Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 726

“Let’s… let’s think about this again,” Hyun Jong said, sighing and rubbing his forehead. He looked really tired.

“Think again? About what?” Chung Myung asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hyun Jong was not his usual calm self. He looked annoyed as he stared at Chung Myung. His hands clenched under the table.

‘How did I end up like this…?’ he wondered.

But Hyun Jong was not easily discouraged. He carried the heavy responsibility of keeping Mount Hua alive. He understood the real situation very well. He knew that persuading this one troublesome disciple was faster than convincing a hundred others.

So, even if it seemed impossible, he had no choice but to keep going.

“No. What I mean is… that…” He cleared his throat to calm himself. Then, he put on a kind smile.

“Originally…”

“Huh?”

“The purpose of rules is to make people comfortable. But if they cause trouble, shouldn’t we change the rules instead of the people?”

“……”

“Even the wise person who made the rule would understand if they saw Mount Hua today. So, I think we don’t need to follow old rules without thinking.”

It was a very good argument.

However, Chung Myung, who was usually all about fighting, was also very good at talking today.

“That is a wise saying, Sect Leader.”

“I-is that so?” A happy look crossed Hyun Jong’s face.

“But.” Chung Myung smiled gently, but his eyes twinkled with mischief.

“We must believe in the words of the wise because people cannot know everything. Wasn’t that what the Sect Leader told his disciples?”

“W-well, yes.”

“What I think is right now might change as things change and I learn more. So, the rules made by the wise people who lived before us can guide us through life. Wasn’t that also what the Sect Leader said?”

“……Indeed.” He spoke very well.

‘Oh, my disciple. Your memory is so good, too good.’ Unnecessarily…

“Therefore!” Chung Myung said strongly, his eyes shining.

“It is not right to change the rules set by the wise people. I think the Sect Leader should learn this Violet Dawn Divine Art!”

“I agree!”

Hyun Jong watched the Five Swords copy Chung Myung and bow. He now understood why the Sect Leader needed to learn the Violet Dawn Divine Art.

‘Isn’t it supposed to make you stronger so you can beat them up when they act like this? Exactly for times like these?’ Hyun Jong tried to control his breathing, which was getting faster and faster.

It was impossible to reason with these young people. At times like these, he had to ask the older, powerful, and wise elders for help.

“What do the elders think?”

Hyun Young chuckled and scratched his head. “Learn it? Sure, why not? Sounds like fun to me!” he said, not really thinking about the trouble.

“……”

‘That guy is just talking nonsense because it’s not his problem.’ Hyun Jong looked down at the manual on the tea table, looking unsure.

Violet Dawn Divine Art.

How many times had he imagined these great words? But now that he was actually looking at the Violet Dawn Divine Art, it wasn’t what he had expected. Hyun Jong paused and carefully turned the pages of the manual again.

‘Damn it.’

The paper was yellowish, and the letters were dark. Hyun Jong had practiced martial arts for many years, but he couldn’t understand what it was saying.

He quietly closed the book and smiled slightly.

‘No.’

‘This won’t work.’

The Sect Leaders of Mount Hua must have easily learned the Violet Dawn Divine Art. They were all top disciples, among the best in the world at martial arts.

But Hyun Jong was…

“Heh heh… Hehehe…”

‘No way, this is impossible.’

Of course, Hyun Jong didn’t think his martial arts were bad. Hadn’t he faced the leader of the Myriad Man House and lived, even though he couldn’t win?

Even though he couldn’t learn the Ascending Art because Mount Hua had lost so many martial arts, he had gathered what was left and practiced hard.

But the words he quickly looked at were so difficult. He couldn’t even start to understand them with his skills.

How could he possibly learn that?

“Do you all feel the same way?”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

“We do, Sect Leader!”

‘…You guys understand me so well.’

“Ahem.” Hyun Jong cleared his throat and looked at Chung Myung with a serious look.

Looking at Chung Myung’s beaming face, he really wanted to flick his forehead. But only after gathering all his strength.

“Disciples, listen.”

“I think we’ve already heard a lot, what more is there to…”

“Just listen, you rascal!”

“…Yes.”

Hyun Jong ignored Chung Myung’s grumbling and said seriously, “There must have been a good reason why only the Sect Leader of Mount Hua could learn the Violet Dawn Divine Art. I know this.”

Hyun Jong looked kindly at everyone.

“It is our duty to continue the name of Mount Hua and follow the will of the wise people. But we must think about whether the rules are their only will. Would the wise people have valued the rules of Mount Hua more? Or the revival of Mount Hua?”

“The law…”

Whoosh!

Yoon Jong was about to answer, ‘The law,’ but stopped when he saw Hyun Jong’s sharp gaze.

“…Revival, not the law, I think.” Hyun Jong quickly added, with a warm and bright smile. The sharp look in his eyes was gone.

“Is that so? I agree.”

“……”

Yoon Jong’s back was wet with sweat.

“Therefore, as the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, I will change one tradition passed down from our ancestors.”

Hyun Jong carefully pushed the Violet Dawn Divine Art forward.

“I remove the Violet Dawn Divine Art from the exclusive martial arts of the Sect Leader. Any disciple of Mount Hua who wants to learn it may do so.”

“Sect Leader!” Hyun Sang said in surprise.

But Hyun Jong ignored the outcry and announced, “This is my decision for the sake of Mount Hua, and I will not accept any objections.”

“W-wait a moment, Sect Leader.” Hyun Sang stopped him, looking surprised.

“Does your statement that all disciples may learn it mean that you will make the Violet Dawn Divine Art the basic martial art of Mount Hua?”

“…Of course not.” Hyun Jong shook his head and explained.

“Like any great martial art, the stronger it is, the more dangerous it is. It will only be given to those who prove their skills and deserve it. And this will be decided carefully by the Sect Leader, the elders, and the head disciple.”

“Ah…”

Anyone can learn this, if they are worthy. I believe this will make Mount Hua stronger than ever! Hyun Jong spoke these words with complete confidence.

But even as Hyun Jong spoke with a strong voice, his eyes nervously flicked towards Cheong Myeong and the disciples behind him. He expected Cheong Myeong to explode with objections any second. Instead, surprisingly, Cheong Myeong just nodded.

“Okay… if that’s what you decide, Sect Leader, we will do it,” Cheong Myeong said calmly.

*Huh?* Hyun Jong thought. *What’s wrong with him? I thought he would shout and say ‘No way!’*

Cheong Myeong was usually the kind of person who would argue day is night, just to argue. *Could it really be this simple?*

“*However*,” Cheong Myeong said, a grin spreading across his face.

*…Of course not.* Hyun Jong thought.

“Teaching martial arts to everyone and you, the Sect Leader, learning them yourself are different things, right?”

“…What?” Hyun Jong asked, confused.

“You have to learn it too. You are the Sect Leader of Mount Hua! Shouldn’t you be strong enough to fight some elders from other groups?”

Hyun Jong tilted his head. “Elders from other groups?”

“Yes!” Cheong Myeong said.

“Me? Fight them?” Hyun Jong asked again.

“Yes, you!”

Hyun Jong quickly looked at the other disciples. They were all nodding, as if they knew exactly what Cheong Myeong was going to say.

“Yes, that’s right!” one disciple said. “It’s only normal.”

“You’re the Sect Leader,” another added. “You should be able to beat a Wudang elder, right?”

“A Wudang elder?” Hyun Jong repeated, his voice a little shaky.

“It’s not hard!” another disciple chimed in. “Even Cheong Myeong can do it!”

“If you try, you can do anything!”

Hyun Jong’s eyes widened in alarm.

*Oh no, you little devils…* he thought.

Hyun Jong had always told them not to be scared of other groups, to be brave and confident.

But being brave was different from not knowing what was possible and what was not.

Because they were used to training hard until they succeeded, they seemed to have forgotten the word ‘impossible’ even existed.

“Th-This is…”

Hyun Jong looked very nervous, and even hiccuped a little. He swallowed hard.

“I… I understand what you are saying, but…”

He stammered, then closed his eyes tightly.

*Forget about looking good,* he thought. *I need to survive this first.*

“To be honest,” Hyun Jong said, “it’s not easy for an old man like me to learn new fighting skills.”

“But you’re in great shape!” one disciple said.

“You’re too healthy!” another agreed.

“Come on, Sect Leader,” a third said. “People would think you’re middle-aged if they saw you outside. And your hair is so black!”

*Oh no…* Hyun Jong thought. *This isn’t working.*

Hyun Jong’s face turned bright red.

“You kids!” Hyun Jong burst out. “Try being my age! Does it make any sense to learn new fighting skills now? I forget things as soon as I see them! How am I supposed to learn this?!”

“Ah, don’t worry about that,” Cheong Myeong said calmly.

“What?” Hyun Jong asked.

Cheong Myeong grinned, picked up the Violet Cloud Divine Art manual from the table, and quickly flipped through it. He nodded. “Hmm,” he said.

“You can definitely learn this much,” Cheong Myeong said. “I’ll help you.”

Hyun Jong stared at Cheong Myeong, completely surprised.

“You will?” Hyun Jong asked again.

“Yes, Sect Leader,” Cheong Myeong replied.

“Help *me*?”

“Yes!”

Cheong Myeong grinned as Hyun Jong just stared, unable to speak.

“If you just remember the important parts,” Cheong Myeong said, “I can help you practice. I’m a better teacher than you think.”

“……” Hyun Jong was still silent.

“Ah, it’s okay, it’s okay. You’re welcome! You don’t need to thank me so much. Heh heh. It’s normal for a disciple to help his Sect Leader.”

Now, Hyun Jong started to doubt his own mind.

*Is my understanding of the world wrong? Is it normal for a student to teach his master?*

*If Confucius heard this, he would jump out of his grave and try to strangle me with his grave clothes!*

“Th-This is a bit weird, right?” Hyun Jong asked.

“What is?” Cheong Myeong asked back, looking innocent.

“No, it’s just…” Hyun Jong trailed off.

“Don’t worry, Sect Leader,” Un-geom said gently.

Un-geom smiled kindly and spoke. “I have been learning the Left Sword from Cheong Myeong, and he is a very good teacher. He understands the important ideas and knows exactly what I need to learn. He will definitely help you a lot.”

“You always taught me that it’s okay to learn from a student if you need to,” Un-geom continued. “No one will think it’s strange.”

Hyun Jong watched Un-geom speak calmly, remembering his own words perfectly. He smiled, but inside he was suspicious.

*Is that kid trying to trick me?*

*Seriously….*

Then, Cheong Myeong spoke again, his voice serious now. “Actually, Sect Leader, you don’t really *need* to learn this. To be honest, we don’t follow you just because you are strong.”

The disciples of Mount Hua all nodded together.

Even if Hyun Jong became the weakest person in Mount Hua, none of them would ever disobey him.

*No,* Hyun Jong thought darkly. *They would probably make my life even harder if I became weak…*

“But, Sect Leader,” Cheong Myeong continued, “you never know what will happen. It’s always good to be stronger than you are.”

Hyun Jong looked closely at Cheong Myeong, who was now smiling brightly. He still couldn’t understand what Cheong Myeong was really thinking.

But Cheong Myeong’s words made sense. So, finally…

“Ugh, fine,” Hyun Jong sighed. He raised his hands in defeat. “I’ll learn it!”

“Good choice!” Cheong Myeong said, chuckling softly.

Hyun Jong shook his head, feeling like something terrible was about to happen. He never thought he would have to learn new fighting skills at his age. He was already too busy!

Hyun Jong gritted his teeth and turned to the elders. “Hyun Sang, Hyun Young!”

“Yes?” they replied, startled.

“You two are learning it too!” Hyun Jong declared.

“…Us?” Hyun Sang stammered, trying to find an excuse. “But Sect Leader, I need to check if the new manuals are real…”

“I’m too busy with the Treasury work…” Hyun Young added quickly.

“Enough!” Hyun Jong interrupted. “Stop talking nonsense and get ready to learn. You need to be worthy elders of Mount Hua!”

“……” The elders were silent.

“Did you understand?” Hyun Jong asked sternly.

“……Yes,” they mumbled.

Hyun Jong was the Sect Leader of Mount Hua! He would not suffer alone.