Return of the Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1381: Of Course, That Would Never Happen. (1)

Jeok Ho’s face hardened strangely.

‘Trust...’

He knew. Jang Ilso could not be wrong. Yet he could not immediately nod in agreement because the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint that he imagined did not match at all with the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint that Jang Ilso described.

‘What kind of person was the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint?’

In truth, he did not know the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint well. He had never met him, nor spoken with him. But from his deeds and the rumors, it wasn’t hard to infer what kind of man he was.

‘An absolute prodigy of martial arts.’

He dueled the Hegemony Lord and survived, and even joined forces with him to defeat the high priest of the Demonic Cult.

No matter how one underestimated him, it would be hard to deny that he was one of the world’s top masters, especially at such a young age.

‘Besides, he’s the center of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.’

Though barely beyond twenty, he stood as one pillar among giants contesting the world.

But the true strength of the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint was not in his force or his faction.

‘The most important thing is, of course, righteousness.’

Wherever the name Mount Hua’s Sword Saint rang out, those words always followed. It was the strongest power that made even his martial arts skills and the faction he’d built seem trivial.

That’s why Jang Ilso’s words were hard to understand.

The Mount Hua’s Sword Saint, regarded as the very embodiment of the code, doesn’t trust people...?

“Is that hard to believe?”

Jeok Ho shook his head.

“It’s not that it’s unbelievable, but I can’t readily understand it. The righteousness he espouses would be hard to enact without trust.”

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso snorted softly. His eyes curved wide.

“No. That’s not it. You’ve understood it completely backwards.”

“...What do you mean by that?”

“Didn’t I say? The most impeccably upright scholar might also be the most greedy.”

Jeok Ho nodded briefly.

“It’s no different in the case of the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.”

Jang Ilso turned his head slightly to look out the window and asked.

“What does it mean to help in the first place?”

“...What do you mean by that...?”

“Think about it. What does it mean to help? Have you ever seen a poor person help a rich person?”

Embarrassment clouded Jeok Ho’s eyes. It was absurd. Why would the poor help the wealthy?

“I’ve never seen such a thing. But isn’t that obvious? Those who have more help those who have less...”

Jeok Ho fell silent. Only after speaking did he understand what Jang Ilso was getting at.

“Do you understand now?”

Jang Ilso’s gaze shone like the jewels draped over his body.

“Helping is inherently an act bestowed upon those weaker than oneself. Of course anyone can do it. Anyone. But...”

His low, soft voice sounded chilling.

“No one tries to help the whole world. No one tries to help everything within their reach. And they don’t consider that to be natural.”

“...”

“What does that mean? It means he considers everyone weaker than himself. He may not even know it himself.”

Jeok Ho’s expression turned strange.

“But, Alliance lord. He’s not the only one to think that way, is he?”

“True. But he puts that thought into reality. He does what others only wish for. That means he evaluates himself as extraordinary.”

Jang Ilso broke off and laughed shortly as if amused. The red curl of his mouth looked particularly chilling.

“Of course, he probably doesn’t know this himself either.”

Perhaps Jang Ilso was right.

Indeed, the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint was odd. ‘Great’ alone could not explain him. His achievements were tremendous, but the acts he committed to achieve them were far from normal.

“Trust comes from recognizing others. But that fellow never recognizes others. The extent he recognizes others is only when they fall within his reach. That’s it.”

“That is...”

“Yes.”

Jang Ilso nodded slowly.

“It’s like an adult looking at babies. They can praise a child who walks better than their peers, or marvel if a toddler can recite characters. But...”

A mocking tone flickered through Jang Ilso’s words.

“Can you call such feelings ‘trust’?”

Adults do not trust their children. That’s a separate question from whether they feel affection for them.

An adult may value a child’s potential and acknowledge their greatness, but ultimately cannot look past their immaturity.

Then he must become a keeper of the code.

If the world were filled with three-year-olds, even Jeok Ho, who cannot be called a paragon of virtue, perhaps even a villain, would become a keeper of the code. He could not leave the children within his reach alone.

Right now, Jang Ilso was saying that Chung Myung’s almost-fanatical adherence to the code ultimately stemmed from distrust of people, more precisely, distrust of immaturity.

This was completely contrary to public opinion. Would the world agree with this assessment?

No, what would the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint’s reaction be if he heard this?

It certainly wouldn’t be pleasant, to say the least.

“I understand what the Alliance lord means...”

Jeok Ho, feeling slightly bewildered, looked up at Jang Ilso.

“But how does that relate to what you said earlier...?”

“Tsk tsk. After saying this much, shouldn’t you understand?”

“...My apologies.”

Jang Ilso drained the bottle and wet his mouth. After wiping the alcohol from his lip with his thumb, he answered.

“Didn’t I say people lie to themselves? The core is that the child Chung Myung firmly believes he trusts everyone.”

“...”

“Then it’s simple. All I must do is gauge what judgment his unknown true intent will make. Do you understand what I mean?”

“It’s difficult...”

Jang Ilso stared at Jeok Ho quietly. His pale eyes, devoid of any emotional shred, seemed to press down on him.

“What would you do if a child were by the water?”

“Well... I’d watch first.”

“If that child fell into the water?”

“...Depending on the circumstance, I might run to save them.”

“Even if that child had nothing to do with you?”

Jeok Ho frowned slightly.

“Of course... I wouldn’t call myself a good man, but isn’t that human nature? Saving one child hardly takes much effort anyway.”

“Yes. Right, in some cases.”

As if satisfied with the answer, Jang Ilso nodded.

“Then tell me—what if many children by the water were divided into factions and fighting each other?”

“...”

“What if, in that process, countless children could fall into the water and die? If immature toddlers, barely able to walk, fought foolishly in a dangerous place without understanding the consequences?”

Jeok Ho closed his mouth.

“You... yes, what would you do?”

Of course you’d go. Anyone would answer the same. A person must go.

A firm voice came from Jeok Ho.

“If they’re children... I’d run. Because they’re children, not adults.”

“Yes. Right. You would naturally do that.”

“...”

“Do you understand?”

Jeok Ho nodded.

“It’s not hard to draw that Mount Hua’s Sword Saint in. Just give him a grand affair. Round up inexperienced fools who can’t fend for themselves and set up a big stage, he’ll try to come somehow.”

“...”

“No need for extra effort.”

Of course the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint would surely disagree with Jang Ilso. He would arrive at his conclusions through countless reasons and calculations.

But now Jang Ilso claimed that the conclusion was already set. That it would happen as the result of the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint’s own hidden intent, which even he did not know.

‘Is that even possible?’

Can anyone foresee another’s choice better than they can themselves and plan accordingly? Is that within human capability?

Jang Ilso spoke casually, but the words sent a chill down Jeok Ho’s spine. Hearing this, he finally understood why Jang Ilso considered conventional strategy trivial.

Standardized methods are meaningless before true intent, after all.

“So... you’re saying the Mount Hua’s Sword Saint will come of his own accord?”

“Isn’t he already doing that?”

“...”

“All I have to do is moderately narrow that child’s options. Then his choice becomes obvious. And...”

Jang Ilso let out a crooked laugh.

“That child draws people by his very existence. He may not know it himself... but more will gather because of him, like kindling drawn to an open clearing.”

“...”

“Wouldn’t that be enough?”

Jeok Ho found himself staring dumbfounded.

‘Has the Alliance lord envisioned this situation since leaving the Clan?’

He predicted that such things would occur merely by showing himself? If so, was that conspicuous grand carriage part of the plan?

He was at a loss for words.

Suddenly he felt fear. Strength, persistence, and malice.

There were countless reasons the world feared Jang Ilso, but now Jeok Ho felt he had discovered the full reason to truly fear him.

Who on earth could stand against such a man?

A trembling voice slipped from Jeok Ho’s lips.

“In the end... if everything the Alliance lord says is true, then no one in the world could oppose you. No one could fathom such depths.”

“Well. I don’t know.”

“...Sorry?”

The corner of Jang Ilso’s mouth twisted oddly.

“Evaluating others is easier than you think. But knowing oneself is much harder. Even for me.”

“...”

“If someone, yes, if someone, could discover a side of me that even I don’t know. If someone could understand the true intent hidden within me...”

Jang Ilso slowly stroked his white throat. His gaze flashed.

“That person would be the one to take my head.”

“...”

“Of course, that would never happen. Hahaha.”

Jang Ilso laughed and drank. Jeok Ho trembled as dread seeped into his toes.

Jang Ilso was right.

Such a thing would never happen. No one in the world could understand this man. No one could peer into this profound abyss.