Return of the Mount Hua

This isn’t how this is supposed to go. (1)

ROTMHS Glossary || About page

“Y-You little goby* brats….”

The disciples, who had the misfortune of being caught in this situation by Hyun Yeong of all people, quickly sized things up.

The sect’s laws? Strict rules? Human decency and the natural order of things?

What a joke. The person before their eyes, practically breathing fire, was not someone such trivial standards could dare apply to. No, more precisely, there was no way to know whether such standards applied to him or not. Before one could even begin to debate law and morality, a cane would be jammed straight into one’s mouth, so that proposition could never, ever be proven.

But unfortunately, this was by no means Hyun Yeong’s problem.

In most groups to begin with, rules and morality cannot overcome authority and hierarchy. That being the case, the disciples’ choice was only natural.

“S-Sect Leader.”

The disciples hurriedly turned their heads to look for Hyun Jong. Because they instinctively knew that if Hyun Jong delayed even a little longer, the strange cane Hyun Yeong was holding [拐杖(지팡이)] would come flying at their heads.

And Hyun Jong, naturally enough, lived up to their expectations.

“This was done on my orders, so do not take your anger out on the children for no reason. Chung Myung was trying to break the rules, and I was in the middle of admonishing him.”

With a gentle smile, Hyun Jong tried to soothe Hyun Yeong.

Given the justification that the Sect Leader was admonishing a disciple who had broken the rules, and considering Hyun Jong’s usual benevolent and generous nature, it was something anyone would have no choice but to accept.

That is, if the other party were anyone but Hyun Yeong.

“Admonishing?”

“That’s right.”

“By tying him up like some traitor, you mean?”

Hyun Yeong’s eyes flew wide. The look in them seemed to hold a feeling close to murderous intent, as though saying, ‘Sahyeong or not, if this goes the wrong way I’ll overturn everything.’ Surely that was only Hyun Jong’s imagination. No, it had to be imagination.

“Well, that……”

“I understand, so untie him first and then let’s talk.”

“…”

“I said untie him.”

The fact that Hyun Yeong spoke to Hyun Jong like this wasn’t particularly a problem at Hwasan. If one absolutely had to find an issue, the issue was that Hwasan fundamentally had no such thing as above and below to begin with.

In a sect where even if Sasuk got beaten senseless by his Sajil everyone simply took it in stride, there was no way it would become an issue for Saje to talk back to his Sahyeong. Even if that Sahyeong happened to be the Sect Leader.

So rather than Saje who was openly radiating killing intent towards his Sahyeong, the one far more unpleasant to look at was the young disciple who had somehow latched onto that Saje and was now flopping about like a freshly caught mackerel… it probably wasn’t solely due to Hyun Jong’s lack of cultivation.

“…Untie him.”

“S-Sect Leader.”

Hyun Jong squeezed his eyes shut.

There was nothing wrong with what Hyun Yeong had said. If someone had tried to go down the mountain without permission, what part of tying him up like a criminal and hauling him back under escort could be called a normal response? The other disciples, too, had no choice but to acknowledge that logic.

There was, however, still one fundamental question left.

‘But isn’t that logic you can only apply when the one being hauled back is a normal human being?’

That bastard was the one ignoring common sense, so why should the people dealing with him be expected to behave sensibly? This was far too unreasonable.

But the disciples did not need to agonize over whether it was right to untie Chung Myung. Because Hyun Yeong personally undid the rope binding Chung Myung with his own hands.

“Tsk, tsk. You heartless bastards.”

After patting Chung Myung on the head a couple of times, Hyun Yeong cleared his throat and continued.

“So then, what in the world happened?”

“Well…..”

“You – tell me. What kind of uproar is this supposed to be?”

“Urgh.”

Under Hyun Yeong’s gaze, Chung Myung put on the expression of a rain-soaked puppy and explained the situation. There was no need to put into words just how utterly detestable that sight was.

“……What did you just say?”

And after hearing all of Chung Myung’s explanation, Hyun Yeong’s face stiffened.

“A private matter? Did you just call this a private matter?”

Chung Myung flinched and nodded.

“Yes.”

“So, what you are saying is that it was nothing important, and that over some mere private matter you tried to climb over the wall without even receiving the Sect Leader’s permission, is that it?”

“……Well.”

“Answer me properly! Is that right?”

“Yes……”

For a moment, Chung Myung was unable to withstand Hyun Yeong’s pressure and shrank his shoulders. This bastard, of all people – the one who feared nothing under heaven.

‘Huh?’

‘Could this be?’

The disciples looked at one another with eyes full of hope.

Something was different. This time, something was definitely different.

‘Come to think of it……’

‘It makes sense!’

Up until now, the reason all of that mad bastard Chung Myung’s insane antics had somehow been tolerated was that, one way or another, all of it had been for the sake of ‘Hwasan.’

Whether it was Hwasan’s property, its honor, or its practical gain, in whatever direction that bastard moved, there was always something Hwasan stood to gain.

But not this time. The moment he said with his own mouth that it was because of a private matter unrelated to Hwasan, that bastard could no longer be pardoned in the name of that greater cause.

In other words, no matter how much Hyun Yeong might be a storehouse-first fanatic who shouted, ‘Rules be damned, the granary comes first,’ even he would have a hard time shielding that brat Chung Myung this time.

No, looking at that expression, did it not seem that rather than shielding him, he was actually angry?

‘At last.’

‘Is today the day?’

The disciples’ hopes flared up fiercely. It truly felt as though this time, at last, they would be able to throw that mad, reckless lunatic into the Repentance Chamber.

“Answer me properly! Was it truly a private matter?”

“W… well. Yes, I suppose.”

“Ha…… Hahaha.”

At that, Hyun Yeong began to laugh as if utterly dumbfounded. Seeing that, Hyun Jong spoke bitterly.

“Hyun Yeong-ah, do not be so angry. I understand how you feel, but Chung Myung must have his own circumstances as well…”

“Euhahahahahahahaha!”

“…Huh?”

Hyun Yeong laughed louder and louder, more and more cheerfully, then spread his hands wide and began smacking Chung Myung on the back.

“So that’s how it is! You brat! Then you should have said so sooner!”

“Huh?”

“Sect Leader! Sect Leader! Did you hear that? It’s a private matter!”

“Yes, I also……”

“A private matter, he says!”

If you ask a question, at least give the other person a chance to answer it…

But regardless of what Hyun Jong thought, Hyun Yeong continued speaking as he wiped at the corners of his eyes, now damp with tears.

“Ever since you suddenly dropped into Hwasan out of nowhere, you’ve been tossed this way and that, stabbed over there, cut down over here…”

Hyun Jong, who had been about to say something, quietly shut his mouth. What was coming out was not at all what he had expected.

“A boy who had no ties to Hwasan, and yet you turned yourself into a wreck trying to save a sect that was all but collapsing… even I have been sick with worry over it. And now you say it is a private matter.”

Letting the end of his words trail off, Hyun Yeong wiped at the corners of his eyes once more. At the same time, the disciples quietly looked at one another again.

‘Don’t tell me… is he actually moved right now?’

‘It looks that way?’

‘No, but why?’

‘How would I know that?’

For ordinary people like them to understand, Hyun Yeong’s inner world was far too wide and vast. If one had to name the person at Hwasan most similar to Chung Myung, would it not be that man?

“That means that only now, at last, you’ve gained enough leeway to take care of your own affairs, doesn’t it?”

“…”

“And only after all this time since you entered Hwasan at that. Just how many years has it been?”

“Well…. Uh..”

Hyun Yeong smacked Chung Myung on the back once again.

“You brat. All you had to do was say it, say it. What was there to be so embarrassed about? Did you really think that after spending years not even looking after your own body, struggling so desperately just to save Hwasan, if you now asked for some time to tend to a few private matters, the Sect Leader would be the sort of man to refuse even that much?”

“…”

“He’d be happy for you, if anything. How could he possibly look badly on it, that’s what I’m saying! A man is not some draft mule, and yet for the sake of his sect you tore yourself apart! Broke yourself down! Suffered through every hardship there was! Who in the world uses a person like that? Isn’t that right, Sect Leader?”

“Uh……. Well.”

By about then, Hyun Jong had realized it too.

If he shook his head here, he would become human trash. No, not even trash. He would turn into a great demon who had taken in a homeless orphan, abused a child day in and day out, and sucked the blood and flesh from him dry.

“Sect Leader?”

“T-That’s right. If he had only said the word, then of course it would have been so.”

“See?”

Hyun Jong desperately ignored the look Chung Myung was shooting at him, one that clearly said, ‘This sounds rather different from what you were saying earlier, doesn’t it?’

“I was…? Shortsighted? Yes. Yes, that’s right.”

“That’s right. This time, you were the one who was shortsighted.”

Let us go with that. It seemed that was for the best.

Hyun Yeong let out a sigh as if in lament.

“But even so, I’m just too pleased. To think the day would come when you would tell us something like this. It feels as though only now has a weight finally been lifted off my heart.”

Chung Myung’s neck creaked as it turned sideways.

Everyone sensed that, somehow, things seemed to be resolving nicely, but at the same time thought, ‘Is this really right?’ – yet no one dared to voice it.

With the deeply moved Hyun Yeong before them, the disciples lowered their voices and whispered among themselves.

“Are we the bad guys right now?”

“It seems that way.”

“…How did it turn out like that?”

“I don’t really know why either, but think about it. If Nokrim King had heard this, what do you think he would have said?”

“He probably would have clicked his tongue and said, ‘Even in our Nokrim, the ones who’ve put in a few years get sent home on leave’…”

“…He would have.”

Why was that? They had only done what should naturally have been done, so why had they somehow become human trash? How had this happened?

“But…….”

And it seemed Hyun Yeong, too, had recalled the fact he had forgotten.

“So who was it?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking who it was that tied up a disciple who had suffered so much and was only trying to go home for a bit, bound him up like some traitor, and dragged him back here. Which lunatic was it that did something so outrageous even a member of the Evil Sects would recoil from!”

The disciples’ faces instantly turned pale.

At that moment, Yoon Jong bit his lip and stepped forward.

“Sahyeong!”

“Yoon Jong!”

Baek Cheon and Jo Geol reflexively reached out towards Yoon Jong. They knew his character, but even righteous words have their proper time. At a moment like this, one wrong word might only earn him an even worse scolding.

But as though he simply could not hold it in any longer, Yoon Jong bowed respectfully towards Hyun Yeong, his fists brought up together.

“Elder!”

“Yes, was it you?”

“We merely did as Sasuk told us!”

“…”

For an instant, everyone fell silent. And Jo Geol simply could not endure that silence. Betrayal, at a time like this. Was this truly something a human being could do? Filled to the brim with indignation, Jo Geol immediately shouted.

“That’s right!”

“Sasuk ordered us to!”

“Sahyeong was…”

Hyun Yeong’s slowly turning gaze finally came to rest on Baek Cheon.

And the other disciples, too, turned to look at him. With nothing but their eyes, they conveyed: ‘How could a person order something so inhuman? I truly never would have imagined it.’

Receiving all those looks, Baek Cheon could only smile weakly.

“You devilish brats.”

Bastards even the Evil Sects wouldn’t take.

“Baek Cheon.”

“…Yes, Elder.”

“Come with me for a moment. Let us talk separately.”

“……Yes.”

The two of them quietly left the room.

Those who remained looked at each other, faces filled with uncertainty, unsure of what they should even say.

“….Is this right?”

That faint voice someone let slip seemed to speak for all of them.

________

*망둥이 – gobiidae or gobies – is a family of bony fish in the order gobiiformes. In Korean this term is often used to describe a person with rash/aggressive/unreasonable behavior. It is used in idioms such as “like a goby eating its own offspring”: a metaphorical saying that describes conflicts or fights among those of the same group or family; and many others. 

________

Please, subscribe/donate on Patreon or Buymeacoffee – support my work and help me buy official cookies to purchase the chapters. My schedule is on the About page.