Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1209. Now the Sect is Running Properly! (9)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“.....Hold your hands up properly.”
"Hands!"
Chung Myung's arm, which had been slowly lowering, shot back up again. Hyun Jong let out a groan as he looked at Chung Myung, who was frowning with a disgruntled face.
'How did I end up with this?'
To be honest, for someone who could beat up the bishop of Magyo, how could holding up his arms for a bit be tiring? If he put his mind to it, he could live with his arms raised for three months and fifteen days, but seeing him making such a fuss made Hyun Jong even more frustrated.
“Chung Myung-ah.”
"......"
“Chung Myung-ah!”
"...Yes."
Looking at his pouting lips, Hyun Jong felt his temper rising and pounded his chest to calm himself down.
“What are you so dissatisfied with?”
"......"
"What on earth are you so dissatisfied with that you're beating up innocent Sasuk! Not even your Sahyung, but your Sasuk!"
“No, that’s....”
"They'll soon become the elders of the sect! You’re not some rascal who doesn’t know better, so how could you beat your Sasuk like a sack of rats in front of everyone...!"
“That’s what I’m saying! That’s what I’m saying!”
At that moment, Chung Myung's went wide. However, Hyun Jong was not one to back down so easily.
"Don't sneakily lower your arms, raise them again."
"....Yes."
Chung Myung slowly raised his arm, which he had lowered, but his mouth did not stop moving.
“No, Sect Leader! Does it even make sense that those things will be elders of Mount Hua? These kids are barely dry behind the ears!"
"...You're the youngest, you...."
If their heads are still wet behind the ears, then yours still has blood. Chung Myung, please realize how old you are....
“There are strict laws and rules in the sect that must be followed! No matter the situation, how can those pups! Hey! It wasn’t like this back in my day!”
Hyun Jong silently grabbed his upper abdomen.
'Where did I put the stomach medicine?'
Talking with this guy sometimes made him feel like his late master would burst out of the grave at any moment.
"The situation is what it is, right?"
But Hyun Jong, drawing on all the patience he had cultivated over his many years of self-discipline, tried to the best of his ability to appease and soothe Chung Myung. It was truly a wise and mature approach, but Chung Myung’s eyes lit up and refuted him.
“Sect Leader! Things are the way they are! This time, it can't be helped! If we keep breaking the principles for such reasons, the sect's laws will eventually become as light as a piece of paper! Then, the rules will collapse! Morality will collapse! Families will collapse! The country will plunge into chaos!"
"...Does this really seem like a situation that will lead to country chaos?"
"Of course it will! How could it not!"
"......"
Chung Myung glared fiercely as he continued speaking.
“Sect Leader!”
"What...."
"It's not that I'm doing this because I dislike or look down on Sasuk!"
“Really?”
“Uh... Um... Honestly…. there’s a bit of that too, but...”
"....It's good that you're honest. Yes, a Taoist must be honest first. Our Chung Myung is truly Taoist-like. Come to think of it, it reminds me of the days when I thought you would become the light of Mount Hua..."
"Anyway, what kind of sect Mount Hua is!"
"......What kind of sect is it?"
“Isn’t we the great Taoist sect, Mount Hua Sect? The Mount Hua Sect! A prestigious sect of Shaanxi! A Taoist sect that boasts of history and tradition!"
Hyun Jong's hand gripping his upper abdomen tightened. Did he ever imagine that he would be lectured by a youngster at this age?
“Right? That Mount Hua Sect! Huh? How could a thief! What a dog-like ancestry is this! How can those who just reached the age of twenty become the sect leader? And even skipping the generation altogether!" (“예? 그 화산! 예? 그 도적이 어떻게 만든 도적인데! 이게 무슨 개족보도 아니고! 어디 이제 겨우 이립인 것들이 장문인이 됩니까? 그것도 배분을 건너뛰고!”)
"It's the acting sect leader... acting sect leader. Not the sect leader...."
“That’s it! For crying out loud, in my life....! If Mount Hua’s ancestors could hear this in the afterlife, they’ll kick open the coffin and come running here, saying that Mount Hua will be ruined not by Heavenly Demon but by those things!"
"....They were okay when you joined the sect, so why would they make such a big deal about this." (“......네가 입문했을 때도 괜찮았는데 뭐 그렇게까지야.”)
"Huh?"
“N- No. Ahem.”
Hyun Jong cleared his throat awkwardly and asked with a sigh.
“So what do you want to do?”
"We need to stop this nonsense right away! Where is this...."
Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with exasperated eyes and asked.
"So, even if I ask you, will you keep opposing and lying down to the end?"
"That’s....!"
Chung Myung hesitated, his eyes darting around wildly. It wasn’t that he was avoiding eye contact because he was in a difficult situation, but countless things inside his head began to fight fiercely with each other.
“That’s… No, but still… No, if Sect Leader said so… No, but still? Huh?”
"......"
“If…so, uh... I’ll follow. Uh... Yes. I should follow. I'll follow....”
As reason and instinct strongly collided, white steam began to leak from both of Chung Myung's ears. Hyun Jong spoke in a voice mixed with a sigh.
“....You’ll explode, Chung Myung-ah.”
"Ugh... If Sect Leader says so, I’ll follow."
“....Thank you.”
Hyun Jong let out a chuckle.
Every time he saw him, he felt it, but there was a peculiar aspect to this guy's way of thinking. How could a mad dog-like person who tries to bite at every opportunity, regardless of whether it was Bop Jeong or Jang Ilso, follow Mount Hua Sect Leader's orders so resolutely? He even suspected that this might be some kind of obsession.
At that moment, Chung Myung snorted with dissatisfaction.
"I'll follow, but know that I'm not following because I like it!"
"...I can only imagine how bad it is." (“......오죽하겠느냐.”)
Still not satisfied, he began to grumble in a small voice.
"As the sect leader, you should at least uphold the laws of the sect. If you personally overturn the ancestry like this, how does that make sense......"
"I can hear you."
“Ahem”
Chung Myung quickly averted his gaze. Hyun Jong let out a deep sigh.
Of course, he also knows. Despite saying these things, Chung Myung will support Baek Cheon better than anyone else. The reason he was able to appoint the young Baek Cheon as the acting sect leader and decide to hand over the position to the sect leader as soon as possible was because Chung Myung trusted him.
If Chung Myung had been there, Baek Cheon wouldn't be able to act recklessly, and even if he made a mistake, things could be corrected.
But the fact that Chung Myung’s dissatisfaction was so obvious was a problem. Perhaps it was a needless worry of the old, but since they were soon to depart for Hainan, he wanted to resolve this issue as much as possible beforehand.
“Chung Myung-ah.”
Chung Myung pretended not to hear and didn't respond. Hyun Jong called him again in a subtle manner.
“Chung Myung-ah.”
"....Yes."
Seeing that, Hyun Jong found himself smiling.
This child would probably be like this even a hundred years from now. Somehow, that thought reassured him. As long as this child didn’t change, Mount Hua wouldn’t either.
“I understand your feelings.”
"......"
"And I know that what you said wasn't wrong. But, Chung Myung-ah, I can only repeat that the situation is what it is."
"Every matter has its natural course. And you also have to know when to just let things flow, don’t you think? We are people who follow the Tao. Therefore, we must follow what is natural..."
“No, I know that.”
At that moment, Chung Myung spoke abruptly.
"I just can't understand that every time I hear it."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"You say that Taoists should follow nature as it is and not be swayed by human intentions."
"That's right. Isn’t that what nature is?"
"But aren't humans also part of nature?"
"....Huh?"
“Aren’t humans part of nature?”
At those words, Hyun Jong blinked. After a long silence, as if he had been caught off guard, he spoke again.
"Humans are also.... Yes. Humans are also part of nature."
“Then it’s strange.”
"What is?"
"Sect Leader says that pursuing the Tao is following nature as it is, but since humans are also part of nature, can't following the human heart also be considered the Tao?"
“They say that to achieve the Tao, we must exclude human intentions, but isn’t that like saying we’ll follow a version of nature without humans in it? We’re humans. I don’t understand the point of trying to imitate nature without any humans.”
Hyun Jong thought for a moment and said,
"So, what you're saying is...... humans are part of nature."
"Yes."
“Following nature is the Tao.”
"Yes!"
"So.... following one’s heart should also lead the Tao."
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
"So..... you're going to do as you please. Is that it?"
"....."
"What kind of twisted logic is this, you rascal! If that’s the case, anything anyone does could be considered following the Tao!"
“...Ei, I got caught.”
“Hey, you...!”
“Aigooo! I forgot about my trainingggg!”
When Hyun Jong grew angry, Chung Myung darted out of the door like an arrow.
“Stop right there! I haven’t finished talking, you rascal!”
"I still haven't finished preparing for departure! This disciple! I’ll make sure to thoroughly prepare everything to perfectly complete the task entrusted to me!"
“You brat!”
Chung Myung, who had disappeared through the wide-open door, stuck his head back in halfway and let out a giggling laugh.
“Ei, don’t worry. He's still the acting sect leader, so I'll treat him well!"
"....."
"Then!"
And just like that, Chung Myung vanished. Hyun Jong clicked his tongue without realizing it.
I'm worried. I'm really worried.
He let out a deep sigh, then moments later, burst into hearty laughter.
"What nonsense......"
It was Tao to follow one's heart... Humans....
Hyun Jong's gaze shifted toward the ceiling. And for a long time, he simply stared at the ceiling in silence.
The sun set, dusk fell, and darkness enveloped the surroundings until finally, the time came for the group heading to Hainan to depart.
“Are you all ready?”
“What’s there to prepare? It's something we always do."
In response to Baek Cheon's question, Yoon Jong shrugged his shoulders and said.
"We go on long trips so often that I can pack my bags with my eyes closed now."
"Right."
"....I was the one who packed Sago’s luggage, Sago’s."
"......"
“Sago? Where are you looking? Sago?”
Baek Cheon chuckled softly.
“Oh, I see. I asked a pointless question. But... where did that Gol punk go?"
"He's done preparing."
“He’s done?”
"He got hit by Chung Myung earlier and hasn't fully recovered, so I laid him down for now."
“In bed?”
"No. On the floor."
...Yoon Jong-ah... That's not called 'laying him down'; that’s called ‘leaving him there’. Sometimes I don't understand you. I think I know you well, but then I don't...
At that moment, Yoon Jong asked back calmly.
“Instead of worrying about us, have you prepared yourself, Sasuk?”
"Hm?"
"Didn't Sect Leader say that he would hold a simple but formal appointment ceremony for the acting leader before departure?"
“Hm, Sect Leader did say that.”
Baek Cheon felt a flicker of tension crosses his face, a tension he had momentarily forgotten.
Even though Baek Cheon was someone who wouldn’t back down from a strong opponent, the thought of officially becoming the acting sect leader in front of everyone made him a little anxious.
“There’s not much to prepare for. The only thing needed is determination.”
“That’s why I’m asking. Have you prepared yourself?”
Baek Cheon smiled faintly at those words.
“Of course.”
At the firm answer, Yoon Jong smiled and nodded.
“Then let’s go. Everyone’s waiting.”
Baek Cheon nodded heavily and took his first step. As he opened the door and went out, he saw Mount Hua’s disciples filling the training ground. Everyone was looking at Baek Cheon.
"Huuuu."
Feeling those gazes with his entire body, Baek Cheon let out a short breath.
It was a little exciting, but also infinitely heavy. Feeling all of that, he took a step forward. Towards Hyun Jong and the elders waiting for him in the front.
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