Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 369

“Hahaha! Did you see their faces?”

“Of course I saw! Best laugh I’ve had in ages! Felt like all the stress just melted away.”

“Hahaha! That’s right! Exactly!”

Loud laughter came from the Hwajeok Branch, a part of the Jongnam Clan, located in the northern part of Seoan.

“The sight of those Hwasan fools unable to say a word!”

Several leaders from the Jongnam branch families, who had pressured the Hwasan disciples at Hwayoung Gate, gathered at Hwajeok Branch for a drinking party.

“Truth be told!” Jo Hofang, the head of Hwajeok Branch, roared with laughter.

“What kind of place is Seoan? It’s no place for the riffraff of Hwasan to step foot.”

“Indeed, indeed! You speak the truth!” The other leaders of the Jongnam branch families clapped and agreed.

“If Jongnam hadn’t closed its gates, would Hwasan dare to step foot in Seoan? Those sneaky people must have seen their chance and quietly extended their reach into Seoan, but as long as we are here, it’s impossible!”

“Now they know that Seoan is not an easy place.” Their voices were filled with delight.

They addressed each other respectfully as clan leaders, but they were also connected in a way that only branch families understand. Now that they had joined forces to drive out the external enemy, they felt even closer and happier.

“By the way, why did Clan Leader Nam leave so early?”

“It seems to be because of the gate closure.”

“Hmm.” Jo Hofang nodded heavily. Jongnam’s gate closure was a sudden event that had not been discussed with them.

“Is it really necessary to go that far?” For a large group like Jongnam to close its gates was not easy. No matter how much the great martial arts groups tried to stay away from the normal world, they had to interact with it to survive.

“If they close the gates for a year, the damage will be significant. Why did the leader make such a big decision?”

“Well, how could we know his real reasons? We can only trust and follow.”

“Hmm.” As Jo Hofang thought about it, Yoo Haesang, the head of Bokyeon Branch, smiled and poured him a drink.

“It is exactly at times like these that we must try even harder. When the leader reopens the gates and sees that we have strongly defended Seoan, how pleased will he be?”

“That’s right. You’re absolutely right.” Jo Hofang, looking slightly relieved, nodded repeatedly. Then, he finished the drink in one gulp.

He put down his cup and said firmly, “To do that, we must completely drive out those Hwayoung Gate or whatever they are from this Seoan.”

“Of course. But will that be easy? Hwasan will provide support. Even if they don’t get any new members, running Hwayoung Gate for about a year won’t be hard for Hwasan.”

“Heh heh. They only see part of the picture.”

“Yes?”

“Doesn’t Hwasan have its pride? If time passes like this, the rumor that Hwasan opened a branch in Seoan but didn’t get a single new member will spread everywhere. How can they handle that?”

“Ah, indeed, that’s true.”

“Just watch. It will be a month at most. If we push them for just one month, they will have to run away from Seoan before long, without anyone noticing. Hahaha!” Jo Hofang’s laughter echoed with great satisfaction.

The leaders of the Jongnam branch families, who were sitting across from him, also started laughing.

And just then…

Crash!

“What!”

“Who is it!” Everyone who had been sitting jumped up in surprise at the sudden loud noise.

Still, as leaders, they quickly understood the situation, and they rushed out, exchanging glances.

“Th-this?” And everyone’s eyes widened in shock. The once perfect main gate was completely shattered and scattered across the training ground.

“Hwayoung Gate?” Someone said the name of Hwayoung Gate.

After all, in Seoan, the only ones who didn’t like them were Hwayoung Gate and Hwasan.

“Ah, no. There!” However, the leaders soon realized they were wrong when they saw who was entering through the gate.

Of course, Hwasan was unusually strong for a righteous group. But those who were now entering had a very different feeling.

Deep and sharp.

It was a *ki*, a powerful energy, that felt different from the good groups.

“Who are you?” Jo Hofang shouted, trying to sound threatening, using his inner power. But even after hearing his loud shout, they didn’t react.

Instead…

Thud!

The sign, broken in half, flew into the training ground.

“……” Jo Hofang’s eyes widened. A sign was a symbol of a group. Breaking it and throwing it was a very clear message.

“How dare these fools, do they even know where this is!” Jo Hofang shouted again, filling his voice with inner power.

He wanted to threaten the enemy, but also to call the members who didn’t know what was happening. Whether it worked or not, the Hwajeok Branch members, who had grabbed their swords from inside, rushed out in large numbers.

“Clan Leader!”

“Who are these fools!” And they all drew their swords with sharp cries.

The Hwajeok Branch, which had been quiet until now, was suddenly filled with tense anticipation.

But then…

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Breaking the tense atmosphere, one person walked out casually.

“Seriously, why do all the good guys talk the same way?” Then, giggles and agreeing comments came from the others.

“I think I’ve heard the words ‘who are these fools’ a hundred times in my life.”

“I know, right? If someone breaks down the door and comes in, their purpose is obvious. Why ask who they are instead of just drawing your sword and fighting?” Yeop Pyeong, who stepped forward, smirked and said.

“Why bother when you’re all going to be smashed anyway.”

“You…?”

“…Clan Leader…” At that moment, a groan came from Yoo Haesang’s mouth, who was standing next to Jo Hofang.

“Y-Yeop Pyeong.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Th-that’s right, it’s Yeop Pyeong of the Red Serpent Unit!” Jo Hofang’s eyes widened as he finally recognized his opponent.

“The R-Red Serpent Unit of the Myriad Man Clan?”

“Th-that seems to be the case.” He stared at Yeop Pyeong with a shocked look.

Why would the Red Serpent Unit of the Myriad Man Clan suddenly appear in Seoan and attack Hwajeok Branch?

‘This is not good.’ The Myriad Man Clan was a large group that could compete with Jongnam. They were one of the Shinju Opae, the best evil groups that fought against the good groups.

If it was the Red Serpent Unit, the main force of the Myriad Man Clan, then Hwajeok Branch couldn’t even think about fighting them.

Jo Hofang’s back was instantly covered in cold sweat.

“W-what business does the Myriad Man Clan have here?”

Yeop Pyeong laughed at those words. “What, did you think we came to say hello? You rat-like fool, you’re plotting.”

Jo Hofang bit his lip tightly at the obvious mockery. Of course, he knew why the Red Serpent Unit had come here. Everyone in Jongnam’s branch family knew that the Myriad Man Clan had been watching Seoan.

But until now, they had been stopped by Jongnam’s power and hadn’t dared to come to Seoan.

‘I should have thought about this too!’ Now that Jongnam, the great wall protecting Seoan, had disappeared, enemies could attack at any time. Originally, all of Jongnam’s branch families would have gathered to prepare for such a situation.

But…

‘Damn those Hwasan fools!’ They were so focused on Hwayoung Gate that they forgot to defend against the real enemy.

Jo Hofang’s eyes darkened.

“What outrageous behavior! Do you think you can handle what will happen because of this?”

Two men faced each other in the dusty courtyard. One, Jo Hobang, spoke with fear in his voice. “That’s none of your concern.”

“If Jongnam lifts the seal, you won’t be safe either, will you?”

At Jo Hobang’s words, 엽평, known as ‘Red Death,’ chuckled.

“Bangseung,” 엽평 called to his second-in-command.

“Yes, Great Leader.”

“Those righteous sect fellows are truly kind souls. I can’t fathom how they worry about their enemies so much. Are they all overly kind or something?”

“They should be worrying about themselves, though.”

“Indeed.”

엽평 smirked, amused.

엽평 yawned, pretending to be bored. “Are you just going to stand there listening to this rubbish? Wake me up when something interesting happens.”

As if that was their signal, the Red Death Brigade moved. With a sudden, sharp sound, they pulled out their swords.

*Clang!*

The sound of metal scraping against metal echoed through the courtyard. It was as if one giant sword was being drawn, not many. The Hwajeokmun disciples felt a cold dread creep into their hearts. Their eyes widened in fear as they saw the glint of steel in the dim light.

“Ah, right.”

엽평, watching the scene as if it were only natural, shrugged and said,

“Don’t kill them. If we kill these guys today, it’ll get annoying from tomorrow. If too many people die, the authorities might get involved.”

“Can we at least cut off their limbs?”

“Try to leave them attached if possible. Minimize the involvement of the authorities, get what we need, and then get out.”

“Yes!”

“Kill!”

“Yes?”

The Red Death Brigade, who were about to charge forward, stopped in unison and turned to 엽평.

“…Ah, it’s a habit. Charge!”

“Yes!”

The Red Death Brigade finally bared their teeth in a sinister smile and began to charge at the Hwajeokmun disciples.

“Y-you bastards!”

“Master! You must escape first!”

While the flustered Jo Hobang didn’t know what to do, the Red Death Brigade began to sweep away the Hwajeokmun disciples in an instant.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Aaaaargh! Ack! My arm!”

The Hwajeokmun fighters were not strong enough. Even though they were related to the Jongnam sect (속가), they were not real Jongnam warriors. The Red Death Brigade were much stronger, like the best fighters from Jongnam itself.

The heads of the branch families of Jongnam who had been drinking with Jo Hobang just moments ago had already slipped away and began to flee over the walls.

“T-those treacherous bastards.”

“Shall we chase them?”

“Leave them be.”

엽평 glanced indifferently at those who were running away.

“They can run all they want, but they won’t escape as long as they don’t leave 서안.”

He frowned as he looked at the situation in the arena.

“But can’t we really kill them?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then why are we even fighting if we’re just going to give them a beating?”

“This is inside 서안 city. If a large number of people die here, the authorities will have no choice but to intervene.”

“…What’s so scary about those authorities.”

“Think about it carefully. To put it another way, as long as we don’t kill them, we can freely roam 서안 in the future. We can beat up the branch families of Jongnam as we please.”

“Hmm. That’s not bad either.”

엽평 nodded and looked at 종남산 far away.

‘Those morons are sealing themselves off?’

He didn’t know why those guys were sealing themselves off, but in any case, it would be the worst choice they could make, one they couldn’t undo.

When 종남 lifts the seal, not a single person claiming to be a branch family of 종남 will be left in 서안.

Jo Hobang, almost half out of his mind, began to approach 엽평, trembling all over. “Y-you bastards… Aren’t you afraid of the consequences?”

엽평 laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world. “You really are a kind person. Even when things have come this far, you’re still worrying about us.”

“J-Jongnam! Jongnam will never forgive you!”

“Hehe… Bangseung.”

“Yes.”

“Did I say it was okay to break their limbs?”

“Would that be a problem?”

“Hmm!”

He strode towards Jo Hobang as if he were itching to do something.

“You know what I hate the most? It’s people who pretend to be strong because they are connected to someone important!”

And he finally revealed his true colors.

He drew his sword in an instant and struck Jo Hobang with the back of the blade.

*Wham!*

Jo Hobang couldn’t even think of retaliating and rolled across the floor. As he lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious, 엽평 frowned as if he were pathetic.

“You can’t even withstand one strike, yet you were so quick to run your mouth.”

Then he scanned the Red Death Brigade sweeping through the Hwajeokmun.

“Clean up quickly! We’re hitting two more places tonight.”

“Yes!”

A sinister smile spread across his face.

‘I’ll completely destroy 서안 within three days!’

At that moment.

“…This is no joke.”

“Oh my, really…”

The Hwasan disciples, watching the situation at Hwajeokmun from the roof of a distant building, frowned without realizing it.

Baek Cheon, standing at the very front, was fidgeting, his bottom twitching as if he were about to jump out at any moment.

“Shouldn’t we help?”

“…Well, at least there’s no blood yet.”

“Even so, those evil group bastards are attacking like that…”

Baek Cheon and the other disciples glanced uneasily to one side, their eyes full of apprehension.

Glug glug glug glug.

“Kaaaah!”

“…”

“The taste of alcohol is superb! As expected, drinking while watching a fight is the best! Ehehehehe!”

‘Oh no.’

Why did you send such a wretch down as a Taoist?

If you made a mistake, please take him back quickly.

Everyone shook their heads, watching 청명 drink with a silly grin.

“청명.”

“Huh?”

“Is it really okay to leave it like this?”

“What else?”

“…No, but still, leaving the evil group alone like that…”

“Who said I’m leaving them alone?”

“Huh?”

청명 took another swig of alcohol and frowned.

“I’ve never let anyone who talks about evil group in front of me get away with it. Those guys aren’t walking out of here.”

“Then we should go down now…”

“Ah, but.”

“Huh?”

At Baek Cheon’s words, 청명 shrugged and said nonchalantly.

“Oh dear. Did I overdo it? My back hurts. Let’s take it slow.”

“…”

“Hehehehe.”

청명 looked at the sky with an innocent smile.

“This is using barbarians to control barbarians! Using poison to fight poison!”

Right? Sect Leader?

– You rotten bastard! And you call yourself a Taoist…

What was that?

I can’t hear you well since it’s a dead person talking!

Ehehehe!