Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1525

Chung Myung was in big trouble. He had really messed up.

Jo Gul watched Chung Myung with a new thought: “Wow, he can bow his head for a long time!” Yoon Jong felt truly sorry for what he had done.

Tang Soso realized this place was scarier than her own family’s punishment room. Yoo Iseol, meanwhile, counted the stains on the ceiling of Hyun Jong’s office. She counted 132.

But surprisingly, the person in the worst trouble wasn’t Chung Myung, even though he caused it all.

“You! Acting Sect Leader!”

Jo Gul looked at the angry elders in front of them. He whispered to Yoon Jong,

“Sasuk, your ear is bleeding, you know?”

“…I wish it was just my ear that was hurt.”

Baek Cheon felt like he might go crazy.

People say old people nag a lot. Looking at the three elders yelling at Baek Cheon, that saying seemed very true.

And they were right to be angry.

“Instead of stopping Chung Myung, you helped him!”

“I made you Acting Sect Leader to stop him from doing stupid things!”

“You should just leave Hwasan!”

Baek Cheon, who was usually so calm and proud, now looked small and ashamed.

He knew he was wrong. He should have stopped Chung Myung’s crazy plan. But this time, he had even helped Chung Myung!

“And, what about Jin Geum…?” Baek Cheon froze. Suddenly, Hyun Jong’s hand shot out like lightning and covered Hyun Sang’s mouth. Hyun Sang looked back, asking a question with his eyes. Hyun Jong shook his head hard.

“…Even when we are angry, there are things we shouldn’t say. Don’t talk about *that*.” Even Hyun Young nodded seriously.

They didn’t realize that what they were doing was making Baek Cheon feel even worse.

Hyun Jong cleared his throat. He sighed softly and put down the letters.

He had two letters in front of him. One was from the leader of the Beggars’ Sect. The other was from the person who would become the next leader.

“…The Huayun Branch Leader is now the Sect Leader.”

“Isn’t that… a little strange?”

“Hmm?”

“Actually, isn’t Hong Ahjussi a bit… not very reliable?”

“You think so?”

“Yes?” Chung Myung and Hyun Jong looked at each other, confused.

“That’s good enough for me.”

“Wow, Grand Elder, you are very accepting of people, aren’t you?”

“At least the Huayun Branch Leader won’t sneak out, start fights with other groups, and destroy their buildings, right?”

“…”

“I wish we had just one person like that in Hwasan.” Hearing this, the Five Swords all looked away quietly.

“Ugh.” Hyun Jong sighed deeply and looked at Baek Cheon.

“So… the Beggars’ Sect wants to join the Cheonwu Alliance?”

“Yes!”

“Why do they want to join?”

“…Yes?”

“What are they thinking?” Hyun Jong’s eyes asked a very clear question: ‘They’ve seen you all acting crazy. Why would they want to join our alliance?’ Baek Cheon looked down, saying nothing.

“And… Shaolin and Jongnam too? Jongnam, huh…” Hyun Jong laughed sadly.

In the world of righteous martial arts groups, except for the evil Demonic Sect, there are two groups they hate the most. One is Jongnam, an old enemy with a long history. The other is Shaolin, a new enemy.

And now, these strange people have joined with those two enemy groups to fight together. It was so surprising that even great teachers like Buddha and Confucius would be amazed!

In the martial arts world, people hold onto anger for a long time. Once you hate someone, that hate just grows stronger. It’s very rare for enemies to become friends. Hyun Jong knew this better than anyone, after living in this world his whole life. But…

“…Why are you all looking at me like that?” Hyun Jong sighed again. *That rascal Chung Myung!* He thought. *He’s the best at making trouble in the martial arts world. And everyone knows he never forgives anyone who hurts him! What does this all mean?*

“For now… I understand what’s happening.”

“Yes.”

“We will decide your punishment later, after we talk more. Go to your rooms and stay there for now.”

“Yes!” But one person didn’t answer.

“…Should I send you to the Plum Blossom Garden for punishment right now instead of your room?” Hearing this, Chung Myung’s pouty lips disappeared instantly.

“Ugh.” It was clear why he was acting like this. Even though he had done good things and succeeded, he was still being punished. So he was sulking. Hyun Jong was too tired to argue anymore.

“…Just go.”

“But…”

“Hmm?” Chung Myung grinned.

“It’s good to go, but… since you haven’t decided my punishment yet, can I stop by the tavern on the way to my room?”

“…”

“No, wait, I didn’t eat well because we came back so fast. Just one drink… No, just one meal…”

“I said, GET OUT!”

Everyone hurried out like they were escaping. They relaxed their tense bodies and sighed. Chung Myung complained, “Those old men are getting meaner. I don’t think they were this bad before.” *Chung Myung, it’s all your fault…* someone thought. *You should feel guilty.*

“Ugh, Sahyung, what punishment will we get?”

“…I think it will be at least two weeks in the Plum Blossom Garden.”

“T-Two weeks? What did we do to deserve that?”

Baek Cheon listened to Jo Gul and Yoon Jong talking and chuckled. “It’s not a big deal,” he said sarcastically. “Right?” “We ran away when everyone else was working. We left Seomseo without asking. Then we pretended to be another group. We fought with important elders from a famous sect. We completely destroyed another group’s building…” “Okay, okay, I messed up.”

“The fact that they aren’t beating us to death means the Grand Elder is really wise.”

“If it was me, I would have broken their arms and legs!”

“We should just be thankful to be alive. I will bow to Hwasan every day for the rest of my life.”

“We *live* in Hwasan, you idiot!” Still, we are only going to the Plum Blossom Garden for two weeks. What a kind punishment!

Suddenly, Jo Gul glared at someone, his teeth clenched. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Isn’t there someone who got away with all of this?” Everyone looked at the ‘person who got away.’

“Ah, Amitabha… Th-That’s…”

“Traitor!”

“Despicable!”

“Hey, Monk-head!” one of them shouted.

“Baldy!” another laughed.

Small drops of sweat shone on Hye-yeon’s shaved head, like morning dew on a stone. He felt his heart pound. “N-No, wait!” he stammered, his voice shaking. “It’s not my fault! I’m not even from the Mount Hua Sect, you know!”

“Oh, look at him,” sneered a third man, stepping closer. “Remember when he looked a little pure? Now he’s just like a bat, hanging onto anyone who will have him. Mount Hua one day, Shaolin the next!”

“Changing groups whenever he likes, is he?” said a fourth, his voice loud. “Buddha and the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord should punish him for that!”

“In the end,” the last one said, spitting on the ground, “he’s just an outsider. And I actually thought he was one of us, for a moment.”

A smaller voice, almost a whisper, came from behind the bigger men. “Soso, don’t cry.”

Hye-yeon backed away, stumbling. It wasn’t fair! The Sect Leader told him not to go in, so what could he do?

But Hye-yeon didn’t try to defend himself. Hungry wolves don’t care about the story of their prey.

The Five Swords hurt Hye-yeon just enough to make their point, but not enough to kill him. Then, they turned away, looking satisfied.

Only now did they look around, a little confused.

“Wait… is this really Hwayeom?”

“Looks like it, doesn’t it?”

Ten days can change things, but ten years? It was like a different world.

“How long have we been back, anyway?”

“About ten days, I think.”

The Mount Hua disciples stared around, dazed.

“What changed so much?”

Hwayeom was becoming a city.

Lord Tang, head of the Eunha Merchant Guild, and the Green Forest King… What had they done in ten days?

Good heavens…

The word that the Plum Blossom Sword Saint and the Five Swords had returned to Hwayeom spread like wildfire.

Hwayeom was originally Mount Hua’s land, so it was natural that news about the Mount Hua disciples would spread quickly. Especially news about the famous Five Swords. It would have been strange if it hadn’t.

And the news reached every corner of Hwayeom, no matter how deep, dark, or sad.

“…Returned?”

“Yes. The news just came.”

Tang Gun-ak nodded slowly. Dark circles shadowed his eyes.

Tang Gun-ak always had a serious manner, but now he felt like a king.

His eyes became as bright and sharp as the sun shining on steel.

“Returned… so they have returned.”

“Yes!”

“Finally…”

He ground his teeth.

“How dare they…”

“What?”

Just then, a man who had been slumped at a desk in the corner suddenly jumped up. Then, he fell to the floor with a thud.

“Aargh.”

His legs had given out.

Silence fell. No one laughed. Tang Gun-ak and Hwang Jong-i just stared at him, looking bitter.

“Krrr…”

Thud.

Im So-byeong, who had fallen, stretched out a thin, shaking hand and grabbed the desk. He lifted his head, his face twisted like a demon.

“Heh heh heh… They’ve finally returned. Finally…”

He looked like a prisoner who had been tortured for a long time. Or like an old man counting down the days until he died…

Im So-byeong’s eyes were wide, and his face looked like he didn’t have much longer to live. He was filled with deep anger.

“They left me in this hell and ran away!”

“…They must die.”

“I strongly agree with you this time.”

Tang Gun-ak, Hwang Jong-i, and Im So-byeong, the three most important people in Hwayeom’s development, were filled with a desire for revenge.

The Tang family, the merchants, and the Green Forest were like water and oil, and even fire – hard to mix. But their anger was strong enough to bring them together.

Maybe this was even better than bringing in the Beggars’ Sect.

“Leaving Hwayeom without a word can be forgiven.”

“Leaving their jobs for ten days can also be forgiven.”

“But…”

Im So-byeong took over, grinding his teeth.

“They started as many projects as they could, making even stray cats feel needed, and then ran away, leaving it all to us! That can never be forgiven!”

They had been completely used. It would be strange if that wasn’t their plan all along.

“For ten days… I haven’t slept a minute!”

“…Eating while working.”

“…Not even able to wash.”

The three men ground their teeth.

“I will tell the Sect Leader and make sure they are punished as an example!”

“That’s what I expect from the Vice Sect Leader!”

“Kuh, I knew I could count on you!”

“We’ll lock them in the Punishment Cave for at least two months! Feeding them only moss!”

“Let’s put snakes and centipedes in there too. You have some, right?”

“The teeth?”

While the two warriors were making violent plans, Hwang Jong-i asked a practical question.

“Um, but… if we lock those guys in the Punishment Cave for two months… doesn’t that mean we have to do this for two more months?”

“…”

“…”

“Wouldn’t that mean we’re the ones being punished…?”

The two warriors thought hard. After a moment, they both sighed.

“Kuh-eung.”

“Oh dear!”

“Shouldn’t we save ourselves first? Let’s forget our anger for now and find a good solution…”

Just then, an excited voice came from outside the door.

“L-Lord Hwang!”

“What is it?”

“Th-Those Mount Hua people, the Five Swords, are climbing Mount Hua right now!”

“Huh? Mount Hua? Why Mount Hua?”

“I heard they’re going to say hello to the Ancestral Hall to let them know they returned safely.”

“Say hello?”

“Since they don’t want to come down, they said they’ll just go into the Plum Blossom Dormitory. They’ll let us know how many days they’ll be staying when they decide…”

“What!”

“No!”

“Stop them!”

Tang Gun-ak and Im So-byeong, somehow finding strength after days without sleep, shot out like lightning.

Hwang Jong-i, who couldn’t keep up, wished them luck with a desperate cry.

“Y-You must stop them! You absolutely must!”