Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1530

“Attack? Chung Myung, are you perhaps…?”

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung, his eyes widening as if something had just occurred to him.

“Achoo!”

At that moment, Chung Myung sneezed loudly and rubbed his nose, which had suddenly become itchy.

“Not a cold, what was that all of a sudden?”

“Hey. Don’t worry. Do you think I’m some kind of idiot who would just grab a sword and barge into the Mount Hua Sect, declaring an attack? To bring back Jang Il-So’s head?”

“Isn’t that it?”

“Wasn’t it?”

“It wasn’t?”

“But these guys?”

Chung Myung glared, and the Five Swords subtly avoided his gaze.

Meanwhile, Im So-Byung slowly tapped his shoulder with his folded fan, thinking over Chung Myung’s words.

‘Like a tower built upside down,’ Im So-Byung thought. ‘It looks strong, but it’s not stable.’

It wasn’t wrong. They just hadn’t noticed it because the tower was too massive and splendid, but the Mount Hua Sect was definitely an unbalanced power.

The Heavenly Alliance had been worrying about the same thing: Chung Myung’s existence.

Chung Myung was the link of the Heavenly Alliance and the source of Mount Hua. The moment he collapsed, neither the Heavenly Alliance nor Mount Hua would ever be the same.

Then, what about the Mount Hua Sect?

Could the Mount Hua Sect without Jang Il-So still be called the Mount Hua Sect?

No. It couldn’t be. It was even more serious than the Heavenly Alliance.

Even if Chung Myung disappeared, the Heavenly Alliance would at least maintain its shell, but the Mount Hua Sect without Jang Il-So would be torn to shreds, beyond even the term ‘breaking down.’

As if the time when the Mount Hua Sect wielded its power was all a lie.

He thought about it. It was a clear problem. But no one had said it clearly until now.

Im So-Byung opened his mouth.

“In the end, you’re saying we can’t win by playing a grand game.”

Chung Myung’s face turned sullen at those words.

“No, it’s not that we can’t win…”

“Ah, I chose the wrong expression. So, the damage will just be greater, is that it?”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

Only then did Chung Myung’s face become satisfied, as if he liked the answer. Im So-Byung chuckled.

“It’s hard to beat a bad leader just by talking and making deals,” Im So-Byung explained. “Especially if that leader attacks first.”

“Hmm.”

A shadow of worry crossed several faces.

“So, there are only two ways to win. One is to flip everything over and smash the chessboard into the bastard’s head.”

“…Are you crazy?”

“Get a grip, Green Forest King.”

Im So-Byung calmly unfolded his fan with a sharp *snap* that cut through the air, drawing everyone’s attention.

“The other way is… to pull that bad leader into our fight,” Im So-Byung said.

As Im So-Byung’s voice echoed heavily, everyone’s faces became serious.

Jang Il-So’s life.

That was the way to end it all, and to reduce the blood flowing through the Central Plains even a little. Everyone had no choice but to agree.

“The method?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Tang Gunak’s eyebrows twitched. Im So-Byung chuckled and turned to Chung Myung.

“But it seems like someone knows… wouldn’t that be enough?”

Tang Gunak quietly cleared his throat. Hyun Jong asked in his stead.

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung, his eyes filled with a mixture of worry and trust. “What are you planning to do, Chung Myung?” he asked softly.

“I don’t know either.”

“Eh?”

“No, don’t look at me like that. It’s not that I don’t know the method, but that I haven’t decided on what move to use yet.”

“Why?”

“It’s obvious. I don’t know how that bastard will come out.”

At that moment, an unexpected person who had been listening quietly opened his mouth.

“You’re saying you’ll watch the bastard’s movements and bite him the moment there’s an opening. Am I right?”

“Wow, Uncle-Master, you finally said something smart!”

“Huh? What are you ta….”

“Is that uniform making you smarter, Uncle-Master?”

“What, you little punk?”

“Hee hee hee!”

Chung Myung laughed playfully at Baek Cheon, who was getting angry. But soon, he stopped laughing and lowered his eyes.

“It’s similar, but no.”

“It’s not?”

“That bastard doesn’t show openings like that. We’re not waiting for him to show an opening. We’re creating one.”

“How?”

“I told you, I don’t know yet.”

Baek Cheon sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. He felt like he was carrying the weight of the world. The feelings of the others weren’t much different from his. How on earth….

“Don’t try to understand.”

Im So-Byung opened his mouth at that moment.

“It’s not like explaining a profound martial art to a child who has just picked up a sword will make them understand, right?”

“…That’s true.”

“No matter what we say, we won’t be able to understand anyway. The important thing isn’t whether we can understand… but whether we can believe.”

Im So-Byung’s sharp gaze turned to Chung Myung. Following him, everyone stared at Chung Myung.

Can we believe even if we don’t understand….

“Chung Myung. Can you do it?”

Hyun Jong asked, and Chung Myung grinned.

“It’s not about whether I *can* do it, Sect Leader. I *have* to. There’s no other choice.”

“Somehow.”

Hyun Jong nodded heavily. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how much meaning was contained in those words, even though he was answering playfully. Hyun Jong believed in Chung Myung.

But the Heavenly Alliance wasn’t a place where he could make decisions alone. He looked at the others besides Chung Myung and asked.

“The others….”

Tang Gunak cut him off as if even the act of asking was unnecessary.

“We’re all here because we believe in you, Chung Myung. From the start.”

Everyone nodded firmly in agreement. Even the Five Swords, who would usually nitpick about anything related to Chung Myung.

“It’s decided then.”

It was a response without even a bit of disagreement. Now that the opinions were gathered, Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung.

“So, what should we do now?”

Chung Myung grinned at those words.

It was that ominous smile of his. Was it playful? Was it a little scary? What do others think when they see it?

While Chung Myung kept his plan secret, the others got to work on the tasks they *could* understand – helping the refugees and rebuilding the area.

“Giving the job of building houses and raising fences to the refugees is, in a way, a natural thing to do.”

“That’s right. They can’t just keep eating and doing nothing. People feel stable when they earn money through work.”

“It’s also natural for the Dang family to hire people in the newly built workshop.”

Baek Cheon nodded as he continued sewing.

“The workshop’s manpower is insufficient to supply weapons to the entire Heavenly Alliance anyway.”

“That’s right.”

Jo Gul, who had been listening, widened his dim eyes and spoke with a dumbfounded expression.

“No, this is a bigger deal than you think!”

“…What is?”

“Originally, the Dang family’s workshop was a place where only those with the Dang surname could even hold a hammer. The fact that those workshop artisans, who aren’t even skilled artisans, accepted people who had never even held a hammer….”

From Jo Gul’s perspective, who grew up in Chengdu, it was truly an earth-shattering event.

“Well, because the family head ordered it?”

“Don’t say things you don’t know, Senior Brother. What kind of people are the Dang family’s workshop people? Do you think that would be possible with just the family head’s orders?”

Baek Cheon said bitterly.

“…It must be a continuation of Elder Dang Jo-Pyeong’s will.”

“Because he said that such things aren’t important. The ones who feel that the most are none other than the artisans of the Dang family’s workshop.”

Jo Gul, who had been raising his voice, nodded at these words.

“If you think about it that way, it’s understandable.”

“That’s right. I heard that the Eunha Merchant Guild is also hiring a large number of refugees?”

“It seems they’re going to divide up the reclaimed land as well.”

“For free?”

“…What money would the refugees have to receive money? They’ll probably just receive some of the grain from that land as rent. But I don’t know if that will even make money. Given the Sect Leader’s personality.”

Yoon Jong chuckled.

“It’ll be fortunate if the daily wages of the people going to collect the grain come out.”

“That’s right.”

Jo Gul, who was from a merchant family and had a clear and sensitive concept of profit and loss, seemed displeased with this part.

But in the meantime, Baek Cheon had other thoughts.

‘Houses are being built, land for farming is being created… and there are also jobs….’

On top of that, Mount Hua manages most of the land. Then, it’s obvious how Mount Hua will treat those working on that land.

Not only Hyun Jong, but also the current Sect Leader, Un-Am, was second to none when it came to having a soft heart.

“Refugees….”

“Yes?”

Baek Cheon, who had been muttering quietly, chuckled.

I wonder how long we can call them refugees?

If refugees refer to those who have left their homes due to disaster, then they will be refugees forever, but if they are referring to those who have left temporarily and will return….

Well, shouldn’t we take off that label soon? Because there will be no need to return.

There is a place to sleep, food to eat, and a place to work. Is there any need to return to a place like that?

“…How far ahead are you thinking?”

“Why do you keep muttering, Uncle-Master?”

“Just leave him be, Senior Brother. My mother also muttered like that every time she sewed… Ack! Why are you throwing needles at my face?”

Baek Cheon distorted his face and retrieved the thrown needle.

‘One of Mount Hua’s biggest weaknesses is that the adjacent city is small.’

He had vaguely thought about it before, but he understood it clearly while looking at Gaebong.

The Dang family has Chengdu, Wudang has Wuhan, and Shaolin also has the huge cities of Luoyang and Zhengzhou on both sides.

Mount Hua also has Xi’an, but Jongnam’s power, which is closer and stronger, was much stronger.

Even if the situation has changed a bit now, there is no guarantee that this will continue forever. If Mount Hua’s power falters even a little, those greedy Jongnam bastards will immediately swallow Xi’an.

Even if they prevent that, they will eventually have to share the city of Xi’an with Jongnam, unlike other sects.

Territory is more than just land. It’s about people. It’s about making connections. It’s about money and training new students. It’s how students grow and go out into the world.

If that virtuous cycle isn’t properly achieved, the sect will wither and die while stuck in the mountains. Haven’t all of Mount Hua’s disciples already experienced that?

Baek Cheon, who had always considered this, tried to secure Xi’an first and foremost after becoming the Sect Leader.

But to think… they would actually build a city here.

If this happens, even if an era comes when Mount Hua doesn’t produce proper talents, Mount Hua will not fall.

“…I wonder if they thought all this through and did it, or if they just did it because it makes money.”

“Why do you keep muttering to yourself?”

“The money story came up. He’s thinking about Chung Myung.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

“It’s noisy.”

Baek Cheon sighed deeply.

Preparing for decades, hundreds of years later, ahead of a fight where everything ends if they don’t win right now… This was no ordinary madman.

At that moment, Yoon Jong sighed deeply and said.

“I understand everything, but why are we doing this….”

“Didn’t you hear it at the meeting?”

“I heard it.”

“If we’re going to have a fight where we kill and win, we don’t have to do it. But if it’s a fight where even one more person survives, we have to do it.”

“I agree with that.”

Yoon Jong also nodded.

The issue that was most greatly accepted among the agenda items that came out at the continued meeting was the issue of medicine.

“…I really thought Soso was crazy.”

“I thought Chung Myung looked normal for that moment.”

What Tang Soso, who suddenly stood up from her seat, argued was very clear and simple.

“We have to dissolve the Dang family.”

“What… did you say?”

“I said we have to dissolve the Dang family.”

Tang Gunak’s mouth dropped open. He had forgotten all about his composure and dignity due to the shock.

His gaze soon turned to Chung Myung.

“…It wasn’t me.”