Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 360

“Can we just let them be?” a voice whispered nervously.

Namja-myeong scoffed. “…What else *can* we do?”

His face tightened with anger. He clenched his fists, wanting to shout and stop them. It wasn’t really about how good Huashan’s swords were. The problem was *Huashan* showing off their swords in Seoan, right in Jongnam’s territory. It felt like a slap in the face.

But he knew he was trapped. There was no way to stop them without causing a bigger problem.

Huashan was once a smaller part of Jongnam, a secular branch. Usually, Jongnam could easily control Huashan. Huashan also had its pride and wouldn’t cause trouble for the main group. As long as they didn’t get directly involved, Jongnam didn’t need to worry too much.

However, this event wasn’t organized by the Hwayoung Gate, but by the Huashan Sect itself.

He knew it was just for show, but the people demonstrating were Huashan Sect disciples, and a Huashan elder was hosting the event. He couldn’t easily object.

‘Damn it. If only Jongnam hadn’t closed its gates!’

Those guys wouldn’t be causing trouble in Seoan!

“Shouldn’t we still try to stop them?” someone asked.

Namja-myeong replied, his voice angry. “How good can Huashan’s sword skills be? People who have seen Jongnam’s swords won’t be impressed. They’ll be lucky if they don’t embarrass themselves after all this!”

Namja-myeong glared at the Huashan disciples, as if saying, ‘Let’s see what you’ve got.’

‘Hwajeong Sword?’

He had heard that nickname and name many times.

Jin Geum-ryong, who was expected to become the next leader of Jongnam, was defeated, and Jongnam’s reputation was damaged.

‘But he’s still just a junior.’

He might be good compared to others his age, but how amazing could he really be? He was just a junior.

However, looking at Baek Cheon with his chin raised slightly, he couldn’t deny that the guy was talented.

Feeling annoyed, Namja-myeong rolled up his sleeves.

“Draw swords!” Baek Cheon shouted from the front.

The Huashan disciples drew their swords together. Their movements were perfectly timed, as if they were one person. It was clear from this simple action how much they had practiced.

“Ooh!”

“Wow!”

The crowd reacted right away.

Even people who didn’t know much about martial arts could feel the skill in their unified movements.

The Huashan disciples all took the same starting position. Baek Cheon slowly raised his sword.

“Six Harmonies!”

At his command, the Huashan disciples took the starting stance of the Six Harmonies Sword at the same time.

“Good!”

“Heh heh. Looks pretty impressive.”

Baek Cheon, wearing a white headband, looked like a hero. People nodded in agreement.

“That’s the Hwajeong Sword, right?”

“I heard he’s the oldest student of Huashan’s Baek generation.”

“Then he’ll be the leader someday.”

People were curious and excited.

Baek Cheon, feeling their attention, gave a strong command.

“First Form!”

The Huashan disciples stepped forward together and swung their swords.

Wham!

Even though it was just a demonstration, Huashan didn’t hold back. The swords, swung with full power as if in training, created a gust of wind.

The crowd gasped and stepped back, surprised by the sudden wind.

But even then, the Huashan disciples continued their sword demonstration without stopping. It was truly impressive.

“So, the younger members of Huashan are the best in the world, huh?”

“No wonder Jongnam has fallen behind.”

“Aren’t they all full of energy?”

The swordsmanship, perfectly timed as if done by one person, was like watching a beautiful parade.

Wham!

The wind from the swords made Namja-myeong’s hair stand up. He was watching from the front.

The crowd cheered loudly.

“Waaaah!”

“Amazing!”

Namja-myeong looked around, confused.

‘What’s so great about it that they’re making such a fuss?’

It was just basic swordsmanship, nothing special.

But the people watching were very excited.

Namja-myeong’s face twisted.

‘These fools… What are they so excited about!’

Chung Myung, watching from a distance, chuckled to himself.

‘You wouldn’t understand.’

The swordsmanship isn’t the important thing, it’s the situation.

The sword skills don’t really matter.

The people here are ready to be amazed even if the Huashan disciples were digging in the dirt instead of using swords.

Why?

It’s simple. Where else would you see disciples from a famous group showing off their sword skills to everyone?

Groups like Jongnam and Huashan don’t usually spend time with ordinary people.

Since this was Jongnam’s area, people might have seen Jongnam’s swordsmanship before, but most people never get to see the sword skills of the Nine Great Sects’ disciples.

Also, who would ask Jongnam to show them their group swordsmanship?

So, Huashan, which is becoming famous, is showing their swordsmanship in the streets. It’s a rare chance, something you might only see once in your life.

No wonder people are so excited.

‘If they just show some decent sword skills, it’s a done deal.’

What? Jongnam can do it too?

Then they should open their gates and come down.

“Heh heh heh.”

Chung Myung chuckled.

Just then, the Huashan disciples finished the Six Harmonies Sword demonstration. As planned, they started the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Formation.

Showing the demonstration for too long would make it less exciting.

Once they got enough attention with the Six Harmonies Sword, it was best to strike quickly.

“Plum Blossom Endures Winter!”

With Baek Cheon’s loud command, it looked like plum blossoms were blooming from the tips of the Huashan disciples’ swords. The sword energy was like blooming flowers.

“Wow…”

“P-Plum blossoms! Plum blossoms!”

Everyone watched in amazement as the Huashan disciples created plum blossoms. The sword energy seemed to bloom plum blossoms in the air.

Of course, the disciples in the back hadn’t yet managed to create perfect plum blossoms like Baek Cheon and the others in the front. But the crowd didn’t care.

They were seeing people bloom flowers with swords right in front of them.

“Falling Plum Blossoms!”

Baek Cheon began an even more amazing sword form.

When it came to being impressive, no one could beat Huashan’s swords.

Skill or not, the Plum Blossom Sword Formation was sure to impress people. Even someone who knew nothing about swords would find it flashy and dangerous.

“T-That’s completely different from Jongnam’s swords?”

“So that’s why Huashan’s been getting popular lately. I’ve never seen swordsmanship like this before. What kind of swordsmanship is this?”

At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted.

“T-That’s the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Formation!”

“I heard that Huashan won the martial arts tournament at the Shaolin Temple with the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Formation! They are truly the best!”

“I heard the Nine Great Sects had a hard time because of that sword.”

“Ah!”

“That’s right!”

With so many people, no one knew who was shouting. Everyone just assumed it was someone who knew what they were talking about.

The Hwayoung Gate disciples, who had done their job among the crowd, winked at Chung Myung. Chung Myung nodded, pleased.

‘Good! Well done.’

Huh? A scam?

Come on now. In this situation, you need people to cheer and make things exciting.

A scam! What do you think I am! I may look like this, but I’m a Taoist!

Scam or not, it was working.

Martial Arts Tournament. The Nine Great Martial Arts Groups. And finally, the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Style.

Short words worked well to impress people. The sword skills were amazing to watch, and the results were clear. People could admire the swordsmanship completely.

“Amazing.”

“Is that the Mount Hua Sect?”

Unexpected support also started.

“Ah, Mount Hua… Before they had troubles, Jongnam wouldn’t have even dreamed of comparing themselves!”

“Hmph! Young people today know nothing! In my time…”

“Jongnam, you say? Let me tell you about the Plum Blossom Sword Saint…”

The white-haired old men, now excited, began to spin their old yarns. People who would normally have avoided them were now all ears, joining in the excitement.

In that festival-like atmosphere, Baek Cheon drew everyone’s attention to himself.

“Plum Blossom Bloom (梅花滿開)!”

The plum blossoms of Mount Hua bloomed. Imagine white and pink petals flashing in the sunlight, the sharp, clean sound of the sword cutting through the air like a bird’s wing. They were more splendid than ever.

Everyone there, even the heads of the Jongnam related families, were completely amazed by the magnificent plum blossoms.

Plum blossoms bloomed in the heart of Xi’an.

It was as if an old, withered tree had burst into bloom once more.

“Hoo.”

Baek Cheon slowly took his sword back and put it in its case. Then, he raised his head and looked around.

Silence fell. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

But only for a moment.

“Uwaaaaah!”

As someone exclaimed and began to applaud, others joined in, clapping until their hands were sore.

“Hehehehe! Truly amazing.”

“That’s the Mount Hua Sect for you! Indeed!”

“As expected, the disciples of the main sect are exceptionally skilled! Completely different from Jongnam!”

Showers of applause and admiration.

Nam Ja-myeong watched, his face getting darker. ‘This is terrible,’ he thought. ‘They are making Jongnam look bad. This shouldn’t be happening.’ He clenched his fists.

He wanted to belittle it.

He wanted to shout that it was nothing special.

But after all, he was a martial artist too. Having seen such swordsmanship with his own eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say those words.

Besides….

‘Isn’t this hardly a situation where that would work?’

Even if he found small faults, people who saw it would not change their minds. Perhaps a little later, but for now, it was better to keep his mouth shut.

But….

Unfortunately for him, there was someone in Mount Hua who wouldn’t simply let time pass.

“Alright, alright!”

Cheong-myeong, who had been watching the situation without participating in the demonstration, quickly jumped forward, sensing that the time was right. He knew the crowd was impressed and this was the perfect moment.

He stood in front of Baek Cheon and raised his voice.

“The plum blossoms you’ve just witnessed can be learned and bloomed as much as you like if you join the newly opened Hwayoung Gate!”

Of course, the sword techniques allowed to the related families only went up to the Seven Plum Sword….

‘Well, anyway, you can bloom plum blossoms even with the Seven Plum Sword.’

He wasn’t lying! Not lying!

“And!”

Seeing the attention focus on him in an instant, Cheong-myeong shouted decisively.

“For those who join the Hwayoung Gate now, tuition fees will be waived for the next three months! So!”

And he stomped his foot!

“Free! Free for the next three months! Just join and if you don’t like it, you can quit without paying a penny!”

“Oh!”

“Free!”

Who, regardless of era or country, could resist the word ‘free’?

Those who were already captivated by the swordsmanship they had just witnessed began to prick up their ears at the word ‘free’.

“Lastly!”

Cheong-myeong grabbed Baek Cheon from behind and pulled him forward.

“Students who join the Hwayoung Gate will occasionally receive instruction from the renowned Hwajung Sword! Baek Cheon Training Hall!”

“Ooh! Hwajung Sword!”

“Is a disciple of the main sect really going to teach us directly?”

Occasionally.

Very, very occasionally, but he wasn’t lying.

‘Fame is meant to be used.’

At least in Xi’an, the name Hwajung Sword Baek Cheon carried more weight than the Mount Hua Sect Leader.

So he had no choice but to use it at times like this.

But then, someone shouted.

“But who are you? Can we trust what you’re saying?”

Cheong-myeong grinned as if someone had scratched an itch for him.

“I am Cheong-myeong, a third-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”

“Ch-, Cheong-myeong?”

“The Divine Dragon of Mount Hua!”

“That man is the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua!”

A roar erupted, twice as loud as any cheer heard so far.

“Oh, my.”

Even Cheong-myeong, the Divine Dragon himself, was taken aback by the reaction and took a step back.

“Wh-, what’s with you all? Why are you so happy?”

“…Well, it’s because you’re the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua.”

Baek Cheon stared at him blankly, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

What did this guy think of himself?

The actual winner of the martial arts tournament and the greatest figure of the younger generation. Moreover, Cheong-myeong was called the greatest man of the future.

No matter how much Baek Cheon had defeated Jin Geum-ryong, could he even compare to Cheong-myeong in terms of fame?

“The Divine Dragon of Mount Hua came in person?”

“Then, if we join, will the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua teach us swordsmanship?”

“Goodness! Where, where is my second son right now?”

An explosive reaction erupted.

“H-, how do I join the Hwayoung Gate!”

“Can I join right here and now?”

Cheong-myeong grinned as if he had never been flustered.

Strike while the iron is hot, as they say. There was no way he could let the expectations of these excited people cool down!

“So-haeng!”

“Yes! Training Hall Leader!”

“What are you doing! Receive the guests!”

“Yes! This way, please!”

The disciples of the Hwayoung Gate, who had already mastered the art of making lists while running gambling dens in Shaolin, were quick to act.

In an instant, several tables were set up, and ledgers and writing tools were prepared on top of them.

“We are accepting applications here!”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than several people rushed forward eagerly. Then, those who had only been watching cautiously also jumped out, competing for a place.

“Me first! Take my son first!”

“Ah, move aside if you’re not the person! I’m joining myself!”

“There’s an order to everything! Move aside! I want to join too!”

The heads of the Jongnam related families stared blankly at the sight of the people flocking together. Nam Ja-myeong, unable to bear it any longer after seeing Cheong-myeong’s winning smile, shouted.

“This is outrageous! How can the main sect interfere so deeply in the affairs of the related families!” His face was filled with shock and worry.

Cheong-myeong chuckled and shrugged.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“…Wh-, what did you say?”

“It’s a problem if they don’t do it, but why is it a problem if they do? Isn’t it better if the main sect takes an active interest in the affairs of the related families?”

“….”

Nam Ja-myeong closed his mouth like a mute who had swallowed honey.

Cheong-myeong chuckled and drove the point home.

“If you’re upset, tell your side to do the same for you.”

Oh, are they staying away from others?

That’s too bad, what should I do?

Hee hee hee hee.