Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 4

Gu Chil was very confused.

Chung Myung had run out of the shack yelling strangely. Now, he was back, breathing hard, and saying the most ridiculous things.

“I am going to Huashan,” Chung Myung announced.

Gu Chil just stared at him.

“I know it sounds crazy,” Chung Myung continued, “but listen to me.”

*At least he knows it sounds crazy,* Gu Chil thought. But that small thought disappeared as Chung Myung kept talking.

“I could just leave, but I came back to thank you. I owe you.”

At least he knew it.

There was no reason to listen to a crazy man. But Chung Myung looked completely serious, so Gu Chil decided to listen.

“I pay back kindness twice as much, and grudges ten times as much. I will pay you back someday. Remember the name Chung Myung of Huashan. When we meet again, I will pay you back.”

That was a very impressive speech.

It would have been impressive if it wasn’t coming from a sad young beggar. His face was bruised and purple. His lips were cracked.

Gu Chil’s reaction to Chung Myung’s important-sounding words was simple.

“That’s nonsense.”

Chung Myung’s face changed a little.

“My words might sound strange now, but remember them. Someday, they will change your life…”

“The Boss is looking for you. He said he will beat you up badly.”

“Really?”

They looked at each other.

“…”

“…”

“Ahem.”

The world is full of crazy people. It wasn’t strange that someone he knew was now one of them.

Of course, it was strange that he changed so suddenly.

“Anyway, I’m leaving!”

“Go beg for food. Or he really will beat you to death.”

“I’m going! Remember! Chung Myung of Huashan. Remember that name!”

Chung Myung turned and walked confidently out of the shack.

Gu Chil shook his head as he watched.

He was seeing all sorts of things these days.

Well, maybe it was a good idea for him to leave. If the Boss caught him, he would really be beaten badly this time.

“What should I tell the Boss…”

Just then, Chung Myung came back into the shack, pushing aside the torn mat that covered the entrance.

“…”

Why was he back?

Before Gu Chil could ask, Chung Myung spoke first.

“Hey!”

“Huh?”

“What’s the name of that beggar who hit me?”

“Who?”

“The one who hit me.”

“Ah… The Boss? The Boss’s name is probably Jongpal?”

“Jongpal? That’s a terrible name! Tell that guy… tell him I’ll get him back if I see him again!”

…He wouldn’t let him off easy.

The Boss wouldn’t let him.

“Then I’m really leaving now.”

Chung Myung walked out again. Just as Gu Chil was thinking it was a hot day, Chung Myung came back inside again.

“Ah, what is it now!”

“Hey.”

“What? Why? What is it now!”

“Um… hey… which way is Huashan? You know, in Shanxi?”

“…”

“…”

No matter how much he thought about it…

This guy was definitely crazy.

Chung Myung ran and ran.

No one would take a dirty beggar all the way to Shanxi. He had to rely on his strong… well, his legs that used to be strong, and his tired… heart.

Chung Myung had never ridden a horse or carriage.

In his past life, he never rode such a thing. He didn’t like moving slowly.

If he added up all the running he did in his past life, he could circle China ten times. So, he pushed off the ground and ran as fast as he could.

But after only fifteen minutes, he fell to the ground.

“Haa! Haa! Haa! Heee! Oh dear. I’m going to die.”

He forgot he was in a child’s body.

His legs, once as strong as steel, were now just bones. His heart, which never used to get tired, was now hurting a lot because he pushed himself too hard.

What was he talking about?

He meant his heart felt like it was jumping out of his chest.

“Seriously, what kind of body is this!”

He was in this state after running for only fifteen minutes!

Had he run for an hour or two? It was only fifteen minutes, but he felt like he was going to pass out! How bad was his body?

“Ugh.”

Looking closer, it made sense.

Even without talking about his natural skills, he wasn’t eating enough. His body had not been fed well.

Could he really make it to Shanxi with this body?

That was impossible. He would die of exhaustion before reaching Huashan.

The Plum Blossom Sword Saint, dying of exhaustion on a journey and passing away in an inn? If he met someone he knew in the afterlife, they would laugh at him for days.

“To get to Shanxi, I have to fix this body first!”

What was the best way to make his body healthy?

Chung Myung already knew.

“Heh heh heh.”

Chung Myung chuckled. He couldn’t help it.

“Hee hee hee!”

All his martial arts were gone, his body was in bad shape, he didn’t know if Huashan was destroyed, and he was starving.

The only thing that made Chung Myung laugh in this terrible situation was this.

“So, now I just need to learn martial arts again!”

He could start over.

Others couldn’t imagine how great this was.

Those who didn’t reach the top regretted their lives? Yes, that was true. But even those who reached the top had regrets.

If I had done that back then!

If I had built a better base when I was younger!

If I hadn’t run away and had at least pretended to train when my master grabbed my ear and dragged me to train!

If I hadn’t been caught stealing the liquor my senior brother had hidden…

Ah, forget that last one.

Anyway!

“I can do it again.”

In the past, Chung Myung was the best swordsman, known as one of the Three Great Swordsmen. But he wasn’t happy with his martial arts. The stronger he became, the more he realized how badly he had trained.

The basics.

Those basics that his master and senior brothers always talked about!

When he was training, he was tired of the word ‘basics’ that they repeated. But once he became a master, he understood why the basics were so important.

The basics were the foundation.

To build a tall tower, you need a strong foundation. How high you can climb depends on how much effort you put into the foundation.

But you can’t know that when you’re young. No matter how much you hear it, you can’t understand it. And even if you do understand, you can’t do it.

Why?

‘Because they were human.’

If he was digging in the ground for the foundation, and his fellow disciples had already built three stories of the tower next to him? Wouldn’t anyone get impatient?

Besides!

“They only told us to build the basics, but they only praised the ones who were ahead!”

It was all about results!

Of course, he understood. The master was also human, and so were the uncles.

Everyone knew you could achieve greatness by building the basics. But if his disciple was struggling with the basics while another disciple was showing off an amazing sword form, they would forget about the basics.

That was fine. The master could handle it. Huashan was a place where Taoists lived, and Taoists were patient.

But the moment the uncles had a drink together, the basic training was half over.

And if someone started bragging about their disciple at the party? It was all over.

Those who were proud would say their disciples were geniuses. Those with nothing to brag about would have to hold back their anger. And they would take out that anger on their own disciples the next morning.

– My junior brother’s disciple is already creating two plum blossoms!

– That disciple of his has entered the Violet Mist Energy! I’ve never lost to that guy! I’m failing as a master! Whose fault is this? Whose!

– Not enough effort! Not enough effort!

In that situation, what kind of basic training could you do? They were too busy learning one more skill.

This was a common problem in big groups of martial artists where skills were passed down from master to student.

“But!”

The current Chung Myung was different!

Chung Myung didn’t need to be impatient. There was no master rushing him. He knew which way to go to climb higher, so he just needed to follow that path.

The basics?

While others were digging the foundation, Chung Myung was planning to build a huge, strong base, like making a flat land from mountains. On that flat land, he would build a huge tower that no one had ever built before!

‘The beginning is important.’

Huashan’s martial arts were Taoist and traditional.

Traditional arts were slow and weak at first, but they grew very quickly with training. Unorthodox arts gave power right away, but traditional arts started weak and became stronger in the end.

So, simply put.

‘It’s like rolling a snowball in the mountains.’

Imagine rolling a small snowball from the top of a snowy mountain. At first, it’s small, but soon it becomes as big as a fist. It grows bigger and bigger as it rolls. A small stone becomes a huge avalanche that no one can stop.

Chung Myung had to create a strong stone that would be the core of the snowball. And he had to find a place where the stone would never stop rolling.

“Alright then.”

Chung Myung was about to sit down, but he looked around.

He didn’t know what would happen if he tried to do this in the middle of the road.

Chung Myung stood up and went deeper into the forest. Creating a dantian for the first time was dangerous. He had to avoid outside things that could bother him.

It was unlikely, but there were stories of masters who were stung by bees while training and became evil. It was a funny story.

‘This should do.’

Chung Myung found a big tree, cleared the ground, and sat down.

“Now, what should I learn?”

His mind was full of amazing martial arts skills. All of Huashan’s martial arts and history were with him. He knew many ways to train his inner power.

The Violet Mist Energy that was the best in the world.

The Plum Blossom Mind Method, which was best for the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.

The Seven Star True Energy, which had the sharpest power.

The Supreme Mystery Energy, which had everything you needed to get stronger.

Besides these, there were many other great methods. If he didn’t just use Huashan’s methods, he could learn even more.

But Chung Myung knew what to do.

He knew which method he had to learn now.

“Six Harmonies.”

Chung Myung said very clearly.