Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“And the necessary preparations?”

“Completed.”

Chung Myung was surprised to see the wooden crates piled onto the cart.

‘Now he does things he isn’t even asked to do.’

This newborn-like baby was now taking care of himself.

Chung Myung knew that his constant growling had managed to make them work effectively–but then he saw something.

“But what is with those boxes?”

“Food.”

“Uh?”

As if expecting his question, Baek Cheon responded,

“Lord Tang gave us food to eat on the way back! I was in tears! Unlike someone, he is very warm and thoughtful.”

“Why did he do something useless….”

“Hey! Be nice to my father!”

Tang Soso kicked Chung Myung on the leg, but he lightly dodged it.

“Eh. These kids will lose their path if such unnecessary things are given!”

“And Monk Hae Yeon has been the best he has ever been since he started eating grass, right?”

“You bastard! Far from being strong, you are turning that man into bones! A person who was once so bright now cannot be seen anymore!”

“Still, his head is shining bright.”

“Wow… you insanely evil bastard.”

It looked like a curse, but no one dared do anything more than whisper about the curse.

“Well, our preparations are finished.”

Chung Myung shook his head.

“Fine, let us go.”

When they moved out through the gate, the Tang Family came out; it was rare for them to see off guests.

Well, this was true, but…

Woooo!

“…why are they all mixed up?”

“I don’t know if this is the Tang Family or the Beast Palace.”

The problem was that even the beasts brought by the palace were lined up to see the disciples off.

“Hahahaha!”

Lastly, Meng So approached the disciples and looked down at the cart they were pulling.

“Hmm. You will be pulling it?”

“…Yes.”

As the disciples nodded, he reached out and slightly lifted the cart.

“Ohh. Nice training method, I will make sure to apply this to our men too.”

“…”

The disciples of Mount Hua turned pale.

You don’t have to take everything from him…

“When are you heading back?” asked Chung Myung.

“If you are leaving now, what would the point of me remaining? I also need to start moving. But I think I will stay here for another day to make sure the prices for our trades are finalized properly.”

“Do not be too greedy and make concessions to another. Good is good enough, it doesn’t need to become great.”

“Hahahah. I will keep that in mind.”

It seemed like the Nanman Beast Palace was planning to use this time to increase its trade with Sichuan. Actually, they were discussing not just the tea trade but trading other things too.

The merchants used were Mount Hua’s and those working for Jo Gul’s father.

“Oh, I am sorry you are leaving. If you stop by the palace, many will welcome you.”

“I, too, want to go there, but I am a bit busy these days. Luckily, we met here.”

“Yes, make sure to stop by next time.”

“Yes, I promise.”

At the promise, Meng So smiled.

“The snakelets you left behind have grown quite a bit.”

“Enough to make alcohol?”

“…No, forget I said that.”

Meng So’s face became tired, and this time it was Tang Gunak who moved forward.

“It will be a long way back.”

“Yes, do not worry. Everyone here has a strong body.”

“Seems like it.”

At that moment, Tang Soso bowed to Tang Gunak.

“Father! This girl will come back as a stronger warrior!”

At those loud and courageous words, he looked shocked and said,

“Soso.”

“Yes!”

“Just stay healthy.”

Tang Soso couldn’t answer back; instead, she just lowered her head.

“… I will do that.”

The people of the Tang Family couldn’t take their eyes off Tang Soso, who was different from before. However, Tang Gunak was happy with the appearance of his daughter. He just wanted her to have a happy and healthy life.

And Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung,

“Things will move as we discussed. If there is something we need to talk about separately, I will send a letter through the Merchants Alliance, so give an answer without delay.”

“To that extent, I will know what to do.”

“Shouldn’t we do that, considering the positions of the sects?”

“Then…”

Now that they had shared enough pleasantries, Chung Myung said,

“Depart….”

But then!

Paaat!

A white light flashed through the crowd and then wrapped itself around Chung Myung’s leg before scrambling up to his shoulder.

“…what?”

“Baek Ah?”

Jo Gul frowned,

“Does it want to come with you?”

“…I got so scared. But this guy is weird too.”

Everyone looked at the marten with curious faces, but Chung Myung had an unpleasant look as he tried to pull it off his shoulder.

“What? You won’t go down?”

Baek Ah was grabbing onto his shoulders very tightly.

“Why? He likes you so much that he wants to be with you.”

Chung Myung frowned at Baek Cheon’s words.

“This guy’s name is Baek Cheon.”

Uh?

Ah, originally, the name of this marten was Baek Cheon, but everyone called it Baek Ah out of love.

“…but what about it?”

“I don’t like it.”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung, with Baek Ah on his head,

“Baek Cheon is poor and cannot pay for its meals and only looks good. Anyways, it is a stupid thing that only means more work for me.”

“…you bastard?”

Baek Cheon was angry at him, but Chung Myung didn’t even care.

“Why is Sasuk so angry?”

“Ugh.”

He scratched the chin of Baek Ah.

“Ugh. Because it is me, I managed to take care of what I needed to. If this guy were a part of Southern Edge, they would have sold it already. No, did it just speak out at me?”

“Ah, don’t do it!”

“Uhuhuhu.”

Clench!

Even the marten made fun of Baek Cheon. Since he could not do anything with the Tang Family gathering there, Baek Cheon clenched his fist.

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and grabbed Baek Ah by the skin of its neck, and lifted it up. At that time, Meng So chuckled,

“It seems that it likes you. Take it.”

“Uh? It looks like a spirit beast, though?”

“The Nanman Beast Palace is a place where you live with beasts, not a place where we make them our servants. This is something we cannot stop.”

And he scratched his head.

“Besides, um… actually, it might be more helpful with you than in the palace. This guy is so vicious that he attacks the weak beasts… I was troubled with what to do with him.”

“Weak beasts?”

“The tiger over there is an example of that.”

Chung Myung turned his head.

The house-sized tiger, which Chung Myung had slept on, curled up when Baek Ah glanced at it.

“…what tiger of that size is….”

“To some, size is unimportant. Spirit beasts are such a creature, so such things don’t matter.”

The Lord shook his head, and on the other hand, Baek Cheon and the disciples nodded their heads.

“That is the Chung Myung of the Beast World.”

“Like master like marten.”

“I agree.”

Chung Myung tilted his head and scratched Baek Ah’s chin.

“It is strange when it is so gentle.”

“Yes, well.”

“It even bit the chin of the tiger off. For it to be this gentle…”

Everything in the world followed its own law.

“Tch.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and lifted Baek Ah to his eye level.

“You will find your own food to eat, you get that?”

The marten nodded its head, quickly clung to Chung Myung’s neck, and rubbed his cheek.

“Ah, that tickles, move.”

Chung Myung pushed Baek Ah aside, and while looking at Tang Gunak, said,

“We are going for real.”

“Right, travel safely.”

“Let’s go!”

The disciples of Mount Hua began to pull the cart. Although everyone was shocked at the unfamiliar sight, they weren’t as shocked as when the disciples had first arrived. By now, the Sichuan Tang Family knew that Mount Hua did odd things.

“Head back safely!”

“See you again!”

“Cheers, Mount Hua!”

With cheers, they sent them off.

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung smiled.

Right now, he was acting, but one day he might actually cry sincerely. After leaving the Tang Family, Chung Myung began to slow down.

“Wait.”

“Uh?”

“Wait.”

Turning around, he noticed Tang Gunak, who was looking over.

“Lord Tang!”

Chung Myung, who had been leaving, shouted back, making Tang Gunak tilt his head.

“What?”

Everyone turned to find Chung Myung grinning.

“I received a good sword, I ate well, and I received all sorts of things I don’t deserve because of your great hospitality… so I will give a gift.”

“…Uh? A gift?”

At that, everyone stared at him intently. What gift kind of gift could be given now?

It was then…

Srrrng!

Chung Myung unsheathed the Dark Plum Sword.

“Oh!”

“…God.”

This was a place called Sichuan Tang. Even if they weren’t seeing it close up, people could recognize the worth of the sword.

Chung Myung, who drew his sword, lowered it slowly. The plum blossom pattern on the sword was clear when the sunlight shone down on it.

“…. Such a sword…”

“…is so beautiful.”

All the Tang Family members couldn’t take their eyes off it.

Chung Myung waited till all were looking.

‘You faced a lot of opposition.’

In other words, there were people who doubted the decisions Tang Gunak made; there were people who didn’t trust Mount Hua. But he wasn’t going to blame them because Mount Hua was just coming out of its shell. Too little time had passed for everyone to acknowledge them.

But it was also true that to do more in the future, Tang Gunak needed more strength.

‘Words won’t work.’

But what their eyes would see would do.

Shhh!

Chung Myung’s sword began to move. The sword drew a half-moon, before aiming right at the sky.

It looked like a painting…

And…

…the thin blade trembled.

As soft as a flower, but within was a thorn’s power. This sword, made from the very life of Tang Jo Pyung, started with Chung Myung.

“I am leaving plum blossoms as proof of the newly blossomed friendship between Mount Hua and Sichuan Tang. Until these plum blossoms fall, the relationship between the two will not sever.”

Flower!

At the tip of his sword shone a light, and from this, a single plum blossom bloomed. A plum blossom dyed completely red.

And then another…

All the members of the Tang Family watched this with their mouths wide open.

In a way, it seemed as if when the cart moved, plum blossoms bloomed in the driest of lands, and soon flowers bloomed. The desolate street had turned into a beautiful grove.

“Oh my…”

Those with a low level of martial arts shuddered.

But those who were confident in their skills grit their teeth and stared at the plum blossoms.

‘How can such a sword technique be accomplished….’

‘Didn’t his strength become several times stronger than what was shown at the tournament?’

The wind blew for a long time, and the plum blossoms covered the sky and soared together. Until finally, they began to scatter.

The sky was raining flowers.

The fallen petals flowed in like waves and began to turn around, wrapped around the main gate of the Tang Family, supporting it.

Shhh!

Shhh…

There was the sound of something touching the gate, and the petals surrounding it disappeared.

“Ohh….”

Those who saw this were possessed, and they became sad when the petals vanished. But just then–

“T-That!”

Someone among the crowd noticed the changes to the pillar and shouted. Before they knew it, the patterns of dozens of plum blossoms were engraved around the name of the Tang Family. The designs were so vivid it was almost as if a craftsman had put their heart and soul into carving it.

Srng!

Chung Myung lightly moved his sword and smiled brightly at the Tang Family, waving his hand.

“Let’s meet again!”

“Woahhh!”

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon!”

It was different from before, true cheers poured down like thunder this time. Chung Myung smiled and waved his hand, exchanging glances with Tang Gunak as he turned around without regret.

“To say we are one?” asked Baek Cheon.

“There is no such thing.”

“Ehh.”

Baek Cheon smiled and shouted,

“Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

The disciples of Mount Hua began to pull the heavy cart.

“They are going.”

“I see.”

Tang Jo Pyung, who was next to Tang Gunak, looked at the disciples of Mount Hua.

“It won’t be long before plum blossoms shake Kangho again.”

“Right.”

“Right, that is how it should be.”

Tang Jo Pyung looked at Chung Myung and turned around,

“Let’s go, we shouldn’t fall behind.”

“Yes, Great Uncle.”

However, even after saying that, Tang Gunak didn’t move.

‘Until these plum blossoms fall, the relationship between the two will not sever.’

He smiled at this,

“Will there ever be a day when the plum blossoms on the pillar can wither?”

Well…

That guy was an interesting one.

For real.