Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 627

Even the way Baek Cheon put his hands together to greet people was graceful, like a beautiful picture.

Despite having just finished a martial arts contest, Baek Cheon’s white martial robes were spotless. Just by looking at him, you could tell he had won completely and perfectly.

“…Did he win?”

“Are you blind? Does that look like he lost to you?”

“Ah, no, I’m just speechless. That was practically a complete and utter crushing.”

The audience was so surprised they couldn’t even gasp.

Before this, they had cheered for Jo Gul’s courage and Yoon Jong’s strong spirit.

It was like they were cheering for the weaker fighter who fought bravely against the powerful Wudang.

However, Baek Cheon’s swordplay was definitely not that of a weaker fighter.

“…Is Mount Hua really taking down Wudang this easily? And with a second-generation disciple, too?”

“Don’t be ignorant! The Hwajung Sword style is already famous among martial artists. How can you treat him like an ordinary second-generation disciple?”

“Does fame change seniority? Even so, a second-generation disciple is still a second-generation disciple!”

“…That’s true.”

The audience looked confused.

“Is Mount Hua really stronger than Wudang?”

“What nonsense is that?”

“Look! Mount Hua has already won three consecutive matches. No, if you include the first non-contest match, it’s four consecutive wins!”

Everyone was silent.

“One or two times, you might say it’s luck. But who would call four consecutive wins luck? If this is luck, then what in the world isn’t?”

Even people who had quietly supported Wudang could not argue against this.

“And! The other matches aside, this one…”

The speaker was so excited he stopped talking suddenly. He stared at the stage for a long time, his eyes shaking. Then, he breathed out heavily and said,

“This match, the difference in skill is truly undeniable.”

Everyone was silent.

Everyone stared at the martial arts stage with disbelieving faces. Everyone was holding their breath. It was so quiet you could even hear people swallow.

They had all come here for entertainment.

No one expected that Mount Hua would really put up such a good fight against Wudang.

But the spectacle unfolding before their eyes completely shattered their expectations.

“I, is Mount Hua really going to beat Wudang at this rate?”

“Maybe so.”

The onlookers swallowed hard.

However, the thoughts of those who were quick-witted were slightly different.

‘Even if Mount Hua stops winning now, they have already achieved something important.’

Even if Wudang wins all the remaining matches from now on, only Mount Hua’s four consecutive wins will be talked about in the world. People love to see a weaker group beat a stronger group.

If people ever think Mount Hua has become stronger than Wudang, it will probably start from this contest.

The people watched both camps with tense faces. You could see both happiness and sadness in the crowd.

Moo-oh couldn’t say anything and came down from the martial arts stage with his head bowed.

Heo San-ja looked at him with a hollow gaze.

What could he say?

If he had lost because he was careless, he would have been scolded harshly. If he lost because he was nervous and couldn’t fight his best, he would have scolded him or maybe even comforted him.

But he didn’t lose because he was careless or nervous. He lost simply because his opponent was better.

Of course, the person who was going to lose had lost. So what could he possibly say to Moo-oh?

Heo San-ja could not bring himself to say anything and just stared blankly at Moo-oh.

Moo-jin, watching from behind, sighed and spoke for Heo San-ja.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

“Go inside and take care of yourself.”

“I’m not injured.”

Moo-jin understood the anger in those words.

Losing without even getting hurt was even more embarrassing than just losing the fight.

But Heo San-ja, who should have been comforting Moo-oh’s anger, was too busy trying to accept what was happening.

“Go inside.”

“Yes.”

Moo-oh’s shoulders drooped. Looking at those shoulders, Moo-jin’s heart began to burn like wildfire.

“Elder.”

He said in a low voice, grinding his teeth.

“Is this the result you wanted?”

He had lived his whole life under the strict rules of Wudang.

He was not the type to question his elders about what was right or wrong. But what had just happened was enough to make even Moo-jin lose his patience.

“Our honor is ruined, and now we have no excuse. The world will praise Mount Hua and curse Wudang.”

Moo-jin trembled, biting his lip tightly to hold back his rising resentment.

“If I had gone out instead, we might have lost, but we wouldn’t have been pointed at like this. Is this truly the miserable defeat you wanted, Elder?”

“You!”

As if snapping out of it, Heo San-ja shouted.

“How dare a chief disciple of Wudang stare directly at an elder of the sect and argue back! Is that what the sect taught you!”

Heo San-ja’s eyes were bloodshot. But Moo-jin was even more disappointed by that reaction. Heo San-ja scolded him for his attitude instead of talking about what was right or wrong. This made Moo-jin feel even worse and hopeless.

“There’s no need to get agitated.”

Everyone was silent.

“It’s in worse shape than I thought, but it’s the result I expected.”

“Elder!”

“We just need to win from now on! What does it matter if we lose five times! Or six times! Or nine times! We just need to win ten times! It doesn’t matter how many times we lose!”

Silence.

“What matters is the result. Only the result remains!”

Moo-jin’s tightly clenched lips turned white.

Heo San-ja’s words were no different from before. The logic supporting his words was also the same as before. But that was only on the surface.

Heo San-ja was now completely immersed in his emotions. He wasn’t thinking about the good and bad points to find an answer. He just refused to admit he was wrong.

‘Was he really this simple-minded?’

His sect was known for its elegant and refined Taoist traditions.

But now, Moo-jin felt like he was seeing the less honorable side of that elegance.

‘What’s the use of being refined only inside the sect?’

What does it mean if you can’t keep that elegance and spirit when you face challenges outside the sect?

Moo-jin looked at the Mount Hua side with a miserable face.

‘Frivolous… rough…’

Limitlessly free.

Taoism is about accepting the world and nature into yourself and becoming one with them. So, isn’t being free closer to Taoism than following strict rules?

Moo-jin squeezed his eyes shut.

He couldn’t block his ears, so the cheering voices of the Mount Hua disciples felt like a cold pain.

“As expected! As expected of our Grand Uncle!”

“Senior Brother! You were really the best!”

“Wow, I really can’t imitate that!”

A thunderous roar poured out towards Baek Cheon as he came down from the martial arts stage.

It was only natural.

Of course, the others had all fought hard, but no one had shown such a firm advantage as Baek Cheon.

They had acted like they didn’t care, but the powerful Wudang sect had always been a heavy burden for them. But now, Baek Cheon had defeated that powerful Wudang with one move.

“You were really amazing.”

“How can you use such sword energy? Please teach me, Senior Brother!”

Baek Cheon smiled as he looked at the Mount Hua disciples who had gathered around him.

“Don’t praise me too much. I’m embarrassed.”

“No! This is something to be really proud of!”

“Ah, it’s really a shame! Moo-jin should have come out!”

“Moo-jin, you little rascal! You should at least call him Great Warrior Moo-jin.”

“Ah, that’s right…”

Baek Cheon was embarrassed, but he couldn’t stop smiling. Watching his cheering and rejoicing senior and junior brothers, he kept feeling uplifted.

‘So this is what it meant.’

He understood what it meant to be the one to make Mount Hua famous again.

He understood that being the best meant this.

It wasn’t just that Baek Cheon was noble alone.

It meant that he would lead the disciples of Mount Hua in a different way from Yoon Jong. Baek Cheon, who finally understood Chung Myung’s intentions, smiled and turned his head.

‘How is it? I did it perfectly…’

But at that moment, Baek Cheon froze like a stone.

Chung Myung and Jo Gul were looking this way with dissatisfied faces, leaning on one leg… And… Huh?

Yoon Jong? Why are you there? Yoon Jong…

“Hey…”

Chung Myung spat on the floor and said in a boastful way.

“A hero has emerged?”

“Why? Our Grand Uncle was always great.”

“Aigoo! It’s too bright! So bright! I’m going blind!”

Silence.

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul glared at Baek Cheon with sullen faces, like children who had their toys taken away.

“Hey, you could have won easily without being so flashy.”

“Why are you acting like this now? You always do this.”

What’s wrong with those fools?

Baek Cheon’s eyes flashed with anger, as if he had never been in a good mood.

“Hey, you fools! Your Grand Uncle came back after winning, is that how you react?”

“We’re congratulating you, aren’t we?”

“Aigoo! Congratulations, Grand Uncle! This junior sister is so moved that tears are just about to pour out… Ah, no, wait a minute, don’t draw your sword, ehei.”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul quickly backed away.

Baek Cheon frowned and ground his teeth.

‘I was mistaken for a moment.’

He should have always kept in mind that the disciples of Mount Hua and those fools were separate entities.

Baek Cheon glared at Chung Myung, who was still standing in the same spot.

“I did as you told me, so you have no complaints, right?”

“Okay, hurry up and go in. What great thing did you catch that you’re putting so much strength in your neck? It’s going to break soon.”

“Damn it, really.”

In the end, harsh words poured out.

I’m the idiot for expecting anything from that fool!

Baek Cheon sighed deeply, turned his head sharply, and headed back to his seat.

The Five Swords were indifferent and sulky, but the other Mount Hua disciples were all sending him envious glances.

“Baek Cheon.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“You’ve done really well.”

Hyun Sang said, patting him on the shoulder, and Baek Cheon smiled.

“No. I just did what I had to do.”

“Wow, look at the way that guy talks!”

“Geol. I can hear everything, I can. Speak quietly.”

Yoon Jong, you fool…

You should tell him not to say those things, why are you telling him to speak quietly?

Baek Cheon sighed deeply.

‘Anyway, those fools…’

Anyway, they all had a knack for scratching people’s nerves. Baek Cheon soon chuckled and glanced at the Wudang side.

‘There was a time when I did.’

There was definitely a time when he envied Wudang.

It would be a lie if he said he had never regretted choosing Mount Hua over Jongnam. He had spent many sleepless nights wondering if he should have chosen Wudang instead of Mount Hua, so he wouldn’t have been embarrassed by Jongnam.

But now…

‘I’m glad I’m a disciple of Mount Hua.’

Pride doesn’t only come from strength. Right now, Baek Cheon felt so proud to be a disciple of Mount Hua that his chest was bursting.

Of course, it’s a bit silly, sometimes noisy, and often annoying, but even so, this was the warmest and most proud sect in the world.

“…Looking at your expression, you’re completely drunk on your own awesomeness right now?”

“Leave him alone. Is it a one or two day thing?”

Silence.

No. Let’s take out ‘warm’. Those rotten bastards…