Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1157

The room was quiet, dust floating in the air, catching the light from the window. Everyone stared at the large map on the table, their faces thoughtful. No one spoke. Then, one voice broke the silence.

Jo Gul, who had been annoyingly humming to himself, finally spoke. “Why is that?” he asked, his voice a bit whiny.

Yoon Jong, already irritated by Jo Gul’s behavior, reacted instantly. He grabbed Jo Gul’s chin and twisted it sharply.

“Kyaaa!” Jo Gul cried out, falling backwards.

Yoon Jong clicked his tongue. “Just try to act like a normal person,” he muttered, watching Jo Gul on the floor.

But at that moment, Jo Gul jumped up and shouted.

“Ah, it wasn’t me!”

“Huh?”

Yoon Jong blinked in confusion, and Jo Gul protested with an innocent face.

“No, Sasuk! I’m the son of a merchant family that made a living in commerce; do you think I wouldn’t know where that is?”

“…Is that so?”

Yoon Jong scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

The words were so strange that he had reacted without thinking, but now he realized Jo Gul had a point.

“Then, who was it?”

“If you’re going to accuse an innocent person, you should apologize first!”

“It’s alright for you. Just think of it as getting the beating you deserved, but didn’t get until now.”

“…Are you really a Taoist? Really? Are you lying?”

It was then that Jo Gul and Yoon Jong began to argue again.

“Why is that?”

Yoon Jong, his eyes blazing, turned his head sharply at the voice that sounded once more.

“Huh?”

The moment he saw Yoo Iseol’s expressionless face, his eyes darted around, unsure where to land.

“Why?”

“Ah, no. Just… Haha. The breeze is nice.”

Yoon Jong lowered his eyes shyly, enjoying the non-existent breeze indoors.

“Wow, look at the favoritism.”

“Shut up, you. You deserve some discrimination.”

“…Incredible.”

Yoo Iseol, having silenced Yoon Jong, tilted her head again.

“Where is that place? And why are we talking only about there?”

As always, her words were short, but Tang Soso somehow understood Yoo Iseol’s meaning perfectly.

“Sago. That’s an island. So, it’s separated from the mainland.”

“Island?”

“Yes, an island! Can’t you read a map?”

“No.”

“Ah, then that explains it. That’s an island, and the striped part between the mainland and the island is the sea.”

“If it’s an island?”

“It’s Hainan Island.”

Yoo Iseol still looked clueless. But Tang Soso couldn’t help her any further. The reason Yoo Iseol was bewildered now was because she didn’t understand why that man was pointing at Hainan Island, and even Tang Soso didn’t know the reason for that.

As Yoo Iseol’s blank gaze and Tang Soso’s suspicious eyes focused on him, Im Sobyung grinned.

“Hehehe. Yes, that’s right. This is Hainan Island.”

“…Wait a minute.”

At that moment, Baek Cheon interjected, looking dumbfounded. *Hainan Island? Why Hainan Island?* he wondered.

“Hainan Island?”

“Yes!”

“The real Hainan Island?”

“Are your eyes bad, perhaps?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that….”

Baek Cheon couldn’t understand at all, but he asked anyway.

“Then, perhaps… the great sect that Green Forest King spoke of, the one we can bring in? Could it be… no, right?”

“Hehe. Why wouldn’t it be!”

Wham! Im Sobyung struck the map with his palm, the sound echoing in the quiet room. He said triumphantly.

“There are countless sects in the world, but there is only one great sect that is based on Hainan Island in the southern sea!”

“…”

“Yes! Why would I hide it! It is none other than the Hainan Sect!”

“Geol-ah.”

“Yes, Sahyung.”

“Do you know what’s on the lunch menu today?”

“I think it was beef today.”

“Oh, good. Shall we go eat?”

“Let’s do that.”

“Then I should go train too.”

“Ugh. Come to think of it, I have some work left. I’ll start with that….”

As people began to rise from their seats with uninterested faces, Im Sobyung shouted in an even louder voice.

“Ah, no, why is everyone reacting like this! I came up with such an amazing strategy!”

“I’m hungry.”

“Oh, my shoulder that I hurt while training yesterday is still stiff.”

“Will you be training in the evening too?”

“Listen to me!”

Im Sobyung roared, and Baek Cheon grumbled, picking at his ear.

“You have to say something that makes sense for us to listen.”

“That guy is done for. I thought he was a bit smart for a while, but.”

“He’s just a bandit. If he were that smart, would he be living as a bandit?”

Criticism poured out. But then, Im Sobyung unfolded his fan with a flourish, covered his lower face, and chuckled quietly. Im Sobyung’s face fell. *They just don’t understand!* he thought, feeling a familiar wave of frustration. Then, a sly smile crept onto his face. *Fine,* he thought, *if they can’t see my genius, I’ll have to show it to them.*

“Oh, dear….”

Everyone frowned, watching Im Sobyung shake his head.

“Why is that guy acting like that again?”

“Just leave him be. I think he’s gone mad.”

Whether they said so or not, Im Sobyung didn’t come out of his own world.

“Hehe. A genius who is always ahead of his time must suffer from the envy and misunderstanding of those around him. I’m just going through what I have to go through, so I’m not particularly angry.”

“…Ah, yes, yes. I’m sure you are.”

“Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.”

As people really tried to go outside, Im Sobyung hurriedly lowered his fan and shouted.

“No! Just listen to me first!”

“What’s the point of listening? It’s all nonsense anyway.”

“No! Why do you keep saying it won’t work! A person should keep all possibilities open and think! How much do those closed-minded prejudices and stereotypes block good ideas…!”

“Hey, you!”

Baek Cheon, unable to bear it any longer, raised his voice.

“You have to say something that makes sense! The Hainan Sect belongs to the Nine Great Sects, why would they join us, why! Do you think those people have no brains!”

“There are two people here who are from the Five Great Families! Frankly, have you ever thought that the Tang or Namgung families would leave the Five Great Families and join the Heavenly Union?”

“Huh?”

Im Sobyung said firmly.

“If you had said that just five years ago, you could have been certified as insane anywhere in the world. You’d be lucky if people treated you like a human being!”

“Well, that’s….”

Baek Cheon trailed off. In fact, that wasn’t so wrong. They were in the middle of that series of events, so everything felt natural to them.

But wouldn’t it have been shocking for those who watched the Heavenly Union’s moves from afar that the Tang and Namgung families had joined the Heavenly Union?

“The Five Great Families have done it, so why not the Nine Great Sects! Do you think those guys were born special! Damn it! They’re the Nine Great Sects, so what! Why do you discriminate and ignore people….”

“Whoa, Green Forest King. That’s not the point. You have to speak without personal feelings.”

“Ah, right.”

Im Sobyung changed his expression when Beon Chung calmed him down. The eyes of those watching the scene became even more askew.

“The Nine Great Sects are also people who eat the same food. The fact that once a member of the Nine Great Sects doesn’t mean they’re a member forever is a fact that the Mount Hua Sect directly proved….”

“What, you little punk?” Chung Myung was fiercely protective of Mount Hua’s reputation, especially after their recent struggles.

“Chung Myung-ah!”

“Chung Myung-ah! Hold it in!”

“Get that guy out of here! Quickly! Why did you suddenly bring up that story and make the kid who was just sitting still freak out!”

The Five Swords and the elders, horrified, pressed down on Chung Myung, whose eyes were rolling back. Madness erupted from Chung Myung’s half-turned eyes, which were now wide and bloodshot.

“What? Kicked out of the Nine Great Sects? This bandit bastard has a mouth, so he just says whatever!”

“I, I didn’t say they were kicked out….”

“But this bastard?”

“Ho, hold it in, I said!”

“Hey, hey! Hold him tight, tight! If you get hit by him now, the Green Forest King is done for!”

Im Sobyung stepped back, sweating.

“A, ahem. Anyway….”

Wham! Im Sobyung spread his palm wide and struck Hainan Island on the map once more.

“In order to understand what I’m saying, you need to understand the situation that the Hainan Sect is in right now.”

“Do we have to listen?”

“Really?”

Reactions showing no interest leaked out from here and there, but Im Sobyung continued to speak stubbornly.

“The part we need to pay attention to is here.”

Im Sobyung drew a line horizontally across the center of the large map.

There was no one here who didn’t know what that line meant. Drawing a line across the center of the Central Plains. That meant the Yangtze River.

“The current Central Plains is divided into north and south by the Yangtze River. The Jiangnan region is dominated by the Four Seas Alliance, and the influence of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families is much greater in the Jiangbei region.”

“Hmm.”

As familiar stories began to emerge, people slowly began to take interest.

“The Yangtze River flows through Sichuan and continues to the Hengduan Mountains, which form the border between Sichuan and Xizang. In other words, the moment the Yangtze River is occupied, the path from bottom to top is completely blocked.”

“What obvious nonsense.”

“Then look. Where are the Nine Great Sects?”

“Well….”

Baek Cheon’s expression became subtle for a moment as he tried to answer indifferently.

“Shall we take a look?”

Im Sobyung quickly took out a fine brush from his pocket, opened the lid, and dotted the map.

“Do you understand?”

Baek Cheon nodded silently. Im Sobyung shrugged his shoulders and said.

“As you can see, most of the sects belonging to the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families are concentrated above the Yangtze River. Cheongseong and Jeomchang are located in Sichuan Province, right above the Yangtze River, and Wudang is in Hubei above the Yangtze River, and Jongnam, Hwasan, and Shaolin are in Henan and Shaanxi above Hubei. Not to mention Kunlun in Qinghai and Gongtong in Gansu.”

“That’s right.”

It was a new realization. It was already widely known that the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were based in the Jiangbei region. There was no need to ask again.

Except for one place.

Im Sobyung fiercely drew Hainan Island, located below Guangxi Province, with his brush.

“How about here?”

“…It’s in the south.”

That was obvious. Hainan Island was located at the southernmost tip of the Central Plains.

Yes. Only the Hainan Sect exists in the Jiangnan region. Moreover, it’s not just Jiangnan, but it’s separated from the South Sea, passing through Jiangnan, which is dominated by the Four Seas Alliance. They are in a situation where they cannot receive help from any sect.

“As you know, the Nine Great Sects and the Four Seas Alliance have crossed a river they can no longer return from. It’s only a matter of when they’ll show their teeth to each other.”

“Well….”

“Then let me ask you one thing.”

Im Sobyung raised one corner of his mouth and smiled.

“Where will the war begin?”

“…”

“Until now, everyone probably thought that the war would start in the Yangtze River. But… is that really the case?”

Baek Cheon closed his mouth.

“Let me ask you one thing, would the Overlord try to start a war with enemies left behind him?”

No. Everyone here could say that for sure. Jang Ilso would never leave those who could aim for his back alive.

“I guarantee you, the place that will signal the start of the war is not the Yangtze River. It’s Hainan Island. To our eyes, Hainan Island seems to be isolated and going through a crisis alone, but to the Overlord’s eyes?”

Chung Myung subtly pushed away those who were still pressing him down and sat up straight.

“…Does it look like a separate detachment that’s isolated in the back?”

“Exactly. It would look like a place that could break into the Four Seas Alliance’s territory and smash the rear at any time when he concentrates his forces on the front lines, the main battle line.”

Im Sobyung grinned.

“What do you think, Dojang? If you were the Overlord, what would you do with Hainan Island?”

“I’m not that Jang Ilso, that heretical bastard, so that question is a bit annoying.”

“…”

“But….”

Chung Myung propped his chin and sparkled his eyes.

“If I were Jang Ilso… No, even if I weren’t Jang Ilso, I wouldn’t just leave Hainan Island alone.”

“Certainly….”

“But it’s wrong to say that the war will start there.”

“…Yes?”

At that moment, Chung Myung’s voice lowered.

“He’ll try to clean it up before starting the war.”