Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1112

It’s easy to forget, but what we think of as ‘normal’ isn’t the same for everyone.

When we call someone ‘normal,’ it usually means they fit in with the customs and ideas of the place they live.

But someone who seems normal in one place might seem very strange if they were in a completely different place. What’s normal in one country might be strange in another.

And now, Namgung Dowi was realizing this very clearly.

“Am I the one who’s wrong here?”

He didn’t know what things were like in the past, but he thought he was open-minded. But what he was seeing now was hard for him to accept.

No, he told himself, it wasn’t his fault. How could anyone imagine such a thing?

A Mount Hua disciple was sitting on top of the Tang Clan leader’s son, punching him in the face. And a Mount Hua swordswoman was breaking the arm of the Tang Clan’s young master without mercy.

Okay, maybe that was possible. Someone very understanding might say, “Well, those things happen.”

But if they saw a monk with a shaved head stomping on a Tang Clan member’s face, and a Tang Clan swordswoman stabbing her own family members, even those understanding people would change their minds.

Huh? It looked like someone was missing…

“Stomp! Stomp him!”

“Kill him!”

“Aaaaargh!”

Oh no, it was Head Disciple Yoon Jong. Why was he being trampled? Oh heavens, he was really getting stomped…

Namgung Dowi watched with eyes wide in disbelief. Finally, he closed his eyes tightly. After seeing a pure white weasel wearing the black uniform of Mount Hua jump up and slap a Tang Clan member’s cheek with enthusiasm, he didn’t want to think anymore.

“What is the world coming to?”

The most powerful people from Shanxi and Sichuan were fighting in the Jang River area.

That sounded important, but it was really like a street fight. No, even a street fight was better organized. This was just a bunch of thugs fighting in a back alley.

The Namgung Clan members were pushed to the side of the training ground to avoid the terrible fight. They watched the brawl as if it was something amazing.

“Mount Hua has a lot of energy,” one said.

“People think the Tang Clan is weak in messy fights, but that’s not true. It’s hard to avoid poison in a fight like this.”

“So, the Mount Hua people are fighting well, right?”

“They’ve been trained by someone more poisonous than Tang Clan poison.”

“Ah, that’s right. I understand.”

Don’t understand! Why did they understand? The Namgung Clan was changing. Being around these strange fights was making them strange too. People who would have been upset by this before were now enjoying it and even clapping.

But what could Namgung Dowi say? He was the one who had brought them to the Cheonwu Alliance and made them like this.

“Ah, no. Is this really okay?”

He felt bad about it, but the Namgung Clan was not as important as those two groups. Anyone who knew the Cheonwu Alliance would see those two groups as the most important ones.

But now, those two important groups were fighting and yelling insults at each other.

“Won’t this cause problems later?”

He didn’t understand why they were training like this. But the biggest problem was that he couldn’t stop either Chung Myung or Tang Gun-ak. So, he had only one choice…

“Um, excuse me…”

“Yes?”

“That…”

Namgung Dowi swallowed hard and looked at Lim Sobyeong. Lim Sobyeong, acting like nothing was surprising, watched the fight calmly. He raised his chin slightly and looked back at Namgung Dowi.

“What is it?”

Namgung Dowi felt awkward.

He knew that in the Cheonwu Alliance, there were no differences between groups, no good or bad. Anyone who trusted each other could join the Cheonwu Alliance.

And the Green Forest had proven they deserved to be members. From the moment Lim Sobyeong, the leader of the Green Forest, risked his life to fight the Demonic Sect, no one doubted him.

“I know… I know that,” he thought.

Even if he understood it, it was still hard to talk to Lim Sobyeong.

He was, after all, the young master of the Namgung Clan. He never thought he would be nice to the leader of a group outside the usual rules. To him, the Green Forest King was just someone he would defeat one day to become famous.

No, let’s be honest. What kind of people were the Green Forest anyway? They were like leeches, taking over good mountains and stealing from innocent people…

“Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“Right now… are you glaring at me and cursing me in your head?”

“N-no way.”

Namgung Dowi was from a respected family. He was one of the few people in the Cheonwu Alliance who knew basic manners. He calmed himself and said what he wanted to say.

“Um… hey… should we, you know, maybe stop them? Before it gets worse?”

“Why would we?”

“Yes?”

Lim Sobyeong shrugged, looking annoyed.

“Head Disciple Chung Myung will handle it. And the Tang Clan Leader is there too.”

“Ah, no. I know that… but I’m worried it will cause problems later.”

“Hoh?”

Lim Sobyeong looked at Namgung Dowi with a strange look in his eyes.

“So, you think you’re smarter than the Sword Saint of Mount Hua and the Poison King?”

“Yes?”

“You’re saying you know something they don’t, and you’re telling me the answer now? And you want me, who has some influence, to tell them so they don’t get upset?”

“W-wait a moment…”

Namgung Dowi was confused. Was that how it seemed?

“In other words, you think those two are difficult to deal with, but you think I’m easy to boss around?”

“…I, I didn’t say that!”

“So, you think I’m too dumb to see what’s going on unless *you* tell me? Is that it?”

“……”

Can someone be this twisted?

“Was he always like this?”

When they went to Jiangnan together, he complained a lot, but Namgung Dowi thought he was smart and brave…

Even the Green Forest bandits thought this was strange. One of them tilted his head and asked Lim Sobyeong carefully.

“Boss, why are you so angry? I don’t think I said anything wrong.”

“It’s not the words themselves that are the problem.”

“Huh?”

“The problem is *who* said them, isn’t it?”

The bandit who spoke to Im So-byeong glanced at Namgung Do-wi.

“Is there some kind of problem?”

“Problem? *He* doesn’t have a problem. *I’m* the problem!”

“No. What are you talking about?”

“Why?”

Im So-byeong glared at the bandit, his eyes wide.

“Why? Do you think I, born into a family of bandits, who even took the civil service exam to try and make a name for myself, but failed and ended up living as a bandit, am twisted with envy seeing a young master born into a prestigious family living a life of luxury?”

“……”

“Haha! What a joke! I’m not envious at all! Of course, no matter how much I try, I’m just a bandit. That guy over there could beat someone to death on the street, and after a quick look at his face, they’d just say, ‘Ah, the dead guy must have done something to deserve it,’ and let it go. He lives a comfortable life, but I’m not envious at all, I tell you. Why would I be jealous of him?”

“Catch your breath while you’re talking.”

Not only the Green Forest bandits but even the Namgung family felt a strange sense of solemnity. Once Im So-byeong opened his mouth, it wouldn’t stop.

“Oh dear, I’ve made a mistake. I was wrong. A noble person is entrusting me with a task, and a lowly person must fulfill the order no matter what! How about it? Should I go and tell them now?”

Perhaps it could have ended with just a bit of awkwardness if Namgung Do-wi had simply apologized for his lack of consideration. Of course, Namgung Do-wi intended to do so, and was actually about to apologize.

But things in this world rarely go as planned, and small fires always spread into big ones in an instant.

“Hey, don’t take it so crookedly.”

At the voice from behind, Namgung Do-wi turned around in horror.

One of the Namgung family swordsmen standing behind him tossed a word at Im So-byeong with a very displeased look.

“Being so twisted.”

“Cl, close your mouth…”

Namgung Do-wi hurriedly tried to shut the swordsman’s mouth. Contrary to his appearance, Im So-byeong was the Green Forest King. No matter what, an ordinary warrior of the Namgung family couldn’t speak so easily to him.

But before his words could even finish, someone picked up the remark.

“Twisted?”

Namgung Do-wi’s head turned sharply in the opposite direction this time. One of the Green Forest bandits with a menacing look, standing behind Im So-byeong, spat on the ground.

“Oh, my. Looks like you’ve never had a hard day in your life, so you don’t know your place. What’s some worthless fool doing running his mouth at the Green Forest King?”

“What? Do these bandits think words are all they need?”

“Bandits? Yeah, I’m a bandit. So what are you? You still think you’re the old Namgung family, don’t you? If it weren’t for Hwasan, you guys would have been cut down and died a long time ago.”

“Oh, really? By who? You guys? Surely you don’t think you could do that? Know your place, you bandits.”

“Who’s the one who doesn’t know their place?”

The Namgung family swordsmen gripped their sword hilts and moved stealthily. In response, the Green Forest bandits also grabbed the swords at their waists and stepped forward menacingly.

“Consider yourselves lucky. If this wasn’t the Cheonwoo Alliance, you’d all be dead.”

“Listen to who’s talking! If Head Disciple Chung Myung wasn’t using you as servants, we would have subjugated you ourselves.”

“What? Servants? You abandoned your own families and ran away here!”

“What? Ran away? Is that bandit spewing nonsense with his mouth?”

The atmosphere became extremely ominous.

Just as Dang Hwan-hang Namgung Do-wi was about to stop everyone, it happened.

“Oh, nice. Atmosphere.”

“Ch, Chung Myung Head Disciple!”

Chung Myung, who had appeared unnoticed, was swaggering closer. He scanned the Green Forest bandits gripping their swords and the Namgung family holding theirs, then frowned deeply. Namgung Do-wi took a step forward, hoping to stop the storm.

“I’ll take care of this…”

“Perfect timing.”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“If you’ve created the atmosphere in advance without me having to explain, that’s a job well done. Anyway, you guys were bored just watching, right?”

“……”

“But there’s one thing I don’t like.”

“Wh, what is it…”

“Still, you’re the Namgung family, and you’re the Green Forest, so if you have a complaint, you should either use your swords or your fists. Why are you just talking with good swords at your sides?”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung gestured with his chin, his hands behind his back.

“See over there? The fighting over there.”

“…Yes.”

“Oh, it’s no different. The side standing last today gets tomorrow off. The losing side will be working until dawn.”

“……”

“Start whenever you want. The winner comes to report.”

“Wa, wait a minute. Chung Myung Head Disciple? Chung Myung Head Disciple!”

Having said what he needed to say, Chung Myung turned away without looking back.

Namgung Do-wi, who had been blankly watching his retreating figure, turned around with a bloodless face, creaking as he did so.

The Green Forest bandits, gripping their swords, were grinning and approaching the Namgung family, and the Namgung family swordsmen were looking at them with disdain.

“Wow, I didn’t want to do this. Really.”

“Unintentionally, really.”

“There’s no choice. I have absolutely no ill will, though.”

Just swear at us, please.

“Did you all hear that? Let’s show those scholars how scary the Jianghu can be today!”

“Let’s show those bandit bastards what happens when they come down from the mountains!”

It was the moment when Namgung and the Green Forest, who had never been fond of each other, exploded all their pent-up grievances and rushed at each other.