Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 20

He could roughly guess what had happened. The suicide squad that climbed Mount Daesan had certainly been annihilated. But among the demons who guarded Daesan, some must have survived. After all, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains were like their headquarters. So, it wouldn’t be strange if someone there had seen Chung Myung beheading the powerful Heavenly Demon.

“Aish! Crap!” Chung Myung threw down the paper he was holding.

“The people who should have seen me defeat the Heavenly Demon are all dead, so none of them saw it, but the demons who shouldn’t have seen it, did. What kind of messed-up situation is this!”

Jo Gul flinched and stepped back. “Why are you suddenly angry…?”

“Kkeueueueung.” Chung Myung rubbed his face roughly. ‘Calm down.’ This isn’t the time to get angry in front of Jo Gul. He can get angry later as much as he wants.

“So, the Demonic Sect guys invaded and wiped out Mount Hua?”

“It doesn’t seem like the damage was too severe. They must have spent a lot of energy breaking through Sichuan to get to Shaanxi. But I heard quite a few buildings burned down, and a lot of martial arts knowledge was lost in the process.”

That figures. That makes sense. No matter how poorly it was passed down, if they had the manuals, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. Even if learning martial arts from manuals alone without a master is hellishly difficult, it’s much better than having nothing. If even those manuals were lost, then the reason for Mount Hua’s rapid decline is clear.

“It explains it, but….” It explains it clearly, but why doesn’t he feel relieved and instead feels frustrated?

“Kkeueung. Okay, I understand for now.” Chung Myung got up from his seat unsteadily.

“Where are you going?”

“…A walk. I need to clear my head for a bit.”

“Soon, Fourth Uncle will come to check. I won’t take responsibility if you get scolded.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks.” Jo Gul shook his head, looking at Chung Myung leaving unsteadily, as if he couldn’t understand. ‘What a strange guy.’

“Crazy.” He felt like he was burning up inside. Damn it all!

He risked his life, no, he literally threw away his life to cut off the Heavenly Demon’s head, but other bad people are taking all the good stuff, and Mount Hua is ruined? What kind of messed-up result is this? Is there no fairness in this world!

The more he thought about it, the more his stomach churned. “Heu….” Now, even when he sees these guys looking so weak and sad, it’s hard to get really angry. They all say it’s because of Chung Myung, so what can he say?

“No. What kind of loyalty do those demons have!” If the Heavenly Demon is dead, they should just curl up in a corner and live quietly. Instead, they invade Shaanxi to take revenge. If Mount Hua wasn’t in Shaanxi but somewhere around Sichuan, the very foundation would have been uprooted. “I can’t even call this fortunate.” Only his innocent hair was pulled out.

“Haa.” Still, sitting alone on the eaves and looking at the sky as darkness began to fall seemed to ease his mind a little. ‘That’s how things are in the world.’

The reason Chung Myung was really annoyed wasn’t because what he did harmed Mount Hua. The reason he was angry was because his successors were taking all the consequences of what he did. If Chung Myung were alive and had to bear the aftermath of that, he would have gladly endured it. But he died, and weren’t the young disciples who knew nothing taking the aftermath? Thinking that the current state of Mount Hua was the price made it difficult to calm his boiling insides.

“Tsk. What can I do?” No one could blame Chung Myung. It was true that Mount Hua was in a bad state because he killed the Heavenly Demon, but if he hadn’t killed the Heavenly Demon then, not only Mount Hua but the entire Central Plains would have collapsed. Chung Myung had no choice. Even if he went back to that time now, Chung Myung would behead the Heavenly Demon without hesitation.

But…. “It’s strangely unsettling.” Chung Myung sighed deeply.

“Eh. What’s done is done. If it’s ruined, we just have to rebuild it!” Whether he is responsible or not is not important. Whether he is responsible or not, isn’t what he has to do the same anyway? He just has to revive Mount Hua.

“Thinking about it won’t change anything. Only the result matters!” He just has to bring it back stronger than before it was ruined. It might be impossible for others, but it’s possible for Chung Myung. It’s a little difficult. No, it’s very difficult. In terms of difficulty, it might be harder than cutting off the Heavenly Demon’s head, but what’s important is that he can do it, right?

‘I’m getting impatient.’ For those who train, impatience is poison. Moving forward quickly and trying to move forward quickly are different matters. He needs to observe himself more and move forward without rushing.

“Okay, first, let’s relax.” First, he needs to find out what else is broken besides the lost martial arts manuals. The best way to do that is to ask someone.

“Where’s the Sect Leader! Come out right now!” Right. First, to the Sect Leader…. No, wait, did I say that?

Chung Myung widened his eyes and turned his head to where the sound came from. ‘The main gate?’ He could hear a commotion from the main gate in the distance. ‘At this hour?’ The sun was setting. But visitors at this hour? No, what did they say before that?

“Sect Leader, come out!”

Ah, right. Sect Leader…. “Sect Leader?” Chung Myung scratched his ear with a dazed look. “What did I just hear?” Sect Leader, come out? ‘No, which crazy bastard?’ Who dares to invade Mount Hua’s main gate and call out the Sect Leader so disrespectfully? It’s something that couldn’t have been imagined in the old Mount Hua. Before they could even say such silly words, a fist would have been shoved into their mouths. But the guys at the gate now didn’t seem to realize what they were doing.

Thud! Thud! Thud! There was a sound of violently banging on the door. At the same time, the door, which was barely maintaining its shape, began to rattle as if it would break.

“Th, th, th…?” Rumble! The main gate finally fell backward with a loud noise. The door that fell to the ground shattered, creating dust in all directions.

Chung Myung stared at the scene with a dazed look. ‘They broke the door?’ Mount Hua’s main gate? What on earth is going on right now?

“Let’s go in!” A dozen or so people who broke the door rushed inside. Then, all at once, they ran straight towards the Sect Leader’s residence. Their consistent movements suggested they had done this more than once or twice.

The Unja disciples, startled by the commotion, rushed out. “W, wait a moment!” “You can’t do this!” But the other side was relentless.

“Get out of the way! Are you not going to move?”

“Tell the Sect Leader to come out!”

“Huh? Did you just touch me?” Chung Myung’s eyes rolled around. ‘What’s going on right now?’ He couldn’t feel any martial arts from those who broke in. But the Unja disciples were flustered, as if it was difficult for them to block the way. Even when a large man poked his belly out, the Unja disciples were pushed back as if they had been hit by cannonballs. It wasn’t because they lacked strength that they were being pushed back. Absolutely! He could feel their strong feeling not to collide with these guys body to body, no matter what happened.

“Th, that….” Before Chung Myung could even grasp the situation, the intruders pushed past the Unja disciples and reached the front of the Sect Leader’s residence.

“Sect Leader! Come out right now!”

“Don’t run away, come out!”

“We know you’re in there! We’re definitely not going back empty-handed today, so come out right now.” Chung Myung felt his head spinning. ‘Is what I’m seeing real right now?’ Where is this place? Even though it has fallen, this is the great Mount Hua Sect! And yet, they’re causing such a ruckus in front of Mount Hua’s, and even the Sect Leader’s, residence.

“Kkeueuk!” A vein popped out on his forehead. But Chung Myung couldn’t release this boiling anger.

“What are you doing, you bastard?”

“Huh?” One of the Unja disciples who was trying to stop them turned his head sharply and looked up at Chung Myung.

“Go inside right now! Why is a Third Generation disciple wandering around here at this hour!”

“…Oh.” Chung Myung turned his head left and right. Come to think of it, no one except him came out. There must be many who heard the commotion, but still. ‘Was this a more frequent occurrence than I thought?’ If there’s a commotion, it’s human nature to stick your head out and see what’s going on. Nevertheless, the fact that no one comes out as if they had planned it means that there’s already a set of rules on how to deal with this kind of situation. Chung Myung, who had only recently arrived, had no way of knowing.

“What are you doing!” No, even if that’s the case, shouldn’t you deal with those guys first, you bastards!

“Sect Leader! Come out right now!”

“We’re definitely not going to back down like this today! There’s no use hiding, so come out quickly!”

“Don’t you know shame!” Whether the Unja disciple scolded Chung Myung or not, those who had gathered in front of the residence didn’t stop shouting. The back of Chung Myung’s neck stiffened.

It was at that moment. Creak. With a slightly grating noise, the door opened. And the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, Hyun Jong, slowly walked out. As he came out, the Unja disciples who were trying to stop the group all bowed at once. The Sect Leader waved his hand slightly to dismiss them and opened his mouth.

“What brings you here at this late hour?” ‘Indeed.’ Even though he was in a situation where his blood was rushing to his head, Chung Myung couldn’t help but admire him. Even if he is a successor, he has lived for quite a few years. Just because his seniority is low and he was born later doesn’t mean his dignity as a person is diminished. It seemed like an aura of calm strength was flowing from every movement and every word. Thanks to that, Chung Myung also felt his excitement calming down a bit. Truly….

“What nonsense are you talking about when you know perfectly well!”

“Come down first! Right now!”

“Why are you acting so relaxed!” That’s right, he’s acting relaxed…. Ah, no, that’s not it!

Hyun Jong frowned slightly and came down. Then he sighed softly. “I’m not running away, and I’m not hiding. If I leave Mount Hua, where would I go? So, everyone, calm down….”

“Calm down my ass!” Chung Myung’s eyes popped out. Even though Hyun Jong was saying such words filled with an aura of calm strength, those crazy bastards weren’t even listening. What was strange was that Hyun Jong couldn’t say anything and was instead flustered. What sin did he commit? It’s like…. ‘Huh?’ A word popped into Chung Myung’s head.

“Sect Leader!” The one who seemed to be the leader of the group shouted while pointing his finger. “We’ve waited long enough! We can’t wait any longer!”

“….” The aura of calm strength disappeared from Hyun Jong’s face. ‘Th, that….’ Could it be?

“When are you going to pay us back! The due date has long passed! We can’t take it anymore either!” Chung Myung stared at Hyun Jong with dazed eyes. Hyun Jong, who had transformed from a Taoist overflowing with an aura of calm strength into a debtor, opened his mouth slightly in an awkward posture.

“If, if you could give me a little more time….” Chung Myung grabbed the back of his neck and tilted his head back. ‘Kkeueuk.’ There’s debt? A sect that has nothing left but dilapidated buildings has debt? ‘Really.’ Tears welled up in Chung Myung’s eyes. The sky became blurry. ‘They’re doing all sorts of things. These crazy bastards, really.’