Return of the Mount Hua

That will do. (1)

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“All right, all right. Here.”

A porridge with an indescribable color, ladled from a great cauldron, was poured into a bowl. No, to be honest, it was questionable whether one could even call it porridge. It hardly resembled anything fit for human consumption.

Yet the physicians, without a word, poured that turbid liquid into the mouths of the wounded.

“Guh… Gurrrrkrkrk!”

“Now, now. Don’t spit – swallow it down. I’m telling you, this stuff is reeeaaaally good for the body.”

Even in their half-conscious state, the wounded, jolted awake by a hellish taste, began to thrash. But the physicians held them down without mercy and forced the vile medicine down their throats. 

“Ghaaaaack!”

“S-Spare me……”

Watching from a distance, Baek Cheon shook his head.

“…Why on earth is the color like that?”

We definitely mixed elixirs, didn’t we? And only the good ones collected from each sect at that. Truly, it made no sense.

“Urrrrrrkkk….”

One of the wounded, who had downed an entire bowl of the ‘porridge’, convulsed pitifully. Soon, the arms that had been thrashing about fell limp.

“He died.”

“Eh?”

“What are you saying, Sago! He’s only fainted.”

“Looks dead to me.”

“I said he’s not dead!”

As if to ward off ill omens, Yoon Jong shouted at Yu Iseol.

“The Tang Clan handled the mixing and preparation in the first place – do you think they’d produce something that kills people?”

“Because it was prepared by the Tang Clan, that’s exactly why something lethal could come out.”

“Huh?”

Does it work like that?

“Just shut up, all of you.”

Baek Cheon scolded the noisy bunch. Honestly, they were giving him a headache…

“By the way, you somehow managed to procure those kinds of elixirs, Sasuk.”

“Hmm? Everyone handed them over quite readily.”

“….For that, though, the rumors say that Sect Leader Jongli has taken to his sickbed.”

“He is no young man, and he did overexert himself in the midst of war.”

Baek Cheon replied calmly without so much as a change in expression. At that, Yoon Jong was dumbfounded. He couldn’t help thinking that this man had grown truly shameless.

‘Well, whatever.’

Each sect had put up its share of resistance and bickering, but in the end, everyone handed over the medicines they had been hoarding. Of course, the fact that some of the wounded being treated here were their own disciples was no small reason.

“With Wudang – the one that suffered the most – handing over the Great Clarity Pill [태청단(太淸丹)] first, if you pull your foot out there, do you think you’ll be able to show your face later?”

“Fair enough…….”

No matter how brazen one wanted to be, circumstances set the bounds. When Wudang – whose plaque had been not just broken but reduced to ashes – emptied every last bit of their coffers to make a contribution, and you would pinch your own wealth?

For the so-called noble Just Sects, it was impossible. By nature, they could endure filth splashed on their own faces, but not a speck of dust on the plaque above their main gate.

On top of that, with that lunatic over there watching them with murderous eyes, there was nothing left to think about.

Thanks to that, the Medical Hall could finally breathe a little easier.

“But what are you all doing here? You should at least be helping.”

“…They told us not to hover pointlessly around the precious medicine.”

“Who?”

“Soso…”

Baek Cheon looked at them with sorrowful eyes. Just how little were these brats trusted?

“D-Don’t look at us like that. They told everyone but the physicians to clear out, so that’s why.”

“That’s right. It’s not like we were the only ones chased out, you know?”

“Fine… Let’s go with that.”

Though, truth be told, there were still plenty of robes from other sects in sight, but he decided to act as if he hadn’t noticed.

“Then what are you doing here, Sasuk?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Before he answered, Baek Cheon glanced briefly at Chung Myung.

“There’s one last thing left to sort out.”

“Huh? What do you mean, sort out?”

Baek Cheon hesitated for a moment before answering. He was weighing whether it was something he should bring up in front of them all.

“…Ugh. Well. What would I even have to hide from you?”

“You even hid that your dantian was shattered.”

“…”

“Ah, didn’t you also hide your name at first? What was it again? ‘I have cast aside my name of the mundane world, so just know me as Baek Cheon’? Man, at the time I thought some immortal sage out of a legend had descended.”

“…..Shut up.”

Jo Geol averted his eyes from Baek Cheon’s piercing gaze and whistled. Baek Cheon let out a deep sigh.

Let’s think of them as nonexistent. As if they are not here at all.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“Shouldn’t we start heading back to Hwasan?”

“Hmm.”

Hearing Baek Cheon’s serious tone, Chung Myung pushed himself up from his half-lying position.

“Why? Sick of this place already?”

“It’s not that.”

“Strange. Knowing your temperament, Sasuk, I thought you’d refuse to go back until relief efforts for the affected commoners were completely finished.”

“In the past, I would have.”

“Is it different now?”

“Yeah. Now…”

Baek Cheon’s gaze shifted to those clad in the various robes of many different sects.

“Because there are others besides us who can do it.”

Chung Myung asked with a curious look.

“Hmm, so you’re saying we don’t have to do the bothersome work?”

“What kind of twisted brain were you born with? How do you manage to twist things that far?”

Clicking his tongue, Baek Cheon elaborated.

“That role should fall to the sects of Henan. They’ll want it, too.”

“Hmm. In what sense?”

“Both.”

Chung Myung’s eyes flashed briefly. Then he smirked, looking at Baek Cheon with a playful glint.

“Wow. Dongryong has really grown. Guess that’s why they say a man has to die at least once.”

“I haven’t died, you lunatic?”

Chung Myung snickered. The answer – ‘both’ – amused him.

One of the two meant that the sects of Henan want to take on the role of directly saving the commoners.

This is an accurate analysis.

Whether it’s Wudang or Shaolin, if they maintain the same prestige they enjoyed in the past, it might be unnecessary. A strong sect does not go out of its way to seek others’ support.

But now, things were different.

‘It’s absolutely necessary.’

Rebuilding a sect consumes manpower and wealth. Unless it’s a special case like Hwasan, the importance of those two elements hardly needs an explanation.

As for wealth, you can scrape by one way or another with what you’ve saved. But manpower is another matter. The sects of Henan, no longer able to recruit on reputation alone, will have to regain public esteem.

In that sense, relief work was the most suitable course.

And the other reason was…

“They don’t want us making any more waves here, do they?”

“……So to speak.”

Chung Myung let out a brief laugh.

“Why? Doesn’t it tempt you, Sasuk? If you put your mind to it, we could use this opportunity to expand Hwasan’s influence beyond Shaanxi to Henan, couldn’t we?”

What began as a playful tone ended in something rather serious. It wasn’t merely a joke.

“What do you mean? Expand all the way into Henan?”

“Keep quiet, Geol-ah.”

“Come on, aren’t you curious, Sahyeong?”

Yoon Jong sighed and tried again to shut Jo Geol up, but this time, Yu Iseol – silent until now – spoke.

“Reputation and power. And the goodwill of the common people.”

“….Yes?”

“Because Hwasan will stand taller than ever. Shaolin has sealed its gates, and Wudang has lost its main sect.”

“Ah…..”

Jo Geol’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

“Oh-ho… So it’s like a leading merchant guild that had the region in a tight grip running into an accident, right.”

“…So that makes sense to you?”

“That’s what I mean. If I think of it as a merchant guild, it clicks right away, but if I think of it as sects, my head suddenly goes blank and I just can’t get a feel for it.”

Watching Jo Geol tilt his head with a puzzled look, Yoon Jong seriously wondered if it had been a mistake for this brat to ever pick up a sword.

“So in any case, it means advancing into Henan is possible?”

“Probably so.”

“Then shouldn’t we do it?”

There was a faint excitement in Jo Geol’s voice.

Of course, there was not the slightest intention of abandoning Shaanxi and Hwaeum. But Henan was, without question, the heart of Gangho. Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung were all rooted around Henan. To exert influence there carried far more weight than it might seem.

It could even serve as the symbolic step that raised Hwasan to the position of the undisputed number one sect under heaven.

“Sasuk!”

Jo Geol, brimming with excitement, turned his gaze to Baek Cheon. But Baek Cheon only shook his head heavily.

“No. I have no such intention.”

“Why?”

Chung Myung, clearly amused, also fixed his eyes on Baek Cheon.

“Why? It ought to be a good opportunity.”

“Don’t play coy when you know full well. ‘A good opportunity,’ you say.”

Baek Cheon frowned, irritation written across his face.

“It will only prove meaningless.”

“How is that meaningless? We could become the central sect of Henan! Outshining Shaolin and Wudang!”

“For how long?”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon asked Jo Geol seriously.

“For how long could we keep that up?”

“Uh, well……”

Jo Geol tilted his head, unable to grasp the intent of the question. Watching him, Baek Cheon let out a sigh.

“Fine. Things might turn out as you say. It might even be simpler than we think.”

“Exactly. Given the current situation…”

“But it won’t last forever. Sooner or later, Shaolin will regain its strength, and Wudang will as well.”

“Well…….”

Jo Geol’s words trailed off, as if he’d run out of arguments.

“Then we would have Shaolin, Wudang, and Jongnam as our neighbors. At that point, there would be no way to remain on friendly terms.”

“Hmm.”

Jo Geol nodded, as though beginning to understand.

“If we were willing to accept all of that, just for the sake of gaining the hollow title of ‘Number One Under Heaven,’ then perhaps it would be worth it. But…”

Baek Cheon slowly looked around at everyone and asked.

“Would that really have any meaning?”

“Well.”

“Not particularly…”

“It’s a hassle.”

In order, those were Yoon Jong, Jo Geol, and Yu Iseol’s answers. Baek Cheon shrugged as if he’d expected it.

“Exactly. That’s my point.”

“Hmm.”

“There’s no need to chase after empty glory. Even if one were to argue it was necessary.”

Baek Cheon cast a brief glance over his shoulder.

“Didn’t everyone give their all? I’ve no desire to seize upon their hardship as they falter.”

“Oh, look at that virtuous man* here.”

“Hmm. Who knows.”

Though Chung Myung spoke sarcastically, Baek Cheon instead smiled in satisfaction.

“At this rate, maybe my title will end up something like Gunjageom [군자(君子)검]*?”

“What, have all the virtuous men frozen to death…?”

“Even if every one of them freezes to death, no.”

“Even if the Central Plains perishes, I still don’t think so?”

“……You brats.”

Baek Cheon ground his teeth, but Chung Myung cut the conversation short before it could drag on further.

“So, what you’re saying is we should start stepping back here. That way, it’s better for everyone. Right?”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon spoke in a bitter tone.

“With Sapaeryeon gone, Hwasan is now in the position to be kept in check. Not that I think they’d really try such a thing, but still…”

Personal feelings and the interests of the sect had to be considered separately. Baek Cheon could now feel that truth in his very bones.

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung quietly studied Baek Cheon for a moment, then gave a small nod.

“You pass, I suppose, but…”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t expect you to pass in ‘that’ way.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Muttering something inscrutable, Chung Myung let out a small laugh.

It seemed that those destined to become Hwasan’s Sect Leader all ended up alike in the end.

Chung Mun, too, would surely have said the same thing in this situation: let’s hurry back so as not to make them any more uncomfortable. Of course, Chung Myung would have kicked up a fuss.

Now it was Baek Cheon who had said it in Chung Mun’s stead, and it was simply that Chung Myung no longer felt like making a fuss.

Chung Myung lightly snapped his fingers.

“Got it. It doesn’t sound like you’re just saying we should go back. You mean there’s a matter we need to decide first, right?”

Baek Cheon nodded.

“What is it?”

“This is more of a request on my part… It’s about Qingcheng and Emei.”

“Yeah?”

Chung Myung briefly furrowed his brows.

“I intend to bring the surviving children to Hwasan.”

A complicated expression slowly spread across Chung Myung’s face.

Next chapter >>>

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*Chung Myung is saying “look at that virtuous man/noble man/gentleman (군자)”. And Baek Cheon makes it into his ‘new title.’ The virtuous man’s sword? The gentleman’s sword? Doesn’t rly sound all that good in english, but it’s funny. 

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