Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1763

“Curse this chaos! Can’t a person live in peace?” Old Man Kim, a merchant who sold rice cakes, kicked a pebble on the empty street. His face was tight with worry lines. “How long must we suffer this madness?”

“Shhh, Kim!” His friend, Park, put a hand on Kim’s arm, his eyes darting nervously around. “Be quiet, friend. Have you forgotten the ‘Four Evil Sects’ are close by? Those cruel groups might hear you. They are known for being ruthless.”

“Hear me? So what if they do! Would dying be any worse? Even if they don’t kill us, we’ll starve to death with no business!”

Even the one who had cautioned him sighed at those words.

With no one passing by and stalls sitting empty, it was no wonder they were talking about starving.

It was hard to blame people for staying home. With fearsome evil figures nearby, who would risk going out to buy things?

“I don’t know what the government troops are doing. They’re quick to collect taxes, but…”

“They never care about anything outside Beijing. I heard Beijing is a mess too.”

“Damn it.”

Normally, he wouldn’t bother with the government troops. Farmers knew the government didn’t care about them.

But now, things were so bad he had to ask for help from the useless government.

“Then what about the Cheonwu Alliance? What are they doing?”

“Hey, have you no conscience? How much have those folks fought against the Four Evil Sects?”

“Ugh.”

“They’ve spilled enough blood to dye the whole Jang River. Don’t criticize them for not doing more. Unless you’re a beast!”

The man, who just wanted to complain, twisted his face at being called a beast.

“Damn it, if only I had saved some money…”

Some might ask why they didn’t run away, but leaving the land where they had lived for so long wasn’t easy.

Besides, they barely had enough to eat. If they left, they would starve.

“Enough. Complaining won’t help. It’s lucky it’s only this bad.”

“Lucky? Did you say lucky?”

“Honestly, isn’t it? The evil groups are right here, but no one has died yet. I thought we were doomed when they burned down Mount Wudang.”

The man who had been listening suddenly got angry.

“Huh? So you think they’re kind? Should we thank them for not killing us?”

“No… That’s not what I meant. Why are you so negative?”

“Listen! You’re in trouble! Do you know why they’re called the ‘Unorthodox Faction’? Are they sane? They’re beasts who don’t even respect their parents!”

The old man, his face red, ranted as if he were dying.

“Just because they’re quiet now doesn’t mean it will last. They’ll show their true colors soon! People like you always get surprised!”

“Um…”

“Listen! I’m not finished!”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

“Huh?”

Sensing something wrong, the old man frowned. The other man’s face was pale, and he was staring behind the old man.

Feeling uneasy, the old man turned around slowly.

He saw a group coming down the street.

“Th-that…”

They were fierce and carried weapons openly.

His prediction had come true, but the old man wasn’t happy. He screamed.

“The Unorthodox Faction is attacking, Raaah!!”

“Aaargh!”

Desperate screams came from everywhere.

A sword slammed into a commoner’s back as he tried to run. The Four Evil Sects member’s eyes gleamed. The sword twisted with a sickening crunch.

The commoner gasped, his eyes wide with pain.

The evil member licked his lips, feeling excited.

‘This is it!’

How long had he waited for this?

He had fought many battles, but he wasn’t satisfied with just fighting.

These people enjoyed hurting others. They liked trampling the weak, not defeating the strong.

The Unorthodox Faction was always like this. They had only held back because they feared their leader.

But now, the leader had given permission. There was nothing to fear.

“S-save me…”

Whoosh!

The sword tore through the man’s chest as he tried to escape. He felt flesh tearing and bones breaking.

His heart pounded.

He hacked the man to pieces, thrilled as he watched the light leave the man’s eyes.

“Don’t be fools, set it on fire! Burn it all down!”

A member of the Four Evil Sects smacked his lips.

‘Why bother?’

Burning it would alert everyone. It was annoying.

But it didn’t matter. He just wanted to unleash his desires.

Those setting fires quickly looked around.

Not enough. He wanted more blood, before the others took it all.

Black smoke poured into the sky from villages near Gyunhyeon, blocking the sun.

“That…”

Baek Cheon’s face turned pale.

Black smoke rose from the village. He knew what was happening. It was not a normal fire.

He had seen this before when the evil thugs of the Jang River attacked.

‘An attack.’

But why now?

He hesitated, then bit his lip.

The reason didn’t matter. He wasn’t Baek Cheon, the leader of Mount Hua, who had to predict the enemy.

Innocent people were dying because of the evil thugs. That’s all that mattered.

What should he do?

‘Fight.’

Or protect.

He had to stop them. That’s why he had asked Heo Do-jin for help and come down from Mount Wudang.

But…

He looked at his arm.

‘Can I do it?’

He had learned skills from Heo Do-jin and could use a sword. But could he fight those evil thugs? They were like beasts.

He wouldn’t have been able to fight them alone even when he was strong. Now that he had lost his strength, he wasn’t sure he could win.

His hand trembled.

‘The Alliance?’

He thought about waiting for the Alliance. But he shook his head.

Because of the recent attack, the Cheonwu Alliance would be defending their main camp. Even if they rushed over, it would take over an hour.

An hour was too long.

He gripped his sword.

He might die. No one would know.

He would die and burn with the other bodies. The Alliance and Mount Hua might never know.

He feared a meaningless death more than death itself.

Baek Cheon took a deep breath.

His eyelids lowered and rose. The fear in his eyes was gone.

‘So what?’

He didn’t want to be a hero. He just wanted to do his duty.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

It didn’t matter if no one knew. He only had to face his fear.

Whoosh!

Baek Cheon ran forward.

He wouldn’t call it bravery, maybe just a stubborn refusal to give up. He held his first sword. He wouldn’t change his first intention.

He used a sword to protect people.

These words were not just for the strong.

Running, he dashed into the burning village.

He saw an evil member holding a sword to a woman’s neck. He reacted without thinking.

Awkwardly, but swiftly, he swung his sword. The evil member’s head flew off.

Splat!

Blood spurted. The head fell. Baek Cheon looked at his sword, red with blood.

It was a terrible strike. He might have laughed at it before. But now, he felt different.

‘I can fight.’

Feeling confident, Baek Cheon turned.

The Four Evil Sects members saw him and approached.

Before fear could return, Baek Cheon took a deep breath.

“What? Who are you?”

Maybe because he didn’t look strong, or because the evil group didn’t care about each other.

Even though their comrade had died, the Four Evil Sects members didn’t seem angry.

“I asked who you are.”

Baek Cheon exhaled.

The plum blossom symbol of Mount Hua was gone. He wasn’t even a member of the Cheonwu Alliance.

He didn’t know how to describe himself.

So he said this. A sentence that sounded silly, something from a story.

“I am a passing swordsman.”

The Four Evil Sects members twisted their faces.

Feeling awkward, Baek Cheon added.

“You sons of bitches.”

In the silence, Baek Cheon pointed his sword at the enemies. His posture was different, but his heart was the same.

“I won’t let you hurt these people. Come on. I’ll fight you.”

He no longer trembled.