that moment, Maeng So, who was walking over, noticed Cheong Myeong with cheeks puffed five times their usual size and burst into loud laughter. Baek Cheon flinched. Maeng So had patted Baek Cheon’s shoulder with a hand the size of a pot lid while laughing.

“Ha ha, in Namman there’s a spirit called the Cheongyulseo.” [Cheongyulseo, 청율서(靑栗鼠)]

“The Cheongyulseo? A squirrel?”

“That’s right. A blue squirrel. Not quite on par with Baek-ah, but still smart and much nimbler than humans, so it’s quite famous in Namman. But... even spiritual beasts are still animals, so they have interesting habits.”

“What habit?”                                                   

“It can’t let go of its acorns.”

“.....”

Five Swords’ eyes gaze turned to one side.

“It’s incredibly smart and incredibly agile, so you can’t catch it with traps, and it easily escapes a martial artist’s hand, so it’s very hard to catch. But there’s one easy way to catch this Blue Squirrel... find its nest around autumn.”

“….No way.”

“Yes. Actually, with the Blue Squirrel’s ability, it could always gather more acorns, but once it collects them it simply can’t bring itself to abandon them. So even when it sees people coming, it paces and frets and hesitates until it eventually gets caught.”

“Ah….”

“It knows that dropping the acorns and running would be much better. It knows, but it can’t help itself. That’s its habit. Ha ha. Isn’t that how things are?”

Huh? Are you saying Cheong Myeong’s behavior is squirrel-level? My lord?

“Put another way….”

“Yes?”

“It means you can’t catch a Blue Squirrel that hasn’t piled up many acorns in its nest. With nothing to lose, it flees without hesitation.”

“.....”

“That’s why the experienced ones don’t hoard too many acorns. If they do gather, they make several nests and distribute the acorns, so that would-be predators don’t come, and if they do, they can still run away.”

Maeng So looked at Hyun Jong with a rather complicated expression. Hyun Jong cleared his throat and subtly avoided Maeng So’s gaze.

“For a beast it’s easy because the only thing to give up is acorns, but for a person it’s not simple.”

“My money…. my moneeeyyy. Zhongnan would swallow that money… Zhongnan? Should I just set fire to Zhongnan Mountain? You burn, I burn, fair for all….”

Uh oh. Cheong Myeong’s turning into Jang Ilso, Jang Ilso.

Maeng So jerked his chin toward Cheong Myeong, who was muttering like a madman and clawing at the ground, and added a comment.

“As you can see, it’s true.”

“.....”

“In that sense, Baek Cheon, you are truly remarkable.”

Suddenly Maeng So looked at Baek Cheon with a meaningful gaze.

For Hyun Jong, perhaps that choice wasn’t so hard. The honors and glory Mount Hua will gain won’t belong to Hyun Jong. Likewise, from Un Am’s point of view it might not have been so difficult; he’s also always waiting for the chance to step back.

But Baek Cheon is different.

He is literally the one who can directly take the fruits that this war will yield for Mount Hua. For someone like that, letting go of everything is not easy.

A pleased smile appeared on Maeng So’s face as he looked at Baek Cheon. But Baek Cheon only tilted his head in puzzlement.

“What do you mean?”

“.....Huh?”

“I just want to go home.”

“......”

“Hubei and Henan, just looking at them makes me sick.”

“Ah, I want to go to Shaanxi.”

“I’d be happy if I could just have one meal at the Huayin Inn. The food here is too greasy.”

“My body feels heavy after staying in such a lowland for so long. A person should live breathing clean mountain air.”

“And eat meat.”

“.…It’d be nice to catch a deer and roast it, but I keep feeling watched here. It’s not like I can’t eat meat just because I’m a Taoist.”

“Weren’t you originally not supposed to?”

“.…Seriously?”

Maeng So, who had been blankly staring, suddenly looked up at the sky.

Right. Come to think of it, all of them were brothers of the Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword. No matter how different people are by nature, once they live together, they start resembling each other bit by bit.

‘….Well, as long as the result is good.’

When the outcome is even better than what you intended, that’s when it gets scary. Let’s just think of it that way.

So Baek Cheon and the Mount Hua group chatted idly with Maeng So, comforting the tearful Seol Sobaek afterward, and quietly slipped out of the tent, exchanging a meaningful glance with Jongli Gok, who was watching them.

But even then, Mount Hua could not depart. The reason was simple.

“Mount Hua Divine Dragoonnnn!”

“Hey! What the hell! Who do you think I came all the way here for, and now you’re leaving?”

Cheong Myeong clutched his head as if in pain.

“No! No! The Grand Union Leader already left, and if you go too, who am I supposed to trust to work with! You can’t go!”

Hong Daegwang clung to Cheong Myeong’s pants leg.

“What, the Beggars’ Union Leader acting without dignity?!”

“A beggar doesn’t have dignity to begin with!”

“Huh?”

Cheong Myeong nodded, as if realizing something. He wasn’t wrong. Since when did this guy start saying reasonable things?

“Take me with you, too! There’s nothing but bloodthirsty lunatics here.”

“Well, who told you to become the Union Leader in the first place?”

“You did, you brat!”

Hong Daegwang wasn’t the only one who came running and clinging.

“.....You’re leaving?”

Tang Pae’s face showed deep regret. Tang Pae’s role was over, but the Tang Family still had work to do.

“I’m envious. If it were up to me, I’d go straight back to Sichuan.”

“Hurrying isn’t always a good thing.”

“Yes. You mean to do what needs to be done properly. I understand.”

The Tang Family, having lost Tang Gunak, now had to face countless gazes. They would have to fight the question of whether the Tang Family without the Poison King could remain what it once was. To prove that the Sichuan Tang Family was still strong, they couldn’t withdraw now.

“Take care on your journey. Though…. is there anyone in the world now who’d dare pick a fight with Mount Hua?”

“I wish someone would.”

“.....”

Tang Pae’s expression turned complicated. But someone else approached with an even more complicated look.

“Euuhh, what is that! A mummy? A jiangshi?”

It was Namgung Dowi, his whole body wrapped tightly in bandages. Cheong Myeong shuddered and took a step back as Namgung Dowi spoke to him.

“Dojang.”

“Eeeek! The jiangshi talks!”

Namgung Dowi smacked his lips bitterly. Baek Cheon, watching from the side, chuckled and spoke up.

“You must have a lot to do.”

“.....Yes.”

“Just as it’s natural for us to be in Shaanxi, isn’t it natural for the Namgung family to be in Anhui? Young Patriarch, no…. Patriarch.”

Namgung Dowi quietly nodded.

Anhui had been left unattended for far too long. It was the Namgung family’s homeland, the place where they had lived for generations and where they must continue to live. They couldn’t leave it in ruins after all that destruction.

“Dojang…”

Namgung Dowi called to Cheong Myeong. His voice trembled. Cheong Myeong grimaced.

“Ah, don’t say sentimental things looking like that! I’ll hit you.”

“.....”

“And for heaven’s sake, take care of your body. I’ve never seen anyone as reckless as you.”

If you only judged by his behavior, even Peng family, whose brain seemed filled entirely with muscle, would have to bow to Namgung Dowi. But that wasn’t too surprising; after all, half the blood running in Namgung Dowi’s veins came from the Peng family.

“At this rate, you won’t die of old age. You’re fine now because you’re young, but just wait until you’re older. Every bone in your body will ache. My joints still hurt whenever it rains, I’m telling you.”

“.....You’re the youngest one here, you brat.”

“You sound like an eighty-year-old man.”

“Ugh. And even then, you nag so much. You smell like an old man.”

“These punks?”

As fire blazed in Cheong Myeong’s eyes, Five Swords, who had been adding snarky comments, quickly looked away.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Dojang.”

But the person in question, Namgung Dowi, smiled faintly.

His face, half frowning and half smiling, looked oddly ridiculous despite being handsome.

“Don’t worry too much. If something happens, I’ll ask Shaanxi for help right away.”

“Don’t.”

“If something happens in Shaanxi, please tell us. We’ll come immediately.”

“Don’t come! You’re the problem! Nothing ever goes right after I met you!”

“....Now that you mention it.”

“It might actually be true.”

Murmurs rose from around them. Namgung Dowi’s face briefly showed a hint of hurt.

After saying his goodbyes one by one to Five Swords as well, he finally turned to leave.

“Phew, can we finally go now?”

No, they couldn’t.

They hadn’t even taken a full step when someone came charging toward them from afar, radiating a terrifying aura.

“......Ah, that’s Dongryong coming.”

“It’s Geumryong.”

“At this point, wouldn’t it be nice to see Eunryong too? Didn’t he come along?”

“......You bastards.”

Jin Geumryong, having dashed all the way to Baek Cheon, stopped lightly right in front of him. But he couldn’t hide the sound of his ragged breathing.

And yet, he stared straight at Baek Cheon with a confident expression (or, as Cheong Myeong would put it, an insufferably smug one), as if he weren’t the least bit tired.

Baek Cheon opened his mouth curtly.

“What?”

“……”

“……”

An unbearably awkward silence fell between them. Baek Cheon’s lips trembled, as if he were on the verge of saying something but couldn’t quite get the words out.

“Sasuk.”

“I know!”

Baek Cheon growled, as if ready to bite Yoon Jong’s finger off for poking him in the back, then sighed three times in a row before nodding as though he’d finally made up his mind.

“Th-…”

“Be careful on your way back.”

“...Huh?”

“We’ll be a bit longer. Take care of Shaanxi for us.”

Baek Cheon just stared blankly, unable to say anything. The disciples of Mount Hua watching them began whispering among themselves.

“He lost.”

“He’s on a different level.”

“They say no younger brother ever surpasses his elder, turns out the old saying’s true.”

“Ugh, pathetic. Just pathetic.”

“Shut up, all of you.”

Baek Cheon glared daggers at them, but everyone just looked back with indifferent expressions.

“Th–... Ugh.”

Like a broken wooden puppet, Baek Cheon’s body jerked stiffly before he finally forced the words out.

“Th-tha—…”

“Tha?”

“T-thank you… hyung.”

The last syllable was barely audible. But Jin Geumryong gave a faint smile, as if that was more than enough.

There was no more talk of grudges or debts between them. It was enough, just that much.

“Not going to see Father before you leave?”

“Eeeek!”

“...Got it.”

Well, this was probably the best he could expect for now.

“Stop by Zhongnan sometime. Eunryong says he misses you.”

“...Really?”

“Yes, but… only if you see him separately.”

Baek Cheon nodded, as if that condition made perfect sense. It wasn’t as if the three of them would ever meet together.

Countless others came to visit Mount Hua after that. Each one exchanged tearful farewells, words of parting, and sentiments full of hope and regret for the future...

“Kaaa! Are you planning to stay up all night? Aren’t you going to leave already?”

“...Heartless bastard.”

Only after Cheong Myeong finally snapped did the disciples of Mount Hua hesitantly hoist their packs. A great number of people had gathered to see them off.

“Please travel safely.”

“Let’s meet again!”

“You’ve all worked so hard.”

The words were rough and unrefined, yet filled with warmth. Everyone bit their lips tightly.

“My, quite the popularity, huh.”

“...Why are you still here?”

“Haha! You know how it is, where the needle goes, the thread follows! Where Dojang goes, I go.”

“What nonsense, you bandit.”

“...They say Jongli Gok is becoming the Alliance Leader. Do you think a bandit can even breathe in peace? Please, spare my life.”

Cheong Myeong shook his head wearily. True enough, if he were Jongli Gok, the first thing he’d do would be to wring this bandit out like laundry.

“That’s what you get for running your mouth.”

“Damn it! How was I supposed to know it’d turn out like this?”

“And that’s why your life’s a mess. Tsk, tsk.”

Cheong Myeong sneered at Im Sobyeong before turning his head slightly. The ochre-colored earth filled his sight, a land that had buried so much, lost so much. He couldn’t say he was attached to it, not even as an empty phrase.

Yet his gaze was full of unspoken emotion.

After staring for a long time, Cheong Myeong finally turned away. All the disciples of Mount Hua were already looking at him. Taking in the countless feelings reflected in their eyes one by one, he quietly smiled.

What was lost would never return. Regret would not fade away.

Even so, that was fine. To carry all of it and keep moving forward. That was what it meant to live.

‘That’s enough.’

It wasn’t perfect. But sometimes, that much was enough.

Cheong Myeong looked at them all with a meaningful expression. His voice brimmed with vibrant energy.

“All right, let’s go back! To Shaanxi!”

“Oh!”

Cheong Myeong took a firm step forward.

The land. The place they had left behind, the place they must always return to, toward their Mount Hua.

Notes:

The parts in parentheses— “Five Swords jerked their head around, startled, but Yoo Iseol answered without changing her expression (though it rarely changes).” and “And yet, he stared straight at Baek Cheon with a confident expression (or, as Cheong Myeong would put it, an insufferably smug one), as if he weren’t the least bit tired.”— aren’t my comments; they’re actually part of the novel itself.

Also, this chapter is longer than usual, ughhh, so it took a bit more time. And then...

October 10! Today is Cheong Myeong’s birthday!! Happy birthday, Cheong Myeong!!! And… you know… it’s my birthday too, hehe.

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