Return of the Mount Hua Sect
chapter-795

“Sahyung.”

“Uh?”

While running towards the Black Dragon pirates, Jo Gul spoke slowly.

“That… Do you know the name of the Wudang sect leader?”

“Venerable Heo Do?”

“Yes, him.”

“What about him?”

“Don’t you think he’s a bit different from what we imagined?”

“Uh?”

As Yoon Jong looked at him with a confused expression, Jo Gul expressed his concern.

“I thought he would be a very sharp swordsman because he’s the sect leader of Wudang. But when I saw him, he seemed like a kind person.”

Of course, this wasn’t the first time they had seen the sect leader of Wudang.

In the past, they had seen Venerable Heo Do sitting on the platform at the tournament, but that was from afar.

This was the first time they had confirmed what kind of person Venerable Heo Do was.

“He’s a good person…”

Yoon Jong repeated those words for a moment and then looked at Jo Gul with pitying eyes.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Gul.”

“Uh?”

“It’s a good thing you came to Mount Hua.”

“Hehe. What are you saying? You’re embarrassing me.”

“If you had followed in the footsteps of your father and become a merchant, you would have raised the entire family.”

“…”

Yoon Jong clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Tang Soso, who was listening, supported his words.

“Right, Jo Gul sahyung. The sect leaders of the great sects shouldn’t be judged by what they show. We don’t know what’s inside.”

Jo Gul tilted his head as if he didn’t understand at all.

“Are you saying the Tang family lord is like that, too?”

“It’s because my father is unusually friendly to Mount Hua, but that’s not the case when dealing with other sects. People who have risen to such a level are those who hide their true feelings as if it were second nature.”

“Umm.”

“True.”

Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.

“We ended up exchanging pleasantries, but there’s no way the purpose of coming all this way and talking was just about greetings. They probably figured out a lot of things we cannot assume.”

“… for that short period?”

“So, he must be the Wudang sect leader.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes shone.

“If there is something to learn, learn it; if there is something to imitate, imitate it. But no matter the situation, never neglect to be alert.”

“Yes, sasuk!”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Meanwhile, Chung Myung, who was watching this from behind, chuckled.

‘They’ve grown well.’

In the past, people who would have made a big fuss just because they met the Wudang sect leader are now wary and worried in their own way.

“First, focus on the task at hand. Our opponent now is the Black Dragon Pirates, not Wudang.”

“Yes, sasuk!”

The sight of him running ahead, full of motivation, was truly heroic. Chung Myung grinned.

“You are very handsome.”

Well, whatever. No matter how young you were, you had to do this much.

Tat.

Venerable Heo Do, who was in the lead, quickly ran ahead.

The gentle expression on his face that he had previously shown in front of Hyun Jong and the disciples of the Mount Hua sect had long since disappeared. All that remained was cold, hard determination.

“How was it?”

Heo Sanja approached cautiously and asked.

Then Venerable Heo Do opened his mouth without any change in his expression.

“You mean Mount Hua?”

“Yes.”

He had heard many things about Mount Hua.

But that was mostly just an evaluation of Mount Hua’s actions. What Heo Sanja wanted to hear was Venerable Heo Do’s evaluation of Mount Hua as he had seen it with his own eyes.

“It is clear that we must be vigilant. But…”

Venerable Heo Do trailed off slightly. He closed his mouth as if he was a little worried, but only after a while did he slowly open it again.

“Mount Hua is definitely a great sect. When I saw them in person, I could feel their greatness.”

It was something close to a compliment. Heo Sanja pondered for a moment, wondering if such a favorable review had ever come from Venerable Heo Do’s mouth.

“But that makes it more painful—the time they lost.”

“…”

“I was fortunate to see Mount Hua with my own eyes.”

Venerable Heo Do’s eyes darkened.

The Mount Hua they actually saw was more threatening than he had thought and even more amazing. There was definitely something in Mount Hua that couldn’t be found in Wudang.

But…

‘That clarity is their weakness.’

It was a place that could not yet be called their enemy, but it was fortunate to have had the chance to closely understand a place that could become their enemy. That alone made this expedition worthwhile.

‘Once the distance is widened, it cannot be narrowed so easily.’

Because they had underestimated it for so long, something like this happened. However, if they recognized Mount Hua as Mount Hua and stayed alert, they were confident that they could maintain the gap with them.

This time, it felt like it.

In the past, the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families would have just watched as Mount Hua swept away all the public sentiment in the Yangtze River and took all the profits they could. But this time, as soon as they heard that Mount Hua would appear on the Yangtze River and fight against the pirates, they took notice and flocked.

That was what it meant to be an object of caution.

‘Sect leader, anyone who climbs up must bear that much weight.’

It wasn’t that difficult to turn a hundredth place into a tenth place. But, to become the first place, several times more effort was needed to reach that position.

Mount Hua, which has already earned the wariness of other sects, will no longer be able to make one-sided gains like in the past.

“But…”

“Uh?”

“No, it is nothing.”

Venerable Heo Do’s face hardened strangely. A feeling akin to tension arose.

‘If the world remained as it is now, this distance would not narrow. But…’

What if the world wasn’t as peaceful as it is now? Would Wudang be able to maintain the gap with Mount Hua even then?

Venerable Heo Do’s eyes shone coldly.

‘I will be busy when I return to Wudang.’

To achieve that, the first task was to deal with the Black Dragon Pirates.

Venerable Heo Do channeled Qi into his leg and kicked the ground hard.

“Oh…”

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had been running continuously, finally arrived at the site of the Black Dragon Pirates.

Everyone’s eyes widened at the scene unfolding before them.

“S-sect leader.”

“Hmm.”

How should this scene be described?

Disciplined?

No, no. It wasn’t appropriate to describe the scene with words that had such a positive connotation.

Several groups of warriors were crowded together on the riverside.

First, the most noticeable were the Shaolin monks in yellow robes. Then, there were the disciples of Wudang who had arrived before them.

Next to them were people in sky-blue robes.

“Azure….”

“Blue Sky. This is the Namgung family’s Blue Sky Sword troops.”

“Namgung.”

Even at a glance, the sharp-looking swordsmen were perfectly lined up, gazing across the river. And…

“Then the people wearing those blue clothes must be the Qingcheng sect.”

Shaolin, Wudang, Namgung, and Qingcheng.

The four sects that ruled the world were gathered on the riverside. It was truly a breathtaking sight.

‘Has there ever been a gathering of people like this in one place since the last Demonic Sect war?’

It finally felt real. The fact that times were changing.

Even though the people gathered here weren’t showing hostility to Mount Hua, they would feel a body-crushing pressure. If that was the case for them, too, how overwhelming must it feel for the pirates they had to deal with?

If one was in Kangho, they would hear a lot about it, so the warriors of the sects boldly drew their swords and left their base.

“Sect leader.”

Hyun Jong nodded.

“Right, let’s go.”

The hands hidden inside the long sleeves were shaking, but now was the time to move forward resolutely because he was Mount Hua’s sect leader.

Mount Hua’s disciples began to take the steps they had once halted.

They, too, understood what it meant to join that place, and so their steps were filled with spirit.

Beop Gye, who saw Mount Hua approaching, slowly walked to greet them.

“Amitabha.”

He bowed to the sect leader with a serious look.

“I greet Mount Hua’s sect leader.”

“Elder Beop Gye. I feel glad.”

“You remember me?”

“How could I forget you? I have not forgotten the kindness you showed to Mount Hua.”

Beop Gye nodded.

It wasn’t that he was particularly kind to Mount Hua. Still, personal circumstances weren’t important when meeting on behalf of a sect. What was important was the fact that the sect leader of Mount Hua spoke friendly words to Shaolin.

“Thank you for coming here. Everyone in the world will be amazed by the majesty of Mount Hua.”

Hyun Jong smiled at Beop Gye’s words.

But the moment Chung Myung heard those words, his eyes suddenly turned upside down.

“No, that bald… eupp!”

“Hahahaha. Right. Chung Myung! You say that all sentient beings will be thankful to Mount Hua! Our Chung Myung is so special! So interested in Buddhism! I know everything about sentient beings! Hahahaha!”

Baek Cheon laughed and desperately covered Chung Myung’s mouth. Even Hae Yeon was holding Chung Myung’s neck and squeezing it quietly with a pale face.

“Eup! Eup! T-that bald…!”

“Y-yes. Seeing it before you knew it! That is a duck! Is this your first time seeing a duckling? I find it fascinating, too!”

In that gap, the Five Swords quickly ran over and tightly wrapped Chung Myung’s mouth with a cloth, tying up his entire body.

“Eupp! Eupp!”

Chung Myung quickly turned into a pupa-like being, struggling to move, but no one felt sorry for him.

“Phew. Put it all the way back there. No, no. It would be better to take this chance and bury him.”

“Is it okay?”

“… No, don’t kill.”

Baek Cheon sighed and looked at Chung Myung being dragged away.

It was Mount Hua who began the subjugation, so Mount Hua must be in a position to welcome them. However, Beop Gye cleverly and naturally expressed gratitude to Mount Hua.

It was as if they were the protagonist, and Mount Hua was merely helping Shaolin’s intentions.

‘A person called a monk!’

He couldn’t say that the feelings for the sect were wrong, but wasn’t that too cowardly and petty?

Hae Yeon’s face turned red as if he understood their feelings.

At that time, Beop Gye glanced at Hae Yeon and said to Hyun Jong.

“Sect leader.”

“Yes, elder.”

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you for taking on Shaolin’s disciples and teaching them. However, due to the current situation, I think we will have to take our disciple from here.”

“… Do as you wish.”

After Hyun Jong’s permission was granted, Beop Gye quietly called Hae Yeon.

“Hae Yeon.”

“… Yes.”

“Come here and join Shaolin.”

“…”

Hae Yeon’s face hardened at the unexpected situation.

“Elder. The abbot is….”

“I know that the abbot had allowed you to go out. But now isn’t the time to seek instruction.”

“…”

“Also, the abbot has delegated all the authority to me. I will not say more.”

When this happened, he couldn’t say anything. Hae Yeon’s shoulders slumped.

When he turned around with a sad face, Baek Cheon patted him on the shoulder.

“It is alright, monk.”

“Taoist Baek Cheon. I am…”

“Shouldn’t we follow the orders of our sects?”

“…”

Hae Yeon’s large, gentle eyes trembled, but he soon addressed them in a low voice.

“… see you again.”

“Take care of yourself.”

Hae Yeon politely greeted the disciples of Mount Hua. The Mount Hua disciples then came together and showed respect to Hae Yeon.

Although he wasn’t a disciple of Mount Hua, it was the highest courtesy that could be shown to someone who was no different from a Mount Hua disciple.

“Do not act like you belong there!”

“Come and visit us again, monk!”

“I will hide meat for you!”

“What are you saying! Insane bastard!”

Leaving behind the friendly voices, Hae Yeon sighed softly and walked towards Shaolin.

“This disciple caused trouble.”

“It is nothing. We received great help from monk Hae Yeon. As a member of Mount Hua, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Monk Hae Yeon and Shaolin.”

Hyun Jong looked at Hae Yeon with slightly sad eyes.

Even though he wasn’t a disciple of Mount Hua, it felt like losing a disciple. His heart felt heavy as if he were going through a breakup.

After confirming that Hae Yeon had crossed over, Beop Gye suddenly looked to the side. He said to Hyun Jong,

“Rather than that, I think we should greet each other.”

From the direction Beop Gye was looking, the head of the Namgung family and the Sect Leader of the Qingcheng sect were walking straight to them.