Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 729

A dry, cracking sound echoed through the White Plum Hall. Soon after, a small piece of thumbnail was torn away.

The one gnawing at his nails didn’t seem to realize what he was doing.

“Um… Martial Uncle,” Yoon Jong said softly.

“Huh?” Baek Cheon mumbled, not looking up.

“…You’ll make yourself bleed,” Yoon Jong added, a little louder.

*Crack.* Another piece of nail broke off.

Yoon Jong’s words finally broke through Baek Cheon’s worry. Baek Cheon looked up, his eyes bloodshot.

“Whoa!” Yoon Jong stepped back, surprised. “Jeez, Martial Uncle!”

Baek Cheon’s face was terrible. His skin was rough and dry, like old paper. Dark shadows stretched from under his eyes, almost reaching his chin. He looked half-dead, and his hands were shaking.

“No, did you eat something wrong? Why do you look like that…?”

“Yoon Jong-ah…”

“Yes?”

“…Will it be alright?”

Baek Cheon seemed to become even more anxious just by uttering those words, and his face turned even paler, as if he had encountered a ghost. Seeing even his lips trembling, Yoon Jong himself began to feel uneasy.

Then Baek Cheon asked again.

“Will it really be alright?”

The question was not complete, but Yoon Jong knew what he meant.

“You worry too much. No matter what, surely… he wouldn’t treat them the way he treats us, would he? Cheong Myeong, that rascal, has a head on his shoulders.”

“He has a head.”

Baek Cheon bit his nail again.

“…It’s just that there’s nothing inside it.”

Uh… that’s a bit hard to argue with.

Baek Cheon muttered powerlessly, like someone who was half out of his mind.

“…Well, we’re… yeah, we’re already done for.”

“Wait, Martial Uncle. You can’t just give up like that.”

“But the Sect Leader… the Elders are experiencing that Cheong Myeong rascal for the first time this time.”

Baek Cheon clutched his head with trembling hands. His hair, which was always neatly combed without a single messy strand, was now disheveled.

“No matter how I think about it, I can’t picture a good outcome. Shouldn’t we stop it? Now? Even if it’s late?”

“No… still, surely…”

Yoon Jong tried to soothe Baek Cheon, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to finish his sentence cleanly. He was starting to feel uneasy himself.

“…Still, that rascal has respect for his superiors… No, doesn’t he? No, he does… Doesn’t he?”

Yoon Jong’s face gradually became stained with confusion.

It’s confusing. Sometimes he respects them, sometimes he doesn’t.

“You’re anxious, aren’t you?”

“…Yes.”

The more he thought about it, the more his stomach twisted and ached.

As the two men’s faces gradually became stained with anxiety, Jo Gul, who had been resting beside them, chuckled, leaning back against the wall, completely relaxed.

“Honestly, you two worry too much. So much worry.”

“Huh?”

“When it comes to training, it’s not like you can just make it as harsh as you want. If it were swordsmanship or light footwork, you could push them to the brink of death, but how can you push someone while they’re learning a divine art? The energy is ultimately something they control themselves.”

“…”

“…”

The two men’s faces went blank at Jo Gul’s nonchalant words. Jo Gul paused for a moment and tilted his head.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No…”

Baek Cheon hesitated, so Yoon Jong spoke for him.

“I was just thinking that sometimes, correct words come out of your mouth.”

“No, these guys…”

Whether Jo Gul got angry or not, Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong looked at each other and nodded.

“That makes sense.”

“That’s right… It’s definitely true. No matter how much of a rascal Cheong Myeong is, he wouldn’t be able to grind someone who is training in divine arts.”

Only now did they feel a little relieved.

However, there seemed to be someone who thought differently from them.

“Would he?”

Everyone’s gaze was focused on one place.

Yoo Iseol, who had been sitting silently, muttered with a sulky face.

“Really?”

“…”

It was a skill, if it could be called that, to make people so uneasy with just two syllables.

“Your thoughts are different, Elder?”

“He’s a guy who will torment them no matter what.”

“…That’s also true.”

It was a moment where one could clearly see how the disciples of Hwasan thought of Cheong Myeong.

“…Shall we sneak a peek?”

“He told the general disciples never to approach. If you go and get caught, Martial Uncle Un Am will be furious.”

“…Yeah, we shouldn’t do that.”

Baek Cheon shuddered slightly.

He could get away with a bit of playful banter with Un Geom, whom he faced every day, even if he scolded him. But Un Am was still a difficult person for Baek Cheon. He was more familiar with the Hyeonja generation than with Unam.

‘There must always be someone like that in the sect.’

It’s not always a good thing for everyone to get along like family. At some point, there must be someone who maintains the discipline of the sect and gives harsh advice. In the Un generation, Un Am plays that role, and in the Baek generation, Baek Sang is that person.

“Ugh. I’m burning inside, but I can’t check.”

“Since we don’t hear any screams, can’t we be a little relieved?”

“…That’s true, but…”

Baek Cheon was about to let out a sigh.

The door to the White Plum Hall burst open, and Baek Sang hurriedly poked his head inside.

“Martial Brother! The Sect Leader and the Elders are coming down!”

“What?”

Baek Cheon jumped up from his seat and charged towards the door.

“Get out of the way!”

“Ack!”

He even kicked Baek Sang, who was half-blocking the door, out of the way and ran out without looking back. The other Five Swords quickly followed behind him.

“Where? Where are they?”

“That way!”

Baek Cheon’s gaze snapped to where Yoon Jong was pointing. Sure enough, several people could be clearly seen trudging along the path leading to the back of Hwasan.

“They look fine?”

“You should say ‘They look fine, sir,’ you impudent brat!”

Yoon Jong reflexively grabbed Jo Gul’s neck and strangled him.

“Gack! Cough! I’m, I’m sorry!”

Baek Cheon sweated as he watched Yoon Jong shake Jo Gul’s neck.

‘When you look at it, that bastard always seems to be ready to beat up Jo Gul.’

But this was clearly not Yoon Jong’s fault. It was the fault of Jo Gul, who made Yoon Jong like that, and the fault of Cheong Myeong, who made Jo Gul like that.

“L, let’s go for now.”

“Yes!”

The Five Swords, led by Baek Cheon, rushed towards the direction the Sect Leader was coming from. Judging by the fact that they weren’t limping or staggering, it seemed that the incident they had feared hadn’t happened.

‘Still, Cheong Myeong is human too.’

‘If he has any conscience, he wouldn’t do that to the Sect Leader.’

‘He’s like a demon, but he wasn’t a real demon!’

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. But that was then.

He was confused. “Huh?”

Another elder sounded surprised. “Eh?”

“Th-that…” the third elder started to speak, unsure what to say.

The steps that had been approaching the Sect Leader and the elders gradually slowed.

“…S-Sect Leader?”

Baek Cheon, looking flustered, called out to Hyun Jong. Hyun Jong slightly raised his head and met his gaze.

Twitch.

Baek Cheon, startled, stammered like someone who had lost his words. *Something is terribly wrong,* Baek Cheon thought, his heart pounding in his chest.

“N-no… Why… Why have you become so gaunt…? Th-that…”

Hyun Jong’s face was shocking. His skin was stretched tight over his bones, like old leather. His eyes were sunken and dark, with deep shadows around them. He looked like he had not slept or eaten in days.

Baek Cheon did not look good either. But Hyun Jong looked much worse. It was like Baek Cheon had just woken up from a good sleep. He looked like he had washed his face with rice water to make it fresh. Hyun Jong did not look like that at all.

‘He’s all skin and bones?’

‘What on earth has this madman been doing?’

‘Scary.’

Not only Hyun Jong but Hyun Young and Hyun Sang’s faces were the same. Had they practically turned into mummies overnight?

“S-Sect Leader. What on earth happened…?”

Hyun Jong spoke in a very weak, fading voice.

“It’s nothing… really.”

No, it looks like a very big deal, actually?

“Aah. Feeling refreshed.”

At that moment, Baek Cheon’s gaze snapped towards the voice that suddenly rang out.

From the back, that rascal Chung Myung was walking over with a face like a cat that had just woken up from a good sleep.

“You little punk!”

In an instant, Baek Cheon, his eyes wide with shock, charged forward and grabbed his collar. Or, rather, tried to.

The air rushed past Baek Cheon’s ears as he flew backwards. He landed on the hard floor with a *thump* that knocked the wind out of him.

“Huh, jeez. What’s up.”

Chung Myung glanced back and forth between his outstretched fist and Baek Cheon, clicking his tongue.

“Aah, I’ve told you so many times not to do that. My fist flies out reflexively, you know?”

“Krrr… That bastard…”

Baek Cheon, lifting his head sharply, glared with eyes full of resentment.

Baek Cheon’s voice was shaking with rage. “You crazy bastard! What have you done to the Sect Leader? Have you no respect for anyone older than you?”

Chung Myung shrugged. “Ah, this? It’s just…”

“Just?” Baek Cheon yelled, stepping closer. “Just what? You think you can do anything you want? There are rules here! Manners! You act like a wild animal!”

“Well,” Chung Myung said, scratching his head, “I was just trying to help…”

“Help? By making the Sect Leader look like he’s about to die? You deserve to be punished! I swear, I will…” Baek Cheon’s voice trailed off as he struggled to find words for his anger.

“Ugh, seriously!”

Thwack!

The shoe Chung Myung flung flew and embedded itself in Baek Cheon’s face. Only then did Baek Cheon fall silently to the side.

Plop.

“…He’s really enjoying this, really enjoying it. Tsk tsk.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he looked at him collapsed on the ground. He seemed somewhat normal before. How is it that he’s getting worse and worse?

At that moment, Yoo Iseol quickly approached Hyun Jong. Yoon Jong, suddenly coming to his senses, shouted.

“Sect Leader, are you alright? You guys go and support him quickly!”

“Yes!”

Yoo Iseol, Tang Soso, and Jo Gul quickly supported the Sect Leader and the elders. Yoon Jong, his face pale, asked Chung Myung.

“Weren’t we supposed to be learning the Violet Cloud Divine Art today?”

“That’s right.”

“Th-then why is it like this? Could it be demonic influence…?”

“Demonic influence, my foot. You need to learn something to be affected by that. If you suffer from Qi Deviation in a single day, it would be a historical event.”

“Th-then why?”

“Aah.”

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s nothing much. It’s just that when they were first trying to circulate the energy, they couldn’t seem to get the hang of it.”

“Couldn’t get the hang of it?”

“I was thinking of taking the time to do it slowly… but that seemed like a waste. So, I just forced the energy into their bodies and made it circulate?”

“…Forced the energy into someone else’s body and forcibly circulated it?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh… Is that a problem? He’s a True Qi Master. That’s happened before…”

“No, it’s not.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung smiled brightly.

“True Qi Masters normally send energy to where it flows. This is forcibly twisting it to places it doesn’t normally go.”

Twisting it?

“Piercing through the meridians?”

Piercing?

“Scraping, breaking, crushing, and tearing!”

Cold sweat poured down Jo Gul’s back, making his clothes stick to his skin like ice as he listened while supporting the elder.

“S-so, what happens then?”

“Hmm. Uh… Well, there aren’t any major problems. Anyway, they succeeded in grasping the first flow. Now, things will only get better.”

Yoon Jong tilted his head.

“But why is the Sect Leader’s condition like this…?”

“It’s nothing much, and it’s a good thing in the end, but when you change the flow from where you’ve been circulating energy your whole life to a different place… um, so it’s a little painful.”

“…How much?”

“Hmm. How should I describe it?”

Chung Myung, after pondering for a moment, smiled brightly as if he had thought of something.

“Imagine tiny, hot knives cutting paths inside you, from your head to your toes. They twist and turn, burning as they go.”

“Hiiiiek.”

Yoon Jong, his face pale, staggered backward. Sweat poured down his bloodless face like rain.

“Y-you crazy bastard, how can a person endure that with a clear mind!”

“Endure, endure. They can all do it. Look over there. They endured it wonderfully.”

That? His soul… No, his spirit has vanished, you crazy bastard!

“Are you alright, Elder?”

Yoon Jong approached and examined the Sect Leader’s condition. Then, a faint light returned to Hyun Jong’s eyes, which had lost their focus.

“Yoon Jong-ah…”

“Yes, Sect Leader! It’s me! It’s Yoon Jong! Are you coming to your senses?”

“…Expel him from the sect.”

“Yes?”

“…Expel that bastard by removing his name from the registry.”

“…”

“…Rotten.”

Hyun Jong’s body finally collapsed to the side with a thud.

“Aaaargh! Sect Leeeeader!”

“Elder! Elder, regain your senses!”

“You crazy bastard, how can someone faint while learning internal energy!”

“To the medical hall! Carry him to the medical hall, quickly!”

Chung Myung, watching the chaotic surroundings with a blank expression, clicked his tongue.

“Tsk tsk. So weak.”

Well, still, they’ll soon become not weak, so it’s alright.

Chung Myung stretched languidly.

But at this moment, even he did not know.

What kind of typhoon this deed he had committed would bring to Mount Hua.