Chapter 646: Chapter 1534: What Do You Know? (Part 4)
The unfamiliar sound of a grasshopper's cry echoed suddenly. Perhaps the situation itself was unfamiliar.
The two stood in silence, gazing at each other.
"...I am going to die."
After a moment, Baek Cheon's voice broke the silence with a calm tone.
"Anyone who holds a sword should be prepared for such a thing."
It was an obvious statement, delivered with unwavering confidence. However, Yoon Jong did not accept it as such.
"You know that's not what I meant."
Baek Cheon's silent gaze scrutinized Yoon Jong.
Soon, Baek Cheon realized something anew. The deep conflict within and the fact that Yoon Jong had rarely opened up about it.
"Hmm."
A gentle smile appeared on Baek Cheon's lips.
"I appreciate your concern, but there's no need to be so serious. I..."
At that moment, Yoon Jong's Plum Blossom Sword was drawn from its sheath in a flash. It was filled not only with the usual spirit but also an unusual intensity.
Pa-a-at!
The red energy-infused sword swiftly reached Baek Cheon's throat. Startled, Baek Cheon quickly swung his sword to deflect Yoon Jong's strong attack.
Clang!
The clash of swords pushed Baek Cheon backward.
"What...!"
However, without giving Baek Cheon a chance to reveal his anger at the sudden assault, Yoon Jong relentlessly aimed for Baek Cheon again.
In an instant, the surroundings were filled with sword energy. Baek Cheon felt the pressure as if a massive mountain was bearing down on him.
Para-la-lack!
At the tip of Baek Cheon's sword, dozens of plum blossom sword energies scattered rapidly. Red petals blossomed like clouds, forming a barrier between Yoon Jong and Baek Cheon.
Kwoong!
Without hesitation, Yoon Jong stepped forward. Arching his waist and swiftly turning, he swung his sword horizontally.
Hwee-ee-eeeng!
With a powerful shockwave, the plum blossom petals were swept away as Yoon Jong targeted Baek Cheon's attack.
Thunk!
Yoon Jong, in the midst of the opened space, quickly threw himself, lowering his body, and swung his sword down over Baek Cheon's head.
Baek Cheon's pupils expanded to their limit.
Kaa-aa-ah!
Baek Cheon's upward-pointed sword and Yoon Jong's downward-slashing sword collided forcefully in mid-air.
Clang! Clang-clang!
Yoon Jong pressed down with the force to break Baek Cheon's sword. Though Baek Cheon resisted and pushed back with all his might, Yoon Jong showed no sign of yielding, like an unyielding mountain.
Thud. Thud-thud.
Baek Cheon's feet gradually retreated. The bones throughout his body screamed in agony. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't overcome the relentless pressure from Yoon Jong.
The contorted faces of Baek Cheon and the expressionless Yoon Jong met in the clash of swords.
At that moment, Yoon Jong spoke.
"If..."
Despite pressing down on Baek Cheon, he seemed to have some energy left.
"If you can't make your strength felt after dazzling the eyes, it is just a shell."
Tuwong!
At that moment, Yoon Jong pushed Baek Cheon away. Staggering backwards, Baek Cheon finally stopped when he plunged his sword into the ground.
Yoon Jong stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"So, what one should pursue is not flashiness but the true meaning within it."
Baek Cheon slowly raised his head and met Yoon Jong's gaze.
"...It's what Sasuk said."
Baek Cheon didn't respond. On his face now, there was neither embarrassment pushed by the defeat, nor self-reproach, nor anger towards Yoon Jong's actions that went beyond limits. Just...
"You've become unexpectedly strong."
"Have I become strong?"
"..."
"If people see Sasuk as an amateur, they might be deceived. You can package yourself with plausible sword energy and appropriate pretense. But, Baek Cheon."
Yoon Jong's cold gaze pierced through Baek Cheon.
"Now, no one sees the Deputy Sect Leader of Mount Hua as an amateur."
Baek Cheon remained silent. That silence was a more definite affirmation than any words.
"So, every enemy we face will do their best to try to kill Sasuk with all their might. It is not a time for any complacency."
"Yoon Jong."
Yoon Jong glared at Baek Cheon, biting his lips.
"I'll say it again; you will die."
Baek Cheon, who had been silent as if losing his words for a while, sighed.
"Do you all know?"
"If we didn't, we would all be fools. How could we not know?"
"But why didn't you say anything until now?"
Yoon Jong responded as if it were obvious.
"Because it's Sasuk."
The answer was laden with so much meaning that even Baek Cheon found it difficult to comprehend all at once.
Baek Cheon, staring straight at Yoon Jong with a stern expression, asked.
"Then... why are you doing this now?"
The grip on Yoon Jong's sword tightened. It was a different question, but the answer he had to give was the same.
"Because it's Sasuk."
Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly.
Yes. It wasn't that he couldn't speak because he didn't know. It was because they both knew, they couldn't speak about it precisely because they understood each other.
Yoon Jong spoke coldly.
"Please step back."
It was Yoon Jong who uttered those cold words, but it was also Yoon Jong who twitched his eyes as if he had been cut by those words.
"No one wants to see Sasuk die like that."
"Hmm."
Baek Cheon straightened up and sheathed his sword. His gaze, looking beyond distant Mount Hua peaks, was clear.
"Winter is coming."
"...Sasuk."
"When the cold winter comes, Mount Hua will be covered in snow. It's as if it was all a lie that it was once filled with plum blossoms."
Baek Cheon's gaze, which had been directed far away, turned back to Yoon Jong.
"Any flower will wither eventually. It's an inevitable thing that can neither be avoided nor denied. But..."
A resolute voice echoed without hesitation.
"Just because it knows it will wither, a flower doesn't refrain from blooming. That's what plum blossoms are."
Yoon Jong bit his lips.
"You don't have to throw yourself into defeat like this."
"..."
"Just step back and take care of yourself reasonably. You just need to recover physically, right? Then..."
As Yoon Jong poured out his words forcefully, he suddenly stopped.
A bitter laugh escaped him.
Because he knew. How meaningless these words were to that person.
Could Yoon Jong not know? Even if Baek Cheon lost his skills, even if he was just a speck of dust in terms of power, he could still be helpful. And the battlefield was a place where even that speck of dust could make a difference.
Risking the lives of his brothers for his survival? Yoon Jong, who knew Baek Cheon well, knew that such a choice didn't exist for him.
"Sasuk."
"Don't worry."
Baek Cheon raised his head. It was a slow but firm gesture.
"I know that because of me, you all could be in danger. Since I know, I won't let such a situation happen."
"We're not talking about that right now!"
Finally, a shout burst from Yoon Jong's mouth.
Seeing Yoon Jong getting angry, Baek Cheon couldn't help but smile faintly. It was because he thought it was somewhat comforting to see someone capable of getting angry.
It was somewhat heartbreaking but also somewhat proud to be the subject of his anger.
"Mount Hua needs me."
"..."
"It's not arrogance or conceit. It's just that there's a role I must play."
"I can do it."
"Not yet. You know that."
"I..."
Yoon Jong clenched his fist.
Although he wanted to deny it a hundred times, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Whenever it may be, he would have to inherit Baek Cheon's role, but that was a future that remained uncertain.
For now, Yoon Jong was a person who could not replace Baek Cheon.
"...Are you going to the battlefield in the end?"
"Yes."
"Even if I say this, you won't listen, will you?"
"Probably not."
Yoon Jong nodded heavily.
"Then I will stop Sasuk in my own way."
"Yoon Jong."
"If words don't work, there's no other option."
Turning on his heel, Yoon Jong quickly distanced himself from Baek Cheon, descending down the mountain.
Baek Cheon silently followed Yoon Jong with his eyes as he disappeared.
It probably wasn't easy to come up here. But he couldn't have not come. Because he was Yoon Jong.
Baek Cheon, with a bitter look, stared at the space where Yoon Jong disappeared and then spoke with a suppressed voice.
"Come out."
Rustle.
Then, a person walked out from the bushes.
"...You shouldn't have known."
"Even if the senses are dead, instinct remains. I noticed when the sound of insects stopped for a moment."
Yoo Iseol nodded as if understanding what happened.
When Yoon Jong ambushed Baek Cheon in the middle, she almost rushed out and was exposed.
Baek Cheon turned his head to look at Yoo Iseol.
"Are you going to stop me too?"
"I feel the same way."
"So you won't stop me."
"Because it would have been the same."
Yoo Iseol meant that if she were in Baek Cheon's position, she would have made the same choice.
"...Alright."
Baek Cheon nodded. After hearing this, he felt somewhat relieved. However, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"...It's difficult."
Baek Cheon looked up at the moon in the sky.
The faint moon, partially covered by clouds, was also silently gazing down at him.
Yoon Jong's footsteps descending from the mountain became faster.
It felt like something was filling his chest. It was so stifling that even breathing felt difficult.
It wasn't because of Baek Cheon's forced situation. The frustration he felt towards himself, who understood and accepted him, was the source of his stifling feeling.
No, perhaps it could be called powerlessness.
If Yoon Jong could completely replace Baek Cheon, then such a frustrating situation could have been avoided.
He had thought that such a situation might occur someday, but he had considered it as a distant future event. It was his complacency that led to the current situation.
If Baek Cheon were to die in this war, Yoon Jong would never forgive himself.
No, his regrets were trivial. What mattered was that Baek Cheon didn't die. Not just Baek Cheon, but no one should die.
'Great Sect Leader...'
Unknowingly, Yoon Jong found himself thinking of Hyun Jong, but he quickly shook his head.
If the Great Sect Leader intervened, it might be possible to stop Baek Cheon, but the situation could worsen. In the worst-case scenario, things could escalate further under the Great Sect Leader's orders.
And whether detaining Baek Cheon under the Great Sect Leader's orders was the complete solution to this situation was also uncertain.
It felt frustrating and suffocating. It seemed like everything was caving in.
His heart was anxious and desperate, yet there was no solution.
At that moment, one thought crossed Yoon Jong's mind.
'Chung Myung.'
It wasn't just Baek Cheon who he couldn't understand.
What he can't comprehend the most was why that damn bastard had remained silent until now.
How could Chung Myung not realize what Yoon Jong had noticed?
Yoon Jong put more strength into his steps.
'If it's him...'
He must listen.
Why was he insisting on silence? In a situation that could erupt into a war at any moment, why was he acting as if this serious matter were someone else's concern? Why... would he just watch as Baek Cheon headed to the battlefield in such a condition?
Yoon Jong's eyes grew cold in the darkness.
'If it's him... he will at least give some answers.'
No, he would make him answer.
Absolutely.
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