Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 474

Fragrant steam curled from the teacup on the wooden table, carrying the scent of herbs.

As the disciples of Mount Hua drank their tea, the village chief, his eyes crinkled at the corners, kept glancing at Chung Myung between sips, a nervous twitch in his weathered hand.

The village chief’s gaze settled on Chung Myung, ignoring the others. He knew who to speak to.

“So… what is it you wish to hear?”

Chung Myung sighed, “It’s obvious, isn’t it? *The* Ice Palace.”

When Chung Myung said ‘Ice Palace,’ the village chief’s smile froze. His eyes darted around the room, and he fidgeted with his teacup.

“Well…”

The village chief offered an awkward smile and shook his head.

“Oh, the Ice Palace? Well, I’m just a simple village elder. I don’t know much about those grand places.”

“Ehey. This old man is trying to back out.”

Chung Myung was not so easily fooled. The way he tilted his head from side to side was ominous.

“Hey, don’t try to trick me. You were just begging for help, and now you’re acting like you don’t know anything?”

“Aigo! Of course not! Even animals are grateful when you help them. How could I be different?”

“Then tell me quickly.”

At Chung Myung’s urging, the village chief sighed deeply.

Having received a favor, he couldn’t refuse, but he was clearly hesitant to speak freely about the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

Seeing this, Baek Cheon subtly offered a helping hand.

“It doesn’t have to be about the Ice Palace specifically. You can start by telling us how the village came to be in this situation.”

Tang Soso also chimed in, supporting Baek Cheon.

“Why is everyone refraining from going outside?”

“That is…”

The village chief glanced at Baek Cheon and began to speak, as if he had no choice.

“It wasn’t always like this.”

As he began his story, he sighed, a long, sad sound that spoke of years of trouble.

“Originally, the Ice Palace was like a dependable elder to the people of the Northern Sea. They would rush to help whenever there were difficulties, and they always helped fix things. Therefore, the people of the Northern Sea deeply trusted and followed the Ice Palace.”

The village chief’s voice was utterly sincere. There was a hint of sorrow and melancholy in it.

But Chung Myung waved his hand dismissively.

“No, that’s enough.”

He had already heard enough of this story from Han Yi-myung.

“What’s this about people suddenly disappearing?”

At that question, the village chief’s voice dropped to a whisper. He glanced nervously over his shoulder, even though the room was empty except for them. It was as if the walls themselves had ears.

Finally, the old man spoke cautiously.

“…About half a year ago, people suddenly started to disappear.”

Everyone’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“People, as in… what kind of people?”

“It wasn’t just men or women, young or old. Anyone could disappear.”

The village chief sighed deeply.

“At first, we just thought it was an accident. As you saw, the Northern Sea is a harsh place. Wind-swept and rocky, with dangerous creatures lurking everywhere. People who went outside often suffered accidents and didn’t return, so we thought it was just another case of that, but…”

Even as he spoke, his eyes kept darting nervously towards the door. He seemed to think someone might open the door and enter at any moment.

Seeing this, Chung Myung eventually shifted his body slightly towards the door, as if he were ready to knock down anyone who came in.

The old man continued.

“But the number of people disappearing only increased. And the bigger problem is… there are no traces left. When a beast attacks a person, there are bound to be traces of some kind. But this time, no matter how much we search…”

Chung Myung’s face twisted slightly.

‘They dragged people away?’

“Heeuuuum.”

He scratched his cheek lightly and asked.

“What about the Ice Palace?”

“…”

“Even so, I wouldn’t think they’d just stand by and do nothing while people are disappearing. What did the Ice Palace say?”

But at that question, the village chief shook his head.

“The Ice Palace said… it was the work of beasts and told us not to spread unnecessary rumors. They said that those who cause trouble by spreading rumors will be punished…”

A frown deepened on Baek Cheon’s face. Yoon Jong clenched his fists. The others exchanged worried glances.

The very people who hunt and encounter beasts are these commoners. No matter how great the Ice Palace is, how could they know the habits of beasts better than these people?

Yet to say that and send them away, their intentions seemed all too clear.

Tang Soso’s breath hitched. Her face drained of color, her eyes wide with shock.

“The Ice Palace really said that?”

“…Why would I lie, Doctor?”

Tang Soso bit her lip, her face pale with disbelief.

“They’re out of their minds.”

Those in positions of power in a region should never go against the will of the people.

Of course, the Sichuan Tang Family is also a sect that is said to be wicked for a righteous sect, but they never intimidate the people living in Chengdu.

Moreover, they understand very well that the power of the Tang Family weakens the moment the public’s sentiment turns away.

But in this barren place, instead of helping people, they are trying to threaten and oppress them…

“What a mess.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

If the Northern Sea Ice Palace had always been like that, they would not have been able to stay in power for so long.

Clearly, that new palace lord who started the rebellion seemed to have a problem.

At that moment, Baek Cheon asked with a stern face.

“How many people have disappeared?”

“…Over thirty from our village alone.”

“Thirty…”

A groan-like voice escaped.

“There must be other villages besides this one around here, right?”

“Yes, there are. As far as I know, they are all in situations not much different from this one.”

The village chief’s voice cracked. He bit down hard on his lip, his shoulders shaking slightly as he fought back tears.

“About those demons you mentioned earlier…”

“It’s those very demons.”

The old man’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper, choked with fear.

“People suddenly started disappearing after those demons were seen more frequently. Even if we try not to suspect…”

“Heeuuuum.”

Chung Myung frowned.

“Could it be?”

“Seems likely, doesn’t it?”

The disciples of Mount Hua looked at each other and nodded.

Those demons in black clothes are naturally the Demonic Sect.

The Ice Palace wears white clothes as their symbol, like snow. Therefore, in this land completely dominated by the Northern Sea, they would not wear black to hide their identity.

“To summarize…”

Chung Myung tapped the table lightly.

“From a few months ago, guys in black clothes suddenly started appearing, and at the same time, people started disappearing, is that right?”

“…That’s right.”

“So, to avoid those black-clad men, you’ve been cooped up at home, and then this strange disease came… If it were normal times, you could have traded with the Central Plains to get some fresh food, but that’s not possible either, I suppose.”

Chung Myung, who was calmly summarizing, chuckled.

Things happening separately all got mixed up and caused this problem.

Chung Myung, who was organizing his thoughts, suddenly turned to the village chief as if he had noticed something he had missed.

“Did you say there are other villages?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then what about those? If their situation is similar, surely they must be suffering from the same strange disease?”

“I think their villages are just like ours…”

Before the village chief could finish speaking, Tang Soso was already trying to leap to her feet.

“Then we must treat them immediately!”

Thwack!

But before she could, Chung Myung reached out and flicked her forehead.

“We can treat them without you rushing about like that, so please, try to contain your excitement.”

“But still…”

“There’s no need to get so worked up right away.”

Chung Myung’s eyes narrowed slightly as he calmed Tang Soso down.

‘This… the situation might be more serious than I thought?’

While the other Mount Hua disciples seemed focused on the fact that the Ice Palace was intimidating innocent people, Chung Myung was focusing on something else.

Martial arts groups need the common people to survive. They depend on them.

Those who seclude themselves in the mountains, swinging swords without ever tilling a field, can do nothing without those who live by the soil.

No matter how mad the current Ice Palace Lord might be, they should still be a key figure from the North Sea Ice Palace, and someone like that couldn’t possibly be ignorant of this principle.

Which means…

‘The North Sea Ice Palace has completely lost control.’

The Palace Lord might already be controlled by a *dangerous* Demonic Sect.

‘I need to confirm this.’

A disturbing feeling, cold and unsettling like icy fingers, began to creep up his spine.

It was as if…

“Chung Myung?”

“Huh?”

Called back to reality, Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon.

“Why?”

“Ah, no… Your expression…”

Baek Cheon started to say something but then closed his mouth. He couldn’t quite grasp what to say.

Strange… and a little scary? Baek Cheon frowned. He had rarely seen Chung Myung look like this. It was different from his usual anger, colder, more distant.

“Hmm.”

Under Baek Cheon’s gaze, Chung Myung composed his expression as if nothing had happened. Then, he nodded lightly and looked at the village chief.

“So, what did you do?”

“Yes?”

“The Ice Palace gave you such an absurd answer, didn’t you protest or anything?”

“Aigoo… How could we dare to protest against the Ice Palace? They would punish us badly if we did.”

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and sighed softly.

“Is it the same in other places?”

“Yes, it is.”

“…Yes. I understand for now.”

As Chung Myung nodded, Baek Cheon and the other disciples asked cautiously.

“Chung Myung, this matter…”

“Hmm.”

But the answer was as good as decided. Chung Myung’s face was already utterly indifferent.

“Well, this is a problem that won’t be resolved unless we go to the Ice Palace. We’ve done all we can here, so let’s head to the Ice Palace.”

“What about the other villages?”

“It’s just a matter of feeding them raw fish anyway. We couldn’t help it when we didn’t know the cure, but now that we do, there’s no reason for us to stay here. If there’s a problem, we can just catch some more fish for them before we leave.”

“M-more catching? Amitabha! Amitabha!”

Hae Yeon, who had been quiet, spoke with great alarm.

“C-Chief! Please, leave me out this time!”

“Why? Is it hard? Surely, a monk of the Shaolin, who should be saving sentient beings, isn’t reluctant to enter the icy water?”

“It’s not that.”

Hae Yeon shook his head with a heavy expression.

He was just exaggerating a bit; a martial artist like Hae Yeon wouldn’t suffer any major problems from entering the icy water. The real problem lay elsewhere.

“Even if it’s to help people, catching fish still means taking lives. As a Buddhist, that is…”

“You’re just catching them; I’m the one pulling them up. And you’re not the one killing them, either.”

“Even so, it’s difficult to deceive my heart. Amitabha.”

Hae Yeon chanted the Buddha’s name repeatedly.

“I’ll do anything else, so please, understand this one thing, Chief.”

At his earnest plea, his voice trembling slightly, Chung Myung tilted his head as if he truly didn’t understand.

“So, you don’t want to catch fish because it… bothers you?”

“That’s right.”

“…Isn’t that a meaningless statement, considering you’re already wearing a bear skin?”

“…”

“What monk in the world wears animal skin? Have you ever heard of such a monk?”

Hae Yeon opened his mouth wide and stared with wide eyes.

“A, Amitabha…”

“Tsk, Amitabha my foot. If the Guanyin Bodhisattva saw a monk wearing animal skin, she’d smack him in the jaw with the Tathagata Palm. Why are you even looking for Amitabha!”

“H-Hik.”

Hae Yeon’s face crumpled with genuine distress. He kept alternating his gaze between the bear skin he was wearing and Chung Myung’s face.

“That’s right. Now that I think about it, it’s strange, but I didn’t notice at all.”

“…If another monk were wearing it, I would have immediately known it was strange.”

Not even the Mount Hua disciples had noticed that his appearance was strange. A monk wearing animal skin, and they thought it was natural.

“…Family.”

“Yes. I guess it’s because we’re close.”

“It’s round and cute, too.”

The Mount Hua disciples realized anew that Hae Yeon had completely blended into Mount Hua.

“Ugh. Ugh! What have I done!”

As Hae Yeon tried to take off the bear skin with hurried hands, Yoon Jong grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.

“…Isn’t it better than freezing to death? Buddha will understand.”

“…”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he watched Hae Yeon, who was distraught and at a loss, sink to the ground in despair.

A strange silence fell over the room.

Twitch.

Chung Myung, who was about to launch into a tirade, suddenly shut his mouth. Then, with a glint in his eyes, he abruptly looked towards the door.

It was at that very moment, when everyone was wondering about his sudden reaction.

“Is that bastard…?”

Chung Myung muttered quietly and kicked open the door, rushing outside. His speed was so great that by the time the others had made it outside, he was already a distant speck.

“Chung Myung!”

“W-what! Why is he suddenly like that?!”

“Let’s follow him!”

Everyone followed Chung Myung without the slightest hesitation. A chilling tension began to settle on their faces as they chased after Chung Myung’s already distant figure.