Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Facing those menacing eyes, Bop Kye shrank his neck without realizing it.

“…Mount Hua.”

The feeling he had while ascending the mountain was certainly different. There was definitely a strange feeling of discomfort, but he had no doubt that he would get what he wanted in the end.

To him, Mount Hua was like wolves that only he could handle.

To ordinary people, wolves are an object of fear, but to those who can tame them, they are nothing more than dogs with sharp teeth.

But now, the dog he thought he had tamed bared his teeth to him, revealing its untamed wilderness from its days of roaming freely.

“The Buddha bestowed mercy on everyone.”

“….”

“But there’s just one kind he did not show mercy to. Do you know what it is?”

“I don’t know.”

“It is demon (??(魔羅)).”

Bop Kye tried to speak but then closed his mouth. Bop Jeong continued.

“Ultimately, it means even the Buddha distinguished beings who could be saved from those who couldn’t. He was stricter than anyone else toward beings that were beyond salvation and only caused harm.”

Bop Jeong stared at Mount Hua’s pavilion in the distance with a stern expression.

“At least I thought Mount Hua wasn’t a devil, but it seems I was wrong.”

“…Bangjang.”

Bop Jeong bit his lip.

Bop Kye looked at him slightly puzzled, as Bop Jeong seemed to be recalling something.

“…At the end of the day….”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.”

Bop Jeong shook his head.

“First, it’s the Yangtze River. We will sort it out. Mount Hua comes next. But…”

He declared coldly.

“One day, Mount Hua too will have to pay for this. Setting aside my personal feelings, I will certainly exact the price for ignoring a crisis that could plunge the world into chaos and for dragging Shaolin’s name through the mud.”

“Indeed, that is what should be done, Bangjang.”

Kkadeuk.

The beads in the hands of Bop Jeong shattered and fell down.

It seemed as if the prayer beads falling out of the broken thread and rolling around explained the relationship between Shaolin and Mount Hua. The thin thread that had barely kept them connected was now severed.

“Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword….”

Bop Jeong clenched his teeth and took a step.

“This is your choice.”

* * *

After Bop Jeong left, the key figures of Mount Hua gathered again in the sect leader’s room.

Among those key figures, Hye Yeon sat proudly. Looking at his clear, bright eyes, pride naturally rose in everyone’s hearts.

“Everyone… thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it, monk.”

“We’re not strangers, it’s nothing.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

A bright, slightly embarrassed smile spread across Hye Yeon’s face.

He had voluntarily abandoned Shaolin, which was like his home. Yet, he wasn’t overwhelmed by sorrow, thanks to the presence of these people. They had become a different kind of family, unlike Shaolin.

‘Yes, this is where I belong…’

“Are you smiling?”

“….”

Kwang!

But unfortunately, amidst this warm atmosphere, there was one person who wasn’t smiling at all.

The demon, who seemed to have just risen from hell, stared at Hye Yeon with razor-sharp eyes. A terrifying madness flickered in those eyes. Hye Yeon instinctively shrank back.

“Find it funny?”

“…Si- Siju. I….”

“But this guy?”

Chung Myung’s face turned increasingly red as Hye Yeon timidly retreated.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Are you trying to mock me?”

“Wha- what do you…”

“Eiii!”

Chung Myung suddenly lunged forward and kicked Hye Yeon in the chest.

Kwang!

“Aaaack!”

Hye Yeon, who was hit by an unexpected blow from the front, rolled into the corner. As if his anger still hadn’t subsided, Chung Myung rushed at Hye Yeon furiously. Everyone gasped in shock and tried to pull Chung Myung away.

“W- Why are you being like this? Chung Myung!”

“Just calm down first!”

“Somebody get me some sweets, quick!”

Once the word ‘sweets’ comes out of Five Swords’ mouth, it means the situation is quite serious. Shocked disciples of Mount Hua joined the Five Swords in restraining Chung Myung.

But even amidst the chaos, Chung Myung growled like a crazed dog with its eyes overturned, still trying to reach Hye Yeon.

“Let go! Are you not letting go? I’ll make sure to see hair grow on that baldie bastard’s head today!”

“What bullshit is that!”

“No!”

Chung Myung shouted, eyes blazing with fury.

“If I kicked Bangjang out for you, you should have quietly stayed in the corner! What are you doing, coming out and causing trouble, damn it! Huh?”

Flinch.

Hye Yeon bowed his head.

“This is called mocking, this! Hey! Do you have some grudge against Mount Hua? Are you trying to get both Shaolin and Mount Hua killed in a fight? We have been feeding this bastard and putting him to sleep for several years, and yet he repaying our kindness with revenge? Fine! Today, let me also ‘repay’ some kindness! Ah, let go of me!”

“Ca- Calm down!”

Baek Cheon sensed that the moment he let go of his arm Chung Myung was really going to beat Hye Yeon until she was a mushy mess, Baek Cheon held on even more desperately.

How ridiculous it is to say something like protecting the world-renowned Hye Yeon, but the human being he now holds was one of the few people who could make the ridiculous words not funny.

“What? Buddhist? Buddhiiiiiist?! Hey, you son of a beast!”

“Ack!”

Unable to kick, Chung Myung stretched out his legs as hard as he could and smacked Hye Yeon’s bald head with his soles.

“When the Buddha sees you, he will break your head off with a branch of the Bodhi tree, saying how you’re of no cure! You have so many ways to get into trouble, don’t you! you’re following that? that thing? If given some sweets by human traffickers, this bastard will definitely chant Amitabha and even giggles while getting caught by them!”

“No! Calm down!”

“Se- Sect Leader. Try to stop him! Sect Leader….”

Yoon Jong, who turned his head in search of Hyun Jong, flinched for a moment. Hyun Jong kept mumbling something with a half-dazed expression.

“Shaolin… of all things, Shaolin… I must be crazy, what was I thinking, getting involved with Shaolin…”

“….”

Yoon Jong whispered to Baek Cheon in a small voice.

“Sasuk, it seems his condition is more serious over there?”

“Just close your eyes.”

“…Yes.”

After running wild for a long time, Chung Myung’s muscles seemed to have relaxed a little, and little by little the strength began to drain away.

“Anyway, ever since we took in that damn guy, nothing has gone right! What are we going to do with you, huh?”

Tears welled up in Hye Yeon’s eyes.

Honestly, wouldn’t it be unfair on his part? He just accepted his expulsion, asking him not to interfere, but he went on a rampage and kicked Bop Jeong out, and now he is scolding Hye Yeon?

It was like dragging someone swimming comfortably out of the water, slapping them for being in danger, and then taking their belongings. This was daylight robbery.

“Chung Myung–ah, didn’t you say Shaolin is no big deal?”

Chung Myung’s head turns sharply. Baek Cheon, who saw the terrifying look, quickly turned his eyes.

“When it comes to fighting, what can’t you say! Is Shaolin some kind of kids’ academy? No big deal? Of course, it’s a big deal!”

“…I just thought because you said so.”

“Ei, really annoying.”

Chung Myung gritted his teeth.

‘Man, that guy’s temper.’

‘Poor monk Hye Yeon.’

‘He always blames others. Ugh.’

In fact, even without Hye Yeon’s issue, the relationship between Mount Hua and Shaolin was almost beyond repair from the moment Bop Jeong stormed out of the place.

Hye Yeon’s matter merely drove a wedge into the situation.

“Tsk.”

Chung Myung seemed to realize this too and stopped there. Chung Myung’s greatness is that it takes him this much to stop even after knowing it.

“With Shaolin…. Shaolin. What should we do now? Now? Shaolin….”

However, Chung Myung’s anger may have subsided, but Hyun Jong’s spirit, which had fled, showed no signs of returning.

Chung Myung cleared his throat slightly and began to comfort Hyun Jong.

“Well, just calm down for now.”

“Calm down?”

“….”

“Do I look like I’m going to calm down, you little brat!”

At that moment, Hyun Jong rushed at Chung Myung at a speed others had never seen before and grabbed his earlobe.

“Aaaaaargh! Sect Leader! My ear! My ear! It hurts! My ear!”

“Have you lost your mind, charging at Shaolin Bangjang with a sword? While I looked away for a moment, you rushed out and made a mess of things, and now what? Hye Yeon? Hey, you rascal! Was it monk Hye Yeon’s fault? It’s all your fault!”

“Argh! Ears, ears! Ah, my ears are falling off! Aargh!”

“Aigoo.. dear ancestors…! Just what kind of sin had I committed for you to send a bastard like this to me….”

– I’m sorry.

“Huh?”

He could hear something.….

“Aaaaaack!”

Chung Myung managed to escape and ran away to a corner. Then, veins on his neck rose and he protested.

“No, what else could I have done? Those bastards were ranting about cutting off the baldie’s head!”

“…They didn’t say they were going to cut off my head. It was just Tendons and Veins Severement…”

“I’d rather have his throat cut. Without his martial arts, he’s nothing but an idiot! Where can I use this guy if has no martial arts skills? He would be worse than a neighborhood dog!”

“….”

What truly saddened Hye Yeon was not Chung Myung’s words. It was the immediate nod of agreement from the other Mount Hua’s disciples as soon as the word ended.

Tears welled up in Hye Yeon’s tightly shut eyes.

‘Bad people…’

I was the crazy one for feeling touched for a moment. Me.

“We’ve become enemies with Shaolin… With Shaolin… Ancestors, I’ve ruined everything. Now Mount Hua is doomed…”

“Hey! Don’t say such unlucky things! Even a hundred years ago, we were fighting tooth and nail with Shaolin, but we didn’t collapse, did we?”

When Hyun Jong heard that, he saw Chung Myung with a blank face.

“…Hundred years ago?”

“Yes!”

“A hundred years ago?”

“I told you so!”

“…But we did collapse?”

“What?”

Huh?

…Now that you mention it?

As Chung Myung’s speech was completely blocked, Hyun Jong slowly sank into his seat.

“What are we going to do now… What to do with this…”

“Keuhum.”

Hyun Sang saw this and hinted.

“If you were that worried, you could have resolved it amicably …”

“How could I resolve it amicably in that situation! You rascal!”

“How could we solve anything amicably with those Shaolin bastards!”

Surely, their approaches were entirely different, but their actions were hardly distinguishable.

Before long, even the sect leader had been influenced by Chung Myung, and quite severely at that.

The faces of Mount Hua’s disciples quickly dimmed.

“…Now Mount Hua is doomed.”

“No, what do you mean doomed? I’m here!”

“….”

Hyun Jong stared at Chung Myung and then let out a deep sigh.

“Really, we’re doomed.”

“No, but this yangban?”

“It’s your sect leader, you bastard!”

As soon as Chung Myung blinked, Baek Cheon rushed and kicked him.

Chung Myung, who had rolled into a corner, suddenly got up.

“No, there’s nothing to worry about! Those Shaolin bastards aren’t a big deal, you see?”

“You said they were a big deal earlier.”

“If I’m dealing with them, they’re nothing!”

“…Just stick to saying two things at most, Chung Myung-ah.”

How can one mouth produce such a diverse range of statements? Anyone who sees this will think a rainbow springs from his mouth.

Chung Myung, who shouts tirelessly, and Hyun Jong murmurs something while dazed, Hye Yeon, who is stuck in a corner and depressed, and the disciples of Mount Hua each voicing their opinions.

Crunch.

Sitting in a corner, Hong Dae-gwang couldn’t find a way to interject into the commotion. He simply nibbled on some crackers, almost invisible in the room.

“…What a mess.”

How should he say this?

Yet, in a way, it was really a Mount Hua-like scene.