Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 221

The sun was just starting to rise, painting the sky with soft colors over the mountains of Hwasan. Hwasan was once a famous group of fighters, but now they were not as strong as before.

“Sect Leader, why are you out here so early in the morning?” Hyun Sang asked.

Hyun Jong turned and smiled gently. “I couldn’t sleep well,” he said quietly.

“Is it because you are worried about the children?”

“Yes,” Hyun Jong sighed softly. “Sending our disciples to such a far and dangerous place… my heart is not at peace.” He looked out at the mountains. “Hyun Young says it’s for their own good, and I know it’s the right path for Hwasan to become strong again, but…” He thought to himself, ‘I should be leading them, not just sending them away.’

“That’s just how people’s hearts are. If things went as we wished, would it be a human heart?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Hyun Jong’s smile faded, and a sad look came over his face.

This regret lingered in Hyun Jong’s heart. He wanted to be a strong leader for them, but he felt like he was falling behind.

Hwasan was getting better every day because of Chung Myung, but the children were the ones making it happen.

As an elder of Hwasan, Hyun Jong felt bad that he couldn’t lead them and could only support the children.

Then, Hyun Sang spoke quietly but firmly, “Sect Leader, trust the children.”

Hyun Jong turned to him, and Hyun Sang smiled. “Didn’t Hyun Young say it? That the children are better than us. I also think that’s true. It sounded strange at first, but when you think about it, isn’t it all true?”

“Yes, it is.”

“We just need to be the foundation for the children to return to. The land simply embraces.”

Hyun Jong quietly nodded. However, he still looked worried.

“Still, I’m worried. It’s the first time they’ve gone to such a distant foreign land.”

Just then,

“Sect Leader!” Hyun Young burst in, running towards Hyun Jong, his eyes wide with surprise.

“What urgent matter makes you run so wildly from early in the morning?”

“Sect Leader!” Hyun Young gasped for air. “Big… big trouble! You won’t believe… Big trouble!”

Hyun Jong’s face turned serious.

Hyun Young had a playful side, but he wasn’t one to run around in such a fluster.

Hyun Young was very upset. This meant something truly terrible had happened.

“What is it! Explain it so I can understand!”

“D-Dang! Danga!”

“Danga?”

“The Danga Lord! The Danga Lord has come! He’s at the front gate right now!”

Hyun Jong’s eyes flew open at the unexpected news.

“Who? Who did you say came?”

“The Lord of the Sichuan Danga has come to see the Sect Leader!”

The Danga Lord? The Sichuan Danga was a powerful family from another region.

Why would the Danga Lord suddenly…?

“Q-Quickly!”

“Right. This is no time for this!”

Hyun Jong hurried to the front gate, and when he saw Tang Gunak waiting there, he immediately clasped his hands in greeting.

No, he was about to clasp his hands.

But before he could, the Danga Lord respectfully gathered his hands and bowed deeply. “Tang Gunak, the Lord of the Sichuan Danga, greets the Sect Leader of the Hwasan Sect.”

Hyun Jong flinched and opened his mouth. The Danga Lord was like a king in Sichuan. For him to visit Hwasan was unbelievable, like a dream.

The Lord of the Sichuan Danga.

He was by no means of lower status than Hyun Jong.

In the past, Hwasan might have been stronger than the Danga Lord, but Hwasan was not as strong as before. The Danga was still very powerful.

Tang Gunak couldn’t possibly be unaware of this fact, yet he was now showing Hyun Jong the utmost respect.

Hyun Jong was confused and didn’t know what to do. Hyun Young poked him to get his attention.

“Huh? Oh!”

A little late, Hyun Jong regained his senses and quickly returned the greeting. “Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader of the Hwasan Sect, greets the great Lord of the Sichuan Danga.”

As the greetings ended, Tang Gunak raised his head and smiled lightly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sect Leader. Please don’t blame me too much for coming without notice.”

“What are you saying! For the Lord of the Sichuan Danga to come in person… I’m too surprised to be in my right mind.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“S-So, what brings you here?”

Tang Gunak quietly looked at Hyun Jong and opened his mouth. “The disciples of Hwasan visited the Danga.”

“……Yes?”

“The Danga has received grace from them and has decided to form a friendship with them. So, shouldn’t we naturally visit Hwasan and discuss the future?”

“F-Friendship, you say?”

Friendship? Friends?

Chung Myung and the others became friends with the Danga?

Hyun Jong stared at Tang Gunak with a dumbfounded expression.

The word ‘friendship’ was used in a place where the word ‘alliance’ would have been more appropriate. This meant that the Danga Lord wanted a relationship with Hwasan that was more than just an alliance.

“W-What is the meaning of this……”

Hyun Young poked Hyun Jong in the side again.

“Huh?”

As Hyun Jong couldn’t grasp the situation, Hyun Young subtly stepped forward. “It is not polite to keep a visiting guest standing at the front gate. I will guide you to the guest quarters.”

“T-That’s right! Guest quarters! To the guest quarters!”

Tang Gunak smiled gently. “You don’t have to be so flustered, Sect Leader. I truly came here wanting to form a good relationship with Hwasan. I have no other intentions. As proof of that…”

Tang Gunak turned his head.

“Greet him, So-so.”

Dang So-so bowed deeply on the spot. “Dang So-so, the daughter of the Sichuan Danga, greets the Sect Leader of the great Hwasan Sect. This girl wishes to leave the Sichuan Danga and enter Hwasan, so I ask the Sect Leader to take pity on me and not drive me away.”

“E-Enter?”

Why her?

Confusion and bewilderment were written all over Hyun Jong’s face. Tang Gunak simply said calmly. “She is my daughter.”

So why is your daughter…?

As Hyun Jong was too confused to follow the situation, he heard a voice filled with laughter. “It seems that Chung Myung has caused some trouble again.”

“That is correct.”

“Ah……”

Hyun Jong nodded only after hearing the conversation between Hyun Young and Tang Gunak.

If there was something he didn’t understand, he just had to insert the name Chung Myung into it.

“Let’s talk about the details inside.”

“I will.”

“This way.”

Hyun Young guided Tang Gunak with a polite demeanor.

Hyun Jong couldn’t close his gaping mouth until Tang Gunak and Hyun Young were far away, heading towards the guest quarters.

Then, Hyun Sang said with a smiling voice. “See? Those are our children. Didn’t I say they would do well on their own?”

“……”

“They’re probably doing well in Yunnan too. Are those children ordinary?”

At those words filled with pride, Hyun Jong nodded vigorously with an impressed expression. “Yes. That’s right. They have to.”

His gaze turned to the distant south.

Somewhere far away, there were the disciples of Hwasan.

“They’ll do well! They’ll definitely do well! Of course! They’re our children!”

Hyun Jong’s voice was filled with great joy and anticipation.

“Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve traveled so comfortably. We should have done this sooner.”

“Even Uncle-Master should lie down a bit. It’s so comfortable.”

But Baek Cheon just glared at Chung Myung without saying a word.

‘What is going on in that kid’s head?’

Baek Cheon sometimes felt like he wanted to crack Chung Myung’s head open to see what was inside.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“Why? They’re giving us a comfortable ride. It’s nice of them.”

Comfortable? A ride?

Baek Cheon carefully looked around.

He could see the wide-open land and the steep mountains. The tall cliffs looked very big and impressive. It was a beautiful sight.

If only they weren’t looking at it through the wooden bars of a prison cart!

“Mooooooo!”

The ox pulling the cart made a loud noise.

Chung Myung and the other Mount Hua disciples were locked in a wooden cart, like prisoners, on their way to the Southern Savage Beast Palace.

And what did Chung Myung say? Comfortable?

Baek Cheon sighed deeply.

“…Chung Myung-ah. Shouldn’t you be worried about our situation?”

“Worried? What’s there to worry about?” Chung Myung laughed softly and put his hands behind his head, like he was relaxing on a pillow.

“Is there another way to do this?”

“…”

“If we want the Violet Cloud Grass, we have to ask the Beast Palace. And if the Palace Lord doesn’t want to give it to us, they won’t even tell us anything, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So, the best way is to meet the Beast Palace Lord face-to-face.”

“That’s also right!”

“So, this is the fastest way to do it!”

“That’s the problem, you idiot!” Baek Cheon shouted and tried to grab Chung Myung.

Just as they started to argue, a guard shouted at them.

Bang! Bang!

A Beast Palace guard hit the bars angrily.

“Can’t you be quiet!”

“Ugh.”

Baek Cheon sat back down. The Beast Palace guard clicked his tongue.

“Seriously, what’s with these guys? How can they be so relaxed even when they’re captured?”

“I’ve never seen such crazy people from the Central Plains before.”

“Just leave them alone. Once they get to the Divine Pool, they’ll understand what’s happening.”

Chung Myung stuck his head between the wooden bars.

“Mister, mister!”

“…What’s he doing now?”

“How much farther do we have to go?”

“Huh…” The Beast Palace guard stared at Chung Myung like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was acting like a passenger on a carriage.

“Looks like you can’t wait to die. We’ll be there soon.”

Chung Myung nodded and sat back down.

Jo Gul sighed as he watched Chung Myung. Yiseol sat with her legs crossed and her face blank, so it was impossible to know what she was thinking.

“…When did you get caught again?”

“I was right behind you the whole time.”

“…You’re so quiet, it’s scary. But you still get caught. If you’re going to be sneaky, use it for good things! Why only for bad things!”

“Weren’t you just saying you didn’t get caught?”

“Ah, did I?” Chung Myung shrugged and turned his head.

Yoon Jong was huddled in the corner, looking like the world was ending.

Chung Myung looked at him, tilting his head.

“Why is he like that again?”

“…He thinks we were all caught because of him. Even though I told him it wasn’t his fault.”

“Caught? We’re just having a comfortable ride.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Baek Cheon, who was getting a headache, closed his mouth.

Chung Myung looked at Yoon Jong and chuckled.

“Yoon Jong Sahyung.”

“…Yeah.”

“Having good intentions doesn’t always mean things will turn out well.”

“…”

“There are many people who try to do good, but they end up suffering instead of being rewarded.”

Yoon Jong slowly looked up, his eyes starting to focus again.

Chung Myung continued, “That doesn’t mean what you did was wrong. Did you do it to get something in return?”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Then don’t worry about it. What you did wasn’t wrong.”

“…I understand what you mean.”

Yoon Jong nodded.

Chung Myung looked up at the sky.

‘Right? Jang Mun Sahyung?’

Mount Hua gave everything for the good of the world.

But no one cared. They ignored Mount Hua and only thought about themselves.

So, was everything Mount Hua did a mistake?

No, it wasn’t.

Even if Chung Myung thought so, Jang Mun Sahyung and his disciples would still be proud of what they did.

If Chung Myung and they hadn’t stopped the Heavenly Demon, Mount Hua would have disappeared.

And Chung Myung was working hard to fix things now.

“…Thinking about it makes me angry.”

They made the mess!

And I’m cleaning it up!

– If you’re so upset, then quit.

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung sighed. He was trying to comfort Yoon Jong, but he ended up feeling worse himself.

Who was he to blame?

Baek Cheon looked around and said, “Should we escape now? We can break these wooden bars easily, right?”

“Escape and do what?”

“Well…”

“The important thing is to get the Violet Cloud Grass. This is the fastest way. How many times do I have to say it?”

“Ugh.”

Baek Cheon sighed.

Then, Jo Gul pointed to one side and said, “Look, Chung Myung-ah.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung looked where Jo Gul was pointing and saw a large building.

“Oh?”

The area around the building looked different from the rest of Yunnan. Behind the massive building was a very thick forest. It was so dense that almost no light could get through.

It was very different from the empty fields they had been traveling through.

“Is that the Southern Savage Beast Palace?”

Baek Cheon’s voice was tense. The Mount Hua disciples felt the power of the Southern Savage Beast Palace as soon as they saw the building.

Plus, they were being taken there against their will.

The massive building showed the great power of the Beast Palace…

“Oh. These guys seem to have a lot of money.”

“…”

Is that what you’re thinking about right now?

You idiot?