Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1652

“Al-Already?” someone stammered, the word barely escaping their lips.

“The Four Faction Alliance?” another voice echoed, filled with disbelief.

“Where to?!” Tang Gunak leaned forward, his voice sharp with urgency.

“Did Jang Il-So personally move out?” someone asked.

Questions erupted from all around the long wooden table, shattering the earlier excited mood. The air in the dimly lit conference room suddenly felt heavy, thick with worry.

Every eye in the room fixed on Im So-Byeong. He nodded slowly, his face grim. “Yes,” he confirmed, his voice low and serious. “Jang Il-So himself is leading them.”

Some swallowed hard. Yoon Jong unknowingly clutched at his chest. *Jang Il-So… just his name makes my blood run cold*, Yoon Jong thought.

A heavy feeling filled the room.

Jang Il-So had personally moved out. Was there anyone here who didn’t know what that meant?

“Where is he headed?”

“The destination is not yet certain. However, judging by the northward direction……” Im So-Byeong’s face hardened slightly.

“The target appears to be Henan.”

“Henan? Why?” Tang Gunak exclaimed in a surprised voice.

“Knowing full well we are here, why Henan, which is as good as an undefended land?”

“It’s not an undefended land.”

“Hmm?”

Im So-Byeong shook his head. “Have you forgotten? They already targeted Mount Song once. But they realized their forces were at a disadvantage and retreated. In other words, they have a clear intention to eliminate the remnants of the Shaolin.”

Those who had gone to support Shaolin nodded.

*The Blood Cult…….*

Baek Cheon’s face hardened as he recalled that time. The color drained from Baek Cheon’s face as he remembered.

If he hadn’t arrived in time back then, Shaolin might no longer exist. They had managed to fend off one attack by sheer luck, but the Four Faction Alliance would not easily give up on prey once they had set their sights on it.

“So, their aim is Shaolin?”

“Because Jang Il-So is so stubborn, he will attack there first.”

“…Hmm. I thought they would target this place,” Hyun Jong muttered, and Im So-Byeong shook his head.

“Jang Il-So is not one to attack where his opponent is strong. He’s the type to relentlessly dig into wounded spots. There’s no way he’d attack a place that’s already prepared.”

Several nodded. Considering Jang Il-So’s actions so far, it was certainly a valid point.

Currently, the most severely wounded place was undoubtedly Shaolin. Of course, there were places that had been almost completely annihilated, but they were not even considered as part of the equation anymore.

The place Jang Il-So would be drooling over the most was, of course, Shaolin.

“Then what should we do?”

“Why are you asking such an obvious question? We should naturally support Shaolin. Are you just going to sit back and watch those Four Faction Alliance bastards devour Shaolin?”

“But…… Shaolin is…….”

Je Gal-Jarin, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth. “Everyone here knows that the feelings towards Shaolin aren’t exactly positive.”

The murmuring crowd fell silent.

“I, too, wouldn’t say that my feelings towards them are particularly good right now.” Je Gal-Jarin slowly met the eyes of several people.

“But we cannot allow Shaolin to be destroyed like this. It’s not just about its symbolic meaning. The Shaolin monks who are currently silent are also excellent forces of the orthodox faction. Losing them would be too great a loss.”

“If the Heavenly Union is truly a place for a few sects to gather and show off their strength, rather than a place that cares for the world and the Jianghu, then we should put aside our old grudges and support Shaolin.”

Just as Je Gal-Jarin was about to continue speaking after a brief pause, Hyun Jong lightly raised his hand to stop him. Then, he slowly shook his head.

“There’s no need to say more.”

“Alliance Leader, but…….”

“I have never once thought that we could abandon Shaolin. Aren’t they also members of the Jianghu who must fight alongside us?”

It was an unexpected remark. Je Gal-Jarin’s mouth slightly opened, as he had been trying to persuade Hyun Jong.

If one were to pick the person with the worst feelings towards Shaolin here, Je Gal-Jarin would undoubtedly choose Hyun Jong and Chung Myung.

When it came to the intensity of emotions, Chung Myung might be above, but when it came to the depth of resentment towards Shaolin, there was no one quite like Hyun Jong.

And yet, Hyun Jong had declared that he would save Shaolin without a moment’s hesitation.

Even Baek Cheon lent his support to Hyun Jong.

“Alliance Leader’s words are correct. We have already helped Shaolin once. There’s no reason we can’t do it a second time, is there?”

“Ugh……. Sasuk. Now that there’s even Beop Jeong…… No, the Abbot there, do we really need to…….”

“This isn’t the time to be considering such conditions. We’re trying to fight the Four Faction Alliance, not divide the Heavenly Union and those who aren’t in it, are we?”

“…I suppose so.”

Jo Gul, who had brought up the topic for nothing and gained nothing, lowered his head dejectedly.

But then.

“W-Wait a minute. Are you saying you’re going to help Shaolin now?” Im So-Byeong asked Baek Cheon as if he had heard something unbelievable.

Baek Cheon tilted his head with a puzzled look. “Isn’t it obvious what we should do?”

“Obvious? Did you just say it’s obvious?”

“Well…… isn’t Shaolin in danger?” Baek Cheon looked around as if wondering what he had misunderstood. But no one gave him a hint or an answer.

“No, Acting Sect Leader!” Im So-Byeong’s voice rose as if frustrated. “If we go to help Shaolin now, the ones in danger aren’t Shaolin, but us! Us!”

“…What do you mean?”

“Have you already forgotten how Jang Il-So trampled the Peng Clan and the Mount Hua Sect?”

Baek Cheon’s mouth shut involuntarily at those words.

“What he targeted was the faltering command system. In other words, it means that he’s skilled at dealing with forces that aren’t properly organized. But what about us right now?”

“Well…….” Unlike before, Baek Cheon’s voice lost its momentum and faded away.

“We’re in a situation where people who disobeyed the Vice Sect Leader today are being thrown into the prison. The Peng Clan and the Mount Hua Sect, which Jang Il-So played with like children, weren’t as messed up as we are.”

Every single word was true. Baek Cheon’s shoulders slumped a little more.

“If we go to fight Jang Il-So when the Vice Sect Leaders can’t even properly control a single member, the result is obvious without even looking.”

“It’s not like Jang Il-So knows all about our situation, does he?” It was Jo Gul who defended Baek Cheon. Im So-Byeong’s gaze was fixed on him.

“Why do you think he wouldn’t know?”

“…Huh?”

“Do you really think he wouldn’t know? We can clearly see how they’re moving, but you think they can’t see us?”

“Th-That’s…….”

“Perhaps Jang Il-So’s move now is a conclusion he reached after watching our situation. If we foolishly rush to Henan now, it’s like sticking our heads into a tiger’s mouth.”

“Ugh…….” Tang Gunak, lost in thought, let out a groan.

“It’s not pleasant, but…… the words of the Green Forest King certainly have a point.”

“He’s someone who has a knack for handling disorganized groups, so I trust him.” Tang Gunak smiled bitterly at Maeng So’s words. Then, he asked Im So-Byeong.

“Then what do you think we should do?”

“We need to buy some time, even if it’s just a few days. Until the conclusions reached here today are conveyed to the members, and they truly become aware of the situation.”

“A few days, you say…….”

“We need to hold out for at least three more days. That’s the minimum.”

“Three days is enough time for those Four Faction Alliance bastards to trample Shaolin.”

Im So-Byeong scoffed.

“Why?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Why don’t they just not get trampled? Send an urgent message to Shaolin and tell them to run away from Mount Song immediately.”

Tang Gunak’s mouth slightly opened.

“Th-That’s…….”

“The enemy is coming, and only a fool would just wait there. If the aim is obvious, then just avoid it, isn’t it simple?”

“Would Shaolin do that?”

“If they don’t, it’s their fault. We have no responsibility.”

Tang Gunak lost his words and stared blankly at Im So-Byeong. *How should I put it? At times like this, I definitely feel it. That their way of thinking was different*, he thought.

Tang Gunak found it hard to understand Im So-Byeong’s free-spirited, unorthodox way of thinking.

Im So-Byeong was much more adamant than usual.

“Anyway, absolutely not. That damned Jang Il-So bastard has already destroyed Shaolin, the Mount Hua Sect, and the Peng Clan by targeting the chaos in the command system, and repeating the same thing after seeing that is something only the biggest idiot in the world would do.”

“Shaolin has already tasted bitterness once, so they’ll obediently retreat this time. Won’t they?” Im So-Byeong glared at Hae Yeon and Baek Cheon with eyes that seemed to be forcing affirmation.

Baek Cheon nodded almost unconsciously.

“I suppose…….” Beop Jeong might be stubborn, but Hye Bang was someone who would find a way to avoid the enemy no matter what.

“What are you doing! Send a message quickly! Now that things have come to this, we must make good use of the time while those Four Faction Alliance bastards are making a wasted trip to Henan! Vice Sect Leaders and Sect Leaders, gather the members immediately and drill them thoroughly.”

Everyone nodded as if possessed, but one person who had been silent until now opened his mouth.

“I don’t quite understand.” It was Chung Myung.

“What are we talking about right now?”

Those present exchanged glances. It was because they couldn’t readily understand what Chung Myung had said. In the end, Hyun Jong, as their representative, had no choice but to ask.

“…What do you mean, Chung Myung-ah?”

“The conclusion is that we should tell Shaolin to run away because those guys are targeting them, right?”

“That’s…… right?”

“What if they don’t run away?”

Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung with puzzled eyes. *Why was this child repeating what they had already said……?*

But Chung Myung asked another question.

“Why do you think it’s Shaolin?”

“Haven’t we been talking about that until now?”

“Exactly. Why is the conclusion ‘The Four Faction Alliance is targeting Shaolin’?”

“Well, they said they were going to Henan, and in Henan there’s…….” At that moment, Hyun Jong couldn’t finish his sentence as a thought flashed through his mind. The others also hardened their faces, perhaps for the same reason.

The most representative sect in Henan was, of course, Shaolin. But there was a fact that those involved in the Jianghu, no…… even those who didn’t know the Jianghu well, knew.

The sect in Henan wasn’t just Shaolin.

There was a sect there that was as famous and strong as Shaolin.

“Could it be…….”

“Yes.” Chung Myung looked at Hyun Jong with dark eyes.

“To get to Shaolin from their location, they have to pass through Wuhan. There’s no way they’d just leave Wuhan alone, is there?”

“W-Wait a minute. They’re currently in closed-door cultivation…….”

“You don’t think they’ll just leave a sect in closed-door cultivation alone, do you?” Chung Myung said in a chilling voice.

“No, before that. Even if those Four Faction Alliance bastards intended to, would that person…… just let them pass?”

Everyone’s expression changed as they realized the implication.

Of course, there were more than one or two sects that held grudges against the Four Faction Alliance. But if one were to pick the person who held the deepest grudge against the Four Faction Alliance, and Jang Il-So himself, not just a sect, there was one person who could never be left out.

He was currently in Wuhan.

“Shaolin might be able to run away. But ‘they’ won’t run away. It might have been possible once, but it’s absolutely impossible a second time.”

The person who lost all his fame because of the Four Faction Alliance’s rampage.

The person who had been enduring until this moment with the feeling of chewing on his own bones.

A person dressed neatly in martial attire carefully called out to the person sitting upright. “Sect… Leader.”

However, the Taoist with a long beard like Guan Yu did not even stir at the voice calling him.

After a moment of hesitation, the person assumed that the Taoist was listening and conveyed the news.

“The Four Faction Alliance… Pae Gun is said to be coming to Henan.”

At that moment, the Taoist’s eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened. Heo Do-Jin’s eyes were as cold as the winter wind.

A chilling north wind and snow began to rush into the Taoist’s eyes, which had been so empty that they felt colorless and transparent.

“Pae Gun is?”

“Yes.”

The Taoist nodded slowly, so slowly that it was difficult for others to recognize.

“Then, it’s time to reclaim what was lost.” The Taoist, who muttered quietly, rose to his feet. Heo Do-Jin, once a celebrated hero, now a shadow of his former self, rose to his feet.

The world called this Taoist, who exuded a cold, sharp energy like a blade, the Taoist Heo Do-Jin of Wudang.