Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 454

Chung Myung sighed, feeling the gentle breeze on his face. “Life is…” he thought, as his hand closed around a cold bottle of rice wine. Small drops of water sparkled on the glass.

He tilted his head, glancing at the snacks laid out beside him as he took a drink.

Seeing the rich smell of braised duck fill the air, and the Dongpo pork looked shiny and soft, promising a sweet and savory taste, which Hyun Young lovingly prepared to reward him for his long journey, brought a smile to his lips.

Besides…

“Come on, pull harder! I know you can do it!”

“If you can shout, you can pull! Use that energy!”

“Why are you stopping? Keep going! Don’t give up now!”

Baek Cheon was strict and focused, Yoon Jong encouraged the students with a loud voice, and Jo Gul made funny jokes even while being tough. They were wringing the last drops of effort from the Mount Hua disciples. The sight of them yelling, swords still sheathed in hand, was… well, what was it…?

Chung Myung pondered for a moment, then smiled contentedly.

‘Who cares?’

Efficiency was all that mattered.

Anyway.

Chung Myung watched them train and smiled. The way the leaders pushed the students, and the students worked hard, was working very well. It was just like he wanted.

Huh?

None of my business!

Chung Myung’s gaze returned to the sky. Baega wriggled for a moment, as if bothered by the pressure on his head, but soon settled down again.

‘He managed to get this far.’

Looking back, it had been a truly arduous journey.

To be reborn as a beggar, of all things, and then to spend ages just getting back to Mount Hua.

Guiding his disobedient junior brothers with love, and persuading the doubting sect leader and elders with righteous conviction, time and time again.

After that difficult and exhausting struggle, he had finally arrived here.

“Kuh. This is a human triumph, a human triumph. Isn’t that right, Sect Leader Brother?”

– It’s taking far too long.

“This bloke, really.”

Chung Myung gritted his teeth.

Ah, well, try doing it yourself then!

It’s only because it’s me that we got this far so quickly. If Sect Leader Brother had done it, he’d probably still be playing Go with the sect leader!

“Tsk. What’s the point of talking.”

Chung Myung, who had been muttering under his breath, patted his stomach and looked at Mount Hua with a relaxed expression.

Seeing his junior brothers training diligently without his prompting, and the elders starting to handle their own affairs, it finally felt like a proper sect.

Compared to when he first arrived at Mount Hua, it was a world of difference.

But as he relaxed, his mind started to think about more serious things. He looked out at Mount Hua, knowing they still had a long way to go.

At best, they had only just managed to resemble a proper sect.

The world might praise Mount Hua for defeating the Ten Thousand People Clan, but that was just wishful thinking, emphasizing that Mount Hua, wearing the mask of a righteous sect, had shamed the evil Ten Thousand People Clan.

Mount Hua had only managed to repel a portion of the Ten Thousand People Clan’s forces with their full strength.

To be blunt, that was the limit of Mount Hua’s current capabilities.

“We still need to get stronger.”

The special swords could make the Mount Hua students about thirty percent better. But even with that, they were still not strong enough. It was like a small seed growing a little bigger, but still small.

They were still far from being a sect comparable to the Mount Hua of the past.

“Those acorns need more time to get stronger….”

The problem was that the world wouldn’t wait for them indefinitely. If they could have as much time as they wanted, there wouldn’t be a problem, but the world wasn’t so lenient.

“The Cheonwu Alliance is still lacking too.”

The alliance of the Beast Palace, the Sichuan Tang Family, and Mount Hua was, in truth, hardly worthy of being called an alliance.

Compared to the Nine Great Sects, which gathered the ten most renowned sects in the world, or the Five Great Families, it was undeniably inferior.

“In the end, we need to accept more sects.”

Chung Myung scratched his head vigorously.

If quality was lacking, they had to make up for it with quantity. The same went for sects. If the skills of the Mount Hua disciples didn’t improve, then accepting more disciples to increase their overall strength would be one solution.

Accepting lesser disciples beneath the elite ones would be one way, and accepting the lay disciples into the main sect would be another.

However, there was one thing.

“⋯⋯It would be nice to have a bit more Cold Iron.”

He had managed to make enough Cold Iron Swords to distribute to all the disciples, but if possible, he wanted to make symbolic plum blossom swords for the lay disciples who came to train at the main sect before returning.

Of course, it would be impossible to make swords with as much Cold Iron as the main sect disciples used, but he still wanted to give them swords that proudly shone, declaring, ‘I have some Cold Iron in me!’…

“Damn it, why is the Cold Iron dried up!”

Chung Myung chewed on jerky, recalling his conversation with Tang Gunak.

– But Cold Iron is iron, right? How can it be gone if we can still find other iron?

– When did I say that Cold Iron became invisible?

– About a hundred years ago?

– Do you know where Cold Iron comes from?

– From the ground, I suppose.

– ⋯⋯Myriad Year Cold Iron. High-quality iron that has been exposed to extreme yin energy for ten thousand years, changing its properties. So, where do you think it comes from?

– The Northern Sea?

– That’s right. Cold Iron is a specialty of the Ice Palace in the Northern Sea. But wasn’t trade between the Central Plains and the Northern Sea cut off due to the last war?

– ⋯⋯.

– That’s why we can’t get it anymore.

“Keueung.”

Chung Myung rubbed his face wearily.

“I should have buried all those command bastards back then!”

They ruined the war and now they’re causing problems for Chung Myung. If he could go back in time, he’d wring their necks.

“Eh. If we don’t have it, we’ll have to live without it!”

Going all the way to the Northern Sea to find it was not something a person should do.

Chung Myung was about to take another drink when he felt a slight movement above him.

Chung Myung shook his head and reached for the wine bottle.

Huh?

But no matter how much he groped around, he couldn’t find the bottle.

Where’s the wine bottle….

“Ack! You scared me!”

Chung Myung startled and twisted his body. Yoo Iseol was suddenly there, her dark eyes fixed on him. She had somehow climbed onto the roof, snatched the wine bottle and stared at him intently.

“Why, why! Why are you acting like a ghost again, scaring people half to death!”

“No drinking,” Yoo Iseol said, her voice quiet.

“Why?”

“Elder Hyun Young is looking for you. Something happened.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung tilted his head at the unexpected news.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Hyun Young always took good care of him, like a real older sister. And then she jumped off the roof.

Ah, Head Disciple Chung Myung, welcome! What brings you here today?

“⋯⋯There isn’t any?”

Hwang Jongi nodded with an embarrassed expression at Chung Myung’s bewildered question.

“⋯⋯I am sorry, but that is the case.”

“No, why?”

“The item is dried up.”

Uh….

Where have I heard this before?

Chung Myung scratched his head vigorously.

“No, you clearly said last time that everything except the Japanese knotweed was available.”

“That was certainly the case then.”

Hwang Jongi sighed deeply, as if frustrated.

“But Head Disciple, as you know, the supply of goods varies depending on the time. That’s why the price changes.”

“I can pay any amount of money. Mount Hua is rich now!”

Chung Myung cleared his throat and puffed out his chest.

I’m really sorry I couldn’t help you this time. Please come again soon.

Hwang Jong-ui smiled weakly.

“I know. Who else but I would know the financial power of Mount Hua? The problem is, even if I could buy it with a billion gold coins, the item itself is not available now.”

“⋯⋯.”

“I am sorry, Head.”

“Wait, hold on a moment.”

Chung Myung blinked rapidly, his eyes darting around.

“Why did the overflowing Ice Essence suddenly disappear?”

“⋯⋯It wasn’t ever easy to get. You could buy it if you had enough money, but it was always rare.”

“Anyway, it existed.”

Hwang Jong-ui scratched his head, looking apologetic.

“As you know, Ice Essence comes from the Northern Sea. It is only found there. Even though trade between the Northern Sea and the Central Plains has been banned, some items have been secretly traded. The Northern Sea is barren and has no choice but to sell goods to the Central Plains to survive.”

“That’s right.”

Even if they didn’t sell iron, they sold Ice Essence. That’s how they got Ice Essence, right? Wasn’t the Violet Elixir made from that?

“But I don’t know if you’ve heard, the situation in the Northern Sea has been strange lately. Maybe that’s why they suddenly locked everything down and are stopping people from the Central Plains from entering.”

“Oh⋯⋯.”

Chung Myung remembered hearing about this at Shaolin.

“And the people of the Northern Sea aren’t coming out at all. So, we don’t know why, but trade has stopped.”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened.

“So, what you’re saying is?”

“Yes.”

Hwang Jong-ui nodded.

“Basically, if the Northern Sea Ice Palace stays closed to outsiders, we’re out of luck.”

“⋯⋯.”

Chung Myung stared blankly into the air.

“This is bad… really bad,” he muttered. “Does this mean… I can’t make it?”

He had promised the Green Forest King the Mixed Origin Pill. And Mount Hua didn’t have any left – not a single Mixed Origin Pill or even a Violet Elixir.

They had used up all the Violet Elixirs. Someone had said they would lose their power if they were kept too long, and then they used the rest to heal people after the Myriad Man House attack.

Chung Myung hadn’t been worried before. He had plenty of Amethyst Grass from Meng So, the Beast Palace Lord, given to him when they met at the Sichuan Tang Clan.

He’d thought with the Amethyst Grass, he could make as many Violet Elixirs and Mixed Origin Pills as he needed.

But now…

“This is a disaster!” Chung Myung exclaimed, his voice rising.

His eyes widened in panic.

The Green Forest King?

No, Im So-byeong isn’t important now!

Whether it was Im So-byeong or whatever, if the Ice Essence wasn’t available, he couldn’t make any more Violet Elixirs. How much did Chung Myung suffer to learn how to make that damned Violet Elixir?

But it ends with just making it once?

Chung Myung slammed his fist on the table. “What nonsense is this?!”

“No! My Violet Elixir!”

Then, Hyun Young, who had been silent, asked.

“Then, is there really no way?”

“Yes, Elder. I am sorry, but it is impossible with our merchant guild’s abilities. Actually, no merchant guild can get Ice Essence right now. They were even asking old buyers if they would sell their Ice Essence, but…”

“Collecting such small amounts won’t solve the problem.”

“That’s right. And because the price will definitely go up, they don’t want to sell at all.”

“Damn hoarders!” Chung Myung glared.

“Anyway, there is no way. Not only people from the Central Plains, but even if you aren’t from the Northern Sea, just stepping foot there will cost you your head.”

“⋯⋯That would be the case.”

Even the Shaolin disciple who was investigating the Northern Sea returned dead, so what else could be said about other people?

At that time, Baek Cheon, who had been listening, spoke up.

“But you can go, right?”

“Huh?”

“Did you forget? The Beast Palace Lord said she told the other Four Outer Palaces about you, and that they shouldn’t treat you badly.”

“⋯⋯.”

Hyun Young, hearing this for the first time, looked surprised and asked Chung Myung.

“Is that true?”

“Oh⋯⋯ I think I remember something like that⋯⋯.”

Then, Yoon Jong looked sadly at the ceiling.

“Again⋯⋯ I have to go in person.”

Jo Gul clutched his head.

“It’s almost winter! My bones will freeze if I go to the Northern Sea.”

But Baek Cheon calmly shook his head, saying there was no other way.

“There’s no choice, is there? That’s how it is.”

Then, the two who were in despair also nodded. They seemed to have accepted their fate.

However, one person seemed to feel differently.

“I am against it.”

Everyone turned to look at Hyun Jong, who was shaking his head with an unpleasant face.

“This is too dangerous.”

“But Yunnan is⋯⋯.”

“It’s different. Yunnan and the Northern Sea are not the same.”

It was a natural reaction. Hyun Jong had heard the words of Beop Jeong, the Abbot of Shaolin.

‘The Demonic Sect.’

It wasn’t certain, but demonic energy was found in the body of the Shaolin disciple who returned from the Northern Sea. This meant the Northern Sea was likely connected to the Demonic Sect.

“Of course, making the Violet Elixir is important, but not so important that you have to risk your lives.”

Hyun Jong said firmly.

“As the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, I cannot allow you to go to the Northern Sea.”

It was a stern voice, so strong that no one dared to argue with him.

A moment of silence fell.

But then…

“Sect Leader!” Someone knocked violently on the reception hall door. Hyun Jong frowned slightly and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“Y, you have to come out and see! N, now at the main gate!”

“Hmm?”

Everyone felt something was wrong and jumped up.

‘Enemies?’

‘Is it an intruder?’

Perhaps because of the Myriad Man House attack, they reacted quickly. The disciples of Mount Hua, led by Chung Myung, kicked down the door and ran out.

Soon, they saw the main gate.

“⋯⋯Huh?”

Everyone stopped and tilted their heads, confused.

“Th, that⋯⋯.”

Chung Myung blinked.

A yellowish robe. And a shiny head sparkled in the sunlight.

Chung Myung stared blankly at the person at the main gate and groaned.

“⋯⋯Why is that person here?”

“W, well, I don’t know?”

Everyone stared, not knowing what was happening. Then, the person smiled brightly and bowed.

“It’s been a while, Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”

Beop Jeong, the Abbot of Shaolin, greeted them with a bright smile.