Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 247

Don't Say That Yet (2)

“It’s done!”

“Ooh!”

The old leaders were exhausted. They sat back on their heels, looking worn out.

Rows of spirit pills were carefully placed on a silk cloth. They seemed to shine with a faint purple color.

“Ah…”

Hyun Jong was filled with emotion. He looked at the pills, unable to speak.

“Is it truly complete, then?”

Un-gak slowly nodded at Hyun-young’s question.

Un-gak’s face was thin and pale from tiredness, but his eyes showed he was definitely proud.

“It is complete. Though it seems somewhat different from the Hongwon Pill we planned to make…”

That’s right, it was different. Hongwon Pills weren’t purple.

“However, it’s even stronger than the Hongwon Pill!”

“Ooh!”

Hyun Sang looked at the Hongwon Pill – actually, it was the Jaso Pill now – his eyes full of feeling.

“How do you know that?”

“Yes?”

Un-gak turned to see Hyun-young looking at him, eyes narrowed.

“Can you know how strong it is just by looking? You didn’t even make it, Cheong-myeong did. How can you be so sure it works?”

“Ah… well…”

Un-gak paused. Hyun-young’s eyes became even more suspicious.

“Don’t tell me…?”

Un-gak reacted quickly, like he’d been poked. He suddenly shouted to defend himself.

“Hey! I only tasted a tiny, tiny bit! Like when you cook, you taste to check the flavor. I needed to know what it did to decide if it was good!”

“You! You did what?! How could you say that?!”

Hyun-young was kind and gentle to Cheong-myeong. But to everyone else, he was still the scariest leader in Mount Hua.

Hyun-young glared at him, eyes narrowed. Un-gak shrank back, pulling his head down.

But Hyun Jong smiled softly and stopped Hyun-young.

“He’s telling the truth, isn’t he?”

“Does he think he can understand just by tasting it?”

“That’s enough. Un-gak has worked hard in the Medicine Hall.”

“Tch.”

Hyun-young was still clearly angry, but he couldn’t argue with Hyun Jong. He sighed and looked away, his angry stare gone.

Hyun Jong turned to Un-gak and asked.

“So, what are the effects like?”

Un-gak sighed quietly, relieved that Hyun-young stopped. He answered Hyun Jong politely.

“Because I only had a tiny taste, I can’t be completely sure. But I’m almost positive it’s at least as strong as the Hongwon Pill. I could know for sure if I ate a whole one. And we made an extra one, so if I could just eat it…”

“Hahaha. It is already complete, what difference would it make to know in advance?”

“No, but just one more…”

“Hahahahaha.”

“…”

Hyun Jong just kept laughing loudly, not saying anything. It was obvious he wasn’t going to give Un-gak another pill.

Un-gak smacked his lips in disappointment.

“Well… but the pills seem a little smaller than the Hongwon Pills.”

“We had to share them with all the students, so they had to be a bit smaller.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“We can only get a small amount of Crimson Woodgrass at once. And even though the other things are easier to find than Crimson Woodgrass, we still can’t get a lot of them.”

“Hmm. I see. It’s a little disappointing, but it can’t be helped.”

Hyun Jong nodded slowly.

“But don’t be sad, Sect Leader. This is still a huge number of pills. Have you ever heard of Shaolin breaking Daehwan Pills in half to give to all their students?”

“Of course not. What kind of spirit pill is the Daehwan Pill?”

Un-gak grinned.

“It’ll be at least that strong.”

“…”

Hyun Jong’s eyes widened slightly.

Even in Shaolin, the richest group in the world, the Daehwan Pill was incredibly valuable.

So, Shaolin couldn’t use Daehwan Pills lightly. They gave them as rewards to students who were likely to make Shaolin famous, or to save people who were about to die.

So, most Shaolin monks, even if they spent their whole lives there, hardly ever saw a Daehwan Pill.

“Hmm, when you think about it like that, it’s really incredible.”

“We were lucky. The Eunha Merchant Guild helped us get the Ice Essence, which I was most worried about finding. But the bad news is, we used up all the Ice Essence in the Central Plains. So, it will be hard to get enough to make pills again for a long time. Also, Ginseng Root and Azure Stone Oil are almost gone too…”

“Hmm. I understand.”

Hyun Jong nodded slowly.

This meant it would take a long time to make Jaso Pills again. But Hyun Jong wasn’t too disappointed.

Hyun Jong thought, ‘It’s important not to be too greedy.’

Even with just these pills, other groups would be very jealous, maybe even angry enough to attack us.

Wanting to make as many pills as they wanted, whenever they wanted, would be like thinking like a thief.

Wasn’t this amount already amazing?

“Well, then…”

Hyun Jong glanced at Cheong-myeong.

“Should we call the disciples and give these out now?”

Cheong-myeong shook his head.

“Not yet.”

“Hmm?”

Cheong-myeong looked at Hyun Jong, Hyun Sang, and Hyun-young.

“There’s a right way to do things. You three should have some first.”

“…”

The old leaders looked at each other, surprised.

“…Us?”

“Yes.”

Cheong-myeong walked over, picked up three spirit pills, and held them out to Hyun Jong, Hyun Sang, and Hyun-young.

“Hurry up.”

“…”

Hyun Jong smiled gently.

“It’s very kind of you to think of us, Cheong-myeong. But we’ve lived long lives. It’s better if the disciples get even one more pill than if we eat them…”

“What do you mean you’ve lived long enough? You need to live for another hundred years.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t even think about leaving all the work to the students and retiring. Eat these and work hard for another thirty years.”

“…”

Was that being a good son or just being rude?

Even Hyun Jong couldn’t tell.

“We are…”

Cheong-myeong shook his head.

“Sect Leader.”

“Hmm?”

“This little thing is nothing special.”

“…”

Cheong-myeong said, his face serious.

“In the future, Mount Hua will get even better things and do even greater things. One day, pills like the Jaso Pill will be nothing special. So just take it now. You can be generous with bigger things later.”

“…”

Insignificant, he called them.

“Hahaha. Yes, yes. That’s right. Hahahahaha.”

Hyun Jong laughed loudly, and Hyun-young chuckled, agreeing with Hyun Jong.

“You have to understand. We’ve lived simple lives. When we get something like this, we feel overwhelmed. We’ve never even really tasted ginseng root before, and now we’re getting a spirit pill. We almost can’t even take it.”

At those words, Hyun Sang frowned a little.

“You can’t say things like that in front of the disciples.”

“Did I say anything wrong?”

It was meant as a joke, but Chung Myung couldn’t laugh. Instead, he felt a slight ache in his heart.

Chung Myung clicked his tongue. A bitter taste filled his mouth, like he had eaten something sour and unpleasant.

Chung Myung believed the most important people in Hwasan were the Plum Blossom and White Blossom elders. The Hwasan he would rebuild would have them at its heart.

But Chung Myung felt most sorry for the Hyun generation elders. It broke his heart to see them.

They had been in Hwasan for a very long time. They faced many hard times. Even when others who were smarter left, they stayed. Now, they were like forgotten figures of Hwasan. To Chung Myung, they would always be a sore spot.

Therefore…

“Eat,” Chung Myung said.

“I know how you feel, but…” Hyun Sang started.

“Ah, enough. I don’t need to hear any more. Just eat. If you don’t, I’ll crush them all!” Chung Myung’s face was firm. He wouldn’t back down.

Hyun Jong had been quietly watching. He finally nodded slowly and accepted the spirit pill, a rare and powerful medicine Chung Myung had made.

“Very well, I accept,” Hyun Jong said.

“Sect Leader,” Hyun Sang said, worried.

“It’s alright,” Hyun Jong smiled gently. It was a kind smile, meant to calm Hyun Sang’s worry, which was clear on his face. “This spirit pill was made by Chung Myung. So, how it is used is up to him. How can I say no when the person who made it tells me to eat?”

“…Yes,” Hyun Sang replied.

“Haha. The day has come when I receive such kindness from my disciples,” Hyun Jong laughed. It was a happy laugh, though he seemed a little tearful.

“Do we just eat it?” Hyun Jong asked.

“Yes, Sect Leader. No special preparation is needed,” Woon-gak answered quickly.

“Hmm, very well. You all prepare as well,” Hyun Jong said.

“Yes,” Hyun Young and Hyun Sang replied. They accepted the Violet Elixir from Chung Myung.

“I’ll stand guard. You can eat it right here,” Chung Myung said.

The Hyun generation elders nodded and sat down. Woon-gak swallowed hard, his throat dry. He carefully picked up the Violet Elixirs from the dusty floor, his fingers gentle as if handling precious jewels. He moved back, worried about problems that might damage the pills.

“Eat,” Chung Myung urged.

“Hmm. Very well,” Hyun Jong said.

Hyun Jong looked at the Violet Elixir. His face showed many feelings. He closed his eyes a little and put the pill in his mouth. Then, Hyun Sang did the same.

The two closed their eyes and began to focus their energy.

But Hyun Young didn’t eat the pill yet. He just stared at Chung Myung.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Chung Myung asked.

Hyun Young didn’t move for a moment. Then, he quietly spoke, “Chung Myung-ah.”

“Yes?” Chung Myung replied.

“Thank you,” Hyun Young said sincerely.

“…You’re saying too much. Just hurry up and eat,” Chung Myung said.

“No,” Hyun Young shook his head. “Sometimes, you have to say things out loud. Keeping them inside isn’t enough.”

“…”

“Thank you, Chung Myung-ah. You give us so much,” Hyun Young said.

“Hey. How awkward… Just eat quickly,” Chung Myung replied.

“Alright. I must eat it. Who’s giving it to me, after all,” Hyun Young said. He continued to look at Chung Myung in silence.

Chung Myung saw the same look in Hyun Young’s eyes that the Senior Brother Sect Leader used to give him. He pressed his lips together tightly.

After a while, Hyun Young finally closed his eyes and put the spirit pill in his mouth. As the pill melted, he began to focus his energy. At that moment, he thought he heard a voice.

– It is not you who should be thankful, but I.

Was it real? He didn’t have time to think. Hyun Young forgot everything and felt great joy.

Chung Myung quietly watched the three people focusing their energy. Then, he turned to look out the window. He couldn’t watch them. He felt he would show his true feelings if he did.

‘I’m sorry,’ he thought.

He had failed to protect Hwasan. He had saved the world, but not Hwasan. These people had protected the Hwasan he had failed to protect.

Seeing these three, younger than he was when he died, now old men with wrinkles, he felt pain in his heart.

If Chung Myung hadn’t died on the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, these people would have been successful disciples of Hwasan, with Chung Myung and Cheong Mun there to support them.

But Chung Myung had died. These men had protected Hwasan without him. They had grown old, and their dreams had been crushed.

‘I’m sorry,’ he thought again.

I failed to protect you. I made things difficult for you.

I stole your lives.

Foolish ones.

Why was Hwasan so important that you stayed and sacrificed your lives? If you had left, your lives would have been easier.

Stupid fools. Incredibly foolish ones.

Therefore…

I will take it back for you.

The dreams you haven’t realized. Your desire to be successful. I will make it happen.

I couldn’t cherish you when you were young, so now I will protect you.

Therefore, my descendants.

Don’t say that yet.

Don’t say you’re old. Don’t say that you’re alright now.

Does a dream disappear when you get older? Do you lose what you want?

No. I know that’s not true. You just keep going. You just look away. You just stop dreaming of what you can’t have.

I will make you dream again.

Chung Myung closed his eyes tightly. His eyelashes fluttered. He walked to the window and looked up at the sky. His eyes were filled with sorrow, like dark clouds blocking out the sun.

Senior Brother. Senior Brother Sect Leader.

I… I still have so many debts to repay to Hwasan. Senior Brother…

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Status: Ongoing Author: Released: 2019 Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Chung Myung, the legendary Plum Blossom Swordmaster of Mount Hua, awakens after a hundred years of slumber only to find his once-mighty sect reduced to ruins. With unwavering determination, he disguises himself as a young disciple and embarks on a mission to restore Mount Hua to its former glory. From training new disciples to facing lifelong enemies, Chung Myung must revive the sect while uncovering dark conspiracies that threaten the martial world. "Return of Mount Hua Sect" is an epic tale of resurgence, sacrifice, and fierce battles that will shake the world!

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