Return of the Mount Hua Sect
chapter-782

“Mount Hua…”

The face of Venerable Heo Do, Wudang’s sect leader, went cold as if covered in thin ice.

After finishing the report, Heo Sanja gulped from the cold qi emanating from him.

Venerable Heo Do held the table, refusing to let go of his anger.

Even after suffering a crushing defeat in the last spar, he hadn’t changed much from the past. He just shook his head, thinking he needed to make up for what was lacking.

But it seemed he couldn’t maintain his composure over just one word.

“They don’t sit still even for a moment… Mount Hua!”

Venerable Heo Do, who spat out the words, glared at Heo Sanja.

“They subdued the pirates?”

“Yes. Thanks to that, the residents around the Yangtze River praise Mount Hua….”

“They are probably cursing us.”

“… This is also due to Mount Hua. Maybe because we are busy. But the pirates have been running rampant, and that is unusual.”

“I guess the reason is good. What matters is the result. As a result, Mount Hua is being praised again, and we are being criticized, right?”

“… Uh?”

Venerable Heo Do, who was silent for a moment, opened his mouth.

“Prepare the disciples.”

“Uh?”

“I will go personally. I need to subdue at least one pirate. A couple if I can.”

Heo Sanja was shocked and shouted.

“Now, sect leader. Are you saying that you will head to the Yangtze River?”

“Yes.”

“Why… sect leader. Those who are talking now will soon forget this anyway. Is there any need to waste energy on it?”

“People won’t regret it.”

“… Uh?”

“But there is Mount Hua there. Have you forgotten about it? Mount Hua knows how to take the fame which has soared in such a period and use it to their advantage.”

“…”

“If we leave them alone this time, they will do something more ridiculous again and try to get their hands on the Yangtze River.”

“Sigh, do you…”

Bang!

Venerable Heo Do hit the table.

“Isn’t it even more foolish to ignore Mount Hua after being humiliated like this?”

“…”

“If it were the former Mount Hua, I wouldn’t have cared much. But it is no longer the Mount Hua we used to know. It isn’t just that they have gotten stronger. The problem is that Mount Hua created a force called the Heavenly Friend’s Alliance.”

“…”

“There is no fool who would choose Mount Hua over the Nine Sects. But if it is the Heavenly Friends Alliance instead of the Nine Sects, it would be a different story! If you give them an inch at a time like this, the positions will eventually reverse.”

“How can they be compared to the Nine Great Sects?”

“It is still too early. Not yet.”

“…”

“But the first time I heard the name of Mount Hua, I said the same thing.”

Heo Sanja closed his mouth.

“But what about now? Mount Hua, which was once laughable, is now stabbing us with their sharp daggers. Is it important to save face even when things end up like this?”

“…”

“Stop talking nonsense and get ready. I will go to the Yangtze River. One pirate group has been taken, but it isn’t too late now.”

Even Heo Sanja knew that there was nothing wrong with what the sect leader said. To begin with, the sect leader’s thoughts were different in depth. Of course, they would look further and deeper.

But even so, Heo Sanja couldn’t shake off the hesitation.

This was because it wasn’t easy to determine whether Venerable Heo Do’s command came from deep insight or from ill feelings towards Mount Hua.

“Sect leader. I…”

It was then.

“Sect leader!”

A loud voice was heard outside the door.

“We are discussing something important, come later.”

“Sect leader… well, a letter arrived.”

“I will see it later.”

“This is a letter from the Shaolin abbot.”

“…bring it in.”

“Yes.”

When the door opened, the person who came in handed a letter and went out again. After opening the envelope and unfolding the letter, the lips of the sect leader’s mouth twitched strangely a moment later.

Heo Sanja, who was examining him, cautiously asked.

“May I ask about what it is?”

“They are sending disciples from Shaolin to the Yangtze River.”

“… Uh?”

“They say they want to subdue the pirates. He pretends to be all polite, but it seems like he couldn’t hold back this time.”

Heo Sanja’s eyes widened.

‘So, even Shaolin?’

Then, it meant that his sect leader’s thoughts were the same as Shaolin.

This meant 2 things. The judgment of Venerable Heo Do wasn’t wrong. And…

‘Does it mean that Mount Hua has now become a sect capable of influencing both Wudang and Shaolin, who can be the leaders of Nine Great Sects?’

A sense of change is probably a word that should be used in times as such.

“If we keep wasting time, Shaolin will also take the advantage. Get ready. I will personally lead the disciples to the Yangtze River.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

Now that things were like this, Heo Sanja couldn’t stop Venerable Heo Do anymore.

“I will prepare them right away.”

As Heo Sanja quickly went out, Venerable Heo Do, who was left alone in the room, looked at the table with sunken eyes.

‘Mount Hua…’

He would not let them run amok any longer.

No more.

The whole world was realizing the changed status of Mount Hua.

Those who live in the Yangtze River, those who heard the news from afar, and even those who were busy moving around after hearing the news could no longer ignore the movement of Mount Hua.

As their influence grew, even seemingly insignificant movements would have meaning which didn’t exist before.

What Mount Hua was doing on the Yangtze grew even further.

But…

Actually, the disciples of Mount Hua who were involved didn’t even realize the changed status.

No, rather than feeling it…

“Ughh…”

“D-damn it…”

“What are you all doing!!”

Kwak Ho, who was pulling the cart, eventually fell forward. The cart he had put down was literally piled with a mountain of rocks and dirt.

“W-wake up fast! Chung Myung might come!”

“There will be a mess! He will tell us to run a lap around the Yangtze River because we don’t have stamina now!”

“Speaking of him, how do we even cross the Yangtze River?”

“When did his words ever make sense, though?”

Ugh… that was true.

Eventually, Kwak Ho groaned and got up. A long line of people stretching all the way to the river caught his eye.

“… insane bastard.”

The instructions given to them by Chung Myung were very simple.

-You just need to do one simple thing. Can you see the river over there?

-Uh. I cannot see it.

-Fill it up.

-Uh?

-Fill it up.

-Uh?

Fill the river?

Was that something anyone could comprehend?

Of course, there was nothing that a person could not do with effort. The disciples of Mount Hua, who had been taught that they could even move mountains if they tried, were real people who could easily fill a river.

The problem was that the river in front of them was no ordinary river, but the Yangtze River, the widest and longest river in the world. Even though the island they were on was in the middle, its width exceeded common sense.

“This… Why is he doing such an insane thing?”

“… they say that if you fill in a little bit of the land on the other side of the island, the sea route will be shortened, and it will be easier to defend. It is also good to utilize the artillery range. And what did they say? Are you saying that if the river narrows in the middle, the flow gets faster and becomes difficult to attack by driving a ship?”

“Why bother asking that? What kind of insane person can even solve a problem like this?”

“… That guy didn’t think much either.”

“What?”

“Yu Sago said that the river was wide, and Chung Myung said that it would be enough to fill it up.”

“Sago… sagoooo!”

Why…

Why did she have to say that! Why!

When had they ever seen that bastard solve a problem normally?

“But what is sadder is…”

“Uh?”

“… as I continue doing this, it gets filled up.”

“…”

That was sadder.

They climbed all the mountains they could see nearby from the land across the island. As everything, including dirt and rocks, was thrown and poured, the river, which seemed so wide, gradually became narrow.

‘Don’t make this work, you insane bastards….’

Those who did what they were told to do, or those who told them to do it.

If this were the case, wouldn’t it be better for the third-class disciples to make a comfortable living by only receiving construction work ordered by the officials rather than making a living as Taoist monks?

“…if this momentum continues, it will be over within 7 days and nights, right?”

“No. The further they go, the deeper the river gets. It will take ten days.”

“Eh, I don’t know. There is no way Chung Myung could end it like that. At the very least, what else are they going to order if the soil isn’t swept away by the current? I see the moon now.”

The disciples were now starting to get quite good at making estimates.

Because they were called to do so many different things and did physical labor, they could calculate faster than most warriors.

“Five days.”

“What? Seriously, five days doesn’t make sense. How do people do that?”

“It is fine. We can do it.”

“Ehh. That is… Uh?”

The disciples, who were talking loudly and looking at the island, turned their heads back.

The Evil Ghost… no, Chung Myung was standing there.

“Ch-Chung Myung…”

“Just. What? You have time to gather together like this, but you cannot finish the task within five days because you are human, right? Right?”

“….”

“Go and work.”

“… You won’t hit us?”

“Do I look bored enough to hit people?”

For a moment, Kwak Ho almost said “yes,” but he quickly covered his mouth.

“If you don’t finish this within five days, you will receive double punishment.”

“…”

“Keep playing. Play as hard as you can. I will make you realize how precious the river bottom is.”

“Yah, I am going to work right away.”

“Now!”

Kwak Ho and his group, frightened, ran to the riverside, pulling the carts.

“Tsk.”

Two conflicting emotions appeared simultaneously on the faces of the bandits who saw the scene.

One was the subtle joy that came from the fact that the damned humans weren’t being tormented because they were bandits, but just harassed those he caught. The other was the distinct feeling of sadness that came from the same reason.

‘A man without blood or tears.’

‘Oh my!’

‘He cannot be a person…’

At that moment, Chung Myung was about to shake off the hands and move again.

“Mount-Hua’s-Divine-Dragon!”

“Oh! My ears hurt!”

Chung Myung suddenly turned his head at the sound that came from afar. In his eyes, he saw a familiar face running toward him with all his might.

“Eh? Why is that guy coming here again?”

Hong Dae-Kwang ran with all his might and gasped in front of him.

“Oh, euk! I am out of breath!”

“Is it possible for the threat not to sharpen when sharpening the needle?”

“What is this? A beggar who doesn’t even have a thread to sew clothes is saying this?”

“N-Not that… oh my! That isn’t important! Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon! We are in trouble!”

“Why? Making a fuss about that?”

“S-Shaolin and Wudang are coming to the Yangtze River now! They will also subdue the pirates!”

“Oh?”

“And that isn’t all! Anhui’s Namgung is also moving now! And there is news of the Qingcheng sect departing for the Yangtze River from Sichuan!”

“Shaolin, Wudang, Qingcheng… Namgung.”

Chung Myung’s mouth twitched at the corners.

“It looks like their ass is on fire. Well… now we cannot watch it leisurely like before.”

He expected them to move, but the response was faster than Chung Myung had anticipated.

Even looking at the movements of the Namgung family, it seemed that the presence of the Heavenly Friends Alliance was putting more pressure on them than Chung Myung had thought.

“W-what will you do now?”

“About what?”

“I heard that the Nine Sects and the Namgung Family are coming to the Yangtze River.”

“So what?”

“Well, we need to come up with a plan!”

“Why do I have to?”

“Uh?”

Chung Myung snorted as if it were absurd.

“They aren’t coming to fight me, but the pirates, so why do I have to take action? The pirates need to come up with measures.”

“… Uh?”

Was that so?

“I just have to watch the fight happen and eat rice cake. I should just watch the kids fight themselves to the point of bloodshed. Hehehe.”

Chung Myung smiled as if he was in a good mood for the first time in a while and walked away.

“… Why did I come then?”

Hong Dae-Kwang, who had been running with sweat on his feet to deliver this news, could only let his shoulders droop.