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No matter what happens in the world, the river simply flows on. It is only the people watching the river who change.

Chung Myung sat alone by the riverside, feeling the blowing wind.

To his right, as usual, a white bottle of liquor was placed, but unlike usual, it was left untouched, merely occupying space.

Forgoing liquor, he just silently stared across the river. His sunken eyes were so dark that it was difficult to guess his inner thoughts.

Slowly, he ran his hands over his face.

Only after stopping at the chin did Chung Myung lower his scarred and wounded hand and suddenly found himself gazing at it absentmindedly.

Then, without realizing it, he let out a small laugh.

When he first came back to this world, how embarrassed he was to see his own unsightly little hand. However, within a few years, it suddenly became no different from the hands of Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign of the past.

It seemed to tell him that, after all, people do not change, which left a bitter taste in his mouth.

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Chung Myung, who had been looking at his hand like that for a while, cast his gaze across the river again as if being led.

Throughout his sitting, he felt as if his stomach was being squeezed. Just the thought of those cursed beings being over there was enough to make his head spin and his heart boil with rage.

Chung Myung pressed his chest with his rough hands.

‘Has anything changed?’

Has Chung Myung really changed from before?

Perhaps the answer may be yes. If it were the past him, he would never sit here silently like this. The moment he heard the word ‘Magyo,’ he would have disregarded everything around him and crossed the river to assess the situation with his own eyes.

But now Chung Myung was just sitting here in silence.

So, he has certainly changed from the past… has he? Really?

‘What….’

Before he knew it, blood was showing from his bitten lips.

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‘What on earth?’

If things were different, he wouldn’t feel this way. He shouldn’t feel the pain of his soul being ripped apart just by hearing the two words ‘Magyo’.

The fact that this deep-rooted hatred felt towards them has not changed means that Chung Myung has not been able to escape even one step from that terrible past.

But… how can he?

How can he possibly forget?

Every time he closes his eyes, the images of those who died without even being able to close their eyes on that cold mountain resurfaces. The feelings of those who had to die without leaving anything behind are vividly portrayed.

How on earth he possibly change?

Chung Myung quietly clutched his knees.

His fingernails dug into the flesh, but Chung Myung, feeling no pain, just clenched his teeth and stared somewhere beyond the river.

And… Not far away, Five Swords was staring at Chung Myung.

Jo-Gol, who couldn’t hide his anxious gaze the whole time, glanced at Baek Cheon. But the moment he saw Baek Cheon’s expression, he swallowed back the words he had almost spit out.

Seeing his Sasuk’s complexion as frozen as ice, he couldn’t speak up.

“Why?”

However, Baek Cheon opened his mouth as if he caught a glimpse of Jo-Gol’s hesitance.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“No, that’s….”

After hesitating for a moment, Jo-Gol cautiously opened his mouth.

“…If you’re going to stop him, wouldn’t it be better to get a bit closer, Sasuk?”

“….”

“If he decides to run into the river from there, we won’t have any way to stop him.”

Baek Cheon’s eyebrows twitch slightly.

“Do you think you can stop him if you get closer?”

“That….”

Jo-Gol closed his mouth.

What Baek Cheon said is correct. Even if they surrounded him, if Chung Myung truly made up his mind, there would be no stopping him.

With his skills, he could easily break through the combined attack of everyone present here.

“No… still….”

Jo-Gol glanced in the direction where Chung Myung was as if he still had lingering regrets.

“All of a sudden!”

At that moment, Tang Soso was unable to hold back any longer and raised her voice.

“Why on earth is Sahyung like that?”

“….”

“Magyo. I know it too. I hate it. Tang Family was almost destroyed because of Magyo. Who in Kangho wouldn’t hate Magyo?”

“Soso.”

“No. Of course, I know that Mount Hua is the sect that suffered the most damage from Magyo. But… Mount Hua has now overcome some of its past wounds, right?”

“….”

Jo-Gol closed his mouth without answering.

“But why on earth is Sahyung acting like that? What kind of grudge do he have with Magyo that makes him lose his mind like that when he hears Magyo?”

“Stop.”

Baek Cheon interrupted Tang Soso in a stern tone.

Then Tang Soso looked at Baek Cheon with a face that couldn’t understand at all.

“It was Sasuk who was the angriest about Sahyung’s incomprehensible actions.”

“…It’s not because of his incomprehensible behavior.”

Baek Cheon paused for a moment, then slightly bit his lip.

“Everyone has their own story. And there are also untouchable taboos that cannot be revealed.”

“Then he should just tell us.”

When Tang Soso complained, Baek Cheon quietly looked at her.

“Do you share all your stories, everything you think, with us?”

“That….”

Tang Soso trailed off.

Of course, that can’t be true. Everyone inherently has something they cannot share with others. Even if they are as close as family. No, even if they are truly family, there are definitely things that cannot be revealed.

Baek Cheon said in a calm tone.

“I’m not the least bit curious about what you all did before joining Mount Hua.”

“….”

“If you can only understand a person by knowing their thoughts and past, that’s nothing more than pretense under the guise of understanding.”

“…Then why are Sasuk so angry?”

It is not yesterday or today thing that Baek Cheon got angry because of Chung Myung. But everyone here knows. It was the first time Baek Cheon had ever been truly angry with Chung Myung.

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung’s back and said.

“…It’s not because I can’t understand him.”

A glimpse of anger flashed across the side of his face once again.

“They won’t understand, I’d rather bear it all myself than explain because I can’t make them understand, that shitty attitude of his.”

“….”

“I need no explanation for why or anything, so if he just said shut up and follow him to Gangnam…… I may curse, but I would have followed him without delay.”

At those words, Yoon Jong and Jo-Gol nodded without delay.

Baek Cheon sighed slightly and said.

“My family is in Southern Edge Sect.”

Everyone looked at him in slight confusion at the somewhat unexpected remark.

“My father is an elder of Southern Edge Sect, and my brother is Southern Edge Sect’s leading disciple. But even though he would tease me about it, he never once tripped me up over that fact. He was the kind of guy who would gnash his teeth and stir up competition at the mere mention of Southern Edge Sect, but he didn’t even care about my past because I’m a person from Mount Hua.”

Yoon Jong took a long breath and said,

“…Isn’t that a very natural thing, Sasuk?”

“Then I will ask.”

Baek Cheon looked at Yoon Jong with a serious face.

“What if my family was in danger and I had to rush to Southern Edge Sect to protect them? Or, if my family was murdered by someone and I ran to Southern Edge Sect to take revenge, what do you think that person would have done?”

“That’s…”

There’s no need to ponder.

If it was the Chung Myung they knew, he would have drawn his swords and sprinted toward Southern Edge Sect before Baek Cheon even asked for help. Because, before being people of Southern Edge Sect, they are Baek Cheon’s family. They are his blood.

And that would be the same for everyone here.

“I guess he would have done that. Of course, he would.”

“….”

“But that so obvious thing… he never asks that from us.”

Everyone fell silent at those words.

“What really makes me angry, and what I’m worried about, isn’t that the damn guy will die doing something stupid. It’s that when he does die doing something stupid…”

Baek Cheon bit his lip.

“…We won’t be by his side.”

“….”

“I am… yeah, I’m angry about that.”

Baek Cheon’s clenched fist was bulging with veins.

Tang Soso, who was watching this, slowly lowered her head.

“…I’m sorry, Sasuk.”

“No… It’s not something you should be apologizing for.”

In the end, Tang Soso’s words also came from concerns for Chung Myung. Everyone knew that and couldn’t have blamed her.

“He’s like a child.”

Yoo Iseol, who had remained silent until now, spoke in her typically blunt tone. She usually maintains the same tone, but for some reason, she felt slightly agitated today.

“Like a fool.”

“….”

Baek Cheon just sighed silently.

‘What a damn bastard.’

He knows. There is a temperature difference between the way they look at Chung Myung and the way Chung Myung looks at them.

He knows, but this is the first time the difference has been so starkly displayed.

That clear difference made Baek Cheon unbearable.

“Sasuk.”

At that moment, Yoon Jong opened his mouth. Unlike the others, who appeared anxious and hesitant, his gaze remained calm and clear.

“May I ask you something?”

“…What?”

“It is extremely dangerous to go to Gangnam now. There’s no guarantee for our life.”

“Right. Of course, that’s….”

“And it’s not just Chung Myung that Mount Hua shouldn’t lose. Perhaps, to the current Mount Hua, what’s even more important than Chung Myung might actually be Sasuk.”

Baek Cheon closed his mouth at those words.

“So, let me ask. If Chung Myung asks Sasuk to come with him to Gangnam, what will Sasuk do? Will Sasuk follow him into a deadly situation?”

Baek Cheon felt he understood why Yoon Jong’s gaze was the only one that remained clear.

While everyone else was focused on Chung Myung’s seemingly anxious back, only Yoon Jong was calmly considering the future of Mount Hua. So he asks Baek Cheon this question.

Therefore, he could not answer this question half-heartedly.

“I am…”

It was at that moment when Baek Cheon’s lips were about to move.

“Sect Leader is coming!”

Everyone turned around at Jo-Gol’s urgent words. Hyun Jong was approaching, accompanied by Hyun Sang and Hyun Young.

Five Swords postponed the conversation they were having and paid their respects to Hyun Jong.

“Greetings, Sect Leader.”

“….”

Hyun Jong only nodded lightly and accepted their courtesy. His expression was uncharacteristically hardened.

Before he knew it, his gaze went beyond them and towards the back of Chung Myung.

Hyun Jong, who had been looking in that direction in silence for a moment, took a long stride.

Five Swords, who were confused as to what to do, heard Hyun Jong’s low voice in their ears.

“You guys follow me too.”

“…Yes, Sect Leader.”

With a hardened complexion, Five Swords followed behind Hyun Jong and approached Chung Myung.