Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 549

The cart rushed across the ice.

They were going back to Mount Hua! They *should* have been happy and pulling the cart with joy. But they were not.

“Haa! Haa! Haa! Haa!”

“Oh no, I’m going to die!”

“S-Sasuk! The cart feels five times heavier than when we came.”

“…It’s not that it feels heavy, it is heavy.”

Crack!

The ice cracked and made loud noises with every step. It was *that* heavy. If they slowed down even a little, the ice would break right away, and the cart would fall into the lake.

Through all this noise, they heard Chung Myung’s annoying voice from the cart.

“Don’t stop! Who said you could stop! If you stop, you’ll sink! Run before the ice breaks!”

Why hasn’t death come for him yet? Why isn’t he gone?

The disciples felt sad and angry as they listened to Chung Myung shout. He was becoming worse and worse every day.

Seriously, what did they put in here!

Even if it was just clothes piled that high, it would be heavy. But this weight… it was too much!

Then, Jo Gul said with a fading voice.

“That… before we left…”

“Huh?”

“Lord Seol So-baek took all the Hancheol metal left in the Ice Palace and put it on the cart…”

“What?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes widened as if an earthquake had struck.

“No, Hancheol is what we agreed to trade in the future! We didn’t even bring the money to pay for it, so why are they giving us the goods already?”

“Th-The trade is the trade, and the gift is the gift… They said we can just use the Hancheol produced in the future for the trade…”

Baek Cheon couldn’t speak. He looked up. He imagined Seol So-baek’s face smiling brightly in the clear sky. It seemed like a fading memory.

‘Lord of the Ice Palace.’

I am grateful, but… I am *really* grateful for your kindness…

Baek Cheon understood then. Sometimes, even when someone is trying to be kind, it doesn’t feel good to the person receiving it.

“That cart is *too* sturdy!”

I should have known this would happen when that jerk said he made the cart with strong Mookchul. Humans can be so stupid sometimes!

“Amitabha,” Hye-yeon said. “Baek Cheon, please don’t be angry.”

Hye-yeon, who was pulling the cart in front, turned around. His shaved head shone in the sunlight, and he smiled kindly.

“It’s hard for us now, but if we bring these gifts back to Mount Hua, won’t Mount Hua become a little richer? If you think about it like that, there’s nothing to be angry about.”

Looking at Hye-yeon, who was smiling brightly without a care, Baek Cheon smiled back just as brightly.

‘You’re a Shaolin monk, you old man.’

Why is *he* happy that Mount Hua will have more money?

It was a strange question. But Hye-yeon was smiling so brightly, Baek Cheon couldn’t say anything.

Something still felt wrong, but Hye-yeon was happy… so maybe it was okay…

“Ah, pull it faster!”

“Hey! You come down and pull it too!”

“No way. It’s cold.”

“Who isn’t cold? Do you think I’m growing fur like a bear?”

“Uh oh? The wheel! The wheel is coming off, the wheel!”

“Aaaaargh!”

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and pulled the cart with all his might.

You might wonder why they were so determined to go across the ice. But running on ice was much faster than running on snow.

The Mount Hua disciples had chosen the fastest way, even though it was dangerous.

“Guys! Pull! Pull faster!”

“Ugh!”

“I’m really going to die! How is it even harder than before!”

He was out of breath, and complaints kept coming out of his mouth. But the cart moved forward as if it didn’t care.

“Ugh.”

“…I’m dying.”

The Mount Hua disciples set up tents for the night and then fell inside, one after another.

Their bodies felt stiff and sore, more than just tired.

Their joints felt wrong, and their muscles were tight. This was normal, because they had been running without stopping, pushing themselves hard to not fall through the ice.

“Hah, my back won’t straighten.”

“My, my knees won’t straighten…”

“S-SoSo, some acupuncture…”

“…SoSo is dead.”

Having used all their strength for the first time in a while, they all groaned, becoming one with the floor.

Then…

*Whoosh!* Chung Myung came into the tent and shouted right away.

“Aren’t you eating?”

“Argh, you jerk!”

Baek Cheon was too angry to hold back anymore. He threw the bundle he was holding at Chung Myung. Before Chung Myung could react, Baek Ah, who was on his shoulder, jumped down, grabbed the bundle, and started to rip it open.

Screeeech!

Then, it got angry like fire.

“…Why is it so angry?”

“…It’s not food?”

Anyway, people and beasts alike.

I really wish they would all just die.

“Jerky… take out the jerky and eat it. The Ice Palace packed some for us…”

“Tsk. Jerky again? Tch. I guess I have to eat it.”

Baek Cheon watched Chung Myung grumble and leave the tent, and he covered his face.

“Yoon Jong-ah.”

“Yes?”

“…I have never hated being weak as much as I do right now.”

“Get used to it, Sasuk. What’s new? Haven’t we always been like this?”

“I’m worried I’ll be like this for my whole life…”

That’s a little scary?

Yoon Jong sighed, looking a bit scared. He looked up at the tent made of thick leather and said, “Still, we are really lucky to have this tent.”

Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.

“Nothing beats the knowledge of the people who live here.”

Because of this thick tent that the Ice Palace gave us, we can stay out of the snow and wind, at least when we rest. If we didn’t have this, we would be in big trouble right now.

Then, Jo Gul, still lying down and moving around uncomfortably, asked.

“Sasuk, we don’t have to go back so fast, right? We could go a little slower…”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Baek Cheon shook his head, looking serious, and answered.

“General Manager Han said that winter is ending in Bukhae. As it gets warmer, the ice will get thinner and thinner, and then it can’t hold this weight.”

Then, Jo Gul, who was in despair, lay down in a sprawled position and muttered.

“Why can’t my life ever be easy for even a moment.”

He had gained some confidence while fighting the Demonic Sect, but the reality was that he was just exhausted from pulling a cart.

“That mean jerk.”

“He’s the kind of guy who would eat a fish even if you threw him into an ice lake!”

They knew Chung Myung so well now. They knew that those huge piles of luggage were not just Seol So-baek’s idea.

They could feel Chung Myung’s meanness. He wouldn’t let them relax even on the way back.

But the real problem was something else…

“Everyone, listen carefully.”

Everyone’s eyes were on Baek Cheon, who had already sat up.

“Everyone must be tired.”

“Yes, Sasuk.”

“I usually don’t complain, but this time it’s really hard.”

“Didn’t I?”

“Hey, Honorable Uncle-Master, please stay still. You don’t know when to interrupt and when to stay silent.”

“This little punk?”

Jo Gul, having been soundly kicked in the side by Yoon Jong, groaned and pouted.

“It’s really heavy, you know.”

Then, as if they had been waiting for it, everyone simultaneously sympathized and grumbled. Baek Cheon nodded, as if he fully understood their feelings.

“Alright. I know it’s tough. But you all need to think carefully.”

“……About what?”

“Unlike when we came, we now have a clear destination for our return. The sooner we get there, the sooner we rest.”

“…….”

“Rather than suffering vaguely for a few more days, if we push hard and run, we can reach Mount Hua sooner and rest! So, don’t complain and just run! Understand?”

At those words, everyone smiled and looked at each other.

‘That man is a lost cause.’

‘He’s just like Chung Myung, but even more annoying!’

‘You should wish for things that are possible.’

‘I must never become like that.’

The disciples of Mount Hua, watching Baek Cheon, who had lost so much as a human being, reflected anew on whether they themselves had changed.

“Kraaaah!!”

“Dirt!”

“Damn it! The plains! It’s the plains!”

After many twists and turns, a vast plain finally unfolded before their eyes.

Everyone cheered, jumping up and down with joy. Even Yoo Iseol, with a slightly excited blank expression, firmly stepped on the dirt she hadn’t seen in a while.

“No snow! It’s not white!”

“How long has it been since I’ve seen such ordinary land!”

“If I see anyone enjoying the snow when we get back to Mount Hua, I’m throwing them off Nagan Peak!”

“……Soso-ya. That’s a bit….”

Clear tears flowed from their eyes.

At first, the scenery of the Northern Sea seemed like a spectacle, but after experiencing it for so long, they had grown sick of it. It was enough to make them nauseous. The endless white, the biting wind, and the feeling of ice underfoot had worn them down.

Now, just seeing a world without snow warmed their hearts…

“No, it’s not just my heart that’s warm, it’s actually warm.”

“Can we take off these fur clothes now?”

“It’s still cold, you brats!”

The nights on the plains were known to be chilly, but wasn’t everything relative? To those who had braved the blizzards of the Northern Sea, this place felt like midsummer.

“Don’t just shove your fur clothes anywhere, keep them separate! You can’t afford to lose body heat at night!”

“……Sasuk, you’ve become quite the nag lately.”

“Shut up!”

Baek Cheon shouted. But even in his voice, which seemed to be maintaining some composure, there was no mistaking the excited tone.

Escaping the Northern Sea meant they were more than halfway there. Most of all, the best thing was not having to run on that rotten ice and snow.

“Don’t let your guard down. As I’ve said before, the nomads of the plains don’t particularly welcome people from the Central Plains.”

“It seems like no one welcomes us once we leave the Central Plains.”

“……That’s just how life is.”

Baek Cheon smiled bitterly.

“Anyway, I want to avoid unnecessary conflict, so we’ll move quietly. Once we cross the plains, we’ll be right in Shanxi, so you can chatter to your heart’s content then.”

“Your nagging is getting worse and worse….”

“What did you say, you little punk?”

Jo Gul, kicked by Baek Cheon, screamed and fell away. Seeing him get beaten like that every day and still say everything he wanted to say, it seemed his nature couldn’t be helped.

Even though they called them plains, in winter they looked like a wasteland. The ground was hard and cracked, the color of dry mud, and the wind whipped dust across the empty space. It was a bleak sight at first glance, but the faces of the Mount Hua disciples running through it were filled with bright smiles.

“It’s not slippery!”

“My feet are on the ground!”

“Sago! Sago! The wind is blowing, but my bones aren’t cold!”

“This is land where people live.”

Chung Myung, peeking out from among the luggage, smiled awkwardly as he listened to their conversation.

‘Did I push them too hard?’

Soon they’ll be happy just because the sky is blue…….

In that strange joy, the cart rolled on and on.

In the Northern Sea, they only saw white land no matter how far they went, and here, they only saw yellowish-brown earth no matter how far they went. The vast plains, without even a small hill, made people endlessly bored.

“Sasuk.”

“Yes.”

The sun had already completely set. Baek Cheon looked around and said,

“Let’s find a suitable place and spend the night. Don’t overdo it and get sick.”

Those traveling a long distance must be careful of the moment the environment changes. The changed temperature and situation can sap their strength and weaken their bodies.

“A suitable place…….”

It was then.

“Huh? Sasuk.”

“Yes?”

“There’s something ahead.”

“……Huh?”

At Yoon Jong’s words, Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes and looked in that direction.

Since the plains stretched endlessly, even small things were clearly visible. In the distance, huddled together, were small tents.

“Nomads?”

Baek Cheon muttered, lost in thought.

‘What should I do?’

Of course, it would be safer since it was a place where people were resting, but he wanted to avoid meeting the nomads if possible. You never knew what problems might arise.

“Shall we avoid them?”

“Sasuk.”

“Yes?”

Then, Chung Myung said indifferently from behind.

“What about water?”

“…….”

“In the Northern Sea, we could just scoop up snow and eat it, but from now on, it will be difficult to get water for a while. It looks like there’s a pond in front of those tents, shouldn’t we replenish our water supply first?”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Baek Cheon nodded as if convinced.

“Alright, let’s head towards those tents for now. But we must try our best not to provoke them.”

“Yes!”

“Let’s go.”

The disciples of Mount Hua pulled the cart and slowly approached the tents.

The tents, which had been tiny dots on the horizon, grew larger with each step. They were made of rough, dark cloth, stretched tight over wooden frames, and smelled faintly of smoke and animals.

Then, Baek Cheon, who had been examining the tents, opened his mouth with a subtle expression.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Hmm.”

“Doesn’t it seem a bit off?”

“Doesn’t it?”

Tang Soso, who had been listening to the conversation, tilted her head and asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Those aren’t the tents used by the nomads of the plains. You saw their tents several times on the way here, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did.”

“But those are different in shape, and the patterns engraved on the cloth are different too. It’s a style I’ve never seen before…….”

Baek Cheon frowned, deep in thought.

Yoon Jong asked cautiously.

“What should we do?”

“……Anyway, let’s go for now. We need to get water.”

They pulled the cart, being careful even with the sound, so as not to be as threatening as possible. And they stopped near the tents.

At the same time, the front of the tent suddenly swung open.

And three people walked out.

“Uh……?”

Baek Cheon, confirming the attire of those who came out, opened his mouth in surprise.

“Ju, Jung?”

“No.”

Then Chung Myung corrected his words slightly.

“To be precise, they are Lama monks.”

At the appearance of these completely unexpected people, the faces of the Mount Hua disciples all stiffened.