Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Well, a little bit is still…”

“No, how on earth is yard work such an incredible task that you can’t always finish it on time? Isn’t this laziness too much?”

“Oh, please, don’t say that. If we rush to finish within the time limit, we’ll be criticized. Do you know how upset Elder Hyun Young from Mount Hua gets when he comes and sees a messy place, calling us rice-eating bugs?”

“…Elder Hyun Young?”

“I’m not exactly sure, but that stubborn person…”

“That’s right.”

“Yes. Anyway, that person… many people go to the manor, and if it’s not kept clean, those who come to see us will easily look down on us…”

“…Then let’s sweep.”

“Yes?”

“….”

The most fearsome figure for those working in the manor was not Hyun Jong, the master of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, or Chung Myung, the demon of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

Hyun Jong was gentle, if not somewhat naive, to those who had not learned martial arts… No, he was just an endlessly warm person. Chung Myung didn’t discriminate between commoners and martial artists, but since there were people he needed to torment first, he didn’t turn his attention to others unless it was necessary.

To those people, the figure akin to the Grim Reaper was none other than Hyun Young, the housekeeper of Mount Hua.

“They say he’s a Taoist, but his personality is… well….”

“Oh, this guy! Where is he saying such things out loud? Is he asking to be struck by lightning?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Save those words for a place where no one can see you.”

“…Yes.”

The person who gave advice suddenly turned his head to the sky as if checking the time.

“It’s time! Hurry, step aside!”

“Yes!”

The two hurriedly moved aside. It was time for the daily routine to begin.

‘Oh, really.’

‘Seeing that scene again today.’

As if by agreement, the doors of the quarters opened simultaneously, and the two tensed up, swallowing dry saliva.

But today’s sight was clearly different from usual.

“Eurrrracha!”

“Good morning!”

“Let’s go! To the training ground!”

Before the people could even be seen, thunderous voices erupted. Soon, bandits with weapons in hand rushed out of the open doors.

“What? What’s going on?”

The individuals who always walked out groaning like half-dead bodies now burst out with energy, surprising the workers who widened their eyes.

‘What’s this?’

‘Am I seeing things right now?’

But it seemed that they weren’t mistaken. The people who came out of the door stretched vigorously and laughed heartily.

“Ah! I can’t believe how light my body feels!”

“Now I understand why everyone keeps talking about elixirs!”

“I could fight all day long!”

“Let’s go!”

“I’m going first!”

The rushing crowd started running towards the training ground. The two people leaning against the wall watched as the energetic individuals passed by like wind.

“Hello!”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Yo-Your welcome….”

These individuals, whom they had never made eye contact with before, greeted them with lively voices. Of course, despite the greetings, they quickly passed by.

“So, what kind of training are we doing today?”

“Maybe we’re sparring with the instructors?”

“Really? Finally, the day of revenge!”

“Ah, well. They’re still our instructors, so using the word ‘revenge’ is a bit much.”

“Why are you running so fast when you’re saying like that?”

Leaving behind a large cloud of dust, the disciples disappeared towards the training ground. The two people who were closely attached to the wall looked at each other with dumbfounded faces.

“You…”

“Yes?”

“…Should we just sweep the whole thing again from the beginning?”

The person who looked at the ruined path sighed deeply and lowered his head.

* * *

The members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance had all undergone significant changes. Those who had lived within their respective sects now had to coexist with other sects, so change was not a choice but a necessity.

However, the individual who had changed the most among the many in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was unexpectedly not a martial artist.

“There!”

A loud scream erupted from Madam Choo.

“I told you not to lift the pot alone! It’s heavier than you think, and accidents can happen! Three of you should stick together!”

“Yes, Madam!”

“Is the chicken not cooked yet?”

“Oh! It needs a bit more time. The pot is so big, so…”

“The fire is weak! Quickly bring more firewood. There should be newly donated firewood in the donation area!”

“Yes! Yes! I’ll go right away!”

Madam Choo furiously looked to her left and right to see if she had missed anything.

“Madam! We need more rice!”

“We just served one pot, didn’t we?”

“Oh, my. Today is quite busy. As soon as we put down the pot, it disappeared like magic! I wonder if some monsters attacked….”

“Rice! How about bringing out the rice cakes we were planning to serve as dessert first? If there’s anything to eat, they can wait a bit! It’s in the sack at the back!”

“Yes, yes! I’ll bring it right away!”

“One pot… No, bring up two more pots! No, just bring up three! Hurry!”

“Yes, Madam!”

Madam Choo, who had given orders until her voice was hoarse, wiped away the sweat streaming down her face due to the heat.

‘What a commotion.’

Mealtime in the manor was always reminiscent of a battlefield. But today, it seemed to be even more chaotic.

“Madam! There’s no rice!”

“Meat! What about the meat? Meat!”

“Oh, I wish we had one more chicken.”

Disciples of the Mount Hua Sect peeked through the kitchen door, resembling hungry baby birds… No, hungry adult birds, and began crying out for food.

Madam Choo gritted her teeth as she watched their desperate expressions. However, before she could say anything, hands emerged from behind them and grabbed the backs of the desperate ones.

“I told you not to go into the kitchen!”

“Sa, Sasuk, it’s not like that!”

“It’s not like you won’t survive! Why on earth are you all like this?”

“No, Soso. Our stomachs are just too empty…”

Baek Cheon and Tang Soso dragged away the Mount Hua disciples. Yoon Jong, who sighed and raised his head, bowed respectfully towards Madam Choo.

“I apologize. They are good-hearted, just a little…no, well, quite foolish.”

“Oh, no. I’ll bring it to you quickly.”

“Take your time.”

“Oh, Sahyung! If they take it too slow, we won’t finish our meal in time….”

“Shut that mouth of yours!”

A little late to action, Yoon Jong knocked Jo Gol’s forehead with his elbow, then embarrassedly lowered his head again.

“Alright then.”

As the two disappeared, Madam Choo wiped the sweat off her forehead.

‘What happened?’

Although they usually ate a lot, their faces were usually lackluster. However, today, they all seemed unusually lively and eager for their meal. Seeing them urging for food with such spirited faces, Madam Choo couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement despite her fatigue.

“Those guys are devouring food like beasts.”

At that moment, a voice from the side startled Madam Choo, who turned her head abruptly. Hyun Young, exuding a grumpy air, was walking towards her with a frown.

“You’re here?”

“Today they’re eating especially well. Please endure the hard work.”

“Is it hard work for me? The disciples are the ones doing the work.”

“Actions speak louder than words.”

Hyun Young, making an uncomfortable expression, suddenly extended something he had been holding to Madam Choo.

“Oh my! Hak!”

Surprised at the sight of the child, Madam Choo received him with a start.

“Why is the child…?”

“He keeps crying and making noise, it’s killing me! Please calm him down for a moment!”

“I apologize….”

With a apologetic expression, Madam Choo checked the baby’s condition. She sighed deeply.

“…Elder. You didn’t have to change the baby’s diaper; I can…”

“He kept crying so loudly, I thought he was going to disturb the whole place! Don’t worry about it.”

“Still….”

“Nonsense…. You over there! With a child here, you approach with a knife!”

“S-Sorry, Elder.”

One of the servants, who was passing by without thinking, was startled at Hyun Young’s exclamation and stepped back. Of course, it wasn’t the servant’s fault, but rather Hyun Young’s mistake for bringing the child to the dangerous kitchen. However, no one dared to point out such facts.

Furthermore, since everyone knew why Hyun Young had brought the child here, they couldn’t say anything.

When Madam Choo comforted and put the baby to sleep, Hyunyoung, with a somber expression, received the baby again from Madam Choo and hugged him.

“Is it tough?”

“No. It’s not tough….”

“Work is supposed to be tough. If it’s not hard when you get paid, then that’s the mark of a thief.”

Hyun Young grumbled with a heavy expression.

“Instead, the earnings from the hard work are all for the one who worked. There’s no need for someone to help out. Understand?”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Tsk.”

Hyun Young quickly pulled the baby to him, turned around, and sharply scolded another kitchen worker.

“Hey! You should wipe the floor properly!”

“Yes, yes! I apologize, Elder.”

“Starting tomorrow, the food supplies will double, so in the morning, hire some staff to help with the organization.”

“Oh, Elder… We don’t have enough people. If we do that, we…”

“Didn’t I tell you to hire more people? If there’s a shortage, hire more. Discuss and hire more people. Right now!”

“Yes, yes! If you do that…”

With every step, Hyun Young moved away, pointing out various places. Watching his departing figure, Madam Choo’s lips curled into a small smile.

‘True…’

Although they went through difficult times, being able to come here was truly a fortunate thing.

“Is the meal ready?”

“Is there no more chicken?”

“Ah! The Nokrim kids and the Namgung kids are fighting over meat! Meat! Give us some meat here! Quickly!”

“…”

Madam Choo covered her face with her hands.

‘No. It doesn’t seem to be exactly like that.’

Those demon-like people…

However, Madam Choo suddenly raised her head and shouted.

“I’ll give it to you, so get out of the kitchen! Quickly! If you block the way, it’ll take even longer!”

“Oh, no. We just…”

“Quickly!”

“Yes!”

Watching the heads quickly retreat, she sighed and shook her head.

“Is the chicken cooked yet?”

“It’s leaving now, Madam!”

“Hurry, quickly!”

As she pulled up her sleeves, her shoulders bounced with energy.

Chung Myung, who was watching the chaos in the restaurant, tore into a chicken leg. The children, having shared one Enlightenment Pill each, were lively to the point of being overly energetic.

‘It’s more effective than I thought?’

As expected, pushing people to the limit seemed to be the right approach.

People usually appreciate the happiness of their existence when they have it. Having felt the importance of physical strength, which was not considered important before, they would now naturally train themselves.

“Alright then, let’s see. I’ve done as much as I could for now.”

The system was in place.

Now, they would start pushing themselves just as Mount Hua did in the past. To open a new path, you have to dig the ground, but once you’ve opened the path, water flows through it endlessly.

In other words, the fairly long, arduous, and challenging process they went through has now come to an end.

“Now, let’s move on to the next step.”

He energetically nodded and stuffed the torn chicken leg into his mouth. Then, he snapped his greasy fingers, making a loud sound.

“Everyone should gather after the meal!”

Protests erupted here and there.

“Chew everything in your mouth before speaking!”

“You’re splattering, you brat! It’s so embarrassing.”

“…”

The kids seemed to have gained too much energy. Sigh.