Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 426

“Th-This is…”

Ojangsong blinked several times.

But the scene before him didn’t change.

‘We… we lost?’

How could this be?

This was a contest they should have won easily. The Ghost Gate disciples were known for their speed.

How could they lose to the Mount Hua disciples, who were visiting for the first time, even on their own training path?

“How could this possibly…”

Before Ojangsong could think clearly, the Mount Hua disciples arrived. They grabbed the Ghost Gate disciples by their legs and pulled them inside.

“⋯⋯.”

He saw the disciples unconscious, with white foam around their mouths. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Plop.

Plop.

The unconscious Ghost Gate disciples were piled up neatly in front of the training hall.

Ojangsong swallowed hard.

“What took you so long?”

Chung Myung smirked, and Baek Cheon glared at him.

“That mouth! Is that the mouth that just said those things?”

“I’ll kill you! Seriously!”

“…Give me your neck! I’ll cut it off!”

With Baek Cheon in the lead, the Mount Hua disciples charged at Chung Myung.

But the result was the same as before.

Chung Myung kicked Baek Cheon away, clicked his tongue, and walked up to Ojangsong.

“We won.”

“⋯⋯.”

Ojangsong hesitated, unable to answer. Chung Myung grinned.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

Ojangsong started to speak, then stopped himself. He shook his head and closed his mouth.

Looking at the Mount Hua disciples, it was clear what had happened. But complaining now would be pointless.

“No, there isn’t.”

“Then we won, right?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Where did all your confidence go? Did we win?”

“Ugh. Yes, you did.”

“Hehehe. Right?”

Chung Myung grinned and acted childishly. Ojangsong, flustered, glared at him, his face turning red.

Ojangsong had seen a lot in his life, but he had never met anyone as annoying as this smiling boy.

“You won’t go back on your word, will you? I’ll take that to mean you’ll cooperate from now on.”

“Ugh.”

Ojangsong sighed deeply.

“⋯⋯Alright. I can’t go back on my word.”

“Yes, you shouldn’t. Then please follow the Young Sect Leader’s instructions.”

“⋯⋯Isn’t that obvious?”

“Don’t just say it, do it properly!”

“Ah, I said I understand!”

Ojangsong shouted and sighed as if the ground was sinking. Chung Myung exchanged glances with Dowoonchan and grinned.

‘That old coot…’

Dowoonchan sighed to himself.

He had wondered why Chung Myung was making such a fuss. Now he saw it was not just for fun.

Dowoonchan was limited by his position as Young Sect Leader. If he were truly the Sect Leader, an elder couldn’t interfere with his decisions.

However, Dowoonchan was still young and inexperienced, so he was mindful of Ojangsong’s feelings.

But now that Elder O had lost the match against Chung Myung, he wouldn’t be able to voice his opinions as freely as before.

Also, all the Ghost Gate disciples had seen the result of this match.

‘Thank you.’

He thanked Chung Myung with his eyes.

Chung Myung saw his gratitude and subtly urged Dowoonchan on with his eyes.

Understanding, Dowoonchan nodded and stepped forward.

“This match!”

Speaking in a firm voice, he got everyone’s attention.

“Mount Hua has won.”

No one responded. It was obvious, so no one reacted.

“But this doesn’t mean the Ghost Gate is defeated. The Ghost Gate and Mount Hua have agreed to be friends. We don’t need to see each other as enemies.”

Dowoonchan’s voice was full of conviction and strength.

“Bring the alcohol. I will host a banquet. This will be a place where the Ghost Gate welcomes Mount Hua as friends!”

“Yes, Young Sect Leader!”

Finally, a loud response came.

Dowoonchan smiled and looked at Chung Myung.

“It’s a bit early, but how about a drink, Young Head?”

“Hey. Why are you even asking? Of course…”

“Before that!”

Before Chung Myung could answer, someone shouted.

“Huh?”

Dowoonchan turned and saw Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, and Yoon Jong covered in mud. Yoo Iseol and Tang Soso had already left to wash up.

Yoon Jong said weakly.

“…Let’s wash up first.”

“⋯⋯.”

Dowoonchan nodded solemnly.

“⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

Baek Cheon, now clean after washing, stared sharply at the other side. Akso sat across from him, looking at Baek Cheon with angry eyes.

The Mount Hua disciples and the Ghost Gate disciples who had raced stared at each other without a word, even after the banquet started.

Because of this, the other Ghost Gate disciples who had expected a fun banquet couldn’t speak, as they were too busy watching what was happening.

After staring at Baek Cheon for a while, Akso finally twisted his lips and spoke.

“…You don’t really think you won, do you?”

Baek Cheon replied calmly.

“I think we won?”

“⋯⋯.”

Akso’s cheeks twitched.

“If we had fought seriously…”

“Yeah. We won.”

“⋯⋯.”

The veins on Akso’s forehead turned red and started to bulge.

Why was this handsome guy acting like that?

“…You’re just sneaky!”

“Loser.”

“You think you’re so handsome!”

“Still a loser.”

“You… you cheat!”

“Loser.”

“⋯⋯Ugh.”

Akso grabbed the back of his neck and rolled his eyes.

“Hey! Let’s fight again! This time, I’ll break your legs!”

“We already won, why bother?”

Akso looked like he was about to foam at the mouth, and the people next to him quickly stopped him.

“Calm down, Senior Brother!”

“This is the Young Sect Leader’s banquet! Something bad will happen if you do this!”

“⋯⋯Krrr.”

Only after hearing those words did Akso calm down a bit, and he looked at the Mount Hua disciples with disbelief.

“Are you even real Taoists?”

“Why? Are Taoists not allowed to win fights? It doesn’t matter if we’re Taoists or not, if you start a fight, we’ll finish it.”

“⋯⋯.”

Baek Cheon said this calmly and proudly. Akso was confused and laughed weakly.

“Are these men really masters?” He looked at each of them. “None of them seem like masters to me.” Ak So’s brow furrowed.

“I admit you won.” Ak So said. “But don’t think you can ignore the Illusory Spirit Sect! I get very annoyed when I see those fancy, important groups.”

“We feel exactly the same way,” Baek Cheon replied.

“…Huh?” Ak So tilted his head, confused by Baek Cheon’s unexpected reply.

“Aren’t you a prestigious orthodox sect?” Ak So asked.

“Prestigious orthodox sect?” Baek Cheon chuckled.

“Had you ever even heard of the name Mount Hua a few years back?”

“…” Ak So paused, thinking. ‘Huh… Come to think of it, you’re right.’

Baek Cheon glanced around.

“Things are good now. Old Mount Hua could never have imagined this.” Yoon Jong and Jo Gul nodded in agreement.

“There’s even a bathhouse,” Yoon Jong added.

“And the food’s decent,” Jo Gul said.

Ak So was utterly dumbfounded. ‘What… are they, beggars?’

Baek Cheon chuckled, then waved a hand as if shooing away a fly. “Anyway,” he said, his voice still light, “you can complain if you want, it’s your problem. But don’t think we’ve always had it easy in some fancy place. That’s just not right.”

The Mount Hua disciples nodded in agreement, murmuring sounds of support. Tang Soso, however, turned her head slightly, pretending to look at something interesting across the room, though a faint smile touched the corner of her lips.

“And,” Baek Cheon grabbed the bottle of liquor in front of him.

“No matter what, the Illusory Spirit Sect and Mount Hua will have to work together for now. Let’s resolve our old grudges with this.” Baek Cheon gently extended the bottle forward, and Ak So sighed deeply. He knew what he had to do.

And so, he finally extended his glass.

Glug, glug, glug. The liquor Baek Cheon poured filled Ak So’s glass to the brim.

Ak So set down the glass and took the bottle, pouring some for Baek Cheon as well.

“I’m not particularly thrilled about this, but…” Ak So said.

“We feel exactly the same way,” Baek Cheon replied.

Ak So and Baek Cheon’s gazes met, sparks flying.

“Let’s try to get along, shall we!” Ak So exclaimed.

“Aye! Let’s see how it goes!” Baek Cheon replied.

Clink! The two men’s glasses clashed fiercely.

Tang Soso, watching the scene, secretly sighed. ‘They’re not even children, really,’ she thought.

“The Eunha Merchant Guild will explain the details.”

“Understood,” Chung Myung replied.

Chung Myung, Do Woonchan, Oh Jangsong, and Gye Hyeong sat facing each other in a separate room. The meeting room was sparsely furnished, with only a plain wooden table and chairs. Sunlight streamed through the window, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air. Do Woonchan’s face was serious, his eyes fixed on Chung Myung.

“It won’t be too difficult. And, as I said again, this will clearly benefit the Illusory Spirit Sect as well,” Chung Myung said.

Do Woonchan nodded silently. Oh Jangsong still seemed a bit uneasy, but he didn’t actively oppose it as he had before. Oh Jangsong looked at Chung Myung, years of pride battling with the urgent need to improve his sect.

“And…” Chung Myung started.

“Young Head,” Do Woonchan politely cut off Chung Myung as he was about to explain further.

“There’s no need to worry so much. Hasn’t the Illusory Spirit Sect already decided to work with Mount Hua?”

“…” Chung Myung paused.

“Even if we don’t make a lot of money from this, it doesn’t matter. I’ve realized for certain through this matter that the Illusory Spirit Sect cannot grow any further by simply repeating the methods of the past. We intend to look further ahead, together with Mount Hua,” Do Woonchan said.

Chung Myung blinked a few times and then grinned pleasantly.

“Good,” Chung Myung replied.

Do Woonchan’s eyes now seemed quite serious.

“We will do our job properly. So don’t forget the promise that Mount Hua would lead the Illusory Spirit Sect,” Do Woonchan said.

“Don’t worry. I’m certainly reliable when it comes to that,” Chung Myung replied.

Satisfaction flickered across Chung Myung’s face. ‘This is how we start, one step at a time,’ he thought.

A sect isn’t necessarily just made up of a main mountain and affiliated families. In the past, Mount Hua expanded its influence by linking not only with affiliated families but also with numerous small and medium-sized sects.

Of course, this is just a small beginning. But if this process is repeated, the day will come when they regain their former status in the not-too-distant future.

Do Woonchan smiled faintly and said.

“And,” Do Woonchan said.

“Yes,” Chung Myung replied.

“Tomorrow, I will be formally inaugurated as the Sect Leader of the Illusory Spirit Sect. For the inauguration ceremony, we invite not only the sect members but also observers,” Do Woonchan explained.

“Yes,” Chung Myung replied.

“So, I would be very grateful if the people from Mount Hua could attend as observers,” Do Woonchan said.

“Why would you thank us for something like that? Of course, we should,” Chung Myung replied.

“Thank you once again,” Do Woonchan said with a gentle smile.

It’s still uncertain whether joining hands with Mount Hua will be a gain or a loss. But it was clear that this situation was an unprecedented opportunity for the Illusory Spirit Sect.

Chung Myung subtly turned his head to look at Oh Jangsong.

“Elder…” Chung Myung started.

“Ahem.” Oh Jangsong sighed and said calmly.

“I don’t want to be seen as dishonest. I will help completely with this. Now that we have agreed, this is important for the Illusory Spirit Sect’s reputation,” Oh Jangsong said.

“You’ve made a wise decision,” Chung Myung replied.

“But there’s one thing,” Oh Jangsong said.

“Hmm?” Chung Myung asked.

Oh Jangsong sent a gaze full of fervor.

“I heard from my Little Sect Leader that the Young Head is in charge of the Mount Hua disciples’ training. Is that true?” Oh Jangsong asked.

“Well, roughly, yes,” Chung Myung replied.

“Heh…” Oh Jangsong shook his head as if he still couldn’t believe it.

The youngest generation, the Cheong generation, was actually teaching those of higher seniority than himself. ‘Is this why Mount Hua has been making a name for itself recently?’ he thought.

They are not bound by the old ways. It was a point that couldn’t be emphasized enough, but putting it into practice in a sect with as long a history as Mount Hua’s would not have been easy…

“If that’s true, then there’s only one thing I want from the Young Head,” Oh Jangsong said.

“Speak,” Chung Myung replied.

“Please tell us how to make our Illusory Spirit Sect disciples stronger,” Oh Jangsong bowed deeply to Chung Myung. Slightly taken aback by the reaction, Chung Myung quickly waved his hand.

“Why are you doing this!” Chung Myung exclaimed.

“This old man has been greedy and acted out of character. But please know that all of it was solely for the sake of the Illusory Spirit Sect disciples. If the Young Head helps the Illusory Spirit Sect, we will not hesitate to repay that kindness to Mount Hua,” Oh Jangsong said.

Chung Myung looked at Oh Jangsong with new eyes. In fact, bowing to someone as young as Chung Myung at that age was not an easy thing to do. There may have been some problems with his methods, but it was true that Oh Jangsong was only thinking of the Illusory Spirit Sect.

“Alright, alright, raise your head. It’s not that big of a deal,” Chung Myung said.

“⋯⋯Huh?” Oh Jangsong raised his head and frowned slightly as he looked at Chung Myung.

That was because… Chung Myung was smiling with a very bizarre expression.

“Well, basically, you can train similarly to Mount Hua, but…” Chung Myung started.

Twitch. Do Woonchan and Gye Hyeong shuddered briefly at the casual muttering. The countless scenes they had witnessed in Mount Hua flashed before their eyes.

“The Illusory Spirit Sect has to balance work and training, so the method will have to be a bit different. So, here’s how we’ll do it…” Chung Myung continued.

That day, while the Mount Hua disciples and the Illusory Spirit Sect members were building friendships with liquor and complaints, on one side, Chung Myung was doing his best to lecture on how to properly mess with the Illusory Spirit Sect disciples.

The fact that the most enthusiastic student of that lecture was Elder Oh Jangsong was the beginning of the misfortune that the Illusory Spirit Sect disciples would face in the future. Unfortunately.