Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 388

“Then I trust everything to you, Sect Leader Hwa.” Wi Rip-san, the leader of Hwayeong Sect, looked worried. “Elder, what will we do when you leave? Hwayeong Sect still needs your wisdom.”

Hyun Young chuckled softly, a warm sound. He gently patted Wi Rip-san’s shoulder. “It’s good to be modest, but too much modesty isn’t polite. You are much better at running the day-to-day business of the sect than I am.”

“But still…”

“Don’t worry.” Hyun Young smiled kindly, making Wi Rip-san feel calmer.

“Hwasan isn’t too far from Seoan, right? If Hwayeong Sect ever needs help, we will be there quickly.”

“Elder, thank you. Your words mean so much.”

“No, I should thank you, my friend.” Hyun Young patted Wi Rip-san’s shoulder again. “Hwayeong Sect is doing so well, with so many students and no enemies. You are sure to grow even bigger, yes?”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

“Let’s talk soon about starting more branch sects.”

“Yes, Elder. Some of our older teachers are ready. They could easily lead their own branches.”

“Wonderful, wonderful. And…” Hyun Young’s hand on Wi Rip-san’s shoulder suddenly squeezed tightly. “Send the payment… the tribute… through the Eunha Merchants.”

“…Yes, Elder.”

“Heh heh. Not that I’m pushing you, but…” Hyun Young looked sharply at the many students behind Wi Rip-san. “It will be a large payment, won’t it?”

“…We will keep increasing our students.”

“Heh heh. You work too hard! You might get sick! Heh heh.” *Wi Rip-san thought, ‘Is he worried about my health, or just about the money?’ He could see the Elder’s eyes sparkling with greed.*

*Wi Rip-san thought to himself, ‘Is he telling me to have fewer students for my health, or more for the money? He looks like he might burst with joy!’* Wi Rip-san took a small step back from Hyun Young. He then looked at the Hwasan students carrying bags. “Masters, you haven’t even rested properly…”

“Heh heh, it’s fine!” Chung Myung grinned, shrugging. “Actually, we could stay longer, but my senior brothers are getting lazy here. And we need to train more.”

“…You’re saying all that training wasn’t enough?”

“That little rascal…” someone grumbled from behind. Chung Myung ignored them. “The best way to help your branch sect is for the main sect to be stronger! Don’t worry! I will definitely! In every way! Perfectly help you!” *Wi Rip-san was speechless, a little scared by Chung Myung’s intense energy.* ‘No… really, it’s okay…’ he thought, but didn’t dare say it aloud.

Just then, Wi So-haeng, standing next to his father, stepped forward and bowed deeply. “Thank you so much, Masters.”

“Ah, right. So-haeng,” Chung Myung said, tilting his head. “Didn’t you say you wanted to train at the main Hwasan sect for a while?”

“Did I?”

“Yes, you definitely did…”

“When?”

“Didn’t you say it last time…”

“Did I?”

“…”

“When?” Wi So-haeng stared straight at Chung Myung, his face blank and confident. *Chung Myung thought, ‘This kid is going to be trouble.’ Wi So-haeng thought, ‘I’ll get you for this later.’*

Wi So-haeng *had* wanted to train at the main Hwasan sect. He couldn’t become a full disciple because he had to take over Hwayeong Sect, but he wanted to experience the main sect to make his branch sect proud. But now… *’I’m not going, even if I die!’* He felt like he was already dying. The training from Chung Myung… from Hwasan… was so hard that even the Hwayeong Sect students were groaning every day.

Sect Leader Wi Rip-san was truly sad to see Hwasan leave, but his students felt very differently. *’Please just go!’ ‘Father, please don’t make them stay! What if they decide to train us more?’ ‘My legs are still shaking from yesterday! If I look weak, they’ll make me train even harder!’* In just over a month, the Hwayeong Sect students had become thin and tired, like they hadn’t eaten proper meals. And this was with only one-fifth of the training Hwasan students did! And now Chung Myung was talking about training at the main sect?

“Master!”

“Yes?”

“I want to help my father! I must become the best in Hwayeong Sect!”

“Oh, really?” Chung Myung nodded seriously. Then he turned to Wi Rip-san. “Sect Leader.”

“Yes?”

“When Hwayeong Sect is doing well, send him to Hwasan.”

“…”

“I’ll train him myself to be the perfect leader for your sect, and then send him back.”

“…I will.”

“Ah, Father?” Wi So-haeng’s eyes went wide, but Wi Rip-san ignored him completely. In fact, he seemed to be trying to one-up Chung Myung.

“To become the leader of a Hwasan branch sect, training at the main sect is essential.” *Wi So-haeng thought, ‘Wait, Father, you never trained there!’*

“Exactly!” Chung Myung and Wi Rip-san shook hands firmly, sealing their secret plan. Wi So-haeng watched, horrified, as the older generation made a deal behind his back. He was powerless to stop it.

“Well then, we’ll see you next time.”

“A-Are you leaving already?”

“We need to get back to Hwasan quickly.” Wi Rip-san clicked his tongue, pretending to be sad. The time since Hwasan arrived in Seoan had been a whirlwind, and it felt very short.

“Sect Leader.”

“Yes, Young Master?”

“Please take care of Seoan.” Not ‘lead Hwayeong Sect well,’ but ‘take care of Seoan.’ *’Please.’* Wi Rip-san understood. Chung Myung saw him not just as a branch sect leader, but as a partner responsible for the whole area.

“Don’t worry, Young Master. Hwayeong Sect is a proud branch of Hwasan. We will bring honor to Hwasan’s name everywhere we go.”

Chung Myung smiled warmly. “Heh heh. We would be very grateful.”

Wi Rip-san looked at him, a small smile on his own face. *’He really is…’* He remembered Chung Myung’s words from before. *– Hwasan will remember.* *– Hwasan does not forget kindness. Your loyalty to Hwasan will be rewarded.* Wi Rip-san blinked back tears and lowered his head slightly. *’What a strange, truly strange person.’*

The world had changed, Hwasan was powerful now, and Wi Rip-san’s position had changed too. But Chung Myung was still the same as the day he arrived. *Maybe that wasn’t always a good thing for Chung Myung,* Wi Rip-san thought, *but still…*

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“…Thank you.”

Chung Myung smiled kindly at Wi Rip-san. Wi Rip-san’s heart warmed at the smile…

“So, about that payment… could you increase it a little? Hwasan is a bit short on funds these days.” …The warmth vanished instantly.

“…No! You are making plenty of money!”

“You can never have too much money!”

“You’re squeezing every last drop!”

“It’s not like you’re a tiny flea anymore.”

“It doesn’t matter!”

Wi Rip-san gave a short laugh, but it didn’t sound very happy.

“Let’s talk again when Hwayeong Mun is a bit bigger and stronger,” he said.

Cheong-myeong smiled. “Then we will have to work hard and grow quickly, won’t we?”

Cheong-myeong chuckled and turned to leave. He had been talking and joking for a long time. Maybe he was sad to leave this place, even if he didn’t show it much. There were so many more stories they could have shared.

“Munju.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“If there are any problems while we are gone, talk to the Eunha Merchant Guild first. I already spoke to the Guild Leader about it.”

“Yes! I will.”

“Then…”

Hyeon-yeong looked back to make sure all the Mount Hua disciples were ready. He nodded firmly.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Soon, the Mount Hua group walked out of Hwayeong Mun as the sounds of farewell followed them. The younger disciples shouted and waved, their voices echoing in the open space. The air was crisp and cool as they stepped onto the road.

“Dojang-nims! Be careful on your journey!”

“Thank you!”

“Have a safe journey!”

“And don’t come back!”

One voice shouted at the end. It sounded a little rude, but no one paid attention.

“Then, see you all next time.”

The Mount Hua disciples waved, and the Hwayeong Mun disciples waved back just as excitedly, seeing them off.

“They’re leaving! They’re leaving!”

“Hee hee hee. It was too long.”

“They won’t come back, will they?”

“Freedom! It’s freedom! Hahaha!”

They were more excited than if they had won back a country.

Hearing the disciples behind him, Wi Rip-san frowned.

‘Rotten bastards.’

He promised himself that he would train them even harder than the Mount Hua disciples had, starting tomorrow.

He waved at the Mount Hua disciples as they left for a very long time.

“…Thank you.”

He didn’t mean to say it, but the words slipped out, filled with both regret and gratitude.

“Is it okay to leave like this?”

“What do you mean?”

Cheong-myeong tilted his head at Baek-cheon’s question. Baek-cheon hesitated before answering.

“…It feels like we haven’t finished everything we needed to do.”

“We weren’t planning on staying here for ten thousand years anyway, were we?”

Cheong-myeong smiled wryly.

Of course, he knew what Baek-cheon meant. To do things properly, they should have taught the Hwayeong Mun disciples more and guided the younger ones better.

But…

“Hwayeong Mun is Hwayeong Mun. They have managed their sect well, even when Mount Hua couldn’t do its job. In some ways, they are better than Mount Hua.”

“Hmm. That’s true.”

“It’s too bold for us to get involved more. Hwayeong Mun’s business is for them to handle. Mount Hua’s branch is not just a helper doing Mount Hua’s work from far away. It’s a place that supports Mount Hua as its own sect.”

Cheong-myeong looked back at Hwayeong Mun, now far in the distance.

“Wi Rip-san is a great Munju. He will do well.”

Baek-cheon looked at him with new eyes.

Cheong-myeong rarely praised someone so highly. So, Baek-cheon just nodded.

“If you say so, then it must be.”

Cheong-myeong shrugged.

“What about the Spirit Clan?”

“I told them to come to Mount Hua, so they will come. We need to tell the Sect Leader about this.”

“Hmph.”

Baek-cheon smiled strangely.

‘He’s so careful about strange things.’

Cheong-myeong usually did things without asking, but he always respected the Sect Leader’s authority.

Of course, that was normal, but Baek-cheon was still surprised that Cheong-myeong followed that rule.

“So, now we just have to go back to Mount Hua for real.”

“That’s right. But…”

Cheong-myeong pointed with his chin at someone blocking the road.

“It looks like there’s one more person left.”

“Hmm.”

Baek-cheon narrowed his eyes and looked at the person blocking the Mount Hua group’s path.

Nam Ja-myeong stood in the middle of the road, waiting for the Mount Hua disciples. He was the Munju of Seo-wol Mun and the representative of the Jongnam branch.

Hyeon-yeong quietly looked at Nam Ja-myeong and spoke.

“What is it, Munju Nam?”

“…I heard you are leaving.”

“That is so.”

Nam Ja-myeong bit his lip slightly and stared at Hyeon-yeong and the Mount Hua disciples.

“It is true that we have not looked good recently.”

“…”

“And it is also true that we have acted shamefully.”

“So?”

“However,” Nam Ja-myeong said firmly.

“Don’t think that it’s all over. The Jongnam branch will not fall apart like this. I don’t know how long it will take, but we will get back what we have lost.”

Hyeon-yeong smiled gently as he listened.

“Good words.”

“…Are you ignoring me?”

“How could I do that?”

Hyeon-yeong shook his head and said.

“What you have lost is the trust of the people of Seoan. To get that back, you should follow the agreement in a respectful way. Then Seoan will become a better place to live, and that is a good thing.”

“…”

“And… remember this: Mount Hua never ignores other sects. We have suffered too much for too long to do that. Munju Nam will understand what I mean.”

Nam Ja-myeong nodded without realizing it. Hyeon-yeong continued.

“Like a flower that blooms for ten days, everything fades. But does that mean it’s the end? When winter is over, flowers will bloom again.”

Nam Ja-myeong, who had been quietly looking at Hyeon-yeong, slowly stepped aside and opened the road. He quietly clasped his hands together as a sign of respect.

It was the greatest respect he could show in his position.

Hyeon-yeong smiled gently, clasped his hands in return, and walked forward.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Nam Ja-myeong kept his hands clasped until they had completely left the road.

Nam Ja-myeong stood there, his figure looking small against the wide road, like a lone tree in a vast field. Baek-cheon turned to Cheong-myeong and said,

“It’s amazing.”

“Huh?”

“I thought Munju Nam was the meanest person among the Jongnam branch Munju.”

“I thought that Martial Uncle was the worst bastard among the Hundred and Twenty Plums.”

“…”

“But it was true.”

“You rascal!”

Cheong-myeong chuckled at Baek-cheon, who was angry at the joke, and continued.

“People change depending on the situation. You only really know someone when you see them at their lowest point.”

“…Was that person at least a martial artist at the bottom?”

“Maybe.”

Baek-cheon nodded.

“Then, won’t that person be a threat to Hwayeong Mun someday? If Jongnam breaks the seal, the Jongnam branch will get its power back.”

“Well, that could happen. But…”

Cheong-myeong glanced back.

“Still water will become rotten. No matter how good Hwayeong Mun is, if they get too comfortable in Seoan, they will change and become dull.”

“Is it better to get stronger together than to become dull?”

“That’s right. It’s better than nothing.”

Cheong-myeong looked up at the sky.

In the past, Cheong Mun had told him:

– It is not always best to get rid of what you don’t like. If you change the river’s path because it blocks you, there will be a flood someday. And if you burn the forest because it is in your way, that place will become empty someday. Just leave it alone. Isn’t that what living is about? That is the Way, that is life.

‘I still don’t understand well, Sasuk.’

He tries to say it, but not as well as Cheong Mun. He has not yet reached the Way that Cheong Mun had reached.

However…

Words that once seemed meaningless are now starting to make sense little by little.

So someday…

Cheong-myeong stopped walking.

He looked at a faint peak far in the distance.

“Let’s go back to Mount Hua.”

“Yes!”

“Yeah!”

The Mount Hua disciples walked faster.

And at that moment, the disciples had no idea that others were also looking at the peak of Mount Hua.