Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1378

The fishermen of the Yangtze River gathered at the water’s edge, full of questions.

The flames in the distance were dying down, fading from the intense blaze that had threatened to engulf the entire riverbank just moments before.

It was unusual to see the riverbank on fire, but it wasn’t just the flames that worried them.

“The ships, look at the ships!” someone shouted.

Huge ships were moving quickly into the center of the Yangtze River. They were different from the usual trading ships. These were Su Rochae warships, known for their strong ships and built to attack and crash into others.

Everyone watched as the ships headed east, a knot of tension forming in their stomachs.

It didn’t take much to understand that something big was about to happen, something that could change the Yangtze River forever.

“Is a war coming?” one fisherman asked.

“Hey, be quiet! Don’t say that word! War? Don’t bring bad luck!” another replied.

Their voices trembled, as if the word itself could bring disaster. They were anxious because they knew it wasn’t just a silly thought.

“Why else would the Su Rochae ships be moving like that? They haven’t moved from their spots in months.”

“Maybe they’re just going back home.”

“Don’t talk nonsense…”

Fear crept into their eyes.

They could feel it in their bones. The peace they had enjoyed was over.

“It hasn’t been long since the last trouble… There aren’t many of us left here now.”

“You can say that again.”

“Now, now, don’t worry too much. Isn’t that why the Nine Sects are here on the Yangtze River? Even if those bad guys are strong, what can they do with the Nine Sects around?”

It was a hopeful thought.

But everyone knew that if the Nine Sects were as strong as people said, they wouldn’t have let the Four Evil Sects cause so much trouble, even across the river.

Just then, someone shouted, “There!”

“Huh?”

The fishermen turned to see a group of people running towards the riverbank. They were so fast that they appeared in front of them in a blink.

“Shaolin?” someone whispered.

They wore yellow robes. Some of those in front wore red kasayas over their yellow robes. There were many temples in the world, but only Shaolin wore those yellow robes.

The Shaolin monks ran past with serious faces. Behind them, warriors with large swords and cold expressions followed.

One of the fishermen, watching the warriors run by in a daze, said quietly, “Is something really big about to happen?”

The entire Yangtze River was beginning to fill with the feeling of war.

“Abbot! Jang Il-So has shown himself,” a monk reported.

“Jang Il-So?” Beop Jeong asked.

“Yes! The man who stayed inside his carriage the whole time came out and gave orders directly. Some who received the orders left the main group, but we don’t know what they’re planning.”

Beop Jeong held his prayer beads tightly.

‘The defeated general,’ he thought.

The fact that Jang Il-So gave the order wasn’t important itself.

What mattered was that he could have given the order from inside his carriage.

Jang Il-So coming out himself was a clear insult. It was like saying he wasn’t even worried about Shaolin, that he could give orders in the open and they couldn’t do anything about it.

Beop Jeong’s knuckles turned white as he gripped his beads.

Even though Shaolin had been attacked first, they couldn’t even think about fighting back. They were just following Jang Il-So, who had started moving first.

Jang Il-So was asking Shaolin a question.

When they reached the other side of the river, where Jang Il-So was, what would they do? He was asking if they were brave enough to cross the river and punish him for his sins.

‘How dare he mock Shaolin like this?’ he thought.

Beop Jeong’s eyes flashed with anger.

Others might think it was nothing, but Beop Jeong felt Jang Il-So’s insult clearly.

It was an insult to the Abbot of Shaolin, who was leading the three sects across the river.

When had he ever been mocked like this?

What made Beop Jeong even angrier was that he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Abbot, what are you going to do?” Beop Gye asked carefully.

Beop Jeong closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them. He replied calmly, as if nothing was wrong, “We don’t need to respond to every little taunt.”

“Yes, Abbot.”

“The important thing is to follow them so we can react to what the enemy does. We can think about how to respond when we can. Even the best plan is useless if it’s too late.”

“Yes!”

“Go faster!”

Beop Jeong kicked off the ground harder.

Beop Gye stared at his back, which didn’t seem so big at that moment.

‘Abbot…’

What Beop Jeong said was right. When dealing with Jang Il-So, it was important to stick to that idea. Jang Il-So used tricks easily. If they reacted to everything he did, they might miss something bigger.

But Beop Gye still had a doubt.

‘Is the Abbot really calm right now?’

Beop Gye realized something again.

From the Jang River disaster to now, Shaolin had fought the Four Evil Sects many times. They knew how dangerous their plans could be. They knew how dangerous Jang Il-So was.

But if he thought about it, Beop Jeong had never fought Jang Il-So directly. It was Beop Gye, not Beop Jeong, who led Shaolin during the Jang River disaster. When the Plum Blossom Island situation happened, Shaolin arrived late.

Beop Jeong had never faced Jang Il-So’s plans himself. He had never been Jang Il-So’s target.

If that was true…

“Didn’t I tell you to hurry?” Beop Jeong urged.

“Yes, yes! Abbot!” Beop Gye said, startled, cutting off his thoughts. He told the others to hurry, and the Shaolin disciples gritted their teeth and ran faster.

Beop Jeong, seeing that they were going faster, glared at the other side of the river.

Beop Gye felt worried as he watched Beop Jeong’s back.

“Alliance Leader! We’re falling behind those who went ahead,” Tang Gunak said.

“Hmm.” Hyun Jong looked ahead with a serious face.

‘Beop Jeong,’ he thought.

Hyun Jong was the most worried, but the three sects led by Shaolin were moving so fast that even he was surprised.

Tang Gunak said quietly, “The Nine Sects are strong, as expected.”

“That’s not new,” Hyun Jong replied.

The Nine Sects had lost their power not because they were weak, but because they didn’t use their power well.

If Beop Jeong really wanted to fight the Four Evil Sects, the Cheonwu Alliance would have a strong ally, even if they couldn’t share all their plans.

“What are you going to do? Should we go faster?” Tang Gunak asked.

Hyun Jong didn’t answer right away, his eyes heavy.

The Cheonwu Alliance had too many sects compared to the leading group, which was made up of only the best of the Nine Sects. If they went any faster, it would be hard to move smoothly.

Hyun Jong shook his head. “No, we’ll stay at this speed.”

“But, Alliance Leader, if we do that, we might fall behind not only the Nine Sects but also Jang Il-So.”

“It’s okay.”

Tang Gunak looked surprised. Hyun Jong, who was the most worried, was saying it was okay to be late.

Hyun Jong said calmly, “Clan Lord.”

“Yes?”

“When will the sun set?”

Tang Gunak was confused. What was he talking about?

Hyun Jong explained, “The Su Rochae are leading all their ships east, right?”

“Yes, that’s what they said.”

“And across the river, the best of the Four Evil Sects are heading east. So, the Four Evil Sects’ soldiers will be in two groups: those guarding the main base and those following Jang Il-So.”

“That makes sense…” Tang Gunak stopped, realizing what Hyun Jong was saying.

“You mean…?”

“Yes. We’ll go at a normal speed and let the ships go ahead. And when the sun sets…”

Hyun Jong said calmly, “We’ll lead the Alliance across the river.”

“Alliance Leader!” Tang Gunak’s face turned pale.

“That’s too dangerous! If the enemies find out we’ve crossed the river, they might turn around and attack us first. Then we’ll be attacked by Jang Il-So and the Su Rochae on the river!”

“That’s what the children are facing now, isn’t it?”

Tang Gunak was silent.

“It’s dangerous, so you don’t have to come. But Hwasan will cross the river.”

Tang Gunak turned around. The Hwasan disciples behind them looked determined.

‘So, you were planning this from the start?’ he thought.

As if answering his thoughts, Hyun Jong said, “It’s useless to just follow from a distance. If we do that, we might just watch Jang Il-So hurt the children on the other side of the river. I don’t want that to happen.”

“Alliance Leader…”

“I understand now why I felt confused even though I thought those children were right. Why everything felt wrong.”

“……”

“A sect is about sharing a destiny.”

Tang Gunak looked at Hyun Jong as if he was seeing something magical. Hyun Jong’s face seemed to show the true meaning of being a Taoist.

“I’ll go share my destiny with those children. I’m trying to fix what I should have done from the beginning.”

Tang Gunak turned to look at the Yangtze River.

The red sunset was turning the Yangtze River a deep red color. It was a beautiful scene, but now it felt like a storm was coming.

“If that’s the case, we’ll join you,” Tang Gunak said.

“……”

“Isn’t a friend someone who shares a destiny?”

Hyun Jong closed his eyes.

‘Cheong Myeong,’ he thought.

Now he understood what Cheong Myeong was trying to create.

‘Is this just my imagination?’

Everything that had been hidden was now showing its power because Cheong Myeong wasn’t there, like a shield protecting Hwasan even without him.

‘But you rascal.’

Hyun Jong smiled slightly.

“It’s not you who protects Hwasan, but Hwasan who protects you.”

Hyun Jong kicked off the ground and moved forward.