Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1343

Seomun Yu, the finance officer for the Four Seas Alliance, felt his heart pound. He stood at the bottom of the very tall white steps. They seemed to climb all the way to the sky, gleaming white in the hot sun. He knew what waited at the top: Jang Il-so.

Seomun Yu nervously straightened his clothes. He pulled his belt tighter and tugged up his loose trousers. He took a deep breath.

“Hooo…”

Only when he felt as ready as he could be, did he start to climb.

*Tap. Tap.*

His footsteps echoed on the smooth marble. The sound traveled down to the large open space below. The sun beat down on the white stone, making it almost too bright to look at.

Some people who had never climbed these steps said they were just for show. “Unnecessary steps,” they called them. “Just like Jang Il-so, always showing off.” They thought it was just part of his showy personality.

*’Fools,’* Seomun Yu thought to himself. *’They don’t understand anything.’*

Anyone who had climbed these steps, feeling the tension build with each step closer to Jang Il-so, would know the truth. These steps were not just stone. They were a path to facing power itself.

After going up the pure white path, a grand hall greeted him. It was more than worthy of its name.

People who only saw him from far away could not understand how powerful he felt up close.

“Hooo…”

Another deep sigh escaped him. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead because of the hot sun and the tension.

“I have come to report to the Alliance Lord.”

The Red Hounds guarding the front of the grand hall glared at Seomun Yu with shining eyes. These hounds would attack friend and foe alike if Jang Il-so commanded them to. Facing them was not easy, even for those within the Myriad Formation Clan.

The Red Hounds looked Seomun Yu up and down.

He was just a scholar, so he couldn’t even scratch Jang Il-so. But even so, they did not lower their guard.

“Enter.”

Only after the Red Hounds opened the doors could he enter the grand hall after the long and difficult process. The light scent from the incense burners floated into his nose.

The grand hall was more for showing off than doing business. In the center of the large, empty space was a large jade throne. And on it, Jang Il-so was lying down, wearing a red robe with a golden dragon on it.

Seomun Yu realized again how big this grand hall was.

The grand hall had seemed so big that it felt empty, but it felt cramped when he saw Jang Il-so. If the grand hall were any smaller, he wouldn’t be able to breathe because of Jang Il-so’s power.

He had been working for Jang Il-so for several years, but he could never get used to meeting him.

Seomun Yu swallowed hard and walked forward carefully.

He would rather bow down low to approach, as it would make him less nervous, but Jang Il-so did not allow such things. So, he had to face him head-on like this.

“…Alliance Lord.”

Jang Il-so, who had been lying on the throne like a bed, slowly opened his eyes.

When Seomun Yu saw his slow and tired pale eyes, he felt a shiver as if something had cut through him.

“I, I have a report… This is the ledger for the supply of materials.”

Seomun Yu carefully held out the ledger.

He missed Ho Gamyung because he wasn’t there. Ho Gamyung should have reviewed this ledger, not Jang Il-so. But with Ho Gamyung gone, he had to give it to Jang Il-so himself.

Jang Il-so slowly looked at the ledger in Seomun Yu’s hand. After staring at it, Jang Il-so slowly raised his hand.

Then, an attendant brought forward a large seal that had been placed behind him. A golden dragon was carved around the outside of the seal, which showed that he was the Alliance Lord of the Four Seas Alliance. Even the Emperor’s seal was probably not as fancy as this.

“It is here.”

The attendant held out the seal right in front of Jang Il-so’s hand. Then, without caring, he picked up the seal and threw it to Seomun Yu.

*Thud! Thud!*

The important seal rolled across the floor like a worthless stone. Cold sweat ran down Seomun Yu’s back as he stared at the seal.

Should he pick it up? Would that be very disrespectful, and he could be killed for it? He wouldn’t even be able to complain.

But Jang Il-so turned and lay down as if he didn’t care.

“Stamp it and leave.”

“Yes…? Yes, Alliance Lord!”

Seomun Yu nodded quickly.

With shaking hands, he opened the ledger and carefully picked up the seal from the floor. He looked afraid of breaking it.

He wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve and managed to stamp the seal with difficulty.

It’s over. Now I can leave.

Before he knew it, he sighed in relief. But it was just for a moment.

Seomun Yu looked up and saw that Jang Il-so had turned to look at him.

A cold chill ran down Seomun Yu’s spine.

“Hmm.”

Jang Il-so’s lips curved up slightly. He stared at Seomun Yu with an unreadable expression and spoke slowly.

“Come here.”

“…Yes?”

“Bring that here.”

Seomun Yu’s face turned pale. Jang Il-so smiled even more gently and said,

“Quickly.”

In the end, Seomun Yu walked to Jang Il-so as if he were being controlled. He carefully held out the ledger, and Jang Il-so slowly took it and looked through it.

“Hmph.”

Jang Il-so closed the ledger and smiled at Seomun Yu.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“…”

“I’m just not good at this. I can’t understand it, no matter how much I read it. Do you understand?”

Seomun Yu nodded.

“I don’t know how Gamyung does this. I just can’t understand you scholars.”

His tone was playful, and his voice was light.

But Seomun Yu only moved back. Because Jang Il-so’s eyes were not smiling at all.

“Tell me.”

“Wh, what do you mean…?”

“Is this ledger correct?”

“O, of course, Alliance Lord!”

Seomun Yu began to talk quickly and nervously, his face as pale as a sheet.

He even talked about things Jang Il-so hadn’t asked about.

“H, how could there be any mistakes in a report to the Alliance Lord? Not a single number, not a single word is wrong! I have checked that the numbers in the ledger and the numbers of items in the Alliance match exactly!”

“Hmph?”

“There was not a single mistake! Please believe me.”

Seomun Yu bowed his head low. Jang Il-so laughed strangely.

“Matches exactly, you say…”

Jang Il-so’s sharp eyes became soft again, but they looked tired. He nodded slowly, as if he was very, very tired of everything.

“That’s a relief,” Seomun Yu said, letting out a small breath.

Seomun Yu’s body went limp with relief. His clothes were already soaked with sweat.

“Ga-myeong is not here. It must be difficult for you to do his job.”

“I am trying my best to do the military advisor’s job, even though I might not be good enough.”

“A good answer. But it’s not enough.”

“…Yes?”

Jang Il-so smiled a little. It was not a warm smile.

“Ga-myeong does more than just manage numbers. People who work closely with me need to understand me better.”

Seomun Yu stared at Jang Il-so, completely confused. Jang Il-so’s eyes seemed to smile, like soft curves in the air.

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

“I, I’m not sure…”

“Oh, dear. You mustn’t be unsure.”

Jang Il-so reached out. The tips of his slender, white fingers, with their long nails, touched Seomun Yu’s forehead before slowly sliding down. They brushed past the end of his eyebrow and down to his cheek.

“Know this: I do not dislike those who try to deceive me.”

“L-Lord. I…”

“What I dislike is…”

Suddenly, a sharp pain…

A sharp pain shot through the cheek where Jang Il-so’s nail touched. The nail had dug into his skin. But Seomun Yu couldn’t even blink.

“…those who fail to deceive me.”

The corners of Jang Il-so’s lips stretched into a grotesquely bright smile. It was a truly eerie smile.

Drip.

The nail gradually dug deeper. The sensation made Seomun Yu’s mind spin endlessly. Or perhaps, what was stealing his mind wasn’t the pain, but the fear of what he was about to endure.

“Tell me.”

Jang Il-so’s eyes were like a storm.

Something wild and confusing seemed to boil inside them, always changing.

Just looking into his eyes made Seomun Yu’s heart tighten with fear.

“What Ga-myeong is up to…”

Jang Il-so’s blood-red lips parted slightly, revealing pearly white teeth.

“Tell me what that child is trying to do, even deceiving me.”

All Seomun Yu could do was nod frantically.

A short while later.

Jang Il-so, leaning back on the jade throne with his chin propped up, tapped his temple with his fingertips as if intrigued.

“In Hae Nam?”

“Y-Yes, that is correct!”

Seomun Yu bowed so low his head nearly touched the floor.

He knew Jang Il-so disliked excessive courtesy, but he had no energy to think about such things now. He could only bow desperately, again and again.

“Hmm.”

Jang Il-so hummed faintly and remained silent for a while.

Seomun Yu couldn’t dare to guess what he was thinking. No, he couldn’t even attempt to guess.

“Ha… Hahaha…”

Eventually, a small laugh escaped Jang Il-so’s lips. He seemed to find it absurd, yet also seemed endlessly amused.

“…So that’s what he’s been up to.”

Jang Il-so’s voice was definitely more excited than before.

“The Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

Seomun Yu swallowed hard. His throat, dry with tension, felt like it was tearing.

Seomun Yu had to tell Jang Il-so everything. It wasn’t his fault. Ga-myeong was late, and Jang Il-so was dangerous. Ga-myeong had asked him to keep secrets, but now, Seomun Yu only cared about surviving Jang Il-so’s anger.

Seomun Yu knew if Ga-myeong had been here, things might be different. But now, Jang Il-so’s anger would fall on him.

All of Seomun Yu’s attention was focused on Jang Il-so. He didn’t even notice that the wound on his cheek, which had dried up, had reopened and was bleeding again.

However, Jang Il-so was silent for a long time, as if he had closed his eyes and gone into a deep thought.

How much time had passed?

Only after what felt like an eternity to Seomun Yu did Jang Il-so open his eyes.

“Ga-myeong…” Jang Il-so’s pale eyes shone with a strange light. “He’s been very bold. And… it’s actually quite funny.”

Surprisingly, his voice contained no anger towards Ho Ga-myeong. It only carried a strange heat, like a child who had found an interesting toy.

Jang Il-so slowly rose to his feet.

His blood-red robe trailed long on the floor.

“The Mount Hua Sword Saint… The Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

Jang Il-so, looking past the prostrate Seomun Yu and into the distance, smiled quietly. It was a twisted smile.

“If you’ve come this far to show yourself, I have no choice but to welcome you. Hmm?”

Jang Il-so moved. Seomun Yu was terrified and bowed his head, but Jang Il-so, as if he no longer cared about Seomun Yu, passed him and headed for the door.

The tiredness he showed before was completely gone. Every step he took now was full of power.

Bang!

He flung the doors open with both hands, and the Hong Gyun waiting outside lowered their heads in perfect unison.

Jang Il-so commanded.

“Summon the heads of the groups. And all the Hong Gyun!”

“Yes, Lord!”

The Hong Gyun quickly rushed out. Jang Il-so didn’t even look at them as they left. He stood at the top of the stairs. Beyond the grand headquarters of the 사패련, a wide land stretched out before him.

“The Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

Jang Il-so’s eyes curved into a chilling arc.

“The pampering ends here.”

A world that seemed endlessly peaceful.

But Jang Il-so could see it clearly.

The sight of blood-red flames rising from the distant south, engulfing the world.

Once ignited, the flames would not be extinguished until they had devoured this world and turned it to ashes.

Never.