Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 658

“Over there! Stack the wood over there!” Hyun Young’s voice was sharp, cutting through the noise.

“Yes, Elder!” a disciple replied, hurrying past with a heavy plank.

Hyun Young turned to another disciple. “Have the dishes arrived? All of them?”

“Just checked, Elder! They’re here, safe and sound!”

“Good! Tell the Second Class disciples to wash every single one. These are for our guests – they must be spotless!” Hyun Young stressed, his voice firm. “Careful work!”

“Yes, Elder!”

Hyun Young’s eyes flicked back and forth, frantically checking the busy courtyard. *Ugh, chaos.* He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. It felt like a storm had hit Mount Hua, not a sect preparing to welcome important guests.

They had received guests before during the Mount Hua Assembly, but those times were different. The guests were few, and they didn’t stay long, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

But this time, many more guests were coming to Mount Hua than before. These guests were very important. Everything needed to be perfect.

“Elder! We’ve sent the kids!”

“Good, you’ve worked hard,” Hyun Young quickly nodded, narrowed his eyes slightly, and organized his thoughts. ‘That takes care of the dishes…’

But there was something even more important than busily preparing supplies.

“Hey, grab it! Grab it!”

“Hold on tight there! You’ll get hurt if you fall!”

“…Hurt? From falling a little?”

“…Huh?”

Hyun Young chuckled as he watched them carry the piles of lumber onto the main building.

They were currently renovating the rooms to receive the guests. It would be a dangerous and difficult task for ordinary people, but each disciple was as strong as a crane, lifting heavy lumber with ease.

It seemed that their training had not been in vain; each of the disciples was doing the work of twenty strong men.

The problem is…

Crash! Bang!

“Hey, you! I told you not to carry it here, you bastards!”

“Huh? Sasuk told me to send it here?”

“You bastard! I told you a hundred times that the partition isn’t there! I drew all the lines underneath, so why are you ignoring it and putting the wall somewhere else, why!”

“I, isn’t this it?”

“Aargh! Damn it!”

Hyun Young slyly turned his head away.

The desperate screams of Baek Cheon were truly heartbreaking, but unfortunately, he couldn’t help him. If he paid attention to that, even twenty bodies wouldn’t be enough.

“And you, you bastard! Just stay hidden where I can’t see you. Why are you drinking here! You’re not helping at all!”

“Huh… If I hide, you curse me for hiding, and if I’m next to you, you curse me for being next to you. What beat should I dance to…”

“Dieeee!”

Hyun Young glanced at the top of the building with a pitiful look.

‘Hang in there.’

Well, what could he do? That’s what you have to endure as a senior disciple.

“How are things going?” a voice asked from behind. Hyun Young turned quickly and bowed a little.

“Sect Leader, you’re here.”

“You look busy.” Hyun Jong, who had approached, smiled gently. He scanned the chaotic situation and said with a subtle expression.

“But Hyun Young.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“…Is it necessary to go this far?”

“Yes?” Hyun Young turned his head sharply and stared at Hyun Jong. Hyun Jong flinched at the ferocity in his eyes.

“No. I just mean they’re only staying for a few days, is it really necessary to go this far…”

“Those few days are the problem, the few days!” Hyun Young glared and raised his voice.

“It’s not like one or two people are coming, so we have to have at least the minimum appearance, but this damn sect doesn’t even have the dishes or spoons for those people to use when they eat!”

“Why wouldn’t we have…”

“Why wouldn’t we have them! It’s because we sold them all off!”

“…”

Mount Hua was a great sect in the past, so it naturally had the utensils to hold various events.

The problem was that they had sold them all off when the sect was declining. They were about to starve to death because they had nothing to eat right away, so was there any reason to keep the utensils for guests who might not even come?

“Everyone is a martial artist, so they’ll take care of most things on their own, but we still have to prepare the minimum supplies. There are so many things to do right now. To feed all those people, we have to expand the kitchen, and of course, build more restaurants. Moreover, we have to repair all the reception halls that are so dusty that they’re about to collapse.”

“A, all of them?”

“If I had my way, I’d just tear them all down and rebuild them…”

“Ca, calm down.”

“Tsk.” Hyun Young looked at those who were repairing the reception hall with a very displeased expression.

“We’re short on time, so we’ll have to get through it this time.”

Hyun Jong secretly stroked his chest and smiled awkwardly.

‘Considering that, it seems like you’re doing a lot…’

Just looking at the reception hall, where one side of the wall had been completely torn down, the word ‘appropriately’ didn’t seem very appropriate.

As if reading Hyun Jong’s mind, Hyun Young slyly said.

“I thought it would be enough to just match the appearance, but once I started working on it, I couldn’t help but do it properly. If you think that Mount Hua’s reputation is at stake in each of these things, I can’t help but be concerned, Sect Leader.”

“Haha. What’s so important about reputation? The heart is what’s important.”

“I know.” Hyun Young scratched his head.

“Still, you’re becoming the leader of the Heavenly Union, Sect Leader, so we can’t show a worse appearance than the Sichuan Tang Family or the foreign sects. I heard from the children who went to the Tang Family that it’s all fancy there.”

“Aren’t they a secular family? If a Taoist family is too extravagant, they’ll be pointed at.”

“But people will point fingers even if it looks lacking. We shouldn’t prepare excessively, but we shouldn’t be lacking either.” Hyun Young, who was looking at the main building, continued.

“If only families like the Tang Family or the Ice Palace, who have ties and get along well, were gathering, I wouldn’t have gone this far. But this event isn’t just for them, but for all the families in the world, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“I don’t want to give them a chance to laugh at Mount Hua. You may think I’m pathetic for being obsessed with appearances, but please understand my heart, Sect Leader.”

“Yes. Yes. How could I not know your heart.” Hyun Jong nodded. He knew that Hyun Young wasn’t doing this for his own benefit.

“But that…” Hyun Jong trailed off and glanced at the reception hall.

“Where did the nail go?”

“I hammered it over there?”

“Why… why did you hammer it there, you bastard, why! No, you crazy bastard. Why are you nailing the door! Are you blind? Is that a knot hole? Should I drill a new one for you?”

“So, sorry…”

“…” Hyun Jong looked at Hyun Young with a dubious expression and asked.

“…Will it be alright?”

“…It’ll work out somehow.” Things in the world never go as planned.

“So, like this?”

“I told you to do it vertically, you bastard! The long side should be on top! How many times do I have to tell you to understand? What should I do with you?”

Jo Gul looked confused, holding a wooden door handle. “Like this?” he asked, trying to turn it.

“Halfway!” Yoon Jong yelled, his voice loud with frustration. He grabbed Jo Gul by the collar and shook him. “Only turn it halfway!”

Jo Gul blinked, still looking lost. He didn’t seem to understand what he had done wrong.

“It’s all the same wood anyway, isn’t it? Can’t we just hit it hard?” Jo Gul asked.

“Guh, guhk.”

Yoon Jong staggered, clutching at his chest. Nearby, someone else was also suffering.

“S-Stop! You can’t hammer it there!” someone cried out.

“Why not?”

“That’s not where you hammer! It’s a door! A door! It’s supposed to open! People need to go in and out!”

“This is…?” Jo Gul asked, confused.

“G-Give it to me. I’ll do it! I will!”

“Then I’ll do it here,” Jo Gul said, moving to another spot.

“Not there either!”

Everyone was very excited.

For some reason, the disciples of Mount Hua were all focused on tearing down and rebuilding the buildings with great energy.

But unfortunately, being excited doesn’t always mean things will turn out well.

“Sasuk! Should I bring up more lumber?”

“Stop bringing it up! Stop! I told you to stop!” Baek Cheon shouted.

“Then what should we do now?”

“Don’t do anything! Don’t do anything! Didn’t I tell you not to do anything?!”

Baek Cheon’s face twisted in frustration.

Experts are needed for everything. Baek Cheon knew this very well right now. Working with so many beginners who were just strong and excited was harder than doing the work himself. He felt like he might die from trying to control them!

“They’re good for nothing but swinging swords…” Baek Cheon muttered.

“Tch, a martial artist just needs to be good at swordsmanship,” Chung Myung said casually.

“Aren’t you buried somewhere yet! Go inside, will you!” Baek Cheon snapped.

His insides were already a mess, threatening to explode. Seeing Chung Myung sitting next to him, casually drinking alcohol, made him even angrier.

“Just do it roughly, roughly. Do sword-fodder need to sleep in such a nice place?” Chung Myung said.

“…I’ll take care of it,” Baek Cheon said weakly.

Chung Myung chuckled at Baek Cheon’s weak voice.

‘Even if they say that, they all look excited,’ Chung Myung thought.

Well, they would be.

In fact, the visits of important people from different groups to Mount Hua felt normal to Chung Myung; they happened all the time.

Back when Mount Hua was important, he saw more unknown guests than his own disciples. That says it all.

But that was Chung Myung’s experience.

The current disciples had only been playing house in the falling-down buildings. So, it was amazing and made them proud that the leaders from the Nine Sects and Five Great Families, and other groups, were coming to celebrate Mount Hua.

‘They are doing that without really understanding,’ Chung Myung thought.

They should guess what those guys are thinking when they come here.

“Will this *really* be finished by the end of today?”

“It’s entirely possible if you stop talking,” Baek Cheon replied.

“Yoo Sago is hanging the door upside down?”

“Aaaargh! No!”

Chung Myung shook his head as he watched Baek Cheon rush off.

‘Who cares?’

What does it matter if they can’t build a building properly? As long as they’re healthy!

Chung Myung looked at the scenery of Mount Hua through the broken wall. Mount Hua had changed so much since he came back. It was a bigger change than just a ‘sea change’.

Soon, the most famous people in the world would gather here.

Most of them were coming with the secret thought, ‘I’ll see how good this Cheonwoo Alliance really is.’ But the important thing was, they still had to come.

‘Then shall I slowly help a bit…?’ Chung Myung thought, reluctantly getting up.

“Elder!” One of the third-generation disciples, who had gone to wash the dishes, ran through the mountain gate with a pale face.

“What, what is it!”

“Is it an attack?”

“N-Not that!” The third-generation disciple, catching his breath, shouted towards Hyun Young. “They’re coming!”

“Huh? Who?”

“The Tang Family! The people of the Sichuan Tang Family are coming up the mountain!”

“A-Already?” Hyun Young turned his head, looking worried.

No, how could they arrive so soon after the letter was sent? People can’t be *this* impatient!

“T-The preparation isn’t ready yet!” Hyun Young’s face turned pale. Looking at the half-torn-down buildings and the scattered items, he panicked and grabbed his head.

“Let’s quickly clean up the parts people can see!”

But it was no use.

“The people of the Sichuan Tang Family have arrived!”

“Hiek! Ch-Chungmun!”

“Y-Yes. I’m going!” Hyun Jong also panicked and rushed towards the mountain gate.

As the gate opened, he saw the Tang Family people standing in a neat line in front of it. Hyun Jong quickly walked to Tang Gun-ak, who was at the front, and grabbed both of his hands.

“Tang Family Head. How did you come so quickly?”

Tang Gun-ak smiled gently. “Have you been well, Sect Leader?”

“Thanks to the Tang Family Head’s concern, there were no major problems.”

“Haha. I didn’t do anything.”

While the two were greeting each other, Chung Myung walked over and stood next to Hyun Jong.

“You’ve arrived?”

“It’s been a while, Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”

“You came early?” Chung Myung asked.

“If I were a guest, I would have come slowly,” Tang Gun-ak replied.

Tang Gun-ak looked at Hyun Jong and Chung Myung’s back. He saw the chaotic scene of everyone busily decorating and slowly nodded. Then he said, “I’ve come to help.”

“…Pardon?” Hyun Jong asked, surprised.

“Tang Pae.”

“Yes, Family Head!”

“Send in the workers. Finish it perfectly before the guests arrive.”

“Yes, Family Head. Everyone, let’s go in!”

“Yes!”

The Tang Family’s people, who were standing behind, took out their tools and ran inside.

“…Huh?”

“Huh?” The Mount Hua disciples stared blankly, dumbfounded.

“There’s no need to worry. I thought this might happen, so I brought skilled workers with me,” Tang Gun-ak said.

Looking at Tang Gun-ak’s gentle smile, Hyun Jong realized. This was what it felt like to gain an army of helpers.