Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 573

The tavern was packed and noisy. Rough wooden tables were crammed together, and the air was thick with smoke and the smell of cheap ale. People slammed down drinks and roared with drunken laughter. At first, they were just wishing each other a good evening, but soon the talk turned to complaints about taxes and then to worries about the whole world.

“Did you hear the story?”

“What story?”

“They say Mount Hua is fighting the Green Forest!”

“Huh? Mount Hua against the Green Forest?”

The listeners’ eyes widened at the unexpected news.

“What are you talking about? Are you referring to *the* Mount Hua Sect? The one from Shaanxi that turned the Central Plains Martial Arts Tournament into a complete mess?”

“Tsk tsk. Is there even *another* sect with that name? Of course, it’s that Mount Hua Sect.”

In the past, few knew of Mount Hua’s existence, but now, anyone who claimed to be in the know certainly knew of them.

“That Mount Hua Sect is waging war against the Green Forest?”

“So they say.”

“Hmph?”

People frowned and looked at each other, doubt in their eyes.

“Does that even make sense? Mount Hua might have gained fame, but wasn’t that just the martial arts competition for the younger generation?”

“Indeed.”

“Those outstanding younger disciples would need at least another twenty years to become pillars capable of leading the sect, wouldn’t they?”

It was safe to say that no one doubted Mount Hua’s future any longer—at least, not those who understood the political landscape of the *Jianghu* (the world of martial artists and sects).

At the Central Plains Martial Arts Tournament, Mount Hua’s younger disciples proved that they were the best in the Central Plains. The ignorant focused on who the winner was, but those who assessed power focused on how many disciples made it to the top ranks.

However, that proof of future potential didn’t translate into a high evaluation of Mount Hua’s current strength.

Younger disciples were, after all, just younger disciples.

“I heard that Mount Hua doesn’t have many elders.”

“That’s right. Aren’t they a sect that was once destroyed?”

“So, the ones who appeared at the Central Plains Martial Arts Tournament are their main force? And they’re leading those disciples to fight the Green Forest, one of the *Five Great Overlords* (powerful groups who control large areas) of the Divine Province? Aren’t they a bit too confident just because they’re doing well?”

People clicked their tongues in disapproval. It was a natural reaction.

The Five Great Overlords of the Divine Province were on par with the *Nine Great Sects* (the most powerful and respected groups). Of course, if the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Overlords clashed, the Nine Great Sects would win nine times out of ten, but that was simply because the Nine Great Sects had more member sects than the Five Great Overlords.

When considering each sect individually, the Five Great Overlords were by no means inferior to the Nine Great Sects.

Sects like Shaolin or Wudang, which claimed to be the leaders of the Nine Great Sects, could overwhelm any other sect, but some of the weaker sects among the Nine were inferior to those of the Five Great Overlords.

The Green Forest, belonging to those Five Great Overlords, versus Mount Hua, which had only just begun to regain its fame?

One didn’t need to assess the situation to know the outcome.

Just then,

“The story I heard is a little different.”

Someone sitting at the table next to them casually interjected.

“Hmm? And who are you?”

“Just a passing traveler. The rumors have already spread in the upper provinces, but it seems the news hasn’t reached here yet.”

The man smiled faintly and continued.

“From what I heard, this whole thing started because of a rebellion within the Green Forest.”

“Huh? A rebellion?”

The people’s eyes widened as if to ask what he was talking about. The man said in a calm voice,

“I heard that radical factions within the Green Forest are rebelling against the Green Forest King and trying to seize control.”

“Hmph. Are there even more vicious bandits among those already vile mountain brigands?”

“Have you not heard of the Great Separate Camp?”

“The Great Separate Camp? You mean the mountain fortress on Great Separate Mountain where one risks their life just by entering? That infamous….”

“So, you do know of it. The ones who started this are those fellows from the Great Separate Camp. They’re trying to turn all the other mountain fortresses into something like the Great Separate Camp, I hear….”

“I-Is that even possible?”

The listeners’ faces turned pale.

The Great Separate Camp… a name whispered in fear, known for its cruelty and the way no traveler ever returned from its shadow.

“No, if it really becomes like that, who would be able to enter the mountains? Right now, even if we encounter bandits, we can get by unharmed by just handing over some toll money…. I heard that even large security bureaus don’t dare approach the Great Separate Camp.”

“So, isn’t it a problem? Anyway, so that Green Forest King….”

The man, who was speaking, cleared his throat as if it was dry. Then, he glanced at the wine bottle on the table.

“Would you mind if I had a drink?” he asked with a confident smirk.

“Ah, of course! What are you doing! Quickly, pour him a cup!”

“Y-Yes!”

The person in front of the wine bottle quickly filled the man’s cup.

“Kuh.”

The man, who emptied the cup in one gulp, smiled and continued.

“Thus, the ousted current Green Forest King went to Mount Hua and asked for help. He said that if things continued as they were, the common people would suffer greatly, so he asked for assistance.”

“Huh, wow. That fellow isn’t an ordinary person either.”

However, there were those who didn’t understand the words.

“But why Mount Hua? There’s Wudang, and there’s Shaolin. If he’s going to abandon his pride and ask for help from the orthodox sects, there are plenty of stronger places to go.”

“But aren’t those the Nine Great Sects?”

“…Hmm?”

The man shrugged and explained.

“Would the Nine Great Sects interfere in the affairs of the Five Great Overlords? Mount Hua is an orthodox sect, but it’s not one of the Nine Great Sects, and it doesn’t belong to any power in the world.”

“T-That’s true.”

“So, that’s why the Green Forest King asked them for help. The Mount Hua Sect Leader, after much deliberation, decided to clean up the Green Forest. For the sake of the common people.”

“Hmph. So, that’s how it happened.”

“Things are flowing strangely.”

Everyone exchanged glances. They felt a strange, subtle feeling.

‘It sounds plausible.’

‘It’s peculiar, though.’

Helping bandits for the sake of the common people seemed strange at first glance, but considering the situation, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Especially those who knew of the Great Separate Camp’s evil deeds couldn’t help but nod.

“But even so, aren’t they helping a bandit?”

“Of course. But isn’t Mount Hua not so easy to deal with?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

“I heard that the Mount Hua Sect Leader made it a condition to the Green Forest King to reduce the tolls for those traveling through the mountains and to stop killing people from now on.”

“Hmph….”

“As expected of a Taoist sect. That makes sense!”

People knew. Mountain fortresses couldn’t be completely eliminated.

No matter how much they were suppressed, and even if government troops were mobilized to clean them up, mountain fortresses would reappear as soon as they turned around.

Those who were tired of the officials who sucked the blood of the common people, and those who committed crimes and could no longer live among people, would eventually go up the mountains and create new mountain fortresses.

Rather than recklessly eliminating them and having more heinous fellows take their place, it was clear that managing the existing mountain fortresses appropriately would be less dangerous in the end.

“So, Mount Hua isn’t going to the Green Forest right now, but to suppress the fellows who started the rebellion in that Green Forest?”

“So they say.”

Everyone exclaimed and nodded.

“But… is that even possible? If they’re strong enough to start a rebellion and push out the Green Forest King, they must be incredibly powerful. I wonder if Mount Hua can handle them….”

At someone’s words, the man smiled faintly.

“If we only did what we could handle, how could we call it helping those in need, even when it’s dangerous? Isn’t it chivalry and a knight-errant’s act to bravely rise up even when it’s something we can’t handle?”

“That’s right! Exactly!”

“It’s true when you listen to it! Have you heard of Wudang or Shaolin doing anything righteous these days? This is originally the kind of thing that strong sects should be doing!”

“It’s a truly amazing place. A place that was completely ruined and unheard of is now literally shaking the world in just a few years!”

As everyone excitedly said a word each, the tavern erupted in a fresh wave of noise. Then, the man poured the remaining wine in his glass into his mouth and quietly got up from his seat.

After leaving the tavern, he subtly looked around and then slipped into a back alley.

In that back alley, beggars were lying down on mats. The man took a short breath and shouted, his voice louder and prouder when he saw the beggars’ mats, his face twisted in disgust.

“Get up! You beggar bastards!”

“Oh? You’ve arrived, Senior Brother?” one beggar said eagerly and respectfully.

“Ugh,” another beggar groaned wearily.

The man distorted his face at the sight of the mat. He desperately wanted to sit down, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so because he was afraid of getting his clothes dirty.

“How did it go?”

“How did it go? Talking is what I do best, so this is nothing!”

“Heh heh heh. It’s good to be persuasive. I’m even wearing a Taoist robe that I don’t deserve.”

“How noisy.”

The man sighed, sweeping his long robe behind him.

“Ugh. I have to visit at least five more inns today. Our boss said he’d check them all personally.”

“But we get to eat and drink well, right?”

“If it weren’t for that, I’d have run away already! Alright, here you go.”

“Eyy! You always bring us treats like this, huh? That’s why I can’t leave you, Brother.”

The beggars cheered and rushed forward as the man slyly pulled out the food he had hidden in his sleeve.

“Is it manageable?”

“What’s so difficult about telling the truth when we usually make up lies to sell? It just makes my mouth hurt.”

“Mount Hua has become quite the place in such a short time.”

“Tell me about it.”

The beggars huddled together, munching on the food and sharing their thoughts on Mount Hua.

Unbeknownst to the Beggar Clan Leader and Hong Daeguang, those spreading the rumors were slowly developing a fondness for Mount Hua.

“Should we consider this a good deed?”

“You could say that.”

“But Mount Hua isn’t acting without wanting something back, are they?”

“That’s silly talk! Does anyone do anything without wanting something back? Even if they look like heroes, they always have their own reasons.”

“…”

“The important thing is whether they can handle the great risk. In that sense, Mount Hua is acting like heroes.”

“Well… the Beggar Clan would have known but not done anything.”

“That’s what I mean.”

“Anyway, they’ve stirred things up this much, so it needs to turn out well.”

“Even if it turns out well, it’s a problem.”

“Yes?”

The man in the long robe tossed a rice cake into his mouth and said, “If they handle this perfectly, even the Nine Great Sects won’t dare to say they are better than Mount Hua. That’s what results do.”

“Ah, certainly…”

“It’s getting interesting. Very interesting.”

The Beggar Clan, who spread rumors, were feeling the changes in the world faster than anyone else.

“Perhaps this one event will greatly change the region…”

“Hey, beggar,” one man said to the other, “why are you talking about big things like that? Just drink your wine and be quiet.”

“Ugh. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

This was happening somewhere in the middle of the land.

❀ ❀ ❀

The rumors spread much faster than Chung Myung had expected, and the world was watching the Green Forest.

And Mount Hua, at the center of this attention, was heading towards the Green Forest without stopping, even at this moment.

“…”

“…”

Hyun Sang and Hyun Young, along with Un Am and Un Geom, exchanged glances with slightly worried looks.

“Ahem.”

“Ahem, hehem!”

Rattle rattle! Rattle rattle!

The cart carrying them sped across the main road.

Of course, there was nothing strange about riding in a cart. Usually, more people traveled by cart than by carriage.

The problem was…

“Go faster! Faster, faster! Were you lazy while I wasn’t looking? Why are you so slow!”

Baek Cheon’s eyes were bloodshot.

“Hey, you little punk! Then you pull it a bit!”

“Then I can’t train! If I pulled it, we would have arrived already!”

“That mouth of yours!”

Baek Cheon, glaring at Chung Myung, turned his head sharply and shouted through gritted teeth, “Run faster!”

“R-Respected Teacher! At this rate, we’ll be too tired before we even arrive!”

“Shut up! Run!”

“Aish, damn it!”

The five strongest disciples of Mount Hua swore and pulled the cart with all their strength. Then, they turned to glare at the disciples running around the cart.

“Falling behind?”

“Are these guys falling behind while we’re pulling the cart? Who is it! Who’s that guy in the back?”

“…They need to be hit. They need to be punished.”

“Even I, the youngest, am pulling the cart, and you older students are falling behind while running?”

“…So So, calm down.”

“How can I calm down right now?”

“…”

Even Hae Yeon was pulling the cart at the front with them, complaining. The disciples who weren’t pulling the cart followed behind with all their might.

‘Are those things human, or cows!’

‘Why are they so fast! I’m going to die, really!’

They wore neatly dressed martial uniforms and carried shining swords.

The sight of them lined up and moving forward under the sunlight was impressive.

‘…What a load of bull!’

There was no way such a thing could exist in Mount Hua.

As soon as they left the gates, they ran and ran until their feet felt like they were on fire, as if the sky would fall if they didn’t arrive even a moment sooner.

“A martial artist should never neglect their training!”

Chung Myung, who was riding in the cart, gave a long speech that made everyone’s ears hurt.

“Back in my day, we trained all the time! Even when we were eating, we were practicing!”

“That’s just being rude, you little punk!”

“What are you doing at the dinner table!”

“Quiet!”

Chung Myung roared.

“The ten who arrive latest today will starve! You’re all going to die anyway!”

“That jerk!”

“What is that ghost doing!”

“Aish, damn it!”

Hyun Sang and Hyun Young smiled awkwardly as they watched Chung Myung push the disciples so hard.

‘Should we try to stop him?’

‘Let’s just leave him be.’

‘Shall we?’

The two men, sitting in a sunny spot, cleared their throats and looked up at the sky.

‘It’s good to be old.’

‘If I had to go through that, I would have run away.’

Hyun Sang and Hyun Young realized again that the hard times they had before Chung Myung came were worth it.

“By the way…”

Hyun Sang’s gaze shifted slightly to the back.

“…Are those gentlemen going to keep running like that?”

“Chung Myung told them not to ride. Why would he put freeloaders on the cart?”

Hyun Sang closed his eyes tightly at the sight of Im So-byeong and his men running alongside the Mount Hua disciples, covered in sweat.

‘Still, it’s a relief. It seems Chung Myung doesn’t think of us as freeloaders.’

It was truly a grateful thing.

Truly…

And so, the disciples of Mount Hua were covering a distance that would normally take more than fifteen days in just four days.

The fast rumors, and the cart even faster than the rumors, quickly reached their destination.