Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 260

The Mount Hua disciples stared at Chung Myung, their eyes filled with worry.

*Hadn’t they suffered enough because of him already?* they seemed to ask with their looks.

Losing to disciples from other famous sects… they could picture it clearly. Very thoroughly.

*’I can see it too well,’* one thought miserably.

*’I’d rather face a demon,’* another silently wished.

The disciples sighed, their shoulders slumping with discouragement. Chung Myung clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Lacking confidence?”

“N-No, it’s not that we lack confidence.”

“Isn’t it?”

Baek Sang’s face paled slightly.

‘Is this guy really going to do it?’

He was just thinking about what to say.

“But, Chung Myung.”

“Huh?”

Yeom Jin, one of the third-generation disciples who had been silent until now, cautiously spoke.

“It’s not that I doubt you, but…”

“Why are you being so hesitant? Just say it. Do I seem like someone who gets angry about little things?”

“Yes.”

“…Really?”

Was I?

That’s strange.

“…Well, I won’t get angry this time, so just tell me.”

Yeom Jin hesitated for a moment, looking unsure, then spoke.

“Can we really beat the disciples of the Nine Great Sects?”

Chung Myung frowned.

“Have you ever seen me make things up?”

“Yes.”

“…Really?”

This is really strange…

I don’t think I’ve ever done that.

“This time it’s for real. We can win.”

“Hmm.”

Yeom Jin looked unsure.

“What are you so afraid of? We already crushed the Jongnam bastards.”

“That’s true, but…”

Baek Sang, seeing Yeom Jin hesitate even after hearing a firm answer, smiled sadly and spoke instead.

“It was the third-generation disciples and you who won. The second-generation disciples all lost.”

“Anyway, the result was a win, so that’s what matters.”

“It’s easier to think that way, but I can’t help but wonder. If those third-generation disciples had been in the second-generation’s position and really learned Jongnam’s strong fighting skills, could we really have won?”

Baek Sang continued, meeting Chung Myung’s blank gaze.

“We can’t say we defeated Jongnam just because we beat those who hadn’t even really learned the Thirty-Six Swords of the Heavens. You defeated Jongnam, but *we* didn’t.”

“So…”

Chung Myung summarized the situation simply after hearing Baek Sang’s words.

“You’re saying you’re not confident in beating the disciples of the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families who have learned proper fighting skills?”

“In a word, yes.”

Chung Myung chuckled.

“Hearing that makes it sound a bit strange. Baek Cheon already proved that Mount Hua is stronger than Wudang by defeating that Sword Dragon.”

“…Don’t point at your martial uncle.”

And don’t call me pale-faced, you little brat!

Baek Sang, seeing Baek Cheon’s face redden, chuckled softly and said.

“Baek Cheon is a special case, isn’t he?”

“…”

Chung Myung slowly, very slowly, turned to look at Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon’s cheek twitched slightly, showing he was annoyed.

Wipe that look off your face, you little brat.

Even so, how could you show such a sour face to your martial uncle so openly?

“And Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Yu Yiseol are also special. Everyone acknowledges their talents. But our talents are quite ordinary.”

“So you lack confidence?”

Baek Sang shook his head.

“Chung Myung, don’t misunderstand. Before you came, we were people for whom defeat was a daily occurrence. It’s not that we’re afraid of losing. We’re just scared.”

“Huh?”

Not afraid of losing, but scared? What does that even mean?

Baek Sang smiled sadly at Chung Myung’s confused look.

“Mount Hua is rapidly regaining its past glory. I’m scared that I might become a hindrance to that Mount Hua. I’m scared that people will say Mount Hua is nothing without you and the other four. That’s why I’m scared.”

*(Baek Sang thought, ‘If we fail, it will hurt Mount Hua’s reputation. I can’t let that happen.’)*

“Heeeuuuum.”

Chung Myung narrowed his brow.

A heavy silence fell for a moment.

Baek Cheon, slightly anxious when Chung Myung, who would normally say something, kept his mouth shut, spoke.

“What are you so afraid of? Mount Hua has its old fighting skills back. And you took the Jasodan pills, right? If you can use the Jasodan’s power and learn the Plum Blossom Sword moves in time, what are you afraid of?”

“Sect Leader. The opponents are the carefully selected late-stage disciples of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families. Even with the Jasodan, their power inside will be greater than ours.”

“That’s…!”

“Also, we are just now learning the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Formation, but they have been mastering the advanced martial arts of their respective sects since childhood.”

Baek Cheon hesitated for a moment and eventually closed his mouth.

It was because he knew that Baek Sang’s words were not wrong.

“So…”

“Ah, enough!”

Just then, Chung Myung interrupted Baek Sang.

“I hate listening to whining!”

Chung Myung, covering his ears with both hands and shaking his head, straightened his shoulders.

“So, you’re not confident in fighting and winning against the elites of other sects?”

“…It’s not that we lack confidence, we’re just worried…”

“You could beat someone like Baek Cheon, but not the others?”

“Umm.”

Chung Myung, leaving Baek Sang, who couldn’t answer easily, clapped his hands lightly.

“Then it’s decided.”

“…Huh?”

Chung Myung grinned and pointed at Baek Cheon.

“Then all we have to do is get as strong as that guy within the next six months. Only those who can do that can go to the tournament, right?”

Baek Sang’s eyes popped out.

“N-No, you little rascal. That’s…”

“Ah, it’s fine. It’s not that difficult anyway.”

“…”

Isn’t it difficult?

Baek Sang glanced at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon was staring at the distant sky with a half-resigned expression.

“Chung Myung. That’s not so…”

“I said it’s fine.”

“No.”

“It’s okay.”

“What I mean is…”

“I’m telling you it’s nothing.”

“It’s fine! It’s fine!”

Listen to what people are saying, you rascal!

Baek Sang clutched his chest, which was aching so much he felt like he was suffocating. Talking to this guy is so tiring!

Chung Myung chuckled at the sight of him.

“Sect Leader, you’re worrying about unnecessary things.”

“Huh?”

“Do you think I’d let you lose to those bastards?”

“…”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes.

“Try losing if you can.”

“…”

Baek Sang, his face pale, stammered.

“Ch-Chung Myung. What I mean is…”

“Don’t worry, Sect Leader. I know very well why you’re worried. I understand it perfectly.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung glared.

“It’s not about effort! It’s laziness!” Chung Myung roared, his voice echoing across the training ground. “If you train so hard you feel like you might collapse, you wouldn’t have time for weak thoughts! You’d only focus on fighting, on surviving!”

He glared at them, eyes bloodshot. “Think about it! It’s not just about how hard you try. It’s also about who you are inside. Ordinary people don’t think like that, no matter how much they try to force themselves.”

Chung Myung paced back and forth, his frustration building. “You’re thinking like this because you’ve been too comfortable lately! This is my fault. If I had pushed you harder, you’d be bursting with confidence by now, practically flying through the air! I’ve been lazy! Too lazy!” He slammed his fist into his palm, making the disciples jump.

Chung Myung’s shouts were like thunder, and the disciples’ faces grew even more pale. They shifted uncomfortably, avoiding his furious gaze.

And soon, their gazes all turned to Baek Sang.

‘Why did I have to say something unnecessary!’

‘Didn’t you know this would happen? Why did you stir up trouble!’

‘Damn it! Damn it! Daaaamn it!’

Feeling the sharp gazes stabbing him in the back, he trembled.

‘I’m not the only one who thought that, you guys!’

Seeing him flustered, Baek Cheon smiled and stepped forward.

“Don’t be so flustered.”

“Senior Brother!”

Baek Sang looked at Baek Cheon as if he was his savior.

Yes, the only person who could stop this madman was…

“I agree with Chung Myung. I know from experience that if you train hard enough to feel like you’re about to die, you become fearless. You become filled with the thought that you can’t possibly lose after working this hard.”

“⋯⋯Yes?”

“So you can do it too! I will work hard to help you so that you don’t have any anxiety about losing!”

“⋯⋯.”

Baek Cheon clenched his fist, making a firm resolution. And Baek Sang stared at his senior brother with a look of utter dismay.

He thought he had encountered his savior, but then he realized Baek Cheon was just as intense as Chung Myung.

‘Seriously, what on earth did these people do on their trip to Yunnan?’

Why are there more guys like Chung Myung popping up!

It’s already like hell!

“It’s not wrong.”

To make matters worse, Yu Yiseol stepped forward to support Baek Cheon.

“What you have built up. That is the source of confidence.”

“That’s right.”

Baek Cheon nodded as if he was pleased.

“The word fear is something you can only consider after experiencing the toughest training. You don’t have the right to say that yet.”

“⋯⋯Have you really been through something like this, Senior Brother?”

“Me?”

Baek Cheon’s lips twisted.

“Well. I don’t know. I wonder if you can say that after doing the same things I did.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Don’t worry. Yu Yiseol and I. And Yoon Jong and Jo Gul will help you. Just like we experienced!”

Senior Brother.

Why are you gritting your teeth while saying such nice things?

You’re not taking it out on us, are you? Right, Senior Brother?

“We’re with you, Senior Brother!”

“We’ll do everything we can to help.”

There are always those who can’t read the atmosphere.

It was Baek Sang’s misfortune to have such people as his junior brothers.

And.

The greatest misfortune he had was opening his mouth with a serious face.

“There’s something that both the grand-disciples and senior brothers need to know.”

“Hmm?”

Chung Myung looked at everyone once and opened his mouth in an unusually low voice.

“I may lose because I am weak, but there is no way to lose because the martial arts of Mount Hua are weak. If the senior brothers can properly master the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique, there is no need to be afraid of anyone, whether it is Wudang or Shaolin.”

Not a very loud voice.

A low and quiet voice, making it sound even more sincere.

“Don’t worry. I, and Mount Hua, will make the grand-disciples strong. So that no one in the world dares to ignore the grand-disciples.” Chung Myung’s voice was low, but filled with a burning passion that made the disciples shiver.

Baek Sang nodded without realizing it.

Was it because of Chung Myung’s words that had an effect?

A new feeling sparked among the disciples, like a fire catching. Their shoulders straightened, and their eyes, though still nervous, now held a flicker of determination.

Chung Myung often talks nonsense, but he doesn’t lie… No, he sometimes lies, but at times like this…

Hmm.

Anyway, it doesn’t seem like a lie.

Baek Cheon took over Chung Myung’s words.

“Don’t forget.”

Baek Cheon looked around at everyone and opened his mouth heavily.

“The sect leader and the elders lead us, and the grand-disciples help us, but in the end, we are the ones who must revive the glory of Mount Hua. We must be the main players. So, straighten your shoulders. Don’t forget. You are the proud swordsmen of Mount Hua.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

“We will keep that in mind! Grand-Disciple!”

Crack. Crack.

Chung Myung twisted his neck from side to side.

“Then, knowing that everyone agrees…”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung reached for his waist and drew his sword, sheath and all.

“Let’s start.”

“⋯⋯Already?”

“Why bother dragging it out? It’s a waste of time.”

Chung Myung gestured with his chin, and Baek Cheon and Yu Yiseol stood in front of the second-generation disciples. And Yoon Jong and Jo Gul stood in front of the third-generation disciples.

“Now that the basics are roughly laid, we need to move on to practical training. Three months. Just three months. Think of it as dying for three months. If you survive that…”

Chung Myung grinned.

“You will be qualified to be called Plum Blossom Swordsmen.”

Plum Blossom Swordsmen (梅花劍手).

The moment they heard that name, which had been forgotten for so long, the disciples of Mount Hua all trembled.

At one time, the name Plum Blossom Swordsmen was synonymous with Mount Hua.

Now, the name of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, which no one dares to call themselves, came out of Chung Myung’s mouth.

“⋯⋯But.”

Chung Myung said with cold eyes.

“Every name comes with a price. Bearing a name means bearing the responsibility for it. Don’t think you can get that name without experiencing the toughest training.”

The disciples’ eyes became firm.

“It’s already hell now, what’s new about it.”

“Let’s start. As you said, without wasting time.”

“Oh?”

Chung Myung chuckled.

The ones who were whining until just now seem to have made up their minds.

“Start.”

“Understood.”

Chung Myung stepped back slightly, and Baek Cheon shouted.

“Come forward one by one from the front. We will spar. Those who have finished sparring will go to Chung Myung and spar again. Move without wasting time!”

“Yes!”

Those who were standing at the front rushed forward. Watching them, Chung Myung curled up the corners of his lips.

‘They’re like chicks.’

But it seems that feathers are starting to appear little by little.

If I pass on the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique and make them go through extreme training for the remaining time?

‘I can do it.’

The World Martial Arts Assembly will be a place to declare the revival of Mount Hua.

‘And break the heads of the Nine Great Sects while I’m at it.’

Chung Myung, who grinned, looked up at the sky.

Senior Brother.

Sect Leader Senior Brother.

Just wait a little bit!

I will make the name of Mount Hua known to the world.

Chung Myung chuckled and grabbed his sword.

Time flows like water.

The time of Mount Hua also flowed fairly.

One day.

Two days.

And a month.

The next six months were a blur of sweat, exhaustion, and the constant clash of swords. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, as the disciples pushed themselves harder than they ever thought possible.

And before they knew it, the day to participate in the World Martial Arts Assembly was just around the corner.