Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 265

The Shaolin monk, his orange robes swaying gently, gestured down a quiet, incense-scented hallway. “It’s this way,” he said softly.

Hyun Jong nodded, a weary but polite smile on his face. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” the monk replied with a small bow. “Please rest comfortably. I will tell you the schedule later this evening, but there will likely be a meeting of all the Sect Leaders tomorrow. If you need anything at all, please ask the person guiding you.”

“Understood,” Hyun Jong confirmed.

“Yes, then.” The monk bowed his head again in a Buddhist greeting, hands pressed together, and quietly left the room.

As soon as the Shaolin monk disappeared, the disciples of Mount Hua looked around.

“Still, they’re giving us a separate guest room.”

Hyun-Young explained, “It seems they give separate guest rooms for sects with ‘gold plaques’ – which I guess means they think we are important. Sects with ‘silver plaques’ have to share.”

Un-Geom nodded at Hyun-Young’s words.

Thanks to Chung Myung making a fuss and getting the gold plaque, they were able to avoid the hustle and bustle.

If they had entered a large guest room used by several sects, there would have been many things to be concerned about.

“Still, Shaolin is indeed Shaolin.”

“That’s right. It wouldn’t be easy to accommodate so many people, but they’re giving us a guest room like this. It’s hard to imagine how many halls and temples they have.”

Everywhere they looked, there were grand buildings, intricate carvings, and the air of ancient history. It was clear Shaolin was not just a temple, but a powerful and wealthy institution.

“I heard that there will be a meeting of the Sect Leaders tomorrow, and they will hold the competition from the day after tomorrow.”

“That must be it. Although the martial arts competition is the actual center, it is still a Heavenly Assembly, so it must have a form befitting it.”

Hyun Jong gave a bitter smile.

In fact, formalities are generally useless, but they play a very useful role in packaging the contents. Hyun Jong knew he had to make sure everything looked proper and well-organized. Appearances mattered, even if they seemed useless.

‘He hoped their hard work would be recognized here, at this important gathering. He wanted Mount Hua to be seen as strong again.’

‘Coming all the way here, they should be overwhelmed, but they are standing tall without any such sign…’ No, rather, they look a bit cocky?’

Seeing the children standing there, looking so bold and out of place, like they were about to cause some trouble in this peaceful temple, Hyun Jong felt both proud and worried.

“Hyun-Young.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Let the children unpack and rest. I have something to look around.”

“Yes, Sect Leader. Don’t worry.”

As Hyun Jong went outside, Hyun-Young looked at the children and said.

“Unpack your luggage in the rooms appropriately. I’ll let you rest until dinner today. But be on your best behavior. Baek Cheon! Yoon Jong!”

“Yes, Elder!”

“Tell me!”

Looking at Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong, who had stepped forward, Hyun-Young said solemnly.

“As the great disciples of each rank!”

“Yes!”

“Don’t leave Chung Myung’s side for a moment!”

Uh…

Ah, yes…

That’s a very important task.

Then Chung Myung opened his eyes wide and asked.

“Why me?”

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Yes?”

Hyun-Young smiled gently.

“I trust you without a doubt, but this is a place where you have to think about your reputation, not a place to earn merit. Keep this fact in mind, and never cause an accident.”

“Hey, Elder. I’m not a child.”

“I wouldn’t worry if you were a child.”

It’s a problem because he’s not a child. How much trouble could a child cause?

It’s because he’s not a child that Hyun-Young is worried.

“Anyway, all the key figures of each sect are gathered here, and the energetic disciples of each sect are swarming around. So, be especially careful not to cause any problems. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Elder!”

“Okay.”

Hyun-Young nodded and picked up his bundle. He also needed time to organize his luggage.

“Un-Geom, take a room too.”

“Yes.”

As the elders went up to the second floor, the children picked up their bundles.

Even while searching for empty rooms, their mouths did not rest.

“It was so crowded when we walked, but the place where the accommodation is located is quite secluded?”

“That’s because they block the entry of pilgrims. There must be a lot of sensitive guys here, and if even people are crowded, a sword fight is nothing.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

“Sigh. So be careful. Did you see the eyes of the guys we met earlier? How fierce the kids are…”

Baek Cheon, who was listening from behind, looked at them as if he was dumbfounded.

‘Do these guys not know how they look to others?’

A comparison is needed for a person to know their own state.

The disciples of Mount Hua, who have only learned swordsmanship in the mountains, seem to have no idea that they look fierce.

Should I say they are innocent?

But even though people are clearly avoiding them, isn’t it a problem that they have no awareness that it’s because of them?

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had roughly unpacked their luggage, gathered again in the living room on the first floor.

“It seems that the two elders and Un-Geom Sasook have left their seats.”

At Baek Sang’s words, Baek Cheon asked as if he was puzzled.

“Where did they go?”

“I don’t know…”

Then Chung Myung opens his mouth like a ghost.

“Let’s go.”

“To what?”

“We have to go out!”

Baek Cheon distorted his face.

“What are you talking about! Didn’t you hear what the Elder said?”

“What about the Elder?”

“He told us not to cause trouble!”

“Tsk tsk. That’s why people need to understand what they’re saying. What did the Elder say?

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon tilted his head.

“He told us not to leave my side and not to cause trouble.”

“Yes! You heard it well!”

“Where does it say not to go out?”

“Huh?”

Come to think of it…?

“Tsk tsk tsk tsk.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and openly criticized Baek Cheon.

“It is also a virtue of being a disciple to understand the words of the superiors perfectly. Sasook is still far away?”

This bastard?

Baek Cheon’s eyes turned slightly. To hear the words ‘virtue of being a disciple’ from that guy, of all people. What greater shame could there be?

“Anyway, it’s not allowed!”

“What?”

“You can’t go out! Don’t even dream about it.”

At the firm words, Chung Myung gave a look of pity.

“Sasook.”

“What are you trying to say! I said it’s not allowed?”

“No. No. Sasook, listen to me first.”

“Look. This is Shaolin.”

“That’s right.”

“When will we ever come to Shaolin again? Maybe this is the last time we’ll see Shaolin. But are you saying we should come to Shaolin and go back looking at the walls in this guest room?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes wavered slightly.

“Think about it, Sasook. Is it really okay?”

The surroundings began to stir.

“Well, still, we came all the way to Shaolin…”

“When I saw it earlier, the other sects seemed to be going around sightseeing.”

“We came after suffering like hell in Mount Hua… To think we have to look at the walls here too. This is too harsh.”

Baek Cheon frowned, caught between his duty and his own curiosity. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly unsure.

Then Chung Myung licked his tongue and began to tempt.

“Think about it, Sasook. Sasook has to stick by my side whether he lives or dies. But if I stay here, Sasook has to stay here too!” He said it with a playful grin.

Twitch.

Baek Cheon’s eyes shook violently.

“You want to see it, don’t you? Honestly, you want to see it. How great is it that everyone says Shaolin, Shaolin? What’s so bad about going out for a while and just looking around? Right?”

‘That sly bastard!’

The problem is that what he said wasn’t wrong.

Baek Cheon is also a person, so why wouldn’t he be interested?

He came to Shaolin, the North Star of the Gangho, but he can’t even look around, which was no different from torture.

“Sasook. I just won’t cause an accident, right? Right? Think about it. What could happen if Sasook is stuck right next to me?”

Yoon Jong whispered to Jo Gul, “He’s almost convinced, isn’t he?”

Jo Gul nodded, “His legs are shaking!”

Chung Myung was making an infinitely innocent expression in front of Baek Cheon, who was on the verge of succumbing to temptation. It felt like a fox tail was wagging from Chung Myung’s butt.

“But you absolutely can’t cause an accident.”

“Hehe. Of course.”

“Keueung.”

It felt like he was being tricked…

‘Anyway, I don’t have the confidence to keep that guy here without the elders.’

In that case, it would be better to let him do what he wants and control him appropriately.

Baek Cheon comforted himself like that and got up from his seat.

And he turned his head sharply to everyone.

“Instead, all of you move together.”

“Yes? Why suddenly…”

Baek Cheon turned his head and looked at Chung Myung.

“I can’t stop them by myself.”

“…”

Everyone looked at Chung Myung and nodded.

“So, we are going together, no matter what! No arguing!”

This seemed like a good idea at first.

But Baek Cheon was wrong. Very wrong.

“Wow. It’s so old.”

“That building must be hundreds of years old, don’t you think?”

The Mount Hua disciples started wandering around excitedly. Luckily, unlike the entrance which was packed with people, it wasn’t too crowded inside.

You could see busy Shaolin monks walking around. Some disciples from other groups were also looking around Shaolin, just like them.

“Senior Brother! Look, a Buddha statue!”

“You silly thing! It’s called a stone Buddha!”

“Isn’t a stone Buddha a Buddha statue? What’s the difference?”

“It’s different!”

Baek Cheon smiled as he watched the Mount Hua disciples talking excitedly amongst themselves.

‘Embarrassing.’

Luckily, no one else was nearby. He didn’t want anyone to see them like this.

Baek Cheon was very proud of Mount Hua. But everyone has flaws, and he didn’t want others to see theirs.

“Why is this temple so big? It will take ages to see everything.”

*Mount Hua is big too, you know.* *Why are they making such a big deal?*

“Wow. A hundred people could fit in that building, right?”

*Mount Hua has buildings like that too, you know.*

“Please, everyone, calm down.”

Baek Cheon sighed.

‘Maybe it’s understandable.’

Actually, they weren’t really surprised by how big Shaolin was. They were just excited to see another sect for the first time since leaving Mount Hua.

They would probably be amazed even by a cat walking past.

But some people seemed annoyed by their behavior.

“Who are those guys?”

“Are they just country folk?”

The Mount Hua disciples turned around when they heard the loud voices.

“Huh?”

The people who called them country folk looked surprised and stopped talking, as if they didn’t think anyone would hear their quiet words.

Baek Cheon gave a small, sad smile. ‘I guess they might look like it.’ He decided to ignore it and move on.

“…Mount Hua?”

People who saw the plum blossom on their clothes looked surprised. Then their faces changed to open sneers.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Mount Hua group. I didn’t think Mount Hua would be invited. I guess it’s true what they say about Shaolin being kind.”

Baek Sang looked shocked.

“Who are they?”

“Huh? S, Senior Brother. Those guys…”

“Yeah?”

Baek Sang looked closely at them.

‘Huh?’

He saw the wave pattern on their clothes. Three blue waves.

Only one sect in the world used that symbol.

“The Three Waves! The Hainan Sect!”

The Mount Hua disciples’ faces became serious when they heard “Hainan Sect.”

The sect they hated the most was definitely Jongnam.

But there was another sect they wanted to defeat even more. And that was the Hainan Sect.

“Huh? Why does everyone look like that?”

Chung Myung tilted his head, and Baek Cheon spoke without turning his head.

“It’s Hainan.”

“So what?”

“Hainan of the Nine Great Sects.”

“The Nine Great… The Hainan Sect is one of the Nine Great Sects?”

Baek Cheon nodded.

“The Hainan Sect is the one that took Mount Hua’s place in the Nine Great Sects.”

“Huh?”

Come to think of it, he seemed to have heard something like that before. He had erased it from his mind because he wasn’t interested.

Thinking about it that way, he understood the disciples’ reactions. Hainan was a place that reminded them of Mount Hua’s reality just by its existence.

‘Tsk. Over something like that.’

It was a position they could get back anytime if they became strong again. So there was no need to show such anger…

Just then.

“What! What’s happening!”

“Hey! Get everyone over here!”

The Hainan disciples saw a crowd gathering around their friends and rushed over.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, they faced each other, ready to fight.

Baek Cheon looked embarrassed.

‘Huh? This isn’t good…?’

The Elder told him not to cause trouble. And so did the Sect Leader.

The situation was getting bigger than he expected. He had to fix this quickly.

But the Hainan disciples started whispering.

“What’s going on?”

“Senior Brother, it’s the Mount Hua guys.”

“What?”

The one called Senior Brother glared at them fiercely.

Baek Cheon sighed quietly. ‘Why are they looking at us like that?’ If anyone should be angry, it’s us. They shouldn’t be acting mean when they already took our place.

Anyway.

“Nice to meet you. I am the Second Disciple of Mount Hua…”

“What does a ruined sect think they’re going to beg for scraps here?”

“…Disciple… What, you punk? Hey, you. Come here.”

Baek Cheon got angry, but Yoon Jong and Jo Gul quickly grabbed his shoulders.

“Sasuk.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”

“Keeeuh.”

Baek Cheon was angry, but he sighed as they held him back.

But the others didn’t stop.

“You lost your place in the Nine Great Sects. You should be ashamed and hide your name. But you’ve come crawling here without any shame. How did Mount Hua, once famous everywhere, become like this?”

“Hahahahaha!”

“Please don’t say that, Senior Brother. I heard they’ve been starving. They must be drooling just hearing about temple food!”

“The cafeteria is over there. Go quickly. Maybe there’s some leftover cold rice!”

Baek Cheon’s body trembled. But it wasn’t from anger.

It was true their words were too much, but Baek Cheon was trained well enough not to get this angry… Well, maybe he was a little angry, but he could handle it.

The problem was…

“No, but those jerks?”

There was someone here who couldn’t stand those words. And it was the most dangerous person.

Baek Cheon slowly turned his head. Of course, Chung Myung was rolling his eyes, completely furious.

“…Ch, Chung Myung-ah.”

Chung Myung grinned and licked his lips.

“Don’t worry, Sasuk. I’ll never cause a problem.”

“Yeah. You have to be patient.”

“But.”

“…”

“Does a guy who can stand by when our sect is insulted have the right to eat at Mount Hua?”

“…”

“Those jerks insulted Mount Hua?”

“…”

Baek Cheon slowly turned his head forward. But somehow, his head was tilted just as much as Chung Myung’s.

“Hey.”

“Hmm?”

When Baek Cheon spoke, all the Hainan Sect disciples looked at him.

“Where did those Hainan country bumpkins learn to say such things?”

“…That guy?”

“Is he crazy?”

“Forget it.”

Baek Cheon waved his hand. “Let’s not cause trouble for no reason. Arguing here won’t help anyone.”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul sighed in relief. *Yeah, Sasuk Baek Cheon is still sensible…*

Just then. *Thwack!*

Baek Cheon pulled out his sword, still in its scabbard, and slammed it into the ground.

“So, anyone who has a problem with that, step forward. I’ll make you crawl all the way back to Hainan.”

“…”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul looked at each other. *…Right, now I remember, he’s not sensible either.* *We keep forgetting because he usually seems so calm…*

The two suddenly understood something new.