Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 654

“Hmmm.”

“….”

“….”

Mount Hua’s disciples, who gathered after finishing all the arrangements, swallowed their dry saliva as they saw Chung Myung standing before them with a very dissatisfied face.

‘What else is that fiend trying to do…’

‘Look at that. Look at his eyes.’

‘Please, let’s live nicely, Chung Myung.”

But what came out of Chung Myung’s mouth was an unexpected remark that no disciples would have expected.

“Although I don’t like it… you’ve indeed been through a lot. I’ll give you ten days off. You’re free to do whatever you want. I won’t bother you for ten days.”

“….”

Their pupils widened in disbelief as they saw Chung Myung nod his head slowly.

Not every sound from a person’s mouth makes sense. It only becomes a genuine word when it enters another person’s ear and can be understood.

But at this moment, no one really understood what Chung Myung said.

“What did he just say?”

“Didn’t he just talk nonsense like he always does?”

“He didn’t just tell us to rest, did he?”

“Is he telling us to rest forever? Like, lying in a coffin?”

The depth of mistrust among the disciples of Mount Hua was evident in this spectacle.

As the disciples whispered and glanced at each other with strange looks, Chung Myung twitched his eyebrows and clenched his teeth.

“I told you to rest. I won’t bother you.”

“……You won’t bother us?”

The disciples tilted their heads and then huddled together, whispering.

“Does he plan to blow us away with his internal force without even touching us?”

“Or maybe he’ll just scold us with words.”

“Ah, that’s even more terrifying…”

“I’d rather believe ghosts than believe that bastard.”

Veins started to slowly pop out on Chung Myung’s forehead.

Yes, it’s fine. Such a reaction could happen.

But where on earth did that audacity come from, to say such things right in front of the person in question?

“……This time it’s real! I’m really giving you a break……”

“Hey! Just hit us, you bastard! That’s better than this nonsense.”

“Yeah! Kill us, kill us!”

“No, but really, these people!”

As Chung Myung tried to charge in rage, Yoon Jong and Jo-Gol casually grabbed one of his arms each.

“This is your karma.”

“Honestly, I can’t believe it.”

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung, who gritted his teeth, yelled out.

“You have a break starting now, so rest or do whatever you want!”

Then he turned his body around and walked away. Baek Cheon, who was watching him leave, stepped forward with a slightly bitter smile.

“That punk is just feeling awkward for saying things he’s not used to.”

“……of course he’s awkward.”

Rather, it would be less awkward for an Asura who rises up from hell to suddenly say ‘i actually believe in Buddha’ instead.

Baek Cheon looked around at everyone and said.

“A horse that keeps running will eventually tire and fall. The fastest way isn’t running without rest. It’s knowing when to take a break and concentrate.”

“Why did someone who knows that fact act like that then?”

“Huh?”

“You never said anything like that on the way to Mount Hua!”

Baek Cheon sneakily shifted his gaze to the sky at the sharp criticism.

‘They’re getting rough.’

It wasn’t like that in my time! In my time!

“Ahem. Anyway!”

Covering his mouth and coughing softly, he continued.

“Since you must be quite tired, take a good rest. After that, things will get busy again.”

“….”

“Well then.”

When Baek Cheon turned around with the Five Swords, all the remaining disciples looked at their backs in bewilderment.
“So….”

Murmurs began to drift from various places.

“Are we supposed to rest?”

“…I think so?”

Some naturally looked west.

“Did the sun rise in the west today?”

Of course, that couldn’t be the case.

* * *

Gwak Hee looked around with a puzzled look. The Sahyungs were all scattered here and there with half-dazed expressions and unfocused eyes.

It wasn’t long ago when they had been burning with determination against Wudang, but that state was nowhere to be found now.

“Um……”

After hesitating for a while, Gwak Hee awkwardly opened his mouth.

“I don’t think the meaning of ‘rest’ was to lie around like this, was it?”

Hearing this, everyone who had been half-dead turned to look at him.

“Then what?”

“……Well, you know. Like trying something you haven’t done before, or enjoying something you couldn’t enjoy while training……”

“Hmm, yes. That’s right.”

Baek Sang nodded his head vigorously.

While they didn’t know about Chung Myung, Baek Cheon’s “rest” surely meant something like that.

“I know, I know that, but……there is a problem.”

“…Yes?”

Instead of answering, Baek Sang gestured his chin towards the Saje sprawled behind his back. A despondent voice was just coming out of the mouths of the second-class disciples.

“……What should we do to rest properly?”

Yes?

“No, what does it even mean to rest in the first place?”

Yes?

Gwak Hee’s eyes trembled.

Even the third-class disciples agreed with their opinions.

“Don’t ‘resting’ usually means washing up and going to bed after finishing training?”

“How can we rest if we can’t sleep? I don’t understand it.”

Gwak Hee, who looked at them silently, covered his face with both hands.

‘It’s over.’

Chung Myung’s influence has deeply stained these humans.

They didn’t even know how to rest when given the time, was this even possible in any reasonable sense?

“……When I think about it, I don’t think I’ve had a day off from training in the past few years?”

“Um, Sahyung. Honestly, I might go crazy because I’ve been so strangely anxious since earlier. Can’t we just go out and do some training?”

Baek Sang frowned at the voice from behind.

“Didn’t you hear that Baek Cheon Sahyung told you not to train and rest?”

“I- I know, but… I feel so restless just doing nothing like this……”

“Ah…… If we don’t train, our muscles will wither.”

“Today is the day I do lower body exercises…….”

As one person started the topic, those who had been lying around the White Plum Dormitory began to get up and join in one by one. Of course, there were opinions that they should follow Chung Myung and Baek Cheon’s words.

“But don’t you think we should take a break?”

“What is that?!”

“Rest!”

“And how do we do that!”

Gwak Hee grinned as he looked at the hall that started to get noisy.

Mount Hua’s disciples had reached the point where their heads couldn’t rest when their bodies rested, and their bodies couldn’t rest when their heads rested.

“Ah, damn it! I’ll just do some physical training and come back!”

“I’ll climb the cliff just twice and come back!”

“I’ll just practice with my sword…”

Baek Sang shouted in surprise to stop them.

“No! I told you to rest, you bastards!”

“We need to train to rest!”

“Huh?”

At that moment, Baek Sang, who was speechless, blinked his eyes.

“Resting doesn’t mean lying down! Isn’t it resting when your mind is at ease?!”

“That- That’s right.”

“If I’m here like this, I feel uncomfortable! I’d rather sweat a lot and come back to rest comfortably!”

“….”

“Let’s go!”

“Me too! I’m coming too!”

“Ah! Now I feel alive!”

“You can rest as much as you want when you die!”

Second and third-class disciples rushed out of the White Plum Dormitory as if they had waited. They showed no signs of regret. Left behind, Baek Sang and Gwak Hee blinked silently.

Soon, a loud cheer came from outside. Bitter laugh broke out from Baek Sang’s mouth.

“…Really, I’m speechless.”

“I know right.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Me? Well, I…”

Gwak Hee smiled awkwardly while looking around.

“There’s a part I need to work on, so I think I should swing my sword for a bit…”

Baek Sang looked up at the ceiling of the White Plum Dormitory with sad eyes.

‘Everyone’s gone crazy.’

Now it was faster to find a sane person.

Chung Myung’s eyes looking at the training field were blank and blurry.

“Uraaahhhh!

“Wow! I feel like I’m alive with the weight on my body! Humans should sweat after all!”

“Ah, move if you’re done! Did you rent the whole place?!”

“I need to do it ten more times, you bastard! Come and count instead!”

Chung Myung’s big eyes blinked. As more questions piled up, his head tilted further to the side.

“Dieeeee!”

“This bastard to his Sahyung!”

“Waist! Your waist is wide open! Aren’t you going to do it right?”

“Alright! Let’s die today! You better watch your head!”

Sword energies flashed continuously in the training ground.

“…What on earth…”

Those who train their physical strength or perform swordsmanship with their equipment are relatively better.

But what was in the heads of those running around the training ground in bunny hops in the corner? Even the world-famous Chung Myung had no way of knowing.

“Lower body!”

“Powerful sword energy comes from a solid lower body!”

“Ten more laps!”

Chung Myung looked around him. Five Swords and Hye Yeon, who were sitting next to him, also had their mouths open, seemingly unable to understand the situation.

“… Didn’t I tell them to rest?”

“… I’m sure you did.”

“Has the meaning of rest changed while I wasn’t aware?”

“I don’t think so…”

Chung Myung mumbled after watching his disciples train for a while.

“No, did all these bastards eat boiled green frogs? When I tell them to train, they complain and demand to rest. When I tell them to rest, they insist on coming out and swinging their swords. Which rhythm do I have to dance to?”

Hearing his grumbling, everyone in Five Swords’ mind had the same thought.

‘Chung Myung-ah. Don’t you think that maybe it happened because your ‘training’ and ‘rest’ are too extreme?’

But no one could dare say that.

“No, thinking about it makes me angry! Are they rebelling against me?”

“It’s your Sasuks and Sahyung, you rotten bastard!”

“No one in Mount Hua isn’t allowed to rebel against you, you punk!”

“There’s Soso!”

“Soso is an exception!”

No one asked for an explanation as to why Soso is an exception. Just like how the sky is blue and the sea is vast. It was a similar principle that Soso is an exception.

Then Baek Cheon, who was looking at the disciples, smirked.

“I think I understand.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung looked at him with a questioning expression. But the answer came from Yoon Jong’s mouth instead.

“Once they realize how vast the world is and how much of a frog in a well they were, even lying down with their backs on the bed made them feel guilty.”

Jo-Gol scrunched up his face.

“Ah, that really feels terrible.”

“They must have felt a lot on this journey. They must have felt the need for training and growth more than ever. So they can’t just sit still.”

Baek Cheon nodded at Yoon Jong’s words.

But Tang Soso seemed very unhappy.

“But rest is important too. If you don’t give them a break, people break down.”

“Let it be for a while.”

“Sasuk!”

Baek Cheon grinned and said to Tang Soso.

“You’re a martial artist too, so you know, people grow greatly when they have their own motivation. Those guys must want to internalize what they saw and felt in this war and the sparring matches.”

“Well…..”

Tang Soso nodded as if she couldn’t deny that.

“Only for a while, then.”

“Yeah.”

Baek Cheon, who had been smiling contentedly, looked at the disciples again and exclaimed.

“Mount Hua will become even stronger with everyone so eager to train.”

“We shouldn’t lose either.”

“Right. We should start soon as well.”

“Ah, speaking of which, let’s have a match, Sahyung. I feel like I’ve learned something this time, but I can’t quite grasp it.”

“I think I’m gonna beat you easily, though.”

“Oh? Let’s do it!”

“Alright!”

Five Swords also began to burn with enthusiasm.

All the disciples concentrated on their training, a situation that any teacher could only dream of.

But Chung Myung looked at the scene from a step away and was flinching as if something was wrong.

‘Did they all go crazy?’

Only then did he painfully realize what kind of monsters he had created.