Chapter 1168: Was I Really Wrong? (Part 3)

"Mm…."

Jo Gol looked around with bewildered eyes.

However, no one opened their mouths to offer an excuse for Jo Gol. Because those words were not just for Jo Gol, but for all of them.

"What...?"

"Doesn't it seem so?"

Beopjeong nodded.

"Who among you said that we must go to the Southern Sea?"

"…."

"Did Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword decide it on his own?"

Beopjeong's gaze pierced through the crowd. Baek Cheon lowered his head as if he had committed a sin, even though he himself didn't realize it.

"Even if he did, you should have stopped him. It's too obvious who would be the most in danger in the journey to the Southern Sea."

"…."

"But whether you know or not, if you eventually go to the Southern Sea, then, of course, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword will be at the forefront."

No one dared to say it wasn't so.

In the end, they knew it was likely to turn out that way.

Had Mount Hua ever been anything other than reckless?

"Mount Hua has repeatedly done things that couldn't be described as reckless enough. Let's leave aside the affairs of the Ten Great Sects; what about the Northern Sea? The Yangtze River? And what about Hangzhou?"

Each incident mentioned caused a brief tremor on everyone's faces.

"Was there any place among them that wasn't dangerous? Was there any place where lives didn't have to be risked?"

"…."

"And at the forefront, as if it were natural, was Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."

Jo Gol bit his lip.

To Jo Gol, those words conveying only facts sounded like a reproach, as if they had always placed Chung Myung at the most dangerous forefront.

"Many times risking his life, many times coming back alive. And those achievements bolstered the glory of Mount Hua and the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Those who followed him naturally discussed their righteousness and boasted of their own performance. But…."

Beopjeong stared at everyone with stern eyes.

"I ask you, if Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword wasn't at the forefront, could you really have risked your lives and fought? Could you have upheld that righteousness, saying it doesn't matter if you die?"

"…."

"Probably not. Yeah, it won't be."

Beopjeong's voice was firm.

"It couldn't have been. The reason you've been able to face formidable enemies with courage so far is probably because Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword has been in front of you. You've just mistakenly thought it was your own courage."

Baek Cheon gnawed at his lips.

The fact that he couldn't refute anything, even though his insides were burning, was making Baek Cheon painfully aware.

"Of course, I'm not saying that relying on someone like Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword is wrong. With someone like him in the front, wouldn't it be natural to lean on him? But...."

Beopjeong slowly shook his head.

"In the end, that reliance will become a burden on the back of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. Someday, you'll regret it after pushing him into the jaws of death. You'll realize what you've done."

Beopjeong's gaze, now off Baek Cheon, turned back to Jo Gol.

"But does even Shaolin have to rely on the back of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword? Am I, as the Sect Leader of Shaolin, supposed to put a bigger burden on those shoulders when I can't do anything?"

"Well, that...."

"At least, that wouldn't be the way of Shaolin. As the Sect Leader, it's even more unlikely for me."

Jo Gol clenched his fist as if he were suffocating.

He couldn't refute it.

To be honest, Jo Gol had stopped regarding Beopjeong as a remarkable person at some point.

The status of being the Sect Leader of Shaolin might be admirable, and his power as a martial artist might be worthy of respect, but Jo Gol didn't think that he should either respect or guard against him as a human being.

Because what he had shown so far was always being one step behind Chung Myung, or going in the opposite direction of where Chung Myung wanted to go and ending up in shame.

But at this moment, Jo Gol and the others here couldn't help but feel it keenly.

Why Beopjeong became the Sect Leader of Shaolin. How great a person he must have been to be in that position of being the Sect Leader.

They had forgotten that it was not Mount Hua or them who had been winning against Beopjeong all this time, but only Chung Myung.

"Do you understand, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword?"

"…."

"So far, you've done things that no one could have imagined. These feats became your strength and milstones for those who followed you. But...."

Chung Myung briefly bit his lips at Beopjeong's gaze directed at him.

"You must have felt it too. You couldn't have not felt it. It is no different from executing a sword dance on the edge of a precarious cliff."

"Even if you succeed ten times, the moment you fail once, you'll lose everything. No, perhaps, as much as you've achieved, you'll lose even more painfully. It will be what you least want to lose."

Beopjeong quietly asked Chung Myung.

"Isn't it burdensome?"

"…."

"People who have someone to rely on may not understand the feelings of those who bear the responsibility alone. The further you go, the heavier your responsibility becomes. Those who rely on you have increased, and the situation has become more dangerous. To continue in this situation, you can't help but overburden yourself, right?"

Beopjeong said with a touch of pity.

"Even if you know what's awaiting you at the end, you won't be able to stop. That's the path you're walking. It's no different from forever walking a thorny path with bare feet. At first, it's just a small cut, but as those cuts accumulate with more and more blood flowing, someday, the blood will become too much to ignore and soak your entire body."

Perhaps at this moment.

Chung Myung may have encountered someone who truly understood him for the first time.

Someone who understood what he was doing, what kind of life he was living.

"But, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword, the path isn't the only way, is it?"

Beopjeong swept his gaze over the others.

"If you join us, you won't have to bear so much. Shaolin and the Ten Great Sects are still lacking, and I am still dull, but we can share the burden with you."

"…."

"So, now, stop being stubborn."

Chung Myung still looked at Beopjeong with eyes full of disbelief.

"It's surprising."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't realize that the Bangjang's tongue was this smooth."

It was clearly a sarcastic remark. It didn't seem appropriate no matter how you looked at it to make such a remark against the Sect Leader of Shaolin.

But Beopjeong, instead of feeling bad, just chuckled.

"Living, you'll have days when even the smallest praise feels good, it seems."

"Does it sound like praise?"

"Isn't it?"

Chung Myung nodded.

There was no one as difficult to deal with as someone who had completely let go of themselves. Against someone who had no reason to be hurt or angry, provocation wouldn't work.

Right now, Chung Myung was acutely realizing that fact.

"Words may flow like poured oil, but how can you guarantee that all of it wasn't originally embellished with the Bangjang's desires in good words? We've already been deceived enough by Bangjang. Since there's no inherent trust between us, it's impossible to believe just because we're told to believe."

"Look, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."

"Go on, say what you have to say."

"As you say, all of this started with my excessive desires."

"Perhaps."

"Then, am I wrong in what I'm saying?"

Chung Myung furrowed his brows. He couldn't quite understand what Beopjeong was trying to say.

"Well…."

"Not so."

Beopjeong said firmly.

"You all trying to uphold righteousness could also be seen as a kind of desire. Isn't it inherent for humans to live for what they pursue?"

"…."

"The greater good isn't anything extraordinary. When one's personal greed is no longer confined to one's own desires and turns toward something greater, isn't greed then transformed into a greater good?"

Beopjeong murmured like an enlightened monk.

"I just hope. That the world can navigate through this crisis a bit more smoothly. It's so clear what I need to do for that. If I can reconcile the divided factions and unite our strength, what could be better?"

There was no hesitation in his words. Not at all.

Therefore, even those who listened to his words inadvertently nodded their heads.

"And the small desire I harbor. That desire, born out of greed, will clear the thorny bushes ahead of the path you walk. Eventually, it will even guide the path of Mount Hua."

Chung Myung stared at Beopjeong without saying a word.

"Please just understand one thing."

"…."

"It may sound like an excuse, but everyone makes mistakes and is prone to wrongdoing. The important thing is to learn from those mistakes and move forward, isn't it?"

Beopjeong closed his eyes and bowed slightly.

"Amitabhul. I understand all the wrongs I've committed. So, I apologize with a bowed head like this. So, just understand this wretched person once."

Chung Myung unconsciously clenched and relaxed his hands. Everyone makes mistakes. The crucial thing is not to linger on those mistakes but to move forward. Chung Myung not only understood but embodied this proverb with all his might.

"Bangjang."

"Speak."

Chung Myung took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"Let's assume everything Bangjang says is correct."

"…."

"But the conclusion is just saying that we'll stand by and ignore as Southern Island deteriorates and dies. Who will bear that guilt?"

"Who else? Of course, I have to bear my share of it."

"…Do you think your life alone will be enough to bear the weight?"

"Perhaps not. Yes, my life alone might not be enough. But… what can I do? Is it difficult to bear alone, so should I demand the blood of others? Or should I ask others to share the responsibility with me?"

"…."

"If not me, who will go to hell? I will gladly accept everything. And if it means getting out of this crisis and saving even one more person, wouldn't I be able to smile even in the midst of the blazing sulfur flames?"

Beopjeong grinned faintly.

"I've said all I need to. Now, all that's left is a choice. Will you accept my proposal, or will you not?"

Beopjeong chanted briefly and stood up.

"I won't wait for an answer in this place. I'll visit again in about three days. Sect Leader."

"Ar-are you leaving?"

"I hope Sect Leader also makes the right decision. Venerable Beopjeong has figured out where I need to go. I hope Sect Leader does the same. Well then."

Beopjeong bowed deeply, and with his monk's robe swaying, he left the room.

An indescribable tension settled in the room after he left. No one spoke, and no one looked at each other.

And in that moment.

Swish.

Chung Myung, without a word, rose from his seat and left the room.

"…Chung Myung."

A small sigh escaped Baek Cheon's lips as he watched that retreating back wander out of the room.