âHe didnât come out of the room today either?â
âYes, he didnât, young master.â
Hwang Jongiâs eyes frowned.
âHow is he eating?â
âHe has asked us to leave food in a tray in front of the door and leave. Since he keeps it out after eatingâŠâ
âHmm.â
He slowly turned his head to look in the direction of the room where Chung Myung was sitting.
âWhat is he doingâŠâ
âWe donât get to enter the room, so I donât know.â
âSeriouslyâŠâ
The door that had been firmly shut, showed no signs of opening. And for three days, Chung Myung didnât step out of the room.
âHe is Chung Myung, a disciple who has been recognized by Kangho. So, even if he is up to something, it can be easily solved⊠but still, as a human, I cannot help but feel frustrated.â
It felt like he was doing something very important, and Hwang Jongi wanted to sneak a look.
âThenâŠ.â
It was when he was thinking of doing something.
âAhhhhhhkkkkkk! This is crazy!â
ââŠ.â
Hwang Jongi slowly closed his mouth.
A huge scream came from inside the room. At this point, it didnât even surprise Hwang Jongi anymore. Even the servant who was in front of him didnât seem to care.
âWellâŠâ
âWell, it is the third day.â
âYes. Young master. It has been like that for the past three days.â
âHuh⊠for real.â
Hwang Jongi finally shook his head.
It was said that most geniuses were eccentric, so it was understandable that people like Chung Myung were eccentric. However, it was difficult to hide their expressions when they could see such bizarre things from the sidelines.
âAnyway, donât neglect his meals.â
âYes! Young master.â
ââŠand give him drinks too,â
âYes.â
In the end, he turned around and left without being able to find anything.
âHe is an individual I cannot keep track of.â
But one thing was certain.
Each time Chung Myung made a move, Mount Hua would have huge gains. So maybe it would be the same this time too?
âEvery time he moves, he carries wind and fortune on him, so he can be called a dragon.â
âAckkkkkk! Why didnât I think of that!â
Chung Myung slapped himself in the head and rolled over.
If Hwang Jongi had seen that, he would feel bad for thinking such great things about the man.
But Chung Myung didnât have time to think about any of that.
âDo I have a hole in my head!â
âWhy couldnât I think of that!â
âKuak! I should have listened when my sahyung told me to study!â
Chung Myung was currently living a life after rebirth where half of his life was being lost in regret. However, this couldnât be called Chung Myungâs fault.
It was by no means an easy task to memorize a martial arts method. Moreover, when it came to advanced martial arts techniques, the structure alone would exceed the number of thick books. It was impossible to memorize all of them perfectly.
If a personâs ability to memorize a technique was perfect, what was the purpose of books?
Normally, the lack of memory retention was substituted with the body getting used to the teaching, but now that the situation was reversed for Chung Myung, putting the technique down on a book was becoming quite tough.
âNo! Is it like this! Uh? No, itâs like this!â
It was shocking.
He could practice it, but he couldnât write it down.
A perfect house had already been built, but the blueprint was lost. So, the only possible method now was to tear down the house and recreate the blueprint.
âNo, why can I not remember it! Why do I have to have such a bad brain! I wasnât like this in my previous life!â
Chung Myung couldnât exactly remember the contents and continued to slap himself in the head. And then suddenly, he stopped.
âUh? I remember!â
âThis isnât so bad.â
âIâll hit my head, make it hurt and then remind myself of the basics.â
If this was the case, Chung Myungâs head would be broken before he could remember all of it.
âAho!â
He ran to the desk and picked up the brush. He then scribbled down the sentences that had come to his mind.
âAh! This is it!â
Once the blockage was cleared, it all came out as if his previous troubles had been a lie. Then, when it got blocked again, he just proceeded to hit himself again until he remembered it.
Itâs been three days since he continued doing this.
Thanks to that, there were already dozens of completed books piled up in the corner of the room.
Bamboo Leaf Hand.
Plum Blossom Full Body Combat.
Falling Flower Steps.
Tai Virtual Growth.
Taiyi FingerâŠ
It would raise suspicion if only the Martial Arts that had been missing showed up, so he had to write down a few existing martial arts.
âDone!â
Chung Myung lifted the completed one.
[Dark Fragment Wind]
There were too many now.
He tossed the book in his hand into the heap. And then he looked at the pile.
Right.
The martial arts of Mount Hua were this colorful and diverse.
âJust thinking about it gives me the creeps.â
If he hadnât been revived like this, he felt scared at the thought of all the martial arts that could have been lost forever.
âJust thinking about it is making me go insane.â
Chung Myung was still infuriated with the people of the Demonic Sect who had attacked them. The Nine Great Sects who didnât help Mount Hua in their time of need also made him angry.
âDo you think I will forget about this grudge?â
âI am Chung Myung, you bastards.â
âI let you go since I was busy for a while, but I did not forget about any of you. I will break all your heads.â
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
âNow everything is almost done.â
There were now 24 books neatly stacked in front of Chung Myung.
âHa⊠this is a problem.â
When he came here, he was planning to write down just the 24-Movement Plum Blossom Sword Technique. However, for some reason, it was postponed to the end.
And now, he was thinking. There was no way he could delay it any longer.
âWhat do I do?â
Chung Myung nodded and sat down with his arms crossed.
Was he stuck?
No way.
He might be able to forget all the other martial arts in the world, but he would never forget the 24-Movement Plum Blossom Sword Technique. It was the root of Mount Hua and Chung Myung. Forget just writing it down; he would even be able to draw it if it was required of him.
But there was a reason why he hadnât done it till now.
âWhich one should I write down?â
What he had to write down was the 24-Movement Plum Blossom Sword Technique. The problem was that Chung Myung knew 2 ways to practice it.
One was the basic method that had been passed down inside Mount Hua since ancient times. The other was a modified version that had been created by Chung Myung.
This wasnât something that was too unusual.
It was obvious that a swordsman who had climbed so close to ascension would find the direction which suited him the best when it came to unfolding sword techniques. Chung Myung had already done that before he was called the Best, and he had also perfected his own sword in the war against the Demonic Sect.
The modified version was a little more practical and a little more radical, but it was in the form that best suited the Plum Blossom Sword Saint Chung Myung.
âKuak!â
Chung Myung scratched his head.
âNo matter how much I think about it, my 24-Movement Plum Blossom Sword Technique will work better for the current Mount Hua.â
First of all, it was easier to teach, and even the learning speed would be faster. Above all, since it focused on practicality, it would have a much greater effect when dealing with other sects.
Fast and efficient.
According to Chung Myung, in order for Mount Hua to gain better results, this had to be learned.
Still, he was concerned.
This was because passing on his method would shake the foundation of Mount Hua.
If it was another technique, he wouldnât have thought about it this much. He would have unconditionally passed on what he thought was right. However, this wasnât just the 24-Movement Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
It was Mount Hua itself.
If he changed it, then Mount Hua would no longer be Mount Hua.
Sword techniques were tools to kill enemies at the end of the day. Of course, he wasnât someone who would say some nonsense like it was used to polish disciplineâŠ.
âIt is the connection.â
The âbloomingâ concept that Mount Hua pursued. The sword technique that perfectly embodied that spirit was the 24-Movement Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
If he clumsily transformed the sword technique, there was a chance that even the spirit of Mount Hua might turn clumsy.
âKuaaak.â
Chung Myung, who had been scratching his head until it bled, immediately dropped his hand and sighed.
âWhat do I doâŠâ
âShould I follow the basics?â
âOr should I start over?â
Thinking, he lay flat on the floor.
âSahyung. My Sect Leader sahyung. What do you think would be better?â
When he asked the question facing just the air, he thought he heard something faintly.
-Why bother thinking about something like that? This isnât like you.
âI wouldnât worry if it had something to do with me alone. I am not worried because I am afraid. I am just worried that I will have to hear you nag me!â
âYou bad man.â
âIf possible, come along and help me. Sending me alone and making me do all the work.â
-What is your concern?
âI wonder if it is right to transform the technique our ancestors gave us?â
-Canât you give them both?
âSaying something like that after knowing everything? If I give them both of the techniques, they will go on and on about what was right and what was wrong between themselves. After about a hundred years, there would be factions within the sect, divided based on the technique they learn.â
Because that was how humans were.
Of course, he now believed in the disciples of Mount Hua. However, Chung Myung couldnât continue to hold power once he died. And it wasnât a good idea to pass on two techniques of the same martial art if he wanted Mount Hua to stay as one.
-Then what is the problem?
âAh! For real! The ancestorsâŠ.â
-Arenât you their ancestor?
ââŠhuh?â
Chung Myung titled his head.
âWhat was that?â
-Is there another ancestor? If they listen to you first and then learn it, that is their ancestorsâ help they are receiving. Arenât you an ancestor to them?
ââŠâ
âWhat?â
âWait. Is that even right?â
-Donât worry. Your will is the will of the ancestors, and the ancestorsâ will is your will. No⊠your direction is the direction of Mount Hua, and your will is the will of Mount Hua. Just do what you want.
âNo, stillâŠ.â
-Is that not good too?
Chung Myung frowned.
âAre you really fine with this?â
-The world flows. The world is changing and flowing. AndâŠ
Hearing those soft words, Chung Myung smiled.
-Arenât you flowing in the current Mount Hua? And Mount Hua is flowing within you as well, and you are flowing through Mount Hua. Do what you want. That is the most natural growth for Mount Hua.
And then the voice faded.
âTch.â
Chung Myung jumped up from his place and grabbed the brush.
Chung Myung knew that the voice he was hearing wasnât real. It was just his true intentions speaking out.
âYes, you are right. I am the ancestor! Is there another ancestor other than me!â
Of course, he didnât know if the ancestors would decide to whip him once he visited them laterâŠ
âIf I donât go to the underworld, it will all work out!â
At last, Chung Myung decided what he was going to do and opened the empty booklet.
And he wrote.
He wrote of the sword of Mount Hua and the sword of Chung Myung.
At the same time, it was a chance to re-establish Mount Huaâs martial arts.
His eyes sank.
ââŠâ
Chung Myung lifted the book up.
âHow long have I been doing this?â
Well, he didnât know.
Since he was writing it down, he forgot to keep track of the time.
He clicked his tongue as he looked at the booklets.
âAlthough it is not completely satisfactoryâŠâ
âThis is enough. The missing parts can be filled in the future.â
Wouldnât it be better to redevelop the martial arts that were thought to be perfect and change the gaps he could find along the way?
Making things perfect wasnât always a good thing. So he didnât have regrets.
RatherâŠ
âHow do I get this to the sect?â
âIf I pack all this up, it would look strange right?â
âUm.â
âIs that the only way?â
Chung Myung got up.
âUm.â
Hwang Jongi moved around.
It was dark because it was night, and it was his habit to walk around his residence branch like this before going to bed.
âHua-Um has grown so much.â
At first, he thought it would be too much, but now he admired his fatherâs insight.
In addition, he was able to participate in the tea trade with Mount Hua. The Hua-Um branch was beginning to grow larger than the Eunha main residence.
âAnd the relationship with Mount HuaâŠ. Uh?â
While he was thinking that, he went wide-eyed.
He saw the door of Chung Myung, which had been tightly closed for the last 7 days, finally open.
âAh, finally⊠Uh?â
His face, which had been slightly tinged with pleasure, went stiff.
Someone came out of the room.
They had full-body clothes that were black in color.
A hood covering their face.
And a big sack on their backâŠ
âA thief?â
âNo, why is a thief coming from there? Itâs not just a thief, but a thief who must have a death wish to go into that room.â
As he was confused about whether he had to scream at the thief or not, the thief waved his hand.
âLong time no see.â
âN-No⊠disciple Chung Myung?â
âYes.â
âW-what is that outfit?â
âAh!â
Chung Myung glanced down at the clothes he was wearing and waved his hand.
âDonât worry about this. Rather, I need to go quickly now.â
âWhere?â
âYah, you bastard! Where are you going dressed like this?â
âUh, where are you going, young disciple? Especially this late at night?â
âDonât worry. I am just going to drop by Mount Hua. And please make breakfast; I will be back before then.â
Chung Myung waved his hand and moved.
Looking at his body heading in the direction of Mount Hua, Hwang Jongi thought, âLetâs forget this.â
âIâll think of it like a dream.â
âThat will be good for my mental strength.â
ââŠthat crazy bastard.â