Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1153

“I have to fix this!” The thought burst into Namgung Dowi’s mind as he finally understood the danger.

If he couldn’t fix things *now*, the moment he stepped out of this room, he would be in serious trouble. He could already feel the weight of everyone’s angry stares, like cold, ghostly eyes burning into him.

He imagined the whispers that would follow him. People would say he was a fool who talked too much and ruined everything, unlike his brave father.

“Ah, no.”

Namgung Dowi had imagined many ways he could die. But this was not one of them. Trembling with extreme fear, Namgung Dowi desperately spoke.

“F-First, let’s postpone this matter a bit…”

“Why? Sounds good to me. Let’s do it right away. It’s not a big deal.”

“N-No, it is not!”

Namgung Dowi’s mind began to race faster than ever before.

“C-Creating an appropriate position and appointing the right person is very important. It’s not something that can be decided carelessly like this!”

“Hmm?”

“Isn’t it said that choosing the right people is everything! History shows that if you don’t choose the right people, everything falls apart! Therefore, you must take it seriously!”

“…To that extent?”

“I-Isn’t it obvious!”

“Heeeuuum.”

Chung Myung smacked his lips as if he found something regrettable.

“But can’t we just decide on a few important positions now and fill the others later?”

“P-People’s hearts aren’t like that. If you decide on the important positions first, wouldn’t you likely become lazy in selecting the rest!”

“…”

“I hope you understand that all of this comes from my concern for the Heavenly Union!”

“Well, if you see it like that…”

“Y-Yes, Chung Myung. It seems this isn’t something we can decide right here.”

“That’s right, Mount Hua Sword Saint. I will think about this carefully with the elders.”

As Hyun Jong and even Tang Gunak agreed with Namgung Dowi, Chung Myung smacked his lips and subtly stepped back.

“Well, if you insist…”

“Haha. Yes, yes. This isn’t such a simple matter, indeed.”

At that moment, Chung Myung glanced back at Namgung Dowi.

“By the way…”

“Yes?”

“Namgung Young Master, you’ve become quite skillful at talking.”

“…”

“I don’t think you used to be like this. Is it because you’ve been hanging out with those Demonic Sect guys lately?”

“…”

“Learning good things. Reaaal good things.”

Namgung Dowi’s face twisted in anger, his mouth agape. To compare him to the leader of the Demonic Sect!

“I’ll let it slide this time.”

Chung Myung smirked and turned to look at everyone.

“Then, what about the other agenda items?”

“Hmm. Agenda items…”

Tang Gunak cleared his throat slightly. Even though they had done this several times, everyone still wasn’t used to sharing opinions as equals. But he had to say something.

“Hey, Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

“Yes, Clan Leader.”

“The war will happen, right?”

Chung Myung’s gaze towards Tang Gunak turned sullen. It was as if he was saying, ‘Why are you bringing up something so obvious now?’

“Then, are you planning to stay at this Jang River front until the war starts?”

“That’s not for us to decide.”

“Huh?”

“The Nine Great Sects decide that. Those guys aren’t leaving their rooms, so it’s too much for us to leave first, isn’t it?”

“That’s certainly a valid point.”

Tang Gunak frowned slightly.

‘What on earth is Abbot thinking?’

The Heavenly Union had also set up shop here somewhat impulsively, but the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, including the Shaolin, had established themselves on the Jang River even more abruptly.

To be precise, some of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families shared the same intentions as the Shaolin.

Hearing this, Baek Cheon scratched his head.

“Come to think of it, we’ve been so focused on our own concerns that we haven’t paid attention, but what on earth are they doing?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t that right? We’re here to train, and since there’s no clear place for the people from beyond the border to join, we’ve naturally settled down here… But the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families aren’t in that situation.”

“That’s certainly true.”

“They could leave whenever they wanted to…”

In the beginning, the Nine Great Sects also couldn’t easily leave the Jang River. They didn’t know when the Demonic Alliance would cross the river. But now?

“…There’s no way they don’t know that the Demonic Alliance needs to reorganize internally.”

“That’s underestimating the Nine Great Sects too much. Of course, they know.”

It was completely unbelievable. If the Demonic Alliance wasn’t moving north, the Nine Sects didn’t need to guard the Jang River region. So why were they still there?

“Why are you thinking so complicatedly?”

“Hmm?”

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Chung Myung’s face. His expression was as indifferent as could be.

“I don’t think they’re thinking that deeply. Just think from their perspective.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Clan Leader, if you were in that bald guy’s shoes, what would you do? You ran all the way here, but you didn’t accomplish anything. The Demonic Sect was rising, and you tried to use that as an opportunity, but some guys went and solved it all.”

Changing perspectives, it seemed quite difficult.

“We don’t really care about that kind of thing, but that big bald guy cares a lot about something, right?”

“You’re talking about face and justification.”

“Yes. That’s it.”

Chung Myung smirked and continued.

“I don’t know for sure, but they probably didn’t want to leave the Jang River before us in that situation. At least they want to have defended the Jang River until the very end before returning. In the beginning, they probably only thought of one thing. They would watch us and, when we disbanded and returned to our sects, they would leave too.”

“…Ah.”

“Yes. But we’re not going home.”

“…”

“In that situation, if we ask them why they aren’t going home, they’ll probably be frustrated to death, right?”

Tang Gunak chuckled dryly.

“Not everything you say is wrong, but leaving the sect’s headquarters and spending time here isn’t as easy as you think. Unless there’s another sect like Mount Hua that can influence Shaanxi, where the main gate is located, there wouldn’t be a problem, but for other sects, a brief absence could cause fatal problems.”

“Hmm?”

“Of course, the face and justification you mentioned aren’t completely irrelevant, but I think it’s too much to think that they’re staying there solely for that reason. I’m sure that’s not the only reason.”

The moment Tang Gunak spoke with conviction, Lim Sobyeong suddenly spoke.

“You’re only thinking halfway.”

Tang Gunak’s gaze turned to him. Lim Sobyeong leaned against the wall with a lazy expression and said.

“Sun Tzu said, ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’ But our esteemed orthodox sects all know the enemy but don’t know themselves.”

“What does that mean?”

When Tang Gunak asked, Lim Sobyeong smirked.

“Think about it. Don’t you think they’ve been watching what we’ve been doing all this time?”

“W-Well, probably?”

From the beginning, this manor wasn’t built to hide internal affairs from the outside. Since many people were coming and going to manage the manor, they could easily get information about this place without even needing to use the Beggars’ Sect.

In some ways, they would be more curious about the Heavenly Union’s movements than the Demonic Alliance, so they would naturally be interested.

“Then, what do you think they’re thinking?”

“What do you mean, what are they thinking?”

“Think about what they’ve seen and heard all this time.”

“What have they seen and heard? Well…”

At that moment, Baek Cheon spoke.

“Mount Hua and the Dang Family are fighting all day long.”

Yoon Jong added.

“The Dang Family’s Clan Leader is getting angry and bringing the elders to beat the disciples like rats.”

Dang Pae slyly spoke.

“The Beast Palace, which suddenly came up from Yunnan, is joining in and fighting with other sects?”

Namgung Dowi continued, sweating a lot.

“P-Perhaps the rumor that the Namgung Family is fighting with the Green Forest has spread as well?”

Just as Tang Gunak’s expression was twisting, Jo Gul, who had his hands clasped behind his head, smiled and continued.

“As a finishing blow, they probably heard that Chung Myung went half-mad after seeing that spectacle, right?”

“…Huh?”

“Do you understand now?”

Lim Sobyeong drove the point home as if to say, ‘See this?’

“It’s probably them, not us, who want to ask, ‘What on earth are you doing here?'”

Tang Gunak could neither cry nor laugh.

“Abbot.”

“…”

“How long do you plan to stay here?”

“…”

“You’re not thinking of dying here, are you?”

The Abbot remained silent with his eyes closed. Jongri Hyung didn’t give up and pressed him again.

“Abbot, you know this too, don’t you? The Demonic Alliance won’t be able to move north for a while. The Surochae on Plum Blossom Island doesn’t have the strength to cross the Jang River. There’s no way the Surochae, whose leader is injured, can do anything without the Demonic Alliance’s support.”

“…”

“Then why are you still staying here! It’s been several days of just wasting time!”

Jongri Hyung couldn’t stand the frustration and hit his chest.

“The disciples are complaining a lot. I understand how I feel, but you must also understand how those who left their headquarters and are stuck in this distant land feel! I hear that the Peng Family is already suggesting that they should leave on their own!”

“…”

“Abbot! Please say something, anything!”

At that moment, Abbot slowly opened his closed eyes. But that was it; he only stared at Jongri Hyung with deeply sunken eyes. He still didn’t say a word.

“…Abbot.”

At that reaction, Jongri Hyung seemed to have decided something and spoke. His voice was lower than usual.

“I didn’t want to say this… But there’s a rumor going around that Abbot has become frightened. ‘A scared turtle is afraid even of a pot lid.’ Do you understand what I mean?”

“…Did you say pot lid?”

“Yes. Abbot! That’s how much…”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“…Pardon?”

Jongri Hyung, confused, widened his eyes and looked at Abbot. Abbot was still calm.

“Why is it wrong for someone bitten by a turtle to be startled by a pot lid? It’s more foolish to pretend to be fine and get bitten again.”

Abbot slightly gritted his teeth.

“Even if I’m called foolish and frustrating, I can’t let them humiliate me again, can I? Am I wrong?”

“A-Abbot.”

Abbot’s eyes were clearly directed at Jongri Hyung, who was sitting across from him. But what he was really seeing was the figure of Chung Myung that had risen beyond Jongri Hyung.

‘Mount Hua Sword Saint.’

Abbot exhaled deeply through his nose.

‘What kind of trickery are you up to now?’

Chung Myung’s image chuckled. Abbot clenched his fist without realizing it.