Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 600

Inside the quiet temple of Wudang Mountain…

The soft sound of cloth on metal filled the quiet room. A pristine white cloth gently wiped the Songmun Ancient Sword, its blade etched with the image of a pine tree.

The blade was already perfectly clean, but the person cleaning it moved with great care.

After looking at the shiny surface for a long moment, he slowly put the sword down.

“Hoo.”

He sighed. The sword was clean, but inside, he still felt uneasy and restless.

Just then, a voice came from outside.

“Sect Leader, are you there? It is Heosan.”

The Wudang Sect Leader, Heo Do-jin, slowly looked up at the door and asked,

“What is it?”

“There is something you must know, Sect Leader.”

“Enter.”

Heo Do-jin moved the sword aside. Soon, Heosan-ja came in, bowed, and sat down in front of him.

“Sect Leader.”

Heosan-ja paused, looking unsure how to say it.

“The Mount Hua Sect, which went to Mount Heng, has reportedly defeated all of the Blood Wolf Camp and the Crimson Bear Camp, including the Daebyeol Camp, which was at Nokchae.”

“⋯⋯.”

“They say they had almost no losses while clearing out all three mountain camps.”

“Hmm.”

Heo Do-jin frowned. ‘Mount Hua again?’ he thought.

It seemed that most of the news he heard these days was about the Mount Hua Sect.

The position of the Wudang Sect Leader was important. He had to know what was happening in the *Jianghu*, the world of martial artists and sects. But only the news from Mount Hua seemed to bother him.

“You said they had little damage?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“As far as I know, Mount Hua has almost no first-generation disciples. And the second-generation disciples are mostly young swordsmen who are not even thirty years old. Am I right?”

“That is what I know as well.”

Heo Do-jin’s face became serious.

“So, you’re saying that young students who are barely considered skilled in Wudang managed to defeat three mountain camps without any losses?”

“⋯⋯.”

Heosan-ja did not answer, knowing that this was not a question to get an answer.

“Mount Hua… Mount Hua Sect…”

Heo Do-jin muttered quietly, his face darkening.

‘I thought they were unusual from the start.’

The fact that Mount Hua’s skilled students were better than Wudang’s skilled students was now clear. They had already proven their strength many times.

But this showed that their strength was much higher than just being skilled students.

“I just cannot understand it.”

Heo Do-jin spoke quietly.

“Even if we gathered the most talented children and taught them, they couldn’t grow so fast. But until recently, Mount Hua was about to close down. How did they manage to make their disciples so strong?”

Heo Do-jin looked tired and worried. He rarely showed his feelings.

Even though he knew it wasn’t true, every time he heard about Mount Hua’s unbelievable growth, he felt like the world was blaming him for not being good enough.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. Heo Do-jin saw Heosan-ja watching him carefully.

“Is there anything else to report?”

“⋯⋯Well⋯⋯.”

Heosan-ja hesitated before speaking.

“Some people are starting to criticize our sect because of this.”

“Criticize?”

“⋯⋯Yes.”

“Why are people criticizing us now? What did we do?”

“Well… they say we have been doing nothing about Daebyeol Camp, even though it is close to our sect…”

“⋯⋯.”

Heo Do-jin was speechless and opened his mouth slightly.

Daebyeol Mountain, where Daebyeol Camp was, and Wudang Mountain were both in Hubei Province.

“Before, people thought Wudang couldn’t do anything about it. But now, the Mount Hua Sect from Shanxi has come all the way to Mount Heng and defeated Daebyeol Camp.”

“How could this happen!”

Heo Do-jin’s voice became louder.

“Daebyeol Camp is part of the Green Forest, right? If we attacked them, it could mean war with the whole Green Forest! Mount Hua could do it because they knew it wouldn’t cause a big war!”

Daebyeol Camp?

Wudang could have easily destroyed them if they wanted to.

But Daebyeol Camp was just one of the seventy-two camps of the Green Forest. No matter how strong Wudang was, it would be hard to fight all seventy-two camps.

If the other Nine Sects helped, it wouldn’t be so hard to deal with the Green Forest. But the other Nine Sects would wait and watch Wudang get weaker, as long as they were not affected.

So, how could Wudang defeat Daebyeol Camp?

“Of course, that is true. But…”

Heosan-ja sighed.

“The problem is that the people criticizing us don’t think about these things. They only see that Mount Hua defeated Daebyeol Camp in Hubei, which is Wudang’s area, for us.”

“⋯⋯.”

Heo Do-jin closed his eyes, trying to control his anger.

As Heosan-ja said, people wouldn’t understand these power struggles. They would only see what was obvious.

“Everyone is praising Mount Hua. When I go outside, I only hear about Mount Hua. I think someone is spreading these rumors on purpose.”

“Hoo!”

Heo Do-jin took a deep breath and clenched his fist.

‘I can’t ignore this.’

If Mount Hua’s reputation grew, Wudang would be affected the most.

“We need to calm the public. Tell the disciples to get ready.”

“What for… the disciples?”

“Mount Heng is where Daebyeol Camp was defeated, right? There must still be some enemies left on Daebyeol Mountain. It’s late, but we need to at least pretend to do something.”

“That’s…”

“I know. It’s too late now to act. But it’s better to fix the stable than to do nothing.”

“N-no, that’s not it…”

“Hmm?”

Heosan-ja hesitated.

“That… Mount Hua is reportedly going to Daebyeol Mountain.”

“What did you say? Those bastards are going to Daebyeol Mountain?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“T-to clean up the remaining enemies of Daebyeol Camp, as you said…”

Crack!

The corner of the tea table that Heo Do-jin was holding broke.

“These…”

His face turned red, and Heosan-ja quickly stopped talking.

Heosan-ja had known Heo Do-jin his entire life. But this was the first time he had seen him so angry.

“Not only Wudang, but the entire Nine Sects have lost face! Mount Hua! That damn Mount Hua!”

Heo Do-jin was so angry because Mount Hua had taken the job they should have done.

Everyone knew a bandit group without a leader would break apart. Heo Do knew it, but he still acted to calm people down. Mount Hua must know this too.

So, Mount Hua’s actions must have a hidden, bad reason. They want to hurt Wudang’s reputation using this chance.

“How did things get this bad?”

He couldn’t believe such a small job of catching bandits could become so complicated.

No.

Now that he thought about it, whether it was during the Sword Tomb or the Grand Tournament of All Under Heaven, had anything ever gone as expected when Mount Hua was involved?

Mount Hua became famous by defeating the other important groups. Now they will use that fame. Then soon, that Heavenly Union or whatever will establish their sect!

“This isn’t good. This is very bad.”

Normally, this wouldn’t be an event that would attract much attention. But because Mount Hua was doing this, everyone in the Central Plains was watching. So, the founding of the Heavenly Union would also get attention from everyone.

The Heavenly Union would have had to spend years making its name known after a founding that went unnoticed. But now, its name would suddenly spread throughout the entire Central Plains.

Success makes you famous. Fame makes people watch you. Being watched gives you power.

With this seemingly small move, Mount Hua and the Heavenly Union would have more power than Heo Do Jin-in thought.

“I can’t sit still any longer!”

Lost in thought, Heo Do Jin-in stood up quickly.

“Prepare. We’re going to Shaolin.”

“Shaolin, did you say?”

“Yes.”

A glint flickered in his eyes.

“I must meet the Abbot.”

“What did you just say?” Heo Do demanded, his voice sharp.

“I said it cannot be stopped,” Beop Jeong replied calmly.

Heo Do’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the Abbot across from him. Beop Jeong’s voice was soft, almost too gentle, which only made Heo Do’s anger burn hotter. Beop Jeong’s face was still calm, his expression peaceful, like a statue of Buddha.

“Abbot,” Heo Do began, his voice tight with frustration.

“Speak, Sect Leader Heo,” Beop Jeong said, his voice even and unhurried.

“Abbot, do you not see the bad things that will happen because of this?” Heo Do pressed, leaning forward. “Do you not understand the danger you are letting loose?”

Heo Do’s gaze was like ice, fixed on Beop Jeong, trying to find any sign of understanding in the Abbot’s placid face.

“This Heavenly Union is dangerous. They are just average groups, but they will control the whole west. We should be very worried about that!”

“But aren’t Kunlun, Jeomcang, and Emei also in the west? Just because the Heavenly Union is formed doesn’t mean they will control everything.”

“That’s why it’s even more of a problem!”

Unable to hold back, Heo Do shouted.

“If a union is created there, fighting with the existing sects will happen! It will only divide the Jianghu! Now that we’ve found people from the Demonic Sect in the Northern Sea, are we going to fight each other?”

Even after hearing the angry shout, Beop Jeong’s face was calm.

“What do you want me to do?”

“You must stop them,” Heo Do said with a determined face.

“We must stop them from becoming too famous and powerful. If we don’t, they will cause trouble in the world. Wouldn’t that be good for the Jianghu?”

Beop Jeong quietly pushed the teacup towards Heo Do Jin-in. It was a way of telling him to calm down.

Heo Do Jin-in stared at the steaming teacup with a hard face.

A moment of silence passed between them.

Beop Jeong broke the silence first.

“I understand how you feel, Sect Leader, rushing all the way here.”

“But I can’t do what you ask. These sects aren’t even part of the Nine Great Sects. They are just forming a union. I don’t have a reason to stop them.”

At Beop Jeong’s words, Heo Do Jin-in asked in a cold voice.

“Can’t you stop them?”

“Or are you not stopping them?”

Beop Jeong didn’t answer.

“I’m not the only one who thinks this. Many people think this Heavenly Union is bad for the Jianghu. But no one will say anything because you are allowing it.”

“Hmm.”

“But if you keep saying this, I have no choice.”

Heo Do Jin-in stood up quickly.

“I enjoyed the tea.”

“Sect Leader.”

“Take care, Abbot. I hope to see you again.”

He left without waiting for an answer.

Left alone, Beop Jeong looked at the teacup in front of the seat where Heo Do Jin-in had been sitting. It was full, and Heo Do hadn’t even taken a sip.

“Abbot.”

Beop Gye came through the open door, trying to guess his mood.

“The Sect Leader?”

“He left without looking back.”

“Hmm, he seems like a person who gets angry easily.”

Beop Jeong shook his head, and Beop Gye said quietly.

“I didn’t mean to listen, but his voice was loud, so I accidentally heard.”

“How can you stop what you hear?”

Beop Jeong said calmly, as if it wasn’t important. Beop Gye lowered his head and carefully spoke.

“Abbot, I think the Wudang Sect Leader is right.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Stopping the Heavenly Union from forming is…”

Beop Jeong looked up at him and asked.

“Is it because the Heavenly Union is causing trouble in the Jianghu?”

“Isn’t that the reason…”

“Or are you worried the Heavenly Union will take away the little fame and power you have?”

“How wicked.”

Beop Jeong laughed quietly.

‘The Mount Hua Divine Dragon, who openly asks for money, is more pure.’

They talk about the safety and peace of the Jianghu, but they are greedy and never want to lose what they have.

‘I am no different.’

Beop Jeong sighed deeply and looked out the window at the distant sky.

But one question remained.

‘It’s too much of a coincidence.’

Things can’t happen this way. Everything is going too perfectly for Mount Hua and the Heavenly Union.

Mount Hua couldn’t do this alone.

It’s like someone is pushing Mount Hua from behind, telling them to become famous.

“Amitabha.”

Beop Jeong said the Buddha’s name and closed his eyes.

‘Maybe it has already begun.’

When he opened his eyes again, dark clouds were rolling in from the distant sky.