Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1451

“Okay, okay,” Hyun Jong said, finally giving up. He raised his hands like he was surrendering. Really, he couldn’t stop Tang Gun-ak. Once Tang Gun-ak decided to do something, he would either talk you into it, or just do it anyway!

“Thank you, Alliance Leader,” Tang Gun-ak said with a gentle smile after getting Hyun Jong to agree.

Then Chung Myung asked,

“So, is the Tang Family now completely moving to Shaanxi?”

Tang Gun-ak looked at Chung Myung and replied,

“No, not really. We have to go back eventually.”

“Huh? Then you’re going to spend all that money just to fix up a place to live for a short time? You’re being really generous, aren’t you?”

Tang Gun-ak smiled wryly at those words.

“It’s not that I don’t care about money. And…”

Tang Gun-ak turned his head slightly to look at his family members behind him.

“For them to get used to Shaanxi, it’s better to completely forget about Sichuan, you see.”

“But why?”

“Once we kick out the Four Evil Sects, Sichuan will be completely without a leader.”

“……”

“Someone has to take responsibility for what happens after that.”

A strange sadness appeared in Tang Gun-ak’s eyes. Seeing that, Chung Myung knew what Tang Gun-ak was thinking without him saying it.

He was worried about those who had worked for the Tang Family for many years, the people who had been forced to move from the Yangtze River, and those he hadn’t had time to take care of.

“If that’s what you’re thinking…”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not just worrying about the future. It’s just…”

Tang Gun-ak’s eyes became sharp.

“I just think it’s time to stop using weak methods when dealing with the Four Evil Sects. We need to be sure about everything.”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung nodded. Only Tang Gun-ak could start this. Knowing this, Tang Gun-ak was pushing Hyun Jong to agree by putting on an act that wasn’t really him.

“Actually, I also think it’s better for the Tang Family to go back to Sichuan. Whenever that is.”

“Why do you say that?”

“The Shaanxi Tang Family sounds a bit strange. The Sichuan Tang Family sounds much better!”

Chung Myung chuckled as he watched Tang Gun-ak, who didn’t know what to say. He thought to himself that Tang Gun-ak might not be as good at fighting as Tang Bo, but he was definitely better at making decisions. And most importantly…

‘He has a lot of money.’

That Tang Bo was a beggar. A Tang Family elder who couldn’t even get money properly, always…

Ah, I shouldn’t be talking about this. I should have asked for more allowance. That stingy Sect Leader…

– What?

“Ahem.”

Chung Myung cleared his throat loudly and carefully spoke again.

“But it doesn’t seem like it will be as easy as you think. What’s the plan?”

“It’s the same as what I said before.”

“It won’t be easy to find a place for them to stay either. There are buildings from when the Heavenly Union was created, but even that is…”

“Are you talking about building something now? To me, the head of the Tang Family?”

This time, Chung Myung was speechless.

“Sometimes, when I see you, you’re not just nagging, but you’re also too confident. You need to know your place sometimes.”

“……Ugh. That’s what I used to say to Dong-ryong.”

Tang Gun-ak chuckled, but Chung Myung couldn’t argue.

The Tang Family had the most skilled craftsmen in the world. Many people thought the Tang Family’s workshops were just for making throwing stars, but the Tang Family’s craftsmen were skilled handymen with expertise in mechanical devices… No, workers.

Didn’t everyone admire the Tang Family’s skills when the Heavenly Union was created? If they were put to work, building pavilions and housing people would be very easy. Even the martial artists there were said to be better than most carpenters.

“Then are you going to make it bigger?”

“That’s the plan. For defense, it would be best to build the main base near the top of Mount Hua, but…”

“That’s impossible.”

“Yes, it’s impossible. Even now, people are calling Mount Hua a bunch of weirdos who live in pavilions above the clouds.”

“What? Who is saying that! Who is it?”

“Isn’t it kind of true?”

“Why is it true! It’s completely wrong. Mount Hua…”

“To be honest, even if Mount Hua had started in Hwayeom instead of that rough mountaintop, it would have been better than Shaolin at its best.”

“……”

“Last time I saw it, there was no room to build more pavilions. How many people would want to join the sect all the way up on that mountaintop?”

“So, you think our ancestors were dumb?”

“What did you say to the Tang Family ancestors?”

“Kkeueu……”

Chung Myung trembled. Is this guy getting revenge like this?

“Anyway, it’s hard to build the main base where the Mount Hua Sect is. So, we’ll have to build it around Hwayeom. We’ll gather all the sects there and build a single fortress.”

“……Hwayeom will become lively.”

“It will be.”

Tang Gun-ak then spoke to Chung Myung carefully.

“You.”

“Yes?”

“Can we talk alone for a minute?”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung blinked and looked at Tang Gun-ak.

The Five Swords watched Tang Gun-ak and Chung Myung as they moved away.

“……What are they going to talk about?”

“It’s obvious, Sahyung. Isn’t he going to ask for support for the Tang Family in the future?”

“Geol-ah…… Not everyone in the world is as thoughtless as you. If he was going to ask for something like that, he would have asked the Supreme Elder, not Chung Myung.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Jo Gul scratched his head. Then, he widened his eyes and shouted.

“Oh? I know!”

“Huh? What?”

Under everyone’s gaze, Jo Gul proudly puffed out his shoulders.

“Think about it. What does the Tang Family need most right now?”

“Poison?”

“Throwing stars?”

“Money?”

“Tsk tsk. It’s not that. What the Tang Family needs to get back to its glory days is strong power.”

“……So?”

“At this point, even the Family Head must be regretting it! So, he’s trying again what he failed at before! He’s probably going to marry that guy off to a Tang Family daughter again to create an inescapable trap… Kwaaack! (Sound of Jo Gul yelping in pain)”

Tang Soso kicked Jo Gul in the back of the head as hard as she could.

“Y-You’ll die if you do that, Soso-ya!”

“Please just die!”

Baek Cheon sighed deeply as he watched them, their peace not lasting even a moment. When will these guys ever grow up…

His gaze turned to the two people who had moved away.

“Why are you being so secretive about what you want to say?”

“Once we get to Hwayeom… No, once the other sects join us, it won’t be easy to say, so I wanted to do it now.”

“Hmm. Well, there are a lot of things to worry about, but isn’t the Family Head too busy to worry about me or Mount Hua right now?”

“That’s exactly why it has to be now.”

“Yes?”

“Because if we lose to the Four Evil Sects, it will all be over.”

Chung Myung was quiet for a moment before nodding.

He trusted Tang Gun-ak a lot. But he trusted Tang Gun-ak as a person, not as someone to fight with.

No, it wasn’t just Tang Gun-ak. Maybe Chung Myung didn’t trust any of the other sects in the Heavenly Union as people to fight alongside.

‘Because they don’t feel like things are urgent.’

Those who had lived in peace didn’t have the fear that a knife could be at their throats at any moment. So, when it was time to make a decision, they hesitated.

But now Chung Myung knew for sure that Tang Gun-ak, at least, felt that things were urgent. That’s why he had to look at Tang Gun-ak differently than before.

“So, what do you want to say?”

“We shouldn’t be losing to the Four Evil Sects.”

“……Yes?”

“No matter how good Jang Il-so is at planning, if the Heavenly Union works together and gets support from the Nine Great Sects, we shouldn’t be losing to just evil sects.”

“……Is that something someone who just got beaten up should be saying?”

Tang Gun-ak narrowed his eyes slightly and glared, making Chung Myung look away sheepishly.

“Time and place……”

“Ah, I was wrong! I was wrong!”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gun-ak cleared his throat and continued.

“There’s only one reason why we lost. We want to help each other, but we don’t have a system. When Jang Il-so makes a decision, the Four Evil Sects follow his orders with their lives, whether it’s right or wrong. That’s the secret to the Four Evil Sects’ power.”

“……”

“But when we decide on something, everyone shares their opinions, judges what’s right and wrong, and figures out who will follow and who won’t, and tries to convince them.”

Chung Myung looked at Tang Gun-ak with a serious face.

“There’s no way a group like this can work well.”

“……I understand what you’re saying, but it seems strange coming from someone who just started a new path by talking things out?”

“Of course, there are good things about this method. Sometimes it’s needed. But… do you really think it’s right to keep doing that even in war?”

Chung Myung couldn’t answer.

Because he had already seen what a disorganized leadership and a group with many leaders all over the place could do on the battlefield. If Cheong Mun, who didn’t like to step up, hadn’t taken charge and organized everyone, they would have fallen apart without even fighting back against the Demonic Sect.

“I’ve realized for sure through this. The Heavenly Union has to change. We need to trust each other, but… we have to fix this situation with too many leaders. Whether it’s right or wrong, we have to follow the orders we’re given.”

“Like the Four Evil Sects?”

“I hate to say it, but… that’s what we have to do.”

Chung Myung took a deep breath.

“I understand. It’s hard for the Alliance Leader to do that, right?”

“That’s right. He’s good as an Alliance Leader, but he can’t push people when they disagree. And he can’t handle the sacrifices of his allies.”

“He’s changed a lot now.”

“……He’ll break down. He’s not a very strong person to begin with.”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung nodded as if he agreed.

“I understand what you’re saying. So, the Heavenly Union needs a real leader, and the other leaders need to follow that leader, right?”

“That’s right.”

“……I had a feeling.”

When the Tang Family, which was almost ruined, said they would give up everything they had left, I thought it was strange. It seems like this was what they were thinking.

“I understand what you’re saying. So, the Tang Family can do that, right?”

At the direct question, Tang Gun-ak looked at Chung Myung silently. Chung Myung nodded as if he understood.

If that happened, even if their fighting skills were weak, they could become even more famous than before. Trying to bring the Tang Family back to its glory days based on that fame was a smart move.

“But you don’t need to ask me for that. There’s no one better for that role than the Tang Family Head. I’ll support you, so please do well.”

If Tang Gun-ak’s position as Vice Alliance Leader was officially recognized and he had more power, the Heavenly Union would definitely be more organized. It would be a bit different from now, but in this situation, that’s okay.

It was created for everyone to help each other, so it’s natural to change to find the best way.

But Tang Gun-ak’s reaction was different from what Chung Myung expected.

“You’re not getting what I mean,” Tang Gun-ak said to Chung Myung.

“Yes?”

“I’m not the right person. The people in the Heavenly Union don’t owe me anything. They don’t have to listen to me. I’m thinking about stepping down from the position of Vice Alliance Leader.”

“Yes? No, what does that……”

“You need to stop doing the dirty work behind the scenes.”

Tang Gun-ak looked at Chung Myung with determined eyes.

“Officially create the position of Commander-in-Chief in the Heavenly Union and take it. The Tang Family will support you with everything it has.”

Chung Myung’s face went blank, as if he had been hit by something.