Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1727

The reception hall of the Wudang Clan.

The Wudang Clan reception hall was large and quiet. Dust motes danced in the light from the high windows, making the air feel heavy. A statue of the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, tall and still, watched over everything. In the center of the room, a round table stood out, unusual in this place of strict rules.

In Wudang, where respect for elders was very important, a round table was rare. No one had time to be surprised by the table.

They would be too busy looking at the important people sitting there.

Every person there was very powerful.

The Nine Great Sects were almost gone. Now, the leaders of the most important groups were sitting around the table in the Wudang reception hall.

Alliance Leader Hyun Jong had not arrived yet. So, Chief Strategist Chung Myung was in charge of the Heavenly Union.

But surprisingly, Poison King Tang Gunak was leading the meeting. He had stepped down from his position as Vice-Alliance Leader to become a squad leader.

“Thank you all for gathering here,” Tang Gunak said, starting the meeting.

Now that the fighting was over, this should have been a celebration. They should have been happy about the victory and thanked those who helped. But Tang Gunak’s voice was flat and heavy. He tried to sound welcoming, but the words felt forced, like lifting a great weight.

“First, I must thank Wudang for letting us use this place.”

Tang Gunak turned to look across the table.

If his seat was the head of the table, then the seat across from him should have been for the leader of Wudang. But someone else was sitting there.

“The former and current sect leaders are sorry they can’t be here. They were badly hurt,” someone said.

“Ahem.”

Tang Gunak sighed, looking at the empty seat across from him.

“I don’t know what to say to make things better.”

“Please don’t worry. We are lucky to be alive,” Heo Gong said.

Even Heo Gong had lost his martial arts. The damage to Wudang was terrible. It was hard to know if they could ever be as strong as before.

Mount Hua had come back from nothing. But could Wudang do the same? It felt impossible.

Wudang probably knew this too.

Even so, Heo Gong sat up straight and looked calm. Tang Gunak was impressed.

If he hadn’t lost his martial arts, he could have been one of the best in the world.

“The Supreme Elder… how is the former sect leader?” Tang Gunak asked.

“He will need to rest for a few months.”

Tang Gunak looked embarrassed.

He should have been the one to help Heo Do-jin. But he was too worried about Baek Cheon’s injuries to think about anyone else.

“Ahem. I was a little…”

“It’s alright,” Heo Gong said, knowing what he was going to say.

“The former sect leader’s injuries are not to his body, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

Those calm words meant a lot. Tang Gunak didn’t ask any more questions.

He knew that Heo Do-jin had survived, but most of the Wudang elders who went to kill Jang Il-so had died. They had killed many Sae Pai members, so their deaths weren’t completely useless.

“I promise for the Alliance Leader,” Tang Gunak said, “The Heavenly Union will help Wudang in any way we can.”

“We are very grateful,” Heo Gong said calmly.

Tang Gunak sighed quietly.

‘This wasn’t supposed to be so sad.’

They had won. They had stopped the Sae Pai, so it was a victory. The Heavenly Union and the Nine Factions had lost to the Sae Pai many times. This victory on Wudang Mountain was a big deal.

But no one was happy about it. Maybe it was because of the damage to Wudang.

Tang Gunak looked at Yoon Jong.

It wasn’t strange for him to be here. The Mount Hua Five Swords often came to meetings with important people, and everyone accepted it, even though they were young.

But it was strange to see only Yoon Jong here. Yoon Jong was here instead of Baek Cheon.

“Acting Sect Leader. The Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua…”

Tang Gunak realized he sounded awkward and looked away. Then Yoon Jong spoke.

“I am here because he is sick. I may not be good enough, but I ask for your understanding.”

No one knew what to say. It was as if no words were right.

They had heard about Baek Cheon’s condition. They felt sorry but didn’t want to make Mount Hua even more sad.

Namgoong Dowi hesitated and then spoke, “So, Baek Cheon is…”

Someone interrupted, “This isn’t a meeting to ask about personal matters, is it?”

Everyone looked at Chung Myung. He was slumped in his chair, staring at everyone with dark eyes.

“It doesn’t look good to waste time like this when you’ve gathered busy people,” Chung Myung said.

“Ahem.”

Tang Gunak nodded. They didn’t have time to waste.

“First… Military Strategist.”

“Yes.”

“Has the location of the Sae Pai been confirmed?” Tang Gunak asked.

“They are in southern Wuhan and not moving,” Im So-byeong said coldly.

“Wuhan…” Tang Gunak said sadly.

Wuhan was once a place where the good guys were strong. Bad people didn’t dare go there. Wuhan was the biggest city in Hubei. The two strongest groups in Hubei both had power there.

But now, the Namgoong Clan and Wudang had lost their strength. Wuhan was now a dangerous place.

“Why aren’t they taking Wuhan?” Mo Yong-wi Kyung asked. “They know no one can stop them, right?”

Im So-byeong scoffed, “Look at the person next to you. You’ll find the answer. Don’t ask me.”

Mo Yong-wi Kyung looked confused. Poong Young-shin looked uncomfortable.

“Ah, that’s right.”

Mo Yong-wi Kyung blushed. The Sae Pai could take Wuhan, but they couldn’t control it. The Beggars’ Union had eyes everywhere. Im So-byeong was pointing that out.

Im So-byeong explained, “Wuhan is too full of people. The Beggars’ Union has eyes everywhere in a city. Jang Il-so can hide in the countryside, but not in crowded streets.”

Some people laughed quietly.

The Heavenly Union and Wudang were badly hurt. But the Sae Pai was hurt even more.

Even so, Jang Il-so was still planning carefully. It was as if the defeat didn’t matter.

“That damned bastard…”

People were angry and tired. They also respected him. They sighed, showing how they felt.

Then, Mo Yong-wi Kyung spoke.

“There’s no need to be so sad, is there?”

“Hmm?”

“We won.”

“…”

“I know there was luck involved. We were badly hurt. But we showed that we can beat those bastards.”

Mo Yong-wi Kyung sounded excited.

He had seen the Shaolin, Peng Clan, and Mount Hua lose badly.

They were very afraid of the Four Seas Alliance. Now that they won, their joy was just as great.

“They were hurt badly, right? We are stronger now…”

“I wonder. Do we, really?”

When he heard this question, Mo Yongwi-gyeong looked away, annoyed.

It was Cheong-myeong. People called Cheong-myeong the ‘Sword Hermit of Mount Hua.’

Mo Yongwi-gyeong didn’t like this young man. Normally, he would ignore someone so young. But Cheong-myeong was very important now, more important than Mo Yongwi-gyeong could ever be.

But Mo Yongwi-gyeong didn’t want to give up this time.

“Am I wrong?” he asked again.

He knew that in this fight, neither he nor Cheong-myeong had done much.

Mo Yongwi-gyeong even thought Cheong-myeong knew less about this battle than he did.

“’Wrong?’ you say…”

Cheong-myeong had been relaxing, but now he sat up straight. Suddenly, the room felt very tense.

“Yes, they were hurt badly,” Cheong-myeong said.

He paused.

“The Hao Clan, those fighters on the cliff, lost almost half their people. The new leader of the Solar Palace was badly hurt too. I don’t know for sure, but the Solar Palace fighters are probably in bad shape as well.”

Everyone in the room nodded.

“And they probably used almost all their bombs, the ones they planned to use against Wudang. That’s a big win for Wudang. It looks like we won completely, because Wudang fought so hard and lost so many.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Mo Yongwi-gyeong said.

“Yes,” Cheong-myeong replied, “if they had fought their best.”

“What do you mean?” Mo Yongwi-gyeong felt anger rising. This young man always made him angry. Mo Yongwi-gyeong asked angrily, “Are you saying the Hegemon didn’t even fight?”

Cheong-myeong didn’t answer.

Mo Yongwi-gyeong continued, “Or… is it about the Blood Palace? Yes! Are you saying the Blood Palace fighters weren’t even there?”

Cheong-myeong still didn’t answer.

“You’re making me mad! Just say what you mean!”

“Shouldn’t you know who is missing, Mo Yongwi-gyeong?” Cheong-myeong asked.

Silence filled the room. Mo Yongwi-gyeong’s angry face suddenly became white.

“Ah…” he gasped.

His eyes looked at Cheong-myeong, asking if it was true. Cheong-myeong nodded once.

“Th-then… they…” Mo Yongwi-gyeong stammered.

“What are you talking about, Mo Yongwi-gyeong?” Jongri-gok asked, looking confused.

Mo Yongwi-gyeong’s face was now serious. “In this fight,” he said, “I didn’t see any real swordsmen. Only fighters who weren’t very skilled.”

“So what?” Jongri-gok asked.

“Demonic Sect fighters don’t usually use swords anyway. They like sabers, which are thicker and easier to take care of, not thin swords that break easily.”

But Mo Yongwi-gyeong looked even more worried.

“Didn’t I tell you? In Hubei, we saw swordsmen we didn’t know, who stopped us.”

Jongri-gok’s face became serious too.

“They weren’t here. If swordsmen like that were sent to Wudang Mountain…”

The room became cold and heavy. Those who were a little happy about the fake victory, and those who were worried without knowing why, now saw the real situation.

“Winning or losing this fight doesn’t really matter,” Im So-byeong said in a cold voice. His words shocked everyone like cold water thrown on their faces.

“What matters is what those bad guys… no, what that bad guy is planning.”

“Tell us more,” someone said.

“Why weren’t the swordsmen here?” Im So-byeong looked very serious.

“There are many questions,” he said. “But one thing is sure. We know this from many times before.”

He paused.

“Even if we are stronger than them, if we don’t understand what the Hegemon, Jang Il-so, is planning – he left without saying a word – then we are going to see something really terrible.” A cold feeling went through everyone.

‘Hegemon,’ they thought. He did nothing in this fight. But everyone felt his power, and it wouldn’t leave them alone.

* * * Later that night. Clink. A teacup, now cold, was put on the table.

“So…” Jongri-gok looked at Jin Geum-ryong, who sat across from him, looking worried.

“Baek Cheon… I mean, you spoke to your brother?”

“Yes, I did,” Jin Geum-ryong nodded slowly.

“I’m sorry for speaking to him without asking you first.”

“It’s okay,” Jongri-gok said, waving his hand. “Sometimes what’s happening now is more important than rules. So, what did he say?”

“For now…” Jin Geum-ryong stopped talking and closed his mouth tightly. Jongri-gok smiled a little.

“You did your best. Thank you.”

“Leader,” Jin Geum-ryong said.

“We just have to wait.”

Jongri-gok stood up and walked to the window. The moon was big and bright in the night sky.

“Sadness is like a bitter taste,” he said quietly, as if talking to himself.

“The more you say it’s okay, the more bitter it becomes. Until you can only taste bitterness. In the end, you can’t just keep it inside.”

“But he is Jin Dong-ryong… no, I mean Baek Cheon,” Jin Geum-ryong said.

Jongri-gok looked at Jin Geum-ryong. “Yes, Baek Cheon is strong. He can handle sadness.”

Jin Geum-ryong’s eyes showed two feelings at once: sadness for his brother, but also strong belief in him. Jongri-gok smiled.

“You might be right. He is a very special man.”

“Yes,” Jin Geum-ryong agreed.

“But you don’t understand what I meant,” Jongri-gok said.

“What?” Jin Geum-ryong looked confused. Jongri-gok sighed.

“The one who can’t handle the bitterness… it’s not your brother.” He closed his eyes slowly.

“I would be the same,” he whispered. “Just like you are now.”

It was very late at night. Everywhere was quiet. In rooms, in open spaces, on roofs, people looked at the moon. Each person had their own sadness inside them. The End.