Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 417

Do Woon-chan felt like he couldn’t take it anymore. What made a clan truly great?

Long ago, Do Woon-chan thought a great clan was famous. If no one knew you, how could you be important? But lately, he changed his mind. Fame was nothing without real skill. A truly great clan needed to be strong inside. That’s why Do Woon-chan wanted to make his Ghostly Demonic Sect stronger.

And this thought became even stronger the moment he arrived at Mount Hua.

Look!

Even Mount Hua, the most famous and powerful right now, was training this hard! Mount Hua had done amazing things. They could have been proud, but the disciples of Mount Hua were training as if there was no tomorrow.

Look!

What a beautiful sight!

He wanted to bring all the disciples of the Ghostly Demonic Sect and show them this scene.

However…

It was too extreme, even for people.

Do Woon-chan rubbed his eyes.

“Keeeugh…”

“Kill me… You bastard, just kill me…”

The disciples of Mount Hua, covered in dirt and yellowish-brown, were crawling on the ground.

They held onto their wooden swords, but their hands were trembling. The metal weights showed how hard the training was.

“You’re all slacking off.”

Chung Myung’s loud voice boomed over the disciples who were barely breathing.

“You’ve only done a little swordsmanship, and you’re already too sure of yourselves for no reason! Swordsmen must always do basic training. Don’t ever skip it! How can you show off fancy moves if your legs are weak?”

He scolded them with wide eyes.

“Yes, Mount Hua swords are flashy. But that’s why you can get lost in just the flashiness! You can forget the basics! Your sword moves might be fancy, but your center must be strong! Stop moving around like that! Get down!”

‘Which one of them is showing off their skills?’

‘I’m really going to kill him! Really!’

Baek Cheon and his group gritted their teeth.

They were happy to escape the basic training and use their swords. But before they could even swing a few times, Chung Myung went crazy, and they ended up like this.

“Oh, are you trying to trick me? Are you not coming down?”

“…Again?”

“Again? Again? Why? Do you want me to throw you down myself?”

“…”

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had barely climbed the cliff with metal weights, looked down at the huge drop with tears in their eyes.

“Keeeugh.”

And they started to go down again.

“Aaaargh! The stones here are crumbling!”

“Senior Brother! Hold on tight! You’ll really die! There’s no one to catch you from below anymore!”

“Aaaaargh! That son of a bitch!”

Screams and curses flew, but Chung Myung only picked his ears as if wondering where the dog was barking.

“Anyway, kids these days are all slacking off. It wasn’t like that in my day!”

Huh? In my day, huh?

We just carried rocks the size of houses, huh? We even had races on the cliffs!

And after having the ground crumble beneath our feet and falling off a cliff, we realized why we needed to learn the skill to move lightly!

“They are too soft these days.”

Cold sweat ran down Do Woon-chan’s forehead as he watched.

Because of the Mount Hua disciples’ training? Ah, of course, it was terrifying.

Chung Myung, who was calmly ordering it? Yes, of course, that was also terrifying.

But what terrified him the most was that Chung Myung was riding on someone’s back.

Huh?

You think that’s strange?

It is strange!

Because the person carrying Chung Myung was a Shaolin disciple.

“Don’t you think so, Monk? Oh, I guess you do, since your head is shining?”

“…S-Sir!”

Hye-yeon was sweating a lot while lying face down. His face was completely wet, and his head was sweating like a waterfall.

The Shaolin robe was soaked through.

“Oh, are you falling?”

“Kraaah!”

Hye-yeon screamed and lifted his back.

“No. Why are all the kids these days like this? Hey, aren’t you ashamed to be groaning like this when you’re supposedly a Shaolin monk?”

“H-How can I use the Thousand Weights Drop without using inner energy…!”

“Internal energy? Internal energy?”

“Heeeugh!”

Chung Myung must have raised his power, as Hye-yeon’s hands and feet dug into the ground.

“That’s the problem with you Shaolin guys! You only train your internal energy, so your bodies are all like that. What? Shaolin monks are supposed to be strong! Not just inside, but outside too! Is being weak something to be proud of? Is it?”

Chung Myung shouted with wide eyes.

“You’re supposed to be learning body training, but you’re all as skinny as if you haven’t eaten in ten days! It’s because you rely on internal energy for everything. What’s the point of having lots of inner power? It’s the body that uses it! If you’re a Shaolin monk, shouldn’t you train your body first?”

“I-In Shaolin…”

“Then go to Shaolin!”

Chung Myung slapped Hye-yeon’s bald head.

“Your ancestors had huge arms! They were very strong! How dare you call yourselves Shaolin monks with those bodies. You should be ashamed!”

Hye-yeon’s eyes filled with tears.

But there was no time to cry. Chung Myung was getting heavier. His body was too weak to handle Chung Myung, who had raised the Thousand Weights Drop.

“Where are you secretly using your internal energy!”

Slap!

“…”

“You need to fix the habit of raising your internal energy! Control your body with your mind! You should be able to move even without using inner power. You call yourself a master? You can’t even do this simple thing! You strong but useless guy!”

Hye-yeon no longer had the strength to answer.

‘This wasn’t it.’

He had hoped for more high-level training when he came to Mount Hua.

But he never imagined that the Mount Hua Divine Dragon would be someone who just pushes people around.

“You’re forbidden from using internal energy for the next month. From eating to walking. Relearn how your body moves. If I catch you using internal energy where I can’t see you, I’ll destroy your inner power!”

“…”

Do Woon-chan’s face was now as white as paper as he watched.

And at that moment.

“Hmm. So that’s how it is.”

“…”

Un-geom watched and nodded, like he understood.

“It’s not just about sword skills. The swordsman must be strong in body and mind first. Yes. That makes sense.”

Makes sense?

Are your eyes structured differently from mine? How can you say that after seeing that? All I see is someone killing people!

“Chung Myung.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

Chung Myung jumped off Hye-yeon’s back and ran to Un-geom.

“I understand how to train them. But isn’t it too dangerous since they could fall off the cliff?”

Do Woon-chan nodded from the side. It was the first time he had heard something logical since coming to Mount Hua.

“Do you have any safety plans?”

“Ah, that? We don’t need any.”

“…Huh?”

“They won’t die. They are strong enough to survive a fall. They might just break an arm or leg.”

“…”

Do Woon-chan’s eyes popped out again.

‘You’re calling that a safety plan…?’

“I see.”

But Un-geom nodded as if he understood.

“Then, how long should we do this training?”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung tilted his head.

“Isn’t this basic training? We can’t just do this forever.”

“Well. Basic training is forever. But… we should do more sword training soon, right?”

Chung Myung tilted his head, lost in thought.

“Thirty years?”

“…”

“No, maybe forty?”

“…”

“That’s how long it takes to become a real swordsman!”

Un-geom looked at Chung Myung with new eyes.

“I didn’t know basics were so important. I was wrong.”

“That’s the most difficult thing. Keep pushing them hard even when I’m gone.”

“Yes, I understand! I will!”

Do Woon-chan looked into the distance and thought.

“Why can’t we just be happy, even if we aren’t from a famous family?” someone mumbled. “Isn’t being happy the most important thing in life?”

For Do Woonchan, that moment changed everything he believed.

“I… I think I’m going to die,” groaned one disciple.

“I can’t even talk anymore…” whispered another.

They looked at the food on the table. Their eyes were like the eyes of dead fish – empty and tired.

The food was delicious. Everyone knew it.

But right now, it didn’t matter. Even the best food tasted like sand in their mouths.

“Why is that bastard acting like that these days?”

“Chung Myung going crazy isn’t a new thing. Why are you specifically mentioning ‘these days’…?”

“It seems particularly worse lately…”

Baek Cheon’s voice faded, his words lost in a sigh.

Isn’t learning supposed to be like that? At first, it’s unfamiliar and difficult, but if you keep at it, you get the hang of it, and once you get the hang of it, you eventually find enjoyment in it. But somehow, that damned training seems to get more hellish the more they do it.

They remembered Chung Myung’s words: “Enjoyment? If learning is enjoyable, that’s just playing!”

“His way of thinking is different from ours from the start.”

“…I guess so.”

Baek Cheon answered weakly, his lips cracked, and turned his head. They were at least somewhat used to it now and could somehow endure it, but he wondered how Hae Yeon was doing…

“Huh?”

Hae Yeon, sitting in a corner of the table, had her face buried in her hands, head bowed deeply.

“Why is that monk acting like that again?”

“I don’t know.”

After hesitating for a moment, Baek Cheon stood up weakly and approached Hae Yeon.

“Um… Monk. Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

Then, Hae Yeon took her hands away from her face and raised her gaze weakly. Tears welled up in her large, gentle eyes.

“D, donor…”

“Yes. Please, tell me…”

“I, I can’t survive on just grass…”

Baek Cheon’s gaze turned to the grass placed in front of Hae Yeon. He shook his head and clicked his tongue. It must be tough.

Even the Mount Hua disciples were having a hard time. They usually ate lots of meat. Hae Yeon was only eating grass and dumplings. It must be even harder for him.

Baek Cheon gestured to Yoon Jong.

“Yes, Sasuk.”

“Go to the kitchen and tell them to put some boiled eggs in Hae Yeon Monk’s quarters.”

“B, but he’s a Buddhist…”

“He needs to live first.”

Yoon Jong nodded, wondering if this was okay. It was up to Hae Yeon to decide whether to eat them or not.

“How long do we have to keep doing this?”

“Chung Myung will be going to Sichuan soon, so we only need to endure until then. So, just a little longer…”

“Un Geum Sasuk seemed to be watching the training with great interest earlier, though?”

“Y, yes, I heard that too. He asked if it was okay to just keep making them do this…”

Baek Cheon flinched. Goosebumps rose all over his arms. Do we have to keep doing this?

Then it’s one of two things: either die from training, or survive and become an iron man. The first one is probably much more likely.

The disciples were silent for a moment before clutching their heads.

“In that case, it would be better to follow Chung Myung to Sichuan…”

“What nonsense are you talking about? How much does that bastard torment people?”

“Still, there aren’t any cliffs on the way to Sichuan, at least.”

“Huh?”

Now that he thought about it… A light flashed in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

“Hmm, ahem. There’s no way that could be. Of. Course. Following Chung Myung to Sichuan would be twice as hard. I can’t entrust such a difficult task to you.”

“Sahyung. Don’t try to weasel out of it.”

Baek Sang glared at Baek Cheon, who spoke with a deliberately solemn tone.

“Frankly speaking, why do you always follow Chung Myung’s affairs, Sahyung? If you’ve gone every time, you should know how to yield at least once!”

“Ahem! It’s not like I decided that on my own! The Sect Leader…”

“Then step aside this time! Let us see Sichuan for once!”

A wild look sparked in the eyes of the other disciples around them.

Baek Cheon’s face hardened as he confirmed the spirit of rebellion.

“I am the Great Sahyung!”

“Haha, Sahyung. You’re saying strange things. Since when has Mount Hua had a hierarchy?”

“You bastards!”

Just as Baek Cheon was about to put strength into his eyes, the Chung disciples, who had been eating and listening to them, quietly rose from their seats.

“Hey, it sounds like only the Sasuks are going to get to do it.”

“Please include us too. It’s not like we don’t have feet to go to Sichuan.”

The eyes of the Chung disciples narrowed.

“The children should step back.”

“Who was it that just said there was no hierarchy in Mount Hua?”

A knowing smile spread across the faces of the Chung disciples.

“Since it’s come to this, let’s do it with skill, shall we? Chung Myung would want to take those with better skills with him, wouldn’t he?”

“Skill?”

Baek Cheon’s head tilted. And he scoffed as if he was dumbfounded.

“Did you just say skill?”

“Of course, we know Baek Cheon Sasuk is strong. But…”

Chung Gong curled up the corners of his lips.

“It’s been a while since we’ve properly fought, hasn’t it? Who knows? Maybe we’ve become at least a fighting cock in the meantime.”

“We’re not chicks anymore, that’s what we’re saying.”

Baek Cheon smiled contentedly at the feast of arrogant words. How admirable. How could they have grown up so badly?

“Yes. Of course, there is no hierarchy in Mount Hua.”

“Hehe. You know it well…”

“Therefore.”

Crack!

Baek Cheon tore off the tabletop he was holding.

“Let’s create a hierarchy today, you rotten bastards!”

He threw the torn tabletop at the Chung disciples and charged forward, letting out a thunderous roar.

“Beat them up!”

“Stomp them!”

In the dining hall, which had instantly turned into a chaotic mess, only Hae Yeon was quietly munching on grass.

“They’re having fun.”

Chung Myung, who was lying on the roof, clicked his tongue at the commotion below. Kids will grow up fighting, but still. Tsk tsk tsk.

Clicking his tongue, he tilted his head back and looked at the night sky. And he counted his tasks as if he were counting stars. I have a lot to do.

This trip to Sichuan wasn’t just about the Myriad Year Ice Iron Sword. The matter concerning that had already been discussed with Hwang Jongi. It’s meaningless anymore.

It was clearly revealed in this Maninbang situation. The unity of the Nine Sects has become looser than in the past, and the same kind of help cannot be expected. If so, he had no choice but to rebuild his surroundings with trustworthy people.

“Tsk. This is really annoying.”

But what could he do? This was all for Mount Hua.

“Aigoo, it’s really annoying. Sect Leader Sahyung, I…”

KABOOM!

The roof right next to Chung Myung was pierced with a deafening roar. And one of the Mount Hua disciples screamed and soared into the sky.

Chung Myung peeked his head out and looked down at the dining hall through the hole.

“Die, you bastard!”

“Sasuk, my ass! There’s no order in who goes first!”

“Uraaah!!”

The Chung and Baek disciples were completely intertwined like a lump, exchanging beautiful and heartwarming fist conversations.

Chung Myung turned his head back to its original position and looked up at the sky with a smile.

Sahyung. Sect Leader Sahyung. …Honestly, even I can’t handle them anymore. …I’m sorry.

And so, the day of departure for Sichuan dawned.