-If I am surrounded by enemies, be sure to save me. If that’s difficult, drag my dead body back to Mount Hua.

-If that doesn’t work, at least my martial arts book must be sent back to Mount Hua.

-Don’t forget, sahyung.

-The only person who can do that is sahyung. Never! Never forget that!

“Uh… uhhh….”

His trembling fingers approached the white bones. But his fingers, which seemed ready to touch it, went still, scared of holding it.

Fear.

Fear that it would crumble the moment the hand touched it.

Afraid all this would vanish like an illusion.

“… Jin.”

He was here.

He was here.

His sajae. How lonely he must have felt in this dark place.

Just how….

“Uhhhh….”

Chung Myung, who seemed at a loss for words, made suppressed sobbing noises and touched the pale bone forehead with his trembling fingers. The moment he felt the rough and cold sensation, he was shocked and pulled back his hand, then stroked the bone carefully, as if touching a newborn child.

“Uhh…. Uh….ehhh….”

He… He came back too late.

How long had he waited? How could he wait in this cold place all this time?

‘Forgive me.’

‘Forgive me, Chung Jin.’

‘Please forgive this worthless sahyung who has finally come for you.’

His hand touched the pale cheek as if it were touching a living person.

Why did we learn the value of people only after losing them? How could he be this foolish?

Chung Myung’s mouth trembled. When he looked down, he saw the clothes which were torn and half gone. The bones visible inside were all stained black.

‘Demon flower…’

At this rate, even walking wouldn’t have been easy in his last moments.

Even when he couldn’t walk, and his body was failing, he must have desperately crawled and got here.

He wasn’t afraid of death. Death could be a good thing.

But there was one thing to leave behind.

A place that no one in the world can find. A place only for the disciples of Mount Hua to find.

Something had to be left there.

He must have dug the hole, spent the life he had left, and died remembering those who would one day come there.

Since he couldn’t go back to Mount Hua anymore, at least somewhere, he could think of it… so alone and lonely.

‘You waited?’

He probably believed that Chung Myung would come, right?

For him, his sahyung.

Chung Myung’s eyes finally looked at something he noticed with the hem of his clothes. No, he looked for it but didn’t see it.

He couldn’t see anything. This was because his vision had turned hazy.

He bit his lip and closed his eyes. Overflowing sadness continued to drip down his cheek. After a while, he opened his eyes and stared at what he was supposed to be looking for.

Just one volume of a book.

Chung Jin wasn’t separated from this even till he died.

Purple Cloud Enhanced Qi, Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

And…

He stared at the book with trembling eyes. Although it had turned a bit blurry due to the passage of time, the elegant handwriting was still visible to the eye. An uncontrollable groan escaped from Chung Myung’s lips.

Purple Cloud Divine Arts.

-I cannot show this to sahyung.

-Ah! This is a martial art that only the warriors of Mount Hua can learn! Go away! Before I tear it here!

-Yes. Of course, I have to have it; I can protect it, and sahyung can protect me.

-Do not worry. Even if I have to die, I will protect the books. That is why I protect Mount Hua.

Right. He protected it.

But.

“I…”

Chung Myung grabbed the floor.

“I couldn’t do it. I…”

‘Forgive me. Please forgive this horrible sahyung.’

Chung Jin… Chung Jin.

The sadness was so great that he could not breathe. His vision continued to be blurred.

Everything he had been holding in came out of his throat and poured down.

He stretched out his trembling hand forward and carefully hugged the white bone that had now turned so small.

Chung Myung buried his forehead in the shoulder of the White Bone, hugging the air awkwardly, unable to even touch it, fearing that the bones would crumble or break.

“Uh… uh… ahhhhh”

The emotions that weighed down on his chest burst out; he couldn’t say anything else.

Let’s go back.

Let’s go back together.

Now that he was here let them head back to Mount Hua together, Chung Jin.

He was sorry for being this late.

So, let’s head back to Mount Hua now.

There were still things he left behind. The things he wanted to leave behind were breathing.

“Uh….”

His body wouldn’t stop trembling.

He closed his mouth shut, and the emotions that had been blocked for so long came out.

Right. He was left with nothing.

But the ones he was trying to protect were still here. As he said, embrace what you left behind.

Let us head back.

The place he protected. To the place he wanted to go so much.

Baek Cheon, who was watching Chung Myung crying and shaking as if he had lost his tongue, couldn’t bear to see anymore and turned his head.

The sajaes who had come down together to see this were also speechless as they looked at Chung Myung and their ancestor, who had faded over the years.

‘For a hundred years….’

In this narrow and dark cave…

Baek Cheon gently closed his eyes.

Digging a tunnel this large would have been possible only if the enemy’s eyes were eluded, even if it was for just a moment. That meant he could have tried to run.

But instead of going on the final escape of his life, this man chose to hide in a place where the enemies couldn’t find him.

Instead of sacrificing his life, he wanted to convey the book he carried back to Mount Hua one day.

Baek Cheon couldn’t even imagine how he felt as the man met his end in this dark and cold place.

But at least he knew what to do now.

When Baek Cheon quietly winked, those who understood his intentions moved slightly to the left and right to create some space.

“We.”

The disciples of Mount Hua began to bow in unison.

It was a more pious gesture than before, filled with respect for the ancestor and for the warriors who carried out their will until the last moment.

Once.

Once again.

After bowing twice, Baek Cheon slowly stood up.

He then slowly approached Chung Myung. This time, Yu Yiseol didn’t stop him.

“Chung Myung.”

Baek Cheon carefully grabbed Chung Myung’s shoulder.

The moment his hand touched it, he felt a tremble. Those shoulders, which had always been strong and proud, were now shaking to the point where he felt afraid to hold them.

Baek Cheon let out a quiet sigh and gently encouraged Chung Myung,

“Shouldn’t we take this person to Mount Hua?”

“…”

“It is so cold and lonely here. Let’s go to Mount Hua, Chung Myung. Our ancestors wouldn’t want this.”

Only then did Chung Myung slightly nod his head.

After carefully placing the bare bones, he slowly took off his robe. Then he spread the cloth on the ground.

He looked at the white skull in silence for a long time.

Baek Cheon guessed why Chung Myung wasn’t moving and pressed his shoulder.

“I will do it.”

“…Ah, no.”

But Chung Myung slowly shook his head.

“I have to do it… I need to do this, sasuk.”

It wasn’t the voice of Chung Myung that he knew.

“… okay.”

Baek Cheon had no choice but to nod his head and take a step back. Chung Myung continued to blankly look at the white bones for a while and then slowly stretched out his hand.

‘Right. Let us head back now, Chung Jin.’

Because you would have wanted to go back. So, let us head back now.

Chung Myung touched the white bone as if caressing a wounded cheek and slightly lifted it up. He felt a slight resistance from his fingertips.

In the end, Chung Myung bit his lip, closed his eyes, and gave a little more strength to the hand holding the white bone.

The white bone, which had been shaking slightly, fell off the neck.

After caressing the head several times, he carefully moved it to unbutton the robe around.

Click.

Chung Myung took off the white bones, which looked like they would scatter on the ground at any moment, and moved them onto his robe. He placed the last remaining piece of clothing on top of the bones and carefully wrapped them in his own.

‘It might be uncomfortable, but be patient.’

Chung Myung grabbed the stash lying on the ground and stood up. Then, he approached and presented the book to Baek Cheon.

“This….”

“Take care of this, sasuk.”

“…”

“This is what sasuk should do.”

Baek Cheon looked at the book quietly and nodded. Although it was impossible to fully guess the intention, if Chung Myung said so, it definitely must hold some meaning.

He also took off his robe and carefully wrapped the belongings.

Chung Myung nodded slightly, turned around, picked up the bones of Chung Jin, and put them on his shoulder. His eyes suddenly fell on the words engraved on the wall, and he laughed.

‘Anyway, there is no such thing as being arrogant.’

If it was his last words to the world, he would at least pretend to be fine.

‘You foolish bastard….’

‘Right.’

Let’s go now to the place he so desperately wanted to go.

Chung Myung raised his head and looked at the Five Swords of Mount Hua.

“Let’s go back.”

Everyone nodded slowly at the words that finally came.

Yoon Jong was the first to take steps, but then Chung Myung’s words stopped him.

“Look carefully… remember.”

Everyone had the sight of the cave engraved in their eyes.

“Here is the soul of Mount Hua.”

What protected Mount Hua wasn’t the reputation of being the best swordsmen sect in the world or having the best swords in them.

It was the will that remained here and had protected Mount Hua.

Something they shouldn’t forget. Everything they needed to continue was here.

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had taken in everything they saw in front of their eyes without exception, turned one by one with stiff looks.

Finally, Chung Myung was left alone in the cave where even Yu Yiseol and Baek Cheon had moved from. He looked around the dark surroundings with sunken eyes.

The image of Chung Jin was still in his memory in this cave.

Even though he was covered in blood and dying, he probably dug a hole, strengthened the wall with internal qi, wrote down his last words, then mustered up all his strength and sat cross-legged.

And…

‘Did you smile?’

Right, he must have done that.

-I will leave the rest to you. Damned sahyung.

It felt like he heard the playful laugh of Chung Jin.

“… of course.”

He knew. He was unreliable. Because that was the kind of person he was.

But…

“I remember.”

What he said, what he asked.

About what he should do.

Chung Myung slowly approached the wall. After standing silently for a while and looking at the stone wall with Chung Jin’s last words engraved on it, he raised his hand.

Ka-ka-ka.

The sound of the hard stone wall being scraped echoed within the cave.

After a moment, Chung Myung lowered his hand, looked at the stone wall, and turned. Soon after, he pulled himself out of the passage, and a pile of dirt poured down, closing it entirely.

The cave was dark now.

No more light would come in.

But one day, after countless years pass by… if an animal looking for a place to rest dug a burrow, or if someone discovered this place which had been eroded by the wind and rain, maybe they would be able to see the engraved words on the stone wall.

Even though my body sleeps here.

My heart is with the distant Mount Hua.

Chung Jin, the 13th generation disciple of the Great Mount Hua Sect.

What the spirit of Mount Hua left behind.

I will take it back to Mount Hua.

Chung Myung, the 13th generation disciple of the Great Mount Hua Sect.

Words that no one would understand.