Return of the Mount Hua

Uh, there… (1)

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There are days like that.

Why wouldn’t there be? Days when your eyes are clearly open, you are not particularly tired, and it is not as if sleep is overtaking you, yet you do not want to so much as twitch a single finger.

Those kinds of days that ordinary people run into from time to time, and lazy people face all too often.

But I can say this for certain.

“Is it time for me to die? No… I’ve already died once, though?”

For Chung Myung, this kind of phenomenon was extremely rare. It might even have been the first time in his life he had ever faced such a moment.

Still lying on the bed, blinking, Chung Myung lightly scratched his cheek.

“It does not seem like it is time for me to die.”

All that talk about your strength leaving you when it is time to die is complete nonsense.

Hm? How do I know? Because I’ve died before.

“Then am I hurt somewhere?”

Chung Myung quickly checked over his body.

“No…”

No matter how he looked at it, his body was perfectly fine. Of course, the wounds that damned bishop bastard had carved into his body had not yet fully healed, so they still throbbed now and then, but pain of this level could hardly even be called an injury. And it was not as though this young body could already have fallen ill and be wasting away.

‘Then if it is not the body, have I been overstraining myself mentally?’

A faint snort escaped Chung Myung without him realizing it.

“Oh, come on. It is not like I have done anythi..”

At that moment, countless things flashed through Chung Myung’s mind.

Hwasan, fallen into ruin, and Jongnam causing an uproar every other day. That decrepit old bishop of the Demonic Cult, who looked half-dead and no one knew where he had crawled out from, and even that old bald man whose face alone was enough to make his blood boil.

“Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Chung Myung drew rough breaths, his face flushed bright red.

“…I really have done quite a lot.”

Thinking back on it now, it was no wonder he felt this way.

Ever since he was reborn in the body of that damned beggar, had he ever really rested even once?

Of course, he had a drink now and then, run away from Hwasan to enjoy a brief respite, and occasionally gotten sidetracked trying to make money, but no one would be able to deny that he had lived diligently and done his utmost.

– A Taoist, by rights, ought to have a conscience…

“Ah, be quiet, would you.”

Even in his previous life, only his later years had been a wretched struggle. Before that, he had lived a life that was peaceful enough in its own way. In other words, living while being this overwhelmed with work was a first for him across both his past and present lives.

No matter how much Chung Myung might be a man forged of steel, at this point it would be stranger if he did not start breaking down.

Maybe that was why.

‘It really is about time I got some rest.’

For someone who used to habitually say that ‘once you die you rest forever anyway, so what’s the point of resting while you’re still alive?’… to start thinking like this.

A person is bound to break if they do not rest when they need to. Hadn’t he seen enough, during the wars of the past, what kind of outcome awaited those who ignored that fact?

“Right.”

Chung Myung carefully lowered his squirming body back onto the bed.

There is a saying. That to set a cart in motion again after it has once come to a stop, it takes three times as much strength.

‘That just means if you try to force a cart that is resting perfectly well to move again, you will only waste your strength for nothing.’

Chung Myung made up his mind.

Today, he was really going to rest properly, without worrying about a single thing.

‘Really, I’ll do absolutely nothing and just rest…’

Bang!

With a loud crash, the door burst open, and two familiar figures appeared.

“No, I am telling you. At that point, you are supposed to direct your inner strength horizontally!”

“What kind of nonsense is that, using a horizontal technique in a sword strike that comes slamming down vertically? You might as well tell me to leap forward while rolling backward!”

“That is precisely why it has meaning, is it not?! What is the essence of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique? Illusion [환(幻)]! Deception and bewilderment, isn’t it?! When the opponent thinks, ‘Whoa! A downward strike is coming!’ – you subtly twist it and smack the back of their head! That’s Hwasan, and that’s the Plum Blossom Sword Technique!”

“Hmmm. That is hard to deny.”

“I am telling you, the very essence of Hwasan’s swordsmanship is how well you can fool people, how skillfully you can deceive them!”

– Noooooooo!

From the distant heavens came someone’s desperate scream.

Of course, from the perspective of those on the ground, it wasn’t much different. Wasn’t the very principle of the sword, built through the blood and sweat of Hwasan’s ancestors, being degraded into street-level trickery?

‘But it doesn’t really sound wrong.’

– I said that’s not it, you bastard!

‘Ah, then come back to life and complain all you want.’

What was so special about sword principles, anyway? If you could somehow beat the other person down properly, then that was the correct sword principle.

“But then the sword carries no force! Does it make any sense to lower the power of my sword just to deceive someone? And bringing in sword principles that not even those Sapa bastards would use!”

“Not even the Sapas would use them? Then is that why your side got pierced by it?”

Yoon Jong’s face turned bright red.

“I, I told you, that was because I was caught off guard! Who would not be startled when such a ridiculous move comes out in a sparring match!”

“Oh, is that so? If you had been caught off guard twice somewhere else, you would have lost your head, Sahyeong.”

“You little punk?”

Yoon Jong grabbed Jo Geol by the collar and started shaking him back and forth.

“Khhhhk! Look at you using your fists because words are not enough! Who is the Sapa one here?! Who?!”

“Be quiet! You are the one who kept spouting nonsense! If you say pointless things to Sajes, then next time you really will get it.”

“No, I am telling you, this is right! This is the proper way!”

The corners of Chung Myung’s eyes grew moist on their own.

The young disciples were holding a debate over how to interpret a single move. If Chung Mun had not died and had seen this sight, he would surely have shed tears, saying, ‘At last, Hwasan has become a proper sword sect.’

– I said it is not, you lunatic.

Of course, Chung Myung was pleased as well. Naturally, he was. Those brats who used to squabble noisily had now grown into young men who squabbled noisily while holding swords – what reason would he have not to be pleased?

The problem was.

“No…”

“I am telling you, horizontal is right!”

“It is vertical! Can you not understand what people are saying!”

“Excuse me…”

“You really are impossible to talk to! Want to go another round?”

“Do it! Do it!”

“Come on! When I am already telling you exactly what I am going to use, does it make sense that you still cannot block it? If we go again, I am just going to get hit!”

“That is why I am saying let us go again!”

“Excuse me?”

“What?!”

“What?!”

Still clutching each other by the collars, Yoon Jong and Jo Geol turned at the same time and glared at Chung Myung with fierce eyes.

“Th-Though I am truly sorry to interfere in such a constructive discussion, the likes of which are rarely seen these days.”

“What is he talking about?”

“Did you forget to take your medicine?”

“…Why are you doing this in my room of all places? You could do it in the training grounds.”

How far was it from the training grounds to here? Why had they gone to the trouble of dragging this all the way here just to raise hell? Were these bastards really using sword principles as an excuse, and doing this because they could not stand the sight of me sprawled out resting?

“What are you saying? That’s obvious.”

Yoon Jong looked at Chung Myung as if he couldn’t believe what ridiculous things he was hearing.

“If it is just us fighting, we cannot reach a conclusion, but if you are here, then we can.”

“…”

“So what do you think? Is doing it horizontally right? Or is it vertical?”

A deep sigh slowly escaped from Chung Myung’s mouth.

“…Before asking me, why don’t you, Sahyeongs, try reaching an answer among yourselves first?”

“We were trying to! I even asked Sasuk, you know?”

“What did he say?”

“Well, you see….”

Just then, bickering voices drifted in from beyond the open door.

“When you bring it down, it has to have force!”

“It will leave a hole in your side. All force, no brains.”

“If you bring it down properly, it does not give the other person any room to counterattack.”

“With your skill, impossible.”

Baek Cheon and Yu Iseol came into the room still arguing. Chung Myung stared at the ceiling with hollow eyes.

‘Their ranks are different, so why are the people the same?’

Should he be moved by this promising sect, whose members carried on healthy debate across the boundaries of their ranks, or should he lament the reckless behavior of these immature fools, stabbing each other and fighting over something so trivial?

“So, Chung Myung! What do you think?”

“Wouldn’t five hits be about right?”

“Hm? What do you mean, five hits?”

The instant Chung Myung sprang up like a thunderbolt, clutching his sword, Jo Geol and Yoon Jong grabbed onto him faster than a flash of lightning.

“Hey! Is this really something worth beating people over?”

“And who decides that? Why do you get to decide that?”

“Hey, there is such a thing as common sense! Common sense!”

“Common sense? Do people with common sense barge into someone else’s room while he is resting and start causing chaos? Even those Demonic Cult bastards did not act like this!”

“Well, that is because the Demonic Cult does not know where your room is.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung flinched. That… actually sounded right.

“And besides, this is not something to get angry over.”

“Why exactly does Sahyeong get to decide that? Shouldn’t I be the one deciding?”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Jo Geol looked at Chung Myung with the utmost confidence.

“The paths may differ, but did not Confucius himself say so? ‘If one learns without thinking, one will be lost in his learning.’ [學而不思則罔] That is, if one does not think… not… think*…….”

“Who are you cursing at!”

“Ack!”

Kicked by Yoon Jong, Jo Geol flared up and turned back toward him.

“What do you mean, cursing! It is something Confucius said!”

“Conf… ucius?”

“Yes. ‘That is, if one does not think’… not… What was it again? I knew this.”

Jo Geol looked at the other disciples as if in frustration. But the moment the name Confucius came up, Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, and Yu Iseol all hurriedly avoided his gaze.

“Confucius… Right. A fine man.”

“I do not personally know him well.”

“My father passed away early, so.”

“No, why is your father coming into this here?”

Jo Geol thumped his chest hard.

“No matter that this is a place where Taoists live, still, this is too much. Not a single person here knows Confucius’s words? Really?”

The three whistled awkwardly, their expressions stiff.

“Leaving the others aside, how can it make sense that even Sasuk does not know? You are from a prestigious family, after all.”

“Jo-Jongnam does not teach these sort of things. They are busy enough learning the sword, so why would they study the words of some Confucius they do not even know……..”

“Are personal connections really the issue here?!”

Just as Jo Geol was shouting in shock at the ignorance of the three, it happened.

“If one learns without thinking, one will be lost in his learning. That is, if one does not think about what one learns, he will not arrive at the truth of it.”

“….Huh?”

“If you learn but do not reflect, you gain nothing, and if you only reflect without learning, you fall into ruin.”

“….Huh?”

“That is right, is it not?”

Everyone’s eyes shook as if an earthquake had struck.

It was not that they were surprised by the fact that, in this ignorant(?) sect, there was actually someone who knew the words of Confucius.

What was astonishing was that the person who had said them was none other than Chung Myung.

“N-No. How do you know that?”

“Hm?”

Even if a dragon were to ascend right before their eyes, and heaven and earth were turned upside down, it did not seem as though they would be this shocked.

“Is this really the end of days?”

“Should we perhaps devote ourselves to religion?”

“This is a Taoist temple, you crazy bastard.”

Coming back to his senses, Jo Geol asked again.

“Hey. Aren’t you supposed to be from a beggar background? Then how do you know those words?”

“How do I know them? I picked them up and heard them, so that is how I know. Did you think I actually studied them or something?”

Jo Geol tilted his head.

“Where would you just pick up something like that? It is not as though you were begging next to a village school.”

At those words, the others nodded repeatedly.

“True enough.”

“……How bizarre.”

“You ignorant lot who do not even know Confucius’s words should keep quiet.”

“K-Khm.”

Chung Myung let out a faint snort.

‘Why do I know them, you ask…’

Well, because he had heard them so many times his ears could practically bleed.

It was a fact most people would easily overlook, but in his previous life, the two people closest to him had both come from the most prestigious of noble families. And his only true friend had also been from the Tang Clan.

After spending his whole life among people who were half-soaked in ink, there were things he came to know even if he did not want to. Things like those words of Confucius he had just quoted.

“Seriously.”

The four of them, and Jo Geol in particular, tilted their heads and stared straight at Chung Myung.

“Isn’t this bastard a bit weird? Every now and then, you look at him and he really knows the strangest things, I am telling you.”

“It is probably not just that one thing about him that is weird.”

“…..Knowing a few words from Confucius is not quite enough to call it unbelievable.”

“No. It’s unbelievable.”

“Hm?”

“Do you think Chung Myung is the type to actually learn something when taught?”

“No.”

“Exactly! And yet he’s familiar enough with it to repeat it – doesn’t that mean he must have lived in an environment where things like that were constantly being thrown around, enough for them to be practically ingrained in him?”

“…..Hm?”

Jo Geol narrowed his eyes.

“What if, when you really think about it, this guy was actually from an incredibly prestigious family before he became a beggar? Like, maybe he does not remember it himself, but he is actually the descendant of some great household.”

“Why would the descendant of a great household become a beggar, you idiot!”

“It could happen. What was it called? Somewhere like that Yu Family of Shandong, for example?”

“The Yu Family of Shandong? The one said to have produced ministers of state for generations? Even I have heard of them. They are famous.”

Baek Cheon cut into the conversation, brightening as though a topic had finally come up that he knew something about.

“Yes. That family, the one that has now gone completely to ruin. If he were a descendant of a house like that, then living as a beggar would at least make some sense.”

“….Right. That part makes sense. But there is another problem.”

“Another problem?”

“His personality does not make any sense.”

“Ah.”

“No matter how ruined a prestigious family may be, if he carried the blood of a house like that, there would still be at least some minimum dignity flowing through it.”

“That is true.”

“What do you mean, ‘that is true,’ you lunatic!”

Chung Myung kicked Jo Geol hard in the backside.

“You really should keep some limits even when badmouthing someone! What? A prestigious family?”

“….That’s not really badmouthing, is it?”

“You said the descendant of a ruined prestigious family! Then it IS badmouthing!”

“That is true.”

“Agreed.”

Chung Myung’s face twisted mercilessly.

“To begin with, what Shanxi Yu Family or Shandong Yu Family. Why are you dragging in some random household I have never even heard of and talking about another person’s perfectly innocent ancestors…”

“You have never heard of them? The Yu Family of Shandong is an incredibly famous house.”

“You said they went completely to ruin.”

“That is true, but…”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. That is why they should have been careful while things were going well. Anyway, when it comes to all those people who go on about prestigious lineages and whatnot, they never seem to think that they themselves might fall someday. You can bet they got a little successful and let it go to their heads, throwing their authority around.”

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you so twisted?”

“That is just how the world works. Anyway, the Shanxi Yu Family… the Shandong Yu Family… I feel like I have heard that somewhere a lot. A Yu family in Shandong. Completely ruined…”

Chung Myung’s head snapped to the side.

“A Yu family in Shanxi?”

“Not Shanxi. Shandong.”

The Yu Family of Shandong? That really did sound familiar. The Yu Family of Shandong… Shandong… that Shandong…

“Huh?”

– Huh?

Chung Myung stared blankly at Jo Geol.

“Uh, there…”

In Chung Myung’s mind, the face of someone smiling brightly surfaced.

– Haha. My family? We are the Yu Family of Shandong. In the secular world, we are a fairly renowned house.

Uh….

Sect Leader Sahyeong?

They’re saying your family fell into ruin?

________

*The joke here is that his words are trailing off, and it sounds like he is saying not 사이불 from the actual quote, but 씨발 (ssibal) which means f*ck and such. [the quote – 學而不思則罔 思而不學則殆].

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