Return of Mount Hua Sect

“… it is Mount Hua.”

“Ah, Mount Hua….”

“… we have arrived.”

The disciples of Mount Hua looked up at the peaks of Mount Hua, which rose above the clouds, with dark faces.

In the past, when they left Shanxi and returned, looking at the high peak, an inexplicable emotion welled up from deep within their hearts. In the end, they realized that their roots could only be on this barren peak.

But now, the faces of the Mount Hua disciples looking at the high cliffs of Mount Hua were nowhere to be found.

Only endless despair settled down.

“… You want me to climb that?”

“With this body?”

The eyes of the Mount Hua disciples turned watery.

When they first set out from the Yangtze River, their hearts were filled with enthusiasm.

What Chung Myung told them was definitely not wrong. While fighting the Ten Thousand People Clan, the disciples of Mount Hua felt their own shortcomings. The sense of crisis that they might have to see the death of their sahyungs right next to them if things continued this way definitely stimulated them.

Thanks to that, their motivation was overflowing, and their determination was firm.

That was why even when Chung Myung pushed them at an absurd speed and covered an incredible distance in one day, they didn’t utter a single complaint.

But when they said they would start training as soon as they found a place to stay, with their bodies squeezed so that not a single drop of water remained, it shook their resolve….

When beatings under the pretext of training began, they shed tears of blood.

When they finally fell asleep after rolling around until late at night, they felt something was wrong. When they woke up just an hour after falling asleep and were kicked, curses came out.

This happened for several days.

“Sahyung… blood is flowing down your lips. Wipe it off.”

“It’s because my lips are chapped. But your face is looking pale?”

“It is because I will die soon.”

“….”

They arrived at Mount Hua like pitiful beggars, making people feel like tossing coins to the poor. There wasn’t a single spark left in their eyes.

At this moment, they couldn’t help but be consumed by a fundamental question.

“…. Why did we have to settle down there?”

“Don’t you have any thoughts? Huh? Do you not think at all?”

“Are you trying to disgrace our ancestors? Were the ancestors of Chung Myung from the same sect?”

Destructive thoughts poured down like a storm, but no one criticized him for being rude.

It couldn’t be otherwise.

Their legs shook as if they might break, tripping over rocks. It would be odd if they didn’t curse while climbing that ridiculous cliff.

In the midst of everyone’s despair, there was one person who remained cheerful.

“Kuak! It is Mount Hua!”

“….”

A refreshing voice burst from Chung Myung’s mouth behind them.

“I was so frustrated because I couldn’t train properly on the roads. Now I can do it right! My mouth is already watering! Hehehehe!”

“… that crazy bastard.”

“….”

The fact that this curse didn’t come from the mouth of Mount Hua’s disciples but from Hyun Jong’s proved the situation’s gravity.

Yet, Chung Myung simply pointed to Mount Hua and nodded, looking as if he would die from joy regardless of the curses.

“What are you doing?”

“….”

“Climb up.”

“….”

“But, if you fall off the cliff in the middle, you have to start over from the bottom. The last thirty to arrive will have to start over again.”

“….”

“Kuak! I should have done this a long time ago! My insides feel so refreshed!”

“…. Please die, Chung Myung, please!”

“Okay, now! Start!”

Chung Myung, who hadn’t even heard the curses directed at him, kicked the butts of the sahyungs in front of him.

The disciples of Mount Hua were belatedly considering that it might have been better to join the Ten Thousand People Clan.

A body fell.

Jo Gul, who had barely passed the mountain gate, collapsed. The ground welcomed him warmly, but unfortunately, Jo Gul didn’t have enough strength to cushion his fall with his hands.

Jo Gul, who met the ground with his entire face, opened his mouth, trembling.

“… Sahyung.”

“….”

“Are you alive?”

Then a voice, as faint as an ant’s whisper, emerged from Yoon Jong, who lay motionless beside him.

“… Dead.”

Usually, the word ‘meticulous’ was used as a compliment.

But the disciples of Mount Hua could only curse Chung Myung’s meticulousness, calling him a damn dog.

The damn bastard was so meticulous that he adjusted the intensity of the training according to each person’s level. Thanks to that, the Five Swords, who were clearly stronger than the other disciples, also had no choice but to become more worn out.

“Yah, you… you unnecessarily meticulous bastard.”

“… He is a genius at bullying others….”

Even Yoon Jong and Jo Gul fell off the cliff and climbed back up from the bottom of Mount Hua twice.

When they fell, it felt like someone had stepped on their faces… what was the point of nitpicking now?

And that was it.

Kuuung!

At the sound of something huge moving, Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, who were lying down, flinched and turned their heads. The sight of Mount Hua’s gate closing without any room for them was clearly visible to both of their eyes.

“Lock it.”

Kuung kuung!

The large lock tightly secured the gate.

It was a common sight, but today, it looked like the Gates of Hell were closing.

“Now. This is the end of the Closed Gate ceremony.”

“… That is all?”

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders at Baek Cheon’s question.

“What is so great about a Closed Gate? If you close the gate, don’t go outside, and don’t receive visitors, that’s it.”

Chung Myung tilted his neck to the left and right.

“Ah, everyone get up.”

“….”

“Uh? Are you not going to get up?”

The human body was an honest thing.

Their heads may have held different opinions, but their bodies, which had been rolled, beaten, and worked to death, quickly responded to the voices they heard.

The disciples of Mount Hua quickly got up and lined up.

Looking around at the disciples of Mount Hua, who had turned into rags, Chung Myung tilted his head crookedly.

“Closed Gate, preparing for the future….”

His voice felt as crooked as his posture.

“I guess some of you think that is a very romantic thing when you hear those words.”

When Chung Myung looked at them with snake-like closed eyes, the disciples flinched and slightly avoided his gaze.

“I hope you can accurately understand the situation. Do you see it over there?”

Chung Myung gestured to the cold gate with his chin.

“… What about it?”

When Baek Cheon asked in a low voice, Chung Myung smiled brightly and said,

“Among these….”

“…”

“If even one person fails to reach the level I want.”

“….”

“You will never see anything outside of Mount Hua again. You will just comfortably live with me in the mountains for the rest of your life. You get what I mean, right?”

“….”

“Do it right, do it right.”

At this point, everyone had no choice but to understand.

The distance between the Closed Gate they thought of and the Closed Gate Chung Myung thought of was enough to cross the Central Plains.

However, even if they knew now, it wasn’t something they could turn back.

“And….”

Chung Myung’s gaze turned slightly to the side.

Still, since there was time, the Un disciples who were excluded from the training sat down to rest, turning their heads slightly when they caught Chung Myung’s gaze.

“Those of you with stiff bones, you still have to save face, so I will talk later.”

Hearing those words, Un Geom spoke to Un Am with a pleased look.

“Sahyung.”

“Uh?”

“Hasn’t Chung Myung become much kinder? He’s even considerate of his sahyungs’ honor.”

“Did something happen to you?”

“….”

Un Geom was speechless; Un Am had become quite sharp-tongued these days.

Srrng.

Chung Myung drew his Dark Fragrant Plum Sword. He stabbed the sword into the ground and looked at everyone.

“This is the end of the jokes.”

“….”

Chung Myung looked at everyone and opened his mouth.

“Even I, my skills…”

“Ah, there’s no quick way to improve them?”

“….”

Chung Myung was wide-eyed as he looked at Baek Cheon.

Then Jo Gul, who was standing next to Baek Cheon, clicked his tongue.

“As expected, ‘martial arts is damn honest; there are limits to shortcuts.’ He’ll probably say something like that.”

“…”

Yoon Jong nodded slowly and spoke with a solemn face.

“So you’re saying we should reduce sleep time, cut back on rest, and train constantly. I’m sick of it, so sick.”

“….”

Chung Myung, at a loss for words, looked at the three people with a blank expression.

At that moment, Yu Yiseol delivered a clean, decisive blow.

“Nasty old man.”

“….”

Tang Soso didn’t stay silent.

“Well, whenever he opens his mouth, he only tries to scare people. Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that?”

His body felt sufficiently exhausted.

But the more tired the body became, the more alive it felt. If you took away the poison, wasn’t the body a corpse and not Mount Hua?

“You’re just stating the obvious.”

Baek Cheon chuckled.

“You should worry about yourself. Even if you’re handling all of us, it’ll get hard.”

Jo Gul snickered.

“You should wear a little on your feet. Do not cry and say that you won’t be able to do it later.”

Yoon Jong nodded.

“You need to think carefully about what you mean. Even if you want to run, that door won’t open.”

“I will make hope in that body. For sure.”

Yu Yiseol’s eyes were filled with killing intent.

The lined-up disciples of Mount Hua glared at him and agreed.

“You should be careful too, you brat! Do you think you will be safe even if we try to kill you?”

“Now is the time to do whatever you want and live! Just wait and see when the Closed Gate is opened!”

“I will pay back all the anger I have built up in one go!”

“… not me, Chung Myung. I am always grateful.”

“Who is that bastard who said that!”

Chung Myung burst into laughter as their anger and killing intent came for him.

Hyun Jong, who had been watching, smiled broadly and stepped forward.

As Hyun Jong walked to the center, Mount Hua’s disciples also stood quietly, their eyes softening as if they had never been so venomous.

“In the past….”

In the midst of the silence, Hyun Jong continued.

“They say that those who polished Mount Hua’s sword to the peak were called Plum Blossom Swordsmen.”

“… Plum Blossom Swordsmen.”

“That name is none other than the title Mount Hua gave to their disciples. Those who received the name of Plum Blossom Swordsman could proudly declare anywhere in the world that they represented Mount Hua’s sword.”

A bright light shone in the eyes of Mount Hua’s disciples.

“It will be difficult. It must be more difficult than you think to train while being locked inside the sect. However….”

Hyun Jong smiled as he looked at all the disciples.

“When that closed gate opens again, I hope that all of you can proudly call yourselves Plum Blossom Swordsmen.”

If it could be so, no one in the world would dare ignore the name of Mount Hua.

“Can you do it?”

“Yes! Sect leader!”

“I will do it!”

Hearing the loud answer, Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

“Is that all you can do with just determination?”

“That brat….”

“Still, don’t worry.”

Chung Myung grabbed his sword and smiled.

“I will definitely make it happen.”

Time was running out. It was too short a time to turn those yellow chicks into eagles.

But…

‘I will do it.’

Like the Mount Hua of the past. No, even more so.

He would make the Plum Blossoms they had created bloom everywhere in the world.

“Let’s get started. I won’t let you cry, so brace yourselves!”

Chung Myung’s loud voice rang around.

The cool breeze that came down from the peak gently wrapped around Mount Hua and spread back down the mountain.

The plum trees endured the long winter to bloom.

The plum blossoms, which bloomed after going through a harsh and arduous time, would be redder and more splendid in the spring of Mount Hua, which would come one day.