Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 636

“Who is it?”

“…Doesn’t seem like a first-generation disciple?”

The disciples of Mount Hua looked at the person walking onto the sparring stage, confused.

Based on his age and clothes, he was clearly different from the first-generation disciples they had fought so far.

Even if he looked the same, they would have felt it anyway.

‘Something’s different.’

The subtle calmness and strange detachment coming from him made the onlookers curious.

“An elder?”

“Wasn’t only one elder supposed to come?”

“Doesn’t seem like a first-generation disciple, though?”

As the questions grew, Heogong, standing on the sparring stage, spoke quietly.

“I am…”

His voice was strong and deep, immediately making everyone listen.

The moment he spoke, his voice filled the stage, demanding attention.

“Heogong, an elder of the Wudang Sect.”

Elder?

The Mount Hua disciples were even more curious at the appearance of another elder.

Heogong, having everyone’s attention, continued with a small smile.

“I have been watching the friendly competition between Mount Hua and Wudang with great interest. It has been a good chance to see how amazing the disciples of Mount Hua are. The disciples of Wudang have also learned a lot. As an elder of Wudang, I am very thankful for the teachings of Mount Hua.”

Heogong put his hands together in the middle and bowed quietly.

Seeing this, Baek Cheon tilted his head and said to Chung Myung.

“…He’s more normal than I expected?”

“That guy?”

“Isn’t he?”

Heogong’s clothes were old and his hair was messy. Heosanja was perfectly neat. It was hard to believe they were from the same group. So, he thought Heogong would be strange, but his words did not break any rules of politeness.

“Watch a little longer.”

“Huh?”

But Chung Myung smiled.

“You’ll know if you watch more.”

Hearing this, Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes and looked at Heogong. Just then, he finished his bow and spoke again.

“It is only right to return a kindness. But Wudang has nothing to offer Mount Hua.”

Heogong pretended to think, making a hmm sound, and then said.

“So, how about this?”

A big smile appeared on his face.

“It seems the first-generation disciples of Wudang have not properly guided the disciples of Mount Hua, so I, an elder of Wudang, should step in to offer some teachings. Wouldn’t this be good for both of us?”

The smiles vanished from the faces of the Mount Hua disciples. Their eyes narrowed, and their hands clenched into fists at their sides. A cold silence fell over the sparring stage, thick and heavy like winter ice.

The word that angered them was ‘teachings’.

Heogong had just said that he had received teachings from Mount Hua, but that is only something you say when being humble.

To offer teachings to another sect was something no one with any manners would say. This was much ruder than simply ignoring them.

“Teachings?”

“This…”

The sound of teeth grinding could be heard. They could handle being ignored, but they could not handle Mount Hua being disrespected.

However, they couldn’t act quickly for two reasons. First, the one saying such nonsense was an elder of Wudang. More importantly, the person who should respond to those words first was not them.

“Wait a minute…”

Hyun Sang spoke quietly.

“Did you just say ‘teachings’?”

His voice was deeply calm. But Heogong asked back with a relaxed face.

“May I ask who you are?”

“…Hyun Sang, an elder of Mount Hua.”

“Ah, so you are an elder.”

He bowed slightly towards Hyun Sang.

This also did not break any rules of politeness. But the people watching him were not happy.

Heogong smiled faintly.

“Isn’t the path to enlightenment supposed to start with breaking free from unimportant rules? It doesn’t seem like it would be so bad for me, an elder of Wudang, to give teachings to the disciples of Mount Hua, does it?”

A chilling coldness appeared on Hyun Sang’s face.

Hyun Young, standing next to him, also glared at Heogong angrily. Hyun Sang remained polite and said firmly.

“Mount Hua is not so weak as to ask for teachings from another sect.”

Then, without answering, Heogong stared at him.

“Even if teachings were needed, Mount Hua should ask for them. Not something Wudang offers.”

“Hmm.”

Heogong nodded as if that made sense.

“Exactly.”

“…”

“That would be the case if it were an ordinary sect.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I say this out of pity.”

Heogong looked around at the disciples of Mount Hua.

“The young disciples of Mount Hua are all amazing. They are full of talent, enough to make me jealous.”

Hyun Sang calmly waited for what he would say next. Everyone knew that the main point was coming.

“But…”

As expected, Heogong sneered.

“No matter how great the talent, if there is no one to train it, it is hard to see the results. In my opinion, Mount Hua still seems unable to handle their talents.”

“You…!”

Surprisingly, Hyun Sang did not get angry after hearing those words.

Instead, the plum blossom swordsmen were furious.

“That damned…”

“Be quiet.”

“But Elder!”

“I said be quiet.”

Hyun Young spoke. His voice was cold and sharp, like ice, stopping their reckless actions.

The Mount Hua disciples were angry. They bit their lips hard. They had just seen Un-geom fight bravely. Now, they heard someone insult their elders. To say their elders were bad teachers? This was too much to bear.

Hyun Young knew they must stay calm. The Wudang elder’s words were insulting, but they couldn’t get angry. He was a Wudang elder! The young disciples must be respectful. Besides, Hyun Young saw the elder was trying to make them angry on purpose. They couldn’t let him win so easily.

Heo Gong didn’t stop. He spoke again, his voice relaxed and slow. “Such a shame,” he said. “To see talented people not grow to their full potential because they are in the wrong place. Who would want to see that?” He paused, then continued. “Maybe for other groups it’s different. But Mount Hua? You follow Taoism, like us. Shouldn’t we help each other?”

Hyun Sang’s lips shook a little. He wasn’t just upset by the elder’s insults or the way he looked down on Mount Hua. It wasn’t even that they couldn’t argue back. What really bothered Hyun Sang was a thought: Maybe… maybe asking this Wudang elder for help, even if it was humiliating, could actually be good for the disciples. Because deep down, Hyun Sang knew there was truth in the elder’s words.

The Mount Hua disciples had shown amazing talent. Even the ones who lost fought with all their hearts. It was painful to watch their struggle, but it showed how much they wanted to win. Hyun Sang thought, maybe, just maybe, they could even become as strong as Wudang one day.

But Heo Gong was right about one thing. Without good leaders, the disciples would only improve so much. Even if they pushed past that limit, it would be much harder for them than for disciples from other famous groups. Because the Mount Hua elders couldn’t really guide them further. Hyun Sang thought, ‘Is my own small pride more important than their future?’

Hyun Sang felt bitter, but he was about to speak. But then, Hyun Young, who had been watching everything carefully, spoke quickly.

“Wait,” Hyun Young said. “I have a question.”

“Ask,” Heo Gong replied.

Hyun Young continued, “This is a fight to see who wins and loses. If you, an elder, step in now, what happens to winning and losing?”

“Winning and losing, you mean?” Heo Gong repeated.

“Yes,” Hyun Young said. He took a small breath and explained, “Wudang needs to win two more times to win overall. You’re not saying you will fight yourself, are you?”

Heo Gong smiled slightly, a strange smile. “Winning and losing… winning and losing…” he said softly. “Does it really matter?” He paused. “A fight like this is really about seeing each other’s skills and learning from each other. If we both learn something, then winning or losing is not important.”

Hyun Young’s face became stiff. Heo Gong smiled and pushed harder.

“If you need to decide who won to be happy,” Heo Gong said, “then fine. Let’s say Mount Hua won.”

Hyun Young’s hand under his sleeve became a tight fist. ‘That sneaky man…’ he thought angrily. Heo Gong was pretending winning and losing didn’t matter. This was a trick to make the whole competition seem less important. It was the best thing Wudang could do now, even if they still won the overall fight. Hyun Young realized he had made a mistake by talking about winning and losing. He hadn’t expected an elder, especially not Heo San-ja, to be so good at twisting words.

Just as expected. The crowd started to whisper and talk loudly when they heard this.

“Wait, Wudang was winning, right? Now Mount Hua won?” someone asked.

“Does this mean winning and losing doesn’t matter anymore?” another wondered.

“Is it just a friendly fight then?”

“So, were Wudang not fighting seriously before?” a voice questioned.

“Well…” The crowd seemed lost and confused.

Then, a loud voice shouted confidently, “Exactly! If Wudang was really trying, would they have lost to Mount Hua’s younger disciples?”

“That’s crazy!” someone argued back. “Did you even watch the fights? Did it look like they weren’t trying?”

“Tsk, tsk,” another person scoffed. “What do you know? Wudang’s best disciples would never lose to Mount Hua’s younger ones. They must have lost on purpose to make Mount Hua look good, before winning later!”

“Ha! You’re just making things up!” someone laughed.

People started arguing, everyone with their own idea. Many people still supported Mount Hua. But now, some people were starting to doubt. Before, everyone thought Mount Hua would lose but still learn something. Now, the situation was changing.

‘Damn it!’ Hyun Young thought, biting his lip hard. He felt a rush of hot anger. If Wudang sent out their elder, Mount Hua had to do the same. But he and Hyun Sang knew they couldn’t beat Heo Gong. If they refused to send an elder, it would look like Mount Hua’s elders were afraid to fight Wudang’s elder. ‘What can I do…?’ Hyun Young looked at Hyun Sang. Hyun Sang looked just as lost and worried.

But then, Hyun Young remembered. Who always had an answer when things seemed impossible? ‘Chung Myung…’ he thought.

“Hey!” Chung Myung shouted.

Everyone went quiet. It was almost too sudden. All the Mount Hua disciples turned to Chung Myung. He was sitting on the ground, looking relaxed and a bit rude. He looked up at Heo Gong and spoke casually.

“Stop trying to hide what you mean. Be clear. Are you saying we lost, or what?”

“Huh?” Heo Gong said, confused.

“We won, right?” Chung Myung repeated.

“Ha ha!” Heo Gong laughed loudly.

“You can think that if you want.”

“No,” Chung Myung said, “I don’t think you understand me.”

“What did you say?” Heo Gong asked, surprised.

Chung Myung slowly stood up.

“So, Wudang lost, yes?”

Heo Gong didn’t answer.

“Why aren’t you answering?” Chung Myung asked. “You were talking so much before.”

Heo Gong’s smile disappeared. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “Who are you?”

“Chung Myung,” he replied. Chung Myung grinned, showing his teeth. “People call me… it sounds a bit silly… but they call me the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua.”

Everyone stopped and stared at Chung Myung – from Mount Hua, from Wudang, everyone watching.