Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 1754



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Episode 1754. I, too, am a person who has failed to uphold my duty. (4)

“Ugh, ugh.”

A groan finally escaped Jo-geol’s mouth.

“So, it’s like consciously grabbing and pulling out the energy that was already inside me… … but that I wasn’t feeling… … .”

He muttered and swung his sword again, then his face distorted horribly.

It is a sword with a monstrous trajectory that has not been swung even once since my childhood when I was bullying the priests at Baekmaegwan, a time so distant that my memory is now hazy.

“Ah! I can’t eat this!”

I was about to throw down the sword I was holding, but I stopped in my tracks. No matter how angry I was, throwing down the sword seemed a bit excessive.

At that moment, Yun Jong sighed and said.

“Why are you acting up again?”

“No, it’s not a crime!”

Yoon Jong’s face seemed to say, ‘If you do that, then so be it.’ Jo Geol’s face grew hot until the veins on his forehead flared.

“I told you, it’s not that easy!”

“I can do it?”

“That’s because it’s a death penalty!”

Jo-geol couldn’t stand the suffocation and pounded his chest. Anyway, this person, Yoon-jong, sometimes underestimates himself and makes others suffer.

“Look! Can’t you see that everyone is going crazy?”

At those words, Yun Jong-do was speechless and just licked his lips. It’s not that he didn’t try his best to explain the tricks, but none of Hwasan’s disciples standing in the training ground were able to easily bring out the spirit.

“I said it was there originally. That’s it… … .”

“Stop repeating the same thing over and over again and give me some tips!”

“The trick is to tell you now… … .”

“Oh my, my lord. This is why the Taoist sect is perishing. There must be another reason.”

Jo-geol said, sighing for what may have been the umpteenth time.

“Aside from that.”

“huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“what?”

Jogeol looked around.

The place where they are standing now is a large smokehouse. The disciples of the volcano have gathered in the place where the shaman should have been swinging his sword, and are swinging their swords while groaning.

“that…….”

“Don’t worry about the fact that this is a shaman. Just because you see it once or twice… … .”

“No, that’s not it.”

Jogeol let out a deep sigh.

“I know it’s necessary, but as you can see, even the death penalty isn’t something you can learn overnight, right?”

Although Yoon Jong learned it quickly, not everyone else can do it. And in fact, Yoon Jong was desperately trying to come up with a way because his life was at stake. If it weren’t for that situation, it might have taken longer than them.

“What I mean is, is it okay for us to stay here like this when we don’t know what will happen to Sa-pae-ryeon at any moment?”

“Then what do you think we should do?”

“Well… … .”

Jo Geol, who was about to answer right away, trailed off. Yoon Jong looked at him quietly and opened his mouth.

“I also know that even if I start working hard from now on, it will be difficult to expect great results.”

“yes?”

“Maybe no one will ever learn it.”

“No, but why… … .”

“But isn’t it better than doing nothing?”

Jo-geol looked around again with a slightly new feeling.

It looks like some people are frustrated because they can’t raise their spirits as much as they want. But on the other hand, this kind of scene is quite familiar.

‘It’s like a normal volcano.’

The guys who had been dying with their nerves on edge until just a moment ago now looked just like usual.

Yun Jong smiled brightly.

“yes?”

Jo Geol, who was about to refute with a blank face, ended up scratching his head. Yoon Jong spoke quietly.

“That guy Cheongmyeong said that in the past. When things are complicated and urgent, you should practice.”

“… … That crazy guy again.”

“What I’m saying is, at that time, I thought that the evil spirit who died because he couldn’t train was talking nonsense again… … But when I asked him later, he said that wasn’t true.”

“What are you talking about?”

“For those who have practiced in their daily lives, the situation when they are practicing is the most like normal times. So, they say that just by practicing, they can regain their usual state of mind, that is, their sense of equanimity. That’s what the human body is like.”

“… … .”

“If you think about it, doesn’t it make sense?”

It sounds ridiculous, but the more I thought about it, the more difficult it was to refute. Just looking at the way Jo-geol’s body was secretly energized, it was clear. It was different from when he was struggling because of a complicated situation.

Jogeol let out a hollow laugh as if he was really annoyed.

“So… … Are you saying that you’re going to leave all the complicated problems that you can’t solve right now and just focus on the small things right in front of you?”

“To be precise, it would be to start with what you can do. Even if it seems small, it’s better than standing still.”

… … It’s absurd.

The volcano is in shambles like a beehive that has been stirred up since the Baekcheon incident. Furthermore, it is not easy to even see Hyeonjong, who is supposed to be handling this situation.

Outside, the threat of the Sa-pa-ryeon could strike at any time. No, the Sa-pa-ryeon’s attack yesterday resulted in a large number of casualties.

One small step in this situation?

“Do you have any complaints?”

Jo-geol just smiled faintly.

If it were Cheongmyeong, he wouldn’t have done something like this. He would have tried to do something much more practical. Baekcheon wouldn’t have made this choice either. He’s a person who wouldn’t give up his will to solve a bigger problem even if he knew there was no way.

So, this is clearly different from the path that Hwasan has chosen so far, and is only Yoon Jong-man’s way. But… … .

“Well, if I complain, will you listen to me?”

“No. I’ll just ignore it.”

“… … If that’s the case, then why are you asking?”

Jogeol grumbled.

I still haven’t decided if this is right. It’s hard to shake off the feeling that I’m wasting my already limited time.

Still, strangely enough, I felt a little relieved.

‘This is… … is it that you’ve had difficulty breathing until now?’

I asked myself again whether I had been feeling pressured without realizing it. But then, a dark shadow approached me at a rapid pace.

“Okay, here goes.”

“Ah! I told you to be quiet, don’t think!”

“This time, for real.”

“I told you that ten times!”

“It’s true. I felt it.”

“I’m going crazy, really.”

“So, like this… … .”

“It’s the same as before!”

Jegal Ja-in, who was watching the disciples of Hwasan squabbling in the central training ground of the shaman’s office, asked the person standing next to him.

“Do you think it’s possible?”

The one standing next to me was Dang Gun-ak.

The Zhuge family and the Sichuan Tang family originally belonged to the Five Dynasties. As such, Zhuge Zin was already quite familiar with Tang Jun-ak. Nevertheless, Zhuge Zin’s words and actions toward Tang Jun-ak were noticeably more respectful than before.

Because we must acknowledge that the second-in-command of the Five Great Families and the second-in-command of the Cheonwoo Alliance are of different ranks.

“Are you talking about handling the precepts?”

“yes.”

“……hmm.”

“If it were a power that could be easily acquired, the sects that practice sorcery would not have been able to survive until now. They did as the head of the household instructed, but is this really meaningful…?”

I’m not denying that Hwasan can use the sage’s skills. Yunjong has already proven that, and Hwasan, not another sect, might be able to secure a few more people who can use the sage’s skills.

However, it would be an extreme waste to devote most of the volcano’s personnel to awakening the spirits. There is no way that Tang Gun-ak could not have figured this out.

If that’s the case, then there must be something that Zhuge Liang has not thought of…

But the answer he got back broke Zhuge Liang’s expectations.

“Something like a preemptive strike is good.”

“……yes?”

“It would be great if we could get them, but even if we can’t, there’s a way to deal with them. Yoon Jong Dojang probably knows that too.”

“… … Then why?”

“Isn’t it good?”

There was doubt in Zhuge Liang’s eyes. Tang Junyue gestured forward as if to tell him to look.

“No matter what anyone says, the center of Cheonwoomaeng is Hwasan. And that doesn’t just mean power.”

Zhuge Liang stared ahead quietly.

The disciples of other sects who had been scattered in their respective quarters came out one by one to the loud sound of the volcano and leaned against the training ground. Some even took their seats and watched.

It would be rude to watch the training of other people, but it was impossible to tell them not to watch the noisy training taking place in that large training ground. Of course, Hwasan would also be aware of it.

“No, why are you doing the training without us?”

‘Sogaju?’

Even Namgung Do-wi led Namgung Se-ga and jumped into the training ground as if to protest loudly.

“No, that’s not the kind of training you’re talking about!”

“Cultivation is cultivation. What other kind of cultivation is it?”

“If you’re not a Taoist, you can’t use Seon-gi. And there’s no need for it in Namgung Se-ga.”

“Are you discriminating against me because I am not a Taoist? I considered my Yunjong Dojo as my brothers!”

“That would be a hundred thousand private lessons!”

“Oh, really? Let’s skip over the little things.”

Perhaps because of the lively atmosphere, more and more people were gathering at the training ground.

“It used to be a common sight. The Tianwu League was full of energy back then. I’m just trying to get that look back.”

“… … At a time like this?”

“It’s because times like these are like this. If you lose yourself anytime, anywhere, you’ll just be swayed.”

“hmm.”

Zhuge Liang nodded slowly.

It is certainly not wrong. In war, it is several times more important to be able to properly display your own strength than to use ingenious tricks.

“I understand what you are trying to do.”

But at the same time, Zhuge Liang’s eyes became sharp.

“But then, isn’t this just a stopgap measure?”

“… … .”

“If the volcano is the center of the Heavenly Warriors, then the center of the volcano is the Volcanic Sword Association.”

When the topic of Qingming came up, Tang Jun-ak’s expression hardened.

“Then, isn’t the reason why Cheon Woo-maeng is not like the past and why Hwasan is not like the past ultimately due to the silence of Hwasan Sword Association?”

Zhuge Liang’s gaze turned to the training ground.

“It looks lively and bustling, but I can’t help but feel like it’s a forced smile. Am I the only one who feels like that’s because the people who should be there aren’t there?”

Soon, a sigh escaped Dang Gun-ak’s mouth.

“I think the same.”

“Why would I… … .”

“Because there’s nothing I can do.”

“yes?”

“If we could have helped, he would have asked first. We have already… …tried to help.”

There is no way Tang Jun-ak would not know that Qingming has changed. Everyone who knows him probably feels a strong sense of discomfort.

Because the current situation is critical? No, that can’t be. In times like these, the one who leads and encourages those around him is Cheongmyeong.

He is silent now, even in the midst of such confusion.

There is definitely something there. Something that others cannot guess.

Tang Gun-ak let out a deep sigh.

‘Hey buddy. Are we of no help to you?’

A bitter light flashed across his eyes.

“For now… … I can only believe and wait. That he will be able to overcome it on his own.”

* * *

Late at night.

Gulp.

The smell of blood that filled the room was sour. It gave off a strong smell, like something had rotted.

The ashen eyes stared blankly down at the blood soaking my hand. There was no sign of surprise, as if it was familiar. The black blood pouring out of my mouth slowly dried.

After a while, the man… … Cheongmyeong’s mouth opened.

“Why, fucking… … .”

I bit my lower lip. Droplets of clear blood fell down, one by one, onto the dark red stain.