Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 559

Hyun Jong slowly drank his tea. It was hot and a little bitter. He put the teacup down on the wooden table. It made a quiet *clink* sound in the still room.

He looked at Im So-byeong. “The Green Forest?” Hyun Jong asked, his voice calm but serious.

“Yes,” Im So-byeong replied.

“In the Heavenly Union?” Hyun Jong inquired.

“Yes, that is correct,” Im So-byeong confirmed with a smile. Chung Myung glared at him.

“Seriously, has that bandit gone mad now that he’s dying?” Chung Myung grumbled.

“Cough! Cough!” Im So-byeong feigned a cough. “Aren’t you being a bit harsh to a sick man, Mount Hua Divine Dragon?”

“Wait a minute,” Chung Myung said suspiciously. “Does this guy only cough when it helps him? I might just have to cut open his chest to check his lungs.”

Chung Myung got angry. He tried to jump up. Baek Cheon and the others quickly held him back.

“Don’t do that, Chung Myung,” Baek Cheon pleaded. “I’m scared you might actually do it.”

“My thoughts exactly,” another disciple added.

“No!” Chung Myung shouted, his eyes wide.

“I’m already furious that a bandit is in our Taoist temple, sitting at the same table as us,” Chung Myung exclaimed. “And now what? Joining the Heavenly Union? Why not join the Demonic Sect while you’re at it!”

“…Cough, cough!” Im So-byeong coughed again.

“Cough my foot!” Chung Myung kicked at Im So-byeong, who rolled away to avoid it.

Im So-byeong desperately shouted, “Sect Leader! Sect Leader! A guest of Mount Hua is about to be beaten to death by a disciple of Mount Hua! Please save me!”

Hyun Jong chuckled. ‘What a mess,’ he thought.

“You need to calm down,” Hyun Jong told Chung Myung.

“How can you listen to such nonsense and…?” Chung Myung protested.

“Chung Myung,” Hyun Jong said sternly.

“Yes?”

“Of course, this is strange, and it’s normal to be surprised. But…” Hyun Jong narrowed his eyes.

“You know who caused this, right?”

“…”

“If you know, then be quiet,” Hyun Jong finished.

“Yes, sir,” Chung Myung replied.

Im So-byeong was impressed as he watched Hyun Jong calm Chung Myung, like putting a leash on a wild dog.

Hyun Jong turned to Im So-byeong. “Tell me.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Do you understand the importance of what you’re saying?”

“Yes, of course,” Im So-byeong replied.

Hyun Jong looked directly at Im So-byeong. “The Heavenly Union may not be fully formed yet, but it started as an alliance between Mount Hua and the Tang family.”

“Yes, it is an alliance between good sects. But the Beast Palace and the Ghostly Gate are also joining, right?”

“…”

“The Beast Palace and the Ghostly Gate are not exactly good. Some might even call them evil,” Im So-byeong said. He glanced at Chung Myung, who was still being held back by Baek Cheon and the others.

“Now that the Mount Hua Divine Dragon has been to the Northern Sea, the Northern Sea Ice Palace will probably join the Heavenly Union. So, we shouldn’t judge people based on where they come from.”

Hyun Jong shook his head. “Even so, this is a serious decision.”

His voice was low. “The Beast Palace is from another country, so we don’t know much about them, but they haven’t hurt innocent people. But the Green Forest steals from the poor to feed themselves, right?”

“Sect Leader, that is…” Im So-byeong started to say.

Hyun Jong’s voice was firm. “Mount Hua represents the Heavenly Union. As long as the Green Forest is led by bandits, it will be hard to accept them, since they hurt the common people.”

Hyun Young’s face twitched, but he didn’t dare to interrupt Hyun Jong’s strong words. If Hyun Young, an elder, felt that way, the other disciples felt it even more.

But even with this refusal, Im So-byeong smiled calmly. “Sect Leader.”

“Speak,” Hyun Jong said.

“May I ask a question? What is Mount Hua’s purpose? Is it just to be good, or to help others become good?”

“Hmm.” Hyun Jong frowned. Anyone who calls himself a Taoist must answer this question.

“Mount Hua wants to be good. But that’s because Mount Hua is weak right now. Taoists shouldn’t just try to become immortal themselves. They should help everyone reach the Dao (the path to enlightenment). That is the mission of Mount Hua.”

“Then, can people who have done wrong never reach the Dao?”

“If they are sorry and change, they can,” Hyun Jong said.

Im So-byeong nodded slowly, as if he wanted to hear that answer. “Then, Sect Leader, please guide the Green Forest to the right path.”

Hyun Jong hesitated.

Im So-byeong bowed sincerely. “The Green Forest is just a group of people who couldn’t make a living honestly. Rich people don’t need to become bandits, and people who aren’t afraid of sin don’t need to hide in the mountains.”

“Hmm.”

“I know people say the Green Forest steals from the poor to get rich. But even if they had mountains of gold, what could they do with it in those mountain valleys? If they had really stolen a lot of wealth, wouldn’t they have left the mountains?”

“Uh…” Hyun Jong seemed unsure. Chung Myung spoke up.

“They did have a lot of money, though?”

“Ahem, ahem. That’s just for regular Green Forest bandits. Regular… Cough! Cough! Oh, my cough…” Im So-byeong coughed.

“I’m telling you, we need to check his lungs,” Chung Myung repeated.

Im So-byeong smiled. “Of course, I am honest. I don’t want to officially join the Heavenly Union and have the same status as other sects. It’s enough if the Green Forest can erase its bad reputation and earn a new name. Until then, a simple promise is enough.”

“If you’re talking about a promise…” Hyun Jong began.

“Please don’t abandon the Green Forest,” Im So-byeong said.

A quiet feeling came from Im So-byeong, who had seemed weak before. “Just because they are seen as evil doesn’t mean they aren’t human. Just because they are uneducated and don’t know what is right doesn’t mean they should be treated like trash. Shouldn’t we teach the uneducated and guide those who don’t know the right path?”

Hyun Jong listened and nodded. “Those words are correct.”

“If you tell me to leave my old life and start a new one, I will. But I can’t do it alone, so please help me,” Im So-byeong pleaded, bowing deeply to Hyun Jong.

“Hmm…” Hyun Jong thought for a long time before nodding. “For now, I understand what you’re saying.”

“Then…?” Im So-byeong asked.

“However, I can’t decide this myself. Not just Mount Hua, but the other sects must discuss this. So, please be patient, Green Forest King.”

“That answer is enough,” Im So-byeong said with a bright smile.

“Then, may I stay at Mount Hua until the Mount Hua Divine Dragon gives me the elixir?”

“You may,” Hyun Jong agreed.

“Huh.” Chung Myung was shocked and stared in disbelief.

“Feed and house bandits? *Here* at Mount Hua?” a voice exclaimed, full of disbelief.

“Why not? I feed and house *you* already. I’d rather feed bandits!” came the sharp reply.

Silence hung in the air for a moment.

“That’s enough talking,” a firm voice cut through the quiet. “Take him to his room. And hurry and get the Spirit Pill ready for him!”

“Yes, sir!”

And so, Im So-byeong found himself staying at Mount Hua for a while. He was led through quiet courtyards, past buildings with curved roofs that seemed to touch the sky.

Im So-byeong took a few steps, then repeatedly glanced sideways.

“Um… Divine Dragon of Mount Hua. No, Chung Myung Daojang.”

“What is it?”

“It doesn’t seem like this is the way to the room, no matter how I look at it.”

“Ha! Are you always this easily tricked? This way! Not that way, *this* way.”

“Doesn’t it feel like we’re going further and further away?”

“Quiet is good.”

As Im So-byeong subtly pulled his foot back, Chung Myung’s hand shot out and clamped onto the back of Im So-byeong’s neck like a vise.

Almost simultaneously, Im So-byeong desperately clung to the wall of the building.

And Chung Myung, his face contorted, pulled him along.

“Ah, I’m telling you it’s just a little further!”

“You’re going to beat me up, aren’t you! Beat me up! I’m already weak, and if I get hit by Daojang, I’ll die!”

“I’ll beat you gently so you don’t die!”

“See! You are going to beat me up! Ack! A Daoist is catching a bandit!”

“It’s a good thing.”

“Oh? Is it?”

Im So-byeong groaned loudly and slumped to the ground, all his energy seeming to drain away.

“Tch, because I’m a nobleman, I can’t even complain about anything.”

“Stop flattering me, you sly nobleman.”

Chung Myung glared at Im So-byeong, grinding his teeth. He had seen quite a few slippery characters in his life, but this one was particularly smooth and sly.

“What are you thinking about?”

“What do you think? Didn’t you hear? I want to join the Cheonwu Alliance.”

“What bandit is joining the Alliance? What trick are you trying to pull?”

Im So-byeong chuckled at Chung Myung’s distrustful gaze.

“Listen here, Chung Myung Daojang.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know who died the most in the last war against the Demonic Sect?”

“Well…”

“The unorthodox factions.”

Chung Myung nodded silently. That was true.

“Among the unorthodox factions, the Green Forest bandits and the Janggang River pirates died the most. Do you know why?”

“Because no one helps them.”

“Exactly.”

It was a ridiculous thing.

Of course, Chung Myung hated the Nine Sects. But at least until the final moment came, they helped each other and fought against the Demonic Sect.

The Outer Four also couldn’t unite with the Nine Sects, but they traveled thousands of miles to support each other.

Only the unorthodox factions did not help each other.

“Those who are always fighting with swords over territory wouldn’t suddenly develop camaraderie just because a new enemy appeared. Even if they didn’t attack each other, they ultimately couldn’t unite against the Demonic Sect.”

“That’s right.”

“So how could they survive?”

It was the same now.

Just because the Demonic Sect was rampant, would the Myriad Manors and the Green Forest join forces to resist? Not at all. The Myriad Manors would rather support the Demonic Sect if they could completely destroy the Green Forest.

The unorthodox factions couldn’t unite, the orthodox sects didn’t bother to help the unorthodox factions, and the Outer Lands had no reason to help the sects of the Central Plains.

Therefore, the Green Forest received no help from anywhere in the world.

“Why would this time be any different? Strangely, the reason why the Green Forest is strong now is because the damage from the last war was so devastating. Commoners who lost their livelihoods committed crimes to survive and fled to the mountains to avoid the authorities. As these people were absorbed into the Green Forest one by one, they have finally become somewhat able to make a living.”

“By being bandits?”

“I’m not trying to justify that. What I want to say is…”

Im So-byeong opened his mouth with cold, sunken eyes. His voice was low and serious, all traces of his earlier joking gone.

“As the Green Forest King who must take care of the Green Forest’s family, I will never watch them die like in the last war. If I have to lick the feet of the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua as compensation, I am willing to do so.”

Seeing his eyes full of determination, Chung Myung nodded with an utterly serious face. And then slowly bent down.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking off my shoes?”

“Why the shoes?”

“Well, you said you were going to lick…”

Im So-byeong flinched and hurriedly shouted.

“I, I just meant it figuratively, figuratively!”

“Tsk tsk. That’s why you can’t trust mountain bandits. You can’t believe a single word they say!”

“Ugh.”

Im So-byeong was a man who had never been pushed back by eloquence anywhere he went, but whenever he mixed words with this Daoist, he felt like he was getting tangled up.

“Sigh.”

He took a deep breath and spoke seriously.

“Daojang.”

“Yes?”

“Please help me.”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung looked at him with indifferent eyes and scratched his head.

“But you know.”

“Yes.”

“Why do you keep talking as if it’s obvious that the same disaster as before will happen in the world?”

Im So-byeong smiled brightly.

“Because it’s too obvious.”

“Why?”

“Because Daojang is doing that.”

Im So-byeong spread the fan in his hand wide and slightly covered his mouth.

“You are building up power around you. This means something big is coming, something even *you* can’t handle alone, right?”

From what I can see, traces of the Demonic Sect have been discovered in the Northern Sea, and that’s why Daojang rushed to the Northern Sea.

“If I don’t know the situation even then, I’m admitting that I’m stupid. Unfortunately, I’m quite smart for a bandit.”

“Ha…”

Chung Myung chuckled.

Putting aside whether he was smart or not, was the Green Forest King really coming all the way to Mount Hua to bow his head for something like that?

Certainly, this man was not ordinary.

“And well…”

“Hm?”

“If I stick by Daojang’s side, wouldn’t I be able to get another Spirit Pill? Cough! That… Cough! Cough! It’s a matter of survival for me… Cough!”

Chung Myung shook his head and sighed deeply. ‘Why do only these kinds of people stick to me?’ he thought.

It must be karma from my past life.

Karma, indeed.