Return of the Mount Hua Sect - Ch. 828
The consciousness sank deeper and deeper.
Sinking down endlessly, the body and consciousness became separated from each other, growing increasingly distant.
The dream-like consciousness, blurred but not completely severed, was constantly searching for something.
‘Sect leader…’
Tak!
“Ackkk!”
Chung Myung opened his eyes and grabbed his head at the throbbing pain.
“Euk! Who’s the bastard that did this!”
“It is me.”
“…”
He rolled his eyes like he was losing it, but when he saw who was sitting in front of him, he quietly closed his mouth.
“Chung Myung.”
“Uh?”
“As people live, they might fall asleep. It’s not that I don’t understand that.”
“Yes, that’s right. It isn’t anything special.”
“Yes. But…”
The one sitting at the front.
An indescribable feeling of emptiness fell on the face of Chung Mun, the sect leader of Mount Hua.
“It’s not that I did much, but this is the first time in my life that I’ve heard of someone dozing off while being disciplined. You ruined man!”
“… it’s all your fault! Because Sect leader sahyung keeps saying the obvious things…”
“What now, brat?”
As Chung Mun began to lose it, his sajae Chung Jin, who was watching the situation, became shocked and shouted loudly,
“Calm down, sect leader sahyung!”
“You cannot lose yourself!”
Chung Myung smiled happily at that heartwarming sight.
He didn’t usually talk to them, but those bastards still respected him a lot…
“Then it means we will be hit later!”
“Don’t hit me if you don’t intend to stop! We are being hit twice now!”
“I would rather get kicked out of Mount Hua! But no one is doing that!”
“…”
He looked at the last guy. Even if no one realized it, that guy was upset.
Chung Mun held the back of his neck and sighed heavily.
“You a Taoist? Uh? Are you a Taoist?”
“Has our sahyung’s eyesight deteriorated significantly? I am proudly wearing the robe here.”
“You call yourself a Taoist just because of that robe, you idiot!?”
Chung Mun screamed.
“I sent you to subdue the bandits who are harassing the civilians!”
“We subjugated them. I destroyed everything just like you told me to. Then, instead of acting like this, you should praise me!”
“Right. You did great, my sajae.”
Chung Mun let out a chuckle.
“So, what did you receive from the people who said they were grateful?”
“Uh?”
“What do you think you got?”
“Ah. That?”
Chung Myung smiled shyly and scratched the back of his head.
“No, I was going to leave, but they kept saying thank you… they said if it wasn’t for me, many people would have lost their lives to those demons.”
“So?”
“So, they wanted to say thank you in return, but I thought it wasn’t polite to ignore their sincerity, so…”
Chung Myung had this awkward smile and glanced around.
“To thank me for my hard work, I received something…. Ack!”
Chung Myung fell flat on the spot, avoiding the hits that flew like lightning from the inkstone. The inkstone barely grazed his head and got stuck in the wall.
“A-are you trying to kill me now?”
“If you die from that, I wouldn’t have to go through this trouble, you damned bastard!”
Chung Mun now picked up the table in front of him and threw it.
As Chung Myung quickly rolled his body to the side to avoid it, both eyes of Chung Mun shone.
“You avoided it? Avoided it? Come on, today, either you die or I die! Chung Jin! Go and get me the whip!”
“Yes!”
“You. Go and try bringing it.”
“… yes.”
“I told you to bring the whip!”
“Yes.”
“Think carefully. Really carefully.”
Two people… No, Chung Jin, caught between a giant and an evil spirit, suffered, torn between this and that, unable to do this or that. Then he said while looking at Chung Mun.
“Sa… sect leader sahyung.”
“What?”
“I think… I think I got cramps in my legs from kneeling for so long, so send another….”
Chung Mun glared at him, but Chung Jin just lowered his head and looked away.
‘Authority is far; fists are close.’
If Chung Myung’s calf was caught from afar, it was obvious that Chung Jin’s chin would catch fire. Even if he got hit, it would be better to get hit by Chung Mun. That person beat him without mercy, so the situation would be more dire.
“Eukk.”
Seeing the sajaes all avoiding his gaze, Chung Mun groaned.
“They are already devastated civilians from the attacks of the demons! You couldn’t give the money and come back. Instead, you take their money?”
“Then do you want me to not accept their sincerity? No way. Ignoring their sincerity is not polite. Hahaha.”
“Kuak.”
Chung Mun grabbed the back of his head, which was hurting.
“S-sect leader sahyung!”
“Calm down! And then you can move!”
“This hasn’t happened for just a day or two, so why are you getting so angry?”
That bastard has been wanting a hit for a while now!
He would see him now.
Chung Myung glanced at his sajaes. Unable to control his anger, Chung Mun stretched out his hand, but when he realized that he had thrown the inkstone a moment ago, he shouted at Chung Myung.
“Water! Refreshing cold water!”
“Yes!”
Chung Myung quickly answered and turned his head.
“What are you doing? Run, you bastards!”
“You go, go! You bastard! You… euk…”
“Ehhh, I told you to calm down.”
“Now. Take a deep breath. Slowly. Slowly. That is right.”
When Chung Mun began to fall back with a clatter, Chung Myung quickly ran out.
He scooped up the water in an instant and held out a glass. Chung Mun took it and tried to gulp it down at once but then flinched.
“…”
He looked down with a blank face and saw steam rising from the glass.
“… Chung Myung.”
“Yes?”
“… why is this hot?”
“Uh… I was afraid that if you eat something cold in a hurry, you will get sick. Did I do well?”
“…”
“…”
There was an emptiness in Chung Myung’s eyes.
He could not kill this one.
Oh, Heavenly Father, why must he suffer through this?
He moved his lips as if he wanted to say something but soon stopped and shook his head helplessly.
“Chung Myung.”
“Yes, sahyung?”
“Why did you take the money?”
“No, well… they said they would give…”
“Speak honestly!”
“Ugh.”
Chung Myung stuck out his mouth in disapproval and made a loud noise.
“Honestly, I don’t really get it.”
“What?”
“To put it bluntly, that’s something which should have been done by the officials. But we take our precious time to go there and help.”
“Yes.”
“Then isn’t it true that there is a price to be paid?”
“…”
“It’s also a problem to think that someone else will always come to help whenever something happens. In the world, if there is something that gives, then something can be received. But it isn’t like I received anything special. I just made a couple of pennies.”
A sigh naturally escaped from Chung Mun’s mouth.
“Was it that big of a deal for you to beat up those demons?”
“… that is true.”
“Right. Wouldn’t it be over in just one minute?”
“It is true; be it one form or one move, they would have been done.”
Chung Mun, who was looking at Chung Myung, who seemed not to get it, asked.
“Even if I get attacked by the demons, are you going to save me and then ask to be paid?”
“Eh. Can sahyung and those people be the same? Don’t worry. If sahyung is attacked by them, I will cut those demons into pieces. Those demons would die, you know?”
Chung Myung made a serious decision. Chung Mun sighed and looked at him quietly.
‘What do I do…?’
It wasn’t that difficult to consider Chung Myung’s actions as wrong. It might be a bit lame, but Chung Myung always followed his words.
But that shouldn’t be the case.
This was a Taoist sect. It was a place where he had to follow his heart. So what Chung Mun needed to do wasn’t to control Chung Myung’s actions, but to change his mind.
‘I sent him to feel how powerless it is.’
There was nothing more to ask for if such outstanding talent was accompanied by cooperation. However, the heavens didn’t give everything to one person.
“Chung Myung.”
“Uh?”
“Do you know why Mount Hua emphasizes justice?”
“Because we are a justice faction sect.”
“Then why do the justice faction sects emphasize justice?”
“… well, because it looks like it suits us?”
Chung Mun shook his head.
“Because we are people with swords.”
“…”
“We are people who try to get stronger through training. Of course, the training is also a way to realize the Tao, but the essence of those who increase their strength doesn’t change.”
“Of course.”
“And… when people hold a sword, they want to swing it, and when they have strength, it means to use it. It means that those who decide to wear a sword at their waist will inevitably pull it out one day.”
Chung Myung nodded.
What Chung Mun said was certainly right. There were very few people who repeated training within their own sect throughout their lives and then simply died quietly. One way or another, accumulated power was bound to be expressed.
“Who are those who receive that strength on the other side?”
“…”
“He is also a person, Chung Myung.”
Chung Mun’s eyes sank.
“Strength without direction becomes oppression and evil. The reason why an agreement must be established isn’t out of pity. It is to establish one’s own path correctly. The power which forgets righteousness will one day destroy itself.”
“Eh… so…”
Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.
“You just need to defeat the bad guys.”
“…”
“Right, right. It’s alright if you don’t pay for the trouble. How much does that cost? I will be more careful from now on.”
Chung Mun sighed in response to Chung Myung’s answer.
As expected, Chung Myung did as told. But that wasn’t because he understood it, but because Chung Mun wanted it.
And this wasn’t what Chung Mun wanted.
If Chung Myung wanted to live with the sword of Mount Hua, that would have been enough, but what Chung Mun wanted from him was to stand upright as a Taoist.
Even if it was an incredibly difficult task.
“Chung Myung.”
“Uh?”
“Right, you can forget it all. But remember this one thing.”
“Yes.”
“You cannot do everything on your own.”
“…”
“No matter how strong you become, no matter how great you reach, there are some things you cannot do alone. If you find yourself in such a situation someday, you too might desperately need someone’s help.”
“Me?”
Chung Myung tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
It might be difficult to understand for the current Chung Myung.
Those who had never lost, those who had not experienced despair due to a keen sense of inadequacy, could not understand the value of the warmth contained in someone’s selflessly extended hand.
“Someday, when you feel helpless, when you despair over what you cannot do, then you will understand. How did the people you helped feel?”
“…”
“If that time comes, can you promise that your sword will continue with justice?”
“Euk.”
Chung Myung still scratched his head with an uncertain look.
“Honestly, I don’t know, sahyung.”
“Right. It isn’t easy for you.”
“But well…”
But he nodded obediently.
“Yes. I feel it… if I realize that, I will do as sahyung says. But I cannot guarantee it.”
“Right. That is good enough.”
Chung Mun smiled and nodded.
“Now go and return the money you got.”
“… uh-that…”
“I know you spent it all on drinks. Take the money you saved and give it back without a single penny missing.”
“…”
“Answer?”
“Yes.”
Chung Myung pouted, but Chung Mun smiled.
“Right.”
“Then, I will come back.”
Chung Myung turned. Seeing that, Chung Mun added softly.
“Ah, and…”
“Uh?”
“Please distribute to the civilians all the property that was stolen while robbing the demons.”
“…”
Chung Myung’s body froze like a stone statue.
After a while, he slowly turned around, despair on his face.
“H-how did you know…”
“Chung Jin.”
“… Yes.”
“Follow and keep an eye on this guy to make sure not a single penny is missing. Chung Myung, if you steal again, I will hang you upside down, so behave yourself now!”
“…”
“Think about which is better, hanging or saving money. Steal money, and you get hung up.”
“… ghost.”
“Tsk.”
When Chung Myung, now sullen, left the room, Chung Jin sighed and asked.
“Sect leader sahyung, aren’t you expecting too much from Chung Myung sahyung? That sahyung is different from us, right?”
“I know. It won’t be easy. But…”
Chung Mun looked silently at the door that Chung Myung closed and left.
‘But one day…’
The day would come when Chung Myung would also understand the meaning of his words.
That guy was Chung Myung, after all.
A warm smile slowly appeared on Chung Mun’s lips.