Return of the Mount Hua Sect (HTL 1634+)

Heo Dojin calmly explained what he had heard.

"....That's how it happened."

For a moment, Baek Cheon's head bowed slightly. He tried to hide it, but a hint of disturbance was evident.

Heo Dojin sighed softly at this.

"Are you blaming yourself?"

"I...."

"How arrogant."

Baek Cheon looked up with a slightly surprised expression.

"So, if you had stayed in the alliance or not been injured, could you have prevented these sacrifices?"

Baek Cheon kept his mouth shut, unable to say anything.

"If their goal was to harm Heavenly Comrade Alliance, it would have happened eventually, in some form or another. Thinking that your actions alone could have prevented it is nothing but arrogance."

A short sigh escaped from Baek Cheon's dry lips.

"Thank you for your consideration."

However, Heo Dojin shook his head as he looked at Baek Cheon.

"You still don't understand. Well, I suppose words alone aren't enough."

He was also the same. No matter how righteous the path, there are things that one person or one sect can't overcome.

He should have realized this a little sooner.

Heo Dojin looked at Baek Cheon quietly.

His arms were still thin, and his face looked unbelievably haggard. Even the eyes that were once full of clarity had become clouded.

Could the term 'ruin' be used?

Heo Dojin denied it. No, it was not so.

If it were, no matter how pitiable his condition, Heo Dojin would not have personally provided a place for Baek Cheon to hide.

Even within those clouded eyes, Heo Dojin could still see it. The person he had once encountered, Baek Cheon.

Heo Gong and Jin Hyeon, who had brought him here, must have seen the same thing.

'Or perhaps, they thought two people in similar predicaments could lean on each other.'

With a wry smile at such a silly thought, Heo Dojin cleared his throat softly.

If that indeed had been the intention, it had somewhat worked. For in the past, Heo Dojin would never have given Baek Cheon a place to rest.

Now, Heo Dojin understood well.

The feelings of someone who wants to run away from everything in the world. The despair of someone who has nowhere lower to fall.

It wasn't hard to provide a small nest for such a person.

"So, what do you plan to do now? You can't stay hidden here forever, can you?"

But now he had to ask.

"You know this is merely an escape, don't you?"

His voice became sharper than before. It wasn't because he wanted to reprimand the young man in front of him. In truth, it was a question he was asking himself as well. Hence, it was sharp.

How had he been before this young man appeared here?

Before Baek Cheon, in his tattered state, had knelt down and asked for a place to rest, what had Heo Dojin been like?

The two were not much different.

Heo Dojin himself was hiding in this secluded little hut in the forbidden area to avoid the eyes of others and his own predicament.

"You know, Heavenly Comrade Alliance has many outstanding individuals. They may be unable to find you now due to confusion, but eventually..."

"That won't happen."

"Hmm?"

Baek Cheon spoke with a calm expression.

"They're not failing to find me out of confusion. There are people in the alliance who could locate me at any moment. They just... choose not to."

Heo Dojin, staring intently at Baek Cheon, nodded slowly.

"I see. Whatever circumstances there were, and whatever words were exchanged, it's not something I need to be curious about."

"....."

"But even so, my question remains unchanged. I'll ask again. What do you plan to do now?"

Heo Dojin's gaze darkened.

Although he had taken Baek Cheon in out of pity and concern, he knew Baek Cheon's situation was precarious. Perhaps even more so than his own, when he had lost the will to live.

Heo Dojin had lost many of his fellow disciples and students due to a wrong decision.

It was because of a small arrogance he couldn't let go. The arrogance that if he had the chance, he could personally kill Jang Ilso and restore everything to its former state.

That desire temporarily clouded his judgment, and Heo Dojin paid a harsh price.

Yet, Heo Dojin was still a taoist priest of Wudang. He had people who understood him by his side. So, how could he compare to Baek Cheon, who was isolated in the world?

"If you wish to live a secluded life, I can help you."

"....."

"I can provide you with enough resources. You could go to a distant country and live however you wish."

He knew these offers wouldn't resonate much with Baek Cheon.

Even though he knew, he offered because Heo Dojin had imagined and, in a way, desired all these himself.

He ultimately couldn't take that path, but what if someone had pushed him towards it?

"Or is there something else you desire?"

At Heo Dojin's question, Baek Cheon slowly lifted his head.

The renown that reached even Wudang, of the Mount Hua Righteous Sword, had deteriorated to the point where calling him haggard would be an understatement.

But his eyes suddenly seemed to return to the past. The very 'look' that Heo Dojin found most impressive and remembered vividly about Baek Cheon.

"Could you... teach me something?"

"Teach you?"

Teaching could be interpreted in many ways, but for a martial artist, there was only one kind of instruction they sought. That is, if Baek Cheon still considered himself a martial artist.

"What do you mean?"

"Able to subdue steel with softness."

"....."

"Or using four liang to move a thousand jin. I've heard that Wudang is unparalleled in controlling greater strength with lesser force. Can you teach me its secrets?"

[tl note: Baek Cheon said the name of Wudang technique. Liang and jin are traditional Chinese units of measurement. One liang is approximately 50 grams, and one jin is about 500 grams]

Heo Dojin's face showed a bewildered expression.

"..... You want me to teach you martial arts now? I'm not a physician. I can't heal that arm of yours."

"I understand that."

"Then?"

"I don't believe the essence of Wudang lies solely in the sword or the palm."

"....."

"There must be ways to use one's body and legs too."

Heo Dojin let out a sigh.

"Is it difficult?"

Baek Cheon asked again, his expression firm and serene.

'What kind of person...'

Baek Cheon himself would know best about his condition. Yet, here he was, talking about fighting.

Indeed, as Baek Cheon mentioned, Wudang is not limited to swordsmanship and palm techniques. It is, in fact, unparalleled in the methods of using the torso and legs, even surpassing Shaolin. After all, Taichi is a martial art from Wudang.

But even so, how much could he teach someone with almost no inner strength and who couldn't use their arms?

"I can't understand it."

Heo Dojin spoke with an incredulous tone.

"Even if you learn Wudang's techniques, do you think you can regain your former skills?"

"Of course not."

Baek Cheon's straightforward answer left Heo Dojin more bewildered. Heo Dojin asked.

"Then what exactly do you want to learn?"

Baek Cheon tilted his head in curiosity.

"What do you mean?"

"Hmm?"

"I am well aware that even if I were to learn from you sect leader...."

"Call me Dojang."

"Yes. Even if I were to learn from you, Dojang, I know I wouldn't come close to the martial arts I once achieved. But I don't have to be as strong as before to fight, do I?"

"....."

"There are fights for the strong, and there are fights for those who are not strong. I'm just looking for a way to fight from my position. Even if it's weak, it will be of some help."

Heo Dojin's eyes wavered.

"Mount Hua will not accept your return."

"I know."

"Zhongnan will not want you, as you are not their disciple."

"Of course."

"You might not even be able to become a faction leader in Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Without affiliation, that is."

"That could be the case."

"And yet you still want to fight?"

Baek Cheon looked at Heo Dojin as if hearing something incomprehensible and then spoke.

"I'm no longer a disciple of Mount Hua, nor am I the faction leader of Heavenly Comrade Alliance. I might not even be considered a warrior relying on my meager sword skills anymore."

"....."

"But I didn't fight because I was a disciple of Mount Hua, nor because I was the faction leader of Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Not even because I was strong. So... is there a particular reason I shouldn't fight now?"

Heo Dojin's hand trembled slightly. Baek Cheon's final words weighed heavily on his heart.

"A reason not to fight..."

He didn't fight because he was a disciple of Mount Hua, nor because he was the faction leader of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, nor because he was strong.

In that case....

"Indeed, there is no particular reason."

Heo Dojin chuckled. He couldn't stop the laughter that kept escaping.

"Haha. Hahaha. Yes, there isn't. There wasn't... yes..."

As he couldn't stop laughing, tears glistened at the corners of his eyes. Heo Dojin wiped them away naturally and looked at Baek Cheon. His gaze was much softer than before.

"You asked to learn how to fight?"

"Yes."

"You refused to become a disciple of Zhongnan. Naturally, you wouldn't think of becoming a disciple of Wudang."

"That is correct."

"Then you want me, the former leader of Wudang, to teach Wudang's secrets to someone who isn't a disciple of Wudang. Moreover, you expect us to demand nothing in return from you."

"....."

"And yet, you still want to reach a level where you won't end up dying somewhere out there, and all of this in just a few days?"

"In short.... yes."

Heo Dojin shook his head in disbelief.

"You have no shame, do you?"

"My pride is one of the smallest things I've lost. It's not something I would go out of my way to regain."

"....."

Heo Dojin was momentarily at a loss for words at Baek Cheon's calm answer. His vacant eyes were looking at Baek Cheon but seemed to be seeing something else.

"Dojang?"

"….. right. Yes, you are right."

"....."

"It's not something significant to reclaim.... Indeed, for someone who has lost much more, it might be that way. They say one tends to desire everything."

Heo Dojin's gaze turned to the sky. His eyes were empty.

After staring at the empty sky for a while, he spoke.

"The highest Tao is exceedingly mysterious.... If seen from a human's perspective, it may appear chaotic, making it even more so."

Now, he seemed to understand the meaning of those words.

Suddenly, Heo Dojin's eyes flashed fiercely as he looked at Baek Cheon.

"Listen."

His voice was heavier than ever.

"Martial arts are inherently for the weak to oppose the strong. If you wish, I can teach you a way to resist. However, as with people, martial arts are not perfect. No matter how much effort you put in, you may not rise above the level of a third-rate warrior."

"....."

"Even so, to grasp that small thing, you will have to endure extreme hardships. Will you still fight, bearing all this?"

"Yes."

There was no grand resolve or determination. He merely nodded as if discussing something very natural.

The corners of Heo Dojin's mouth faintly lifted, something that rarely happened.

'Perhaps I might be the one learning.'

Heo Dojin slowly extended his hand.

"Then be prepared. The Tao of Wudang is not as lenient as Mount Hua. I will engrave its strictness into your body."

In the deep, secluded part of Wudang Mountain, away from human eyes, the voices of two people who had turned away from the world began to be heard.