Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 191

The next day.

“Chung Myung! Wake up!” Yoon Jong burst into the room. “The Head of the Sanghoe wants to see you— Huh?” He stopped, eyes wide. “What is all this?”

“Wait a minute,” Yoon Jong said, looking around. “Are those… empty bottles? Everywhere?”

Empty bottles lay scattered across the wooden floor, glinting dully in the morning light. The air hung thick with the sour smell of spilled alcohol. In the middle of the mess, Chung Myung was sprawled out, fast asleep.

‘What kind of drinker is he?’ Yoon Jong thought, shaking his head in disbelief. ‘That’s at least five big bottles!’

Yoon Jong hurried to Chung Myung and shook him awake. “Chung Myung! Chung Myung, you rascal! Wake up!”

“Ughhhh…” Chung Myung groaned, half-awake. He waved a hand weakly. “Stop it… My head is pounding.”

“Are you crazy? You drank this much, what do you expect! Just use your power to get rid of the alcohol!”

“If I can just get rid of it, why even drink at all…?” Chung Myung paused. ‘He’s right.’

“Get up! The Head of the Sanghoe wants to have breakfast with us!”

“Ugh.” Chung Myung reluctantly stirred, but couldn’t quite manage to sit up. He stayed slumped on the floor, clutching his head and groaning. “Ughhh. I’m going to die!”

Yoon Jong sighed. Just then, Yoo Iseol walked into the room behind Yoon Jong. She looked around at the mess and her brow furrowed slightly in disapproval.

“Rude,” she said quietly.

“…”

“Coming to Sahyung’s house and being rude. Awful.”

“…”

“Yoon Jong.”

“Yes, Sago.”

“Clean it up.”

“…” Yoon Jong sighed again and started to gather the scattered bottles.

‘But why did he drink so much?’ Yoon Jong wondered, glancing at Chung Myung. Chung Myung liked to drink, but he usually knew his limits. He never got this drunk when he shouldn’t. ‘Something must have happened.’

“Did something happen?” Yoon Jong asked cautiously.

“What could have happened.” Chung Myung groaned as he finally pushed himself up and staggered towards the door. “Ugh. Oh, well. Nothing to be done about it now. What a waste of good drink, though.” Chung Myung smacked his lips and stretched out his hand.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a flicker of red sparked at Chung Myung’s fingertips, then burst into vibrant flames. The air shimmered with heat, and the sharp, clean scent of burning alcohol filled the room.

“What, what is that? What’s with the fire all of a sudden!” Yoon Jong exclaimed, jumping back. ‘Is this madman really going to set fire to the house now?!’

But Chung Myung just made the fire at his fingertips even bigger.

‘That crazy—’

“Huh?” Yoon Jong blinked. ‘Wait a minute, fire is coming out of his fingertips?’

‘Could it be… Samadhi Fire?’ Yoon Jong’s eyes widened.

“No way, is that madman using Samadhi Fire to get rid of his hangover?” Yoon Jong muttered in disbelief. ‘It’s like using a priceless sword to chop vegetables!’

“Ugh.” Chung Myung, having burned away the alcohol, extinguished the flames and smacked his lips again, looking regretful. “I used to rather die than get rid of a hangover.”

“How old were you when you started drinking!” Yoon Jong asked, shaking his head.

“Huh? Is that how it is?” Chung Myung smiled sheepishly.

“Okay, okay. Don’t worry about the small stuff. Let’s go.” Chung Myung turned to leave when—

Thump.

Yoo Iseol’s hand landed on Chung Myung’s shoulder.

“Huh? Sago?” Chung Myung turned his head and saw Yoo Iseol staring at the mess of bottles behind him.

“Why?”

Yoo Iseol just gestured with her chin towards the room.

“Clean it.”

“…Yes.” Chung Myung, at least, knew when he was wrong.

After cleaning the room, taking a quick shower, and changing his clothes, Chung Myung headed to the dining hall with his Sahyung.

Jo Pyung was already sitting at the head of the table.

‘Well, well?’ Chung Myung smirked to himself.

Jo Pyung sat there, trying to look serious. But a smile kept tugging at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes shone with barely suppressed laughter. ‘He has good reason to be happy.’

After all, his son had returned home and immediately defeated the son of the Sichuan Tang Family’s head, the most powerful family in Sichuan. It would be strange if he wasn’t overjoyed. And Chung Myung could see that this man deeply loved his son. He must be even happier than most fathers.

“Ahem, ahem. You’ve… You’ve come!” Jo Pyung’s voice was uneven as he tried to hide his laughter. Chung Myung sat down with a smile. Yoo Iseol and Yoon Jong followed.

The next person Chung Myung noticed was Jo Gul.

Jo Gul’s mouth was wide open, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Bandages were wrapped around his neck, but even they couldn’t hide his gaping jaw.

‘Father and son are both overjoyed.’

Seeing their reactions, Chung Myung understood how important it was to defeat the Sichuan Tang Family in Sichuan.

“Ahem! Ahem!” Jo Pyung cleared his throat loudly again, his face still struggling to stay serious. He finally spoke. “Well, there was quite a big… quite a big event last night, so I wanted to talk about it with you all over breakfast.” Even as he said this, Jo Pyung looked at Jo Gul with so much love and pride.

Baek Cheon smiled gently and smoothed things over. “Your son must be very proud.”

“Well… wasn’t it just luck?” Jo Pyung said humbly.

Baek Cheon immediately corrected him. “It wasn’t luck.”

“…”

“It was Jo Gul’s skill.” Jo Pyung’s eyes flickered with emotion.

Baek Cheon spoke calmly, though a hint of relief warmed his voice. “Luck alone can’t beat the Tang family’s skills. Jo Gul has trained very hard in Huashan. Lord Sanghoe worries praise might spoil his son, but good work deserves to be noticed.” Sunlight streamed through the paper windows of the room, highlighting the dust motes dancing in the air. The scent of morning tea hung lightly in the air.

“I humbly accept Young Master Baek’s words,” Jo Pyung replied, nodding quickly.

Jo Gul nodded repeatedly, a small smile on his face.

It was a pleasant scene. But someone else in the room hated anything nice being said.

“Results, you sayyyy?” Chung Myung drawled, stretching the word ‘say’ like chewing gum.

“⋯⋯”

“⋯⋯”

Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong froze, their smiles vanishing. They turned their heads sharply to Chung Myung at the same time.

‘What’s he up to now!’

‘Shut it, Chung Myung. Please, just shut your mouth!’

But their silent wishes didn’t reach Chung Myung.

“Praising results twice will send you straight to your coffin!” Chung Myung declared loudly.

Jo Gul flinched.

“I told you until my voice was hoarse!”

“Keeuuung.”

Jo Gul sighed and lowered his head.

‘Why is it that everything that comes out of that guy’s mouth is right?’

At that moment, Jo Gul felt he understood why people who gave kings honest advice in old stories didn’t live long. He had come to understand that, when you keep hearing it, the right thing is more frustrating than the wrong thing.

“⋯⋯Still, I dodged it.”

“If you had thought straight, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt!”

“That’s true, but⋯⋯”

Jo Gul licked his lips.

What Chung Myung had taught them wasn’t just simple training methods. He had also told them countless times how to deal with the many crises they would face in the Jianghu.

Of course, it wasn’t easy to accept because he would often say it while beating them like dogs during training, or while nagging next to someone who had collapsed from exhaustion.

Anyway!

Among those lessons, there was definitely an explanation for situations like the sparring match yesterday.

– Why is a one-hit kill called a one-hit kill? Because it kills in one hit? Because its power is incredibly strong? No. It’s a one-hit kill because if you pour everything into it and fail to kill, you die. It means that after you unleash that one blow, either you die or I die.

– ⋯⋯.

– But what if you fail to kill the enemy with that one hit? I die! So, if you see an enemy trying to end it with a one-hit kill, block the center line of your body, no matter what!

No one wants to lose an arm and die, so a one-hit kill technique will inevitably target the part of the body that can kill a person in one blow.

And that is most likely the center of the body, from the head to the groin.

So, if you think your opponent is using a final blow, it’s best to evade horizontally first.

‘I’ve heard it about thirty-six times. No, it might be more.’

If he hadn’t remembered those words at the last moment, Jo Gul might not have been able to defeat Tang Zhan.

But Chung Myung was rebuking him for being too slow to recall that thought.

Yes, that’s also true. Really.

Jo Gul licked his lips bitterly.

Jo Pyung watched the scene with bewildered eyes.

He could understand Chung Myung, who appeared to be a junior brother, rebuking Jo Gul. He was a merchant, and a person who believed that people who were good at their jobs should be valued more, no matter their rank.

If someone had the skill, one should learn even from a disciple, not just a senior brother.

There were two reasons why he was surprised now.

First, that Chung Myung didn’t think Jo Gul’s victory over Tang Zhan was such a great achievement.

And the second is⋯⋯.

‘Is that guy really skilled?’

The way Chung Myung rebuked Jo Gul and Jo Gul accepted it was as natural as flowing water. That meant Chung Myung was someone who usually advised and taught Jo Gul.

‘Just what is the identity of that child?’

Jo Pyung couldn’t hide his surprise at his son and, at the same time, at Huashan.

Putting Chung Myung aside, that Baek Cheon was clearly stronger than Jo Gul. Couldn’t one guess that fact from Jo Gul’s attitude towards Baek Cheon?

Moreover, that Yu Yiseol was said to be Jo Gul’s junior sister, and Yoon Jong was also said to be Jo Gul’s senior brother, so they wouldn’t be weaker than Jo Gul.

‘Huashan isn’t known as a place full of powerful fighters.’

How could such talents pour out from there?

Jo Pyung, who had examined the members of the Huashan sect, nodded greatly.

Having solidified his resolve in his heart, he quickly gathered everyone’s attention to himself before any more unnecessary words could come out.

“So.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Jo Pyung.

Jo Pyung looked at Baek Cheon and gave a friendly smile.

“You said you were going to Yunnan?”

“That’s right.”

Jo Pyung nodded.

“Originally, I was worried about sending that child to Yunnan and tried to stop it, but after seeing yesterday’s sparring match, my mind has changed. If he is with people who have helped him grow so wonderfully, would Yunnan be a big problem?”

“Ah.”

Baek Cheon’s face brightened.

“Then⋯⋯”

“Yes.”

Jo Pyung explained, wanting to be helpful.

“In fact, our Sahaesanghoe has been maintaining ties with Yunnan in its own way. Therefore, we can send a small-scale trade mission. Coincidentally, today is the departure date of that trade mission, so you can accompany them.”

Baek Cheon rose from his seat and clasped his hands towards Jo Pyung.

“Thank you, Lord of the Sanghoe.”

“Haha. What is there to thank? You have raised my son so wonderfully, so I should be the one thanking you. Thank you. I am truly grateful, Young Master Baek.”

“That gratitude is not for me⋯⋯”

Baek Cheon glanced at Chung Myung and continued with a smile.

“It should be received by the elders and the sect leader of Huashan.”

“Ah, of course. I would definitely like to visit the elders of Huashan sometime.”

Everything was working out well.

Baek Cheon, who was smiling broadly at the thought that the difficult problem was being solved, asked cautiously.

“When will that trade mission depart?”

“It is scheduled to depart in the afternoon. So, you can finish your meal and prepare. I feel uneasy that I haven’t properly treated such valuable guests who have come from afar and have made you rush again.”

“Don’t mention it. This is what we wanted. What greater hospitality could there be?”

“Haha. Thank you for understanding.”

Baek Cheon turned his head slightly.

“Everyone heard what the Lord of the Sanghoe said, right? As soon as the meal is over, prepare to leave.”

“Yes!”

“Yes, Sasuk!”

“Okay, Sasuk!”

“I don’t want to?”

“Okay. Then co⋯⋯”

“Huh?”

Did something strange just slip in?

Baek Cheon’s head slowly turned.

There was Chung Myung, arms crossed with a face full of dissatisfaction.

“⋯⋯What did you say?”

“I don’t want to.”

“⋯⋯What don’t you want to do?”

“I’m not going.”

“Where?”

“Yunnan.”

Baek Cheon smiled faintly.

Ah, so he’s saying he’s not going to Yunnan. Yunnan?

Grind.

The sound of Baek Cheon grinding his teeth rang out clearly.

In the end, the fact that Jo Pyung was next to him exploded in his head as well. A loud shout burst from Baek Cheon’s mouth.

“No, you annoying fool! We went through all this trouble to go to Yunnan, so why all of a sudden! What the hell are you dissatisfied with now, you stubborn idiot!”

Baek Cheon’s shout echoed loudly through the Sahaesanghoe.