Return of the Mount Hua

Who did you just say it was? (1)

ROTMHS Glossary || About page

“Should we keep following them? At this rate, it might be better to just…”

“Quiet.”

Even after the words were cut off, the person staring ahead continued to mutter complaints.

“No, if we’re going to be the guards, wouldn’t it be better to stay close? We’re about to enter a dangerous area, and at this rate…”

“It’s the command of Master Hwang. We must not cause him any inconvenience.”

The grumbling man let out a sigh.

“From the beginning, our duty has been to protect the headquarters of Cheonumaeng. Strictly speaking, the Master of Eunha Merchant Guild isn’t even our superior.”

“So, does that mean you’re planning to ignore him?”

“That’s not what I meant, but…”

It wasn’t wrong to say that the Master of Eunha Merchant Guild wasn’t a member of Cheonumaeng. However, that didn’t mean he could be disregarded. Even without an official title, it was a clear fact that he was overseeing all the affairs of the headquarters in the absence of the Alliance Leader.

That was why those who had been guarding the headquarters were now following to provide escort.

“This could cause problems later.”

“Enough with this nonsense. What problems could there possibly be?”

The one who had been grumbling let out a deep sigh, realizing his words were nothing more than pointless complaints. Even so, there was a specific reason for his frustration.

His gaze shifted to those moving far ahead.

‘What in the world is going on?’

They neither eat, sleep, nor rest. They simply continue moving forward without end. Thanks to that relentless pace, even with their slow steps, they had already reached the border between Hubei and Henan, their intended destination.

Arriving quickly was fine, but the problem was that even those assigned to guard them couldn’t eat, rest, or sleep.

‘Why are they doing something so bizarre?’

If one looked closely, while it might be hard to tell with the young man in the lead, the one following him unmistakably had traces of martial arts in him. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to use footwork techniques to reach their destination more quickly?

“I’ll say it again: you must never let your guard down. If even the slightest issue arises with them, no one will be able to bear the consequences. Understood?”

“…Yes.”

The ones assigned to guard them nodded heavily.

The eyebrows, tinged with white, twitched slightly. Beneath them, were the eyes oozing with discharge.*

Those eyes were fixed on the one walking ahead… More precisely, on his feet.

Step by step, with each silent step forward, the ground became wet. The blood flowing from his feet drenched the earth, deepening Panchen Lama’s worry as he continued to watch.

Even if Dalai Lama was a Buddha who had not yet left the Impure Land [예토(穢土) – or land of the living], his physical body was ultimately no different from that of an ordinary child. The pain must be considerable, yet those steps showed no sign of stopping.

Without eating, resting, or drinking, he continued this torturous advance. Whatever the meaning behind this might be, even if it were a lofty purpose beyond comprehension, it was painful to witness.

“Master.”

“…”

“Master.”

Only after Panchen Lama’s call echoed once more did Dalai Lama’s steps momentarily halt. However, Dalai Lama did not bother to turn around to face him.

“At this rate, your body will break down. If there is a pressing reason to proceed urgently, allow me to carry you instead.”

Finally, Dalai Lama turned to face Panchen Lama.

His young, still rosy cheeks [홍안(紅顔)] made his freshly shaved head look out of place. Yet, those deep, mesmerizing eyes, always threatening to draw one in, created a unique atmosphere.

“No one can bear another’s suffering.”

“…”

“Thus, no one can walk the path for another.”

“But… Master.”

“If one believes there is an end to the path, then the suffering of the present must be endured. However, knowing that there is no end to the path makes the notion of endurance meaningless.”

Panchen Lama pressed his palms together in deep reverence.

In truth, Panchen Lama did not fully understand what Dalai Lama was trying to convey. His question and Dalai Lama’s answer did not align.

But he was accustomed to such answers.

For someone who sees what others cannot and knows what others do not, even the same world would appear different, perhaps even the very principles of the world.

“But, Lama, if that’s the case, why are you in such a hurry?”

If life is an unavoidable sea of suffering, then the pain experienced by the child living in this world must also be inevitable.

If suffering stems from anguish and no one can bear another’s anguish, then what is the meaning behind Dalai Lama’s steps now?

What reason could there be to resolutely take step after step, shedding blood for what seems to be a meaningless hurry?

Dalai Lama’s eyes took on a different light as he received the question. His lips moved slightly before he spoke.

“That is because…”

A brief silence settled between them.

In that short moment, perhaps what Panchen Lama saw was not the living Buddha Dalai Lama, but just another human being struggling in a world filled with suffering.

“Because it is my Karma.”

“…Karma.”

Panchen Lama unconsciously let out a deep sigh.

How much weight is contained within that single word, Karma?

That answer was both the answer to all questions and yet revealed nothing at all.

Since Panchen Lama had not yet reached enlightenment, he could not refute Dalai Lama, who spoke of Karma. It is as pointless and futile as someone who has not transcended the human body trying to discuss the realm of the Immortals [신선**] and the Tao [도].

On any other day, the conversation would have ended here, but today it continued a bit further.

“In the end, Karma is entanglement.”

Panchen Lama’s eyes flickered with intrigue.

“…Did you say entanglement?”

“It is painful because we are entangled, and therefore, it must be severed. But severing it is also nothing but pain.”

“…”

“The liberation the world speaks of is about shedding all anguish, escaping the sea of suffering that fills human life.”

“Indeed, Master.”

“But is this truly the right thing to do?”

“I can only hope.”

“Is it truly… the right thing?”

“…Master?”

A moment of doubt flickered in Panchen Lama’s eyes.

“I wish to ask. Was liberation truly the right choice?”

“What are you saying…?”

Gradually, Panchen Lama’s face, as he looked at Dalai Lama, was overtaken by shock.

A practitioner must question everything and shatter what they believe to be true. For one who has not destroyed their own world cannot move forward.

Those trapped in the prison of the flesh spend their lives breaking through the limits of their senses and transcending the illusions of their beliefs.

However, the question Dalai Lama had just raised did not stay within such a simple realm.

He was questioning ‘liberation,’ the final goal of all practitioners.

“In what sense do you mean? I… I cannot possibly fathom this.”

Dalai Lama did not respond. He simply looked at Panchen Lama with a sunken gaze.

It was truly a strange thing.

To Panchen Lama, Dalai Lama’s eyes appeared overwhelmingly sorrowful. This was despite the fact that Dalai Lama should have transcended the seven emotions and the five human desires.

“That is why I am going.”

“…”

“As you said, Lama, perhaps there is nothing I can do. No, I’m sure of it. That is why this isn’t his Karma, but mine – a Karma born of regret.”

“Master.”

“Perhaps… I simply wish to hear it. Just… that…”

With those incomprehensible words, Dalai Lama turned his head and began walking again.

Panchen Lama let out a heavy sigh.

‘My Karma…’

Liberation originally means escaping from anguish and transcending the sea of suffering. It signifies rejecting even the Karma that entangles humans so intricately.

Yet Dalai Lama spoke of his own Karma.

Does it mean that even one who has transcended the process of liberation to become a Buddha himself cannot escape from Karma? Or does it imply that, with the imperfect liberation bound to the human body, one must still endure the constant pain that the weight of Karma brings?

He could not understand. But because of that, his curiosity only grew.

‘Hwasan Geomhyeop.’

What exactly did Dalai Lama intend to ask him? And how would Hwasan Geomhyeop respond to such a question?

Perhaps he would soon find out.

In the distance, a towering mountain came into view.

‘Wudang.’

The one they were seeking was there – the one who held the key to all of this.

❀ ❀ ❀

Whoosh.

Jo Geol charged towards the burning village faster than anyone else. At the same time, he drew his sword like a bolt of lightning.

But the sword, trembling in midair, soon lost its way. Jo Geol could not swing his sword here.

“This….”

There was nothing.

It wasn’t just the enemies. There was nothing alive. Not a single living soul, not even a dog, had survived.

Grit.

Jo Geol ground his teeth roughly. His eyes caught sight of a pile of corpses stacked in the middle of the village. The heap of bodies towered like a small burial mound.

He knew immediately upon seeing it. It wasn’t stacked for convenience. It was piled up solely for show.

To mock those who had arrived here too late.

Jo Geol took a ragged breath.

“Where are you…?”

Jo Geol’s eyes, gleaming with rage and self-reproach, began to redden.

“Where are you! Where are you, you bastards! I’ll kill every last one of you!”

“Calm down, Geol-ah!”

“Let go of me!”

Jo Geol shook off Yoon Jong’s hand.

If they had come even a little earlier, not everyone would have died like this. How could they have not known that those scum could attack the villagers at any time?

“I’ll kill them all… every single one!”

Jo Geol trembled with anger as he looked around, trying to find traces of the enemies who had already left.

“This way! Over here! They headed this way, Sahyeong!”

It was just as Jo Geol was about to recklessly push off the ground-

“Wait a moment! There are footprints here too. It seems some of the villagers fled this way.”

“What?”

Jo Geol hesitated.

Pursuing the enemy was important, but he couldn’t neglect protecting the survivors.

“Then let’s split the group…”

“Hold on. You all, come over here for a moment.”

“Yes?”

Baek Sang, who had been silently surveying the situation up ahead, gestured with his hand. His expression was quite serious. Without a word, everyone ran towards where he stood.

“…What is this?”

What Baek Sang pointed at was a corpse. Of course, with bodies strewn everywhere, at first glance, it didn’t seem unusual.

However, everyone’s faces hardened just like Baek Sang’s.

“…Are these the members of Sapaeryeon?”

“It appears so.”

The clothing of several decapitated bodies was the same as those of Sapaeryeon.

“Does this mean someone fought them here?”

“But who? We were supposed to be the first ones to arrive…”

“…There’s no one else nearby.”

The disciples of Hwasan looked down at the cold, lifeless corpses with suspicion in their eyes. After a moment of contemplation, Yoon Jong spoke.

“Let’s pursue the enemy first. If we waste time, they might attack another village.”

“Right.”

“That’s what we should do!”

“Soso, take a few people and search for any survivors.”

“Got it.”

“Hurry!”

“Yes!”

Without looking back, Jo Geol dashed off in the direction where the enemy’s traces remained. The other disciples of Hwasan quickly began to move according to Yoon Jong’s instructions as well.

However, Yoon Jong himself hesitated to take a step from where he stood. Something on the ground had caught his attention.

A common iron sword, the kind that could be found anywhere, lay on the ground. For some reason, it kept bothering him.

“Sahyeong!”

“I got it.”

At the urgent call from afar, Yoon Jong quickly picked up the iron sword from the ground.

‘It can’t be…’

With the sword now at his waist, Yoon Jong glanced around briefly and then moved swiftly in the direction Jo Geol had gone.

Only a desolate wind blew through the place they had left behind.

Next chapter >>>

________

*진물 – jinmul – can mean pus, discharge from the wound, thick liquid etc. So basically his eyes are not in the best condition.

**신선 – shinseon – Taoist hermit with miraculous powers.

________

Patreon and Buymeacoffee – if you want to support my work!