Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 748

“Ughhh. This is going too far. It’s like they don’t respect me!”

Chung Myung made a funny face, his eyebrows pulled down and his lips turned into a pout.

“Oh, poor me! Being told what to do by these young ones! I can’t even go where I want. Oh, this is terrible!”

He grumbled for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at a simple stone grave, covered in soft green moss. It was Cheongjin’s grave.

“Hey, Cheongjin, what do you think about this?”

The grave, of course, stayed silent. Cheongjin’s grave was just a quiet mound of earth and stone.

“Cat got your tongue, rascal? Passed out already?”

If Cheongjin could see this from the Immortal Realm, he would probably be spitting mad and yelling curses. But because he knew Chung Myung so well, he might also be thankful Chung Myung wasn’t kicking his grave.

“Augh! I… this… augh!”

Chung Myung groaned, unable to find the right words for his mixed-up feelings.

He thought about it. Hyun Jong was a very, very distant family member, wasn’t he?

Even if Hyun Jong was the leader of Mount Hua now, Chung Myung was the Plum Blossom Sword Saint. Normally, someone like Hyun Jong should be bowing deeply to *him*, showing respect.

But now, Chung Myung was stopped from doing what he wanted because of Hyun Jong’s orders. It was a strange situation.

“Ugh. Everyone is acting too important now.”

He remembered a time when everyone was simple and happy, calling out, ‘Chung Myung-ah, Chung Myung-ah’…

“Ugh… Actually, that’s a bit creepy too.”

Chung Myung sighed heavily.

“Ugh. It’s good that everyone has their own ideas… but if I listen to them all, I won’t be able to do what *needs* to be done…”

– What else do you ever do except cause trouble?

“What? You little brat! Whose side are you on anyway?”

– Hehe. I wouldn’t be on *your* side even if I was human!

“Argh! Not both of you at once!”

One voice is annoying enough, but now there are two arguing with him!

Should he perform some kind of magic to get rid of them?

“Ugh. No, that’s not the real problem.”

Chung Myung crossed his arms over his chest, frowning.

Even though he was joking around, Chung Myung knew this was a serious problem.

Should he respect Hyun Jong as the Sect Leader? Or should he see Hyun Jong as just a younger family member and guide him?

Until now, Chung Myung had tried to find a balance. Sometimes he had to lead, but he also needed to respect the older members who had protected Mount Hua while he was gone.

But he felt that these kinds of disagreements would happen more often in the future.

“What should I do…”

Chung Myung looked up at the bright blue sky, thinking hard. Then, a sly smile appeared on his face.

“I don’t know! I’ll worry about that later!”

He jumped up and ran off.

“This time, it’s not going to work. No one can stop me!”

The grass on Cheongjin’s grave swayed gently as Chung Myung skipped happily down the small hill.

“What is going on?”

Why isn’t it here?

“I know I put it here…”

Chung Myung started throwing things out of the small wooden wardrobe. It was a simple closet with only a few sets of training clothes inside. It became empty quickly as he tossed everything onto the floor.

“This can’t be real!”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened in shock.

“Did I… did I put it somewhere else? Is my memory already going bad? At my young age?”

He thought about his past life. Maybe he *should* be losing his mind after living so long before. But this body was new, wasn’t it? How could he be forgetting things already?

“Looking for something?”

*Whoosh!*

Chung Myung jumped, startled by the sudden voice, and spun around.

Baek Cheon stood in the doorway with the others behind him. In Baek Cheon’s hand, he held a bundle of dark clothes.

“My… my sneaking-out clothes!”

“We know what you’re planning. These are taken away.”

“Taken away?”

Chung Myung’s eyes almost popped out of his head.

Taken away? *His* things?

He was so shocked he couldn’t speak. His mouth just hung open.

In all his lives, Chung Myung had taken things from others, but no one had ever taken *his* things. Taken away?

“Senior Brother.”

“What.”

“Senior Brother, are you crazy? I’m Chung Myung!”

“I know you’re a little troublemaker! That’s *why* I’m doing this!”

Baek Cheon’s face became red with anger as he shouted.

“You’re not fooling anyone! The Sect Leader told you not to go. How will sneaking around in dark clothes fix anything, huh?”

While Chung Myung stood there, speechless, Jo Gul laughed quietly.

“See? I told you he would do this.”

“Hmm. Good job, Jo Gul.”

Yoon Jong, surprisingly, patted Jo Gul on the head. Jo Gul puffed out his chest, looking proud.

Baek Cheon looked like he was about to explode, and Yoo Iseol, standing next to him, looked just as serious. Baek Cheon said firmly.

“I have put up with everything you’ve done until now!”

“Ah, Senior Brother. That’s not ‘putting up with it,’ that’s more like ‘not being able to stop me’…”

*Squeeze.*

“No… It’s putting up with it. Yes, definitely putting up with it.”

Jo Gul quickly changed his words as Yoon Jong’s hand, which had been patting him, now squeezed his head tightly.

“But… this time, no! No matter who you are, you can’t ignore the Sect Leader’s orders! You were the one who said the sect would get worse if we went in the wrong direction! A true man keeps his word, right?”

“I… I break my word three times a day?”

“…”

No… That’s not something to be proud of. Stop saying it.

“No, Senior Brother!”

“What!”

“Do you really think you’ll do well without me?”

“We might fail.”

“Then why are you doing this? Senior Brother should help me convince the Sect Leader…”

“But!”

Baek Cheon stopped Chung Myung firmly.

“Sometimes, failing is better than succeeding. A painful failure that follows the Sect Leader’s orders is better for Mount Hua than a success that ignores his words!”

Chung Myung blinked, surprised. He took a step back without thinking.

Even the great Chung Myung couldn’t find a way to argue against that perfect logic.

“Even if we die because we don’t take you, I won’t regret it!”

“Re… really?”

“…”

Baek Cheon was quiet for a moment, then moved his mouth as if he wanted to say something else.

Then, the Five Swords behind him started whispering to each other.

‘He looks like he’s going to regret it?’

‘Honestly, he will. Does that even make sense?’

‘Hey, Baek Cheon. Don’t act too dramatic…’

Baek Cheon turned around, his eyes red and angry. The junior disciples quickly looked away, pretending they hadn’t said anything.

“Of course, I *might* regret it later. But the fact that this choice is still right doesn’t change! So, give up and listen to the Sect Leader’s decision.”

“Hmph…”

Yoon Jong nodded, agreeing with Baek Cheon.

“Alright. This time, it’s best to do as Uncle-Master says.”

Jo Gul quickly agreed with Yoon Jong.

“Yeah, you little rascal! Even so, the Sect Leader gave the order, and you can’t just ignore it. Are you going to tell the other senior brothers and sisters to listen well after this? Have a conscience!”

Yoo Iseol frowned and added.

“You’ll be scolded.”

“You’ll be scolded a lot this time.”

The spirit slowly drained from Chung Myung’s face.

‘It wasn’t just Hyunjae’s boat that was the problem.’

Now, Yoon Jong and Yoo Iseol were both against him.

Senior Brother! Sect Leader Senior Brother!

Am I supposed to put up with this treatment? Huh? Me! This Plum Blossom Sword Saint Chung Myung, to these blue things…!

– You have to follow the Sect Leader’s orders, you rascal! If you ignored them so much in your past life, shouldn’t you listen a little this time!

“When did I ever ignore them! I did everything you told me to do!”

“Why are you suddenly shouting?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

Just as Chung Myung was flustered and trying to say something, Baek Cheon decisively wrapped up the situation.

“In any case, it’s absolutely not allowed this time. If you secretly follow us, we will immediately stop moving and return to Mount Hua. And if you still ignore the Sect Leader’s orders and go to the Yangtze River alone, I will personally ask the Sect Leader to confine you to the repentance cave for a year!”

“What? Uncle-Master, are you crazy?”

“I’m saying it because I’m not crazy! You’re the one who’s crazy! Disobeying the orders of a Sect Leader as you please! Do you even know what it means to disrespect your teachers?”

“Disrespect your teachers?”

“Yes, disrespecting your teachers! It means you are being very disrespectful and forgetting where you come from!”

Chung Myung was beyond frustrated; he was practically festering inside.

Hey, you little brats….

What you guys are doing right now is disrespecting your teachers. You guys are disrespecting your teachers….

Oh, heavens.

“I won’t say it twice! Don’t do anything unnecessary and quietly stay put!”

Chung Myung was stunned. He couldn’t believe what he just heard.

Baek Cheon turned away as coldly as possible, leaving the dazed Chung Myung behind.

Then, Yoon Jong quickly followed and whispered.

“Will it be alright?”

“It was something that had to be done once. Now, that guy will know what he needs to protect.”

Baek Cheon took a bold step. Even though he acted strong, Baek Cheon was a little worried inside. He quickly looked back to make sure Chung Myung wasn’t following, but also because a part of him felt uneasy leaving him behind.

“Well, he’s not the type to be discouraged by this much.”

The Five Swords shrugged and left Chung Myung’s room. Then, the other Blue Celadons, who hadn’t been able to come out of the room and had been holding their breath, came out one by one and peeked in front of Chung Myung’s room.

Seeing Chung Myung, who had completely lost his mind and was sitting blankly on the bed, they clicked their tongues and said a word each before returning.

“Chung Myung is done for.”

“It’s about time he lost his strength.”

“Now, it’s really just Uncle-Master. Let’s stick to Uncle-Master in advance.”

“When you think about it, the next Sect Leader will be Baek Cheon Uncle-Master and Yoon Jong Senior Brother. When you look at him, he has no power.”

“Really? Why haven’t I thought of that until now?”

Senior Brother. Sect Leader Senior Brother….

The kids have really grown up a lot, really….

But why….

‘Are tears coming out?’

Heh heh. Hehehe.

Hwasan. Yes, the Hwasan Sect….

Just go bankrupt! You damned bastards!

Chung Myung slumped onto his simple bed in his small room. Dust motes danced in the sunlight coming through the window. His sword lay untouched on the table. Chung Myung felt like all the energy had left his body. He felt empty and angry at the same time. ‘They really left me behind?’ he thought.

“Then, we’ll be off, Sect Leader.”

“Y-yes.”

Hyun Jong nodded with a heavy face and looked at the disciples lined up in front of him.

Baek Cheon, Yoo Iseol, Baek Sang, Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, Tang Soso, and even Hae Yeon.

It was a familiar combination, if anything. Whenever there was external trouble, these disciples of Hwasan… No, the disciples of Hwasan and one disciple from another sect would go out like this.

But why….

‘Why does it feel so unfamiliar?’

It was only one person missing, but something felt uneasy and wouldn’t calm down.

Hyun Jong fidgeted with his hands, looking around the room nervously. He was looking for something to say, but couldn’t stand it and looked around.

‘Where did he go?’

Why couldn’t he even see his shadow? Was he sulking so badly that he wouldn’t even show his face in this place?

Hyun Jong, who had given up, managed his expression and looked at the disciples.

“As you know, this matter is… a very sensitive issue, so….”

“Yes, Sect Leader. We will watch and watch again to ensure that no problems arise.”

“Alright.”

Seeing Baek Cheon’s determined face, he felt very reassured… or should have. Clearly, he should have….

Hyun Jong almost bit his fingernails without realizing it.

“If, by any chance, a problem arises, don’t try to solve it and just run away immediately.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“The bandits are extremely cunning. Always be vigilant.”

“Yes.”

“Never try to solve it among yourselves. I have already informed the Beggars’ Sect, so report the situation from time to time and request support in case of emergency.”

“Yes.”

“Eat well. If the water doesn’t suit you, you may get a stomachache, so drink carefully, and, ah, you may catch endemic diseases….”

“At this rate, we’ll be up all night!”

“Oh, alright.”

In the end, Hyun Young’s outburst made Hyun Jong nod.

His face kept getting hot and his heart was pounding from earlier, and he couldn’t calm down. It was as if he was sending his disciples out for the first time.

“Sect Leader, don’t worry. We will be extra careful! Please trust us.”

“Alright.”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes tightly. The disciples were saying that, so how could he, as the Sect Leader, not trust them?

“Be careful on your way.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

Those who bowed to Hyun Jong all at once turned and left the mountain gate.

“Have a safe trip, Senior Brothers!”

“You must be careful!”

“Please come back healthy! And punish those bandits!”

Baek Cheon looked back, nodded, and then glanced around.

“I don’t see him?”

“I don’t think he’s here?”

“Surely he’s not secretly following us, is he?”

“Nah. We told him that much, so he wouldn’t do that.”

Baek Cheon sighed softly.

‘It’s the first trip without Chung Myung.’

It was true that he was nervous, but he had to do his best. He would have to prove on this occasion that they could stand on their own without that Chung Myung.

‘Don’t feel too left out, you rascal.’

Baek Cheon looked back at Hwasan. The mountain was green and strong in the morning light. It was his home, the place he needed to protect. He took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility. Baek Cheon turned his head and took a firm step.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

The disciples of Hwasan left the mountain gate with dignified strides.