Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1109

Plop.

His knees finally gave way. They had held on until the very end, but now they buckled, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

Blood trickled down his chin from his split lip. His hands trembled so badly he could barely see them. Resentment burned in his eyes.

His mouth, twisted with hatred and bitterness, opened slowly.

“How… could you…?”

“Heh heh heh.”

The handsome man stood tall in his white robes. He looked down at the kneeling man, his face blank and cold, like ice.

“Don’t resent me too much.”

“Isn’t that how the fighting world is?”

“You… you…”

Before he could finish speaking, another man stepped forward. This man had curly hair and a sly, devious look. A twisted smile stretched across his face.

Contempt and mockery shone in his eyes.

“Really… someone like *you* should know better than to act like this.”

This was someone he had trusted. Worse, this traitor was from his own hometown! Seeing his face was like a knife twisting in his chest.

“Is there anything more pointless than trust in this world? Hee hee hee. This is the price for being so foolish.”

“You bas…”

He slumped forward, falling to his face.

“Bastards…”

Plop.

The instant Dangpae fell, the Mount Hua disciples erupted in cheers. Their shouts were like thunder.

“We won!”

“We get half a day off tomorrow!”

“Mom! I beat the Dang Family!”

Knowing they had earned half a day off, the Mount Hua disciples hugged each other, jumping and cheering wildly.

“Half a day! Half a day! Oh my god!”

“This is the first time I’ve had half a day off since that Chung Myung brat came!”

“I’m going to sleep in tomorrow! I’m really not going to wake up, no matter what!”

“Drinks! Tonight is for drinks!”

They were acting like they had lost their minds with joy.

Anger boiled in Dangpae as he watched the scene.

A shiny bald head stood out in the crowd of celebrating Mount Hua disciples.

‘…That’s a monk.’ He knew the other Taoists were also celebrating wildly, but seeing a monk cheering about drinking after a fight felt especially wrong. *What is the world coming to?*

Wait… So So?

*She* shouldn’t be so happy. *I’m* her older brother…

But she looked the happiest of all? So So?

“Kyaahaha! It’s a break! A break! Sago, let’s go out to the market tomorrow!”

“So, this kind of day comes too.”

“Rest. Recharge. Rest. Good thing.”

Tears of humiliation and anger ran down the faces of the Dang Family members as they watched the Mount Hua disciples celebrate.

‘I actually trusted them, those bastards.’

What? Comradeship? A sense of camaraderie? He was a fool to expect anything like that from these inhuman monsters.

‘This is unfair! Completely unreasonable!’

The fight had been unfair from the beginning.

No, really, was it even fair to make sword fighters and hidden weapon users fight so close together? Especially when the Dang Family was packed together in a line!

Hidden weapons need space to work. You need distance to use them properly.

They are very different from swords, where you can just rush in and swing!

But what happens when you don’t give them any space? And when the people they thought were friends attack them without warning?

*This* is what happens.

Completely defeated and scattered on the ground, the Dang Family members trembled with humiliation and rage.

“This… such cowardly…”

“Huh? Master? What are they saying over there?”

“Huh? What are they saying?”

“They’re saying it’s cowardly?”

“You idiot!”

Baek Cheon snapped at Jo Gul, his face serious.

“They are from the Dang Family! Do you think Dang Family fighters are so weak that they would make excuses after losing? Where did you learn to talk such nonsense!”

“Ah. Master. I was wrong.”

Dangpae stared, speechless. He suddenly understood what it felt like to be so angry you couldn’t even speak.

But Dangjan, though still angry, seemed to find his voice. He lifted his head and shouted, his eyes red with fury.

“No! That’s…!”

“Master, I can clearly hear them, though?”

“I told you that’s not possible!”

“Then what is this sound?”

“It must be the sound of the river wind.”

“Ah.”

“……”

‘Those bastards, really…’

Dangjan gritted his teeth and yelled.

“Enough games, Baek Cheon Master! Even if this is like a real fight, it wasn’t a fair attack! You should have given us time to get ready!”

“Ah…” Baek Cheon’s eyes turned cold as he looked at Dangjan.

Unable to control his anger, Dangjan slammed his fist on the ground and shouted.

“Is attacking us right next to us the way a proper, honorable group should fight? Answer me!”

Baek Cheon’s face became serious. Dangjan braced himself, ready to argue with whatever Baek Cheon said. Even though they had lost, he wanted to make the Mount Hua group feel guilty.

But Baek Cheon’s answer completely destroyed Dangjan’s hopes.

Baek Cheon scratched his head and shrugged. “If that’s not how honorable groups are supposed to act, then fine, we’re not honorable.”

“Then we’ll just be the bad guys.” Baek Cheon shrugged again, looking right at Dangjan, who was staring in shock.

“If we have to be all prepared and polite before a simple fight, we might as well be the bad guys anyway.”

“Our Master’s tongue is so smooth today.”

“Chung Myung’s divine art has reached its peak.”

“Master, then should we go join the Evil Alliance now…?”

“Don’t cross the line!”

Yoon Jong punched Jo Gul, sending him rolling. But even as he lay on the ground, Jo Gul was grinning. The Dang Family, watching, just trembled with anger.

“Ugh…”

“Th-those…” The Dang Family members’ eyes were red with rage.

The pain of their injuries wasn’t the worst part. What they couldn’t stand was seeing those Mount Hua bastards. They had attacked like cowards to win, and now they were celebrating as if they were the heroes of the world.

‘I actually thought of them as friends for a moment.’

‘They’re the kind of people who would betray anyone for money!’

‘They have no honor!’

The Dang Family members now looked at Mount Hua with the hatred of true enemies.

“The decision is made.” Everyone turned to the voice. Tang Gunak was nodding, a gentle smile on his face.

“It’s a shame for me, but a promise is a promise. Mount Hua will have a break from training tomorrow morning.”

“Hooray!”

“Yes! Wise words, Leader!” The Mount Hua disciples cheered. Chung Myung clicked his tongue, looking annoyed.

But a promise was a promise. Chung Myung knew that if he broke his word now, it would be harder to control them later.

“Are you happy? Leader is also resting.”

“Me?”

“Yes. The guys to train will disappear.”

“Hahaha. You’re saying interesting things. The person who will be resting is not me, but you.”

“Yes? Me?”

“That’s right. Aren’t you also from the Mount Hua Sect? This was clearly a match where the winning side rests, right?”

“……That’s true, but I’m an exception……”

“It’s okay. Take a break tomorrow morning.”

“No. I’m okay……”

“Take a break.”

“No……”

“Rest.”

Chung Myung shut his mouth. Tang Gunak’s voice was getting colder. He glanced at Tang Gunak. The corners of his eyes, usually calm and serious, were twitching.

‘…He’s really angry.’ If Tang Gunak couldn’t control his face, it was more than just anger. In Mount Hua, they would say ‘his eyes are wild’ when someone was this furious.

‘Well….’

His best fighters had been completely defeated. It would be strange if Tang Gunak *wasn’t* angry.

An excuse about not being able to fight properly might work on others, but would Tang Gunak accept it?

“Hoo.” Tang Gunak took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Then, he smiled, but it was a thin, forced smile.

“It seems I’ve been too relaxed.” Cold sweat prickled Chung Myung’s skin. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had made him feel this uneasy.

“The victor deserves the right to enjoy their victory. You will take a good rest with Mount Hua tomorrow. For as long as possible.”

“No, just the morning…”

“Take a long rest. It’s not good for a person to run without rest. Didn’t I clearly say that?”

“No… that’s already a finished story…”

“Listen to me.”

“Yes.”

Tang Gunak nodded, his smile still fixed, and spoke louder, his voice now sharp. “Now, Mount Hua Sect members, please leave.”

“Hey, Leader, we won…” *Thud!* Baek Cheon clamped a hand over Jo Gul’s mouth, cutting him off. At the same time, Yoon Jong punched Jo Gul hard in the stomach.

“Ugh…” Baek Cheon quickly scooped up Jo Gul, who was now gasping and clutching his stomach. He bowed deeply to Tang Gunak.

“We’ll leave now.”

“Enjoy your rest.”

“Let’s go! Now!”

“Yes!”

“R-run!” Dang So-so’s face was pale as she pushed everyone forward.

The Mount Hua group, all except for clueless Jo Gul, understood the danger instantly. They ran from the training hall as fast as they could. Even Baek Ah, usually calm, ran like his heels were on fire, chasing after the others.

“Hmm…” Tang Gunak watched the Mount Hua disciples flee as if they had seen a ghost. Then, he turned his gaze to his own Dang Family members.

“L-Leader…”

“I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

“Yes?”

Tang Gunak shook his head gently. “Losing is not shameful. If you are not skilled enough, you lose. I have lost many times in my life too.”

“Ah…”

“So, don’t look so ashamed. The important thing is not to avoid losing, but to learn from it.”

Tears filled the eyes of the Dang Family members. They had expected a harsh punishment, but their Leader was speaking softly, kindly. Resentment and unfairness seemed to melt away, replaced by emotion.

“Leader…”

“Dangpae.”

“Yes!”

“What did you learn?” Dangpae gritted his teeth. “You can’t trust anyone in this world.”

“And?”

“And… you can never let your guard down, not for a moment.”

“Good.” Tang Gunak nodded slowly. A strange twitch pulled at his thick, dark eyebrows.

“However.”

“……Yes?”

“That’s not everything, is it?” Suddenly, Tang Gunak’s gentle expression vanished. “Even if you were ambushed, Dang Family fighters should not have fallen so easily. Your biggest mistake was giving up as soon as your line broke.” His voice lost all warmth.

“And that’s because you lack bite. Do you know why?”

“Th-that’s…”

“Because you have nothing to truly lose. Even if you lose, you won’t die. You fight without real risk.”

“Watching you fight Mount Hua today, I realized my own mistake.”

“Wh-what mistake…” Slowly, Tang Gunak’s hand emerged from his sleeve.

“I was wrong to think I didn’t need to use hidden weapons in your training.”

“……”

“Yes, that was my mistake. So, I will start by correcting myself…” *Crack.* Tang Gunak’s hand, now visible, seemed to dry out and harden. Veins popped out on the back of his hand, thick and dark.

“So that you never… suffer such a defeat again, I will make sure you are ready.” Dangpae stared, blank-faced, as Tang Gunak approached, fist clenched. Then, his eyes flickered to the distant sky.

‘Oh no… damn it.’

Looking back, he had always hated those Mount Hua bastards. Friends? No. They were enemies. Enemies to be destroyed.