Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 554

Hyun Jong stretched his neck again, peering out the dusty window. Silence.

He stretched again, longer this time, trying to see further down the mountain path. Still nothing.

He started to stretch a third time, “Tha—”

“My neck will break if you keep doing that!” Hyun Young grumbled, his face tight with worry.

Hyun Jong, startled by the sharp words, quickly pulled his head back inside. He had been caught craning his neck out the window again.

Clearing his throat as if embarrassed, he subtly glanced at Hyun Young and Hyun Sang. A moment of silence followed.

But Hyun Jong, unable to bear it any longer, opened his mouth and spoke anyway.

“Don’t you think they’re a bit late?”

“The Northern Sea isn’t exactly next door. How could they possibly be back already?”

“Still, our children have been to Yunnan and Sichuan like it was their own home. Wouldn’t taking this long mean something has happened?”

“Why do you keep saying such unnecessary things that invite bad luck!”

“Ugh.”

Hyun Jong gripped his teacup with trembling hands. Usually focused on the art of tea, he wouldn’t even glance at cold tea, but now, as if out of his mind, he was blowing on the completely cooled tea and drinking it.

“That, that! It’s going into your nose! That’s your nose, I tell you!” Hyun Young frowned as he looked at Hyun Jong.

Hyun Jong had been calm until recently. But for the past few days, he kept saying the children were late. Now, his worry was even worse.

Hyun Jong, who had spilled almost half of the tea due to his trembling hands, glared, not like a Taoist.

“Are none of you worried?”

“What is there to worry about?” But Hyun Young snorted.

“If those bastards mess up, Mount Hua will be ruined anyway. I’ll just chase after them, set everything on fire, and then die.”

“…” Is he mad…

That guy is even scarier.

At that moment, Hyun Sang, who had been listening to their conversation, cleared his throat politely and spoke.

“They will return without any trouble, so please do not worry too much. Our children are not so weak…”

“There he goes, talking so carefree!”

“Senior Brother, please just stay quiet! Ugh, what do you know!”

“…” Seriously, what’s with these people?

“Ugh.” Hyun Jong, groaning, eventually rubbed his face with both hands, giving up trying to appear calm.

“My heart is truly not my own. Now I know what it means to have a troubled heart.”

“It’s fortunate that there’s still a heart left to trouble,” Hyun Young grumbled. But even in his eyes, there was a faint worry.

‘Isn’t it really about time for them to return?’

According to the calculations made when they first left for the Northern Sea, they should have returned at least seven days ago. That Chung Myung wouldn’t allow wasting time on the road, so it was clear that their time had been delayed at the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

“Just in case…” Hyun Sang cautiously glanced at the two and opened his mouth. Then, hesitating as if contemplating, he spoke slowly.

“So, this is really just in case…”

“Quickly! Speak quickly!”

“Don’t drag it out! Augh, I’m going to die of frustration, really!”

“…” Seriously, is it okay for people who have trained the longest in Mount Hua to be like this?

Seriously contemplating, Hyun Sang continued.

“So, if the children were to get hurt…”

“I’m going to rip that mouth right off!”

“Is this man really in his right mind? How dare you utter such ill-omened words!”

Hyun Young… I am your Senior Brother…

Even though we are both growing old together…

Hyun Jong let out a sigh, perhaps for the countless time.

“Ugh. I think I’m going to die first.”

“Please don’t show it, Sect Leader. If the Sect Leader is anxious, the children will also become anxious.”

“I must.”

“And please stop sneaking out in the middle of the night to peek at the road they’re coming up. The children know all about it!”

“…Re, really?” Hyun Jong mumbled, his face red with embarrassment at Hyun Young’s rebuke.

“I thought I was being careful…”

“The children aren’t like they used to be! In the past, deceiving the children’s eyes and ears was our job, but now, aren’t they all like ghosts?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

The children of the White Blossom Hall had grown very quickly compared to the past.

Chung Myung’s elixirs and Un Geom’s guidance were helping the disciples improve quickly. Un Geom was rebuilding their training from the start.

“The children who went to the Northern Sea aren’t the only ones who are our children. Showing how much the Sect Leader cherishes his disciples for a day or two would be a heartwarming tale, but if it goes on longer, the children will feel neglected.”

“Ugh. I understand. I will refrain.”

Having received Hyun Jong’s promise, Hyun Young sighed softly.

“They say when you get old, you become like a child.”

What kind of person was Hyun Jong? He was someone whose patience no one dared to match. Even during the times when Mount Hua was so difficult and challenging, he had silently led Mount Hua without showing any signs of hardship.

But now, he was like an anxious child. Of course, it wasn’t something that couldn’t be understood, but someone had to stop him, even if it meant saying harsh words.

Hyun Jong cleared his throat and quietly nodded, looking out the window. His eyes were much calmer.

“Yes, I will remain calm for the sake of the children…”

“Sect Leader! Sect Leeeeader!” At that moment, a loud voice began to be heard from outside.

“Huh? Oh!” Hyun Jong, sensing something, jumped up from his seat.

“Hy, Hyun Young… Huh?” Searching for Hyun Young in his haste, his eyes widened. Hyun Young, already having kicked off his socks and rushed out, was grabbing the collar of Unam, who had run to deliver the news.

‘He told me to be calm.’

“What’s going on! Have the children arrived? Is it the children?”

“A, a carrier pigeon has flown in from below! They say to come down with all the children!”

“Wh, who?”

“Ch, Chung Myung…”

“Hahahahahahaha! That Chung Myung has come! What an impudent fellow, telling his superiors to come and go! Come and go! That’s right! That’s Chung Myung! Hahahahahahat!” And at that moment, Hyun Jong, who had shot out of the room like lightning, put on his shoes haphazardly and began running towards the main gate.

“Sect Leader! Sect Leader! They said to bring the children!”

“Ah, shoot!”

But fortunately, there was no need to delay. Already having heard the news, Un Geom was leading his disciples like a cloud.

“Sect Leader! Have you heard the news?”

“Ye, yes! Let’s go quickly! Let’s go and see!” Hyun Jong, who had been stamping his feet, quickly replied and ran towards the main gate.

“Follow the Sect Leader!” Hyun Young also grabbed the back of his robe, which was being swept back, and quickly rushed out.

“Senior Brother Baek Cheon is here!”

“Senior Brother Yoon Jong has also come!”

“Chung Myung has returned.”

“Ah, that’s a bit…”

The White Jade and Azure Jade platoons following behind couldn’t hide their joy. Their senior brothers, who had been living like family, had gone to the distant Northern Sea and were now finally returning.

Hyun Sang chuckled as he watched them pass through the main gate, shouting as if they were waging a war.

‘How happy they must be.’

It wasn’t the behavior of a Sect Leader of a great clan, nor was it the behavior that an elder of a clan should show. But he didn’t feel like rebuking them at all.

“Hahaha. Mount Hua has changed so much.”

Hyun Sang smiled a little. Then, he turned and started running down the mountain. Even though he looked relaxed, his legs moved incredibly fast.

“Euryaaah!”

“Y-You’re falling, Senior Brother!”

“This much is nothing!”

Mount Hua’s mountains were very dangerous. Even people who were good at climbing could fall easily. There were so many cliffs where you couldn’t even hold on.

And now, the disciples of Mount Hua were running down that dangerous mountain as if it were flat ground. They had trained hard to climb these cliffs.

They thought they were very fast climbers. But today, they saw someone truly fast. They felt slow compared to him, like they were not good climbers at all.

“Get out of the way, you brats!”

There was not a hint of hesitation in Hyeon Young’s feet as he ran along the cliff.

“Wow…”

“Good heavens.”

Everyone stared in amazement as they watched the Hyeon-ja generation rush down the mountain.

The elders and disciples, sometimes ahead, sometimes behind, descended the mountain in an instant. The large cart set up at the entrance finally came into view of the Mount Hua disciples, who were speeding along the mountain path towards Hwaeum.

“T-That!”

Everyone who saw the cart was startled.

“Is that all luggage?”

“Can the cart even handle that?”

“Did someone really drag that all the way here?”

There was no consensus on what to be surprised about, but in any case, it was surprising.

“A-Are the kids? Where are the kids?”

“That’s what I’m saying?”

Then, some people peeked out from behind the cart.

“W-What? They’re already here?”

“Hey, hey! Hide the alcohol! Hide the alcohol!”

“What about the meat? What about the meat, Martial Uncle?”

“The meat is fine! Just hide the alcohol!”

*I can hear you all*, Chung Myung thought. *You know I can hear everything you say!*

“Chung Myung, you rascal!”

Hyeon Young spotted Chung Myung peeking out from behind the cart and rushed over. Then, he grabbed Chung Myung’s cheeks and pulled them out.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts!”

“You! You naughty boy! Your face is so thin now! Have you been eating anything? Goodness, the trip to the Northern Sea must have been very hard if it made you so skinny! Baek Cheon, you! I told you to look after them!”

“…”

*Oh no, Elder…* Baek Cheon thought. *If this is half his face, was it as big as a watermelon before?*

“Get out of the way, you rascal!”

At that moment, Hyun Jong, who had run over, kicked Hyeon Young in the backside, sending him flying. Then, he examined the children’s appearances one by one and burst into tears.

It was no wonder, as their clothes were all torn, and their shoes were almost unrecognizable.

Of course, Baek Cheon’s clothes, which maintained an almost ghostly cleanliness amidst all this, and Chung Myung’s shoes, which looked almost new, caught his eye, but Hyun Jong tried hard to ignore them.

“Head!”

Baek Cheon clasped his hands towards Hyun Jong.

“The disciples of Mount Hua, including Second Disciple Baek Cheon, have safely completed their mission and returned to Mount Hua.”

“Yes. Yes!”

Hyun Jong, nodding repeatedly, patted Baek Cheon on the shoulder.

His appearance, which seemed much more reliable than before he left, made his eyes sting for no reason. Hyun Jong didn’t bother to hide the tears.

“You’ve really suffered a lot. You’ve really suffered.”

“It is our duty as Mount Hua disciples, Head.”

“Yes. Yes.”

The other disciples also looked much more reliable and their eyes were much deeper. Moreover, they were much calmer than before, as if they had gone through something.

Hyun Jong opened his mouth to say something more, but he was cut off by the Mount Hua disciples behind him, who couldn’t hold back their cheers.

“Senior Brother! Welcome back!”

“Martial Uncle! Senior Brother! You’ve really suffered a lot!”

“What was the Northern Sea like? Is it really as cold as they say?”

“Please tell us some stories!”

Baek Cheon smiled quietly as he received everyone’s enthusiastic welcome.

“Ugh. To kick a person like that.”

Hyeon Young, who had been thrown away by Hyun Jong, dusted off his backside and staggered back.

“You’ve all suffered a lot.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“But why did you tell everyone to come down?”

“Ah, it’s nothing much.”

Baek Cheon glanced at the mountain of luggage and opened his mouth.

“Baek Sang.”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

Baek Sang stepped forward vigorously, and Baek Cheon gestured towards the luggage. Then, he smiled at his junior brother.

“Get going.”

“Yes?”

“Carry all the luggage.”

“…”

Baek Sang’s gaze slowly, very slowly, turned to the mountain-like pile of luggage. His face turned pale as if the blood was gradually draining from it.

“…All of this?”

“Yes.”

“Up the mountain?”

“Yes.”

“…All of it?”

“Yesss.”

“…”

“We’ll go up with the elders first, so you lead the way and move everything without missing a single thing and put it in the warehouse.”

“Senior Brother, we have a warehouse in Hwaeum too…”

“Baek Sang.”

“Yes?”

“Carry it up.”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon, having solved the most difficult problem, smiled coolly at Hyun Jong.

“I have a lot to tell you. Let’s go.”

“Y-Yes, let’s do that.”

He walked towards Mount Hua with the elders. And the disciples who had returned from the Northern Sea followed behind him, striding along.

“Don’t leave anything out.”

“You have to get it up before sunset.”

“I won’t let you get away with it if you miss even one thing!”

“Start quickly.”

“…”

Did they all become so mean in the Northern Sea?

But then, Chung Myung, who was moving last, clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk. How heartless… Martial Uncle Baek Sang.”

“Huh? Why? Chung Myung?”

“Bring the cart up too.”

“…”

“Bring it carefully. Don’t damage the cart.”

“…”

“Ha, it’s so warm, I feel alive.”

Baek Sang smiled warmly as he watched Chung Myung walk away with his hands behind his back.

‘Why did you come back.’

Baek Sang sighed. His good times were definitely over.