Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 420

Baek Cheon looked at Hong Daeguang, his eyebrows raised slightly. “So… Green Forest?”

Hong Daeguang nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. “That’s right.”

He leaned back slightly, explaining, “A newly joined mountain stronghold in the Seventy-Two Forts of the Green Forest. News travels fast, even to me.”

Yoon Jong frowned, tilting his head. “…Does the Seventy-Two Forts of the Green Forest *change*?”

“Of course.” Hong Daeguang chuckled softly, as if it were obvious.

“Not every stronghold in the Seventy-Two Forts is strong,” Hong Daeguang explained. “Things change. If a group becomes powerful, they can push out weaker ones, or take over if a stronghold falls apart.”

Yoon Jong frowned, thinking. “So, they aren’t really that amazing then?”

“Not all of them,” Hong Daeguang grinned, a knowing look in his eyes. “Think of the Beggars’ Union branches. Did they seem very impressive to you?”

Understanding flashed across Yoon Jong’s face. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

Hong Daeguang continued, “Everyone knows the Beggars’ Union, but each branch is weaker than even a small sect. It’s the same with the Seventy-Two Forts. The Central Plains are huge, you can’t have seventy-two super strong groups. Really, maybe half are just… well, not very good.”

“Ah, I see,” Yoon Jong said, nodding slowly.

“The *real* power of the Green Forest is in the main stronghold, where the Green Forest King lives, and the strongholds led by the Green Forest Ten Heroes.”

Baek Cheon nodded, showing he understood. *If every Green Forest stronghold was as strong as a sect, they’d be bigger than Shaolin,* he thought to himself.

“I get it,” Baek Cheon said aloud.

“Good, good.” Hong Daeguang smiled. “Anything else you want to know?”

“But really,” Yoon Jong pressed, “why are these bandits acting like… *this*?”

Hong Daeguang just smiled mysteriously. “Why do you think?” He didn’t really answer.

Baek Cheon sighed, shaking his head. He glanced away and his eyes widened. A huge jar of liquor, bigger than his head, was being lifted high.

*Glug! Glug! Glug!*

“Krooh! A true hero!” one bandit yelled.

“Mount Hua disciples are as generous as legends say! Not a word of it is false!” shouted another.

“Good heavens! He drank that whole jar in one go!” exclaimed a third.

*Seriously…* Baek Cheon thought, rolling his eyes. *They are really putting on a show.*

Shaggy bandits crowded around Chung Myung, who was now lowering the empty jar. They clapped and cheered like excited children. The rhythm of their clapping was so loud and enthusiastic that Baek Cheon’s shoulders started to twitch without him meaning to.

“Kaaaah!” Chung Myung roared, slamming the empty jar down. He grabbed a chicken leg and tore into it with his teeth.

“Delicious!” Chung Myung declared.

“We are so happy you like it, Master!” a bandit gushed.

“Haha! For a great master to visit our humble stronghold, it’s like the sun itself has come to shine on us!”

“Hehe. Really?” Chung Myung grinned, chicken grease on his chin.

“Of course, of course! Serving you is the greatest honor of our lives!”

“Hehehehe. It’s nothing, really. Hehehe!” Chung Myung chuckled, looking very pleased with himself.

Watching Chung Myung’s foolish grin, Baek Cheon felt a surge of frustration. *That crazy idiot, really!*

He rubbed his temples, his head throbbing. He sighed deeply. It had all started when these bandits, somehow recognizing them as disciples of Mount Hua, had suddenly turned pale and started begging for forgiveness, like rabbits caught in a wolf’s gaze.

*Okay, fine,* Baek Cheon thought. *That much I can understand.* But then came the truly unbelievable part.

*– If we, brothers of the Green Forest, just let the heroes of Mount Hua leave after meeting them, our own brothers would curse us! Please, grant us the honor of inviting you to our humble stronghold!*

*Wasn’t that completely insane?* Baek Cheon thought, bewildered. These were the same bandits who had been pointing swords at them just moments before! Now they were practically bowing and scraping, inviting them to their hideout. *What kind of idiot would actually agree to go?*

His eyes landed on Chung Myung, still happily munching on chicken.

*Oh.* Baek Cheon thought, a wave of despair washing over him. *He’s right there.*

For some reason, the more he thought about it, the closer he felt to tears.

“No,” Baek Cheon muttered, more to himself than Hong Daeguang, “I get Chung Myung being crazy, but why are these bandits so… *weak-willed*?”

“They aren’t weak-willed,” Hong Daeguang said, shaking his head slightly. “Don’t misunderstand. Even if not all of the Seventy-Two Forts are amazing, they are still part of the Seventy-Two. To be included means they have skills and influence like many sects.”

“Then why are they acting like this?” Baek Cheon asked again, confused.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Hong Daeguang raised an eyebrow. “Because you are from Mount Hua.”

“…And why does that matter?” Baek Cheon asked, still not understanding.

Hong Daeguang sighed, a little exasperated. “Are you really so unaware? You fight like demons with swords! Honestly, what kind of sect is Mount Hua *now*? Think about all the righteous sects out there, showing off their power. Besides the Nine Great Sects, is there *any* sect that can compare to Mount Hua?”

Baek Cheon frowned, thinking hard.

*Is there?* he wondered to himself.

He tried to think of another sect that could compare, but nothing came to mind. He wasn’t sure if it was just his lack of experience in the Jianghu world, or if there really were no sects that could stand against them.

Hong Daeguang leaned forward, adding, “No, really. Even among the Nine Great Sects, I’m not sure they could have defeated the Myriad Man Formation so cleanly. Of course,” he added with a small smile, “luck always plays a part.”

He paused for emphasis. “To put it simply, if Mount Hua suddenly became one of the Nine Great Sects, or if they became the *Ten* Great Sects, no one would be surprised. That’s how strong you are now.”

“Is it… really that much?” Baek Cheon asked, still unsure.

“It’s frustrating!” Hong Daeguang exclaimed, thumping his own chest in emphasis. “Isn’t that why they are acting like this? If a small Green Forest stronghold fought Mount Hua, they would be crushed. This little group is definitely weaker than the Myriad Man Formation, right?”

Baek Cheon and the other disciples exchanged glances and nodded slowly.

*Now that he says it… it does seem true,* Baek Cheon thought.

*Are we really that strong?* Yoon Jong wondered, a little dazed.

It was hard to believe, no matter how many times they heard it. For so long, Mount Hua had been the one to back down, to be intimidated by other sects’ reputations. Now, people were respecting *them* because of *their* own name.

“This is a very strange feeling,” Yoon Jong murmured.

“Indeed,” Jo Gol agreed, nodding slowly.

They were used to powerful families getting respect just because of their name. But Mount Hua, which had fallen so low its name meant nothing, had never experienced this.

They were still trying to understand this new reality.

“When you first start becoming famous,” Hong Daeguang said, grinning, “you often don’t even realize it yourself. You’ll get used to this kind of thing. And,” he added, “the Green Forest is a little… *extra* special in this case.”

“…What do you mean?” Baek Cheon asked, still confused.

Hong Daeguang chuckled. “Think about it. Who did you just fight?”

“The Myriad Man Formation,” Baek Cheon replied.

“Exactly!” Hong Daeguang nodded. “The Green Forest is at war with the Myriad Man Formation right now. Do you understand? You are benefactors! You defeated their enemy! And you wiped out three squads and one unit completely, didn’t you?”

“…Yes, we did,” Baek Cheon admitted.

“The Green Forest will welcome you like heroes. I bet you could even get a drink with the Green Forest King himself!”

Baek Cheon’s face became even more troubled.

*A benefactor… to bandits?* he thought, a strange feeling in his stomach. *Should I even be happy about this?*

But one thing was definitely clear.

That crazy Chung Myung was absolutely loving every second of it.

“Kahahahahaha!” Chung Myung’s loud laughter echoed through the stronghold.

“Euhahahahaha!” The bandits joined in, their cheers and laughter filling the air.

“Hee hee hee!”

Baek Cheon, clutching his face, looked utterly exhausted.

“I’ve heard jokes about being a Hwasan disciple and all, but I never thought I’d actually be treated like this in a bandit den.”

“…But this atmosphere feels kind of familiar.”

“Just shut up! Please!”

Jo Gul, regretting opening his mouth, merely pouted.

However, regardless of the reactions around him, Chung Myung was voraciously devouring the meat and alcohol that the bandits kept bringing.

Mouth full, Chung Myung asked,

“So, you’re Green Forest bandits?”

“Yes! Yes! That’s right, Disciple! We’re called the Red Tiger Clan,” Gwak Gyung, the Mountain Giant, said with exaggerated fussiness, quite unlike his size.

“Of course, it’s embarrassing to boast before the esteemed disciples of the renowned Hwasan Sect, but we are a proud member of the Seventy-Two Clans.”

“Hee hee. That’s right, that’s right.”

Im Saeng diligently chimed in from beside Gwak Gyung. Even though Gwak Gyung had knocked out his tooth, it didn’t seem to matter to him now.

“By the way…” Chung Myung tilted his head slightly, as if only now realizing something.

“Aren’t you guys bandits?”

“…Yes, we are.”

“Come to think of it, you were talking about killing everyone earlier. Do you just go around killing people while you’re being bandits?”

“Aigo, Disciple. Surely you don’t think we mean it? That’s just something we say for business! Just because someone in charge says something, doesn’t mean it’s true, right?”

“I think I also heard something about peeling off skin?”

“Hahaha. This crazy bastard!”

Thwack!

“Kyaaa!”

Gwak Gyung, having swiftly rearranged Im Saeng’s jaw again, awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“If we don’t say things like that, people don’t get scared these days.”

Chung Myung eyed Gwak Gyung with a hint of suspicion.

“You’re not actually doing it, are you?”

“Aigo, Disciple! What kind of era do you think we live in, killing people in broad daylight!” Gwak Gyung’s cheeks trembled, quite unbecoming of his large frame.

“Not only shouldn’t we, but we can’t. If people hear we kill travelers, no one will come through here!”

“…They wouldn’t.”

“Exactly! It’s not like there’s only one road in the world. If this place is dangerous, they’ll just go around. It would be great to set up a bandit camp in a place where people absolutely have to pass, but those places are already occupied by enormous groups that we small camps can’t even compare to.”

“…”

“So, we have to scare them just enough and take just enough. We can’t even take everything. We pretend to take everything, but then we give some back, so they think, ‘This is manageable. Should I try going again? Maybe I’ll get lucky and not get caught?’ That’s how it works.”

“…What kind of bandit does that?”

“That’s just how bandits are.” Gwak Gyung scratched his head roughly.

“Think about it. What kind of big money would commoners carrying bundles up the mountain have? In the end, the only ones we can really rob properly are merchants… But as you know, merchants…”

“Hire warriors.”

“Ah, that’s not it.”

“Huh?”

Gwak Gyung grinned. “Merchants are friendly with the government, so if they get robbed a few times, they’ll go to the authorities and cause a fuss. Then the subjugation force will come chasing us into the mountains. That’s the end of our business.”

“…”

“Being a bandit is trickier than you think. We have to rob just enough so the government and people don’t get too angry, or we won’t last long.”

Chung Myung blinked.

“…You guys live a lot harder than I thought.”

“Hehe. Is there any easy way to live in this world? That’s just how life is.” Gwak Gyung grinned widely and scratched the back of his head. Chung Myung, watching him quietly, smiled and gestured.

“Come here. Just for a second.”

“Yes?”

“Just a moment, just a moment.” Gwak Gyung tilted his head and approached Chung Myung.

“Why are you…”

Suddenly, Chung Myung stood up and kicked him squarely in the backside.

“Aaaargh!”

Gwak Gyung went flying and crashed to the floor.

“Who do you think you are, spouting such plausible nonsense! If it’s so hard, you should farm and live off the land! You’re just sitting around in the mountains, robbing people of their money. What? Life? Liiiiife? Have you all gone mad?”

“Aigoo! Master!” Gwak Gyung, who had been sprawled on the floor, rushed towards Chung Myung on his knees. Then, he prostrated himself as low as possible before him.

“You can’t farm without land! That’s why we come to the mountains. Frankly speaking, who would want to live in this mountain valley full of wild animals and no people!”

“Tsk!” Chung Myung, wearing a displeased expression, glared and sat back down.

“So, you’re really poor?”

“Yes!”

“And you have no way to make a living?”

“Of course, that’s definitely it!”

“Really?” The corners of Chung Myung’s lips curled up into a smirk.

The Hwasan disciples, who had been watching the situation from the side, began to nod as if they already suspected something.

“Those bandit guys made a mistake.”

“I know. It’s over if they get caught.”

“Poor things.”

“Huh?” It was then that Hong Daekwang, who couldn’t follow the flow of the conversation, tilted his head in confusion.

Chung Myung spoke.

“Open the warehouse.”

“…Yes?” Gwak Gyung raised his head sharply to look at him.

“If it’s so hard to make a living as you say, there won’t be any valuables in the bandit camp.”

“…”

“Right?”

“…”

Chung Myung smiled gently.

“If even one thing comes out, you’re dead.”

“…”

“Lead the way.” Gwak Gyung’s face turned as white as a sheet in an instant.

“D-Disciple! Th-That’s…” When he didn’t move easily, Chung Myung smiled and raised his wine cup.

Creak!

The bronze wine cup was crushed in an instant. Crushed beyond recognition, the wine cup was soon rolled up into a small ball.

Chung Myung lightly tossed what used to be the wine cup at Gwak Gyung.

Thud.

Gwak Gyung’s face twitched as he instinctively reached out and caught it.

“Are you going to guide me? Or should I find it myself?”

“I will escort you there right away, Great Hero!” Like a bandit with quick wits, he had gained a swift understanding this time as well.

That no matter how important wealth was, it was not more important than his life.