Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1134

“Ha….”

Chung Myung stretched with a thoroughly satisfied expression. His face even seemed to glow.

“I feel like living now.”

“… .”

“So, you should have done it in moderation, Sasuk.”

As Chung Myung glanced down and spoke, tears welled up in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

‘You told us to go all out, you bastard.’

He had ordered them not to hold back, but now he was saying they went too far. How were they supposed to keep up with his whims?

Of course… It’s not like Baek Cheon didn’t have any worries. They went a bit too much. A bit… No, a lot, actually.

“Anyway, those who use swords don’t know their limits. Give them an inch, and they take a mile.”

Uduk. Uduk.

Chung Myung looked around at the people lying down, and cracked his neck left and right.

Looking at the miserable, sprawled figures, he felt proud, as if he had accomplished something great.

If all of these people were in normal condition, even if Chung Myung had joined hands with other sect leaders or elders, he couldn’t have swept them away so cleanly(?).

But these lunatics had spent almost ten days beating each other senseless without sleep, so they could collapse if someone had just nudged them from the side. There was no way they could face the strong ones who had conserved their energy by observing from the sidelines.

“Especially you! You little punk!”

Chung Myung kicked the one lying at his feet.

Im Sobyeong, who was half-conscious, rolled weakly with each kick from Chung Myung.

“You should know when to stop! Setting fire where people are sleeping?”

“Fire attacks… have been used… since ancient times…”

“This guy has some energy left. So tenacious too. Just die!”

Chung Myung kicked Im Sobyeong hard and then turned away with a satisfied look. Tang Gun-ak approached with a curious expression. Chung Myung greeted him.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gun-ak scratched his cheek slightly with an uncharacteristically doubtful expression on his face.

“I did as you said… but I’m not sure if this was the right thing to do.”

“For someone unsure, you seemed to enjoy yourself quite a bit.”

Tang Gun-ak’s face reddened slightly as he coughed. Of course, he had such thoughts now, but when he threw coins at those Tang Family members a little while ago, he felt really good.

“Originally, kids grow up better with a bit of a beating.”

“Kids, huh….”

Tang Gun-ak looked at the sprawled figures with a complex expression. They were of an age where they would have already started families and had children. Could these guys really be called kids…

“It’s not like we did it out of personal feelings. It’s part of their training.”

“…That’s true.”

Tang Gun-ak nodded at Maeng So’s words. Of course… he was a little prickled by the part about not acting on personal feelings.

“Everyone, listen carefully.”

It was questionable whether the fainted people could hear him, but Chung Myung shouted regardless.

“We’re going to train the same way tomorrow. Don’t whine and show up.”

“….”

“It seems you have too much energy to spare and can’t find a way to vent, so I’ll solve it for you properly. That’s it!”

“….”

“Let’s go.”

“Y- Yes.”

“Aigoo, I feel so relieved. Kikikikik.”

Chung Myung, accompanied by the sect leaders, walked away from the training ground.

Watching them leave, Jo-Gol, who was lying on the ground covered in dust, muttered softly.

“…Bastard.”

Everyone agreed with that statement vehemently, if not in their minds.

“Are you sure about this?”

“What?”

“It seems like everyone has passed their limit now, but repeating the same training in this situation….”

Tang Gun-ak wasn’t worried about anything else.

The same training that Chung Myung meant is not the training that they do among themselves. It means that starting tomorrow, Chung Myung, other sect leaders, and elders will be pushing them hard in training.

“Is there a problem?”

“…Shouldn’t we give them some time to rest?”

“Ei. Gaju-nim, you’re overconfident.”

“Hm?”

“Do you think we could beat them if they weren’t in this condition?”

Tang Gun-ak’s expression hardened as if deep in thought and said nothing.

“It wouldn’t be easy.”

“We need to break them down thoroughly so we can control them more easily in the future.”

“…I think the intentions are a bit impure.”

Chung Myung answered calmly.

“Because that’s the point.”

Tang Gun-ak tilted his head.

“What does that mean?”

Chung Myung chuckled.

“Now, everyone must have figured out how skilled the people they’re working with are. They’ve seen each other’s worst through these brawls.”

“Right.”

Though, the problem was they might have seen too much.

“Well, that’s what I thought. It’s a little bit too much than I thought……. A little, um. Yes, a little bit.” (“거기까진 뭐, 생각했거든요. 생각보다 좀 과해서 그렇지……. 좀, 음. 네, 좀 많이.”)

“It must be a lot.”

“… Honestly, I didn’t know they were that crazy. I understand Mount Hua Sect, but why Tang Family?”

“Have you heard the saying, ‘One who stays near ink gets stained black’?”

“Well, Tang Family is pretty dark.”

When Tang Gun-ak, who was speechless, turned around with a trembling face, Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway, we have to go this far. People can’t really understand each other if they’re just following shallow etiquette.”

“But doesn’t that just leave bad feelings?”

“That’s why the follow-up training is necessary.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung smiled faintly.

“Do you know when people truly need comrades?”

“…I don’t know.”

“When they don’t have the strength to lift a single finger, but there is an enemy before them that they cannot handle alone.”

Chung Myung said calmly.

“That’s when anyone really gets desperate. Whether it’s someone they fought with yesterday or someone they usually consider an enemy, they couldn’t be more grateful and happy to see them.”

Tang Gun-ak nodded quietly. Though he hadn’t experienced it personally, he understood. Without going too far, just think about how Namgung Family, who was trapped in Plum Blossom Island, reacted to Mount Hua. Isn’t that the answer?

Since then, Namgung Family has regarded Mount Hua Sect as their one and only benefactor in the world.

“In such circumstances, people naturally come together.”

“…So what you’re saying is…”

Tang Gun-ak, who understood Chung Myung’s words, narrowed his eyes slightly.

“They say a common enemy is needed for people to unite.”

“Yes. An overwhelmingly powerful enemy… that I can’t even imagine doing anything about.”

Chung Myung raised his head slightly and looked up at the distant sky.

When Magyo first appeared, Jungwon was literally torn apart. No, to be more precise, even in the early stages of the war with Magyo, it was a complete mess.

There was no need to search for reasons. For the people of Kangho of the time, the bastard next door who had been growling at each other for a long time were more annoying than the crazy guys who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Wasn’t that why Moutn Hua Sect couldn’t stay with Southern Edge Sect on the same battlefield?

However, as the war continued, and as they realized the extent of the power Magyo possessed, and more importantly, as they came to understand what kind of person Heavenly Demon was, their relationships began to mend to some extent.

Even if it wasn’t a battlefield, at least those on the front lines of the battlefield entrusted their backs to the disciples of rival sects without hesitation.

That’s how a sense of comradeship is born.

‘Well… Those guys who did that just quietly died at the top of Hundred Thousand Mountain.’

Perhaps the reason why Kangho became a mess and Mount Hua Sect was destroyed was because of this influence. If even a single survivor had been left behind, they would have become heroes of Kangho and would have led the future of Kangho.

The cause of all this is probably that only the cowards and incompetents who failed to participate in that suicide squad survived and ended up leading Kangho.

In any case, the conclusion is that it was none other than the existence of Heavenly Comrade Alliance that brought the divided Kangho together, at least on the surface.

“It’ll probably be the same this time too. With Jang Ilso around, and who knows, that son of a beast Heavenly Demon might return as well.”

“Hmm.”

“But if we try to unite then, it will be too late. At that time, we will not be beaten like we are now, but paying with our lives.”

How many sacrifices were made and how much blood was shed before Kangho could move with one mind?

“We need to experience it in advance. Seeing the depths of our allies, fighting against a mighty enemy, and just having someone by your side who you used to fight with gives you strength.”

“….”

“It may not be comparable to experiencing it firsthand, but it’s better than not doing it at all, don’t you think?”

Chung Myung turned his head and looked at Tang Gun-ak and Maeng So. Maeng So spoke before Chung Myung could open his mouth.

“You mean that if we wants to do it, we should do it properly. So that we don’t end up regretting it later by losing our people.”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung smiled faintly.

“Well… we might hear some complaints, but it’s better to hear complaints than to see the kids die, right?”

It is not known whether the words were said with such intention, but these words became like a sharp knife that stabbed Tang Gun-ak and Maeng So.

As Chung Myung said, the most important thing for sect leaders is to protect their disciples. They should not step back out of fear of being resented or losing their authority. They should lead them to the path of life even if it means being cursed at and seeing their disciples rebel.

Yes, that’s how it should have been.

But up until this point, Tang Gun-ak and Maeng So had not been able to do so. They had simply backed away, thinking it was something only Mount Hua Sect could handle, not something they could do.

“…So that’s it.”

“What do you mean?”

Tang Gun-ak smiled bitterly as he watched Chung Myung feigning ignorance.

‘I thought he was angry at the kids.’

In fact, it seems that the sect leader of each sect was where Chung Myung’s anger was directed. The beating of those children today was a punishment for their indulgence, but it was also a warning to the sect leaders who had allowed the situation to this extent.

“…I understand what you mean.”

Tang Gun-ak let out a deep sigh.

He knew that Tang Family also needed to change. Considering what they would face in the future, surviving as they were now would be difficult. However, it seems that he was excluding himself from the object of change he had imagined in his head.

He believed that if Chung Myung could lead the children of Tang Family well, Tang Family would also change.

‘That’s not possible.’

If the water upstream is not clear, how can the water downstream become clear? If you think about it, it’s so obvious.

“It’s embarrassing.”

“You’re just talking nonsense.”

Tang Gun-ak smiled bitterly as he watched Chung Myung shrug his shoulders, pretending not to know anything. Maeng So also nodded with a serious expression, as if thinking the same thing as Tang Gun-ak.

‘It wasn’t a punishment to treat Nokrim King and Namgung Sogaju the same.’

They didn’t need to be singled out and whipped. They were already trying to change by mingling with the others.

After understanding the meaning, he realized how pathetic he had been for laughing at that sight. His face flushed with embarrassment

Trying to change, they are treated the same way, but how ugly would it have been to laugh at such people who couldn’t be with them because they themselves were stagnant?

Although the ones who got hit today were the children, the ones who actually got punished were Tang Gun-ak and Maeng So.

“Kuhum.”

Tang Gun-ak cleared his throat loudly, steeled his resolve, and looked at Chung Myung.

“…If what you’re saying is true, we should become the formidable enemies. Even if it means building some resentment.”

“That would be better than fighting among themselves.”

When Tang Gun-ak and Maeng So seemed to understand, Chung Myung smiled faintly.

“If you’re going to do it, please do it properly.”

“Understood.”

“Leave it to us.”

Nodding, Tang Gun-ak realized something anew.

‘After all, all this training wasn’t about everyone becoming one mind.’

They would bicker, fight, and growl over petty differences. And then, when faced with an overwhelmingly powerful enemy, they would band together with those they fought against yesterday.

This is something they will inevitably experience one day against Magyo. Chung Myung created the pain that Heavenly Comrade Alliance would later experience in this very manor in a much milder way.

The reason why they had to go through that annoying, troublesome, and frustrating process was all too clear.

All of Chung Myung’s actions are based on one principle: to save even one more disciple of Mount Hua Sect. Now, those he sought to save weren’t just from the Moutn Hua Sect.

Not just in words, but with sincerity.

“…I may have misunderstood you a bit.”

“Yes?”

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I really thought you were just beating the kids out of anger. I didn’t realize you had a plan.”

“….”

“Now that I look at it, punishing those kids today was all part of your plan…”

Tang Gun-ak suddenly stopped talking.

This was because Chung Myung rolled his eyes and avoided eye contact.

“…You?”

“Ha…. Haha! Of course! It was all planned! It was all part of the plan!”

“… .”

“Aigoo, I got caught. This is embarrassing.”

Tang Gun-ak, who had been blankly staring at the back of Chung Myung as he turned around and walked away, couldn’t help but laugh.

“There’s no stopping you.”

Shaking his head, he straightened his shoulders.

He understands Chung Myung’s intentions. Now, what he had to do was clear.

“Then, should I become demonic gaju for a while?”

Tang Gun-ak, who displayed his full enthusiasm, clenched his fists tightly.

The cracking of his knuckles seemed to foretell the future of Heavenly Comrade Alliance who were unaware of the situation.