Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 270

The news that Mount Hua and Hainan had a fight spread quickly throughout Shaolin.

“Hainan started it?”

“Mount Hua? Where’s Mount Hua?”

“You know, the one that used to be one of the Nine Great Sects.”

“Ah! The Plum Blossom Sword Sect! That Mount Hua fought with Hainan? How curious.”

Those who knew the relationship between Mount Hua and Hainan couldn’t help but pay attention.

Mount Hua, who was removed from the Nine Great Sects, and Hainan, who took their place.

Wasn’t that a relationship that would make people curious? Even if they weren’t enemies, they would fight when they met.

The fact that they were fighting made everyone excited.

“So, what happened?”

“What do you think happened?”

“Well, of course, Hainan crushed Mount Hua, right?”

“Hey, if that were the case, would I be making such a fuss? Quite the opposite! Mount Hua completely beat Hainan!”

“What? Where did you hear such nonsense?”

“They clicked their tongues. There were over a hundred people who saw the fight. Why would they all lie? The disciples of Mount Hua completely surrounded and beat up the disciples of Hainan!”

“Heavens.”

It was quite astonishing.

If that were true, it meant that Mount Hua, whose name was almost forgotten, had literally beaten Hainan, one of the Nine Great Sects.

“Is Mount Hua that strong?”

Hainan couldn’t be weak, so naturally, one would ask this.

“Well, that’s the tricky part.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“It’s true that the disciples of Mount Hua won, but neither side used swords. It’s only natural, would they dare to draw their swords at Shaolin?”

“A sword sect fighting without swords? Then what did they fight with?”

“They fought with their fists. And Mount Hua won against Hainan with those fists.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. I thought it was something amazing. Then it’s not that big of a deal, is it?”

“Whether it’s a big deal or not, we’ll have to wait and see. Even without swords, Hainan is still Hainan. If they were completely overwhelmed, then we can expect something from Mount Hua, who drew their swords, right?”

“That’s true. We’ll have to see at the martial arts competition.”

Those who heard the news discussed their thoughts and fell into this topic.

Some criticized Mount Hua and Hainan for causing trouble in Shaolin, and some were interested in the result of this match.

Some hoped for Mount Hua’s performance, which was still far from regaining its former power, and some frowned at Mount Hua’s actions, which shook the established power structure.

Various opinions crossed, but there was one point they all agreed on.

“This martial arts competition will be unpredictable.”

“Isn’t this the first time since the rise of the Demonic Sect that prestigious sects are showing off their power? A hundred years is a long time. It wouldn’t be strange if unexpected results came out.”

“That’s right. Absolutely.”

However, most people thought Mount Hua’s actions were not a big deal.

At least for now.

“It’s not fair.”

Chung Myung had committed a crime.

He managed to explain it away, but there was no excuse for beating up the disciples of other sects on his first day at Shaolin.

Even if he was angry, he couldn’t say the real reason out loud. So, he had to accept the punishment.

Chung Myung could accept that much.

It was reasonable to be punished for the crime he committed.

However.

“It’s not fair.”

Wouldn’t anyone feel wronged if they received a punishment greater than the crime they committed, and the others received no punishment?

Chung Myung jumped up and threw open the door.

Baek Cheon’s group, who were guarding the door, stared at him.

“…”

“…”

Looking at them guarding him with real swords, Chung Myung felt annoyed.

“Traitors!”

“…”

Baek Cheon said awkwardly, “There’s nothing we can do. The Sect Leader ordered us to stop you from leaving, so we have to follow.”

“What did I do! Sasuk caused the trouble!”

“Ahem!”

Baek Cheon covered his mouth and coughed.

Everyone knew that Baek Cheon had started it.

Chung Myung had encouraged him, but was it fair to be treated as the main culprit just for being poked a little?

But he mustn’t give up!

“It’s no use saying that to me. It’s the Sect Leader’s order…”

“The Sect Leader told you not to let me out? Why?”

“Because you’re going to cause trouble.”

“Trouble? Should I show you what real trouble is?”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes, and Baek Cheon’s group huddled together.

“Anyway, no! You can’t go out, you rascal! Just bear with it. We’re stuck here guarding you all day! You’re not the only one being punished.”

“Okay. Let’s say that’s true.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung smiled. “So, the Sect Leader told Sasuk to stop me, is that what you’re saying?”

“…”

“Told Sasuk?”

“…”

Baek Cheon looked up at the sky and then closed his eyes.

‘He should order something that can be done.’

But he had received an order!

Even if his bones broke, he had to tie this guy up here!

“Go inside, Chung Myung!”

“What if I don’t want to?”

Baek Cheon glared. “Then we’ll have to see blood!”

“Oh? You’re going to see my blood?”

“No. My blood.”

“…”

“…”

“So, just go inside.”

Chung Myung was opening and closing his mouth when Baek Sang came running up, panting.

“Sahyung!”

“What’s wrong?”

“The Sect Leader wants you to bring Chung Myung down.”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon frowned, puzzled.

Hadn’t he been told not to let Chung Myung out of the room? But now he was being told to bring Chung Myung down?

“Is that true?”

“Would I lie about the Sect Leader’s orders?”

“I suppose not.”

Baek Cheon glanced at Chung Myung with a worried face.

“Ha. I don’t want to go down. Sigh. Why is he calling me?”

‘Agh.’

I really want to shut that mouth!

Baek Cheon sighed and opened the way. “Go down.”

“Yes, sir.”

Chung Myung went down lightly. Baek Cheon shook his head and followed.

Hyun Jong was sitting at the central table on the lower floor.

Chung Myung saw a familiar person across from him.

“Oh!”

Chung Myung ran to him and grabbed his hand. “Clan Lord!”

Tang Gunak, the Clan Lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan, smiled. “It’s been a while.”

“What brings you all the way here from Sichuan?”

“…Wouldn’t I have come to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament?”

“Hehe. Right? I thought you came to see me.”

“That’s not entirely wrong either.”

Tang Gunak smiled bitterly. “You haven’t changed at all.”

“It’s only been a few days.”

Hyun Jong cleared his throat. “Chung Myung-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t make a fuss and sit down.”

“Yes!”

Chung Myung pulled out a chair and sat down.

Then, Hyun Jong smiled and spoke to Tang Gunak. “Thank you for coming, Clan Lord. I should have visited you first, but I am sorry that you have come all this way.”

“Please don’t say that, Sect Leader. It is natural for the latecomer to seek out the early comer. And Mount Hua and the Tang Clan are friends, aren’t they?”

Hyun Jong smiled warmly.

Whenever Tang Gunak said such things, he felt delighted. He had been treated poorly for decades, but the Sichuan Tang Clan treated him as a friend, so how could he not be grateful?

“You must have had a hard time on the long journey. I’m not worried about you, Clan Lord, but the children must have had a hard time.”

“People with the Tang name don’t complain about a little travel.”

Hyun Jong was impressed by the firm voice.

‘Indeed.’

He was gentle and polite, but he must be strict within the Tang Clan. There was a reason he was the Clan Lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

“But…”

“Yes?”

Tang Gunak tilted his head, asking.

“What on earth has happened to make you look so young?”

“Ah.”

Hyun Jong chuckled. Tang Gunak was seeing him for the first time after he had taken the Jasodan, so it was understandable that he would be curious.

“Something good happened.”

“In any case, congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Tang Gunak did not ask more questions. He simply wished Hyun Jong well.

“But what brings you here? You must have a lot to do, having just arrived today.”

“Well… for no particular reason, really.”

Tang Gunak stopped talking, looking around the room uncomfortably.

Cheong-myeong grinned, understanding.

“Ah, I see.”

Then he spoke to the other disciples beside him.

“Someone go and fetch So-so.”

“Dang So-so?”

“Yes.”

One of the disciples nodded and hurried up to the second floor.

Tang Gunak cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed.

Hyun Jong smiled gently and said,

“Wanting to see your daughter is a natural feeling for a father, is it not?”

“I am sorry, Sect Leader. I know that having sent her away to train, I should not seek her out like this, but…”

“While Hwasan is a Daoist sect, we do not encourage severing ties with family. Cutting off connections is also unnatural. If your heart is connected to your family, cherishing that connection is also part of the Dao. So, do not worry and visit as much as you like.”

“Thank you.”

Tang Gunak quietly bowed his head in gratitude.

“Father!”

A voice, bright and loud, echoed from the upper floor, making Tang Gunak jump slightly. A warmth spread through his chest, flushing his cheeks a faint pink.

*So-so.* Just the sound of her voice… it had been almost a year. A year since he’d sent his precious daughter, the child he’d held in his arms, to this distant mountain. How many sleepless nights had he spent, picturing her in this unfamiliar place?

He straightened his robes, the formal head of the Sichuan Dang Family trying to mask the rush of emotion. But his eyes, fixed on the top of the staircase, stung with unshed tears.

“Father!” The voice again, closer now.

“Yes… So-so?” Tang Gunak breathed, his voice catching in his throat. “So-so? Is that really you, So-so?”

His eyes widened, heart pounding in his chest. He could hear the quick tap-tap-tap of footsteps on the wooden stairs.

His daughter.

As if she would fly away in the wind, wither in the rain. Hadn’t he raised her so delicately, so preciously?

Looking at her like a single narcissus flower, how many people had praised that she would become the most beautiful woman in Sichuan in the future?

But…

Tap tap tap!

At the sight of Dang So-so running down the stairs, he flinched greatly.

A dark martial uniform.

Hair tied up haphazardly.

Her skin, once as smooth and pale as moonlight on jade, was now tanned as if she had been working in the rice paddies. Her eyes, which always held a sorrowful beauty, now carried an indescribable intensity.

‘Did she come back from the battlefield?’

How did my daughter become a mountain bandit?

“So, So-so?”

“Yes! Father!”

At Hyun Jong’s signal, Dang So-so went straight to Tang Gunak and bent her waist at a right angle.

“So-so! Greetings to Father!”

His daughter, who had been like a pear blossom, had appeared as a thistle clinging to a pond.

At this astonishing transformation, Tang Gunak stuttered without realizing it.

“Ho, how… No, wh… So-so… Huh?”

“Have you been well!”

It was a greeting overflowing with spirit.

Tang Gunak glanced at Cheong-myeong.

Cheong-myeong grinned.

“She’s grown up well, right?”

Ye, yes.

How well she has grown; the child is overflowing with energy…

Tang Gunak stared at Dang So-so with dazed eyes.

How should he accept this change?

After hesitating for a long time, he opened his mouth in a quiet voice.

“So-so.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Are you happy?”

Dang So-so closed her mouth.

After quietly looking at her father, she nodded and smiled more brightly than ever.

“Yes. I am happy, Father.”

“Good.”

A smile finally appeared on Tang Gunak’s face.

“That’s all that matters.”

What did it matter if she wasn’t the way he knew her? What did it matter if her appearance had changed?

The fact that Dang So-so was his daughter, whom he wouldn’t trade for the world, did not change.

His beloved daughter looked much more comfortable now than when she was as beautiful as a flower in the past.

That was enough.

“Good. Have you learned a lot at Hwasan?”

“Yes, Father! In this martial arts competition, I will smash the heads of the other sects and raise the name of Hwasan and the Dang Family!”

“Wait. Smash what?”

“The heads…”

Thump.

Yoo Iseol, who had approached unnoticed, covered Dang So-so’s mouth and dragged her away.

Tang Gunak looked at Hyun Jong with a dubious gaze. Hyun Jong, as if it wasn’t his fault, subtly gestured towards Cheong-myeong. Naturally, Tang Gunak also turned his gaze to Cheong-myeong.

“Why are you looking at me?”

It’s nothing.

Only my insides are burning, only my insides!

He drank several cups of cold tea in a row to calm himself.

Only then did his gaze cool down.

Finally, the atmosphere of the head of the Sichuan Dang Family emanated from him.

“Sect Leader.”

“Yes, Dang Family Head.”

“The reason I came here is not only to see So-so. It seems the situation is turning out strangely.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Tang Gunak said in a low voice.

“I heard that Jongnam and Wudang recently held a secret meeting in Wuhan.”

Hyun Jong’s face hardened.

“If they met before the martial arts competition, there can only be one reason.”

“Do you think they are trying to check us?”

“I can’t think of any other reason.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong frowned slightly and let out a groan.

Tang Gunak said in a slightly cold voice.

“Even if that’s not the reason they met, nothing will change. Perhaps the Nine Great Sects now see Hwasan as a thorn in their side.”

“That would be so.”

The one they had driven out had returned and was threatening the Nine Great Sects. That was proof that the Nine Great Sects’ judgment had been wrong.

Naturally, the Nine Great Sects would not welcome Hwasan’s success.

“If the Sect Leader wishes, I will create a meeting.”

“A meeting?”

“Hwasan is not affiliated with the Nine Great Sects, so it would not be strange to build friendships with the Five Great Families, would it? Then Hwasan’s movements will become a little easier.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong was deep in thought. It wasn’t wrong and it was a good suggestion, but it wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

But there was one person who wasn’t worried at all.

“Eh. Why bother? It’s fine.”

“Hmm?”

Cheong-myeong shrugged.

“Just because they are checking us doesn’t mean they can send two people up to the martial arts arena. The outcome will be decided by skill anyway. So why be afraid?”

“Haha. Well, that’s true.”

“And as for the Five Great Families, thank you for the offer, but it’s fine. There’s no need to pretend to be friendly when we’re not. The Dang Family is enough as a friend. Isn’t that right?”

At the unexpected answer, Tang Gunak stared at him.

Still a strange fellow, but…

‘Certainly, it’s not a bad thing to hear.’

He smiled slightly and asked Cheong-myeong.

“Are you saying that victory is naturally yours?”

“No.”

Cheong-myeong said firmly.

“Then?”

“Victory is not mine, but Hwasan’s.”

Yes, indeed.

Tang Gunak smiled broadly.

“Yes. That is how it will be.”