Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1542

Kaifeng was in complete chaos.

Hong Daeguang’s face was pale, almost deathly.

“Report! An evil group has appeared near Nanjing. We think there are fewer than thirty of them!”

“Report! People who seem to be from the Hao Clan are attacking sects near Handan! We don’t know how many enemies there are!”

“Urgent news! We’re being attacked in Xuzhou! We don’t know who or how many the enemies are!”

“This is insane…”

Hong Daeguang’s eyes trembled as he looked at the map of the Central Plains. Red marks spread across the map like drops of blood on parchment. More and more places were reporting attacks.

It was as if the entire Central Plains north of the Yangtze River was being swallowed.

“Chief!”

“Quiet! I’m thinking!”

Hong Daeguang snapped, biting his lip hard.

‘How is this even possible?’ He felt a chill run down his spine.

Feng Youngshingae watched Hong Daeguang, who seemed helpless, and sighed. He knew Hong Daeguang was a new chief and would be worried. He was about to say something to calm him down when—

“Gather all the reports!” Hong Daeguang’s voice was sharp and clear.

“First, we need to find out how many enemies there are. Check the attack locations and find the ones that haven’t reported enemy numbers. Send carrier pigeons! Use everything we have to find out the numbers! Now!”

“Yes!”

“Once we know the numbers, use the intelligence network to find out where the evil groups are in Gangbuk!”

Before anyone could answer, Hong Daeguang gave more orders.

“Don’t wait for the analysis! Tell the Martial Arts Alliance the locations where we know the enemy numbers! Forget the rules! Tell them everything you can. Report every piece of information as it comes in!”

“Yes!”

The beggars hurried off, well-trained and disciplined.

“Chief! What about the Nine Sects?”

“Use the rest of the pigeons and people to tell them too!”

“But, Chief, the Beggars’ Union is part of the Martial Arts Alliance…”

“You idiot! Lives are at risk! Does loyalty matter now? How are you so clueless!”

Hong Daeguang shouted angrily. The beggar turned pale and quickly lowered his head.

“S-sorry!”

“Instead of apologizing, do something! Hurry! Even a moment could be too late!”

“Yes!”

Even as they spoke, the map of the Central Plains was turning redder.

‘Bloody hell…’

Hong Daeguang was the chief of the Beggars’ Union, but he didn’t think the intelligence network could really figure things out.

If the Beggars’ Union was that capable, they wouldn’t be doing chores for Shaolin Temple, even with all their information.

So, all he could do was share everything he knew. The Martial Arts Alliance would decide what to do, not him.

“…Do something, Hwasan Sect Leader.”

He bit his lip so hard it turned white.

Carrier pigeons kept arriving, and Hyun Jong muttered as if he were lost.

“This is…”

The situation had exploded so fast that his mind froze. Hyun Jong stared at the reports, his mind numb with disbelief. *This can’t be happening,* he thought, a cold dread creeping into his heart.

Tang Gunak quickly looked at Lim Sobyeong.

“Leader of the Green Forest group! The enemy…”

“Wait.”

But Lim Sobyeong stopped Tang Gunak. He was thinking hard, playing with his fan as if he would break it. Then, he nodded.

“Based on what we know, it seems the evil groups in Zhangjiajie and the remaining evil forces in Gangnam crossed the river and moved to Gangbuk.”

This much was clear.

“It looks like the enemy isn’t moving in big groups. They’re in small groups spread across Gangbuk. We need to respond to this!”

Silence fell. Jo Gul finally broke it, his voice shaky, “N-no, is that even possible? Are we all blind? How could so many evil bastards enter Gangbuk without anyone knowing?”

“It’s possible.”

“I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but I don’t get it. We must be missing something…!”

“It’s possible.”

“Chung Myung?”

Chung Myung, sitting with his arms crossed and a serious face, spoke.

“Normally, it would be hard. There aren’t many martial artists, but they’re all over the Central Plains. It’s impossible to avoid all those eyes.”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

“Right. If they were spread out, that is.”

Jo Gul’s face turned serious. He understood what Chung Myung meant.

“The strategist is right.”

Lim Sobyeong explained for those who didn’t understand.

“We can’t watch the entire Yangtze River. But even if they get past the river, it wouldn’t be a big deal. As the strategist said, in a war like this, everyone—not just the Beggars’ Union—becomes a surveillance network.”

Some people nodded. It was common sense.

What they saw would be shared with the big sects nearby, and those sects would spread the word through the Beggars’ Union. That’s what a widespread network of spies really means, as history shows.

“But not now. Now…”

Tang Gunak continued, taking Lim Sobyeong’s words.

“Because all those martial artists are in one place.”

“Exactly.”

The Martial Arts Alliance and the Nine Sects were both trying to attract small and medium-sized sects. The people who would have risked their lives to report the enemy were gone from their posts.

Lim Sobyeong glanced at Tang Gunak.

“And… even the regular people living by the Yangtze River have left.”

Tang Gunak muttered, his face stiff.

“But still, not this many…”

“Because it’s not a large group.”

“What does that mean?”

“If a whole sect is sneaking in, it’s hard to hide, whether they cross the river or go through Sichuan. The same goes for even ten people. If just ten people gathered, they would have been caught.”

Lim Sobyeong looked at Chung Myung with a strangely chilling gaze.

“But if the number is very small, you can sneak into the enemy’s camp without being seen. We already know this is possible. Pae-gun must know it too.”

“But was that only possible because the people who went to Hainan were special?”

“No. It’s even easier for the Demonic Sect,” Im So-byeong said firmly to Hyun Jong.

“Gangnam is a place where the Orthodox Sect can’t easily go. Even if they try to hide, they can’t completely hide who they are. People will notice they don’t belong there.”

“That’s right.”

“But the Demonic Sect is already in Gangbuk. Actually, we don’t even need to look far. The Green Forest Bandits are here too.”

Hyun Jong nodded, his face serious. He knew it was true.

Even if someone saw small groups of enemies, like three or five people, they wouldn’t think it was strange.

Such things were normal in Gangbuk after the Jang-gang Catastrophe.

“But…”

*Thud.*

Just as Jo Gul was about to ask something, Chung Myung slammed his hand on the table. Everyone looked at him. He spoke in a cold voice.

“It doesn’t matter how they attacked. It’s already done. Now we just need to decide what to do next.”

Everyone agreed. They had been talking for too long because they were shocked. Chung Myung was right; they didn’t have time to waste.

Chung Myung pointed to Im So-byeong.

“Tell us. What should we do?”

“We must not move,” Im So-byeong said.

Seol So-baek was surprised. “We’re here to stop them, right? But you’re saying we shouldn’t move? Even though…”

“Yes. Regular people will die,” Im So-byeong said, cutting Seol So-baek off as if he knew what he was going to say.

“If we move to stop them, that’s what the enemy wants.”

“Explain more.”

“The Demonic Sect is causing trouble all over the Central Plains. We need to stop them. But to stop them everywhere, we’ll have to split up our forces. Eventually, we’ll be too weak.”

“……”

“Splitting up our forces is the worst thing we can do in a war. Small groups of soldiers won’t be strong in a big fight. Jang Il-so is doing this for one reason: he wants us to split up.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gunak thought about this. Im So-byeong continued.

“They will attack through the weak spots. If we’re too weak, we’ll suffer more than we expect. We’re not just fighting those scattered groups; we’re fighting the main force in Jang-ga-gye. Don’t forget that.”

Im So-byeong’s voice was very firm, almost warning them not to disagree.

The leaders thought hard about what he said.

“We won’t have to wait long. The main force of the Four Evil Sects in Jang-ga-gye will move soon. It’s a waiting game. The one who moves first loses.” Chung Myung laughed, crossing his arms.

“My house is on fire, but the one who moves first loses?”

“Yes.”

“What if we burn to death?”

“Is that different from being stabbed to death?”

They stared at each other for a moment.

Surprisingly, Chung Myung looked away first. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Baek Cheon spoke instead. “Green Forest King, or Strategist.”

“Speak, Acting Sect Leader.”

“The reports say attacks are happening everywhere, but the groups aren’t very big.”

“That’s right. So, the bait…”

“Can’t we send a small number of people to respond?”

“……”

“If we send only one or two sects…”

“No.”

Baek Cheon looked closely at Im So-byeong, his expression serious. But Im So-byeong didn’t change his mind.

“We won’t do anything until the main force of the Four Evil Sects moves.”

“Strategist!”

“More people will die! Don’t you understand!”

Im So-byeong’s voice was loud and sharp. Even the Five Swords, who agreed with Baek Cheon, were quiet.

Im So-byeong took a deep breath to calm down.

“In the end, those who are attacking now will disappear like salt in the sea. They might seem strong now, but they can’t do much with so few people. I understand how the Acting Sect Leader feels. But let’s wait a little longer.”

Baek Cheon sighed, looking at Im So-byeong. This was wartime, and he couldn’t challenge Im So-byeong’s authority as the Strategist.

“I understand.”

Im So-byeong held his fan tightly.

“Pae-gun won’t wait. When he attacks, he will be even more destructive than before. So, we need to be patient. The moment he moves, we will strike back.”

His words were like a promise, filled with hatred for Jang Il-so.

The leaders of the Mount Hua Sect knew this and nodded.

Just then…

“Report! Urgent message from the Beggars’ Sect!”

“What does it say?”

Gwak Hwi burst into the room. His face was pale as he read the message. His hands trembled, even though he tried to hide it.

“The Demonic Sect is crossing the Yangtze River on a large scale, from the south!”

“What?”

“There are hundreds of ships! They are crossing from Yueyang to Changzhou, all along the Yangtze River!”

Everyone stopped breathing.

Gwak Hwi’s voice was strained. “The entire Yangtze River!”

It was like a lightning strike.

“The entire Yangtze River? Is that true!”

“Yes!”

Chung Myung looked out the window. The darkness was fading, and dawn was coming. He bit his lip.

“Well done…”

The red dawn looked like a fire destroying the world in Chung Myung’s eyes.

‘Jang Il-so.’

Chung Myung looked south, his eyes filled with hatred.