Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1646

“Sit down.”

Despite Chung Mun’s words, Chung Myung stood still, not moving. Chung Mun looked at him. Chung Myung stood with his arms crossed. This showed he was very unhappy.

Chung Mun sighed quietly to himself and asked,

“What is wrong?”

“Why are you even bothering to talk to those things? You know they’re not even human.”

Chung Myung slightly gritted his teeth.

Chung Mun sighed loudly.

“Be careful what you say. People can hear you, even if you think they can’t.”

“Let them hear.”

“……”

“No, I don’t think they can hear well enough at this level. Should I speak louder? So that everyone in the world can hear?”

Chung Mun groaned, like his head was hurting.

“Alright, alright. Just sit down.”

“Sect Leader!”

“Sit down.”

Chung Mun repeated. Chung Myung grumbled but pulled out a chair and sat down. He made sure to pull out a new chair, not one that the other sect leaders had used. It was as if he didn’t even want his body to touch where they had been.

Chung Mun quietly stared at Chung Myung, who continued to grumble.

Chung Mun thought, ‘It’s amazing how Chung Myung can still be so free after all this time. Most people get tired and worn out by life.’

No, wait. Maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe Chung Myung *has* changed. The younger Chung Myung would have already kicked down the door and attacked those sect leaders with his sword.

That would have been… a disaster. But maybe also a little satisfying.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Ahem!” Chung Mun’s face went red. He coughed loudly. He was embarrassed by his own thoughts. *Thinking about violence is not right for a Taoist leader*, he thought.

Chung Mun calmed himself down. He looked serious and spoke firmly to Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung.”

“……”

“Chung Myung.”

“……Yes.”

Chung Myung grimaced as if he was already sick of the nagging that was about to come.

“Don’t treat the sect leaders so carelessly.”

“……”

“Of course… I actually know.”

“Know what?”

“That you’re acting threateningly towards them to use your presence as a shield, making my job easier. I am always….”

Chung Mun stopped. Chung Myung looked surprised, like he was saying, ‘Me? Did I do that?’ He then looked away quickly.

“……grateful……for it.”

“Oh… yeah, well. Just so you know.”

“……Okay.”

Chung Mun shook his head.

It didn’t matter if Chung Myung meant to help or not. The important thing was that Chung Myung being there made things easier for Chung Mun.

If Chung Myung wasn’t at Mount Hua, Chung Mun’s job would be three times harder. Luckily, the other leaders were afraid of Chung Myung. They saw his angry face and agreed to some things, at least.

At that moment, Chung Myung asked in a firm voice,

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“……Huh?”

“You said you’d get help, but they just laughed at you. Are you going to keep fixing their mistakes?”

Chung Mun gave a bitter smile.

“Bastards? They are all leaders representing the great sects of the Jianghu. How can you call them….”

“Enough. Aren’t we in Mount Hua just suffering like this? My disciples don’t have a day where their bodies aren’t covered in wounds!”

Chung Mun closed his mouth at those words.

“I’m telling you, let’s just withdraw.”

“Chung Myung.”

Chung Myung continued, louder, “Those leaders! They’ve never really fought the Demonic Sect. That’s why they act like this. If we just tell them we’re leaving, they’ll beg us to stay! Why can’t anyone else see this simple thing?”

Chung Mun sighed instead of answering. Chung Myung’s voice grew louder.

“We’re doing all the work, so why do we have to watch those damned bastards act so important? If that’s the case….”

“Chung Myung.”

A firm voice escaped Chung Mun’s lips. Chung Myung, who had been complaining with a frustrated face, shut his mouth tightly.

“Do you think I wouldn’t want to do that? Do you think I don’t feel angry about how they are acting?”

“……”

“I want to teach them a lesson, just like you said. But what about the people who will get hurt if we leave?”

“Innocent people, innocent people! Always the innocent people!”

“Chung Myung!”

“Damn it! Why is that our responsibility? It’s their responsibility! We’re doing all the fighting, and they’re just watching! Oh, don’t tell me it’s our fault for not fighting well enough?”

Chung Mun’s gaze towards Chung Myung was filled with pity.

He was boiling with anger, about to explode. It looked as if he would run to the sect leaders who had left their seats and start shouting at them any moment.

But Chung Mun knew that Chung Myung’s reaction wasn’t simply because he couldn’t control his anger.

“……Are you upset and sad and worried that the disciples are getting hurt and wounded?”

Chung Myung bit his lip tightly.

“It’s not that….”

A bitter voice escaped Chung Mun’s lips.

“I feel the same way, I do… I’m just as sad as you are about it.”

“……Someone like you!”

“But, Chung Myung. If we leave just because we are angry, there will be people who will lose their families, and they will suffer even more.”

Chung Myung couldn’t say anything and stared intently at Chung Mun. He saw the sadness in Chung Mun’s face. He had known that face his whole life. Chung Myung sighed with a frustrated expression.

“Can you understand?”

“Understand, my foot.”

Chung Myung kept muttering curses under his breath. But he didn’t try to resist Chung Mun any further.

“This is our duty, as people who know martial arts.”

“Are we the only ones who learned martial arts? Are those bastards scholars or something?”

“They will have to do their part eventually.”

“I’m going crazy, really.”

Unable to bear the frustration, Chung Myung roughly rubbed his face with both hands.

“No, Sect Leader! Do you trust those bastards? After seeing what they’ve done so far, you still trust them!”

“Trust….”

Chung Mun repeated as if muttering to himself, then sighed and hardened his expression.

“The Demonic Sect is strong.”

“…….”

“You, who are directly facing them, know best. But more importantly, the Demonic Sect hasn’t used all their power on the battlefield yet.”

Chung Myung nodded at those words.

“If the Demonic Sect really starts to fight seriously, we won’t be able to stop them with our strength alone. The entire power of the Central Plains must be brought together to have any hope of winning.”

“……That’s right.”

“But what if we are fighting each other before that happens? We will be defeated before the real fight even begins. Everything will be over.”

“…….”

“They probably know that fact as well. Eventually, there will come a time when they have no choice but to move. I just hope that the bad feelings between us don’t get worse before that time comes.”

A sigh escaped Chung Myung’s lips.

“Right. Everything Sect Leader says is right.”

“…….”

“If we forget that we have to keep those leaders happy and protect innocent people, then you’re completely right. Everything.”

“It won’t be long.”

Chung Mun shook his head.

“They are acting strangely. I don’t know what they’re planning, but they’ll be preparing to attack seriously soon. When that happens, we won’t even have time to think about what happens after the war.”

“…….”

“So, let’s just hold on a little longer.”

Chung Myung, who had been silently staring at Chung Mun, suddenly scratched his head roughly.

“I’d rather die! Just answer me. Do you really trust those bastards?”

Chung Mun nodded.

“Yes. I trust them.”

“No, Sect Leader!”

“I don’t trust that they will fight for us. I don’t trust that they will show us kindness.”

“…….”

“But I trust that they don’t want everything to be destroyed either. I trust that they don’t want to lose. That’s why I believe that when the time comes when they can’t run away anymore, they will fight as hard as they can. I just….”

His face became determined.

“Am just waiting for that moment to come.”

A heavy silence fell between them. Chung Myung stared at Chung Mun for a while, then narrowed his eyes and asked,

“What if? What if those bastards act like they do now until the very end?”

“…….”

“What if those damned bastards only care about their own safety until the end, and they get scared and run away? What if they are even more weak and silly than you think? Will you be sorry for trusting them?”

“That won’t happen.”

“How can you be so sure? Look at what those bastards have done so far!”

“I will make it so.”

Chung Mun’s voice was so sure, it was hard to believe. Chung Myung stopped talking for a moment.

Then, Chung Mun smiled gently.

“So, let’s just wait a little longer, Chung Myung.”

“…….”

“If you don’t trust them, trust me. You don’t have to be a perfect person to do the right thing. Even selfish people can do the right thing sometimes, because it’s just the natural way of things.”

A great sigh escaped Chung Myung’s lips.

“You’re good with words, good with words.”

He grabbed the sword he had placed on the table and stood up from his seat.

“I don’t understand the difficult things, but anyway, I just have to fight like I have been, right?”

“…….”

“I’ll keep going as long as I can. But you need to know, Sect Leader, that I can’t keep fighting forever.”

“Yes. I know.”

“Anyway, words are… Ugh.”

Chung Myung shook his head as if he didn’t want to argue any further and headed for the door.

“Chung Myung.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t hate them too much.”

Chung Mun said in a bitter voice to Chung Myung, who turned around with a hardened face.

“They are just trying to protect their own sects. Just like we are trying to protect Mount Hua. It’s just that they do things a bit differently.”

“…….”

“They love their sects, so they are afraid. They care about their students, so they don’t want to take action. It’s hard to say that their method is right, but they care about their students just like we care about ours.”

“Sect….”

“Yes. So, don’t….”

“I don’t know, Sect Leader.”

Chung Myung said in a slightly cold voice.

“I don’t know what you think, but I’m not someone who cares about Mount Hua as much as you do.”

“…….”

“If everyone thought like you, you’d be right. But if everyone thought like me, you’d be wrong. I just hope things aren’t that bad.”

Chung Myung opened the door and went outside.

Left alone, Chung Mun slowly closed his eyes, thinking about the words Chung Myung had left behind.

‘This is a heavy burden.’

Chung Myung can’t win alone. Mount Hua can’t win alone. In the end, they have to join their strength. All the power of the Jianghu must work together to face the Demonic Sect.

Someone has to protect the center. Even if it’s a hard job.

‘The Dao…’ Chung Mun thought. All he wanted was for everyone to have the basic human desire to do what’s right.

He woke up and looked at the ceiling. He thought about his dream, but his mind was still foggy. Without thinking, he touched his eyes and felt they were wet.

Chung Myung muttered as if he were repeating something.

“Sect Leader……”

He wanted to ask. If he ever met Chung Mun again…….

‘Did you believe in yourself until the end?’

Maybe he needed that answer for himself, not for Chung Mun.

Knock knock.

At that moment, he heard someone knocking on the door.

Chung Myung roughly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and got up.

‘This is no time to be thinking about the past.’

The situation now was just as bad as the past. Maybe even worse.

Before, Chung Myung trusted Chung Mun. Now, people were trusting Chung Myung, just like he trusted Chung Mun back then.

So now is the time to fight the situation he was in.