Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 857

Hyun Jong watched his students train. His face was full of worry. The students moved like angry wolves, all attacking Chung Myung. Even though they used wooden swords, their attacks were fierce. Anyone watching could see they wanted to win. Chung Myung fought back hard, and the students facing him looked just as serious. Their eyes showed real anger.

*Killing intent,* Hyun Jong thought. Everyone knew swords were for fighting, but seeing his students so angry at each other made him uncomfortable.

“This is too violent, isn’t it?” Un Am said beside him, sighing heavily.

“Violent?” Hyun Jong agreed. He had been thinking the same thing. This didn’t look like training anymore. It looked like they were just angry and hurting each other. It wasn’t this bad at first, but it was getting worse every day.

“Should we stop them?” Hyun Sang asked. Even Hyun Sang, who was usually very strict, looked worried.

“We are Mount Hua, a Daoist school. Should our students be acting so… mean?”

“Enough,” Hyun Jong said firmly.

“Sect Leader?” Hyun Sang looked surprised. Hyun Jong shook his head, thinking for a moment. “They aren’t doing this because they don’t understand, are they?” He looked at Chung Myung, who was fighting fiercely with the students. “Imagine someone pulling a heavy cart, trying to go fast. It might be annoying to tell them to go faster, or even to say they are going too fast. But you could say those things. Do you know what you *shouldn’t* say?”

“No, Sect Leader.”

“Don’t tell them to worry about how they stand while they are pulling the cart,” Hyun Jong explained, looking at Hyun Sang. “Would you tell someone who is working so hard they forget to eat and sleep to worry about small things like that?”

“…I understand, Sect Leader. But if they keep training like this…”

“I know,” Hyun Jong sighed. “You mean the students might get hurt and it will all be for nothing.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

“Chung Myung knows that,” Hyun Jong said softly, looking at Chung Myung with sympathy. “He cares about these students even more than we do, maybe. He is suffering to make them stronger. Instead of stopping him, shouldn’t we trust him? Let’s trust him for now.”

“…Understood.”

Hyun Jong sighed again. He knew Un Am and Hyun Sang worried about the students. But it wasn’t Chung Myung’s fault. If anyone was to blame, it was him, for not leading them well enough. *Or maybe it’s my own ambition,* he thought. The safest thing for Mount Hua would be to hide away in Shaanxi, far from the fighting. Even if other evil groups attacked, Shaanxi was safe because of where it was. But he couldn’t do that. That wasn’t the right path. If Mount Hua gave up its place in the world, everything the students had worked so hard for would be lost.

It was strange. If Mount Hua was still weak and unknown, like before, no one would bother them. The wars wouldn’t touch them. No one would care about a small, forgotten school in Shaanxi. But now it was different. Mount Hua was important now. And with that importance came responsibility.

*Responsibility…* Hyun Jong closed his eyes. If he was the only one who had to carry this weight, he would be happy to do it, even if it was painful. Bringing Mount Hua back was his dream. He would give his life for it. But that was why it hurt so much. He saw that it wasn’t him paying the price, but his students. They were the ones suffering for Mount Hua’s success.

*I don’t know if this is right,* he thought. Is this the right way? Strong roots in the ground make beautiful flowers grow. Maybe Mount Hua’s rise, the thing he wanted so much, needed to take strength from others, like roots taking food from the soil. *Great Spirit of the Mountain,* he prayed silently. He opened his eyes again. Chung Myung was still fighting, his sword flashing. The image stayed in Hyun Jong’s mind.

The hard training went on, day after day. Each day, the students of Mount Hua looked worse. It was no surprise. Even martial arts students don’t train all day and night. Mount Hua was also a Daoist school, so they had other duties. They had to help run the school, which was now very big. Normally, they would train hard, but they would also rest. But now, everything was different since Mount Hua closed its gates. From morning until night, they trained without stopping. But the pain in their bodies wasn’t the hardest part. It was the constant pressure, the need to be ready all the time. It felt like their minds were being sharpened like knives, always ready to cut. Every fight was like a real battle, where they tried to defeat each other with all their strength. Normally, this kind of training would cause arguments and anger between friends. But in Mount Hua, there were no problems like that. Not because they were such good friends, but because they were too tired to even be angry. In a real war, you don’t have time for feelings. Their minds were pushed too far. Their bodies were pushed too far. Everyone started to wonder: was this training even helping? Or was it just breaking them?

Then, it happened. *Crack!* Silence. Everything stopped. Yoon Jong’s eyes went wide. One student, with blood running from his nose, forgot to wipe it and just stared. Another student, who had fallen to the ground, jumped up, mouth open in shock. A student running forward froze in place. Another, who was too tired to even stand, clenched his fist tightly.

“Uh…” Yoon Jong whispered. His eyes were locked on one thing. His wooden sword. His old wooden sword, dented and worn from so much training, was touching someone’s side.

“…It touched?” Yoon Jong’s eyes shook. Someone might think it was normal to hit someone in training. But this was not normal. Because the person his sword touched was Chung Myung.

“Huh?” Yoon Jong blinked, still not believing it. He opened his mouth slowly, and then he understood. He had trained with Chung Myung for years. But this was the first time his sword had ever touched Chung Myung. No. It was the first time *any* student from Mount Hua had touched Chung Myung.

“I… It touched! Wow! I touched him!” Yoon Jong shouted, his voice full of surprise and joy.

The moment Yoon Jong roared loudly, WHAM! Chung Myung kicked Yoon Jong hard in the stomach. Yoon Jong fell back without a sound.

But like he felt no pain, he jumped up quickly and yelled.

Aargh! He stabbed me! He stabbed me, I tell you!

Right then, a huge cheer came from the Hwasan disciples around them.

He did it! He actually did it! Raaah!

He finally hit that fool!

How do you like that, you…!

It was amazing how they found so much strength. People who could barely stand a moment ago were now pulling their hair, jumping, and screaming.

Aargh! Senior Brother!

Yoon Jong, you little rascal!

Wow! I’m actually seeing that person prove himself!

This shouldn’t be a big deal. It really shouldn’t be. For many people to attack one person and barely hit him once is something to be ashamed of, not celebrated.

But simple common sense didn’t matter to them now.

The distance that seemed too far to reach, so huge they couldn’t even look at it, had become smaller in this moment.

Tsk.

Chung Myung rubbed his side lightly. A slight pain throbbed in his side. It felt both known and new.

And yet… Strangely, he didn’t feel bad. Actually, his lips kept wanting to smile, and they trembled a little.

Chung Myung made his face serious and said, “Just because you got lucky once, don’t get so excited. How pathetic.”

At those cold words, Yoon Jong walked up to Chung Myung, his face serious. He straightened his back and stood firm.

You.

As Yoon Jong pointed a finger, Chung Myung frowned a little.

Yoon Jong looked right at Chung Myung and pretended to cut his own throat with his finger.

You’re already dead once.

⋯⋯.

Chung Myung’s serious face changed for a moment.

That….

Mwahahahaha! How do you like that?

No…

Wow! The dead man is talking! Everyone, come see! The dead man is talking!

Call a spiritual healer right now!

We *are* the spiritual healers, you crazy fools!

Mwahahaha! There’s a zombie here!

CRACK!

Chung Myung’s hand gripped the wooden sword tighter. A vein stood out on his forehead.

These Senior Brothers are really…

Ha.

Just then, Jo Gul covered his face and shook his head.

Too bad, I should have been first. Senior Brother got to do that.

It’s okay. The head is still left. You can’t die from a stab in the side.

That’s right! The head! The head is mine!

Ahem.

Baek Cheon, who had been quiet, cleared his throat loudly and said.

There’s a proper way to do things, even for simple things, so Second Uncle should go first.

What proper way is there in Hwasan!

⋯⋯That’s true, but it sounds strange coming from you, Soso.

Right, youngest one?

Everyone was jumping, unable to calm down. People don’t get tired when things are hard. They get tired when they lose hope.

For those who were losing heart, Yoon Jong’s sword had clearly shown them hope. Very small and weak, but it was there.

There’s something that fool has said many times.

Baek Cheon smiled in a sneaky way as he lifted his sword and walked towards Chung Myung.

Then, the other Hwasan disciples started to surround Chung Myung, chuckling quietly.

The first time is always the hardest.

After the second time, it’s nothing.

Right?

Of course, that’s right.

Chung Myung watched with wide eyes as his Senior Brothers and Sisters came closer. The way they slowly closed in was like a pack of wild dogs surrounding a rabbit.

Ha…

Chung Myung twisted his lips and started to speak.

If you think luck is skill…

But before he could finish, shouts came from everywhere.

Luck *is* a skill!

Why? Are you going to grab death and complain about your bad luck after you get stabbed and die on the battlefield?

Who listens to the excuses of a dead man? Huh?

⋯⋯.

You get what you deserve.

Hae Yeon, who had been quiet, said a Buddhist prayer seriously, like a monk should. It seemed he didn’t really like this mood…

You talk too much, Chung Myung. If you are dead, lie down. I will say a prayer for you.

Hee hee hee!

Hee hee hee!

Wow! With so many monks and religious people here, Chung Myung’s going to heaven is guaranteed! Guaranteed!

Joy at his trouble burst out from everywhere. Veins stood out on Chung Myung’s forehead again.

Oh, is that so…

His eyes burned with anger.

Let’s see who dies today! You damned Senior Brothers and Sisters!

Kill him!

Hold him down!

The head is mine!

The disciples of Hwasan charged at Chung Myung again, screaming like Hwasan was falling apart.

A body that looked like it would break any second. Terrible pain all over his body.

But even in that pain, clear smiles were on the faces of the Hwasan disciples.