Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 289

Jong Seo-han ran fast into the plum blossom forest. He was angry and gritted his teeth. He felt a strong sword energy all around him, like it would swallow him.

He swung his sword.

The plum blossoms moved aside when his sword cut through the air. But then they quickly came back together.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t push them away.

It was impossible.

This was absurd.

Jong Seo-han was about to lose his mind because he was so angry.

Jonghwa Assembly. Jong Seo-han remembered that terrible time, when Mount Hua defeated Jongnam.

After that day, things changed in Jongnam.

The senior and junior students, who were usually relaxed, became quiet and irritable.

They felt defeated, which was new to them.

Because things were so bad, Jong Seo-han trained even harder with his sword.

He believed that the shame caused by the sword could only be washed away with the sword.

He thought that if he trained like crazy, he would definitely get a chance to pay back this shame.

But…

‘Why is this happening?’

He didn’t understand.

If he had skipped training even once, he could have accepted it. If he had been careless because he still looked down on Hwasan after the Jonghwa Assembly, he could have blamed himself.

But he had been training so hard that he forgot to eat and sleep.

So why was he failing!

‘No!’

Jong Seo-han gritted his teeth and swung his sword.

His sword was not wrong!

The Jongnam sword could not be wrong!

His sword was covered in pure white energy. As he moved his sword, pure white buds bloomed everywhere.

Dazzling snowflakes bloomed beautifully, even brighter than Baek Cheon’s plum blossoms!

It was a Snow Flower technique. He had made it perfect by training very, very hard.

However, when it touched Baek Cheon’s plum blossoms, it became weak and broke apart.

Jong Seo-han’s bloodshot eyes started to shake.

‘Why, why is this happening?’

Why couldn’t he beat those plum blossoms?

The Snow Flower Twelve Forms was Jongnam’s best sword technique. The old masters of Jongnam made it over many years of study and practice.

They had researched and created better sword techniques instead of being satisfied with the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven or the Great Heavenly罡 Sword Formation!

How could Jongnam’s Snow Flower Twelve Forms lose to Hwasan’s sword techniques, which were like old relics?

It didn’t make sense.

This was too strange.

“Damn it, this can’t be happening!”

Jong Seo-han’s shout echoed in the fighting area.

Baek Cheon’s eyes turned cold.

He clearly heard Jong Seo-han’s desperate shout.

That shout sounded like Baek Cheon’s own scream of despair in front of Jin Geum-ryong in the past.

Only three years.

In those three years, Jong Seo-han and Baek Cheon had switched places.

What caused this change?

Baek Cheon quickly looked outside the fighting area. He saw Cheong-myeong standing near the seats, looking at him with a smile.

‘Don’t laugh, you rascal.’

It was as if Cheong-myeong was asking if he knew how important those three years had been.

Baek Cheon held his sword tighter.

Even if you spend the same time and work hard, it’s useless if you are not learning the right things.

Now, Baek Cheon had to prove that to Jongnam, and especially to Jong Seo-han.

Baek Cheon’s sword glowed with a deep red light, like the color of ripe cherries.

The plum blossoms made by Baek Cheon grew bigger and bigger, completely covering Jong Seo-han’s Snow Flower.

By the time Jong Seo-han realized what was happening, he was surrounded by red petals.

“H-How….”

Jong Seo-han’s eyes were wide with shock.

Was he really losing so badly to Baek Cheon, who wasn’t the Hwasan Divine Dragon Cheong-myeong and who he had never even considered a threat?

“Damn it! Aaaargh!”

He swung his sword desperately. He forgot the proper forms and stances. His wild swordsmanship, like a madman’s struggles, was swallowed up by the flying plum blossom petals.

And then…

Scritch. Scritch. Scritch.

Suddenly, the plum blossom petals, like a warm spring breeze, touched and cut important parts all over his body.

At the same time, the Hwasan plum blossoms that had filled the fighting area disappeared like magic.

Jong Seo-han trembled and looked up at Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon put his sword back in its sheath and looked back at him.

“A tree without roots will dry up and die.”

It doesn’t matter how pretty its flowers are, it’s all for nothing.

“I don’t know if you’ll understand that.”

Thud.

Jong Seo-han fell to the ground. The fighting area became completely silent.

Baek Cheon looked away from the fallen man and turned to look at Jongnam, especially at Jin Geum-ryong.

Their eyes met.

They were like brothers who had chosen different roads. Now they looked at each other with clear anger.

It wasn’t just simple anger.

Those who use swords must prove themselves with their swords.

Baek Cheon and Jin Geum-ryong knew that they had to beat each other to prove themselves.

After a while, Baek Cheon finally looked away and started to walk down from the fighting area.

“Ah….”

Everyone watched as Baek Cheon, a great swordsman in black robes and a white headband, walked slowly down. They would never forget this sight.

The arena exploded with cheers. People jumped to their feet, shouting and clapping. The sound was like thunder, shaking the air.

“Waaaah! Amazing!”

“What was that just now?”

“It was like watching a mountain full of flowers!”

“Hwasan! That’s right, it’s Hwasan! The Plum Blossom Sword Sect of Hwasan! They say Hwasan’s swords draw plum blossoms, but that wasn’t just a metaphor!”

“It’s really amazing! Truly amazing!”

The crowd was very excited.

Everyone knew that the Hwasan students had been winning. But until the main fights, no one had really seen Hwasan’s swordsmanship.

Baek Cheon showed everyone the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, which was known as the most beautiful sword technique in the world. So it was natural that everyone was so excited.

“Wow! Did you see that? Plum blossoms everywhere!” someone shouted.

“Plum Blossom Swordsman! Is that what they’re called?” another voice asked excitedly.

“Yeah, I heard old stories. The best Hwasan swordsmen were called Plum Blossom Swordsmen,” someone explained.

“Heh heh. That’s an interesting name.”

“I don’t understand how they could have become weak with such a sword technique. Isn’t it fantastic?”

“A famous school might become weaker, but it never truly falls! Look! Isn’t it becoming strong and blooming again like a flower?”

“They are really blooming. Haha!”

The crowd watched Baek Cheon and the Hwasan students with excitement.

What do martial artists like?

Everyone has different tastes, but they usually enjoy a few things.

One is seeing a new master appear.

Another is seeing a martial artist from an unknown group beat a martial artist from a famous family.

And the last one is seeing those who had fallen in the past fight back and take back their name.

Hwasan was showing all three of those things. So, even if they didn’t like Hwasan, they had to be excited for now.

“Senior Brother!”

“Uncle-Master!”

As Baek Cheon returned to his seat, the Hwasan students rushed out excitedly. Their faces were red.

Beating a Jongnam student in front of everyone was very important for Hwasan.

“There’s no need to be too happy yet.”

But Baek Cheon said quietly, as if it was nothing.

“It’s not time to celebrate until we beat Jin Geum-ryong.”

He looked down.

He couldn’t say that he had beaten Jongnam until he had beaten Jin Geum-ryong.

“Let’s have a celebratory drink then.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

“Of course, Uncle-Master!”

The Hwasan students looked up at Baek Cheon with red faces.

He was their senior brother, but he was also someone they could rely on.

Watching Baek Cheon beat Jong Seo-han made them feel like all their doubts and worries were disappearing.

If Baek Cheon beat Jin Geum-ryong too, Hwasan would never be afraid of Jongnam again.

“The bad times end here. After this competition, Jongnam will no longer be better than Hwasan.”

Jin Geum-ryong glared at the cheering Hwasan students with cold eyes. He gritted his teeth.

‘Baek Cheon.’

Not Jin Dong-ryong, but Baek Cheon.

Jin Geum-ryong thought of Baek Cheon’s name. Baek Cheon was his brother, but now he was his enemy. Jin Geum-ryong had to beat him.

“I don’t like it.”

It didn’t suit Baek Cheon to be so arrogant. He pretended to be confident, but he looked best when he was trembling with fear inside.

“S-Senior Brother… Senior Brother Jong is…”

Jin Geum-ryong’s eyes darted around the room. All the disciples were looking at him with sad eyes.

“Straighten your shoulders.”

“S-Senior Brother.”

“Don’t let those Huashan kids see you are scared! What great thing has happened that you’re so frightened! Are you even disciples of the Great Jongnam Sect!”

Everyone flinched at Jin Geum-ryong’s scolding. Then, they straightened their backs and tried to smile bravely, but their eyes still showed fear.

“Seo Han’s loss was unexpected, but nothing will change. In the end, all that matters is that I win.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

Jin Geum-ryong’s gaze returned to Baek Cheon. Jin Geum-ryong’s eyes grew even colder as he saw Baek Cheon’s face, which was expressionless as if this was just the beginning.

Don’t be so cocky.

From the start, Baek Cheon was never in his thoughts. He seems to have grown quite a bit in the meantime, but it’s nothing particularly impressive.

Since he received the same blood as him, he should be able to do this much. He was only weak because he belonged to Huashan and couldn’t train properly.

The problem isn’t Baek Cheon.

Chung Myung.

Jin Geum-ryong’s eyes followed Chung Myung’s figure as he chuckled in front of the gambling table.

He still has time to spare, huh?

Jin Geum-ryong, grinding his teeth, muttered lowly.

“There’s nothing to worry about. I will defeat that Huashan Divine Dragon and make Jongnam proud again. Then those foolish Gwanjung people will know who the real winner here is.”

“Of course, Senior Brother!”

“Naturally, Senior Brother will be victorious.”

Half belief, and half flattery.

It was soulless words that only tickled his ears, but Jin Geum-ryong didn’t particularly care about that fact. After all, he just had to prove it with results.

But there was one person.

“Why are you so quiet?”

“…”

At Jin Geum-ryong’s question, Lee Song-baek slowly raised his head.

Jin Geum-ryong stared intently at him, who had been silent all along.

Lee Song-baek’s face was like stone. It showed no happiness, no sadness, nothing at all.

“What do you think?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Do you think I can beat the Huashan Divine Dragon?”

Then Lee Song-baek glanced at Chung Myung and looked back at Jin Geum-ryong.

“I know one thing.”

“What is it?”

“The Great Senior Brother’s next opponent is his younger brother.”

“…So?”

Lee Song-baek said calmly.

“Can someone who isn’t even looking at who they are fighting win anything important?”

At his words, the disciples of Jongnam flared up and stepped forward.

“This bastard!”

“Don’t talk to Senior Brother like that!”

Jin Geum-ryong raised his hand to stop them.

“Leave him alone.”

“Senior Brother!”

And he coldly glared at Lee Song-baek and scolded him.

“We will see who is right.”

Lee Song-baek simply bowed his head without answering. Jin Geum-ryong turned his gaze away mercilessly.

The angry stares of the other Jongnam fighters felt like sharp knives cutting into Lee Song-baek. He simply let out a low sigh.

This shouldn’t be happening…

True talking only happens when people are calm. Jongnam was not calm anymore.

Chung Myung, what do you think?

His gaze faintly followed Chung Myung, who was far away.

“This martial arts competition is a victory for Huashan’s Baek Cheon. Those who bet on Baek Cheon can come here to receive their dividends.”

“Ehehehehe!”

Chung Myung ran towards the gambling table, gleefully.

Wi Rip-san gave a sheepish smile and collected Chung Myung’s tickets.

“Let’s see. Chung Myung bet ten thousand coins, so…”

Wi Rip-san took out a portion of the collected money, literally just a tiny bit, and pushed it all towards Chung Myung.

Since Chung Myung had bet so much money, he took most of the pot even after subtracting what was to be distributed to others.

“Here it is!”

“Hehe. Here you go.”

Chung Myung picked up one of the gold coins and handed it to Wi Rip-san.

“Ah, no, you don’t have to give me something like this…”

“Hey. If you try to eat everything in a gambling den, you’ll get a stomachache. Take this.”

“Then, thank you, I will take it. But how should I give you all this money…”

Before Wi Rip-san could finish speaking, Chung Myung took something out of his pocket and unfolded it.

“Huh?”

What he took out was a large cloth sack. Wi Rip-san gaped.

“Ehehehehe!”

Chung Myung began to literally sweep the money on the gambling table into the sack.

Gold coins, silver coins, and bills were all pushed in, and he tightly tied the mouth of the sack with a string.

Then, he suddenly turned his head.

“Senior Brother!”

“Huh?”

Jo Gul, who was watching Chung Myung from afar, flinched.

“Catch!”

Chung Myung threw the sack at him.

Surprised by the heavy weight, Jo Gul cautiously opened it and flinched once more.

“Hey! What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Put it in the middle. So no one can steal it!”

“…Is that all I have to protect?”

“No.”

Chung Myung grinned.

“What are you talking about? It’s just the beginning.”

I’m going to empty the pockets of everyone here!

“Wow, that’s amazing! He’s going to take all of that?”

“How much is that, anyway?”

“The payout went up to two times on both sides at the end, so he probably made almost ten thousand coins with that one bet?”

“Ten thousand coins in one go?”

Greed began to form in people’s eyes. Everyone realized that this game was bigger than they thought.

Even those who weren’t very interested in gambling began to peek around with curiosity after seeing Chung Myung throw the sack.

Wi Rip-san cleared his throat and shouted.

“We will now begin the next round! This time, it’s Gaebang’s Mok O and Huashan’s Jo Gul…”

“Ten thousand coins on Huashan’s Jo Gul!”

A pile of ten thousand coins flew onto the gambling table again. The eyes of the gamblers flashed with madness.

As if adding fuel to the fire, Chung Myung subtly gestured with his chin and said.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you betting?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the crowd rushed back to the gambling table like hungry ghosts.

“Five hundred coins on Mok O!”

“Three hundred coins on Mok O!”

“Didn’t you lose a lot earlier?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! If I win just once, I can earn several times that! No, even dozens of times! Is the money I lost a big deal?!”

Chung Myung grinned as he watched the gambling table, which had once again become a scene of chaos.

“I never knew making money could be so easy.”

I wish the martial arts competition would be held ten more times. Then becoming the richest man in the world wouldn’t be a dream!

Jo Gul shook his head as he watched Chung Myung, who was happily immersed in his sweet dreams.

And he slowly headed towards the martial arts stage. It was time to prepare.

At that moment, Baek Cheon called out to him.

“Jo Gul.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

As Jo Gul turned around, Baek Cheon told him in a serious voice.

“Don’t underestimate your opponent. They are definitely not easy opponents. Do your best to win.”

“Are you telling me to use the Plum Blossom Sword Technique?”

“If you have to, you have to.”

“I understand!”

Jo Gul’s eyes sparkled.

Defeat the opponent with all his might, and he, too, like Baek Cheon, would receive the cheers of the audience…

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother! I bet on you! If you lose, you’re dead!”

Not you, you imbecile! Not you!