Chapter 1494: There's No Need For That (Part 4)

Everyone held their breath and stared at Hyun Pung Shin Gae.

The first to break the heavy silence was the voice of someone who couldn't accept all of this.

".... What in the world...."

Lee Songbaek's eyes trembled slightly.

It was unbelievable but, at the same time, it was a story one couldn't help but believe.

If the old man was right, didn't that mean that the leaders of the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Families completely abandoned those who were sacrificed?

And among them, there must have been a sect leader of the Southern Edge Sect.

"What does that mean, exactly?"

As Lee Songbaek couldn't hold back and raised his voice, Hye Yeon silently held onto his arm.

"That...."

As Lee Songbaek and Hye Yeon locked eyes, Hye Yeon slowly shook his head. It seemed like now was not the time to speak out.

As Lee Songbaek fell silent, Hyun Pung Shin Gae spoke again.

"That statement wasn't entirely wrong.... Looking back, I understand. I was just as cowardly as anyone else. It was nothing more than sugar-coating sacrificing countless people for my own purposes."

".... Senior."

"The final team who climbed to the summit of Thousand Mountains eventually cut off the head of the Heavenly Demon. They broke through those slim odds. But... yes. The remnants of the Demonic Cult that we should have eradicated with our lives all gathered in Shaanxi without any harm."

A self-deprecating laugh escaped from Hyun Pung Shin Gae's mouth.

"Isn't it ridiculous? From that distant Thousand Mountains, breaking through Gangnam, crossing the Yangtze River, and reaching Shaanxi again, literally cutting through the center of the Central Plains.... In that arduous journey, only Mount Hua was sacrificed."

"Senior?"

"Was that really a coincidence?"

".... What?"

"The Plum Blossom Sword Saint beheaded the Heavenly Demon. Who witnessed that? All those who were already on that mountain lost their lives before that."

The faces of the Mount Hua disciples turned pale.

Could it be....

It might not have been easy to understand in the past. It was hard to feel the distance when you only saw it on the map.

But now, it could be understood. How absurd it sounded. Running that long road, literally with their own two legs.

"The fact that the Sword Saint beheaded the Heavenly Demon is almost unknown to the world. But ironically, the Demonic Cult knows that fact very well. Is that really... really a coincidence?"

"What on earth are you talking about!"

A scream burst out of Lee Songbaek's mouth.

Baek Cheon clenched his fist. The short, trimmed nails dug into his palm.

But Hyun Pung Shin Gae, who finally spoke, just calmly nodded his head.

"I can't just curse them. I, too, just held my breath. Their words were not wrong. While watching the remnants of the Devil Path rush to trample Mount Hua, I couldn't do anything. No, I didn't do anything. The spirit I believed in was all a lie."

A hand like a twisted branch trembled as it covered his face.

"If that's the case... If my spirit was a lie, what were those who died under that spirit? What have I... done?"

No one could bring themselves to speak.

Seeing an old man who had lived so long that you can't even guess, crying like a child... anyone would find it hard to muster the courage to console him.

But Chung Myung remained as composed as ever.

"So, is that why you made the Beggar's Union like this?"

"....That child called me a great sect leader, but.... that's not true."

Hyun Pung Shin Gae looked up at the ceiling with empty eyes.

"It was too easy. The half-collapsed world was overflowing with vagabonds and beggars. By just by accepting them as disciples, the Beggar's Union regained its former glory."

"...."

"However, I... watching them, I could only shake with guilt and anxiety. Someday, they will walk the same path as those sacrificed in the past. The blood of the Beggar's Union. The blood... that character as cruel as destiny will once again lead them to death."

Muttering, the old man looked at Chung Myung.

"....Was I wrong?"

"...."

"What should I have done? I couldn't do anything alone, and I couldn't change anything alone. If fate was already decided, was it wrong of me to think that I would at least not allow these pitiful ones to be sacrificed? Is it a mistake?"

The old man's voice felt desperate. Baek Cheon, who had been watching this scene, suddenly felt something strange. The tone of speech was changing continuously. It seemed like the old man was feeling confused. The exact reason was unknown.

At that moment, Chung Myung closed his eyes tightly. Then, slowly opening them again, he spoke.

"Is that why you endured until now?"

"...."

"Learning dark magic to forcibly extend your lifespan? There must have been severe pain following that."

A breeze-like laughter emanated from Hyun Pung Shin Gae's mouth.

"Physical pain... it's not even pain. I wanted to change the Beggar's Union. But I knew that no one would understand my words. So, slowly, I changed the Beggar's Union so that they wouldn't know. Nevertheless…There are still people who cannot swallow that spirit."

"...."

"That's why I had to live. Even if I had to hide in this gloomy room, even if I had to tie the lives of my disciple's disciples to this place and make them suffer, I..."

Hyun Pung Shin Gae suddenly stopped talking. It was because of Chung Myung's gaze. Under the piercing gaze that seemed to penetrate people, Hyun Pung Shin Gae trembled slightly.

"Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword...."

"...."

"I... I'm afraid of dying. I'm afraid of meeting those who died first. So, I can't die.... So...."

Chung Myung silently bit his lip. Regret and fear flashed in the old man's eyes.

"Enduring prolonged pain as if the body was burning in fire would be less painful than meeting those who died first. So... that's why I desperately avoided death. Somehow...."

Steady tears flowed down.

"Even breathing felt sinful, but I couldn't die. A dead person who can neither live nor die. That... that is me."

A deep and long sigh escaped from Baek Cheon's mouth.

He just wanted to know. Who was the one manipulating the Beggar's Union from behind.

But in the process, he didn't imagine hearing such a story. Wasn't this story too cruel?

"Why have you come...."

The old man spoke in a fading voice.

"Have you come to lead them to death again....? Are you telling me to commit another sin? I haven't repaid my sins for nearly a hundred years, and now you want to add more. Why have you come? Why...."

Baek Cheon couldn't bear to see more and closed his eyes.

He didn't think he could turn that heart around. Who could change a will that had been accumulated for nearly a hundred years, a heart that had solidified?

When Hyun Pung Shin Gae was about to lower his head with a confused expression, Chung Myung spoke.

"Everyone makes mistakes."

"...."

"Commits wrongs."

"...."

"Commits sins. Irreversible sins."

Hyun Pung Shin Gae's eyes trembled faintly.

"Sometimes, I deny everything I've said, thrust everything I believed in my life into the abyss. And I deny it, justifying it."

Chung Myung stared straight at the old man.

"That's human. It's vile and horrible. But still, in the end, people go on living."

"...."

"I won't say that your path was wrong. But I can't say it was right either."

"What was wrong?"

"You won't be understood here."

"...."

"Assuming that no one will understand me, I tried to bear everything alone, thinking that everyone would predictably fail to understand me."

The eyebrows of Hyun Pung Shin Gae trembled.

"It's an escape disguised as loneliness. If I'm gone, it will just be a sandcastle that will collapse again. No matter how splendid it is, a sandcastle is just a sandcastle."

Chung Myung's gaze turned to the back. Master Lu was standing with an extremely complex expression.

"And that just creates another sacrifice."

The old man looked back and forth between Chung Myung and Master Lu as he listened to the story. After contemplating and struggling for a long time, the old man slowly opened his lips. A metallic sound mixed into his deeply suppressed voice.

"Step aside... for a moment. Everyone."

"Shifu. That...."

"Do as I say."

In the end, Master Lu nodded, and when he saw Hyun Pung Shin Gae's gaze, it seemed that he shouldn't resist now.

"Let's go down."

Without saying a word, the others followed Master Lu. Only one person, Chung Myung, remained in his place as if it were predetermined.

Baek Cheon, looking back as if something lingering remained, glanced down for the last time and immediately headed downstairs. Chung Myung then spread his energy wide and blocked the sound.

Now, the only ones who could hear the sound in this place would be Chung Myung and Hyun Pung Shin Gae.

"Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."

"....Speak."

In the moment when only two were left, Chung Myung's tone became somewhat awkward.

However, Hyun Pung Shin Gae looked at Chung Myung without saying anything as if he didn't care about such things.

"I... I've been hearing your story for a while now."

"...."

"At first, it was uncomfortable. The one who revived the Mount Hua that I had turned away from, the Mount Hua that I couldn't even turn my head to see."

Chung Myung looked silently at Hyun Pung Shin Gae.

"But as I watched your actions more and more, I couldn't help but have one doubt. Is all of this really... something that can be done only by the ability of a person born with extraordinary talent?"

"...."

"In watching you like that, I eventually reached one conclusion. That's why... that's why I was so afraid to face you."

A voice full of endless regret flowed out.

"I was afraid and, at the same time, hopeful. It became a severe pain and, at the same time, an indescribable joy."

The withered hand reached out towards Chung Myung. The trembling hand was filled with an unimaginable fear. But Hyun Pung Shin Gae didn't stop and extended that hand fully.

"Plum..."

A voice like that of a child flowed out from the lips full of wrinkles.

"Is it true... Is it true?"

Transparent tears flowed. Tears poured down like a flood, covering the dry face without leaving any space on the chin.

"Is my, my thought correct? Please answer. Is it right for me to see you?"

Hyun Pung Shin Gae's body trembled pitifully. Even a sinner in front of the god of death would not tremble like this.

Desperately trying to regain control of his swaying body, he stared at Chung Myung.

"Please..."

Watching Hyun Pung Shin Gae, Chung Myung closed his eyes.

A brief memory.

The Hyun Pung Shin Gae of his youth, whom he met one day as if passing by. The middle-aged Hyun Pung Shin Gae, who looked at the Plum Blossom Sword Saint with admiration that couldn't be expressed in words.

"Yes."

A composed voice flowed out of Chung Myung's mouth.

Words that had been held back for too long.

He never believed that the day would come when he would utter it himself.

"I... am the Sword Saint."

Hyun Pung Shin Gae's body trembled like a mirage. It seemed that he couldn't say anything but a creaking groan.

Then, he soon desperately brought both hands together in front of his chest. He extended the fist towards Chung Myung.

"Hy...Hyun Pung Shin Gae of the Beggar's Union."

The deeply bowed head contained the utmost respect.

"I dare...dare greet the Sword Saint."