Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1769

Baek Cheon forced his heavy eyelids open. The first thing he saw was a sharply pointed ceiling, rough canvas stretched tight above him.

“Ugh,” he groaned, his throat dry.

He tried to sit up, but a sharp gasp escaped his lips. Pain exploded through his body, a fire burning in every muscle and bone. He felt weak and heavy, like he was made of stone.

He looked down at his arm. It was thin and pale, unfamiliar. *This is real,* he thought, the realization hitting him hard. *This isn’t a dream.* Slowly, carefully, he looked around.

*A tent?*

It was a strange place, unlike any tent he had ever seen.

A tent was meant for people to stay in, even if just for a short time. But this place didn’t feel like anyone lived here.

He could sense people had been here. But the most basic things for living were missing.

The floor wasn’t even laid, so the dirt was exposed. The tent walls, which probably weren’t this color originally, were stained black with dirt and dust.

The tent was bare, without any furniture. There were just blankets spread out on the floor, only enough for one person to lie down.

The blanket Baek Cheon was lying on was one of those.

‘Where is this?’

Baek Cheon shook his throbbing head, trying to remember. The Four Faction Alliance attack. And the battle…

‘The masked men.’

Baek Cheon’s eyes flickered. It seemed the masked men had brought him here after he lost consciousness.

Baek Cheon looked down at his chest. Bandages were wrapped all over his body. They were dirty bandages, the kind Tang Soso would hate. But they had treated his wounds.

…

Baek Cheon’s eyes became more cautious.

‘Who are they?’

And why did they bring him here? He was no longer valuable as a hostage.

Baek Cheon forced his body to move and got up. He screamed involuntarily with each movement, but he was used to this level of pain.

Baek Cheon stood up and walked to the tent entrance.

After a short, deep breath, Baek Cheon pushed aside the cloth and stepped outside.

…

The first thing he saw was the blue sky and the green forest. And shabby tents scattered around.

But those weren’t what caught his attention.

The tents seemed built out of necessity, not for comfort. People were sitting around them.

…

It was strange.

This was probably their base. But everyone was wearing a mask.

Were they wearing masks because they didn’t know when Baek Cheon would come out?

No, it didn’t seem like that. The masks seemed natural to them. It seemed like they even wore masks when eating and sleeping.

…

Some had swords slung over their shoulders, others buried their faces in their knees. Some leaned against tents that looked like they could collapse. Some were half-lying on the dirt, looking up at the sky.

They were all tired and lacked energy.

A strange feeling washed over Baek Cheon.

The defeated.

That was the best way to describe them. They looked like soldiers who had lost all hope.

For a moment, Baek Cheon thought this might be a place for injured people. His arms weren’t in good condition, and he had been hurt in the fight against the Four Faction Alliance. It wouldn’t be strange if he was taken to a place for the wounded.

But he quickly stopped thinking that. The reason was simple. He couldn’t see any injuries on them.

‘Then what is it?’

If so, why couldn’t he feel the energy that living people should have?

Why were these people acting like they were dead while still alive?

As he felt more and more confused, one of the masked men looked up at Baek Cheon.

For a moment, Baek Cheon wondered if he should bow, clasp his hands, or thank them.

Someone here had brought him here. They had saved him and treated him. Shouldn’t he thank them, no matter who they were?

But the masked man’s reaction made all of Baek Cheon’s thoughts disappear.

Grind.

The masked man ground his teeth.

At the same time, his eyes, visible through the mask, were filled with hatred.

…

Baek Cheon froze. He hadn’t expected this reaction.

Others noticed Baek Cheon and turned to look.

Some quickly turned away, uninterested. Some looked at Baek Cheon with curiosity.

But most reactions were similar to the first man’s.

Open hatred and hostility.

Murderous looks were directed at Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon had never flinched, even when facing powerful enemies. But these hateful looks made him feel uneasy.

‘A Demonic Sect? Or…the Unorthodox Faction?’

If he had to guess, that was it. If they were from the Demonic Sect, their murderous looks would make sense. And even if they were from the Unorthodox Faction, he could try to understand.

But Baek Cheon couldn’t feel any evil energy from the Demonic Sect or the Unorthodox Faction.

They were colorless and odorless, or… If he had to say…

“The dog of Mount Hua…”

Baek Cheon stopped thinking.

‘Mount Hua?’

Did he just say Mount Hua?

One of the masked men stood up. His tiredness was gone, replaced by a sharp energy.

“You dare…”

His murderous intent was clear.

But no one tried to stop him. It was as if they didn’t care if Baek Cheon was killed.

Baek Cheon quickly looked at his waist. But he had no sword.

Creak.

The masked man pulled out a rusty sword.

His eyes filled with hatred, he pushed off the ground and launched himself at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon was too weak to resist. The rusty sword soared through the air.

…

But the sword couldn’t come down. It trembled in the air. The masked man’s eyes showed intense pain and hatred.

Baek Cheon froze, overwhelmed by the emotions.

Wham!

The masked man was knocked away.

“…I told you not to touch him.”

…

Another masked man walked over. He had an aura that overwhelmed the others.

“You don’t understand me.”

The masked man on the floor didn’t react.

He simply spat out phlegm mixed with blood, then went back to his spot. He sat down and hung his head, as if nothing had happened.

…

It was strange. That was all he could say.

The man who had been staring at the masked man turned to Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon knew this man had saved him.

“Um…”

“Follow me.”

The masked man walked away, sure that Baek Cheon would follow.

Baek Cheon stared at his back, then turned his head. The others had already lost interest in him.

They weren’t holding back their anger. It was more like they had lost interest completely. Maybe even their anger meant nothing anymore.

‘What is this place?’

It was confusing. Everything was.

The only way to understand it was to follow that man.

Baek Cheon took a step, his face stiff.

That tent was similar to the others.

It was a little bigger and had a chair, but it still didn’t feel like a place to live.

But Baek Cheon’s feeling about the tent had changed.

‘Here is…’

At first, Baek Cheon thought of the tents as barracks for the defeated.

But now…

“Sit there.”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon sat down without a word. The masked man sat opposite him, with a small table between them.

Thunk.

The masked man took out a bottle and placed it on the table, then opened it.

The cheap liquor smelled strong. It didn’t seem to be good quality.

The masked man didn’t offer it to Baek Cheon. He pulled down his mask and gulped it down. White whiskers were visible.

Thunk.

The masked man put the bottle down and looked at Baek Cheon.

“Baek Cheon, acting leader of the Mount Hua Sect.”

…

“Is that right?”

“…Not anymore. I used to be called that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was kicked out of Mount Hua. So I’m not part of Mount Hua anymore.”

The masked man stared at Baek Cheon and chuckled.

“Kicked out. So you’re not a disciple of Mount Hua.”

“…Yes.”

The masked man leaned back in his chair. It creaked loudly.

“It would be nice if it were that simple. For you, and for us.”

…

After staring at the ceiling, the masked man looked at Baek Cheon.

“Do you know who we are?”

“…I don’t know.”

“I see.”

Thunk.

The masked man placed his sword on the table. It was a cheap iron sword, like the one Baek Cheon got from Heo Dojin.

Swish.

The masked man took off his mask without hesitation. His face was revealed.

…

Baek Cheon had never seen him before. He looked over fifty years old. A long scar on his face suggested a difficult life.

“I’ll ask again. Do you know who I am?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Yes. I see. Of course, you wouldn’t.”

The masked man laughed.

“Of course. Yes, of course. But…”

Whoosh!

The masked man drew his sword and swung it at Baek Cheon’s neck.

Slice!

The sword cut into his skin. Baek Cheon’s face stiffened.

“But you should have known.”

…

“At least if you were the acting leader of Mount Hua. No, if you WERE the acting leader!”

Hatred filled his voice.

Baek Cheon’s eyes flickered.