Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 698

*Gulp.* Silence dropped suddenly. It was so quiet you could hear someone swallow hard. The tavern, which was loud before, became still. Everyone watched, their eyes bright with interest.

Mount Hua and Jongnam. People who knew about these groups understood why this was exciting. Even those who didn’t know the history couldn’t look away from men drawing swords in a busy tavern.

“You!” Gwa Hyeok-so, the oldest of the Taehaeng Three Swords, called the Myriad Mile Sword, started to charge forward, growling.

“Wait,” the man with the sword said, waving his hand calmly. He looked around the tavern. “I don’t mind fighting here, but swords are dangerous. Someone else might get hurt.”

“…”

“What do you think? Since we are going to fight, should we go somewhere with more space?”

“This…” Gwa Hyeok-so bit his lip. *This guy…* He realized the man was right. They should have been the ones to think about the other people in the tavern first, as disciples of Jongnam, a respected group.

“This guy…” Gwa Hyeok-so thought. Because of the man’s words, *they* now looked like bullies who didn’t care about anyone else. They, from the famous Jongnam group, should have been the ones to think of this first.

“Fine! But you’re not asking to go somewhere hidden, are you? Somewhere no one can see?” Gwa Hyeok-so said with a mocking smile.

“Begging for mercy where no one can see you won’t save you,” he added, sneering.

“Haha. I wouldn’t do that,” the man said. He glanced out the window. “Down there looks like a good place to fight. What do you think?” He pointed to a courtyard below, visible from the window.

The Taehaeng Three Swords looked at each other and nodded.

“Anywhere is fine,” they said.

“Hmm. Then…” The man put his foot on the windowsill, still holding his sword. He jumped out the window without a second thought.

“Ah!”

“H-he jumped!”

People in the tavern cried out in shock.

“T-that’s the seventh floor!”

“He jumped from there?”

They rushed to the window and looked down. They didn’t see a broken body. They saw the man standing below, perfectly fine, looking up at them.

“Come down,” he called up. His voice was clear and loud.

Everyone watching was impressed. Jumping from that height and being unharmed showed he was very skilled in martial arts.

The Taehaeng Three Swords thought the same. Their faces became serious.

“Hmm.” They looked at the stairs and then back at the window. They bit their lips.

“Let’s go!” Gwa Hyeok-so said.

“Yes!” his brothers replied.

Gwa Hyeok-so jumped out the window first, without hesitation. His two brothers followed.

“Oh!”

“L-let’s go down!”

The people in the tavern hurried down the stairs.

Thud! Boom!

The Taehaeng Three Swords landed on the ground.

They couldn’t hide their pain.

‘Ugh.’ Their legs hurt badly from the fall. Their feet and ankles throbbed. It was hard to stand straight.

But they couldn’t show weakness. They forced their knees straight and glared at the man across from them.

The jump had hurt them a lot, making it hard to move easily. But the man looked completely fine.

‘He’s not just a fool,’ Gwa Hyeok-so thought. He took a breath and spoke.

“What is your name?”

“My name?” the man repeated.

“Yes,” Gwa Hyeok-so said. “Even someone unimportant has a name. Or are you too afraid to tell us your name?”

“Haha!” The man laughed and shook his head.

“No need to try to anger me. I’m not hiding anything. My name is Jin Yang-geon.”

“What is your generation name?” Gwa Hyeok-so asked, his eyes cold.

“Hmm?”

“If you are from Mount Hua, you must have a generation name, right?”

“Haha. Why does that matter?”

“…”

Jin Yang-geon waved his sword lightly, like a fan. “If my generation name is higher than yours, will you apologize?”

“…”

“Or, if it’s lower, will you use your age to boss me around?”

“This…” Gwa Hyeok-so started to get angry.

Jin Yang-geon shook his head, looking sad. “No matter what my generation name is, it won’t make your actions right. So, we don’t need to talk about generation names, don’t you think?”

“No, I…” Gwa Hyeok-so tried to argue.

“What matters is right and wrong! Is it fair or unfair? Is it moral or immoral?” Jin Yang-geon said loudly. “I am not someone who will call something wrong right just because of someone’s age or position!”

He spoke with force. The people around them started clapping, impressed.

“That’s right!”

“I don’t know who he is, but he’s speaking the truth!”

Gwa Hyeok-so’s face became red with anger. He realized he was being played. He just wanted to know the man’s generation name. But now, because of the man’s words, the Taehaeng Three Swords looked like they were trying to use their seniority to win because they weren’t confident in their skills.

‘That damned guy!’ He thought. *He’s good with words, turning everyone against us.*

“Brother,” one of his brothers said.

“I know!” Gwa Hyeok-so said, realizing talking was pointless. He drew his sword and pointed it at Jin Yang-geon.

“Your words are strong,” he said. “Let’s see if your sword is half as strong as your words.”

Jin Yang-geon looked at Gwa Hyeok-so and shook his head.

“There are three of you,” he said.

“Don’t be scared, kid. We won’t all attack you at once. I’ll fight you alone. Don’t be a coward,” Gwa Hyeok-so sneered.

“No, it’s the opposite,” Jin Yang-geon said with a faint smile.

“You alone are not enough. All three of you, come at me together.”

“…”

“You don’t understand,” Jin Yang-geon continued. “I said you alone can’t handle me. Fight me with your brothers.”

Jin Yang-geon looked at his sword intently. “That way, it might be a little more interesting.”

Gwa Hyeok-so’s face turned bright red. “You think you’ll lose and you’re already making excuses! You think you can win?”

“You misunderstand,” Jin Yang-geon said calmly. “I, Jin Yang-geon, am a man of honor. I would never say I lost because there were three of you when I could have won alone.”

Jin Yang-geon stretched his shoulders casually. “I’m just giving you a fair chance. It’s my duty as a swordsman to be fair.”

“You bastard! Even the best students of Mount Hua wouldn’t say such things to us!”

“Of course,” Jin Yang-geon said. “Because I am not just an ordinary student of Mount Hua.”

“…”

“What did you say?”

Jin Yang-geon’s smile widened. “Plum Blossom Sword Master, have you heard of it?”

“…Plum Blossom Sword Master?” Gwa Hyeok-so repeated, confused.

“If you didn’t know, you will now learn what a Plum Blossom Sword Master is.”

The sword Jin Yang-geon pointed forward shone in the light. “You will learn through this sword.”

“…”

Gwa Hyeok-so was furious. He gritted his teeth. His younger brothers behind him spoke in cold voices.

“Brother. Since he wants it, let’s give him what he wants!”

“We can’t refuse! We’ll show this newbie how dangerous the Jianghu really is!”

Gwa Hyeok-so nodded. “Alright, let’s do it!”

With their brother’s agreement, the younger brothers stepped forward, standing beside him.

“Kid! You’ll regret this!”

“I don’t regret things,” Jin Yang-geon said.

“You!” Gwa Hyeok-so’s eyes burned with anger.

The people watching held their breath. The air was thick with tension, like blood was about to spill.

Breaking the silence, Gwa Hyeok-so shouted. “Teach him a lesson!”

“Yes!”

“Take this!!”

The Taehaeng Three Swords charged at Jin Yang-geon at the same time. Even Gwa Hyeok-so, who seemed clumsy before, moved with surprising speed, closing the distance quickly.

They showed why they were called the Taehaeng Three Swords, famous for their footwork.

But Jin Yang-geon didn’t react much, even seeing their speed. As Gwa Hyeok-so’s sword came towards his head, he just watched it.

“Gasp!”

“Th-that!”

Some people who were easily scared closed their eyes. They imagined Jin Yang-geon getting badly hurt.

One!

Clang!

A loud, sharp sound rang out. The Taehaeng Three Swords, who had attacked together, were suddenly pushed back.

“…Th-this guy…” Gwa Hyeok-so’s eyes widened in shock.

Jin Yang-geon had hit and sent flying not only his sword, but also his brothers’ swords, which were attacking from both sides, all in one move.

“Hmm,” Jin Yang-geon said, shaking his head, looking a little unhappy. “To bully people with such weak skills. It seems Jongnam has become too proud.”

“H-how dare you talk about Jongnam like that?” Gwa Hyeok-so stammered.

“Watch closely,” Jin Yang-geon said, holding his sword out.

“This is what it means to use a sword for justice. This is the sword of Mount Hua.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Yang-geon’s sword seemed to split into many swords.

The crowd’s eyes widened.

“Th-that…”

The swords multiplied, becoming dozens in an instant. They seemed to keep growing, and soon, white and red energy came from them in all directions.

The area was filled with Jin Yang-geon’s sword energy. The red and white energy looked like a beautiful garden full of colorful flowers.

“Th-that!”

“That’s the Plum Blossom Sword Technique of Mount Hua!” someone shouted who knew about it.

As if to meet their expectations, the sword energies rushed towards the Taehaeng Three Swords all at once.

“Wh-what!” Gwa Hyeok-so’s face turned white. He saw sword energy everywhere.

Before he could even think of defending himself, the many sword energies hit the Taehaeng Three Swords.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Aaargh!”

Screams echoed.

The amazing sword energy disappeared into the air. All that was left were the three Taehaeng Three Swords lying on the ground.

Clatter.

Jin Yang-geon, looking a little pale, put his sword away. He spoke quietly to the fallen men. “It seems Jongnam doesn’t teach you not to bully others with strength. But Mount Hua will never allow that. Remember this. A sword is not for showing off, but for protecting those who are weak.”

Silence for a moment. Then, huge cheers exploded from everywhere.

“Woooaaaaaah!”

“The best!”

“Mount Hua! It’s Mount Hua after all!”

“Mount Hua Sect is famous for a reason! He’s like a hero from a story!”

Jin Yang-geon waved his hand slightly at the cheers and walked over to Jin-pyeong.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah… Ah, yes! I’m fine,” Jin-pyeong stammered.

Jin Yang-geon smiled gently. “I’m glad. If you have any trouble, come find me anytime.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you, Great Hero!”

“Then.” Jin Yang-geon bowed slightly, then turned and walked through the crowd.

The cheers and praises continued.

In the excited atmosphere, Jin-pyeong felt a small doubt.

‘Something feels a little strange…’ From the way he acted to the way he spoke, something was different from the Mount Hua disciples I’ve seen. Something just felt off.’

‘No, surely not.’ Someone with that much skill wouldn’t pretend to be a Mount Hua disciple, would they? Surely not.

But Jin-pyeong didn’t see the quick, small, sad smile that flashed across Jin Yang-geon’s face as he left, leaving the cheering crowd behind.