Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 475

The sword was gently illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the window.

The slightly wrinkled hands gently wiped the sword with a pure white cloth. It was already shiny and clean, but he couldn’t stop wiping the sword.

The polished part was wiped repeatedly, as if performing a noble ritual.

“……That’ll wear it out.”

“Keuhum.”

Hyun Jong coughed softly as the brusque voice entered. But the hand had no idea how to stop.

Hyun Young made a slight click with his tongue.

“Do you like it that much?”

“…rather than like…….”

When Hyun Jong looked down at the Zaha Divine Sword, a strange light appeared on his face.

“It would be more appropriate to say that it feels new.”

Hyun Young looked displeased, but he didn’t bother to criticize Hyun Jong any more. It was because he can guess how much the Zaha Divine Sword mean is to Hyun Jong, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.

Hyun Jong put down the white cloth and looked at the sword.

“But on another side…….”

“Yes?”

The eyes looking at the Divine Sword couldn’t help but be sad.

“I’m afraid there’s another significant meaning to the fact that this Divine Sword comes back to our Mount Hua.”

“…….”

“Everything in the world has its own meaning. The sword that disappeared in the era of war is now coming back… … .”

“Ei. What are you so negative about? What we can say is that Mount Hua, which once almost collapsed, has returned to prosperity.”

At Hyun Young’s words, Hyun Jong nodded quietly.

The purple light emitted by the Zaha Divine Sword fluttered in front of him even when he closed his eyes.

This sword has the history of Mount Hua. It’s a sword that’s been through a lot with Mount Hua and has always been at the forefront whenever Mount Hua has suffered a major disaster (업화(業火)).

“It’s said that Divine Weapon finds its own place.”

“…….”

“I hope it was just an old man’s worry.”

Hyun Jong finally put down the sword. Looking at Hyun Jong’s face who closed his eyes, Hyun Young sighed a little.

It was not easy for him to understand Hyun Jong’s words. It was not easy even for him to understand Sect Leader’s feelings, who he had been with all his life.

Hyun Jong, who had closed his eyes as if meditating for a while, slowly opened his eyes again.

“You still haven’t heard news from the kids?”

“When did they ever contact us quickly? No matter how much we nag them, this habit never gets fixed.”

“Hahaha. How can the kids be blamed? I’m sure there’s a guy who’s been nagging at them without even giving them a chance to send us a letter.”

The image of Chung Myung, who was chasing the children, was clear in his eyes.

‘The Divine Weapon finds its own place…….’

He said it himself, but it felt strange.

If the Divine Weapon is like that, so are humans.

Isn’t that why Chung Myung entered Mount Hua which was drying up after losing its vitality?

“The North Sea…….”

Hyun Jong’s gaze turned to out of the window.

The sun was supremely warm, but the air coming through the window was now cold beyond chill. The air in the North Sea must be colder than this.

“The kids will do well, right?”

“You’re full of worries. Have Chung Myung ever let us down?”

“That’s why I’m worried.”

“…Yes?”

Hyun Jong shook his head quietly. His eyes sank a little more sad than usual.

“They’re still just children.”

“…….”

“They have grown and I’m embarrassed to call them a child, but they’re still young and still at an age where they need to learn more. But those kids are already carrying a huge burden of Mount Hua on their backs.”

Not only that, but they are even involved in the affair of the world.

As if it was a pre-determined fate, very naturally, and not intentional.

“Magyo…….”

It’s a tough and terrifying affair.

“Magyo must be different from the ones the children have dealt with so far.”

“I suppose so, it’s none other than Magyo.”

“The children…….”

But before Hyun Jong could say anything more, Hyun Young spoke first.

“Sect Leader.”

“…….”

“The person who can’t trust a child the most is none other than their own parents.”

Hyun Jong raised his head and looked at Hyun Young.

Hyun Young said with strength.

“They’ll get through it.”

“……Yes, they should.”

Hyun Jong rose from his seat. In his hand was Zaha Divine Sword which had been polished.

“Are you going to train again?”

“Shouldn’t we do so, now that we have spare time?”

Hyun Young looked at Hyun Jong with new eyes. Recently, Sect Leader’s training time has increased significantly. The Finance Hall plays its role, and the outside job is taken care of by Eunha Merchant Guild, giving him more spare time to devote to training.

“Huh, at an age when the bones are deteriorating.”

“… … It’s still solid.”

Hyun Jong smiled lightly.

“You may think it’s silly because I’m old, but I still want to be a little stronger.”

“I’ve never thought of you as being silly.”

Hyun Young knew why Hyun Jong suddenly devoted himself to training.

Certainly, the matter of Myriad Man House must have come in a different way to Hyun Jong.

At the end of the day, the Sect Leader was being protected by the very disciples he had to protect. He may be proud that the disciples have surpassed him, but Hyun Jong did not.

‘You still want to protect the disciples.’

Hyun Young fully understood the feeling.

What if one day there’s a moment when he can’t do anything about the dying disciples? What if his weakness causes him to just watch them die?

Then it would be better to bite his tongue and die. He can’t endure the pain with his eyes open.

“By the way, Sect Leader.”

“Hm?”

“If you’re going to train, why don’t you join Un Gum? He is also working hard these days to redefine his martial art… … .”

“…It’s fine.”

“No, why? Training together makes it easier…….”

“… Even so.”

As if he had eaten a bitter persimmon, Hyun Jong’s face was filled with a rare shudder.

“My bones aren’t strong enough to handle his training.”

“You said it was solid a while ago.”

“Ugh.”

Hyun Jong shook his head and went outside.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by snowflakes that began to fall from the sky quietly.

“…It must be cold in the North Sea.”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes slightly.

‘I hope the hardship doesn’t make them suffer too much.’

The children will come back stronger.

And welcoming Mount Hua should also be a stronger and more prosperous place than when they leave.

To embrace the tired children warm.

* * *

“… … What do you think?”

“Huh?”

“The atmosphere.”

“Look at this.”

Baek Cheon sighed with slightly trembling eyes.

Chung Myung’s appearance yesterday made Baek Cheon anxious for no reason.

‘He looked very serious.’

He knewChung Myung hasan unusual atmosphere when he properly wielded his sword. But yesterday’s Chung Myung was like a completely different person.

So there is now he didn’t anxious??…….

“Fishing again?”

Baek Cheon, who checked out Chung Myung while struggling to suppress his anxiety, shouted in surprise.

“N- No! That …… What does he treat Monk Hye Yeon as?”

Baek Cheon tried to run right away, blaming himself for worrying about Chung Myung for a moment. But then someone caught him from behind.

“Baek Cheon Siju. I’m here.”

“Yes?”

Looking back, Hye Yeon was standing clean.

“Huh? Monk?”

“Amitabha. That, fortunately……that is not me.”

“Then…….”

Baek Cheon looked back at Chung Myung with trembling eyes.

Even though he confirmed that Hye Yeon was not in the water, he instead felt more anxious than relieved.

The monk is here, but why on earth does the fishing rod look similar to the last time……?

“……then what does he put in the water to fish?”

“I know right?”

“I don’t think it’s an empty fishing rod…..”

The pupils of Mount Hua‘s disciples, who tilted their heads, widened in unison and shook greatly.

“Ba- Baek-ah!”

“Aigoo! Baek-ah!”

“That crazy bastard! Euaaaaa!”

Mount Hua’s disciples, who had grown attached to Baek-ah over time, ran to Chung Myung with frightened tears.

There’s something one can do and can’t do, how can he do such a thing to the cute and adorable creature!

“Chung Myung, you crazy punk! Baek, what did you do to Baek-ah?”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung looked back and flinched at Mount Hua’s disciples rushed in unison.

“What’s this, all of a sudden?”

“Baek-ah! What did you do to Baek-ah?”

Everyone’s eyes were desperate. Their faint belief that no human being, let alone a Taoist, will be able to do something like that could be seen.

But.

“Oh, Baek-ah? In there.”

Chung Myung chins at a hole in the ice with an indifferent face.

“Hiiiiik!”

Baek Cheon, whose face had turned white, rushed in and grabbed Chung Myung’s fishing rod.

“Oh, what’s wrong with you!”

“Hey, you crazy bastard! There’s something a man can and can’t do! How could you put that little creature in the cold water…….”

It was then.

Bubbling, bubbling!

Air bubbles rose wildly on the calm surface of the water, and something huge rose quickly from it.

“Huh?”

Then.

Paaat!

Once again, the water fluctuated like a wave, and a big carp open its mouth and soared.

“Euak!”

“Huh?”

“Wha- What’s that?”

To say that it was the size of a house is an exaggeration, but at least it was the size of a cow. It was not strange to say that it was a Mythical Creature.

The carp, which soared to the air reminiscent of a dragon ascending to Heaven, twisted its body and soon plunged onto the ice.

Tok!

The carp that fell on the ice fluttered violently.

But the carp didn’t even enter Baek Cheon and the group’s attention.

Of course, carp that look bigger than humans are rare. But even if there are two times larger carp, it would not be rarer for a small marten who proudly pressed the head of the giant carp with one foot.

Chung Myung said with a look of no surprise.

“Ooh, don’t kill it.”

“Kiik?”

“I told you to catch it alive.”

“Kiik!”

Baek-ah, who was weighing on the carp with his front feet, blinked his black eyes and quickly nodded a couple of times. Then he shook his wet fur hard.

Leaving the carp alone, the marten quickly ran to Chung Myung’s feet and cling to him with a face full of cuteness.

“Tsk.”

Clicking his tongue low, Chung Myung put his hand on Baek-a’s head and infused some energy into him. Then the wet fur dried up in an instant and became softer than usual.

“…….”

The bizarre sight left everyone speechless.

‘Oh…….’

‘That was a Mythical Creature indeed.’

It has been a long time since it was used as a stove and scarf for Chung Myung.

‘Come to think of it, he used to beat a tiger the size of a house.’

‘It was Chung Myung of the beast realm. No, was it Chung Myung in the world of Mythical Creature?’

It was the moment when the worry was overshadowed.

“One more?”

“Kiiiiik!”

When Chung Myung asked, Baek-ah stomped on the ice with his hind feet as if he didn’t like something.

“I’ll give you twice as much.”

As soon as the word come out, Baek-ah, with his eyes opened wide, turned around and jumped into the water without delay.

“…….”

‘Wow…… look at that brave thing.’

Jo Gol, who was staring blankly, muttered.

“Does marten usually eat fish?”

“He’s a Taoist who supposedly doesn’t break someone’s head. Does it matter? No, even if he hadn’t done anything…….”

“……That’s a silly question.”

Speechless, Baek Cheon looked blankly at the ice hole where Baek-ah had disappeared and asked Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Yes?”

“…Is Baek-ah good at catching fish?”

“He’s a Mythical Creature. What can’t he catch?”

“…….”

That makes sense.

Come to think of it, Baek-ah was the one who bothered and hit the famous creatures of the Namman Yasugung Clan so much that Maeng So, the head of the Namman Yasugung Clan, begged them to take him.

What such a beast can’t catch?

But at this point, there is a new question.

“……Then why did monk Hye Yeon was in the water?”

Chung Myung frowned at Baek Cheon’s question.

“No, when I said I’m going to take Baek-ah and catch some big fish, that fake monk said it’s not a human thing to do and that we shouldn’t deviate too much from the human path and some other nonsense. Then he said he’d rather go into the water instead.”

“…….”

“That’s why I told him. There’s no reason not to grant the wish of a living monk when I even granted wishes of the dead.

Baek Cheon looked back in silence.

Hye Yeon was looking up at the sky with a look of emptiness as if the world was cruel. Somehow, his eyes were filled with moisture.

“……Amitabha.”

Baek Cheon shook his head for Hye Yeon, who chanted for comfort.

Where did he go wrong?

Is it wrong that a marten goes into the water and catches fish that is almost like a Mythical Creature? Or is it wrong to be willing to throw himself into ice water to protect such a marten?

‘Let’s just pretend that Chung Myung is wrong.’

That’s the most comfortable part.

At that moment, the surface of the water shook again, and Baek-ah ran out with a bigger carp in his mouth than before.

Throwing the huge fish in his mouth toward the earlier fish, Baek-ah rushed to Chung Myung. Then he turned and showed off his stomach.

“Yes, you’re better than the fake monk.”

“…….”

Baek Cheon smiled delightedly at the sight.

‘I’m not surprised anymore.’

‘Be whatever you like. Damn it.’

“……But why fishing all of a sudden?”

“There are other villages.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sure they don’t have the strength to hold a spoon because they get weak, so we should help them in moderation and leave.”

Chung Myung pointed with his chin at the carp.

“If it’s as big as this, it won’t freeze easily. So if we pack them in moderation, they’ll still be fresh until another village. If we do this, we have nothing more to do.”

Baek Cheon blinks for a moment. He swallowed dry saliva.

“What do you mean?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Chung Myung rolled up the corners of his mouth.

“Let’s go now. To the North Sea Ice Clan or something. We need to see what’s going on with our own eyes.”