Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 27

The Hidden Cave was smaller than Chung Myung thought it would be. It was not very big at all.

“Of course,” he mumbled to himself. “What did I expect?” If Mount Hua had enough money to build a huge cave out of Eternal Ice Steel, they would be famous everywhere. But they were always poor.

“…Always complaining about being broke,” Chung Myung muttered, stepping inside. “So, *this* is where the money went.” He looked around the small, cold space. “Building this cave instead of helping us!”

Frustration tightened his chest. But he couldn’t argue with the old Sect Leader now. The man was dead. Sighing, Chung Myung’s eyes darted around the cave, searching for anything useful.

There were various items inside the Hidden Cave. But what should he check first?

“Money!”

Chung Myung’s eyes gleamed.

It had to be here! The secret funds that Sect Leader had saved up carefully! Gleaming gold! Splendidly shining porcelain! Such treasures…!

“It has to be here.”

Chung Myung glanced around, then tilted his head.

What? Why couldn’t he see it?

Chung Myung widened his eyes, scanning the Hidden Cave again and again. But no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find any treasure, not even a glint of something shiny.

This couldn’t be happening?

“Ah, no.”

Even if Sect Leader had been a frugal man, as the Sect Leader, he would have had many expenses!

To cope with Mount Hua’s crises, or to prepare for unexpected problems, it was common sense to stash away some wealth, wasn’t it?

“But why is there no money!”

A wave of immense sorrow washed over him.

Ha, that stingy old man. Didn’t he even have a secret stash?

Chung Myung rubbed his face roughly.

If the Sect Leader had hidden away some secret funds, he could have used them for many good things.

Like using it to help Mount Hua, or maybe a little fun… No, no! Only for Mount Hua’s sake, of course!

It sounded like someone was clicking their tongue somewhere.

“Hmm?”

Abandoning his lingering attachment, Chung Myung turned his head. In truth, there were more important things than mere wealth.

“This is it!”

Books neatly arranged on a bookshelf along one wall of the Hidden Cave.

Chung Myung swallowed dryly and approached the bookshelf.

“This has to be it.”

He pulled out a book from the middle and scanned its contents. As he read each word, a smile gradually bloomed on Chung Myung’s face.

“That’s right!”

It had to be here!

As expected, the books on the first shelf were Mount Hua’s ledgers, organized very carefully by the Sect Leader. Originally, these should have been in the Treasury Pavilion, but it seemed he had made copies to organize documents that only the Sect Leader could understand, and to prepare for any unexpected problems.

There were ledgers from Chung Myung’s era, as well as those from previous generations. With these alone, he could smack those rotten bastards in the back of the head.

“Those bastards are dead!”

Just obtaining this made the trouble of opening the Hidden Cave worthwhile.

And on the second bookshelf…

“Oho!”

Secret manuals!

Chung Myung almost shouted without realizing it.

The lost secret manuals of Mount Hua were here…

“Huh?”

Chung Myung tilted his head.

“These aren’t the lost ones?”

Chung Myung’s brow furrowed. They were indeed secret manuals, but these were slightly different from the martial arts they usually practiced. The secret manuals of martial arts that were now almost obsolete in Mount Hua were neatly collected here.

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung scratched his cheek.

“Seems like he was a man of many regrets.”

They had decided not to pass them down to future generations, but they were undoubtedly Mount Hua’s martial arts. It seemed the Sect Leader was reluctant to completely discard and eliminate such martial arts.

He worried that losing these martial arts might negatively impact Mount Hua’s future, so he had gathered them here.

If the first bookshelf proved the Sect Leader’s duty to Mount Hua, this second bookshelf contained the Sect Leader’s worries and affection for Mount Hua.

“…Sect Leader.”

Chung Myung’s eyes welled up, and he sniffed.

“Don’t worry. I will definitely restore Mount Hua to its former glory.”

No, he would make it even more prosperous than it had been in the past.

Chung Myung smacked his lips and turned around.

There were no secret manuals, but it was alright. After all, the key formulas of the important martial arts were all in Chung Myung’s head. It was just a hassle to write them down; he didn’t necessarily need the manuals. He could just create them.

And finally…

The third bookshelf was empty.

There was only a single, rolled-up scroll in the empty bookshelf.

“What’s this?”

Without hesitation, Chung Myung reached out and unfurled the scroll. He began to read it at once.

Sect Leader’s Personal Letter.

If someone is reading this, it means the next Sect Leader has been chosen. Sometimes, a single line can convey more than a hundred words, so I leave my intentions in writing.

The position of Mount Hua’s Sect Leader is by no means a position to lead Mount Hua.

The successor, if they have become the Sect Leader, will already know this, but those who lead Mount Hua are the disciples of Mount Hua, and the children growing up in Mount Hua. The Sect Leader merely protects them and supports them so that they can fulfill their ambitions.

I hope you will abandon the impatience to lead Mount Hua just because you have become the Sect Leader. Mount Hua is just Mount Hua. No one can lead it, and no one can wield it.

Successor.

When you are exhausted by the difficulties of reality and the heavy burden weighing on your shoulders, remember.

The spirit of Mount Hua never fades.

Mount Hua is just Mount Hua. Whether its power declines or it prospers throughout the world, Mount Hua is just Mount Hua. As the Sect Leader, what the successor must protect is the true meaning and feeling of Mount Hua.

So that the will of those who came before us who protected Mount Hua can continue in future generations. And train future leaders and carry on our will so that it never changes for all time.

As one who came before you and as the previous Sect Leader, I leave you with a heavy burden.

The Twenty-First Sect Leader of the Great Mount Hua Sect, Cheong Mun.

“…”

Chung Myung quietly stared at the words written on the scroll.

He knew.

This wasn’t a letter that Sect Leader had left for Chung Myung. But it was a strange coincidence. Because the person who needed to read this letter now was none other than Chung Myung.

“Really… That nagging old man.”

Chung Myung sighed and tucked the scroll into his chest.

He would have to return the other things to Mount Hua, but he couldn’t give this scroll to the Sect Leader.

“Well, then…”

Chung Myung chuckled and turned around.

“I didn’t get as much as I thought, but this is good enough.”

The important thing was that he had obtained the ledgers. With those ledgers alone, he could reclaim all of Mount Hua’s businesses. Then, they could escape the debt that was currently hurting Mount Hua badly.

So, with this much…

Chung Myung, who was about to head out, stopped in his tracks.

‘Wait a minute.”

Something felt a little off.

‘What feels off?’

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but a nagging feeling wouldn’t go away.

Why did he feel this way?

“Hold on.”

The third bookshelf?

Chung Myung’s head snapped around.

Sect Leader.

Cheong Mun, the twenty-first Sect Leader of Mount Hua, was a man with a slight obsession with cleanliness. Therefore, Cheong Mun’s room was always perfectly organized.

He wasn’t just a clean person. He arranged all the furniture and bedding at precise angles, and he couldn’t stand it if the left and right sides weren’t the same on both sides.

But.

How could he set up two bookshelves filled to the brim with books on one side and leave a single scroll on an empty bookshelf on the other?

“No, no. That can’t be right.”

He knew Sect Leader! That kind of thing could never happen to them!

Chung Myung rushed towards the empty bookshelf.

‘There’s something here!’

There had to be!

That awkwardly empty bookshelf kept bothering him. He had set up a bookshelf just to deliver that one letter? The Sect Leader Chung Myung knew would never do that.

If the person who had entered this place was the future Sect Leader instead of Chung Myung, they wouldn’t have thought it was strange! But the person here now was none other than Chung Myung.

Chung Myung grabbed the bookshelf. And without thinking, he began to move it to the side.

‘There can’t be a device on the outside.”

So, there couldn’t be anything behind the bookshelf. That side was covered in Eternal Ice Steel. But what about below?

There would be. Of course, the floor would be covered in Ice Steel. But?

Chung Myung, having moved the bookshelf, placed his hand on the floor. And soon, he began to infuse his energy and pull.

‘If it’s the Sect Leader I know, it’ll be here!’

If there was an awkward spot, that was the trap.

Woooong!

But nothing happened. He wondered if he lacked strength, so he pulled with all his might, but there was no change.

‘Is it not here?’

Just as he was about to give up, feeling embarrassed for misjudging, it was that moment.

Thump.

“…!”

It was there!

“Eura-cha-cha-cha-cha!”

Chung Myung pulled out every last bit of strength he had and pulled the floor.

Clunk!

Soon, with the feeling of something sliding out, Chung Myung lost his balance and tumbled to the floor.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch.”

Stars flickered before his eyes as he hit the back of his head several times.

‘I hope it didn’t make a loud noise?’

He automatically turned his head towards the entrance. But there was no sign that the Sect Leader had noticed. Although it was connected to his residence, there was a distance and it was soundproofed, so he wouldn’t easily notice.

More importantly!

Chung Myung jumped up and ran forward.

Something had definitely opened.

Chung Myung, who had rushed back to the spot, clenched his fist as he looked at the hole in the floor.

“I knew it!”

“That’s what Sect Leader is like!”

Just in case someone other than the Sect Leader opened this Hidden Cave, he had created a double floor as a precaution.

Those who had struggled to get here would never imagine that another Hidden Cave was hidden inside. Even Chung Myung would have left without knowing if he didn’t know what kind of person Sect Leader was.

Look.

Light was pouring out of that entrance!

Light!

As if to give Chung Myung understanding, a soft glow poured out.

Without hesitation, Chung Myung pushed his body into the hole in the floor. Even for the body of a small child, the entrance was tight. Passing through the entrance, a space appeared that was so low it was difficult to straighten his back.

In that place…

Chung Myung reached out his hand. Then, he carefully closed the lid that he had struggled to open.

“Hoo. Hoo!”

Now, no sound would leak out, right?

Then…

Chung Myung’s eyes widened. His breathing quickened, and his heart pounded. Blood rushed to his face, making him feel like he would burst.

But what did it matter?

“Ehehehehehe!”

He was so happy!

Happiness was before his eyes.

Gold bars neatly stacked on one side.

And various precious swords arranged at precise angles on the other side.

And…

“Is, is that cat’s eye stone?”

Gems of unknown origin and even secret manuals!

“Ehehehehehehehe!”

Laughter kept bursting out. Even though he tried to control it, foolish laughter flowed out uncontrollably.

“Ehehehehehehehehehe!”

Yes. Laugh! Laugh!

“I am rich nowwwwwwwww!”

The situation that Cheong Mun, the twenty-first Sect Leader of Mount Hua, had wanted to avoid at all costs had finally occurred.

The moment the fate of Mount Hua was handed over to someone who should never have been allowed to enter.