Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 337

Wi Lip-san kept glancing back. After hesitating for a long while, he cautiously spoke to the sect leader beside him.

“Um… Sect Leader,”

“Hmm?”

Hyun Jong looked at Wi Lip-san and asked,

“What is it?”

“Um… Sect Leader, we are getting close to Hwayeong Sect. Maybe… maybe we should go our separate ways soon?”

“Haha. Yes, I suppose so.”

Hyun Jong quietly nodded.

“But, Sect Leader Wi,”

“Yes! Sect Leader!”

“Wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to show the disciples the sights of Mount Hua?”

“Of course. Not only I, but the disciples would be delighted. However, if we keep traveling together, won’t it look bad for your main sect?”

“Don’t worry about such things.”

Hyun Jong was about to continue with a pleased smile when someone abruptly cut in from behind.

“Hey, Sect Leader Wi, how much did Shaolin pay us? Why are you being so polite? Don’t worry about them!”

“⋯⋯”

It was Hyun Young.

Hyun Jong’s face slightly twisted.

‘He could have said it more kindly. Why does that boy only think about money now?’

‘No, come to think of it, he always talked about money. The only difference is that he used to complain about not having money, and now he applauds earning it.’

“By the way…”

“Hmm?”

“Where did the junior disciples go? I haven’t seen them since morning.”

At Wi Lip-san’s question, Hyun Jong smiled bitterly.

“They went to do what must be done.”

“⋯⋯”

Hyun Jong looked sad. Wi Lip-san felt it was better not to ask more.

Hyun Jong sighed and looked back at Wi Lip-san. “The road ahead will be bumpy,” he said, his voice a little stern. “Take extra care of those carts. If anything happens to them, or if even one coin goes missing when he gets back… well, let’s just say it will be very bad.”

Wi Lip-san’s eyes widened. He shivered, imagining terrible things. He bowed his head quickly and nodded again and again. “Don’t worry, Sect Leader! I promise! I will guard them like they are my own children! Not a single coin will be lost!”

Hyun Jong gave a small smile. “Good. I am counting on you, Sect Leader Wi.”

After finishing his conversation with Wi Lip-san, Hyun Jong gazed at the distant sky.

At that moment, Hyun Sang, who had been quietly listening, cautiously asked.

“Sect Leader.”

“⋯⋯What is it?”

“Sending Lee Seol is fine, but was it really necessary to send the children along with her?”

At that question, Hyun Jong let out a low groan before answering.

“Those children need to see it too.”

“⋯⋯”

“To truly be a source of strength, they must understand each other. Someday, those children will lead Mount Hua, so I only hope that they can understand Lee Seol’s pain.”

Hyun Sang quietly nodded.

‘Lee Seol…’

Hyun Jong quietly closed his eyes and recited a Buddhist invocation under his breath.

Baek Cheon frowned slightly as he watched Yoo I-seol running ahead. They had set off early in the morning, but the sun was already slowly setting beyond the western mountains. The path was long and winding. The sun climbed higher, making them sweat. They walked past tall trees and over small streams. Each step made Baek Cheon wonder more about where they were going.

Yet, Yoo I-seol’s feet showed no sign of stopping.

‘Mountains.’

Everything in front of them was mountains, so he couldn’t tell which mountain Yoo I-seol was talking about.

Baek Cheon realized anew that he didn’t know much about Yoo I-seol.

Dang So-so was the daughter of the Dang Family head, and Jo Gul came from a merchant family in Sichuan. Yoon Jong was an orphan who had been picked up by a Mount Hua elder, and Chung Myung was…

‘Just a beggar. That little rascal.’

But he knew almost nothing about Yoo I-seol.

Yoo I-seol was not one to talk much about herself. She had only become a bit more talkative after Chung Myung arrived. Before, it was common for her to say no more than two or three words in a month.

He had thought it was enough that they were fellow disciples of Mount Hua, but as he followed behind her, Baek Cheon couldn’t help but wonder about her past.

And Chung Myung’s past too…

“Why is it so far?”

“Get down! You little punk!”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Sasuk! This punk won’t get off my back! Please do something about this punk!”

No.

He didn’t want to know about that punk’s past. Knowing it would only make him frustrated.

It was only when the sun had completely set beyond the western mountains that Yoo I-seol stopped running.

She stood at the foot of a rather steep-looking mountain and turned around.

“Here.”

“⋯⋯Are we going up?”

She nodded instead of speaking. Baek Cheon readily said.

“Then we must go up.”

At that moment, Chung Myung opened his mouth indifferently.

“But what are we doing, running all day and climbing a mountain? It’s getting dark.”

“You weren’t running, you little punk!”

Jo Gul shouted, and Chung Myung subtly lowered his gaze.

“Sahyung, Sahyung.”

“Yes?”

“I’m doing this because I think Sahyung’s lower body is weak and I’m trying to train it, but if you keep being uncooperative, I might just put a suitable rock on your back.”

“⋯⋯I will serve you comfortably and cozily to the top of the mountain.”

“Tsk.”

Yoo I-seol glanced at Chung Myung and immediately started climbing the mountain.

The others all followed behind her.

Dang So-so, who was right behind her, approached her and asked.

“Sago, do we have to go up a lot?”

“Not to the top.”

At the quiet answer, Dang So-so nodded and studied Yoo I-seol’s expression.

Others might not be able to find any difference in her expressionless face. But in Dang So-so’s eyes, it was clear that her face was gradually hardening.

‘It doesn’t seem like she’s in a bad mood.’

She felt several complex emotions at the same time.

Joy. Longing. Nostalgia. Sadness.

It was the first time she had seen so many different emotions on Yoo I-seol’s face.

‘What on earth is in front of us that can shake Sago like this?’

Yoo I-seol had always maintained a steadfast mind. Even that Chung Myung had praised Yoo I-seol as the best in Mount Hua when it came to the mindset of a swordsman, hadn’t he?

Her curiosity grew more and more.

As they walked, Yoo I-seol’s steps became lighter, almost like she was floating. But her eyes were still sad, like she remembered something painful. Sometimes, a small smile touched her lips, but it faded quickly.

Those who followed also matched Yoo I-seol’s pace.

Thud. Thud.

The trees gradually thinned out, and the dense forest slowly began to disappear.

They stepped out of the trees into a wide, open space. The air felt different here, quieter and colder. In front of them was…

“⋯⋯Samae?”

Even at Baek Cheon’s questioning voice, Yoo I-seol did not give a proper answer. Instead, she only fixed her gaze on one place and walked as if possessed.

Thinking she might not have heard him, Baek Cheon spoke again.

“Samae, what is this place…”

“Sasuk, wait a moment.”

But a low voice came from behind him.

Yoon Jong spoke softly, “Um, excuse me…”

Chung Myung looked up from poking the fire, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Hmm?”

Yoon Jong pointed towards Yoo Iseol, who was walking away. Chung Myung followed his gaze and then stopped talking suddenly, his eyes widening slightly.

‘Ah…’ He thought, but quickly shut his mouth, realizing where she was going.

Where Yoo Iseol was heading, there was a slightly raised mound. Its height was so low that it was hard to see unless one looked closely.

It was a grave. A small mound of earth, quieter than the rest of the mountain.

The moment he saw it, he understood why she had come to this place.

Scritch. Scritch.

Every time Yoo Iseol moved, the sound of her stepping on the grass dug into everyone’s ears.

The sound of insects crying.

The sound of the wind passing by.

And even the sound of the grass being trampled underfoot.

No one dared to speak.

Finally, Yoo Iseol arrived in front of the grave, gazed silently at the burial mound, and opened her mouth in a low voice.

“I’m back.”

Her eyes slowly closed.

“Father.”

Tap tap tap.

A bonfire was burning in front of a dilapidated shack.

Having repaired the shack, which was quite far from the burial mound, they unpacked their bags simply to stay overnight.

“Ooh, it’s cold.”

Chung Myung shuddered and sat close to the bonfire.

Then, he glanced at the shack that looked as if it would collapse at any moment.

How long had it been abandoned?

Five years? No, it was too old to be that.

‘It looks like it’s been at least ten years.’

There were traces of repairs to prevent it from collapsing in the middle, but it was clear that no one had lived there for more than ten years.

‘In other words, someone lived here ten years ago.’

It was a strange thing.

Living halfway up a mountain was not as easy as one might think. Especially since this place was not suitable for human habitation. It was a place where one would push oneself for asceticism, or where criminals who should not encounter people would hide.

Chung Myung stared blankly at Yoo Iseol.

And perhaps she had lived here in the past.

Perhaps with the owner of that grave.

Only the sound of the bonfire burning continued indifferently. No one could bring themselves to speak.

Just when the atmosphere felt like it was pressing down on them, the disciples of Hwasan, except for Yoo Iseol, began to stare intently at Baek Cheon.

‘Why?’

‘Ask quickly.’

Having finished their conversation with their eyes, Baek Cheon sighed deeply and opened his mouth with a slightly troubled expression.

“Samae.”

“Yes.”

“That grave from earlier?”

“It’s my father.”

“Ah, I see… Um.”

Baek Cheon hesitated and then opened his mouth again.

“Samae, this place is so hard to live in… why did you and your father live here?”

“Yes.”

It was a short answer. He hesitated slightly and then squeezed his eyes shut. Honestly, he couldn’t stand it anymore because he was curious now.

Yoo Iseol raised her head and stared intently at Baek Cheon.

Slightly embarrassed, Baek Cheon quickly added.

“Ah, no. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. It’s not important now anyway.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yoo Iseol jumped up from her seat.

Baek Cheon flinched.

“No. Samae, I…”

But after entering the shack, she suddenly began to dig up the floor in one corner.

‘Huh?’

Having dug up the floor in an instant with her hands, she pulled something out.

It was a wooden chest, half-rotten.

Without caring that her hands and clothes were covered in dirt, she carefully carried the chest out and placed it in front of the disciples of Hwasan.

“This is…”

As everyone looked at it, Yoo Iseol opened the chest.

The chest was full of books of all sizes, some with worn leather covers, others with pages falling out.

‘Books?’

Yoo Iseol began to take out all the books with an indifferent touch. Having placed all dozens of them down, her hand paused slightly at some point. But soon she reached into the chest again.

Two books were held in her hand.

One of them was tattered, as if it had been pieced together from what had been torn apart.

Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He noticed black stains in the middle of the tattered book, and he realized that these were traces of dried blood.

And the other one was….

“Samae… what is that?”

A book that had been half-burned.

No, there were so many burned parts that it was ambiguous to even call it a book, just scraps of paper.

Only a few letters, which seemed to have been the title, remained faintly on the front.

Twenty-four (二十四) and Plum (梅). And Law (法).

Although not complete, it was easy to guess what the identity of this book was with just these letters.

“Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Swordplay.”

Everyone couldn’t hide their surprise.

The secret manual of the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Swordplay, which the sect had been searching for so much, was right here. Of course, more than half of it had been burned, so it could no longer be called a secret manual.

She looked at the books in her hands and quietly placed them on the floor.

Then, she sat down and looked at the bonfire before finally opening her mouth.

“My father…” Her voice, flowing out quietly, was a little more subdued than usual.

“My father was a disciple of Hwasan.”

Yoon Jong swallowed hard. He had never seen Yoo Iseol like this before.

Yoo Iseol’s voice, which was not like her usual self, felt like it was drawing him in.

“A runaway disciple of Hwasan. A person who didn’t want to live as a disciple of Hwasan. So, a person who abandoned the sect and ran away.”

“…”

“Even so…” Yoo Iseol quietly closed her eyes.

“A person who really couldn’t forget Hwasan. A person who couldn’t abandon Hwasan until the very end, even though he had turned his back on Hwasan. So…”

He was a foolish person.