Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1610

“Ugh… my legs are going to fall off.” Jo Gul groaned, dragging his feet towards Hwaeom. He felt like he’d run all the way from Mount Song without stopping. “Are we even there yet?”

Hwaeom was quiet, peaceful in the evening light. “See?” Jo Gul said, pointing. “Nothing’s happening. I told you we didn’t need to rush. Sajuk is gone anyway. Why did we have to run like crazy?”

Yoon Jong didn’t answer at first, just stared at Hwaeom.

“And if you really needed someone,” Jo Gul went on, “why not Soso? Why me? Do you enjoy watching me suffer?”

“Jo Gul,” Yoon Jong said, his voice low. “Please, just be quiet for a moment.”

“Listen to me. How many times have I told you?” Jo Gul continued, ignoring Yoon Jong’s request. “We can just come slowly, can’t we? The higher-ups will take care of everything anyway. Is it even right to run so hard just to watch…”

“Jo Gul,” Yoon Jong interrupted, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “Sometimes, I wonder what it would feel like to shove a scabbard into that endlessly chattering mouth of yours.”

Jo Gul, suddenly feeling a chill down his spine, quickly shut his mouth. Yoon Jong smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I’m trying to be patient, thinking it’s not something a Taoist should do,” Yoon Jong said, his voice dangerously soft. “But if I keep listening to you, I might just decide that experiencing something a Taoist shouldn’t isn’t so bad after all.”

Jo Gul kept his mouth tightly shut, only rolling his eyes. He remembered the last time Yoon Jong had lost his temper – it was not a pretty sight. These days, Yoon Jong was a bit scary.

Finally, when silence fell, Yoon Jong sighed deeply. Jo Gul, who had been watching him cautiously, asked, “I’m just asking this out of curiosity, really. Why did you really come so urgently? Did you have something in mind?”

Yoon Jong sighed again, looking exhausted. “As you said, there’s probably not much we can do. At best, we’ll just be filling a seat. Maybe we won’t even be allowed in the conference room.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Jo Gul exclaimed. “At best, aren’t we just extra baggage?”

“That’s why,” Yoon Jong said, gazing towards Hwaeom.

“Huh?”

Yoon Jong explained, “Even if all we can do is be extra baggage, there might be someone who finds comfort in that baggage. Knowing someone is behind you can make all the difference.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Never mind… Just remember that,” Yoon Jong trailed off, looking around at Hwaeom. The familiar scenery had changed too much to be called familiar anymore. Hwaeom, shrouded in darkness, was steeped in silence. A cold wind whispered through the trees, and the only sound was the distant rustle of leaves. The air felt heavy with unspoken tension.

A small smile appeared on Yoon Jong’s lips. “Fortunately, it seems we arrived just in time.”

His eyes, sharp in the dim light, were fixed on Mount Hua in the distance. He seemed to be looking beyond the dark mountain, as if he could see something important happening there.

Someone was descending from the high, rugged mountain at an incredible speed.

“More importantly, what are you planning to do now?” Jegal Jarin asked, his cautious gaze shifting between Moryong Wikyung and Jongri Gok.

“What do you mean, Clan Leader Jegal?” Moryong Wikyung asked in return, and Jegal Jarin narrowed his eyes.

“I’ll be blunt. The situation is clear. Right now, everyone is confused because of what happened, but once things calm down, they will start to decide who is important.”

“Decide?” Moryong Wikyung repeated.

“Nobody wants to be stuck with losers,” Jegal Jarin said bluntly.

Moryong Wikyung’s face hardened slightly. “Are you saying they might mistreat us?”

“It’s possible. In fact, it would be strange if they didn’t. Why would they embrace us? We caused a defeat that will be remembered in Kangho’s history, and we’ve returned alive from that terrible war.”

“Ahem,” Moryong Wikyung coughed uncomfortably, but Jegal Jarin continued, unwavering. “Besides, our power is nothing compared to the Cheonwoo Alliance now. We might end up just doing their dirty work.”

Moryong Wikyung’s face hardened further as he considered Jegal Jarin’s words. He didn’t believe Hyun Jong would be that kind of person, but he also knew that leaders sometimes had to make ruthless choices, regardless of their personal feelings. He was a Clan Leader himself, so he understood this well.

“Then, what do you suggest we do, Clan Leader Jegal?”

“We must choose,” Jegal Jarin said, lowering his voice slightly. “Either leave the Cheonwoo Alliance and try to make a comeback, or build a force that they can’t ignore.”

As he finished speaking, Jegal Jarin’s gaze locked onto Jongri Gok. “What do you think, Sect Leader?”

Jongri Gok silently looked down at the half-cold teacup. Jegal Jarin pressed him for an answer. “If Jongnam, Moryong, and Jegal join forces, they won’t be able to treat us carelessly. We might even be able to take over the Cheonwoo Alliance. Their alliance seems strong, but it’s actually very weak. Even if the Tang Clan is difficult, we have ties with the Beggars’ Sect, the Namgoong Clan, and Hainan. It wouldn’t be hard to build relationships. If we act on this…”

A small laugh escaped Jongri Gok’s lips. Jegal Jarin, taking this as agreement, showed a hint of delight. “Jongnam is more than capable of leading those sects, isn’t it? If that happens, it won’t be too difficult to become equal to the Alliance Leader. Jongnam should definitely do that.”

It was a subtle challenge, asking if he would really serve under Hyun Jong, with whom he had a strained relationship. Jongri Gok looked at the cold tea in his teacup, thinking, ‘This is familiar.’

Yet, it felt new. In the past, this was everyday life. Even within a group, they secretly made enemies and found allies. They smiled in front of each other but said different things behind their backs, always looking for ways to gain an advantage.

Jongri Gok didn’t want to criticize Jegal Jarin. Before Jongnam closed its doors, Jongri Gok had been the most enthusiastic about this kind of thing. He had built Jongnam’s status as one of the top three sects in the Nine Great Sects through this kind of factionalism.

Jegal Jarin was the same. This was all he knew. He was simply doing what he always had. How could someone who had lived his whole life like that suddenly change? He probably didn’t even see the need to change.

“Sect Leader?” Jegal Jarin urged repeatedly. Jongri Gok finally put the teacup down and smiled slightly.

“Your words make sense,” Jongri Gok said. “But I don’t think this is the right time to discuss this. Wouldn’t it take a lot of time to discuss something so important?”

“Yes, yes. You’re right, but… isn’t time what we lack most right now?”

“Well, that’s true too,” Jongri Gok conceded.

Ironically, Jegal Jarin was teaching Jongri Gok a valuable lesson. Not through his words, but through his own actions. Jongri Gok realized that he was trying to hide his discomfort with the situation and move on, just like Jegal Jarin.

‘I’m the same kind of person,’ he thought. He had believed he had changed after his seclusion, but he had lived his life like them. His thoughts and actions weren’t that different.

What if Jin Geum-ryong were sitting here?

“Heh heh,” Jongri Gok chuckled, imagining it. That inflexible Jin Geum-ryong would have told them to leave because of their stench.

There were times when Jin Geum-ryong, like a sharp sword, was uncomfortable, but now he couldn’t help but feel that he himself had become too soft.

“Anyway, there won’t be time to discuss such things right now,” Jongri Gok stated.

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, along with hurried footsteps.

“Who is it?” Jegal Jarin asked.

A young man opened the door and bowed. “Clan Leader, we’ve been asked to gather again immediately at the pavilion where we had the meeting earlier.”

“Gather again?” Jegal Jarin turned towards the window. It was dark.

“The sun has already set. No matter how urgent the situation, how can they continue the meeting that ended a little while ago at this late hour?”

“I just received the message…”

“Who called for it? The Alliance Leader?”

“That’s… I was told it was the Chief Commander.”

“Chief Commander?” Was there such a position in the Cheonwoo Alliance? As if reading Jegal Jarin’s mind, Jongri Gok muttered, “It’s the Mount Hua Sword Saint.”

Alarm flashed across Jegal Jarin’s face. “Is Mount Hua’s Sword Saint Chung Myung the Chief Commander of the Cheonwoo Alliance?”

“That’s right,” Jongri Gok confirmed.

“No, what is that…?” He laughed, dumbfounded. How could such an important position be given to a child? No matter how much Kangho valued strength, this was too much.

“Wait, wait. Does that mean he’s the one who summoned us now?” The absurdity faded, replaced by anger. “How important does he think he is, summoning the Clan Leaders of a sect at will! Especially in this situation…”

But Jegal Jarin’s outburst was cut short because Jongri Gok had risen from his seat.

“Sect Leader?” Jegal Jarin asked, flustered.

“Since he’s calling, we must go,” Jongri Gok said firmly.

“Sect Leader, wait a moment!” Jegal Jarin stammered. Even with the title of Chief Commander, he was still just a disciple of Mount Hua. How could the Sect Leader of Jongnam move at the command of such a person? Was he not even considering how ridiculous Jongnam would look?

“Sect Leader, this is not right!”

“I think it would be good to keep one thing in mind,” Jongri Gok said, his voice calm.

“Yes?”

“The Cheonwoo Alliance I’ve seen doesn’t care about formalities. If you stay here with those kinds of thoughts, you probably won’t be able to do anything.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll understand if you look over there,” Jongri Gok gestured towards the open doorway. Jegal Jarin and Moryong Wikyung’s eyes widened as they looked.

Two people they knew well were running quickly down the main road, using their lightness skills.

“Those, those people are…”

“He’s someone who summons even the Alliance Leader and Vice Alliance Leader, even though he’s just a disciple. So, it’s probably not shameful to listen to his words,” Jongri Gok explained.

The Clan Leaders, recognizing the rapidly disappearing figures of Hyun Jong and Tang Gun-ak, swallowed hard.

Jongri Gok looked down at them with a smile in his eyes. “If you’re going, you should hurry. If you arrive later than the host, you’ll only be criticized.”

He left those words behind and exited the pavilion. He could feel the leading figures of Hwaeom, who had been scattered, quickly gathering in one place. He felt a strange vitality from that movement alone. Hwaeom, which had seemed so沉down just moments ago, was now buzzing with energy.

A smile touched Jongri Gok’s lips. “Are you there?”

“Yes, Sect Leader,” a voice replied.

“Tell Geum-ryong and Song-baek to attend the meeting. If anyone tries to stop them, tell them I said to let them in.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Jongri Gok nodded and pushed off the ground, heading towards the meeting. ‘Well, then, let’s see how interesting this story will be?’

If there was one thing he had learned from Mount Hua, it was that the future of a sect was not in the hands of those who were obsessed with glory. That was the only thing that mattered.