Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 847

“Huh?” Jo Gul blinked.

“Yes?” Yoon Jong frowned.

“Eh?” Baek Sang tilted his head.

“Uh?” Even Yoo Iseol looked surprised.

“What did you just say?” Baek Cheon asked, his voice quiet.

The reactions were different, but the feeling was the same: confusion.

The Mount Hua disciples crowded around Hyun Jong in the training hall. Sunlight streamed through the windows, lighting up the dust motes dancing in the air. They blinked, staring at their Sect Leader as if they hadn’t understood his simple words.

Faces blank and foolish, they turned to each other. Everyone looked confused. It seemed they had all heard Hyun Jong correctly.

“Sect Leader?” Baek Sang spoke carefully, tilting his head. “Did I… did I hear you right?”

He struggled to speak, glancing around at the others. He needed to see if they were as confused as he was. Senior and junior disciples alike nodded slowly. He had heard correctly.

“Did you really just say… close… the gates?” Baek Sang laughed a little, not believing it.

Close the gates? It was crazy!

“…That’s right,” Hyun Jong said softly.

“Eek?”

“Yes?”

“What are you saying?”

“Us?”

As soon as Hyun Jong confirmed it, the disciples of Mount Hua erupted in protest. Jo Gul had the strongest reaction.

“No, Sect Leader! What did we do wrong to deserve closing the gates! Did you maybe do something without telling us…?”

“Shut up, you little brat!”

Yoon Jong grabbed Jo Gul by the neck and hit his jaw, knocking him out.

With Jo Gul limp in his hand, Yoon Jong cleared his throat. He looked awkward, but no one noticed.

“Sect Leader, this is confusing. You must have a reason, but why close the gates so suddenly?”

Everyone nodded strongly.

They all stared at Hyun Jong, waiting for an explanation. Hyun Jong slowly turned his head and looked at Chung Myung.

Chung Myung was smiling.

Jo Gul, half-conscious, screamed, shook off Yoon Jong, and grabbed Baek Cheon’s collar.

“What did you do! Hey, you! What did you do!”

It was shocking to see a junior disciple grab a senior disciple’s collar, but Baek Cheon wasn’t angry. He just looked away from Jo Gul’s angry eyes.

“Why are you blaming me? That guy did it.”

“Is it the fire’s fault, or the one who started it? What did that guy do wrong? It’s your fault for making him crazy!”

It was confusing, but the Mount Hua disciples agreed with Jo Gul.

Even Baek Cheon knew he was partly to blame.

“How could I know he’d go this far?”

How could anyone understand a madman?

Closing the gates was a sudden shock.

“Sect Leader, what did you hear that made you…?”

Yoon Jong looked back and forth between Chung Myung and Hyun Jong, then cleared his throat.

“I should follow your orders, but I want to know why.”

“That’s…”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“That’s…”

Hyun Jong’s eyes watered.

Yoon Jong didn’t ask again.

Yoon Jong turned his head sharply.

“You explain it, you! Why are you talking about closing the gates! We didn’t do anything wrong!”

“That’s strange,” Chung Myung said.

Chung Myung picked at his ear and blew on his fingertip.

“Closing the gates isn’t my decision. I’m just a weak third-generation disciple, right?”

“Weak third-generation disciple? Weak?”

That liar.

“Closing the gates isn’t only for when you do something wrong. The Nine Sects close their gates when they don’t want to be blamed for their crimes. Closing the gates is just something you do when you want to.”

“Then why now!”

Baek Sang stepped forward.

“Yeah, you! Now is the best time! Everyone is praising Mount Hua! Business is great! Mount Hua is more popular than the Nine Sects! We need to keep going! Are you going to ruin it? You crazy guy!”

Baek Sang pounded his chest, frustrated.

“Say something, Pavilion Lord!”

He asked Hyun Young for help. Hyun Young spoke firmly.

“Chung Myung has a plan.”

“Aish!”

He doesn’t know when to be serious!

Jo Gul let go of Baek Cheon and charged at Chung Myung.

“Hey, you crazy…!”

He was knocked back, rolling away. No one caught him.

“Tsk,” Chung Myung said.

Chung Myung put his leg down and looked around, clicking his tongue.

“You all don’t understand.”

“Huh?”

“This isn’t my idea.”

“Huh? Whose idea is it?”

Chung Myung closed his eyes and nodded.

“I’m doing what Grand-Uncle Baek Cheon told me to do. Juniors should listen to their grand-uncles, right?”

Everyone looked at Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon smiled.

“Just kill me. Don’t do this to me. Let me die.”

“I’m not doing anything to you. That’s mean,” Chung Myung said.

Baek Cheon covered his face and shook his head.

“Sect Leader! Are you listening to him?”

“Even for Chung Myung, this is too much!”

“I don’t get it! Why are we closing the gates? Shaolin and Wudang did wrong, but what will people think of us?”

The disciples were angry. Hyun Jong looked at them sadly.

Then, a quiet voice silenced everyone.

“Close the gates.”

Everyone looked at Yoo Iseol. She nodded calmly.

“Go back to Mount Hua and close the gates.”

“…”

“I like it.”

The disciples looked at each other.

‘Why is she acting like that?’

‘Who knows what she’s thinking!’

‘I’m going crazy.’

Chung Myung was like a typhoon coming. Yoo Iseol was like an earthquake. You can prepare for a typhoon, but not an earthquake.

“So, everyone get ready. We’re going to Mount Hua.”

“No, you!”

“What’s going on!”

Baek Cheon spoke.

“Chung Myung.”

“Huh?”

He looked serious.

“Explain it clearly. Don’t skip over it.”

“Hmm,” Chung Myung said.

“It’s simple.”

He pointed at Yoo Iseol.

Yoo Iseol nodded.

He pointed at Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, and Yoon Jong. Then he pointed at all the Mount Hua disciples.

Chung Myung pointed at everyone and spoke calmly.

“Because you’re weak.”

“…”

It was silent. Everyone looked serious.

The mood changed.

Baek Sang broke the silence.

“…I understand,” he said.

He stared at Chung Myung.

“We are weak. We didn’t do much in the battle. We just held back the Ten Thousand People Clan.”

“That’s right,” Chung Myung said.

“But Chung Myung, there’s a time for everything. Martial artists should train, but now we need to think bigger.”

Baek Sang sighed.

“I know you’re impatient, but in half a year, Mount Hua will be stronger. The Four Evil Sects made a three-year deal, so we can wait half a year, right?”

“Half a year?”

“Yes, half a year!”

Baek Sang looked at Chung Myung.

He knew about Mount Hua’s money, the world, and its business.

He knew how great Mount Hua’s chance was.

Other sects would do anything to get this chance. But they were throwing it away?

He didn’t understand.

“What will happen in half a year?”

“Don’t you know? Money! Fame! Sects will want to join us and the Heavenly Union. We’ll have honor!”

“…”

“Mount Hua will be two times bigger! Three times! Maybe five! You wanted this! But we’re closing the gates after all our hard work!”

Chung Myung stared at Baek Sang. Baek Sang felt worried and raised his voice.

“This isn’t just now! If we wait for our fame to grow, open the gates, and accept disciples, talented kids will come from rich families! That will make Mount Hua strong!”

“…”

“Why are you throwing it away? Why?”

Everyone agreed with Baek Sang.

Mount Hua was on a big wave. If they rode it well, they could be as strong as the Nine Great Sects.

“Tell me. Don’t say martial arts are all that matters. You can’t say that, right?”

Everyone looked at Chung Myung, ready to argue.

Chung Myung looked at everyone with dark eyes. He opened his mouth.

“Money is good. Fame is good, honor is good. I like those things, right?”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Why are you asking? I told you. Because you are weak.”

“This…”

Baek Sang was angry.

“Give me a real answer!”

“This is the answer. Because you are weak.”

“Hey, you!”

“Don’t you understand?”

Baek Sang stopped. Chung Myung’s voice was serious.

Chung Myung spoke quietly but clearly.

“This is the end. No more luck.”

He looked at everyone.

“Next time…”

They trembled.

“Someone will die.”

Everyone was silent.