Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Opposite Extremes
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Hyeok Mulin's words left Baek Hyeon-gyeong silent.
A moment later, he fixed his gaze on Hyeok Mulin and asked,
"What do you mean by that?"
"Truth be told, I already knew you hadn't lost your internal energy."
It had been mere speculation before meeting him, but facing him directly turned it into certainty.
Baek Hyeon-gyeong's dantian was perfectly normal, brimming with intact internal energy.
Which meant he had entered this cage of his own volition, not by force.
After a brief silence, a faint surge of energy erupted from Baek Hyeon-gyeong's entire body.
Kwachik.
The chains binding him shattered with a hiss, granting freedom to his body.
Baek Hyeon-gyeong let out a soft sigh before turning to Hyeok Mulin.
"You're right. But how did you know?"
"Gu Mu-jon wouldn't fall to some petty poison."
The poison used in his kidnapping had indeed been crafted with care by Saheukryeon.
Yet the outcome had been far from ideal.
'It was later used on the Martial Alliance Leader as well, only to fail.'
This wasn't just any poison—it suppressed the dantian and internal energy flow.
Its effects varied wildly depending on the target's cultivation level.
No one could pinpoint the exact difference, but one thing was clear: a mere year of ingestion wouldn't faze a warrior of Gu Mu-jon's caliber.
Three years? Five? Or even ten?
No one could predict how many years it would take to affect someone like him.
"So come back now. There are many who worry for you."
With his piece said, Hyeok Mulin turned to leave.
As he walked away without hesitation, Baek Hyeon-gyeong spoke up.
"Why don't you ask me anything?"
Baek Hyeon-gyeong had assumed Hyeok Mulin would have a flood of questions.
And rightfully so.
He hadn't allied with Saheukryeon, yet he'd concealed his power and let himself fall into their trap as if playing along.
But Hyeok Mulin hadn't probed a single doubt before turning away, leaving him puzzled.
Thud.
Hyeok Mulin's footsteps halted.
Still facing away, he smirked faintly.
"Everyone in the world has their reasons. I have no intention of prying."
With that, Hyeok Mulin resumed walking and exited the cave.
Hyeok Mulin vanished, leaving Baek Hyeon-gyeong to stare in the direction he'd gone for a long while.
The sect leader had returned.
At his homecoming, the entire Mount Hua Sect turned out to welcome him, some shedding hot tears.
The incident at the tavern last night had spread, filling them with worry beyond measure.
It was the murder of an elder, after all.
They had been on the verge of forming search parties for the missing sect leader and Sangseo when both returned to headquarters alongside him.
Once the plot against their leader came to light, Mount Hua Sect erupted in outrage.
"I had my suspicions, but they truly...!"
"After targeting our headquarters via the Western Sword Cloud Society, now this? It's no different from a declaration of war!"
"We can't just sit idly by. We must inform the Martial Alliance and request support."
The elders were ready to plunge into bloody battle with Saheukryeon right then and there.
In the heated atmosphere, Baek Hyeon-gyeong raised a hand to calm their fury.
"Easy now. Decisions clouded by emotion breed only regret."
"But Sect Leader, you were nearly kidnapped—how can we stay calm?"
Baek Hyeon-gyeong had told them his internal energy had been temporarily nullified by poison, and he was slowly recovering after Sangseo rescued him.
Only Hyeok Mulin knew the full truth, so the elders believed he had truly been on the verge of capture, fueling their rage.
Even after his calming words, as the elders raised their voices...
"Enough."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong's subdued voice pressed down on the blazing tension like a weight.
He showed no particular aura, yet his voice alone seized control of the room's atmosphere in an instant.
In the heavy silence that followed, he continued.
"We'll shelve this matter until solid evidence emerges."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong knew well that war left nothing in its wake.
He appreciated the elders' loyalty to him and the sect, but such choices demanded caution.
Of course, had even one disciple lost their life, he would have been the most incensed—but as the target himself, he held back.
The meeting proceeded under his lead and soon reached a conclusion.
'We won't publicize this incident.'
They decided to closely monitor the unorthodox factions' movements while strengthening internal unity.
Shangming and Qinggangbiao.
Discovering two traitors within Mount Hua Sect was a profound shock.
With the meeting adjourned, everyone dispersed, and Sangseo stepped out from the hall.
Grasping his waist, he stretched his stiff body and let out a deep sigh.
"Finding the sect leader has somehow made me busier than ever."
Sangseo, who had been bustling about lately, still had dark circles under his eyes.
As the one who brought back the missing leader, people sought him everywhere.
Even now, he had no time to rest and had to head straight to the next location.
Thus, as he caught a brief standing rest right after the meeting, someone approached from behind.
"You look exhausted."
"Indeed. Even two bodies wouldn't be enough..."
Sangseo's reflexive reply trailed off.
Recognizing the familiar voice, he turned to see Hyeok Mulin standing there.
Sangseo greeted him with unbridled joy.
"Hyeok Gong! Have you been well?"
He was the top contributor in retrieving the sect leader, yet in the chaos, Sangseo had overlooked him.
"Eh, just wandering moderately."
"I see."
Sangseo looked at Hyeok Mulin with a pleased expression.
And offered proper thanks.
"Truly, thank you. I owe you a great debt. As per your wish, I haven't credited your merit. It's a shame only I know of your actions."
Hyeok Mulin had asked Sangseo to erase his contributions, so most of the merit fell to Sangseo.
Sangseo had wanted to immortalize Hyeok Mulin as a benefactor of Mount Hua Sect, but respected his wish.
"But seeing you've sought me out, you must have something to say."
Gauging Hyeok Mulin's intent, Sangseo continued.
"Speak freely. If it's within my power, I'll grant anything."
"I need nothing else."
Hyeok Mulin gave his answer, facing him squarely.
"It's simply time to keep your promise."
A vast natural expanse where plum blossoms of every hue scattered with the seasons.
The Plum Blossom Garden, Mount Hua's treasure accessible only to the sect leader and his chosen companion, lay beneath Lianhua Peak.
At its center.
A sturdy plum tree thrust deep roots, blooming with lush flowers.
Sususu—
Beneath it stood an elderly man with hands clasped behind his back.
His beard and white hair radiated vitality belying his advanced age, complemented by his pristine white robes.
At his side, another man quietly gazed at the drifting pink-and-white blossoms.
The very reason Hyeok Mulin had first come to Mount Hua.
His audience with the sect leader was finally happening.
Among them, who had been staring blankly at the garden, Hyeok Mulin spoke first.
"Feeling any aftereffects?"
"None. I protected my vital energy with internal energy from the start."
"I see."
Glancing at Hyeok Mulin, Baek Hyeon-gyeong addressed him.
"I heard you found me."
"I sought only a brief talk, never imagining it would drag on like this."
"Sorry to drag you into sect affairs. My apologies."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong apologized.
Even if he held goodwill toward Mount Hua, Hyeok Mulin was still an outsider.
Yet he'd taken the lead in resolving their crisis.
"No need. I acted for my own goals."
In the end, Hyeok Mulin had achieved his purpose in coming to Mount Hua.
A private meeting with Gu Mu-jon, Baek Hyeon-gyeong.
Silence flowed between them after their brief exchange.
As it lingered, Hyeok Mulin, still facing forward, spoke softly.
"That position must weigh heavily on you."
Staying at Mount Hua, Hyeok Mulin had gleaned their internal dynamics.
Confirming it, he realized the immense burden the sect leader shouldered.
'All matters, internal and external, converged on him.'
It was overly burdensome administratively, but that wasn't all.
The influence and expectations tied to his name in Mount Hua were colossal.
At an age where he could retire and enjoy mountains and rivers, he still served as Mount Hua's public face without respite.
Even the uniforms told the tale.
The elders assisting him wore frost-white, while he alone bore the superior pure white.
Mount Hua kept him in place because Gu Mu-jon's presence as sect leader brought overwhelming advantages.
"...You're right."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong didn't deny it.
"There were times I wanted to cast it all aside and retreat from the world."
He had been hailed a genius from the moment he gripped a sword as a child.
Mount Hua's prodigy and future hope, he met every expectation to the end. He was their pride incarnate.
Even his moniker was Mount Hua Sword Immortal.
The surrounding expectations had once pleased him. But as decades wore on, his shoulders began to stoop.
Now, the sect leader's seat felt like shackles.
He had nearly abandoned it all and left.
"But in the end, I couldn't."
Seeing the Mount Hua disciples watching his back with shining eyes, he couldn't bear to leave them behind carefree.
'Then one day, someone appeared in my office, planting a forbidden thought.'
When they tried poisoning and kidnapping him, Baek Hyeon-gyeong had a sudden change of heart.
If he let this unknown figure abduct him, perhaps he could finally cast off his burdens.
So he'd sealed his own energy and allowed capture, only for Hyeok Mulin to find and return him.
"Looking back, it was foolish. Abandoning Mount Hua would surely breed regret later."
With a bitter expression, Baek Hyeon-gyeong expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you for finding Bingdo and keeping me from regret."
Hyeok Mulin, who had listened silently, responded only with silence.
After some time, he slowly spoke.
"I've lived the exact opposite. No one's expectations ever fell on me."
He had ascended to cult leader without accolade, recognition, or hope from anyone.
Conversely, Baek Hyeon-gyeong bore everyone's hopes to the end—a meeting of true polar opposites.
"Is that so? You must have had your own troubles."
Baek Hyeon-gyeong showed faint surprise at Hyeok Mulin's words.
To think someone occupied the complete inverse of his position.
He had never considered it before.
Choosing his words carefully, Baek Hyeon-gyeong asked,
"Then how did you resolve it?"
Opposites attract, as the saying goes.
Feeling an odd kinship with Hyeok Mulin's polar situation, he posed the question.
Hyeok Mulin replied flatly.
"With strength."
"...Pardon?"
Baek Hyeon-gyeong turned, doubting his ears.
"I solved it with force."
At Hyeok Mulin's matter-of-fact answer, Baek Hyeon-gyeong could only stare in blank amazement.