Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 605

“…What are you doing?”

Hǒ Dàojin’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“That is…”

Hě Shānzi knew that look. He looked down. He hadn’t done anything really bad, but no one wanted to make Hǒ Dàojin angry.

“We are… scattering grain in Wuhan.”

“In Wuhan?”

“…Yes. Well… the money we got back from the big house… we should give it back to the people of Hubei…”

Tap.

At the sudden sound, Hě Shānzi cautiously looked up. Hǒ Dàojin was lightly tapping the tea table with his fingers.

“In Wuhan… Not just anywhere, but Wuhan?”

“…”

“Clever little devils,” Hǒ Dàojin muttered. He stroked his beard, his fingers rough against the grey hairs. Anger was a cold stone in his chest. “How many truly poor people are there in Wuhan that they *must* give grain there? If they really wanted to help the needy, they could have found many other places in Hubei that need help more.”

“Then…”

“Yes. This is an open attempt to make Huashan more influential in Hubei.”

Hě Shānzi looked a little puzzled. “But Sect Leader, aren’t they already strong in the western part of the Central Plains? Why go all the way to Hubei…?”

“Influence is not the same as control.”

Hǒ Dàojin shook his head. He sounded a little more upset than usual. “Huashan doesn’t need to control Hubei. It’s enough to weaken our influence there.”

“Weaken, you say?”

“People always compare groups, right? Huashan is from Shaanxi, but they came to Hubei to fight bad guys and help people. People will start asking, ‘What has Mount Dang Sect been doing? We are also Daoist groups!'”

Hě Shānzi tilted his head, still not understanding. “But isn’t that just for a short time? Mount Dang has done so much for Hubei over the years.”

“You are being silly.”

Hǒ Dàojin shook his head. “People like new things more than old things. People in Hubei now expect Mount Dang to help them because you have helped them for so long.”

“…”

“It’s not their fault. That’s just how things are. The problem is Huashan. They know this and are attacking us in the right place.”

Hǒ Dàojin bit his lip. ‘Hyun Jong, that fellow…’

The Hyun Jong he knew wasn’t this quick to plan. That meant one of two things.

Either he was wrong about Hyun Jong, or someone else in Huashan was leading this. Either way, it wasn’t good news for Mount Dang. Huashan was becoming famous everywhere with amazing speed. If someone in Huashan could use that fame and plan quickly, it was a threat.

“Then, shouldn’t we do something? Like helping people ourselves…”

Hǒ Dàojin frowned and glared at Hě Shānzi. “What would people say if we started helping people now? They would say Mount Dang is copying Huashan. This is different from just cleaning up bandits.”

“…”

“It might make people happy for a short time, but it’s a bad idea if we think about the future. Mount Dang’s name should always be seen as better than Huashan’s!”

“I was not thinking clearly, Sect Leader.”

Hǒ Dàojin gripped his knees tightly with the hand that had been tapping the table. “Huashan…”

It felt like a long needle was inside his stomach.

When he first heard the name of Huashan, it was only a small prick. No matter how good Huashan’s talent was, he had never heard of a group that had fallen so low rising again with just one talented person.

So he thought it was just a last struggle. But the needle, which had been only a small prick and annoyance, gradually grew larger and became a large needle that pierced his stomach, causing bleeding.

The bigger problem was that he didn’t know when this needle would grow even larger and pierce not only his stomach but also his heart.

“Oh no!” Hǒ Dàojin said quietly.

He was proud of his strong Daoist training, but just hearing the name ‘Huashan’ made him feel very uneasy.

“Sect Leader.”

Hě Shānzi, who had been watching Hǒ Dàojin’s mood, cautiously spoke. “I am not smart enough to understand all your feelings, Sect Leader. But even I can see that Huashan is becoming very strong. But Huashan is just Huashan.”

“…”

“Huashan has been weak for a hundred years. A group can’t become strong again just because one person is a little smart or a little strong.”

Hǒ Dàojin sighed. He felt frustrated by Hě Shānzi’s words because most of the answers he had received from the other Nine Great Sects when he asked for help were similar to this.

“Can you stop flowing water?”

“…Yes?”

“Think of water flowing. It’s not that difficult to stop water droplets falling from a mountain. Even if that water flows and forms a small stream, it can be stopped with a little effort.”

Hǒ Dàojin looked so serious that Hě Shānzi nodded. “But if that water flows and gathers again to form a stream, and then a river, it becomes impossible to stop with human power. No matter how many dams you build or reservoirs you dig, the water will eventually overflow.”

“…”

“What’s the use of regretting after a river has formed! What can you do then?”

Cold sweat broke out on Hě Shānzi’s back as he listened. ‘If a river forms, it can’t be stopped.’

Did this mean Hǒ Dàojin thought that if they did nothing, Huashan would become too strong for Mount Dang to beat?

‘Huashan to that extent?’

Hě Shānzi remembered Chung Myung’s face at the Sword Tomb. When he saw him, he never imagined that Mount Dang would be in this situation…

“What are you planning to do?”

Hǒ Dàojin looked up at the ceiling instead of answering. ‘Fools.’

Shaolin didn’t understand. Huashan had never been stronger than them. They couldn’t imagine anyone being better than them.

The other Nine Great Sects also couldn’t understand for different reasons. There were always a few groups above them.

Only two groups were worried and felt uneasy about how quickly Huashan was becoming strong: Mount Dang, and Jongnam.

Jongnam tried to stop Huashan but failed and closed their doors. Mount Dang is much stronger than Jongnam, but could the same thing happen to Mount Dang?

“If no one steps forward…”

Suddenly, Hǒ Dàojin’s eyes became cold, which was strange for a Daoist. He stared straight ahead. “We will have to break that momentum ourselves.”

Hě Shānzi shuddered at the cold energy. “Sect Leader…”

“Hě Shān.”

“Yes.”

“I am one who follows the Dao.”

Hǒ Dàojin slowly shook his head. “But more than being a Daoist, I am the leader of Mount Dang. If I have to choose between doing what a Daoist should do and making Mount Dang famous and respected, I will choose to make Mount Dang famous, right away.”

“…Sect Leader.”

“Even if it means using force against other Daoists.”

Hě Shānzi sighed deeply. They were Mount Dang.

Before being a martial sect, they were a Daoist sect. Since the time of their founder, the Samfeng Master… No, since before that, since the establishment of the Three Purities Palace and the gathering of Daoists in Mount Dang, they had tried not to violate their duty as Daoists.

So, what Hǒ Dàojin said was not what a good Daoist should say. But how could he not understand Hǒ Dàojin’s feelings when he spoke those words?

‘What will happen to the world then?’

Huashan has joined with groups like the Tang Family and taken control of the West. Mount Dang is like the most important group in the Nine Great Sects. If Mount Dang fights against Huashan now, then the Western Alliance and the Nine Great Sects will definitely fight each other.

“There’s no need to worry.”

“Yes?”

“I know what you’re thinking. But this was bound to happen. Huashan and Mount Dang have always had such a relationship. The two groups have never lived peacefully together. When Huashan became too strong, Mount Dang had to step back, and when Mount Dang was famous, the name of Huashan was forgotten.”

“…”

“It’s just history repeating itself.”

Hǒ Dàojin, who had been quietly looking at Hě Shānzi, said in a heavy voice, “If you try to stop those who show goodwill and provide relief with just force, people will not like you. So don’t try to stop them, just show them. Show them that Mount Dang is still too important for Huashan to ignore!”

Hě Shānzi’s eyes, which had been confused, became determined. He still couldn’t tell what was right and wrong. All he knew was that Hǒ Dàojin was not someone who would make the wrong choice.

“I will lead the disciples and return.”

“Take all three swords with you.”

“Even Mu Jin?”

Hǒ Dàojin nodded. “It’s time for that boy to fix what he did wrong. The Three Swords of Mount Dang are stronger than those Huashan kids.”

“But the fighting skills of the Huashan Divine Dragon…”

Hǒ Dàojin’s face turned cold when he heard the name Huashan Divine Dragon. It felt like another thorn had been planted in his heart. ‘There’s no other way.’

The fighting skills of the Huashan Divine Dragon, which he had seen at the martial arts competition, were so good that none of Mount Dang’s young fighters could handle him. There are many young fighters in the world, but the Huashan Divine Dragon and Shaolin’s Hae Yeon are much better than everyone else.

“Take Hě Kong with you.”

“Hě Kong, you say? Sect Leader! Hě Kong is an old master! No matter how strong the Huashan Divine Dragon is, it’s shameful to send an old master to fight a kid.”

“We don’t have to have him fight.”

“Yes?”

“If it’s the Huashan Divine Dragon I know, he will fight even if we just make him a little angry. That kid is very competitive. He won’t want to fight someone from the older generation, like Hě Kong.”

“…”

“It’s shameful to challenge a kid, but it’s not shameful to accept a challenge if they start it. Just by Hě Kong being there, things will happen, so there’s no need to worry.”

Hě Shānzi slowly nodded. “Your purpose is one.”

A glint appeared in Hǒ Dàojin’s eyes. “The world now thinks highly of Huashan. But that’s not just because of what Huashan has done. It’s because people don’t know Huashan’s weaknesses.”

“…”

“Make everyone see that Huashan is only strong because of their young fighters. Make Huashan understand that being famous means nothing if you are not really strong!”

“I will remember that, Sect Leader.”

“If you can’t do that…”

Hǒ Dàojin hesitated and shook his head. “Go and return.”

“Yes, Sect Leader! I will do what you asked and come back.”

Hě Shānzi stood up. As he turned to leave, he glanced back. But he couldn’t say what he was worried about, so he just walked faster.

Tap.

Stepping outside and leaving the door, he saw the clear sky.

– If you can’t do that…

What was the Sect Leader trying to say? He couldn’t even guess. Hě Shānzi soon became serious and hurried on.