Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 755

“…Yes?”

Deng Qian blinked his large eyes.

As the second disciple of the Ghostly Gate, he had been on his way back from delivering a special package when he stopped by a mountain village and received orders from above to go to Jiujiang immediately. He had just arrived.

But the gentlemen in front of him were spouting stories he couldn’t understand at all.

“You just need to spread the rumor.”

“The rumor?”

“Yes. Spread the rumor that the Escort Chief is taking a ship with a special delivery.”

“…Why would we do that?”

Of course, informing people about special deliveries and the Galaxy Escort Agency was one of the duties of the Escort Chiefs. That’s why Deng Qian was wearing such flamboyant attire.

Publicity is half the battle in any business.

No matter how useful a special escort might be, who would seek it out if people didn’t even know it existed?

That’s why both the Galaxy Escort Agency and the Ghostly Gate had been working hard to promote the existence of special escorts.

‘But isn’t this a different matter?’

Why spread such a rumor in Jiujiang, where there didn’t seem to be many people who would request an escort anyway? It would only increase the danger.

“Don’t make it look like you are trying to spread rumors,” Baek Cheon said, his voice calm but firm. “Make it sound like everyday talk, but make sure everyone hears it. It needs to feel natural.”

Deng Qian blinked, still trying to understand. He stared at Baek Cheon. *Handsome*, he thought suddenly. *Ridiculously handsome*. It was almost unfair. Baek Cheon smiled, a bright, confident smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and repeated, “Naturalness is key.”

A strange thought popped into Deng Qian’s head. *Maybe heaven gives some people too much in one area and not enough in others*. He blinked again. *This man is incredibly good-looking, but is he… a little bit crazy?*

“Do you understand?” Baek Cheon asked, tilting his head slightly.

“…Yes,” Deng Qian said slowly. “I understand *what* you’re saying. But… *why*? The martial world is already in chaos because of the river pirates. Spreading rumors like this will just bring more danger, won’t it?”

“Yes, that’s exactly it.”

“Yes?”

“That’s what we want.”

Deng Qian smiled back at Baek Cheon, who was smiling brightly.

‘He’s definitely out of his mind.’

Come to think of it, he seemed to recall hearing somewhere that the Mount Hua people were all crazy, despite being strong…

Thinking about it, this gentleman was quite something when he visited the Ghostly Gate before…

“Then what happens after that?”

“We have to take a ship.”

“…A ship?”

“Yes.”

“You’re saying we should spread rumors that a special escort is on board, attract the pirates, and then actually take a ship?”

“Yes, that’s right. But don’t worry. We’ll be on board with you. The Escort Chief won’t even get a scratch. Please trust us.”

Instead of answering, Deng Qian slowly moved his gaze from left to right.

Seeing all the Mount Hua disciples with confident expressions, he couldn’t help but smile.

“…Am I the only special escort in this area?”

“…”

“If it’s okay with you, you could call someone else…”

“Hahaha. You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not joking…”

“We don’t have much time. Now, now. Please do your best!”

“Hey, you gentlemen! Do you have like ten lives?! You have to say something that makes sense…!”

In the end, Jo Gul and Yoon Jong dragged Deng Qian, who was shouting and getting angry, away.

Watching them, Baek Cheon sighed and expressed his doubt.

“Why can’t he understand?”

“Sasuk.”

“Hmm?”

Tang Soso smiled brightly and offered some kind advice.

“When we return to Mount Hua, don’t play with Sajae Chung Myung for a while.”

“…”

“They say you start to resemble the people you see often, and I think that’s really true.”

Wasn’t that an insult?

Right? Wasn’t it?

Tang Soso, her face reddened, hurriedly covered her mouth.

“Hic… Hic…”

She mustn’t laugh. She mustn’t make fun of their hard work.

But…

‘I, I can’t take it anymore!’

“No, what is this!”

In the end, she couldn’t hold back her shout, and the other disciples turned to look at each other. Then, realizing how absurd and ridiculous they looked, they let out hollow laughs.

Jo Gul looked at Yoon Jong and said.

“Sahyung.”

“Hmm?”

“…What, are you going to farm somewhere?”

Yoon Jong, who had casually thrown on some plain cotton clothes he had found somewhere, looked as if he was about to go hoe a field.

“Why are your pants rolled up so high?”

“…I just copied someone I saw passing by?”

“It must have been a woodcutter who came to sell things at the market. With such a lack of style…”

Jo Gul clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry for him, and Yoon Jong, feeling annoyed, shouted.

“What about you, you rascal!”

“What’s wrong with me? This is the silk that’s all the rage in Hangzhou these days! Tsk tsk tsk. I was once a big shot in Sichuan…”

“Have you ever even been to Hangzhou?”

“…”

Wearing a silk robe embroidered with clashing red and gold flowers that seemed to shout for attention, he looked less like a young master from a wealthy family and more like a gangster roaming the streets at night.

But those two were still better off.

“Sago…”

Tang Soso couldn’t bring herself to look Yu Yiseol in the face and turned her head away. Still, she had faithfully followed the instructions to dress in a way that made her look rich, and the fabric of her clothes looked good. It was just that her top was yellow, her pants were blue, and her outer robe was red, which was the problem.

Just looking at her made her head spin.

“Sago, this is…”

Yu Yiseol turned her head to look at someone with a wronged expression and said.

“At least I made an effort.”

Then everyone’s eyes were fixed on one person.

“Wh-what am I supposed to do!”

The man who had become the center of attention burst out in resentment with a voice filled with anguish.

“Wh-what difference would it make if I wore different clothes! In the first place…”

“He’s bald.”

“That’s right, he’s bald.”

“It’s not easy to find a young bald man.”

Tears welled up in Hae Yeon’s eyes.

No, frankly, did it even make sense to tell a monk to dress in a way that made him look rich?

If he wore silk clothes, he would be a bald man in silk clothes, and if he wore leather fur, he would be a bald man in fur!

Hae Yeon even had the 계인 mark on his head. No matter how he disguised himself, he would only look like a renegade monk who had run away from the temple at best.

So, in the end, he had no choice but to find ordinary gray monk’s robes instead of the Shaolin’s yellow robes.

“There are also wandering monks… wouldn’t that be okay?”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I understand the monk’s situation.”

Everyone understood Hae Yeon’s situation. Tang Soso said firmly.

“Even if we don’t know Hae Yeon, the others can’t! Change your clothes again.”

A troubled look crossed Yoon Jong’s face.

“But Soso, I’ve never worn anything other than Mount Hua’s robes since I was a child. So I don’t know what to wear…”

“Jo Gul Sahyung.”

“Hmm?”

“Go to the nearby shopping district and buy a few sets of clothes that merchants wear. Just carry a bundle on your back and pretend to be merchants.”

“Oh… I didn’t think of that. I’m from a merchant family myself.”

“Go quickly.”

“Yes!”

As Jo Gul and Yoon Jong ran out, Tang Soso let out a deep sigh.

They were more reliable than anyone else when it came to martial arts, but when it came to ordinary matters, they were worse than ordinary people.

It was then.

“Is everyone ready?”

Baek Cheon, who had finished changing his clothes, opened the door and entered.

“…”

“…”

Everyone couldn’t answer and stared at him with blank eyes. Baek Cheon asked, slightly embarrassed.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“No. That…”

Tang Soso blinked her eyes and chose her words.

Unexpectedly, Baek Cheon had come perfectly disguised, unlike her expectations. The dark ocher cotton clothes seemed appropriate for someone doing hard labor, and his hair, tied up tightly after removing the hero’s headband, was a style that could be seen among ordinary merchants.

But…

“It’s strange.”

“It’s really strange.”

“It’s a talent to be able to look this mismatched.”

The clothes and the person were completely separate.

Anyone could see that he looked like a child from a wealthy family who had run away from home and stolen his servant’s clothes.

“The world is really unfair…”

Tang Soso, pushing aside Baek Sang, who was sighing as if he felt wronged, shook her head.

“Sasuk, it’s not going to work. Let’s give up on the merchant idea.”

“Hmm?”

“Since it’s come to this, let’s go the opposite way. Dress up from head to toe in silk clothes so that anyone can see that you’re a young master from a noble family on a pleasure trip to the Yangtze River.”

“Why should I do that?”

“…I’m too annoyed to explain the reason, so just do as I say.”

“…”

“We’re supposed to take the ship this afternoon, so everyone needs to move quickly! Got it?”

“Ah, I understand.”

“What about me! Why don’t you evaluate me?”

Tang Soso smiled at Baek Sang’s words.

“Sasuk is fine. You can wear anything.”

“Why?”

“If you wear good clothes, you’ll look like a chief manager following a young nobleman, and if you wear rough clothes, you’ll look like a servant. Just stick close to Baek Cheon Sasuk.”

“…”

Leaving Baek Sang, whose soul had been instantly shaken and whose bones and flesh had been separated, Tang Soso clapped her hands smartly.

“What are you doing? Hurry up! Move quickly.”

Just in time, Jo Gul, who had returned panting, handed out the clothes he had bought to everyone. Everyone began to pick out clothes and put them on.

“Ugh. What is this all about.”

“Will it really work?”

“I don’t have much faith…”

“How could this work? We’re just doing it because we were told to.”

Listening to the complaints pouring out from here and there, Baek Cheon let out a deep sigh.

‘Chung Myung.’

The day is coming when I will understand you.

To be honest, I really want to beat them all up…

All of them…

“There he is.”

“Let’s get on board.”

The disciples of Mount Hua watched Deng Qian’s back as he boarded the ship.

Unexpectedly, Deng Qian had done a good job of carrying out his mission. Thanks to him, the story that the Galaxy Escort Agency’s special escort had come to Jiujiang had spread more than expected.

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul quietly exchanged words.

“They won’t notice, will they?”

“There shouldn’t be any problems. Unless they reside here, the information that the pirates can get from the water camps will only be fragmented.”

“Hmm. I guess so?”

“I don’t know if Sasuk considered that far.”

Is this guy serious?

It was the moment when Baek Cheon was about to say something.

“There’s no way he did.”

“He was just lucky.”

“The mouse is unlucky too.”

Tap tap.

His stomach hurt.

He didn’t realize it when he was complaining about that Chung Myung with those guys.

The fact that these guys were so full of complaints.

‘I wish they would all die.’

Sincerely…!

“Let’s go now.”

“Okay.”

Baek Cheon took the lead. With each step he took, his splendid silk robe fluttered elegantly.

“Huh?”

But he stopped and looked back because he didn’t hear anyone following him.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“Go ahead.”

“…Why?”

“Sasuk is a nobleman and we are merchants, so it would be strange if we went together.”

“Take Baek Sang Sasuk and get on board first.”

“…”

Baek Cheon asked with a slightly awkward expression.

“You’re not embarrassed to go with me, are you?”

Only deep silence returned. Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly and turned his body.

“Let’s go, Baek Sang.”

“…Yes, Sahyung.”

A slight tension flickered across his face as he headed towards the large ship docked at the pier.

‘The fact that there hasn’t been much damage to the merchants means that they were only targeting special escorts. If my guess is correct, they will definitely come this time as well.’

Having to face pirates on the water was a burden, but… if he just wasted time like this, he wouldn’t get anywhere.

‘What would that guy have done?’

Baek Cheon glanced up at the sky.

Every time he did this, he felt Chung Myung’s absence greatly. Until now, Chung Myung had been the one to start things without giving Baek Cheon a chance to think, and he only had to decide whether to push him or stop him. But now it was different.

Baek Cheon, who had hesitated for a moment, soon regained his composure and shook his head.

‘Be careful, but don’t hesitate.’

Baek Cheon, who had regained his composure, boarded the ship.