Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 17

Un-geom stared at Chung Myung, his eyes blank.

‘He looks like an ordinary child at first glance?’ he thought.

But this child was anything but ordinary.

‘Is he really alright?’

Sweat poured from Chung Myung, soaking his thick training clothes until they stuck to his skin like a wet blanket. Dark patches spread across the fabric as he stood there. His face was flushed red, and his legs trembled, showing how exhausted he was. Even his lips were quivering.

“Ah, will you sit down?” Un-geom asked without thinking.

Un-geom cared deeply about rules, but he couldn’t help it. He felt like he wanted to help a puppy caught in the rain. Chung Myung looked even more pitiful than that wet puppy.

“Ah, I’m alright. More than that, some water, please…” Chung Myung said.

“Someone go and fetch some water! Now!” Un-geom ordered.

“Yes!” One of the children, who had been watching carefully, ran off to get water.

“Yes, well…” Un-geom started, then stopped.

‘What should I ask?’ he wondered.

He had called Chung Myung over, but he didn’t know where to begin. This strange situation was new to him.

“What on earth is going on here?” he asked, deciding to ask the obvious.

Chung Myung glanced around before answering casually, “It’s nothing.”

“…What?” Un-geom asked, surprised.

“We decided to start morning training together today. I didn’t realize it was the first day, and we overdid it a bit. Everyone is just very motivated,” Chung Myung explained.

Motivated?

Un-geom looked at the children behind Chung Myung. They were waving their hands desperately, trying to say something without making a sound.

But when Chung Myung turned his head slightly, the children quickly lowered their hands.

‘What is this?’ Un-geom thought.

This was crazy. Un-geom didn’t understand what was happening, but one thing was clear: all the older students were completely terrified of this small boy.

Un-geom wasn’t stupid. He had been working with children for almost ten years. He could usually tell what was happening just by looking at their eyes.

Even if he couldn’t tell from their eyes, it would be hard to miss what was happening in front of him.

‘The disciples of Mount Hua…’ he mused.

Scared of a newcomer?

Un-geom tilted his head, thinking.

‘No, that’s not it,’ he realized.

These children were actually quite skilled. Most children from other martial arts families wouldn’t even be able to compare.

Even if they weren’t the best, they were still disciples of Mount Hua, a famous school for martial arts, known for its strong swordsmen.

So, it wasn’t that the other children were weak, but that Chung Myung was strange.

“You said morning training?” Un-geom asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Chung Myung replied.

“You rascal,” Un-geom said sternly.

“The Hundred Flowers Hall has rules. Who told you to decide to sleep less and train without asking?”

Even though Un-geom raised his voice a little, Chung Myung’s face didn’t change. He kept his casual expression and said, “Then I won’t do it.”

“…Huh?” Un-geom was taken aback.

“I thought training would be helpful. But since you say I can’t, I won’t do it,” Chung Myung repeated.

“…”

Oh, this wasn’t the reaction he expected.

“You, you thought training would be helpful?” Un-geom asked.

“Yes,” Chung Myung said.

“Why did you think that?”

Chung Myung looked confused. “Then isn’t it helpful?”

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence filled the air.

‘Ugh,’ Un-geom thought.

He was about to speak when Chung Myung spoke first, as if sensing Un-geom’s thoughts. “The martial arts will be taught by the Grand Uncle Master, so that will be enough. But I thought the disciples could also make their own efforts. All martial arts come from the body, so I thought that if we train our bodies, it could also help with swordsmanship.”

Those were the right words.

It was a perfect statement, and Un-geom couldn’t find any fault with it.

“Your words are correct,” Un-geom admitted.

“However, can we say that training that is forced on others is right?”

“Forced?” Chung Myung asked, glancing back and chuckling.

“Hey, Grand Uncle Master. How could I force my senior brothers? I just said I was going to train, and they wanted to join me.”

That was nonsense.

It was an obvious lie.

But to challenge this lie, Un-geom would have to say, ‘Didn’t you make your senior brothers do this?’

But…

‘I can’t say that,’ he realized.

That would be like saying, ‘Let’s all be embarrassed together.’

The third-generation disciples would look like fools who couldn’t handle a newcomer, and Un-geom would look like the biggest fool for teaching those fools.

And wouldn’t Chung Myung become a villain who beat up and forced his senior brothers to train, even though he was the youngest?

If he said those words, everyone would be ruined.

“Well…” Un-geom started, trying to think of something to say, but Chung Myung quickly interrupted.

“If it doesn’t affect other training, it can be a good method. At least, we’ll see results in about a month,” Chung Myung said.

‘Hoo?’ Un-geom thought.

He was talking about training, but he also meant something else.

A month.

He wanted to be left alone for a month. Then he could definitely show results.

‘Look at this rascal?’ Un-geom thought.

He didn’t sound like a child. He was using the words of an experienced martial artist who was hiding his true intentions.

Intrigued, Un-geom asked carefully, “A month, huh? That might be possible. But the training seems difficult. Can the children really train for a month?”

“My senior brothers are so determined that I want to be like them. Even though the training is hard, none of them have complained,” Chung Myung replied.

He had tried to get them to complain, but no one did. He had made sure they couldn’t complain, so Un-geom shouldn’t worry.

‘No, where did this guy come from?’ Un-geom wondered.

He couldn’t hide his confusion. Chung Myung turned and smiled at the third-generation disciples.

“Isn’t that right? Senior brothers?”

“…Ye, yes,” they mumbled.

“We can work hard. Hard,” another added.

“…We worked hard today too,” a third said weakly.

Chung Myung turned back to Un-geom. “With my senior brothers’ strong will, how could the training not be good?”

‘The kids behind him look like they are dying, you fiend,’ Un-geom thought.

He was so shocked he couldn’t speak. But even then, Un-geom’s mind started working quickly.

So, Chung Myung had already taken control of the third-generation disciples, and he was going to use that control to train them. He would make a decision in about a month, no matter what his intentions were.

‘Goodness,’ Un-geom thought.

The more he heard, the stranger it seemed. Where did this monster come from and take over the children?

But…

‘It’s not exactly a bad thing for me,’ he realized.

His biggest problem as the Lord of the Hundred Flowers Hall was finding time to train.

Mount Hua always had too few people.

The Hundred Flowers Hall needed at least ten instructors, but there were only three people helping him. He spent all day taking care of the children, and his own training was suffering. If Chung Myung could take charge of the children, it would be a great help.

“I have one more question,” Un-geom said.

“Yes,” Chung Myung replied.

“It wouldn’t be easy for you either, but why are you training from dawn?”

Chung Myung tilted his head. “Disciple, I don’t understand what Grand Uncle Master is saying.”

“Hmm?”

There was no way this child didn’t understand what he was saying.

“Entering Mount Hua means learning the sword, and learning the sword means becoming stronger, doesn’t it? To become stronger, it is natural to train. Spreading the name of Mount Hua throughout the world is the duty of a disciple who has received the grace of Mount Hua,” Chung Myung explained.

“Ye, yes,” Un-geom agreed.

“Of course, I will become strong enough with just the teachings that Grand Uncle Master gives me, but I think I can get stronger faster if I add my own effort. To make enough effort, isn’t it natural to save even sleeping time?”

“…That’s right,” Un-geom said.

There was no need for any more reasons to train.

‘I wondered why the Sect Leader accepted a new disciple when he said he wouldn’t accept any more,’ Un-geom thought.

If he was this kind of guy, wouldn’t it be worth training him?

He hadn’t seen Chung Myung’s talent yet, but if he was this motivated, he would get good results even without talent. And even if he didn’t become the best master in the world, it would be good to have a good influence on the other children.

“…The training looked very difficult?” Un-geom asked.

“It’s because it’s the first day,” Chung Myung replied.

“Still, it looked difficult.”

“People become stronger the more they are pushed,” Chung Myung said confidently.

The corners of Un-geom’s lips trembled.

‘This is something else,’ he thought.

This was exactly what Un-geom believed! If Chung Myung believed this, it would be okay to push him for a while. Anyway, the children would still have a hierarchy, just like before.

“What’s important in dealing with senior brothers?” Un-geom asked.

“It’s respect. I will follow the words of the Great Senior Brother as if they were the heavens,” Chung Myung answered.

He wouldn’t ignore the superiors and would respect the Great Senior Brother to maintain the hierarchy. Every answer was perfect.

Un-geom nodded and looked around. The children were looking at him with trembling eyes, not understanding what was happening.

“Ahem,” Un-geom cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment. He looked away slightly and said, “This Grand Uncle Master is very touched that you are training from dawn ‘voluntarily.’”

“Gra, Grand Uncle Master!” one cried out.

“Hall Lord!” another shouted.

Un-geom ignored their cries. “If you continue to train steadily, you will achieve good results. This child seems to know the training method well, so try your best.”

‘We’re doomed,’ one of the disciples thought.

‘Wow, he’s abandoning us like this,’ another lamented.

‘Look at him avoiding our eyes,’ a third noticed.

Despair filled the faces of the disciples who realized Un-geom’s plan.

“Then, make sure to eat before it gets too late, and come out for morning training. I’ll be on my way,” Un-geom said, turning to leave.

“Ah, right!” he exclaimed, stopping.

‘That’s right! Still, he’s the Lord of the Hundred Flowers Hall, so he wouldn’t abandon us…’ one of the disciples hoped.

“It will interfere with training, so you don’t have to come for morning greetings anymore. Training comes first. Ahem, that’s right,” Un-geom said, laughing heartily as he walked away.

The disciples reached out desperately, but Un-geom disappeared like a mirage.

“…”

Crack!

A chilling sound of necks cracking echoed.

It was Chung Myung. He slowly turned around and smiled.

It was a gentle smile, but the blood vessels bulging on his forehead made the meaning unclear.

“Grand Uncle Master, save me?” one of the disciples whispered.

“…”

“Senior brothers, it’s not like I’m going to kill you. Let’s go inside for a moment before the meal. I have something important to say inside the Hundred Flowers Hall,” Chung Myung said.

“…”

“Quickly.”

“…Yes,” they replied, defeated.

It was the moment when dreams and hopes disappeared from Mount Hua.