Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1036

The small boat with Jang Il-So moved slowly away from the riverbank. The river flowed around them.

Jang Il-So was sitting on the edge of the boat, looking at the river. He heard Ho Gamyung’s voice.

“Strategist.”

“Yes?”

Jang Il-So turned to Ho Gamyung, who was rowing. Ho Gamyung spoke calmly.

“Can I ask you something?”

Jang Il-So nodded without energy.

“You know you can always ask me anything. Why are you so formal?”

Ho Gamyung hesitated slightly, then spoke.

“I know you need someone good at Taoist martial arts to fight the evil group, Strategist.”

“Yes. So?”

“But I don’t understand why you chose the Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

“Hmph.”

Jang Il-So smiled, amused, instead of answering. But Ho Gamyung knew it wasn’t a good enough answer.

“If you wanted to, Strategist, you could ask for help from Wudang, or even Shaolin.”

“Yes… maybe I could.”

This wasn’t just about connections. The evil group was a serious problem for everyone in the Jianghu.

But Jang Il-So had a powerful advantage. Because he had that power, he could probably even get Shaolin to help if he wanted to.

“If you needed a sharp weapon, wouldn’t it be better to work with them? It’s true the Mount Hua Sword Saint cut off the Black Dragon King’s arm, but is he really the sharpest weapon among all the good guys…?”

“Tsk.”

Jang Il-So clicked his tongue, showing he was annoyed. Ho Gamyung quickly lowered his head, looking sorry.

“Gamyung.”

“Yes, Strategist.”

“You often don’t understand what’s important.”

Ho Gamyung looked at Jang Il-So with questioning eyes before speaking his thoughts.

“I think there are sharper weapons among the good guys. And some weapons are easier to control. No matter how sharp the Mount Hua Sword Saint is, a weapon that hurts the user can never be the best weapon.”

Jang Il-So chuckled and nodded.

“That’s right. You’re right.”

“But why…”

“Of course, as you say, there are easier weapons to handle among the good guys. And there will also be stronger and safer weapons.”

“Yes.”

“But Gamyung, why don’t you understand? If someone is not dangerous to *me*, it means they are not really dangerous.”

“…”

“If the enemies were easy to beat, I wouldn’t need to cross this river, would I? What I want isn’t a safe and strong blade. It’s a demon sword that can perfectly cut off the enemy’s head, even if it means cutting off my own arm.”

Jang Il-So’s smiling eyes shone brightly.

“That’s why it must be the Mount Hua Sword Saint. Do you understand?”

Ho Gamyung nodded slowly, without speaking.

But his face showed he didn’t understand. He still thought the same thing.

‘…The Mount Hua Sword Saint is too dangerous.’

Ho Gamyung had fought in many battles with Jang Il-So and survived many crises. Maybe no one in the evil group had fought in more battles than him, except for Jang Il-So.

His senses were telling him.

That the Mount Hua Sword Saint brat was more dangerous than any enemy they had faced so far. Several times more dangerous.

‘Even without using my senses, I know it.’

People say no group has become powerful so quickly as the Myriad Man House. That might be true. But Mount Hua is even faster.

The Myriad Man House was also a group they built themselves, starting in a small gang in Guangxi and becoming the leader of the four evil groups. But Mount Hua was an unbelievable group that rose from a weak, unimportant group that everyone thought would fail, to the head of the Heavenly Union.

If you asked which was harder to achieve… Ho Gamyung bit his lip slightly.

‘How many years has it been?’

In less than ten years, Mount Hua, which was just a small group in Shaanxi, had become so powerful.

Because of the Mount Hua Sword Saint.

That’s why he was dangerous. More dangerous than anyone else in the world.

‘Of course.’

Jang Il-So must have thought of all this as well. Even knowing all that, Jang Il-So was trying to use the Mount Hua Sword Saint like an arrow to defeat their leader.

But Ho Gamyung didn’t agree with that.

‘Because their goals are different.’

For Jang Il-So, everything was just a way to control the world. He would sacrifice the Myriad Man House, the Four Evil Sects, the Mount Hua Sword Saint, Ho Gamyung, even himself.

Because for him, his goal was more important than anything.

But not Ho Gamyung.

For Ho Gamyung, the most important thing wasn’t controlling the world, but Jang Il-So’s safety.

He would do anything to keep Jang Il-So safe. Wasn’t that why he had tried to kill the Mount Hua Sword Saint before? The Mount Hua Sword Saint had gone to Gangnam when he wasn’t supposed to. Ho Gamyung thought he could become dangerous to Jang Il-So one day.

“And…”

As if reading Ho Gamyung’s thoughts, Jang Il-So smiled slightly.

“It’s not just that.”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s not just that.”

Jang Il-So slowly raised his hand and touched his lips roughly. His blood-red lips moved under his fingers. Jang Il-So’s eyes were so deep and mysterious, no one could understand them.

Ho Gamyung sighed without realizing it. Was there anyone in the world who could guess what was in Jang Il-So’s heart?

The leader he had chosen was too talented. That’s why he sometimes made things hard for his followers.

Ho Gamyung’s expression slowly hardened.

‘It’s dangerous.’

Certainly, a demon sword might be needed to deal with the Demonic Sect, as Jang Il-So said. But what about after defeating the Demonic Sect?

When there are no enemies, a demon sword is useless. It becomes something bad that you have to throw away.

The more confident you are, the more likely you are to get hurt by a demon sword. Because you are confident you can control this demon sword.

So Ho Gamyung thought, his eyes becoming cold as he rowed.

Hyun Jong watched Jang Il-So’s boat move away for a long time, then sighed deeply. ‘He is so powerful.’

Every time he faced Jang Il-So, he felt as if a huge mountain was pressing down on all sides.

But still, he could stand calmly in front of Jang Il-So for a simple reason. He had another powerful mountain behind him. Hyun Jong turned to look at Chung Myung.

He thought of many things to say for a moment, but then shook his head. He wanted to say so much, but couldn’t find the words. Only one thing was important now.

“Are you really going?”

Chung Myung smiled slightly at those words. The sadness he felt before was gone, like it was washed away. His eyes were as clear as crystal, and his face was full of mischief. He was back to being the usual Chung Myung.

“Well, it’s only polite to go when he’s begging me so much, right?”

Hyun Jong stared at Chung Myung’s grinning face for a long time, then sighed deeply. He knew he shouldn’t feel this way, but whenever he saw Chung Myung’s confident face, his worry went away. Even though he knew what was hidden behind that smile.

“Then Mount Hua as well…”

“No, Sect Leader.”

Chung Myung cut him off abruptly, and Hyun Jong frowned.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”

“So…”

“Not Mount Hua, but we are in danger.”

“Hmm?”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“Jang Il-So is like a viper, he’ll try to stab us at any opportunity.”

“…That’s true.”

“So it’s dangerous for all of Mount Hua to go into that bad guy’s territory. We need to be able to help quickly if something bad happens.”

Hyun Jong closed his mouth.

Rather than entering Gangnam together, it would be better to have Mount Hua watching from across the river, keeping a close eye on things to disrupt Jang Il-So’s plans. That made sense.

But… Chung Myung hadn’t said everything.

“Answer me one thing.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“You’re not taking the other Mount Hua students with you… is it because you’re worried about them? Or is it because it will be easier for you to escape if something happens?”

“The latter.”

A strange fire flashed in Chung Myung’s eyes.

“This time…”

His lips twisted into a smile.

“I really want to cause some trouble.”

Seeing Hyun Jong looking as if he was wondering what to say, Chung Myung shrugged.

“You don’t have to worry, Sect Leader.”

Chung Myung glanced back at those standing behind him.

“Honestly, they’re not that reliable, but anyway, I’m not going alone.”

Hyun Jong reluctantly nodded slowly.

“I…”

And he quietly looked at Chung Myung and those standing behind him before speaking with a sigh.

“I still don’t know. What is right and what is wrong.”

“…”

“But I know one thing.”

A smile formed on Hyun Jong’s lips for the first time.

“When I can’t choose, what I have to do is… just believe.”

“Sect Leader.”

“Remember this, Chung Myung.”

Chung Myung looked silently at Hyun Jong. The worry was gone from Hyun Jong’s face now. Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with serious, deep eyes.

“If something happens to you in Gangnam.”

“…”

“Mount Hua will make the Four Evil Sects, the Myriad Man House, and Jang Il-So pay for what they did. Even if you don’t want us to, even if it hurts Mount Hua more than ever, even if it’s a stupid thing to do.”

Hyun Jong’s voice no longer wavered or trembled weakly.

“I will not hesitate.”

He looked at each and every one of those in front of him. The unprecedented sharpness in his gaze proved that it was not just empty words.

“So…”

His voice was full of belief, worry, concern, and trust.

“You must come back alive.”

Chung Myung straightened his body. At the same time, the other disciples of Mount Hua also straightened their postures.

“Yes! Sect Leader!”

The Mount Hua disciples in this place all clasped their hands towards their Sect Leader, Hyun Jong.

Things he hadn’t finished and people he cared about, and his new determination. Chung Myung’s gaze, full of all those feelings, turned towards Gangnam.