Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1612

The meeting room was silent, everyone waiting. Chung Myung leaned forward, his voice sharp and clear. “So, we have no choice but to tear it down.”

He turned to Je Gal-jain, his dark eyes questioning. *Why is this man acting like this again?* Chung Myung seemed to ask without words.

“Why are you angry?” Chung Myung asked, his voice a little louder. “Did I say something wrong?”

Je Gal-jain leaned closer, his voice low and tight with anger. He pushed Chung Myung back with his words.

“I have to know,” Je Gal-jain said, his face pale. “Do you really see things so differently? Do you not understand how serious this is?”

“Huh?”

“I’m asking if you really think it’s not a big deal even if there’s a traitor within the orthodox sects (traditional, good groups of fighters).”

Je Gal-jain scanned not only Chung Myung but also everyone sitting beside him.

“This is unbelievable. Or perhaps… do you think there wasn’t a traitor from the start? Do you not trust what I said?”

“Je, Je Gal Clan Leader.”

Mo Yong-wi Kyung tried to stop him, but Je Gal-jain didn’t back down.

“Which is it?”

Was Je Gal-jain trying to understand, or just find fault?

However, Chung Myung’s reaction was utterly indifferent.

“I’m not really interested in either.”

“What?”

“I said I’m not interested.”

Je Gal-jain stared at Chung Myung, shocked, wondering what nonsense he was hearing.

“Not interested? Is this something you can just say…….”

“Then let me ask you.”

Chung Myung turned his head sharply, scanned everyone sitting there, and asked.

“Anyone here betray?”

Naturally, silence followed. The sect leaders couldn’t even hide their confused expressions at the absurd question.

“Anyone?”

“Ugh, Chung Myung… No, Commander. Ask something reasonable…….”

Hyun Jong tried to fix the situation, but Chung Myung only grinned.

“Hey. It’s good to be sure, right? So, anyone betray?”

Normally, they would have cursed him, but everyone knew this wasn’t the place for that.

Eventually, Tang Gunak was the first to answer with a sigh.

“It’s not the Dang Clan.”

“Not us either.”

“How could that be? Betrayal, you say.”

The heads of the sects all shook their heads with tired faces. Chung Myung, who watched their reactions one by one, then looked at Jong-ri Gok.

“Perhaps?”

Jong-ri Gok’s eyebrows twitched with anger.

“Your joke is too much. The day Jong-nam joins the Demonic Sect (evil group of fighters) will not come even if the Central Plains is destroyed.”

Chung Myung, having gotten denials from everyone, looked at Je Gal-jain.

“Did you hear that? They say there’s no one inside?”

“What naive words! How can you believe those words? Of course…….”

“Oh, oh. You might want to watch your words? The people I just asked are all members of the Cheonwoo Alliance (group of united good sects), you know? Are you saying there’s a traitor inside the Cheonwoo Alliance right now? From the esteemed head of the Five Great Families?”

Je Gal-jain’s face turned pale for a moment. Sure enough, uncomfortable expressions appeared on the faces of those who looked at him.

Even if there was a traitor here, he couldn’t carelessly say such things given his position. Realizing this anew, Je Gal-jain ran out of words.

At that moment, Chung Myung widened his eyes.

“Ah. Come to think of it, it’s not Jong-nam? Then perhaps you suspect Jong-nam…….”

“What are you saying! That’s absolutely not what I meant!”

“Right?”

Chung Myung said with a grin.

“Then there are only two sects left? Not that I’m suspecting, but did the Je Gal Clan or the Mo Yong Clan betray us?”

“What nonsense are you spouting! We…….”

“Right? Then there’s no traitor here. Isn’t that settled then?”

Chung Myung stared intently at Je Gal-jain with a face that seemed to ask, ‘What’s the problem?’ Je Gal-jain was speechless in the face of that gaze. He couldn’t even figure out where to start pointing out the issues.

“Look here, Commander.”

Perhaps that was why his voice had lost its strength compared to earlier.

“It’s not just about whether there’s a traitor inside, is it? Within the orthodox sects…….”

“Wow, this guy really doesn’t understand. I wonder how someone like that became the head of the Je Gal Clan.”

Chung Myung, who muttered as if for them to hear, twisted his face and shouted.

“Hey, you! Is the important thing right now that there’s a traitor? Or is it revealing who that traitor is?”

It was an extremely rude remark, but Je Gal-jain didn’t even have the time to point that out.

“Well…….”

“What’s the difference whether the traitor is from Wudang, Kunlun, or some unknown group? Either way, strong guys are attacking us, right?”

Je Gal-jain’s mouth dropped open.

“If we find out who it is, will the traitors change their minds and come back to our side? If there’s a traitor, we just accept it and make a plan to fight, that’s all.”

Just as Je Gal-jain, his patience gone, was about to retort angrily…

“That’s right.”

“Right?”

Je Gal-jain made a confused sound and turned his head sharply. The one who said those absurd words was even Tang Gunak.

“It’s not a particularly important matter, but I was thinking too hard about it. If there’s no traitor inside, then whoever betrayed us is just another new force for the Demonic Sect, and we can just fight them.”

“That’s right.”

Im So-byung also nodded.

“What their reasons for betraying us are, what their goals are, those are all secondary issues. The Demonic Sect guys have brought in a new force and become stronger. We just need to look at that simple fact.”

“Hmm, indeed.”

“Now that I hear it, that’s true too.”

The atmosphere began to calm down in an instant. Je Gal-jain’s feelings as he watched the process were beyond words.

‘Are they all crazy?’

There’s a traitor. An orthodox sect sticking to the Demonic Sect and attacking the orthodox sects is an unprecedented event in the history of the Jianghu (the martial world). But can they just brush off that huge event like this?

Okay. Let’s agree with that much. A few radical people might put forward such logic. But shouldn’t the middle-ranking figures correct that logic and mediate?

But instead of correcting it, they’re agreeing with it? Does that even make sense?

“What is this…….”

“Sit down.”

Chung Myung pointed towards the seat. But now, there was no way Je Gal-jain would obediently follow those words.

“I’m not yet…….”

“Sit down.”

At that moment, a chilling voice brushed past Je Gal-jain’s ear. A shiver ran down his spine, and he closed his mouth without realizing it.

Chung Myung’s eyes, glaring at Je Gal-jain, were like sharp blades.

“You seem to be mistaken, but we don’t have any reason to listen to you one by one. You’re not a member of the Cheonwoo Alliance or anything. The only reason we’ve let you speak until now is that we’ve been respecting your position and authority as much as possible.”

Je Gal-jain swallowed hard. Chung Myung added coldly.

“Act like a guest. Don’t pretend to be the host. There’s no one here who will be swayed by your petty tricks and give up the initiative. This is the Cheonwoo Alliance.”

At those words, Je Gal-jain looked around without realizing it.

Before he knew it, unfriendly gazes were pouring down on him. Even Jong-ri Gok and Mo Yong-wi Kyung wouldn’t meet his eyes.

‘Why suddenly…….’

It wasn’t like this even at the last meeting, so why has it suddenly turned out like this?

“Sit down.”

Chung Myung said once more, and Je Gal-jain, finally giving up, sat down powerlessly. Chung Myung, who had been glaring at him, was about to open his mouth again when Baek Cheon slowly raised his hand.

Chung Myung asked grumpily.

“What is it?”

“Are you saying that guests shouldn’t speak?”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung nodded as if it was a good point.

“The host must be generous, and the guest must follow the rules. If you have something to say, speak with proper rules. That rule that the Nine Great Sects liked so much.”

Baek Cheon chuckled, as if satisfied.

Then, Im So-byung opened his mouth this time.

“Now that the situation seems to be roughly settled, let’s continue the meeting. First, I’d like to ask the Commander, what are you planning to do now?”

“What else?”

Chung Myung said without care.

“We have to reorganize the board.”

“Reorganize?”

Someone asked back, and Chung Myung glanced at Je Gal-jain, who had lost some of his spirit, and said.

“Well, it’s not completely nonsense.”

Je Gal-jain’s clenched fist trembled slightly. Chung Myung asked.

“Do you know the best way to deal with an attack that could come anytime, anywhere?”

“It’s finding out when and where that attack will come.”

Someone answered confidently and jumped to their feet.

“I know what you mean, Hwasan Divine Dragon! In the end, the answer to all these problems lies with our Beggars’ Sect. To trust us with such an important mission. I will never fail…….”

Thwack!

A shoe flew into Hong Dae-kwang’s face, who was shouting loudly. At the exact moment the shoe was lodged in his face, Hong Dae-kwang’s body fell over.

“That useless beggar! Leaving aside the unidentified guys, what do you have to say for yourself when you couldn’t even find out where the Je Gal or Mo Yong clans are?!”

Poong Young-shin Gae, who calmly supported the falling Hong Dae-kwang, said without concern.

“I can tolerate ‘useless’ and ‘beggar,’ but you’re still the leader of the Beggars’ Sect. Take out ‘bastard.’”

“Useless beggar!”

“That’s right. That’s just right.”

Hyun Jong simply covered his face without a word.

It tastes familiar. That’s why it’s sad. In a situation where the fate of the Jianghu is twisting and about to be overturned, why is it like this again?

Hong Dae-kwang protested strongly.

“Ugh……. That’s not our fault! You were the one who told me to use all the beggars to track down the traces of the Demonic Sect in the first place!”

“Excuses are not needed! If you only do what you’re told, when will you ever do a good job?”

“Why would someone who does things on their own live as a beggar!”

“Ah. Now that I hear it.”

“Don’t agree!”

Chung Myung nodded as if that was indeed the case, but that face became a wound to Hong Dae-kwang.

“Okay, okay. Let’s stop there. So? What’s the best way to deal with an attack?”

Im So-byung asked, settling things easily. Chung Myung shrugged.

“Let’s think about the same situation.”

“Huh?”

“Unidentified guys appeared in front of Je Gal and Mo Yong. In the end, this situation happened because they couldn’t be sure they could win against them.”

“That’s right.”

Je Gal-jain and Mo Yong-wi Kyung flinched slightly, but after listening a bit more, it didn’t seem like he was criticizing them anyway.

“Then, changing the situation a bit, what if Jong-nam had been there with them?”

“That’s a thought that doesn’t need any thinking. No matter who the ones blocking us are, they can’t block Jong-nam. I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

Jin Geum-ryong answered instead of Jong-ri Gok. Chung Myung grinned.

“I agree too. It would have been different if Jong-nam had been there.”

Jin Geum-ryong’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. There’s no way that guy would nod so readily.

“But that’s not just because Jong-nam is there. The moment there are three sects, they alone can no longer create changes.”

Tang Gunak’s expression hardened slightly.

“Commander, are you now?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Chung Myung nodded.

“The Cheonwoo Alliance is a group. With many leaders.”

“Until now, we’ve used several tricks to fix that. But in the end, they were all just short-term fixes. We can’t do that anymore.”

“The reason?”

“It’s simple. Because it’s already been proven. That damn Jang Il-so is unmatched in understanding and using people’s ambition and desire.”

Even Chung Myung couldn’t fully guess Beop Jeong’s actions. But Jang Il-so perfectly read those movements of Beop Jeong.

It’s not because Jang Il-so is a much better person than Chung Myung. It’s because he read the hopes that anyone who puts themselves and their sect first would have, and cleverly shook those desires.

“It can’t go on like this.”

It may seem perfect now. But in the end, Jang Il-so will find it. The small gap between them. He will tear and widen that gap and make them bleed.

Chung Myung’s eyes shone coldly.

“So, we have no choice but to tear it down. The limits we have.”

Serious and cold words fell upon everyone.