Chapter 1207: Now, The Sect Is Finally Back On Track! (Part 2)

Hyun Jong looked at the person sitting in front of him with pitiful eyes.

Unlike the deep sorrow in his own eyes, the expression of the person in front of him was incredibly calm, making him feel even more bitter.

'I am truly an inadequate person.'

Looking back, Baek Cheon's points were accurate. Hyun Jong was undoubtedly burdened by excessive responsibility for both the Baek disciples and the Chung disciples, and that's why he wanted to protect them at all costs.

Until the day they could enjoy what they deserved.

But thinking about it, the ones he really should have cherished and protected weren't the Baek or Chung disciples, but rather the Un line disciples.

Of course, the Baek and Chung disciples were pitiful because they entered the fallen Mount Hua, but the Un disciples were the ones who suffered the full effects of that fall. They had to bear the despair of not being able to protect the Mount Hua Sect until the end, and watched the remaining power they held plummet as wind and rain fell.

Yet, Hyun Jong couldn't cherish the Un disciples as he did the Baek and Chung disciples.

'I am truly incompetent.'

Even though he knew in his mind that in a troubled household, the one facing the most difficult situation was the eldest son, he felt like the most useless father who couldn't take his eyes off the youngest son. And by the time he realized that fact, he was already a pitiful father who had nothing left to offer to the eldest son.

"Really...."

Hyun Jong asked slightly hesitantly, perhaps because his throat felt a little choked up.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

In response to the voice filled with unavoidable regrets, Un Am scratched his head.

"Sorry, Sect Leader. Isn't this story already finished?"

"It may be for you, but not for me."

Hyun Jong let out a deep sigh.

"Hey, you. Has there ever been a case where such an impactful decision was made so hastily without even discussing it with me, the Sect Leader?"

"I apologize for that. However, it wasn't a situation where I could discuss it at all...."

"Still, you should have done it. Even so."

Un Am awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Hyun Jong sighed again.

It wasn't that Un Am was making him frustrated. It was because the words he was saying to Un Am felt no different from the complaints of an old man who had aged who had become stubborn.

"You.... Was appointing the Deputy Sect Leader so easy?"

"It's not like that."

Un Am smiled calmly.

"The position of Mount Hua's Deputy Sect Leader comes with tremendous responsibilities and abilities. Only the best in the sect are worthy of that position."

"...."

"So, it's not my position."

"No!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Hyun Jong erupted in frustration.

"What are you lacking? Why do you say it's not your position? You should have naturally taken that position!"

"Sect Leader."

Un Am let out a small, slightly awkward sigh with a humble expression on his face. Originally, he wasn't a soft-hearted person, but perhaps due to the way Hyun Jong looked at him, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Don't consider me so highly."

"What are you talking about?"

"If it were ordinary times, not necessarily an era of complete peace but at least a reasonably prosperous era, I would have naturally aspired to the position of Sect Leader."

".."

"But these are not those times."

His voice was simply composed. Despite Hyun Jong being so earnest, there seemed to be no trace of regret in Un Am.

A detached Taoist? No, that wasn't it. If he were a detached Taoist, the position of Sect Leader wouldn't have any value. Un Am fully understood the value of the position of Mount Hua's Sect Leader, yet he didn't seem to cling to it unnecessarily.

Hyun Jong was extremely proud of this fact, but he was also indescribably saddened by it.

"The one who leads Mount Hua in the coming era must be more trustworthy than anyone else and must have a quicker judgment than anyone else."

Un Am nodded with a smile on his face.

"But, Sect Leader, I am not that person. I have confidence in enduring, waiting, and making good decisions after careful consideration. But such a role is challenging."

"Hey, why do you think that way? Couldn't those kids and your brothers, help you? Am I doing the role of the Mount Hua's Sect Leader because I'm so great?"

"That could be true. However, Sect Leader, is it necessary for me to do that?"

Un Am chuckled softly.

"They are good kids."

"..."

"What makes me uncomfortable is not the fact that I couldn't become the Sect Leader. It's not even about feeling conflicted about the difference between the path I had in mind and the path I would take now. What truly makes me uncomfortable is the gaze of the disciples in the sect who don't know what to do while looking at me."

"..."

"It's unnecessary, really, to get involved with such kind-hearted kids."

Hyun Jong closed his eyes. From the beginning, he knew. Convincing was impossible.

In some ways, Un Am was the most stubborn person in Mount Hua. If he didn't have that aspect, he wouldn't have made the decision to continue the legacy of Mount Hua. So once he made up his mind, it would be irreversible, no matter what measures were taken.

"Un Am."

"No need to look at me with those eyes, Sect Leader."

"..."

"I hope you don't keep thinking about what you couldn't do. The way a teacher looks at a student or a parent looks at a child is inevitable, but isn't my position different?"

Un Am spoke with a smile on his face.

"Not becoming the Sect Leader doesn't make me unhappy. I am immensely happy to be a humble member of Mount Hua."

"..."

"And not becoming the Sect Leader doesn't mean that the responsibilities I have in Mount Hua have disappeared. Perhaps I may become even busier than the Sect Leader. It won't be easy for Baek Sang the Clan to run the sect alone. "As you know, Baek Cheon may have the position, but doesn't he lack talent in such matters?"

"Un Am..."

"Sect Leader."

Un Am looked directly at Hyun Jong as he spoke.

"I used to want to become a plum blossom."

"..."

"I wanted to be a vibrant plum blossom, inheriting the years of your endurance and bringing an end to your winter."

Un Am quietly shook his head

"But eventually, I realized that role wasn't mine, and I am not the person for it."

Hyun Jong made a suppressed sound of distress. In contrast, Un Am's face remained calm.

"So, I wanted to become the roots. I realized that for a flower to bloom brightly, the roots must be strong. Even if I'm buried in the soil, what's the problem as long as the children who come after me bloom beautiful flowers?"

"The position of Sect Leader is like those roots, Un Am."

"Yes, that's right. However... as time passed, I realized even those roots were not my role."

Pain flashed in Hyun Jong's eyes. Unable to become a flower or even the roots. Then what was Un Am supposed to be?

Sensing the emotions in Sect Leader's eyes, Un Am smiled wryly.

"Sect Leader."

"Yes."

"So, do you now know what I want to become?"

"...What do you want to become?"

Un Am nodded calmly.

"I didn't know in my younger years. I couldn't envision it when my heart was filled with ambition and I struggled not to lose my vigor. At that time, all I could see was a vast plum blossom tree."

"..."

"But now I understand. Mount Hua is the plum blossom. However, isn't it true that without a firm foundation, no plum blossom can bloom?"

Those words weighed heavily on Hyun Jong's chest.

"That's why I want to become the soil. I want to be the foundation where those kids can plant their roots and bloom the most beautiful flowers. I may not be the plum blossom, but how can there be plum blossoms without soil? It's an important role too."

Hyun Jong closed his eyes.

The Tao (道器).

Such thoughts come to mind. Perhaps Hyun Jong, too, couldn't properly see the one who would truly bring out the essence of Mount Hua because he was too fixated on the rise and fall of the sect. If it were a peaceful era now... Un Am would undoubtedly have become a Sect Leader who would have been recognized by his predecessors. But like a flower blooming beautifully in barren land, the harsh times of Mount Hua had allowed Un Am to bloom the flower of the Tao.

"So, there's nothing to regret. If Baek Cheon becomes the Sect Leader and spreads the fame of Mount Hua, it's also my achievement. If Yoon Jong becomes the Sect Leader and spreads the Tao of Mount Hua, that too is my achievement, isn't it?"

"...What about Chung Myung?"

"Don't say such things..."

"..."

"..."

"Ah, well."

Hyun Jong, who cleared his throat awkwardly, fixed his complexion and looked at Un Am again.

"Are you okay with that?"

"It was sudden, but, as you know, I've thought about it for a long time. People have their own roles, unknown to them. Even Chung Myung joining Mount Hua must have had an underlying flow of circumstances we are unaware of."

"..."

"Just let it flow naturally, Sect Leader. Considering something natural as unnatural is just human desire, isn't it?"

Hyun Jong closed his eyes.

"You..."

"..."

"You are a Taoist, and I am just embarrassed."

Un Am chuckled softly.

"If you think so, don't be embarrassed; be proud. You made me what I am now, and you created the current Mount Hua. Our ancestors would surely think the same way."

"Yes... I suppose."

A sigh of regret flowed from Hyun Jong's mouth.

He understood Un Am's perspective, knew his thoughts were not wrong, and even understood it as a part of the natural order.

However, he held lingering regrets in his heart because he was human.

"Letting go of attachment and righteousness is a truly challenging thing. That's probably why enlightenment is such a difficult path. That's likely why I missed my chance."

Hyun Jong gently called Un Am.

"Un Am."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

He bowed deeply towards him. Un Am, surprised, grabbed Hyun Jong's shoulders and straightened him up.

"Why, why are you doing this, Sect Leader! You shouldn't do this."

"Thank you."

"..."

"As the former Sect Leader, as a Taoist, and as a person, let me say this. Just thank you."

Un Am couldn't respond and kept his mouth shut. Even the usually calm Un Am felt something welling up in his chest at this moment.

"Everyone in Mount Hua, and even the future Mount Hua, will remember you. You will teach the future generations what it truly means to follow the Tao."

Un Am paused for a moment and lowered his head.

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

His shoulders trembled slightly. Hyun Jong silently patted his shoulders.

Master and disciple, who had shared most of their lives together, comforted each other in silence. This moment lasted for quite a while...