Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 370

Namjayeong stopped at the edge of the clearing and gasped. His breath caught in his throat.

The Hwajeok Clan’s village was in ruins. Buildings were ripped apart, like a giant had stomped on them in anger. Broken wood and tiles were scattered everywhere, and dust hung in the air, making it hard to see. A few injured people lay on the ground, groaning softly. They hadn’t been carried to the medical tents yet.

*How could this happen?* Namjayeong’s eyes darted around, taking in the devastation. It looked like a terrible raid, but… no. This was worse. Much worse.

He saw Clan Lord Jo Hofang lying still near the remains of his house. Jo Hofang was the leader of the Hwajeok Clan. He was not moving. Namjayeong bit his lip, his heart pounding.

“Clan Lord,” Yoo Haesang said, wringing his hands, unsure of what to do. Yoo Haesang was the one who had brought Namjayeong the news.

“What are we supposed to do about this?” he asked, hoping for an answer.

Namjayeong didn’t have one to give.

‘The Maninbang,’ he thought. A chill ran down his spine.

He had known for some time that the Maninbang were targeting Seoan. But he never imagined they would move so decisively, so boldly.

“Shouldn’t we come up with a plan?” Yoo Haesang asked.

Namjayeong nodded slowly, but his mind was almost blank. He couldn’t think of a single viable plan.

‘What are we supposed to do about the Maninbang?’ he wondered.

What was the Maninbang? They were one of the most dangerous evil groups.

The good guys had powerful groups like the Gu Pa Il Bang and the Oh Dae Se Ga. The bad guys had the Shinju Opae. The Maninbang was one of the Shinju Opae. That meant they were a massive clan that could fight against even the Gu Pa Il Bang.

And the clans connected to Jongnam were supposed to face the Maninbang’s Red Death Squad?

“Clan Lord, what…” Yoo Haesang started to say.

“First!” Namjayeong shouted.

“Gather all the clan lords of the connected clans! Right now!”

“Yes!” Yoo Haesang quickly disappeared.

Namjayeong stared at Jo Hofang, who was still unconscious, and muttered in dismay, “What are we supposed to do?”

But no one answered him.

“What does the government say?” one of the clan lords asked.

The clan lords of the Jongnam connected clans were gathered at Seowol Clan, sitting around a large round table. Most of them looked completely sad. They looked very different from how they acted at the Hwayoung Clan.

“They say they won’t help,” someone answered.

“They won’t help when people are suffering because of bandits?!” another clan lord exclaimed.

“Isn’t that how the government always is?” someone else said.

Dongbang Hoi, the Clan Lord of the Euigeom Clan (Righteous Sword Clan), sighed deeply. “Besides, those Maninbang guys are smart. They destroyed the Hwajeok Clan, but they didn’t kill anyone. And even with all the chaos, they didn’t hurt any regular people. So, the government doesn’t have a reason to get involved.”

“Or are they just scared of the Maninbang?”

“Clan Lord, be careful what you say,” Dongbang Hoi warned.

“Ahem,” Namjayeong cleared his throat loudly.

No matter how angry he was, there were things he could say and things he couldn’t.

“I got a little carried away,” the clan lord admitted.

Dongbang Hoi sighed again. “We can’t get the government to help, so we have to talk to the Lord directly… We’re asking, but…”

Namjayeong lowered his eyes and sighed. He was frustrated, but he couldn’t blame them.

The world of martial artists had its own rules. Problems in that world were supposed to be solved by people in that world.

Unless the Maninbang hurt regular people, the government would never step in, even if all the Jongnam connected clans were destroyed.

“So, where are those bad guys now?” someone asked.

“They left Seoan at dawn. Probably…”

“They’ll be back tonight,” Namjayeong finished.

Namjayeong rubbed his face roughly, then kneaded it as if trying to wring it out.

‘Damn it. If only Jongnam hadn’t closed its gates!’ he thought.

The Maninbang was strong, but Jongnam was also a powerful clan, one of the top ten in the world. If Jongnam hadn’t closed its gates, the Maninbang wouldn’t have dared to come to Seoan.

“What happened to the messenger we sent to Jongnam?”

“He came back… but they said the gates won’t open.”

“They won’t open the gates even now?”

“Clan Lord Nam… Closing the gates is a serious thing. The Clan Lord’s order can’t be undone easily, even by the Clan Lord of Jongnam. Even if enemies attack, a clan that has closed its gates isn’t supposed to get involved. That’s the rule, right?”

“Rules! Rules! We’re going to die because of those rules! What good are rules like that?!” Namjayeong shouted.

Thump!

Namjayeong slammed his fist on the table. Teacups fell over, but no one blamed him. They all felt the same way.

“So, is there really no way out?”

“What else can we do? We have to work together and fight back.”

“Will fighting back even work?”

“Huh? What are you saying? Should we just leave Seoan and run away?”

The clan lords started to argue.

“The people of Seoan trust us. If we run away when the bad guys attack, how can we ever come back here?”

“But those bad guys aren’t hurting regular people!”

“They’re called evil for a reason! That’s how it is now, but what will happen later?”

“So, you’re saying we should just sit here and be killed?”

“It’s better than running away in shame!”

“Then you die here! I want to live.”

“What did you say?”

Namjayeong buried his face in his hands.

‘Damn it,’ he thought.

They usually acted like gentlemen, but now they were acting like thugs.

Well, he couldn’t blame them. People could only stay calm when things were under control.

Even a king would be scared if enemies were at his door.

“You really!” one clan lord shouted.

“You? Did you just call me you?” another replied.

“Have you forgotten that I’m older than you?”

“Who cares about age now!”

They were about to draw their swords. Namjayeong slammed his fist on the table again with all his might.

Wham!

The table broke in two and fell to the floor.

The clan lords stopped arguing and looked at Namjayeong.

“Stop acting like this,” Namjayeong said.

“I’m sorry, Clan Lord,” one of them said.

“I’m ashamed,” said another.

When things had calmed down, Namjayeong rubbed his head. He had heard the name Yeop Pyeong of the Red Death Squad several times. He was a master swordsman, famous even in the Maninbang.

The fact that he was in charge of one of the martial forces in the Maninbang showed how strong he was.

This person was incredibly strong. Even some of Jongnam’s elders and their best first-generation disciples would have trouble fighting them. How could they possibly stop someone like that?

‘They’ll definitely attack again tonight.’

Namja-myeong groaned, feeling hopeless. Just then, he heard someone whisper.

“…Hwasan.”

Someone’s quiet voice reached him.

Namja-myeong slowly turned his head.

“…What did you just say?”

Surprised by the unexpected words, he blinked and asked again.

“…Maybe… maybe we should ask Hwasan Sect, Hwayoung Moon, for help?”

“…”

The answer was shy. Namja-myeong stared at the speaker, his face showing both confusion and embarrassment.

Dan Byeong-rip, the Moon Lord of Taepyeong Moon, blushed slightly, looking awkward. Namja-myeong didn’t particularly like him because he tended to be weak-kneed.

“If Jongnam can’t end its self-imposed isolation—they’ve chosen to close itself off from others—then it will be hard for us to stop the Red Brigade of the Ten Thousand People Clan on our own. But we aren’t the only ones in Xi’an right now, are we?”

“…So, Hwasan?”

“Yes.”

Dan Byeong-rip nodded quickly.

“The main disciples of Hwasan are at Hwayoung Moon right now. And there are famous people like Hwajeong-geom. Plus, the Hwasan Divine Dragon and Hye-yeon are here too, aren’t they?”

“…”

That was true.

Hwajeong-geom was one thing, but the Hwasan Divine Dragon and Hye-yeon were as strong as Jongnam’s first-generation disciples.

They might be able to fight Yeop Pyeong, the leader of the Red Brigade.

‘The Red Brigade is a problem, but the biggest issue is that we have no one to face Yeop Pyeong.’

The power from a very strong master on the battlefield is huge. If Yeop Pyeong wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be so hopeless, even if the Red Brigade attacked.

Dan Byeong-rip spoke more confidently.

“So, shouldn’t we ask Hwasan for help?”

“Are you serious? You’re really suggesting we ask *them* for help?”

Before Namja-myeong could answer, Yoo Hae-sang burst out, disagreeing with the idea.

“A person should be ashamed! How can we ask those Hwasan ruffians for help!”

“…But the situation is…”

“Besides!”

Yoo Hae-sang’s face twisted.

“Look at what we’ve done to them! There’s no way they’ll help us.”

“No, no. We shouldn’t think like that.”

Dan Byeong-rip wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and smiled awkwardly.

“But still, they are Hwasan, right? A famous and respected sect.”

“…”

“That is the Hwasan Sect. Even though we don’t get along, we can’t deny that they are famous and follow the traditional and accepted ways (orthodox sect).”

“Hmm.”

“Those who claim to be prestigious and orthodox won’t just stand by and watch a sect that uses dark and forbidden practices (heretical sect) attack. They might not offer help first, but if we ask them humbly, they might help us just to get rid of us.”

Namja-myeong, who had been listening, frowned slightly.

“Do you really think that will happen?”

“Of course. Because there’s another real reason.”

“Real reason?”

“Do you think the Ten Thousand People Clan will only target Jongnam?”

“…”

Dan Byeong-rip’s voice was more confident than before.

“If they really want Xi’an, they won’t stop after attacking Jongnam’s outer family. Their next target will be Hwayoung Moon.”

“Hmm…”

“So Hwayoung Moon, Hwasan, must work with us. If not, they’ll have to fight the Red Brigade alone.”

“That’s true.”

“That would be too reckless and foolish. No one would choose such a hard path, even if they could win.”

Namja-myeong nodded.

‘Hwasan, huh.’

Bowing his head to Hwasan wasn’t something he liked, but…

‘They would be good shields.’

They were annoying, but they would be very reliable as allies.

“That’s a good idea.”

“Lord Nam Moon? Do you really want to do that?”

Namja-myeong smiled bitterly.

“Of course, it hurts my pride. But if we swallow our pride and use them, why not?”

“Hmm. That’s right.”

Namja-myeong waved his hand firmly, as if there was nothing else to say.

“I’ll take care of bringing in Hwasan. The rest of you, control the sects. And Lord Dan Moon!”

“Yes, Lord Moon.”

Dan Byeong-rip stood up and walked to Namja-myeong.

“Let’s go together.”

“Understood.”

There was no time to waste. He took Dan Byeong-rip and left the room.

After walking silently, he carefully brought up the subject.

“Do you think Hwasan will help us easily?”

“They have to help us.”

“Why? Is there more to it than what you said?”

“It’s because they are an orthodox sect.”

“…Is that all?”

Dan Byeong-rip gave a slightly complicated smile to Lord Nam Moon, who was frowning.

“It might sound simple, but it means a lot. If those who claim to follow the traditional and accepted ways (orthodox sect) stand by and watch a sect that uses dark and forbidden practices (heretical sect) attack, what will the people of Xi’an think of them?”

Namja-myeong, who had been listening quietly, nodded. Dan Byeong-rip continued.

“Of course, they’ll hear some bad things, but they will help us and step forward. Then, we can use them as a shield to block the Red Brigade. Once we don’t need them anymore, we can drive them out again later, right?”

The corners of Namja-myeong’s lips curled up.

“So, I just have to bow my head.”

“The lower you bow, the better. A strong person will kneel if they need to.”

“Haha. Then shall we become strong people?”

Namja-myeong laughed.

But they didn’t know.

Hwasan was an orthodox sect, but the person leading Hwasan wasn’t the kind of person they thought.

“Huh?”

“…”

“Ah, I mean. Are we?”

“…”

Namja-myeong’s cheeks twitched.

No wonder. A young boy holding a bottle of alcohol was half-lying on the floor, giggling as he looked at them.

He clearly looked like he was enjoying their trouble, and Namja-myeong couldn’t say anything.

“Hahaha. You two are telling funny jokes! Hahaha!”

“…”

Namja-myeong’s face twisted horribly.

He glared at Dan Byeong-rip, who had been sure that Hwasan would help them, but Dan Byeong-rip looked away. Namja-myeong closed his eyes tightly.

Just then, the young boy, Cheong-myeong, who was drinking alcohol, shouted.

“Sasuk (senior brother in the sect)! Bring the salt!”

“To sprinkle on these people?”

“What are you saying! Sprinkle it at the entrance, you idiot!”

Cheong-myeong sometimes thought that Baek Cheon was even worse than him.