Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1297

“Get out of the way!”

“Ugh, Aargh!”

The man was shoved hard. He stumbled, losing his balance, and tumbled off the edge of the road, landing in the dirt.

“What! Who…?”

Angry, the man looked up, then quickly ducked.

Along the main road, people with scary weapons were running wildly. One wrong look, and you’d lose your head.

His heart hammered in his chest. *Ominous figures? Where did they come from?*

The man, who had been bowing deeply, cautiously raised his head again only when the sound of footsteps faded, watching them disappear into the distance.

“What is all this about…?”

“Oi, you okay?”

“…Yeah, I’m okay. But what’s with all the rush?”

“Beats me! It’s been crazy since this morning.”

“Morning?”

“Loads of them have gone by already. Looks like they’re running from something… You’re lucky. Someone blocked the road earlier and got a real beating. Still out cold, they say.”

“T-they must be from the Four Seas Alliance, right?”

“The Four Seas Alliance? Nah, not them. These guys are worse. Look like some low-level Demonic gangs.”

Fear flickered in the man’s eyes as he spoke.

Even a low-level thug from the Demonic Realm was terrifying to them, like a monster from nightmares.

How could their hearts not pound when such individuals were brandishing weapons and rushing along the roads with such menacing energy?

Since the Four Seas Alliance took over Jiangnan, they were always careful of the Demonic Realm, but this kind of chaos was unusual.

“What happened?”

“How should we know? Those thugs wouldn’t tell us anything.”

“I suppose…”

“Still, never seen them this rushed. And they’re heading south… South? What could be happening down south?”

“*South? Why south?*” he wondered, tilting his head.

He could understand if something big had happened in the north, where they were fighting the Orthodox Faction. In this land, two powerful groups, the Demonic Realm and the Orthodox Faction, were always fighting.

But there was nothing in the south that could cause such a commotion, was there? The south of Jiangnan was, after all, the territory controlled by the Myriad Man Clan.

“Something big…”

Big trouble always meant suffering for ordinary people. They were helpless, like being left out in the cold.

Now that the Orthodox Faction, whom they had criticized for being corrupt and greedy, had been pushed out, the tyranny of the Demonic Realm was encroaching upon their lives.

They secretly hoped the Orthodox Faction would come from the north and kick out the Four Seas Alliance. But they were also scared. Fighting would make things even worse for them.

“Could it be that the Orthodox Faction has invaded the south?”

“Are you crazy? Why would they attack south? Their fight is in the north!”

“Well… maybe like a secret attack? Hitting them from behind?”

“Don’t be silly. If they could do that, they would have already.”

“And anyway, when have the Orthodox Faction ever risked anything? Why would they do something dangerous for us?”

He had a point.

Life was a bit better under the Orthodox Faction, but even they didn’t really care about ordinary people.

Just as the man was about to nod, a small voice escaped from the lips of the man who had been wearing a sullen expression.

“Unless it’s Mount Hua…”

Everyone around nodded. Everyone in Jiangnan knew Mount Hua hated the Four Seas Alliance and wanted to destroy them.

“Forget it. Mount Hua will never come here.”

“Sigh…”

A shadow of worry fell over everyone’s faces.

They were powerless. Only the Orthodox Faction or the government could help. What could ordinary people do against fighters who could jump rivers and break rocks?

Nothing would change. The Four Seas Alliance would stay in charge.

“It’s hard enough to live as it is…”

“Still… the Overlord is kind of helping. He gave out some grain this time.”

“Kindness?”

The crowd’s eyes flashed with anger at these words.

“You call a few sacks of grain ‘kindness’?”

“N-no, but if it weren’t for that…”

“Where did that grain come from anyway? It was *ours* to begin with! They steal everything, then give us back scraps and call it ‘kindness’?!!”

“Is this guy crazy?”

“How dare you say such a thing!”

In an instant, the man was on the defensive. The crowd seemed ready to grab him and beat him to a pulp.

Yet, strangely enough, the man remained calm, even in a situation that would have made even the bravest person tremble.

“So, you’re saying you’re not thankful for the Overlord’s ‘kindness’?”

“W-well, that’s…”

“Uh…”

Those who looked ready to roll up their sleeves and start a fight cautiously glanced at each other.

They instinctively knew that even a single wrong word could lead to trouble.

If that man were to report their words to the Demonic Realm…

The boiling anger in their hearts was doused with cold water. The men opened their mouths hesitantly, their faces slightly pale.

“O-of course not! We’re grateful.”

“Yes! Yes! We’re grateful! My family lived because of that grain!”

“The Overlord is good! It’s those Demonic Realm thugs who are bad! They don’t follow his orders!”

They quickly changed their words, desperate to sound grateful. The informer smirked, watching them squirm.

“You better watch what you say. I’ll be listening.”

“Ha ha… watch our mouths? We were just…”

“How pathetic.”

As the informer walked away, the people clenched their fists, humiliated.

Only when he was gone did their anger explode, like a dam breaking.

“That son of a bitch…”

“Those informers are worse than the Four Seas Alliance themselves! Are they really just dogs for them?”

“Dogs? They wouldn’t even treat him like a dog. He’s just dirt to the Four Seas Alliance!”

Faces flushed red with anger.

Their voices were bitter with helplessness. They knew. The Four Seas Alliance didn’t exactly treat informers well.

At best, they would throw them a sack or two of grain.

But they were in a position where they had to be wary of such dogs.

The person who was reported would disappear within a few days, all for the sake of a sack or two of grain.

Their miserable situation made their blood boil with rage.

“That bastard will be struck by lightning and die! Struck by lightning!”

“That’s right!”

“There’s no one to trust. No one!”

After venting their anger for a while, they cautiously glanced at each other.

The informer might not be just that one person. If someone among them secretly informed, someone else might suffer an unexpected misfortune.

“Ahem.”

They coughed awkwardly, avoiding eye contact, and slowly walked away.

The world had changed. They couldn’t even speak their minds anymore.

“Sigh…”

One man stayed behind, shaking his head. A world where everyone spied on everyone else. Life was tough before, but never this hopeless.

“How long will we have to live like this…?”

It was then that the man sighed deeply.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap!

“Huh?”

Now that it was quiet, a strange sound reached his ears.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap!

“What’s that sound…?”

He turned towards the sound.

Suddenly, a flash of white lightning zipped past his face.

“Aaaargh!”

He screamed and fell backwards.

“W-what was that!”

It felt like white lightning had just shot past him.

He looked up, startled, but there was nothing there.

“D-did a ghost pass by?”

He stared blankly, then shook his head. *Maybe I’m just seeing things. Haven’t eaten properly lately,* he thought.

In the forest not far from where the man had been.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap!

Tiny, adorable paws pounded the ground at incredible speed.

Up close, it was cute. But from far away, it looked like a white lightning bolt through the trees.

“Huff! Huff!”

Suddenly, a huge shape blocked Baek Ah’s path. He was running so fast, tiny drops of sweat flew from his paws.

“Kroooooh!”

A tiger! As big as a house! A Mountain Guardian, or maybe even a Spirit Beast, it was huge.

It looked furious, probably angry that someone had entered its territory.

“Kroooooh!”

The tiger blocked his way, teeth bared, roaring with all its might. The roar was deafening, making your knees shake and your hair stand up!

But Baek Ah didn’t flinch. He narrowed his eyes, and with the same speed, leaped at the tiger’s face, headbutting it with his tiny head.

*Thud!* The sound was like a giant bell ringing.

The huge tiger yelped like a puppy and crashed to the ground.

Baek Ah wasn’t done. He climbed onto the tiger’s head and furiously pounded it with his tiny fists, stomping on the ‘King’ symbol on its forehead.

“Kieeeeeek!”

Tears filled Baek Ah’s eyes. His anger wasn’t really at the tiger. It was something else.

“Kroooooh!”

The tiger tried to run, tail between its legs, but Baek Ah grabbed its tail with his tiny paws. He twisted his body and slammed the tiger to the ground.

*Wham!* The tiger shuddered and went still. Its neck was broken.

“Kiek! Kieeeeek!”

Baek Ah glared at the tiger, tiny veins bulging on his forehead. He waved his paws and shouted something.

Then, as if remembering his mission, he turned and ran again, as fast as he could, like nothing had happened.

*Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap!* Baek Ah, a white lightning bolt again, raced through Jiangnan, using all his energy.

Faster! He had to be faster!

He had to deliver the letter around his neck to Gangbuk. Before his hated owner died.