Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 574

“Everyone, stop!” Chung Myung shouted.

“Kraaah.”

“Augh, damn it!”

Chung Myung shouted, “Everyone, stop!” Right away, the Mount Hua disciples fell to the ground, one after another. Plop, plop, plop.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.” Chung Myung hopped off the cart, clicking his tongue as he looked around.

“What? Did you run so little that you are breathing hard like tired dogs in the sun?”

That remark made the Mount Hua disciples angry.

“Hey, you little punk! You’re saying that after riding in the cart?”

“I’ll tie you to the cartwheel!”

“What color is the blood flowing in your veins?”

The disciples looked ready to rebel. They were very angry. And, of course, Chung Myung couldn’t have cared less.

“If you lot had run faster, we’d have arrived and rested already! Always so slow!”

“⋯⋯.”

Everyone stared in surprise, but no one argued anymore. They had no words left, nor any desire to exchange more.

What bewildered them even more was the reaction of Baek Cheon and his group, who had pulled the cart in place of oxen.

“Ugh. Well, that’s it for today.”

“Still, it’s much better than when we went to the Northern Sea, isn’t it? The cart is lighter, too.”

“That’s true. If it had been this easy back then, we wouldn’t have suffered so much.”

The sight of them emerging from the cart, chatting casually with relatively relaxed expressions, brought tears to the eyes of the Mount Hua disciples.

‘What on earth did you experience, Sasuk?’

‘Why do you look so calm? Why!’

‘Were you trained too hard?’

Chung Myung frowned, observing the Mount Hua disciples still gasping for breath.

“You should be ashamed! If you have eyes, look behind you! Even a sick person can run like that without trouble. And yet, you healthy lot are complaining so much about so little?”

At those words, everyone’s gaze turned to Im So-byeong behind them.

Im So-byeong smiled faintly under the attention of the Mount Hua disciples.

And then.

Plop!

“Heok! The Green Forest King!”

“Get a grip!”

Beon Chung and Heuk-yaho rushed to Im So-byeong, who had fallen over, in a panic.

“That, that useless fool! Ugh!” Chung Myung shook his head, hitting his chest as if he were bursting with frustration.

“Keeeugh.”

Im So-byeong, barely managing to raise his upper body with support, mumbled in confusion, with a blank look on his face.

“⋯⋯Everyone’s crazy.”

“⋯⋯.”

Though they didn’t say it, Beon Chung and Heuk-yaho felt the same.

‘Did a ghost who died from not running attach itself to him?’

‘How can he start running as soon as he opens his eyes and keep running until the sun goes down? Even a horse would foam at the mouth and collapse if it ran like that.’

Let’s just say they were running.

What on earth was this ridiculous speed?

Even though the journey was very hard, and even the Green Forest people who are known to be strong were out of breath, no one from Mount Hua stopped.

‘Mount Hua is truly no ordinary place.’

Of course, how to tell who is strong and who is not weren’t solely based on stamina, but it was clear that, at least in terms of physical endurance, they had reached a level unmatched by any other sect in the Central Plains.

Beon Chung and Heuk-yaho realized, with a sinking feeling, why Im So-byeong had specifically sought help from Mount Hua, choosing Mount Hua and not anyone else.

“Young people today are not tough enough!”

“Ahem.”

“Ahem, ahem.”

The old-timers(?), who had comfortably ridden in the cart, coughed awkwardly and stepped down.

They felt embarrassed to have ridden in the cart while the disciples ran so diligently. But not everyone felt embarrassed.

“Ugh, riding in that bumpy cart all day has made my back hurt.”

Hyeon Young grumbled, his face contorted in discomfort.

“Are we far from arriving?”

“We’re almost there now.”

“Ugh. Having lived my whole life without going far from Mount Hua, I never realized the Central Plains were so vast. There’s no end to it.”

Un-am smiled wryly at Hyeon Young’s words.

Though it was said casually, it contained the whole story of how Mount Hua had spent the past years.

“What about sleep? We’re not sleeping on the ground again tonight, are we?”

“No, we are not.”

Un-am shook his head.

“Once we cross that hill, we’ll be in Jangsa.”

“Eh? We’ve come that far already?”

“Yes. We plan to rest at a nice inn in Jangsa tonight. We’ve been camping for several days now, so we should relax before entering Hengshan.”

At those words, the Mount Hua disciples, who had been stretched out, suddenly became excited, their eyes wide.

‘A bed!’

‘Warm water!’

‘Food that isn’t cold!’

But Chung Myung frowned, clearly unhappy.

“Why waste money on an inn when we can just sleep on a mat anywhere?”

“That’s enough.”

Hyeon Young waved his hand as if to say it didn’t matter.

“The kids can do as they like, but my back can’t take it. Let’s sleep somewhere comfortable.”

“Hehe. If Jangro-nim says so, then I suppose we should look for a nice inn.”

The speed at which he switched his stance was very fast that the other disciples could only be surprised and annoyed.

‘That damned bastard.’

“But⋯⋯.”

Amidst all this, Un-geom, who had stayed calm the whole time, raised a question that should have been asked.

“If we’re going straight into the city, why did we stop here, Sahyung?”

At that, Un-am smiled wryly and glanced at Chung Myung secretly. Then he said,

“I was just about to talk about that.”

He stepped forward and looked around at everyone.

“Listen, everyone.”

“Yes!”

“Jangsa is a large city. If we enter all at once, we’re sure to attract the attention of the world.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“It’s okay to relax and joke around here, but you must not act like this in Jangsa city. How you act will show everyone what Mount Hua is like.”

At those words, everyone looked to one side instead of answering.

“⋯⋯Why?”

Chung Myung, receiving everyone’s attention at once, tilted his head. His face was truly innocent and naive, as if he knew nothing at all.

The happy faces of the disciples at the thought of resting at an inn came back.

‘Will it be alright?’

‘Should we just camp here instead?’

Baek Cheon seemed to be thinking the same thing. He said quietly,

“Um⋯⋯ Sasuk. Should we just camp here instead?”

Un-am sighed softly.

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about that, but there’s something we need to do. First, we need to stop by the Beggars’ Union office in Jangsa and check if there have been any problems.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Baek Cheon kept glancing at Chung Myung. Not only him, but everyone who had pulled the cart looked at Chung Myung with worried faces.

‘I feel uneasy.’

‘My stomach hurts.’

‘No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t seem like a good idea.’

Wasn’t Chung Myung always very good at finding trouble?

At that moment, Hyeon-sang, who had been standing silently, opened his mouth.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

He smiled slightly. Usually, his mouth was a straight, stubborn line.

Chung Myung, when we get to the marketplace, stay close to me. Okay?

Why me?

He chuckled. Just trust me.

The Mount Hua disciples looked relieved. The worried looks on their faces disappeared. *(Saved! The Elder is so smart!)* one thought. *(That’s what experience gets you, you young punk!)* another one thought, glancing at Chung Myung.

With the biggest problem resolved, things proceeded smoothly.

Baek Cheon, find a good inn. We are a big group, so maybe two or three places will be needed.

Yes, Martial Uncle!

Alright then! Let’s go to the marketplace!

The disciples of Mount Hua walked confidently towards the marketplace.

Upon a raised platform was a huge chair, covered in the skin of a big animal.

Go Hong sat there, crossing his legs and stroking the armrest.

It has been a long time,

He had waited for years to sit in this chair. Getting to this position had taken him years of hard work.

But even now, he didn’t fully own this position.

*(But soon, it will be mine.)*

Go Hong was the boss of Daebyeolchae, a powerful group, and one of the top ten leaders in the Green Forest – a large group of bandits.

He grinned and leaned back his head. Just then –

Bang!

The door burst open, and three men in animal skins rushed in.

Chief!

What is it?

These guys just won’t listen.

Go Hong clicked his tongue in annoyance. It seems you’ve gotten lazy in the fortress. You can’t even handle one person?

It’s not that, but they are really stubborn. We’ve hurt them badly, but they still won’t talk.

They are really tough.

If we hurt them even more, like cut off an arm or leg, is that okay?

A dangerous look flashed in Go Hong’s eyes.

You complete fool!

The bandits flinched back.

If you hurt them so badly they can’t move, are you saying I should lead the Green Forest with you stupid fools? Why don’t we just destroy ourselves then!

B-but, we can’t make them talk…

Damn it!

Go Hong’s face twisted in frustration.

This is why we shouldn’t have let Im So-byeong get away.

If Im So-byeong was dead, it would be easier to make the others from Nokchae talk. People are only loyal if they have a leader.

With kindness, and by talking nicely to them, they would eventually agree to follow him.

But he had failed to capture Im So-byeong. The clever man disappeared before Go Hong could catch him.

The Green Forest King… No, have you still not found any sign of that rat?

…No.

You are all completely useless!

Go Hong leaped to his feet, scanned his surroundings, and then snatched a spear from behind the chair, throwing it with all his strength.

Eek!

The bandits quickly ducked down. The spear, thrown with great force, spun dangerously, narrowly missing their heads. They were terrified.

Find him! Find that guy, no matter what!

Yes!

Go Hong’s face was horrible to look at.

*(If this takes too long, the others will have a chance.)*

If the other leaders find Im So-byeong first, Go Hong will be in trouble and lose everything. They could use Im So-byeong as a bargaining chip to attack him, or kill him themselves and claim they should be the next Green Forest King.

He didn’t want either of those things to happen.

Before any other group finds him, we must find that…

Chief!

At that moment, someone else burst in, shouting. Go Hong frowned.

What is it now?

H-he’s appeared!

Hm?

The newcomer took a deep breath and rushed out the words.

T-the marketplace! Im So-byeong, that guy, has shown himself in the marketplace!

…What?

Go Hong’s eyes widened like saucers.

Where?

T-the marketplace.

…The marketplace is right next door, isn’t it?

Yes!

That guy showed his face right under my nose?

Yes!

Go Hong was silent for a moment, then he started to laugh.

His foot slammed down, cracking the floor.

That bastard must have a death wish! He’s making a fool of me, daring to hang around right under my nose.

C-Chief, please calm down!

Calm down?

It’s the marketplace. It’s a city. If we go there directly, it will cause big problems.

Problems, damn it! That bastard has appeared right in front of me, and you want me to just sit here and watch?

He’s not alone. He brought a big group of people with him, people we don’t know.

Righteous path?

Yes. We are currently trying to find out who they are, but…

That bastard has completely lost it! Now he’s even dragging in righteous path fellows?

Go Hong roared, grinding his teeth.

How many are there?

It doesn’t seem to be more than two hundred.

…What did you say?

I said it doesn’t seem to be more than two hundred…

Go Hong laughed softly.

Go Hong laughed, not believing it.

He came with only two hundred? Right under my nose?

W-well, that’s what it looks like. When we looked at them, they seemed like young and inexperienced people, not very strong…

Dong-woong!

Yes, Chief!

Take our men and go capture that bastard!

B-but, what about the government office…

I don’t care about the government office. Once I become the Green Forest King, they won’t dare to touch me!

Yes!

We might not get another chance like this, so go now! Right now!

Yes, Chief!

The three men who had entered earlier scrambled out.

Go Hong slumped back into the chair. He gently stroked the armrest with his fingertips.

That fool, it seems he’s getting desperate.

There are only so many things a man can do after losing Nokchae.

The thought that this seat would soon be his made Go Hong’s lips curl into a sly smile.