Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 371

“Hoo!” Namja-myeong gasped for air.

He felt his pride crushed, but he couldn’t give up now. If he backed down now, he would be even more embarrassed and get nothing in return.

He took a deep breath, trying to sound calm.

“Headmaster.”

“Yes?”

Cheong-myeong tilted his head, a bright smile on his face.

Looking at that innocent smile, Namja-myeong felt a surge of anger, almost wanting to draw his sword.

But Namja-myeong controlled himself, trying to be patient.

‘No, it’s not that guy,’ he thought.

How long had Namja-myeong been the head of the Seo-wol clan?

He knew who he needed to talk to.

He looked at Hyeon-yeong, who was standing next to Cheong-myeong.

“Elder!”

There was desperation in Namja-myeong’s voice.

“Please help us! If Hwasan doesn’t help, all of Jongnam’s families will be attacked by those dangerous heretics!”

He tried to look as sincere as possible.

“Of course, I know Hwasan is angry about what we did! But even enemies will work together when invaders attack, right?”

“Hmm.” Hyeon-yeong nodded slowly. There was some truth in Namja-myeong’s words.

“If you help us this time, we will never forget it!”

“Hmm. I see.”

“Yes!” Hope returned to Namja-myeong’s eyes.

The Elder was someone you could actually talk to, unlike Cheong-myeong. He should have spoken to someone reasonable from the start.

But his hopes were quickly dashed. Hyeon-yeong smiled and looked at Cheong-myeong.

“Cheong-myeong-ah.”

“Yes!”

“What is he saying?”

“Ah, that?” Cheong-myeong shrugged.

“He’s saying you guys are suckers, so be our meat shields.”

“⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

Namja-myeong’s eyes twitched.

‘That’s right, that’s basically what I meant.’

But do you usually say that to the person? Especially a Taoist?

‘No, that’s not the point!’

“N, no, that’s not it!” Namja-myeong said quickly.

“If you help us this time, we will never forget it. We will repay you so that Hwasan is completely satisfied! Elder, please…!”

Hyeon-yeong looked back at Cheong-myeong again.

Cheong-myeong began to translate without being asked.

“He’s saying that even though he’s going to lose everything anyway, if we stop it, he’ll give us a tiny bit and act like he’s doing us a favor?”

“⋯⋯.”

Hyeon-yeong’s smile grew warmer.

“That’s what he means.”

Namja-myeong was speechless, staring at the two.

‘What is going on…?’

The young brat twists people’s words, and the Elder believes him without question.

It seemed impossible to persuade them with words.

“Ahem.” Dan Byeong-rip, who had been quiet until now, cleared his throat and stepped forward.

“Elder, I am Dan Byeong-rip, the head of the Taepyeong clan.”

“Ah, I see.” Hyeon-yeong smiled kindly and nodded.

“Elder, I know Hwasan isn’t happy with us. We were asking you to leave Seoan, and now we’re asking for help. You probably don’t like us.”

“You understand the situation then.”

“⋯⋯.”

Dan Byeong-rip glared at Cheong-myeong, who had interrupted with a blank look.

“Why?”

“Never mind.” He coughed to hide his embarrassment.

“But Elder, please don’t focus on personal feelings. Think about the bigger picture. The Myriad Man and the Shinzhu Opas are dangerous groups of heretics. If Seoan falls to them, what will people say?”

Cheong-myeong tilted his head.

“Jongnam will be seen as weak?”

“⋯⋯.”

A bright smile appeared on Cheong-myeong’s face.

“Is that right?”

“Th, that… well, it could be…”

“Clan Head Dan!”

“Ahem!” Dan Byeong-rip quickly stopped himself.

‘Damn it, he keeps interrupting,’ he thought.

He couldn’t ignore Cheong-myeong’s constant interruptions.

Namja-myeong continued Dan Byeong-rip’s point.

“Of course, Jongnam will be criticized. But as long as Hwasan is in Seoan, Hwasan will also be blamed! Are you okay with people criticizing Hwasan’s careless actions!”

His voice echoed with the force of his words.

The Hwasan disciples exchanged glances.

“Th…” Baek Cheon, who had been silent, looked hesitant. Namja-myeong’s face brightened.

But then Baek Cheon said to Yoon-jong:

“Doesn’t really matter, right?”

The other disciples nodded.

“Yeah, criticism is just criticism. We couldn’t even get attention before.”

“Do people even care about Hwasan? I hear we’re famous, but I don’t feel it.”

“⋯⋯.”

Dan Byeong-rip stared blankly at the Hwasan disciples.

“Th, the world will criticize you.”

“Criticism is just insults.”

“Is getting insulted a big deal?”

“We get insulted every day anyway. By that damn bastard.”

“That’s right.”

Dan Byeong-rip and Namja-myeong closed their mouths.

‘What is wrong with these guys’ way of thinking?’

Wasn’t Hwasan a respected orthodox sect?

Of course, not everyone who claims to be righteous cares about justice.

Only naive children think that way. The world is always harsher than you expect.

Even if we don’t talk about being good, isn’t honor important?

If the Demonic Sect just walks in here, and Jongnam acts so weak, people will be very angry.

Dan Byeong-rip, a worried member of Jongnam, spoke to Chung Myung from Mount Hua. ‘Is it really okay for Mount Hua to lose its honor like this?’

Chung Myung laughed softly. ‘You don’t understand. We are not losing honor, we are protecting it.’

‘Yes?’ Dan Byeong-rip was confused.

Chung Myung continued, ‘We are Mount Hua, but we know Jongnam is strong in Xi’an. It’s a little strange for us to get involved in something happening in *their* place, don’t you think?’

‘Their land.’ Dan Byeong-rip felt a shiver go through him. Those words… ‘their land’… Nam Ja-myeong had said the same thing here before!

Dan Byeong-rip remembered Nam Ja-myeong proudly saying Xi’an belonged to Jongnam and they wouldn’t give Mount Hua anything. ‘That mean man is using those words against us now!’ Dan Byeong-rip thought angrily. ‘Th, that’s…’

Chung Myung waved his hand. ‘Hey, don’t worry!’ He smiled brightly. ‘Jongnam is strong! Manin… what was that name again?’

‘Maninbang! Maninbang!’

Ah, that’s right. What could Maninbang do to Jongnam? Don’t worry too much. Everything will be alright.

No, why are you saying that? Is this a situation where you should be saying that?

Dan Byeong-rip realized he couldn’t talk sense into Chung Myung. He glared at Nam Ja-myeong, full of anger. ‘Why did you have to speak so carelessly!’ he thought.

Nam Ja-myeong felt Dan Byeong-rip’s angry stare and looked away, feeling uncomfortable. It wasn’t really fair to Nam Ja-myeong. ‘Did I know things would become like this?’ he thought.

Yesterday, he was happy to put Mount Hua in a difficult position, but now things were different, and he was being blamed. ‘Is this really happening?’ he wondered.

“Th, that…” Nam Ja-myeong stopped himself from arguing. This was not the time to argue about small things. If Mount Hua didn’t help, Jongnam would be destroyed.

“Elder! Please, just help us this time. Don’t you feel bad for the people of Xi’an?”

Hyun Young smiled kindly. “Don’t worry about that. We were already going to protect the people of Xi’an starting today. We should stop normal people from getting hurt because of fights between martial arts groups, right?”

Hyun Young, still smiling at Nam Ja-myeong who was yelling with a face like the world was ending, looked at the Mount Hua disciples and nodded his head. “Show our guests out.”

“Yes!” The Mount Hua disciples, including Baek Cheon, quickly moved and surrounded Nam Ja-myeong and Dan Byeong-rip. They started pushing them towards the front gate.

“Elder! You can’t do this! Elder!”

“Think about Mount Hua’s good name… Elder!”

Hyun Young scratched his ear, looking bored.

“Aaaargh! You cursed people!”

“You are just like the Demonic Sect!” They shouted curses, but Hyun Young just shrugged, as if he heard a dog barking far away. Soon, Nam Ja-myeong and Dan Byeong-rip were thrown out of the gate, and the heavy gates of Hwayeongmun slammed shut.

“Tsk.” Hyun Young frowned and clicked his tongue. “People always change their minds when things change, but those guys are really shameless. To come here and ask for help after how they acted.” He looked at Chung Myung.

“I kicked them out like you said, but what are you planning to do now? We can’t wait too long.”

“Because of honor?”

“No. If the Sect Leader hears about this, he will run here as fast as he can, even without shoes.”

Oh, right. I forgot about that. Chung Myung thought.

“It’s good the Sect Leader didn’t come to Xi’an.”

“Yes, I agree.” If Hyun Jong was here, things would be much harder. As soon as he heard ‘common people,’ he would get very angry.

“Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”

“And they are right about one thing. I am worried the normal people in Xi’an might get hurt.”

“That’s true.”

“If people say the normal people are hurt, the Sect Leader might lock me in a room and make me read the Tao Te Ching for three days and nights!”

…I would rather be beaten.

“Tell me about it!” Hyun Young’s face turned red, showing he had been through that before. He sighed and looked at Chung Myung, a little worried.

“I did what you said, but really, I don’t think working with Jongnam is so bad. Maninbang is very strong, one of the top five even in the Demonic Sect. One strong member could destroy many smaller groups very quickly.”

“They did seem strong.”

“But are you sure this is okay? If we don’t work with them, we might have to fight the Crimson Brigade with just us and Hwayeongmun.”

Chung Myung looked back and said, “Kids need to learn by fighting real battles.”

“Huh?” He smiled easily. “Training fights are not enough. They need real experience.”

Hyun Young laughed weakly. ‘Does he know how strong Maninbang is?’ he thought. ‘Yes, he must know.’ Chung Myung acts strangely sometimes, and people don’t understand him, but he is very smart. He is different from normal people. Chung Myung must know what it means to fight Maninbang.

“Are you sure? It could be very dangerous?”

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon and the other disciples, looking annoyed. “What, do you think they will really die?”

The Mount Hua disciples’ faces turned pale when they heard that.

Chung Myung thought to himself, “Hmm. Jongnam is Jongnam, but…” He thought more. ‘Wait, these Maninbang people pushing into Xi’an is also strange.’ he thought. ‘The Five Great Evils of the Divine Land? They should be weak!’

When Chung Myung was the Plum Blossom Sword Saint long ago, there were no Demonic Sects left!

But now, only a hundred years later, they are strong enough to use that title? “I will have to deal with both problems at the same time. How dare those Demonic Sect people try to take over someone else’s land!”

Hyun Young pointed out. “But you said it was Jongnam’s land before.”

Chung Myung looked confused. “Ah. Did I say that? I don’t really remember.”