I Am the One Who Will Become Mount Hua’s Sect Leader (3)
Those eyes were colder than cold.
In the darkness, a pair of frost-laced pupils gleamed like a predator’s catching sight of prey.
"A little more..."
A voice that sounded as though it were craving something drifted quietly through the dark.
"I think we need to get closer."
"I can hear them from here."
"That’s because you’re you, damn it!"
"Then let’s move."
"...Won’t we get caught if we go any closer?"
"Tsk."
Chung Myung spread out his qi barrier to the left and right.
"Good enough. Let’s go."
"...What if we get caught?"
"We won’t get caught now. Trust me and move."
Yoon Jong gave a slight nod.
He didn’t know why, but if Chung Myung said they wouldn’t be discovered, then they wouldn’t be. That brat absolutely would not want to be caught either.
"Let’s go, Sahyung."
"Right."
At Jo Gul’s urging, Yoon Jong crawled forward with his body still pressed low to the ground.
Far ahead, he could see three people standing face-to-face.
"This should be close enough..."
"Shh."
At the low warning, Yoon Jong quickly shut his mouth.
"Quiet."
"Yes, Sago."
He glanced back at Yu I-seol, who was crawling behind him, and wore a strange expression.
Was Sago the sort of person who got involved in things like this?
For a fleeting moment, Chung Myung’s face seemed to overlap with Yu I-seol’s.
Ah. Right. She’s the one who’s been influenced the most.
What a heartbreaking reality. Truly heartbreaking.
"Can you hear them?"
"I think I can hear them now."
Chung Myung muttered in disappointment.
"I should’ve brought dried meat and liquor. We’re watching this without even so much as a snack."
"...Did you come here to have fun?"
"Didn’t you?"
"...."
Unable to come up with a proper retort, Yoon Jong simply kept silent and pricked up his ears.
Up ahead, Baek Cheon’s family of three was deep in conversation.
"You’ve grown strong."
At Jin Cho-baek’s words, Baek Cheon lowered his head slightly.
What was he supposed to say?
"Thank you."
In the end, all he could manage was the obvious answer.
He didn’t like the way it sounded, but he couldn’t find anything better to say.
He lifted his head and looked at Jin Cho-baek. An emotionless face that looked much like his own met his eyes.
Baek Cheon let out a quiet breath.
In the past, he had feared even facing Jin Cho-baek’s gaze.
Though the man was undoubtedly his real father, Baek Cheon had almost never felt any paternal affection from him.
The father he remembered had always only looked at him with disapproval.
"I understand why you left home."
Understand.
Understand, he said.
Baek Cheon almost laughed without meaning to.
What an irresponsible thing to say.
Understanding meant nothing if it didn’t come with action. If Jin Cho-baek truly understood Baek Cheon, then he should have shown it.
But Jin Cho-baek had never even offered him comfort. He had simply disapproved of Baek Cheon’s talents, finding him inferior to his elder brother, Jin Geum-ryong.
"It must have been a heavy burden for one so young. I’ll say this in case it matters—I did not discriminate against you..."
"I know."
Baek Cheon cut him off.
Then he said in a calm voice,
"Whether I was your illegitimate son or not has no meaning. If my talent had surpassed my elder brother’s, you would have cherished me more."
"...."
"I don’t hold any real resentment. You were simply that sort of man. I understand that now."
Jin Cho-baek’s brow furrowed slightly.
It would have been easier if Baek Cheon had lashed out, if he had poured out anger or resentment. That, at least, he had expected.
But now Baek Cheon was only calm.
He wasn’t even deliberately trying to treat him like a stranger. He was simply...
He seems to have come to terms with it.
Whether it was from living among the Daoists or from growing as a person, there was no trace of the boyish recklessness he once had.
On the contrary, Jin Geum-ryong, who was listening to the conversation, couldn’t hide his displeasure.
I misjudged him.
If he had known Baek Cheon could grow this much, he would have paid more attention. He would have made sure things never reached this point.
"Dong-ryong."
"Baek Cheon."
"...."
Baek Cheon smiled faintly.
"I’m not Jin Dong-ryong. I’m Baek Cheon."
Chung Myung’s brow tightened sharply.
"Huh. He’s calmer than I expected."
"What were you expecting?"
"I thought he’d at least throw hands."
"No, you damn lunatic, how are you turning our martial uncle into a patricidal maniac?"
At Jo Gul’s rebuke, Chung Myung glared.
"He already fought with his brother. What’s the difference?"
"...Every time I’m reminded that you’re a Daoist, I’m at a loss for words."
"Same."
"Yeah. Me too."
Even Yoon Jong and Yu I-seol chimed in, and Chung Myung’s face twisted.
"Where the hell else in the world do you find someone as Daoist as me!"
"Where, exactly?"
"What’s Daoism? Isn’t the Dao simply to act according to one’s heart?"
"...Is it?"
Still lying flat on the ground, Chung Myung puffed out his stomach with smug pride.
"Who lives more by instinct than I do?"
"...."
Uh...
That didn’t seem like what it meant...
If Laozi himself had come back to life, he’d have shouted, That’s my Dao, you rotten bastard! and whacked Chung Myung over the head with the Dao De Jing.
But despite all the protests, Chung Myung merely finished bragging about himself and went right back to pricking up his ears at Baek Cheon’s family conversation.
"Baek Cheon, huh."
Jin Cho-baek looked at Baek Cheon with subdued eyes.
"That’s the name Mount Hua gave you."
"Yes."
"So in the end, you intend to bury your bones in Mount Hua?"
"Yes."
At the answer without even a flicker of hesitation, Jin Cho-baek’s expression changed for the first time. His face twisted with anger as he said,
"Come back."
"...."
"It’s not too late yet. No, perhaps it’s already a little late. But I will resolve it. As you know, I have that kind of influence."
Baek Cheon looked at him without answering.
"Even the Sect Leader of Southern Edge won’t oppose it. People cannot live by abandoning their roots. You may not feel doubt now, but with the passing years you will inevitably come to regret this. Make the right choice now, while there is still time."
Listening quietly, Baek Cheon smiled.
"You haven’t changed at all."
At that calm voice, it was Jin Cho-baek who bit his lip, looking far more anxious.
"There’s something I’ve been wondering..."
Baek Cheon said as he looked Jin Cho-baek straight in the eye.
"If I had not become this strong in Mount Hua, would you have come looking for me?"
"...."
Jin Cho-baek did not answer.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and only after a while did he let out a low sigh.
"You may be right. If you had not shown this kind of ability, I might never have looked for you. But that is a thought born of your youth. Even between parent and child, one cannot be free of each other’s capabilities."
"Perhaps."
"Are you trying to condemn your father?"
"No, Father. Please don’t misunderstand."
"...Hm?"
With a cool, gentle smile, Baek Cheon said,
"I understand you. And I don’t think your words are wrong."
"Then?"
"I simply dislike it."
"...."
It was not a loud voice. Yet within that quiet tone lay an unwavering resolve.
"There’s no need to force together things that do not fit."
"Are you saying you wish to sever our ties?"
Baek Cheon shook his head.
"It’s not me who wants to sever anything. It’s you, Father. If I don’t live according to your will, weren’t you planning to stop treating me like your son?"
"I..."
"I won’t."
Jin Cho-baek’s eyes trembled faintly.
"I don’t carry any hatred left toward you. It was simply the kind of bond we were meant to have. Wherever I may be, you are still my father, and my brother is still my brother. We’re just walking different paths."
Jin Cho-baek seemed ready to say something, but in the end he closed his mouth tight.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"Dong-ryong."
"I’m Baek Cheon."
"...Yes. Baek Cheon. Think carefully about this. This is advice from your father, and also from a senior who walked the path of a martial artist before you did. If you stay in Mount Hua like this, you will only waste your talent."
"...."
"There may be no problem now. But as you grow older, Mount Hua will become a burden to you. To carry everything alone in a place where no one can pull you forward and no one can protect you... that is an unbearably difficult thing."
Jin Cho-baek looked straight at Baek Cheon.
"Southern Edge is different. If you return, Southern Edge will support and back you wholeheartedly. Then the position of the strongest under heaven will not be a dream..."
"Father."
But Baek Cheon cut him off firmly.
There wasn’t even the slightest wavering on his face as he met his father’s gaze.
"I am the one who will become the Sect Leader of Mount Hua."
"...."
"You said there is no one to pull me forward and no one to protect me?"
As he spoke, Baek Cheon suddenly gave a low laugh.
How little you know.
He was in Mount Hua.
In Mount Hua, of all places.
The people who would pull him forward and protect him.
And...
"Even if that were true, nothing would change. Because..."
Baek Cheon wore a splendid smile.
"The person I want to become most like has already walked that path. I can’t exactly start whining about it, can I?"
"...."
Jin Cho-baek glared at Baek Cheon with eyes turned cold and stiff.
"You truly mean to choose that path? In front of your father?"
"I’m sorry, Father."
Baek Cheon lowered his head slightly. But there wasn’t the slightest hint of apology in his expression.
"But this is my path. The path I want to walk. Even if Southern Edge could make me the strongest under heaven, I wouldn’t be pleased. My wish is not to become the strongest under heaven myself, but for Mount Hua to become the greatest sect under heaven."
"...How foolish."
Jin Cho-baek ground his teeth lightly and lifted his head to the sky.
Then he said,
"Come out."
At the sudden command, Baek Cheon looked around in surprise.
Jin Cho-baek snapped again, his voice icy.
"I said come out. Since when did Mount Hua become a place where rats hide in the bushes to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations?"
"...We got caught."
"We got caught, yeah?"
"We’re caught."
"...."
At the flood of accusing stares, Chung Myung flinched.
This shouldn’t be happening.
Was this Jin Cho-baek actually far more capable than he’d expected?
Krrr, as expected of Dong-ryong’s dad! What a master, to sense us even through my qi barrier.
Half in admiration and half in panic, Chung Myung carefully inched his backside backward.
"What do we do?"
"What else? If we’ve been caught, we go out."
With a sigh, Chung Myung got to his feet.
Then Jin Cho-baek’s angry voice rang out again.
"You still don’t intend to come out?"
Chung Myung snapped irritably,
"Ah, we’re coming out—"
"Come out now!"
"...Huh?"
Everyone blinked in confusion.
But it was already too late to turn back. He had gotten up and half emerged from the undergrowth.
His eyes met those of a group that had just burst out from the opposite side.
Chung Myung’s cheek twitched.
"Sect Leader?"
"Elders?"
Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Yu I-seol, who had been following him out of the bushes, also stiffened.
They had come face-to-face with Hyun Jong, Hyun Young, and Hyun Sang, who had burst out from the opposite thicket and frozen in place.
"...."
"...."
The Sect Leader and the elders were speechless too, apparently equally stunned.
"No. Why are the Sect Leader and the elders here?"
"Why are you lot coming out from there?"
"We came to eavesdrop."
"So did we."
"...."
"...."
Seeing the two awkwardly staring groups, Baek Cheon covered his burning face.
"Please, just..."
"Ahem."
"Uheh-heh-heh!"
It was over.
This sect was already ruined.
From the middle of it all, Jin Cho-baek looked between both sides and let out a sigh so deep it seemed to pull the earth down with it.
"If you enjoy eavesdropping on others so much, then Mount Hua does not seem to be a sect of noblemen."
Hyun Jong’s face reddened slightly.
There was nothing to say when he’d been caught sneaking around like a thief to listen in.
"My apologies. I have nothing to say in my defense."
Jin Cho-baek looked at Hyun Jong quietly for a moment before offering a proper salute.
"Jin Cho-baek of Southern Edge pays respects to Mount Hua’s Sect Leader."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Elder Jin."
Given the circumstances, Hyun Jong’s expression was full of embarrassment as he returned the greeting.
But Jin Cho-baek was not done.
"However..."
Since he had already shown proper courtesy, it seemed he was determined to say his piece. He began pressing Hyun Jong.
"I never imagined the Sect Leader would do such a thing. Do you not think it unbecoming?"
"Of course it is unbecoming. However..."
Hyun Jong gave a wry smile and looked at Baek Cheon. There was a complicated expression hidden in that smile.
"How could I care about face when it comes to looking after the future of the sect? If that makes me a petty man, then I have no objection."
"Heh."
Jin Cho-baek stared at Hyun Jong in disbelief.
Baek Cheon and Hyun Jong both kept giving him the odd impression that something was seriously off with their way of thinking.
Is this the changed Mount Hua?
Mount Hua hadn’t been like this not long ago. How had it changed so much?
"If the Sect Leader doesn’t preserve face, what will become of the sect?"
"That’s true. It may not be good for the sect."
Hyun Jong nodded readily.
"But to me, Baek Cheon is a thousand times more important than the sect’s face or my own. Why would I worry about face first?"
"...."
It was a proud, unyielding answer.
Jin Cho-baek, staring silently at Hyun Jong, bit his lip lightly.
"This works out well enough. Since it has come to this, let me ask you, Sect Leader. Do you truly want Dong-ryong to abandon his family ties and become a disciple of Mount Hua?"
"It is impossible to abandon the bonds of blood."
"I knew you would say—"
"However."
Hyun Jong shook his head.
"If Baek Cheon becomes a Daoist of Mount Hua, that does not mean he is abandoning his family ties. Bonds are bonds, and the Dao is the Dao."
"...."
"And above all else, as Mount Hua’s Sect Leader, I have no intention of losing such a talent as Baek Cheon. This child is the kind of talent who will become a pillar to lead Mount Hua."
Jin Cho-baek’s face twitched. Anger surged in his wide eyes.
But Hyun Jong remained utterly firm.
"I will not hand Baek Cheon over to Southern Edge. If necessary, we’ll fight for him. We’ll fight until only one last disciple of Mount Hua remains if that’s what it takes. That is Mount Hua, and that is what fellow disciples are."
Every word from Hyun Jong was soaked in unmistakable affection.
Overwhelmed by the emotion of it all, just as Baek Cheon was about to speak,
"No, I mean, that’s a bit..."
"Ah, shut up already!"
"The Sect Leader is speaking, you idiot!"
"No, I’m just saying, if you look at the facts—"
"Quiet!"
Watching Chung Myung get chewed out from all sides by his senior brothers, Baek Cheon let out a long sigh.
That damn brat.
The surroundings instantly burst into noisy chaos.
In the middle of it all, Jin Cho-baek closed his eyes slightly.
So that’s it.
In truth, none of Hyun Jong’s warnings had meant anything to Jin Cho-baek.
What had truly stung him was the look in Baek Cheon’s eyes when he looked at the disciples of Mount Hua.
Your family is here.
A small pang of regret washed over him. But Jin Cho-baek did not let himself wallow in sentiment.
Looking at Baek Cheon, he said,
"I understand your intentions. Then, for now, I..."
"Please don’t say anything like severing the bonds between parent and child."
"...."
"That kind of thing doesn’t get cut just because you want it cut. It took me quite a while to understand that myself."
The corner of Jin Cho-baek’s mouth trembled faintly.
At this point, wasn’t this brat more like a father than a son?
"Very well."
Nodding, Jin Cho-baek cupped his hands toward Hyun Jong.
"Sect Leader. I have been rude."
"The rudeness was ours."
"Then."
Jin Cho-baek gave a light bow and glanced once at Baek Cheon.
"Come visit home sometime."
"Yes, Father."
"I’ll be going."
And without looking back, he walked away.
But Jin Geum-ryong did not follow his father. He remained where he was and glared at Chung Myung and Baek Cheon.
"It would be nice if you could become the Sect Leader of Mount Hua."
A chilling killing intent seeped from him.
"If Mount Hua still exists by then, that is."
Baek Cheon let out a sigh as he looked at Jin Geum-ryong.
"Brother. Please don’t lose yourself."
"You insolent bastard."
Bloodshot veins surfaced faintly in his murderous eyes.
"I’ll repay today’s humiliation here. Any disciple of Mount Hua who meets me should not expect to leave in one piece."
"You sure do talk a lot."
Jin Geum-ryong’s head whipped around toward Chung Myung.
"What? You want to go a round?"
Seeing Chung Myung puff out his stomach, Jin Geum-ryong smiled coldly.
"There’s no point here. I’ll bring down Mount Hua before everyone’s eyes with my own hands."
With that, Jin Geum-ryong turned away.
Baek Cheon watched his retreating back until it disappeared, then let out a heavy sigh.
"Chung Myung, I..."
"There’s only one way to fix a crooked family."
"...Huh?"
"Beat the crap out of them."
"...."
"Nice and thorough. People only wake up after they get hit."
At that heartfelt advice, Baek Cheon smiled faintly.
"I’m glad you don’t have a family."
This was sincere.
Truly.