Return of Mount Hua Sect

“….”

Baek Cheon’s face darkened as he looked at the people gathered by the riverside.

“…guys.”

“Yes, sasuk.”

“…did you say the sect leader was going?”

“It seemed like it?”

Yoon Jong added to Jo Gul’s answer.

“Actually, well… it is a bit weird to fall into that kind of situation.”

“First, it seems like Elder Hyun Young was losing his mind…”

“I heard he almost flipped out as soon as he heard that only Wudang would gain fame. It seemed like he was going to grab anyone by the collar at any moment.”

“…”

“Well, it isn’t that I don’t understand how he feels, actually.”

Baek Cheon listened blankly and nodded.

No, well, he could understand to that extent. Actually, even if he stopped, his feelings towards Wudang had been rapidly deteriorating recently. In the past, if he was asked which sect he disliked the most, he would have said Southern Edge without hesitation. Still, now, after taking a deep breath and thinking about it, he would answer Southern Edge.

Uh? Weren’t they the same?

Very different. At least it meant that now they had to take a moment to compare Southern Edge and Wudang.

In the past, there was nothing to compare. Now Wudang was fighting Southern Edge for that spot? To compare them to Southern Edge, they had to be at the level of the Demonic Sect.

“Right, I understand that…”

“Yes, sasuk.”

“Then why are those people doing that? Are they sure they want to go together?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes turned to the bandits and pirates lined up behind Mount Hua’s disciples.

They, too, were all standing in their places with expressions of ‘why are we standing here?’

Right, it must be embarrassing. Baek Cheon was also flustered, so why wouldn’t they be?

Yoon Jong sighed and answered.

“I already tried to stop him once… I don’t get it. He dragged everything away.”

“…why?”

“If you leave the pirates here, they will all run. Even if he dies, he wouldn’t want to see that.”

“…”

Uh… right.

It was certainly true that they shouldn’t let the pirates go free. They were paying for their sins through labor.

If they did something wrong, they had to make amends. If not to kill all the pirates, the role of Mount Hua was also to watch over those held captive to prevent them from being released and causing harm to civilians. 𝙧АΝ∅ᛒĚṥ

The problem…

“But he is dragging bandits and pirates to a place where the Justice Faction gathers?”

“That would look like a giant mess?”

Baek Cheon couldn’t answer and slowly looked away.

Chung Myung was seen kicking the pirates with excitement.

“No, these pirate bastards couldn’t even stand in a straight line or what! How dare you hold the leg of the sect leader? What? Uncomfortable? Should I show you what really makes you uncomfortable?”

“N-No! I was wrong!”

“If you do something wrong, you need to get hit! Bastards!”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened as he turned away from the pirate’s chin.

Not only did the pirates flinch at it, but even the bandits craned their necks and watched Chung Myung.

“…”

Baek Cheon, who felt a subtle sense of kinship with that wrinkled form, couldn’t bear to look anymore and closed his eyes tightly. When one stood in front of that bastard, everyone became equal regardless of good or bad.

“Nice. I kind of like it now. The preparations are done, sect leader!”

Instead of answering, a sigh escaped from Hyun Jong’s mouth. He moved his lips like he wanted to say something but ended up shaking his head.

‘I understand, sect leader.’

‘We too know.’

It felt like everyone heard what Hyun Jong was trying to say. They even thought about why he didn’t dare to say it out loud.

Wasn’t it the job of a Taoist to chant a mantra into the ears of a cow?

“That…”

Hyun Jong’s shoulders slumped as he looked at the odd combination of Taoists, bandits, and pirates in front of him.

“… let’s leave.”

“Yes!”

Hyun Jong turned around and began to run away without looking back.

Mount Hua, Green Forest, and the Pirates of the Great Whale Pirates—a small number of people ran quickly along the river.

The martial arts sect specialized in running made their home in Mount Hua, and the bandits of Green Forest were elite bandits accustomed to traversing mountainous terrain, so their speed was no joke.

As a result, it was the pirates who were struggling.

“Ughh…”

“I-I am dying…”

However, in the midst of all that, no one dared to be left behind. The reason was simple.

‘Fall behind and you die.’

‘He will really kill that person!’

This was because Chung Myung was following behind them.

‘No, we are running with our backs turned, so why is his speed similar to our running speed?’

‘Is that person a ghost or a human?’

What was certain was that whoever fell behind, human or ghost, would definitely get beaten to death.

“Run quickly, you pirate bastards! Do you think that just because you dug up the riverbed, your sins vanish? How dare you fall behind? Let us reduce the number of rice bowls to give!”

“Ekkk!”

Baek Cheon slowly followed Chung Myung, who was chasing after the running pirates.

“Chung Myung.”

“What?”

“Do we have to hurry there?”

“Oh, Dong-Ryong has grown up so much. Are you worried about the pirates too?”

“It isn’t that, brat! If you have to say it right, it is a matter of showing your face and ending it. But I am saying this because if we arrive early, we might have to fight.”

“Oh?”

At that moment, Chung Myung opened his eyes and looked at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon, feeling slightly upset, asked bluntly.

“What?”

“No, I thought Sasuk was finally doing what he wanted to do. Until now, I thought that thing on the neck was a high-quality hero’s pride.”

“Are you being for real?”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes and was about to rush in, but just before that, Chung Myung quickly opened his mouth.

“Yes, but.”

“Uh?”

“… I feel a bit uncomfortable.”

“… What?”

“It is just.”

The corners of Chung Myung’s lips slightly twitched as he answered briefly.

‘It was all I had to do up to this point.’

Mount Hua and the Heavenly Friends Alliance were still weak.

Of course, it was clear that the Heavenly Friends Alliance had established itself as the only force that could deal with the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, but “could deal with” didn’t mean they were equal.

The Heavenly Friends Alliance was still just a weak force, to the point that even a single cough from the Nine Great Sects made their bodies ache.

‘We still need these guys from the Evil Faction.’

The Heavenly Friends Alliance was spreading its influence in all directions. Nevertheless, there was just one reason why the Nine Great Sects had ignored the Heavenly Friends Alliance until now.

Face.

Because those who called themselves noble and right couldn’t openly interfere with the same Justice Faction that was working together.

The reason why Chung Myung was able to beat up the Nine Great Sects until now was because he knew well that face was more important to them.

“Sasuk.”

“Uh?”

“Do you know when people lose their face?”

“… Um?”

“When it is time for the food bowl to be snatched.”

“What does all that mean suddenly?”

Instead of answering straight away, Chung Myung sneered.

‘They are almost at their limit.’

Whether it was for the sake of a cause or to save their face, it was necessary to prepare well while the plate was still in good condition. If their blindness to the act of fools continued to grow like this, the day would come when they, too, would eventually throw away their facades.

Hadn’t they realized deep down that the principle of action driving the Nine Great Sects was never mutual consultation?

The moment they thought they were being deprived of the rice they could be eating, they would try to repeat what they did to Mount Hua in the past.

They would attempt to profit by undermining the value of the Heavenly Friends Alliance and by tearing down the sects that belong to it. Just like before, instead of helping Mount Hua when it was under attack, they sought to take advantage of the situation.

‘Even if you hurt us once, I will not let you hurt me twice, you bastards!’

To prevent that from happening, he had to make it so they could not move. If this fight turned into a direct confrontation between the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the Nine Great Sects, the outcome was obvious.

‘We cannot win.’

It would take time. Time to make the sects belonging to the Heavenly Friends Alliance stronger and strengthen their bonds even more!

So, it was necessary to divert the attention of the Nine Great Sects immediately. In any case, they were still clinging to their reason and respect.

“Till this point.”

“… What are you saying? Speak clearly!”

Chung Myung frowned.

“But things seem to be going strangely.”

“Uh?”

“The fact that they were gathering at the Black Dragon Pirates means that the Black Dragon Pirates didn’t abandon the Yangtze River and retreat.”

“… Right. Because we wouldn’t gather in a place where they are not around.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes.

“The pirates are so stubborn that they are holding on even though Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung are attacking at once.”

“Qingcheng, too.”

“Except for the clams.”

Baek Cheon was stunned. If the sect leader of Qingcheng heard this now, he would have walked away.

Was there anyone in the world, other than this guy, who called a sect belonging to the Nine Great Sects a clam?

“Looking at the pirates’ behavior, it’s wise to run away first. These people are different from the Nine Great Sects. They don’t respect anything. They don’t care about their reputation or fame.”

“…no matter what, they are a clan. Why should they run while their men are still fighting?”

“The leaders of the Evil Faction don’t operate like that. First, they have to survive to have power and subordinates. In the Justice Faction, the basics come first, but among the Evil Faction, the self comes first.”

“…”

“But the Black Dragon pirates are holding on.”

Chung Myung scratched his chin and was lost in thought.

‘There is a part of me that believes in it.’

He had to see this with his own eyes. If what he thought was happening, he might have to change his entire plan.

If everything went according to his plan, they would have to retreat from the Yangtze River. But not stepping on that path meant one of two things.

One was that they lost.

The other…

‘Someone saw what I couldn’t see.’

A smile came across Chung Myung’s lips as he was lost in thought.

‘So fun.’

Who could it be?

He didn’t know. No, he didn’t want to know.

But Chung Myung somehow seemed to know who. Who was the one responsible for making him feel so uncomfortable?

One face kept appearing in Chung Myung’s mind.

Two black, twinkling eyes were visible above blood-red lips.

‘Jang Ilso.’

In two lifetimes, he had met countless people. In terms of experience, no one in this Kangho could even come close to Chung Myung.

But he swore that it was the first time Chung Myung had faced such strange eyes.

‘Different.’

It was different from the madness in the eyes of the Demonic Sect.

It was different from the endless emptiness that clouded the eyes of the Heavenly Demon.

That…

“Chung Myung! Ahead!”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung, who was deep in thought, suddenly came to his senses and raised his head.

He saw a group of warriors approaching him.

‘Enemy?’

No, not them.

Chung Myung frowned and looked at them. Both eyes shone meaningfully.

A neatly dressed warrior with a long sword in hand. The vivid Taiji symbol is engraved on the chest.

“Ha…”

Chung Myung laughed, shrugged his shoulders, and mumbled.

“This… precious person came to meet us. I am so grateful.”

Wudang.

Perhaps the people he wanted to encounter were approaching at high speed. The cold light that flowed from the eyes of the Wudang Sect leader, Venerable Heo Do, who led them from the front, shot towards Mount Hua.

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