Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 578

“Ummm!” Hyun Sang groaned, his face pale.

“Kreeeeum!” Hyun Young whimpered, her eyes wide.

Both the Wise Swordsman and the Cloud Swordsman were pressed against the windows, looking terrified. They gripped the window frames so tightly their knuckles were white.

“Th-that looks really dangerous…!” Hyun Sang stammered.

“Oh, dear Baek Sang! Are they alright?” Hyun Young gasped.

“Is that even allowed? And why is Chung Myung just standing there with his hands behind his back?” Un Geom fretted, peering out.

They looked ready to jump out of their skins, not just the window.

Watching them from behind, Im So-byeong shook his head and muttered, a strange smile on his face. “…If you’re so worried, why don’t you go help them?”

*Whoosh!*

Hyun Sang, Hyun Young, Un Geom, and Un Am spun around, their eyes blazing. They glared at Im So-byeong as if they wanted to eat him alive.

“It’s not that we don’t *want* to go out!” Hyun Sang snapped. “Aren’t we told to stay inside!”

“Exactly!” Hyun Young agreed quickly.

Th-those respected Taoists…

Usually, a sect’s elder gives orders to those below, not the other way around…

Traveling with the Mount Hua Sect was starting to make Im So-byeong’s head spin. In any case, this sect’s common sense didn’t apply to him, regardless of rank.

“So, tell me!”

“Yes?”

“Are those fellows who’ve gathered strong?”

“Well… that’s umm…”

Im So-byeong didn’t answer immediately, scratching the back of his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t know their fighting skills, but he was struggling with how to explain it to them.

“As you know, the Green Forest isn’t a particularly strong sect individually.”

“Ummm?”

“So, in terms of traditional sects, it’s like… Ah, that’s right. It’s like the Beggars’ Sect.”

“Ah, the Beggars’ Sect!”

Hyun Young, understanding immediately with the good comparison, nodded repeatedly.

Although they were both part of the Nine Great Sects, the beggars of the Beggars’ Sect were generally less skilled in martial arts compared to the disciples of the other Nine Great Sects.

Nevertheless, the Beggars’ Sect could confidently hold its place because the number of its members was much bigger than that of other sects.

“The easiest thing in the world is to become a beggar, and the easiest place for someone who decides to become a bandit to go is the mountains, so their numbers are large, but each one isn’t very strong.”

“So, those fellows aren’t very strong either?”

“The Great Separate Village is a bit special among those mountain fortresses. They are elites from such places, so they can’t be compared to ordinary bandits… but… there might be a bit of that.”

Im So-byeong thought he had explained it well, step by step, and he actually had. However, learning requires both the ability of the teacher and the ability of the learner to support it.

“What? Elites? Are you saying those fellows are elites?”

“Oh, dear! Then our children must be in danger!”

“No! But why is Chung Myung just drinking all the time!”

Im So-byeong finally closed his eyes tightly.

‘It was like talking to a wall.’

Why bother trying to explain anything to people who have no intention of listening in the first place? It would be more productive to chant Buddhist scriptures instead.

‘What on earth is wrong with these people?’

It was something he couldn’t understand at all with his common sense.

The Great Separate Village?

Of course, the Great Separate Village was strong. It was one of the particularly strong Ten Green Forest Villages among the Seventy-Two Green Forest Villages, and it was certainly considered one of the top ones.

It was definitely a force that couldn’t be ignored anywhere in the Jianghu.

The only problem was…

Im So-byeong glanced at the fierce battle unfolding outside the window.

‘Your disciples aren’t just at a level where they won’t be ignored anywhere.’

Those beasts… No, leading around strong swordsmen in droves and worrying about fighting mere bandits… No, I shouldn’t say things like that. Anyway, people worrying about fighting Green Forest bandits.

Im So-byeong bitterly smacked his lips and looked over the battlefield.

‘They won’t kill them, will they?’

Still, they were supposed to be Taoists.

Being a bandit was truly a bizarre occupation.

It was clear that it was a job (?) chosen by those with explosive tendencies and those who couldn’t adapt well to ordinary society, but in order to continuously maintain the identity of a bandit, they needed the patience to wait endlessly for guests who might come at any time.

Bandits are often explosive people. But to survive, they need patience. It’s strange, isn’t it?

But in reality, those who eventually settled down as bandits were those who could create that patience with sheer tenacity.

However, today, the bandits of the Great Separate Village clearly saw.

That human tenacity is completely useless in the face of the intense impact from a scabbard being hammered into one’s head.

Crack! Crunch!

Krrrk…”

The scabbard, embedded in the crown of his head as if to shatter his skull completely, sent one bandit’s consciousness far away.

“Y-you brat…”

“Who’s a brat? You weaklings. Haven’t been hit enough yet!”

Clang!

The great cleaver, swung with fierce momentum, was cleanly bounced back as soon as it collided with the sword that flew nimbly like a low-flying swallow.

“Cough!”

Ma Meng, the Second Leader of the Great Separate Village’s Yacha Squad, quickly retreated, clutching his wrist, which was bent as if it would break.

‘Where on earth did these guys come from?’

It was something he couldn’t understand at all.

The great cleaver he wielded weighed at least fifty geun, a very heavy weight. It wasn’t a divine weapon, but as long as he imbued it with internal energy and swung it, it was a heavy weapon that could easily cut through most weapons, whether they were spears or swords.

But the moment that great cleaver collided with that thin sword, it bounced back as if it were made of straw.

‘What, what kind of strength!’

He had lived his life priding himself on not being second to anyone in the mountain fortress in terms of strength, but he couldn’t handle the power imbued in the sword at all.

It was truly a ghostly matter.

Even if he conceded the strength, he could say that there were often people with strong innate power.

But unless they had been practicing internal energy since they were very young, there was no way that these young fellows’ internal energy could be strong enough to easily suppress him!

What was even more frustrating was those damned fellows’ attitude.

“What! Haven’t you even had gruel? Why are you so weak!”

“Hey, you lot! Is that all you’ve got?!”

“This isn’t what I expected! Did I endure all that hell to fight weaklings like you?”

The Huashan swordsmen charged forward, their eyes red and wild, like angry bulls.

They swung their swords as if facing their worst enemies, their anger strong and clear.

‘What is going on here?!’

The bandits from the Great Divide, known even among the dangerous Green Forest gangs, were completely overwhelmed by the fierce spirit of the Huashan disciples.

The Huashan disciples were releasing all the anger that had built up inside them. Chung Myung had pushed them to their limits. Baek Cheon had scolded them harshly. Un-gum had trained them relentlessly. Now, they were finally able to vent their frustrations.

It had been so long since they could fight freely without being beaten. No wonder they were fighting with such wild abandon.

“You call yourselves bandits? Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves?!”

“Aaaargh! Die! Die! Dieeee!”

The swords moved with a wild, almost dance-like flourish that was more terrifying than the techniques of other fighting groups. The Green Forest bandits stepped back in fear, unable to defend themselves properly.

Chung Myung, still holding his bottle of booze, watched with a slightly tilted head.

‘Something is a bit…’

Looking at the fight, it was clear that Huashan was winning. He didn’t need to say anything. They were using strong and precise sword techniques, one after another.

They had changed so much since he first arrived at Huashan.

The hard training, constant practice, and powerful medicine they had to take had pushed the Huashan disciples to their highest potential.

The current Huashan disciples were better than the disciples from Chung Myung’s time.

This was all thanks to Chung Myung, who had trained his disciples with such care, as if they might break if he held them too tightly, or fly away if he breathed on them…

But something was still not right.

Back then, when the Huashan disciples went out into the world, they carried themselves with a certain grace, wearing their clean white clothes like heroes from a story.

But now…

“Hehehehe! Try harder! What kind of bandit is so weak!”

“Hahaha! Aim for the waist! The waist, you idiot! No, the head!”

“Didn’t think you’d get hit in the same spot again, did you?”

Chung Myung stared blankly at his fellow disciples.

Who was the proper martial arts group here, and who was the strange one?

Watching the Huashan disciples attack the weak bandits with blazing eyes, he felt like he was watching robbers attacking innocent people.

He looked up at the dark sky.

‘No, Sect Leader…’

I said I’d try it my way, but… this isn’t what I meant, you know?

– Shut up, you little brat. What’s done is done!

No… This feels a bit unfair?

Chung Myung watched the Huashan disciples rampage with a slightly sad heart.

Yes, my little ones.

What does it matter if they have bad personalities? Just grow up healthy.

Being healthy is the most important thing, right? It’s just that they’re a bit too healthy…

While Chung Myung was lost in thought, Dong Woong was also confused by this unbelievable situation.

His eyes were wide and trembling. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

‘How can these young ones be so strong?’

He had been in many battles.

He knew that skill differences could be overcome by luck or changes in the situation.

But no matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t just about luck.

Clang!

A thin sword easily blocked a heavy blade, and when they pushed against each other, the one with the heavy blade was pushed back.

They were being beaten in strength and energy.

There was no need to even talk about skill. The difference was huge.

If a sword fight, which should be about skill, became a contest of strength, and the one with the blade was overpowered, how could they win?

It was completely one-sided.

That was all he could think.

“C-Chief!”

His men screamed in fear as the Huashan disciples surged forward like a wave crashing against the coast.

Realizing they would be destroyed if this continued, Dong Woong tried to do something, anything. But then…

“You must be the leader.”

Thud. Thud.

A man walked slowly towards him.

“Y-You…”

It was the young swordsman with the relaxed face who had seemed so calm from the start.

Dong Woong’s face twisted in an ugly way.

“You little kids! You’re lost here!”

“You’re the ones who are lost here. Forget the speeches. You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

Grind!

Dong Woong ground his teeth and was about to charge when…

“Hey, don’t use a butcher knife to kill a chicken! I’ll do it, Martial Uncle!”

“…Geol. It’s the other way around.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Jo Gul grinned and stepped forward, facing Dong Woong.

“Hey, bandit.”

“…”

“A man should be neat and tidy. Come on, try me. I’ll give that dirty beard of yours a clean shave today.”

Finally, Dong Woong exploded with rage.

“You son of a bitch! I’ll break every bone in your body!”

“Keep dreaming.”

Jo Gul chuckled and welcomed Dong Woong, who charged at him with a frightening look.