Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 118

Chung Myung climbed Yeonhwa Peak and looked up at the sky in silence.

He didn’t need to hide his skills anymore, but years of training had made it a habit. He only felt calm when he reached Yeonhwa Peak.

After staring at the sky for a long time, Chung Myung turned to look at Hwasan below.

“Hmm.”

He had overcome one challenge.

But he wasn’t satisfied yet.

“The road ahead is long.”

He knew being too fast could cause problems, but he still felt a little worried.

It wasn’t that the Third-Generation disciples were improving slowly. If they kept going like this, they would become masters that no one could ignore.

But that was far in the future.

Right now, Hwasan was still a weak and unimpressive sect.

“So, this is what it means to lead.”

He felt a heavy weight on his shoulders. Now, the disciples looked to Chung Myung whenever something happened. This had happened many times before, but the way his fellow disciples looked at him now was different from before.

“Sasuk must have had a hard time.”

It’s easy to tell someone who is leading what to do. But actually leading everyone is very hard, even if people are helping you.

In the past, Chung Myung thought he was leading Hwasan.

The most famous name of Hwasan was definitely Plum Blossom Sword Saint, and it was Plum Blossom Sword Saint who made Hwasan famous.

So, was Chung Myung really leading Hwasan?

‘Of course not.’

A slight pain tugged at his heart.

If he had known then what he knew now, maybe Hwasan’s fate would have been different. Maybe Chung Myung’s fellow disciples wouldn’t have ended up the way they did.

Even those who walked calmly, knowing they were going to their deaths.

“Stop thinking about useless things.”

Chung Myung shook his head.

It was all in the past. What was important was not getting stuck in the past, but using it to grow in the present and move towards a better future.

To do that…

“I must become stronger.”

To avoid losing everything like he did before, there was no other way.

Chung Myung knew.

The Jianghu was a very cruel place.

Chivalry? Yes, it existed. Loyalty? Of course. But chivalry and loyalty were just things that the strong gave to the weak. Those without power couldn’t be chivalrous or even talk about loyalty.

The disciples of Hwasan probably thought they had already seen that cruelty. They probably thought they had suffered a lot when Hwasan fell.

They were wrong.

Soon they would realize that they had been protected by Hwasan and by the things Hwasan had done.

But that was over now.

Soon, Hwasan would have to face the world. And they would face a level of cruelty in the Jianghu that they had never seen before.

‘I don’t want to keep them sheltered.’

He had to create a place where they could believe and trust, whether that was Chung Myung or Hwasan.

Chung Myung sat down. He closed his eyes and looked inside himself.

He could see it.

The dantian inside him had grown to the size of a small fruit. It was still small compared to his previous inner strength.

But it was growing.

Slowly but surely, step by step, just like he wanted.

Hwasan’s martial arts were traditional.

They were honest martial arts that required you to climb a dangerous mountain on your own to reach the top.

There were no shortcuts. Just taking one step at a time without stopping.

‘I will become stronger.’

Not as the Plum Blossom Sword Saint of the past, but as the Chung Myung of the present.

He would become stronger and stronger.

And one day, he would be even stronger than ‘that’ Heavenly Demon.

An endless journey to master martial arts.

Chung Myung looked up at the sky.

– Has your plum blossom bloomed?

Chung Myung smiled slightly.

“Not yet.”

But…

“Someday, it will bloom.”

Someday, when his own plum blossom bloomed from the tip of Chung Myung’s sword.

Not only Hwasan, but the whole world would be filled with the sweet scent of plum blossoms.

Chung Myung jumped up.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Sect Leader Sasuk.”

Chung Myung grinned, a flash of his old, cheeky self showing through. “It’s me, Chung Myung, after all,” he said, a hint of playful pride in his voice.

Chung Myung started down the mountain path.

“Hmm?” He paused, his nose twitching.

A sweet, strong scent of plum blossoms drifted to him, like nature’s own perfume. Chung Myung smiled slightly. “It’s spring,” he murmured to himself, the scent filling his lungs.

With the fragrance of plum blossoms brushing against his face, Chung Myung descended the mountain with a lighter step, his earlier worries easing. High above, Hwasan, the mountain itself, seemed to watch Chung Myung go, silent and steadfast.

Even as Hwasan embraced Chung Myung and began to change, time flowed on.

Blooming and fading, then blooming and fading again.

As the plum blossoms bloomed and withered twice.

Time flowed on like running water.

❀ ❀ ❀

Shaanxi Province, Huayin County.

The man, Wi Sohaeng, who looked younger than his years, carried a worn leather bag on his back. His eyes, though tired from travel, were sharp and observant as he took in the bustling town.

“…Is this Huayin County?”

He looked around, a little confused.

“This should be the place?”

The scene in front of him was very different from what he remembered.

Before, Huayin was like a place between a small village and a city. It was somewhat lively, but not very impressive, and not so backwards as to be undeveloped.

But now, it looked like a busy city.

Of course, it wasn’t as big as the really large cities. But seeing the bright, newly built buildings lining the main street, and the shops packed together, made the word ‘county’ seem wrong.

‘Did I come to the wrong place?’

The man looked around and asked someone walking by.

“Excuse me, is this Huayin County?”

“Is this your first time here?”

“No, I’ve been here before. I came about ten years ago, but it looks very different now.”

The person chuckled. “Anyone coming back after ten years would think so. Even people who left Huayin two years ago are surprised when they come back.”

“Ah… So this is Huayin County.”

“That’s right. It’s changed so much it might seem strange, but this is the Huayin you know.”

“Thank you. But… why has it changed so much?”

“Why else? It’s all thanks to Hwasan.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you know about Hwasan?! Hwasan! Our amazing Hwasan Sect!”

“Ah, no. I know. Of course, I know the Hwasan Sect.”

Wi Sohaeng quickly nodded.

Saying you didn’t know Hwasan to the people of Huayin County was like saying you weren’t human. To them, Hwasan wasn’t just a sect nearby.

It was their pride, their self-respect, and like family.

“I’m actually here to visit the Hwasan Sect.”

“Oh? Is that so? So you’re a guest. Haha. Ask me anything you want. I’ll answer everything.”

As soon as he heard that he had come to visit Hwasan, the middle-aged man’s face lit up.

“What do you mean Huayin has developed because of Hwasan?”

“It’s obvious. Don’t you know that Hwasan is rising like the sun! Spreading its fame everywhere?”

No. I’ve been away, so I know, but it’s not that big, is it?

But he couldn’t say that to this man. His eyes seemed to say that if he said anything bad about Hwasan, he would punch him.

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“So, many people have been coming to visit Hwasan lately. As more people visit Hwasan, more people visit Huayin, and as you can see, it’s become crowded, hasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“Where people gather, money gathers. So, Huayin has changed like this.”

“…That’s a big change.”

“Hahaha. Isn’t it all thanks to the Hwasan Sect? You know, don’t you? That at the Hwajong Assembly two years ago, Hwasan completely crushed those Jongnam bastards.”

“Of course.”

That was a story everyone knew now.

The Hwasan that was known to have fallen… No, now even that memory was fading, was the one that completely crushed Jongnam, whose recent rise had shaken the world.

People loved to see others fail. And this was a case where a famous sect had suffered a humiliating defeat, so everyone enjoyed talking about it.

News travels fast, and the story of the Hwajong Assembly quickly spread everywhere. Now, even the children were talking about it.

Some people even called the Hwajong Assembly the Fallen Dragon Assembly, saying that it was a meeting where a dragon trying to fly to the heavens had fallen to the ground.

“Jongnam, of all places. Hwasan taught Jongnam a lesson, so Hwasan’s reputation has risen a lot. You don’t know how many people have been looking for Hwasan since then. The number of people wanting to join is endless.”

“I see.”

Wi Sohaeng nodded.

No one understood this better than Wi Sohaeng. He had come here because of Hwasan’s new status.

If the rumors of the Hwajong Assembly hadn’t spread, Wi Sohaeng wouldn’t have even thought of coming here.

“However, there is something a little disappointing.”

“Yes?”

The middle-aged man looked at Hwasan, a little unhappy.

“There hasn’t been anything special for the past two years since then. It’s about time they did something.”

“Ah…”

“Well, great groups don’t move so easily. Doesn’t the saying go that a great roc crouches for a thousand years before flying a thousand miles with a single flap of its wings? Hwasan will be like that. Yes, it must be.”

He was clearly proud of Hwasan.

Wi Sohaeng thought that many things had changed as he watched.

It wasn’t just the way things looked that had changed.

When he came here before, it was hard to find any energy in the village. But now, he could feel the energy of the people of Huayin.

“If you’re going to visit Hwasan, find a place to stay. The sun will be setting soon, and if you go up now, you’ll be climbing Hwasan at night. It’s better to go up tomorrow morning.”

“Yes. Thank you for your advice.”

“Then.”

The middle-aged man waved and walked away. Wi Sohaeng looked around and opened his mouth slightly.

‘It’s changed so much.’

Just because a sect became a little famous, a whole village had changed completely. It was easy to see why people and sects risked their lives for their reputation.

Wi Sohaeng looked up at Hwasan.

Seeing how much Huayin had changed, he felt sure of himself. Hwasan was not the same as before.

So…

‘I have to get Hwasan’s help somehow.’

Wi Sohaeng looked at Hwasan with determination. At the top of that rugged mountain was the Hwasan Sect.

‘I hope my father’s judgment is not wrong,’ Wi Sohaeng thought, a knot of worry tightening in his stomach. He desperately hoped Hwasan could be their answer.

Wi Sohaeng pressed his lips together and turned towards Huayin County.