Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Go away.”

“That… Dojang.”

“Oh, just gol.”

“Dojang….”

“Argh, damn it!”

Chung Myung turned his body around and kicked Namgung Dowi.

Kwang!

“Keuk!”

Namgung Dowi was hit by Chung Myung’s kick and rolled on the ground.

“But this bastard! Seriously?”

Chung Myung glared at Namgung Dowi with his eyes wide with fury.

“Hey! Do you think we’re easy? Just because you say you want to join, we should accept? The world-renowned Namgung Family is asking to join, so why are the beggars of Heavenly Comrade Alliance refusing, is that it?”

Namgung Dowi jumped up in a panic.

“Do- Dojang! That’s not what I’m saying…!”

“Not what? Then what! Did Sect Leader give permission? Did Tang Gaju give permission? Oh! Is it like that? Now that you’re Gaju of Namgung, Mount Hua’s Sect Leader and Tang Gaju don’t matter anymore?”

“M- Me?”

How dare I?

“Yes, you! You, punk! Are there any other Namgung here besides you?”

Namgung Dowi looked at Chung Myung with a face as if he had seen a ghost.

When had he ever been cornered like this? As Sogaju of Namgung Family, the existence of a person named Chung Myung was too harsh for him, who had always lived under expectations and admiration.

However, as always, Chung Myung did not care about other people’s perspectives.

“Do you take us as pushover! When things were going well, you went around talking about being leaders of Five Great Family and the ruler of Anhui! Now that your foothold is falling, what? One family? One famiiillyyyy? I’ve never even eaten with you, to hell with family! You bastard!”

“I- It’s not like that. Dojang! First of all, listen to me….”

“No need!”

Five Swords watched this scene from a distance with a strange expression. Namgung Dowi, who threw away all his dignity as the next Gaju of Namgung to grab and plead with Chung Myung, caught Jo-Gol’s eye, who then turned to Baek Cheon with a curious expression.

“That… Sasuk.”

“What?”

“Was he always like this?”

“….”

Baek Cheon was about to say, ‘how would I know?’, but then trailed off.

What should he say…. There seemed to be something dignified and impressive about that him at the Murim Competition….

Yoon Jong scratched his head as if he didn’t understand.

“Why is he acting like that?”

Baek Cheon shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“Isn’t it inevitable for Namgung Sohyeop to somehow join Heavenly Comrade Alliance?” (Sohyeop means little warrior, while Daehyeop means great warrior.)

“Really?”

“Yes, there’s no other way.”

Baek Cheon quietly looked at Namgung Dowi.

‘Anhui is too dangerous now.’

Anhui, Zhejiang Province, borders the Yangtze River. Although it does not completely overlap with water fortress’ direct activity area, it is a place where water fortress can lead its fleet and attempt to invade whenever they want.

And….

‘Water fortress must be seething with rage now.’

Of course, water fortress’ morale was thrown to the ground, but it is highly likely that Black Dragon King’s eyes were overturned.

Why not?

Even if all of this was Jang Ilso’s plan, in the end, water fortress was humiliatingly defeated by Heavenly Comrade Alliance, and Black Dragon King himself was defeated by Chung Myung, losing an arm in the process.

Black Dragon King will try to vent his anger anywhere. And the current Namgung Family is the perfect target to vent that anger.

All of this began when Namgung Family attacked water fortress. And Namgung Family’s power is now less than a third of what it once was.

“Water fortress attacked Namgung?”

When Yoo Iseol spoke as if she had also guessed it, Baek Cheon nodded.

“Under normal circumstances, Namgung Family wouldn’t fear an attack from water fortress… but the situation is far from favorable now.”

Losing too much power on Plum Blossom Island was a problem, but a bigger problem was that they had completely lost touch with Ten Great Sects.

In this situation, even if water fortress attacks Namgung Family, will the Ten Great Sects really try to help Namgung Family?

Baek Cheon, who was contemplating, sneered coldly for a moment.

‘No, who knows. Even if they hadn’t severed ties, whether they would have helped Namgung…’

Having seen what he had, Baek Cheon could no longer trust the Ten Great Sects.

“The fact that water fortress was defeated is not a big problem in itself. The problem is that Black Dragon King probably lost a lot of his control over water fortress due to this incident. When an internal crisis arises, isn’t it the basis of a strategy to attack the external enemy and control the internal one?”

“Yes, Sasuk.”

Yoon Jong nodded as if he understood.

“From water fortress’, Namgung Family is the most easy prey right now.”

“Right.”

At that time, Jo-Gol opened his mouth.

“And I’m sure it’s not just that.”

“Yes?”

Baek Cheon turns his head towards Jo-Gol. Jo-Gol looked up at Namgung Dowi with slightly bitter eyes, as if he knew something.

“In essence, sects are a place that stands on strength. No matter how clean and upright they try to be, problems of one kind or another are bound to arise.”

“…It means that resentment from the past may rear its head again.”

“That’s right. In the first place, Kangho is not a place that just leaves the powerless alone.”

Tang Soso also nodded with a bitter face.

“What Sahyung said is right, Sasuk.”

“Mhm.”

Baek Cheon sighed softly.

‘Right. There is probably no sect that understands that fact more keenly than Mount Hua.’

Just thinking about what happened after Mount Hua lost its power by the attack from Magyo, one can see. Was it because those people had a grudge against Mount Hua that they tried to rob everything Mount Hua had left?

‘No. That’s probably not it.’

Kangho is a place where the moment a person with power loses their power, people who used to face them with a smile turn into robbers. If things continue like this, even if water fortress makes no move, Namgung Family will experience something similar to Mount Hua of the past.

“Since they can no longer be with Ten Great Sects, there is no sect that can help Namgung Family. The distance between the remaining Five Great Family is too far… As you know, just because Five Great Family are part of each other doesn’t mean they all get along well.”

“That’s true.”

“So… Right now, Namgung Sohyeop needs a roof. Not for himself, but a roof under which the surviving members of Namgung Family can rest.”

“Um.”

Yoon Jong nodded loudly as if he understood.

“But, Sasuk.”

“What? Do you have any more questions?”

“…That’s not what I was curious about.”

“Then what?”

Yoon Jong said, looking at Namgung Dowi with a worried face.

“If he wants to join Heavenly Comrade Alliance, he could just talk to Sect Leader or Tang Gaju, so why bother doing that to Chung Myung? He must’ve already seen that he doesn’t even budge even when it comes to Sect Leader’s words.

“…..”

Namgung Dowi clung to Chung Myung tirelessly and was kicked and pushed away. Baek Cheon looked at the scene with a complex expression and said.

“… His injuries are severe. He might have poor judgment because of it.”

“….”

It was something they could not understand at all.

* * *

Quite a number of people gathered around and sat down in the great gall, where in the past many bandits wielded their brushes frantically for accounting works.

Namgung Dowi, who was able to be here thanks to Hyun Jong’s consideration, swallowed dry saliva as he looked at the faces of those gathered.

The weight is extraordinary.

If he had been Namgung Dowi in the past, he might not have felt so much pressure here. But now, he had to desperately suppress the urge to shrink away.

Is it because Namgung Family feels shabby after losing Namgung Hwang and standing at a crossroads?

No, that wasn’t it.

‘This is probably because their status is on a different level than it was back then.’

Call him snob if you must. It’s the truth.

Those who haven’t experienced it might not understand. But at least, anyone sitting here in a position similar to Namgung Dowi’s would surely feel the same way.

Namgung Dowi glanced at Hyun Jong.

‘It’s the same with that person.’

The first time he saw him, he was merely Sect Leader of a nameless sect. Although he was placed at the seat of honor where the heads of the sects participating in Murim Competition gathered together, to put it bluntly, it would not have been surprising if Hyun Jong was kicked out of that table at any time.

However, when they met again at the Yangtze River, he became Sect Leader of Great Mount Hua Sect, who defeated even Wudang and became the core sect of Kangho, and now, as Maengju of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, he has become the one who confidently stands up to Shaolin’s Bop Jeong and Jang Ilso of Evil Tyrant Alliance.

What’s strange about being nervous in front of someone like that? On the contrary, it would be insane not to.

‘It’s not just Sect Leader Hyun Jong.’

The same was true for Tang Gaju Tang Gun-ak, who sat next to Hyun Jong.

Of course, Tang Gun-ak had always held a high status.

But can you really compare Tang Gun-ak of a few years ago with Tang Gun-ak of today, which is Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s second-in-command?

That can never happen.

Namgung Dowi knew the power of Five Great Family best. The names of Five Great Family are listed side by side, but in the end, no matter how hard they tried, they could never be compared to Ten Great Sects. That means that even Namgung Hwang could not dare to be on par with Shaoli’s Bop Jeong.

But Heavenly Comrade Alliance is different. Haven’t they already proven that they can occupy an equal position with Ten Great Sects?

The disciples of Mount Hua and the disciples of Tang Family who guard the left and right sides are also very formidable.

‘The problem is that this isn’t everything.’

Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s potential still remains. They can call upon Namman Yasugung Clan and the Northern Sea Ice Clan anytime.

This makes him realize once again how great Heavenly Comrade Alliance is.

And most crucially!

Namgung Dowi’s eyes landed on Chung Myung, who was showing signs of annoyance all over his face.

‘The young swordsman who defeated Black Dragon King.’

He doesn’t know for sure, but the moment this fact spreads throughout Kangho, there will be a big uproar. No, perhaps it’s already been turned upside down because of all the turmoil

Even today, Chung Myung is famous. Although there has been more than one person who has been called the greatest rising star in the world, there is one reason why only Chung Myung has become particularly famous.

‘Because that person is not just a potential talent.’

In other words, it means that Chung Myung was the person who would later ascend to the position of the greatest person in the world.

Currently, there is no “greatest martial artist” in Kangho. No, not only now, but most of the time, the greatest in Kangho did not exist.

In the end, who is stronger can only be determined through confrontation. However, the top leaders of a sect cannot easily compete with anyone because there is so much at stake in their name.

This is because there is so much to lose if they were to be defeated.

Therefore, although there are individuals who could be called the greatest in the world, a firm and unassailable title of the greatest in the world is difficult to exist. That’s why terms like the “Three Great Swordsmen of the World” and the “Five Great Sword Master of the World” come into being.

But not with Chung Myung.

Chung Myung made it known at Murim Competition that he would one day ascend to the position of the greatest in the world, and his subsequent actions made Namgung Dowi admit that that day is not far off.

‘And now, even Black Dragon King.’

Everyone will now realize it. That Heavenly Comrade Alliance will soon have the undisputed greatest person in the world.

There is no one in Kangho who cannot understand what that means.

‘It could really change the order of Kangho’

All because of Chung Myung!

Namgung Dowi clenched his fists. He is a very difficult person to follow, but Namgung Dowi cannot help but follow the man. Because the path that person walks is the path to the top.

‘So, we must be part of Heavenly Comrade Alliance….’

It was just as Namgung Dowi was about to make up his mind again.

“Huhuhu. It’s good to see everyone gathered again. Well, it’s all thanks to me for preparing the ship on time, but I won’t accept thanks for that. Helping each other out within Heavenly Comrade Alliance is only natural… Keuk!”

Chung Myung’s fist suddenly landed on the jaw of Im Sobyeong, who was joking around.

“This bastard could just get away with it, but he’s scratching it again? Hey, you bastard! If you had come just a moment earlier, we could have taken Jang Ilso’s head! I told you to hurry up and fetch the ship, but you couldn’t do that one thing properly and were late?”

As Chung Myung thought about it, he became so angry that he climbed onto Im Sobyeong’s stomach and punched. Im Sobyeong protested while desperately blocking the punches coming at his face.

“N- No! Why is it my fault? I did my best…!”

Oh, you’re also a rat from Evil Sects, huh? Can’t stand to see the leader of Evil Sects lose his head? Enough with the excuses and die, you rat! Die!”

“No, I’m enemies with that bastard! Argh! This is crazy!”

Cold sweat trickled down Namgung Dowi’s forehead.

‘What is this…?’

How could such a thing happen in a gathering of such significant figures?

“Keuhum.”

At that moment, Hyun Jong cleared his throat softly.

Namgung Dowi looked back at Hyun Jong with a questioning look. Surely, that behavior deserved punishment…

“Let’s start the meeting.”

“Yes.”

“Die! Die, you rat bastard!”

“First of all, on to the first issue….”

Chung Myung continued to beat up Im Sobyeong and the others start the discussion as if it was nothing.

Namgung Dowi, who was looking at the amazing scene in bewilderment, looked up at the ceiling.

‘Should I just ask them to join Five Great Family again?’

Certainly… It didn’t seem like it would be easy to adapt.

Ha… Haha…