Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Ahhhh! You damned moron!”

As Jo Gul screamed and lay flat on his back, Chung Myung burst into laughter.

“It is good to work and train at the same time! You have been active in the competition, so why are you trying to get yourself to live a lazy life? I will never see it until mud covers my eyes!”

“Mud? Will it work if it is mud?”

With a shout, Baek Cheon jumped up from below and grabbed the mud on the ground as he rushed to Chung Myung. But as soon as he ran into him, he kicked Chung Myung, only to fall back down the cliff.

“Ahhhkkk!”

Hearing the distant screams, everyone bowed their heads.

‘I will never forget the courage you showed, Sasuk.’

‘That man is also getting less and less smart with each day.’

‘Does he want to live?’

Chung Myung clicked his tongue when he saw it.

“Tch. Tch. Everyone keeps falling for this.”

Chung Myung drank some of his alcohol and jumped off the cart. The other disciples who climbed up the cliff together fell to the ground, unable to raise their heads, perhaps in exhaustion.

Un Am couldn’t stand it in the end, and asked,

“Chung Myung.”

“Uh?”

“Isn’t there an easier way to do this?”

“Eh. Then there would be no practice.”

“…”

Ah.

Right. It was only natural for him to respond like this. Un Am realized what it meant for Chung Myung to return.

“A-anyway, it is good you have come back.”

“Yes, Sasuk. We…”

Chung Myung, who was about to say something, went silent as he frowned. And then approached the Baek disciples and Chung disciples, who were lined behind Un Am.

Everyone held their breath, not knowing what to do, and Chung Myung reached out and poked the thighs and forearms of the disciples in a row and frowned further.

“No, what did you do when I was away so that your body muscle has been cut in half?”

“…”

Cut down in half?

These kids looked like bandits, but they were half shrunken…

What did he mean when their muscles were all bulging?

“If you had done the training I said, this wouldn’t have happened right?”

“Uh…true… but…”

A look of shame appeared on their faces. Unfortunately, they had no excuse to give.

“Right. Well, people should take a break.”

“R-right?”

“But I do not know if the people behind me will think so.”

“… Uh?”

It was because all those who had climbed up the cliff with his carts were staring at them with eyes full of poison.

“While we were all like this, you all played and ate comfortably?”

“See those thin hands? They will break with one hit, right?”

“We need to kill them! Kill them!”

The innocent disciples of Mount Hua turned into the subjects of reproach just because those left behind were living comfortably there.

“… that… that…”

At that moment, a man walked ahead with a smile on his face.

“Sasuk!”

“Baek Sang Sasuk!”

Everyone looked at him eagerly, like he was their savior. But Baek Sang was infinitely kind and smiled warmly as he pointed to the peak.

“Lotus Peak.”

“Uh?”

“… run…”

“…”

Some looked at each other and began to run to the peak. And then, the others too immediately ran, realizing the situation.

“Get out of my way!!!!”

“No, what bull shit is this! Wasn’t this supposed to be a welcoming for them?”

“Welcome, my foot! Get out of my way!”

Those who climbed the cliff watched the disciples of Mount Hua run to Lotus Peak as they grabbed the carts and pulled them up.

“… let’s head in for now.”

Kiiik. Kiiiik.

The sounds of the wheels rolling were so depressing to hear.

“Tch. I knew I shouldn’t be leaving my position here.”

Chung Myung walked ahead of the disciples who were pulling his cart.

Un Am, who was watching them, couldn’t help but think one thing.

‘Why… doesn’t anyone care about Baek Cheon, who fell off the cliff?’

Well.

Now he finally felt like Mount Hua had been completed, and he shook his head.

“Thank you, Sect Leader!”

“You all worked really hard.”

“Um.”

Hyun Jong nodded his head with a benevolent expression.

A feeling of satisfaction that couldn’t be hidden was revealed on his face, whose fatigue, which had accumulated on the long journey, was cleared away with a warm bath.

“Everyone worked hard to protect Mount Hua when I was away for a while. Did you do anything special?”

“What hardships? Sect Leader has come such a long way, so how can we dare say we did the hard work? Rather, I was excited to hear the rumors that Mount Hua had been active in Shaolin. We couldn’t control ourselves here.”

“Huh. Did the rumors already spread that fast?”

“Yes. Thanks to this, everyone was rejoicing and cheering with one heart.”

Un Am’s face, which had always been calm, was dyed red. In front of the sect leader, he wasn’t only reverent, but also filled with joy on the inside.

“Huhuhu.”

Hyun Jong burst into laughter.

There is definitely a difference between praising what was accomplished and hearing it through the mouths of others.

And when he saw Un Am, who was excited about this, he realized how great the task accomplished was.

“It is a good thing. If the rumors spread to Shaanxi before we arrived, then it shouldn’t take long before it spreads throughout the world.”

At the words of Hyun Snag, Un Am nodded,

“Yes, Elder. As you have seen as you came, the village below is in turmoil! Everyone, I am so happy that Mount Hua is regaining its former glory.”

“Right. Such a good thing.”

Hyun Sang laughed happily, and at that moment, Hyun Young spoke with a sharp voice,

“Fine, then let’s have dinner.”

It was filled with a bitter feeling.

“Did we do anything wrong when you were away?”

“There was no major problem. Due to the trade with Yunnan, some things had to be coordinated with the merchant union, but there were no major changes, so you can check and issue orders.”

“I get it. Other than that…”

“Other than…”

“Ahhhhhh!”

“…”

Un Am turned his head in surprise without a word. A desperate scream came from outside the door.

“Ahem. Other than that…”

He tried to ignore it somehow and continue the conversation, but it wasn’t easy to speak.

“Ackkkkkk!”

“Why is that bastard back? Why!”

“Why are you doing this as soon as you arrive? Acchhh! Damn it!”

Un Am trembled a little and eventually got up from the seat as he opened up the door. He went outside to scold the ones who were shouting when the older disciples were talking with the sect leader.

“….”

But he was speechless. After just one hour, the disciples of Mount Hua were drooling and rolling on the ground.

‘Did someone put them inside a mine?’

They were definitely fine a moment ago…

Chung Myung shook his head as he looked at the beggar like disciples.

“These people! Were you playing around for a month just because no one was around?”

“W-we practiced! We did our best!”

“Best? Best?? If a bastard from the Demonic Sect comes to stab you, will you say you did your best to block it? A month is enough time to learn a sword technique, and that is what you wasted, get it? Fine. I will bring back the time that my sahyungs have wasted!”

“S-save… us… Ack!”

A loving voice came for Un Am, who was seeing this horrific scene.

“Un Am.”

“Ah? Sect Leader.”

Un Am looked at Hyun Jong, who smiled and nodded his head.

Right, he will stop…

“Close it.”

“…yes.”

Un Am closed the door as instructed by the sect leader and sat back as if nothing had happened.

Even sadder was that even the other elders and Un Geom were sitting as if nothing had happened.

‘It seems like something has changed.’

I don’t know what changed, but surely something feels…

“Well, so…”

Throughout the meeting. The screams of the disciples didn’t stop from entering their ears.

“Play?”

“…”

“A person overcoming the critical point of death, and while he was being hit and slapped with swords in Shaolin, you played around? Is this what you are saying?”

The disciples of Mount Hua had tears in their eyes.

Of course, they can understand the insults thrown.

It was because they knew that although they had practiced too hard for themselves, how they were being called out felt bad.

No matter how much they practiced, even if they died, they couldn’t ever get themselves to say that they practiced with the same intensity as Chung Myung.

So they had to take in any curses he threw. Curses and swears were fine.

But what made them sad was that it was Baek Cheon and not the mad dog who was running wildly in front of them.

Still… No, Baek Cheon, who had fallen off the cliff, came back up alive and was literally nagging them until their ears bled.

‘Did the cliff become less high?’

‘He should have died!’

And the other disciples who went to Shaolin also looked at them all with wide eyes.

They looked like some bandits who went to Shaolin but had returned as demons.

‘What the hell happened in the competition?’

Skills were also determined by talent, but many things were determined by how hard one practiced. For this reason, most of those who visited Shaolin were those who were already better than the rest.

“Listen, everyone.”

“Yes, Sahyung!”

The Baek and Chung disciples answered with stiff voices as their upper bodies stiffened.

“On our trip to Shaolin this time, we experienced a lot and returned. These were no simple experiences. It definitely was helpful to see Wudang and other sects with our own eyes.”

“Yes!”

“But…”

Baek Cheon bit his lip and continued,

“But it was a very sad thing for me as your sahyung if you people didn’t get such a good experience.”

“…”

“If your tooth falls out, put something into the gum and use that! Come on! I will definitely engrave on your body what I have seen and felt over the past month! Do not worry, this experience won’t make you feel a difference or lose motivation. Get it? Do you understand? Don’t worry, and get over here!”

“…”

No…

We are fine here….

“…. I asked if you understand?”

“Yes!”

Seeing the disciples answering loudly as if Mount Hua was going to soar, Baek Cheon shook his head.

“I am definitely not saying that unlike us who had to suffer like dogs due to a certain someone, you have had a comfortable time, but no more!”

‘There it is.’

‘That is it.’

‘In the past, Chung Myung was the only one who tortured us. Now they are all in it together! Together!’

Baek Cheon turned his head and looked at the disciples, who were trembling.

“Kids.”

“Yes!”

And he mimed slitting his neck with his thumb.

“Go.”

“Yes!”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, who were at the forefront, turned their eyes ahead and ran. At the same time, everyone who had been to Shaolin began to run behind the others to avenge their grudges.

In the corner of the land of Mount Hua, dust rose as the two sides began to mingle, and a group of people who had nothing to do with this situation watched it…

…the disciples of Huayoung Gate who had accompanied Mount Hua.

They stood there with sullen eyes.

“Gate Leader.”

“…. Uh?”

“So, Mount Hua… is pure with…taoists…”

Wei Lishan gently turned away from the eyes of his disciples.

“… it has been too long since I was here.”

“A place where everyone protects the tao…”

“Were they doing it like this?”

“…and now?”

“Noisy.”

Wei Lishan coughed,

“What is being shown outside isn’t everything! Haven’t we experienced it? You’ve seen it in Shaolin too! Just how great the disciples of Mount Hua are!”

“We know…”

“Do not be deceived by their appearance, look at the truth! The truth!”

“… but, Father.”

“Um?”

Wei Soheng, who was next to him, said, confused.

“You said some of us, including myself, would train like them in the main sect.”

“… right.”

“… like that?”

Wei Lishan slowly turned his head. The disciples of Mount Hua were now fighting each other.

Wei Lishan looked up at the sky,

“… I might have to think about it.”

And he began to seriously consider whether there was something fatally wrong with the choice he made.