Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 73

“So much work,” Chung Myung grumbled.

Chung Myung climbed the mountain, looking displeased.

“We’ll never finish at this rate,” he sighed.

He had never trained disciples in his past life.

Even his Sa-hyung, Chung Mun, who always tried to get Chung Myung to do things, couldn’t bring himself to ask him to train disciples.

Chung Mun Sa-hyung said this to the Sajae, who were worried about Chung Myung’s swordsmanship not being passed down:

– I worry too. But I can’t ask him to train students. It’s too much to ask of anyone. What did those children do to deserve *him* as a teacher? If you are good people, don’t even think of it.

After that, the Sajae never asked Chung Myung to take on disciples again.

‘Thinking about it, it’s annoying. These bastards?’

What’s wrong with me! I’m raising them so well!

Of course, it takes a lot of work.

Raising Chung Myung’s three disciples was like a fully grown adult teaching a child to walk.

It’s like teaching a baby to walk. But babies learn on their own after a while. These disciples? They need to be shown every step, again and again.

“Ugh. I’d rather die than suffer like this.”

Because of this, it took longer than expected, which meant less time to train. Now, he almost had to give up sleep to make time for training.

Chung Myung sighed and looked up at the sky.

“Jang Mun Sa-hyung. Do I really have to go this far? It’s easier for me to just do everything myself.”

– Then do that.

“Aish, really!”

Chung Myung sighed again.

He knew that restoring Mount Hua’s glory was impossible with his strength alone.

Making Mount Hua’s name known? He could do that alone. But Chung Myung can’t live forever, can he? He doesn’t need a glory that will disappear when he dies.

What Chung Myung needed to create was the spirit of Mount Hua that would continue even after he was gone.

Glory is beautiful like flower petals but fades quickly, while spirit is like roots, unseen but keeping the tree alive.

“I know, but….”

How could that be as easy as it sounds?

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

As he thought about these things and climbed, he arrived at Nagan Peak. He quickly looked around.

‘That woman won’t come, will she?’

It was early in the morning, a time when everyone was asleep. No matter how much she loved training, she wouldn’t leave the sect to train at this hour.

Of course, he had met her later that day, but that was because she was returning to Mount Hua.

“She’s not here, right?”

After checking carefully, Chung Myung raised the wooden sword at his waist.

As he quietly raised his sword and took his stance, his eyes changed. The playful look he had when teaching the children disappeared, replaced by the eyes of a swordsman who had fought in many battles.

‘Should I just go back to how I was before?’

No. That alone won’t do.

Chung Myung destroyed everything he had built. He rejected the inner strength he had developed in his past life and filled that place with new inner strength.

To go further.

But that alone wasn’t enough. He changed his inner strength, but he couldn’t change his sword. If the sword didn’t change, his sword would only become stronger and fiercer.

A little stronger, a little faster. That way, nothing changes.

‘Did I defeat the Heavenly Demon?’

No.

If the Heavenly Demon hadn’t used up his energy at the end of the combined attack, Chung Myung would never have been able to beat him.

People said he was the best swordsman of Mount Hua, the best swordsman in the world, but Chung Myung was a loser who couldn’t defeat even one Heavenly Demon alone.

‘If I could have defeated the Heavenly Demon alone?’

Then no one would have died.

Jang Mun Sa-hyung, the Sajae, would all have returned safely and protected Mount Hua. Jang Mun Sa-hyung would have chased after Chung Myung, and the Sajae would have secretly told on him – a peaceful daily life would have continued.

Everyone dying at Daesan and Mount Hua’s downfall wouldn’t have happened if Chung Myung had been stronger.

Regret?

It’s not that. He doesn’t like to cling to the past and cry. The problem is the future.

‘Where is the guarantee that someone like the Heavenly Demon won’t appear again?’

Perhaps someone even more terrible than the Heavenly Demon will target Kangho again.

To protect Mount Hua from all those dangers, he must become stronger. More than anyone in the world, more than the Chung Myung of the past, and even more than that Heavenly Demon!

To do that….

Chung Myung’s sword had almost reached perfection in the past. But he still couldn’t defeat the Heavenly Demon.

‘Why?’

Because he didn’t improve his sword further?

No.

“A tiger can sharpen its claws all it wants, but it can’t catch a bird in the sky.”

Because he couldn’t overcome his limits.

The Heavenly Demon’s martial arts destroyed everything he believed to be right. It was as if he was mocking Chung Myung, who thought he could reach the end by simply following the path created by the immortals.

Like someone on the ground looking at a bird in the sky, he could only look at that place he could never reach.

If he wants to surpass the Heavenly Demon, he must first surpass his past self and fly into the sky.

But how?

Chung Myung’s eyes sank.

‘Let go.’

But not really let go.

To fill something new, you must empty the old. But I already emptied everything when I was reborn. So what do I fill myself with now?

Just Mount Hua’s ways? Or my own? Or something completely new?

“Anything will do.”

Chung Myung’s sword slowly began to move.

Protect Mount Hua’s things? Discard everything from Mount Hua? Or Chung Myung’s?

– All are attachments.

That’s right. Sa-hyung.

If filling is natural, then discarding is also natural. There is no need to worry and decide what to fill and what to discard.

Look.

Doesn’t the sword flow on its own?

Don’t set limits.

The moment you decide what to take and discard, the sword is limited by what it creates itself. Just leave it alone. Let the sword go where it wants. And as Chung Myung wants.

The wooden sword in Chung Myung’s hand began to stir, like a sleeping snake waking up.

Chung Myung’s sword drew a soft arc.

Then, something amazing happened. From the tip of his sword, tiny sparks of light appeared, and each spark turned into a plum blossom, blooming in the air. These weren’t just normal flowers. They glowed with a soft, white light, and they danced in the night sky. They were Mount Hua plum blossoms, but different, more alive, more gentle than any he had made before. They spread out, covering the peak in a blanket of white, bringing the feeling of spring to the cold night. They were soft, fast, bright, and so beautiful. But just as quickly as they appeared, they faded, leaving the peak quiet again, as if it had all been a dream.

Nagan Peak became quiet again, as if everything was an illusion. Chung Myung, with his sword hanging down, quietly closed his eyes.

‘It feels like I can grasp something.’

He couldn’t make it grow. But he feels like he’s caught a clue.

Mount Hua’s sword, but Chung Myung’s own sword that goes beyond the existing Mount Hua’s sword.

A sword that can overcome his limits and even Mount Hua’s limits to move to a new place.

“Hoo…”

Chung Myung sighed softly.

‘It can’t be easy.’

It’s not about creating a new sword technique. It’s about exploring a new world. It’s still far off even for Chung Myung. Just as Chung Myung’s inner strength grows with him, this sword will also grow together.

Right now, it’s just a plum blossom bud.

But someday….

“Um….”

“Eek!”

Chung Myung was startled by the sudden voice from the side and jumped away.

“Whoa, damn! What is it!”

Someone else was standing with him on Nagan Peak. Chung Myung blinked in shock and recognized the person.

‘…Isn’t that the woman from before?’

Yoo…. Yoo…. What was her name?

Ah, that’s right! Yoo Iseol! That was her name.

Yoo Iseol was looking at Chung Myung with a strange look, her eyes slightly unfocused.

‘No, but how could she get past me and come all the way here?’

Even if he was practicing his sword without thinking, is Chung Myung just anyone? Even when he wasn’t paying attention, Chung Myung could feel someone within ten Jang as if he were grabbing them with his hand.

But the fact that she had detected him last time and that she approached him without any problems now made this woman seem strange.

‘No, did she learn some kind of assassination technique! How can I not sense her?’

Now that he thought about it, even though she’s right in front of him, her presence is strangely faint. If he tries to feel it on purpose, it’s hard to feel.

If you look at people and listen to their presence, there would be no problem, but this is happening because Chung Myung is more used to his inner feeling of energy than his five senses.

Chung Myung thought hard as he looked at Yoo Iseol, who was staring at him intently.

‘How do I handle this? How much did she see?’

First, try to gloss over it….

Then Yoo Iseol slowly opened her mouth.

“Plum blossoms….”

She saw everything.

Damn it.

Her head tilted slightly to the side. Her face showed that she didn’t understand what she had seen.

Yes, yes. Keep not understanding.

Chung Myung smiled brightly.

Anyone else would have been embarrassed, but who is Chung Myung? The biggest troublemaker in Mount Hua’s history!

Chung Mun Sa-hyung said that Chung Myung had caused more accidents since he entered the sect than had occurred in Mount Hua’s history before Chung Myung’s arrival!

To Chung Myung, this kind of thing is nothing!

First, act naturally. Naturally, as if nothing happened.

He bowed his head towards Yoo Iseol.

“Sa-sister. Have you been well?”

Yoo Iseol flinched as Chung Myung took a step closer.

Huh? Why flinch?

Yoo Iseol looked at Chung Myung with slightly serious eyes.

“Murdering everyone to silence them?” she asked, her tone unclear.

“Are you crazy?”

“……”

Ah….

Acting naturally had failed.

Chung Myung, who had cursed without thinking, raised his hand and covered his mouth.

The other Baek Ja were still coming to Mount Hua, but why did this woman come early and bother people like this?

There’s only one way now.

Chung Myung waved his hand and quickly left Nagan Peak.

“Then I’ll be going!”

“Ah… wait!”

He heard a voice trying to stop him, but Chung Myung ignored it. When you can’t explain it with words, the best thing to do is to avoid it.

Yoo Iseol’s hand stretched out towards Chung Myung’s back and slowly fell down.

“Plum blossoms….”

She stared blankly at his back and clenched her fist slightly.

“That scared me!”

This is clearly Chung Myung’s mistake.

But on the other hand, even if he was caught, nothing would really change. Even if she told everyone what she saw, no one would believe her.

However, he must be careful from now on. If there is one witness, people will say the witness is crazy, but if there are three witnesses, you can summon a tiger.

‘I need to be careful when training when the Baek Ja return.’

Ah….

It’s not just training, is it?

Chung Myung nodded with a determined face.

“There’s something I need to do before the Baek Ja come!”

He began to walk quickly towards the sect gate.