Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 731

Day Sixteen.

Hyun Jong groaned as he shuffled into the room, moving slowly.

Baek Cheon and the other swordsmen watched Hyun Jong from behind the door.

“I don’t see any change,” one of them said.

“Strange.”

Baek Cheon tilted his head.

“Chung Myung talks a lot of nonsense, but he tells the truth.”

“That’s a strange thing to say, but it’s true.”

Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow. *I don’t see any big changes.*

Chung Myung said we’d see changes soon. But the Sect Leader looked the same.

Baek Cheon thought for a moment, then sighed. “Let’s watch a little longer. He can’t be right about everything.”

“Yes.”

Soon, the oil lamp in the room sputtered and died, plunging them into darkness. Baek Cheon and the others looked puzzled and left.

Day Seventeen.

With a groan, Hyun Jong threw off the blanket and tried to sit up.

Crack! “Oof,” Hyun Jong grunted. His back hurt badly. He hadn’t worked too hard, but his old body felt very tired.

Hyun Jong thumped his back and sighed deeply. *How much longer can my body endure?*

He hadn’t lost his will yet. The pain from the needles was terrible, but he could handle it.

He remembered the pain of Mount Hua falling apart. Sitting alone, holding back tears, feeling like his insides were burning. Compared to that, this pain was nothing.

The problem was that his body couldn’t keep up with his mental strength.

He didn’t know if it was his age or if his body wasn’t strong enough for the Violet Cloud Art. He wasn’t getting better. He felt like he was sinking.

But. *I can’t whine.*

Hyun Jong squeezed his hands tightly.

Even if his body failed, even if he got sick from practicing the art, he wouldn’t give up.

His duty as Sect Leader wasn’t the only thing. He couldn’t say he’d quit. Not when he saw his disciples training hard, even in pain. Not when he saw Chung Myung sweating as he helped them with their energy.

So, he had to survive today as well, even if it killed him.

“Hoo…” Hyun Jong took a deep breath, got up, and began to fold the blanket. Every time he moved his arm or leg, his body ached and made noises. But he didn’t make a sound as he folded the blanket and got dressed.

*I’m not too late, am I?*

It was early, before sunrise. Chung Myung never started training after sunrise anyway.

Carefully, Hyun Jong tidied the room and stood at the door.

*Don’t lose heart.*

His body was tired, but he was the Sect Leader. His disciples would see his face. He had to look calm, no matter how hard it was.

“Let’s go!” Hyun Jong said, trying to sound strong. He grabbed the door and opened it.

And.

Crack!

“Huh?” Hyun Jong looked at his hand with wide eyes.

The door, torn from its hinges, dangled from his outstretched hand.

“…No, why is this…?”

The hinges were broken, completely off the door. They were just hanging there.

“G-Grand Sect Leader, why are you breaking the door?”

“Huh?” Hyun Young, who had already finished preparing, grimaced and looked back and forth between the broken door and Hyun Jong. Hyun Jong stared at him for a moment before asking.

“Why do you look like that?”

“…My bones ache.”

“…”

“…”

Hyun Young cleared his throat and asked again.

“But really, why did you break the door?”

“I didn’t tear it off, it just came off by itself. It seems the hinges were old.”

“The hinges are old? We just replaced them all when we built and repaired the building this time.”

“Really? Then it must be defective.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. That’s why you have to check everything. Even the Eunha merchants aren’t as good as they used to be. We need to check things more carefully.”

“Yes. It would be good to do that.”

“Put it over there. I’ll have the younger disciples put it back on. Let’s go quickly. If you’re late again, that Chung Myung will be all over you.”

“…That’s right.”

Just as Hyun Jong was about to sigh and say something, Hyun Young smiled slyly and said.

“But isn’t our Chung Myung really kind? And so polite.”

“What?” Hyun Jong stared blankly at Hyun Young for a moment. He even doubted his own ears. But Hyun Young, who was usually very clever, but today he didn’t seem to notice Hyun Jong’s face. He just kept talking nonsense.

“If anyone else was late, Chung Myung would yell at them. But he just pouts when it’s an elder. He could swear, but he doesn’t. Isn’t he kind?”

“…He could swear?”

“Elder or not, you should be told off if you do something wrong.”

“…”

“But look at him not swearing. Seriously, how kind and cute is he? Haha!”

Hyun Young, it seems that your concept of ‘kindness’ is a little twisted. How did you end up like this, my disciple…

“…Let’s go for now.”

“Yes, Senior Brother is coming over there.”

“Alright.” Hyun Jong turned his gaze to the moon still lingering in the sky.

“I have to work hard today too. Like the moon, I need to guide my disciples, even if it’s just a little.”

Day Twenty-One.

“Are you alright?”

“…Does this look alright to you?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Pushing away a concerned disciple, Hyun Young plopped down on the spot.

“Ugh. Why is it getting harder every day?”

Hyun Sang frowned as he looked at Hyun Young, who was sitting sprawled out with a gaunt face.

“Show some pride in front of the younger ones.”

“Is dignity important now? I’m about to die. Aren’t you having a hard time, Senior Brother?”

“Heh. Having a hard time… I don’t really know.”

“Yes?” Hyun Sang smiled gently as Hyun Young looked at him in surprise.

“I just wish I could die and rest. That’s all I want right now.”

“What good would it do for me to enjoy any luxury at my age? To hell with the Zixia Divine Art and everything else.”

“Ehey! Ehey! There are children present!” Hyun-young tried to stop Hyun-sang.

But Hyun-sang started talking and couldn’t stop. He kept muttering.

“To hell with martial arts, I should have just tilled the land. What was I thinking, coming to Mount Hua only to suffer like this in my old age? I should have just married Yeong-yeong back in my hometown and tilled the land together, living happily ever after.”

“Cover your ears! Cover your ears, you brats!” Hyun-young shouted. The disciples quickly covered their ears. Hyun-young sighed and turned to the Sect Leader for help. “Please, do something, Sect Leader.”

“But Hyun-young,” the Sect Leader said.

“Yes?”

“Isn’t there some truth in what Hyun-sang is saying?”

Hyun-young felt his heart sink. His two remaining senior brothers were both going senile. Just then, Baek Cheon walked up to him and said, “Elder, let me help you.”

“Hmm. There’s no need to go that far,” Hyun-young replied.

“I’ll…” Baek Cheon started.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll get up on my own.”

“Please, let me…”

“Really, I’m fine,” Hyun-young said, a little annoyed.

He gave Baek Cheon a small push, just to move him aside. It was a light push, like brushing away a fly.

But then… *whoosh!*

“Aaaaaargh!” Baek Cheon screamed.

*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!* Baek Cheon bounced off the wooden floor like a rag doll.

Hyun-young’s eyes went wide. He stared, mouth open. Everyone in the hall froze, forgetting to even blink. It was like watching a puppet show gone wrong. Baek Cheon flew backwards with terrifying speed, as if a giant had kicked him with a foot the size of a house. He vanished over the edge of the cliff.

“Aaaaaaaaargh!” Baek Cheon’s scream echoed faintly from below.

Silence fell. Everyone was speechless, looking back and forth between Hyun-young and the cliff. Hyun-sang spoke first.

“Are you serious? You just sent the boy flying off a cliff because he offered to help? Is this guy really crazy?”

“No! No, Senior Brother! It’s not like that! I just pushed him a little! How could I possibly have the strength to send that strong fellow flying like that!” Hyun-young exclaimed.

“Huh?” Hyun-sang tilted his head, puzzled.

“Then why did he go flying like that?”

“I wonder?” Hyun-young responded.

The two elders stared at the cliff, utterly bewildered. A cold feeling of unease crawled through the Mount Hua disciples as they watched the bizarre scene.

Day Twenty-Five.

“Doesn’t it seem like they’ve changed a bit?” Yoon Jong asked.

“Martial Uncle, the wounds I got back then have all healed now. I’m fine, I tell you. I look perfectly healthy,” Jo Gul replied.

“Not you, I mean!” Yoon Jong said.

“Yes?”

Baek Cheon, his face flushed with frustration at Yoon Jong’s words, took a deep breath, put down his chopsticks, and pointed to the head of the table.

“I’m talking about them,” Baek Cheon said.

Yoon Jong squinted in the direction Baek Cheon was pointing. He saw the Sect Leader and the elders. “Ah,” he exclaimed.

“Now that you mention it, something does seem different,” Yoon Jong said.

“You see it too?” Baek Cheon asked.

“I can’t quite put my finger on what’s changed, but something definitely has,” Yoon Jong replied.

Baek Cheon watched the Sect Leader and the elders carefully. As Yoon Jong said, the change wasn’t obvious. You had to look closely to see it.

But something had definitely changed.

‘First of all, it seems like they’ve gained a little weight,’ Baek Cheon thought.

They still looked like walking corpses, but Baek Cheon could see a little more flesh on their faces.

“A little weight?” Yoon Jong asked.

“You see it too, right?” Baek Cheon asked.

Yoon Jong quickly nodded.

“Isn’t that a good sign?” Yoon Jong asked.

“It means their condition is improving, after all,” Baek Cheon replied.

The two men looked at each other, surprised and relieved. But then Jo Gul spoke, spoiling the mood.

“Can’t even tell,” Jo Gul mumbled.

“Quiet, you little brat, quiet!” Baek Cheon scolded.

“I’ll shut your mouth for good!” Yoon Jong added.

Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong glared at Jo Gul. Jo Gul flinched and looked bewildered. “Are you two just waiting for me to say something these days?”

“What did I do so wrong that you’re treating me like Cheong-myeong! Even so! You can’t treat a person like Cheong-myeong! That’s not something a person should do… Aaaaargh!” Jo Gul cried.

Just then, something hit Jo Gul, sending him flying into the wall.

Boom!

“What, what was that?” someone asked.

“An attack?” another asked.

Those who were eating stood up and looked around. Some stared at Jo Gul, who was sliding down the wall, while others stared at Hyun-sang. Hyun-sang was holding chopsticks and looked dazed.

“Ah, no…” Hyun-sang stammered, looking back and forth between Jo Gul and his chopsticks. “I… I just put a little force into it because the meat was hard to pick up.”

“Why is there sword energy coming from the chopsticks?” Hyun-sang wondered.

Some of those who had been staring at Hyun-sang rushed to Jo Gul’s side.

“Geol! Geol! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine! You know what they say, fools never die!” Jo Gul replied.

“Hey, this guy’s foaming at the mouth?” someone exclaimed.

Jo Gul, limp as a corpse, was carried out of the dining hall. No one could believe what they had just seen. It was as if they had been possessed.

Baek Cheon slowly turned to Hyun-sang. Hyun-young was scolding him loudly.

“Why are you hitting the boy like that!” Hyun-young shouted.

“I told you, it’s not like that! I really just wanted to pick up the meat,” Hyun-sang replied.

“Now you’re even emitting sword energy from your chopsticks! What if the boy had been seriously hurt!” Hyun-young exclaimed.

“I’m telling you, it’s not like that!” Hyun-sang said, tearing at his hair in frustration.

Watching Hyun-sang, Baek Cheon’s mouth slowly opened.

– There’s no point in saying it a hundred times. You’ll know when you see it with your own eyes.

– Anyway, it’s about time the effects started showing. Just try not to panic when you see it. Hee hee hee hee!

“No way…” Baek Cheon’s eyes began to tremble.

Behind the three old men, who were barely managing to eat, an unknown energy was spreading out.

At this point, Baek Cheon was sure.

Something definitely… something was happening.