Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 258

“Keek! Keh! Let go of me!” Hong Daegwang gasped.

Chung Myung grabbed Hong Daegwang’s collar tightly. “Where is *it*?” Chung Myung asked again, his voice sharp. “The invitation! Where did you hide it?”

“I said let go, you rascal! I can’t breathe!” Hong Daegwang struggled, trying to pull Chung Myung’s hand away. “You bad person! Do you have no respect for elders?”

“Aish!” Chung Myung roughly released Hong Daegwang’s collar.

Hong Daegwang slumped to the ground, coughing hard, his face red. He coughed and coughed, then glared and pointed his finger.

“You rascal! Do you have no respect for elders? I’ve been eating beggar’s rice for at least ten years more than you!”

“Let’s not act like that when we’re both getting old together.”

“Erah!”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue in his mind, watching Hong Daegwang. Hong Daegwang was breathing heavily and looked very angry.

‘Even these older people treat me like a young kid,’ Chung Myung thought.

It was a truly sad reality.

Actually, the Beggars’ Union leader *should* call him ‘Grandfather’… Ugh.

“Anyway, where’s that invitation? Don’t tell me these bastards left out Mount Hua?”

“This is fresh news! Unless invitations have wings and fly over, it’ll take a few more days!”

“Right?” Chung Myung thought.

Just try leaving us out.

I’ll write ‘baldy’ on the Shaolin Abbot’s bald head.

“Who doesn’t know how strong Mount Hua is now? Especially in the western part of the Central Plains, that…”

Hong Daegwang, who had been chattering on, suddenly stopped. Chung Myung tilted his head and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“…I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Yes?”

Hong Daegwang’s expression seemed more serious than before.

“That… Shaolin is a sect that isn’t very interested in the outside world, and… isn’t it a bit to the east?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, wouldn’t they not know that Mount Hua’s strength is different from what it used to be?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Ah, no, I mean… if Shaolin thinks that Mount Hua is still a declining sect, they might not send the invitation…”

As he continued to speak, Chung Myung’s head tilted more and more.

A dangerous look appeared on Chung Myung’s face. His eyes narrowed, and his mouth tightened into a thin line. Hong Daegwang flinched, recoiling for a moment.

Sure enough, fire spewed from Chung Myung’s mouth.

“These damn monks… dare to ignore Mount Hua?”

“C-calm down, Mount Hua Divine Dragon!”

“No, since when have these bastards been so great?!”

Mount Hua Divine Dragon.

Shaolin was always great. Think about it.

“Invitation? Don’t talk to me about invitations!”

“Wh-what are you going to do?”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes wildly. He paced back and forth, his hands behind his back, but his eyes were still sharp and focused. ‘I’m thinking,’ he said.

It seemed like he had already made up his mind.

“Wh-what are you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing much. Should I storm into Shaolin and cause a ruckus…? Or should I go to another sect that received the invitation and politely ask for a transfer?”

Neither option seemed like a proper idea.

‘Is this really what a Taoist is capable of thinking?’ Hong Daegwang thought.

Truly, Hong Daegwang was confirming new heights of depravity every time he met Chung Myung.

“…Shaolin is far away. Right, Jongnam. Those Jongnam bastards would be good. If I talk nicely, they’ll hand over the invitation!”

He says ‘talk nicely,’ but why is he clenching his fist…

At this point, Hong Daegwang’s worries jumped elsewhere.

‘Is it really a good thing for Mount Hua to regain its former glory?’

This bastard will be at the center of it?

Rather than Mount Hua, with this guy as its leader, leading the world, wouldn’t it be better for the Demonic Sect to rule the world? He shuddered at the thought. Maybe he had made a mistake coming to Mount Hua. But it was too late now.

Just then, Chung Myung turned his head sharply, causing Hong Daegwang, who had been worrying, to flinch again.

“Has the invitation arrived at Jongnam?”

“C-calm down, Mount Hua Divine Dragon! Things in the world don’t move that quickly!”

“No! Now!” Chung Myung slammed his fist lightly on a nearby table, making Hong Daegwang jump. “Has the invitation arrived at Jongnam?”

“It’s a martial arts tournament hosted by Shaolin. It takes at least three months to prepare! It’ll take at least another week for the invitation to arrive!”

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung frowned as if he didn’t like it at all.

In the end, Hong Daegwang said with as much generosity as he could muster.

“And if the invitation doesn’t arrive at Mount Hua, I’ll ask the leaders to make sure you get one!”

But Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously. ‘Can I really trust this beggar?’ he thought.

“You will?”

“…What do you take me for?”

“A beggar?”

Uh… he is a beggar. He is a beggar, but…

“I’m a branch leader of the Beggars’ Union! I have the power to ask the leaders to that extent!”

“Hmm. I don’t really trust you.”

“Ugh.”

Tears welled up in Hong Daegwang’s eyes.

‘Why did I come to Mount Hua?’

If I had just stayed as the branch leader of the Luoyang branch, I wouldn’t have suffered this sad fate. What glory and wealth was I going to enjoy that I came all the way to this distant Shaanxi and was treated like a beggar coveting beggar’s rice?

This outrageous bastard!

“Anyway, just wait a few days! The invitation will arrive.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Chung Myung nodded.

“Then that’s settled?”

Hong Daegwang sighed deeply.

They say you get hit with a hammer if you stay next to a sharp person, but this guy is the one who picks up the hammer and swings it himself.

At least in times like these, I need to get away from this guy quickly…

“Ah, right!”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung turned his head sharply towards Hong Daegwang as if he had remembered something.

“By the way, what happened to the beggar I told you to catch? Did you catch that bastard?”

Hong Daegwang’s eyes trembled.

‘Wow, he didn’t forget about that?’

Isn’t this almost a pathological obsession?

“Y-yes, we caught him. But you were away for too long, so we sent him back for now.”

“What? Who told you to send him back?”

“T-that’s not important right now. And that guy will probably come to Shaolin anyway, so if you have any business with him, deal with it there.”

“That beggar bastard, he’s lucky!”

Chung Myung glared.

Looking at that gaze, Hong Daegwang began to worry seriously.

‘Is something really going to happen at Shaolin or Jongnam?’

Jongnam, in particular, seemed very uneasy… Poor things, why did they have to pick a fight with this guy…

And, much to Jongnam’s good fortune(?), a person visited Mount Hua three days later.

❀ ❀ ❀

“You said you came from Shaolin?”

“That is correct, Sect Leader. I am Hyebang of Shaolin.”

“Welcome to Mount Hua.”

After a light greeting, Hyun Jong looked at the guest with heavy eyes.

A cleanly shaven head and a calm expression.

And the red monk’s robe he wore.

All of it came together to create a dignified atmosphere.

‘Truly Shaolin,’ Hyun Jong thought.

For someone of this caliber to be doing such an errand, just how many masters are there in Shaolin?

Indeed, Shaolin. A place worthy of being called the North Star of the Jianghu.

“So, what business does Shaolin have in visiting Mount Hua?”

At those words, Hyebang took out an envelope from his robes.

“This is an invitation from the Abbot of Shaolin to the Sect Leader.”

“An invitation…”

Hyun Jong, who had received the envelope, opened it on the spot and took out the invitation.

[Grand Martial Arts Tournament of the World (天下武林大會)]

A predictably obvious name.

But if this name came from the mouth of Shaolin, it would never be a trivial matter.

Hyun Jong narrowed his eyes and unfolded the enclosed letter.

Hyun Jong quietly folded the letter again.

The tone was exceedingly polite, but perhaps the same letter, written in the same way, was being delivered to other places as well.

‘However, a slightly different letter would have gone to Wudang or Jongnam,’ Hyun Jong thought.

This single letter was enough to know how much Shaolin thought of Mount Hua now.

When he thought about it, he should be happy that the invitation had arrived. But Hyun Jong found it difficult to erase a subtle bitterness.

“A martial arts tournament?”

Hye-bang, a monk from Shaolin Temple, spoke politely. “I heard you are planning a big meeting for all the Sect Leaders,” he said. “And also a martial arts competition, to build friendship and help everyone improve.”

Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader of Hwasan, raised an eyebrow. “The Sect Leaders themselves will gather?” he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Surely not? We plan to limit participation in the martial arts competition to those under thirty years of age.”

Hyun Jong smiled slightly and looked at Hye-bang.

“That’s a wonderful idea. But… would Hwasan, having been removed from the Nine Great Sects, even dare to participate in such an event?”

Hye-bang put his hands together in respect (a Buddhist expression of respect). “Amitabha. How can you say such a thing? This martial arts competition will be attended not only by the Nine Great Sects but also by the Five Great Families and other major sects. So, please do not worry.”

“Hmph!”

A snort came from behind them. Hye-bang was surprised by the sudden noise and turned his head slightly. He saw a young man leaning against the wall in the back, looking at them with a strange, unfriendly look.

‘He looks young?’

Hye-bang understood the hostile look. Hwasan had been kicked out of the Nine Great Sects, and Shaolin had been among those who did the kicking.

But this was the residence of the Hwasan Sect Leader. It was strange enough that a young disciple was even present at this important meeting with a guest from Shaolin. But the young disciple’s attitude was very rude.

What was even stranger was that none of the Hwasan elders seemed to be trying to stop him. Not even Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader.

‘What a waste of a famous name.’

Before Hye-bang’s frown got any deeper, Hyun Jong spoke calmly. “Yes. You said you were holding a martial arts competition?”

“That is correct.”

“What will the format be? Surely not all the disciples from all those sects can participate.”

“It would be ideal if that were possible, but it is not easy to do. So, we had to make different levels of invitations.”

“Different levels?”

“Please look at the color of the invitation.”

Hyun Jong looked down slightly. “…Silver, I see.”

“There are four types of invitations in total. First, the platinum invitation. Sects that receive the platinum invitation are invited with fifty people total, and twenty disciples can participate in the martial arts competition.”

Hyun Jong’s brow furrowed.

“The gold invitation is for forty people with fifteen participants, the silver invitation is for thirty people with ten, and the bronze invitation is for twenty people with five…”

“Is this bastard playing games with us?”

“Chung Myung-ah!”

“Aigo, you rascal! Be patient! You must be patient!”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes back, and the Un disciples quickly jumped on him.

Even while being held down, he growled like a dog and shouted, “Silver invitation? Silver invitaaaation? Not even a gold invitation, but a silver invitaaaation? Are these bastards underestimating Hwasan too much!”

Hye-bang flinched at the terrifying outburst.

‘Wait a minute.’

Did he just say Chung Myung?

Then is that guy the Hwasan Divine Dragon?

‘How can such a person be…?’

Isn’t he just a reckless fool who doesn’t know how to behave?

For such a person to be called the greatest rising star of the younger generation.

‘The rumors of the Jianghu are not to be trusted.’

“Hey! You there!”

“Bald… No, Monk!”

Trying not to think about the word he almost said, Hye-bang cleared his throat. “Were you calling me?”

“What did Jongnam get?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking what invitation Jongnam received.”

“A platinum invitation.”

“Seriously, these guys!”

Chung Myung began to squirm again, and Un-geom and Un-am pressed him down harder. “Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Calm down.”

“Candy! Someone bring candy!”

Chung Myung, pinned tightly to the floor, bared his teeth and said, “Hey, Monk!”

Hye-bang was the only monk there, but he didn’t point that out. He simply nodded.

“Did you hear that Jongnam’s younger generation got trashed by Hwasan?”

“Yes… I did hear the news that Hwasan won at the Hwajong Assembly…”

“So?”

“What are you talking about?”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue as if Hye-bang was pathetic. “It’s obvious that Hwasan’s younger generation is better than Jongnam’s. But they get a platinum invitation and can send twenty participants, while we get a silver invitation and can only send ten? Hey, are you kidding me?”

Hye-bang didn’t know what to say.

Now that he thought about it, Chung Myung was right. His attitude was too much, but his logic was sound.

“You should think before handing out invitations! Hey, you bald… Mmph! Mmmph! Mmmm…”

Hyun-young skillfully shoved a rice cake into Chung Myung’s mouth. With his mouth full, Chung Myung’s eyes softened slightly. He began to chew the rice cake silently.

“Here, there’s tea here too.”

Hyun-young put a teapot in front of Chung Myung and glanced at Hyun Jong.

Hyun Jong saw the signal and nodded. He quickly said, “Although he is a bit rough, what this child says is not wrong. If this Grand Martial Arts Assembly is just a gathering, then fine. But if it is a competition for the younger generation, then Hwasan deserves to be treated the same as Jongnam. Don’t you agree?”

Hye-bang put his hands together. “Amitabha. That is…”

Hyun Jong smiled gently. “Shaolin is known for fairness and justice. I hope you will consider our position.”

Chung Myung swallowed the rice cake and began to shout again. “If we go and beat up all the Jongnam kids, your eyes will be full of holes! Think before you hand out invitatio…”

“Here, let’s eat one more.”

“Ooph!”

Hyun-young shoved another rice cake into Chung Myung’s mouth.

Hye-bang watched the whole scene. He seemed to be thinking hard with a serious expression before finally nodding. “What the Sect Leader says is not wrong.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“However, the number of platinum invitations is fixed. All I can offer is a gold invitation. I hope the Sect Leader will also consider my and Shaolin’s situation.”

He took out a gold invitation from his robes and handed it to Hyun Jong.

Hyun Jong quietly stared at the gold invitation before nodding and accepting it. “Thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

Hye-bang put his hands together again and continued, “The competition will be held in half a year from now.”

“Why did you set it so far away?”

“It will take time for all the sects from far away to come. And Shaolin also needs time to prepare.”

“Hmm. Indeed, it is not a small number.”

“Then, I will leave now.”

Hye-bang stood up. Hyun Jong looked at him, surprised. “Already?”

“There are many invitations left to deliver. Please forgive me for leaving so quickly.”

“Hyun-sang.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“See the guest off.”

“Yes!”

Hyun-sang stood up, and Hye-bang put his hands together towards everyone, bowed, and went outside.

After Hyun-sang and Hye-bang left, everyone in the Sect Leader’s residence looked at the invitation on the tea table with serious eyes.

“The Grand Martial Arts Assembly.”

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung. “What do you think? Chung Myung-ah?”

“Jongnam isn’t the problem here.”

Hyun Jong saw Chung Myung’s eyes burning with anger.

“Are these bald monk bastards underestimating Hwasan? We’ll see if their heads don’t get smashed!”

Hyun Jong smiled kindly as he watched Chung Myung, who was furious.

‘Should I take that rascal with me?’

It’s a difficult choice.

Hwasan Sect Leader Personal Letter: Strife in the martial world never stops, and people are jealous of each other, so the world is in chaos. After thinking about it, Shaolin believes this is because we don’t gather together enough.

Before the Demonic Sect caused chaos, there was a martial arts competition where many sects participated, sharing friendship and improving through competition.

Now that the Martial Arts Alliance is weak and doesn’t really do anything, Shaolin wants to take on that role and hold a martial arts competition, even though we are not strong enough to do it well.

So, I hope that the Sect Leader will accept Shaolin’s request and come with his disciples to the event. We will be waiting for the Sect Leader at Mount Song.