Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 857

“Keueu….”

“Uh….”

“…Uhh….”

A dying groan escaped from the mouths of Mount Hua’s disciples scattered in the training field.

All of them are spread out on the ground.

“Tsk.”

Chung Myung, who was the only one standing alone, looked up at the sky. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the dark night sky.

The training should have ended around sunset according to the plan.

Chung Myung, who was standing with a strange expression on his face, looked at his Sahyung spread out on the ground. A clicking sound of his tongue echoed loudly.

“You still have a long way off. A long way off!”

“….”

“If it’s like this, when will we get stronger?”

“….”

“Recover by tomorrow. We’re going even harder then.”

Leaving the words behind, he left the training field without looking back.

The disciples of Mount Hua stared blankly at the receding Chung Myung before slowly lifting their battered bodies.

“Argh….”

“Hnggg, it hurts like hell.”

The hand that was on the ground was shaking like an aspen.

Even the simple task of raising the upper body was difficult enough to make them out of breath. Some couldn’t even dare to get up at all, and some managed to get up and then fell down again several times.

But still…

“Finally landed a hit. Finally.”

“Kikikikikikikik.”

“Did you see that bastard’s face, that?”

“He looked like he was about to explode?”

The disciples of Mount Hua were giggling and laughing with swollen faces. Even Yoo Iseol, who was always expressionless to the point where everyone wondered, ‘Does she really have a facial expression?’ laughed, giggling with her eyes wide open.

One hit.

The only success they had today was landing a single attack by Yoon Jong. Since then, they’ve rushed with all their might, but they only get beaten.

However, no one felt defeated or regretful. They knew what happened once could happen twice.

Baek Cheon, who lay on the ground and looked at the moon in the sky, clenched his fist with all his might.

‘It’s narrowing down.’

He can endure as much hardship as he wants. As long as he is confident that he did move forward.

They had already painfully experienced that the truly difficult part was seeing the gap widen despite their best efforts.

“Sahyung. Are you okay?”

Baek Sang approached and reached out to him. Baek Cheon gripped it and struggled to sit.

The disciples who were sitting up first were all looking at him. It was as if they were telling him to say something.

Baek Cheon took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“It’s tough.”

“….”

“But it’s not as difficult as it was then. This is nothing compared to not being able to do anything and just watching our Sahyung fight in front of us. Isn’t that so?”

“That’s right, Sahyung!”

“Yes! Sasuk!”

Baek Cheon nodded his head.

“Today, I became certain. If we can overcome this training, we will definitely get stronger. And then we will never face such humiliation again.”

The disciples slowly nodded their heads. Baek Cheon grinned.

“Tomorrow, I’ll slit his throat. You guys don’t touch him.”

“Mine.”

“No, I’m taking him down!”

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had been engaged in a lively banter, all burst into laughter at the same time.

After laughing heartily for a while, they all lay sprawled out on the ground. They seemed to have lost even the strength to sit up from all the laughter.

‘The quarters… I should head back…’

Likewise, Baek Cheon, lying on the training field, looked up at the sky with blank eyes. The moon was unusually bright tonight.

‘I will be strong.’

And one day……

Baek Cheon’s eyes slowly closed as he stared blankly at the moon. Before long, most of those lying in the training field had fallen into a deep sleep, as if dead.

Smirking at the soundly sleeping disciples, a few people cautiously approached them.

“Hngg. These guys are something…”

“Be quiet.”

Hyun Sang gave Un Gum a strict warning and then ordered.

“Be careful not to wake the children up and move them to their quarters.”

“Yes.”

“Give acupressure to those who have stiff muscles, and take care of the ones with deep internal injuries.”

“Yes, Elder-nim.”

Un Am sighed deeply.

“Seems we won’t be getting any sleep today either.”

“I know you slept earlier in the day, Sahyung.”

“I just nodded off.”

Hyun Jong, who was carrying Baek Cheon, quietly looked down at his sleeping face. His face was a mess, but his expression seemed peaceful.

‘…These kids.’

Strength naturally went into his hand.

“Let’s move quickly. The night wind is cold.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

The Elders and the Un generation who laid the disciples in the White Plum Dormitory began to move around and take care of the disciples. Hyun Jong was also busy and left the White Plum Dormitory only when his hands were empty.

Standing at the main entrance of the White Plum Dormitory, he looked up at the sky in silence.

“What is it?”

At Hyun Young’s question, Hyun Jong spoke softly without shifting his gaze.

“I was thinking.”

“What kind of thoughts?”

“That the moon must be lonely.”

A fleeting sense of loneliness flashed across Hyun Jong’s eyes, which were focused on the bright moon in the middle of the sky.

“Even a traveler walking at night can avoid getting lost thanks to the moonlight, and we’re very grateful to the moon. But isn’t that grateful moon floating alone in the dark night sky to illuminate the world?”

“Sect Leader….”

“Shining a light on someone else might be a very lonely task.”

The fingertips of Hyun Jong, who put his hands behind his back, trembled a little.

Hyun Young, who was looking at his back, spoke with a smile.

“That’s not true, Sect Leader.”

“…Hm?”

“Why would the moon be lonely? There are so many stars.”

Just then, the clouds dispersed, and the stars that filled the sky brightly entered Hyun Jong’s eyes.

“Of course, the moon and the stars are different. But that doesn’t mean they can’t float together, right? The moon will find comfort in the stars, and the stars will find comfort in the moon.”

“….”

“And aren’t we looking at the moon here? So… it won’t be lonely, at least.”

Hyun Jong clenched his hands quietly.

“…I see.”

“….”

“Then…”

Hyun Jong’s voice trembled a little.

“Right…. That would be nice.”

* * *

“Ugh….”

Chung Myung gripped his shoulder and groaned.

“…Damn them.”

Without exaggeration, there wasn’t a part of him that didn’t hurt.

Of course, he had only been properly struck once today. However, the nature of a martial artist’s fight isn’t only about whether the sword lands or not. The mere act of wielding sword energy can cause flesh to be crushed and internal disruption.

Having gone through battles where sword energies clashed from dusk to dawn, his entire body felt as if it was falling apart.

‘It’s like that time. Just without the actual wounds…’

Chung Myung, who recalled the memories of the old war he didn’t even want to think about, closed his eyes. In the past, he would have shaken his head to dismiss such memories, but not anymore.

He can’t move forward without confronting it.

‘It’s still a long way off.’

All this training is to make them stronger. But that’s not all there is to it. If the goal was only to make them strong, there could have been other methods.

What’s important is for Mount Hua to become strong. And of course, Chung Myung is included in that Mount Hua.

He realized it anew.

That he too is a member of Mount Hua.

If he truly wants to make Mount Hua stronger, he should not just take a step back and lead the descendants, but be strong together as a member of Mount Hua.

More than the past, so much that it can’t even be compared!

The corners of Chung Myung’s mouth rolled up.

‘Really, though.’

They’re a bunch of cubs but somewhat helpful.

No, to be honest, they’re incredibly helpful.

The reason is simple.

No matter where he goes in the world, there will be more than hundreds of fierce murderous people charging at him. Especially those who, no matter how many times they’re knocked down, will keep getting up and coming at him.

This kind of training was not possible even in the past Mount Hua.

If Mount Hua’s disciples hadn’t reached their current level, this training would have been meaningless. Only now does it carry weight.

Though he spoke harshly and mocked them, the disciples of Mount Hua who rushed at him with single-mindedness became a genuine threat to him. Enough to remind him momentarily of the wars of the past.

Thanks to this, Chung Myung is quickly regaining his old senses. The feeling he felt at the time when he was at his sharpest.

However….

“They’re getting stronger at a faster pace than such me, is it?”

Chung Myung rubbed his side.

The blunt pain left by Yoon Jong’s wooden sword still remains.

Even Chung Myung had doubted whether they could actually do it. Since he just had to do it, he did it silently. However, the pain he felt in his side now was whispering to him non-stop that they could indeed do it.

“These bunch of brats.”

Chung Myung chuckled as he recalled their faces one by one.

He keeps getting his hopes up.

If everyone can endure this terrible training with that incredible perseverance that could twist Chung Myung’s expectations.

How strong will they get?

And if he can withstand them until the end, how much closer can he get to his past self?

“Anyway, these absurd people.”

A subtle sense of anticipation and a pleasant feeling of satisfaction coursed through his entire body.

“Eutcha.”

Chung Myung flopped down on the spot.

“Ouch, ouch. Ouch. Aigoo.”

The moment he hit the ground, a throbbing pain surged from his back.

His body complains of pain, but his mind is at ease. Much more so than the times when he had racked his brain to bring even a small benefit to Mount Hua.

So…

“Stop making such a pitiful face, you damned Sahyung.”

Chung Myung looks up at the sky.

“I will definitely make Mount Hua stronger. I will make sure no one dies. And honestly, it’s not like there’s anything Sahyung can do here anyway. You’re too weak.”

Chung Myung grinned slyly.

“Sahyung won’t know. How it feels to watch those chick-like brats stubbornly try to follow me.”

He spoke in a whisper, as if talking to the faintly shining moon above him.

“At least now there’s one thing I know more about than Sahyung.”

I still miss you a lot.

The longing for the Mount Hua of the past still lingers within.

But…

“Those current guys are really awesome too, aren’t they?”

While lying down, Chung Myung stretched out his hand as if to grasp a bow. Then, with his other hand, he leisurely pulled the invisible bowstring.

“Swoosh.”

Chung Myung, pretending to shoot an arrow at the moon, smiled.

“I won’t say I’ll make Mount Hua like it used to be anymore.”

Because he can’t.

“Instead, I’ll make Mount Hua even greater than before, so keep an eye on me.”

Chung Myung slowly closes his eyes.

The wind blowing from the mountain brushed past his shoulders. Even though much time has passed and people have changed, the wind blowing from Mount Hua remains the same.

‘Because Mount Hua… will become stronger.’

Soon, the sound of Chung Myung’s low, rhythmic breathing emerged.

Ssaeek. Ssaeek.

There was a gentle smile on Chung Myung’s face who’s exhausted and asleep.

A gentle smile that he had never shown back when he was called by the name Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.

Deep asleep, the scent of plum blossoms flowing from somewhere gently embraced him.

As darkness recedes, the sun rises, and when the sun sets, the moon rises again.

Spring turns into summer, and winter returns. Seasons cycle.

Thus, time flowed on like a gentle stream.