Chapter 1167: Was I Really Wrong? (Part 2)

"Ah...."

Unintentionally, a sound escaped from Baek Cheon's lips. He couldn't have imagined that such words would come out of Beopjeong's mouth.

Who was Beopjeong? None other than the leader of the millennium-old Shaolin Sect. Even if Beopjeong truly felt that way, it was not something one in the position of the leader of Shaolin should utter.

However, the main reason Baek Cheon let out the gasp was that...

He had found himself empathizing with Beopjeong's words.

The statement that a genius forcing a fool to follow his path was nothing more than another name for violence struck a chord with him. Yes, he empathized.

Because he felt it so deeply.

Chung Myung's way of leading them was difficult to describe with just the term "harsh." And among them, Baek Cheon lived an exceptionally harsh life. If he showed even a hint of struggle or disdain for training, the disciples looking up to him would crumble first.

The Five Swords followed Chung Myung, but those walking the difficult path with him saw not Chung Myung's back but Baek Cheon enduring the same training.

Therefore, Baek Cheon had no choice but to empathize with those words. No matter how hard he tried, no matter how much effort he put in, he could not catch up and only seemed to drift further away. The one who had suffered the most from the despair of never catching up was undoubtedly Baek Cheon.

Why hadn't he considered it before? Perhaps this was a mistake, and he had been chasing an unattainable illusion from the beginning. Could he confidently say that there were no doubts about pursuing something unreachable and failing at it?

But now Beopjeong was saying the same words that Baek Cheon had thought but never dared to speak aloud. Even Chung Myung, usually never at a loss for words, couldn't finish the sentence. He just stared at Beopjeong in a daze.

"Is my statement wrong?"

Beopjeong asked, tilting his head quietly.

"Looking back, no one in Plum Blossom Island made a wrong choice. If there was anyone who had made a mistake, it was only Namgung Hwang, doing something he shouldn't have done."

Namgung Dowi bit his lip. Beopjeong stared at him with eyes filled with regret, However, he did not retract his words.

"To sacrifice others to compensate for his mistake was not a choice I would make. Even if that were the case, I might have received praise for overflowing righteousness, but the cost of that praise would have been offering the blood of others."

"I... "

"That's right. Yes, exactly. But you could have saved Namgung without shedding blood. Yes, it was just that difference. Each of us made the best choice from our own perspectives. Look, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. Do you really think I should have headed to Plum Island at the expense of Shaolin?"

Chung Myung gritted his teeth loudly.

"Do you not find it pathetic to make excuses?"

"..."

"In this world, there are plenty of people who, knowing their abilities are lacking, still risk their lives for righteousness. If you could only do what you are capable of, you should have abandoned the name of a righteous sect long ago."

"That might be true."

Beopjeong, chanting Amitabhul, looked at Chung Myung with transparent eyes.

"Then let me ask. If the same situation were to happen again, would you head to Plum Blossom Island?"

"The answer is obvious..."

"At what cost? How many disciples of Mount Hua are you willing to let die for that decision?"

"This...!"

For a moment, murderous intent surged from Chung Myung's body.

Those were words no one should easily speak.

But Beopjeong, with an indifferent gaze, simply asked, ignoring Chung Myung's anger.

"Ten is acceptable?"

"..."

"Twenty? Thirty? Or perhaps fifty?"

"Bangjang."

"No, I'll change my words."

Beopjeong's gaze turned to The Five Swords behind Chung Myung. To Hye Yeon, who was biting his lip beside him.

"How about those here? If they all died, would you be satisfied, nodding approvingly, having rescued Namgung Sogaju and the remaining people?"

Chung Myung remained silent. And in that moment, Baek Cheon felt it.

So far, there have been quite a few instances where Chung Myung closed his mouth during arguments. However, that was mostly waiting for the other person's words. There were almost no cases where he closed his mouth because he had nothing to say.

But now, none other than Chung Myung was unable to respond to the Bangjang's words.

"No. It couldn't be. Perhaps by now, you might have become a wreck. You wouldn't be unaware that all of that was the result of your choices."

"..."

"Then let me ask."

Beopjeong opened his mouth with a firm voice.

"How can you blame others for not doing what you can't do yourself?"

"..."

"I'm not blaming your hypocrisy. It wouldn't be hypocrisy. You undoubtedly thought you were willing to endure the sacrifices of Mount Hua when heading to Plum Blossom Island. That must have been sincere."

Everyone nodded at those words.

How vehemently did Chung Myung oppose going to Plum Blossom Island? Didn't everyone clearly see it?

"But it's just words. But deep down, you probably had the confidence that even if you went to Plum Blossom Island, you could resolve the situation without significant sacrifices. Am I wrong?"

"..."

"That's right. That's you. You are that kind of person."

Beopjeong smiled slightly.

When he let go of everything, he saw. He admitted he was at fault, and he understood that Chung Myung saw things differently. What kind of person this disciple was.

The only reason he couldn't understand Chung Myung was one.

'This person called Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword views things as if he has experienced something he has never experienced.'

And he calculates the uncharted territory that others can't calculate. What seems endlessly reckless to others is undoubtedly vividly drawn in the mind of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.

How can an ordinary person understand such an individual?

"But I don't have that confidence."

"..."

"So answer this. Even if you lose half of Mount Hua, will you really head to Plum Blossom Island? Can you continue to live like that, keeping that righteousness in the future?"

Chung Myung's face twisted.

He couldn't answer rashly. He knew that this answer would become his shackles. The moment he answered affirmatively here, whenever the same thing happened in the future, he would have to charge into enemy territory without care for his life.

It was nothing if Chung Myung became a hypocrite. To begin with, Chung Myung was never someone who cared about such things.

However, it wasn't Chung Myung who would be shackled by this conversation but those who were listening. Even if Chung Myung intended to do so, they would not want to watch him fall into the abyss alone.

"That's the way of Mount Hua."

"Are you saying that it's wrong?"

Beopjeong slowly shook his head in response to Baek Cheon's question, who had opened his mouth instead of Chung Myung.

"Is that possible? It's excellent. It's truly remarkable. I'm just endlessly jealous. I, too, have hoped for my entire life for Shaolin to be in that position."

"..."

"But I can't. I can't do that. I am too inadequate for that. Now, Dojang. Let me ask you, have I really gone so wrong?"

Baek Cheon lowered his head and remained silent.

Beopjeong was also a human being. How could anyone claim that avoiding a situation where he has to kill his own disciples to save others is wrong? No one would dare to say such words.

While one could criticize Shaolin for behaving unbecomingly with their position, it was impossible to blame Beopjeong as an individual for making the wrong choice.

On the contrary, because Baek Cheon was from Mount Hua, because he was a Mount Hua disciple who found living with his fellow disciples more terrifying than being alone, he couldn't bring himself to utter such words. [idk, this part is probably wrong....idk if even it's Baek Cheon...]

"I was not wrong. To get this answer, I had to let go of too much."

A fleeting sense of regret passed through Beopjeong's calm eyes.

"But... Mount Hua was not wrong either. In fact, it was right. More than me."

"..."

"So, isn't it absurd? When there is no one wrong, we were only discussing each other's mistakes."

"Is that ultimately what you're trying to say?"

"Look, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."

Beopjeong sighed.

"Give me a little understanding."

"..."

"I am someone who cannot become like you. However, why do you blame me for not becoming like you? That is too harsh for me as well."

"..."

At that moment, Jo Gol, who had been holding back the entire time, raised his voice.

"Bangjang's words are incorrect."

Beopjeong turned his head to look at Jo Gol.

"Why?"

"The words are all true. However, if you acknowledge that, isn't there another choice?"

Everyone looked at Jo Gol with puzzled expressions. They couldn't think of another choice.

"If Bangjang admits that he is slightly inferior to Chung Myung, instead of bringing Mount Hua to the Ten Great Sects, why not have the Ten Great Sects join the Heavenly Comrade Alliance? Then Chung Myung can handle the Ten Great Sects, right?"

"...."

"Wouldn't that solve everything? Why should someone smarter and better at handling situations have to accommodate Bangjang? Wouldn't that be better for everyone?"

For a moment, some nodded in agreement with those words.

Realistically, it might be impossible, but wasn't it at least the best alternative?

However, Beopjeong, upon hearing those words, shot Jo Gol a cold look that was not visible to Chung Myung.

"Do you truly believe that is right?"

"Yes! It's right!"

"I debated whether to say this, but now that the topic is brought up, I'll just say it."

"...Yes?"

"Who are the people dragging down Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword?"

Jo Gol flinched for a moment. The voice was too solemn.

"Hyun Jong."

Sect Leader bit his lip.

"The elders."

Hyun Young and Hyun Sang lowered their heads.

"And all of you here."

"...."

"Until now, you've all just admired the countless achievements of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. You've just held expectations that a hero will achieve what you can't. So, you probably thought. Just endure that forced acknowledgment. Then, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword will always be right, just like before."

"...."

"Because I staked my life, it's fine? Because I'm prepared to die?"

Beopjeong glared at everyone with anger in his eyes.

"Listen carefully. When this situation repeats, and Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword holds full responsibility again, what you will face is not your heroic death, but!"

Beopjeong's voice struck everyone.

"After saving you, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword will turn into a cold corpse. That's the reality that you all must face someday."

Everyone vaguely knew this fact. Yet, even though they knew it, the fact that Beopjeong bluntly stated it pierce through everyone's heart.