"Rest!"
"Huff! Huff!"
As soon as the word 'rest' was spoken, the running warriors stopped in their tracks, gasping for breath. However, they did not relax. Rather than relief, their eyes showed evident signs of caution.
Jo Gul widened his eyes and spoke to Yoon Jong.
"Huh? Everyone seems more energetic than I expected. I thought they'd all collapse the moment we stopped."
"Not everyone is like Mount Hua."
"Isn't that an insult to Mount Hua?"
"That's just the way it is. You can't cover the sky with your hand. With so many eyes watching, it's hard to show any signs of weakness."
"Hmm."
Jo Gul scratched his cheek.
Indeed, Mount Hua was an unconventional sect. If there were Mount Hua people here, they would have collapsed to the ground, groaning, regardless of who was watching.
"And there's also the sense of crisis that the Evil Tyrant Alliance might attack at any moment."
"But didn't the Beggar's Union scout for us?"
"Would you trust that entirely?"
"If Hong Dae-Kwang hears that, he'll scratch the ground."
"That's what we call self-inflicted."
"That's true."
If Hong Dae Kwang heard this, he would shout, 'What did I do wrong!' at the top of his lungs. But what can you do? It's his fault for inheriting the position of Beggar's Union Leader.
"Is it time for a break already?"
"Not everyone is like Mount Hua."
Though it was the same answer, it held a different meaning this time. Jo Gul glanced around. Although they pretended to be calm, many looked like they were struggling with their breathing.
"Already?"
Jo Gul lowered his voice slightly.
"Maybe it's just my feeling, but…"
"You're right. It's not just your feeling."
Yoon Jong agreed, even before he finished speaking. Jo Gul blinked.
"Indeed…"
If they were Mount Hua's disciples, this wouldn't have fazed them at all. This implied that the disciples of Mount Hua were physically superior to the disciples of other renowned sects mixed in here.
It was hard to believe... It felt strange.
Of course, stamina isn't everything for a martial artist. Still, it meant that Mount Hua had a clear edge over other prestigious sects in one area.
"When did this..."
Although Jo Gul wasn't a sentimental person, he clearly remembered the days when Mount Hua was on the brink of collapse. This brought out mixed emotions.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Jo Gul muttered.
"Maybe it just looks that way now?"
"Amitabha. That's not the case, benefactor."
At that moment, Hye Yeon, who had approached, shook his head.
"We might not realize it because we've been with them for so long, but the stamina of Mount Hua's disciples is abnormally high and beyond common sense. It's not something that can be achieved just by practicing martial arts. It's probably due to...
"Is it the result of harsh and prolonged training?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
Jo-Gul felt a bit despondent.
So, the result of Chung Myung's hellish training was that Mount Hua's disciples gained unparalleled stamina, unmatched anywhere in the world.
Should he laugh or cry at this?
"It's a bittersweet feeling."
"What is?"
"Uh…"
Receiving Yoon Jong's gaze, Jo Gul scratched his head lightly.
"Anyway, it's a joy that Mount Hua has something to boast about over other sects."
"And?"
"…Never mind."
Jo Gul, who was about to say something, shook his head. Yoon Jong, watching him, chuckled.
He probably wished the people he was about to fight with were a bit more reliable. Leading those with insufficient stamina into battle is a heavy burden, after all.
"Stamina isn't everything for a martial artist."
"Yes, I know."
"And…"
Yoon Jong lifted his head slightly and muttered something incomprehensible.
"Not everyone in Mount Hua has good stamina."
"Yes?"
"Some are endlessly foolish too."
His gaze turned in one direction, toward the dense thicket a little distance away from where they were.
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Sweat dripped from the tip of his chin.
"...Hoo."
Baek Cheon took a deep breath, wiping the pouring sweat with his sleeve.
'Damn it.'
He could suppress the sweat through his internal energy, but even that had its limits. No, to be honest, even that was becoming difficult.
As he silently wiped his sweat, Baek Cheon slowly raised his head. Just as he was about to take another deep breath, a low voice sounded.
"Here."
When he looked toward the voice, Yoo Iseol was standing there, having approached silently.
"Take this."
Baek Cheon looked at what she was holding out without a word. It was a clean cotton cloth. Something he hadn't been able to prepare.
"You can use your energy to dry your clothes too."
After a moment of silence, Baek Cheon took the cloth Yoo Iseol offered. He used it to wipe the sweat off his pale face.
Yoo Iseol, who had been watching him indifferently, slowly opened her mouth.
"You look exhausted."
"...."
"It would have been twice as fast if only Mount Hua had moved."
Baek Cheon nodded in agreement. After wiping off all the sweat, he hesitated for a moment before stuffing the cloth into his sleeve instead of returning it to Yoo Iseol.
With a calm face, he spoke to her.
"There would have been other methods then."
"What methods?"
"Are you saying this because you think I'll fall behind, Samae?"
Yoo Iseol just stared at Baek Cheon with an unreadable expression.
She knew. Baek Cheon wouldn't have fallen behind. Even if it was only the Mount Hua Sect on the move, Even if his lungs were tearing apart, he would have run to the end, pretending everything was fine.
Because that's the kind of person Baek Cheon was. But that was exactly the problem.
Yoo Iseol asked.
"Why?"
"...."
"You could make up an excuse and step back. You're not the vanguard of Mount Hua, so there's no reason to push yourself."
"An excuse?"
"I'll make one for you. Right now."
Baek Cheon's gaze lowered slightly. Yoo Iseol was gripping the Plum Blossom Blade at her waist. Baek Cheon chuckled.
"Are you going to injure me?"
"...."
"I'm fine, Samae."
"...."
"It's not worth whining over, so I appreciate your concern, but you don't need to worry."
Yoo Iseol seemed to want to say something but stopped. After a moment, she lifted her head slightly and looked straight at Baek Cheon.
"Right now, I'm not the vanguard of Mount Hua."
"...."
"So, there's no one to protect you when you're in danger."
Baek Cheon's face showed a bitter expression of silence. Even the usually quiet and inarticulate Yoo Iseol talking so much showed how worried she was. No, leaving that aside, such feelings were conveyed without words.
Yoo Iseol pressed him.
"Even so?"
Baek Cheon's answer didn't change.
"Yes."
"Why? What you need to protect..."
"Samae. Do you wield your sword solely for Mount Hua?"
Yoo Iseol closed her mouth. After looking into her eyes for a long time, Baek Cheon nodded.
"Yes. Maybe. But...."
Baek Cheon's gaze moved past her to the distant sky.
"I'm a little... Yes, I think I'm a little different from you. It's hard to explain."
Baek Cheon murmured to himself for a moment, then smiled. Unlike before, there was a playful glint in his eyes.
"Still, it seems I haven't lived such a pathetic life. Having someone like you worry about me."
"Pathetic. More than enough already."
"Is that so?"
Baek Cheon smiled, tapping Yoo Iseol's shoulder. Then he walked past her and headed for the front.
"I'll go ahead since we might be late."
"Sahyung."
"If you're so worried, then help me out, Samae."
Baek Cheon spoke without looking back, standing in place.
"I always thought I had to become an outstanding person who could lead and help others. I believed I could be superior and remarkable more than anyone else in the world."
Yoo Iseol gazed intently at Baek Cheon's back.
Indeed, Baek Cheon had such traits in the past. No, perhaps until recently, Baek Cheon hadn't changed much. He merely realized the vastness of the world and found something more important than himself.
"Do you remember what I said to the disciples back then?"
"...No."
Baek Cheon turned to Yoo Iseol with a small smile on his lips.
"I told them, 'Don't be afraid to fight because I'm behind you.'"
"..."
"An individual may be lacking, but Mount Hua is not weak. Any deficiencies can be compensated for, and any disciple of Mount Hua can stand at the forefront."
Yoo Iseol bit her lower lip gently. Baek Cheon smiled even more brightly.
"How can someone who once said that pull back just because they've become a bit weaker? If I did, I'd become nothing but a loudmouth. So...so, um..."
Baek Cheon scratched his nose.
"I can't seem to finish my story well, but anyway, that's it. Samae, I don't think you need to be strong to fight. It's not that you fight because you're strong, but that those who fight are strong."
"..."
"It's hard to understand when I put it this way, but anyway, don't worry too much."
Baek Cheon turned around and began to walk away, and Yoo Iseol's quiet voice caught his ear.
"...Right."
"Hmm?"
"You're still just a loudmouth."
Baek Cheon didn't look back.
Watching him walk away to rejoin the others, Yoo Iseol gripped her sword tightly.
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"Are you really going to do this?"
Heo Sanja's voice erupted as if his throat would tear. But the disciples standing in front of him did not flinch, despite his anger.
"You, you stubborn and foolish idiots...!"
Heo Sanja rubbed his flushed, trembling face with his hand.
If they were few, he could try to subdue them with force, but that wasn't the case. There were too many disciples in front of him, stubbornly standing their ground.
Moreover, even if he subdued them by force, how could he drag them all the way to Shaolin from here?
"Are you planning to end the history of Wudang with your own hands, truly?"
Although Heo Dojin had said it would be useless, Heo Sanja couldn't give up so easily. He couldn't let them die in vain here.
"Heo Gong! You fool!"
As his desperation grew, Heo Sanja's anger naturally turned towards Heo Gong, who seemed to be the leader among the disciples.
"How can an elder of a sect act so foolishly? A gentleman's revenge"
"Can wait ten years."
"..."
"Isn't that right?"
Before Heo Sanja could reply, Heo Gong spoke with a resolute face.
"But we are not gentlemen, Sect Leader. We are warriors. Revenge may wait ten years, but a broken warrior's spirit cannot be rebuilt even in ten times that span."
"You, you..."
"Rather than being wise, we will be courageous. That's what we learned at Wudang."
"Do you call this courage, that...!"
Just as Heo Sanja was about to erupt in a fit of rage, a few Wudang disciples ran towards him, their faces pale with fear. Seeing their urgent expressions, Heo Sanja could predict the next words that would come.
"The Evil Sect! They've appeared!"
Despair fell like a boulder in Heo Sanja's eyes.
"And...it's too late to escape now."
At that moment, Heo Gong turned and looked at his disciples. They all stood with the same determined gaze as Heo Gong.
"Those who fear death, step back. No one will blame you."
Silence ensued.
No one moved. Not a single person retreated.
Courage is something that connects people, but sometimes it blooms in someone's heart first.
Wudang had been the central pillar of Taoism in Kangho. Despite the old doctrines and faded rules, the disciples understood the weight of the swords they held.
"Those who do not fear death, follow me."
Heo Gong slowly drew his sword.
"Today, we will etch the name of Wudang forever into their minds."
The swords drawn by everyone shone in the sunlight, just as the spirit of Wudang had shone when its name first emerged in the world.