Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1500

Tap tap tap.

The sound of Chung Myung roughly washing his face echoed in the quiet room. He had just calmed down.

“Ugh… I’d rather die than suffer like this.”

“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve heard you say that?”

“Geol, shut your trap.”

Chung Myung gritted his teeth and glared upstairs. He thought about the person upstairs. That person had caused this mess, and now acted like they were in charge.

“So, to summarise…”

The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. Chung Myung massaged his temples and said, “Sixty percent of the Beggars’ Sect’s power has already gone to the elders. If we want to use their information, we need to suppress those elders and make the guy we want the Chief, right?”

“That is correct.”

“That damn beggar!”

“Oh, Amitabha! Calm yourself, Benefactor!”

“Stop it, you bastard! You’re a monk wearing robes, to a dead man!”

Hae Yeon and Yoon Jong quickly grabbed him and held on. Restrained, Chung Myung glared at the ceiling as if it were his mortal enemy.

Then, Jo Gul asked Baek Cheon in a small voice.

“But, Uncle.”

“Yes?”

“Is the current situation really that bad? If we just help the Chief, it seems like a good chance to step in and turn the Beggars’ Sect to our side.”

“That’s right. If it goes well, that’s how it will be. If things go really well, the Beggars’ Sect…”

Baek Cheon stopped. He wanted to say, ‘The Beggars’ Sect might even leave the Nine Great Sects and join the Heavenly Union.’ But he couldn’t say that in front of the Beggars’ Sect’s Chief.

Baek Cheon explained, “The Jianghu is like the world of martial arts groups, and the Nine Great Sects are the most important groups in it.”

“But that’s only if everything works out. If it goes wrong, very bad things will happen. Stepping into another sect’s leadership is against the rules of the Jianghu. It’s almost like starting a war with the Beggars’ Sect.”

“T-That serious?”

“Imagine I was going to be the Mount Hua Sect Leader, but the Jongnam Sect stepped in and made Baek Sang the Sect Leader.”

“…Sounds good?”

“…”

“Ah, no. That wouldn’t do! Good things should be done by us! How dare the Jongnam bastards interfere? I’ll set fire to Mount Jongnam!”

“Yes. That’s it.”

Baek Cheon cleared his throat, bothered by Lee Song Baek washing his face behind him. He continued, “Anyway… if we’re not careful, we could turn the entire Beggars’ Sect into enemies.”

“But if the Chief is on our side, isn’t the situation different?”

Everyone looked at Poong Young Shin Gae. He gave a nervous smile.

“Well… I’m about to be kicked out myself…”

“You’re so proud of it, you bastard!”

“Aigo, Chung Myung-ah!”

“Get your hands off him! He’s still the Chief, Sasuk! You can’t draw your sword!”

“Bad manners.”

Poong Young Shin Gae watched, eyes wide, as the Mount Hua disciples swarmed Chung Myung from all sides. They wrestled him to the ground, pinning his arms and legs. Cold sweat trickled down Poong Young Shin Gae’s back. These people were fearless.

Do those guys even know who they’re pinning down…

When Yoo Iseol started poking Chung Myung’s head with her scabbard, Poong Young Shin Gae couldn’t bear to watch and turned away. The most terrible act in the history of the Jianghu had already happened. Only they didn’t know it…

Yoon Jong groaned, pressing down on Chung Myung’s arm.

“Sasuk, now that things have come to this, how about asking for help from the Heavenly Union headquarters?”

“You’re saying we should ask the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder to send swordsmen because we’re going to step into the Beggars’ Sect’s leadership?”

At that moment, something flashed through Yoon Jong’s mind.

He imagined Hyun Jong, eyes bloodshot, drawing his Plum Blossom Sword and rushing towards Kaifeng. Just thinking about it…

“…He’d have a heart attack.”

“Who needs a Heavenly Demon? That’s the real Heavenly Demon…”

“I’m going to wet myself.”

If that happened, they might really have to count how many grains of sand are rolling around in the Plum Blossom Cave with their foreheads.

“Let go!”

“Promise you won’t cause trouble.”

“I got it! I got it, so let go!”

“…I don’t trust you.”

They didn’t trust him, but they reluctantly stepped back. Chung Myung sighed and sat on the chair. He scratched his head and glared at Poong Young Shin Gae.

Poong Young Shin Gae looked away.

“That’s why I hate beggars.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Tsk.”

“So, who’s the head honcho on the other side?”

“Ilhogae Jo Namcheon (趙南天).”

“Ilhogae?”

Poong Young Shin Gae nodded.

“Gunguilho (群狗一虎) Jo Namcheon. He is gathering the elders and trying to become the Chief himself.”

“Not a crane among chickens, but a tiger among dogs. A tiger in a pack of dogs…” Chung Myung narrowed his eyes. Poong Young Shin Gae said with a bitter look, “As you might guess… he was supposed to become the Chief of the Beggars’ Sect. It’s just…”

“That old geezer wanted someone who would follow his will, so you became the Chief instead?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…I can see why he’d be upset.”

From Jo Namcheon’s point of view, he must have been going crazy. Just looking at the nickname Gunguilho, you could guess how he was treated. He had his position as Chief stolen without knowing why.

“Is he a Sajae (junior brother)?”

“He is a Sahyung (senior brother).”

Chung Myung looked at him with a sulky face. Poong Young Shin Gae’s head drooped.

Jo Gul whispered to Baek Cheon.

“Sasuk, what’s the situation?”

“It’s like Yoon Jong thought he would become the Sect Leader, but you suddenly snatched the position.”

“Huh? Then Mount Hua would be ruined, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

Everyone had been secretly listening. Now, they all stared at Jo Gul for a moment, their faces blank. Jo Gul flinched.

“Why?”

“No. Nothing.”

“I just think he’s pretty good at understanding his place.”

“Smart.”

“Ah. Well, you’re stating the obvious. Anyway, so, I snatched Yoon Jong Sahyung’s position and became the Mount Hua Sect Leader. I’m even deliberately making Mount Hua a mess, so Sahyung is gritting his teeth and gathering the other Sajaes to try to take back the Sect Leader position?”

“If you had to compare it, that’s probably it.”

“That… Sasuk? I don’t know if it’s because I’m not thinking straight, but no matter how I listen to this…”

“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

The Mount Hua disciples looked at Poong Young Shin Gae with sulky faces.

“The other side seems to be justice.”

“…This side is the villain.”

“Honestly, if it were me, I would have flipped the table a long time ago.”

Poong Young Shin Gae cleared his throat, unable to argue against it. He had only followed the will of his predecessors, but others wouldn’t think so.

“Anyway, so that Ilhogae is gathering the elders to become the Chief. How far has it gone? Fifty percent? Sixty percent?”

“That’s…”

“Surely not seventy percent?”

“Actually… their agreement is already finished. They are ready to finish their plan. But they are waiting for the Beggars’ Sect’s sacred object. They need it to make their decision official.”

Chung Myung’s pupils shook.

“It’s finished?”

“…Yes.”

“Ah, no, you don’t seem that incompetent, so what have you been doing until now?”

Poong Young Shin Gae glanced upwards.

“That’s… my master told me to wait because you would handle it yourself…”

“…You didn’t solve it and it turned out like this?”

“Yes.”

“In the meantime, you used the Guishidaebeop to barely stay alive, and as soon as you opened your eyes, you went like that?”

“So to speak… yes.”

“Keureuk…”

Chung Myung grabbed his neck and was about to fall backwards. Tang Soso pricked the back of his head with a needle.

As the blood drained out, Tang Soso calmly said, “I took out the blood, so your blood pressure will go down. Continue, Sahyung.”

“Kkeueueung.”

Chung Myung rubbed his face and gritted his teeth.

“So… those guys only need to stamp the seal, and you have that seal.”

“That’s right.”

“Then those guys… didn’t fail to find you, but didn’t bother looking for you. What they need is the sacred object, not you. You wouldn’t be foolish enough to bring the sacred object here, and you wouldn’t reveal its location even if you were caught.”

“That’s accurate.”

“So, in this situation, we either persuade all those guys or beat them up and make a new Beggars’ Sect Chief?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, my foot! You bastard!”

Oh Geom shook his head, suppressing Chung Myung’s outburst. He felt hopeless. Why does nothing ever go smoothly?

“Damn it!”

Chung Myung kicked away Hae Yeon and jumped up.

“Of course, nothing I do is ever easy?”

“What are you going to do, Chung Myung-ah?” Baek Cheon asked. Chung Myung’s eyes were bloodshot.

“What am I going to do? Now that it’s come to this, it’s all or nothing! Either the Beggars’ Sect gets destroyed, or I get destroyed!”

“…No, I don’t think we can just beat them up?”

“Whatever!”

Chung Myung crossed his arms and thought hard. Then he nodded.

“Fortunately, we’re in Kaifeng, and those guys don’t know we’re here.”

“How does that help?”

“It’s better than nothing. And… um, we’re missing one thing.”

Chung Myung looked at Poong Young Shin Gae.

“Where is that guy?”

“That guy?”

“That guy! That thing!”

Poong Young Shin Gae thought for a moment, then exclaimed, “Ah!”

“If you mean that person, he happens to be…”

“Damn it, those headquarters bastards.”

In a narrow, dark alley in Kaifeng that smelled of stale food and dust, Hong Daeguang spat with a disgruntled face. This damn headquarters never feels right.

“Why are they blaming me for what Jaogae did? They can’t even argue with Jaogae himself!”

Jaogae was in the Yangtze River, leading the Beggars’ Sect members who follow him. Even though it was something he did with the Chief’s permission, the elders were itching to punish Jaogae.

But since Jaogae has left the Beggars’ Sect, they can’t summon him. So, the headquarters is grabbing Hong Daeguang and tormenting him.

He’s already annoyed, and being summoned to the headquarters is making Hong Daeguang angry.

“Aish, damn it! This is too much. Should I just quit too?”

It seems like the Chief position is out of reach anyway, so it might be better to ask the Heavenly Union to accept me…

“No… it’s still better here than going under that guy.”

Hong Daeguang changed his mind. He had no confidence in serving Chung Myung. If this place is hell, that place is worse.

“Hoo.”

Hong Daeguang spat again, erasing the Heavenly Union option. He moved towards the headquarters…

“Wait a moment.”

“Huh?”

Someone appeared and gently pulled him.

“Who… Huh? Lee Song Baek? Lee Song Baek of Jongnam?”

“Greetings to the Hwaeum Branch Leader.”

“Why is a Jongnam person talking to me? I don’t know anything about Mount Hua… Huh? Great Hero Jin Geum Ryong? No, the Jongnam people… Huh?”

Hong Daeguang’s eyes widened. Jin Geum Ryong and other Jongnam people appeared behind him. And then… his eyes trembled.

“Jo, Jongnam? No, Hwa…”

He slammed his hand over his mouth. He trembled after seeing the person in the back.

“W-What is this… No, have you really lost your minds? What on earth are you doing…!”

“Hey, beggar ahjussi.”

“Mount Hua Divine Dragon! Hey, you…”

“You said you wanted to become the Chief, right?”

“What?”

“If you have good friends, you can get what you want, even if you aren’t that good, right?”

“…”

“Today is the day you get what you want.”

Chung Myung grinned as he looked at the horrified Hong Daeguang.