Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1234

“L-Lord Chief!”

“Why the fuss?”

“M-Military Advisor has arrived!”

“What? Already?”

Guo Bu, the leader of the Dongsim Group in the Myriad Manifestations Sect, turned pale.

“S-Shouldn’t he have arrived in two more days?”

“That’s what I understood as well, but…”

Guo Bu’s eyes darted nervously towards the coast. He had not finished getting the ships ready to go to Hainan. *How could this be happening?* he thought, his stomach twisting. But Ho Gamyeong arrived two days early.

“H-How…?” Guo Bu stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

He stared, frozen, at the half-built ships. Raw wood and ropes lay scattered around, far from ready. Then, panic jolted him. “T-This is no time for this!” he shouted, his voice cracking.

“Line up! Everyone, stop what you’re doing and line up! Military Advisor is coming! What are you doing, you fools! Line up now, I said!”

Upon hearing the words ‘Military Advisor,’ those present panicked and rushed towards Guo Bu. The surroundings buzzed with activity as the workers turned to look at Guo Bu with bewildered expressions.

“You, continue working! Don’t stop!”

“Yes.”

The quickly assembled warriors of the Myriad Manifestations Sect lined up with tense faces, their eyes fixed on the forest path leading to them.

Drip.

Large beads of sweat trickled down the faces of several men, and not just from the hot sun.

The Dongsim Group was usually in charge of the Myriad Manifestations Sect’s work. Along with Military Advisor Jeon, who acted as Ho Gamyeong’s right-hand man, it was practically Ho Gamyeong’s direct organization.

It was only natural to be nervous, as their direct superior had suddenly arrived on the scene earlier than expected.

“S-Stand straight!”

“Yes!”

The sound of someone swallowing hard echoed clearly.

A moment later, a group of martial artists appeared through the path in the bushes ahead.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Leading the martial force, Ho Gamyeong walked to the coast at a leisurely pace.

In deathly silence, Ho Gamyeong’s gaze moved from left to right. His face was indescribably cold, but his eyes missed nothing, scrutinizing everything happening on the coast.

“We greet Military Advisor!”

The Dongsim Group members, lined up, knelt and paid their respects in unison.

The Myriad Manifestations Sect. Now a formidable force that dominates not only Guangdong but the entire Jiangnan region.

Within it, only two people could receive such kneeling respect: the Sect Leader, Jang Il-so, and the Military Advisor, Ho Gamyeong.

Just by watching this, anyone could see how powerful Ho Gamyeong was in the Myriad Manifestations Sect.

Guo Bu, prostrate on the ground, cautiously glanced at Ho Gamyeong. However, it was never easy to read his thoughts from his perpetually cold expression.

“Chief.”

Ho Gamyeong’s voice cut through the air, like he could see right through Guo Bu. Guo Bu flinched and quickly lowered his head further. The white sand of the coast stuck to his forehead, soaked with cold sweat.

“Report.”

“Yes, Military Advisor! The work of requisitioning ships to go to Hainan is complete, and we are now building additional ships as you instructed. However… the weather has been unfavorable recently, so the construction of the ships is not yet finished.”

Having said that, Guo Bu kept his head down as much as possible, only raising his eyeballs to glance at Ho Gamyeong’s expression once more. Then, he hurriedly lowered his gaze.

“T-Two days! The construction will be completed in two days!”

Rustle.

At that moment, a small sound reached his ears. Realizing it was the sound of footsteps on the beach sand, Guo Bu curled his back and lowered his head even further.

Rustle.

Ho Gamyeong’s feet stopped right in front of his head.

Guo Bu’s back and face were completely soaked with sweat.

“Did you say two days?”

Guo Bu raised his head, trembling with a pale face. Meeting Ho Gamyeong’s cold gaze felt as if his body was being pierced through.

“You have a way of making excuses sound good.”

“M-Military Advisor…”

“Let me ask again, Chief. What did I instruct?”

“You said… you would lead the troops and come to the Sect in two days, so we should complete all preparations for the expedition to Hainan by then.”

“Yes. I clearly said that.”

As Guo Bu swallowed hard, he heard a chilling voice again in his ear.

“Was that supposed to mean finishing the ship construction to coincide with my arrival?”

“……”

“It’s unbelievable that a leader in the Sect would think it’s okay to just finish work on time, and not be ready early.”

“P-Please kill me, Military Advisor!”

Guo Bu kowtowed, banging his head on the ground.

When people hear the name ‘Myriad Manifestations Sect,’ they usually think of Jang Il-so and his cruelty.

But in reality, the most feared person within the Myriad Manifestations Sect is not Jang Il-so. To ordinary members, Jang Il-so is a distant figure, an object of admiration, not someone they directly interact with.

Moreover, Jang Il-so doesn’t particularly care about minor details. As a result, most of the events occurring within the Sect are not even reported to him. The one who manages the members in his place is Ho Gamyeong.

In other words, it is Ho Gamyeong rather than Jang Il-so who created the unusually thorough system of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, which is unlike other unorthodox sects.

The enemies of the Myriad Manifestations Sect fear Jang Il-so, but the members of the Myriad Manifestations Sect fear Ho Gamyeong. Because the one who punishes them is not the enemy, nor Jang Il-so, but Ho Gamyeong.

“Speak.”

Then Ho Gamyeong’s voice once again pierced Guo Bu’s ears.

“What punishment would be appropriate for a Chief who failed to properly carry out the orders of his superiors?”

Guo Bu bit his lip tightly.

If it were someone else standing before him, he might have tried to make excuses. But Ho Gamyeong, as he knew him, was not someone who would accept excuses. Every order Ho Gamyeong gave was the result of considering the abilities of the person carrying it out, the situation they were in, and even all possible variables. Therefore, no reason could be an excuse.

“According to the Sect rules… someone who fails a small task because they are not good enough will be demoted and…”

“Ability?”

At that moment, Ho Gamyeong’s voice, even more subdued, tightened around Guo Bu’s heart.

“Why is someone lacking ability sitting in the Chief’s seat?”

“M-Military Advisor…”

“And is it really because of a lack of ability that this happened?”

Guo Bu couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“While others are fighting enemies for the Sect far away, you here are relaxing like kings. Something that could have been finished a few days ago is still being held up.”

“……”

“Bring it.”

“Yes!”

Hoga-myung gave an order. Right away, a soldier from behind him took out a scroll from his clothes and gave it to Hoga-myung.

Hoga-myung took the scroll quickly, waving his hand as if it was not important. He opened it. After reading the scroll without a word, he threw it down in front of Kwak-bo. It landed with a loud thump.

“Check it.”

“Th-this is…”

Hoga-myung looked down, not explaining anything. Kwak-bo picked up the scroll and read it, his eyes shaking.

Soon, Kwak-bo’s face turned white as a ghost.

The scroll told everything Kwak-bo had been doing while Jang Il-so and Hoga-myung were away, day by day.

‘H-how could they know…?’

This information wasn’t gathered in a day. It meant that Hoga-myung, even when he rushed to Jang-kang, had a spy watching Kwak-bo.

“Anything to say?”

“M-Military Advisor…”

“Having fun, were we?”

The corner of Hoga-myung’s mouth moved a little. Others might have thought it was a strange look, but it was a smile for him.

“Our soldiers are fighting and getting hurt at the battle. But you, who should be helping here, are just going to fun places and wasting time.”

“P-please, spare me, Military Advisor!”

Kwak-bo hit his head hard on the ground. He knew Hoga-myung wouldn’t listen to excuses. The only way to stay alive was to admit everything and beg for forgiveness.

Hoga-myung looked at Kwak-bo, his face showing no emotion.

“I don’t hate someone like you. I don’t expect much from someone like you. It’s too much to ask.”

“…”

“But I am the Military Advisor of the Myriad Demon Clan. The Clan Lord hates lazy people who get fat by stealing from their friends, as you know.”

“M-Military…”

“Jang-gan.”

“Yes! Military Advisor.”

“Take away this man’s strength, hit him hard, and make him work hard for six months.”

“Yes!”

“And take all his money.”

“Yes!”

Kwak-bo fell to the ground, hitting his head and crying.

“Thank you for your kindness! Military Advisor!”

For just being late with his work, this punishment seemed very harsh.

But Kwak-bo was thankful. He knew this was the best he could hope for from Hoga-myung.

But Hoga-myung’s next words destroyed his relief.

“After he finishes his work, cut the muscles in his useless legs.”

“M-Military Advisor!”

Kwak-bo looked at Hoga-myung in shock, his eyes wide. Hoga-myung spoke coldly.

“He is being lazy because he has too much energy. If he can’t walk easily, he will focus on his job.”

“M-Military Advisor! Military Advisor! I was wrong! P-please! Anything but that…! Military Advisor!”

“Do it.”

“Yes.”

The soldiers behind Hoga-myung grabbed Kwak-bo, who was screaming, and dragged him away.

His desperate cries echoed on the shore, but Hoga-myung didn’t even look.

“Who is in charge here?”

“I-it is I, Military Advisor.”

“Finish building the ships without fail.”

“Yes! B-by the day after tomorrow…”

“You are not listening to me. I said build them *well*. You were probably in a hurry to finish on time and made mistakes. Check them again from the beginning to see if there are any problems, and bring me a proper plan. If there are any problems with the ships, you will wish you could die.”

“I-I will remember that.”

Hoga-myung looked at the workers. You could feel the tension in how hard they were hammering.

“I am going back to the headquarters.”

“Yes!”

As Hoga-myung turned, Jang-gan quickly followed.

“Military Advisor,” Jang-gan said, his voice eager, “if you want to teach everyone a lesson, wouldn’t killing him be quicker?”

“There’s no need.”

Hoga-myung stopped him, not wanting to hear more.

“If a bad person can be useful, there is no need to kill him. Killing him would only make us feel good for a moment. The important thing is to use even a bad person to help the Clan.”

“…Please forgive me for not understanding your wisdom.”

Hoga-myung walked on without answering.

‘I see why the Clan Lord is worried about what happens when we are not here.’

Hoga-myung thought, ‘The Clan Lord is right to worry about what happens when we are not here. People do bad things when they think no one is watching.’

If that Hae-nam caused any trouble, many people would agree with him or try to use the situation to their advantage.

‘So, I must deal with them strongly.’

Hoga-myung turned his head slightly and looked at Hae-nam Island in the distance.

“Hmm?”

“…What is it?”

Hoga-myung, who had been looking at the sea for a while, shook his head slightly.

“It’s nothing. Probably just a fish. I must be getting nervous.”

“Yes, Military Advisor.”

“Tell the workers they can go.”

“…Yes?”

“A typhoon is coming soon.”

Jang-gan looked out at the sea. The waves were high, and dark clouds were spreading across the sky like angry bruises.