Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1488

“Eek? The Beggars’ Sect Chief?”

“That old geezer?”

Oh Geom stared, eyes wide. He couldn’t believe it. Even Hye-yeon, who was always calm, and Lee Song-baek, who looked completely lost, were speechless.

Everyone knew the Beggars’ Sect Chief was a white-haired old man, sick in bed. This rumor had spread everywhere.

But the man in front of them was strong and healthy, not sick at all.

‘No, even before that…’

Baek Cheon sounded confused as he asked, “Y-you’re the Beggars’ Sect Chief?”

“I am.”

“Th-that…”

Everyone looked at Baek Cheon, wondering what he would say.

“…You look far too wealthy to be him.”

Everyone’s heads drooped downwards.

It was strange. It was hard to imagine the leader of the beggars wearing fine silk clothes and living on the top floor of such a lavish place. The room was richly decorated with dark wood and colorful tapestries. The air smelled faintly of expensive incense.

So, it wasn’t exactly wrong, but…

“…Isn’t that the least of our concerns right now, Martial Uncle?”

“It’s still strange!”

“That it is…”

Yoon Jong wasn’t sure if he should correct him, so he just shook his head.

Then, Chung Myung answered their questions, not the Lord of the Heavenly Top.

“I told you, those beggar bastards have a disgusting amount of money.”

“…You did.”

“And. You shouldn’t trust them precisely because they’re beggars.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“People who work with secrets never share their own easily. We should doubt everything, even what we see, and especially rumors.”

“…I suppose so.”

Thinking about it, it made sense. But none of them had thought of it.

“…Why did we believe it so readily?”

“Who would have thought the Beggars’ Sect would deceive us? We’re on the same righteous side, aren’t we?”

“We assumed other sects would have noticed if something was wrong.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top chuckled at Oh Geom’s words.

“The Central Plains are big, and deceiving people is easier than you think. Just as hardly anyone realized you were pretending to be Jin Geum-ryong.”

“Ahem. That’s… true.”

Baek Cheon couldn’t argue with that, given his position. But Jo Gul still looked confused, as if he still had doubts.

“No, then who was the person Hong Dae-kwang called the King of Beggars? I can’t imagine him saying that about this gentleman. Surely, they’re not deceiving even their own people?”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top didn’t answer clearly, only smiling meaningfully. *He’s enjoying this,* Jo Gul thought, feeling even more confused.

“…There’s no one in this world you can trust, it seems.”

Jo Gul looked at the Lord of the Heavenly Top like a child who had been betrayed. The Lord of the Heavenly Top smiled wryly.

But then, Lee Song-baek, still calm, did what he should.

“Lee Song-baek of Jongnam greets the Beggars’ Sect Chief.”

Lee Song-baek bowed respectfully. Oh Geom, startled, quickly did the same.

“W-we greet the Sect Chief!”

“We were rude.”

“Please, forgive us!”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top frowned as if he had a headache.

“There’s no need to be formal. Here, let’s just…”

He looked at the Jongnam Sect emblem on Baek Cheon’s clothes.

“Let’s have a conversation between someone pretending to be Jongnam and someone pretending to be an innkeeper.”

“…Yes.”

They couldn’t be formal anyway.

“So.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top spoke to Chung Myung as if his time was important.

“I think I’ve given you the answers you wanted. Now, it’s my turn to ask, right? What did you want to do by finding me?”

He spoke to Oh Geom, but he was clearly talking to Chung Myung.

The others were shocked, but Chung Myung just shrugged, as if nothing could surprise him.

“I didn’t really want anything. I just thought I’d look for you first.”

“…Hmm?”

“You can’t do anything if someone is hiding and afraid. I knew I had to make you come out.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top sighed.

“Everyone has tried to do that. Many have tried. But I never thought anyone would find me this way.”

“Those people were too relaxed.”

“No.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top shook his head.

“Even if others thought of your method, they couldn’t have succeeded. It’s very unusual to chase a bird like this. Especially because this Azure Goldfinch is trained to fly only over rough mountains and wide rivers.”

“Azure… what?”

“Azure Goldfinch. This bird, here.”

“Ah, that Ten Thousand Mile Goldfinch?”

“Azure Goldfinch.”

“Yes. Ten Thousand Mile Goldfinch.”

The muscles in the Lord of the Heavenly Top’s face twitched. *This man is impossible,* he thought, forcing a smile.

Yoon Jong whispered to Baek Cheon, seeing this.

“Is the Sect Chief losing? Is he really the Sect Chief?”

“Not even the Jade Emperor could win against that bastard, let alone the Sect Chief…”

“Agreed.”

Oh Geom was confused. Should he laugh or cry that someone was speaking his mind even now?

Chung Myung stared at the chirping bird before grabbing Baek Ah, who was still growling, by the neck.

“Well, the method wasn’t bad, but you’re not the only one with a spirit beast.”

“The Beast Palace’s Baek Jeon. I didn’t think of that.”

“Baek Cheon?”

“Not Baek Cheon, but Baek… No, never mind. Let’s forget it.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top shook his head, as if he didn’t want to argue anymore.

When he had put the Azure Goldfinch near Chung Myung, he never thought this would happen. That the person being watched would use it against them.

‘No. He would have thought of using it.’

But to find the right person among so many beggars and make them do what he wanted was not easy.

“How did you know the Goldfinch was in Luoyang?”

“Oh, that’s…”

“Did you think it made sense for it to be in Luoyang?”

“No. I just thought… it was close by?”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top’s face twisted again. Yoon Jong whispered to Baek Cheon again.

“Martial Uncle. That man is completely angry! Is he really the Sect Chief?”

“Even King Yama would get angry in front of that bastard.”

“Agreed.”

Chung Myung ignored them and said calmly.

“Well. If nothing was happening in Luoyang, I was going to look somewhere else nearby. I thought I’d find something eventually.”

“…”

“Luckily, I found you right away? I’m so glad you’re a reasonable person, Sect Chief. I’ve been dealing with nothing but lunatics lately, I was starting to feel like I was going crazy myself.”

“…You called me a madman earlier.”

“That’s true, but your actions are normal.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top sighed and shook his head. A person who works with secrets shouldn’t show their emotions. But in front of this person, that didn’t matter.

How could he hide anything from someone who could guess his plans from so far away?

“So, you used the weakness in my plan to get here.”

“Yes. Well, if you fix it, it should be fine next time.”

“Then you’ll find another weakness. The Mount Hua Sword Saint. They said you were special, and you are…”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top nodded and looked at Chung Myung again.

“My questions have been answered. And I know why you came. So, what do you want to do now that you’ve met me?”

“I just wanted to ask.”

“Ask what?”

“What exactly are you doing here?”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top’s eyes turned cold. He even looked like he wanted to kill, but Chung Myung calmly looked around.

“Not a bad place,” Chung Myung said, slowly looking around the room. “Perfect for living like a hermit. Expensive, but quiet. The windows probably look out over the city.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I also want a simple life, so I understand. But shouldn’t you think about the timing? Imagine a big fire is burning everywhere, and you are just relaxing and fishing. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Look here, that…”

“Why did you neglect the Beggars’ Sect?”

Chung Myung interrupted the Lord of the Heavenly Top and got straight to the point. The Lord of the Heavenly Top was silent.

This time, Chung Myung stared at the Lord of the Heavenly Top with cold eyes.

“The world is falling apart, and the Beggars’ Sect is still failing, torn apart. I understood it at first. If the leader is hurt, even a strong group cannot work well. But… you didn’t even try to heal that injured head. That’s strange, isn’t it?”

“…”

“At least, there should have been action when the group split in the Yangtze River. Right?”

“…I admit it.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top nodded.

The Beggars’ Sect is strong because of its large numbers. So, a Beggars’ Sect with fewer members can’t be strong. The Beggars’ Sect should worry most about splitting up.

By allowing the group to split, the Beggars’ Sect had shown its problems to everyone… or at least, to Chung Myung.

“Saying you were sick is no excuse. The sect should have made you give up your position before it got this bad. If my Martial Uncle went crazy and tried to be friends with Jongnam, I would have locked him up and given him only water.”

“Chung Myung-ah. Isn’t that imprisonment, not replacement…?”

“No, Martial Uncle. That’s called torture.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top nodded.

“You thought something must be wrong because the Beggars’ Sect wasn’t working right. So, you came here to find out why. Is that right?”

“No.”

“Hmm? No?”

“You need to be exact. I didn’t come here to find out why.”

“…Then?”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top frowned, looking confused.

Then, Chung Myung said four unexpected words.

“Righteous Beggars’ Sect.”

It was hard to understand at first.

But strangely, the Lord of the Heavenly Top flinched, unable to hide his worry.

‘Why?’

Baek Cheon’s eyes were full of questions.

Righteous Beggars’ Sect is a common way to praise the Beggars’ Sect. But why would he be worried by such normal words?

“The Beggars’ Sect is not what it used to be. Well, I thought it could be that way. Not every sect can always be at its best. Cleverness and skills can disappear at any time.”

“…”

“But after meeting the Beggars’ Sect disciples, I changed my mind. They are not bad. But the Beggars’ Sect is bad. Since something that shouldn’t be happening is happening, there’s only one reason. Someone made the Beggars’ Sect bad.”

Baek Cheon swallowed hard. Chung Myung’s story was serious.

“So, I wanted to know. Who brought down the Beggars’ Sect I knew? Who has been on purpose stopping the Beggars’ Sect from doing its job?”

“…You.”

“So, I didn’t come here to find out why.”

Chung Myung’s eyes shone coldly.

“I came to get rid of it.”

His hand slowly moved to the sword at his waist.

The Lord of the Heavenly Top’s face turned pale. He felt pressure, as if he would be killed with a flick of a finger.

“Answer me.”

“…”

“You’ll have to give me a reason I can accept. Or you’ll die. I promise.”

The Lord of the Heavenly Top’s fingers shook slightly.