Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 29

“Sect Leader!”

“Sect Leader! Please, open your eyes.”

Hyun Jong woke up with a start.

‘A dream?’

He sat up quickly. The chest was still there.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a dream.

“U-Un-Geom!”

“Yes! Sect Leader!”

“Gather the disciples! Move that chest to my residence immediately! And have the senior disciples guard the area like an iron wall!”

“Yes! Sect Leader!”

“No, no! I will move it myself! Right now!”

Hyun Jong took a deep breath to calm down.

Nothing was certain yet. To understand the situation, he needed Hyun Young, the Finance Hall Lord, to check if these items were real.

‘But how could they not be genuine!’

If these weren’t real, why would they be hidden on Yeonhwa Peak? And with so much treasure?

‘No, no! Still, I need to be sure.’

He felt both hopeful and worried at the same time. His heart raced – he couldn’t remember feeling this excited in years.

“Un-Geom!”

“Yes! Sect Leader.”

“Come with me. We’re taking this down the mountain!”

“Understood!”

Hyun Jong jumped up and looked at Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung-ah!”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“You’ve worked hard. We’ll talk later!”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung stepped back. Hyun Jong quickly picked up the entire chest and gave Chung Myung one last order.

“Take the disciples to the Baekmae Hall.”

“I will.”

“Then!”

Hyun Jong moved very quickly down the mountain. Un-Geom hurried after him. The disciples on Yeonhwa Peak stared, confused.

“What is going on?”

“…I don’t know?”

Yoon Jong scratched his head, looking completely lost. ‘What in the world is going on?’ he mumbled, while Jo Gol just stared with wide eyes.

Chung Myung smiled.

‘This should be enough for now.’

The treasures and manuals in the chest were only some of what was in the Bigo.

Why only some? Because it doesn’t all belong to Hwasan, but to Chung Myung…

‘Not really!’

‘Easy does it.’

If you give someone starving rich food, their body can’t handle it. The Sect Leader was already gasping for air with just this much.

Giving too much isn’t always good.

Chung Myung thought Hwasan couldn’t handle all the items in the Bigo right now. It was too much to ask someone very sick to run. They had to start slowly.

Of course, it might be slow for Chung Myung, but not for them.

Yoon Jong came up to Chung Myung and asked carefully,

“Disciple.”

“Huh?”

“The Sect Leader told us to go down. Should we go back to Baekmae Hall?”

Chung Myung nodded.

“We should.”

“Hey, Chung Myung, you look awful. What happened?”

“Ugh. Something happened.”

Chung Myung waved his hand.

‘Would you even understand?’

Using Innate True Qi was taking a toll on his body.

‘I should have used less.’

He was good at using True Qi in the past, but he wasn’t there yet. And his new body was different.

Using Innate True Qi in a new body was hard. He tried to use just the right amount, but it was difficult. If he could do that perfectly, people would call him a Martial God, not just a Sword Saint.

“You look like you’re about to die?”

“I’m not.”

“Really?”

“…Do you want me to?”

Yoon Jong looked away.

Huh?

He’s not saying anything? Did he want him to die? Chung Myung thought his eyes looked suspicious!

“I’m not dying, so don’t get your hopes up, okay?”

“What hopes? Ahem.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

‘Looks like I’m stuck in bed for a month or two.’

Innate True Qi wasn’t easy to recover. Even with rest, it would take two months to get back to normal. Unless he took some special medicine.

“By the way, how did you find that? The Sect Leader was so surprised; it didn’t seem like ordinary stuff.”

“If you are good, good things will happen to you.”

“…”

If Chung Myung was getting blessings, others would have become immortal already. But no one said that out loud.

Chung Myung looked at the Sect Leader running down Yeonhwa Peak.

‘If I gave him this much, he’ll be okay.’

He’s not dumb.

“Let’s go down.”

“We should. But… where are you going?”

“Why?”

“If we’re going down, shouldn’t we go this way?”

Yoon Jong pointed down.

“Why ask that?”

“But why are you going up?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Chung Myung looked at Yoon Jong with pity.

“Senior Brother.”

“…Yes?”

“To be a master, you have to be flexible. Don’t think there’s only one way to go down.”

“Alright. The Sect Leader is busy, and we have things to do. The last ten get no food. Run!”

Before Yoon Jong could complain, he and the other scared children were running towards the top.

‘That devil!’

‘Why aren’t the ghosts taking him away!’

Chung Myung grinned as he watched them run and turned his head.

“I’ve given the first gift.”

What should he do next?

He still had a lot of items from the Bigo. The treasures in the chest were not even a tenth of them.

Chung Myung looked at the sky. It seemed like the Sect Leader was staring at him.

“Hey. I’m not going to keep it all.”

Moderately. Okay?

“Hee hee.”

Chung Myung chuckled and followed the children.

“It’s genuine.”

His heart dropped with relief. It was what he expected, but it was still a shock.

Hyun Jong trembled and asked again,

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I am sure. The ledger is real, and I have the certificates that were under the treasures. Sect Leader!”

“Hoo! Hoo-hoo!”

He couldn’t speak. He could only make a strange sound.

“H-How could this…”

“It’s done! It’s done! Sect Leader!”

“Hoo…. Hehehehe.”

He tried to hold it in, but he kept laughing.

The world was surprising, but how could they find such precious things at this time?

What if they had found it a week later?

He didn’t want to think about it.

‘The ancestors are watching over us.’

Hyun Jong closed his eyes, full of emotion.

“Can you prove the ledger is real?”

“These are certificates from the country. Of course! We can get Taehwa Pavilion and other Hwaeum businesses back right now.”

“That’s good. That’s really good.”

It was a miracle.

Hwasan was about to be homeless in a week. But with these, they could keep their buildings and get back their businesses.

It was a jackpot.

Hyun Young, the Finance Hall Lord, chuckled.

“Even if this is fake, we’re safe for now. The treasures in the chest are worth at least one hundred thousand nyang. That’s enough to pay everyone back.”

“That’s a relief. That’s really a relief.”

“With this money, we can fix Hwasan’s money problems. And if we get back our businesses, we won’t have to worry about money again.”

Every word was good news. To Hyun Jong, it sounded like the most wonderful music.

“That’s not all.”

Hyun Sang, the Martial Arts Hall Lord, smiled.

“The Seven Plum Sword also seems real. We need to study it more, but it looks good so far. It has the quickness, change, and spirit of Hwasan martial arts.”

“Ooh.”

“And the Fallen Blossom Sword manual is great too. It’s not as good as the Seven Plum Sword, but it helps you learn it. It’s a step between the True Six Harmony Sword and the Seven Plum Sword.”

“I, I see.”

“Also, the Bamboo Leaf Hand, the Hidden Fragrance Flutter, and the Seven Star Steps seem real.”

He was losing his mind.

Hyun Jong tried to speak less. He didn’t want to look silly.

“Finding the Seven Star Steps is a huge win. It’s the basic footwork of Hwasan martial arts. If the children learn it, they’ll get better without messing up what they already know.”

“Does that go for us too?”

“Of course, Sect Leader.”

“It’s Hwasan’s good luck.”

Hyun Sang looked at the Sect Leader and started to say something, but stopped.

Hyun Jong noticed.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s nothing. Just a worry.”

“About the martial arts?”

“No, no. The martial arts are real. I promise.”

“That’s good.”

The Sect Leader nodded, and Hyun Sang smiled.

“You said a new disciple found this?”

“Yes. Chung Myung, who just joined.”

“We have to reward him.”

“Of course. We have to reward him. Because of him, Hwasan…”

“Not so fast, Sect Leader.”

Hyun Young, the Finance Hall Lord, interrupted.

“He hasn’t been here long. How loyal is he to Hwasan?”

“…That’s true.”

“Even if he doesn’t know the value of the ledger and manuals, he knows the treasures are worth something. If it were me, I would have run away with them. Or hidden them.”

Hyun Young was excited. But he was right.

“That’s right. I didn’t think of that.”

“He’s great. Even someone who loves Hwasan might have taken the treasures. I don’t know if I would have told you right away…”

“I’ll remember that.”

“…Sect Leader?”

Hyun Young looked confused. Hyun Jong laughed.

“He’s great. Hwasan has a lucky charm.”

Hyun Jong smiled.

It was a lucky accident. But because they brought in Chung Myung, they found the chest. Changing his mind and bringing in one disciple saved Hwasan.

“Hyun Young.”

“Yes. Sect Leader.”

“You’re sure the ledger is real?”

“I’m sure.”

“Good. Then we need to call some people.”

Hyun Jong looked serious.

It was time to punish those who hurt Hwasan.

“Have them all come to Hwasan.”

The Sect Leader of Hwasan, Hyun Jong, stood up straight.