Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 69

“The Second-Class disciples are returning.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong sighed deeply, the sound filled with worry.

The disciples are back from training. This is good. But Hyun Jong is worried about what will happen next. So, he is not simply happy.

“Where have they reached?”

“Some are already in Hwaeum, and most are nearly there.”

“I see.”

Hyun Jong looked at Unam. “Sect Leader.”

“Speak.”

“Why has the Hwajong Tournament, which was to be held in half a year, been moved up?”

“Jongnam wants it earlier this time.”

“Can we make the tournament later? Push it back?”

“It’s difficult.”

Unam sighed. “Hwasan is doing well now. Things are good, and we have enough food. Everyone is smiling. This is a big change from a few months ago.”

“Indeed.” Hyun Jong agreed.

The biggest change was that Hwasan was full of life. People who didn’t know what tomorrow would bring now had hope. Their smiles made everyone feel good.

“But we are, after all, a fighting sect.”

“Indeed.”

“We are learning new martial arts, but it will take time for them to work well. And even when they do, they won’t be enough to beat Jongnam.”

Hyun Jong nodded. Un Am was right.

Hwasan used to have martial arts that could beat Jongnam, but now they are just empty shells. They had found a little hope in the discovery of the Seven Plum Blossom Sword Techniques, old fighting styles from Hwasan’s past.

‘And that’s a faint hope.’

The road ahead was too long. They had just solved the food problem. But for Hwasan to be great again, they needed to get back their old fighting skills.

But how could martial arts be fixed quickly? There wasn’t enough time.

“If they lose badly in this tournament like before, I worry the disciples will lose hope. They might think they cannot win after all.”

“Unam.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Hyun Jong shook his head.

“But will avoiding it help? If we don’t go to the Hwajong Tournament, will the disciples have hope? Won’t they think I don’t believe in them?”

“That’s…” Un Am lowered his head.

“Losing isn’t shameful. If you try your best and still lose, that’s okay. You just need to try harder. But avoiding a match to avoid losing is wrong. It’s like making things worse for a little comfort.”

“I didn’t think clearly, Sect Leader.”

“I know you’re worried. But… it would be hard to postpone the Hwajong Tournament.”

Unam sighed. ‘I’ve bothered the Sect Leader with useless words.’ He needed to say something hopeful.

“If the Second-Class disciples do well, won’t everything be okay?”

“Indeed.” Both Un Am and Hyun Jong knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Jongnam used to be weaker, but now they are much stronger than Hwasan. The Second-Class disciples of Jongnam are much stronger than the Second-Class disciples of Hwasan.

They had trained hard, but winning would be difficult. ‘I hope they don’t lose too easily.’ Hyun Jong felt sad.

“Unam.”

“Yes.”

“The disciples are coming back after hard work. Prepare good food and drinks.”

“But…”

“The disciples need a day of rest after training so hard. And they should know that Hwasan has changed.”

“Indeed. I will prepare everything.”

“Good.”

“Then, I will leave.” Un Am stood up and bowed.

As Un Am left, the room felt even quieter. Hyun Jong slowly stood up and walked to the window. He pushed it open, letting in the cold night air. He looked at Yeonhwabong outside.

‘Jongnam.’ It was like a thorn in his heart. It hurt every time he breathed, and it might cut off his breath someday.

“It’s hard. So hard.” Winter was long, and Hwasan’s spring was still far away.

“Can we win?” Yoon Jong and Jo Gul were in Chung Myung’s room.

If anyone else said that, they wouldn’t care, but Chung Myung’s words were important. Yoon Jong and Jo Gul knew that Chung Myung always meant what he said. Even if it sounded crazy, he always kept his word.

“Us?” Chung Myung clicked his tongue, looking at them.

“Not now.”

“Huh? Not even after getting stronger?”

“The Senior Brothers have gotten stronger.”

“Right?” Chung Myung raised his thumb and index finger a little bit.

“About this much?”

“……”

“……”

“Hey. I’m just kidding. It’s not that little.”

“Of course!”

“That’s better.” Chung Myung raised his thumb and index finger twice as much.

“It’ll be about this much.”

“……”

“……”

Jo Gul, turning red and blue, jumped up and pointed his finger. “Hey! We’ve worked so hard! How can you say we’ve only gotten this much stronger! I can feel it!”

“You think you’re stronger because you’ve been working hard for a few months? Dream on!”

“No, I’m definitely stronger than before…”

“Just because an acorn grows three times bigger doesn’t mean it can compare to a tree, does it?”

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung was being honest. The younger students had improved a lot. Chung Myung had never seen anyone improve so fast. They were desperate, and he had pushed them hard, so it would be strange if they didn’t improve.

But… ‘It’s still a long way to go.’ Compared to the Hwasan students of the past, they still had a long way to go. And the same was true compared to Jongnam.

Jongnam was hard to compare to Hwasan back then, but it was still one of the Nine Great Sects. If they were still as good as they were then, no one in the current generation could beat Jongnam’s younger students.

‘Maybe this guy?’ Jo Gul might win if he had the right opponent. Yoon Jong needed an even easier one.

Only two out of all the younger students. If they were compared as a group, there was no question who would win.

“Then how do we win?”

“Get stronger.”

Yoon Jong frowned. “The Hwajong Tournament is only about two weeks away. How can we beat someone we can’t beat now after training for months, in just two weeks?”

“That’s why I asked.” Chung Myung grinned.

“Are you ready to die?”

“……” No, that’s…

“Can’t you tell us how?”

“Why is that important? What matters is if you’re ready.”

“No…” Just as Jo Gul was about to speak, Yoon Jong stopped him.

“I am ready.”

“Senior Brother!” Jo Gul shouted, but Yoon Jong didn’t look at him.

“I don’t know about the others, but I am ready. And most of the others probably are too.”

“Senior Brother, but what this guy does is…”

“I know.” Yoon Jong was more determined than ever.

“But I don’t care. I’d rather die than see that happen again. The way those Jongnam guys laughed at me still haunts me.”

“…That’s true.” They had been to the Hwajong Tournament two years ago. And they had lost badly.

How could they describe that shame? It was too much to bear.

“If I can get revenge, I’m ready to die. A martial artist shouldn’t live with that shame. I’d rather leave the sect than let that happen again.”

Jo Gul nodded. Hearing Yoon Jong’s words, he remembered the humiliation. He never wanted to feel that again.

“Okay. Then I’ll make sure you win, Senior Brother.”

“I believe you.”

“Good.” Chung Myung grinned.

But Jo Gul, still worried, asked something he shouldn’t have. “But Chung Myung.”

“Yeah.”

“Aren’t you going to tell us how now?”

“Ah, it’s nothing much. We’re just going to change the training a bit.”

“How?”

Chung Myung answered casually. “Real fighting.”

“Huh?”

“If you’ve built it up, you have to use it now. I’ll teach you how to use that trained body.”

“……” Jo Gul’s eyes widened.

“Uh… what do you mean by use?”

Chung Myung shrugged. “You know what I mean. All martial arts are learned by fighting. Get ready. We’ll start tonight.”

“……” The two felt something was wrong.

Late at night, the younger disciples were at the training ground.

“Do we really have to be here at night?” Jo Gul complained.

Everyone knew the younger disciples trained on their own early in the morning.

At first, some people were worried, and some older members complained about the training, but after a few months, everyone accepted it.

Un-geom, the head of the Hundred Plum Blossom Hall, saw that it worked and stopped anyone from interfering.

So they could train in the daytime now, but Chung Myung insisted on training only early in the morning.

“What is he trying to do, Senior Brother?”

“How would I know?” Yoon Jong shrugged.

Everyone complained about training early, but they all came and lined up. They knew Chung Myung’s training was hard, but it worked.

Chung Myung had promised to make them stronger, so they trusted him.

“Chung Myung. But this time, the training is…” Just then…

Chung Myung drew his sword. “……”

A real sword? …Huh? That looks like a real sword?

The sword shone blue in the moonlight. Even if an ordinary person had a real sword, it would be scary, but a crazy person with a sword in the moonlight made their hearts sink.

“Ah, training?” Chung Myung asked casually. He walked toward them with the real sword.

“It’s nothing much. Just…” He smiled.

“Just try to feel like you are dying. It’s not a big deal, right?”

…What is he saying? That crazy bastard.