Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 754

Hyun Jong sat heavily in his chair, the lines around his eyes deeper than usual. He looked up as Hyun Young entered the room.

“Did he leave?” Hyun Jong asked, his voice low.

“Yes, Sect Leader,” Hyun Young replied.

Hyun Jong sighed, a long, drawn-out sound. “Ugh… That Chung Myung is getting harder to handle each day.”

Hyun Young chuckled, a sound that was more of a snort. “That rascal Chung Myung is just being himself, Sect Leader. You’re just expecting too much now.”

“Is that so?” Hyun Jong murmured, thinking for a moment before nodding slowly.

In the past, Hyun Jong had no big hopes for Chung Myung. He was just a nice young boy who came to Mount Hua and wanted to join.

But now, everyone subtly expected Chung Myung to do something, to accomplish something. And Hyun Jong was no exception.

“Sect Leader, I think you were a little unfair this time,” Hyun Sang said carefully.

“You told him not to go with the younger disciples for their safety, but now you’re sending him to help them. It must seem confusing to Chung Myung, don’t you think?”

“I know.”

Hyun Jong sighed, a weary look on his face.

“But I’m not that great of a man, am I?”

“…Sect Leader.”

“I tried to find a good path for everyone in my own way, but it didn’t go as I wished.”

“Even so, this matter is…”

“Isn’t it too much?”

“Yes?”

Hyun Sang, unable to understand the sudden remark, questioned him. Hyun Jong replied with a bitter expression.

“I have never once seen that child truly rest.”

“…”

At those words, Hyun Sang and Hyun Young’s expressions subtly hardened.

“I really saw it clearly when he started his dawn training again,” Hyun Jong continued. “He’s up before anyone, training in the dark, and he’s still training late into the night. Then, all day, he’s teaching the younger ones, always pushing them harder. And even between training sessions, he’s meeting with people from other sects, sorting out deals for Mount Hua’s businesses. It’s endless.”

Hyun Young nodded, remembering. “It’s true. We have staff, but nothing really gets done properly unless Chung Myung is involved.”

“If we split his work between ten people, they’d still be overwhelmed,” Hyun Jong said, shaking his head. “And now we’re asking him to go on this dangerous mission too? When will he ever get a moment to breathe?”

“…”

Hyun Young started to say something, then closed his mouth.

‘It’s become so natural that I haven’t realized it.’

Looking back, the amount of work Chung Myung was doing was simply too much for one person.

The reason they hadn’t taken this fact seriously was because the work he was doing had gradually increased to this point, and because of the relaxed demeanor Chung Myung usually displayed.

No one would think he was living a hectic life when they saw him lying on the eaves, sipping alcohol.

“We need to stop relying on Chung Myung so much, and the younger disciples too. They all need to do their own part. This isn’t just for Mount Hua, it’s for Chung Myung’s own good,” Hyun Jong explained.

“When did you start thinking like this?” Hyun Young asked, surprised.

“It really struck me when I saw him rushing in and out of the Jae Kyung Hall, even while he was supposed to be learning the Divine Art,” Hyun Jong said. “Learning the Divine Art is a huge chance, something a martial artist should put everything into. But even then, he was still trying to manage everything in Mount Hua, big and small. It’s not right.”

Something felt wrong. Chung Myung loved Mount Hua deeply, everyone knew that. But Hyun Jong worried that Chung Myung’s dedication had become too much, almost unhealthy. It seemed to have gotten worse since they recovered the ancestral remains.

‘He’s trying to carry too much,’ Hyun Jong thought.

“Is that why you didn’t send Chung Myung with the others at first?” Hyun Sang asked, understanding dawning.

“Yes. He cares deeply for those who went on this trip. I thought if we separated him, he might finally take a moment for himself. And if we do this more often, maybe he’ll learn to rest,” Hyun Jong said.

Hyun Young frowned. “Then why are you sending him now? If you were going to, why not send him with the main group?”

“…I have a bad feeling,” Hyun Jong admitted, his voice dropping.

“A bad feeling?”

Hyun Jong’s face became serious. “Pirates taking people to sell as slaves is common enough. But a whole ship? That’s almost unheard of.”

“…”

“If something like that really happened, we would know about it. It’s too big to hide. The news would be everywhere, and the government would be hunting down those pirates.”

“So, Sect Leader, you think it’s not just about money?” Hyun Sang asked, his voice low.

“I can’t see what’s happening on the Yangtze River from here,” Hyun Jong said. “But this feels wrong. I fear the disciples are in serious danger.”

“So…” Hyun Jong said, his voice even quieter now.

The Elders’ faces grew serious. “It’s just a feeling for now, but I can’t shake it. We need to prepare to leave. Quickly.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!” Hyun Sang replied firmly.

Organizing a group to leave Mount Hua was a huge task. Supplies, arrangements, making sure things ran smoothly while they were gone – it was a lot. But time was critical now. Hyun Jong had to send Chung Myung ahead.

‘Is it still too much to ask?’ Hyun Jong wondered, closing his eyes briefly.

Chung Myung probably understood Hyun Jong’s worries. His sulking earlier was likely his way of saying it wasn’t the right time yet.

‘But Chung Myung…’ Hyun Jong thought. A sect shouldn’t be someone’s whole life.

It was wonderful that Mount Hua was becoming famous and strong because of Chung Myung. But Hyun Jong’s real hope was not just for Mount Hua to be great, but for Chung Myung to find peace within Mount Hua.

Hyun Jong sighed again, feeling the weight of his worries. ‘This is hard.’ It was still a long and difficult road.

“But it has to happen someday. For his sake,” he murmured.

Hyun Jong shook his head slightly and looked south, his eyes filled with concern. ‘Please, let nothing bad happen.’ His heart felt heavy with worry.

❀ ❀ ❀

Whoosh! Chung Myung moved like a blur. He was a streak of wind across the landscape. His speed was incredible, nothing like when he led the Five Swords before. He flew over mountains in a single bound, and rivers seemed to vanish beneath his feet in two leaps.

“Haa… haa… haa!” A voice gasped behind him. “H-Hwasan Divine Dragon! Wait for me!”

Do Woon-chan, Lord of the Spirit Sect, trailed behind, his face as white as paper. ‘How is this even possible?’ he thought, lungs burning.

The Spirit Sect was famous for its footwork, even if they weren’t strong fighters. Do Woon-chan was their leader, and he was proud of his speed. He thought he was faster than almost anyone. Maybe only the legendary Chun Ri-sin-gae of the Beggar Union, the ‘Thousand Mile Divine Beggar,’ could be faster. But this… this was something else entirely.

Right now, Do Woon-chan was struggling to keep up with Chung Myung, who was running ahead. He was quickly running out of breath, and he felt like his insides were twisting.

‘How can this be happening…’

He’s unbelievably fast.

What was even more astonishing was that he had maintained that incredible speed from the start without slowing down.

‘Just how outstanding is his inner strength…?’

Of course, the reputation of the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua was known throughout the world. *(Divine Dragon of Mount Hua was a very high title, like a legend in the martial arts world)*

The Divine Dragon of Mount Hua was no longer just a promising junior. Everyone in the martial world knew that the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua had fought and won against an elder from the Wudang Sect.

Because of this, he never doubted Chung Myung’s martial skill, but even considering that, this was far beyond what he expected.

“D-Divine Dragon of Mount Hua! Divine Dragon!”

After calling out several times, Chung Myung, who had been running like a flash of lightning, finally turned his head.

“What is it?”

“C-Could you please slow down a little…? You’re too fast!”

“This?”

Chung Myung tilted his head, as if he couldn’t understand the problem.

“I’m already running at a moderate pace because of the Sect Leader.”

“…T-This is moderate?”

Chung Myung shrugged, looking at Do Woon-chan, who had turned pale.

“Well, I’m sorry, but I’m busy right now.”

“…?”

“Since we’re going to the same place anyway, let’s meet there.”

“Then…”

Chung Myung grinned, his teeth flashing white, waved his hand, and then ran forward even faster than before.

“D-Divine Dragon of Mount H-Hwa!”

He tried to shout something, but Chung Myung’s figure quickly shrank until he was just a tiny speck on the horizon.

“…Is he even human?”

Do Woon-chan, who had stopped in shock, stared in the direction Chung Myung had disappeared, muttering with a dumbfounded expression.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

“How did it go?”

Baek Cheon frowned slightly.

They had been investigating for several days, but nothing significant had come up.

“What about the merchants?”

Yoon Jong sighed softly and shook his head.

“It’s the same. Bandit activity is up a little, but they haven’t hurt anyone yet, as far as we know. There is an ongoing investigation into a ship that disappeared, but there are no other clues.”

“Disappeared?”

“Isn’t it common for ships to sink sometimes? If a ship sinks in the middle of the Yangtze River, even the best sailors can’t make it back to shore.”

“Hmm.”

If that’s the case, it’s unfortunate, but it’s not important right now.

Baek Cheon let out a soft groan and looked at Tang Soso.

“What about the commoners?”

“Yes. It seems like looting isn’t happening. Most of them farm or fish by the river, and since they don’t have any money, the bandits don’t seem interested.”

“I suppose.”

Bandits don’t usually target commoners. People with travel money who cross the mountains aren’t commoners. Ordinary commoners hardly ever leave the place where they were born.

The bandits don’t bother the commoners living by the river because there’s nothing to gain from robbing them. There are plenty of people with money on boats, so why would they rob the poor people on land?

“What about the rumors about the bandit dens?”

“They don’t know much about that either. Even though it’s the Yangtze River, there are so many rugged areas that there are only a few places where people live.”

“That’s true.”

The Yangtze River is famous for its beautiful scenery, meaning there are rugged areas where it’s difficult for people to live.

“The bandits only choose rugged areas to set up their dens, and they move around, loading their belongings onto boats.”

“So, you’re saying there’s no real base of operations.”

“Yes, that’s what it seems like.”

It was more troublesome than he thought. They didn’t know which bandit den had targeted the special goods, and they couldn’t even find the bandit dens.

‘I thought it would be like the mountain bandits, but I was wrong.’

They were able to find and attack the mountain fortresses so easily because Im So-byeong was on their side.

“What about the Beggars’ Sect?”

Baek Sang scratched the back of his head as if he was sorry.

“It seems like the Beggars’ Sect’s information can’t reach the river. They say they can’t know what happens on the waterways.”

“…Huh?”

“Well… it makes sense. The Beggars’ Sect’s information comes from beggars throughout the Central Plains, but would a beggar ever ride a boat?”

Baek Cheon stared at Baek Sang and sighed.

“…Yeah, that makes sense.”

His head was throbbing.

“I wondered why the bandits, who attack merchant ships and government ships, haven’t been wiped out.”

Finding a bandit den that changes its location in this vast Yangtze River was like finding a needle in a haystack.

‘What should I do?’

They had also failed to find any trace of the missing people.

If they can’t find them after searching like this, there are two possibilities: they drowned, or they were taken prisoner to a bandit den.

To find that out, they had to identify the bandit den that attacked the special goods and find its base of operations.

“Senior Brother.”

“Yeah?”

Yoon Jong spoke with a serious expression.

“In my opinion, it’s going to be difficult this way.”

“How can we find bandits who go back and forth between the water and the land?”

Jo Gul, who had been listening, clasped his hands behind his head and grumbled.

“Hey. If I were rich, the bandits would come looking for me even if I just rode a boat. Since I don’t have any money, I have to go looking for the bandits.”

Baek Cheon looked sharply at Jo Gul and asked quickly.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I’m sad because I don’t have any money.”

“No, before that.”

“Yes? Ah… I said that if I were rich, the bandits would come looking for me…”

Baek Cheon muttered for a moment, then smiled brightly.

“Even dog poop has its uses,” Baek Cheon said, a smile spreading across his face. “Jo Gul’s words just gave me an idea, even though he didn’t mean to!”

The face that had been lost in thought was now bright.

“Let’s change the plan.”

“How?”

“It’s as Jo Gul said. If we can’t find them, we’ll have to make them come to us.”

The disciples trembled with an unknown anxiety. The smile on Baek Cheon’s lips was similar to Chung Myung’s.