Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 455

The courtyard was filled with bright sunshine. It was so bright it made the white stones gleam. The air was still and warm, and the only sound was the gentle buzzing of bees near the flowering plum trees.

Chung Myung watched the group of monks standing behind the Abbot. “He’s showing off, that one,” Chung Myung muttered, tilting his head. Then he noticed more monks. “No, wait, there are more monks coming.” His face twisted in annoyance. “What’s that old geezer doing here?” he grumbled, his voice grumpy.

“S-Shaolin’s Abbot! Don’t call him an old geezer, you imbecile!”

Yoon Jong was horrified and tried to stop him, but Chung Myung remained nonchalant.

“What’s the big deal? He’s not our Sect Leader.”

Yoon Jong, lost for words, simply shook his head.

“Let’s go and see what’s happening.”

Hyun Jong led his disciples closer to the main gate. He bowed deeply, offering his greetings.

“Welcome, Abbot.”

“It has been a while, Sect Leader. Have you been well?”

Hyun Jong smiled genially.

“Thanks to your concern, I have been able to live well without any problems. It is a long journey from Mount Song to here. What brings you here?”

Abbot Beopjeong returned the smile.

“No matter how far the road, if there is ambrosia to quench my thirst, there is no reason to refuse.”

Hyun Jong’s eyes flickered slightly.

‘Ambrosia, eh?’

The two men exchanged smiles as they looked at each other.

Those who watched them could not help but feel a subtle, inexplicable chill.

“Is it suddenly cold?”

“Winter is coming, after all.”

“True, but…”

Beopjeong turned his head and looked at Chung Myung, who was standing with one leg propped up.

“Have you been well?”

“Not really, since Shaolin sent a useless burden to Mount Hua.”

“A useless burden, you say.”

Beopjeong smiled wryly.

The useless burden he spoke of must be Hae Yeon.

“A burden is a burden, but shouldn’t that one be considered a treasure?”

“Huh? A treasure? That baldy?”

Beopjeong blinked.

“If you’re going to send a freeloader, you should at least send some money with him! You send a guy who only eats grass, which is already hard to find in Mount Hua, empty-handed? And you have so much money?”

Beopjeong blinked. It was true that he hadn’t thought about sending money…

‘What does he mean by grass that’s hard to find?’

Beopjeong gave an awkward smile.

“Haha… Still, wasn’t he helpful in his own way?”

“Helpful?” Chung Myung asked, sounding doubtful. Beopjeong seemed a little uncomfortable and cleared his throat.

After only a few words, Beopjeong was quickly reminded of what kind of person Chung Myung was.

And Beopjeong wasn’t the only one who felt awkward in this situation.

Hyun Jong quickly stepped forward, as if to cut off the conversation with Beopjeong before that rascal Chung Myung caused any more trouble.

“Let’s go inside first. I fear the world will criticize us for keeping the Abbot of Great Shaolin standing at the gate.”

“I came without asking, so I don’t expect much. Just a cup of water would be nice.”

It was at that very moment, as they were exchanging words of humility.

“Abbot!”

Someone burst out of the main hall and shouted in an excited voice, running straight towards Beopjeong.

“Oh! It’s Hae Yeon…”

Huh?

Beopjeong’s eyes widened slightly.

‘Hae Yeon?’

Huh?

He blinked his wide eyes several times.

‘It is him, isn’t it?’

There was no way it couldn’t be.

Who else in this Mount Hua would be wearing the yellow robes symbolizing Shaolin, and who else would bother to shave their head?

Of course, the person running towards him now was definitely Hae Yeon.

But…

‘It’s definitely Hae Yeon, but…’

Something was a little strange.

The boy who looked like he would have soft downy hair if you touched him was nowhere to be seen, and why was a bronzed young man with sleekly shining skin running towards him?

Besides, his face was definitely different.

Whether it was because his skin tone had darkened, or for some other reason. The shy boy who used to lower his head whenever he made eye contact with someone was gone, and in his place was a divine general with an intense presence, looking as if he could kill Mara with his bare hands at any moment.

“Uh…”

Beopjeong rubbed his eyes hard. Then, he looked at the person who had come closer again.

‘Ah, no. When I look closely, his appearance hasn’t changed that much.’

Beopjeong was quickly able to figure out where this feeling was coming from.

His eyes.

Hae Yeon’s eyes, which used to be so soft and gentle that he couldn’t even kill a bug, now flickered with a subtle gleam.

Hae Yeon, who had run up to Beopjeong, called out to him in an impassioned voice.

“Abbot!”

“Hae Yeon, is that you?”

“Yes, Abbot!”

A predictable answer came back to an obvious question, but Beopjeong couldn’t easily accept the answer.

How should he put it?

He was like a small bird that had suddenly grown into a strong eagle.

Beopjeong opened and closed his mouth at the subtle feeling.

“You’ve changed a lot, haven’t you?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

Hae Yeon tilted his head. However, Baek Cheon and his group, who were watching from behind, slowly nodded their heads, agreeing with Beopjeong’s words.

“He has changed a lot.”

“Indeed. I haven’t thought about it much because I’m always with him, but he’s really changed a lot compared to when he first came.”

“I feel a bit guilty.”

Beopjeong was speechless with disbelief and frustration.

‘What on earth have you done?’

He went out to find the Dharma, but it’s not like he became the Tang Sanzang and traveled to Tibet. What on earth could have happened to him in just a few months to change him this much?

Beopjeong, who had unknowingly opened his mouth wide, flinched and closed it.

This was Mount Hua, and he was the Abbot of Shaolin. No matter how surprising something was, he couldn’t show a flustered appearance.

He asked in a solemn and benevolent voice.

“Ahem, yes. Have you attained enlightenment?”

“Enlightenment? No way!”

“Huh?”

Did I just hear something wrong?

However, Hae Yeon didn’t understand Beopjeong’s reaction and began to tear up.

“Abbot! You’ve come to take me back, haven’t you? I believed in you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Beopjeong, slightly flustered, asked again, but Hae Yeon seemed like he couldn’t hear anything at all. He grabbed Beopjeong’s hand tightly and even teared up.

“L-Let’s go back to Shaolin…”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue at the sight.

“Even a beast knows the grace of being fed and sheltered, but look at what a human is doing.”

Hae Yeon, who had suddenly become as quiet as a clam, glanced back.

Ah. He wasn’t wrong.

They did feed him and shelter him.

“You treat people like cattle, making them eat only grass!”

“Don’t interrupt, come outside with me.”

Chung Myung walked quickly to Hye-yeon and hit him on the head with a *thwack* sound.

Hye-yeon looked at Beopjeong. His eyes were as sad as a cow going to be killed. It was strange, but he let Chung Myung pull him away.

Just then, Hyun Jong cleared his throat and spoke.

“Let’s go inside for now.”

“Well… very well.”

Beopjeong sighed deeply.

‘Hwasan, indeed.’

It was Hwasan.

“Ahem.”

“Hmm.”

Even after everyone sat down, no one spoke.

A heavy silence filled the room, thick and uncomfortable like a wool blanket on a hot day. No one dared to break it. The only sound was the quiet ticking of a clock somewhere, each tick making the silence feel even heavier.

The truth was, Hwasan and Shaolin were not such good friends that they could sit together easily. Because of this, everyone felt awkward and didn’t know what to say.

‘Sect Leader, say something!’ the elders thought. ‘I feel like I can’t breathe!’ Hyun Jong saw them looking at him, but he looked away. ‘I feel awkward too, you guys!’ he thought.

During the fighting competition, he didn’t worry about what he said. But now, even Hyun Jong felt very nervous to be facing the Abbot of Shaolin.

Shaolin, being quiet as usual, said nothing. Only one person seemed calm in this awkward situation.

“Why is everyone so quiet?”

Chung Myung asked, his voice calm and almost too innocent in the tense room. The Hwasan elders all turned to him at once, relief flooding their faces.

‘It’s a relief that at least he’s here.’

‘I never thought I’d be grateful for that rascal’s personality.’

The elders pushed him gently. Chung Myung shrugged, as if he understood what they wanted, and looked at Beopjeong.

“But what brings you here? It’s quite a long journey.”

“I came because there are several things to discuss,”

Beopjeong replied lightly, picking up the teacup in front of him. He savored the aroma and took a sip.

“The tea has a wonderful flavor, Sect Leader.”

“I made this tea carefully, because you are our guest. It might not be the best tea you have ever had, but I wanted you to try Hwasan’s plum blossom tea while you are here.”

“The aroma is truly impressive.”

Beopjeong nodded slowly, then raised his head to look at Hyun Jong.

“I have heard about the Maninbang incident.”

“Ah…”

“Hwasan has accomplished something truly remarkable.”

Beopjeong spoke with genuine admiration.

“Amitabha. Dealing with the Maninbang must have been very hard. It shows how strong Hwasan’s spirit is. Everyone in the world is praising you.”

“Thank you.”

Beopjeong glanced at the elders and continued.

“Thinking back to when I saw you at Shaolin, I cannot help but realize how much Hwasan’s status has changed in the meantime. I can imagine how hard the Sect Leader and the disciples of Hwasan must have worked, even without seeing it.”

As his words continued, the shoulders of the Hwasan elders straightened a little.

They had heard this much praise before, but the fact that it was coming from the Abbot of Shaolin, of all people, made it all the more significant.

Because everyone knew that the Abbot of Shaolin was the most important leader in the whole fighting world.

The elders smiled a little without meaning to. Beopjeong cleared his throat and kept talking.

“And I am also sorry. It is customary for the surrounding sects to provide support when such an event occurs, but it happened so suddenly…”

“It was indeed quite sudden.”

“If Jongnam had not closed, Hwasan wouldn’t have had to fight by themselves. But sadly, I didn’t know Jongnam would close either.”

“It’s alright.”

Hyun Jong smiled gently.

“You are the busy Abbot of Shaolin, how could you worry about things so far away? We should solve our own problems.”

“No, Sect Leader. This is something I must apologize for.”

Beopjeong sadly repeated Buddhist prayers.

Meanwhile, Chung Myung narrowed his eyes as he watched him.

‘What is that raccoon trying to do now…?’

It was true that Hwasan had not received help from the surrounding sects. But in reality, it wasn’t really Shaolin’s fault.

Nevertheless, the Abbot’s remorse continued.

“Even though these are troubled times, I didn’t think the Maninbang from Guizhou would attack Shanxi so fast.”

“How could you have known and prepared for it? If you keep apologizing, I will feel awkward.”

“Amitabha. Sect Leader, how can you say that it is not my fault?”

“Yes?”

Beopjeong glanced at Hyun Jong and then opened his mouth again.

“I understand your pain, Sect Leader. I also understand that you must be disappointed in those who didn’t help when this happened.”

“What exactly are you talking about?”

Hyun Jong asked with a slightly hardened face, and Beopjeong turned his gaze to Chung Myung. Then, with a subtle expression, he spoke.

“So, I understand why Hwasan is trying to work with other groups that are not part of the Nine Great Sects, Sect Leader.”

Chung Myung’s face twisted slightly.

‘So that’s it!’

He had wondered why he had bothered to come all this way; it was to say this.

Shaolin has a good spy network. They could easily have learned that Hwasan was trying to make an alliance with other groups.

But still, for the Abbot to come here himself…

‘That annoying monk!’

Beopjeong’s words made Hyun Jong nervous. He cleared his throat. “Ahem. About that…”

“Of course, I understand, Sect Leader. But…” Beopjeong looked at Hyun Jong with narrowed eyes, as if he meant something important. “I think we need to think about if the other groups will understand that.”

Chung Myung’s face contorted as he shot to his feet.

“Now, listen here, you!”

“Chung Myung!”

“Stay still!”

But as the elders simultaneously roared, he had no choice but to groan and sit back down.

He couldn’t let a young Hwasan disciple disrespect the Hwasan elders in front of the Shaolin elders.

Beopjeong smiled, like he knew exactly what Chung Myung was thinking.

“Sect Leader.”

“Yes, Abbot.”

“Can we talk alone? This is very important.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong thought for a moment. He didn’t want to hide anything from the Hwasan elders. But he felt worried with the Shaolin elders sitting next to Beopjeong.

“Very well.”

The two men looked at their respective elders and spoke.

“Leave us.”

“Please leave the room.”

At those words, those who had been filling the seats rose and went outside in unison.

“Ah.”

Then Beopjeong spoke.

“You, Hwasan Divine Dragon, remain.”

Chung Myung, who had risen to leave, frowned at Beopjeong.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I have something to say to you.”

Chung Myung raised his eyebrows at Beopjeong’s smooth answer.

‘Has this guy not learned anything from last time?’ he thought. ‘Okay, let’s see what silly things he will say now.’

Without another word, Chung Myung sat back down.

He stared sharply at Beopjeong. Beopjeong looked back with deep eyes.