Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 610

Hyun Sang looked at his students. His eyes moved slowly over each of them. He saw bright eyes, mouths set in a firm line, and fists held tight.

*‘Not one I can truly trust,’* he thought. *Why do I feel so worried?*

Hyun Sang cleared his throat. “You all heard what they said, right?”

“Yes, Elder,” they replied.

“It sounds like they want to fight us…” Hyun Sang let out a long, heavy sigh.

“The Sect Leader is not here, and now this happens.” He shook his head, feeling worried. “I can’t get rid of this bad feeling. What should we do, everyone?”

“What else can we do?” Hyeon Young said casually from the side. “Looking at this, saying no would just make us look weak. Did we go through all that trouble to come to Hubei for nothing? Are we going to go home in shame instead of with honor?”

“But what if we lose?”

“Running away from a fight we walked into is worse than losing. When did we become such a proud sect? Losing to the Wudang isn’t that shameful.”

“Hmm,” Hyun Sang thought. He listened to Hyeon Young and agreed. He had asked for their thoughts because of the situation, but Hyun Sang also knew they couldn’t back down. In a fight, if someone wants to attack, you can’t just run away.

“But, Elder,” Un Am said. He had been quiet until now. “Look at who they brought. Most of them are their best students, the first generation. They know our situation. Bringing their best students means they don’t want a fair fight.”

“…You’re right.”

Unam started to say more, but then stopped and lowered his head. He didn’t finish his sentence.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “If only we were stronger…” It made sense to ask why they brought their best students when this was supposed to be a fight between younger students. But they couldn’t ask. Mount Hua’s best students were also here. If they said Mount Hua should also send out their best students, they wouldn’t have a good reason.

“Unam…” Hyun Sang was going to say something kind when a loud, angry voice interrupted.

“Are we really facing some unbeatable enemies here?”

“…Huh?” Chung Myung pushed past people trying to hold him back. He walked quickly to Hyun Sang and crouched down in front of him.

“They are just their best students, not old masters! Are you really going to let our old teachers fight? How shameful!”

“…”

“Your old bones must be tired. Just watch from behind. We have lots of young and strong students. Why use a big knife to cut a small chicken? If we can’t win this, we should be so ashamed we want to disappear! How hard have we trained until now!”

The young, strong students all nodded together.

“He’s right!” one said.

“Why would we need our old teachers to fight the Wudang?” another added.

“We can beat them ourselves!” a third declared.

“They’re just the Wudang, after all,” someone else muttered.

Unam bit his lip lightly. *‘Those cheeky kids,’* he thought. You might think he would be angry, but no one blamed them. They were just like that. They seemed rude and disrespectful on the outside, but they knew their skills were now better than the older generation, like Unam’s generation. But they were never disrespectful to their elders. They never even tried to challenge them. They looked tough, but inside they were kind.

“Teacher,” Baek Cheon said. He stepped forward, his face serious and determined. He looked at Unam. “We have your teachings. We will not lose. Please believe in us.”

“…Alright,” Un Am answered, his voice a little shaky. Baek Cheon turned to look at Hyun Sang. “We are ready to fight.”

“Are you sure you can do this?” Hyun Sang asked.

“I think there are things we can do, and things we have to do,” Baek Cheon replied. “And I believe this is something we must do.”

“…”

“I won’t say we will win. But we are students of Mount Hua. We will not be shameful.” All the students nodded together.

Hyun Sang looked at their faces. He saw how strong they had become after the hard fight with Daebyeolchae. He felt his throat tighten. *‘The Sect Leader should be here to see this,’* he thought.

“The Sect Leader would be so proud of you all…”

“Hey, why so sad before a fight! It’s bad luck!” Chung Myung complained.

“…” *That kid is something else…* Hyun Sang thought.

Chung Myung grinned and spoke loudly. “It’s just a fight! Don’t overthink it. Just charge in and beat them up!”

“But you told us not to underestimate them before,” one student pointed out.

“Are those the same thing?” Chung Myung snapped back. Then, he spoke a little softer. “They are the kind of people we would have to fight eventually. That’s how the world is. Things happen when they happen, not when we are ready.”

The faces of the Mount Hua students became serious. Chung Myung’s words seemed to hit them hard. Chung Myung cracked his neck, making a loud sound, and grinned widely.

“Let’s make them wish they never challenged Mount Hua!” Now, reasons don’t matter. Thinking about why doesn’t matter. Only one thing is important now: to see who is stronger.

“Alright!” Chung Myung jumped up from his chair. “They are just the Wudang, after all. When have those guys ever been good? *I was being nice because we are both Taoist sects, but these guys… I should have smashed that Taiji Sword Saint’s face like a pancake.*” He stared angrily at the Wudang side and snorted.

“Okay, fine. If I couldn’t do it before, I can do it now!”

“Huh?” one student asked.

“Listen up, everyone!” Chung Myung’s eyes shone brightly as he looked at all of them.

“Anyone who loses today will crawl all the way to Shanxi!”

“…Chung Myung, you mean ‘run’, right?” one student asked nervously.

“No! I said crawl! Crawl!” Chung Myung yelled.

“…” *That devilish kid.* Hyun Sang thought, *Wait, why do I hate him even more when we are fighting the Wudang? Why?* It was too late to stop Chung Myung’s crazy plan. The Mount Hua students saw the dangerous look in his eyes and stepped back without thinking.

“If you want to die, try losing! I will make sure you remember this loss for the rest of your life. You will regret it to your bones!”

*I have to win, no matter what,* one student thought. *It’s better to die than lose,* another worried. *Maybe I should just leave Mount Hua Sect…,* a third student panicked. As I said before, the worst thing about Chung Myung was that he always kept his promises, even the terrible ones.

“There are people you can lose to, and people you can’t! What? Lose to the Wudang? To the Wudang? Our ancestors buried on Mount Hua will break out of their graves and come slap you with the Plum Blossom Sword!” *That would hurt… That would really hurt,* one student thought, shivering.

“Elders!” Chung Myung called out again.

“Uh, uhm?” Hyun Sang and Hyeon Young, still a bit stunned by Chung Myung, jumped and looked at him.

“The way we fight doesn’t matter. Let’s just agree to fight them!”

“…Chung Myung,” Hyun Sang said, “I believe in you, but are you sure this is okay?”

“If we are going to fight anyway, we should make it fun!” Chung Myung grinned again. “Think about it this way. We came here to become famous. If we go home after beating the Wudang, it will be amazing! It’s like going to hunt a pig and coming back with a tiger!”

That was true. Even though Daebyeolchae and the Green Forest Alliance were famous, they were not as famous as the Wudang. The situation had become strange and led to this fight, but if they could win this fight, they would catch a huge, unbelievable prize.

“But that’s only if we win, right?” one elder asked.

“Then we just have to win!” Chung Myung said firmly.

“No, but still…” Hyeon Young started to say, worried.

“Elder,” Chung Myung said strongly. His eyes were cold.

“Uhm?” Hyun Sang replied.

“We are Mount Hua Sect,” Chung Myung stated.

“…”

“We cannot say no to a fight when our sect’s name is challenged.” Hyun Sang looked silently into Chung Myung’s eyes. Then, he nodded slowly. He was also an elder of Mount Hua. After hearing those words, he knew what he had to do.

“Alright,” Hyun Sang agreed, “I understand.”

Hyun Sang made his decision and turned to leave, but Chung Myung called out again.

“Ah, but wait!”

“Huh?” Hyun Sang turned back. Chung Myung had a very mischievous smile on his face.

“Just one more thing,” Chung Myung said.

“…”

“Uhm…” Hyun Sang and Hyeon Young talked for a little longer, then walked out. Heo Sanja’s face became serious as he greeted them and walked to the middle of the room. The three men stood facing each other and smiled.

“Have you decided?” Heo Sanja asked.

“It was not an easy choice,” Hyun Sang replied. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked directly at Heo Sanja. “But, we thought it would be rude to say no to the offer your sect worked so hard to make. It could be good for both of us, so why would we refuse?”

*‘Just as I thought,’* Heo Sanja thought to himself. He smiled, feeling like he had won. He knew Mount Hua valued honor and pride. It would be hard for them to back down now. He had hoped they would give up their pride and leave, but things were going as he planned.

“That’s a smart choice,” Heo Sanja said, giving a small compliment. He smiled and asked, “So, how do you want to do this fight?”

“What about a series of fights, one after another?” Hyun Sang suggested.

“Hmm,” Heo Sanja said, shaking his head. “Fighting one after another doesn’t seem like the best way. This is supposed to be a way for us to learn from each other. Wouldn’t it be better to see the fighting styles of many students as possible? I don’t think fighting one after another is the right way.”

*Of course, that’s not what he really wanted.* Heo Sanja had heard about the fight between Jongnam and Mount Hua before. He also knew how well Chung Myung had fought in the big tournament. So, he wanted to stop Chung Myung from fighting if possible.

“Hmm, I understand,” Hyun Sang said. He agreed quickly, as if he didn’t really care about the method. “You can decide how we fight, Wudang. But please let us choose one thing.”

“…What is that?” Heo Sanja asked.

“Where the fight will happen,” Hyun Sang said.

“…Yes?” Heo Sanja asked, surprised. Hyun Sang paused for a second, then said quickly, as if he had just decided, “How about we have the fight not here, but in the biggest square in Wuhan? A fight like this is rare. If everyone in Wuhan can watch and enjoy it, it would be a great thing for people who have been hurt by the bandits.”

“W-where did you say?” Heo Sanja stammered.

“The center of Wuhan,” Hyun Sang repeated. Now that he had said it, Hyun Sang spoke strongly, like he was sure of himself. “This place is too small for all of us, right? It would also bother the Geumseon Merchant Guild.”

“…”

“So, let’s do this right, in a big way.” Chung Myung’s last words kept ringing in Hyun Sang’s ears. *– If you start something, make it big so there are no problems later.* *‘Yes, that’s right!’* Hyun Sang thought. *If we just win, it will be perfect! Just win!* *‘I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore!’* Hyun Sang’s eyes were red as he looked at Heo Sanja. Heo Sanja smiled nervously.

“Haha… That’s a great idea,” Heo Sanja said, trying to sound casual. “But if too many people watch…”

“Why?” Hyun Sang asked, raising an eyebrow.

“…Yes?” Heo Sanja repeated, unsure.

“Are you not confident you will win?” Hyun Sang challenged. At that moment, Heo Sanja’s eyes flashed with anger.

“Fine! Let’s do it!” Heo Sanja agreed. “We will build a fighting stage in the middle of Wuhan!” The situation was getting bigger and bigger. The Mount Hua students opened their mouths in surprise.

“…Is this really okay?” one student whispered.

“Is this going too far?” another asked quietly. *This isn’t a tournament… Why are we building a stage? And why are there going to be so many people watching?*

Just then, Chung Myung, who had been watching without saying anything, grinned. “Senior brothers,” Chung Myung said to the other students. “Do you know why Mount Hua and Wudang don’t like each other?”

“…Why?” one student asked.

“It got worse because of things like this,” Chung Myung replied. “…” “History repeats itself,” he added with a smirk. *And they will get beaten again and again. Those long-faced jerks.* And so, the fight between Mount Hua and Wudang started to become much bigger than anyone expected. It was very different from what Heo Dojin had planned.