Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 383

“I think I’m going to die.”

“Me too.”

The Mount Hua disciples looked at each other, their faces pale and eyes dark with fear.

“How can we sleep? There’s a ghost!”

“Even the wind makes my heart drop.”

They tried to ignore it, but their hearts wouldn’t listen.

Already, more than five people had seen the ghost. Their hands were sweaty, and their stomachs felt tight with worry.

“It really seems like a ghost.”

Chung Myung frowned, his face always looking annoyed.

He had been searching for the ghost for days, but strangely, the ghost hadn’t appeared to Chung Myung.

Even though three more people had seen the ghost since Cheongbong fainted and started shaking.

“Unless it’s a real ghost…”

How could Chung Myung not find it when the disciples had seen it with their own eyes?

“…Hmm. This is quite a thing.”

Hyun Young sighed, looking lost and confused as he sat on the porch.

“The disciples are really scared,” Wi Lip-san said.

“Especially the new ones at Hwayeong Gate?” Hyun Young asked, rubbing his temples.

“Yes,” Wi Lip-san nodded. “The new recruits this time…”

Hyun Young groaned. “Oh no.” He pressed his fingers to his head, feeling a headache coming on.

Who is most afraid of ghosts? Children, of course.

Even adults felt uneasy at the mention of ghosts, so how could young children remain calm after hearing such rumors?

“I’m trying to stop the rumors, but it’s not easy…”

“How can you catch what can’t be caught? There are two things that people can’t grasp: words and ghosts.”

And now, both were simultaneously tormenting the Hwayeong Gate.

Hyun Young’s stomach twisted with worry.

How could there never be a peaceful day?

It was then.

Bang!

“Elder!”

Jo Gul, bursting through the door, rushed in with a face full of excitement.

“Elder, don’t worry! I’ve found a solution!”

“Huh?”

Hyun Young, taken aback, jumped up from his seat.

“A solution? What did you do!”

“Heh! Am I not Jo Gul? Jo Gul! There’s no one better than me at solving problems! I searched everywhere in Xi’an and brought back the most skilled shaman! Now that ghost is done for…”

“You crazy bastard!”

Hyun Young smacked Jo Gul over the head with the teacup he was holding.

“Keck!”

Jo Gul couldn’t even let out a proper scream before collapsing on the spot like a frog.

Hyun Young watched him twitch on the ground, then roared.

“What kind of Taoist temple calls for a shaman because a ghost appeared! It would make more sense to ask a wise scholar to teach us about proper behavior! I’m worried about the rumors, so send him back immediately!”

Hyun Young hadn’t yet realized that his hands were moving faster than his words.

“Keueueung.”

Jo Gul clutched his head and mumbled as if he felt wronged.

“W-we can’t solve it.”

Hyun Young, speechless, opened and closed his mouth for a moment before sighing.

Long ago, Mount Hua used to know magic to fight ghosts. They had learned how to use spells and make special charms. But Mount Hua had changed. They were more interested in normal life now, not magic. The magic part of Mount Hua was always weak compared to other groups. And when the evil Demonic Sect became powerful, Mount Hua had to focus on surviving. They became more practical. Now, they didn’t even have the basic things needed for magic, like special ink and paper.

“Keueung. There was nothing related to spells in the old training books we found…”

Hyun Young was racking his brain when someone suddenly cut off his worries with a cheerful voice.

“Hey! Why do you need that!”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“What age is it to be talking about magic and ghosts!”

Chung Myung…

We are the strange powers and chaos, you rascal.

How can someone who carries a sword and flies through the sky say such a thing?

“No, how can people who have to deal with the Demonic Sect, who attack you without thinking, be afraid of ghosts? Afraid of ghosts? I’m a hundred times more afraid of people!”

“…You may be like that, but isn’t it a problem that the disciples of the Hwayeong Gate are afraid? If this goes on, the new recruits…”

“Don’t even say that! It’s bad enough already. This isn’t some marketplace! What’s with coming and going as they please?!”

Chung Myung had already watched disciples enter and leave several times, so he was determined to never see such a sight again.

“So, we need to solve it quickly.”

“Keueung.”

Chung Myung scratched his head vigorously.

Until now, most difficult problems had been solved with a strong fist and a solid sense of courage. But this was a case where fists were useless.

Jo Gul, who had been watching the situation, shouted confidently.

“In this case, rather!”

“Huh?”

“How about moving the building?”

Silence fell over the room. Everyone just stared at Jo Gul, mouths open.

“…Wasn’t this just built less than a month ago?”

“We need to be practical! Isn’t this place a haunted house because a ghost appeared in the first place? Do you think the people who lived here before just stood by? They must have tried everything. What can we do if they couldn’t solve it?”

“Hmm…”

“So, it’s better to quickly abandon the building and buy a new one…”

Then, Yoon Jong smiled and grabbed Jo Gul’s shoulder.

“Geol.”

“Yes?”

“Stop acting like a rich kid and shut your mouth before I twist your jaw.”

Yoon Jong’s voice was a little annoyed.

“Always the rich kids!”

“They don’t know the value of money! The value of money!”

“Argh!”

Everyone started yelling at him, and Jo Gul shut his mouth like a clam.

“N-no, originally, in business, you have to quickly abandon what you need to abandon…”

“Geol.”

“Yes!”

“Shut up.”

“Yes, sir!”

Even Baek Cheon frowned, and Jo Gul quickly stood straight and still. He certainly showed a quickness to abandon his opinion.

Chung Myung shook his head at the sight.

“No, isn’t this all happening because you’re wandering around alone? I told you to go in pairs, so why do you keep wandering around alone?”

“…Is it right to take someone with you when you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?”

“They don’t even wake up when I try to wake them.”

“What about Yoo I-seol’s accident, even if we’re okay?”

“Keueung.”

Chung Myung was speechless.

‘Yes, this definitely won’t do.’

After thinking for a moment, he glared. The longer this goes on, the more likely the disciples they had gathered would leave, or they would have no choice but to resell the building.

But who would buy this building if a ghost appeared in a newly built building?

A haunted building that even the Taoists of Mount Hua couldn’t handle and ran away from!

Chung Myung raised his head as if he had made a decision.

“There’s no other way.”

“Huh?”

The air in the manor felt heavy and cold. “If it’s really a ghost, there’s nothing we can do, so I think we should check out another manor.”

“Abandon this place?” Hyun Young asked, his voice filled with worry.

“Well, what else can we do?” Chung Myung said, sounding a little annoyed. “Anyone got a better plan?”

Hyun Young rubbed his chin, his face serious. Lines appeared around his eyes as he thought hard.

“What Sajong Jo Gul said isn’t entirely wrong. We need to act fast. If we stay here and rumours spread that we can’t even handle one ghost, the trust we’ve gained could break down. It’s better to make up a good excuse and get out.”

“So, you have an excuse ready?” Baek Cheon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… there are plenty of things we could say. Like we need to move to a bigger manor to take in more disciples.”

“Hmm. We could certainly escape without raising too much suspicion.”

“Keeping the disciples quiet will be important.”

“It’s not too difficult. Even if rumours spread a bit, the people of Seoan still trust Hwayeong Mun.”

As the conversation reached this point, Jo Gul sulked and pouted.

“When I said it, everyone cursed at me.”

“Be quiet, Jo Gul.”

“Hey! You be quiet!”

Jo Gul looked like the most unfairly treated person ever and went to the corner and crouched down. But sadly, no one paid him any attention.

The others ignored Jo Gul completely. “Anyway,” Chung Myung said, frowning.

“First, let’s find a place to sleep tonight.”

“Starting tonight?”

“…Sajong, looking at the state of Sasuks, I think we have to.”

Everyone looked tired, with dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep, and nodded with difficulty.

But Hyun Young still seemed troubled.

“It won’t be easy to find a manor large enough for all of us to stay in overnight.”

“Oh, no, Elder. There are plenty of manors available right now.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung grinned brightly.

“Remember those manors that belonged to the Jongnam Sokga group? They all left town suddenly. Those manors are empty now.”

“Not without owners, but temporarily vacant…”

“Same difference.”

Hyun Young nodded, slightly dazed.

Hyun Young just stared, a little lost. *Maybe,* he thought to himself, *I really do need to teach Chung Myung some basic manners one day.*

“Would it be a problem to use an empty manor? Tell them to come and argue if they’re unhappy.”

“Right. If you say that, no one will come.”

“They need to live too,” Hyun Young agreed, meaning the Jongnam Sokga people wouldn’t dare argue with Hwasan.

Chung Myung clicked his tongue, a frustrated sound. He felt bitter about having to run away.

“I’ve never run from an enemy… To think I’d run away because of a ghost.”

“One step back for a leap forward.”

“But we aren’t leaping forward!”

Chung Myung shouted and then sighed.

“Well, nothing can be done.”

If there was an enemy in front of him and a sword to be thrust, he would try anything, but now he couldn’t even see the enemy, nor could he be sure that the sword would hit the enemy.

“We can’t fight a ghost. So, we need to move now. Everyone needs sleep!”

Baek Cheon blinked, surprised. “…Really? You’re worried about sleep?”

Chung Myung frowned. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I thought you’d be ranting about how someone who can’t sleep because of a ghost isn’t a proper Taoist.”

“…I thought you’d knock me out to make me sleep.”

“I thought you’d make me work all day, saying I can’t sleep because I have too much energy.”

“…”

Chung Myung trembled and opened his mouth.

“Want me to do as you wish?”

“Ah, no!”

“I’ll go find out right now!”

Everyone scattered like the wind. Chung Myung watched them go, letting out another hollow sigh.

“Ugh. Nothing’s going right.”

“What can we do? This is something we can’t handle with human power.”

“Yes. First of all… we need to calm down the newly initiated disciples first. We need to handle Hwayeong Mun carefully, unlike Hwasan.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and looked at the manor with a pitiful expression.

And.

In the darkest shadow of the manor, created by the sun rising in the mid-heaven.

Not far away, an unidentified gaze was quietly watching Chung Myung’s shoulders slumping with frustration.

As day turned to night…

Night fell, and the Hwayeong Mun manor became eerily silent and empty. Dust motes danced in the moonlight that streamed through broken windows. The wind whistled through cracks in the walls, making the doors groan and bang like restless spirits.

Not even small animals approached the manor, now deserted by the disciples of Hwasan.

Only the moonlight dimly illuminated the surroundings.

How much time had passed?

A faint *swish* sound broke the silence, like cloth dragging on stone.

Something began to stir in the dark shadows.

The faint movement grew slightly larger, and soon a figure like smoke, shifting and unclear in the dim light, began to move with the wind.

Rustle.

The hazy figure, descending in the middle of the manor, swayed slightly. And soon, it began to move slowly towards the largest building in the manor.

The figure stopped in front of the tightly closed door of the building.

Click.

The large latch was neatly cut off, and the door swung open. The hazy figure moved into the building as if floating.

“…”

Shhh.

The ghost, entering the building, wavered a couple of times as if contemplating something.

But only for a moment. The figure seemed to shrink slightly, and soon the floorboards began to be torn away.

“…Damn it.”

An eerie voice leaked out slightly.

As the wooden floor was torn away and the dirt was revealed, the milky white glow from the ground grew stronger. At the same time, the floor began to be dug up violently.

Whack! Whack!

Dirt and gravel were dug up in an instant, creating a small mountain in the middle of the floor. The speed of digging up the floor increased.

It was just then, as the ghost was digging down into the floor for a long time.

“I’ve lived long enough to see this.”

The ghost’s movement stopped abruptly at the sudden voice.

And it began to waver, showing clear bewilderment.

“In all my life, I’ve never seen a ghost digging in the ground. Why? Digging your grave to go back in?”

The closed door of the building swung open, and Chung Myung walked in with a smirk.

“…”

“Is it a real ghost?”

“Of course not.”

“Then what the hell is that?”