Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 418

The morning sun rose over Mount Hua, painting the sky with soft pink and orange. A cool breeze rustled the leaves of the plum trees around the training grounds. Mount Hua was their training place, their home. They had recently defended Mount Hua from the dangerous bandits of Myriad Man Manor.

Hyun Jong looked at the disciples of Mount Hua gathered before him. He felt a surge of pride. They had been causing trouble lately, yes.

But these were also the brave disciples who had defended Mount Hua from the dangerous bandits of Myriad Man Manor just weeks ago. Today was a special day, and Hyun Jong wanted to start it by looking at his strong students. Seeing their impressive figures always calmed his heart…

Strong…

‘Huh?’

What was this?

They were definitely strong.

Their shoulders were squared, that was true.

But their faces were a mess. One had a swollen eye that was almost shut. Another had a cut lip. Bruises showed on their cheeks, like dark purple flowers blooming on pale skin.

“Were you… beaten?”

The disciples, their eyes swollen and blackened, avoided Hyun Jong’s gaze without a word.

Hyun Jong’s pleased expression vanished. His heart sank as he saw their injuries. *What happened here?* he thought, his face turning red with anger.

He glared and immediately roared at someone.

“Chung Myung, you rascal!”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung, who had been standing blankly, widened his eyes. Hyun Jong became even more enraged at the sight.

“Now you’re even beating up your senior brothers and uncles until their eyes are swollen black and blue?”

“Me?”

Chung Myung blinked and pointed at himself.

“Yes! Who else but you would commit such an absurd act!”

“I did?”

“Yes! You!”

Chung Myung’s head slowly turned to one side.

Twitch.

Baek Cheon, receiving his gaze, whistled softly and looked at the distant mountains.

“…Ha.”

Chung Myung had made others feel wronged in his life, but he had rarely felt wronged himself, hadn’t he?

But at this moment, Chung Myung felt more wronged than anyone.

“I…”

That damned uncle beat them up himself!

It was at that moment, as Chung Myung was about to complain about the injustice.

“Well, they might get hit if they do something wrong.”

“You shut up! You!”

Hyun Jong roared when Hyun Young slyly sided with Chung Myung.

Sadly, even Hyun Young didn’t doubt for a moment that Chung Myung was the one who had gleefully beaten the children.

“I really didn’t beat them!”

“Then who did beat them, who!”

At Hyun Jong’s question, the disciples’ heads turned to one place in unison.

Following the disciples’ gaze, Hyun Jong lost his words for a moment.

“You…?”

Bewilderment clouded his muttering face.

Baek Cheon, the eldest disciple of the White Porcelain generation and the sword master representing Mount Hua, was desperately avoiding his gaze with his head turned.

You?

Not Chung Myung, but you?

Baek Cheon?

“Ahem.”

Baek Cheon felt a little guilty, but he knew he had to protect Chung Myung. He covered his mouth with his fist and coughed lightly, trying to hide his nervousness.

Then, he looked straight at Hyun Jong and said confidently with shining eyes.

“As the eldest disciple of Mount Hua, I disciplined the children because it seemed that the discipline of the sect was being shaken.”

“Discipline?”

“Yes!”

“…Since when did Mount Hua discipline people by beating them?”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon, who had been answering with such confidence, tilted his head.

“Now that I think about it…”

Hyun Jong’s shoulders drooped as he lost his words.

Then, Hyun Sang put his arm around Hyun Jong’s shoulders. He seemed to understand exactly how Hyun Jong was feeling.

“The children are leaving. Calm yourself, Sect Leader.”

“…It’s hopeless. It’s all hopeless here now.”

“These are not words to say in front of the children. Now, now, calm down. Hyun Young, take the Sect Leader back for a moment.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

Hyun Young soothed Hyun Jong and led him back.

“…The foundation of Mount Hua… Mount Hua…”

Hyun Jong’s muttering could be heard faintly, but unfortunately, no one paid much attention to his words.

“Ahem.”

Hyun Sang stood in front and opened his mouth instead.

“Chung Myung will be accompanied on this trip to Sichuan, a region to the west, by…”

“Elder.”

Baek Cheon spoke slightly quieter than usual.

“The disciples have decided who will accompany them on this trip to Sichuan through conversation.”

“…Why are you guys deciding that?”

At Hyun Sang’s words, which seemed to imply he was dumbfounded, Baek Cheon flinched as if he hadn’t thought of that.

“Tsk tsk tsk. These guys are really going wild now. So, you fought among yourselves over just that?”

“It wasn’t a fight…”

Those bastards attacked first!

But Baek Cheon couldn’t bring himself to say those thoughts out loud. Even to himself, those words sounded too much like Chung Myung.

“Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, Yu Yiseol, Tang Soso. And Baek Sang.”

“Yes!”

Those who were called stepped forward.

“Baek Cheon.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Originally, Hyun Young or I should be going with you on this trip. But the current situation is not favorable. I’d like to send Un Geom along, but it’s difficult to do so, so you’ll have to lead them without any help. Can you do it?”

“Yes, Elder. Don’t worry.”

Baek Cheon answered confidently with a trustworthy smile.

“Since we’ve been there once before, there won’t be any difficulties.”

“Alright. The Ghost Lord will be accompanying you, so make sure there are no inconveniences in serving him.”

“Yes!”

Whispering could be heard from behind Baek Cheon, who was smiling gently.

“Why did we get beaten if this was going to happen?”

Being beaten by Baek Cheon was bearable. The truly painful part was the shin that was kicked by Yu Yiseol, who had suddenly intervened.

“Heartless people!”

“We’re still disciples, but how could they beat us so mercilessly?”

“I hope they fall on their faces on the way.”

Baek Cheon whispered softly without even turning his head.

“I can hear everything.”

“…Shall we do it one more time before we leave?”

“…No, thank you.”

Baek Cheon, showing the dignity of the eldest disciple, shrugged his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Chung Myung and Un Geom were talking in the back.

“I’ll take care of everything, so don’t worry and go.”

“Worry? I always trust you, Gwanju,” Chung Myung called Un Geom ‘Gwanju,’ a title of respect.

Chung Myung said with a bright smile.

“There’s just one thing that bothers me…”

“Hmm?”

“Hehe. Well, there’s something like that. When I see the disciples struggling, my heart softens, and I wonder if it’s really necessary to go this far. But that’s…”

“When something like the Myriad Man Manor incident happens, it’s about saving the children’s lives, right?”

“That’s exactly it. You’re the best, Gwanju!”

“You’re saying that the more I become an evil spirit, the safer the children become.”

“Exactly.”

Un Geom nodded silently.

“Don’t worry. I can do anything for the safety of the children.”

A blue light poured from Un Geom’s eyes. Un Geom sometimes acted very strict, like a scary spirit.

“I’ll train them so hard that you’ll be surprised when you come back.”

“Yes, Gwanju.”

“And…”

Un Geom looked at Chung Myung silently, patted him on the shoulder a few times, and said quietly.

“Thank you.”

“Hey. It’s nothing much.”

Un Geom’s gaze towards Chung Myung was deeply meaningful.

Last night, Chung Myung had come to him and handed him two secret manuals. One was the Six Harmonies. The other was the Seven Plum Blossoms. They were basic sword moves of Mount Hua that everyone knew.

But the manuals that Chung Myung gave him were special. They were manuals that had been reinterpreted specifically for Un Geom, who had lost one arm and had to learn left-handed swordsmanship.

They were even newly written manuals that took into account the change in the balance of weight due to the loss of his arm.

‘It’s amazing that he can write such manuals.’

But what was even more amazing was the effort and sincerity he put into writing new manuals just for Un Geom.

“Don’t worry and go. The disciples will become stronger, but I will become stronger too.”

Chung Myung tilted his head slightly as he looked at his eyes burning with determination.

‘Was I too much?’

Surely he won’t catch anyone, will he?

Eh.

Hwaeom County.

They carefully lifted the broken piece of the Bigo statue and placed it onto a very large wooden cart.

The disciples of Mount Hua busily used ropes to secure the Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, a very heavy and cold metal, onto the cart.

One of the disciples muttered, “…But this cart seems to be made of cast iron, doesn’t it?”

Another added, “Even without the Cold Iron, it’s heavy. Can we even pull this? Even a decent warhorse would collapse quickly, wouldn’t it?”

Baek Cheon, who had been examining the cart, spoke up.

“Chung Myung.”

“Huh?”

“How many horses did you prepare?”

“Seven.”

“Hmm. Seven seems a bit few, doesn’t it? Can we really pull this with just seven horses?” Baek Cheon frowned. Seven? That doesn’t sound like enough for something this heavy.

“It’s fine. They’re strong.”

“That’s a relief then. But where are the horses? We need to hitch them to the cart now. Perhaps at the Eunha Merchant Guild branch….”

“They’re right here.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Here.”

Chung Myung grinned, pointing at his disciples. He gestured with his chin towards Baek Cheon. Then, he scanned the rest of the Mount Hua disciples standing beside Baek Cheon. Baek Sang, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, Yoo Iseol, and even Tang Soso.

“……”

Chung Myung grinned, pointing at his disciples. “You will pull the cart using your inner strength and by running fast! Ha! There are no better horses than you lot!”

“……”

“Don’t worry. I specially ordered the cart so it won’t break no matter how hard you run. You can run as wildly as you want.”

“You son of a b….”

“Huh?”

“…Nothing.”

Baek Cheon nodded, tears welling up in his eyes.

There was no point in being surprised. It wasn’t as if that damned bastard would let them rest easily.

This was still relatively good….

“Chung Myung, Elder! Should we move it here?”

“Oh, you’re here. I was waiting for you. Put it down here.”

“Yes, sir!”

The approaching merchants groaned as they placed several boxes in front of Chung Myung.

Boom!

The boxes fell to the ground, creating a loud noise.

‘What is it?’

Everyone except Chung Myung stared at the boxes with anxious faces.

‘Balls?’

Large balls made of iron were packed inside the boxes. What was strange was that each ball had a hole slightly smaller than a human fist.

“What a curious object.”

“Oh? There’s a lock on it? It seems to open. Haha….”

How strange.

“Wear.”

“…Huh?”

“Wear them on your arms and legs.”

“……”

Baek Cheon looked back and forth between Chung Myung and the boxes.

“These?”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung smiled contentedly.

“They were completed just in time. These cost quite a bit.”

“……”

“What are you doing?”

The corners of everyone’s eyes began to twitch.

Wear these on their arms and legs, push that iron cart, and go all the way to Sichuan?

‘That… demonic bastard….’

It was a mistake.

He had underestimated Chung Myung too much. No matter how difficult the training at Mount Hua was, there was no way it could be worse than what that demon would put them through!

“Hurry up and wear them, we don’t have time. Or should I put them on for you?” Chung Myung smiled in a mean way when he said it.

“…No.”

Having given up, Baek Cheon picked up the iron balls from the box without energy.

“What is this? Why is it so heavy?”

“It’s called Mukcheol (墨鐵), or dark iron. It’s ten times heavier than ordinary iron.”

Hwang Jongyi chimed in with a pleased expression.

“Hahaha. It was difficult to obtain!”

Don’t laugh, you old man!

No, has that old man gone a bit mad now? How can he laugh even after seeing this?

“Ah, hurry, hurry and wear them. We don’t have time.”

“Ugh….”

With heavy sighs, everyone picked up the dark, cold iron balls. They clanged heavily as they fastened them to their wrists and ankles.

“Keueup.”

“Wow…. Wow…. This.”

“Uh, uh, I feel like my shoulders are going to dislocate?”

It felt like their arms were stretching.

“Alright, now that everyone’s wearing them, let’s go take our positions.”

Chung Myung pointed to the front of the iron cart.

The horses… no, the disciples of Mount Hua, with faces of utter resignation, trudged to the front of the cart and took their places. It was a bizarre sight, with people occupying the space where horses should have been.

But Chung Myung wasn’t satisfied with just this.

“What are you doing?”

“…Yes?”

“Why? Were you planning on riding?”

“……”

Hae Yeon, who had been subtly avoiding Chung Myung’s gaze from behind the cart, came trudging over.

“Hurry up and wear them.”

“…Yes.”

Clang. Clang.

Hae Yeon, wearing the iron balls on his arms and legs, headed towards the front of the cart like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.

“Always trying to slack off.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and turned to Hwang Jongyi with a smile.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Is there any hardship in this? Anyway, please travel safely.”

“Please resolve that issue well.”

“Yes. Just now, a letter sent by the Guild Leader has arrived. The Eunha Merchant Guild will share its fate with the dojang.”

“…They certainly have a knack for smelling money.”

“Hahaha. Isn’t that what merchants are?”

The two men exchanged meaningful words and lightly clasped hands.

“Well, then….”

“Hey! Hey! Mount Hua Divine Dragon!”

Just as they were about to depart, a man came running frantically from afar.

“Where are you going again! You have to take me with you!”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Seriously, why does that beggar always come looking for me when he has nothing to beg for?”

Hong Daegwang, who had arrived right in front of Chung Myung, bent over and gasped for breath. Then, he suddenly raised his head and shouted.

“Hey! Wait for me! You can’t go without me! When you go somewhere, you need to report to me immediately!”

“Are you going with us?”

“Of course! Who else is going to give you information if I’m not there? I created a reporting system while expanding the Hwaeom branch this time. If you take me with you, you can quickly know even if something happens to Mount Hua.”

“Heeuuum.”

But Chung Myung made a displeased expression, as if he still wasn’t satisfied. Hong Daegwang thumped his chest.

“Ha…. Mount Hua Divine Dragon! I’m Hong Daegwang, Hong Daegwang!”

“So?”

“Don’t you still know how useful I am? I have information that will greatly surprise you this time.”

“Surprising information?”

When Chung Myung finally showed interest, Hong Daegwang glanced left and right before sticking close to him.

“According to the information that came in this time, the Lord of the Sichuan Tang Family seems to have stormed the Maninbang alone.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened.

“So what happened?”

“Well, I don’t know what happened inside. It seems that he safely escaped from the Maninbang not long after and returned to Sichuan?”

“……”

Chung Myung was silent for a moment, as if thinking about something, then turned his head and looked towards Sichuan.

‘He overdid it.’

He seemed to know roughly what had happened.

I should prepare some good liquor.

“See! I’m a human who is this useful! So you must take me with you.”

Hong Daegwang puffed out his chest with a triumphant expression. Chung Myung still didn’t seem pleased, but after scanning him, he eventually nodded slightly.

“Yes, well, then. Let’s go together.”

“Hehehe. That’s what I’m talking about!”

Chung Myung turned his head and said to Hwang Jongyi.

“Young Guild Leader.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any iron balls left over?”

Hwang Jongyi looked back and forth between Chung Myung and Hong Daegwang before quietly nodding his head.

“…We do have some.”

“That’s good.”

“Huh? Iron balls?”

Hong Daegwang, who didn’t know the situation because he was late, tilted his head in confusion.

A short while later.

“Aaaargh! You demon!” Hong Daegwang yelled, his face red as he struggled to pull the heavy cart. He had walked right into trouble, and now he was heading towards Sichuan with the others.