The sky made Chung Myung sad from time to time.
The sky he saw now, sitting beside Hyun Jong, was no different from the one he had seen when he turned away after harshly speaking to Chung Mun.
Chung Myung often felt confused.
Though he was alive and working tirelessly without a moment's rest, a persistent discomfort lingered in his heart. Even when he wanted to escape, that terrible unease followed him relentlessly.
Each morning, waking at the usual time, dressing in his usual clothes, and stepping outside, the faces he encountered were so unfamiliar that he trembled momentarily.
Sometimes, those unfamiliar faces felt strangely familiar, yet remained distant, leaving his heart unsettled.
He lived in the present but remained trapped in the past; he lived in the past but felt isolated from reality.
Why had he come back to life? Why had it happened to him?
Chung Myung, who had been staring blankly at the sky, slowly opened his mouth.
"…It isn't because of Mount Hua, sect leader."
How would Chung Mun have answered?
Chung Myung seemed to know the answer but deliberately chose not to think about it.
Not now. It wasn't the time to relay Chung Mun sahyung's answer. Now was the time to give his own.
He was the sword of Mount Hua—the sharpest blade, cutting down the sect's enemies.
However, at this very moment, he should not be just the sword of Mount Hua.
He was a disciple of Mount Hua and a Taoist. He was both a follower and a leader.
And above all, he was simply Chung Myung.
He spoke calmly.
"What Mount Hua must protect, the reputation it must uphold, and the spirit it must carry on—all of that…"
"…"
"At least to me, it isn't worth the life of even one disciple."
He didn't necessarily agree with the answer Chung Mun would have given but sought his own. He included all the thoughts he had about Mount Hua.
It was ironic.
The answer he arrived at was no different from what Chung Mun might have said.
"Righteousness?"
Chung Myung chuckled softly.
-There might have been something like that as a reason in the beginning.
"At first… yes, perhaps there was."
-But now it has faded, leaving only one thing. Do you realize what it is?
"But now, I don't care about such things. Now there is only one thing left for me to care about."
Hyun Jong, who had been calmly listening, asked,
"…And what is that?"
Chung Myung opened his mouth, just as Chung Mun had done that day.
-The future.
"The disciples of Mount Hua."
At that time, Chung Myung hadn't understood the 'future' Chung Mun spoke of. But now he did. For Chung Mun, the future meant the young disciples of Mount Hua.
For Chung Mun, that was something to protect at all costs.
Chung Myung closed his eyes tightly.
"Sect leader has said it."
Hyun Jong's question echoed the doubts Chung Myung had once held.
"Is the pride in the righteousness we claim now more important than the days those kids will live in the future?"
-Can you fill the void of what you lost with what you gained?
-I don't see the point in losing what you shouldn't lose.
Chung Myung said this, and then spoke harsh words he shouldn't have.
-I won't accept this decision until the moment I die.
Yes, that was it.
He couldn't accept it. He couldn't understand. The world Chung Mun saw was different from the one Chung Myung saw.
But now he had to answer.
The answer Chung Mun couldn't give him that day—the answer he could give to the past Plum Blossom Sword Saint because Chung Myung was him.
"If it can be done."
His true feelings, which he hadn't shared with anyone, surfaced.
"…I want to run away too, sect leader."
Hyun Jong stared blankly at Chung Myung for a moment.
He too was overcome with emotion and had spoken, but he never imagined such words would come from Chung Myung.
He couldn't imagine it because it was Chung Myung of all disciples.
"If running away could solve the problem, if it could avoid it, I would go back to Mount Hua right now without looking back. I would block my eyes and ears from that information immediately."
"…"
"Because I am scared."
Chung Myung's fingertips trembled.
"I am scared, sect leader. I am so scared. Those powerful people, and the one behind them—the one who will emerge one day… I am terrified."
"…Chung Myung."
"But what's scarier than that is…"
Chung Myung bit his lip.
"I face everyone's death with these eyes, unable to protect anyone."
He wondered when he would ever escape that nightmare.
The day everyone he tried to protect died at the hands of the Heavenly Demon—the nightmare of that day when he alone survived and screamed at the Heavenly Demon.
But…
The recent nightmare was even more horrifying.
Everyone died at the hands of the Heavenly Demon who came to Mount Hua.
Hyun Jong, Hyun Young, Hyun Sang, Baek Cheon, Yu Yiseol, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, Hae Yeon, and Tang Soso.
Their lives were lost in vain before that terrible evil. His bloody hands couldn't protect anyone.
Yes. Again.
When he woke screaming, the air that touched his face was cold. He used to tremble until sunrise.
How could he not be scared?
He was afraid of that dream turning into reality—that he would helplessly lose everything again.
"Why do you ask me to fight?"
"…"
"Because there is something I have to protect."
When he closed his eyes, he seemed to see Chung Mun's smiling face.
A face that looked worried, with a calm smile at the corner of her mouth. It was a face Chung Myung both knew and didn't know.
"If there is something no one can do for you, you have no choice but to do it yourself. If no one protects you, you have no choice but to protect yourself. It's not because you are from Mount Hua that you step forward."
"…"
"I have to go because I must, sect leader."
Hyun Jong bowed his head. What could he say now?
"Sometimes…"
Chung Myung hesitated slightly before speaking.
"It might seem foolish not to avoid it. Sometimes I am not clever and seem foolish. But when time passes and I look back, I realize that the path of the fool was actually the fastest."
Had it changed? He didn't know yet.
Chung Myung only understood now. He had just found it.
A reason to fight.
When he heard the word 'Demonic Cult,' his blood boiled. But now he knew that anger wasn't just revenge for the past.
He was angry because they would once again take away what he was trying to protect.
Chung Myung gritted his teeth.
"I am still scared, terrified. Crossing that river is scarier than jumping into a pit of fire."
"…"
"But sitting and waiting for the inevitable outcome is scarier. The ending I will face someday because I didn't do what I had to do now, and the regret I will feel then… that is a hundred times scarier to me."
This time, he wouldn't be robbed like that. Never.
That was why he had to go.
Hyun Jong nodded slowly.
Many details were omitted from Chung Myung's story, which sounded like grasping at clouds. Yet, he fully understood what Chung Myung meant.
Such feelings couldn't be conveyed through words and logic alone.
"It is tough."
"…"
"It really is… difficult."
Hyun Jong's voice was filled with deep regret.
He still couldn't tell what was right or wrong.
But he knew for sure he couldn't break Chung Myung's will. Then…
At that moment, Baek Cheon's voice came from behind.
"You said you had to go. That is your will."
Hyun Jong and Chung Myung turned to Baek Cheon. He remained calm under their gaze.
"Then."
He pressed his lips firmly.
"You can't stop me from crossing the river by my own will either."
"…Huh?"
Baek Cheon shrugged.
"You wouldn't be so arrogant as to claim you're the only one qualified to protect the disciples of Mount Hua, right?"
"Right."
"Of course that's right."
"Even so, you're a Third-class disciple."
Hearing that, Chung Myung asked blankly,
"…No, you're the youngest disciple, so what…?"
"You're the youngest one, you brat!"
When Jo Gul got angry, Baek Cheon patted his shoulder a few times and continued.
"I know what you're saying. If you don't rush to Southern Land and act now, they'll become unstoppable and even engulf Shaanxi, right?"
"…Yes."
"Then I'll come along too."
"No."
"Listen carefully, you moron."
Baek Cheon cut him off firmly.
"You're not the only one who can't stand someone sucking their thumb and waiting behind them, hoping someone will protect them."
Chung Myung was momentarily speechless and closed his mouth. Baek Cheon continued.
"I learned the sword because I wanted to be the one protecting them."
"Sasuk."
"If you want to fight with your own will, fine. How can I stop you? But instead!"
Baek Cheon's voice pierced Chung Myung's heart like fire.
"I will also choose to fight with my own will."
Everyone guarding Baek Cheon's back nodded.
Yu Yiseol, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Tang Soso. Even Hae Yeon, who had been stepping back from the conversation, looked at Chung Myung with firm resolve.
Chung Myung, who had been staring blankly at them, shook his head without realizing it.
"…You little brats…"
"If you want to stop us, then try."
Chung Myung took a deep breath and slowly rose.
Baek Cheon instinctively placed his hand on his sword. He thought that if it was Chung Myung, he could surely knock them all out and cross the river alone.
However, Chung Myung simply turned his head and looked toward the river.
"Let's talk about the rest later."
"…Huh?"
"We have a guest."
At those words, everyone stared at the river. In the middle of the night-shrouded river, a small boat appeared, approaching slowly.
Chung Myung muttered,
"I find it annoying to even call him a guest… but I guess I'll listen to what he has to say. Then we'll decide—should I tear that mouth off or…"
Baek Cheon's face hardened.
He could see it clearly now.
The boat floating on the colorless river of darkness, and the bright red clothes fluttering like blood. He seemed the only one calm in the whole world.
"…Jang Ilso."
Baek Cheon muttered as if groaning.
Chung Myung stared coldly at Jang Ilso as he approached.