Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 378

Baek Cheon sighed as he watched Chung Myung return. He thought, ‘He’s so unpredictable.’

Everyone in Mount Hua knew Chung Myung was the most playful person. No one would disagree.

But sometimes, Chung Myung surprised them.

It wasn’t the first time, though.

Chung Myung walked up to the Mount Hua students, relaxed, and shrugged.

“Okay!” he said. “That’s how you clean up. Got it?”

“…”

Just keep quiet, Baek Cheon thought.

If he did, maybe people would see him differently.

Baek Cheon sighed and frowned.

“Still, wasn’t that too cruel?”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung scratched his cheek, looking at the Scarlet Brigade examining Yeopyeong. He said,

“Sasuk, Sasuk.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how to be the least cruel?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Kill them all.”

“…”

Baek Cheon closed his mouth. Chung Myung was saying it playfully, but he was serious. He didn’t joke about things like this.

“How is that less cruel?”

“Is it more cruel for one person to die, or for two?”

“Well… two people, of course.”

“Then, how many people will they kill if they live?”

“…”

Baek Cheon’s face became serious. He hadn’t thought about it that way.

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung stopped, about to explain more, and shook his head.

It was hard to explain. Baek Cheon knew those men would hurt innocent people if they lived. But he didn’t like how easily Chung Myung killed them.

Chung Myung sighed.

“I’m not saying you should be evil or unkind, but…”

He looked at Baek Cheon seriously.

“Keep compassion in your heart. But the sword has no compassion.”

“…”

Hyun Young stepped in to support Chung Myung.

“I agree. If a Taoist doesn’t have compassion, can he be called a Taoist? But the great fighters of Mount Hua showed no mercy when punishing evil.”

“Ah….”

“Even the legendary Plum Blossom Sword Saint was said to have defeated many enemies in one night, becoming famous. He didn’t do it without compassion. It came from his deep understanding of Tao.”

“That’s right!”

Baek Cheon’s eyes lit up at the mention of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, a legendary hero of Mount Hua.

But Chung Myung felt annoyed.

‘Why do they react differently when I say the same thing?!’

‘I need to wear a mask!’

‘But…’

Did I really defeat many enemies in one night?

‘It happened more than once or twice.’

Which time are they talking about? Chung Myung wondered.

Baek Cheon spoke, excited.

“You must mean when you punished the Black Moon Gate, which was famous for being bad in Luoyang.”

“Yes. The Plum Blossom Sword Saint never killed without reason, but he never forgave those who hurt the common people! He saw the Black Moon Gate taking advantage of people and fought them without hesitation, right?”

It was a famous story about the Plum Blossom Sword Saint passed down in Mount Hua. Everyone in Luoyang knew about it, so all Mount Hua disciples knew it.

However….

‘Ah, that.’

Chung Myung looked awkward.

– Those guys made me drink!

Uh….

Common people?

Uh….

Chung Myung tried to forget the truth.

‘Right. That’s how it was.’

Forget it.

Forget it.

“And….”

Hyun Young frowned and got back to the point.

“It’s better for Mount Hua to be strong, even if it means being ruthless, than for you to get hurt or die trying to be kind.”

The Mount Hua students looked at Hyun Young with surprise. They knew he was realistic, but they didn’t expect him to say that.

“So, if the same thing happens again, don’t try to be kind.”

“Yes, Elder!”

They answered loudly, but not everyone understood. Chung Myung couldn’t force them to understand.

Anyone in the martial world would think about this. Those who use a sword can’t avoid killing.

Chung Myung wouldn’t say their conclusions were wrong. They had to decide for themselves. Chung Myung’s ideas weren’t the only right ones.

Just….

“Think about it more.”

“…”

“So you don’t regret it later.”

Everyone nodded silently.

“…”

Namjayeong watched Mount Hua arrive and defeat the Scarlet Brigade. He felt confused.

‘The Scarlet Brigade Yeopyeong was defeated?’

More than ten smaller groups from Jongnam didn’t even try to fight and ran away. That was mostly because of the Scarlet Brigade Yeopyeong.

But Baek Cheon, not Chung Myung or Hae Yeon from Shaolin, defeated Yeopyeong.

‘How did Mount Hua get so strong?’

They were only supposed to be advanced students.

No one could call Yeop Pyeong weak after Hwasan defeated him.

Namja-myeong turned to the main road and saw the Red Sand Unit members helping the injured Yeop Pyeong and their comrades.

Then…

“Ah…”

People who had locked their doors, sensing danger, cautiously peeked out.

Namja-myeong’s smile disappeared, and his jaw tightened.

Before, Namja-myeong only thought about getting rid of the Red Sand Unit. But now it was over, he started to worry about what would happen next.

“Is it over?”

“…Ah, they’re still there, aren’t they?”

“Look. That fallen fellow over there seems to be their leader?”

“S-So, the disciples of Hwasan defeated the Maninbang thugs?”

Namja-myeong scanned the street, his heart sinking. He had failed.

Most people were still hidden behind closed doors, but here and there, a door would creak open a tiny crack. Then, slowly, a few brave people peeked out, their eyes wide with fear.

A shaky voice called out, “Um… excuse me… Masters? Is it… is it safe to come out now?” The man who spoke was pale and trembling.

One of the Hwasan disciples, looking bored, just nodded. “Yeah, yeah, it’s fine. Just stay away from those Red Sand guys over there. And be careful until they’re gone from Seoan completely.”

“T-Thank you!”

Everyone who heard those words knew for sure: Hwasan had defeated the Red Sand Unit.

As if to prove it, the Red Sand Unit members began to carry their injured comrades and limped away.

“Why are you walking so slowly, you bastards! I’ll beat you until you crawl out of here! Get out now!” Cheong-myeong roared.

The Red Sand Unit members, terrified, used their lightness skill to flee. As they ran, the onlookers cheered.

“They’re running away! We’re safe!”

“Serves them right, those monsters!”

It was like a signal. Suddenly, all the doors opened, and people flooded the street.

They pointed and shouted insults at the fleeing Red Sand Unit.

“Those guys wouldn’t have even dared to come here if Jongnam hadn’t closed its gates!”

“Indeed!”

“Damn it! Why are we talking about Jongnam now?”

“Huh?”

Some people, overcome with emotion, shouted, “Jongnam closed its gates, but what about the families connected to them? Where are they? We thought they would protect us! They all ran away!”

“That’s right!”

“Damn it, how much have I paid them in taxes all this time!”

“Even so, is it right for all those families to run away without a single one staying! Can they still call themselves righteous sects after that!”

Anger rose from everywhere.

People learn martial arts to protect themselves. And they support martial arts clans because they believe those clans will protect them when they need it.

But the Jongnam families abandoned everyone and ran as soon as danger came.

Who would trust a sect that couldn’t even protect itself from a heretical group and abandoned those it was supposed to protect?

The people were very angry.

“If only the main sect hadn’t closed its gates…”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Did the Jongnam families learn from someone else? The main sect taught them that way, so they acted that way!”

“…”

“Of course, this wouldn’t have happened if Jongnam hadn’t closed its gates. But how do we know Jongnam won’t abandon Seoan and run away if an even bigger enemy comes next time?”

“…Isn’t that going too far?”

“You can know the parents by looking at their children! You can know what Jongnam is like by looking at its families. Anyway, I’m very disappointed in Jongnam because of this! I’ll never go near any Jongnam family again!”

Many people agreed.

They hadn’t completely stopped supporting Jongnam, so not many people said they were unhappy, but it was clear from their faces that they didn’t trust them anymore.

“On the other hand, what about Hwasan? Even though they just came to Seoan, they risked their lives to protect us!”

“…Well, isn’t it because they didn’t close their gates?”

“Don’t be foolish! Even if they hadn’t closed their gates, would Jongnam have tried to fight with only those young disciples? I didn’t believe it when I heard Jongnam was losing to Hwasan, but now I know why those rumors are going around!”

People looked at Hwasan with kindness.

Why wouldn’t they? The Hwasan disciples they saw were young and inexperienced. They had risked their lives against those terrible villains and protected Seoan.

If they hadn’t treated Hwayeongmun badly before, they might not have been so grateful. But everyone knew they had only treated Hwayeongmun badly because they were pressured by the Jongnam families.

But those people risked their lives for them.

“They told us not to be friends with Hwasan and to follow them! But when things got dangerous, they ran away? Is that something a person should do!”

Kindness towards Hwasan and anger towards Jongnam mixed together.

Namja-myeong closed his eyes tightly.

‘It’s over.’

Power isn’t everything.

It only matters when people believe it will be used for good.

Now that things had turned out this way, the Jongnam families would never be trusted in Seoan again.

To the people, a martial arts clan that they don’t trust to protect them is just a group of bandits.

‘Those useless bastards. That’s why I tried so hard to stop them. How can I ever face the Sect Leader again?’

He realized he couldn’t change anything, and he sighed deeply.

Most people were busy being angry at Jongnam, but some carefully went to the Hwasan Sect and thanked them.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. We survived because of you.”

“Ah. Please don’t mention it.”

Cheong-myeong puffed out his chest and said firmly, “We don’t need thanks for this. If you open a sect in Seoan, you should be ready to die with the people of Seoan! And you should live with the people of Seoan! It’s embarrassing to be thanked for something so obvious!”

The Hwasan disciples were amazed by his smooth words.

‘Did he practice that?’

‘Wow, he’s completely destroying the Jongnam families.’

‘He likes putting others down more than being praised. That’s Cheong-myeong for you. I respect him.’

“Hwasan! Truly Hwasan! I’ve heard Hwasan is famous everywhere, and now I know why!”

“Still, thank you so much. We survived because of Hwasan. How many people would have died if it weren’t for Hwasan!”

“I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

Cheong-myeong, who had been serious, started to smile slightly.

“Hehe. It’s not like I did anything that great.”

“No! It is great! It’s very great!”

“Hooray! Long live the Hwasan Sect!”

Cheong-myeong’s mouth slowly widened as he heard the cheers, applause, and requests for handshakes.

“Hehehe.”

“Masters! Thank you so much!”

“Hooray! Long live the Hwasan Sect!”

The cheers, laughter, and the sound of new trust being built filled Seoan.

In Seoan, hope was reborn. But behind the closed gates of Jongnam, silence remained.