Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 81

“Come in.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Un-geom reached out and took the teacup.

The plum blossom tea was one of Hyun Jong’s proudest creations. Serving that tea meant he had something important to discuss today.

“How was it?”

At his question, Un-geom looked at Un-am before speaking, checking if it was okay to talk about this in front of him. Hyun Jong, lifting his tea, said briefly,

“It’s fine.”

“Yes, then.”

Un-geom began, “Like you said, Sect Leader, I didn’t step in. And well…”

“And well?”

“Some problems are arising.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong nodded slowly.

“If Great Uncle Hyun-young hadn’t come, the atmosphere would have become even more strained. As you said, Sect Leader, there’s a subtle tension between the second and third-generation disciples.”

“I imagine so.”

Hyun Jong sighed.

This was a consequence of their choices.

‘I was too hasty.’

The gap between the Un and Baek generations was too wide, and the gap between the Baek and Cheong generations was too narrow. As a result, Yoo Iseol, the youngest of the Baek generation, was almost the same age as Yoon Jong, the oldest of the Cheong generation.

Usually, they waited longer before taking new students, to make sure there was an age gap. Because they didn’t do that this time, problems were sure to happen.

‘It was an unavoidable problem.’

When they accepted the third-generation disciples, Hwasan didn’t have the resources to take in new disciples. At the same time, the sect’s finances were steadily dwindling. They should have restricted entry.

Then, someone suggested receiving support from their families instead of continuing to accept disciples. That was the beginning of the problem.

Hwasan was in a difficult situation and needed money badly. Didn’t they have to find money any way they could?

Even as they were dying, Hwasan, as a prestigious name, selectively accepted disciples. But at that time, they took in the children of supporting families as disciples without question.

Because of that, the Cheong generation was seen as lacking in martial arts talent.

“In the past, the Cheong generation children wouldn’t have dared to challenge the Baek generation. But isn’t the current Cheong generation different from the past?”

“That is correct.”

Is there a leader? Or not?

Things that don’t matter much to one person can become very important when you look at a group.

The Cheong generation, based on Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, was merely the third generation of Hwasan. However, the Cheong generation, united around Chung Myung, would not be satisfied with just that.

Those who are twenty years apart in age do not regard each other as rivals, but those who are ten years apart cannot help but be conscious of each other.

“It is because of my lack of goodness.”

Un-geom bowed his head, but Hyun Jong shook his head firmly.

“This is not your fault.”

“Sect Leader…”

“It was I who insisted on creating the Baekmaegwan. And wasn’t it everyone’s opinion? From the beginning, this was going to happen when we created the Baekmaegwan and accepted the third-generation disciples early.”

This was not just to comfort Un-geom.

Hwasan gained many benefits from creating the Baekmaegwan. But if there are gains, there are also losses.

If the transmission was done in the old way, through master-disciple relationships, no matter how small the age difference, one would not dare to treat the higher generation carelessly.

But the current third-generation disciples have received nothing from the Baek generation. They learn from Un-geom, and they train with their peers. Naturally, they will become more distant from the upper generation.

This was the biggest weakness of the Baekmaegwan.

Un-am cautiously gauged the atmosphere and opened his mouth.

“Sect Leader, what are you planning to do?”

Hyun Jong savored the plum blossom tea without saying anything. The subtle plum blossom scent seemed to calm his mind a little.

“What can we do?”

“But at this rate…”

“People are naturally like that. Do you think the problem will disappear just because we suppress and forcibly lead them? Sometimes, it’s not bad to just let them clash. In the end, won’t it all flow away?”

“Sect Leader, this is about the disciples.”

“If we try hard, we could change the direction of the river. But if we forcibly divert the stream, it may look good at first, but eventually, problems will arise.”

Hyun Jong smiled gently and said,

“Un-geom.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Let’s trust our children.”

“⋯⋯.”

Un-geom looked at Hyun Jong with a truly troubled expression. The doubt was clearly visible on his face.

At that moment, Hyun Jong brought up something slightly different from what Un-geom was thinking.

“Baek Cheon is not the type to go too far.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you think so?”

Un-geom’s face went blank.

‘No, Sect Leader, that’s not it!’

Baek Cheon isn’t the problem, Sect Leader! The problem is that Chung Myung!

Un-geom then realized that there was a significant gap between the Chung Myung the elders saw and the Chung Myung he saw.

Un-geom, the head of the Baekmaegwan, knew the Chung Myung who controlled the third-generation disciples, but Hyun Jong saw Chung Myung as just a pretty puppy who brought good fortune to Hwasan.

“Isn’t Baek Cheon still a child with the right mindset? Even if he gets angry for a moment because his pride is hurt, he’s not the type to damage the bond between uncle and nephew. He’ll patch things up appropriately, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Huh?

Who’s patching up whom?

Baek Cheon is going to appease Chung Myung?

‘This is a disaster.’

No wonder the Sect Leader was so relaxed!

But explaining it now is impossible. No matter how much he talks, they won’t believe him.

And in fact, Un-geom is also at a loss as to how to explain Chung Myung. The sense of unease he feels when he sees Chung Myung is just a vague feeling. When he actually tries to explain it, isn’t it hard to convince them?

“⋯⋯Yes. I understand, Sect Leader.”

In the end, Un-geom had no choice but to step back.

“Un-geom.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“The Hwajong Competition is not far off.”

As soon as the words Hwajong Competition were mentioned, Un-geom’s face darkened.

In fact, the disciples of Hwasan now don’t hate Jongnam as much as they did in the past. Hwasan’s feelings for Jongnam came from a sense of competition.

But competition is between those who are similar or not too different. Now that Hwasan and Jongnam are as different as the sky and the earth, no one really wants to compete with Jongnam.

But no matter how little they want to compete, who would want to see their sect’s disciples being helplessly defeated by the disciples of another sect?

The difference is small because they are children; the difference will be twice as large among the first-generation disciples or elders who have reached the peak of their martial arts.

“We have solved many problems. But we have not solved the most important problem. We are only at the starting point. To bring back the glory of Hwasan, you must do many things.”

“I will keep that in mind, Sect Leader.”

“Alright. You may both leave.”

“Yes.”

As Un-geom and Un-am bowed and left, Hyun Jong quietly got up from his seat.

Opening the window at the back of the room revealed Yeonhwabong, where the snow had almost melted.

Small flower buds were forming on the rapidly growing plum trees. Perhaps the spring plum blossoms would be in full bloom on the mountain around the time the Hwajong Competition began.

‘Plum blossoms… plum blossoms.’

He had regained the Seven Plum Swords.

But Hyun Jong knew that it was impossible to bring back the glory of the past with just the Seven Plum Swords.

‘If only we had the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.’

Hyun Jong squeezed his eyes shut.

However, he also knew that nothing would change by looking for what was missing. Now was not the time to search for what was missing, but the time to solidify what was there.

Even so, the regret did not disappear from one corner of his heart.

“Ancestors, watch over Hwasan.”

Hyun Jong had no way of knowing that the immortal was already within Hwasan.

Unfortunately, Hyun Jong made two mistakes.

Of course, one of them was thinking too highly of Chung Myung.

But this wasn’t really a problem for Hwasan. Chung Myung’s goal was to help Hwasan grow, no matter what. The more Hyun Jong thought well of Chung Myung, the more Chung Myung could do.

It wasn’t on purpose, but because Hyun Jong thought well of Chung Myung, Hwasan was developing more rapidly.

But the other mistake was more serious than he thought…

That was the fact that Baek Cheon was not as gentle as Hyun Jong thought.

“We need to eat something…”

“⋯⋯.”

“We should eat something.”

“⋯⋯.”

The third-generation disciples of Hwasan were huddled together in Baekmaegwan with blank faces.

Chung Myung’s training squeezed out everything a person had. He accurately checked the remaining stamina of the third-generation disciples and squeezed out every last drop.

Therefore, after training, everyone had no choice but to become as stiff as a piece of cloth dried in the sun.

But surprisingly, the third-generation disciples didn’t complain much about the harsh training.

Of course, every time they trained, they felt like they were running out of breath, but people adapt.

After repeating that terrible training for a week, it became bearable somehow. Now, they could enter the underworld, greet the Grim Reaper, and return.

– Iron becomes stronger the more it is hammered, and people become stronger the more they are pushed! A rolling stone gathers no moss.

‘People don’t get moss in the first place, you crazy bastard.’

What was even more terrible was that the third-generation disciples were proving Chung Myung’s words with their whole bodies. They could feel themselves changing day by day.

They were now understanding what it meant to have a method suitable for their bodies.

However.

The problem was that a new problem had fallen on the third-generation disciples, who believed that everything would be fine if they could just overcome Chung Myung’s training.

“I’m going to die.”

“That son of a… If he wasn’t a grand uncle, I would have just…”

“Isn’t this too much?”

Those who were tormenting them now were the Baek generation, the second-generation disciples.

Since Chung Myung confronted Baek Cheon that day, the second-generation disciples had begun to pressure the third-generation disciples. They were nitpicking at everything, and it was clear that they were deliberately harassing them.

“Why are those people doing that?”

“Do you even need to ask?”

“Keeuuuueung.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to one place at once. The person at the end of that gaze was obvious.

“Huh?”

Chung Myung, who received the gazes of his senior brothers, tilted his head.

“No, why are you looking at me?”

“⋯⋯.”

This bastard clearly doesn’t have a conscience.