"Wh-what happened, Sect Leader?"
As soon as Heo Sanja saw Heo Dojin, he shouted anxiously. However, Heo Dojin simply stared at him for a moment before silently moving into his quarters.
"Sect Leader!"
Startled, Heo Sanja called out again, then hurriedly followed Heo Dojin inside.
"What did they say? They didn't insist on their stubbornness until the end, did they?"
"...."
"Sect Leader! Please, say something. Are they really going through with it, despite you speaking to them personally?"
Fear and hope swirled simultaneously in Heo Sanja's eyes. A short sigh escaped Heo Dojin's lips as he looked at Heo Sanja.
"They said they would."
"What... What were they thinking...?"
For a moment, Heo Sanja stammered as if someone had strangled him. Then he jumped up from his seat and shouted.
"I-I will go and talk to them. No! I will beat them down if necessary."
"It's useless."
Heo Sanja stopped mid-motion, staring blankly at Heo Dojin. With a look of almost hollow resignation, Heo Dojin shook his head.
"It's useless. No words... Yes, no words will reach them."
"No..."
"It's not a situation where you can persuade them with righteous words. No, perhaps..."
He might even be falling behind in terms of righteousness.
How could he possibly persuade those who have resolved to act on what they have learned themselves?
A faint sneer appeared on Heo Dojin's lips as he sank into thought. It wasn't directed at the young disciples, who were ignorant of the world and shouting about preserving righteousness and pride.
It was a sneer at himself and the current Wudang Sect, which shouted about preserving righteousness and pride with their mouths but urged retreat at the slightest threat to avoid any damage.
"So, are you saying we should just stand by and do nothing?"
"...."
"Sect Leader! Are you really going to let those kids die? Are you going to let them all perish under the blades of the Evil Sect?"
Now, Heo Sanja was almost screaming. Heo Dojin took a long breath and asked in return.
"Then what should we do?"
"Persuade them!"
"I told you it won't work."
"Then grab them by the collar, kick them, and stop them!"
"And treat them like ignorant children?"
"With such carefree words now..."
"So, you're saying we should deprive Wudang's disciples of the opportunity to fulfill their intentions and brand them as survivors of the elders' sacrifices?"
Heo Sanja's eyes wavered. At the same time, confusion crossed his face. He couldn't understand.
The Heo Dojin he knew was a person who had no hesitation in putting his words into action. Someone who would give up his own life or the lives of his disciples for Wudang without hesitation.
But now...
"If this could be resolved that way, I would have done so. But let me ask again. If we survive this way, then what? What happens afterward?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"If this ends the war, then of course we should swallow our pride. But what if it doesn't end? What then?"
"That..."
Heo Sanja, who had opened his mouth, quickly looked at Heo Dojin, realizing his mistake.
Even if they endure this, the war won't end. The bitter fight against the Evil Tyrant Alliance will continue for a long time.
So what should Wudang do then?
Should they fight at the forefront for revenge? Or should they retreat again, handing over dangerous tasks to others while avoiding the risk?
"That..."
Heo Sanja couldn't find the words. In his heart, he wanted to say they should choose the former. But if they chose the former, the only difference would be the timing of their deaths. The result wouldn't change. Wudang would have to bear almost total annihilation.
The latter? Choosing the latter might ensure survival. But would Wudang, which cowardly retreated throughout the war, still be called 'Wudang' afterward?
Heo Sanja's eyes darkened. Then he asked with a desperate face.
"Isn't it possible that it might not end up that way?"
But even as he asked, there was no confidence on his face.
"We already have precedents, don't we? In the past..."
"In a land where people have three eyes, a person with two eyes is treated as disabled."
"...What?"
"At that time, everyone had three eyes."
Heo Dojin's lips twisted into a smirk.
It's different from the Great Demonic Sect Uprising of the past. Back then, every sect except Mount Hua was preoccupied with ensuring their own safety. As a result, Mount Hua ended up being the only odd sect out.
But now, it's different.
Now that the Heavenly Comrade Alliance has declared its intention to unite numerous sects and walk the righteous path, what kind of treatment will the Wudang Sect, which ran away from the enemy for the sake of their sect's safety, receive?
The situation is similar yet completely different.
Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword, Chung Myung, has completely changed the stance of those involved in the war.
"Then those guys..."
"No."
Heo Dojin shook his head.
"They didn't decide based on such considerations. They just didn't want to run away a second time. As swordsmen, as disciples of Wudang, and as individuals who must uphold righteousness."
"...."
"How can words turn them from their determination? I was the one who taught and preached that Wudang disciples should live righteously. Now, I'm facing my own cowardice for not being able to do what I taught and preached myself."
"How can you call that cowardice? Who could dare to call you cowardly when you're willing to bear all the burdens and even lay down your life? You, the Sect Leader, are not such a person!"
Heo Sanja shouted, his face twisted with emotion, but Heo Dojin's eyes remained fixed on the empty air.
What is right and what is wrong?
If it were as clear as calculating numbers, it wouldn't be difficult. The reason the world is so complicated and chaotic is that everyone has different views of what is right and different ways of upholding that righteousness.
There are no wrong people.
It's just that their 'rightness' has grown to match or exceed Heo Dojin's own 'rightness'. Heo Dojin felt both immense pride and an indescribable sadness.
"So, really...."
"Heo Sanja."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Persuade the disciples."
"What? What do you mean?"
"There may be those who, despite not wanting to, were swept up by the atmosphere and decided to risk their lives. Persuade them so that they can leave the mountain."
"S-Sect Leader!"
"The lineage must continue."
Heo Dojin gave a faint smile.
Heo Sanja could not accept it. Even if he gathered all those people, how many would there be? Could they still call that 'Wudang'?
"Is there really no other way? How can you give up so easily?"
"...."
"If you assert the authority of the Sect Leader and forcefully break their will! Then they will have no choice!"
"Yes. Then they will survive."
"Then right now..."
"But at that moment, Wudang will be finished. Even if everyone survives unscathed, Wudang will no longer be Wudang."
Heo Sanja's hand trembled violently.
He wanted to refute it a hundred times, but he already knew that it was true. How could Wudang, branded as cowards, still be Wudang?
How could those who begged for their lives in cowardice perform rites for the ancestors' memorial tablets?
"Go."
"Sect Leader...."
"If you still see them as children, you might do as you say. But...."
Heo Dojin shook his head.
"My duty as their master is to properly acknowledge and recognize their growth. I cannot suppress the will of those who have become Taoists as capable as, no, already better than me, with authority as if it were oppression."
"...."
"I intend to stay by their side."
"Sect Leader!"
Heo Sanja cried out in anguish, as if his insides were being torn out. But Heo Dojin's eyes remained heavily calm.
"Now, there's only one way for Wudang to continue."
His eyes were now filled with refined determination instead of boiling anger.
"We must show them. What kind of sect is Wudang? To those who dare to covet this place, to the world watching, and to the other sects trying to verify our choice."
"...."
"With our swords, with our lives, with our will. We will show them clearly. Then our deaths will serve as the fertilizer that will help Wudang bloom once more."
His voice was calmer than ever.
But the hands resting on Heo Dojin's knees trembled faintly, unable to hide his true feelings.
He bore all the humiliation to save his disciples. And now, those very disciples he saved were dying for the honor of the sect.
How could one possibly express what he felt inside?
"Move."
"Master...."
"Now!"
A moment of silence passed. Heo Sanja, who had been staring blankly at Heo Dojin, bowed deeply.
"Take care."
With that, he left the room without looking back.
Watching the space Heo Sanja had just vacated, Heo Dojin let out a hollow laugh.
"Two days?"
No, perhaps it was only a day. He was counting the remaining time left for Wudang. Then, he suddenly reflected on a late realization.
"So... that's why, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."
He wondered why someone who cherished people so much and despised sacrifice was so furious at him for trying to save his disciples.
Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword knew. He knew that those who feared sacrifice and retreated would inevitably pay a greater price someday. If he truly wanted to protect his disciples, he should not have neglected his duty.
Now.... Yes, now he understood.
"It's something I should have realized sooner."
Heo Dojin, muttering quietly, closed his eyes deeply.
It was no longer just sorrow.
For he now knew that Wudang's disciples were walking a better path than he had. They had proven to be Taoists who did not fail as he had.
Even if the end of that path was despair and death,
In the end, they would bloom again. At the end of that path, they would flourish brilliantly for the world to see.
"Sect Leader."
Heo Dojin's voice echoed hollowly.
The one he was pursuing was someone he had never seen. A person who had died and disappeared a hundred years ago—not even a Wudang sect member, but a Sect Leader from another sect.
"Will our Wudang bloom again?"
Just like Mount Hua, which eventually bloomed again, will we too?
No matter how much Heo Dojin closed his eyes and kept silent, no answer came.
"Are you saying you won't step back?"
"Yes."
"No, why! Why do such a foolish thing!"
"Because I'm human."
✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀
Im Sobyeong stared intently at Chung Myung as if he couldn't comprehend. Chung Myung shrugged.
"Being foolish is what makes us human. Being unable to always make the right choice is what makes us human."
"But this is Wudang. And yet, how can you?"
"And I like those foolish people."
As if he had said everything he needed to, Chung Myung stood up. His previously dim eyes were now shining silently.
"I'm going."
"What? You can't! You said it might be a trap!"
"So what?"
When Chung Myung asked back, everyone fell silent. Chung Myung spoke firmly to Im Sobyeong and everyone watching him.
"If it's a trap, we'll just crush it. I can't just let those foolish people die like that."
Gripping his sword tightly, Chung Myung smiled.
'Isn't that right, Sahyung?'
- Of course.
The answer seemed to resound clearly in his ears.
Return of the Mount Hua Sect