Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1773

Jo Gul opened his eyes. The first thing he heard made his face twist in worry. “We’ve been hit again?” he asked.

“It seems so,” Yoon Jong replied quietly. The air in the tent felt heavy and still, not like their usual noisy camp.

Usually, Jo Gul would have exploded with anger. But this time, he felt nothing, no anger at all. He could feel deep down how bad things really were.

“Any sign of who did it?” Jo Gul asked.

“Nothing,” came the reply.

Jo Gul frowned. “We put more guards out, and I told them to be extra careful, right? And they were attacked again without even sounding the alarm?”

“Yes,” Yoon Jong confirmed.

Jo Gul’s face became like stone. He couldn’t understand it. It just didn’t make sense. There was only one way this could happen: the guards must have thought the attacker was a friend.

“…Sect Leader,” Jo Gul started, his voice low. “Could it be someone from our own group?”

“Enough,” Yoon Jong said sharply, his eyes hard. Jo Gul stopped talking immediately.

Yoon Jong sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders a little. “I thought of that too. But we have to be very careful about suspecting our own people, even now. Maybe there’s another answer we haven’t thought of yet?”

“What are you talking about?” a voice boomed. The tent flap was suddenly yanked open, letting in a rush of morning air. Im So-byeong stood there, filling the entrance. “Thousand-Faced Murderer,” he announced.

“What if it’s the Thousand-Faced Murderer, Dam Yeo-hae?” Im So-byeong said this as calmly as if he were talking about the weather.

Jo Gul gasped and stood up quickly. “Ah!”

“That man could do it. They call him the Thousand-Faced Murderer because he’s the best at disguises in the world.”

“…Why didn’t I think of that?” Jo Gul muttered. He remembered seeing Dam Yeo-hae very close by just days ago. He’d even watched him fight and beat the Sun Palace Lord right in front of him.

“Are you sure?” Yoon Jong asked Im So-byeong.

“Who knows?” Im So-byeong shrugged, his shoulders moving easily. “Nobody really knows how good Dam Yeo-hae is at disguises. But we have to think it’s possible.”

Jo Gul rubbed his head hard, looking frustrated. “Why does everything have to be so complicated? So, basically, you’re saying this Thousand-Faced Murderer is causing problems right now.”

“…You make things sound so easy,” Im So-byeong said, a small smile playing on his lips. “Yes, let’s say that’s it.”

“Then we need to do something!” Jo Gul said.

“Like what?” Im So-byeong asked.

“Huh?” Jo Gul stopped, his mouth hanging open. “What do we even *do*?” He suddenly understood how trapped they really were.

“Did you say Thousand-Faced Murderer?” Yoon Jong repeated, looking around.

“Yes.” By now, the tent was full of people, all listening intently. Yasu Palace Lord Maeng So nodded slowly, thinking aloud. “Thousand-Faced Murderer, Dam Yeo-hae… Yes, if it’s really him, it makes sense. He could have gotten close by pretending to be one of us.”

“That’s nonsense!” Mo Yong Wi-gyeong interrupted, his voice sharp. “I don’t even believe he’s that good at disguises. But even if he is, why would *he* do this kind of job himself?”

“Why not?”

Im So-byeong asked calmly. Mo Yong Wi-gyeong threw his hands up in exasperation. “This is ridiculous! The Thousand-Faced Murderer is the leader of the Hao Clan, almost like the second most important person in the Four Evil Sects!”

“So what?” Im So-byeong asked again, still calm.

Mo Yong Wi-gyeong’s voice rose, getting louder. “Does it make sense for someone that important to sneak into enemy camp and kill guards?” He turned to Tang Gunak. “It’s like asking the Dang Clan Head here, who’s like our second-in-command, to do something like that!”

Tang Gunak waved his hand, looking uncomfortable. “No, please, don’t compare me…”

“Could anyone here order the Dang Clan Head to go sneak around in enemy territory and… and do sneaky things? No! Nobody would even ask him to do that!” Silence fell in the tent. The idea was clearly ridiculous to everyone there.

Even Jang Il-so, the leader of their whole group, couldn’t ask the Hao Clan Leader to do something so beneath him. The Four Evil Sects was made up of different groups working together, not just one big family. It was just unthinkable.

“But maybe,” Namgung Dowi suggested, “maybe the Thousand-Faced Murderer did it on his own, without being asked?”

Pung Young-sin-gae shook his head slowly. “Dam Yeo-hae is very careful. Too careful, some say. If he was a bit bolder, the whole Demonic Sects might be different now. I don’t think someone like him would risk his neck doing something like this himself.”

“Is that so…” Namgung Dowi murmured. A heavy silence fell over the tent. Then, Jongri Gok spoke, his voice firm. “We need to think about what really matters here. Whether it’s Dam Yeo-hae or not, we know how they’re doing it. Someone is tricking our guards to get close.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The first time, they weren’t sure. But after it happened again last night, it was obvious. To hurt guards who were now even more watchful, the attacker had to get close without making them suspicious at all.

“So, we just need to be careful about that,” Jongri Gok concluded.

“What do you mean?” Je Gal-ja-in asked, frowning.

“Shouldn’t we just tell the guards to attack anyone who comes near, no matter who it is?”

Some people gasped quietly and nodded at Jongri Gok’s words. But others frowned, their faces becoming serious.

Je Gal-ja-in spoke up, his voice calm but firm. “I don’t think that’s wise.”

“Why not?” Jongri Gok asked, his voice sharp.

“The Heavenly Union is already very fragile. Wouldn’t telling everyone to attack anyone who comes close just make us all suspicious of each other?”

“We have to do it if it will stop more attacks!” Jongri Gok insisted.

“But trying to stop the attacks like that could break the Union apart!” Je Gal-ja-in argued back.

“And if we don’t, we’ll be picked off one by one!” They stared hard at each other, neither one willing to give in. Je Gal-ja-in’s eyes showed he wouldn’t change his mind easily.

“This will cause bigger problems than you think, Sect Leader. Remember, the Heavenly Union isn’t one group. It’s a bunch of groups working together, and it can fall apart easily, even over small arguments. Are you saying we should start making everyone distrust each other in a situation like this?”

“It’s normal to be careful of everyone when you’re guarding something. Why is it causing trouble to just say we should be doing what we’re supposed to be doing anyway?” Jongri Gok argued.

Je Gal-ja-in paused, then asked, “Do you think this suspicion will just disappear when people are off duty?”

Je Gal-ja-in’s face was hard as he continued. “This is like saying someone we don’t know is already inside our group. It won’t just be when we’re on guard duty. All the time, in everything we do, we’ll be looking at each other with suspicion. We’ll trust people from our own group less than strangers from other groups in the Union.”

“Hmm,” Jongri Gok grunted, thinking. Je Gal-ja-in pressed on. “The Chief Strategist worked so hard to bring the different groups together, especially with the Dang Clan. If we do this, it will build a huge wall between us again. Maybe even bigger than before. Then the Union will be over.”

“That’s…” Jongri Gok started to say.

“It’s already happening,” Je Gal-ja-in interrupted. “We’re already hearing reports of people from different groups being suspicious of each other. We can’t make it worse by telling everyone to attack anyone who comes near.”

Jongri Gok’s eyes narrowed, becoming cold. “Are you saying we should just ignore the attacks that are happening right now because of something that *might* happen later? If you’re going to argue against me so strongly, then tell me, what’s your idea?”

“My idea is…” Je Gal-ja-in began.

“If you don’t even have another plan, then why are you arguing?” Jongri Gok snapped. The tension in the tent was so thick you could almost cut it with a knife. Tang Gunak, who had been watching quietly, finally let out a long, heavy sigh, trying to calm things down.

“Let’s stop,” Tang Gunak said firmly. Silence fell in the tent. Then, Tang Gunak spoke again. “First, we will put more guards on patrol.”

“Dang Clan Head!” Jongri Gok exclaimed, staring angrily at Tang Gunak, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. But Tang Gunak just shook his head, his expression steady.

“If they’re trying to make us fight each other, and then attack us when we’re weak, we have to stop that from happening. We need to stay united right now.”

“Even if it means more people get hurt?” Jongri Gok challenged.

“If we have more guards and change them more often, we can make it less dangerous. The less time each person is on guard, the less risk they’re in.”

“Then we’ll need way too many people on guard!”

“We’ll manage,” Tang Gunak said firmly. Jongri Gok folded his arms and gave a cold, mocking smile. “So, you’re saying we should all be exhausted and never sleep because it’s dangerous? Isn’t that backwards? If they wanted to weaken us by making us tired and suspicious, it looks like they’ve already won.”

Some leaders looked like they agreed with Jongli Gok. Tang Gunak began to speak without hesitating.

“Supreme Alliance Leader,”

“Yes,”

“How long will it take to get the Beggars’ Sect people here? The ones who are out getting information?”

“…If they are nearby, it shouldn’t take more than a day.”

Tang Gunak nodded.

“We can add more people using the Beggars’ Sect.”

“Won’t that cause problems with information gathering?”

“Keeping our group safe is more important than watching what others are doing right now.”

Tang Gunak’s words would solve the problem somewhat. Even if it took an extra day to gather the Beggars’ Sect disciples due to unexpected problems, they could manage for about two days.

Some nodded, agreeing with the idea, but others looked unhappy.

Tang Gunak felt that the people inside the tent were divided.

“…So, that’s the Alliance’s choice.”

Jongli Gok muttered quietly, staring at Tang Gunak. His voice was even colder.

“I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Where is the Alliance Leader?”

Tang Gunak stayed silent.

“From the start, Jongnam didn’t join the Alliance, but only shared its position. Now, you’re asking us to follow the instructions of the Dang Family Head, not the Alliance Leader, which is very unpleasant.”

“That’s…”

“Let the Alliance do what it wants. Jongnam will do what it wants.”

Jongli Gok stood up, looked at a few leaders, and left the tent.

“Some people just can’t get along with others.”

“Sect Leader!”

As Jongli Gok walked out, the atmosphere inside the tent became heavy. Someone, scared by Jongli Gok’s last look, carefully asked the person next to him.

“Excuse me… Head Instructor Yoon Jong.”

“Yes, Palace Lord.”

“Where is Instructor Chung Myung?”

Yoon Jong didn’t answer and closed his mouth. He realized Seol So-baek had become much thinner than before.

“If only he were here… he could solve this easily.”

Instead of answering, Yoon Jong quietly grabbed Seol So-baek’s arm. After a long time, he murmured to himself.

“…Indeed.”

He blamed himself for not giving a good answer.

Standing guard is usually boring.

Enemies don’t often appear. Guarding against an enemy that doesn’t come, wasting time, is tiring and dull.

But what if the enemy camp was very close? What if there was something truly scary nearby? Then, guarding duty became very different.

Fear made his blood feel like ice. His mouth was dry, and his legs felt tight and ready to run. Guard duty was no longer boring; it was torture.

‘How much time has passed?’

Mo Yong-se, who had never known guarding could be so painful, looked around nervously, checking his surroundings again and again.

Around him, there were only dark, flat fields. There was no moonlight, and the air felt heavy and hard to breathe.

Scritch.

He heard a sound from behind, like bushes brushing against something.

“Who’s there!”

Mo Yong-se drew his sword, turning his tense body around. He quickly brought a whistle to his mouth.

However, the tension in his body quickly faded.

“It’s the changing of the guard,” the person said, looking annoyed.

Judging by his clothes, he was from the Jegal Clan.

‘Right. We were supposed to change the guard with the Jegal Clan. Is it time already?’

The other Mo Yong-se guards also raised their swords, but slowly relaxed when they heard ‘change’. Their suspicion eased.

“I’m a little late. Sorry. I had a stomach ache from being nervous.”

“It happens.”

The Mo Yong-se guards had also felt a slight stomach ache during their watch. They couldn’t relax.

As he was about to wipe the sweat from his forehead and put down his weapon, he paused, a quick idea flashing through his mind.

“Wait a minute… Why are you alone?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t the exchange supposed to be three people?”

“Those guys seem to have stomach aches too. I came first.”

It was possible. Everyone was nervous.

But something was suspicious.

“But… Is it really time to change the guard?”

“Huh?”

“It seems like there’s still some time left…”

“Oh, really?”

The approaching Jegal Clan warrior chuckled.

“Why didn’t you notice sooner?”

“What?”

“Before I got this close.”

The Jegal Clan warrior’s body seemed to change shape quickly. He rushed in so fast that it looked like his body was twisting.

‘An enemy!’

By the time he realized it, the warrior’s hand was close to his face. A cold energy was coming from his pale hand. He felt death without even closing his eyes.

Clang!

But a loud metallic sound struck his ears. At the same time, the Mo Yong-se warrior fell backward.

“Huh! Huh?”

Amidst the pain, he barely knew he was alive. He quickly sat up.

“…You?”

Someone was standing in front of him, the moonlight reflecting off the blade of his sword.

“Hwasan…”

The Mo Yong-se warrior stared at his back.

His face looked pale in the moonlight. It was someone he knew well.

“Fall back.”

“Yes!”

The Mo Yong-se warriors nodded and stepped back. They knew they would have died if this person hadn’t appeared, so they didn’t argue.

“Hmm…”

The Jegal Clan warrior… Thousand-Faced Scholar Dam Yeo-hae, touched his face. His cheek was cut, and blood seeped out. The mask was falling off.

“How did you know? I hid my energy perfectly.”

“Smell.”

“What?”

“You smelled bad.”

The Thousand-Faced Scholar was silent, then laughed. Although he said foul odor, he meant he smelled blood.

“Smell… Should I have thought I was dealing with a beast? You’re a real bastard.”

The Thousand-Faced Scholar’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s different from what I thought… but this isn’t bad either. No, it’ll be even better.”

His pale hands began to emit a pure white power.

“The head of the Hwasan Sword Hero would be a great achievement…”

Whoosh!

Chung Myung’s sword became a streak of light, rushing towards the Thousand-Faced Scholar’s neck.

‘What?’

Snikt!

The Thousand-Faced Scholar moved quickly to the side. But his neck already had a red line across it.

This was not the end. Before he could react, Chung Myung’s sword fell repeatedly over his head.

Sensing it was too late to dodge, Dam Yeo-hae crossed his hands and raised them.

Snikt! Snikt! Snikt!

Just before the sword touched his hands, Chung Myung’s sword twisted strangely and began to slash at Dam Yeo-hae’s wrists.

“Kuh!”

Dam Yeo-hae stepped back. His wrists were cut, and red blood flowed.

‘Hands covered in power…’

Hwasan Sword Hero. Plum Blossom Sword Demon.

He understood the rumors about him instantly.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“……”

“I told you, you stink. Shut your mouth, it’s disgusting.”

Chung Myung dragged his sword and approached Dam Yeo-hae. His eyes were colder than the north sea’s winter wind.