Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1100

“Abbot…” Beopgye’s throat felt tight. He swallowed hard, then spoke carefully. “I know what you’re thinking, Abbot, but…”

Beopjeong’s eyes narrowed, fixing on Beopgye like sharp points of ice. Beopgye felt a chill run down his spine.

He almost stopped talking, his teeth digging into his lower lip. Fear tugged at him. But he shook his head slightly. He had to speak. If he stayed silent now, everything would get even worse.

“If you are really worried, Abbot, shouldn’t you have talked about it when the Mount Hua leader visited? Why blame them now that it’s all over?”

Beopjeong’s icy voice cut him off. “Talk?”

“Talk to who?”

“To Hyun Jong of Mount Hua…”

“That scarecrow? Are you talking about him?”

Beopgye squeezed his eyes shut.

You shouldn’t call the leader of another group a scarecrow. It’s rude, even for a small group, let alone a big one like Mount Hua.

Beopjeong knew this. As the abbot of Shaolin, he always chose his words carefully.

But lately, Beopjeong had been losing his temper when Mount Hua was involved.

‘No…’

A strange thought crossed Beopgye’s mind.

Would Beopjeong really say such things just because he disliked someone? Really?

‘What am I thinking!’

Beopgye pushed the thought away. It was hard to believe. How could Beopjeong, the abbot of Shaolin, be jealous of Hyun Jong, the leader of Mount Hua?

Then, Beopjeong spoke loudly.

“What’s the point of talking to Hyun Jong? Don’t you know who really makes the decisions in Mount Hua?”

“…That’s…”

“Hyun Jong might not know. He might be a nice man who doesn’t understand what it means for Mount Hua to go to Jiangnan, or how that sly leader will use them. But!”

Beopjeong gritted his teeth.

“That Hwasan Sword Saint! Do you think he went to Jiangnan without knowing all of this would happen?”

Beopgye closed his mouth. He couldn’t argue. The Hwasan Sword Saint was very skilled. It would be strange if he hadn’t predicted everything.

“Mount Hua always talks about justice and helping people. But they wanted fame too much. Because of this, they have made things worse for the people of Jiangnan. This was a chance to defeat the Four Evil Sects and free Jiangnan! But they ruined it!”

Beopjeong’s face turned red. He no longer looked like the kind monk he was moments ago.

“Terrible! I see what they’re doing! If they had waited patiently, they could have brought peace to the world! How could they ruin it like this! Is this what Mount Hua is about!”

He was filled with icy rage.

“Besides!”

Beopjeong’s hand, holding his robe, trembled.

“How could they work with those evil people!”

“…”

“If Mount Hua had done this alone, I would have been angry at their foolishness, but I wouldn’t have doubted them! But how can I accept that they fought alongside the evil Four Evil Sects? The people who died in the Black Dragon Company and the Namgung family are still out there! How can they join hands with the Four Evil Sects?”

Beopjeong spoke angrily. Beopgye trembled at his rage.

But instead of shouting, Beopjeong laughed sadly.

“Huh… Heh heh…”

Beopjeong laughed and shook his head.

“It’s tiring… So tiring.”

“…Abbot.”

“People will praise Mount Hua. They will praise Jang Il-so. They will say they saved the Central Plains from the Demonic Sect. And they will criticize us. They will ask where we were.”

Beopgye closed his mouth.

Looking at the situation, they were right. Shaolin hadn’t done anything during the Hangzhou rebellion.

In fact, Beopgye wasn’t sure what Shaolin had done in any of the recent events.

They always waited, while the Four Evil Sects or Mount Hua took action.

Beopgye spoke carefully.

“…Abbot, shouldn’t we have acted against the Demonic Sect instead of waiting?”

Beopjeong stared at him silently.

After a long silence, Beopjeong said sadly, “Do even you think so?”

“It’s not that…”

Beopjeong cut him off. “That’s why we had to wait even longer.”

“…Yes? That’s…”

“Don’t you understand?” Beopjeong looked at Beopgye intently. “If Mount Hua was worried about the Demonic Sect, they should have joined hands with us instead of rushing to Jiangnan. They should have bowed to us!”

“Abbot… The Cheonwu Alliance is not a small group anymore.”

“What does that matter?” Beopjeong gritted his teeth. “Who are the members of the Cheonwu Alliance?”

“That’s…”

“The Sichuan Tang Family, who are seen as outsiders. The Namgung Family, who lost their power. Groups from other lands, who aren’t even considered people of the Central Plains. And Mount Hua, who were kicked out of the Nine Great Sects!”

“…”

“Does anyone in that group have real power in the martial world?”

“…Not really.”

“Everyone is fooled!”

Beopjeong slammed the floor in frustration.

“Did Jongnam bow to Mount Hua just because Mount Hua beat them?”

“…”

“Did Wudang give up their position to Mount Hua just because Mount Hua beat them?”

“No, Abbot.”

“That’s the limit of Mount Hua and the Cheonwu Alliance. No matter how strong they become, do you think the Nine Great Sects will follow Mount Hua’s lead?”

Beopgye couldn’t answer.

Could Shaolin bow to Mount Hua and join the Cheonwu Alliance? Never.

The other Nine Great Sects probably felt the same way. Except for the Beggars’ Sect, who didn’t care about pride.

“…I’m not saying we should unite around Shaolin just because I’m the abbot. But do you know why Shaolin has always been important in the martial world?”

“That’s…”

“It’s because people respect Shaolin! If Namgung Hwang were alive, would he have given up his position to join the Cheonwu Alliance!”

“…”

“The Cheonwu Alliance can’t unite the martial world. They’re just trying to get more power by gathering those who are easy to control. They know this is dividing the Central Plains!”

Beopjeong’s shoulders trembled with anger.

“Do you understand?”

“…Yes, Abbot.”

Beopgye nodded.

Beopjeong was right.

The Cheonwu Alliance couldn’t control the Nine Great Sects. The stronger the Cheonwu Alliance became, the more divided the Central Plains would be.

And those two groups already hated each other.

Mount Hua and the Nine Great Sects had never gotten along. They had ignored their problems, and now things were getting worse.

“Do you think they don’t know this?”

“…”

“Will the Nine Great Sects have a place in the Cheonwu Alliance?”

“That’s…”

“How long should I be patient with them? Even Buddha was strict sometimes. I am not as wise as Buddha, so how much more should I be strict?”

Beopjeong’s eyes flashed with anger.

Beopjeong had supported Mount Hua from the beginning. And they had become even stronger than he expected. That’s why he had sent Hye-yeon to learn from them, even though Hye-yeon was timid.

He had been patient with them, even when they did things he didn’t like. He knew that talented people should be given some freedom.

But…

‘I can’t let them do whatever they want anymore.’

If Buddhism was only about kindness, there wouldn’t be rules and punishments.

If we let bad things grow, they will ruin everything good.

Mount Hua was causing too many problems. If this division continues, they might not be able to defeat the Demonic Sect or the Four Evil Sects.

“…They don’t even know they’re being used.”

Beopjeong bit his lip, drawing blood.

“I should have listened to those words back then.”

“Abbot?”

“No.”

Beopjeong shook his head.

“If I do nothing, things will get out of control. Summon the Beggars’ Sect. I need to ask the Cheonwu Alliance about their alliance with the Four Evil Sects.”

“Are you saying now?” Beopgye asked, surprised. Beopjeong glared at him. Beopgye stood up and bowed. “I will do it.”

“Hurry.”

“Yes!”

Beopgye ran out.

Beopjeong turned and stared at the flickering lamp. The lamp seemed to reflect his inner turmoil.

“Mount Hua… Hwasan Sword Saint Chung Myung.”

Crack!

Beopjeong clenched his fist and took a deep breath. He reached for the wooden prayer beads on the floor, trying to calm himself.

Crack.

The wooden prayer beads cracked in his hand.

Beopjeong stared at the broken beads. He laughed sadly.

“Huh… Heh heh.”