Return of the Mount Hua Sect

It’s not a particularly remarkable phrase.

It is only natural for those who claim to be Evil (?(邪)).

It’s a phrase used by those who reject the facades that could be called Virtue (?(禮)), and who have thrown off the laws that constrain people.

If they need something, they obtain it by force. If they want something, they take it, even if they have to kill for it. Anyone who finds this uncomfortable doesn’t belong to the Evil ((?(邪)).

However, no one took this statement lightly when it came out of Gal Cheonrip’s mouth.

“In this Gangbuk?”

“That’s right.”

“…Easier said than done!”

Immediate negative reactions erupted from here and there.

The reason why this reaction came from the mouths of those who have no aversion to killing and taking is very simple.

This is because this Gangbuk land they are stepping on is ruled by the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family.

If it were only a few years ago, they would have cared less. Even if the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family were powerful, if problems escalated, they could just cross the Yangtze and head Gangnam.

The world is infinitely vast.

So, no matter how far-reaching the Ten Great Sects’ influence is, they can’t chase them to the ends of the world.

However, they can no longer step foot in Gangnam. The moment they step into Gangnam, isn’t it clear that the sword blades of the Evil Tyrant Alliance will target them?

“We’re not doing this because we are good-natured. The moment we behave as we wish, the eyes of those Ten Great Sects bastards will turn red and come running chasing us. How do you plan on killing and robbing?”

“You don’t mean to say you’ll fight against Ten Great Sects, do you?.”

“Don’t forget that this is Gangbuk, First Dog.”

“…I shouldn’t have come. I’m not here to hear some kind of stupid nonsense.”

Despite criticism from all over the place, Gal Cheonrip, the First Dog, giggled and laughed. That soft laughter drove everyone back into silence.

“…What’s so funny?”

Upon Soul-Severing Blood Hand’s question, First Dog stopped laughing and opened his mouth.

“It’s funny. Of course, it’s funny.”

He shrugged his shoulders and twitched the corners of his mouth.

“How could it not be funny to see starving people drooling even though a sumptuous feast was placed right in front of them?”

In an instant, a killing intent filled the quiet room.

Everyone in the hall stared at Gal Cheonrip with eyes that could eat him alive. Then, Gangseo Seven Murderer who had been guarding behind Gal Cheonrip stepped forward and bared their teeth.

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about…”

At that time, Gal Cheonrip raised his hand and stopped them.

“Quiet.”

“…Yes, Daehyung.”

And he squinted his eyes and asked,

“Did I say something wrong?”

“….”

“You must have held your breath because you can’t help it right now. The Ten Great Sects who saw blood in their territory are worse than the Evil Sects who had their money stolen. So you wanted to watch the situation a little bit. But… has anything improved?’

No one could answer.

It has been two years.

For over two years, they did nothing and just sucked their thumbs. But everyone felt that it was reaching its limits.

“The fate you’ll eventually face is obvious. Enduring and keep enduring before starving to death. Or… eventually, you can’t stand it anymore and work alone, then get caught by the Ten Great Sects and get the Tendons and Veins Severement punishment.”

Tendons and Veins Severement. (????(斷筋斬脈))

It is a punishment of cutting off the muscles of the limbs. If the Dantian is broken, internal strength cannot be used, but the learned martial arts can be used. However, those who have suffered from Tendons and Veins Severement can’t use their hands and feet properly, so they become unable to handle even ordinary commoners.

The Ten Great Sects impose this punishment on the people of Evil Sects who have committed horrible crimes.

A look of deep displeasure appeared on the faces of those who heard those words. However, no one strongly objected, perhaps because they all sensed that this inevitable future was waiting for them.

“So what do you suggest? Don’t beat around the bush, just say it.”

“I told you.”

Gal Cheonrip sneered.

“Gathering in small numbers only allows for robbing small places. If you’re going to rob something, you should rob properly. A place with enough money for all of us to live comfortably for a lifetime.”

“What about the pursuer?”

“As long as we have money, there’s nothing to worry about. They might have pursued us for a long distance in the past, but they can’t now. We can lie low somewhere like Qinghai (Prev, chap. Cheonghae) or Xinjiang until things cool down and then come back under new identities.”

“Hmm.”

Upon hearing that statement, different thoughts unfurled in the minds of those present.

‘Anyway, they won’t be after me.’

‘All I have to do is head to Qinghai, and that’s it.’

‘If it comes to the reputation of Gangseo Seven Murderer, we will be treated as nobodies.’

People who briefly join hands like this usually scatter in all directions once the job is done. No matter how eagerly the pursuers chase them, they can’t possibly go after everyone involved.

If so, it will have no choice but to chase high-profile people first. And in this place, the most renowned person is Gangseo Seven Murderer, no matter what anyone says.

“Not bad at all.”

“Absolutely. Just sitting here sucking our thumbs is getting tiresome.”

“For God’s sake, money isn’t the problem! Those Ten Great Sects bastards are blatantly monitoring us, how long should we keep our mouths shut?”

“…If it’s like this now, what will happen when those Wudang and Southern Edge Sect come out of Bongmun…”

There is a reason why the Evil Sect gathered in Gangnam in the first place. It’s too difficult to get anything done in Gangbuk, where the Ten Great Sects originally had their strongholds.

The sects who guard the center of Gangbuk are Shaolin, Wudang, Beggar Union, Southern Edge Sect, and Namgung Family.

Even though two among those five sects have gone to Bongmun, it’s difficult to breathe under the pressure. So, isn’t it obvious what will happen when those two sects unseal their gates?

“So?”

Gal Cheonrip raises his head.

Soul-Severing Blood Hand crosses his arms and looks at him coldly.

“Given the people we’ve gathered, what’s the target? It shouldn’t be an ordinary place.”

“Of course. We’re going after one of the Ten Great Merchant Guilds in Jungwon.”

“Ten Great Merchant Guilds?”

“Are you out of your mind?”

As soon as the words ‘Ten Great Merchant Guilds’ were mentioned, everyone clicked their tongues.

“What a stupid thing to say.”

Soul-Severing Blood Hand also shook his head.

“If it’s such a place, obviously one of the Ten Great Sect or one of the Five Great Familiey will be involved. The Ten Great Sect who get their warehouse raided will light a fire in their eyes and pursue us.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. The place I am trying to rob is a place where there is little chance of being tracked down.”

“Hm?”

“There’s one place where there are no guard dogs, yet the storage is fuller than anywhere else.”

“…Where is that?”

“Eunha Merchant Guild.”

Those gathered at Gal Cheonrip’s words frowned and whispered.

“Eunha Merchant Guild?”

“…Is there a place like that?”

“Ah. Would it be easy to understand if it was Eunha Courier Service?”

“…You’re planning to rob that place?”

“It’s a place that has newly made its name known on the fringes of the Ten Great Merchant Guilds in Jungwon in recent years. But that doesn’t mean it’s scraping the bottom in terms of earnings. It’s literally a place where money is raked in.”

“Wouldn’t there be some support behind a place like that?”

“Of course, there would be. But not now. The support behind Eunha Merchant Guild is none other than Mount Hua.”

“….”

Only then did those who understood the situation lit up their eyes.

“…So Mount Hua, who has sealed their gates, is the backing.”

“That’s an interesting story.”

“And….”

At that moment, Iron Ghost, who had been silently listening, spoke.

“Shaanxi is now an ownerless mountain. Since Southern Edge Sect had also entered Bongmun.”

“…Even closer to Qinghai, then. Once we leave Shaanxi, we’ll be right in Qinghai.”

Those who had roughly guessed the situation couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“There will be bodyguards, but they’re just run-of-the-mills types.”

“Ten Great Merchant Guild without an owner is no different from a treasure trove with its doors wide open.”

“No owner?”

However, Soul-Severing Blood Hand still seemed unconvinced.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. Do you think sealing the gates (Bongmun) means being tied up and confined? If a fire breaks out in their front yard, people will come out to put it out.”

“Ah, I know. Of course, they’ll definitely unseal the gates.”

Gal Cheonrip nodded nonchalantly.

“Hm?”

“But isn’t that the same thing? Don’t tell me….”

He scanned the people in the hall.

“You’re not saying that this group can’t handle a single Mount Hua, are you?”

Hearing this, everyone chuckled softly.

Those gathered here were not all.

Of course, there are people who move individually, but about half are leading small forces of their own. If they could gather all their people, dealing with an average sect wouldn’t be a problem.

“Being one of Ten Great Sects would be burdensome, but… just Mount Hua, who couldn’t even join Ten Great Sects.”

“Don’t look down on them. Mount Hua is the head of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.”

“Leader in name only. Is there any idiot who thinks that Mount Hua is stronger than the Sichuan Tang Family?”

Mount Hua had been prestigious a long time ago, and a few years ago, its reputation was enhanced by being at the center of an event that swept the world.

But objectively, Mount Hua is nothing more than a small or medium-sized sect that falls short of the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family. Fame and skill don’t always correlate, after all.

Although Mount Hua’s sword warrior, which lost its name during their Bongmun, gained a reputation by confronting Jang Ilso of Evil Tyrant Alliance, to be honest, that was an achievement of Mount Hua’s sword warrior, not the performance of Mount Hua.

“But isn’t it certain that they’re affiliated with Heavenly Comrade Alliance?”

“There’s no reason to worry about the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Their main force, the Tang Family, is tied up at the Yangtze, so there’s no need to worry about any other pursuit. The rest of the riffraff are far away from Jungwon.”

After some quick calculations, everyone exchanged meaningful glances.

“So, all we have to worry about is Mount Hua, then?”

Gal Cheonrip nodded loudly.

“It seems everyone understands now.”

“Are you sure this is all right?”

“If you’re scared, you can drop out now.”

“….”

The assembled people looked at each other, gauging reactions. It was undoubtedly an enticing proposition, but there were reservations.

One among them who had been hesitating finally raised his hand lightly.

“I’m out.”

“Hm?”

Gal Cheonrip looked at the person who raised his hand with a strange smile.

“I’ve never heard that Shadowless Assassin (????(無影鬪殺)) is a coward.”

“I’m not doing it because I’m scared. Even if you get out of Qinghai, you’ll have to come back to Jungwon in the end. I don’t want to live my whole life being chased.”

“All right. That’s not a bad choice. Just….”

In that moment, a dao flashed like a ray of light from Gal Cheonrip’s waist.

Sogok!

Simultaneously, Shadowless Assassin’s cleanly severed arm soared into the air.

“Euuaaaaak!”

A horrific scream burst from Shadowless Assassin’s mouth. He fell from the chair, clutching the stump where his arm had been, and writhed on the floor.

Step. Step.

Gal Cheonrip, who approached with a calm face, trampled on the face of Shadowless Assassin.

“U- Ugh…”

“That’s what we call a coward. And I hate cowards.”

“Sto- Stop….”

Sogok!

With one swift movement, Shadowless Assassin’s head was severed, and his body slumped to the floor.

“….”

Everyone was silent as if they had agreed beforehand.

Shadowless Assassin was a martial artist that most here couldn’t easily match. Yet, he was killed like a backstreet fly without even putting up a fight.

‘Ruthless Ghost Dao.’

This scene proved why he was Gangseo Seven Murderer and made the world shake with the nickname Ruthless Ghost Dao.

“Tsk.”

Gal Cheonrip shook off the blood on his dao and looked around at the others with a sneering smile.

“Anyone else dropping out?”

There was no answer.

The people here were likely to cause trouble soon anyway, even if Gal Cheonrip did nothing. Seeing such a gruesome scene firsthand, they were even less likely to leave.

“No one’s leaving.”

Soul-Severing Blood Hand stared at Gal Cheonrip with his arms crossed.

“But you’d better be prepared for one thing. If you gather people like this and move around, you shouldn’t expect any control. Hell will perhaps unfold.”

“Good. Very good.”

Gal Cheonrip bared his teeth and smiled.

“I’ll allow it in the name of Gangseo Seven Murderer. Do as you please. Aren’t I the one who’s gonna take care of the consequences anyway?”

“If you say so.”

The moment Soul-Severing Blood Hand nodded, everything was decided.

“The fact that we’ve gathered here has probably already reached the Ten Great Sects’ ears through the beggars. They can’t stop us due to their lack of power, but we shouldn’t waste time.”

“So when do we move?”

“Tomorrow.”

“…In a day?”

“Why? Is there any reason not to?”

Upon hearing that, Soul-Severing Blood Hand licked his lips slowly with his tongue.

“I welcome it. I was getting so bored I thought I’d go mad.”

“It’s not just you guys. Bring everyone interested. We’ll make a grand spectacle.”

The wolf who endured hunger for a long time smiled at the smell of blood.