Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1252

“Strategist!” A man burst into the silent main hall, his breath ragged and eyes wide with frantic energy. However, the Strategist, Ho Gamyung, sat behind a desk buried under ledgers piled high like mountains. He didn’t even spare a glance at the newcomer, his eyes fixed on the documents.

“Strategist.”

“Wait.”

The kneeling man waited in silence.

Patiently, Ho Gamyung shuffled through documents, taking his time. Finally, he signed his name with a delicate, fine brush on the ledger and closed it.

“Approve these documents and send them on.”

“Yes.” The man waiting beside him answered respectfully.

“Bring me the people who wrote these ledgers, one by one, and then put them in prison.”

“Yes, Strategist.”

“Especially,” Ho Gamyung said, his voice cold. He tossed the ledger onto the desk with a thud, the sound echoing in the hall.

“The person responsible for *this* ledger,” he pointed at the one he just threw, “cripple their *dantian* – the source of their inner strength – sever all the tendons in their body, and imprison them in the underground dungeon. Then, send soldiers to take all their wealth. If anyone fights back, do the same to them.”

“They won’t last long in the dungeon in that state.”

“Really? I almost made a mistake. Then, take them out of the dungeon and behead them before they die. I can’t let them die a natural death.”

“…I will carry out your orders as you have commanded!”

Sa Pae-ryun’s strategist, Ho Gamyung, closed his eyes and gently pressed his temples.

“Humans are truly impossible to understand. What do they value more? Their lives, or just a few small coins?”

They know the punishment for stealing is terrible. They know people have died for it. Yet, they still steal whenever they can.

He was also part of this dark world, but he was sick of these people.

But what could he do? It was the path he had chosen.

Ho Gamyung slowly opened his eyes and said,

“Report.”

“Yes. Strategist! All preparations for departure are complete.”

“Late.”

“…I have nothing to say.”

Ho Gamyung’s gaze turned to the wide-open door. The bright blue sky, cleared of clouds after the storm, filled the doorway. He could smell the salt in the air and hear the distant crash of waves.

“Hainan, huh….”

Ho Gamyung slowly rose from his seat.

“There’s no point in dragging it out. Have the troops board.”

“Yes!” The reporter bowed deeply and ran outside. Ho Gamyung glanced at the pile of unprocessed documents. He pushed aside a feeling of annoyance at leaving work unfinished and moved his feet.

‘It’ll be fine to deal with Hainan first and finish up when I get back.’ It wouldn’t take that long.

However….

“Munbang.”

“Yes, Strategist.”

“Have there been any reports of movements from the Nine Great Sects, our rivals in the north, or the Cheonwoo Alliance, another group we are watching?”

“The last time I checked was three days ago, but there were no unusual movements until then.”

They are based far north, near the Yangtze River. It would take more than three days to reach us from there.

“The Nine Great Sects are one thing, but the Cheonwoo Alliance too….” A faint sneer appeared on Ho Gamyung’s lips.

“They can’t do anything, can they?”

“That’s not true.”

“…Yes?” Ho Gamyung said calmly.

“If they knew the situation, they would have done something. Those guys are like that.”

“But this place is….”

“Whether it’s Hainan or not, it doesn’t matter. At the very least, they would have started a fight on the Yangtze River to prevent us from focusing here. The fact that they haven’t moved means that information about our movements hasn’t reached them.”

Ho Gamyung quickly changed his mind about the Cheonwoo Alliance. Their ability to get information was weaker than he thought, at least in this area, Gangnam.

‘What about the Nine Great Sects? No, even if they knew, they wouldn’t tell the Cheonwoo Alliance. Wait… that’s not right. If they knew, they *would* tell them, to cause trouble between the Cheonwoo Alliance and Sa Pae-ryun. That leader is sneaky like that.’

As he thought through all this, Munbang’s confused voice interrupted him.

“…I don’t quite understand, Strategist. If we were to pick a side related to Hainan, wouldn’t it be the Nine Great Sects? So why would the Cheonwoo Alliance move? What benefit would they get from it?”

Ho Gamyung did not answer. There was no need to explain and make him understand. Ho Gamyung was the one to grasp the situation and make decisions. These guys just had to follow his orders.

‘If they only acted for benefits, this would be easier.’ What made them hard to deal with was that their actions made no sense. They might have their own reasons, but from our point of view, there was no logic to them.

It seemed that only Jang Il-so, their leader, could even understand how they might act….

‘What’s important now isn’t this.’

Ho Gamyung, putting his thoughts aside for a moment, quickened his pace.

In any case, this incident in Hainan would be a great warning to them. A clear warning of what would happen if they dared to oppose Sa Pae-ryun.

Therefore, it must be handled as surely and as brutally as possible.

“It doesn’t matter what they do now. The Nine Great Sects and the Cheonwoo Alliance will only hear the news of a burned-down Hainan.”

That was why he was taking action himself.

“Finish all preparations within an hour. We’re going to Hainan.”

“Yes! Strategist!”

“Senior Brother. Aren’t we gathered here because of the expulsion ceremony?”

“…I thought so too.”

“Then why are they standing over there like that?”

“Who knows?” The Hainan disciples, who had not yet heard the situation, looked at the Cheonwoo Alliance members with bewildered faces.

Of course, an expulsion ceremony wasn’t something that necessarily had to be hidden from others, but wasn’t it also subtly awkward to show?

Whether a disciple was expelled for committing a crime or left the sect on their own, it was an embarrassing matter from the sect’s point of view.

“Weren’t we just going to eat and leave?”

“Are they really going to watch the expulsion ceremony before leaving?”

“…That doesn’t make sense?”

However, the reason they couldn’t blindly criticize those who had joined them here without any tact was that the person standing with the Cheonwoo Alliance members was none other than Geum Yang-baek, the head of Hainan.

Sometimes, one action shows more than a thousand words. The very fact that Geum Yang-baek was standing there together was the clearest sign that the sect leaders agreed with what was happening.

“Grand Master, have you heard anything?”

People were confused. They didn’t understand why the farewell ceremony was delayed. They went to Gwak Hwan-so because they knew he had spoken to the leaders recently.

“The Sect Leader will explain everything soon,” Gwak Hwan-so answered calmly.

“Really?” the person asked, hoping for good news.

“Yes,” Gwak Hwan-so said. “Please, just wait a little longer.”

“⋯⋯Understood,” the person replied, but he still looked unsure. He didn’t want to ask more questions here. This place felt too serious and formal to push further.

‘I don’t understand.’

Lee Ja-yang frowned. He felt it every time, but the people from Hae Nam were acting strangely again.

What kind of occasion was this?

Was it a place to make those leaving the sect feel guilty? No, it wasn’t that.

This was a place where those who had promised to protect Hae Nam would see off those who were leaving. They would reaffirm their commitment. It was a place to confirm their decision to cross a bridge they could not return from.

Therefore, this place should be serious and respectful. But with these strange things happening, he felt uneasy.

‘People say the young martial artists of the Cheonwu Alliance are geniuses.’

It seemed like the saying that nothing was harder to believe than rumors was true. Could someone be called a genius just for being strong in martial arts? Especially those who didn’t seem very smart.

As Lee Ja-yang tried to calm his worries, Geum Yang-baek stepped onto the platform.

The disciples of Hae Nam immediately stood up straight and greeted their Sect Leader.

Geum Yang-baek, standing on the platform, looked around at everyone and began to speak.

“Today… we were supposed to have a farewell ceremony for those leaving Hae Nam.”

Originally? Those who felt something was wrong paid close attention to Geum Yang-baek’s next words.

“However, we have decided to skip the farewell ceremony. Instead!”

Geum Yang-baek shouted in a strong voice, looking at his disciples.

“I want to share our plan to fight the enemies of the Four Faction Alliance!”

Lee Ja-yang frowned.

‘What is he talking about?’

The plan for dealing with them had already been decided…

“I, Geum Yang-baek! As the Sect Leader of Hae Nam, will lead the disciples of Hae Nam to Gangnam, where they have power.”

The disciples of Hae Nam were shocked by these words. It was a complete surprise.

“Yes?”

“Sect Leader!”

“Gangnam, you say?”

Of course, they knew the Sect Leader might choose a different plan. They might get on a ship and sail far away, no matter the danger.

But Gangnam? Who would run from one dangerous place right into another?

But Geum Yang-baek kept talking without waiting for them to understand.

“And! The envoys of the Cheonwu Alliance here will also go to Gangnam with us.”

This time, everyone looked at those standing below the platform. Even with so many eyes on them, they stood calmly, as if to confirm that these words were true.

“Sect Leader, why so suddenly…”

“I will not force you!”

Geum Yang-baek shouted.

“The reason I am not holding a farewell ceremony is that some of you may not want to be forced out in front of everyone. If you are not ready to spend your last moments with Hae Nam, stay on this island. Then you can live.”

“⋯⋯.”

“But!”

Geum Yang-baek bit his lip and shouted.

“Those who will fight under the name of Hae Nam until the end! Those who want to risk their lives to make a path, follow me. We will break through Gangnam, strike at the enemy’s heart, and go to the Yangtze River. We will continue the fight against the Four Faction Alliance not in Hae Nam, but in the Yangtze River!”

“⋯⋯.”

“Those who believe in me!”

Geum Yang-baek shouted, looking around at everyone.

“And those who cannot leave the name of Hae Nam, step forward! I will gladly cross the sea with them. I will show the world that the spirit of Hae Nam is alive!”

In the heavy silence, the disciples of Hae Nam just stared at Geum Yang-baek. They didn’t know how to react to his words, which were full of strong will but didn’t make much sense.

Then, Gwak Hwan-so, who had been quiet until now, slowly stepped forward and stood facing Geum Yang-baek.

“Disciple Gwak Hwan-so dares to ask the Sect Leader one question.”

“Granted!”

Gwak Hwan-so bowed and asked in a clear voice.

“Why do you want to fight in Gangnam, not here?”

Geum Yang-baek took a deep breath and said.

“Some say fishermen know and adapt to the sea.”

“⋯⋯.”

“What do you think? Is that true?”

Several people shook their heads.

“That’s right. It’s not true at all. The best way to deal with the sea is to stay away from it. If you don’t sail into a sea that can change its mind at any time, you’ll always be able to return! The tragedies that happen in Hae Nam won’t happen again.”

Geum Yang-baek shouted with determined eyes.

“Even so, we go out to sea. We know it’s dangerous, we know we might not return! We still sail and cast our nets. Because that is the way of those who fight, and that is the way of those who resist!”

Those here are all sons and daughters of those who fight the sea. So everyone here understands Geum Yang-baek’s story.

“To us, Gangnam is like a wild sea. So? Are we going to stay at the dock and starve while looking at the sea? Are we going to accept death because sailing into a typhoon is foolish?”

No. No one would do that. At least not the people of Hae Nam.

“The reason for going to Gangnam?”

Geum Yang-baek took a deep breath and shouted like a roar.

“To fight! And to live! Even if it seems foolish, those who live by the sea know. There is nothing more foolish than just waiting for death!”

Geum Yang-baek looked at the Cheonwu Alliance group on one side.

“They have reminded me of something I had forgotten. We who live by the sea should have understood this before anyone else. If you truly want to protect something, if you want to live, you must fight!”

Finally, Geum Yang-baek looked at Gwak Hwan-so.

“So I am going. No matter how scary the Four Faction Alliance may be, it will not be as scary as the wild sea.”

Gwak Hwan-so slowly nodded. Then he took the sword from his waist.

“My father also did not return from the sea.”

“⋯⋯.”

“When I was young and reckless, I hated him for it. But now I am old enough to take responsibility for someone, and I understand his choice. Sometimes, you have to take risks.”

The two men looked at each other.

“If the Sect Leader is going to the sea called Gangnam.”

Gwak Hwan-so held out his sword.

“Disciple Gwak Hwan-so, as one of the people of Hae Nam, will follow that path!”