Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Chung Myung spoke in an extremely confident tone.

“There is no need to worry about Shaolin right now. Those bastards must be busy taking care of the Yangtze River matter right now. Even if they manage to resolve it, it doesn’t mean they’ll have the resources to do anything else. As long as Evil Tyrant Alliance is alive and kicking with both eyes open, those bastards can’t do anything?”

Yoon Jong turned his head slightly and looked at Baek Cheon.

“What’s he up to?”

“Hm, to put it simply, it is like this.”

Baek Cheon replied with a big smile.

“He blurted out in anger without thinking, but now that he’s reflecting on it, he felt like he had made a mistake, and he can’t admit he was wrong even if he died. So he’s desperately trying to wrap things up nicely somehow.”

“As expected, Sasuk is so concise.”

In times like these, the words of the authority(?) are definitely helpful.

“No, I’m not sugarcoating it, the situation really is like that!”

“…Yes.”

“No! I’m not making up words!”

“Yes…. Yes, I understand.”

“Wow, I’m going crazy! Say something, Old Man Beggar!”

“Kuhum.”

Hong Dae-gwang, who had been quietly munching on rice crackers in the corner all along, quickly swallowed and spoke up.

“Well… though his intentions seem a little impure, but anyway, Mount Hua Chivalrous Swords is not so wrong.”

“Huh?”

Hyun Jong, now three years older, quietly turned to look at Hong Dae-gwang. Judging from the way his ears perked up, he seemed to have decided that Hong Dae-gwang’s words were worth listening to.

Chung Myung, who saw the scene, shouted, ‘My words are less credible than a beggar!’ But of course, those words were filtered out in front of Hyun Jong’s ears and could not be heard.

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“Hahaha, even you, Sect Leader.”

Hong Dae-gwang replied with a bright smile.

“Lying also depends on the situation. Who would have ever imagined that Sect Leader and Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword would hit Shaolin Bangjang in the face like that? It’s a situation I’ve never even thought of in my life, so I can’t even think about making it up. Haha hahaha.”

“Keu- Keuhum!”

“Ahehem!”

At the same time, a cough erupted from Hyun Jong and Chung Myung’s mouths.

Other Mount Hua’s disciples nodded in agreement with Hong Dae-gwang’s words.

“It is a rare situation.”

“Indeed, quite rare.”

“Isn’t that unprecedented?”

“Quiet!”

“Shut up!”

The oldest and youngest members of the sect were taking sides and persecuting the others, but it was probably because of Mount Hua that it did not seem strange.

“So, to summarize…”

Hyun Jong asked Chung Myung with a heavy voice.

“Are you saying that Shaolin can’t do anything right now because of the situation in Yangtze River and the existence of the Evil Tyrant Alliance?”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“There’s no need for fancy reasons. If the situation had been so easy, would that heavy-assed man have come running all the way to Shaanxi?”

“…So, you’re saying their need for our help wasn’t a lie after all.”

“So to speak, yes. Anyway, with the current situation, there’s nothing they can do right now, ill feeling or whatever. They’ll be too busy handling the battle in Yangtze to even think about anything else.”

Chung Myung chuckled and laughed.

“So, we just have to eat rice cakes while watching those guys fight?”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong nodded with a heavy face.

It’s very unfortunate that Shaolin has turned against us to some extent, but fortunately, there’s a slim chance of immediate trouble arising.

However, once one worry was relieved, another concern that had been put aside for a moment resurfaced.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Is there any way to stop the war?”

“Hmmm.”

Chung Myung looked at Hyun Jong with a slightly strange gaze. Hyun Jong seemed to know what he was going to say, so he shook his head.

“I’m not saying we should step up. I’m just saying this out of curiosity.”

“Yes, then what?”

Chung Myung shook his head after a moment of silence as if he was thinking hard.

“Depending on how Jang Ilso came out, there may be a difference whether it is an all-out war or a local war, but there will be no way to stop the battle that takes place on the Yangtze River.”

“…Can’t the Namgung Family step down now? As you said, isn’t it possible for Bangjang to persuade Namgung Family Gaju?”

“Sect Leader.”

“Yes?”

“Does Sect Leader know why a madman is a madman?”

When Chung Myung grinned and was about to elaborate, Hyun Jong nodded, staring at Chung Myung.

“Hum. Yes, I do.”

“Huh?”

“That means they won’t listen to reason.”

“…….”

“Yes, yes. I understand what you mean.”

“….Why do you understand? I didn’t say it properly yet.”

“Keuhum, I don’t know…. I just know.”

It’s nice to understand without needing an explanation, but it felt strange to be stared at throughout the understanding process.

“Anyway…… Yeah. They won’t listen.”

Chung Myung nodded with a sour look.

“If Bangjang had enough virtue to be able to control Gaju of the Namgung Family in the first place, this situation wouldn’t have happened.”

Jo-Gol asks as if he was curious.

“Is that happening because Bangjang is lacking? Or is this happening because Namgung Family Gaju is too reckless?”

“Hmmm. That’s a difficult question…. No, no. Let’s assume that Baldy is more at fault.”

It wasn’t said out of any ill will towards Bop Jeong.

He can only imagine what would have happened if the person in charge of this situation had been Cheong Mun instead of Bop Jeong.

It’s obvious.

He would undoubtedly be like, ‘Hohoho, Gaju-nim, come over here for a moment,’ while dragging him closer and influencing others with his beautiful scoldings and great chivalrousness.

Of course, what it really is is a hellish nagging and a blatant threat to attack you if you act up, but still, he would have achieved his goal.

In the past, whenever a problem arose, the situation was often resolved through gentle one-on-one conversation with the person involved. Of course, strangely enough, he had Chung Myung sit next to him every time he did that.

He keeps hitting on people who seem to be bored to death, making them irritated…

Huh? Wait, this…..

‘Anyway.’

Whether it’s Namgung Hwang or Namgung Wang, they would be like mad dogs in front of Bop Jeongh but obedient puppies in front of Cheong Mun. Everything in the world is relative.

Therefore, from the perspective of Chung Myung, there is no way not to hold Bop Jeongh accountable for the incident. It is not a sin to be incompetent, but incompetence in a position of responsibility is a sin.

“Then war is inevitable.”

“Yes, that is highly likely.”

“Then, for now…”

Hyun Jong made a subtle expression.

“Although the relationship between us and Shaolin has strained, wouldn’t it be better if the Ten Great Sects gained the upper hand? If Evil Tyrant Alliance takes control, the people living in the Yangtze will suffer immensely.”

“Hmm. But that’s…”

“Huh? Do you think differently?”

“No, it’s not that I think differently…..”

Chung Myung scratched his cheek with his finger.

“There’s nothing wrong with what Sect Leader said, but it’s unlikely to turn out that way.”

“…Why do you think so? Isn’t the Namgung leading the front now? Having honed their swords for three years, they quickly overcame the water fortress and gained momentum. Don’t you think this momentum will continue for a while?”

“If the Namgung Family had stopped in Gangbuk, it would have been. But now those madmen have taken ships to the island, right?”

“….”

“It’s about fighting in the enemy camp. I’ve experienced battles in mountains, waters, and air, so I know…”

“…When did you?”

When Jo-Gol tried to argue, Baek Cheon responded by lightly rubbing his chin with the tip of his finger as if he were curious.

“No, if you think about it, it’s not wrong. That bastard is the one who defeated the bandits in the mountains, the pirates in the water, and the one who fell from the cliff while fighting Jang Ilso.”

“…That’s true.”

Ha, these guys really don’t know anything.

The me of a hundred years ago, you know?

Having conquered battles in mountain, water, air, and even underground…! Huh?

“Well, fighting with guys who learned hand-to-hand combat in the water is harder than you think, isn’t it?”

“But when we fought on the Yangtze River before, that part wasn’t really a problem, right?”

“They didn’t plan to fight in the water back then.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong gave an expression as if he could not understand.

However, it was difficult for Chung Myung to explain all these subtle differences in words. It wasn’t that important anyway.

“You’ll see how it unfolds. Well, I personally don’t have a grudge against Namgung, so I hope they win, but…”

Yoon Jong whispered softly toward Baek Cheon.

“If a man who said he had no ill feelings tried to castrate the young master of the family and turn him into a eunuch, how rotten is his character?”

“…Just let it go. That’s Chung Myung, you know?”

But these guys?

Chung Myung gave a stern look at the Five Swords.

“Hngg, anyway…. the issue isn’t whether a war will happen or not.”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“…The issue is the nature of the war. If Namgung’s defeat simply ends there, it’s not a big problem, but…”

Chung Myung’s expression became strange.

“Otherwise, the problem gets serious.”

“….”

“No, maybe….”

Chung Myung’s lips twisted.

“It might have already started. I don’t think Black Dragon King is that laid back.”

* * *

In the deep darkness of the Yangtze.

“Hmm.”

A person stood by the river and stared at the middle of the river. Clearly, in the middle of the vast river, there is a bright light as if a large flower ship (??(花舫)) were floating in a row.

The place that the public calls Plum Blossoms Island.

The Namgung Family, which occupied Plum Blossom Island, was lighting up the night like day in preparation for a night attack.

“Such an idiot.”

A large man stood on the opposite riverbank.

Black Dragon King laughed heartily as he looked at Mei Hua Dao.

“Emperor Sword, Namgung Hwang. He may be talented, but he is an extremely simple and stupid person to lead a sect. He dares to confront me on the Yangtze River.”

During the previous catastrophe on the Yangtze River, he had no way to intervene. It wasn’t just the Namgung Family that he had to deal with.

In a situation where the Namgung Family, Shaolin, Wudang, Qingcheng, Mount Hua, and even Nokrim rushed in, it is impossible to completely block them even for Dragon King, not the Black Dragon King.

But now, the only ones encroaching upon this stretch of the Yangtze are the Namgung Family alone.

“It seems that their experience back then has instilled arrogance in them.”

It was a pleasant thought, but at the same time, it felt almost like an insult to be so underestimated.

However, this filthy feeling would surely turn into sheer delight when the river runs red with their blood.

“It’s time to teach them just how terrifying the river can be. Let’s begin.”

“Yes! Black Dragon King!”

As soon as King Heukryong’s words fell, a group hidden in the darkness behind him revealed themselves.

“Show them the terror of not having solid ground beneath their feet.”

Upon hearing his orders, the pirates quietly dived into the river without answering.

“Fools.”

Black Dragon King stroked his long beard.

“If it’s Namgun Family, it’s a big fish. Now… Ryeonju, I think you’ll have to pay a pretty high price.”

His sinister laughter quietly echoed across the silent Yangtze River.