Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“… Guys.”

“Yes, Sasuk.”

“…Did Sect Leader say he was going?”

“It seems so?”

Yoon Jong added to Jo-Gol’s answer.

“Honestly… being involved in such an event is kind of weird.”

“First of all, it seems that Elder Hyun Young loses his temper….”

“… Why?”

“He was almost flipped upside down when he heard that Wudang was getting all the attention. He looked like he was about to grab Sect Leader by the collar at any moment.”

“It’s not that I don’t understand how he feels, actually.”

Baek Cheon listened absentmindedly and nodded.

No, well, he could understand that much. Lately, the feelings toward Wudang were deteriorating rapidly. In the past, if someone asked him the sect he hated the most, he would’ve answered Southern Edge Sect without hesitation, but now he will answer Southern Edge Sect after thinking about it for about a breath.

‘Huh? Is it the same?’

It’s quite different. At least now, it means one should at least compare Southern Edge Sect without Wudang.

In the past, there was no comparison. How could one compare Wudang to Southern Edge Sect? To be compared to Southern Edge Sect, one had to be at least Magyo.

“Yes, I understand that, but….”

“Yes, Sasuk.”

“Then why are those yangbans behaving like that? Don’t tell me they’re coming with us?”

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

All of them had the same look on their face, wondering, ‘Why are we standing here like this?’

Right, it’s perplexing. Baek Cheon himself was confused, so how must they feel?

Yoon Jong replied with a sigh.

“I actually tried to stop him….but he won’t listen. He said we’re taking everyone.”

“…Why?”

“While the bandits of Nokrim can be understood, if we leave these pirates here, they will escape. He said he can’t bear to see that even if he died.”

‘Uh… Right.’

Certainly, they can’t let these pirates go. They’re serving their sentence through labor.

If they’ve committed a crime, they have to atone for it. It is also Mount Hua’s role to keep those pirates from harming the commoners unless they were to kill all the pirates.

But the issue is…

“So, we’re taking pirates and bandits to a place where all the prestigious Righteous Sect gather?”

“It seems so?”

Baek Cheon couldn’t answer and slowly shifted his gaze.

He saw the figure of Chung Myung kicking the pirates excitedly.

“No, these pirate bastards can’t even stand in line! Sect Leader is here, and you’re leaning on one leg? What? Are you uncomfortable? Want me to show you what real uncomfortable is?”

“N- No, please! I’m sorry!”

“If you made a mistake, you should be punished, you bastard!”

Chung Myung, who had spun the jaw of the pirates, glared his eyes.

Not only the pirates flinched at the momentum, but even the bandits shrank their necks and looked at Chung Myung.

Sensing a subtle sense of sympathy at the crumpled posture, Baek Cheon couldn’t bear to look anymore and closed his eyes. When you stand in front of that bastard, everyone becomes fair regardless of Righteous or Evil.

“Good, it’s a little better now. We’re ready, Sect Leader!”

Instead of answering, Hyun Jong sighed deeply. His lips were quivering as if about to say something, but he ended up shaking his head.

‘We understand, Sect Leader.’

‘We also understand.’

Everyone felt as if they heard what Hyun Jong wanted to say. They even seemed to understand why he couldn’t utter those words.

Chanting sutras for a cow is not something a gentleman should do.

“That….”

Hyun Jong’s shoulders dropped when he saw the bizarre combination of Taoists, bandits, and pirates lined up in front.

“…Let’s depart.”

“Yes!”

With that, Hyun Jong turned around without looking back and started to run.

Mount Hua, Nokrim, and the pirates of the Great Whale Water Fortress. A significant number of people quickly ran along the river.

Mount Hua’s disciples were accustomed to running, and the mountain bandits of Nokchae, being elites from Nokrim familiar with the terrain of mountains, were exceptionally fast.

The pirates, however, were having a hard time.

“Ugh…”

“I’m, I’m dying…”

Yet, everyone managed to keep running without falling behind. The reason was simple.

‘If you fall behind, you die.’

‘That guy will really kill us!’

It was because Chung Myung was following behind them with hands behind his back.

‘No, he’s walking with his hands on his back, why is his walking speed almost the same as our running speed?!’

‘Is that a person or a ghost?’

What was certain was that whether it was a person or a ghost, anyone who lagged behind would certainly be beaten to death by that guy.

“Run fast, you pirates punk! Do you think your sins are forgiven just because you dug a bit of the riverbed? Try to fall behind. Let’s reduce one of your rice bowls while we’re at it!”

“Hiiik!”

Baek Cheon slowly followed Chung Myung, who chased the running pirates.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“Oh my, Dongryong has grown a lot. Now Sasuk is even worried about the pirates?”

“It’s not that, you punk! If we go by what you said, it should just be a matter of showing our faces. But if we arrive too early, we might have to fight.”

“Oh?”

For a moment, Chung Myung’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon, who sensed the changed mood, asked curtly.

“Why?”

“No, I just thought Sasuk is finally starting to think ahead. Until now, I thought that thing above Sasuk’s neck was just a fancy headband hanger.”

“Really, this bastard for real!”

Just before Baek Cheon was about to charge in anger, Chung Myung quickly opened his mouth.

“Well, yes…”

“Huh?”

“…Something feels off.”

“…What?”

“Just.”

With the brief answer, the corner of Chung Myung’s mouth slightly went up.

‘All I did up til now was all something I had to do.’

Both Mount Hua and Heavenly Comrade Alliance are still weak.

Of course, it is clear that Heavenly Comrade Alliance has established itself as the only force capable of dealing with the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family, but ‘Being able to deal with’ does not mean ‘Equal’.

Heavenly Comrade Alliance is still only a weak force to the extent that a single cough of the Ten Great Sect would make them from a single cough.

‘We need the Evil Sect punks.’

Heavenly Comrade Alliance are spreading their influence all over the place. Nevertheless, there is only one reason why the Ten Great Sect has remained silent.

Face.

Because those who claim to be noble cannot openly interfere with the same Righteous Sect that is promoting Righteousness.

The reason why Chung Myung has been able to beat Ten Great Sect so far is because he knew face is very important to them.

“Sasuk.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know when people lose face?”

“…I don’t know?”

“When their rice bowl is taken away.”

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

Instead of answering straight away, Chung Myung sneered.

‘We’re almost at the limit.’

Things like justification and saving face are only relevant when your own rice bowl is still intact. If Heavenly Comrade Alliance continues to grow like this, there will come a day when they will have to throw away such pretenses

Haven’t they realized in the first place that the principle of action that moves the Ten Great Sect is not Righteousness?

The moment they think they’re being deprived of the rice bowl, they’ll try to repeat exactly what they did to Mount Hua in the past.

They’ll undermine the value of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, tear apart the sect within, and then take over. Like when rather than helping Mount Hua that was under attack, they took advantage of it.

‘If I get hit once, I won’t get hit the same way twice, you damn bastards!’

To prevent that scenario, they must immobilize the Ten Great Sect. If this fight flows into a bilateral structure of Heavenly Comrade Alliance vs. Ten Great Sect, the outcome is obvious.

‘We can’t win.’

They need time. Time to strengthen the sects within Heavenly Comrade Alliance and to solidify their unity!

So right now, they needed to divert Ten Great Sect’s attention. Especially when they are still obsessed with justification and face.

“That’s right up to this point.”

“…What are you going on about? Speak in a way that makes sense.”

Chung Myung’s eyes became faint.

“But the way they retreat seems a bit strange.”

“Huh?”

“The fact that they’re gathering at Black Dragon Water Fortress means Black Dragon Water Fortress hasn’t abandoned Yangtze and retreated, right?”

“…Well, that would be the case. They wouldn’t gather in a place where no one is.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Hm?”

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.

“The pirates are so inferior and Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung are attacking all at once, yet they’re holding on.”

“Qingcheng also came.”

“Except for the little fish.”

Baek Cheon was taken aback. If Qingcheng’s Sect Leader had heard this now, he would have foamed at the mouth and fallen backward.

Who else in the world would call the sects belonging to those renowned Ten Great Sect a little fish except this guy?

“If you look at the nature of the pirates, it is only right to run away for now. They’re different from the Ten Great Sect. They don’t care about their face. I don’t know if they’ll try to save face.”

“…It’s still a place that leads a sect. The subordinate is still fighting, but would they run away?”

“Evil Sect has nothing like that. First, they have to survive to have power and subordinates. Righteous Sects prioritize the sect, but Evil Sects prioritize themselves. That’s why they’re Evil Sects.”

“But the Black Dragon Water Fortress is still holding out.”

Chung Myung was lost in thought, scratching his chin.

‘There’s something they believe in.’

He must go and check it with his own eyes. If what he’s thinking is happening, he might have to completely revise the plan.

If everything went according to his plan, their retreat from the Yangtze would have been expected. Not doing so implies one of two things.

One, they’ve decided to lose as it is.

The other is….

‘Someone saw something I didn’t see.’

A smile crept across his lips as he pondered.

‘Interesting.’

Who could it be?

He doesn’t know. No, he shouldn’t know.

But for some reason, Chung Myung felt he knew. Who is responsible for the work that makes him feel so unsettled?

A certain gaze kept flickering in Chung Myung’s mind.

Those dark, shimmering eyes are seen above blood-red lips.

‘Jang Ilso.’

Throughout his two lives, he met countless people and fought countless foes. In terms of experience, nobody in Kangho is even close to Chung Myung’s toes.

Yet, even Chung Myung had never encountered such a peculiar gaze.

‘It’s different.’

It is different from the madness in the eyes of the Magyo.

It’s not like Heavenly Demon’s eyes are full of endless emptiness.

It was…

“Chung Myung! Up ahead!”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung, who was preoccupied, quickly came to his senses and looked up.

Before him approached a group of warriors.

‘Enemies?’

No, it’s not.

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and stared at them. Both eyes shone significantly.

They wore neat martial uniforms with a longsword in one hand. A vivid Tai Chi symbol was engraved on their chests.

“Ha….”

With a smirk, Chung Myung shrugged and murmured,

“This… It seems distinguished guests have come to greet us. I’m truly honored.”

Wudang Sect.

Perhaps the very people he least wanted to encounter right now were swiftly approaching. Leading them was Wudang Sect’s Sect Leader, Heo Dojin, and from his eyes emanated a cold glare aimed at Mount Hua Sect.