Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 900

The ground was broken stones and dirt, like after a fight. Suddenly, three silver lines flashed across it.

Three knives flew at Chung Myung. Each one was different. One came straight at him. The other two spun around, one to his left, one to his right. The spinning knives were much faster. They all reached him at almost the same moment…

“No!” Chung Myung shouted.

*WHAM!*

His Dark Plum Blossom Sword moved like lightning. It smashed into the knives coming from the sides, sending them flying away.

*CLANG! KLANG!*

The sound was deafening. A shockwave pushed outwards, making the ground tremble like an earthquake. Dirt and dust exploded into the air.

*WHAM!* Even with the ground shaking, Chung Myung didn’t move. He pushed his sword forward, fast as a striking snake, towards the last knife.

But then… *WHOOSH!*

Just before his sword hit, the knife flipped upwards! It jumped like a viper rising to bite.

“Gasp!”

“No way!”

The Hwasan disciples watched, hands sweating. They gasped. The knife had jumped over Chung Myung’s sword and was now aimed right at his face!

Anyone else would have frozen. But this was Chung Myung.

He reacted in a flash. As the knife changed direction, his head jerked back.

*SCREEECH!*

The blade just missed his face, a hair’s breadth away.

‘He dodged it…’ Baek Cheon thought, relieved.

But then he saw it.

*WHIRR.*

The knife, so close to Chung Myung’s face, changed direction *again*. It turned sharply in the air.

“What?!” Baek Cheon exclaimed.

Even Baek Cheon, usually so calm, was shocked. Chung Myung’s eyes went wide too, surprised.

*WHAM!*

The knife changed direction right in front of his face! There was no time to dodge.

*CLANG!*

But Chung Myung was faster than anyone. His sword was already back, blocking the knife.

*CLANG CLANG CLANG! CLANG CLANG CLANG!*

The knife was still strong. It spun and pushed against the sword, trying to break through.

*AND! CLANG CLANG CLANG!*

Finally, the knife twisted away, just missing Chung Myung’s face again.

*KABOOM!*

When the knife hit the ground, it exploded. Dirt and rocks flew up like a bomb had gone off.

…

Chung Myung slowly looked at the ground. It was destroyed.

A thin red line appeared on his cheek. It grew darker.

*Drip.*

A drop of red blood fell from the cut on his cheek.

“… This old guy?” Chung Myung muttered, grinding his teeth. He glared at Tang Gunak.

“Is he really trying to kill you?” Jo Gul asked, his face tight with worry.

Throwing knives are dangerous. Once you throw them, you can’t stop them. Unlike a sword, you can’t pull back a knife if it’s going to hit someone badly.

Usually, people using knives in practice fights are careful. They don’t want to accidentally kill someone!

But Tang Gunak was throwing knives like he wanted to kill Chung Myung. He wasn’t holding back at all.

“Anyone else would be dead,” Jo Gul whispered, scared.

“A knife that comes back at you after you dodge it? If it was me, I wouldn’t know what to do!”

“That’s a trick that’s impossible to defend against if you don’t know it’s coming. Isn’t that what they call a ‘deadly move’?”

Tang Gunak was using deadly moves right from the start of a practice fight! This was wrong.

“Sasuk,” Jo Gul said, worried.

“Just watch,” Baek Cheon said calmly, sounding sure of himself again.

“… But…!”

“Using deadly moves doesn’t mean he wants to kill Chung Myung,” Baek Cheon explained. “He can use them because he knows one thing for sure.”

“Guarantee?” Jo Gul asked.

“Yes,” Baek Cheon nodded.

“He’s sure Chung Myung can block them all, without getting hurt.”

…

Jo Gul was silent.

Baek Cheon sighed, looking at Tang Gunak and then at Chung Myung.

*’He really trusts Chung Myung,’* Baek Cheon thought.

He had seen Chung Myung train them all, getting stronger faster than anyone he knew. He knew Chung Myung was strong.

But how could Tang Gunak be so sure?

If Tang Gunak wasn’t completely certain Chung Myung was incredibly strong, he wouldn’t use such dangerous moves right away. One mistake could be deadly.

Just then, a quiet voice spoke.

“Good.”

“Huh?” Baek Cheon turned to Yiseol.

Yiseol, who always looked calm and never showed her feelings, was watching the fight. She said softly, “Then it won’t be boring.”

Baek Cheon smiled a little.

“Definitely.”

He watched Chung Myung wipe blood from his cheek.

“I promise you,” Baek Cheon said, his voice full of confidence. “This isn’t going to stop that crazy guy.”

Then, a confused voice interrupted.

“Poison?”

…

“D-Dude? Is that old man using poison? In a fight?” Chung Myung’s voice was shaky. “Ack! I feel dizzy! Ugh!” He stumbled, grabbing his head. The world seemed to spin.

Baek Cheon watched him, his face losing color. Jo Gul and Yoon Jong just stared, their expressions blank with surprise.

“Are you sure?”

Baek Cheon simply stared silently at the distant sky.

Sssssss.

Blood dripped from Chung Myung’s fingers, landing on the hard, blue stone floor. A hiss like frying bacon filled the air as the stone seemed to melt under the poison. White steam curled upwards, carrying a sharp, chemical smell.

Chung Myung glared at Tang Gunak, his expression full of disbelief.

“P-Poison?”

“What’s with the surprise?” Tang Gunak shrugged as if it were nothing.

“Ack!” Chung Myung clutched at the back of his neck, which was growing stiff.

“Using poison in a fight against someone younger? Poison? And such a strong one at that?”

“I didn’t want to say this, but…”

“What?”

“Isn’t it a bit embarrassing for you to call yourself a junior? You should be ashamed.”

Chung Myung’s mouth fell open.

The person who used poison in a fight was lecturing him about shame?

Even Chung Myung, who was very disciplined and had a good heart, couldn’t ignore this.

Oh, stop with the nonsense!

Oh, why don’t you be quiet for once! I might just tear off all the glue on your ancestor memorial tablet.

Sssssss.

Seeing the ground still melting, Chung Myung gritted his teeth.

“Are you that desperate to win?”

“It’s not necessarily that. However…” Tang Gunak smiled slyly.

“My skills are too weak to make you use your full power. What choice do I have? I have to use every trick I can.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be done with poison? I thought it was useless in fights between masters?”

“That’s wrong.”

“Huh?”

Tang Gunak glared at Chung Myung with cold eyes.

“Of course, it’s hard to beat someone like you with poison alone. But at least, I can make you waste your inner energy fighting it off. And if your injuries get worse, the poison could take over.”

“If there’s even a one percent, no, a one-tenth of a percent chance of winning, wouldn’t it be strange not to use it?”

“Huh?”

“Who do you think has the advantage? You, who has to waste energy to get rid of the poison, or me, who can just put poison on my hidden weapons before the fight?”

He’s right, isn’t he?

Then why didn’t that idiot Dang Bo use poison during the war? Was he stupid?

Then, a conversation Chung Myung had with Dang Bo in the past flashed through his mind.

“But why don’t you use poison?”

“Ugh, you annoying old man! I’d use it if I had any!”

“Is it because you’re an outcast from the family that they don’t even give you poison?”

“Seriously, do you think poison grows on trees? The Dang family ran out of poison a long time ago! Where would I find the time to make more? If I spend time making poison, we’ll all die.”

“Useless idiot.”

“Watch your mouth. If I just had some poison to put on my throwing knives, even Master would be finished in one hit… one hit… Haha. Let’s… talk this over. Don’t draw your sword. Is it because you only eat grass in Hwasan? You don’t understand jokes at all… Hee hee hee!”

Ah… I was the idiot.

“Ugh!” Feeling a sudden dizziness, Chung Myung quickly used his inner energy to stop the poison.

Chung Myung’s special, pure energy stopped the poison right away.

Only then did Chung Myung catch his breath, gritting his teeth as he raised his sword.

“If you’re going to be like this, I can’t stay still either.”

“No,” Tang Gunak shook his head. “This is not all I have.”

Tang Gunak’s hands moved in and out of his sleeves. In his right hand were Soul-Reaping Flying Daggers, and in his left, a bunch of thin needles.

The edges of the flying daggers shone with a faint green light in the sunlight.

Chung Myung’s face became serious as he realized Tang Gunak was not joking.

“Of course, I want to see how strong you’ve become. But you should also know one thing.”

“One thing?”

“Who I am.” Tang Gunak’s strong voice pressed down on Chung Myung.

“Who you’re fighting with. Who Poison King Tang Gunak is.”

The green robe that covered Tang Gunak’s body puffed out. The energy he gave off made Chung Myung nervous.

Chung Myung’s lips parted slightly, showing his white teeth. His face twisted like a demon.

“Seriously…”

Kroooooh!

A storm of energy burst from Chung Myung’s body as he gripped the Dark Plum Sword.

“You keep saying things I like to hear!”

Wham!

At that moment, Tang Gunak stepped forward, throwing five flying daggers. The five daggers, bright with poison, spun as they flew towards Chung Myung.

“Haha!” Chung Myung shouted happily, charging towards the flying daggers.

Fwoooosh!

Chung Myung’s sword, glowing with a sunset-red light, cut through the spaces between the five flying daggers. In a flash, the sword split in all directions, hitting all the spinning daggers with amazing speed.

Clang! Clang!

Explosions rang out! Flying daggers scattered!

But then, Chung Myung was met by a cloud of dust that filled the sky.

‘Soul Severing Sand.’

Sand filled with strong poison was thrown, and hundreds of needles poured in from the front. Even more, dark throwing stars were mixed in with the Soul Severing Sand.

‘Ghost King’s Decree!’

The deadly hidden weapons, said to be used only against the Dang family’s enemies, covered Chung Myung’s body.

At that moment, Chung Myung’s sword trembled, starting to create something that should rightfully be in Hwasan.

Crimson red plum blossoms.