Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 431

Excitement grew in the Sacheon Tang Family.

The Tang Family was known for two things: poison and hidden weapons.

The fact that the Tang Family’s best artisan, a master of hidden weapons, was working again after years was enough to excite everyone.

“What is he making?”

“It must be something amazing!”

“But can the Elder even hold a hammer now? Everyone knows he’s not thinking clearly, right?”

“The Family Head must have a plan.”

All eyes in the Tang Family turned to Tang Jo-pyeong’s workshop.

Inside the workshop, people rushed around, wiping away dust. Dozens of strong men cleaned until the workshop sparkled.

In the middle of the workshop stood a huge furnace. Old Tang Jo-pyeong sat in front of it, holding a piece of charcoal. He looked at it closely with sharp eyes.

“Good Jangbaektan charcoal,” he said. “They took care of it while I was gone.”

Tang Gun-ak watched him and smiled a little.

“Great-Grandfather,” he said gently. “That’s just normal charcoal. The high-quality Jangbaektan charcoal is over here.”

“Oh?” Tang Jo-pyeong blinked. “Is that so?”

Tang Gun-ak just nodded quietly.

Cheong-myeong stood near the door of the workshop, biting his nails. *This old man… is he really going to mess this up?* he worried.

“Will this work? Is this really going to be okay?”

Wouldn’t they end up wasting everything, including the rare Manyeon Hancheol iron?

Cheong-myeong was usually calm, but he was worried because things weren’t going as he had hoped.

But Tang Jo-pyeong moved freely, without worry. He climbed into the large furnace. It was so big, it was twice his height.

“Down!”

“Yes!”

Tang-zan carefully filled the furnace with Jangbaektan charcoal. Then, Tang Jo-pyeong shouted.

“Family Head!”

“Yes, Great-Grandfather!”

Tang Gun-ak took out a small box from his sleeve, as if he had been waiting. He looked a little nervous.

He opened the box, which was covered in gold leaf. Inside was a small red gem.

Tang Gun-ak carefully took it out and handed it to Tang Jo-pyeong in the furnace.

Baek Cheon looked confused and asked.

“What is that?”

Tang Pae answered quietly.

“It’s called Baekyeomok. It makes heat when it gets internal energy. We need it to heat the Baekro furnace.”

“There’s such a thing?”

“It’s one of the Tang Family’s treasures. A very precious item.”

“Oh! The Tang Family’s treasure.”

That was enough to know how precious it was…

“Is it expensive?”

Tang Pae stared at Cheong-myeong, surprised.

He didn’t know what to say to the greediest Taoist in the world, who was clearly wanting it…

But luckily, Tang Jo-pyeong came out of the furnace then. He dusted off his hands and shouted.

“Light the Baekro furnace!”

“Yes!”

Finally, a spark lit inside the furnace.

“Family Head!”

“Yes!”

“Pour in internal energy! Make the fire stronger!”

“Yes! I understand.”

The elders of the Tang Family, including Tang Gun-ak, stood around the furnace on three sides. The furnace had platforms built around it for them to stand on.

As they poured in internal energy, the fire blazed up. Flames shot down through a hole in the bottom of the furnace, like a waterfall.

But Tang Jo-pyeong still wasn’t happy with the fire.

“More!”

Cheong-myeong watched from outside the workshop and asked Tang Pae slyly.

“Is that furnace special?”

Tang Pae nodded.

“Yes. The Tang Family has several furnaces. Normal furnaces are called Hongro, and anyone in the Tang Family can use them. Furnaces that make even hotter fires are called Cheongro, and only skilled artisans can use them.”

“So that’s a Cheongro?”

“No.”

Tang Pae shook his head.

“That’s called Baekro. Only the head of the workshop can use it. It makes the strongest fire in the Tang Family. Only that furnace can melt Manyeon Hancheol iron.”

“Oh…”

Cheong-myeong stared at it with new interest.

Hwaaaaa!

The flames under the furnace were almost white because they were so hot.

“Wow. It’s hot!”

People gasped. The heat from the furnace was so strong that it felt like it could melt even the Mount Hua disciples outside the workshop.

It was already very hot, but Tang Jo-pyeong kept heating the furnace for another half hour.

“Bring the Hancheol iron!”

“Yes!”

The young blacksmiths of the Tang Family had been waiting nervously. They carried the Hancheol iron into the workshop.

“Put it in!”

As soon as Tang Jo-pyeong gave the order, they poured the Manyeon Hancheol iron into the top of the furnace.

“Jangbaektan charcoal!”

More hot charcoal was poured onto the furnace. Then, the white flames grew larger and danced out of the hole above the furnace.

The heat was intense.

It was hard to breathe just looking at it.

But Tang Jo-pyeong sat right in front of the furnace, which was burning hot, without even blinking. The flames danced in his focused eyes.

‘Isn’t it hot?’ Baek Cheon wondered.

The old man who sometimes seemed crazy was gone. The person in front of Baek Cheon was a true artisan, someone who had given his life to flames and steel.

“Amazing.”

Baek Cheon nodded at Yoon Jong’s words.

When someone is very good at something, it grabs people’s attention. The Mount Hua disciples couldn’t look away from what was happening in the workshop.

Then, Tang Jo-pyeong shouted loudly.

“More! Pour in more! Make the fire stronger! If it doesn’t melt well, the steel will get worse. This is not enough!”

Large drops of sweat appeared on the foreheads of the elders and Tang Gun-ak.

“Change!”

Tang Jo-pyeong shouted again. The elders who had been waiting took the places of those who were tired and poured in internal energy.

One of the elders stepped away from the furnace, panting. He wiped the sweat from his face and looked at Tang Jo-pyeong.

“Uncle, are you alright? The heat…”

“Shut up! Don’t talk to me!”

His rough voice echoed through the workshop. It was hard to believe he was the same person who had seemed a little crazy just a short time ago.

The ends of his beard were curling up from the heat and his face was red, but Tang Jo-pyeong only watched the flames.

“It’s not enough! How did you train so little that you only have this much internal energy! Squeeze out more and push it in, now!”

The elders blushed and poured in even more internal energy. But soon, their legs began to shake as if they were out of energy.

“Change!”

“Yes!” someone shouted.

The third group of elders rushed into the workshop, excited to help. But as soon as they started using their inner energy, Dang Jo-pyeong yelled loudly.

“No!”

His voice was sharp and cracking, like thin glass breaking.

Dang Jo-pyeong finally looked away from the hot furnace. It was the first time he had taken his eyes off it.

“This won’t do! Change them now! You lot aren’t strong enough. Bring me those with purer inner energy!”

Dang Pae was in charge. He was surprised and spoke quickly, “But the first group hasn’t finished using their energy yet.”

“What?” Dang Jo-pyeong’s eyes shook.

“Are these all the elders we have?”

Dang Pae lowered his head, unable to answer. There were not many strong elders left. After Chung Myung stopped the fight for power, many elders had gone away to be alone and train.

“You utter fools! How do you expect to melt Hancheol like this! If the temperature drops, the cold Hancheol will make the furnace cold again. Then, everything will be ruined! Quickly, bring someone else! Someone with higher inner energy, now!”

“But these are the most carefully selected elders. There is no one in the Dang Clan with higher inner energy than them…”

“You blithering idiot!” Dang Jo-pyeong roared.

“Bring the Sword Saint! Isn’t his inner energy the greatest in the world!”

Everyone looked at Chung Myung.

Chung Myung looked back with a blank face and asked, “Me?”

Baek Cheon said, “He got what he asked for, huh?”

Yoon Jong nodded. “That’s karma. It’s slow, but it always catches up.”

Chung Myung hesitated. Dang Jo-pyeong stared at him and said, “Sword Saint! You must help us n-… Huh? Who are you…?”

Of all the useless moments to wake up!

Chung Myung scratched his head, annoyed. “Who do you think I am, you old geezer!” He turned around. “Follow me!”

“Us too?”

Instead of answering, Chung Myung looked at Dang Jo-pyeong and asked, “Does the type of inner energy matter? As long as it’s high enough?”

Dang Jo-pyeong stared at Chung Myung with blazing eyes. “The type doesn’t matter, as long as it’s not Yin. But it must be pure!”

“What about Taoist energy?”

“That’s fine!” A look of disappointment flashed across Dang Jo-pyeong’s face.

“It must be done right now! Where is the Sword Saint! Bring him here at once!”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung. “Chung Myung is only half awake, right?”

“What?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. As long as the inner energy is high enough, right?”

Chung Myung grinned. “I’ve got them right here. Some guys who have nothing but inner energy.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Nothing but inner energy, he says,” the Mount Hua disciples grumbled.

Chung Myung said firmly, “Quiet! You have to earn the price of those elixirs. Hurry up and get over there, before we waste all the Hancheol we brought!”

“Alright!” Chung Myung, Baek Cheon, and Yui-seol dashed inside. The elders looked confused.

Chung Myung pushed the elders aside. “Move it, move it! Quickly!”

The elders gasped. “Disciple! Ordinary inner energy cannot heat this furnace! Don’t do anything foolish!”

“Ordinary inner energy, my foot. These guys only eat good stuff, so their inner energy is truly gangster-like. Get over here!”

“Please step aside.”

“Just a moment.”

Chung Myung, Baek Cheon, and Yui-seol pushed the elders away and stood by the furnace. Chung Myung took a deep breath and grabbed the handles. They weren’t as hot as he expected.

“Pour it in!” The three people’s inner energy flowed into the furnace.

“Oh?” Dang Jo-pyeong’s worried face changed to delight.

The bluish flame turned white again and burned even more fiercely. Dang Jo-pyeong nodded. The temperature was rising.

“These young ones have tremendous inner energy! Good! If we continue like this…”

“Excuse me.”

“Gasp!” Dang Jo-pyeong looked up, surprised. He saw Chung Myung looking at him.

‘He’s able to speak while using this much inner energy?’ He opened his mouth wide.

“How long do we have to do this for? Old man?”

Dang Jo-pyeong suddenly understood and spoke with pauses. “You must keep it heated like this for three days.”

“Three days?” Chung Myung frowned.

“Hmm, that’s too long. If we increase the heat, will it take less time?”

“If you increase the heat, it might be possible, but there’s no way you can…”

“Yes, I understand. Then…” Chung Myung smiled.

“Be careful. You might get roasted nicely!”

Chung Myung’s clothes fluttered as if in a storm. The flames of the furnace swelled violently.

Dang Jo-pyeong was shocked. His eyes opened wide, and the lines around them became tight. But soon he was joyful. “Good, let’s see what you can do! What are you waiting for! Start the bellows!”

“Yes!” White flames soared like a rising dragon from the chimney.