Episode 347

A moment ago…

“Aren’t you stepping back too easily, Sahyung?”

Hearing the words of Hyun Beop, Hyun Tang smiled,

“A perfect victory is a good thing to hear. But a victory that leaves no room for the opponent to strike back is the proper move.”

“Um. Surely….”

“Of course, if I had pushed Hyun Jong a bit more, we might have strengthened our positions a little more. But didn’t you see it? With the disciples following Hyun Jong, would we have gained anything by pushing them like that?”

Of course, Hyun Beop had seen it too.

The sight of the disciples being hostile to them.

‘Mount Hua is heading backwards.’

This would have been unimaginable when they belonged to the sect.

No matter how much they had sinned, they were still former disciples, so how could the current disciples act so openly hostile to them?

“It is right to step back now. Thanks to that, Hyun Jong knows his position.”

“It is probably a fatal hit, announcing that he isn’t the legitimate sect leader.”

“Yes.”

Hyun Tang smiled slyly.

In the end, the position of sect leader was inherited from their ancestors. Hyun Jong surely claimed to be the sect leader, but no one would say that Hyun Tang was not the sect leader appointed by the previous elders.

Hyun Tang only left the sect, he didn’t give up on the position.

“When I saw him coming out that stubbornly and then back down, he must have felt a lot of stumbling feelings.”

Hyun Tang didn’t respond to Hyun Beop’s words, instead saying with a strange smile,

“But looking at what he did today, he doesn’t seem like he will step down that easily.”

“People never give up what they have gained that easily. Where was Mount Hua before this? Of course, he is being greedy.”

Hyun Tang smiled,

“But this is why he is easy to deal with. A noble Taoist who is stuck on a mountain and cultivates the Tao, not ruled by the laws of the world, is tough to understand, but those who are greedy are easy to predict.”

Hyun Beop looked at Hyun Tang and smiled.

In any case, it was as if they won today. Because they managed to escape the attempt of Hyun Jong trying to expel them and obtained more time to stay here.

As time passed, the position of Hyun Jong would become weaker, and theirs would rise.

“So.”

Hyun Tang got up, and said to the others,

“Until now, we have only worked to the starting line, but we have more work to do for the future. Right now, the disciples of Mount Hua are siding with their sect leader. It will make things easier for you if you get close to them. Do you understand?”

“Do not worry, Grandfather.”

“Just coax those who do nothing but practice martial arts in the mountains.”

“I will do so perfectly.”

Hearing the lively response, Hyun Tang nodded. And then he smiled.

‘Hyun Jong… you cheeky bastard.’

Although he pretended to be as calm as possible, he couldn’t forget the image of Hyun Jong, who was putting pressure on him.

A guy who would have feared even looking into his eyes before was now sitting proudly.

‘You aren’t the Hyun Jong of the past either.’

But you will soon realize.

Just as Hyun Jong was not the Hyun Jong of the past, Hyun Tang isn’t the same either.

At that moment, Hyun Beop opened his mouth with a slightly stiffened face,

“But Sahyung.”

“Um?”

“One of the things Hyun Jong said bothered me.”

“Which part?”

“The part… the reason he told us to leave Mount Hua was for ‘our sake’, it is a little…”

And the others tilted their heads as if not understanding.

“I don’t know the content. Considering the personality of Hyun Jong, he couldn’t have said something meaningless…”

“… pretentious.”

Hyun Tang smiled and walked over,

“What will happen to us just because we stay on Mount Hua? It isn’t like our ancestors who are angry can come down.”

“Right. Hahahah.”

Just as the echoes of Hyun Beop’s laugh were heard…

Bang!

There was a loud roar and the door was opened wildly.

“W-what!”

“Who is it!”

Hyun Tang looked at the door in shock.

The door was broken through, and someone was walking through the wide entrance.

‘… Who…?’

Looking at the clothes, it was clear he was a disciple of Mount Hua, but his face was unfamiliar. It was their first time seeing this man.

“Tch, tha…”

The closer they got, the more detailed the face was, and Hyun Tang frowned.

The disorganized clothes, the long hair was similarly tied up roughly, and his walking posture was more like that of a thug!

And that bottle in his hand.

‘How can this be Mount Hua!’

It wouldn’t be possible unless the discipline of the sect had truly fallen.

As if reading the mood, one of the guards walked up and blocked the path of the disciple approaching.

And…

Clack!

“…”

Thud.

“… uh?”

He was hit in the head with the bottle silencing Hyun Tang.

‘What is going on?’

Obviously, something was happening in front of him, but the process was not interpreted.

So…

Just now, did a disciple just break the head of a guard with a bottle?

Uh?

Hyun Tang and Hyun Beop stood up blankly, unable to close their mouths.

What is this…?

It was then…

“I came from hell, you bastards!” roared the mysterious Mount Hua disciple.

“W-what!”

“Stop him!”

The others, startled at the shout, ran to stop him.

But it didn’t take long to realize how wrong they were.

Pak!

“Ack!”

Paaak!

“Ack!”

“These bastards! How dare they stop me!”

Those who directly blocked his approach were bounced left and right, bounced away like they were balls.

Paaack!

And now, no one was allowed to run away or retreat with embarrassment, and those who ran at him were being kicked in the chin and stuck into the ceiling of the hall.

Crash!

“….”

Thud!

Hyun Tang stood stunned, unable to move as he looked at the heads being pierced into the ceiling.

He wasn’t sure how to explain this situation.

‘Am I dreaming now?’

This couldn’t be.

He couldn’t be dreaming.

But wasn’t this reality too absurd?

The disciple of Mount Hua, who had driven the people into the ceiling, began to approach Hyun Tang and Hyun Beop.

It was about then that Hyun Beop suddenly came to his senses and asked what he had forgotten before.

“You, who are you?”

“Ha… for real you bastards…”

“… Um?”

“Don’t you have eyes?”

The disciple of Mount Hua pointed to the plum blossom on his chest.

Plum?

What about it?

As Hyun Beop still couldn’t understand it, the disciple’s face contorted,

“If you had eyes, you would know that I belong to Mount Hua. The things who enter and try to occupy someone else’s house and call themselves the owner of it! What? Who am I?”

“…”

Hyun Beop felt it at that moment.

‘This guy is not sane.’

It wasn’t just what he was saying. The tone, the expression, the words, and the gestures were all strange.

“Who is who, you bastards! If you see the owner of someone else’s house you should be polite to them! Anyway, these days, people are hella crazy!”

“…”

Hearing the word ‘these days, people are hella crazy’ from a boy as young as this made him lose his mind.

“You!”

“What about me!!!”

“Eik….”

In the end, Hyun Tang grabbed his neck, which hurt.

“S-Sahyung!”

“Father! Are you alright!”

The others rushed to support him.

Hyun Tang exhaled roughly and tried to calm down. But even in the midst of this, he didn’t forget to speak to the strange creature he was seeing for the first time.

“J-Just, who are you?”

“You really don’t understand speech, right? Senile much?”

“Ugh…”

“Sahyung! Sahyung, get yourself together!”

Hyun Tang grabbed Hyun Beop’s shoulder with a trembling hand.

Hyun Beop clenched his teeth and shouted,

“You look like a disciple of Mount Hua. How could you be this arrogant after meeting the former disciples of your sect?”

“What?”

“Yes!”

“Ah?”

The disciple of Mount Hua, Chung Myung, smiled looking at every person in the hall.

It was more of a smirk.

Chung Myung, who looked at everyone, tilted his head and asked,

“Where are the former disciples?”

“W-what?”

“I don’t see them with my eyes, so where are they?”

“You!”

Hyun Beop yelled in annoyance.

But Chung Myung spoke with gleaming eyes,

“People left a while ago, and now fucking worms crawl their way back and make the entire place stinky. I will fold you down and throw you at Mount Southern Edge!”

At that time, Baek Cheon, who followed Chung Myung, came in,

‘Why bring up the Southern Edge here?’

A question, but he decided to ask it later.

Chung Myung rolled his eyes,

“Who am I?”

Everyone flinched at those eyes, which were burning.

“I am Chung Myung, a third-class disciple of Mount Hua, you fucking bastards!”

“Chung Myung?”

Then he was?

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon!”

“H-He is!”

Everyone who looked at Chung Myung shouted with shock.

Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon.

He was the best in the world now, and he had almost won that name until he had given up on it, and his name was now spreading throughout the world.

Did this mean that this man was the one who had already made a name for himself and had created a stable position for himself on Mount Hua for the future?

But…

“Being just a third-class disciple! You are being this disrespectful to your seniors! Where is Hyun Jong!”

When Hyun Beop screamed, Chung Myung smirked,

“No, did you old men really leave your thoughts and brains down the mountain? Who is the senior here?”

“You! No matter how many times you say we left Mount Hua! The fact that we had struggled here with Mount Hua doesn’t change!”

Chung Myung moved swiftly,

“How dare a dog bark here?”

“… Ah, seriously. This guy.”

“Ah, you say this and then that. Ugh, Old Man.”

Chung Myung tilted his head as he cleaned his ear with his finger.

“Right. You said it right. You are the seniors, right?”

“Yes!”

“That isn’t something that can be proven with words. I will tell you in a simple way, how to prove that you are from here. If you can, I will put my head down and apologize right now.”

“… a way?”

Chung Myung pointed to Hyun Beop with his chin.

“Old man, do you know how to use the Plum Blossom Sword?”

“…”

“No, forget that. Do you know how to at least use the Seven Plum Sword?”

“…”

“Equilibrium of Six Swords?”

“I-I remember that one.”

“Praise yourself.”

“…”

Hyun Beop went silent without realizing it.

To be honest, would those who had abandoned Mount Hua and gone down to the wider world have learned the techniques of Mount Hua?

“Then…”

Chung Myung looked at them as if they were pathetic.

“Things who call themselves seniors and former disciples of Mount don’t even know to do the sword techniques of Mount Hua.”

“…”

“It isn’t like you did anything on Mount Hua.”

“…”

“When you had a hard time, you left, ate well, and lived well. Now, you crawl back to get some treats?”

Chung Myung had madness rising from within his eyes.

“Do these bastards see Mount Hua as being such an easy mark? Do you throw us away when you want and then pick us back up when you need! You fucking trash!”

And he had finally lost it.

Senior?

Elders?

How dare these things appear in front of him and spout such nonsense?

Chung Myung pulled his sword out from around his waist.

“Right. I know. It is fine. There is still a way to prove it.”

“…”

Hyun Tang and Hyun Beop were suppressed by the force which Chung Myung exuded.

They just watched as Chung Myung put his sword back into its sheath, then carefully drawing his sword while keeping it sheathed.

“I wonder if the ones who call themselves seniors can handle even a single third-class disciple. Try attacking at once. If I lose I admit your roles. But if instead!”

Chung Myung grunted through his teeth.

“If you cannot, then crawl down Mount Hua. Let’s see who will die today, you bastards!”

Chung Myung ran forward. And he aimed for their heads with his sword sheathed, all without any mercy.

The dazzling sound of swords and heads colliding beautifully echoed through the sunset at Mount Hua.