Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1634

Staggering back to his quarters, Baek Cheon ran into Jo Gul and Yoon Jong. He stared at them, his eyes hollow.

“Whoa.”

“He looks really out of it.”

“Are you alright, Senior Uncle?”

“I’m fine,” Baek Cheon said with difficulty.

Jo Gul whispered to Yoon Jong, “He’s in worse shape than I thought.”

“Well, he did just see his father. Usually, runaway sons get their legs broken, right?”

“So, should we say he’s lucky to be back in one piece?”

“No, he’s intact ‘for now.’ His legs could be broken any minute.”

“Ah.”

Jo Gul glanced at Baek Cheon’s legs. He remembered being beaten badly when he ran away for a week before coming to Mount Hua.

Jo Gul was beaten for only a week, but Baek Cheon had been gone for over ten years. It was more like independence than running away. But Jin Chobaek probably didn’t see it that way.

Yoon Jong looked at Baek Cheon’s pale face and chuckled. “Familial bonds are hard to break. Maybe you can fix things with your father, Senior Uncle.”

“Yoon Jong.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know what kind of person my father is?”

“Well…” Yoon Jong narrowed his eyes. He had seen him from a distance but didn’t really know him. He just knew that he looked like Baek Cheon.

“Not really…”

“Just think about this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Jin Geum-ryong learned from him.”

Yoon Jong’s face turned pale.

“That’s true. Your father… Senior Uncle…”

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong exchanged worried glances and whispered.

“Good heavens. He’s the father of both Senior Uncle and Jin Geum-ryong. He can’t be ordinary.”

“That’s right. He’s Senior Uncle’s father, after all.”

Baek Cheon frowned, annoyed. “Are you guys serious?” But they were right, so he couldn’t argue.

“Still, he must be better than Jin Geum-ryong, right?”

“I think… Jin Geum-ryong and I have one thing in common. I don’t want to admit it, though.”

“I think it’s more than one thing…”

“Do you want to die?”

“What is it? What’s the common thing?” Baek Cheon muttered weakly.

“We’ve both been beaten to a pulp. By him.”

“Ah, you mean you’ve both had your heads cracked open.”

“That’s definitely something you have in common. But what does that have to do with this?”

“Well…” Baek Cheon sighed deeply.

“It’s awkward to say this, but my father is… the kind of person who Jin Geum-ryong never got to hit.”

“Hiiiik!”

“Uuuuuuu…”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul shuddered.

They imagined Jin Geum-ryong and Baek Cheon just before Chung Myung beat them. If they hadn’t changed from their younger, more reckless selves, what would they be like now?

“That must be tough.”

“Well… familial bonds don’t have to continue. We’ve already left home.”

Baek Cheon rubbed his face and replied weakly, “Easier said than done…”

“I suppose.”

“That’s true, too.”

A sigh escaped. Jin Chobaek had aged, and time had passed, so he must be calmer than before. But the thought of dealing with a father he didn’t get along with was still a burden.

Besides…

Yoon Jong twitched and looked at Baek Cheon seriously. “Senior Uncle, I need to ask you something.”

“What.”

“Will Jin Geum-ryong be a regular party member?”

“That’s right.”

“Which party does he belong to?”

Baek Cheon didn’t answer.

“Don’t tell me…”

Baek Cheon looked at the sky. Yoon Jong and Jo Gul saw tears in his eyes and looked at each other.

“Who made this party member list?”

“Why ask the obvious? Chung Myung made it, didn’t he?”

“Is it a coincidence?”

“Senior Brother, be serious. Nothing that bastard does is a coincidence. This is intentional.”

If so, Chung Myung knew that Jin Chobaek and Jin Geum-ryong were here and still made Baek Cheon the vice-chief of that party?

“Is he even human?”

“That vicious bastard…”

The two men, trembling with anger, put their arms around Baek Cheon’s shoulders.

“Cheer up, Senior Uncle. What can we do? Try to accept it.”

“That’s right, Senior Uncle. Aren’t you family? Family.”

“It’s because we’re family…”

“Ah…”

They couldn’t find any more comforting words, so Baek Cheon spoke first. “What about you two? You must have met your party leaders, right? Are they doing alright?”

“The Beast Palace Lord is always fine. It hurts my ears a bit to talk to him up close…”

“I see.”

Baek Cheon nodded weakly. Anyone else would be bothered by the spiritual creatures around the Beast Palace Lord, but Jo Gul wasn’t. He was closer to those creatures than to humans.

“The Moryong Family Head was more communicative than I expected.”

“Really?” Baek Cheon looked at Yoon Jong, surprised.

“He said he knows his role and won’t interfere. He seemed different from before.”

“He’s the head of a family. He’d have a broad mind.”

“Yes. He tried to mediate while stopping the Jeagal Family Head before.”

“He was.”

“He seems gentle when he’s on our side. If I do well, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Baek Cheon nodded. There would be no problems with Tang Gunak and Hye-yeon. Pungyeong Singae and Namgung Dowi would also be unlikely to cause problems. Namgung Dowi was energetic, but Pungyeong Singae had been secretly controlling the Beggars’ Sect. They would harmonize with each other.

If so…

“Why me alone…”

“Don’t cry, Senior Uncle.”

“A grown man acting so ashamed!”

Baek Cheon wiped his face and sighed. “Let’s do our best. Yes, that’s all that’s left.”

“Yes, Senior Uncle.”

“Yes.”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul nodded. Baek Cheon looked pathetic now, but he would fulfill his role better than anyone else on the battlefield.

However, Yoon Jong’s gaze was not as comfortable as Jo Gul’s. Neither Jo Gul nor Baek Cheon noticed.

“What are we going to do now? No one tells us what to do, so what are we supposed to do?” Jo Gul scratched his head, and Baek Cheon nodded.

“Now you give orders, not receive them.”

“Yes.”

“Instead of waiting for orders, think for yourselves and act on what you need to do.”

“So, doing that well…” Jo Gul looked troubled, and Baek Cheon chuckled.

“Meet the people in your party first. Even if it’s just a formal connection, it’s easier if you know each other.”

“Ah, that’s true.” Jo Gul nodded.

Normally, he would have thought of that, but being promoted to vice-chief made his head feel like it wasn’t working.

“Then what comes after that?”

Baek Cheon looked to one side. “We have to wait.”

“…”

“For the instructions they will give.”

Chung Myung, Lim Sobyeong, and Jeagal Jarin sat around a small table.

These were the strategists representing the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, and the chief strategist of the Heavenly Union.

“The organization is complete. It will take time, but they will soon move as one,” Chung Myung nodded at Jeagal Jarin’s words.

They had put the most effort into this part. The groups shouldn’t be too close or too far apart.

Ideally, the most awkward people should fight together to become closer. But Chung Myung wasn’t foolish enough to ignore reality and only focus on ideals.

The important thing was to reduce sacrifices and defeat the Four Evil Sects. Everything had to be prepared for that.

And after that…

Lim Sobyeong spoke, interrupting Chung Myung’s thoughts. “That bit of time is important.”

“Hmm.”

“And… how the Four Evil Sects will move now.”

Jeagal Jarin nodded. “Is there still no movement from the Four Evil Sects?”

“The Beggars’ Sect is watching them, but they are not moving.”

“Why on earth…” Jeagal Jarin looked confused.

Something was strange. They had the advantage. If they had pushed forward, the Heavenly Union would have struggled. But they took a position in Hubei, which had no real meaning, giving them time to prepare.

“Are they plotting something?”

“Logically, that would be right, but…” Lim Sobyeong hesitated. Jang Ilso’s moves always had meaning. But this time, Lim Sobyeong couldn’t understand it.

So, they had to turn to Chung Myung. “What do you think, Chief Strategist?”

Chung Myung stared at the map on the table, his eyes sinking deeply.

“A plot…” Chung Myung shook his head. “There’s no plan to sit back.”

“But he has done so before…”

“That wasn’t sitting back, that was aiming the blade. This is different. It’s meaningless.”

“Hmm. Then what?” Lim Sobyeong was confused.

Suddenly, Chung Myung hit Lim Sobyeong on the head.

“Aaaargh!” Lim Sobyeong grabbed his head and staggered back. “Why are you hitting me!”

“Tsk!” Chung Myung looked at Lim Sobyeong. “Even though you’re a strategist, you’re so scared!”

“Yes?”

“That bastard is just a person. He can’t plan everything or do everything he wants.”

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes. Variables happen in every war. Sometimes big, sometimes small. Sometimes trivial but fatal.

Sometimes, those small variables change the battlefield in unbelievable ways.

“The situation is clear. That bastard has encountered an unexpected variable.”

“…”

“So, we need to make sure he can never get up again.” Chung Myung’s eyes shone blue.

Lim Sobyeong stopped breathing.

Chung Myung’s words pierced his ears. “We’ve defended enough. I’m sick of it.”

Chung Myung pressed his hand down on the map, crumpling it.

“Now it’s our turn.”

“Chief Strategist…”

“We attack.” A chilling, murderous intent blazed in Chung Myung’s blue eyes, like ice fire.

“Until we cut off that bastard’s breath…”

It was eerie, and a chilling voice.