Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 607

The color drained from Song Tae-ak’s face.

‘A Taoist from the Wudang Sect?’

Why would a Taoist suddenly come here?

“W-Wudang? Who from Wudang is coming here?”

“I don’t know. I, I haven’t been able to find out exactly yet. But there are more than just one or two. At least close to a hundred…”

“A, a hundred? One hundred?”

Song Tae-ak’s eyes widened in shock, feeling like they might burst from their sockets.

‘This is no ordinary matter.’

Of course, since the Wudang Sect was located in Hubei, it wasn’t unusual to see them in Wuhan. But it was rare for so many to move at once.

Unless there was a problem with another sect, or something to resolve in Wuhan.

The Daebyeolchae were defeated. Wuhan should be peaceful now. Why are Wudang coming?

“Are you really sure they’re coming here?”

“I, I think so.”

Of course. Damn it, of course, they were.

There was only one reason why Wudang would bother to come to this peaceful Wuhan.

Song Tae-ak’s gaze darted towards the Mount Hua disciples. The Mount Hua disciples, too, couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

“Why are the Wudang coming?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re just coming to say hello.”

“No, why… why specifically?”

But if they were bewildered by the arrival of the Wudang, they should be looking towards the main gate where the Wudang would enter. Instead, their gazes kept flicking towards one person squatting behind them. Their faces were filled with dismay.

‘We’re doomed.’

‘Why does it have to be when this brat is here!’

‘The Sect Leader isn’t even here right now…’

‘W-Won’t the elders do something?’

Everyone couldn’t hide their anxiety at the thought of Chung Myung facing the Wudang Sect in Hyun Jong’s absence.

Seeing that strange atmosphere, Song Tae-ak felt even more faint.

“S-Senior Manager.”

“Ugh…”

Only after hearing the voice calling him did he suddenly notice, nodding his head vigorously.

Whether Mount Hua was here or not, if they came here, their reason would be ‘visiting the Geumseon Merchant Guild.’

So, as the guild’s senior manager, he had to greet them.

‘Why at a time like this…’

Song Tae-ak didn’t even think to wipe the sweat flowing down his face as he dashed towards the main gate. Or, he tried to.

But after taking a couple of hurried steps, he stopped in his tracks. And with a reluctant expression, he looked at the Mount Hua elders and Chung Myung as if taking them all in at once.

“Um…”

Swallowing hard, Song Tae-ak opened his mouth with difficulty.

He couldn’t understand why he had to explain such an obvious thing. But an unknown anxiety stopped him in his tracks.

“Just speaking out of concern, but in case there’s anything with the Wudang Sect…”

“No need to worry,” Hyun Young said casually.

“We’re Taoists too, we don’t want trouble with the Wudang.”

“Thank you. Ah, and that…”

This time, Song Tae-ak’s gaze subtly turned towards Chung Myung.

He wasn’t just lucky in business. With just his intuition, he knew who he needed to get confirmation from right now. And that person wasn’t Hyun Young.

“What?”

“…No, that… the Taoist…”

“Are you worried I might pick a fight with the Wudang kids?”

It wasn’t Song Tae-ak who reacted first to those words.

The Mount Hua disciples guarding the surroundings flinched as if they’d been stabbed in the heart.

Chung Myung turned his head slightly to look at everyone. The moment their eyes met, the Mount Hua disciples all subtly averted their gazes.

‘Not again,’ one disciple thought, remembering the last time Chung Myung had faced a rival sect.

“Tsk.”

“…”

Chung Myung turned his gaze to Song Tae-ak and grinned.

“Aww, Senior Manager, you’re too much. I’m still a Taoist, you know. Would I just go around picking fights with anyone?”

That’s right.

An ordinary Taoist wouldn’t.

But it’s because you don’t look like a Taoist that we’re doing this.

“Um… Elders?”

He desperately sent a look to the elders next to Chung Myung, begging them to do something, but they, too, subtly avoided Song Tae-ak’s gaze.

“Hehe.”

“No, don’t just laugh…”

“Hehehe. The weather is really nice.”

“…”

Speechless, Song Tae-ak stared blankly into the air, wondering what to do about this situation. Then, he heard a voice mixed with laughter in his ear.

“Do you have time for this? Important guests are coming, so we should go out and greet them, right?”

At the sight of Chung Myung grinning, Song Tae-ak’s stomach twisted once.

“Kkeueueung!”

But every word was absolutely right.

‘Heavens and earth!’

Song Tae-ak left the Mount Hua disciples behind and ran forward.

Standing in front of the wide-open main gate, he could clearly see many people approaching from the distance.

It was definitely Wudang.

They wore the familiar black robes, but their faces were set and hard, unlike the friendly Wudang he remembered. The air around them felt colder, heavier.

‘Yes, the feeling is too different.’

Swallowing hard, Song Tae-ak subtly rubbed his cold fingertips.

And he watched as those wearing the black Taoist robes, symbolizing Taoists, walked with dignified strides.

Anyone living in Hubei would be familiar with that attire. Song Tae-ak, too, had often seen that sight, having visited Wudang for business or when high-ranking members of Wudang visited the Geumseon Merchant Guild.

But the Wudang now were completely different from the feeling he had received back then.

However, it wasn’t like they were similar to Mount Hua either. The atmosphere they exuded was completely different.

Mount Hua was like a group of playful students on holiday, but the Wudang arrived with the serious air of strict teachers.

Perhaps this was the true face of Wudang that they hadn’t shown Song Tae-ak until now.

‘T-The pressure…’

The Greatest Sword Sect Under Heaven.

At the same time, the Greatest Taoist Sect Under Heaven.

No other fancy words were needed. These two phrases alone were enough to explain Wudang’s position in the *Jianghu*, the world of martial arts.

And that Greatest Taoist Sect Under Heaven was now approaching Song Tae-ak with stern faces.

A moment later, Taoist priests from the Wudang Sect walked in a line and stopped at the main gate of the Geumseon Merchant Guild.

Song Tae-ak, who had been waiting silently, quickly spoke as soon as the Wudang Taoists stopped moving.

“Oh! Welcome, welcome!”

His legs were trembling slightly.

Song Tae-ak was a powerful businessman. But even his power felt small compared to the Wudang Sect.

“I am Song Tae-ak, the head of the Geumseon Merchant Guild. I have visited Wudang a few times before…”

“Ah.”

Then, one of the middle-aged men at the front stepped forward, faced Song Tae-ak, and smiled gently.

“You must be the head of the Geumseon Merchant Guild. I apologize. We are just simple Taoists from the mountains, please forgive us for not recognizing you right away. I didn’t expect such a distinguished guest to come out to greet us in person.”

“Ah…”

“I am Heo San-ja, an elder of Wudang.”

Heo San-ja gave a friendly smile, but his eyes remained sharp. Song Tae-ak trembled slightly.

The people he had met before were in charge of Wudang’s finances. Although everyone liked money, the finance department wasn’t very important in Wudang.

This meant it was the first time Song Tae-ak had met a real leader from Wudang.

“H-Heo San-ja!”

“Please, just call me Heo San-ja.”

“Yes, Elder.”

Song Tae-ak swallowed hard.

A Wudang elder was not someone to be ignored. In the Central Plains, a Wudang elder had as much power as the head of the Ten Great Merchant Guilds.

Considering the sect they represented, they might have even more power.

Yet, Heo San-ja was not bossy. Instead, he was humble and polite.

‘This is the famous Wudang,’ Song Tae-ak thought.

In that moment, he understood why Wudang was famous everywhere and why people respected them so much.

“W-what brings you here…?”

Song Tae-ak quickly realized his mistake and stopped talking.

It was rude to ask a guest their business at the gate. He would never normally make such a mistake. But without thinking, he wished he could keep them outside, away from Mount Hua. That’s why he made a mistake.

“Ah, ah.”

But Heo San-ja smiled gently, as if he didn’t mind the mistake.

“I heard that the Taoists from the Mount Hua Sect are staying at the Geumseon Merchant Guild. Is that correct?”

Song Tae-ak didn’t answer right away.

He had suspected this was the reason, and now it was confirmed. But Heo San-ja’s eyes seemed to say, ‘We know you’re trying to switch from Wudang to Mount Hua.’

Although his eyes were gentle, Song Tae-ak felt a chill.

Then, Heo San-ja asked again.

“Is it so?”

“Ah… Yes! Yes! They are here. Inside… Mount Hua is…”

Heo San-ja spoke a Taoist prayer quietly.

“I have also heard that the Mount Hua Sect defeated the Daebyeolchae and helped the people. As fellow Taoists, we should pay our respects and thank them. That’s why I came here. If it’s not too much trouble, could we meet the Taoists of the Mount Hua Sect?”

Heo San-ja had gone too far for Song Tae-ak to refuse.

“O-of course, Elder. Please, come inside.”

“Thank you.”

Song Tae-ak glanced behind Heo San-ja.

‘His words and actions are so different,’ he thought.

Heo San-ja said he wanted to thank Mount Hua, but the Wudang disciples behind him looked angry and hostile.

But what could he do?

He was caught between the powerful sects of Wudang and Mount Hua. He could only do as he was told, let them meet, and pray that nothing bad would happen.

No, this time he should pray to the Primordial Lord of Heaven.

Song Tae-ak, his heart pounding, led Heo San-ja and the Wudang disciples through the main gate of the Geumseon Merchant Guild. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the sudden silence of the courtyard. Before they had taken more than a few steps, they saw them: the Mount Hua disciples. They were lounging inside, scattered like fallen leaves after a storm.

Seeing this scene, Song Tae-ak felt like something was very wrong. *It’s even worse seeing them like this,* he thought, a wave of unease washing over him.

Maybe it was because he still felt the intense energy of the Wudang disciples, so disciplined and serious, in his very bones?

Compared to the perfectly lined-up Wudang, the Mount Hua disciples, just sitting and leaning around with no order, looked almost like a gang of street kids.

They were both Taoist sects, but they were so different!

But they did have one thing in common: their eyes.

The Mount Hua disciples’ eyes were just as sharp as the Wudang disciples’.

No, even more so…

“Huh?”

Just then, Chung Myung, who had been squatting in the middle like the leader of the gang, jumped up. He smiled brightly and ran over.

“Wow, Elder! It’s been so long!”

He ran over, grinning foolishly, grabbed Heo San-ja’s hands, and shook them up and down with unnatural enthusiasm.

“Huh…”

“That crazy bastard…”

The Mount Hua disciples said what Song Tae-ak was thinking.

“Heh, heh heh. Heh heh heh heh.”

Heo San-ja laughed, as if he was dumbfounded.

“It has indeed been a long time, Little Taoist.”

“That’s right, that’s right! It’s the first time I’m seeing you since we met at the Sword Tomb. How many years has it been? Time passes so quickly as you get older, I don’t really know.”

That crazy bastard.

Song Tae-ak’s face turned pale with horror. Chung Myung was saying things that a young person shouldn’t dare to say in front of Heo San-ja.

But Heo San-ja seemed used to Chung Myung’s behavior. Instead of getting angry, he laughed heartily.

“Indeed. It has been a long time. You’ve become quite strong.”

“Yes. It’s really nice to see you again. We even fought together a little bit…”

Thud!

Just then, Hyun Young’s fist landed on Chung Myung’s head.

“Don’t act up and go back there.”

“Ah, Sect Leader! You don’t have to hit me…”

“Do you want to get hit more?”

“I’m going now!”

Chung Myung covered his head, pouted, and ran back. Heo San-ja laughed helplessly.

‘He’s really not easy to deal with,’ Heo San-ja thought.

Whether Chung Myung had planned it all out or was just genuinely happy, it was impossible to know. But he had completely ruined the atmosphere that Wudang was trying to create.

‘No matter,’ Heo San-ja thought.

Heo San-ja looked at Hyun Sang and Hyun Young, who had stepped forward, and opened his mouth.

“Greetings.”

“Greetings.”

They exchanged Taoist greetings and clasped their hands in front of their chests, then raised their heads and looked at each other.

The moment they made eye contact with gentle smiles, the surrounding air changed, and tension began to build.