Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 315

Where is that Beggar Now? (5)

Jongpal thought about punishment. It seemed simple: if someone does wrong, they should be punished.

Everyone knows criminals should be punished. It seems obvious.

But people have argued about how much punishment is right for a very long time.

‘Are they even human?’

A low groan escaped from Jongpal’s lips.

“This is a bit…”

The moment he tried to express a slight dissatisfaction, a sharp response came back immediately.

“He speaks?”

“He opens his eyes?”

“He breathes?”

…”

Jongpal flinched and quickly hunched his shoulders. And he muttered the words he couldn’t say out loud.

‘Isn’t the punishment too severe compared to the crime they committed?’

But he couldn’t dare to make any complaints.

The reason? It’s very simple. Because around him, there were so many men who looked like they would do anything for someone who seemed important!

The men around Jongpal were like rocks. Their skin was dark from the sun, stretched tight over hard muscles. They had wide shoulders and faces that looked like they were carved from stone, always angry.

It was a sight that had become somewhat familiar to those who watched the tournament from Shaolin, but it was a shock to Jongpal, who had just arrived at Shaolin yesterday.

‘Are these people not training in the mountains and just doing business?’

They looked like tough fighters that any gang would want to hire.

Besides…

“Are your eyes rolling? I’ll beat you until you cry!”

“You should thank the heavens that this is Shaolin. If it were Mount Hua, do you think you’d still be alive? You’d be dead and buried!”

“The more I think about it, the more angry I get. I’ll roll you off the top of Nagan Peak!”

Their personalities were also perfectly suited to the Green Forest.

Jongpal lowered his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

‘How did I end up like this?’

As soon as Hong Daeguang came up to Shaolin, he threw Jongpal into the middle of these beast-like Mount Hua guys and ran away without looking back.

How could he be so irresponsible? Shouldn’t someone who is about the seventh-level beggar of the Beggars’ Union protect his disciple?

What?

Beggars are inherently irresponsible?

Uh… that’s true…

Jongpal sighed deeply.

‘Well, if someone had a sense of responsibility, they wouldn’t have become a beggar in the first place.’

Even if they became a beggar, they would have quickly found another way to make a living.

Just like that Cho Sam.

Jongpal’s eyes trembled violently as he secretly watched the martial arts competition.

Cho Sam… no, Chung Myung was literally beating his opponent like a dog.

“Is this bastard trying to run away?”

“Hee, hee hee!”

The opponent was terrified and tried to escape, retreating and dodging, but Chung Myung followed relentlessly, his eyes wide with fury.

A ridiculous sight of one person running away and another chasing with fire in their eyes was unfolding right here, of all places.

A sense of absurdity crossed Jongpal’s face.

‘What is this, like a funny play?’

This is where the Great Martial Arts Competition is being held. And what is happening there now is the quarter-finals of the Great Martial Arts Competition.

In other words, those who have survived in this martial arts competition are the eight strongest late-stage masters in the world. So each one should be incredibly powerful.

“Why is that man with a fan fighting at a martial arts competition! I’ll shove that fan up your nose!”

“Th-this is tradition…”

“I’ve never liked that tradition! What? Fighting with fans? How dare these guys try to fight with fans!”

A fan made of white feathers, unique to the Zhuge Clan, soared into the air.

Jongpal shook his head as he watched the scene.

‘That ignorant bastard.’

The Zhuge Clan’s fan techniques are known as the best in the world, but they were of no use against that monstrous guy.

The fast footwork, which raised the Zhuge Clan to the famous family along with the fan techniques, were being used with sweat dripping from his feet, but it was not enough to shake off that leech-like guy.

‘What on earth happened in the last three years?’

The Cho Sam that Jongpal remembers was an ordinary beggar without any particularly sharp edges. But what on earth could happen to a person to change them so much in three years?

‘Did he find some magic power somewhere?’

If so, it must have been something that made him strong and mean. Judging by how vicious the person’s personality has become.

“Head! Head!”

“Kraaah!”

Chung Myung’s scabbard ruthlessly strikes Zhuge Song’s head.

Zhuge Song grabbed his head with both hands and rolled around on the floor.

“They say the Zhuge Clan has such good heads! Let’s crack that good head open! Put your arms down, you imbecile! Your arm will break if you try to block!”

“Ack! Young hero, young hero! My arm! My arm!”

“Oh? You’re blocking again?”

Jongpal couldn’t bear to watch the miserable scene any longer and finally turned his head away.

‘The world of martial arts is turning upside down.’

The Zhuge Clan is famous for its fan techniques and footwork, but the reason they were able to make a name for themselves in the world was because of their outstanding intellect above all else.

But at this moment, the head of the Zhuge Clan, which can be said to be the foundation of that intellect, was collapsing in the face of Mount Hua’s violence.

This was truly a symbolic scene.

And those who were watching the scene were now expressing bewilderment beyond admiration.

…Is this really okay?”

“It’s still a martial arts competition…”

Martial arts is about comparing each other’s martial skills. In that sense, the martial arts competition in the normal sense ended a long time ago.

All that remained was to watch how overwhelmingly the Mount Hua fighter would defeat his opponent.

And the only ones who calmly accepted the situation in front of them were the disciples of Mount Hua.

“He should just give up quickly.”

“It’s a matter of pride, pride. He’s choosing one of the two. Either his head gets smashed or his pride gets smashed.”

“Then the latter is better, isn’t it?”

“I guess the saying that the Zhuge Clan has a good head is all nonsense. To even think of fighting that guy.”

The disciples of Mount Hua clicked their tongues and added a word each.

Others may say that Mount Hua is violent, but Mount Hua has never been violent even once. Their violence is only the result of desperately trying to survive against that crazy guy.

If you want to call yourself the brain of the martial world, you should at least have that much ability to assess the situation. It seems that that Zhuge guy failed to inherit the wisdom of his ancestors.

The result?

Well, it’s simple.

Thud!

Zhuge Song collapsed on the spot. Sweat poured from his face like steam, which was lying face down on the floor.

“Still, you’re a scholar, so I thought I’d go easy on you.”

Chung Myung picked up the white feather fan that was falling from the sky and fanned himself as he came down from the martial arts stage.

The disciples of Mount Hua watched the scene with pleased faces.

“There should be some tension when it comes to the quarter-finals.”

“Impossible. Impossible. That guy is too much for the late-stage masters.”

Chung Myung was proving his overwhelming strength in the martial arts competition, just as he had been in Mount Hua.

And that fact gave the disciples of Mount Hua hope and sorrow at the same time.

The hope is that if they just follow Chung Myung, they can overturn the Nine Sects and all the other groups.

And the sorrow is that no matter how hard they struggle, the day will never come when they can beat that damn guy while they are still alive.

Even the disciples of prestigious families are being easily beaten, so what can they do to beat Chung Myung?

All they can do is stick to the floor like wet leaves.

“So, is one person definitely in the semi-finals?”

“And the problem is the second person…”

The disciples of Mount Hua all turned their heads to look at one place.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, not really…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s good enough to have come this far.”

Everyone watched Jo Gul. He crossed his arms, looking annoyed. “I could win, you know,” he said.

Someone laughed. “Ha ha! Sure, sure.”

Another person said, “Let’s see who you’re fighting first, little brother.”

Jo Gul’s face tightened. He stood up quickly. They didn’t believe him!

Yoon Jong smiled and put a hand on Jo Gul’s shoulder. “Hey, Geol.”

“Yes?”

“Talking is easy. If you really think you can win, show them in the fight!”

Jo Gul’s eyes flashed. He felt strong and ready. “You’re right, Senior Brother! I’ll go now!”

“Yes. I know you can do it,” Yoon Jong said, smiling warmly.

Jo Gul felt his confidence grow. He grabbed his sword tightly and jumped onto the fighting stage.

Someone got up from a chair, and Chung Myung walked over slowly and sat down heavily.

“Good job,” Chung Myung said, sounding bored.

“It was nothing,” someone replied. “But isn’t Senior Brother Jo Gul fighting next?”

“Yep.”

“Who is he fighting?”

Yoon Jong shrugged and grinned. “Hae Yeon from Shaolin.”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened for a second, then went back to normal. “Oh. Are you hungry? Maybe we should get some food?”

…And just like that, Chung Myung didn’t care about Jo Gul anymore.

Baek Cheon saw Chung Myung’s sudden change and asked carefully, “Hey, Chung Myung.”

“Yeah?”

“Is Hae Yeon *that* much stronger?”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon looked at the fighting stage as he talked. “Jo Gul is good. He’s not the strongest, but he’s not weak either. He even got to the top eight. People know he’s one of the ‘Five Swords of Mount Hua’, right?”

“Oh, Jo Gul? Yeah, he’s… strong. Sure, strong,” Chung Myung said. He didn’t sound very interested.

“But that’s not the point,” Chung Myung added.

“…Then what is?” Baek Cheon asked.

“Strength is all about who you’re fighting, isn’t it?” Chung Myung pointed with his chin.

Hae Yeon was walking calmly onto the stage.

“Jo Gul can’t win against *him*,” Chung Myung said.

“…” Baek Cheon was quiet.

“You’ll see,” Chung Myung said, watching Hae Yeon closely.

“Hoo,” Jo Gul breathed out, standing on the stage. He put his hands together respectfully. “I am Jo Gul of Mount Hua!”

The monk in yellow robes bowed back. “I am Hae Yeon of Shaolin.”

Hae Yeon’s voice was soft and quiet, like a whisper. It sounded like he was nervous.

Jo Gul frowned a little, looking at Hae Yeon. *He doesn’t look strong at all.*

But Jo Gul wasn’t going to be careless. He remembered Chung Myung. Chung Myung didn’t look strong either, but he was incredibly powerful.

Jo Gul had learned that quiet people could be very dangerous.

But something felt different about this monk. *This is a strange feeling.*

Hae Yeon was not like any fighter Jo Gul had ever seen.

It wasn’t just calmness. Hae Yeon seemed truly shy. He looked like he wanted to disappear. His eyes were down, and his face was a little red.

“…Can we start?” Jo Gul asked.

“Yes? Oh! Yes, please! Um… Amitabha,” Hae Yeon mumbled. (Amitabha is a Buddhist prayer.) “Yes, please start!”

“…” Jo Gul shook his head slightly. *Chung Myung said he was strong. He must be really, really strong.*

Chung Myung didn’t praise many people, but he spoke about Hae Yeon differently.

That meant Hae Yeon was probably the strongest person here, except for Chung Myung himself. And yet, he seemed so timid.

Jo Gul took a deep breath again and pulled out his sword. He pointed it at Hae Yeon.

*It doesn’t matter how strong he is. If I fight my best, I can win.*

“Here I come!” Jo Gul yelled and ran forward fast.

*He’s strong, but he’s just standing there!* Jo Gul thought. *He’s frozen!*

A good swordsman never misses a chance! Jo Gul would attack before Hae Yeon could even react!

Just as Jo Gul rushed at him, Hae Yeon’s eyes went wide with fear. He quickly put out his right hand, like he was trying to stop something falling.

*A clumsy punch?* Jo Gul thought. *Huh?*

*WHOOSH!*

Golden light seemed to burst from Hae Yeon’s body. The air around them started to shake, like a thousand bees buzzing loudly.

Then, a ball of golden energy, as big as a person, shot out from Hae Yeon’s fist.

“Huh?” Jo Gul gasped.

*BOOM!*

The golden energy smashed forward like a dam breaking. It flew across the stage, over the heads of the watching crowd, and slammed into the Shaolin temple far away.

*BOOM!*

“…”

Everyone watching was silent, mouths open in shock.

“Th-that…” someone stammered.

*Rumble!*

The temple was falling apart.

But “falling apart” wasn’t strong enough to describe it.

It was like the fist had created a giant hole that was pulling the temple in.

The temple was ripped to pieces, pulled into the center, and then thrown outwards like a bomb exploding.

*Rumble!*

In just a moment, the temple was gone.

All from one punch.

Just one punch.

“…”

Jo Gul stared at the ruined temple, his mouth hanging open. He started to shake.

*Hic!* A little gasp escaped his lips.

*If that had hit me…?*

Cold sweat ran down his back. He turned his head slowly, his face white. Hae Yeon was looking at him, worried.

“A-are you okay? I-I was so surprised, I…” Hae Yeon stammered.

*Oh. You were “surprised”? You almost turned a person into dust!* Jo Gul thought wildly.

Seriously…

S-seriously…

A weak smile stretched across Jo Gul’s face.

*Help me!* he thought.

He was facing a monster.

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]

Status: Ongoing Author: Released: 2019 Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Chung Myung, the legendary Plum Blossom Swordmaster of Mount Hua, awakens after a hundred years of slumber only to find his once-mighty sect reduced to ruins. With unwavering determination, he disguises himself as a young disciple and embarks on a mission to restore Mount Hua to its former glory. From training new disciples to facing lifelong enemies, Chung Myung must revive the sect while uncovering dark conspiracies that threaten the martial world. "Return of Mount Hua Sect" is an epic tale of resurgence, sacrifice, and fierce battles that will shake the world!

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