Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 714
“No, what kind of mountain is this…?”
Sometimes there are mountains like that. From a distance, they don’t seem very high and look easy to climb, but once you enter, there are countless peaks, deep valleys, and uneven terrain everywhere, making it impossible to figure out the shape and end of the mountain.
“Why is it like this?”
“That’s why it’s called the Hundred Thousand Great Mountain.”
Yoon Jong calmly said as he looked around.
“The reason why Magyo chose the Hundred Thousand Great Mountain as their base is not only because it’s far from the center of Kangho in Jungwon but also because the mountain is so deep and wide that it’s not easy to find those hiding inside.”
“Ah.”
“Even though this is just the entrance of Hundred Thousand Great Mountain, looking at the terrain, it’s easy to see why this place became the battlefield that determined the fate of Jungwon.”
Listening to Yoon Jong, Jo-Gol looked at the mountain with newfound eyes.
Not too far from here, a fierce battle broke out over the fate of Jungwon.
The final showdown between Magyo led by Heavenly Demon and Jungwon led by Mount Hua.
“Great Mountain Blood Incident…” (대산혈사)
“Yes.”
Yoon Jong nodded. A deep, resonant voice flowed from his mouth.
“Time makes us forget many things. But there are things we must never forget. It’s because of those who fought with their lives on the line that we can live as we do now.”
“….”
“We must not forget that the ancestors of Mount Hua are resting here. None of Mount Hua’s disciples should forget.”
Jo-Gol silently nodded and closed his eyes.
‘It’s unfamiliar.’
The terrain of this place is so different from Mount Hua.
Instead of being steep and high, Mount Hua has straight terrain and unhidden linear shape. However, the terrain here was gentle, but it constantly gave the impression that something was hidden deep within.
This place was so unfamiliar for those who have lived in Mount Hua.
‘In a place like this…’
What were the feelings of those who fought with their lives at stake in this strange land?
They must have known they couldn’t return alive. Still, what was the determination to throw their lives away without an inch of hesitation?
It was too hard even to imagine.
“…I don’t know, Sahyung.”
Yoon Jong grinned as if he knew what Jo-Gol meant.
“You’ll find out one day.”
And he too calmly scanned the dark mountaintop with his eyes.
“Let’s hurry. If we take our time, Chung Myung will come after us with a knife in his mouth.”
“I’d rather he did.”
Jo-Gol pouted his lips.
“Anyway, that guy is the best at turning people’s lives upside down. He usually gives people a hard time with his nonsense, but now…”
Jo-Gol couldn’t continue his words and just let out a deep sigh.
‘It would be better if he was just talking nonsense.’
It was so awkward to see the silent Chung Myung. It was even more unbearable to face the expressionless Chung Myung.
Nevertheless, their stomach was distorted because he couldn’t even properly rebuke them. (그럼에도 제대로 타박조차 하지 못하니 위장이 뒤틀렸다.)
“So we need to find it as soon as possible.”
“….”
“Don’t worry. He’s not a man who can be shaken so easily.”
Jo-Gol nodded slightly and looked around with a slightly fierce look in his eyes.
“Let’s search thoroughly.”
“Let’s do that.”
Yoon Jong sighed quietly, looking at the back of Jo-Gol, who was going ahead, stabbing the ground with his sword.
Even Jo-Gol is worried that Chung Myung is in bad shape.
‘I don’t know.’
Sometimes, Yoon Jong felt like Chung Myung was a human being made of steel.
Before meeting Chung Myung, Yoon Jong was just a man who kept his place and avoided unpleasant things, waiting for things to pass.
Chung Myung, who moves forward, breaking everything down to him, seemed too aggressive at times, and at times, a dazzling person.
However, in recent days, Yoon Jong felt like he had a peek into Chung Myung’s flesh beneath the steel armor.
“……Damn bastard.”
Yoon Jong shook his head and thrust his sword hard into the ground.
* * *
“Who could it be?”
“Huh?”
Yoo Iseol looked back at Tang Soso who was following her.
“The person we’re looking for right now.”
Tang Soso’s face looked darker than usual.
“A tomb or remains…. I’m sure they’re human beings, but what’s their relationship to Chung Myung Sahyung?”
Yoo Iseol stared silently at the sky for a moment. A small voice flowed from her mouth, capturing the night sky in her eyes.
“A close person.”
“….”
“A close person, probably.”
She seemed to know what that expression was.
Yoo Iseol also faced her own face with a similar expression whenever she saw her longing long ago.
The close person had to be lost because they were powerless.
“But it was a hundred years ago…..”
“I don’t know.”
Yoo Iseol shook her head.
“What I need to know is that I have to find it. Absolutely.”
There was a firm determination in her voice.
Tang Soso looked at her with newfound eyes.
Yoo Iseol was not a person who usually expressed her mind. There was only the desire to become stronger and the sense of duty to protect Mount Hua in her heart.
‘I’ve never seen it before.’
It was rare for even Tang Soso, who was almost always with her, to see her showing enthusiasm for someone else’s business..
“We have to find them, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we should for Chung Myung Sahyung to come back as usual. Teasing, swearing, and getting angry…”
Tang Soso’s words trailed off. She wondered if coming back as usual would really be a good thing. Then Yoo Iseol’s voice interrupted Tang Soso’s thoughts.
“No.”
“…What?”
Yoo Iseol stopped walking.
“He’ll come back. Even if we don’t find them.”
“….”
“Come back as if nothing happened. Just like usual.”
“…Sago.”
Yoo Iseol’s eyes frowned very slightly.
“That’s why we have to find them. I don’t want to see that.”
Tang Soso seemed to know what Yoo Iseol meant.
Chung Myung will eventually return to his normal state no matter what disappointment had left inside. However, that would only mean that his outward appearance has returned to normal, not necessarily the same inside.
‘The same as in the past…’
She suddenly wondered how much she really knew about Chung Myung.
His monstrous martial arts, unbelievable determination, being violent and aggressive while also meticulous and delicate.
But can she say that she knows Chung Myung well just by looking at him like that?
Tang Soso thought Yoo Iseol was the hardest person to guess in Mount Hua so far. She’s an extremely reticent person, so it’s often better to just guess what she’s thinking.
But now that she thinks about it, the person who is even more difficult to know is actually Chung Myung.
He talks nonstop, as opposed to Yoo Iseol, but rarely reveals his true feelings.
If Yoo Iseol hides herself in silence, Chung Myung is a person who conceals his true intentions with countless words and actions.
“Do you know what Chung Myung Sahyung thinks inside?”
Tang Soso was curious. She wondered if there was something that connected those who didn’t reveal their inner thoughts.
“No.”
However, the answer that came back was different from her expectations.
“…I see.”
“But.”
“Yes?”
Yoo Iseol closed her mouth quietly and peeked back at Tang Soso.
“Should we know? Do we have to?”
“….”
“Even if we don’t know their inner thoughts, a comrade is a comrade. My comrade.”
The clouds lifted briefly and the moonlight was revealed. The corners of Tang Soso’s mouth bent gently as she stared blankly at Yoo Iseol standing above.
“Me too! Me too! Sago!”
“Yes, you, too.”
Tang Soso, who clung to Yoo Iseol’s back, held her charmingly and hung. Yoo Iseol swayed back and forth with an expressionless face.
“We’ll find them! We’ll find them and tell that guy to treat us since we found them.”
“An expensive one.”
“Yes! An expensive one.”
“A very expensive one. Because he’s rich.”
“Yes! A very expensive one!”
The two delicately stabbed their swords into the ground.
‘We have to find them.’
There was a strong determination in Tang Soso’s eyes.
The same goes for Yoo Iseol, but Tang Soso didn’t want to see Chung Myung return to Mount Hua with slumped shoulders. It doesn’t suit him.
‘Don’t worry, you damn Sahyung. I’ll somehow find them for you.’
* * *
He has felt this strange feeling several times.
It was the moment when he suddenly felt a strangeness from that not-so-big back.
However, Baek Cheon usually felt the unfamiliarity from Chung Myung’s back when he was facing an enemy or standing in front of Baek Cheon.
Each time, Baek Cheon had to feel a depth that didn’t match his age from him. And because of that appearance, he could whip himself even more.
But now…….
‘I don’t know how to explain it.’
Small?
‘No, it’s not that. It’s just, well…’
Baek Cheon, who was trying to find the right word, finally let out a deep sigh.
From the beginning, trying to explain the emotions felt while looking at that back was futile.
Puuk.
Chung Myung’s sword had already pierced the ground several times.
Looking down, Chung Myung slowly cast his gaze toward the distant mountain range. The sight of him silently watching the rising peaks gave Baek Cheon a strange sense of unease.
“How is it?”
He didn’t open his mouth because he wanted to ask something particular.
It’s just that if he stayed still, he felt like the distance between them would endlessly widen and eventually become distant, so it’s close to screaming without realizing it.
“Huh?”
Chung Myung turned his head and faced Baek Cheon.
His appearance was no different from usual. It wasn’t the dark face he had shown on the way here, just a face without expression.
However, his face kept feeling unfamiliar and not the same as usual. Baek Cheon suspected for a moment whether he was overreacting now.
Chung Myung asked again.
“What?”
“… Can we find it?”
“I don’t know.”
Chung Myung chuckled at the barely raised question.
“I’ll try my best, but, well…”
Then he scratched the back of his head.
“As you can see from the condition of the book, it’s been at least a hundred years. It’s even weirder if anything still remains.”
“…Do you think it’s the remains of someone who participated in the Great Mountain Blood Incident?”
“Probably so.”
Baek Cheon, who stared at Chung Myung, nodded his head.
“Yes, I understand. Let’s keep looking.”
As Baek Cheon started to poke the ground again, Chung Myung asked him this time.
“Sasuk.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you going to ask?”
“…What?”
Now Chung Myung looks at Baek Cheon with a sullen face.
“You must have a lot of questions.”
“I do.”
“Then why don’t you ask?”
“Because there’s no need to ask.”
“…What does that mean?”
Baek Cheon shrugged as Chung Myung grumbled.
“If it’s something worth explaining, you’ll do it anyway.”
“….”
“If it’s something that can’t be explained, you won’t.”
“….”
“But why should I urge you? It’s your job to do it yourself.”
“No, but people…….”
“That’s enough.”
Baek Cheon shook his head and cut off his words.
“Explain when you have the leisure and can do so.”
“….”
“However.”
“Huh?”
“If you’re going to lie, just don’t explain. It’s all right.”
Chung Myung stared silently at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon looked straight at him without backing down and said.
“And don’t be mistaken.”
“Yes?”
“This is not only your business but also my business as the great disciple of Mount Hua. Finding the remains of our ancestors and retrieving their remains is an incomparably important task.”
“….”
“I am doing what I have to do as a disciple of Mount Hua. So if you’re going to interrupt, do it later. I’m busy right now.”
Having finished speaking, Baek Cheon passed by Chung Myung and climbed forward. Chung Myung, who was staring blankly at his strong back, had a faint smile on his lips.
“Even though you’re just Dongryong.”
In front of him, Hundred Thousand Great Mountains was still crouching darkly. Chung Myung kept stopping his gaze there.
Then Baek Cheon looked back.
“Come quickly.”
“….”
“What are you doing?”
“…No.”
Chung Myung unknowingly clenched his fist slightly.
– Come quickly.
It’s nothing.
But… if him from the past could have said that as well.
If so….
With his head slightly lowered, Chung Myung stepped toward Baek Cheon who was ahead.