Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 341

The events at Shaolin gave the Mount Hua disciples valuable experience and boosted their confidence.

Most importantly, they learned that the prestigious sects weren’t so scary after all.

“Anyway, the result is what matters.”

Chung Myung, relaxing on the roof, grinned.

The disciples’ screams sounded like music to him.

“Aaaaargh! Fourth Apprentice Brother!”

“Just kill me! Please, just kill me!”

“No! How can he be worse than Chung Myung!”

Chung Myung watched from the rooftop, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. Below, Baek Cheon’s voice, sharp and clear, cut through the air as he pushed the Mount Hua disciples through their paces. The sun warmed the roof tiles as Chung Myung lay there, the sounds of shouting disciples rising like a chaotic song from the training grounds below.

‘Good,’ Chung Myung thought, his gaze softening with something akin to pride. ‘Well done, my little Dong-ryong.’

He knew he couldn’t do everything himself.

The Mount Hua he had dreamed of – a strong, vibrant sect, filled with skilled disciples – was finally starting to take shape. Soon, they would be able to grow and develop on their own, like young trees reaching for the sun, without him constantly having to water and prune them.

Of course, some would suffer along the way.

‘It’s a hundred times better than suffering because you’re weak.’

If the world were a kind place that protected the weak, this wouldn’t be necessary. But Chung Myung knew a world where only the strong survived.

Think about it.

If Mount Hua hadn’t become stronger, could they have stood up to Shaolin when they acted unfairly?

Absolutely not.

Power brings freedom. Only the powerful can truly control their lives.

“It took a long time.”

The scent of the old Mount Hua gradually returned to the rebuilt Mount Hua. Back then, the disciples worked hard, competed, and pushed themselves to become stronger.

Everyone did their best…

– I won’t fight with you, Senior Brother!

– Don’t bully me! I’ll tell Sect Leader!

– I won’t do it! I won’t! Ack! Why are you hitting me! Aargh!

– You rascal! Didn’t I tell you not to bully your junior brothers! Listen to me! Listen!

Ah…

Maybe it wasn’t as wonderful as he remembered…?

Chung Myung quickly pushed those memories away. The past is best when it’s beautiful. Beautiful.

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung chuckled, watching the Mount Hua disciples train hard below.

‘Yes, everyone is working hard now…’

It was time to think about the next step.

Mount Hua now faced two challenges.

‘Lack of influence.’

The Nine Great Sects acted so confidently not only because of their strength but also because their disciples were everywhere.

Even if Mount Hua became the strongest sect, nothing would change if they stayed isolated in the mountains.

‘What will change if we just stay in the mountains and train?’

They might feel more confident buying groceries, but that was it.

To use their skills, they needed to do more outside the sect and gain influence.

And the other thing was…

“Ha. This is so frustrating.”

Chung Myung scratched his head, messing up his hair.

He’d been so focused on improving everyone’s skills that he’d forgotten something important. Seeing the Violet Cloud Divine Sword reminded him of it.

“What about the Violet Cloud Divine Art?”

Violet Cloud Divine Art. (紫霞神功)

The most difficult and powerful mental cultivation technique of Mount Hua.

Like Shaolin with the Muscle Change Sutra (易筋洗髓經) and Wudang with the Taiji Indeterminate Divine Skill (兩儀無極神功), Mount Hua had the Violet Cloud Divine Art, their ultimate mental cultivation technique.

“Ugh…”

If they could pass it on, Mount Hua could become even stronger.

But there was a problem…

“How am I supposed to pass on something I don’t know?”

Chung Myung looked up at the sky, annoyed.

“Seriously! Shaolin shares the Muscle Change Sutra, and Wudang passes on the Taiji Indeterminate Divine Skill! Why does Mount Hua keep it secret because of some old tradition!”

The Violet Cloud Divine Art was only taught to the sect leader. Even Chung Myung hadn’t mastered it.

He had only learned the Violet Cloud Energy (紫霞剛氣), a weaker version of the Violet Cloud Divine Art.

‘Violet Cloud Energy is meaningless.’

It was just an imitation.

And if they couldn’t pass on the Violet Cloud Divine Art, Mount Hua’s best mental cultivation technique would be lost forever.

The Violet Cloud Divine Art and the Plum Blossom Sword Formation were Mount Hua’s best martial arts.

With both, Mount Hua would be as strong as any sect.

But right now, one wing – the Violet Cloud Divine Art – was missing, like a bird with only one wing.

“Ugh… I can somehow pass on the Plum Blossom Sword Formation (梅花劍結), but…”

Chung Myung scratched his head.

“You should have taught me before dying!”

– Then you should have become the sect leader.

“Blast it!”

Cheong Mun wasn’t very traditional, but he couldn’t change the rules passed down for generations.

‘In the past, there was no need, either.’

Chung Myung was defeating all the swordsmen around here without the Violet Cloud Divine Art, so there was no reason to break tradition and teach it to him.

Things changed after the Demonic Sect attacked, but there wasn’t time to learn new martial arts then.

So, only two people in Mount Hua had the secret manual of the Violet Cloud Divine Art.

Cheong Mun and Cheongjin.

‘That guy knew all of Mount Hua’s martial arts, after all.’

Should I have beaten him up and stolen the Violet Cloud Divine Art back then?

“Tch.”

Chung Myung sighed.

How should I solve these two problems…

“Hey!”

“Huh?”

Startled, Chung Myung looked over the roof.

Baek Cheon was yelling at him from below.

“Hey, Chung Myung! I’ve called you a few times. What are you doing up there?”

“Ah. Just thinking.”

“Come down. The Sect Leader wants to see you.”

“Alright.”

Chung Myung jumped off the roof.

“Where am I supposed to go?”

Hyun Jong smiled and repeated, “Go and visit the Eunha Merchant Guild.” The Eunha Merchant Guild, a powerful trading group that actively cooperated with Mount Hua.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung hummed and nodded.

It was annoying, but it was the best idea. They needed to tell the Eunha Merchant Guild about what happened at Shaolin.

But it wouldn’t be right for Hyun Jong or the Un generation to go. So, Baek Cheon or Chung Myung had to go.

Baek Cheon was busy teaching, so Chung Myung, who was free, was the best choice.

‘I might as well get some booze while I’m there.’

Chung Myung grinned and nodded.

“Can I go now?”

Hyun Jong leaned forward, the candlelight flickering across his serious face. “Yes, Chung Myung,” he began, his voice low. “While you are in Yunnan for the merchant guild, I need you to look into something else.”

Chung Myung tilted his head slightly. “Something else? About the trade in Yunnan?” he asked, wanting to be sure he understood.

“Exactly,” Hyun Jong nodded. “It’s about the trade. Normally, this would be the Jae Kyung Hall’s responsibility, but…” He sighed, running a hand through his beard. “They are completely overwhelmed right now. You know Yunnan well, having been there before. You would be a great help.”

“Yes, I will.”

Hyun Jong nodded.

“And…” Hyun Jong paused, “one more thing. On your way back, stop by the Beggars’ Sect branch in Hwaeom and find out what’s happening there.”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung nodded again.

Hyun Jong sighed. “The Hwaeom branch… it seems things are not going smoothly there. We need to know what’s happening.”

“Indeed.”

The reason Chung Myung had brought the beggars to Hwaeom in the first place was to prepare for just such a situation.

Mount Hua’s reputation was growing. The name of Mount Hua would be firmly etched in the minds of the giants who moved the world.

So now, Mount Hua also needed to keep an eye on the movements of the outside world.

“If we can work well with the Hwaeom branch, Mount Hua will be able to spread its wings. Your role in this is very important. It will help Mount Hua grow.”

“Don’t worry. I know how to handle the beggars there. They listen to me.”

Not only Hong Daeguang, but all the members of the Hwaeom branch were as good as in Chung Myung’s grasp.

“Yes. There are many things I want to discuss with you about the future of Mount Hua, but let’s deal with the immediate matters first.”

“Alright, I understand. So, if that’s all, I should leave for Yunnan now?”

“Yes. Give my regards to the head of the merchant guild.”

“Yes!”

“There’s no need to rush back. Talk comfortably and return slowly.”

Chung Myung smiled and said, “Yes, Sect Leader. I will.”

As Chung Myung left with a light step, Hyun Jong smiled faintly.

‘That child needs to rest a little.’

Returning to Mount Hua would be more comfortable than before, but for Chung Myung, Mount Hua was not a haven where he could relax.

With that child’s personality, he would be concerned about everything, and his eyes would constantly be on the disciples’ training, wouldn’t they?

Of course, the things he was told to do were all things that needed to be done, but they weren’t so urgent that he had to move so quickly. Nevertheless, the reason he sent Chung Myung out was because he wanted the child to forget his worries and be treated with respect and rest, even if only for a few days.

“I feel a little sorry for the Eunha Merchant Guild and the Hwaeom branch, but…”

It couldn’t be helped.

Heh heh.

“Alright!”

Chung Myung, who had stepped outside, headed straight for the main gate.

“Where are you going?”

Baek Cheon, who was training in the Great Training Hall, turned his head sharply towards Chung Myung and asked.

“I’m going to the Eunha Merchant Guild.”

“All the way to Chengdu?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. Then it’ll take at least a day or two.”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“He told me not to come back too soon and to try and please them?”

“Is that so?”

Baek Cheon nodded.

“Don’t cause too much trouble and come back.”

“I’m not a child.”

“…That’s the problem, because you’re not a child.”

It’s natural for a child to cause trouble! You’re not a child, but you’re causing trouble, you!

‘…Thinking about it, I’m a little uneasy.’

Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes.

“Should I come with you?”

“Why, Martial Uncle?”

“I just think it would be better to have one more person…”

“No way. You’re trying to slack off. Train the kids properly.”

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung subtly pointed his chin at the disciples.

“The ones who stayed behind to play are important, but the ones who came back from Shaolin are even more important. What you see and feel will eventually disappear if you don’t embody it immediately. The same goes for Martial Uncle.”

“Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Chung Myung chuckled as Baek Cheon nodded seriously, then turned his body.

“Anyway, I’ll be back, so don’t cause any trouble and stay put.”

“…Who’s telling who!”

“Hee hee hee hee!”

As soon as Chung Myung stepped out of the main gate, he jumped off the cliff below. Baek Cheon shook his head.

‘Use the road, you!’

Open the door with your hands!

At that moment, Yoon Jong and a few other disciples cautiously approached and asked.

“Where is that rascal going?”

“The Sect Leader seems to have sent him to the Eunha Merchant Guild.”

“…Will it be alright?”

“Isn’t this a frequent occurrence?”

“No. It’s just that he seems a little more out of it than before.”

“…”

Hearing those words, Baek Cheon became even more uneasy.

“…What could possibly go wrong?”

At this time, the disciples of Mount Hua were completely unaware.

That the real problem was not Chung Myung, but them.

At the entrance of the mountain path leading to Mount Hua, elderly men with graying hair and middle-aged men gathered, looking up at the mountain peaks with strange gazes.

“…Mount Hua, is it?”

“Yes. It is Mount Hua.”

“…How many years has it been?”

“It has been over thirty years.”

“Yes. Thirty years… It has truly been a long time.”

A faint sense of nostalgia flickered in the eyes of the old man at the front. His neatly combed hair and the silk clothes he wore all over his body clearly revealed that this man’s status was extraordinary.

“I never thought I would have the chance to climb Mount Hua again in my lifetime.”

“We feel the same. We wouldn’t have come back if you hadn’t asked us.”

“That’s right.”

The old man nodded his head as if he had made up his mind.

“Let’s go. I must meet Hyun Jong. I need to meet him and talk.”

“I feel both excited and scared to climb Mount Hua after so long.”

“What reason do you have to be afraid?”

A faint smile hung on the old man’s lips.

“Even after all these years, home is still home. We might have some arguments, but there’s no need to be scared.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

“Alright.”

The old man glanced back. Those who met his gaze nodded heavily.