"What?"
Yoon Jong widened his eyes and stared at the person who had burst through the door.
"...What did you just say?"
"Did... did you hear me, Sahyung?"
"Before that!"
Jo Gul, who was standing by the door, stammered with a pale face.
"S-Sasuk has been expelled. Did you hear that?"
"What nonsense!"
A rare curse slipped out from Yoon Jong's mouth.
"The rumors are spreading all over Wudang!"
"Rubbish! If there was news like that, we should have heard it first, not from someone else!"
"No... I know that's true, but..."
Jo Gul's face remained ashen.
From his expression, Yoon Jong could sense that the situation was more serious than he initially thought. The rumor had spread too widely to be dismissed as mere hearsay.
Yoon Jong stood up abruptly.
"Let's go."
"W-Where?"
"We need to confirm it. We're going to see the Great Sect Leader."
"..."
"This kind of baseless rumor needs to be quashed immediately. What if this reaches Sasuk's ears? Let's go!"
"Y-Yes!"
Jo Gul nodded vigorously. Seeing this, Yoon Jong bit his lip hard.
'I won't let this slide.'
He vowed to find out who was spreading such ridiculous rumors and make them pay dearly for it, using every means at his disposal.
But Yoon Jong's resolve was shattered by a calm voice from someone nearby.
"It's true."
"...What?"
Yoon Jong's expression turned blank.
Did he mishear? Or had he asked the wrong question?
It was neither. This situation was incomprehensible to Yoon Jong. And it wasn't just him. The expressions of the Five Swords standing with him were equally confused.
Yoon Jong looked ahead.
Hyun Jong stood there with a stern expression, and the two elders from Mount Hua who had just arrived at Wudang that morning were facing them with unreadable expressions.
He swallowed dryly.
Meeting an elder wasn't uncommon for disciples of Mount Hua, but Yoon Jong's body stiffened with tension. He felt something in the gazes of these senior members that he had never felt before.
"Grand Sect Leader... What did you just say...?"
At that moment, Hyun Jong's gaze pierced through Yoon Jong.
Yoon Jong flinched involuntarily.
He had heard about this before.
When they were in Jiangnan, suffering under the Thousand-Layered Net of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, the gaze of the Grand Sect Leader was said to have been so cold and sharp that no one in Mount Hua had ever seen anything like it.
Yoon Jong had dismissed it as mere talk since he hadn't witnessed it himself. But now he understood why the disciples had conveyed the same message to him. Hyun Jong's gaze was just as cold and unforgiving as they had described.
He instinctively understood. This was indeed reality.
"Se-Sect Leader...."
"Why?"
Yoon Jong's voice burst out, interrupting Baek Cheon's attempt to speak.
There were many questions to ask, but amidst his swirling confusion, this was the only one that came to mind. And it perfectly encapsulated the feelings of everyone standing there, staring at Hyun Jong.
"Why!"
Yoon Jong had never raised his voice to Hyun Jong before. But now, he wasn't even aware that he was shouting.
"Did you ask why?"
"Yes, Grand Sect Leader. Why...."
"Overstepping."
"...What?"
Hyun Jong's eyes grew darker.
"The Deputy Sect Leader is merely someone who stands in for the Sect Leader."
"...."
"Being in that position doesn't give one the authority over life and death matters of the disciples. The Deputy Sect Leader is only there to fulfill the Sect Leader's role in his absence."
Yoon Jong blinked blankly.
Who didn't know that?
"But Mount Hua's First Disciple, Baek Cheon, forgot this and led the disciples into danger. He took them to a cliff occupied by enemies without any strategy, endangering them all."
"Gra-Grand Sect Leader. That's...."
"If!"
Just as Yoon Jong tried to say something, Hyun Jong shouted.
"If they had been a bit slower in escaping that cliff, Mount Hua would have faced total destruction."
It was a perfectly logical argument.
Especially since there was no denying that if they had been even slightly delayed, all the disciples of Mount Hua would have perished on that cliff.
"But that was something that had to be done...."
"Had to be done?"
Hyun Jong's angered eyes glared at Yoon Jong, making him shrink back once again.
"Was it truly necessary to push the disciples into such a life-threatening situation for the sake of some insignificant heroism?"
"...."
Confusion filled not only Yoon Jong's eyes but also those of the other Five Swords.
"However, that wasn't a decision made solely by the Deputy Sect Leader, was it? It was based on the request of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance...!"
"Who had the authority to decide whether or not to accept that request?"
"That was...."
Yoon Jong bit his lip unknowingly.
Baek Cheon held that authority. Or so he had thought. But now Yoon Jong realized something important—someone who had been present in that situation but had not been consulted.
"Sect Leader...."
In one part of the room where the Five Swords stood, he sat.
Un Am.
Though in practice he had given all authority to Baek Cheon and only played a supporting role, nominally, the current Sect Leader of Mount Hua was still Un Am.
And Yoon Jong had to realize that during the entire situation in Wudang, Baek Cheon hadn't once sought Un Am's approval.
Even if Un Am wasn't directly involved, he had still accompanied them on the journey.
"But... even so, expulsion? Grand Sect Leader, this is...."
"Too much?"
"I...."
"Losing all the disciples of Mount Hua wasn't enough for you? Do you still think expulsion is too harsh?"
"...."
Yoon Jong was left speechless.
"They were fortunate enough to avoid casualties this time. But if they hadn't been so lucky, could you say the same thing?"
"...."
"Risking your own life might be righteousness, but risking others' lives is nothing but arrogance. Is expulsion truly too harsh a punishment for that arrogance?"
Hyun Jong continued with a grim expression.
"You might think it's too severe. But can you guarantee that the same thing won't happen again if we just let this slide?"
It was an unassailable argument.
However, Yoon Jong couldn't accept it. Even though everyone knew what kind of person Baek Cheon was, wasn't it Hyun Jong himself who appointed him as the acting Sect Leader?
"Aren't there other forms of punishment? Does it really have to be something as extreme as expulsion...?"
But Yoon Jong had to stop himself from speaking further.
'No way?'
His eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.
"Grand... Sect Leader. Could it be?"
"Enough. Just go."
"..."
"No matter what you say, my decision won't change. So go back."
"No! Even so, this is too much!"
As Jo Gul was about to lose his temper, Yoon Jong firmly grabbed his shoulder.
"Sahyung!"
"Let's leave for now."
"No, Sahyung, if we back down now—!"
"I said let's go!"
Yoon Jong tightened his grip on Jo Gul's shoulder and dragged him out. Seeing this, Baek Sang, Yoo Iseol, and Tang Soso also bowed their heads reluctantly and followed them out.
In the last moment, Yoo Iseol gave Hyun Jong an inexplicable look, but Hyun Jong did not return the gaze and instead stared blankly at his now cold tea.
Once the Five Swords left, Hyun Sang, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"Sahyung."
"...."
"Is this really necessary?"
Hyun Jong closed his eyes at those words.
"I understand how you feel, Sahyung, but surely there must be another way..."
"Yes. Perhaps there is."
"...."
"But that would take time as well."
Bitterness filled Hyun Jong's eyes.
"We are in a time of war. Who can guarantee that he will even survive the next battle?"
Hyun Jong had already heard everything.
In his heart, he wanted to keep Baek Cheon tightly bound here and head to the battlefield without him. But that was no longer possible. Didn't he already hear that the bloodthirsty members of the Blood Palace had come looking for Baek Cheon even within the confines of Wudang?
The Blood Palace was filled with those skilled in grotesque and unimaginable dark arts, the likes of which the martial artists of Zhongyuan could never fathom. With such people targeting him, even the rear lines would not be safe for Baek Cheon.
'And...'
Knowing Baek Cheon as he did, Hyun Jong knew that no matter the situation, Baek Cheon would not allow himself to be left behind. As long as he remained the acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua, he would always be in danger.
"Sahyung..."
"I will take full responsibility."
"...."
Hyun Sang sighed, giving up on trying to dissuade Hyun Jong, and this time, Hyun Yeong spoke up.
"The children will be greatly affected."
"...."
"Whatever happens, Baek Cheon is still Baek Cheon. No matter how capable Chung Myung and Yoon Jong are, if you think about what Baek Cheon means to the disciples of Mount Hua..."
There was no need to hear the rest.
No one could predict how the expulsion of someone who had been a symbol of Mount Hua would affect the sect. But everyone could at least agree that the impact would not be positive.
All that they had painstakingly built could be destroyed. Baek Cheon was the cornerstone of Mount Hua.
"And yet, are you really not going to change your mind?"
Hyun Jong nodded without a word.
Perhaps this was Hyun Jong's stubbornness. But he was aware of it and still refused to back down.
How many times had he made a decision too late? How many times had he passed the burden onto others? And how many times had he turned a blind eye?
He had lost so much under the guise of thinking about the future. But this time, Hyun Jong would not lose. Even if this decision caused a significant shock to Mount Hua.
Hyun Jong could not close the door on the future of the child who once opened the gates of Mount Hua.
"Yuanshi Tianzun."
A low sigh escaped Hyun Jong's lips.
"Why are you stopping this?"
"...."
"No, what the Grand Sect Leader is saying makes no sense! If you expel someone for something like this, how many people here would still be able to wear the Mount Hua uniform?"
"...."
"Of course, our Sasuk is a bit more extreme, but even so..."
"Gul-ah."
"I can't stand it. I'll go back in there and talk this out..."
"Gul-ah!"
Yoon Jong shouted harshly, glaring at Jo Gul.
"...The Grand Sect Leader is not trying to expel Sasuk."
"What? What do you mean...?"
"He plans to send Sasuk... to the Southern Edge Sect."
"..."
Jo Gul's face twisted in horror. The blood drained from his face as he began to comprehend Yoon Jong's words.
"Oh..."
He understood, but he did not accept it.
"No... I get what you're saying, but... but, expulsion?"
"...."
"Can a disciple who has been expelled ever return to the sect?"
"That would be impossible."
"Then... then isn't it different? If Sasuk is expelled, he'll have to live as a disciple of the Southern Edge Sect forever. That means Sasuk will..."
Jo Gul's voice grew weaker and weaker.
"Sasuk will..."
He couldn't deny it.
He had sensed it too.
There was no normal way to send Baek Cheon to the Southern Edge Sect. Baek Cheon would refuse no matter what. Persuading him with soft words was unthinkable. They had already seen Baek Cheon's resolute stance.
"Even so..."
"It seems the Grand Sect Leader believes this is the only way."
Jo Gul's face twisted in agony.
"But what about Sasuk?"
"...."
"I understand the reasoning. But what about Sasuk? What about his feelings, being expelled from Mount Hua without any fault? Is this really the right way?"
Yoon Jong closed his eyes.
"Do you really think so, Sahyung?"
What is right?
Yoon Jong still didn't know. Perhaps living was a constant struggle to find what is right.
And then, Jo Gul's hand gripped Yoon Jong's shoulder tightly.
Just as Yoon Jong was about to sigh and say something, he realized it.
Jo Gul's gaze wasn't on him.
The reason Jo Gul grabbed his shoulder wasn't just out of frustration.
"...."
Yoon Jong slowly turned his head.
And he had to see it.
The person walking slowly toward them, filled with confusion from not fully understanding the situation.
The person who, without expression, walked toward them—or rather, toward the pavilion where Hyun Jong stood.
"S... Sasuk..."
Dressed in the white uniform of Mount Hua, their acting Sect Leader approached with a blank face, heading straight for Hyun Jong's pavilion.