Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 137

Jin Hyun moved away from the others. He looked at Chung Myung and swallowed hard.

‘Just what kind of monster is this guy?’ he wondered.

There was no doubt that the masked man before him was Chung Myung.

‘They call him the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua,’ Jin Hyun thought. ‘Who came up with that silly name? Mad Dragon of Mount Hua, Demon of Mount Hua, or even Mad Dog of Mount Hua would be better!’

Jin Hyun, of course, had no way of knowing that Chung Myung was already being called the Mad Dog of Mount Hua, so it was a perfectly reasonable question for him to have.

Jin Hyun was no longer wondering *how* Chung Myung was so strong. Now, he was much more curious about *why* Chung Myung was like this.

Chung Myung walked to a place where others couldn’t hear them. Then, he spoke in a casual way.

“So, what is this Sword Tomb you speak of?”

“…First, please put ‘that’ down.”

“This?”

Chung Myung shook what he was holding in his hand. Mujin’s unconscious body swayed back and forth.

“Put him down?”

“…Do as you please.”

Jin Hyun didn’t know anymore.

‘I wish this were all a dream,’ he thought.

But it could never be a dream. No matter how cruel a nightmare he imagined, it couldn’t be more terrible than this. Nightmares come from our minds. But this was worse than any nightmare he could imagine. It felt beyond anything human.

“Don’t waste time and tell me. What is this Sword Tomb?”

Jin Hyun took a deep breath. “…First, promise me something. If I tell you about the Sword Tomb, you’ll give back Sajuk Mujin and… and leave us alone.”

Chung Myung raised an eyebrow. “Leave you alone? When have I ever bothered you?”

Jin Hyun stared at the ground, speechless. *Did he really not realize?*

Chung Myung waited, a small, unsettling smile playing on his lips.

“Anyway,” Chung Myung said, breaking the silence. “Fine, fine. You think I’m going to beat you up *again* after you tell me everything?” He chuckled, but it wasn’t a friendly sound.

Jin Hyun shivered. He was pretty sure Chung Myung *would* beat him up again. He sighed, a heavy sound of defeat. *No choice then,* he thought. He had to talk. He opened his mouth to speak.

“…It’s a tomb.”

“A tomb?”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you guys even robbing graves now? Is Wudang short on money?”

“…It’s not that.”

Jin Hyun wondered how every word he said seemed to annoy Chung Myung. But he knew it was pointless to question him.

“It is the tomb of Talgeommuheun (奪劍無痕).” Jin Hyun said. He added, “His name means ‘Sword Thief, No Trace’.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh, Talgeommuheun… That… Uh?”

“The greatest martial artist of two hundred years ago.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

A master from before Chung Myung’s time.

To be precise, the greatest martial artist of a previous era.

Chung Myung tilted his head.

“So, his tomb is the Sword Tomb?”

“Yes.”

“And you’re trying to dig it up?”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung cocked his head to the side.

“Why?”

“…Pardon?”

Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of something unreadable in their depths. “No, really, why bother?”

There was a reason why Chung Myung was asking this question.

The greatest martial artist. That glorious title. People in the martial world all dream of becoming the greatest.

Even those who know they can’t achieve it imagine themselves as the best.

It’s a dream for all martial artists.

But surprisingly, more people than one might think pass through that position of the greatest martial artist.

‘Even if only one guy comes out per generation, that’s four or five guys who are the greatest martial artist in a hundred years,’ Chung Myung thought.

In reality, it’s not just one per generation. There will always be someone who challenges the position of the greatest martial artist and takes it. If that happens frequently, more than ten people could gain the title of the greatest martial artist in a hundred years.

Perhaps if the war with the Demonic Sect hadn’t broken out, Chung Myung would have eventually naturally gained that name.

When they heard Chung Myung was coming, all the powerful fighters ran away. They said they were traveling or training in secret. So, Chung Myung couldn’t fight them properly. If that hadn’t been the case, he might have obtained it sooner.

No matter what anyone said, Chung Myung was a swordsman recognized by that Heavenly Demon.

“Talgeommuheun… Well… He is one of the greatest martial artists from two hundred years ago.”

Was he that strong?

Of course, he must have been strong. He was the greatest martial artist, so he must have been incredibly strong.

But the problem was that they were Wudang.

It could be an incredible opportunity for an ordinary Jianghu person, but there was nothing particularly great about Wudang digging up the tomb of such a person.

The value changes depending on how much one already has.

Jin Hyun didn’t know what Chung Myung was thinking, but he kept explaining.

“Recently, one of Wudang’s affiliated families was robbed. While arresting and investigating the thief, we found a treasure map he had. When we read that treasure map…”

“It’s near Namyeong?”

“That’s right.”

“You roughly know the location but haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact spot. So, you were going to investigate. But if the Wudang guys swarmed in to investigate, people would get suspicious and rush in like a pack of dogs. So, to hide your real plan, you tried to push Hwayeong Mun out of Namyeong?”

“…That’s correct.”

“Heeeuuuum.”

Chung Myung nodded quietly.

‘That makes sense,’ he thought.

It was strange.

Namyeong was not a big city. No, rather, it was excessively small for a Wudang-affiliated family to be located there. The reason why Hwayeong Mun had been able to survive until now, while claiming to be affiliated with Mount Hua, was because Namyeong was such a small place that other sects’ affiliated families didn’t pay attention to it.

It didn’t make sense for a Wudang-affiliated family to suddenly come to such a place.

“So, it’s not like you were picking a fight just because you didn’t like Mount Hua.”

“…”

“Is that right?”

“N, not at all.”

Jin Hyun could never say that he was trying to kill two birds with one stone.

“Heeuum. I see.”

“Yes.”

“What’s in this Sword Tomb then?” Chung Myung asked, impatient.

Jin Hyun hesitated. “Well… it’s about… Do you know who Talgeommuheun was?”

“The greatest martial artist, right? From a long time ago.”

“No. I mean, do you know his history?”

“I don’t.”

Chung Myung confidently stuck out his stomach.

He barely had enough time to learn martial arts and drink, so why would he be interested in someone from a hundred years ago, even by his standards?

“Talgeom (奪劍). Literally, it means ‘sword奪.’ He wasn’t particularly affiliated with any sect. One day, he mysteriously appeared and challenged the swordsmen of the world to duels. And he won all of his fights.”

“That’s a typical story.”

“It’s not typical from now on. After winning, he always took the opponent’s treasured sword as a trophy.”

“Huh?”

“He took the swords.”

“Why?”

“…How would I know?”

Jin Hyun shrugged.

“How would I know the intentions of someone from two hundred years ago? Anyway, he gathered all the treasured swords of the masters of the time and then suddenly disappeared.”

“The treasured swords of the masters of the time…”

“Yes. Of course, they were divine weapons.”

Chung Myung made a strange expression.

‘Well, that’s true,’ he thought.

Masters don’t need special weapons to be strong, but having one definitely helps.

Besides, the leaders of each sect are usually the ones who get all the best equipment. Shiny, flashy divine weapons are always in demand.

It’s rare to find a generous leader who willingly shares these treasures. People tend to hold onto what they have until their last breath.

“So, they took all the divine weapons from every sect?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Did they just hand them over?”

“I don’t know all the details, but it seems they made a bet. If they lost, they had to give up their prized weapons. If they won, they would get back everything that had been taken.”

They had no choice but to accept the bet.

It was a gamble they couldn’t refuse.

“But they lost everything, it seems.”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung nodded.

“So, this Sword Tomb is…?”

“After the Sword Demon vanished from the fighting world, a rumor spread. It said that the Sword Demon gathered all the weapons he had collected in one place, making it his tomb and leaving behind even his martial arts. Whoever finds the Sword Tomb will rule the world…”

“Ah, stop there. It’s obvious from there on.”

Chung Myung looked bored, as if he had quickly lost interest.

“Just a typical legend, a predictable story. But that predictable story became real?”

“Yes. We didn’t believe it either until we got our hands on the treasure map… The treasure map was filled with detailed drawings and hidden symbols…”

“Ah, that’s enough.”

That’s obvious too.

Chung Myung shrugged.

“So, you’re trying to dig up that tomb and get your hands on the divine weapons and the Sword Demon’s martial arts?”

“Kind of, yes.”

Jin Hyun looked almost relieved. Chung Myung nodded.

“Hmm, I see.”

Chung Myung grabbed Mujin by the collar and pulled him up.

“Huh?”

Without hesitation, he smacked Mujin upside the head.

Whack!

“What are you doing!”

“If the underling messes up, the higher-up gets hit! What kind of education did you give him that the little brat is lying with such a straight face! Hey! You, stand up, you little punk!”

Smack! Smack!

Mujin’s head snapped back and forth.

“You should at least try to make your lies believable! No, wait. It’s not a lie, is it? You didn’t lie! But you didn’t tell the whole truth either. That’s it, isn’t it? Fine. You just watch. I’m going to wake this guy up.”

“What are you talking about! I really told you everything!”

Just then…

“Gasp!”

Chung Myung whirled around and thrust his face right in front of Jin Hyun’s.

Startled, Jin Hyun recoiled, and Chung Myung grit his teeth slightly.

“Do you think I’m a complete idiot?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Does Mount Dang need the martial arts of that Sword Demon guy? Mount Dang?”

Jin Hyun clamped his mouth shut.

“If the founder of Mount Dang could hear you from beyond the grave, he would be furious. What nonsense are you spouting!”

Jin Hyun remained silent.

“And, what? Divine weapons? Hey, if you gather all the divine weapons from other sects and say Mount Dang is going to use them, do you think they’ll just say, ‘Oh, thank you,’ and let you have them? They’d probably storm Mount Dang!”

Silence.

“A young one like you, lying through his teeth at every turn. Fine. What would I gain from beating you? The one who deserves to be hit should be hit. Hey! Aren’t you getting up?”

Whack!

Chung Myung slapped Mujin again, and Jin Hyun, horrified, grabbed Chung Myung’s sleeve.

“He’ll die if you keep doing that!”

“I’m telling him to die, so he should die!”

“I’m telling you, he’ll really die!”

“I know, I know. I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry.”

Even as Jin Hyun desperately clung to him, Chung Myung stubbornly grabbed Mujin by the collar like a bull.

“Do you think I wouldn’t figure it out just because you guys aren’t telling me? The fact that you came here together means that treasure map is in your possession. All I have to do is take it and get it figured out. But!”

Chung Myung’s eyes turned cold.

“I have to make you pay for playing with people. I won’t kill you. But I’ll make sure you can never hold a sword again!”

Chung Myung drew his right hand back. Jin Hyun’s pupils trembled as he saw the energy gathering in his taut right hand.

This guy is really going to do it.

If Mujin becomes a cripple here, Jin Hyun will have to live the rest of his life in regret.

“Die!”

Chung Myung’s fist flew towards Mujin’s face.

Horrified, Jin Hyun shouted without realizing it.

“Yakson!”

Chung Myung’s fist stopped right in front of Mujin’s face.

Whoosh!

Mujin’s hair fluttered in all directions from the force of the punch. Chung Myung, still gripping Mujin by the collar, turned his head sharply.

“What?”

“Yakson, the medicine immortal.”

“Yakson?”

Jin Hyun said, as if resigned.

“The Sword Demon is actually Yakson (Medicine Immortal).”

“…Yakson?”

“Yes.”

“That Yakson who’s incredibly skilled at making elixirs?”

“Yes.”

“That Yakson who was considered the best alchemist of all time two hundred years ago?”

“…Yes.”

“That Yakson who could revive the dead with a single elixir, and who ate elixirs more potent than the Great Revitalizing Pill like they were rice?”

Chung Myung’s eyes began to gleam with a strange light. It was longing, hope, and desire all mixed together.

Jin Hyun couldn’t bring himself to answer and flinched backward.

Chung Myung’s eyes were emitting an appalling light.

“The Sword Tomb is the tomb of Yakson? That Yakson?”

“Y-yes…”

“Heu…”

“… ?”

“Hehehehe.”

Chung Myung kept rubbing his mouth with his sleeve, forgetting he was wearing a mask.

“Yakson. That’s right. Yakson. It would have to be someone like that for Mount Dang to do something like this. Yes. Yakson, you say?”

“This is definitely different…”

“…different?”

“…Yes?”

“Where is it?”

At that moment, Jin Hyun saw it: a Taoist who had lost all reason, rolling his eyes, a terrifying greed so intense it was visible, horrifying to behold.

“Where is that place with my elixirs and alchemy, you little punk!”

Why is it yours…

He’s really hopeless…