Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 629

A heavy silence hung over Wudang. Five losses in a row. Imagine telling someone before this fight that Mount Hua would beat Wudang five times straight. They would have laughed. It seemed impossible. But today, the Wudang disciples understood a hard truth: what seems impossible can become real.

The Wudang disciples felt terrible, but Heo Sanja felt even worse. *Crack.* You could actually hear his teeth grinding together, maybe even breaking. Humiliation. Pure humiliation. Only now, in this moment of shame, did Heo Sanja truly understand why the older masters of Wudang always reacted so strongly to the name “Mount Hua.”

He and others saw Mount Hua as weak now, but the older generation remembered a powerful Mount Hua. For them, seeing Mount Hua win like this was like a knife in the heart, even if Mount Hua was supposed to be weak now.

‘We are too similar…’ Heo Sanja thought. Like two tigers on one mountain, Wudang and Mount Hua could never truly be friends. They were too alike, both striving for martial arts greatness. This meant they would always compete, always clash. Heo Sanja looked at his disciples, his anger barely controlled. He spoke, his voice low and harsh.

“Enough!”

“…Yes?” a disciple replied, surprised.

“This humiliation stops now. From now on, we win. We must take back our honor.”

Mujin frowned. “But Elder, the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua is still there.”

Heo Sanja shook his head, looking towards the Mount Hua group. “The Divine Dragon of Mount Hua will not fight now.”

“…Why not?”

“He hates losing even small battles,” Heo Sanja explained. “I’ve heard about him. If he fights now, he might win, but then Mount Hua might lose the rest of the matches. He won’t allow that.”

“…So, he’ll wait?”

“Exactly. He’ll either try to stop us from winning any more, or he’ll fight at the very end to win everything at once.”

Anyone who knew Chung Myung would agree with Heo Sanja’s guess. He was right about the Divine Dragon.

“Then…” Mujin started.

“Yes!” Heo Sanja’s eyes narrowed. “They have no one left who can truly fight us.” He explained, “With ten matches, the outcome was always likely. Their best fighters, the Five Swords, could challenge us, but the rest? Never. We must focus on winning the rest.”

‘This is bad, the worst possible start,’ Heo Sanja thought. ‘But not unexpected.’ If Wudang won all the remaining matches, the shock of the first five losses would fade. They could still win the overall exchange.

“Step forward!” Heo Sanja commanded, his voice tight. “Win every match from now on. Don’t worry about the Divine Dragon at the end. Someone else will deal with him. Remember our goal!” Heo Sanja’s gaze was intense, almost angry. “We are not just here to beat Mount Hua. We are here to show everyone that Mount Hua’s younger generation is weak. They cannot live up to the name of Wudang!”

“Yes, Elder!” the disciples replied, their voices firm.

They had lost too much already. Even if they followed Heo Sanja’s plan, their original goal was damaged. But they couldn’t afford to lose anymore. They were trapped.

“I will fight,” a disciple said, stepping forward.

Heo Sanja looked at him. “Mu-gak. Good.” Mu-gak was strong, not as strong as the top three Wudang fighters, but still powerful. “Crush their spirit,” Heo Sanja ordered. “Come back with a victory.”

“Yes!” Mu-gak walked onto the stage, his face set with determination.

“…So,” Baek Cheon said, looking around at his disciples. “…What do we do now?”

No one stepped forward. Baek Cheon rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. ‘Do we really have such a weak middle group?’ he thought. It was a real problem for Mount Hua. The other disciples were strong, trained hard, but they were not in the same league as the Five Swords.

‘The gap is huge,’ Baek Cheon realized. ‘Even if all of them attacked Yoon Jong together, they might still lose.’ They had come on this journey to fix this weakness, but this fight with Wudang had happened too soon.

“Hey, Chung Myung,” Baek Cheon called out.

“What?” Chung Myung replied.

“Aren’t you going to fight?”

Chung Myung shrugged. “I will, eventually. But if I go now, what happens after?”

“…Right,” Jo Gul agreed.

If Chung Myung fought, it would boost everyone’s spirits. But if he fought and won, and then left, the pressure on the next fighters would be even greater.

“Okay, then… Soso… Ugh,” Baek Cheon groaned, scratching his head again. Soso was strong, especially after fighting in the North. But could she beat a first-generation Wudang disciple? Baek Cheon wasn’t sure.

“Maybe… uh…” Baek Cheon looked around, his eyes searching. Every time he looked at someone, they quickly looked away.

“You! Yes, you—”

“Senior Brother!” Baek Sang interrupted, smiling brightly. “I’m in charge of the Treasury now! I’m not good at fighting anymore!”

“You’re proud of that?” Baek Cheon sighed, frustrated. Everyone looked unsure, nervous. He couldn’t blame them. It was unfair to expect younger disciples to beat the older generation. The Five Swords were amazing for even managing to win.

“Ugh. Just need a couple more strong fighters…” Baek Cheon muttered, his eyes wandering. Then he noticed something yellow in the crowd of black robes. He looked closer. Something shiny…

“Venerable Monk?” Baek Cheon blinked.

“Oh! Venerable Monk Hye-yeon?” Jo Gul exclaimed.

“You’re here?” Yoon Jong asked, surprised.

“We didn’t even see you come!” Yu Yiseol added.

Hye-yeon’s face turned red as everyone looked at him. “Ah, Amitabha,” he said softly. “I felt… awkward being alone…” He had stayed at the merchant house, feeling it wasn’t right for a Shaolin monk to be involved in a fight between Mount Hua and Wudang. Seeing him hiding among them now made Baek Cheon chuckle.

“Venerable Monk… Hye-yeon,” Baek Cheon said slowly, an idea sparking in his eyes. He turned to Chung Myung quickly. “Could Venerable Monk Hye-yeon fight for us?”

“Are you crazy?” Chung Myung stared at him.

“No, wait! We could say he’s a guest of Mount Hua, right? Some groups let guests fight for them!”

“That’s nonsense!” Chung Myung snapped. “We might as well paint his bald head black and give him a sword! He’s a monk! He’s supposed to be peaceful!”

Chung Myung glared, but Baek Cheon stood his ground. “We have no one else! You sent out all the best fighters first without thinking!”

“But we won!” Chung Myung argued back.

“That’s not the point, you idiot!”

“Ah, Amitabha…” Hye-yeon chanted quietly, caught in the middle of their argument.

Just then, a figure walked onto the stage. He bowed slightly towards the Mount Hua side. “I am Mu-gak of Wudang. Who will fight me?”

Silence fell over Mount Hua. Baek Cheon’s face fell. Despair washed over him. He had to decide. Now.

‘Soso? Baek Sang? Gwak Hwee? Baek Mu?’ He ran through the names in his head. No one seemed like a sure win. He knew they were likely to lose this match. But he had to choose someone. He hesitated because he didn’t want anyone to be the one to break their winning streak. He wanted to send someone brave, someone who could handle defeat.

“Baek Sang!” Baek Cheon said firmly. “You will fight.”

“M-me?” Baek Sang looked shocked. “Senior Brother, I… I’m not sure I can win.”

“I know,” Baek Cheon said gently. “Winning isn’t everything. But there is honor in fighting well, even in defeat. Show them the dignity of Mount Hua.”

“…Yes, Senior Brother,” Baek Sang said, nodding slowly. He started to walk towards the stage.

“No.” A calm voice stopped him. Someone gently took Baek Sang’s arm.

Everyone turned, surprised.

“It shouldn’t be Sang. I should go,” Un-geom said quietly.

“Sasuk?” Baek Cheon gasped.

“Hall Master?” Jo Gul exclaimed.

The Mount Hua disciples stared, wide-eyed.

“Hall Master…” Yoon Jong whispered.

“Why are you all looking at me like that?” Un-geom chuckled softly. “A first-generation Wudang disciple is fighting. Shouldn’t a first-generation Mount Hua disciple step up?”

“…It’s not that, but…” Baek Cheon stammered.

“Then what is it?” Un-geom asked, his voice calm.

No one spoke. But their eyes said everything. They looked at Un-geom’s empty right sleeve. If Un-geom had both arms, they would be cheering him on. But now…

“Sasuk,” Baek Cheon said softly. “Are you sure?”

“May I fight?” Un-geom asked, looking at Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon bit his lip. “Please don’t ask me that. You are my Sasuk. How can I tell you what to do?”

“Thank you,” Un-geom smiled. He touched the sword at his waist and started to walk towards the stage. No one tried to stop him.

A direct voice stopped Un-geom as he walked.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Chung Myung asked, his voice blunt.

Un-geom glanced back at him. “What do you mean?”

“You’re still not used to fighting with your left hand,” Chung Myung pointed out.

Un-geom smiled gently, as if he expected this. “Maybe not fully. But I can still fight. My disciples are fighting so bravely. I can’t just stand here and watch.”

“Hmm,” Chung Myung grunted, a low sound. “I’ll be watching.”

“Then I’ll try even harder,” Un-geom said, smiling again. He turned to walk, then paused. “Didn’t Baek Cheon say something earlier?”

“Yes?” Baek Cheon replied.

“About dignity in defeat,” Un-geom said, looking towards the stage.

“…” Baek Cheon was silent.

Un-geom nodded slowly and continued walking. “I hope I can show them that dignity.”

His empty sleeve fluttered in the breeze as he walked towards the stage. The Mount Hua disciples watched him, their faces now serious, filled with a different kind of emotion than before. They were watching their master, ready to face a difficult fight.