Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 728

Chung Myung held out two new books. “Here you go,” he said.

Hyun Jong took them, looking confused. “…What are these?” he asked, turning the books over in his hands.

“New manuals,” Chung Myung replied. “For Ja Ha Shin Gong and Plum Blossom Sword Art. These are easier to read.”

Hyun Jong frowned, his eyes going back and forth between Chung Myung and the books. They looked brand new. “What happened to the old manuals?” he asked slowly.

“Ah, those?” Chung Myung grinned, a wide, innocent smile. “They were really old, you know? They just… fell apart when I was practicing. But don’t worry! I knew it might happen, so I made copies first.”

“…Fell apart?” Hyun Jong repeated, his voice quiet.

“Yes,” Chung Myung nodded cheerfully.

Hyun Jong’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you saying… the original manuals? The ones from the Founder… are gone?”

“Hey, it’s just paper, right?” Chung Myung shrugged. “The important thing is what’s written inside. The Founder probably didn’t expect the books themselves to last forever.”

“‘Forever is right,’ Hyun Jong thought grimly. ‘Especially if you’re around.'” He remembered finding Chung Jin’s bones and felt a sudden chill. People really could change.

“…You copied them first?” Hyun Jong asked again, still trying to understand.

“Yep!” Chung Myung said brightly.

Chung Myung looked happy, but inside, Hyun Jong felt a growing sense of dread.

“Wait!” Hyun Jong suddenly stopped, his mind catching up. He had been so focused on the lost manuals, he missed something important. “Ja Ha Strength! What happened to Ja Ha Strength?” he asked, his voice rising in alarm.

“Huh?” Chung Myung blinked, looking innocent.

“There are only two books here! Where is the manual for Ja Ha Strength? What did you do with it?” Hyun Jong demanded.

“Ah, that one?” Chung Myung chuckled softly again. “I couldn’t save that one.”

“What?” Hyun Jong’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You… you couldn’t save it? What does that mean?”

“Um… well…” Chung Myung looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if searching for the right words. Then he smiled brightly. “After looking at it quickly, I thought it wasn’t very useful. So, I didn’t copy it. And it seems it disappeared with the old books.”

“Disappeared?” Hyun Jong repeated weakly.

“But it’s okay! Ja Ha Shin Gong is much better anyway!” Chung Myung said cheerfully.

“So you’re saying you… you threw away the legacy of our ancestors?” Hyun Jong’s face went pale, lines appearing around his eyes.

“Uh…” Chung Myung scratched his head, looking slightly less sure of himself. “Don’t you think the ancestor would understand? If he was generous?”

“Ugh!” Hyun Jong groaned, feeling a wave of dizziness.

“Sect Leader!” Hyun Young exclaimed, stepping forward.

“Are you alright, Sect Leader?” Hyun Sang asked, concerned.

Hyun Jong grabbed the back of his neck and swayed, almost falling. Chung Myung watched him, still looking unconcerned. “It was a useless martial art anyway,” he muttered. “Why is he so upset?”

“What, you little brat?!” Hyun Jong, who had almost fallen, suddenly jumped back up, like a puppet with its strings pulled. He charged at Chung Myung. Chung Myung yelped and jumped to the side, just avoiding Hyun Jong’s grasp.

“You little monster! That manual! Do you even know what it was?!” Hyun Jong shouted, his face red.

“Hey, it was something that wasn’t even real,” Chung Myung said, his face suddenly serious.

“Huh?” Hyun Jong stopped, confused.

“If something that was never really there disappears, what’s the problem?” Chung Myung continued, his voice calm. “It’s just getting attached to nothing…”

“…” Hyun Jong stared, speechless for a moment.

“The mountain is the mountain. The water is the water,” Chung Myung finished, nodding wisely.

“Enough of that nonsense!” Hyun Jong roared, kicking out at Chung Myung. Chung Myung easily dodged again.

“No, really, I’m telling you it’s not important! Why are you doing this?” Chung Myung protested.

“You little rascal! Come here! Are you going to come here or not?!” Hyun Young and Hyun Sang quickly grabbed Hyun Jong, holding him back as he struggled to reach Chung Myung. He was wriggling like a fish just pulled from the river.

“Calm down, Sect Leader,” Hyun Young said firmly.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Hyun Jong yelled.

“Why are you even trying? You can’t win,” Hyun Sang pointed out, a little amused.

“Grrr,” Hyun Jong growled, his face dark with frustration. “How am I supposed to face our ancestors in the afterlife now! Oh Buddha! Oh Heavenly Gods!” he exclaimed in despair.

Hyun Jong knew Ja Ha Shin Gong was supposed to be a special martial art, almost sacred to the Sect Leader. For a moment, a crazy thought crossed his mind: maybe he should make it Sect Leader-only again, just to spite Chung Myung. But it was too late. Chung Myung already knew it. “Ugh… I’d rather just give up,” Hyun Jong sighed.

“It’s easier if you do,” Chung Myung agreed cheerfully.

“…” *Someday,* Hyun Jong thought, clenching his fists, *someday I will get my revenge on that rascal.*

“Alright, alright, that’s enough,” Hyun Young said, sounding annoyed. “Let’s just look at these manuals.” Hyun Jong was about to argue more, but Hyun Young cut him off. “Do we just memorize these?”

“Yes,” Chung Myung said. “Start with the words. Take your time. We don’t want anyone messing it up by rushing.”

“Understood,” Hyun Young said, picking up a manual. He looked at Hyun Jong. “Stop worrying about what’s done, Sect Leader. We need to hurry. I have other things to do.”

Finally, Hyun Jong gave in, his shoulders slumping. Hyun Young was right. What could he do now? The old manuals were gone. The legacy was dust. With a sigh, he opened the Ja Ha Shin Gong manual, his eyes unfocused. *’Let go of it,’* he told himself. *’Let go of the past.’* He knew Ja Ha Shin Gong was better than Ja Ha Strength. It was much better to have Ja Ha Shin Gong and lose Ja Ha Strength, than the other way around…

Wait.

Hyun Jong frowned, reading the words in the manual. He tilted his head, reading them again. Something felt… off. He looked up sharply at Chung Myung. “…Chung Myung,” he said slowly.

“Yes?” Chung Myung replied, all innocence.

“…Maybe it’s just my imagination,” Hyun Jong said, his voice hesitant, “but these words… they seem a little different from what I remember.”

“It’s just your imagination,” Chung Myung said immediately.

“…Are you really sure?” Hyun Jong pressed, his suspicion growing.

“Hahaha!” Chung Myung laughed, a bit too loudly. “Sect Leader, you’re being funny! Do you think I would change the words? Why would I do that?!”

“…” Hyun Jong stared at him, then back at the manual.

“Hey! If I could change the words of Ja Ha Shin Gong, I’d be a Grandmaster already! A real master! How could I possibly change something like that? Haha! That’s ridiculous! I wouldn’t just be the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, I’d be the God of War of Mount Hua!” Chung Myung declared, puffing out his chest.

Hyun Jong looked from the manual to Chung Myung, his eyes narrowed. *’He sounds like he’s telling the truth…’* Ja Ha Shin Gong was the most sacred art of Mount Hua. It was the heart of their sect. Even a genius like Chung Myung shouldn’t be able to change it. Mount Hua had produced some of the greatest swordsmen in history.

*’He shouldn’t be able to… there’s no way he could…’*

*’But why do I feel so uneasy?’* Hyun Jong’s eyes darted around, his mind racing. He felt uneasy because Chung Myung was exactly the kind of person who could do the impossible. How many things had Chung Myung done that made any sense?

“It’s not, is it?” Hyun Jong asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“Of course not!” Chung Myung said firmly.

“Really, not at all?”

“Hey, have you lived your whole life being tricked?” Chung Myung asked, looking offended.

A cold feeling went down Hyun Jong’s spine. *’That rascal is definitely hiding something,’* he thought.

But Hyun Young, clearly impatient with Hyun Jong’s doubts, stepped forward, looking annoyed. “Ugh, if you’re going to be like this, just move aside!”

“…” Hyun Jong glared at him.

“I’m busy! We don’t have time for this!” Hyun Young said sharply. He turned to Chung Myung. “Let’s just start with the words then. Is that okay?”

“Yes, yes!” Chung Myung agreed quickly.

“Understood,” Hyun Sang nodded.

Watching them all agree so easily, Hyun Jong just glared. That Chung Myung… if he said he could make tea with a rock, Hyun Jong would probably start to believe it.

“But Chung Myung,” Hyun Sang said, speaking up after listening quietly. “Have you mastered Ja Ha Shin Gong?”

“Yes, I have,” Chung Myung replied.

“And? What’s it like?” Hyun Sang asked, curious.

Chung Myung thought for a moment, tapping his chin. “I don’t really know yet,” he said finally. He paused, thinking again. “You know how divine arts get stronger as you master them, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Hyun Sang nodded.

Hyun Jong added, “In the martial world, mastery is usually ranked from one to twelve stars.” He explained, “For sword skills, one star might be just knowing the moves. Twelve stars is when you’ve completely mastered it, it’s part of you.”

“Divine arts are different,” Hyun Sang continued. “They don’t do much at first. But as you get better, they become incredibly powerful.”

“Yeah, but this one is… extra,” Chung Myung said, scratching his cheek. “At one star, it’s like… a tiny stream? No, even less. A puddle? No… water in a teacup? No, even smaller. A spoonful of water…”

Hyun Sang raised an eyebrow. *How small can it get? Is that even a divine art?*

“Anyway,” Chung Myung went on, “it’s nothing at first. But it gets much, much stronger as you go up.”

“Hmm,” Hyun Sang considered this.

“If you really mastered it,” Chung Myung said, his eyes widening slightly, “you might even be able to make a purple sunset in the sky with your own power.”

Hyun Sang chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s impossible…”

“No, it could be true,” Hyun Jong said seriously, surprising Hyun Sang. “As far as we know, no one in Mount Hua’s history has ever fully mastered Ja Ha Shin Gong to twelve stars.”

“Really?” Hyun Sang turned to Hyun Jong, surprised. A martial art only for Sect Leaders, and no one had ever truly mastered it?

Hyun Jong nodded. “It’s incredibly hard. They say even the founder who created it couldn’t fully master it. Past Sect Leaders only reached about seven stars, and they were still called the best in the world.”

“Ah…” Hyun Sang was impressed.

Chung Myung, listening to Hyun Jong, glanced up at the sky again. “The best in the world…” he murmured, almost to himself.

*– What? What are you muttering, you little punk?* a voice seemed to say in his head.

*No, nothing. Just thinking,* Chung Myung thought back quickly. *Did I even say anything out loud?*

Hyun Sang nodded slowly, understanding. “So, if we can master Ja Ha Shin Gong…” he said quietly, thinking about the possibilities.

Hyun Jong knew what he meant. “That’s what could happen,” he confirmed.

“…I understand,” Hyun Sang said, his face becoming very serious. Hyun Jong straightened up too, looking at the manual with new determination. Even though Chung Myung was younger and lower in rank, this was still learning. He always told his disciples to respect learning.

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung, his face sincere. “We know things are going to be tough for Mount Hua,” he said. “Big problems are coming.”

“…” Chung Myung listened.

“And we know that just because you respect us, it won’t be easy to lead the sect in these times. So!” Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with firm eyes. “Don’t forget to teach us hard! Be strict! That’s what’s best for us! Don’t hold back!”

“Excuse me?” Chung Myung asked, looking confused. Hyun Jong repeated firmly, “Just because I’m the Sect Leader and they are elders, don’t go easy on us.”

“…” Chung Myung was silent for a moment. “If you have any doubts, forget them! Treat us like any other disciple…” Hyun Jong urged.

“Um… Sect Leader,” Chung Myung said slowly, tilting his head. “I don’t really understand what you’re saying…”

“…Huh?” Hyun Jong blinked, confused.

Chung Myung tilted his head again. “Go easy on you?” he repeated, as if the words were strange.

“…” Hyun Jong stared at him, speechless for a moment. Then, he burst out laughing. *’I forgot for a second,’* he thought, shaking his head. Of course Chung Myung wouldn’t understand “going easy.” That wasn’t how Chung Myung did things.

Hyun Jong regained his serious expression and nodded firmly. “Then, Chung Myung,” he said.

“Yes?” Chung Myung replied, still looking a little puzzled.

“…Just go a *little* easy on me,” Hyun Jong admitted quietly.

“…” Chung Myung was silent.

“I’m getting old,” Hyun Jong added, a touch of sadness in his voice. “My joints ache.” He was full of enthusiasm, but his body just couldn’t keep up.