Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 725

Chung Myung looked unhappy as he walked into the Head Abbot’s house. He started complaining right away.

“Really? Why call me so fast? I just finished!” Chung Myung stopped talking suddenly. The room felt strange. It wasn’t what he expected at all. First, Hyun Jong… Wait, is he lying down? Oh no, did he faint?

“Head Abbot!” someone shouted. “Wake up, Head Abbot!”

“Soso! Get Soso! Hurry, Soso!” Hyun Jong suddenly sat up, like he was pulled from underwater. He breathed hard, gasping for air. His face was white as a ghost, like someone who almost drowned.

“Wh-What… What is this?” Hyun Jong’s hands shook. The book in his hands shook too. “Ja… Jaha… Jaha Divine…”

*Jaha Divine Art?* Chung Myung thought. He became calm again, his face showing nothing.

Hyun Jong stared at Baek Cheon. His eyes showed disbelief, shock, even fear and anger.

“Wh-What is this? Why now? What is this thing?”

“Well,” Baek Cheon said politely, “we found it when we got our grandmaster’s things back.”

“You mean *this*?” Hyun Jong asked, holding up the book.

“Yes!” Baek Cheon nodded proudly. He felt happy and wondered if the Head Abbot would hug him. But Hyun Jong’s face was not happy at all.

“…Why… this… now?” Hyun Jong asked, sounding confused.

“Um,” Baek Cheon scratched his head. “I thought it would be okay to tell you later, after the memorial service… Aaaack!”

Suddenly, Hyun Jong jumped over the small table like lightning. He kicked Baek Cheon hard in the chest with both feet!

Baek Cheon fell back, surprised. Everyone’s eyes went wide.

*What did I just see?* someone thought.

*Did the Head Abbot just kick his student?* *No, not just a kick… a flying kick!*

Hyun Jong got up from the floor and yelled, “You idiot! How could you wait to tell me about this? Don’t you know what this is? What this *thing* is?”

“Head Abbot!”

“Aaaargh! Soso! Hurry, Soso!” Chung Myung watched the chaos, then smiled.

*What a mess,* he thought. *Chung Jin, don’t look.*

“…So,” Hyun Jong said.

“…Yes,” Baek Cheon replied. Hyun Jong glared at Baek Cheon, who looked sad and kept his head down.

“You thought it was okay to tell me later?”

“Yes.” Hyun Jong’s hand, with veins showing, squeezed the ink stone on the desk.

“Head Abbot! Please calm down!” someone said.

“It’s Baek Cheon! Not Chung Myung!” Hyun Jong shouted. “If Chung Myung did this, I wouldn’t care! But it’s *him*! How can my best student not know how important this is? You! This! Huh? How important is this thing!”

“Please, Head Abbot, calm down,” Hyun Sang said seriously. “How would he know? He’s still young.”

Baek Cheon stared at Hyun Sang, confused. *Wait…* He remembered.

*Elder, we found something. Should we tell the Head Abbot now?* *Not now. Later, after the service.* …Elder?

Hyun Sang looked at Baek Cheon. His eyes seemed to say, *If you say anything wrong, you will be punished badly.* Baek Cheon closed his eyes sadly. Tears almost came.

*I can’t trust anyone… No one believes me.*

Un-gum, who had been quiet, changed the subject gently. “Head Abbot, is this book really that important?”

“Huh? Oh… This book…” Baek Cheon looked at Un-gum, feeling thankful.

*Grand Uncle!* He felt like Un-gum understood him, after being hurt by his grandmaster.

Hyun Jong carefully turned the pages of the book. He touched them gently, like they might break. He closed the book, closed his eyes, and said in a shaky voice, “This book is…”

“Yes?” someone asked.

“…the Jaha Divine Art.”

The room became very quiet. Un-gum’s face became even more serious. He asked Hyun Jong, “Head Abbot.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“What is… the Jaha Divine Art?”

“Huh?” Hyun Jong looked at Un-gum, a little embarrassed. “You don’t know?”

“No. I don’t know anything about it.”

“You don’t know?”

“…You never told me?” Hyun Jong looked confused. “Did I… not tell you?” He quickly glanced at Baek Cheon, looking a little sorry. But then he looked away again, even faster.

Baek Cheon felt it was unfair. Yoon Jong patted his shoulder gently.

“…That’s just how he is, Grand Uncle.” Hyun Jong cleared his throat to change the mood. “The Jaha Divine Art is the best qi art of Mount Hua.”

“…Wait,” Yoon Jong said, “I remember something. Isn’t it called Jaha Strong Qi, Head Abbot?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Huh?” Hyun Jong stared at the book Yoon Jong took from his pocket. His eyes opened wide and became red. “Wh-Where did you get *this*?”

“Um… I think the grandmaster had it. We got it back from that fake person. It says ‘Jaha Strong Qi’.”

“And the Plum Blossom Sword Art is on the back, right?”

“Yes. It looks like one book, but it’s two. One is Jaha Strong Qi, and the other is Plum Blossom Sword Art.”

Everyone in the room was shocked again. Hyun Jong, still confused, looked at the book and then at the swords on the floor.

“…So…” He gave up trying to understand and covered his face. “What are they doing?

They went to catch a fake and found the Jaha Divine Art? It’s not like finding a rock on the road! And they found something like this, but they are acting like it’s nothing! These idiots!”

“…Head Abbot,” someone said, “you’re saying your thoughts out loud.”

“Huh? D-Did you hear me?”

“Yes… Up to ‘These idiots!'” Hyun Jong coughed, his face turning red.

“So… this is…”

“Ugh! I’m so annoyed!” Hyun Young, who had been quiet, got angry. He grabbed the Jaha Divine Art from Hyun Jong.

“This is the Jaha Divine Art! That one is the Jaha Strong Qi!”

“…Are they different?”

“Of course! They are very different! Jaha Strong Qi is the best qi art in Mount Hua. It’s stronger than the Seven Star Qi Art or the Plum Blossom Art.”

“Then what about the Jaha Divine Art?”

“The Jaha Divine Art is even more powerful. It’s the best, most special art in Mount Hua. Only the Head Abbot can learn it.”

“Oh…”

“Wow…” The Mount Hua disciples looked at the Jaha Divine Art in Hyun Young’s hand with amazed eyes. They knew it was great, but they didn’t know it was *that* special, only for the Head Abbot.

“But why is it there…?”

“Exactly!” Why would someone who is not the Head Abbot have an art only the Head Abbot can learn? The thirteenth Head Abbot of Mount Hua was the Great Hyun Sword Chung Moon Jin-in…

“Give it to me.” Hyun Young gave the book back to Hyun Jong. Hyun Jong took it, sighed deeply, and put it carefully on the small table.

“…Heh,” he chuckled, still confused. He asked Baek Cheon, “You said the grandmaster hid in a deep cave?”

“Yes, Head Abbot.”

“…Yes, I see,” Hyun Jong nodded slowly, understanding now. *Finally…* Tears came to Hyun Jong’s eyes as he looked at the Jaha Divine Art. This Jaha Divine Art was like the symbol of being the Head Abbot of Mount Hua. He became Head Abbot because the previous leaders wanted him to, but he and the last Head Abbot always felt like they were not complete because they didn’t know the Jaha Divine Art. But now, the Jaha Divine Art, which was like something missing his whole life, was back in Mount Hua.

“The grandmaster’s kindness is… huge,” Hyun Jong whispered, with tears in his voice. He gently touched the cover of the Jaha Divine Art, which was old and falling apart. Then he said, “Mugakju.”

“Yes, Head Abbot,” Hyun Sang said quickly, looking serious. “Get the book ready. Check if it’s real and if anything is wrong with it. If parts are broken, see if we can fix them.”

“Yes!”

“This is very important. Do your best.”

“Yes, Head Abbot! But…” Hyun Sang hesitated. “Head Abbot, I can check the Jaha Strong Qi and the Plum Blossom Sword Art. It might take time to understand them, since I’ve never seen them before. But I can compare them to our Mount Hua arts.”

“Hmm, but?”

“But… I can’t check the Jaha Divine Art by myself.”

“Hmm? Why not?”

“The rules of Mount Hua say only the Head Abbot can learn the Jaha Divine Art. Even reading it is not allowed for anyone else. Looking at the book and trying to understand it is like learning it.”

“Huh? Really? Then what about that guy?” Everyone looked at Chung Myung, who suddenly spoke.

Chung Myung smiled awkwardly and waved. “Hehe… Don’t worry about me. It’s not like it’s new, right?”

“…” It was true, it wasn’t new. But Chung Myung usually didn’t say things like that about himself.

“Ahem. Okay, so what now?” someone asked.

“Even if you let me read the Jaha Divine Art,” Hyun Sang said, “it’s still wrong. I can’t check an art that the Head Abbot hasn’t learned yet. Only the Jaha Divine Art… I think you have to check it yourself.”

“…Me?” Hyun Jong asked.

“Yes, Head Abbot!” Hyun Sang said, sounding excited. “It’s an art only for the Head Abbot. Of course, you should learn it yourself!”

Everyone in the room looked at Hyun Jong. Their eyes were shining. You could see what they were thinking. Hyun Jong felt nervous. Sweat started on his back.

*The best art in Mount Hua.* *The strongest qi art, only for the Head Abbot!* *How much stronger will the Head Abbot get?* *Will he beat Chung Myung now?* *Please! Please!*

Hyun Jong felt like he wanted to run away from all those eyes. He asked Hyun Sang again, looking unhappy. “Me?”

“Yes, Head Abbot.”

“Now? At my age?”

“…Is age a problem?” Hyun Jong lowered his head. It was the same book, but now he felt different.

*You want me to learn this?* The best art in Mount Hua? At my age?

Hyun Jong slowly looked up. He saw their hopeful eyes. He smiled, without even thinking about it. *This is too much for an old man.*