C1737. Can They Endure It? (2)
Hyun Jong looked calmly at the young man before him.
A young man with a sickly appearance, dressed in the pristine white uniform of the Mount Hua Sect.
Seeing that white figure contrasting with the dark, almost black ground, Hyun Jong remembered the word "immaculate." In many ways.
A faded white.
It looks fragile and on the verge of collapsing, but it is also so clear that it cannot be touched recklessly.
'Is it a crane...?'.
A celestial crane.
Hyun Jong thought that perhaps the ancients chose the crane as a symbol of Taoism not only for its beauty.
The Tao is like that. The most correct path a person should follow. But it is also something extremely difficult to follow for a human being.
The life of a Taoist who follows the celestial path, how is it different from a crane standing on its thin legs?
But humans are not cranes. Although cranes may seem calm from a human perspective while watching the world from the water, humans who live like cranes must endure countless pains.
Therefore, the Tao is the most virtuous and at the same time the most cruel.
Therefore, the path of the Tao is a supreme symbol and at the same time a dreadful punishment.
Hyun Jong had to ask.
As the Sect Leader of the Great Mount Hua Sect, and as the Great Sect Leader.
Although no one in the world could deny that he had lived the life of a true Taoist, had he ever truly followed the path of the Tao?
Buddhism says that the world is suffering. Living itself is a practice of suffering.
Confucianism says that the world is chaos. Living is restoring order.
Then, what does the Tao say?
If everything is natural as it is, is it natural to accept the pain that he and Baek Cheon are suffering? If so, is accepting that pain following the path of the Tao?
If so, if it really is so.
What is the meaning of a Taoist's life?
If he, who does not even understand this, can be called a true Taoist.
"Disciple. Baek Cheon."
That's why Hyun Jong was not confident.
"I dare to ask."
He did not have the confidence to give a correct answer to someone looking at him with those clear eyes.
"Is it true that the Sect Leader has expelled me?"
The order was given by Hyun Jong. An Am only nodded. But Baek Cheon mentioned the Sect Leader, not Hyun Jong. Hyun Jong's will is personal, but the Sect Leader's will is that of the Mount Hua Sect.
That's why Baek Cheon asked. If all this truly represented the will of the Mount Hua Sect.
"Yes."
And Hyun Jong nodded.
This may be overreach, also obstinacy. But Hyun Jong thought.
Is it wrong?
The Tao says you must follow your heart. Even if all the rules and norms of what belongs shout that it is wrong, can he deny what his heart feels?
"No. It is not."
But Baek Cheon denied it.
"That is the will of the Great Sect Leader, not that of the Mount Hua Sect."
Hyun Jong's eyes narrowed.
"No one can deny that the Great Sect Leader is the one who best preserves the will of the Mount Hua Sect. Neither the Disciples of the Mount Hua Sect nor those who are not disciples. But..."
Baek Cheon looked at Hyun Jong with his clear eyes.
"Still, it cannot be said that all the will of the Great Sect Leader is aligned with that of the Mount Hua Sect."
"......"
Hyun Jong's face showed inevitable sadness.
That statement is correct. It is completely correct.
But what importance does that have?
Rightness and wrongness only matter to those who decide to walk rightly. For those who recognize that their own thoughts are obstinacy, the debate over rightness is insignificant.
"Even if your words are true."
Hyun Jong solemnly shouted. No, he murmured sadly.
"Now, the one who carries the will of the Mount Hua Sect is me."
"......"
"And it is also me who determines the path of the Mount Hua Sect."
Hyun Jong declared firmly.
"Therefore, the decision will not change. As the legitimate Great Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect, with the authority delegated by the Sect Leader, I decided on the expulsion of the Grand Disciple Baek Cheon. I will not accept any objection."
Hyun Jong's face showed a slight tremor. But his firmness was evident. An impenetrable wall of steel.
And Baek Cheon, as expected, struck that wall.
"Why?"
"Because it is the right thing."
"I said it is not the right thing."
"Righteousness varies from person to person. For me, this is right."
"I said it is not the will of the Mount Hua Sect."
"But it is my will. And at this moment, my will is that of the Mount Hua Sect."
It is not that he did not know how to retreat. Hyun Jong knew very well how to retreat.
But he also knew that there are times when one cannot retreat.
All his life, he had retreated in everything. But at this moment he could not retreat. For those who were in front of him.
"Great Sect Leader."
Baek Cheon, with a pale face, asked again in a low voice.
"Why?"
Hyun Jong closed his eyes.
Similar questions. But all different. Answering all these questions has no end.
Therefore, Hyun Jong did not bother to give elaborate answers.
"Baek Cheon."
It was a name he should not pronounce.
The moment his expulsion was pronounced and the Sect Leader acknowledged it, the name Baek Cheon would disappear from the records of the Mount Hua Sect. That name no longer existed in the world.
But Hyun Jong deliberately called Baek Cheon, not by his birth name Jin Dongryong, but by his title.
"It is for your own good."
"That is sophistry."
"And also for the good of all the Disciples of the Mount Hua Sect."
"That is also sophistry."
"I do not want to debate."
"I do not want to debate either."
Baek Cheon's burning eyes pierced Hyun Jong. Like flames consuming his life, his eyes were intensely bright.
Even those who could not see his eyes felt Baek Cheon's determination. Behind him, beyond the open door, many were watching this exchange.
A place where only the Disciples of the Mount Hua Sect could approach. But precisely because of that, only the Disciples of Mount Hua could see it clearly from that place.
'Sasuk.'
Yoon Jong looked at Baek Cheon's upright back.
It seemed that it might collapse at any moment. Those who observed felt sweat in their hands. Even if he was physically well, facing the authority of Hyun Jong and the elders of Mount Hua was not an easy task.
But Baek Cheon did not retreat an inch.
"Why?"
Baek Cheon shouted with determination.
"Why is it really for the good of the Disciples?"
"Baek Cheon!"
"Is it really for the good of the Disciples that you expel me?"
"......"
"Is it for the good of the Disciples that you force me to leave the Mount Hua Sect?"
Baek Cheon extended his hand. That thin and worn hand.
"Does it not matter what it is as long as I can wield a sword again? Is that really for the good of the Disciples?"
His voice did not tremble at all.
But for Yoon Jong, that firm voice sounded more like a heart-wrenching cry. Perhaps not only for Yoon Jong, but for everyone present.
There were no weapons there. But it was fiercer than any battlefield.
"Is that why you violate the rules established by our ancestors?"
Hyun Jong's eyebrows furrowed.
"Is that why you destroy everything that Mount Hua has built so far?"
"Stop."
"Is that why you deny even the life of the Sect Leader?"
"Baek Cheon!"
Hyun Jong roared. But Baek Cheon did not retreat. Despite trembling in the presence of Hyun Jong and biting his lips to maintain consciousness.
Baek Cheon's determination, however, began to fade. Not because he was oppressed. Rather, because the intensity faded.
A deep sadness appeared on Hyun Jong's face.
"You have... a future."
"......"
Hyun Jong knew. With his years of experience, he knew how bright Baek Cheon's future could be, how many things he could achieve.
As someone who endured his youth in the midst of suffering, he could not look away from what Baek Cheon could lose.
The impetus of youth sometimes tears away many things.
Courage is not eternal. What is now invaluable will fade with time. And looking back, one realizes how valuable the things that seemed insignificant at the time were.
"Now it may hurt. It may be a heart-wrenching pain. But you will understand. That the pain you now feel is less than what you could have faced."
"How can the Great Sect Leader decide that?"
"Baek Cheon."
Hyun Jong exhaled deeply.
"Life is long."
"......"
"You can rise again. You can shine again."
Baek Cheon's face hardened.
"Great Sect Leader."
"Do you think it is because it is you? It is not. Anyone in your place would receive the same decision."
Hyun Jong's eyes shifted from Baek Cheon to the Mount Hua Disciples watching.
"The Sect does not exist for people. People exist for the Sect."
"......"
"It is the same for everyone. I do not want Mount Hua to hold you back. I do not want Mount Hua to be a burden for you. Not only I. The Ancestors of Mount Hua would not want that either."
Yoon Jong instinctively nodded while observing. Yoon Jong suddenly turned at noticing something. Next to him was Chung Myung.
Chung Myung, who had barely shown himself lately, was watching the conversation in the hall with an unusually expressionless face.
"Mount Hua should be your refuge and your platform. If it is not, what value does the name Mount Hua have?"
"......"
"If it is only a façade, I will dismantle it. If the name Mount Hua is a burden, I will erase that name with my own hands."
By then, everyone understood. It did not matter if it was right or wrong, Hyun Jong's resolution would not change.
Mount Hua was the most important thing to Hyun Jong. But now, Hyun Jong was willing to sacrifice even that name. How could anyone persuade someone with such determination?
But could he be condemned for it? Could he be called wrong?
They could not speak. The situation was heart-wrenching.
Two people who could have understood each other deeply, now standing on a parallel line that would never meet.
Yoon Jong realized. Not only the disciples of Mount Hua were watching.
Hye Yeon, Namgung Dowi, Tang Gunak, Shin Gae. Even Jin Geumryong and Lee Songbaek were watching from close by.
Surely, Jong Rigok was also listening to all this. Watching how Baek Cheon was leaving Mount Hua.
'Sasuk...'
Yoon Jong pressed his lips together. There was no way. He could not change Hyun Jong's mind. He should not change it.
Probably everyone understood it. They understood Hyun Jong's motive for expelling Baek Cheon.
Yoon Jong's heart already affirmed that the decision was not wrong. Hyun Jong was bearing the burden that Yoon Jong and the others could not carry.
'But why does it hurt so much?'
Just as Yoon Jong struggled to contain his pain, Baek Cheon slowly raised his open hand. That thin and withered hand, like a plum branch that had not blossomed.
