Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1618

A groan escaped Jo Gul’s lips as he sat in the conference room.

“Ugh, that blasted…!”

In the end, Chung Myung didn’t return to his quarters until dawn. Those who waited for him in his room were disappointed when he didn’t come back until dawn. They looked tired and unhappy as they walked into the conference room to sit down.

“He’s really good at messing with people, isn’t he, Sahyung?”

Jo Gul tried to joke, hoping to break the heavy silence. But Yoon Jong didn’t even twitch a smile. He sat like a statue, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his brow furrowed in a deep frown. Jo Gul watched him, then glanced around the room. *Maybe not the time for jokes,* he thought, swallowing back another comment. The air in the conference room felt thick and cold, like the moments before a storm breaks.

Not only were they present, but also the leaders of the Heavenly Union, all wearing equally serious expressions.

People who usually exchanged small talk and smiles before a meeting were now silent, each lost in their own deep thoughts.

Even Jo Gul, who didn’t usually pay much attention to the atmosphere, couldn’t easily open his mouth.

He understood. Honestly, what Chung Myung had proposed was not a simple issue.

‘How will this turn out?’

If he could have met Chung Myung even briefly yesterday morning, he might have been able to make some predictions, but this time he hadn’t heard anything from him beforehand. He had no idea how things would proceed.

He scratched his head, feeling frustrated. Suddenly,

the closed door opened, and Chung Myung walked in. Instantly, everyone’s eyes focused on him.

“You….”

Jo Gul quickly started to stand up to say something, but Yoon Jong grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down. Yoon Jong wanted him to be quiet and stay seated. Jo Gul clicked his tongue and sat back down.

Chung Myung, his face expressionless, silently took his assigned seat.

‘What’s he thinking, that rascal?’

Jo Gul grew even more confused. Frankly, it was impossible to guess what he was thinking just from his outward expression.

The other leaders glanced at Chung Myung, who remained silent. They were clearly thinking something similar to Jo Gul.

At that moment, the door swung open again, and Hyun Jong and Tang Gunak entered.

“Good morning,”

Hyun Jong greeted the leaders gently as he headed towards the head seat. He looked around at those who had filled the room and nodded.

“Is everyone here?”

Then, Jegal Ja-in, who had arrived earlier, glanced at the empty seat and said,

“Not yet… Jongri, the leader of Jongnam, has not arrived.”

“……Hmm, is that so?”

The appointed time was slowly passing. For someone like Jongri Gok not to be on time meant that he had no intention of attending the meeting in the first place. Hyun Jong secretly sighed and nodded.

“Then we will proceed with the meeting, leaving Jongnam aside.”

“Yes.”

Hyun Jong took a deep breath.

“I believe everyone has given deep thought to this matter overnight. What do you think of the proposal put forward by the Chief Strategist?”

Silence descended upon the conference room once more. Everyone had clearly spent the night in deep contemplation, but no one was willing to be the first to speak.

After waiting for a moment, Hyun Jong gently opened his mouth again.

“Personally, I believe the Chief Strategist’s opinion is somewhat unreasonable, but from the Heavenly Union’s perspective, it is something worth considering. Of course, to do so would require the cooperation of several leaders….”

“May I say something?”

At that moment, someone’s voice suddenly cut in. Hyun Jong’s gaze turned towards the speaker. There was a faint tension in his eyes. The first opinion expressed at the start of a meeting usually had a significant impact on the outcome, so he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

When Hyun Jong met the speaker’s eyes, he was secretly relieved. It was Maeng So, the Lord of the Beast Palace, who stood much taller than the others. *Wasn’t he on good terms with that Chung Myung?* He could rest assured if it was him.

“Please speak, Lord.”

“Since no one else seems willing to speak first, I will convey the position of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace first. In conclusion,”

Maeng So opened his mouth with his characteristic booming voice. He looked around the room, his gaze finally settling on Chung Myung.

“The Beast Palace opposes the Chief Strategist’s opinion.”

“……Pardon?”

Hyun Jong had asked a question without thinking, and he quickly stopped talking, surprised. He knew he should not share his opinion or react too quickly to what was said. But Maeng So’s answer was so unexpected that Hyun Jong made a mistake, which was unusual for him.

Maeng So, however, continued speaking without paying any attention to Hyun Jong’s slip-up.

“I fully understand what the Chief Strategist has said. I also understand that such measures are necessary for the Heavenly Union right now. However, ‘necessary’ and ‘possible’ are different things.”

As Maeng So’s eyes met Chung Myung’s in the air, Im So-byeong asked the question that should have been asked.

“May I ask the reason?”

Maeng So nodded.

“There is no grand reason. However… the problem is trust.”

“Trust, you say?”

Maeng So’s gaze turned to the leaders sitting in their seats.

“Although I occupy a seat here, I am ultimately a person from beyond the border. I can never become a Central Plains person. Although it is not spoken, there are those among you who are not pleased with my presence here.”

Several faces changed slightly. It was difficult to tell whether it was because the words themselves were unpleasant, or because they were embarrassed that their true feelings had been exposed.

Hyun Jong opened his mouth with a slightly troubled expression.

“Lord.”

“No, I am not blaming anyone.”

Maeng So shook his head before Hyun Jong could say more.

We were all alike. Before Chief Sa came to Yunnan, we kept away from people from the Central Plains. We did not want them here. We thought this was right.

“Hmm,” someone said softly. A few people nodded and whispered, showing they agreed.

Meng So spoke with a resolute look in his eyes.

“I don’t believe that now. I think we must change. But… the wall is still there. A real wall.”

“The Beast Palace can try to break down that wall. But if the Beast Palace is broken apart, our people will be called ‘Southern Barbarians,’ not ‘Beast Palace members.’ I am not sure they will be treated fairly like people from the Central Plains then.”

Meng So’s gaze turned directly to Hyun Jong this time.

“The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace left Yunnan and came here because we trusted the Cheonwoo Alliance and Hwasan. But… we cannot trust everyone else in the same way.”

Hyun Jong sighed quietly. He now saw he had not thought about Meng So’s feelings at all. Maybe the groups from Saeoe and the Central Plains were even further apart than the Nine Great Sects and the Cheonwoo Alliance.

Just then, someone slowly raised a hand.

“We also…”

Hyun Jong nodded.

“Please speak, Seol Sobaek.”

Seol Sobaek looked quickly at Hyun Jong and Chung Myung before he spoke.

“I am sorry to say this… but the Ice Palace is like the Beast Palace. We also…”

Seol Sobaek looked down a little and went on.

“It is true the Ice Palace owes Hwasan and is working with the Cheonwoo Alliance. But… we have not been helped much by other people from the Central Plains, and we are not close to them…”

To say they were not close was too soft. It was more true to say they were far apart. Not long ago, the Ice Palace turned away all people from the Central Plains who came to the North Sea.

“It is hard for the Ice Palace to take orders from those people. But, if we can work with Hwasan or the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, we will not be against this idea. Please think about this…”

Hyun Jong shut his eyes tightly. Even though he thought he had made space for them to agree, it was really not helpful at all. If some people had to listen to people they disliked, and others only listened to people they liked, then a new wall would be built right there.

He could not do something so silly as build a new wall to break down the old one.

“……I understand.”

Hyun Jong truly understood how Seol Sobaek felt. At the same time, he saw his mistake again.

He had only been thinking about those who just joined the Cheonwoo Alliance. As the real leader, he should not have forgotten that even those he thought were on his side had their own problems and feelings. He should have talked to them openly and honestly, even just last night…

For a moment, the room was quiet. Tang Gunak seemed to want to change the mood. He spoke, breaking the silence.

“The Sichuan Tang Family agrees with what the Chief said.”

It was a concise conclusion, as was his usual personality. But as questioning gazes gathered, Tang Gunak elaborated.

“And for myself, I will give up my job as Vice-Leader of the Cheonwoo Alliance.”

“Family Head?”

Hyun Jong was shocked. Tang Gunak’s face stayed the same.

“This is only right. If others are giving up power, but the Sichuan Tang Family is safe because of its place in the Cheonwoo Alliance, that is not fair. I have decided, so I hope the Alliance Leader will not try to change my mind.”

His voice was firm and strong. This action clearly helped Chung Myung’s point.

“What will you do, Namgung?”

Tang Gunak asked Namgung Myeong, as if he was finished speaking. Namgung Myeong shook his head, looking worried.

“I am not the one who decides for the Namgung Family. I sent this question to the Young Family Head. We have not heard back yet.”

This was not a surprise. It was not a question you could answer in just half a day.

“So, Namgung will decide later.”

“Is it hard for the Elder to decide?”

“As you know…”

Tang Gunak nodded, as if he understood.

Now that the two sects from Saeoe had turned their backs, the most friendly sects to Chung Myung were the Sichuan Tang Family and the Namgung Family. But if even the Namgung Family withdrew, it meant that there were no particularly friendly forces to Chung Myung among the remaining orthodox sects here.

Tang Gunak had been thinking hard. He smiled sadly without meaning to. ‘I am dividing things again, without even thinking.’

Even though they were trying to break down walls, Tang Gunak was still seeing people as ‘for Chung Myung’ or ‘against Chung Myung’ right now. It was as natural as breathing.

He suddenly thought: Is this even going to work? Does it even matter? Even he, who thought he knew Chung Myung better than most, could not just do what Chung Myung wanted.

Even his friends from Saeoe, who had faced death together to get here, were making new lines between them just because things had changed a little?

‘Oh no…’

Tang Gunak looked at Chung Myung with worry. Chung Myung was still staring straight ahead, his face showing nothing.

Tang Gunak bit his lip without thinking.

If this meeting ended badly, he knew for sure the Cheonwoo Alliance could not go back to how it was before. It would be like showing everyone’s private thoughts and bringing up old hurts for no reason.

And maybe this meeting itself would become the biggest problem for the war coming soon.

Chung Myung must know this. But even seeing all of this, he did not move at all, which was very strange. Even though everything in the room was going against him.

‘What are you thinking, you!’

Tang Gunak was too worried to stay still. He tapped his leg with his fingers. People often follow the group that seems bigger. If more people start to disagree like this, even those who were unsure will decide to disagree. Now, someone had to support Chung Myung…

Just then, the closed door slowly opened with a creak. Someone came in.

“I am a bit late.”

Everyone looked at the person who just came in.

It was Jongli Gok.

Tang Gunak’s hope faded as he saw the leader of Jongnam walk in. Jongli Gok’s face was cold and determined, like he had made a strong choice.