Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 203

Baek Cheon stared at Chung Myung. His eyes were wide, and his mouth slightly open in surprise. “An alliance?” he asked.

Baek Cheon knew Chung Myung was always causing trouble. But this? ‘So fast?’ he thought. Chung Myung had only been gone since lunch. What could he have done in such a short time to talk about something as huge as an alliance? And not just any alliance, but one between Mount Hua and the famous Tang Family!

Yoon Jong was just as confused as Baek Cheon. He spoke carefully, “Hold on. Can we even decide something like this ourselves?” He really meant, *Can Chung Myung decide this by himself?* but Yoon Jong was trying to be polite.

Chung Myung grinned. “Why not? Baek Cheon Martial Uncle is here, isn’t he?”

Baek Cheon blinked, confused. “Huh? Me? What about me?”

Chung Myung acted like it was obvious. “Have you forgotten? Before we left, the Sect Leader gave Baek Cheon Martial Uncle all the authority for Mount Hua while we are away.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes went wide as he remembered. *Oh. Right.* The Sect Leader *had* said something like that. But… “Y-you’re actually using that now?” Baek Cheon asked, his voice rising in surprise.

“No, wait!” Baek Cheon protested quickly. “He only said that in case something went wrong in the Southern Barbarian lands! Sect Leader Hyun Jong just wanted us to be able to make decisions easily there, because it’s hard to send messages back home.”

Baek Cheon’s voice became more urgent. “He never meant for you to make alliances with the Tang Family!”

“You troublemaker!” Baek Cheon exclaimed. “What will the Sect Leader say if you go making alliances like this?”

Chung Myung just laughed, “He’ll be happy, right? Hee hee!”

“Yes, of course he’ll be hap—! No, wait, that’s not the point!” Baek Cheon grabbed his head with both hands, frustrated.

*‘Please, just think a little bit, Chung Myung! Don’t run too far ahead!’* Baek Cheon thought desperately. *Can’t he think about the rest of us trying to follow him? Who makes a huge alliance like it’s just a quick afternoon task!*

Baek Cheon let out a long, heavy sigh.

The other Mount Hua disciples looked just as shocked as Baek Cheon. An alliance with the Tang Family? It was unbelievable. They all knew the Tang Family Head liked Chung Myung, but no one expected it to turn into *this*.

Baek Cheon knew he always had to fix Chung Myung’s messes. Pushing aside his shock for a moment, he took a deep breath to calm himself and started to think. *Okay, if I just look at what happened… it’s actually not bad.* No, it was more than “not bad.” It was amazing. *If Mount Hua could become partners with the Tang Family, one of the most powerful families, we could really become strong.*

It was strange, really. Why would the Tang Family even want to be allies with Mount Hua right now? Normally, Mount Hua should be begging for this kind of chance. But… Baek Cheon frowned, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows. *It can’t be this easy.*

Baek Cheon finally felt like he understood the situation a little better. He spoke, his voice now serious. “First,” he said, “good job.”

“Huh?” Chung Myung looked surprised.

Baek Cheon nodded firmly at him. “I don’t know what you said to the Tang Family Head, but getting this alliance is a really good thing. You did well.”

Chung Myung tilted his head, eyes narrowed. “Martial Uncle, are you feeling okay? Did you eat something bad?”

“……” Baek Cheon just stared at him.

Chung Myung continued, “Is Sichuan food not to your liking? Or did the Tang Family put poison in your food? Why are you suddenly praising me? You never do that!” Baek Cheon’s face turned slightly red. *Seriously? Even when I praise him, he’s like this?* He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He spoke slowly and carefully.

“But there’s something that bothers me.”

“Huh?”

“Mount Hua has always been allies with the Nine Great Sects. We don’t usually work with the Five Great Families. You know there’s some tension between the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, right?”

“Well, yeah.” Chung Myung shrugged.

Of course he knew. The Tang Family wanted to team up with Mount Hua to get around the Nine Great Sects. Even though they were both good groups, the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were starting to watch each other since they didn’t have a common enemy anymore.

“Being friends with the Tang Family might help Mount Hua now. But later on, it could make it harder for Mount Hua to join back up with the Nine Great Sects.” Baek Cheon looked seriously at Chung Myung and kept talking. “Did you think about this before you made your choice?”

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with a strange expression.

“Martial Uncle, I need to ask you something first.”

“Hmm?”

“What’s so great about going back to the Nine Great Sects?”

“……Huh?” Baek Cheon stared at Chung Myung like he had said something ridiculous.

Chung Myung tilted his head. “Is there anything good about it?”

“Well…” Baek Cheon hesitated. It wasn’t that he couldn’t think of anything, but he didn’t know where to start.

“Being known as one of the Nine Great Sects has a bigger impact than you think. We can attract great disciples, and we’ll have more influence. And…”

“Is that better than being allies with the Tang Family?”

“Being allies with the Tang Family might be better in the short term. But if we’re going to choose an alliance, it’s better to ally with the Nine Great Sects, not the Five Great Families…”

“Martial Uncle.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you have any pride?”

“……” Baek Cheon frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

“Who kicked us out of the Nine Great Sects?”

“Well…” The Nine Great Sects, that’s who!

“Those jerks kicked us out. Now that we’re a bit stronger, we’re going to smile and ask them to give us our seat back? Forget the past and try to get along again?”

“……”

“No! What kind of pushover does that?” Chung Myung rolled his eyes.

*‘Bow our heads to those jerks?’* What a joke!

They risked their lives! No! They literally gave their lives to save the Central Plains, and those ungrateful people only cared about themselves, didn’t they?

If even the Supreme Old Lord had gone through this, he would have hit them on the head with his staff. But Chung Myung wasn’t the Supreme Old Lord, so was he supposed to put up with this?

No way.

“Don’t have any weird ideas, Martial Uncle. If those Nine Great Sects actually helped each other when they needed it, Mount Hua wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Baek Cheon closed his mouth. Chung Myung was right. If the Nine Great Sects had helped even a little, Mount Hua wouldn’t have fallen so far.

Chung Myung didn’t want to go back to that empty group.

*‘Nine Sects or whatever, it’s enough to just be strong.’*

What mattered were the people who could help when needed, not empty friendships that only gave power when it wasn’t needed.

“So, you’re saying that the Tang Family can be a relationship where we help each other when we’re in trouble, unlike the Nine Great Sects?”

“We have to make it that way.” Chung Myung said firmly.

“You don’t just get a relationship. You have to make it. The Tang Family are people who can be helpful to Mount Hua.”

Baek Cheon quietly looked at Chung Myung and nodded.

*‘If this guy thinks so…’*

Baek Cheon sighed. It wasn’t easy for him to agree with Chung Myung. Chung Myung was the most trustworthy and untrustworthy person at the same time.

“So, you think we won’t lose out, right?”

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with no expression.

“…Sasuk,” he said.

“Yes?” Baek Cheon replied.

“What’s bad about making an alliance?” Chung Myung asked.

Baek Cheon was quiet for a moment.

“Are you too sure of yourself?” Chung Myung continued. “Hwasan is just starting to get better. Finding something good doesn’t mean we are rich and powerful now.”

Baek Cheon made a sound of discomfort, “Ugh…”

What Chung Myung said was true. Even with recent good luck, Hwasan was still weak compared to how strong it used to be. Anyone looking at it without emotion would think it strange for a big family to help Hwasan first. Baek Cheon thought hard about this. Then, he nodded strongly.

“Let’s do it!” Baek Cheon said.

“Sahyung!” Yoon Jong and Yoo Iseol spoke up, surprised by Baek Cheon’s quick decision. “Are you sure?” Yoo Iseol asked.

Baek Cheon was firm. “Calm down,” he said. “You are only worried because Chung Myung is the one who made this happen. This alliance is definitely good for us.”

“…Hmm,” Yoon Jong mumbled.

“Even so…” Yoo Iseol still seemed unsure. Actually, they weren’t thinking too much about how good the alliance would be.

“Is it okay for us to decide this without asking the Sect Leader?” Yoon Jong asked.

Baek Cheon frowned. “I have thought about that,” he said. “But time is very important here. If we take too long and lose this alliance, we will regret it forever.”

“Ummm.”

“For now,” Baek Cheon continued, “I will use the power the Sect Leader gave me and move forward. Yoon Jong, quickly write down the details of the alliance in a letter and send it to Hwasan! Chung Myung, you check it.”

“Are you really sure?” Yoo Iseol asked again.

“Yes! I will be responsible for everything!” Baek Cheon said firmly.

Yoon Jong saw Baek Cheon’s strong face and nodded. “Understood, Sasuk!”

Baek Cheon looked quickly at Chung Myung. *That rascal,* he thought. But he had to trust this rascal. *What would the older members of Hwasan do?*

*Hmm. This is important. We need to think about it carefully…*

*Think about what? Think about missing a great chance! The powerful Tang Family wants to be friends with us! Why are we even questioning their offer! Chung Myung must have done well to get this! Don’t say anything bad about what he did, just sign the agreement now!*

Baek Cheon smiled. *Even if there are problems, Hyun Young Sasuk will handle it!* He was sure that if Chung Myung got this alliance, Hyun Young would accept it without question. This situation would be the same.

“So,” Baek Cheon asked, “is everything with the Tang Family finished?”

“Yes,” Chung Myung said. “Now we need to go to Yunnan.” He turned to Jo Gul. “Sahyung, the caravan to Yunnan is ready, right?”

Jo Gul’s face suddenly looked strange. “Ch, Chung Myung-ah,” he started, “about that…”

“Hm? What is it? Did it leave already?” Chung Myung asked.

Jo Gul’s forehead became wet with cold sweat. “Th, there isn’t one,” he stammered.

“Huh?” Chung Myung was confused.

“There’s no caravan,” Jo Gul repeated quietly.

“…What are you talking about?” Chung Myung asked, surprised. “You told me last time that a caravan to Yunnan was leaving soon, and you told me to join quickly?”

“That’s…” Jo Gul hesitated. “My father lied to get us out of Chengdu fast.”

“…” Chung Myung was silent.

“He was planning to find some merchants, take them outside the city, and then explain everything once we were far from Chengdu. So…” Jo Gul explained nervously.

“It was a fake caravan?” Chung Myung asked, a little surprised but not angry.

“Y, yes,” Jo Gul said, looking at Chung Myung carefully. He knew Jo Pyung had lied and was very worried about how Chung Myung would react. He was sweating a lot, afraid of Chung Myung’s anger.

But Chung Myung was calm. “He really is a merchant,” Chung Myung said, a small smile on his face. “Even in that situation, he tried to lie to get out of it.”

“…” Jo Gul wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing.

“Well,” Chung Myung continued, “if he was worried about his son, he might do that. Anyway, does this mean there’s no caravan to Yunnan at all?”

“No, no! There is one,” Jo Gul quickly said. “But because there isn’t much trade with Yunnan, he said it will take at least a month for the next caravan to leave.”

“Can’t we make it faster?” Baek Cheon asked, frowning.

“That’s the fastest he can do,” Jo Gul replied.

“Hmm, that’s too late…” Chung Myung scratched his head. They had already spent time with the Tang Family. The Sect Leader and elders were waiting for Chung Myung to return to Hwasan. They couldn’t wait much longer. Baek Cheon looked like he was thinking the same thing.

“Is there any way to find other caravans?” Baek Cheon asked.

“It’s not easy,” Jo Gul said. “Caravans to Yunnan are very rare. Only a few merchant groups can go, and if something goes wrong, they can never go to Yunnan again. No one would secretly plan anything with such a caravan.”

“Ummm. I see,” Baek Cheon said. It wasn’t right to ask Jo Gul’s father for more help. It would be too much pressure on him.

“Then what should we do?” Yoon Jong asked, worried.

“Well,” Chung Myung said, a grin spreading across his face. “Then we have no choice. We’ll have to solve it ourselves.”

Everyone looked at Chung Myung. “What are you going to do?” Yoo Iseol asked.

“Don’t worry,” Chung Myung said. “It’s nothing big.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung grinned wider. “Isn’t helping friends in times like these what friends are for?”

“…Huh?” Jo Gul stared at Chung Myung, completely confused.

*BANG!* The door crashed open. Tang Gunak squeezed his eyes shut. This was the office of the leader of the Sichuan Tang Family. He knew there were some quick-tempered people in the Tang Family, but no one would dare to kick open the door to his office like this, especially without warning. Which meant only one thing…

“I have one more thing I need!” a loud voice shouted.

“…” Tang Gunak slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the person who had kicked… no, opened the door and walked in.

“What else…” Tang Gunak sighed, already tired.

“No, let’s not call it a ‘thing’!” Chung Myung said loudly. “Please find a merchant caravan going to Yunnan for me. I need to join it and go to Yunnan!”

“…” Tang Gunak stared.

“I don’t have much time, so please get it ready quickly! I’m asking you nicely!” Chung Myung said, his voice still loud and demanding, not really sounding like he was asking nicely at all.

“…” Tang Gunak was confused. “You just need to go to Yunnan?” he asked slowly.

“No. I need to go far into Yunnan! All the way to the Beast Palace!” Chung Myung said.

“…” Tang Gunak was speechless.

Chung Myung smiled brightly at Tang Gunak. “I know it’s not easy. But you are the Tang Family, so you can do it, right? Come on, you’re the Tang Family. Of course, you can.”

“…” Tang Gunak didn’t say anything.

“You can, right?” Chung Myung asked again, pushing.

“…Ye…s,” Tang Gunak managed to say weakly.

“Sorry?” Chung Myung pretended not to hear.

Tang Gunak’s face was pale. It looked like all the energy had left him. “…I wish you would just kill me,” he mumbled, “you terrible person.”

Tang Gunak thought that becoming the head of the family was the worst decision he had ever made.