Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 120

“Chung Myung?”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“…Look here. Did you say Wi Sohaeng?”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Instead of getting straight to the point, shouldn’t you explain the situation first?”

“Ah. I apologize. I was too flustered. The truth is…”

Wi Sohaeng began to explain the situation.

Hwayeong Mun was a subsidiary clan of Hwasan.

Generally, disciples of large sects were divided into two categories. One was the Jinshan disciples, who entered Hwasan and lived there for the rest of their lives. Those who became Jinshan disciples received a Taoist name, raised disciples in Hwasan, honed their swordsmanship, and pursued the Tao.

However, those who learned at Hwasan but went out into the world to live were called Sokga disciples.

And the sects established by such Sokga disciples were called subsidiary clans, which were separate from Hwasan but operated under Hwasan’s influence.

Subsidiary clans sent money to Hwasan each year. In return, Hwasan helped them with any problems they faced. Hwasan got a steady income, and the subsidiary clans attracted trainees by using Hwasan’s famous name.

It was said that there were hundreds of these subsidiary clans when Hwasan was at its best. Now, there were fewer than ten that claimed to be connected to Hwasan.

Even those ten couldn’t easily contact Hwasan.

Hwayeong Mun was the one that had consistently sent money to Hwasan.

“It’s not a very successful martial arts school, but Hwayeong Mun was well-respected in our area,” Wi Sohaeng explained.

“Indeed. Knowing the Hwayeong Mun Lord, I would expect that,” someone replied.

“The problem started when a new martial arts school called Jongdogwan opened across from us. Jongdogwan was a subsidiary clan of Wudang, and they tried hard to get trainees as soon as they opened.”

“Hmm.”

“But because Hwayeong Mun was so established, our area, Nanyang, didn’t really care about them. So, they started targeting us directly.”

“Hmm.”

“My father couldn’t stand their constant taunts and lost a fight with the Jongdogwan Lord, getting badly hurt.”

“Oh, dear!”

Hyun Young, very angry, jumped up from his seat.

“How dare they hurt the Hwayeong Mun Lord! I’ll catch that jerk and tear him apart right now!”

Hyun Sang pulled Hyun Young back down.

Hyun Young, forced back into his seat, still angrily gnashed his teeth.

“If that was all, I wouldn’t have bothered coming here,” Wi Sohaeng continued, “but Jongdogwan plans to kick us out of Nanyang completely and has asked Wudang for help. My father heard that Wudang disciples would be coming soon, so he sent me here to ask the Sect Leader for help.”

Wi Sohaeng knelt down on the spot after finishing his story.

“Sect Leader! Please help us! If Hwasan doesn’t help, Hwayeong Mun will have to shut down. They are completely ruthless.”

“Hmm.”

After hearing everything, Hyun Jong sighed deeply.

“Did you say that Jongdogwan is a subsidiary of Wudang?”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Oh, my. How can a place that seeks enlightenment do such a thing…?”

Hyun Young scoffed at Hyun Jong’s words.

“What are you talking about? What kind of place is Wudang? It’s the richest Taoist temple in the world. Do you think all that money came from donations? They are the most ruthless when it comes to expanding their influence.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong nodded silently.

‘A subsidiary clan…’

This was something they couldn’t ignore.

The fact that their subsidiary clan was being bullied by Wudang was a problem.

‘It’s about time Hwasan looked outward as well.’

The number of subsidiary clans showed how strong the main sect was. A strong sect had many subsidiary clans, and a weak sect lost them.

If Hwasan wanted to be great again, they couldn’t just focus on themselves. Soon, the Second-Generation disciples would be leaving the mountain. If they started their own martial arts schools, Hwasan should support them.

This wasn’t just about one subsidiary clan. It was about how the world saw Hwasan.

As Hyun Jong thought, voices began to rise.

“Shouldn’t we help?”

“Helping isn’t easy. Isn’t there a rule that senior disciples don’t get involved in subsidiary clan matters?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Like a children’s fight turning into an adult fight, problems with subsidiary clans had often led to wars between main sects. To avoid unnecessary bloodshed, there was an unspoken agreement that only younger disciples would directly interfere with subsidiary clans.

The idea was also to give younger disciples experience instead of those who were already skilled.

“If we have to send someone, it’s right to send the Second-Generation disciples. What about sending the Baek disciples?”

“Hmm.”

“And…”

Just then…

“Um…”

Wi Sohaeng, who had been listening, spoke hesitantly.

“Can’t we send a Third-Generation disciple?”

“…”

“My father specifically asked me to bring back Chung Myung… Is Chung Myung perhaps…”

Hyun Jong’s face turned awkward.

“Um… You want to take Chung Myung?”

“If possible, I would like to.”

“Um. Yes. Um. That’s good. Uh… Yes.”

He said it was good, but his face didn’t look like it.

“Yes. I understand for now. We need to talk about this, so please wait outside for a moment.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

As Un Gong led Wi Sohaeng outside, Hyun Jong asked with a serious face.

“What should we do?”

“There’s nothing to think about!” Hyun Young shouted.

“It’s Hwayeong Mun! They sent us food and money when Hwasan had nothing! Even if they are a subsidiary clan, we owe them! Are we heartless? We need to send our disciples to deal with those bastards right now!”

“…We’re not sending dogs. What do you mean, ‘bite’?”

“Isn’t there someone worse than a dog?”

That’s the problem. That.

That was the problem!

Hyun Sang said seriously, “Sect Leader, this isn’t something to take lightly. The other side is Wudang, right?”

“Hmm.”

“Wudang is strong. Even if this is about subsidiary clans, and we only send young disciples, things could still get out of hand.”

“That’s true.”

The reason for the rule was that conflicts between subsidiary clans often became much bigger.

“It’s bad for Hwayeong Mun, but there are other ways to help. I don’t want to send disciples and fight with Wudang.”

Hyun Sang wasn’t saying this because he didn’t like Hwayeong Mun. No sect wanted to fight with Wudang.

What was Wudang?

Wasn’t it one of the strongest sects, along with Hwasan?

Hyun Jong looked at Unam.

“What do you think?”

“Sect Leader,” Un Am said, taking a breath. “We need to think about two things. First, is now the right time for Hwasan to start being active again? If Hwasan sends disciples and fights Wudang, everyone will think that Hwasan is back.”

“That’s right.”

“And second, can our disciples handle Wudang’s disciples?”

“Well, that’s…”

Hyun Sang didn’t think much of Unam’s words. He added, “There’s a third thing, isn’t there?”

“If you mean the third thing…”

“Is it okay to let that troublemaker loose?”

“…”

Everyone looked worried.

“Sect Leader,” someone said, “what that child said earlier is right. If we have to send someone, we have to send Chung Myung. Isn’t that so?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“But is it okay to let that rascal loose? Especially when dealing with Wudang?”

“Ugh.”

Hyun Jong scratched his head, messing up his usually neat hair.

It had been two years.

Now, everyone knew what Chung Myung was really like. Sending him out was a big worry.

“Un Geoma.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“What do you think?”

Un Geom smiled slightly.

Hyun Jong leaned back in his chair, his voice firm. “No need to think about it anymore. Send him.”

Wisoheng blinked, surprised. “…Send him?”

Hyun Jong sighed, but his eyes were steady. “Yes. There’s no reason to wait. Chung Myung has to go out into the world eventually. Waiting longer won’t change anything. If just sitting here could magically make him a perfect Taoist, I’d say let’s wait. But we both know that’s not going to happen, right?” He chuckled softly.

“…”

“Then we should send him. Better to get it over with sooner rather than later.”

Hyun Jong chuckled.

“I see.”

Hyun Jong nodded slowly, a small smile on his face. “You are right.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, pondering, then opened them and nodded.

“Bring Yoon Jong to me.”

Yoon Jong, who had been outside, entered with Wisoheng, bowed to Hyun Jong, and sat down.

“You summoned me?”

“What is Chung Myung doing right now?”

“He hasn’t finished his training yet.”

“How long did he promise to remain there?”

“I believe his time is almost up.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Hyun Jong’s gaze swept back and forth between Yoon Jong and Wisoheng.

“Yoon Jong.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“We need Chung Myung. Tell him to finish his training and come here.”

“Yes.”

“On your way, show our guest from Hwayoung Sect around Mount Hua. Chung Myung will be going on a long journey with him, so introduce them properly.”

Yoon Jong’s shoulders jumped slightly.

“…A long journey, you say?”

“Indeed.”

“So, Chung Myung is going on a long journey?”

“That’s right.”

A slightly insolent glint flashed in Yoon Jong’s eyes.

If that look could be translated into words, it would be something like, ‘Are you out of your mind?’

But even if he was the Sect Leader, he couldn’t very well scold someone for an insolent look.

“…Understood.”

Yoon Jong’s tone was hard to read.

“Then, I shall be off.”

“Ah… Ah, yes!”

Wisoheng followed Yoon Jong out. Watching Yoon Jong leave the room after bowing, Hyun Jong let out a low groan.

‘I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.’

But the die was already cast.

Wisoheng glanced sideways at Yoon Jong, who was walking beside him.

‘He seems to be about my age.’

Or perhaps a couple of years younger.

But just because they were the same age didn’t mean their skills were equal. Wisoheng felt a calm strength coming from Yoon Jong, like a deep, still lake.

It was a stark reminder that Mount Hua was a Taoist sect. This was the main sect, and these were the direct disciples. Wisoheng couldn’t help but marvel at the level of attainment achieved by someone younger than him.

“Um…”

“Speak.”

“What kind of person is Taoist Chung Myung?”

Yoon Jong’s eyes twitched slightly.

Oblivious to Yoon Jong’s feelings, Wisoheng chattered on excitedly. “Everyone knows the name of Mount Hua Divine Dragon, Taoist Chung Myung, now. But after that Fallen Dragon Gathering… no, the Mount Hua Branch Gathering… there have been no known activities, so everyone is curious about what kind of person Taoist Chung Myung is. Some say he is a swordsman with a razor-sharp aura, while others say he is a magnanimous hero…”

“…A hero?”

“Yes!”

“Is that what people say?”

“Yes, that’s right. What is Taoist Chung Myung actually like?”

“…A scoundrel.”

“Yes?”

“I think it would be better for you to experience it yourself rather than me telling you.”

“Ah…”

For a moment, it seemed like Yoon Jong, who was walking ahead, muttered, ‘Hero? He’s about as much a hero as I am a scholar.’

But…

‘I must have misheard.’

Surely that refined Taoist wouldn’t say such a thing?

After leaving the mountain gate and walking for some time, the two arrived at a large cliff. Here and there, large caves were carved into the cliff face.

“This is?”

“This is Plum Blossom Cave. People come here to train quietly, away from everyone else, or to think deeply.”

“So, Taoist Chung Myung is here to think deeply?”

“…Well, something like that.”

Yoon Jong, who was about to say something, eventually just shook his head.

You’ll have to experience it to understand. You’ll have to experience it.

“Please wait here. I’ll go and fetch Chung Myung.”

“Ah! Understood.”

Yoon Jong left Wisoheng and headed forward. Then, instead of going to one of the open caves, he stopped in front of a cave that was blocked by a large rock in the corner. A deep sigh escaped him.

And then.

“…Chung Myung-ah.”

It was barely a whisper.

“…Chung Myung-ah.”

If he can hear that from inside there, he’s not human. He’s a ghost.

Just when he was wondering what he was doing, Yoon Jong whispered again in a small voice.

“Chung Myung-ah?”

And then he quickly turned around and ran back to Wisoheng.

“Chung Myung must be meditating very deeply and cannot hear me, so let’s head back for today.”

“Yes?”

What nonsense.

How could he hear that, for heaven’s sake?

“Ah, no. Taoist.”

At that moment, Yoon Jong brought his index finger to his lips.

“This is for the best for both of us. Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear anything and go down. I’m not doing this for my own benefit, but for your sake…”

That was the moment.

Kawaaaaaaaang!

Suddenly, a deafening explosion, as if the sky were collapsing, erupted, and the rock blocking the cave exploded, scattering in all directions.

“…Ugh.”

Wisoheng was horrified, but Yoon Jong covered his face as if what was coming was inevitable.

Dust blurred the surroundings.

Wisoheng stared blankly at the hazy scene before him.

And soon, a figure began to emerge from the dust cloud.

Thud.

Thud.

Hearing those imposing footsteps, Wisoheng felt it instinctively.

‘That person is the Mount Hua Divine Dragon!’

The one who single-handedly defeated ten of Jongnam’s elite disciples and brought down Jongnam’s Jin Geum-ryong, a leading figure among the younger generation. Now, perhaps even more famous than the name of Mount Hua itself.

The dark figure gradually took on a human form. Emerging from the dust cloud like a hero from mythology, Chung Myung looked at Wisoheng with low, heavy eyes.

An overwhelming feeling.

This is the Mount Hua Divine…

That was the moment.

“Agh! Bloody hell! I almost choked to death tasting like dirt and old stone! That’s why I didn’t want to do closed-door training! I can’t stand it! If I ever do closed-door training again, I’ll change my name! I’ll change my name!”

Ah.

Maybe it’s not him.

Nah, no way.