Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 700

“You blasted idiot! I thought I was going to die from the pain!”

“You should have hit me with more restraint!”

The Taeheng Three Swordsmen, a group known for their skill with swords, protested loudly, and Jin Yang-geon chuckled.

“Do you have any idea how many eyes were watching? If I had held back even a little, they would have noticed immediately.”

“Still, there’s a limit! Do you want to get hit by me once!”

Ma Wi-ryang looked like he would attack Jin Yang-geon. Gwa Hyeok-so waved his hand to stop him.

“That’s enough!”

“Big Brother!”

“Didn’t I say that’s enough!”

Gwa Hyeok-so frowned and said,

“He’s right. If we had done it carelessly, it would only arouse suspicion. You didn’t die from being hit, so you have to put up with this much.”

“Alright.”

Gwa Hyeok-so nodded slowly. Then, he looked at Jin Yang-geon with a fierce gaze and said.

“From now on, your role is important. You know what I mean, right?”

“Of course, Big Brother.”

“At this point, the Golden Sword Bureau, a powerful group that deals with law and order, will have no choice but to move. They are already worried and rushed, and if they hear that a master from Mount Hua has appeared right next to them, they’ll be desperate.”

“Yes.”

“Remember. If they reach out, don’t eagerly grab their hand, or everything will fall apart. We mustn’t give the impression that we’ve been waiting!”

Then, Jin Yang-geon smirked.

“Don’t worry. I know that much.”

“All talk and no action….”

Gwa Hyeok-so glanced around. There was no sign of anyone, but he seemed uneasy.

“Go. If you’re seen here with us, everything will be useless. Don’t come back until things progress further.”

“Yes, Big Brother. If the Golden Sword Bureau comes looking, I’ll contact you separately.”

“Alright. I’ll trust you.”

Jin Yang-geon bowed slightly and turned around. He left the Guan Yu Temple without a second glance, disappearing into the distance. The Guan Yu Temple was old, with faded red paint and the smell of incense hanging in the air. Dust motes danced in the shafts of sunlight that pierced through cracks in the wooden roof.

“Tsk.”

As Jin Yang-geon walked away, Ma Wi-ryang clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“That Jin is too clever.”

Ma Wi-ryang looked back at Gwa Hyeok-so with a very displeased expression.

“Big Brother. Can we really trust that bastard?”

“I don’t trust anyone except our brothers.”

“……”

“But there’s no need to doubt that rat. He can’t do anything without us either.”

“That’s true, but….”

“Enough.”

Gwa Hyeok-so waved his hand.

“We won’t be seeing him again after this is over anyway.”

A bitter smile spread across his lips.

“Anyway, the situation is unfolding better than expected. Thanks to that Pae Geun visiting Mount Hua himself, things have become twice as easy.”

“Isn’t it heaven helping us!”

“Indeed.”

Gwa Hyeok-so and Ma Wi-ryang smiled at each other. But then, Jong-yo, the youngest of the Taeheng Three Swordsmen, who had been quiet for a moment, opened his mouth with a sullen face.

“But, Big Brother….”

“Hmm?”

“Is this really okay?”

“What are you talking about now?”

Jong-yo sighed deeply. Jong-yo felt a knot of worry in his stomach.

“I still feel uneasy. If we mess this up, not only will we be in trouble, but the reputation of Jongnam, the main school, will also fall to the ground….”

“You!”

Gwa Hyeok-so glared at him, causing Jong-yo to flinch and shrink back.

“Jongnam? Blast it! Why do we have to think about Jongnam’s reputation! Have you already forgotten what that great Jongnam did to us?”

“That’s….”

“Isn’t Jongnam the place that closed its doors without a single word of consultation, even though they knew that the Sokga were active in the Jianghu, the world of martial artists?”

“Big Brother…. But isn’t the main sect like a parent to us?”

“Parents? Well said! Do only children have to be filial to their parents? Don’t parents also have a duty to protect their children!”

“……”

“Why should we care about the reputation of parents who abandoned their children without a word and ran away!”

Jong-yo couldn’t bring himself to respond to that and secretly sighed.

The main sect is like a reliable backing for the Sokga. The Sokga pay a certain amount to the main sect every year to maintain that backing, and the main sect plays the role of resolving problems that arise for the Sokga.

This is a master-disciple relationship, but on the other hand, it’s also like a contractual relationship.

However, Jongnam closed its doors without a word, effectively breaking this contract in an instant.

Thanks to this, the Sokga, who had been active believing in the main sect, were caught in a sudden disaster.

The Taeheng Three Swordsmen had also roamed the Jianghu, and there were more than a few who had harbored ill feelings towards them in the process. Those who had not dared to act recklessly against them because of Jongnam’s power sharpened their swords as soon as they heard the news, causing them great trouble.

“Enough talk! We have to survive first, regardless of the main sect or whatever!”

As Jong-yo couldn’t shake off his uneasy expression, Ma Wi-ryang stepped in to soothe him.

“Youngest. If things are handled well, there won’t be any harm to the main sect. Isn’t that why we need that guy?”

“That’s….”

“If things go according to Big Brother’s plan, the responsibility for everything that happens here will fall on Mount Hua, not Jongnam. So, this can be said to be helping the main sect.”

“That’s right!”

As Ma Wi-ryang and Gwa Hyeok-so said the same thing at the same time, Jong-yo had no choice but to nod.

“It must be so.”

Gwa Hyeok-so’s eyes gleamed.

“I’m sick of making a living with swords. If this goes well, we can take a large sum of money and leave the Jianghu. Then, all that’s left is to live the rest of our lives in comfort.”

Jong-yo asked with a sullen face.

“But what if that guy tells the secret?”

“Tells?”

Gwa Hyeok-so smiled crookedly.

“That could happen. But after things are finished, the only one who will listen to that guy will be King Yama.”

“……”

“Don’t worry too much. I feel like the current situation is a situation created by heaven to help us. If it weren’t for heaven’s help, would we have found a guy who uses a sword similar to the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, a sword style known for its quick and beautiful moves, and would that Jang Il-so have come to Mount Hua himself?”

Ma Wi-ryang nodded in agreement.

“That’s right, Big Brother.”

Gwa Hyeok-so looked at Jong-yo with a slightly softened face.

“If you’re really worried, you can send some of the money you earn after this is over to the main sect.”

“I understand, Big Brother.”

Gwa Hyeok-so nodded as Jong-yo readily answered.

“Then take care of your injured body. You’ll have to keep an eye on that rat so he doesn’t do anything foolish.”

“Yes!”

Watching his younger brothers quickly settle down and enter meditation, Gwa Hyeok-so’s eyes gleamed.

‘Thanks to finding one stupid rat, things are going smoothly. The Golden Sword Bureau will have to take this bait.’

Jin Yang-geon leaned against the window of a fancy tavern, looking down with a smirk. The tavern was noisy, dim, and smelled of strong liquor.

‘Stupid bastards.’

Thinking about how agitated the Taeheng Three Swordsmen had been yesterday, he couldn’t help but laugh. He couldn’t understand how those fools, who showed hostility throughout their work together, had gained such fame. Jianghu people should know how to hide their true feelings.

‘They’ll probably try to get rid of me and take all the money for themselves after the job is done.’

Jin Yang-geon laughed again.

Those guys were clearly planning to put all the blame on him, get rid of him, and cover up what they had done, but Jin Yang-geon was not one to fall for such obvious tricks.

When everything was over, they would be left empty-handed and shocked.

‘Mount Hua. Mount Hua, huh….’

A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

Who would have imagined that Mount Hua would become so successful? It was all thanks to them that he was able to plan something big, and he was more than grateful. If this went well, he was confident that he wouldn’t hesitate to bow three times in the direction of Mount Hua every morning when he opened his eyes.

“Anyway, it’s now a place that’s like my own sect. Heh heh.”

An evil laugh echoed softly. At that moment, a group of people appeared through the stairs of the tavern.

Jin Yang-geon quickly composed himself. His expression became perfectly calm, but his heart began to pound as if he had run at full speed. He could see the image of a sword embroidered with gold thread on the left chest of those who had appeared.

‘The Golden Sword Bureau!’

Jin Yang-geon clenched his fist under the table, inwardly cheering. He had expected them to come, but he didn’t expect them to move so quickly!

Those who had come up and were looking around quickly found Jin Yang-geon and approached him. Then, they bowed with the utmost politeness.

“Are you perhaps Jin Yang-geon, Great Hero Jin?”

Jin Yang-geon, who had been pretending to look out the window, slowly and leisurely turned his head to look at those in front of him.

“I am Jin. But who might you be?”

“We are from the Golden Sword Bureau. The Deputy Chief would like to invite Great Hero Jin as a guest to discuss something. If it’s not too much trouble, would you be willing to visit the Golden Sword Bureau?”

“Hmm….”

Jin Yang-geon pretended to ponder, humming lowly, and then picked up the glass in front of him and slowly drank it.

Clunk!

And then, he put the glass down with a sound and nodded.

“I don’t know what it is, but I’ve heard a lot about the Deputy Chief of the Golden Sword Bureau, Great Hero Sang’s character. It wouldn’t be polite to refuse such a person’s invitation.”

Jin Yang-geon leisurely got up from his seat. And then, with a gentle smile on his face, he gestured politely.

“Lead the way.”

“Thank you! Escort the Great Hero!”

“Yes!”

Guarded by the Golden Sword Bureau experts on either side, Jin Yang-geon slowly began to descend the tavern.

‘It won’t be long now.’

A subtle smile flickered across his lips, unnoticed by others.

But unfortunately, he had no idea that a disaster he had never encountered in his life was rushing towards him at an incredible speed.