Return of Mount Hua Sect

“Ugh…”

“Uwuu…”

“… uh…”

The groans of exhaustion escaped from the mouths of the Mount Hua disciples, all sprawled out on the ground.

Every one of them lay on the floor.

“Tsk.”

Chung Myung, the only one still standing, looked up at the sky. He frowned slightly as he noticed the night sky growing darker.

If everything had gone according to plan, the training would have ended around sunset.

Chung Myung, with an odd expression on his face, glanced at the disciples on the training ground. A loud clicking sound resonated.

“…”

“When will you get stronger?”

“…”

“Recover by tomorrow. You will be stronger tomorrow.”

After saying those words, he left the training ground without even looking back.

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had been staring at the distant Chung Myung with blank expressions, struggled to get up.

“Euk…”

“Kuak. It hurts so much.”

Their hands, trembling like thin branches, pressed against the floor.

Even the simple task of raising their upper bodies felt incredibly difficult, and breathing became a challenge. Some couldn’t even think about getting up, while others barely managed to rise, only to fall back down several times.

But…

“So long, huh.”

“Hehehehehe.”

“Did you see his face?”

“He looked like he was about to die from embarrassment.”

The disciples of Mount Hua laughed despite their swollen faces. Even Yu Yiseol, usually so expressionless that people wondered, “Does she even have an expression?” laughed with her eyes wide open.

One hit.

In the end, the only thing they succeeded in today was Yoon Jong’s attack. After that, they rushed at him with all their might but were just beaten up.

Yet, no one felt defeated or regretful because of that. They knew that what happened once would happen again.

Baek Cheon, lying on the ground, unable to even move a finger, stared at the moon in the sky and clenched his fist with all his might.

‘It is getting longer.’

He could endure anything difficult if he was sure he was moving ahead.

They had already experienced the hardships of trying their hardest. Still, the distance between him and Chung Myung was just getting wider.

“Sahyung. Are you alright?”

Baek Sang approached him and held out his hand. Baek Cheon grabbed it and sat up with difficulty.

The disciples who had sat up first were looking at him as if they were asking him to say something.

Taking a deep breath, Baek Cheon said,

“It is hard.”

“….”

“But it isn’t as hard as that time. Compared to when we couldn’t do anything and just watched the sahyungs and sajaes fight in front of us, this is nothing, right?”

“Right, sahyung!”

“Yes! Sasuk!”

Baek Cheon nodded.

“I am sure of it now. If we can overcome this training, we will definitely get stronger. And then we will never have to experience such humiliation again.”

His sahyung-sajes slowly nodded. Baek Cheon grinned.

“Tomorrow, I will cut that bastard’s neck, do not touch him.”

“He is mine.”

“No, I said I will!”

The disciples of Mount Hua, who were arguing, gave out chuckles.

After laughing for a while, they all collapsed back down. They had lost the strength to stand up because they laughed too much.

“We need to go… to dorms.”

Similarly, Baek Cheon, lying on the training ground, looked at the sky with blank eyes. The moon was strangely bright that day.

‘I will get strong.’

And someday…

Baek Cheon’s eyes, which had been looking at the moon, slowly closed. Soon after, most of those lying on the training ground fell asleep as if they were dead.

After a while, several people cautiously approached them, who were giggling and sleeping.

“Ugh. These kids…”

“Be quiet.”

Hyun Sang sternly warned Un Geom and gave an order.

“Be careful not to wake the kids and move them to their rooms.”

“Yes.”

“For those with a lot of tension in their muscles and deep internal injuries, give them a blood point release.”

“Yes, elder.”

Un Am let out a deep sigh.

“They are a mess again today.”

“I know you were careful earlier in the day, sahyung.”

“Such a lie.”

Hyun Jong, who was holding Baek Cheon, quietly looked down at the sleeping face. His face was a mess, and he was lying there like a corpse, but his expression looked comfortable.

‘… you guys.’

The strength in his arms naturally grew.

“Let’s move them quickly. The night wind is rather cold.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

The elders and Un disciples, who had laid the disciples down in the dorms, began to go around and handle the disciples. Hyun Jong also moved them and left the dorms only when every kid was put in their rooms.

Standing at the main gate of the White Plum Blossom Hall, he looked up at the sky in silence.

“What are you thinking about?”

In response to Hyun Young’s question, Hyun Jong spoke quietly without looking away.

“I thought about it.”

“What are you thinking?”

“The moon must be feeling so lonely, I thought.”

A hint of loneliness flashed through the eyes of Hyun Jong, which contained the bright moon in the middle of the sky.

“A traveler walking at night can avoid getting lost thanks to the moonlight, and the moon is truly a blessing. But isn’t that precious moon floating alone in the dark night sky to shine down on the world?”

“Sect leader…”

“It might be a very lonely thing to shine down on someone.”

Hyun Jong’s fingertips trembled slightly while carrying the load on his back.

Hyun Young, who was looking at his back, smiled and opened his mouth.

“That isn’t true, sect leader.”

“… hmm?”

“Why would the moon be lonely? With so many stars around?”

Just then, the clouds cleared, and the stars filled the sky, casting their light into Hyun Jong’s eyes.

“Of course, the moon and stars are different. But that doesn’t mean they cannot rise together, right? The moon will be comforted by the stars, and the stars will be comforted by the moon.”

“….”

“And here, aren’t we looking at the moon? So… at least we won’t be lonely.”

Hyun Jong gently clenched the hand that carried the burden on him.

“… right.”

“….”

“Then…”

Hyun Jong’s voice trembled slightly.

“Yes… that would be nice.”

“Ugh…”

Chung Myung grabbed his shoulder and groaned.

“… damned bastard.”

Without exaggeration, no place didn’t hurt.

Of course, he only got hit once that day. But in a fight without a sword, it wasn’t just about whether the sword touched. In a fight where you swung with your sword qi, the qi alone crushed the flesh and shook their insides.

Repeating battles where sword qi met sword qi from before sunrise until dawn, his whole body hurt as if it was crushed.

‘It’s the same as back then, only without the scar….’

Chung Myung quietly closed his eyes as he recalled memories of the old war that he didn’t want to think about. If it was before, he would have shaken his head and tried to shake off the memories, but he didn’t do it now.

Because if he didn’t face it, he couldn’t move ahead.

‘We have a long way to go.’

All this training was to make them stronger. But that wasn’t all. If he had just wanted to get them stronger, there would have been other ways.

The important thing was that Mount Hua got stronger. And, of course, Chung Myung was included in that Mount Hua.

He realized this anew.

He was also a part of Mount Hua.

If he truly wanted to make Mount Hua stronger, he shouldn’t stand back and lead the descendants; he should also get stronger as a part of Mount Hua.

More than before, incomparably more than before!

Hcung Myung’s lips curled up.

‘Anyway, seriously.’

These small fries were somehow helpful.

No, to be honest, they were incredibly helpful.

The reason was simple.

No matter where in the world you went, there wouldn’t be more than a hundred people with fierce killing intent rushing at you. And when they were knocked down, they wouldn’t keep coming back.

This kind of training would have been impossible even in the past Mount Hua.

If the disciples of Mount Hua hadn’t reached the same level as now, the training would have been meaningless. It was a training that had finally gained meaning.

They spoke roughly and laughed, but the disciples of Mount Hua who rushed at him with one thought were a clear threat to him. It was to the point where he could briefly think of that past war.

Thanks to that, Chung Myung was quickly regaining his old senses—the senses he had when he was at his sharpest.

But…

“You mean they are getting stronger faster than me?”

Chung Myung rubbed his side.

The dull pain from Yoon Jong’s wooden sword was still lingering on his side.

Even Chung Myung doubted whether he could really do it. He just had to do it, so he did it silently. But the pain he felt in his side right now was constantly whispering to him that they definitely could win.

“Those little brats.”

Chung Myung snickered as he recalled each of their faces.

They kept getting more and more excited.

If everyone could endure this brutal training with such ridiculous tenacity that even Chung Myung’s expectations were distorted…

Then how strong would they get?

And if he could endure them to the end, how much closer would he be to his past self?

“Well, they are ridiculous.”

This subtle sense of hope and pleasant satisfaction enveloped his entire body.

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung collapsed on the spot.

“Ahhh, ouch. Ouch.”

As soon as he touched the ground, a throbbing pain surged up from his back.

His body was crying out in pain, but his mind was at ease. It was much better than when he had been racking his brains to bring some benefit to Mount Hua.

So…

“Stop making such a pitiful face, damned sahyung.”

Chung Myung looked up at the sky.

“I will definitely make Mount Hua strong. I will make sure no one dies. Honestly, there is nothing sahyung can do right now. He would be weak and fall.”

Chung Myung smiled.

“Sahyung doesn’t know what it feels like to watch those little brats desperately trying to follow me.”

He whispered as he looked at the moon shining softly at him.

“Now I know one thing better than sahyung.”

He still missed him a lot.

The longing for the old Mount Hua lingered deep inside him.

But…

“Aren’t those people really going to be the end of it now?”

Chung Myung stretched out his hand while lying down and pretended to hold a bow to the elders. Then he leisurely pulled an imaginary string in the air with his other hand.

“Shoot.”

Chung Myung smiled as he pretended to shoot an arrow at the moon.

“I won’t say a thing about making Mount Hua like it used to be.”

That couldn’t be done now.

“Instead, I will make Mount Hua greater than the old one, so watch over it.”

Chung Myung slowly closed his eyes.

The wind blowing down from the mountain peaks brushed past his shoulders. A lot of time had passed, and people had changed, but the wind blowing from Mount Hua hadn’t changed.

‘Mount Hua… will get stronger.’

Soon, a low breath escaped from his lips.

Swish. Phew.

A gentle smile appeared on Chung Myung’s face as he fell asleep from exhaustion.

A gentle smile which he had never seen before when he was called the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.

The scent of Plum Blossoms, which flowed in from somewhere, gently embraced him as he fell into a deep sleep.

When darkness recedes, the sun rises, and when the sun sets, the moon rises again.

After the end of spring, summer arrives, and then winter returns again. The seasons cycle.

In this way, time flowed like water.