Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1095

청명 sighed, looking at the bottle in his hand. “Good words, they say. ‘Going together.’ Easy to say, hard to do.”

청명, sprawled out on the wooden platform, clutching a liquor bottle, muttered listlessly.

“Going together, walking in step together. Of course, they are good words. But….”

The liquor gurgled from the bottle, disappearing down his throat.

“Kahaaa!”

청명 gasped, a satisfied sound. He lowered the bottle, the glass cool in his hand, and turned it slowly, watching the last drops swirl.

“Is it because the water here is so good? The liquor goes down so easily.”

청명, his face momentarily blissful as he smacked his lips, soon returned to his listless expression and said,

“No, but think about it. No matter how much you try to walk in step, can a person really keep pace with a slug? No, they can’t, can they?”

“⋯⋯.”

“So, you have to do the bare minimum. The bare minimum. Huh? You have to at least treat them like people before you can talk about walking in step or holding hands. If they don’t even resemble human beings, how am I supposed to drag them along?”

청명 turned his head slightly and asked,

“Isn’t that right?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Isn’t it?”

“Kkeueueueueu⋯⋯.”

Instead of an answer, all that came back was a dying groan.

Baek Cheon was a mess of dirt, face pressed into the wooden planks. He lifted his head just enough to glare at 청명. His eyes burned with resentment, like hot coals.

But 청명 didn’t even glance at him, just continued to drink his liquor with gusto.

“Kkeueueueu!”

청명 pulled the bottle from his mouth, let out a long sigh, and clicked his tongue.

“So, you have to at least make them into human beings. Only then can you try to do something.”

“⋯⋯Son of a bitch.”

“The ghosts… what on earth are the ghosts doing… not taking that bastard away.”

“⋯⋯No, I wish they would just take me instead. This place is hell… anywhere without that bastard is paradise.”

The Five Swords lay there, even more beaten up than after the fight in Hangzhou. They muttered curses filled with anger.

Behind them, Im So-byeong was in even worse shape. He opened his mouth, his voice weak and dying.

“No… I, I… No, I… why….”

The Five Swords turned to look at Im So-byeong with indifferent eyes.

“Didn’t you hear?”

“Hear what….”

Yoo Iseol said with a sulky face,

“Because we’re friends. Equal treatment. Equal training.”

“⋯⋯.”

“So, the Green Forest bandits roll around too. Just like 화산.”

“⋯⋯I, I’m a patient….”

“Patients roll around together too.”

“Is, is that even reasonable?”

It wasn’t the Green Forest bandits who protested in a dying voice, but the Tang family members who were rolling around with them.

Their eyes, twisting with resentment, were clouded with bitterness.

화산 Sword Saint, 화산 Sword Saint, they had only heard the name. No, they had seen him, but they thought that man’s madness had nothing to do with the Tang family.

What kind of law was it that had him barging in from dawn and shouting, ‘From today, I’ll be in charge of your training too. If you have a problem, go complain to the Tang family head’?

And what on earth was Tang Gun-ak doing that he hadn’t shown his face since morning, when he should have been stopping this?

Rebellion?

Of course, they had tried. Although it was closer to a timid resistance than a full-blown rebellion.

But after Tang Zhan, who had tried to reason with 청명 nicely, was kicked and thrown into the cold Jang River, words like rebellion and resistance became completely unrelated to them.

“Um….”

At that moment, Namgung Dowi, who had been sprawled out, cautiously raised his hand.

“What?”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Go ahead.”

Namgung Dowi glanced around cautiously before opening his mouth.

“Um… earlier, when you gathered us together… you said we were going together now, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But what does that have to do with this training…? Ah, of course, the Namgung family has been doing this all along, so we don’t have any particular complaints, but the Tang family and the Green Forest bandits seem to have different circumstances.”

“Ah, this?”

청명 made an “eum” sound, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

“If you want an explanation, I should give you one.”

At those words, the Five Swords widened their eyes.

“An explanation… he’s giving one?”

“That bastard?”

“Has the sun risen in the west?”

It was a perfectly reasonable reaction. 청명 was the kind of person who only explained when he felt like it, and simply ignored you when he was annoyed.

If one were to find 청명’s correct reaction here, it would be, ‘Just do as you’re told, you little punk who hasn’t even lost the baby fat on your head, why are you rolling your eyes and nitpicking?’… But that kind of guy is so readily giving an explanation?

In that moment of collective confusion, Tang Soso quietly muttered,

“We paid a lot of money.”

“Ah….”

The Five Swords, understanding everything with that one word, nodded their heads.

Right. They had paid a lot. Guilty if you have no money, innocent if you have money. Oh, this filthy world….

Regardless, 청명 shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking.

“I’ve realized something.”

“…? Realized what?”

청명 slammed the liquor bottle violently onto the wooden platform. A fierce light ignited in his eyes.

“Those Demonic Sect bastards are waiting with bloodshot eyes for that 천마 brat to return! That sly Jang Il-so is licking his lips, trying to do something with Gangbuk!”

“⋯⋯.”

“I’ve been too focused on 화산, that’s what I’m saying.”

청명 rolled his eyes and looked over those who were groaning in front of him.

“When there are so many ingredients(?) here.”

At first glance, it seemed like a will-o’-the-wisp was burning in 청명’s eyes. No, maybe it actually was.

청명’s voice dropped, suddenly serious. “What does it *mean* to go together?”

Namgung Dowi hesitated, then offered cautiously, “To be of one mind… and one heart?”

“That pampered fool!”

청명 roared, cutting him off. “Just because he’s from a rich family, he’s spouting flowery nonsense!”

*Clang!*

His palm slammed onto the wooden platform, making everyone jump. He glared, eyes blazing.

“Going together means sharing the blame! Joint responsibility! That’s what it really means!”

“⋯⋯.”

“In the past, only 화산 took the blame. But when you think about it, there was no reason for that! No, is it 화산’s fault that they can’t stop the Demonic Sect bastards? You guys have a responsibility too.”

“Ah, no….”

That was true, but… that….

청명, who had been ranting, suddenly smiled slyly.

“We have to go together. Yes, we definitely have to go together. But why should only the 화산 bastards suffer? Everyone should see hell equally, and everyone should meet their deceased grandfathers briefly, sharing the burden equally.”

“Ah, no. That’s…!”

“My grandfather is still alive….”

It was then that the Green Forest bandits and the Tang family members tried to protest.

Clap clap clap clap.

A thunderous applause came from beside them.

The 화산 bastards, who had been half-dead, had somehow regained their energy and were now standing up, sending 청명 a thunderous round of applause.

Then, wiping away tears that hadn’t even come out, they sent him endless praise in tearful voices.

“That was a moving speech.”

“I’m not usually one to cry, but I’m tearing up.”

“I’m in favor!”

Those sons of bitches….

The Green Forest bandits and the Tang family members glared madly at the 화산 bastards, but Namgung Dowi’s gaze, who had asked the question, was fixed on 청명.

“That… that means, in other words….”

“Yes.”

청명 nodded his head.

“Even if people want to run together, they have to at least be able to keep up. Frankly, when that bishop bastard appeared in Gangnam this time, how many of you could actually fight there?”

청명’s eyes landed on the Tang family.

“At best, one person from the Tang family.”

The Tang family members lowered their heads.

The Sichuan Tang family would never be disparaged for their skills anywhere else, but this Gangnam situation was a bit different. Considering what happened there, it could be said that there was no one among the Tang family who could have been active in Hangzhou other than Tang Gun-ak.

This time, 청명’s gaze landed on Im So-byeong.

“One person from the Green Forest.”

Unlike the Tang family, Im So-byeong raised his chin proudly.

“What else do you expect from mountain bandits? What more do you want?”

청명, looking at Im So-byeong with a very reluctant face, turned his head sharply towards Namgung Dowi.

“One person from Namgung.”

“⋯⋯.”

“And even that’s a half-baked one.”

Namgung Dowi lowered his head.

Before experiencing the Plum Blossom Island, if it were the Namgung family with Namgung Hwang and the elders still alive, it would be a different story, but the current Namgung family couldn’t deny those words.

It was something to be upset about, but Namgung Dowi knew that the unfairness wouldn’t make up for his lack of skill.

“But, what? Cheonwu Alliance? Cheonwu Alliaaance? Frieends?”

청명 rolled his eyes.

“Friends, nonsense! If the Demonic Sect bastards invade in the middle of all this, I bet they’ll say, ‘We’ll send you enthusiastic support from above, so 화산, please go and take care of it,’ clapping their hands behind our backs. You bastards!”

“⋯⋯.”

“Do you think I’ll stand for that?”

청명’s madness reached its peak and swirled around.

“This time, I’m not dying alone! If we die, we die together, and if we live, we live together! When 화산 goes to die, you guys go to die with us. That’s what friends are!”

– ⋯⋯청명, I don’t think that’s right⋯⋯.

“Ah, shut up, 사형!”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul turned to look at each other for a moment.

“Did you say something?”

“No?”

“⋯⋯.”

“Anyway!”

청명 roared and glared.

“Tang family!”

The Tang family members flinched and shrank back.

“Namgung!”

Namgung Dowi lowered his head.

“And you mountain bandit bastards!”

“⋯⋯No. Please don’t discriminate and at least call us the Green Forest….”

Im So-byeong protested, but 청명 couldn’t possibly have heard him.

“Before those 사패련 thugs or the Demonic Sect bastards invade, I’ll at least make you guys earn your keep, so just shut up and train as I tell you.”

“Um, um….”

At that moment, Tang Pae, the young master of the Sichuan Tang family, cautiously raised his hand.

“What?”

“Um… I understand it might be difficult for you to understand, but the Sichuan Tang family is a sect that focuses on poison and hidden weapons, so our training methods are different from those of ordinary martial families. So, we’d like to be autonomous….”

The moment they heard those words, the Tang family members turned to look at Tang Pae with eyes that had regained hope.

But 청명 shattered that hope in one fell swoop.

“It’s okay.”

“⋯⋯Yes?”

“I said it’s okay.”

“⋯⋯Ah, no. That’s….”

“In the first place, the Tang family head has already agreed, so you just be quiet.”

Tang Pae’s head drooped down. No wonder he hadn’t been seen since dawn; he had sold off his family members in the meantime.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

청명 looked at everyone with eyes full of enthusiasm.

“It takes me a while to find problems, but I’m very good at solving the problems I find. So… half a year. Before that half-year is over, I’ll make you all into human beings, without exception.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Only then will we.”

A very gentle smile spread across 청명’s lips.

“Be able to become true friends.”

The only question everyone had at that moment was whether the word ‘friend’ could really be used in such a way….

“Now, let’s start….”

At that moment, Im So-byeong raised his hand high. His eyes gleamed with venom.

“What? I’m not taking any prot—.”

“That’s not it!”

As 청명 tilted his head in puzzlement, Im So-byeong spat out in a voice full of malice,

“When are the Beast Palace and the Ice Palace coming?”

“⋯⋯.”

“We have to become friends. They’re also part of the Cheonwu Alliance!”

청명, hearing that resolute voice that he would never die alone, looked at Im So-byeong with genuine admiration.

“⋯⋯As expected of a Demonic Sect bastard. He’s got a different caliber.”

Everyone inwardly agreed with those words.

“Well, I’ll take care of that.”

청명 grinned and stood up from his seat.

“Now, let’s begin. The process of becoming true friends, that is. Hee hee hee hee hee.”

Those who saw that smile seriously considered leaving the alliance. Very seriously.