Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 715

“Seriously,” Jo Gul muttered, stopping to catch his breath. “What *is* this mountain?” He looked around, confused. From far away, the mountains had seemed like gentle hills. But now, as they walked deeper in, it was like being lost in a maze. Hills rose and fell in every direction, hiding what lay ahead.

Yoon Jong nodded, his gaze sweeping across the rugged landscape. The air was cold and smelled of pine trees. The wind whispered through the trees, making the mountains seem even more mysterious. “That’s why they call this place the Ten Thousand Great Mountains,” he said, his voice calm despite the heavy atmosphere. “It feels like there are ten thousand mountains all joined together, doesn’t it?”

Jo Gul looked at the endless peaks with new eyes. “What’s it like here?” he asked quietly.

“The Demonic Sect chose this place as their base for two reasons,” Yoon Jong explained. “First, it’s far from the main martial arts groups in the Central Plains. And second,” he gestured around at the confusing terrain, “these mountains are so deep and wide, it’s almost impossible to find anyone hiding inside.”

“Ah,” Jo Gul breathed, finally understanding.

Yoon Jong continued, “This is just the start of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. But even here, you can see why this place became a battleground that decided the fate of the Central Plains.” He pointed towards a distant ridge. “Not far from here, the final battle took place.”

Jo Gul frowned. “Daesan Blood History… is that what they call the battle here?”

“Yes,” Yoon Jong said softly. “The story of the bloody battle at Daesan.” He paused, his voice taking on a deeper tone. “People forget things over time. But we must not forget what happened here. We are safe now because of those who fought and died in this place.”

Jo Gul nodded slowly, his eyes closed. He tried to imagine the battles here, the fear and the courage of those who fought. It was hard to understand.

“I don’t know, Sasuk.”

Yoon Jong smiled knowingly, as if he knew what Jo Gul meant.

“Someday you’ll know.”

And he, too, scanned the dark mountain ridge with calm eyes.

“Let’s hurry. If we dawdle, that rascal Chung Myung will come after us with a sword in his mouth.”

“I wish he would bother us again.” Jo Gul pouted.

“Anyway, that guy is so good at making people feel confused and annoyed. He usually bothers people so much, but now…” Jo Gul couldn’t continue and just let out a deep sigh.

‘I wish he would bother us again.’ It was too awkward to see Chung Myung silent. It was even more unbearable to face Chung Myung’s expressionless face. Even so, he couldn’t even scold him properly, so his stomach was twisted.

“So we have to find him as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry. He’s not the kind of guy who’s easily shaken.”

Jo Gul nodded slightly and looked around with slightly sharper eyes.

“Let’s search every nook and cranny.”

“Let’s do that.”

Yoon Jong, watching Jo Gul walk ahead, stabbing the ground with his scabbard, sighed softly. Chung Myung’s condition is so bad that even Jo Gul is worried.

‘I don’t know.’ Sometimes Yoon Jong felt like Chung Myung was made of steel. Before meeting Chung Myung, Yoon Jong was just someone who stayed in his place, avoided things he didn’t like, and waited for things to pass.

To him, Chung Myung, who broke everything and moved forward, sometimes seemed too extreme, and sometimes he was dazzling because of it. But lately, Yoon Jong felt like he was seeing the real Chung Myung, the person hidden under his strong, tough outside.

“Damn it.” Yoon Jong shook his head and stabbed the ground hard with his scabbard.

Meanwhile, further up the mountain, Yoo Iseol and Tang Soso continued their search.

“Who could it be?”

“Huh?” Yoo Iseol turned to look at Tang Soso, who was following behind.

“The person we’re looking for.” Tang Soso’s face looked darker than usual.

“A grave… or maybe just bones… Since he said that, it must be a person. What is their relationship with Chung Myung Sasuk?”

Yoo Iseol was silent for a moment, gazing upwards. A small voice flowed from her lips, which held the night sky in her eyes.

“Someone she loved and lost because she couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

“But it was a hundred years ago…”

“I don’t know.” Yoo Iseol shook her head.

“What we need to know is that we have to find them. Definitely.” There was a firm determination in her voice.

Tang Soso looked at her with new eyes. Yoo Iseol doesn’t usually say what she thinks strongly. In her heart, there was only the desire to become stronger and the sense of duty to protect Mount Hua.

‘I’ve never seen this before.’ The sight of her showing such enthusiasm for someone else’s affairs was unfamiliar even to Tang Soso, who was almost always with her.

“We have to find them, right?”

“Yes.”

“I guess that’s the only way Chung Myung Sasuk will go back to normal. Being playful, complaining, even when he’s angry…” Tang Soso’s voice trailed off. She wondered if going back to normal was really a good thing. Then Yoo Iseol’s voice cut off Tang Soso’s thoughts.

“No.”

“Yes?”

Yoo Iseol stopped walking.

“Come back. Even if you can’t find them.”

“Sasuk.”

Yoo Iseol’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“So we have to find them. I don’t want to see that.”

Tang Soso seemed to know what Yoo Iseol meant. Even if Chung Myung had any regrets, he would eventually come back looking fine. But that only meant that his appearance would return to normal, not that his insides would be the same as before.

‘The same as before….’ She wondered how much she really knew about Chung Myung.

Amazing fighting skills, making quick decisions, sometimes rough and wild, but also careful and thoughtful. But can we really say that we know Chung Myung well just by looking at those things?

Tang Soso had always thought that Yoo Iseol was the hardest person to understand in Mount Hua. She was a person who was extremely sparing with her words, and so she often had to just guess what she was thinking.

But now that she thought about it, the person who was even more difficult to understand was Chung Myung.

Unlike Yoo Iseol, he never stopped talking, but it was rare for his true feelings to be revealed.

If Yoo Iseol hid herself with silence, Chung Myung was a person who hid his true intentions with countless words and actions.

“Sasuk, do you know what Chung Myung Sasuk is thinking inside?” Tang Soso was curious. She wondered if there was something that those who didn’t reveal their true feelings could understand about each other.

“No,” Yoo Iseol said softly, her voice barely louder than the whisper of the wind. It wasn’t the answer Tang Soso had wanted to hear.

“Oh,” Tang Soso mumbled, her shoulders slumping slightly. “I see.”

After a moment of silence, Tang Soso looked up at Yoo Iseol, her brow furrowed with worry. “By the way,” she began hesitantly.

“Yes?” Yoo Iseol replied, her gaze steady.

Tang Soso bit her lip, then asked, “Do we *really* need to know what’s inside? Even if it’s something bad? He’s still our Sajil, isn’t he? He’s our teacher, no matter what.”

Yoo Iseol considered this, her expression thoughtful. Just then, the clouds shifted, and bright moonlight spilled over them, turning Yoo Iseol’s hair to silver. Tang Soso, who had been staring at her friend, suddenly smiled, a playful light returning to her eyes.

“Me too! He’s my Sajil too!” she exclaimed, grabbing Yoo Iseol’s arm.

Yoo Iseol nodded, a faint smile touching her lips. “Yeah. Yours too.”

Tang Soso, clinging to Yoo Iseol’s back, playfully tugged at her sleeve. Yoo Iseol, with a calm face, swayed slightly from side to side, allowing Tang Soso to play.

“We have to find it!” Tang Soso exclaimed. “We have to find it and make him treat us since we found it.”

“With something expensive,” Yoo Iseol added.

“Yes! Something expensive!” Tang Soso agreed.

“Very expensive. Because he is rich,” Yoo Iseol said matter-of-factly.

“Yes! Something very expensive!” Tang Soso repeated, her eyes sparkling.

The two carefully probed the ground, as if feeling for something hidden, and thrust their swords into the earth.

‘We have to find it,’ Tang Soso thought, a strong determination flickering in her eyes.

Yoo Iseol probably felt the same, but Tang Soso didn’t want to see Chung Myung returning to Mount Hua with slumped shoulders. It just didn’t suit him at all.

‘Don’t worry, you damned Sajil,’ she thought. ‘I’ll find it no matter what.’

He had felt this strange feeling several times before.

The moment he suddenly felt unfamiliarity from that not-so-large back.

But Baek Cheon usually felt strangeness from Chung Myung’s back when he was facing an enemy or standing in front of Baek Cheon.

Each time, Baek Cheon had to feel a depth in him that didn’t match his age. And that sight allowed him to push himself even harder.

But now…

‘I don’t know how to explain it,’ he thought.

Small?

No, it wasn’t that. But what should he say…

A soft sigh finally escaped from Baek Cheon’s mouth as he tried to find the right words.

From the beginning, trying to explain the feeling he felt from that back in words felt futile.

Plop.

Chung Myung’s sword had already pierced the ground several times.

Chung Myung, who had been staring at the ground, slowly turned his gaze towards the distant mountain ridge. The sight of him silently looking at the towering peaks gave Baek Cheon a strange sense of unease.

“How is it?” Baek Cheon asked.

It wasn’t that he had something specific he wanted to ask.

It was more that he was unknowingly crying out, feeling that if he just stayed still, the distance between him and Chung Myung would endlessly widen and eventually drift apart.

“Huh?” Chung Myung asked, turning his head to face Baek Cheon.

His expression wasn’t particularly different from usual. It wasn’t the dark face he had shown while coming here, but just a blank face.

But Baek Cheon kept feeling that his face wasn’t the same as usual and felt unfamiliar. Baek Cheon briefly wondered if he was just being overly sensitive.

Chung Myung asked again, “What?”

“Do you think we can find it?” Baek Cheon asked, the question he had barely managed to voice.

“I don’t know,” Chung Myung replied.

Chung Myung chuckled at the question he had asked.

“I’ll try, but, well…” Then he scratched the back of his head.

“As you can see from the state of the book, it’s been at least a hundred years. It would be stranger if anything was still left.”

“Do you think it’s the remains of someone who participated in the Great Mount Blood War?” Baek Cheon asked.

“Probably,” Chung Myung said.

Baek Cheon, who had been staring intently at Chung Myung, nodded.

“Okay. I understand. But let’s keep looking,” Baek Cheon said as he began to stab the ground again. This time Chung Myung asked him.

“Sasuk.”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you going to ask?”

“What?” Baek Cheon asked, confused.

Now that he had some time, Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with a sulky face.

“You must have a lot of questions.”

“I do,” Baek Cheon admitted.

“Then why aren’t you asking?” Chung Myung pressed.

“Because there’s no need to ask,” Baek Cheon replied simply.

“What does that mean?” Chung Myung asked, puzzled.

Chung Myung grumbled, and Baek Cheon shrugged.

“If it’s something you can explain, you will.”

“If it’s something you can’t explain, you won’t.”

“Why should I push you? It’s your business.”

“No, but people are…” Chung Myung started to say.

“That’s enough,” Baek Cheon cut him off and shook his head.

“Explain it when you have the time and can explain it.”

“Instead,” Baek Cheon continued.

“Huh?”

“If you’re going to lie, just don’t explain it. It’s okay,” Baek Cheon said.

Chung Myung silently stared at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon, without backing down, looked back at him and said.

“And don’t misunderstand.”

“Huh?”

“This is your business, but it’s also the business of the Great Disciple of Mount Hua. Finding the remains of our ancestors and recovering their remains is an important task that cannot be compared to anything else.”

“I am doing what I have to do as a disciple of Mount Hua. So, if you’re going to interfere, do it later. I’m busy now.”

After finishing his words, Baek Cheon passed by Chung Myung and went further ahead. Chung Myung, blankly staring at his firm back, wore a hollow smile.

“That little whelp,” Chung Myung muttered.

The Ten Thousand Great Mountains were still darkly crouching before his eyes. Chung Myung kept cutting off his gaze that kept turning towards them.

Then Baek Cheon turned around.

“Hurry up and come,” Baek Cheon said.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Chung Myung replied.

Chung Myung unknowingly clenched his fist slightly.

– Hurry up and come.

It was nothing.

But… if he could have said those simple words in the past.

If that were the case…

Chung Myung, slightly lowering his head, took a step towards Baek Cheon, who was walking ahead.