Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 89

Yoon Jong looked around, his eyes narrowed. It was quiet. Too quiet. Absent. Nowhere to be seen.

Unlike yesterday, when the disciples from the Second Great Sect would come early in the morning to bother them, not a single one was visible today.

‘Is it real?’

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Chung Myung’s words.

As Jo Gul said, Chung Myung was a person who might spout nonsense, but he didn’t lie.

The problem was that Chung Myung’s ‘solutions’ were often very strange and not what anyone else would expect.

So, he figured that this time too, something must have gone wrong…

‘It seems like he solved it surprisingly well?’

There was still doubt about the ‘well,’ but it seemed certain that he had ‘solved’ it.

“Sect Brother, doesn’t it seem like Chung Myung’s words are true after all?”

“…”

At Jo Gul’s probing question, Yoon Jong nodded almost unconsciously.

But was it really okay to accept things as they were?

‘Having a problem with a martial uncle, so solving it by beating the martial uncle—is that a way of thinking that can exist in the Central Plains?’

Even in the Western Regions, where the common sense of the Central Plains didn’t apply, shouldn’t they be rolling their eyes and pretending to be Confucian scholars, saying they would correct his impudence?

The problem was that this ridiculous solution actually worked.

‘Where is the future of Mount Hua heading?’

Yoon Jong hadn’t thought of himself as old-fashioned, but looking at Chung Myung, he wondered if being old-fashioned wasn’t so bad after all. Wouldn’t a world with more old-fashioned people be better than one where someone like Chung Myung was running wild?

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

“…I was thinking about the future of Mount Hua and fuddy-duddies.”

“…”

Jo Gul

‘Is this guy slowly going crazy too?’

Yoon Jong, realizing that he was being looked at with such eyes, cleared his throat quietly.

The third-generation disciples, who had been watching him carefully from the side, cautiously approached Yoon Jong and spoke.

“The martial uncles are a bit strange today, Sect Brother.”

“…I suppose so.”

“I wonder why they’re acting like that all of a sudden? I’m worried they might be plotting something else.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Yoon Jong gazed at the distant sky.

‘These guys aren’t in their right minds either.’

Using the word ‘plotting’ for their martial uncle. This was something unimaginable in Mount Hua before Chung Myung came. But Yoon Jong was like that, Jo Gul was like that, and the third-generation disciples were also becoming more and more like Chung Myung as the days went by.

At this rate, Mount Hua might be filled with guys like Chung Myung later on…

Yoon Jong shuddered as if he didn’t even want to imagine it.

‘Just thinking about it is horrifying.’

The problem was that the imagination wasn’t entirely impossible.

“It’s even more unsettling because it’s so quiet. Should we go and poke them a little?”

“Those older martial uncles wouldn’t have suddenly changed their minds. Don’t you think they are planning something, Sect Brother?”

Alas, alas.

Where has the trust and faith between martial siblings gone?

“Quiet! Hurry up and prepare for training!”

“…Yes.”

Yoon Jong sighed deeply as he watched his disciples gathering their swords with rebellious eyes, thinking,

‘Why is he being so grumpy again?’

Mount Hua was drifting further and further away from the Mount Hua he knew. Of course, it couldn’t be said that this was necessarily a bad change… but to be honest, he didn’t want to see the Mount Hua of the future that Chung Myung would create.

“Sect Brother. Then did Chung Myung really beat Martial Uncle Baek Cheon?”

Jo Gul spoke quietly so that others wouldn’t hear, and Yoon Jong frowned.

“Why are you saying the obvious? That guy wouldn’t lie, and if that weren’t the case, this change wouldn’t have happened.”

“…No. That’s uh…”

Jo Gul scratched the back of his head.

“I just can’t understand it. No matter how strong Chung Myung was from the time he entered the sect, there’s still a difference in the amount of time he’s been learning martial arts compared to Martial Uncle Baek Cheon. I vaguely thought he might be able to put up a fight, but to be completely beaten…”

Yoon Jong also couldn’t understand this part at all.

‘Is that even possible?’

It wasn’t possible. But wasn’t Chung Myung the one who always made the impossible possible?

“Then Sect Brother. Does that mean Chung Myung is stronger than Martial Uncle Baek Cheon?”

“Why are you keep saying the obvious since a while ago…”

“Then how does he compare to Jongnam?”

Yoon Jong closed his mouth.

Jongnam?

This was something Yoon Jong hadn’t really thought about.

“If it’s Chung Myung, wouldn’t he be comparable to Jongnam? He even beat that Martial Uncle Baek Cheon.”

“Hmm.”

Yoon Jong fell into thought with a stiff face.

“Then if Chung Myung steps up for this Hwajong Tournament, the big competition between martial arts schools…”

“Gul.”

“Yes, Sect Brother.”

“What will change even if Chung Myung wins against Jongnam?”

“…Wouldn’t it change?”

Yoon Jong shook his head.

“It’s something to celebrate when a master comes out of the sect. But a single master can’t do anything in the world of martial arts. He might be able to make a name for himself. But the moment Chung Myung disappears, Mount Hua will fall back to its former state.”

“…”

“If you truly want to revive Mount Hua, you shouldn’t rely on Chung Myung, but we should become stronger. Only when the disciples of Mount Hua are no longer ignored by anyone in the world can we truly declare a revival, right?”

“That’s right.”

“However, as you said, I am curious about the Hwajong Tournament. It will be decided there.”

“What will?”

“Whether Chung Myung…”

Yoon Jong took a slight deep breath and opened his mouth.

“Will truly become a hero who will change Mount Hua. Or will he become a tyrant who reigns in a small Mount Hua.”

But maybe… maybe this crazy change is what Mount Hua needs?

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul looked at each other with the utmost seriousness.

Chung Myung…

“Ah! Seriously! Just get lost!”

The heads of the two men slowly turned to the side.

Chung Myung was running away, shouting curses behind him. His robes billowed out behind him as he sprinted across the training ground.

“…”

“Isn’t that Yoo Iseol?”

Yoo Iseol was chasing after Chung Myung, who was sprinting with all his might, with an expressionless face. Yoo Iseol was chasing after Chung Myung, her face as still and focused as ever.

“Teach me.”

“I told you I wouldn’t teach you! I told you not to come anymore! You’re like a shadow!”

“Maiden Sword!”

“Go to Un Sword Martial Grandfather and ask him to teach you!”

“Un Sword Martial Grandfather is a man. Maiden Sword is a woman’s swordsmanship. Un Sword Martial Grandfather’s knowledge of Maiden Sword is weak.”

“Am I a woman? Huh? Am I a woman?”

“Teach me.”

“Aargh! Damn it, how did I run into someone like this!”

Chung Myung and Yoo Iseol quickly brushed past each other. The eyes of Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, who were watching the two, were filled with bewilderment.

‘When did those two become so close?’

‘Has Yoo Iseol always been so talkative? It feels like I’ve heard more words just now than I’ve heard from her since she entered Mount Hua?’

‘No, more than that, is it okay to talk so rudely to Yoo Iseol?’

Anyway, he was a guy without common sense.

“…What you were saying earlier. About whether he’s a hero or a tyrant.”

“Gul.”

“Yes, Sect Brother.”

“Let’s just train.”

“…Yes.”

Baek Sang’s face twisted.

“Sect Brother. Are you really going to leave it like that?”

Listening to Baek Sang’s dissatisfied words, Baek Cheon smiled gently.

“Why are you so angry?”

“Aren’t those guys being too presumptuous right now! Especially that Chung Myung, he doesn’t seem to be reflecting at all. Isn’t it right to punish him now?”

Punish?

You?

“Someone like you?”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Baek Cheon forced the corners of his lips up.

There wasn’t a single place on his body that didn’t hurt. Every breath was a reminder of Chung Myung’s blows, a dull ache that settled deep in his bones.

His gaze turned to Chung Myung, who was running away from Yoo Iseol.

‘That vicious bastard.’

How could he grind a person down so thoroughly while leaving no visible wounds on the surface? The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was.

Thanks to that, he was able to avoid being humiliated in front of others, but he had no way to express this injustice. Complaining that he was beaten by a junior disciple without a single wound would only make him look like a madman.

Or he would be treated like the biggest loser in the world.

Of course, even if he had wounds, he had no intention of saying out loud that he had fought with a junior disciple and been beaten like a dog. But still, he couldn’t help but feel wronged and regretful.

“Why did you suddenly tell us not to touch the third-generation disciples?”

“Baek Sang.”

“Yes, Sect Brother. I don’t understand Sect Brother’s intentions at all.”

Intentions, my foot.

It’s because I don’t want to get hit anymore.

But he couldn’t say what was in his heart. Baek Cheon also had his pride to protect.

“Isn’t the Hwajong Tournament just around the corner?”

“…That’s true.”

Baek Cheon spoke with a solemn expression.

“I wasn’t thinking clearly. Disciplining the third-generation disciples is something that can be done at any time. But the Hwajong Tournament is not. Isn’t the Hwajong Tournament an event that happens once every two years?”

Baek Sang nodded silently.

Baek Cheon narrowed his brow slightly, confirming that there was still dissatisfaction on his face.

“Disciplining the third-generation disciples is a problem inside our sect, and the Hwajong Tournament is about our sect’s reputation outside. The internal is important, but the external is also important. Moreover, considering the importance of the Hwajong Tournament, we must put everything else aside and bet everything on the Hwajong Tournament right now. Isn’t that so?”

“…That’s right.”

“Our enemy right now is not the third-generation disciples, but Jongnam. You haven’t forgotten why we even went into seclusion to train, have you?”

Baek Sang sighed deeply and lowered his head.

“Sect Brother’s words are correct. I must have been out of my mind for a moment.”

‘I was the one who was out of my mind.’

And I still am.

Anyway, he was relieved that the excuse seemed to be working. If Baek Sang had questioned him,

‘No, why are you acting like you’re the only good one now when you were the one who started it in the first place?’

He would have had nothing to say.

“Thank you for understanding. Let’s put the matter of the third-generation disciples aside for now. We must first do our best to prepare for the Hwajong Tournament. Remind the disciples to practice their martial arts one last time and remember what they learned during their training.”

“Yes, Sect Brother!”

Baek Sang answered vigorously and ran to the back.

Watching that figure, Baek Cheon lowered his eyes with a slightly empty face.

‘Once the Hwajong Tournament is over, I won’t even think about the third-generation disciples’ impudence.’

Because he would see an absurd sight.

Baek Cheon glanced sideways and looked at Chung Myung, who was moving further away in the distance.

‘And it won’t be just us who are surprised.’

Perhaps Jongnam would be even more surprised than Mount Hua. Thinking about that, the pain in the places where Chung Myung had hit him seemed to lessen a little… but it didn’t.

It hurt more.

It hurt to the bone.

That damn bastard, he really beat me up good.

Baek Cheon sighed deeply and turned his body.

‘I’ll do what I have to do.’

Things had gotten a bit twisted because of Chung Myung’s sudden appearance, but his goal since two years ago was to prove himself at the Hwajong Tournament. Considering who would be coming to Mount Hua this time, he didn’t have time to be doing this.

This time, he would definitely prove his worth.

However…

Baek Cheon contorted his face and looked back.

“But why is that bastard keep hanging out with Junior Sister Yoo?”

It made him feel bad.

Baek Cheon, who had been glancing at the two, suppressed a slightly uneasy feeling and headed to the training ground.

The time for the Hwajong Tournament to begin was approaching.