Chapter 715: Let's Head Back Together (4)

Flutter. Flutter. Flutter.

The tip of the brush continued to move across the white sheet. Sometimes, there was magnificent handwriting, and sometimes there was a human figure that seemed like it would come to life at any moment.

Compared to the quickly moving hands, the body of the person holding the brush was almost motionless, as if he were a stone.

He just stared at the words his hands created with half-glazed eyes, without blinking.

The man's hand, which had been writing for a long time, suddenly stopped. His mouth opened slowly.

"... I..."

The serious man's face fell in an instant. Frowning arrogantly, he turned his head and looked at the window.

"I asked you not to disturb me when I am working! This requires much concentration."

"Wh-what? Did I say something or kick anything? I just came here and took a breath. Why are you so annoyed?"

"If you had stayed still, would I have yelled at you? I would have hit you right away!"

"But are you only doing this these days? It looks like your head is stained because of all the writing you do in the corner."

"... just come in."

"Tsk."

Chung Myung opened the window and came in.

"... please come through the door."

"It is closer from this side."

Chung Jin took a deep breath and gently put the brush he was writing with to the side. It was to keep this guy who came in front from being interested.

"What is it?"

"Sahyung's book is needed. There is something to see. This."

Chung Myung threw the scroll he was holding. Chung Jin's eyes twitched briefly as he picked it up and opened it.

"You! You just stand there and do nothing! Why are you even giving this to me?"

"Then you want me to get the answer to that? They lost it!"

Chung Jin covered his head and let out a silent scream.

Right. His words were right.

It was funny for Chung Myung, the self-proclaimed second-in-command of Mount Hua, to go to the library to search for a martial arts book. But if that was the case, wouldn't it be alright to just let the guys who had nothing to do, do this? Just how many disciples did this guy have!

Chung Jin was already busy and couldn't figure out why this man had come to him for this.

"Why me...!"

"Because you are the one responsible for the martial arts book."

"..."

Right. Those were the right words. Right, he wasn't wrong at all!

But you insane bastard! I am not the one who went to the Money Hall to exchange paper for silver coins!

This was an examination that left him wondering how to change the concept in his head.

'No, if he could be changed, he would have changed 30 years ago.'

With a deep sigh, Chung Jin put down the scroll next to him and looked at Chung Myung with clouded eyes.

"I will handle it and get it to you, so you can go, sahyung."

"You need to do it quickly."

"I understand."

"Ah, you need to do it swiftly! If not, sect leader sahyung will yell at me! Would you like me being criticized at this age?"

"Why do you think I don't know! I am being cursed at this age right now!"

Chung Myung tilted his head.

"Are you skipping work?"

"... I am not."

"Be careful, you. I am watching you."

Chung Jin wiped the water around his eyes with his sleeve.

This wasn't something to blame Chung Myung for. Wasn't Chung Myung such a person? One could not criticize a dog for barking or a rooster for crowing at night. So he couldn't blame Chung Myung.

'Sect leader sahyung, why did you have to give such a task to this sahyung!'

That guy was the biggest problem.

Even though he knew that if Chung Myung was asked to do something, problems would crop up, he insisted on making him do the work when there was someone better! The effort to turn Chung Myung into a human would have been enough time to make a cow into a dragon!

"But, what are you writing?"

"Ugh... the new martial arts I will give the kids."

"Uh? Are you doing it again?"

"... No. This is just a slight modification. The existing martial arts training is inefficient, so I modified it a bit."

"If you are so bored, then fix something else! You! Deceiving the master and destroying the ancestor kind of guy!"

"... Martial arts that don't develop would bring death to martial arts. One needs to keep revising and improving."

"Terrible. Give it to me. I will see what you did."

"No, I will do it..."

"Yah."

Flinch.

"Bring it to me."

In the end, Chung Jin lowered his head and helplessly handed over the book he was writing to Chung Myung.

Chung Myung accepted it and went through the pages, which hadn't even dried up yet. And he had a brief impression.

"Such nonsense."

"... What are you seeing?"

"For this level of martial arts, you can just look at it with your eyes. Why make it like some kid's joke?"

"Kid's joke!"

As Chung Jin was losing it, Chung Myung gently spread a finger ahead and Chung Jin lowered his eyes.

"Look here, here! Brat! Here, you need to twist the sword rather than straighten it to get the full force! It has been decades since you have been eating in Mount Hua and you still cannot get things right?"

"... Sahyung."

Chung Jin sighed with a grumpy look.

"I am no idiot. Do you also not know that twisting from there would be stronger?"

"Uh."

"What! You know it! I know it too!"

"How dare you raise your voice!"

Chung Myung's foot flew out and Chung Jin fell flat on the ground. Chung Myung's foot cut through the air and created a popping sound.

"What? You avoided it?"

"L-let's talk! Let's talk!"

"But this...!"

"Now you want this reported to the sect leader, sahyung?"

"... Fine."

Only then did Chung Myung pull back his leg. Chung Jin looked at him with teary eyes.

'What kind of ghost is this?'

No, he was already here now. Even the ghosts must have run after being hit by him.

Neither humans nor ghosts could do anything about a Taoist who was ridiculously strong and foolish at the same time.

Chung Jin looked at Chung Myung, who was complaining, and said,

"Sahyung."

"Yes?"

"This is why sahyung cannot do it."

"What is that? Say it right at least."

"Ah, no, it isn't that! Listen till the end! Sahyung's martial arts strength means that you cannot be in Mount Hua."

"Uh?"

Chung Jin sighed and explained,

"As sahyung said, if the sword is done like that, the force will improve. But while rotating the body and unfolding sword qi to deceive the opponent, accurately twisting the wrist to add strength isn't something anyone can do."

"That is why they have to do it right."

"No. That is why it shouldn't be done like that. The martial arts of Mount Hua do not exist for people like sahyung."

"Why me?"

Chung Jin's face contorted as he looked at Chung Myung tilting his head as he said,

"People like sahyung improve and rewrite things themselves! In the first place, this kind of level isn't for those who understand and correct things like sahyung, but for those who want to get stronger by following this even if they don't have the ability to correct them!"

"..."

"So wake up from the dream. Sahyung will never leave your name in the history of Mount Hua."

"Was this an attempt at a bad joke!?"

"Hand! Put the hand down! No, don't raise the foot because I said to put the hand down!"

After the to and fro for a while and they finally calmed down, Chung Jin spoke with an exhausted face.

"Aren't you just a strong person though, sahyung?"

"I am strong."

"... It is no compliment."

Chung Myung glared at him, but Chung Jin shook his head without giving in.

"It isn't like I am going to go around looking for other sects to spar with, and I am not going to go around talking about sahyung to the others because I am not the sect leader. So, in the end, I will be treated as a swordsman only good in Mount Hua."

"... Uh? Is that how this works?"

As Chung Myung tilted his head in a daze, Chung Jin shouted with an upset face.

"So go out and beat others up! Why are we the ones being hit? If sahyung was able to take down everyone according to the skills, would you still be in the Three Great Swordsmen of the world? Would you have had to listen to the nonsense of others?"

"They did lose."

"Beat them down in front of others! Others!"

"But this temper of mine. Seriously."

Chung Jin's neck hurt, and he arched it as he thought.

This madman was getting older and had turned a bit calmer. If this were the past, the shoe would have come flying his way.

"Sahyung."

"Uh?"

"I am weaker than sahyung."

"No. You are not weaker than me, but the weakest of the Chung disciples."

"... Anyway."

His eyes sank a bit darkly as he looked at Chung Myung.

"But, it will be my name and not sahyung's which stays in the history of Mount Hua. With the martial arts book I create, the disciples will learn martial arts better and create a greater Mount Hua."

Even the world's strongest couldn't disagree with that.

"This is my way of repaying the kindness of Mount Hua. So!"

"..."

"So sahyung too, calm down, and do something for the sake of the kids."

"Yah, if someone invades Mount Hua right now, who do you think will stop them? I am holding on for that time."

"Who will attack us?"

When Chung Jin clicked his tongue, Chung Myung burst into tears.

"If someone invades and destroys Mount Hua, what use would that book be? I am here now and tomorrow too!"

"Then I will just pack my books and run. It is sahyung who can go and die."

"What, you jerk?"

"You should be praising me instead of getting angry. Even without sahyung, Mount Hua will survive. However, if Mount Hua's martial arts cease, even sahyung will end up meaningless."

"I can teach it."

"... Sahyung, in your current state, you cannot."

"..."

Chung Jin's eyes were slightly dark as he shook his head.

"Sahyung. In the unlikely event that I or the sect leader really get into trouble, sahyung will have to return Mount Hua to its original state. Not someone else."

"Are you insane? You are speaking such nonsense now."

"Just one chance."

Chung Jin mumbled as if he was in pain and looked straight at Chung Myung.

"So remember. Not everyone can be like sahyung. And there is nothing wrong with that. However, if sahyung doesn't cut off those who are inferior to him, one day, another person like sahyung will appear in Mount Hua."

"..."

"That is what it means to pass it on. It doesn't just mean making the disciples stronger."

Chung Myung looked at Chung Jin and touched his ear with a sad look.

"Uh, okay. I understand it."

"... my foot."

"What?"

"No. It is nothing."

Even though he knew it wouldn't mean much to tell Chung Myung now, Chung Jin sighed at the feeling of despair as he had no choice but to say it.

"So even if I die, I will live. If the day comes when I am in danger of dying, I will immediately grab the books and run."

"If they attack you when you are outside, you won't be able to do that."

"Uh! That is why I take the most important ones with me."

Chung Jin unbuttoned his robe and showed off the cloth wrapped around his stomach like a belly band. Chung Myung frowned slightly.

"... looks like armor."

"I always do my best."

Chung Myung chuckled.

"Don't joke, brat. First Sword of Mount Hua, I remember that. You left your name in history."

"Just wait and see. Because the world will remember me. People like sahyung will be forgotten entirely."

"... But this bastard never gives up."

"Ahh! Sect leader sahyunggg!"

"Trying out your luck today, you bastard! Euk!"

Chung Jin's screams rang through the hall, but no one who heard them ran there.

"Here we go again."

"I know."

Shaking their heads, the Mount Hua disciples quickly lost interest and dispersed to do their own thing.

A high, shrill scream flowed down Mount Hua's rugged peak.

Crackle. Crackle.

Chung Myung got up and stared at the burning bonfire.

His gaze, which had been fixed on the bonfire, slowly moved to the side. Around the flame, the disciples of Mount Hua, including Baek Cheon, were exhausted and asleep.

Chung Myung, who had been staring at them for a while, raised his gaze.

He slowly closed his eyes again, looking at the dense night sky as if the stars were falling.

-Just wait and see. Because the world will remember me.

Chung Jin.

You were wrong.

The world remembered neither you nor me.

Don't be too sad, though.

Because I remembered.

I still remember you.

Chung Myung's shoulders shook slightly as he covered his face with trembling hands.

Yu Yiseol slowly opened her eyes behind him and looked at his trembling back in silence before closing her eyes again.

It was one of those nights where the only sound you could hear was the sound of insects crying.