Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 408

A man stood in the doorway. He looked to be middle-aged and very calm.

His hair was neatly combed, not a single strand out of place. His beard was trimmed sharp, like a well-kept garden. This neatness hinted at a calm and orderly mind. To someone who didn’t know better, he might seem like a quiet scholar.

But fighters in the *Jianghu* (the world of martial artists) would see something else first.

Green Robes.

He wore green robes that covered him from neck to toe. The sleeves were huge, twice as wide as normal clothes.

Anyone in the Jianghu would surely think of one name when they saw those robes.

Jang Il-so watched the man in green. His eyes were cold and strange as he stared for a long time.

He had walked right into the Great Hall of the Myriad Man Clan. Everyone feared this place. Yet, he seemed relaxed, like he was at home. This made Jang Il-so angry.

“You came in without asking. Don’t you know any manners?”

The man answered right away.

“Of course, I know manners, but…”

The middle-aged man in green looked around the hall.

“No one stopped me. No one offered to show me the way. What else could I do?”

Jang Il-so glared at the man. The man who was being glared at trembled and bowed his head low.

“Tsk.”

Normally, Jang Il-so wouldn’t allow his men to act like this. But right now, he didn’t care.

“My men are quick to understand. Unless they want to die, they wouldn’t dare block the Poison King’s path.”

The man in green robes, Poison King Tang Gunak, smiled slightly.

“So, you know who I am. Good.”

“Tsk.”

Jang Il-so clicked his tongue and looked at Tang Gunak.

‘Tang Gunak.’

He looked calm, but Jang Il-so was surprised. He didn’t expect the head of the Dang Clan to walk alone into the Myriad Man Clan. They had no business with each other.

“Did you come here to die? Your head would be a good gift.”

“Giving it wouldn’t be hard, but would the Myriad Man Clan dare to take it?”

The two men smiled at each other.

They looked friendly, but the people watching couldn’t even breathe. The pressure was that strong.

Jang Il-so spoke first.

“So, why are you here?”

“I’ve come to give you a warning, Tyrant.”

“A warning?”

Jang Il-so narrowed his eyes at the word ‘warning’.

Ho Gamyeong bit his lip. He knew Jang Il-so only looked like that when he wanted to kill someone.

‘No.’

Killing the Poison King now would be easy. If he wanted to, the Poison King wouldn’t leave here alive, no matter how skilled he was.

But there would be problems after that.

The Dang Clan losing its leader was different from other groups losing theirs. If Tang Gunak died here, the Dang Clan would attack the Myriad Man Clan with everything they had.

“A warning… I don’t think anyone has ever warned me before.”

“Then this is your first time.”

Jang Il-so chuckled.

“Poison King Tang Gunak, I’ve heard you’re impressive. You’re even more so than I thought. Okay, tell me what you want to say. I should at least listen. That way, I won’t be curious after I kill you.”

Tang Gunak stayed calm even after hearing those words.

“Leave Mount Hua.”

“……”

Jang Il-so’s eyebrows moved slightly. He was ready to laugh at anything, but this was unexpected.

“……Mount Hua?”

“That’s right.”

Jang Il-so stared at Tang Gunak, confused.

“So…”

He scratched his chin and asked again, looking puzzled.

“The head of the Dang Clan comes to the Myriad Man Clan alone, without anyone else, to tell me to leave Mount Hua?”

“……”

“You can’t be joking. So… does the Dang Clan think the Myriad Man Clan is weak? Weak enough to warn us like this?”

Jang Il-so, who had been smirking, suddenly looked serious and stood up. At the same time, a powerful force came from his body. It was a strange and scary feeling, like a giant snake rising up and flicking its tongue.

But Tang Gunak didn’t move.

“Let’s stay calm.”

“Why should I?”

“I said, stay calm.”

Tang Gunak looked Jang Il-so in the eye without showing any emotion.

‘Guh.’

The pressure from the two men was so strong that the people in the Great Hall groaned, as if a heavy rock was on top of them.

Then, Jang Il-so sighed and sat back down. The force that had been coming from him disappeared.

“If you tell me something boring, I’ll cut off your head, understand?”

Tang Gunak nodded.

“This isn’t just me. It’s what the Dang Clan wants. If the Myriad Man Clan attacks Mount Hua again, you’ll have to deal with the Sichuan Dang Clan, not Mount Hua.”

“……What do the Dang Clan and Mount Hua have to do with each other?”

“The Dang Clan made an agreement with Mount Hua a long time ago. So, we will fight together.”

“Ha… Hahaha? Haha?”

Jang Il-so laughed for a moment, as if he couldn’t believe it, and then asked.

“The Dang Clan would fight the Myriad Man Clan for one small group? Is the Dang Clan crazy, or does the Myriad Man Clan seem weak to you?”

“Of course, neither is true.”

“Then? Have I not respected the Sichuan Dang Clan enough? Can the Sichuan Dang Clan easily beat the Myriad Man Clan?”

Tang Gunak smiled strangely as he looked at Jang Il-so.

“If the Sichuan Dang Clan isn’t enough, what about the Naman Beast Palace?”

Jang Il-so’s face became serious.

“……What did you just say?”

“The Naman Beast Palace also sees Mount Hua as a friend. They will help them if they’re in trouble. What do you say, Tyrant? Do you want to fight Mount Hua, the Dang Clan, and the Beast Palace at the same time?”

Jang Il-so stopped smiling. His eyes narrowed.

The Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families didn’t get along. They said they were righteous, but they were like oil and water.

But Mount Hua, from the Nine Great Sects, and the Dang Clan, one of the Five Great Families, had made an agreement? And even the Naman Beast Palace, who hated the Central Plains?

If anyone else had said this, he would have killed them for talking nonsense. But this was the Poison King, Tang Gunak.

“So…”

Jang Il-so stared at Tang Gunak with a strange look.

“Mount Hua, the Sichuan Dang Clan, and the Naman Beast Palace are all working together. So, I should give up?”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.”

“Interesting. Very interesting. You must think I’m just a common criminal. Hahaha. Very interesting indeed?”

Jang Il-so licked his lips and smiled, looking like he wanted to kill someone. His eyes flashed blue.

But Tang Gunak just looked back at him without any reaction.

How much time had passed?

Finally, Jang Il-so smiled and shrugged.

“Alright. I’ll do what you say.”

Ho Gamyeong was surprised and looked at him.

Tyrant Jang Il-so.

He hated losing. He wouldn’t back down just because the head of the Dang Clan had come here.

He had been trying to force his way and even hit him when he tried to stop him. But now he was giving up?

‘What is he thinking?’

Ho Gamyeong stared, confused. But Jang Il-so smiled and spoke kindly to Tang Gunak.

“But you’ll have to pay me back. You know what I mean, right?”

“What do you want?”

“I knew you’d understand.”

Jang Il-so jumped up and walked towards Tang Gunak. It was dangerous for masters to get close to each other. But Tang Gunak didn’t try to stop him.

Jang Il-so stood next to him, put his arm around Tang Gunak’s shoulder, and pulled him close.

“I hear you’re making a lot of money with tea these days. How about sending some tea to Guangxi Province? We don’t have any way to sell it there. Hmm?”

Jang Il-so, who had been threatening to kill Tang Gunak, was now acting friendly, like he was seeing an old friend. It was a sudden change that would confuse anyone. But Tang Gunak stayed calm.

“Not a difficult task.”

“Good!”

Jang Il-so clapped Tang Gunak hard on the shoulder. Then, he turned around, his coat swirling as he moved.

“A feast! We must share a drink with our guest!”

“Thank you, but I must decline. I am not so idle as that.”

“A pity. No fun at all.”

Jang Il-so walked to a chest beside the bed. He opened it and took out a chilled bottle of liquor. He tossed it to Tang Gunak.

“Then have a drink on your way back. It’s Baijiu, a strong drink from the Guizhou area. I don’t know if you will like the taste, but I think it’s good enough.”

Tang Gunak caught the bottle and nodded.

“I accept your gift with gratitude.”

He turned to leave without looking back. But then Jang Il-so’s voice stopped him.

“Just one more thing.”

Tang Gunak stopped walking.

“What is it that Hwasan possesses?”

“⋯⋯.”

Tang Gunak glanced back at Jang Il-so.

“Friends.”

“⋯⋯.”

With that short reply, he left the main hall, walking slowly.

A moment of silence followed.

“Hrmmm.”

Jang Il-so took a slender bottle from the chest. He opened it and began to drink.

The clear liquor dripped from the corners of his mouth.

Ho Ga-myung watched his leader calmly. He shook his head, looking confused.

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t understand what you’re planning. The Yunnan tea trade might bring a lot of money, but…”

“Tea?”

“Yes. This is about the Ten Thousand People Clan’s reputation…”

“Hahaha!”

Jang Il-so slapped his knee and laughed loudly.

“Ga-myung has become boring! Talking about tea!”

“⋯⋯Yes?”

Jang Il-so suddenly stopped laughing and flicked his tongue like a snake.

“The tea is not important. It is just an excuse!”

“⋯⋯.”

“Ga-myung.”

“Yes.”

“Does the Tang Family make you afraid?”

“Of course not.”

“Then do those barbarians of the Beast Palace scare you?”

“Master, only you can make me afraid.”

“Indeed. As it is with me.”

“Then why…”

“The map!”

Jang Il-so slammed the bottle down and shouted.

“The map! Unroll the map now!”

Guards quickly came forward with a rolled-up map. They spread it out on one side of the hall.

“A brush.”

“Yes.”

Ho Ga-myung prepared a brush with ink and gave it to Jang Il-so.

“Let us see! Let us see, now!”

Jang Il-so paced back and forth in front of the map, excited. Then he began to mark it with dots.

“Yunnan, Sichuan, and Shaanxi!”

He marked Kunming, Chengdu, and Hwasan. Then, Jang Il-so frowned, as if something were missing. Then he cried, “Ah!” and moved the brush again.

“Yes. Xi’an, too, was there.”

Jang Il-so marked Xi’an and drew lines connecting the four points. A crazy grin spread across his face.

“Hahaha! They are all mad!”

“⋯⋯Master?”

“Ga-myung.”

“Yes.”

“Look. These madmen are planning something very interesting.”

Ho Ga-myung looked at the line that cut across the western part of the Central Plains, the main region in China.

“See. To the west of this line is only Kunlun. In the same area are Jeomchang, Emei, and Jongnam. But Kunlun is always quiet and doesn’t show off, and doesn’t try to control others. Jongnam? Jongnam has closed its gates and given up its power in Xi’an to Hwasan. Is that not so?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Jeomchang doesn’t leave Yunnan, and Emei doesn’t have much power. Which means…”

Ho Ga-myung finished Jang Il-so’s thought.

“If Hwasan, the Tang Family, and the Savage Beast Palace have joined together, then the western part of the Central Plains is completely under their control.”

“Exactly!”

Jang Il-so grabbed the map.

“Influence needs a reason and power! And it must be built on money! They are making a lot of money from the tea trade. They have the power of the Tang Family and the Savage Beast Palace. And Hwasan, too… Haha. Yes! Hwasan has power. We proved it with blood, didn’t we?”

“⋯⋯Indeed.”

“Then all they need is a reason. What do you think will happen when they have it?”

“⋯⋯Are you saying they will become the rulers of the western Central Plains?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Ga-myung, Ga-myung.”

Jang Il-so waved his hand slowly.

“You only see what is near you? You must look further. Hmm?”

“My apologies.”

“Look, Ga-myung. In that region are the Nine Sects, the most powerful martial arts groups, the Five Great Families, very rich and influential families, and the Five Outer Palaces, other powerful groups.”

“⋯⋯.”

“People like to divide the world into groups. When they start to put things together that are similar and give them names, even the things being named start to believe it. That is how the Jianghu, the world of martial artists, is today. Right?”

“Just like those Green Forest bandits, common thieves, and our Ten Thousand People Clan are called the Five Supreme Bandits of the Divine Land.”

“Indeed, indeed. We might not like it, but that’s how the world sees it, so we have no choice. But these madmen are breaking the rules that have defined the Jianghu for hundreds of years. Look. The Nine Sects, the Five Great Families, and the Five Outer Palaces are being brought together in one place!”

“⋯⋯Indeed⋯⋯.”

“They have changed the existing order of the Jianghu and formed an alliance. Haha! This is completely new! If I had to describe it… Hmm, yes! It could be called the Western Alliance.”

Jang Il-so flicked his tongue and quickly licked his lips.

“Good. This is interesting. If this alliance becomes stronger, the Jianghu will be completely different. A new wind may blow.”

“⋯⋯.”

Ho Ga-myung swallowed hard. Jang Il-so’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

“I don’t know who planned this, but it makes sense. And it is the work of a madman. I smell blood. Maybe the next war will be between the east and west.”

“But does that mean the Ten Thousand People Clan should leave Hwasan alone?”

“Who could have done this?”

“⋯⋯.”

Jang Il-so’s voice showed strong excitement.

“Those pathetic barbarian fools? No, no. Or those Tang Family fellows from Sichuan who never leave their homes? Absolutely not!”

Jang Il-so slammed the map down and hit Hwasan with his palm. Then he grabbed it as if to crush it.

“It’s them! Hwasan is the key part of the Western Alliance. If Hwasan falls, the Western Alliance will collapse.”

“⋯⋯Is there a reason why that should not happen?”

“Isn’t it fun?”

“⋯⋯Yes?”

A chilling feeling came from Jang Il-so’s smiling face.

“Where there is the smell of blood, there is also the smell of money. This is a good game. A very good game.”

Ho Ga-myung still didn’t completely understand Jang Il-so’s words.

But Jang Il-so didn’t want to explain more. He chuckled and turned toward the bed.

‘Now, reputation is not important.’

Reputation is only important in peaceful times. In chaotic times, no one cares about it.

In chaotic times, the only thing that matters is power.

‘If the wheel turns slowly, you just need to spin it faster. Chaos is the world we enjoy most.’

Jang Il-so smelled the faint scent of blood in the wind blowing into the main hall. He smiled brightly.

“Hwasan. Hwasan, is it? Yes. You must stay around a little longer. We can’t put out the small fires that will start a big fire in the world just yet. Haha!”

A sharp laugh echoed through the hall.

Ho Ga-myung knew that something was going to happen whenever Jang Il-so laughed like that. He bowed his head, sweating a lot.

“Let us play. Let us enjoy ourselves greatly! Let us have fun! Haha!”

Jang Il-so’s eyes, which had seemed bored and only interested in luxury, began to gleam eerily, like they did when he was known as the ‘Tyrant’.