Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1117

The way people look at each other is generally consistent.

The gaze of a mother looking at her grown child, a father looking at his beloved daughter, or a teacher looking at a commendable student is mostly similar in most situations.

However, the gazes of those here looking at Chung Myung were incredibly complex.

“Why?”

And Chung Myung seemed to not understand why they were giving him such looks at all.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

In the end, a groan escaped from Hyun Jong’s lips.

Chung Myung looked back, his eyes innocent and bright, as if he’d done nothing wrong. Hyun Jong felt like a volcano was about to explode inside him.

Hyun Jong was a Taoist, a person who follows a philosophy focused on balance and living naturally. So, he spoke as calmly as possible.

“Chung Myung.”

“Yes?”

“It seems there’s a bit of a problem with the Heavenly Union right now. The Heavenly Union is a new group, bringing together disciples from different fighting schools.”

“Yes? A problem?”

“…”

“Here?”

Chung Myung tilted his head as if he didn’t understand at all.

Hyun Jong glanced at Chung Myung’s face again, then sighed. *Why do I even look at him?* he thought. Seeing that innocent face just made his stomach churn even more.

“Ugh…”

As Hyun Jong couldn’t continue speaking due to his frustration, Hyun Sang gave a bitter smile and opened his mouth. Wouldn’t it be the role of an elder to say what needs to be said in times like these?

“The Sect Leader is concerned about the events unfolding in the Heavenly Union.”

“Ah, that?”

Chung Myung nodded as if he understood.

“It’s certainly concerning. I understand what the Sect Leader is saying.”

“You understand?”

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with a suspicious face. This rascal isn’t usually so quick to understand…

And Chung Myung, as expected, did not live up to Hyun Jong’s expectations this time either.

“You’re saying I’m lacking in basic training because I’ve only been experiencing real battles, right? I was already considering that myself.”

“…”

“Ha. This isn’t easy. Originally, you’re supposed to do both in parallel. You can’t lean too much to one side… Should I tell them to cut back on sleep?”

“They’ll all die if you do that…”

“Hey, do people die that easily? They won’t die, they won’t.”

Watching Chung Myung wave his hand as if it were impossible, Hyun Jong thumped his chest.

“Hey, you rascal! Do you even know how the Alliance disciples are treating each other these days?”

“Yes?”

“It would be a blessing if they only fought in the training hall! There have been three knife fights in the dining hall in the last three days! And two group brawls that started with the neighboring building in the middle of the night!”

“…”

“And! If you’re going to fight, at least fight cleanly! They’re breaking walls in the borrowed training grounds! Blowing off roofs! And even starting fires?”

“Wow, the fire is a bit much.”

The Mount Hua disciples already had the experience of having their buildings completely destroyed by fire when the Demonic Sect invaded, so they would wake up in a cold sweat even at the sound of fire.

Ah, so that’s why he set it? It must be Im So-byeong. It’s definitely Im So-byeong. Truly, one cannot underestimate…

“What on earth is going on! What! The money to pay for the damages is going to be more than the money we borrowed the training grounds for!”

“Huh? You’re making a lot of money, though.”

“Is money the problem here? Money?”

“Yes!”

At that moment, Hyun Young burst out shouting, coming to Hyun Jong’s aid.

Surprised, Hyun Jong turned his head to look at Hyun Young. This rascal isn’t usually one to take my side like this?

“Hey, you! No matter how much money you have, you’ll end up a beggar if you spend it so lavishly! You need to know how to save when you have it! That’s how you’ll have a comfortable retirement!”

…Was that it?

Hyun Jong sighed deeply with a ‘that’s how it is’ look on his face.

“Chung Myung.”

“Yes?”

“I’m starting to get worried.”

Hyun Jong’s face became serious, but Chung Myung’s face remained endlessly cheerful.

“Fights are breaking out almost every day.”

“Kids grow up fighting.”

“Injured people are appearing frequently.”

“Kids get hurt when they fight.”

“⋯⋯Emotions are getting worse day by day.”

“Kids are usually petty and get sulky easily, but they make up like nothing happened the next day…”

“Listen to me seriously!”

Hyun Jong finally roared, watching Chung Myung pick at his ear while answering. And he clutched the back of his stiff neck.

“Ugh!”

“Oh, Sect Leader!”

“I told you not to get so excited when you’re old!”

“Ugh…”

Hyun Jong breathed heavily and looked at Chung Myung. But whether Hyun Jong did so or not, Chung Myung still had the most innocent expression in the world, as if asking, ‘Did I do something wrong?’

‘That disgusting…’

I really want to kick him at times like this. The greatest misfortune for Hyun Jong is that the being who brings him good fortune and the being who brings him frustration are the same.

“Hey, you rascal!”

“Yes?”

“What kind of place is the Heavenly Union!”

Hyun Jong spoke half coaxingly and half angrily.

“Didn’t you clearly say with your own mouth that it’s a place where everyone becomes friends with one heart!”

“Did I…?”

“Hey!”

“Ah, I remember. I remember.”

“Ugh.”

Hyun Jong, feeling frustrated, took a deep breath and continued with determination.

“But all you’ve done after gathering everyone is to make them fight each other! Divide them into groups and make them punch each other! Isn’t this just causing the Alliance to split apart!”

“Split apart?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened at those words.

“Yes! Isn’t it splitting apart!”

“No, Sect Leader. What are you talking about?”

Chung Myung asked as if he was hearing such absurd words for the first time.

“How can it split apart when it hasn’t even properly come together in the first place? It’s like… you haven’t even had a child, raised it, and sent it off to get married. It’s like we haven’t even started to build this group properly. It’s like trying to worry about your child’s wedding before they are even born!”

“What kind of Taoist uses that analogy.”

“But that’s the truth.”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“It’s called the Heavenly Union, but when have we ever been close to the Green Forest or the Namgung? We haven’t even been close to the Sichuan Tang Family.”

“Aren’t you close?”

“The Sect Leader and the Family Head might be close.”

“No, the children too…”

“Ah?”

Chung Myung grinned as he looked at Hyun Jong.

“Oh dear. So, those close kids are grabbing each other by the collar and fighting to the death over a little poke. Heavens! The morality of the Central Plains has fallen to the ground. We can’t even criticize the Demonic Sect.”

Hyun Jong, having nothing to say, stared blankly at Chung Myung, speechless, like he had no words left. In fact, those words weren’t exactly wrong. If the Heavenly Union was truly on good terms with each other, this situation wouldn’t have happened.

In fact, the Heavenly Union is a place where it is inherently impossible for them to be on good terms with each other.

No matter how much the head of a sect decides the affairs of the sect, the heart doesn’t necessarily follow. Just because the heads of each sect decided to have friendly relations doesn’t mean that the walls in the hearts of the disciples will collapse.

But that didn’t mean he agreed with Chung Myung’s words.

“So, shouldn’t we prevent this from happening even more?”

“Why?”

“If they’re not close, shouldn’t we make them close! But all they do is fight all day, so their relationship only gets worse!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

This time, Chung Myung tilted his head as if he really didn’t understand, not as a joke.

“Is there a better way for people to become close than fighting?”

“Huh?”

“Usually, they become very close after exchanging a few punches.”

Hyun Jong, staring at Chung Myung with dazed eyes, suddenly asked as if he understood something.

“That… Chung Myung?”

“Yes.”

“That… the getting close you’re talking about… does it perhaps mean that the other person doesn’t argue back, or suddenly acts friendly…?”

“That’s right. They also give you alcohol.”

“…”

“They also give you food.”

“…”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes tightly. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

What kind of life did this rascal live before coming to Mount Hua? What kind of inescapable hell did he roll around in to have such a way of thinking?

“Isn’t that not getting close, but surrendering?”

“It’s the same thing, I guess.”

At that moment, Chung Myung chuckled.

“Sect Leader. What do you think is the fundamental reason why those guys are fighting?”

“Because you started it.”

“…”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Well… that’s partly true, a very small part, but that’s not the fundamental reason.”

Chung Myung said firmly.

“Sect Leader. We are Taoists, but before that, we are martial artists.”

“What does that mean?”

“Martial artists inevitably live with the competitive spirit of wanting to see who is stronger.”

Hyun Jong closed his mouth. Chung Myung grinned at that expression.

“If you gather energetic kids and tell them to just respect each other and live together, do you think that will work? If it’s a problem that will explode someday, it’s better to let it explode quickly and sort it out.”

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with a dumbfounded expression.

“So, you’re saying… they’re having a battle for dominance right now?”

“In a way, that’s right.”

“No, what kind of neighborhood dogs are having a hierarchy…”

“Hey. It’s the other way around.”

Chung Myung waved his hand.

“How can people not do what neighborhood dogs do? That’s too natural.”

“…”

“Originally, the saying ‘our side is stronger’ is an absolute truth that never disappears, regardless of East or West. It’s better to just let them fight than to forcibly suppress it.”

Hyun Jong opened his mouth wide.

“Ah, no, this is.”

Listening to it, there is a side that is in line with the logic of Taoism.

Taoism does not try to forcibly resist what flows naturally. Whether it’s the flow of the world or the mind of a person. Because forcibly blocking it is rather a way to increase the disaster.

‘If someone else had said these words, I would have praised them as excellent…’

The problem was that this rascal regarded the sacred ideology of Taoism as a footstool to strengthen his sophistry.

“The words… yes, the words are right. Ahem!”

But Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader of the Taoist sect, found it too difficult to refute these words. He chose his words in his head several times before barely opening his mouth.

“But… yes. Even so, isn’t it good to get along well with each other? If possible, isn’t it better to follow the natural order?”

“Ah?”

Chung Myung made a strange expression.

“So, you’re saying that no matter what you’re thinking inside, we should pretend to be friendly on the outside, haha, hoho, something like that?”

“Not quite to that extent.”

“That’s good. Of course, that’s not bad either.”

“Huh?”

Hyun Jong tilted his head at the unexpected answer. What is this rascal trying to say again?

As expected, a wicked smile bloomed on Chung Myung’s lips.

“But that… taking care of appearances and everything, patting themselves on the back while self-praising that they’re doing great things, and pretending to be friendly on the outside, haha, hoho.”

“…”

“I know a place like that very well. That… I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Nine Great Sects.”

Hyun Jong couldn’t control the bursting frustration for a moment and covered his face.

“Oh dear, if the Sect Leader really wants to be like the Nine Great Sects, what can I do as a disciple! I have no choice but to step into that world of hypocrisy and pretense with tears in my eyes…”

“Stop it, you rascal!”

“Hee hee hee!”

Chung Myung, having thoroughly upset Hyun Jong, straightened his face and opened his mouth.

“The Sect Leader really doesn’t want that, does he.”

Hyun Jong had no choice but to nod.