Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 697

Nanchang, a city in Jiangxi Province, China.

Nanchang is not as famous as some other big cities nearby, like Wuhan, Hangzhou, or Hefei.

But Nanchang was still the capital, and today, it felt like the center of the world. The streets were crowded with people.

The White Crane Pavilion, the largest tavern in Nanchang, was also bustling.

The people on the top floor were loudly talking about something. Even though Nanchang was far from Henan, the center of China, they were all talking about the Heavenly Union.

A man, his face red from drinking, leaned forward and said loudly, “So!”

“The Mount Hua Sect joined! It was really something!”

“Oh!”

“What was it like?”

The people around him listened closely, their eyes shining.

The man, Chen Ping, had traveled to Shaanxi to see the Heavenly Union’s founding ceremony. Everyone was interested in what he had to say.

“I don’t know if it’s because I’m from the Central Plains, but it was definitely special. It had a certain class,” he said.

“Come on, man!” someone replied. “Mount Hua can’t compare to the North Sea Ice Palace or the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. Even the Sichuan Tang Clan was there!”

“Were you there?” Chen Ping asked.

“…No, I wasn’t.”

“Then don’t talk if you haven’t seen it!” Chen Ping said. “Before I went, no one respected Mount Hua.”

Chen Ping had always downplayed Mount Hua. He would say that it would never be a great sect, no matter how successful it seemed.

“You won’t know unless you see it!” Chen Ping insisted.

“How great could it have been…?” someone mumbled.

“The rumors don’t even begin to describe Mount Hua!” Chen Ping exclaimed. “Think about it. Are the Sichuan Tang Clan, the North Sea Ice Palace, or the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace ordinary groups?”

“That’s right,” someone agreed.

“Would such powerful groups let Mount Hua lead the Heavenly Union?” Chen Ping asked.

“Hmm. Now that you mention it…”

Chen Ping grabbed a wine glass and emptied it in one gulp.

“My throat is burning!” he said.

He reached for the wine bottle, but it was empty. He looked embarrassed.

Before he could say anything, the others quickly ordered more wine.

“Waiter! Hey, waiter! Bring us some wine quickly! A good one! And bring us some snacks too!”

“Yes, yes! Coming right away!”

Once the new wine arrived, Chen Ping filled his glass and spoke again.

“If you had seen Mount Hua in Shaanxi, you would agree with me. Mount Hua is more amazing than you think. They may not have many members, but that doesn’t matter. Mount Hua’s reputation has soared!”

“That’s right. That’s right,” the others said.

“Mount Hua may already be the most powerful group in Shaanxi, but they won’t stop there. With the Heavenly Union, Mount Hua will become even stronger! Soon, Mount Hua will be greater than the Nine Great Sects!”

“Oh… Is that so?”

“I’ve heard that Jang Il-so of the Myriad Man House even visited Mount Hua,” Chen Ping added.

“Amazing. Jang Il-so…”

The people at the nearby tables were now listening to their conversation.

Some were pretending to listen, while others turned their chairs to show they were interested.

“Excuse me,” someone said cautiously.

“Were there any members of the Nine Great Sects there? What were they like?”

“What do you mean, what were they like?” Chen Ping asked.

“Did they seem unhappy?”

“Ah,” Chen Ping chuckled. “I didn’t see any signs of that.”

“Ah… Is that so?” The man tilted his head, surprised. “The Heavenly Union wouldn’t have been welcome to the Nine Great Sects.”

“You say that because you don’t know,” Chen Ping replied. “Even if that were true, they couldn’t show it. The Heavenly Union had too much energy.”

“Ah.”

Chen Ping grinned. “Soon, even the Nine Great Sects will have to pay attention to the Heavenly Union.”

“Hey. Does that make sense?” someone asked.

“Haha. It’s normal to think that way. But think about it. When you first heard of Mount Hua, would you have thought they would take over Jongnam and become the most powerful group in Shaanxi?” Chen Ping said.

“…Well.”

Everyone was silent.

No one could argue with that. No one would have thought that Mount Hua, which was almost destroyed, would defeat Jongnam, a respected member of the Nine Great Sects, and force them to close their gates.

There were other reasons, but they didn’t know them and didn’t need to.

“Jongnam is like that now, so the Nine Great Sects could be next. Maybe Jongnam is afraid to open its gates now! Haha!”

Just then…

Wham!

Someone slammed the table.

The noisy crowd turned to see what was happening.

A middle-aged man with an angry face glared at Chen Ping.

“I’ve been listening to your nonsense!” he shouted.

Chen Ping was scared and shut his mouth.

‘Wh-who…?’

He looked at the man’s clothes. He recognized the symbol on the shoulder. Chen Ping’s face turned pale.

‘J-Jongnam…’

Jongnam had been in seclusion for a long time.

Since they were in seclusion, Jongnam’s main members couldn’t travel. However, Jongnam’s regular members were still traveling around.

Jongnam had many regular members. Chen Ping had just met one.

“Who is the most powerful group in Shaanxi?” the man asked angrily.

The people on the top floor were too scared to speak.

“Jongnam can’t open its gates because it’s afraid of Mount Hua?” the man continued. “Say that again while looking me in the eye!”

“Ah, Great Hero. That’s not what I meant…” Chen Ping stammered.

The man’s face didn’t soften. Then, the man’s friends spoke.

“Brother, calm down. Why are you getting angry at words spoken without thinking?”

“So, you’re saying we should let him get away with his rude words?” the man asked.

“Of course not. Words cannot be taken back. He must pay the price,” the friend replied.

The man’s friends stood up.

The others recognized them and shouted, “…The Three Swords of Taihang!”

“Wh-why are they here?”

The Three Swords of Taihang were swordsmen who were mainly active in the Taihang Mountains. They were from Jongnam’s regular family and traveled around without creating a new group.

They were proud of being Jongnam’s regular family and couldn’t stand hearing insults.

The man next to the angry one spoke to Chen Ping. He seemed cold.

“Did you say that Jongnam is afraid of Mount Hua?”

“…Th-that is, I didn’t mean that…”

“If that’s not it, then why did you say it?”

“…”

The man clicked his tongue. “In the Jianghu, if you say things you can’t prove, you can be killed. What will you do? Will you give up your rude tongue? Or will you give up your wrist?”

“G-Great Hero! I was out of my mind and said nonsense. P-please…” Chen Ping begged.

The three men were cold.

“If you said nonsense, you must pay the price,” one of them said.

As the men approached, Chen Ping closed his eyes.

‘I-I’m doomed.’

The Three Swords of Taihang were not great masters, but Chen Ping was not strong enough to fight them.

They were like grim reapers to ordinary people.

He was so scared that he almost wet himself.

“S-save me…”

Just as Chen Ping was about to beg for forgiveness, a calm voice spoke.

“…It doesn’t seem that wrong. Is there a need to threaten him like that?”

The three men stopped and turned to see who was speaking.

A man in a white robe was sitting by the window, drinking wine.

One of the Three Swords of Taihang asked, “Did you say it’s not wrong?”

“It was a bit much. But if we stop people from saying such things, what can we say?” the man in white replied.

“Only those who are not honest block the mouths of others. Isn’t that why you are threatening him now?”

The Three Swords of Taihang were angry.

“Who are you?” one of them asked.

“I’m no one important,” the man in white said.

“Someone without a name dares to say such things?”

“Haha.”

The man in white stood up.

“Having a reputation doesn’t make wrong things right, and not having a reputation doesn’t mean you have to accept injustice. Someone who uses the Plum Blossom Sword should do what’s right.” The man pointed to the flower pattern on his chest.

“Plum Blossom Sword?”

The Three Swords of Taihang felt a chill.

They were regular members of Jongnam and had been away for a long time, so they had never seen Mount Hua’s plum blossom pattern. But what other group uses a flower as its symbol?

“You… Are you from Mount Hua?”

The man smiled.

“What does that matter? What’s important is that I won’t let you get away with this. Leave now. Or you will see how sharp my sword is.”

“You!”

Clang! Clang clang!

The Three Swords of Taihang drew their swords.

The man shook his head. “Don’t blame my sword for being merciless.”

Screeeech.

The man slowly drew his sword.

The tavern was silent.