The soul-soothing ceremony was held modestly.
There were too few supplies prepared to hold a formal soul-soothing ceremony at the Taoist temple; they couldn't even provide the most basic incense and incense burners.
Though they couldn't fulfill all the formalities, the Mount Hua disciples chanting the prayer and reciting the Taoist scripture maintained an extremely reverent posture.
Ultimately, rituals are merely a courtesy to the dead. No matter how splendid the ceremony, it holds no greater value than a sincere nod.
The Mount Hua disciples knew this well, so they put their sincerity into every movement and every word they uttered, praying that those who died here would find peaceful rest even after death.
A fact that must never be forgotten: before being warriors, they were Taoists pursuing the Way.
But even the Mount Hua disciples sometimes forget who they truly are. This moment was both to honor the spirits of the victims and to reclaim their true duty.
Chung Myung, standing at the back, looked at the backs of the disciples reciting the Taoist scripture.
From Tang Soso on the far left to Baek Cheon on the far right, Chung Myung took in every one of their backs without missing a detail, then quietly closed his eyes.
'Sahyung.'
In the past, Mount Hua also often held disciple initiation ceremonies. Chung Myung tried hard to avoid the tedious rituals, but Chung Mun sahyung always tried to catch him and make him stand even in a corner.
You are a Taoist before being a swordsman.
A sword without agreement is no different from a black mountain bandit's blade. Because it is you, more than anyone else, you must not forget your duty as a Taoist.
You say you pursue the Way, but the foundation of soul-soothing is compassion to people. If you were not born with it, you must at least observe and learn. That is the first thing you must have as a Mount Hua disciple.
"…A cliché nagging."
Yes, that was how he thought in the past. He wondered what meaning there was in the boring, repetitive rituals.
Once a person dies, that's it. What use is the respect paid to those buried in the earth, and what value is there in the tears shed for them?
'That was the case.'
Chung Myung slowly opened his closed eyes.
At that time, Chung Myung could not understand. He was not someone who ascended Mount Hua to learn the value of the Way, but someone abandoned by Mount Hua.
He grew up listening to the Taoist scripture like a lullaby and watching the Taoist rituals like play. So to him, all this naturally existed without needing to think about its meaning.
Therefore, he did not know.
Why people mourn those who can never return and honor their spirits.
Because those who had nothing from the start cannot lose anything.
'Sahyung, I…'
What he lost was not something he held from the beginning but something he created while living. No… even though he did not want it, it simply stayed around him as if it were natural.
Therefore, he came to understand. Only after losing.
That even those who died and cannot return have meaning. And how those left behind come to the Taoist temple with what feelings.
And here are those who understand that meaning. Those who know what the old Chung Myung did not and try to protect what he could not.
The voices of the still young Mount Hua disciples solemnly reciting the Taoist scripture echoed clearly across the desolate land.
Un Geom, standing at the front, placed his remaining hand over his chest in salute. Each of his movements was filled with deep sorrow for those who died here.
As he began reciting the Taoist scripture again, the Mount Hua disciples followed. Chung Myung, standing at the back watching them, slowly closed his eyes. The scripture flowed from his lips.
It was nothing particularly special or remarkable. But anyone who knows who Chung Myung is would not see this scene as just that.
Chung Myung had participated in countless soul-soothing ceremonies but had never recited the Taoist scripture with his own mouth. Though he could recite it with his eyes closed from hearing it so often, never once had he done so.
He felt embarrassed and awkward. And he thought it did not suit him.
But at this moment, Chung Myung recited the scripture with sincerity. Not just knowing the words, but speaking with a heart full of hope and longing.
This was a prayer for the dead and comfort for those left behind.
And perhaps a reaching hand toward those who cannot stay anywhere.
After Un Geom finished the scripture, he stepped back. Then Hae Yeon, who had been waiting behind, cautiously stepped forward. After a solemn bow, he slowly began chanting the Buddhist sutra.
They believed in different things. They pursued different paths. But at this moment, their hearts are surely the same.
As Hae Yeon's clear chanting spread widely, the Mount Hua disciples maintained their posture without faltering. Looking at the devastated Hangzhou, an indescribable sadness welled up in their eyes.
Baek Cheon lightly clenched his fist, so the emotions swelling in his chest would not scatter, and so he would not forget.
Jo Gul, Yoon Jong, Yu Yiseol, and Tang Soso also wore similar expressions.
Finally, Hae Yeon's long recitation ended. He bowed deeply and nodded his head. With a sorrowful face, he turned and stood again beside the Mount Hua disciples.
Baek Cheon naturally looked at Un Geom. Un Geom smiled gently, as if to say this was as far as he would lead.
At that moment, a deep sigh escaped Baek Cheon's lips.
'I…'
His fist clenched tightly.
'I couldn't save anyone.'
When they came here, their goal was to stop the Demonic Cult and save those still alive here. But before they knew it, all their focus was only on survival.
They survived, rejoiced, and felt relief from what they did.
But now they know. That it should not have been so.
Because what they failed to protect here was far too great to be happy just for their own safety.
He thought about stepping forward but stopped in place. Now was not the time to preach to them. It was time to speak standing alongside them.
A calm voice came from Baek Cheon's mouth.
"…If the sect leader were here… he would have shed tears for those who died first more than anyone else."
The Mount Hua disciples lowered their heads.
"If the elders were here, they would not have forgotten the victims throughout the fight with the enemies."
Because the voice was calm, it sounded even a little sad.
"The reason we couldn't do so is because we are weak."
The place left by pride, relief, and childish feelings was filled with regret.
"Not because we lack strength, but because people are weak. We say we are Taoists, but we do not pursue the Way; we say we care for others, but we do not truly look at others."
Everyone slowly nodded at those painful words.
"The strength the sect leader wants from us… is not the power to subdue others. It is the strength to look back on those weaker than myself even when my own life is in danger… yes."
Baek Cheon's voice was slow but firm.
"It is probably the strength of being human."
He paused for a moment and quietly closed his eyes.
They fought their best and defeated the enemy. Yet the reason their hearts felt so empty was because there are things strength alone cannot fill.
"We will have to endure many things ahead."
Everyone looked at the devastated land of Hangzhou.
"Next time… yes, next time, let's never forget. What we fight for. Why we must fight."
Un Geom bowed his head and shouted the Taoist call. As if it were a signal, the Mount Hua disciples all shouted the Taoist call with their internal qi, spreading it across the vast land of Hangzhou.
In response, Hae Yeon also loudly shouted the Buddhist chant.
A Buddhist chant is a self-prayer; a Taoist call is a self-wish.
It is a cry for salvation. Also, like a candle lit so that weak humans who forget what they must not forget in life do not lose their way.
Their Taoist call was louder and clearer than ever.
And as loud as that call was, their bowed heads naturally felt heavier than ever.
A moment of silence passed.
They gained much, but in truth, gained nothing. Only after calming down did they see the true nature of this tragedy, which was hard to even call a war.
Then, a quiet voice of Chung Myung was heard in their ears.
"…Let's go back."
"Yes…"
Everyone slowly turned their steps. It was a place they wanted to flee from just moments ago, but strangely, their feet would not move. Probably because of lingering regrets over what they failed to protect.
"Next time…"
He tried to speak calmly, but Chung Myung's words ended with lingering regret. Looking at the ruins before him, he finally turned his head away.
"Next time, we just have to protect it."
"…Yes."
Baek Cheon's voice, filled with emptiness, echoed hollowly.
"That's how it should be."
As he tried to gather his heavy heart and lighten the mood by patting his disciples' shoulders, it happened.
'Huh?'
His brow furrowed slightly. Even as everyone turned around, Yu Yiseol, who stood looking ahead until the last moment, suddenly widened her eyes.
'Enemy?'
Startled, Baek Cheon hurriedly turned his head.
But there was nothing in particular to see. Only the still desolate…
"Huh?"
"N-now?"
At that moment, surprised voices burst from the Mount Hua disciples' mouths. They immediately shut their mouths and held their breath with stiff faces.
At that moment.
"Ah…!"
Everyone heard it.
A faint voice, as if a hallucination, but unmistakably someone's weak voice.
Without thinking, their feet moved first. When they came to their senses, they were already running at full speed.
And the back of someone who looked desperate beyond urgency ran ahead, forward and forward.
Chung Myung pushed off the ground and dashed at full speed. Then he began frantically digging through the building debris. His wounded hands trembled.
The Mount Hua disciples who arrived a bit later also immediately rushed in and dug through the wreckage with their bare hands.
Towards the faint breathing sounds coming from within. That faint warmth they had only just found, though it was surely here.
"Ugh! Ugh…!"
A suppressed groan burst from Chung Myung's urgent mouth. His hands, which had been roughly digging through the debris, began to move more carefully.
Finally, Chung Myung's hands stopped.
"… Me …"
The voice, faint enough to be drowned out by the wind, was finally heard clearly.
"Help… me…"
Crack!
The debris in Chung Myung's hand crumbled. To avoid injuring the buried person, he began using his internal qi to pulverize the rubble.
How many times did he repeat this?
After an unprecedentedly careful touch, finally a person appeared beneath the rubble.
No, it was not just one person.
"Here, here!"
"There's a baby too… a baby!"
A dust-covered woman, half-conscious, and a small child cradled in her arms were seen.
The woman, completely exhausted and seemingly unable to open her eyes, kept whispering a voice that seemed about to break off but never did.
"…Help… me…"
"…"
"My… baby…"
No one dared to speak.
In the silence, Chung Myung stretched his trembling hand into the rubble. Holding the woman's pulse very carefully, he began to push his vital energy into her. The same for the child.
"Alive…"
At that moment, everyone saw Chung Myung's shoulders collapse. The man of Kangho could no longer hold on after discovering the two survivors and dropped his head.
"Alive… they are…"
Baek Cheon, staring blankly at the bowed Chung Myung, the unconscious woman, and the sleeping child in her arms, bit his lip tightly and looked up at the distant sky.
She must have held her breath, afraid of the sound of clashing swords. Afraid that the noise of fighting and crashing would take the child away.
Even in the pitch-black darkness, she must have covered her mouth and endured, fearing a scream might escape.
What made that woman muster her last strength was neither the power that defeated the Demonic Cult, nor the sword that pierced the high priest's throat, nor the mind that threatened and drove away the Four Sect's leader.
It was simply the resounding Taoist call. The sorrowful Buddhist chant. A voice without any mighty power, just a voice earnestly hoping and hoping again.
Therefore… it was conveyed to those who were wounded and trembling with fear.
What ultimately saved those who could not be saved even by the power to uplift the world… was the small mindset they had momentarily forgotten but must never forget.
Tears welled up in Baek Cheon's eyes.
The blue sky was unusually piercing, painful to the eyes.