Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 581

Dongwoong glared at Lim Sobyeong, his eyes red and angry, as if he wanted to kill him right there.

But Lim Sobyeong just kept grinning.

Dongwoong glared at Lim Sobyeong, his eyes red and angry. “You sneaky rat! Bringing outsiders into the Green Forest’s problems?”

Lim Sobyeong just grinned. “Hey, a guy’s gotta survive, right?”

“You have no shame!” Dongwoong shouted.

“Eh. I just made some good friends,” Lim Sobyeong replied casually.

Dongwoong’s face went red with rage.

“The Chieftain will tear you apart! You’ll pay for breaking the Green Forest rules and bringing in people who don’t belong here!”

Wham!

In that instant, Dongwoong’s head snapped forward as if his neck would break.

His eyes bulged, and blood spurted from his tongue, which he had bitten in shock.

“Aaaaargh!!” Dongwoong screamed.

“What’s this idiot doing?!” Chung Myung rolled his eyes, watching Dongwoong clutch the back of his head and scream.

“A prisoner of war with such a long tongue! I’ll rip it out!”

“Ugh…” Dongwoong groaned.

“And what? Code? Code, you say?”

Whack!

Chung Myung’s hand mercilessly struck the back of Dongwoong’s head once more.

“Even someone like you should know better! How dare a bandit who lives by robbing people talk about a code? No, wait! Of course, someone with a conscience wouldn’t be a bandit! You’re living up to your profession perfectly, you bastard!”

“N-no, that’s not…” Dongwoong stammered.

“And how dare you exude murderous intent in front of your elders, you rude jerk? Right then. Good. I’ll carve some manners into your bones today!”

Crack!

Without further ado, Chung Myung threw a punch, twisting Dongwoong’s jaw, then climbed on top of him and began to rain down blows with both fists like lightning.

“Gack! Keuh! Save, save me…” Dongwoong begged.

“You won’t die! You won’t die! Do you think you’ll die from just this much?” Chung Myung said.

“I, I think I’m going to die… Ugh! Keuh!”

“I said you won’t die, you idiot! Have you lived your whole life being conned?”

Chung Myung’s fists moved quickly, turning Dongwoong’s face this way and that.

Hyun Young wore a pleased smile at the sight of his industriousness.

“Oh, my lovely little one. How wonderfully and satisfyingly he beats him!”

The faces of the Hwasan disciples were wretchedly distorted.

Was that what a Taoist should do, and was that what a Taoist should say?

“Hoo!” Chung Myung, panting for breath from how diligently he had beaten him, stood up.

“Honestly, you’re all too soft,” he said.

Dongwoong, sprawled out, his face a pulpy mess so that it was hard to tell where his eyes were, forcibly suppressed the tears that welled up.

‘These guys are worse than bandits,’ he thought.

No matter how vicious a bandit, they wouldn’t beat those who were already covered in knife wounds like this. What were these guys thinking, wearing Taoist robes when they didn’t even treat the injured as injured?

Did the likes of the Celestial Worthy of Primordial Beginning or the Supreme Old Lord have no conscience at all!

“Hey,” Chung Myung said.

“Yes!” Dongwoong responded instantly.

But regardless of his thoughts, his body was utterly honest in the face of violence.

As soon as he heard the word ‘Hey,’ his body ignored the pain and shot up.

‘This guy is a professional,’ Dongwoong thought.

The way he beat him, bit by bit, wasn’t the work of someone who had only done it once or twice. The sense of crisis that he might really become crippled if he got hit one more time made his tone utterly polite.

Chung Myung said, as if tossing the words out, “Recite it.”

“Yes? What…”

Whack!

Chung Myung’s hand slammed into the back of Dongwoong’s head again.

“Information! Information, you idiot! Do you think I’m doing this because I want to know your personal details?”

“Th-then, are you talking about information on the Green Camp?” Dongwoong asked.

“What else?” Chung Myung replied.

Dongwoong glanced at Lim Sobyeong.

He had just made a big fuss about violating the Green Forest’s code.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely untrue. Bringing in outsiders was definitely a crime. But leaking internal information was an even greater crime.

Therefore…

“Are you rolling your eyes right now?” Chung Myung asked.

“N-no! No! I’ll tell you!” Dongwoong screamed in terror and swallowed his tears inwardly.

‘Just what is this guy?’ he wondered.

What was his identity that he could act so violently in a place overflowing with elderly elders and superiors?

Even more astonishing was that no one even thought of stopping him while watching this spectacle.

Dongwoong pointed to Lim Sobyeong with his eyes and stammered.

“Th-that… actually, that gentleman knows the information about the Green Camp better than I do…”

“Ha,” Chung Myung sighed deeply and nodded.

“That’s right.”

“Th-thank you for understanding…” Dongwoong said.

“You were a demonic sect guy, weren’t you? I was mistaken for a moment because I’ve only been hanging out with nice guys lately. You’re not supposed to beat demonic sect guys,” Chung Myung said.

Screeeech.

As Chung Myung’s sword was drawn with a chilling sound, Dongwoong’s eyeballs popped out.

‘Why is he drawing his sword now?’ Dongwoong thought in panic.

“I should have cut off an arm and a leg first…” Chung Myung muttered.

“Aaaaaaargh! The Green Camp! The Green Camp is currently controlled by the Great Star Camp! Most of the Great Star Camp is inside the Green Camp, and within Mount Heng, where the Green Camp is located, not only the Great Star Camp but also the Crimson Bear Camp of Mount Odae and the Blood Wolf Camp of Mount Ok are staying!” Dongwoong blurted out.

Chung Myung, hearing the words pouring out like a machine gun, asked Lim Sobyeong, “Why don’t these guys put tigers in their names? All the others are named after tigers, like Yellow Tiger Camp or Crimson Tiger Camp.”

“…That’s a characteristic of newly formed camps… Those who originally have nothing want to look strong, don’t they?” Lim Sobyeong replied.

“So, Crimson Bear and Blood Wolf look weak?” Chung Myung asked.

“…Let’s just say it’s individuality,” Lim Sobyeong said.

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and fixed his gaze on Dongwoong again.

“Why is only the Great Star Camp in the Green Camp, and not the others?”

“Th-that’s…” Dongwoong hesitated.

Lim Sobyeong explained instead, “Although they’ve joined forces, the relationship between the three camps isn’t that strong. All three have been competing for the position of chief within the Green Forest, so they haven’t been on good terms.”

“So…” Chung Myung said, as if he was dumbfounded.

“Even while joining forces to plot a rebellion, they’re on such bad terms that they have to use separate accommodations?”

“That’s accurate,” Lim Sobyeong confirmed.

“This is a right mess. What are they even doing?” Chung Myung asked.

“What do you expect from bandits? That’s why they’re bandits. Isn’t the epitome of a disorganized rabble a bandit? Hahaha!” Lim Sobyeong laughed.

Hey? Aren’t you the leader of those bandits?

Aren’t you the Green Forest King?

Lim Sobyeong, who had been chuckling, stopped laughing at the gazes focused on him and awkwardly cleared his throat.

“I’ve been trying to change things in my own way, but I suppose it’s just my nature,” he said.

“Yes. Next bandit boss,” Chung Myung said dryly.

“Malko…” Lim Sobyeong sighed.

Dust swirled around Chung Myung’s worn leather boots as he sharply pulled back the reins of his horse. The sudden stop made the animal snort and toss its head. “What is it?” Chung Myung asked, his voice rough, his eyes narrowed at the nervous man approaching.

“Um,” Im So-byeong stammered, avoiding Chung Myung’s gaze. He pointed a shaky finger towards Chung Myung’s horse. “There’s… uh… something on your horse’s nose! A little… dirt. I thought… maybe I should wipe it off?” His excuse sounded weak even to his own ears. He forced a smile, hoping it looked more confident than he felt.

Chung Myung watched him, his expression unreadable, like a mask carved from stone. Im So-byeong cleared his throat, trying to change the subject to something less ridiculous. “About the bandits on Mount Heng,” he began, his voice gaining a little strength. “The strongest groups are the Great Star Villa, the Crimson Bear Villa, and the Blood Wolf Villa. People say if they joined together, they would be stronger than half of all the bandits in the Green Forest.”

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and glared at Dong-woong.

“Hey.”

“Yes!”

“Are those all the bandit camps on that mountain?”

“A-as far as I know, yes.”

“Let’s be sure, really sure. I like lying, but I don’t particularly like it when others lie to me.”

Dong-woong saw Chung Myung’s fist clench. It made a cracking sound. Dong-woong started to sweat.

“N-no, really! That’s all I saw with my own eyes. The chief doesn’t tell us everything either. I only found out about attacking the Green Meadow Villa on the day it happened.”

“Hmph. Useless. Utterly useless.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue, looking displeased, and asked Im So-byeong,

“What do you think?”

“In reality, those three are probably all the bandit camps that have entered Mount Heng.”

“No other bandit camps have come forward to help with this?”

“No, it’s not that. Considering the size of Mount Heng, if there were four bandit camps, there would definitely have been a fight already.”

Im So-byeong grinned.

“That’s just how bandits are. They don’t think much.”

Looking at him, it seemed this man wasn’t a bandit, but someone who loathed them.

“Alright, well, that’s that.”

Chung Myung gave up questioning further and scratched his chin.

“How many bandits are in one camp?”

“T-the Great Star Villa has five hundred in total.”

“Five hundred?”

Chung Myung raised his eyes slightly.

“Yes! If you exclude our elite fighting group, there would be a little less than four hundred left!”

“Do the other bandit camps have five hundred each too?”

“T-the numbers are almost similar. When you consider how many bandits stay at their main base, each camp probably has about five hundred fighters in total.”

“So, there are fifteen hundred bandits on that mountain alone?”

Dong-woong nodded quickly and strongly. Chung Myung mumbled, looking dazed.

“Good heavens. Is this some kind of bandit kingdom? How can there be fifteen hundred bandits? What is the government doing?”

He had thought the world had changed so much that some bandit rabble were being called important figures.

Im So-byeong spoke as if he had read Chung Myung’s thoughts.

“Haha. These days, it’s a really good world to be a bandit in.”

“Shut it before I hand you over to the authorities.”

“Yes, sir.”

Im So-byeong quickly shut his mouth, sensing the mood, and smiled awkwardly. Chung Myung shook his head.

“Fifteen hundred, eh.”

“They’re just an untrained group anyway.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Yes!”

After thinking for a moment, Chung Myung looked at Hyun Sang and Hyun Young.

“That’s what they say.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Sang looked at the Unja disciples with a slightly hardened expression.

“What do you think? Fifteen hundred is quite a large number.”

But Un-geom looked at him with unwavering eyes and said,

“There is no path in conducting diplomacy that does not involve taking risks.”

“Hmm.”

“Though there was a purpose, they came down from the mountain and invaded a town where commoners live. Who can guarantee that this will not happen again? Even if we are not here to deal with them, but simply passing by, we cannot turn a blind eye to such things, Elder.”

“I see.”

It was a just argument in itself, and truly a strong answer. But Hyun Sang, wanting to hear a slightly more realistic answer, looked at Un-am this time.

“What do you think?”

“That’s something you should ask that child, not me.”

“Hmm?”

Un-am smiled and pointed to Baek Cheon.

As Hyun Sang’s gaze reached him, Baek Cheon spoke firmly even before the question was asked.

“There is no reason to hesitate.”

“Hmm?”

“The stronger the enemy, the more the disciples can learn. Of course, it will be dangerous, but what can we gain if we do not take risks?”

A smile eventually spread across Hyun Sang’s face, unable to hide his satisfaction.

Of course, he did not want the children to take risks. However, he couldn’t help but feel proud of the children who said they would brave even danger themselves.

“Alright. Then.”

“What are you hesitating about?”

Chung Myung, cutting off his words and stepping in, frowned and said,

“They’re just bandit bastards anyway. Just go up and wipe them all out.”

Hyun Sang smiled contentedly at those words.

That’s right, Chung Myung.

I knew you would say that, so I didn’t ask you.

How can a person be so consistent?

“Ahem.”

Hyun Sang cleared his throat and nodded.

“Fighting those in the mountains will not be easy. We must prepare thoroughly before attacking.”

“Yes, Elder.”

“Un-am.”

“Yes!”

“Listen to the Green Forest King about the mountain’s land and decide on the invasion route.”

“Yes!”

“Un-geom.”

“Yes!”

“Check the children’s condition and ensure everything is perfect.”

“Yes!”

“Baek Cheon, work with the Unja disciples to establish an overall strategy and keep all situations in mind! Your role is extremely important.”

“I will definitely accomplish it.”

“Alright. And Chung Myung.”

“Yes!”

“Don’t cause any trouble.”

“Yes.”

Hyun Sang nodded and declared,

“We will depart as soon as it dawns tomorrow!”

It was a voice full of determination. Hyun Sang looked over everyone, who were eager and excited, one by one and said,

“Establishing a plan is important, and achieving our goal is important. But do not forget that what the sect truly wants from you is to finish this without anyone getting hurt.”

“We will keep that in mind, Elder!”

“Let us show them exactly what Mount Hua is like.”

With Hyun Sang’s spirited declaration, the defeat of Mount Heng was decided.