Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Isn’t there such a saying? ‘It all depends on the mind’.

Of course, he wasn’t fundamentally a believer in such tenacity theories. But anyway, he has lived his life believing that even if one does the same thing, a lot of things can change with just one mindset.

Now that he has decided to fully accept Chung Myung’s training and has renewed his resolve, Namgung Dan thought it would be different from now on.

Until just before half an hour ago.

Hudududuk!

Nangung Dan trembled and looked down.

The pile of rocks that slipped from where his foot had slipped was falling into the far depths below.

Namgung Dan’s eyes trembled as if there had been an earthquake.

“Heu… uh….”

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Barely able to breathe heavily and trembling, he looked up this time. A towering mountain peak was visible under the blue sky.

Yes. Now, he was climbing a cliff.

“Umphh!”

Not knowing where to go, he somehow stuck his feet onto the cliff face and clung tightly. He was so desperate that he was almost ready to dig into the cliff.

“Huuk! Huuk! Huuk!”

His breath became short, and his body trembled. Every time he looked at the daunting depth below, his heart felt like it was shrinking on its own.

Just a moment ago, he had thought, what’s the big deal, he won’t die, but…

‘No, die! I’m dying! These crazy bastards!’

These Mount Hua bastards seemed to be more insane than he could have imagined.

“Look at you, your arms are losing strength?”

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A voice came far away and gave him goosebumps.

“Yeah. Let’s see you loosen up. What more can you do besides falling?”

At those words, Namgung Dan looked down again without realizing it.

‘No!’

He quickly closed his eyes and pressed his body against the cliff. Every time he looked down into the vast depth, his legs felt as if they were losing all their strength.

If only he wasn’t carrying this heavy weight, perhaps he could have managed somehow…

‘Carrying this and climbing this sheer cliff, does that even make sense? You crazy bastards!’

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

After taking deep breaths for a while, he wiped the sweat trickling down his face with his shoulder and slowly turned his head.

“Do- Dojang.”

“Yes?”

He was speaking to a disciple of Mount Hua Sect who was calmly climbing the cliff a little below.

“O- Over there… Don’t you think this practice is too extreme?”

“Ah….”

Namgung Dan harbored some hope.

Although he was slowly starting to realize that there was something out of the ordinary among Mount Hua Sect disciples, this disciple called ‘Yoon Jong’ still seemed relatively sane compared to the demon above.

He thought this one might actually raise a proper voice against that demon.

However, Namgung Dan’s expectations were shattered by Yoon Jong’s following answer.

“Too extreme?”

“Yes. Yes! Dojang! This is too dangerous!”

“… Dangerous… this?”

Yoon Jong tilted his head. With an expression that said, ‘I do not understand even a grain of what you’re talking about.’

“…That, Dojang?”

“Dangerous? This?”

“….”

At that moment, Namgung Dan felt something was seriously off between them.

“Is- Isn’t this situation really abnormal?”

“It’s definitely strange.”

Yoonjong took one hand off the cliff and leisurely scratched his head.

“That guy isn’t usually this lenient.”

“Yes?”

“What kind of training can you get from merely climbing these cliffs…. It should at least be a cliff twice as high as the Danjangae to be considered real training. I know there aren’t many high mountains here near the Yangtze River, but this is just too…”

“…Yes?”

What on earth was this person talking about?

Yoon Jong sighed as if worried.

“Since the people of Namgung have made up their minds after a long time, we must do our best to respond, but I am worried that they are only practicing something like this. I think it’d be perfect to double the height of the cliff and make the slope a bit steeper.”

…Is he sane?

Namgung Dan, who was at a loss for words, looked at Yoon Jong blankly, forgetting that he was hanging on a cliff. Then, he suddenly came to his senses and shouted.

“Aren’t we on a cliff, Dojang? If we fall, we’ll die!”

“…Yes?”

Then Yoon Jong glanced down again with a face that said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ Then he showed a very personable smile.

“Ah, that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Yes! Exactly that…”

“If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry. You won’t die.”

“…Huh?”

Namgung Dan looked at Yoon Jong as if he had been stabbed in the back of the head out of nowhere. The smile on Yoon Jong’s face was flawless and bright.

“I’ve fallen from a place twice as high as this five or six times, but I didn’t die.”

“….”

“And being scared of falling only happens at the beginning; you get used to it after a while.”

What really drove people insane was that there was not the slightest trace of malice in every word he said.

“So, rest assured…”

“Aaaaaaah!”

“Huh?”

Yoon Jong turned his head. One of those who had been climbing the cliff ahead of them screamed and plummeted down the cliff.

Kuuung!

“……”

The sword warriors of Namgung Family, who were pinned to the ground, foamed at the mouth and convulsed.

Even after seeing that terrible scene, Yoon Jong just shrugged his shoulders as if it were no big deal.

“Look. He didn’t die, did he?”

“…He looks pretty dead?”

“Haha. You’re really good at telling jokes.”

Does this sound like a joke? This?

“Why do we even do such training…”

Namgung Dan hurriedly closed his mouth before asking a question. Hasn’t he promised never to say anything about his dissatisfaction with training in the future? It wouldn’t do for him, of all people, to break that promise.

“Ah, there’s a clear reason for that.”

“Yes?”

Yoonjong replied with a bright smile.

“There are many things a sword warrior needs, but the most important thing is wrist strength and finger strength. A sword warrior who loses grip of their sword is no better than a pebble rolling on the street, right?”

“….”

“That’s why you need to practice not losing your grip no matter what happens. There’s no better place than a cliff to embody the crisis that the moment your grip loosens, your life could be gone.”

As Yoon Jong spoke, he glanced down. ‘I’m not sure if this low cliff could properly instill that sense of crisis,’ he muttered, a comment Namgung Dan desperately ignored.

“Ah, and climbing cliffs naturally strengthens the knees, ankles, and even the back. Plus…”

Yoon Jong stopped mid-sentence to nudge a rock Namgung Dan was stepping on.

Then, the rock snapped off, sending Namgung Dan sliding downwards.

“Aaaahhh!”

Namgung Dan spread his arms and legs wide to the left and right and grabbed the cliff in horror. Having barely stopped his descent, he turned to Yoon Jong with a face soaked in cold sweat.

“What in the world…!”

“As you can see, all sorts of things happen on the cliff.”

“That’s…”

Nangung Dan barely suppressed the words, ‘What does that have to do with this, you crazy bastard!’. Yoon Jong calmly continued.

“Sometimes rocks break, and gusts of wind suddenly blow. There are even cases where a passing eagle pecks our back.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s the same on the battlefield. While fighting, you may suddenly trip over a tree root and fall down, a broken sword may fly into your back, or even a comrade’s sword may pierce your leg.”

“….”

“Sword warriors must be able to respond quickly to all situations. That’s why climbing cliffs is good training.”

Yoon Jong pointed upward with his chin.

“…That’s what he claims. I somewhat agree. It’s been quite effective.”

“….”

“So, hurry up and climb. You’ll be late for mealtime if you dawdle.”

Namgung Dan swallowed dry saliva and looked down the cliff once again.

The height he’d climbed was no different from what was left to ascend. At this point, climbing up seemed safer than going down this absurd cliff.

“Keueuueueng!”

Namgung Dan desperately reached out and gripped the cliff.

‘These bastards are all crazy!’

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung, lying down atop the cliff, lightly shook the liquor bottle in his hand.

Swish. Swish.

The gentle sound made his eyebrows twitch slightly.

“…Not much left.”

For a moment, annoyance surged.

“Why does it take so much time to climb just one cliff! All these bastards are dragging it out.”

“It’s their first time, isn’t it? Things like that happen, too.”

“It happens? Sure, it happens. Of course, I think so.”

“What?”

Chung Myung reached out and put his foot on something on the cliff. There was a pile of stones the size of a human head. Chung Myung grinned while putting his foot on the bottom of the pile of stones.

“But I wonder if they think the same?”

“….”

Cold sweat broke out on the back of Baek Cheon’s head.

“…That… Wouldn’t that be a bit excessive?”

“What? Excessive?”

“Yes, Chung Myung. Think about it. Intense training is good, but as a human being, you have to develop your skills step by step, starting from a level you can handle. First, calm down….”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung nodded as if Baek Cheon’s words made sense.

“That’s certainly true.”

“R- Right? So, let’s start by taking your foot off there. Okay?”

“That’s right… Whoa!”

At that moment, Chung Myung stretched out his foot and rolled the pile of rocks down the cliff.

Kureureureung!

“Aaaahhh!”

“Rocks are falling!”

“Which bastard did this! Aaah! Which bastard!”

A desperate scream came from below. Baek Cheon closed his eyes shut. When he slowly opened his eyes again a little while later, Chung Myung was grinning.

“Oops. My foot slipped.”

‘Demon.’

“Kekekekek.”

Amid the screams and curses from below, Chung Myung, laughing wickedly, crossed his arms and gazed into the distant sky.

‘So peaceful.’

The water of the Yangtze River was flowing majestically. So majestic it obscures the conflict between Ten Great Sects and Evil Tyrant Alliance.

Neither Righteous Sects nor Evil Tyrant Alliance could easily make a move under the current circumstances, meaning this peaceful daily life would likely continue for a while.

Well, the bald monk Bop Jeong and annoying Jang Ilso bastard must be troubled, but there was no need for Chung Myung to rack his brain for them.

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung’s gaze, which had been looking across the river as if scouting, turned to the sky again.

As he slowly closed his eyes, the wind caressed Chung Myung’s cheeks.

‘It would be nice if this lasted a little longer.’

It was such a small wish that it was embarrassing to call it a wish.

However, at this moment, a different movement was stirring. A fierce wind onat that no one in the world, even Bop Jeong, Jang Ilso, or even Chung Myung had expected was blowing, carrying the strong smell of blood.

The harbinger of a storm that will once again plunge the world into deep darkness.