Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 684

Hyun Jong stood at the mountain gate, waving goodbye as groups of people left Hwasan. He wished each of them well as they departed.

Watching the last guests leave, the Five Swords of Hwasan sagged with relief. “It’s finally over,” one of them mumbled, sounding half-dead.

“I thought I was going to die, really…” another agreed. Their faces showed a tiredness that words couldn’t describe.

“I’d rather fight enemies,” one of them groaned. “Dealing with people is harder than fighting!”

“It would have been easier if Chung Myung wasn’t here,” another sighed.

“Next time, can we send that troublemaker on a trip far, far away before we do this again?”

“…My head says no, but my heart says yes too!” someone else agreed.

Sighs escaped them all at once. They felt like they had aged years in just a few days.

Jo Gul frowned. “If that crazy man hadn’t come, we wouldn’t be so tired.”

“Tell me about it!”

They all went quiet, thinking about Jang Il-so. Breaking the silence, Baek Cheon said softly, “…The Overlord…”

Jang Il-so’s clothes and decorations were very fancy. They didn’t seem right for someone called ‘Overlord’ or the leader of such a big group. They were too showy.

But… there was something about him. Something that made you stop and stare. He filled the room even when he wasn’t trying.

Jang Il-so’s visit to Hwasan was very short, like a blink of an eye. But in that short time, he left a strong impression on the Hwasan disciples.

They couldn’t take their eyes off him as he left. Jang Il-so was different from any enemy they had fought before. It was hard to say exactly why, but…

“Actually, the bishop of the Demonic Sect seemed stronger,” one of them said.

“Yes, for sure,” another agreed.

They couldn’t really tell who was stronger, Jang Il-so or the bishop. They weren’t strong enough to understand someone like Jang Il-so just by looking.

“But… there’s more to him than just fighting skill,” Yoon Jong said.

“Yes, I felt it too,” Baek Cheon nodded. It wasn’t just about being strong.

‘A monster…’

Chung Myung had called Jang Il-so a monster.

People often use words like “monster” or “genius” to talk about someone’s fighting talent. But Chung Myung didn’t seem to mean just fighting skill.

‘He must mean Jang Il-so himself is a monster.’

In a way, it was high praise.

Baek Cheon agreed. He had seen leaders of big sects and powerful families, even people from far away lands like Maeng So. But no one had ever made him feel so overwhelmed just by being there, like Jang Il-so.

Baek Cheon frowned, trying to understand what made Jang Il-so so different. It wasn’t just strength, it was something else…

“It’s not just Jang Il-so, Martial Uncle,” Yoon Jong added quietly.

“Hmm?”

“The red-robed men with him from the Ten Thousand People Clan were scary too.”

Baek Cheon nodded.

The warriors of the Ten Thousand People Clan in their red robes.

Even though Jang Il-so was the main focus, these men gave off a feeling that made your skin crawl.

‘Strong.’

He realized how powerful the Ten Thousand People Clan really was.

Hwasan had won against some of their people. He had been sure that even if they couldn’t win against the whole clan now, they wouldn’t be easily beaten.

But after seeing Jang Il-so and his men, he knew how wrong that idea was.

“What we saw of the Ten Thousand People Clan was just a small part of what they really are,” Baek Cheon said.

“…Yes,” Yoon Jong agreed.

“And,” Baek Cheon said slowly, “Now we have to fight people like that.”

“…”

“But…”

“Hmm?”

Jo Gul, who had been quiet, spoke up. His voice was cheerful, which felt strange after all the serious talk.

Baek Cheon looked at him, and Jo Gul grinned.

“It’s not just us who have to deal with them, right?”

“…”

Baek Cheon slowly turned his head.

He saw people from the Northern Sea Ice Palace, the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, and the Sichuan Tang Family talking together.

Baek Cheon nodded.

“Yes, that’s right…”

“The Ten Thousand People Clan might be strong. But they can’t fight the whole Heavenly Union Alliance alone! If things go wrong, we can just gang up on them and win!”

“…”

“Those guys have made enemies everywhere anyway. No one will help them if we all attack them. We can get revenge for all the times we were outnumbered!”

Baek Cheon smiled a little.

‘Why is this guy becoming more like Chung Myung every day?’

Could it be happening to me too? No… Surely not…

Baek Cheon shook his head to clear his mind of that scary thought.

Yoon Jong said, looking a bit worried, “It makes me realize how amazing Shaolin and Wudang really are.”

“What do you mean?” Baek Cheon asked.

“They’ve always dealt with groups like the Ten Thousand People Clan.”

Baek Cheon closed his mouth, surprised by Yoon Jong’s words. Yoon Jong continued.

“I saw Shaolin at the competition, and I even fought Wudang myself. But I didn’t feel this kind of pressure from them. Now I think it’s because I knew they wouldn’t be so unfriendly to us.”

“…That’s probably right,” Baek Cheon agreed.

Shaolin and Wudang were definitely as strong as the Ten Thousand People Clan. But fighting Wudang felt different.

Maybe it was Jang Il-so… Or maybe Yoon Jong was right, and he knew Shaolin and Wudang weren’t really enemies.

But…

‘Now that the Heavenly Union Alliance is here, Shaolin and Wudang might become Hwasan’s enemies one day.’

Thinking that, his heart felt heavy.

Shaolin becoming an enemy… Shaolin…

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes widened suddenly.

“Wait… Hye-yeon! Where’s Hye-yeon? Where’s the monk?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think I’ve seen him since the event started! Has anyone seen Hye-yeon?”

“Huh?”

“Now that you mention it…?”

Everyone looked at each other, confused. No one knew.

“I, I’ll go look for him…” Baek Cheon started.

“…I am here, Sir,” a voice said.

“Eek!” Jo Gul jumped and turned around. Hye-yeon was standing right behind him, as if he had appeared from nowhere. He put his hands together in prayer.

“M, Monk!” Jo Gul stammered.

“Ah, no, Monk. Why do you look so thin!”

“…Did something happen?” Hye-yeon asked, looking confused at everyone’s surprise.

The Five Swords looked at his head. It looked even more shiny than usual. They felt sad for no reason.

“Where have you been all this time?” Baek Cheon asked.

“…I was in my room,” Hye-yeon said.

“Oh, since when?”

“Continuously since before the event started,” Hye-yeon replied.

“…”

Baek Cheon’s mouth dropped open.

No, if it was since before the event started, that meant it had been days… Had he been stuck in his room all this time?

“Ah, no… Why?” Baek Cheon asked.

“Well…” Hye-yeon looked a little troubled.

“Well… I got a message. It said if I sat at the opening of the Heavenly Union Alliance… people would think Shaolin and Hwasan were too close…”

“Ah…”

“So they told me to stay out of sight.”

“Ah…”

So he had been hiding in Hwasan, which was so crowded you could barely move?

“The Elder came by for a minute. He told me again and again not to leave my room until everyone was gone…”

…That made sense.

It made sense from Shaolin’s point of view. Hye-yeon wasn’t just any monk. He was Hye-yeon.

If it was just a normal monk, they might not have done this. But Hye-yeon was special. Shaolin was counting on him for the future. Everyone knew he was the most talented monk in a hundred years.

They had traveled together before, but that was when Hwasan wasn’t attracting much attention. But in the current situation, if it became publicly known that such a great Hye-yeon was staying in Hwasan, it would cause a lot of talk.

“No. That’s… Yes, I understand,” Baek Cheon said.

“B, but why is your face half gone?” Jo Gul asked.

“Like someone who hasn’t eaten any porridge,” another added.

“Oh my, look at those cheekbones… Did you hide away or something?”

Hye-yeon looked sad when porridge was mentioned.

“It’s not that…”

“Then what is it?”

“Well… Since I was just staying in my room, the meals…”

“Huh? You haven’t eaten anything for five days?”

“Oh my…”

“Ah, no, I did eat,” Hye-yeon said quickly.

“Yes?” Then what was the problem?

“That… Since the Hwasan people are busy, the Tang Family people brought me meals instead…”

“…Brought you meals?”

Hye-yeon looked around nervously. He looked like he had done something wrong and whispered quietly, “Well… It’s all just vegetables…”

“…”

“…”

“Ah…”

Everyone who understood the situation couldn’t find the words to describe it and eventually closed their mouths. Hye-yeon muttered in a dejected voice.

“…How can a person live on just vegetables?”

Ah… So that’s why he looked so thin…

Then Jo Gul, who was the only one who didn’t understand, tilted his head and said loudly without any thoughtfulness.

“But aren’t monks supposed to live on just vegetables?”

“Geol,” Baek Cheon said.

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

“Just shut up for now.”

“…”

Baek Cheon said to Yoon Jong, looking worried, “Yoon Jong.”

“Yes, Martial Uncle.”

“Take the monk to the dining hall and get him some food.”

“Yes.”

“Boiled eggs and that… Put some meat under the rice.”

“…Yes,” Yoon Jong said, trying not to laugh.

Yoon Jong patted Hye-yeon’s shoulder and led him away. “Let’s go, Monk.”

“…Thank you,” Hye-yeon said.

Hye-yeon’s face brightened up. He put his hands together in thanks.

His round head seemed to shine even more. Baek Cheon watched him go, thinking about good things.

“…You have to eat to live,” Yoo I-seol said coldly, making Baek Cheon jump.

“Ah, come to think of it. Junior Sister,” Baek Cheon said.

“Yes, Senior Brother?”

“Where’s Chung Myung? I haven’t seen that guy either since a while ago.” Baek Cheon always looked for Chung Myung, even if he didn’t see him for a moment. Yoo I-seol pointed to one side with a blank expression.

“He’s over there.”

“Where?”

“There.”

She pointed to a dark corner of a building. Baek Cheon looked closely.

In the shadows, Chung Myung was pushing someone against a wall and pointing his finger at them.

“…Looks like the Green Forest King?” Baek Cheon asked.

“Right?” Yoo I-seol said.

“…”

Shaolin’s best monk is hiding to eat meat, and Hwasan’s best fighter is bullying the Green Forest King.

‘Is this really what the future of the martial arts world looks like?’ Baek Cheon thought, feeling worried again.