Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1482

“Senior Uncle.”

“…Don’t talk to me.”

“No, that’s not it, Senior Uncle.”

Baek Cheon mumbled, his voice muffled by the robes, “Don’t talk to me.”

Yoon Jong sighed and gave up trying to talk to him.

‘Does he really hate it that much?’ Yoon Jong wondered.

Baek Cheon’s movements were stiff and awkward. He seemed to hate the Jongnam robes touching his skin, as if they were made of stinging nettles.

“How did I end up like this…?” Baek Cheon groaned.

The others watched Baek Cheon’s despair with sympathy.

It had been a while since he’d been this humiliated.

“It’s amazing, though,” Chung Myung said. “You’re unrecognizable. How can brothers look so alike?”

“Just changing his expression and clothes makes him so unpleasant,” Yoon Jong added.

“He always gets upset when we say he’s unlikeable, but he can be even more so if he wants to. He’s been holding back,” Jo Gul chuckled.

Baek Cheon glared at them, his eyes bloodshot. Everyone quickly looked away.

But Jo Gul, never one to be quiet, kept talking like a noisy bird, even in this tense moment.

“Senior Uncle, I’m curious, are you angry because you’re pretending to be from Jongnam, or because you’re pretending to be your brother?”

Jo Gul yelped as Tang Soso’s fist landed on his ribs, making him double over.

“You asked for it!” Tang Soso said, shaking her head. “What’s so important about that right now?”

“No…” Hae Yeon started to say.

“Shhh. Someone’s coming,” Chung Myung warned.

Everyone tensed up. A passerby spotted them and approached with a smile.

“Ah! Are you not the Great Hero Jin of Jongnam?”

Oh Geom swallowed hard and looked at Baek Cheon. Tang Soso quickly adjusted Hae Yeon’s wig.

“Do you remember me? I met you in Shaanxi. We even had dinner together.”

‘We’re doomed,’ they thought.

Even Chung Myung, who had planned this, was sweating with dismay.

But Baek Cheon remained calm, glancing at the approaching man.

“Hmm,” he said.

He looked the man up and down, then spoke to his group.

“Yoon-pyeong.”

“…”

“Yoon-pyeong!”

“Yes? Ah… Yes, Senior Uncle!” Yoon Jong replied, bowing deeply.

“Watch closely. This is a common discourtesy in the Jianghu.”

“This disciple is too foolish to understand your teachings. Please forgive me,” Yoon Jong said.

Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes at Yoon Jong and said in a flat voice, “Whether you know the person or not, you must first state your name and identity in the Jianghu. Not doing so is a great discourtesy. Remember this. If a disciple of Jongnam makes such a mistake, I will not forgive it.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Yoon Jong said.

Before Yoon Jong could say more, the man spoke, looking pale.

“I am Go Ilsan of the Yihwa Gate of Henan! I met you in Shaanxi with my sect leader. I was so happy to see you that I was discourteous. I apologize, Great Hero.”

“There is no need to apologize,” Baek Cheon said.

Baek Cheon smiled gently, but it made Go Ilsan’s stomach twist.

“I was simply explaining the etiquette that Jongnam disciples must follow. I don’t expect the same from other sects.”

“…”

“However, I must ask for your understanding, as I don’t remember you. I do remember the Lord of the Yihwa Gate, though…”

“Yes. I was there as well. Your appearance that day was so impressive, and I was so happy to see you again…”

“I am also pleased to see you again,” Baek Cheon said, cutting him off.

Baek Cheon gave Go Ilsan an emotionless stare. It was as if he was saying, ‘Have you said all you need to say? Why are you still here?’

Go Ilsan quickly bowed again, feeling awkward.

“Congratulations on Jongnam lifting its seclusion. I will visit you again with the sect leader next time.”

“I will do my best to welcome you then. Good luck,” Baek Cheon replied.

“Good luck to you,” Go Ilsan said, bowing deeply and hurrying away.

The others stared in astonishment.

“Amazing…” Jo Gul whispered, trembling.

“What did I just witness?”

“Perfect.”

“Senior Uncle, how could you do that so perfectly without even practicing? The unlikeable part was exactly the same!” Jo Gul exclaimed.

Baek Cheon looked at the sky with a bitter expression.

“I’ve seen it millions of times,” he said.

“Ah…”

‘It must have been hard,’ they thought. ‘That’s why he ran away from home.’

A moment later, Baek Cheon checked that no one was around and grabbed his robes.

“Eheyy!”

“You mustn’t tear it!”

“Whoa, Senior Uncle. Just bear with it a little longer. Good boy, good boy,” Chung Myung said soothingly.

“Sago… Not the sweets. That’s too much,” Baek Cheon mumbled.

“Really?” Yoo Iseol quietly withdrew her hand, tears welling up in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

‘How did I end up like this…?’ he wondered.

“Senior Uncle, that man seemed to have a connection to Jongnam. Is it okay to treat him like that? He’ll definitely have bad feelings…” Yoon Jong asked.

“Who cares? Geum Ryong will take the blame,” Baek Cheon said nonchalantly.

Everyone nodded in agreement. This man was not normal.

“See! I told you no one would suspect it, didn’t I?” Chung Myung said smugly.

Baek Cheon glared at Chung Myung, who was chuckling.

“You… you scoundrel,” Baek Cheon growled.

“Hee hee hee!” Chung Myung laughed.

Baek Cheon wanted to shove the robe into Chung Myung’s mouth, but he knew it would disgrace Hwasan, so he had to endure it.

“Is this something a person should do?” he muttered.

“Why are you trembling so much? It’s the clothes you used to wear every day,” Chung Myung teased.

“Chung Myung, stop it. Senior Uncle is about to explode,” Yoon Jong warned.

“He’s actually swelling up a bit,” Jo Gul added.

“More importantly, are we going the right way?” Yoon Jong asked.

“Just a moment,” Chung Myung said, patting his chest. A small white ball of fur peeked out, blinking its black eyes.

“Hey, which way is it?” Chung Myung asked.

Baek Ah stretched out its neck and twitched its nose.

“Kiyi!” It pointed northeast.

“It’s that way,” Chung Myung said.

“It’s a bit far from the main base, at least,” Yoon Jong commented.

“Let’s go quickly. Honestly, just wearing these clothes is making my stomach twist,” Baek Cheon said.

“Yes, let’s go, Senior Brother,” Yoon Jong agreed.

“Just a moment, can you fix my wig? It keeps turning…” Hae Yeon pleaded.

“That’s why I told you not to sweat so much. Your head is slippery, so the wig keeps turning,” Chung Myung said.

“How can I not sweat in this situation?” Hae Yeon asked.

“Put a towel inside,” Chung Myung suggested.

“Then it’ll be too bulky and awkward. If only your head is puffed up, wouldn’t that be even weirder?”

Hae Yeon closed his eyes and chanted a prayer. ‘What did I do to deserve this punishment? Life is suffering…’

“Someone’s coming from behind. Let’s go quickly,” Chung Myung said.

“Yes.”

The group walked on, pretending to be Jongnam disciples. Passersby looked at them with envy, without a hint of suspicion.

Yoon Jong spoke, confused.

“But, Chung Myung.”

“Yeah?”

“How does this even work? How can no one suspect us, even though we’re so clumsy… and this is Kaifeng?”

“What obvious nonsense,” Chung Myung smirked.

“Of course, some people suspect us. But what are they going to do about it?”

“What do you mean? If they suspect us, they’ll check it out.”

“With whom?”

“Well…” Yoon Jong started to say, then stopped. He understood now.

“If they check it out and Dong Ryong really is Geum Ryong, do you think that crazy bastard would leave them alone?” Chung Myung asked.

“…”

“Geum Ryong is the next sect leader of Jongnam. There are even rumors that he’ll take over soon. Are you going to be rude to him? That’s like being rude to all of Jongnam. Who’s going to ask, ‘Are you really Jin Geum Ryong?’ Those people would disappear,” Chung Myung explained.

“Ah…”

Everyone nodded. But the suspicion hadn’t completely disappeared.

“So they’re just going to do nothing?” Yoon Jong asked.

“Do nothing? Letters are already flying to Shaanxi to check if Geum Ryong really came here,” Chung Myung said.

“Really?”

“But!” Chung Myung grinned wickedly.

“By the time they find out, we’ll be gone.”

Everyone was impressed, except for Baek Cheon.

“Wow…”

“That’s amazing.”

Chung Myung puffed out his chest, enjoying the praise.

“This is a perfect crime,” he declared.

“Sometimes you surprise me with how clever you are,” Yoon Jong said, impressed.

“It’s not my brains, it’s this face that made me plan this. It’s still so similar, it’s creepy,” Chung Myung said, looking at Baek Cheon.

“Shut up,” Baek Cheon snapped.

Chung Myung ignored him, watching Baek Cheon tremble with a satisfied expression.

“Anyway, people in Kaifeng might suspect us, but no one will do anything, so act calmly. Just thinking about how much Geum Ryong will freak out makes me feel great! Hee hee hee!”

Chung Myung walked on, looking devilish. Everyone followed him.

“Yeah, it’s all good if we don’t get caught,” Yoon Jong said.

“We need to finish this quickly and run. It would be a disgrace if we get caught,” Jo Gul added.

“I’m confident I can bite my tongue and die immediately,” Hae Yeon said.

The disciples of Hwasan were sharing awkward jokes when they turned the corner and froze.

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

They saw a group of beggars who looked extraordinary.

This wasn’t a problem, as strong beggars often traveled in groups in Kaifeng.

The problem was someone with the beggars.

“Uh…”

He wore a pure white martial robe with cloud patterns, his hair neatly arranged with a silver-white crown, and his eyes were wide with embarrassment.

The disciples of Hwasan recognized him instantly. Chung Myung, stiff as a statue, groaned.

“L, Lee… Song… Baek.”

“…”

‘Haha. Hahaha…’

‘Why are you suddenly here?’

‘I’m going crazy…’