Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1223

Seob Pyeong twitched. His body jerked strangely, face down in the dirt. The warriors from the Four Factions Alliance froze, surprised. They stared at Seob Pyeong’s back, not understanding what had just happened.

Sometimes, things happen so fast. You see something, but your brain needs time to catch up. Your mind can’t understand what just changed.

It was normal for them to be confused. Imagine: someone suddenly appears and kicks Seob Pyeong in the middle of nowhere! Anyone would be speechless.

The Heavenly Union should have said something. But they couldn’t. They were too shocked. Only one thought filled their minds.

They knew one thing for sure. When they jumped forward to help, Jo Gul, Yoon Jong, and Baek Cheon lost the right to question Cheong Myeong’s actions.

Still, Baek Cheon opened his mouth slightly. “Um…” He looked from Seob Pyeong, still twitching on the ground, to Cheong Myeong, who was now growling. Finally, he asked, “Is this… alright?”

“What?” Cheong Myeong answered casually. Baek Cheon wondered if he was missing something.

“Oh, nothing. I know I shouldn’t say anything… but… this is Gangnam, after all.”

“So? What’s the problem? Those guys explained everything.”

“Huh?” Cheong Myeong pointed at Seob Pyeong.

“This is a quiet mountain valley.”

“Yes.”

“News will take days to travel.”

“…”

“We’ll be in Hainan in three days.” Cheong Myeong said, sounding bored.

“What can those bad guys do when they finally hear about this?”

“…Hearing it like that, it sounded almost reasonable…”

“But… what if they chase us?”

“Aish, Uncle.” Cheong Myeong clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Do you really think those bad guys are so loyal? Loyal enough to chase us to Hainan for these weaklings? If they were that loyal, they wouldn’t be bad guys in the first place!”

“…”

“If they come, let them come. We’ll throw them in the sea and drown them all!”

Ah… so that’s what you really think. I understand.

Jo Gul grinned and stepped closer. “Well, Uncle… what can we do now that it’s done?”

Yoon Jong, his face serious, quietly pulled out his sword. “Now it’s happened. We just need to make sure we clean it up properly.”

Baek Cheon stared at them, surprised. They were talking as if he wasn’t even there.

“How do we clean it up properly, Senior Brother?”

“That’s a silly question. Think! If any of them escape and talk about us, we’ll be in big trouble.”

“Hoh. That’s bad.”

“So, we have to, right? We have to clean it up so no one can talk.”

“That sounds… harsh.”

“If we’re afraid to punish bad people, more people will get hurt. Justice isn’t about making me feel good.”

“True words.” Jo Gul grinned, lifting his sword higher.

Namgung Dowi, who had been watching quietly, moved behind the remaining members of the Four Factions Alliance. “If we can, it’s best to pretend they were never here.” A cruel smile, not fitting for the young master of the Namgung family, appeared on his face.

“If they just vanish, people might think they ran away together, wanting to steal the grain. Right, Brother?”

Dang Pae nodded and quietly moved to surround the bad guys from the other side. “…Good idea. Don’t worry. Making things disappear is our family’s skill. We can clean up everything, leaving no trace.”

Dang Pae pulled a small bottle from his sleeve and smiled sweetly. He looked very kind at first glance. But anyone who knew what was in that bottle would never think of him that way.

Even people who didn’t know what was in the bottle could see that Dang Pae wasn’t completely good. The faces of the surrounded men turned pale white.

“So, we need to make this as clean as possible. No traces.”

“And quiet.”

“Best if the villagers aren’t hurt. Make it look like they just vanished, not died, right?”

“Easy enough.” These “good” people, who were actually wicked, started to push closer to the scared bad guys, their faces looking evil. The bad guys were confused and scared, looking around nervously.

“Who… who are you?”

“Us?”

“H-how dare you interfere with the Four Factions Alliance! Do you think you’ll be safe?”

“Is that guy really stupid? They already attacked us. Saying that will just make them want to kill us faster. Can’t he see what’s happening?”

“Tsk tsk. Geol, why would anyone smart join the bad guys?”

“What about the Green Forest King?”

“…Okay, maybe he’s different.” Normally, threatening with the Four Factions Alliance name would work anywhere. But these guys were the wrong people to threaten. For them, the Four Factions Alliance meant nothing.

“So… I guess we know what to do?” Everyone looked at Baek Cheon. Feeling all eyes on him, Baek Cheon sighed.

“Well…” Finally, Baek Cheon shook his head, pretending he didn’t really know what was happening, and pointed his chin at Ak Peng.

“Deal with them.”

“Yes, sir!” As soon as he said that, the bandits around the cart jumped on the scared men like wolves attacking prey.

Baek Cheon shook his head again. He didn’t need to watch. They had hesitated for a moment, but these guys were far too strong for those weak members of the Four Factions Alliance. Even one of them could defeat all of them easily. With ten of them here, it was completely unfair.

Baek Cheon looked away from the cart and turned to the old man on the ground. Tang Soso was already helping him, trying to stop the bleeding. Baek Cheon’s face became serious. He walked over and asked, “How is he?”

“…The cut isn’t too deep, so he’s not going to die. But he’s very old…”

“Father! Please, save my father! Please!” The woman, who had stayed by the old man’s side, grabbed Tang Soso, begging. Baek Cheon was about to comfort her when… “Excuse me…” A voice spoke behind him. Baek Cheon turned around.

The middle-aged man, who had been begging the bad guys earlier, was now bowing deeply to Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon frowned without thinking. He remembered what this man had said before, even with all the noise. ‘Who cares if the old man dies?’ Baek Cheon understood why the man said it. It’s hard to be brave with a knife at your throat. But he couldn’t respect how easily this man had insulted his neighbor to save himself.

“M-Master. If it’s not too much trouble… can I ask… who are you people?”

“He’s getting help right now…”

“M-Master. Why are you helping people like us? We’re just simple villagers… You shouldn’t waste your time on us.” *Is he really saying this with his neighbor bleeding on the ground?* Baek Cheon felt a flash of anger at the man’s desperate attempt to please them. He answered sharply, without meaning to, “Are you afraid we’re bad people?”

“N-no, Master! You misunderstand! I’m just… uneducated, simple. I don’t know how to act around important people…” Baek Cheon almost snapped at the man, who looked like he was about to kneel. But he just sighed softly. He thought, *What did these villagers do wrong? It’s the martial artists who are wrong. Walking around with swords, threatening people in broad daylight.*

“We can’t tell you who we are. But don’t worry, we’re not here to hurt you.”

“Th-then… maybe…” The man’s eyes flickered around nervously. Then, as if saying something dangerous, he whispered, “Fr-from Gangbuk…?” When Baek Cheon didn’t reply, the man’s face went pale.

“Th-then… now…” Baek Cheon bit his lip. *What is going on here?*

*We just saved them,* Baek Cheon thought. *These people might not even realize how much danger we risked to help them.* But instead of thanks, they were only worried about the bad guys coming back for revenge. *If it wasn’t for us, they’d all be dead already.* Even if they were scared, shouldn’t they at least say thank you? Or check on their neighbor who’s hurt and bleeding?

A deep disappointment filled Baek Cheon. He wanted to yell at them. But instead, he spoke as calmly and politely as he could. “…We’ll do everything we can to clean up after this, so your village stays safe.”

“Really?”

“If we move the cart somewhere else, leave it at the bottom of the mountain, and make sure no one knows we were here, the bad guys will think they ran off with the grain. They won’t know someone attacked them. So, try not to worry too much.”

“R-really? You’d do that for us? I feel like we’re causing you so much trouble…”

“Yes, we will.”

“Oh, Master! Thank you! Thank you so much! Wh-what can we give you to repay you?”

“…We don’t want anything.”

“Huh?” Baek Cheon bit his lip again. He almost said, *“Instead of asking about payment, shouldn’t you check on the old man who’s hurt and bleeding?”* But he held back the words.

“We don’t want anything. Don’t worry about it. You can take the grain over there. But be careful. The bad guys might come back later to check.”

“Th-thank you… thank you so much, Master!”

“Are we finished here?” Instead of answering, the man looked over at the cart, checking the situation. Only when he saw the Five Swords and the leaders beating the bad guys like they were nothing did he finally look at the old man on the ground.

Just as Baek Cheon was about to say angrily, *“Now you notice the man who was hurt?”* “Ah…” The man’s mouth dropped open. His face changed completely, twisting in pain. Then he ran to the old man, crying out like an animal. “Father! No! Faaather!” Baek Cheon’s eyes opened wide in surprise.