Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 340

“Kraaaah! You damned bastard!”

Jo Gul screamed and fell flat on his back. Chung Myung chuckled.

“Consider it training! Just because you did well in some insignificant martial arts competition doesn’t mean you can live comfortably! Not while I’m still breathing!”

“Breathing? So, just because you’re still breathing, you think you can treat us like this?!”

Baek Cheon, yelling, shot up from below, grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground, and charged at Chung Myung.

But as soon as he charged, he was kicked away and sent tumbling back down the cliff.

“Aaaaargh!”

As Baek Cheon’s scream faded, the others sighed and shook their heads.

‘I will not forget that courage, Senior Uncle.’

‘That man is becoming more hopeless by the day.’

‘I wonder if he’s still alive?’

Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he watched.

“Tsk tsk. They’re all crazy.”

Chung Myung took a swig of his drink and jumped off the cart. The other disciples, faces red and sweaty, collapsed onto the dusty ground. They could feel the rough earth pressing against their aching muscles, and the hot sun beat down on their backs.

In the end, Un Am couldn’t help but ask.

“…Chung Myung.”

“Huh?”

“Wasn’t there an easier way?”

“Eii. Then there’s no training.”

“…”

Ah. Of course. It was only natural for him to answer like that. Un Am was realizing anew what Chung Myung’s return truly meant.

“Well, well, it’s good to have you back.”

“Yes, Great-Uncle. It’s good…”

Chung Myung, who was about to say something, closed his mouth and frowned. Then, he approached the disciples lined up behind Unam.

Everyone held their breath, not knowing what was happening. Chung Myung reached out and poked the disciples’ thighs and arms, then scrunched up his face.

“Seriously, what have these guys been doing while I was gone? Their bodies have shrunk in half?”

“…”

Half? Un Am looked blank. They looked like they could chew up any ordinary bandit, but half…?

“If they had just done the training I told them to do, this wouldn’t have happened, would it?”

“Well… but…” A look of utter injustice appeared on their faces. But unfortunately, they were not given a chance to explain.

“Well, everyone needs time to rest.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

“But I don’t know if the people behind you will think so.”

“…Huh?”

The people who had pulled the cart up the cliff were glaring at them with eyes full of venom.

“So, you’re saying we suffered while you guys were playing around comfortably?”

“Look at those skinny arms? They’ll break if you touch them?”

“We have to kill them!”

“We have to kill them!”

The disciples of Mount Hua, who were innocent, became the target of criticism simply because they had been comfortable here.

“…That’s…”

At that moment, a man walked forward with a gentle smile.

“Senior Uncle!”

“Senior Uncle Baek Sang!”

Everyone looked at him earnestly, as if they were seeing a savior.

But Baek Sang smiled kindly and gently, pointing to Yeonhwa Peak across the way.

“One from Yeonhwa Peak.”

“Yes?”

“…Run.”

“…”

Some of them, looking at each other, began to run towards Yeonhwa Peak. Then the rest, realizing the situation, ran towards Yeonhwa Peak with all their might.

“Get out of the way!”

“What the hell is this? Wasn’t this a welcoming ceremony?”

“Welcoming ceremony or whatever, get out of the way!”

Watching the disciples running towards Yeonhwa Peak, tangling and falling over each other, those who had climbed the cliff struggled to grab the cart.

“…Let’s go in. First, let’s go in.”

Creak. Creak. The sound of the cartwheels rolling was unbearably miserable.

“Tsk. I can’t leave my seat anyway.”

Chung Myung walked ahead, and the disciples of Mount Hua, who had become rags, pushed the cart in.

Unam, watching them, couldn’t help but have one deep concern.

‘Wait,’ he thought, ‘shouldn’t someone be worried about Baek Cheon? Oh well…’

Anyway. Feeling that the Mount Hua he knew had returned, he shook his head without realizing it.

“Congratulations, Sect Leader!”

“You’ve really worked hard.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong nodded, his face showing great satisfaction.

His face, washed clean of the fatigue and accumulated dirt from the long journey, revealed an undeniable satisfaction.

“Everyone must have worked hard to protect Mount Hua while I was away. Was there anything unusual?”

“What hardship could there be? How could we dare to utter the word hardship when the Sect Leader has traveled such a long way? Rather, the rumors of Mount Hua’s exploits in Shaolin have reached even this Seomseo, and we couldn’t contain our excitement.”

“Heo. Did the rumors spread that quickly?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, everyone cheered and rejoiced with one heart.”

Unam’s face, which always maintained composure, was flushed red. He couldn’t be reckless in front of the Sect Leader, but inside, he couldn’t contain his joy.

“Hehehehe.”

Hyun Jong burst into a hearty laugh.

Evaluating one’s own achievements is different from hearing it from someone else’s mouth. And seeing Un Am so excited, he realized even more how great an achievement he had made.

“It’s a good thing. If the rumors spread to Seomseo before we even arrived, it won’t be long before the rumors spread throughout the world.”

Unam nodded vigorously at Hyun Sang’s words.

“Of course, Elder. As you saw on your way here, Hwaeum is in an uproar! Everyone is overjoyed that Mount Hua is regaining its former glory.”

“Yes. It’s a good thing.”

Hyun Sang smiled contentedly. Then, Hyun Young opened his mouth in a slightly sharp voice.

“Now, let’s stop the self-praise there.”

He was truly a stern elder.

“Was there anything unusual while we were away?”

“There was nothing that would be a major problem. We had to coordinate a few things with the Eunha Merchant Guild because of the trade with Yunnan, but there were no major changes, so please check and give your orders.”

“I understand. Other than that…”

“Other than that, I…”

“Aaaaaaargh!”

“…”

Unam stopped talking and turned his head in surprise. A desperate scream was constantly heard from outside the door.

“Ahem. Other than that…”

He tried to ignore the noise and talk, but it was hard to find a chance to speak.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Why is that guy back! Why!”

“What’s going on as soon as he gets here! Aargh!”

Unam jumped up as the shouting got louder and louder. He flung open the door, ready to yell at them.

“⋯⋯.”

But he was left speechless.

The Mount Hua disciples were covered in dirt, as if they had been dragged through mud. Sweat poured down their faces, mixing with dirt to make streaks of mud. They groaned and rolled on the dusty ground, their clothes torn and stained.

‘Did they make them work in a coal mine until they were exhausted?’

They were so fresh and clean just a moment ago⋯⋯.

Behind the disciples, who were rolling around looking like beggars, Chung Myung stood with his hands behind his back, nodding his head.

“These fellows are out of their minds! Taking a whole month off to play around because there are no people?”

“We, we trained! We worked hard in our own way!”

“In your own way? In yoooouuur own waaaay? You’re the kind of guys who would say you trained hard even if you did nothing! A month is enough time to learn a sword move, but you wasted it! I will help you get back the time your seniors lost!”

“Sa, save me⋯⋯. Ack!”

A gentle voice spoke near Unam’s ear as he stared at the strange scene.

“Unam.”

“Ah! Yes! Sect Leader.”

Unam turned sharply to look at Hyun Jong. Hyun Jong smiled, a small smile playing on his lips. He nodded, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Right, I have to go and stop them⋯⋯.

“Close it.”

“⋯⋯Yes.”

Unam quietly closed the door as instructed by the Sect Leader and sat back down as if nothing had happened.

What was even stranger was that the elders and Un-geom were sitting there as if nothing was happening.

‘Something seems to have changed.’

I don’t know what has changed, but something definitely feels a bit⋯⋯.

“Anyway, so⋯⋯.”

Throughout the meeting, the disciples’ screams never left their ears.

“Playing around?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Are you saying you were happily playing around while people were risking their lives, getting stabbed and punched in the Shaolin?”

Tears welled up in the eyes of the Mount Hua disciples.

Of course, they could understand being scolded.

They had been training hard in their own way, but they knew that the ‘own way’ part was quite important.

No matter how hard they trained, they could never say they trained with the same intensity as when Chung Myung was around.

So, they could take the scolding. They could take the scolding.

But what truly saddened them was that the one who was rolling his eyes and jumping around in front of them was not ‘that’ Chung Myung, but Baek Cheon.

It was terrible… No, Baek Cheon, who had fallen off a cliff but lived, was now full of anger and nagging so much it hurt their ears.

‘The cliff wasn’t high enough.’

‘He should have just died there.’

Baek Cheon stepped forward. He used to be calm and patient, always explaining things gently. But now…

And the other disciples who had gone to Shaolin with him were all glaring at them with fierce eyes.

When they left for Shaolin, they looked like rough bandits. Now, they returned like devils, their eyes burning with a fierce intensity, their faces hard and unforgiving.

‘What on earth happened at that martial arts competition?’

Skill comes from talent, but training is also very important.

So, the ones who went to Shaolin were mostly the older and more experienced disciples.

So, they couldn’t resist, and it was literally a taste of death.

“Everyone, listen up.”

“Yes! Senior Brother!”

The Baek Ja Baes and Cheong Ja Baes, with their military discipline, bent their upper bodies back so far that their backs were about to break, and answered very loudly.

“We have returned from this Shaolin trip with many feelings. It is not just a simple experience. Seeing the martial arts of other sects with our own eyes has certainly been very helpful.”

“Yes!”

“But⋯⋯.”

Baek Cheon stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

“It’s too bad that only we senior brothers got to have this good experience.”

“⋯⋯.”

“If you don’t have something good, you have to use what you have. I! Yes, I! Will make sure you learn what I learned in the last month! I will teach it to you myself!”

“⋯⋯.”

No⋯⋯.

We’re okay, though⋯⋯.

“⋯⋯Did you understand?”

“Yes!”

Baek Cheon tilted his head, watching the disciples answer very loudly.

“It’s not like we are doing this because you were relaxing while we were suffering because of someone. No, not at all!”

‘That’s right.’

‘Anyone can see that’s right.’

‘It used to be just Chung Myung who was crazy. Now everyone is like this! Everyone!’

Baek Cheon turned his head back and looked at the nervous Mount Hua disciples.

“Kids.”

“Yes!”

Baek Cheon drew his thumb sharply across his neck, a gesture as cold and final as a blade.

“Mess them up.”

“Yes!”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, who were at the front, rolled their eyes and rushed forward. At the same time, everyone who had gone to Shaolin began to rush in with venomous eyes, as if to release their grudges.

In a corner of the Mount Hua training ground, which had become a mess, there were people gathered together as if they had nothing to do with this situation.

They were the disciples of Hwayeongmun, who had accompanied them to Mount Hua, half voluntarily and half involuntarily.

They stared at the chaotic training ground with a dumbfounded look.

“Sect Leader.”

“⋯⋯Huh?”

“So, Hwasan has the scent of Taoism flowing through it⋯⋯ pure⋯⋯.”

Wi Rip-san tried not to look at his disciples.

“⋯⋯It’s been too long since I’ve been here.”

“Everyone said it was a place where they uphold the duties of a Taoist⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯It used to be.”

“Then what is it now?”

“Quiet.”

Wi Rip-san sighed inwardly. He had told his disciples about the noble Taoist spirit of Mount Hua. Had he been wrong?

Wi Rip-san cleared his throat loudly and shouted.

“What you see on the outside is not everything! Didn’t you see it in Shaolin! How great the Taoist masters of Hwasan are!”

“I know, but⋯⋯.”

“Don’t just look at what you see! Try to understand what it really means! The real meaning!”

“⋯⋯But Father.”

“Hmm?”

Wi So-haeng, who was standing next to Wi Rip-san, said blankly.

“You said that some disciples, including me, would receive training at the headquarters.”

“⋯⋯I did.”

“⋯⋯Like that?”

Wi Rip-san slowly turned his head.

The disciples of Hwasan were foaming at the mouth and swinging their swords at each other.

Wi Rip-san looked up at the high sky.

“⋯⋯Let’s think about it a bit.”

And he started to really wonder if he had made a big mistake.