Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 268

The disciples of Mount Hua and Hainan stopped fighting as soon as they saw the Shaolin monks.

The Shaolin monk at the front looked furious. He shouted, “How dare you fight on Shaolin’s sacred grounds! Do you have no respect for Shaolin? Stop this at once, or your sects will face the consequences!”

“Tsk.”

“Ahem.”

The Mount Hua disciples let go of the Hainan disciples, pushed away those they had been hitting, and stepped back.

Seeing this, the Shaolin monk couldn’t control his anger. He yelled, “Who are you? Tell me your sects!”

The Mount Hua disciples hesitated and looked at each other. Before they could speak, Baek Cheon, who had calmed down, stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

“We are disciples of the Mount Hua Sect. We didn’t mean to—”

“Mount Hua Sect?”

The old monk cut him off before he could finish. “Where is the Sect Leader of Mount Hua? I demand to hold him responsible for this!”

Baek Cheon’s face became serious.

He knew they were at fault, but the reaction was stronger than he expected.

“Master, we—”

“Spare me the details! Where is the Sect Leader?”

The old monk’s face turned red.

“How can you let your disciples behave this way? Do you know nothing of chivalry? Picking on a weak sect…”

The old monk stopped and tilted his head.

“Weak…? Weak…? Huh?”

His wrinkled eyes widened. He looked at the beaten disciples and muttered in disbelief, “…Hainan?”

“…”

“No, wait. The Hainan Sect…? Weak? Huh?”

He looked confused, glancing between the Mount Hua and Hainan disciples.

The disciples from both Mount Hua and Hainan lowered their heads.

They both bowed, but for different reasons.

The Mount Hua disciples looked guilty, like children caught doing something wrong. But the Hainan disciples felt something much worse: deep shame. ‘I’m going mad,’ one Hainan disciple thought. ‘How can I ever face anyone again?’ Their faces were red with embarrassment. A Hainan disciple wanted to disappear into the ground.

The situation was clear, and there were no excuses.

They would have preferred to be beaten and left alone.

Now that Shaolin had seen this, everyone at Shaolin would know the truth.

“…Hainan Sect…defeated by Mount Hua? Hainan Sect?”

The old monk seemed completely lost, as if he couldn’t understand what was happening.

What was the Hainan Sect, after all?

It was a famous and powerful sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.

Hainan was the lowest of the Nine Great Sects, but it was still a great title.

Many sects were working hard to reach that position, which showed how important it was.

And yet, the Hainan Sect…

‘Losing to Mount Hua?’

It wasn’t just losing.

The Hainan disciples had black eyes and bruises. Many were still on the ground, unable to get up.

The Mount Hua disciples looked embarrassed but didn’t seem hurt.

‘Shouldn’t the fight have gone the other way?’

This was a fight between Hainan, one of the Nine Great Sects, and Mount Hua, a fallen sect with only its name left.

If people were betting on the fight, anyone who bet on Mount Hua would be called crazy.

How could this have happened?

“Senior Brother.”

“Hm? Hmm? Ah, right.”

The old monk jumped, startled.

‘Now is not the time for such thoughts.’

The important thing was that Mount Hua had started a fight on Shaolin’s grounds.

“Ahem.”

The old monk cleared his throat to change the mood and looked sternly at Baek Cheon again.

“I ask again, where is the Sect Leader of Mount Hua?”

Baek Cheon sighed softly and was about to answer when a voice said,

“I am here.”

Everyone turned to see who was speaking.

Hyun Jong walked toward them, looking grim. His voice was low and tight with anger. He could feel his hands clenching into fists.

Hyun Sang and Hyun Young followed him, Hyun Young looking confused.

The old monk saw Hyun Jong and bowed with his palms together.

“Greetings to the Sect Leader of Mount Hua. I am Gonghwa, from the Disciplinary Hall of Shaolin.”

“So, you are Master Gonghwa. I am Hyun Jong of Mount Hua.”

“Please, don’t call me Master. Just call me Gonghwa.”

Hyun Jong nodded, looking serious.

Normally, they would have exchanged friendly words, but now, they had to be careful with what they said.

Hyun Jong turned his head slightly to look at the Mount Hua disciples.

The Mount Hua disciples lowered their heads as if they had been struck by lightning.

Seeing his disciples avoid his eyes, Hyun Jong groaned.

“Ugh.”

‘If you bow any lower, you’ll break your necks, you brats!’

‘How!’

They had only been here for half an hour! How could they cause trouble in such a short time!

‘I haven’t even unpacked my bags at the inn!’

Hyun Jong was a reasonable man.

He didn’t expect these mountain bandits to stay out of trouble in Shaolin.

But to cause so much trouble so quickly!

“Ugh.”

What could he do? This was his karma as the Sect Leader.

Hyun Jong sighed and looked at Gonghwa, embarrassed.

“I am very sorry. I should have controlled my children.”

“An apology is not enough, Sect Leader,” Gonghwa said coldly.

“This is Shaolin, and they committed a crime here. Words are not enough. They must be taken to the Disciplinary Hall for punishment.”

Hyun Jong’s face hardened at these words.

“Did you say the Disciplinary Hall?”

“That is correct.”

“The Disciplinary Hall is where Shaolin punishes wrongdoers. The disciples of Mount Hua cannot go there.”

“That is the law of Shaolin.”

Hyun Jong gritted his teeth.

“As the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, I cannot accept this.”

“Sect Leader!”

Gonghwa looked surprised. “Are you going to take this stance?”

“Say what you want. I will not send these children to the Disciplinary Hall of Shaolin.”

Gonghwa’s beard trembled.

“Are you disregarding Shaolin?”

“I don’t know why we’re talking like this, but if this is disregarding Shaolin, then I accept it.”

“Sect Leader!”

Hyun Sang shouted in surprise.

Becoming enemies with Shaolin was impossible.

Gonghwa was also surprised, his eyes wide. “Why are you going this far? Their fault is clear!”

“If my children have done wrong, they should be punished severely.”

“But why?”

“Because I, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, will decide their crime and punishment, not Shaolin! I will not hand over my disciples to Shaolin for punishment.”

It was a firm statement.

The Mount Hua disciples looked at Hyun Jong, their eyes trembling.

Looking at his strong back, they felt something building inside them.

They realized what they had done.

‘I should have held back.’

‘Damn it, why did I get so angry?’

Everyone felt guilty, but Baek Cheon felt the weight even more.

He should have stopped them, but he had made things worse.

‘I must take responsibility for this.’

Baek Cheon made up his mind and raised his head.

He waited for the two adults to finish talking.

Abbot Gonghwa’s voice was stern. “Are you really going to do this, Sect Leader Hyun Jong? If Mount Hua protects these disciples, Shaolin will have to hold the entire Mount Hua sect responsible.”

He pointed a finger, his robe rustling slightly. “The disciples’ mistakes are the sect’s mistakes, just like a child’s fault is the parent’s fault. It is only right that Mount Hua is punished!”

Hyun Jong sighed. “Hmm. Amitabha,” he murmured, using a Buddhist prayer. “If that is truly your position…”

Gonghwa was about to reply sharply, his face red with anger, when suddenly…

“But you see.”

“Hm?”

Gonghwa and Hyun Jong turned their heads to the same spot at the same time.

A person was squatting down, looking their way.

Hyun Jong’s eyes widened, and a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. ‘Oh, no!’ he thought, his heart sinking.

Chung Myung was grinning mischievously.

A sense of unease washed over Hyun Jong. He wanted to run over and shut Chung Myung’s mouth immediately, and he was about to take a step when…

Snag.

‘Huh?’

Someone gently tugged at his sleeve.

Turning around, he saw Hyun Young whispering and shaking his head.

“Let him be.”

“But!”

“Isn’t he the type to cause trouble but clean it up properly?”

“Oh….”

That’s right. Even if Chung Myung causes trouble, he cleans it up for sure….

“Really?”

“……”

‘Has that rascal ever cleaned up after himself?’ Hyun Jong thought, his gaze darting fiercely towards Chung Myung. But it was already too late to stop him.

“After listening for a while, there’s something I just can’t understand, Abbot.”

Gonghwa’s eyebrows twitched.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Chung Myung.”

“Chung Myung? A third-generation disciple of Mount Hua?”

“Yes.”

Gonghwa’s eyebrows twitched even more.

“Does the young disciple of Mount Hua not know manners or respectful behavior? How can a third-generation disciple step forward when I am talking with the Sect Leader?”

“The first disciple of Shaolin is talking with our Sect Leader, so why can’t I, a third-generation disciple of Mount Hua, talk with the first disciple of Shaolin?”

“……”

Gonghwa’s cheeks trembled. He felt like Chung Myung was saying, ‘How dare a mere child step forward so carelessly? Why do you think you are better than us, when you are not even in a position to talk to our Sect Leader?’

‘That little rascal deserves to be deep-fried!’

Anger flared in Gonghwa like a sudden fire, but he knew he couldn’t let it show. The moment he showed anger, the harsh words he had used with Hyun Jong would turn against him.

“…Very well. What do you wish to say?”

“So, as I said before, after listening for a while, there’s something I just can’t understand, so I’m asking.”

“What is it that you cannot understand?”

Chung Myung tilted his head.

“You’ve been talking about sin and guilt for a while now.”

“Hm?”

“What did we do wrong?”

“……”

Gonghwa’s eyes were filled with bewilderment.

“…What did you say just now?”

“I’m asking what we did wrong.”

Chung Myung asked as if he was genuinely curious. Looking at his clear and pure face, without even a hint of sarcasm….

‘He’s so irritating,’ Gonghwa thought. ‘I really want to beat him up.’

‘I’m sorry, Abbot,’ the disciples of Mount Hua thought, more upset than Gonghwa. ‘What kind of nonsense is that rascal going to pull this time?’

The flustered Hyun Jong quickly tried to salvage the situation, but Chung Myung was faster.

“You said you would punish us in the Disciplinary Hall, but shouldn’t you tell us what crimes we committed first, so there’s a reason for taking us away?”

“There is no crime?”

“Yes. That’s what I think.”

Gonghwa shouted.

“Do you mean to say there is no crime in fighting within the grounds of Shaolin!”

“Is there something special about Shaolin’s grounds?”

“What?”

Chung Myung yawned and spoke listlessly.

“You keep saying Shaolin, Shaolin, but is there something special about this place? Is fighting in a brawl different from fighting in Shaolin?”

“……”

Gonghwa closed his mouth. Of course, it’s different. But he couldn’t say that.

He glanced around subtly. The onlookers who had gathered were waiting for him to speak. In such a situation, could he really say, ‘Of course, Shaolin’s grounds are sacred, so they cannot be compared to a marketplace’?

As a Buddhist, he absolutely could not say that.

“Of course, Shaolin’s grounds are no different from a marketplace! But you engaged in a large-scale fight without permission, did you not?”

“Yes. So why is that wrong?”

“…What on earth are you saying?”

“Tsk tsk. You really don’t understand.”

Chung Myung groaned and stood up. Then he stretched his back out long and hard.

“Shaolin called us here.”

“That is correct. If you are a guest who has received an invitation, you should naturally observe respectful behavior….”

“Why did you call us?”

“…Hm?”

“I’m asking why you called us. Wasn’t it to have us brawl?”

Gonghwa’s mouth dropped open.

“Ah, no, that’s….”

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’ he thought.

“The reason we invited you was for the Martial Arts Assembly and the martial arts competition….”

“Yes. That martial arts competition. Isn’t that a brawl?”

“……”

Chung Myung smirked and said.

“That Martial Arts Assembly is something only the Sect Leaders need to participate in, and we came together to fight. So we fought, and I don’t know why you’re making such a fuss about it as if it’s a big mistake.”

“How can that be the same as this! That is a formal martial arts competition, and this is a fight, is it not!”

“What’s the difference?”

Chung Myung immediately pushed forward without giving him a chance to argue.

“A martial arts competition is a fight with swords, so it’s okay because Shaolin allows it. We put down our swords and punched each other, but it’s not okay because Shaolin didn’t allow it. Is that what you’re saying right now? Right?”

“Uh….”

Gonghwa closed his mouth.

‘Why are the words turning out like this?’ he wondered. It was nonsense and a clever but false argument. But the bigger problem was that what he said wasn’t really wrong.

A martial arts competition is a battle waged with the expectation of casualties. The result could be more horrific than this brawl. With what words should those who hold such martial arts competitions condemn the current fight?

“Amitabha. Amitabha!” Out of frustration, Gonghwa chanted the Buddhist prayer repeatedly.

“The disciples of Mount Hua….”

“Ah. Just a moment.”

Chung Myung cut off Gonghwa’s words again and slowly turned his head.

“What do you think?”

Following him, everyone’s gaze focused on one place.

“Ah!” they exclaimed. Before they knew it, Abbot Beopjeong of Shaolin was standing there.

“Amitabha,” Beopjeong said, chanting the Buddhist prayer. He smiled gently. “There is nothing wrong with what the little monk says.”

Everyone was shocked by the unexpected judgment and gaped their mouths open.