Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 832

The Abbot’s face was stern, a deep frown etched between his eyebrows. He was silent for a long moment, the only sound the soft crackle of the candle flame on his desk.

Fajie looked down, unable to meet the Abbot’s eyes. Shame burned in his cheeks.

Finally, the Abbot spoke, his voice low and heavy. “…Fajie. Is all of this… really true?”

“Abbot…” Fajie started, then stopped, his throat tight.

He groaned softly, words failing him. He felt like he should be able to explain, to defend himself, but no sound would come out.

“Haa…” The Abbot chuckled, finding the truth too unbelievable.

“An agreement with the Unorthodox Faction? A one-sided agreement that stops us from going into Jiangnan, even the Yangtze River?”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence, letting out a groan of despair.

‘It was my mistake.’

He made a mistake sending Fajie. If he was sending so many Shaolin warriors, he should have gone himself. Sending Fajie to handle just bandits was a big mistake.

“Hudo, you foolish man. How do you intend to fix this…? Amitabha. Amitabha.”

The Abbot muttered, shaking his head. His prayer beads clicked softly in his hand as he moved them restlessly. Fajie felt like he had swallowed a stone as he watched.

“Abbot… If things go terribly wrong, cast me out.”

“You?”

“Yes. We can say that I acted without the Abbot’s permission and that Shaolin’s intentions are different. It would be difficult for me to show my face, but Shaolin…”

“Foolish words!” The Abbot’s rebuke exploded forth.

“That would only cheapen Shaolin’s name. If we do such a thing to save ourselves, how will the world view Shaolin? From now on, any words not directly from my mouth will be considered light and easily overturned. That would be a self-inflicted wound to Shaolin’s prestige.”

“…”

“A stalemate. A stalemate. I understand, but…”

If it hadn’t been such an outrageous proposal, Jang Il-So wouldn’t have willingly released those he had captured.

But…

‘How am I supposed to fix this?’

If it had been just a year ago, it might not have been such a big deal. No matter how much the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families misbehaved, they would eventually rely on Shaolin again if they had nowhere else to turn.

But not now.

He now saw that ignoring the Heavenly Union when it started was a mistake that was now hurting them.

It was the Abbot who had pushed for the Heavenly Union, defying the opposition of the other Nine Sects. At the time, it was done for various reasons, but he never imagined that his actions would plunge Shaolin into such a predicament.

‘How could things have turned out so unfortunately?’

If he hadn’t tolerated the Heavenly Union’s founding.

If that Jang Il-So hadn’t organized the Unorthodox Alliance and set a trap on the Yangtze River.

If Hudo-Jinin hadn’t given up all reason to save his students, making such a desperate choice.

And if the Unorthodox Alliance hadn’t seized upon that desperate choice!

If only one of those things hadn’t happened, it could have been salvaged somehow. But all of it had come to pass, and all that remained was to salvage the prestige of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, which was currently being dragged through the mud.

“What has been the reaction?”

“The sects that didn’t go to the Yangtze River are demanding explanations. And although the rumors haven’t yet spread to Mount Song, so the public isn’t in an uproar, it will likely happen soon…”

“I see… It can’t be helped. Amitabha. Amitabha…” The Abbot chanted the Buddha’s name repeatedly, as if frustrated.

The hearts of the people are a fearsome thing.

The common folk may endure oppression to a certain extent, but once a line is crossed, they possess the power to take up farming tools and charge towards the imperial palace.

The moment they feel anger, surpassing disappointment, towards the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, their downfall will begin swiftly.

“What about the Heavenly Union?”

“…Yes?”

“What about Mount Hua? What is Mount Hua doing?”

Fajie looked at him, his face showing he didn’t understand, and answered hesitantly. “We left the Yangtze River first, so I’m not sure…”

The Abbot’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You mean you didn’t check what Mount Hua was doing?”

“The situation was…”

The Abbot squeezed his eyes shut. He sighed inwardly.

‘Ah… What am I to do?’

If Fajie had had the composure to step back and observe the situation, he would have been keenly aware of the Heavenly Union’s movements. Fajie wasn’t so foolish as not to understand that Mount Hua and the Heavenly Union stood to gain the most from the downfall of the Nine Great Sects.

But…

‘There is a clear difference between observing from a distance and perceiving the situation within the storm.’

The same went for Fajie and Hudo.

It was true that making calm decisions in a rapidly changing situation was difficult, but he hadn’t anticipated that they would panic to such an extent and make such absurd choices.

An era without war or strife.

Those who had grown in strength during that time might have become powerful, but they hadn’t matured. Even the Abbot hadn’t realized that they were no different from children with great strength.

“Did they show any signs of leaving the Yangtze River?”

“…Now that I think about it, we were in a hurry to leave, but they didn’t seem to be showing any particular signs of doing so.”

“I see… Yes, I see. There’s no way the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua would miss such an opportunity.”

The Abbot laughed in despair. “We’ve missed our chance. The rumor that we’ve allied with the Unorthodox Faction has already spread throughout the world. Even if we were to say now that the Heavenly Union and the Unorthodox Faction have made a secret pact, it would only sound like nonsense. We’ve lost. We’ve lost everything. Amitabha. Amitabha…”

The Abbot couldn’t hide his dismay. The more dismayed he became, the more distorted Fajie’s face became.

“I’m sorry, Abbot…”

“It’s not your fault.” The Abbot shook his head.

What good would it do to blame Fajie when the deed was already done? What he needed to think about now was how to salvage the situation.

“To the sects that inquire, answer that the treaty is indeed true.”

“But, but…”

“It’s better than starting something and then backing out. Tell them that Shaolin will take responsibility for what it must.”

“…Yes. I will.”

“And!” A flash of blue light emanated from the Abbot’s eyes.

“It is no different for the sects that were not there. As it is a treaty made in the name of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, tell them they must follow it.”

“A, Abbot!” Fajie’s eyes widened.

“This, this is our fault. But to force that on others…”

At the Chief Abbot’s stern command, Monk Beobgye fell silent.

The Chief Abbot’s face was so grave that Beobgye dared not even try to persuade him.

“There will be great opposition,” Beopjeong said.

“It cannot be helped,” he added.

Beopjeong looked at him, his eyes cold.

“It is, of course, not good to lose what people think and be met with resentment. But that is not the worst thing that could happen. The worst thing is that Shaolin loses its leading position among the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families because of this.”

“…”

“Even if people criticize us, we must remain the guiding star of the martial world. If they resist our decision and act on their own, the world will say that Shaolin is no longer the leader of the Nine Sects. We must prevent that from happening.”

Cold sweat began to form on Beobgye’s forehead.

He now realized the huge mistake he had made.

“And…”

“Yes, Chief Abbot,” Beobgye responded.

“Make it clear that Heodo of Wudang decided all of this, and Shaolin will not receive any visitors for one month.”

“Are you saying we should close the gates?” Beobgye asked.

“Not completely. We are merely not receiving visitors,” Beopjeong clarified.

Beopjeong sighed deeply.

“We need to wait for things to calm down, like waiting out a storm before going outside. First, let’s watch how people feel about this.”

After speaking, Beopjeong chanted a Buddhist prayer, looking slightly tired.

‘Those who are angry will look for someone to blame. It cannot be helped if the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families resent Shaolin, but we must stop people from criticizing Shaolin.’

‘In that case, we have no choice but to offer someone to blame.’

“Wudang… Because of this, Wudang will lose its standing. Heodo… Heodo… Really…”

Beopjeong couldn’t continue and closed his eyes.

‘Anyone leading a sect should understand why Real Person Heodo made this choice. Haven’t they learned from what happened to Mount Hua?’

Beopjeong didn’t want Shaolin to decline like Mount Hua during his time.

‘But even so, there is a limit.’

He understood, but he couldn’t accept it.

As Beopjeong sighed and shook his head—

“C, Chief Abbot!”

A hurried voice came from outside the door.

“What is it?” Beopjeong asked.

Beobgye quickly answered, and the door opened as Beophyo rushed inside.

“S, something terrible has happened,” Beophyo stammered.

“Don’t be so nervous. What is it?” Beopjeong asked again.

“W, Wudang’s…”

As soon as he heard the word Wudang, Beopjeong’s face stiffened.

“Real Person Heodo of Wudang has stepped down as sect leader and is going into seclusion.”

“What?”

Beopjeong jumped up from his seat, his eyes wide, and asked again, “Is that definitely the truth?”

“Yes. It’s news directly from Wudang.”

“T, this…”

Beopjeong’s voice trembled.

He thought they would only close the gates temporarily to avoid anger, but he never imagined they would do something so extreme.

‘Is he saying he will take all the blame?’

This requires great resolve.

A sect leader who steps down from their position never returns. That means Real Person Heodo is taking responsibility for this and completely resigning as sect leader.

“Who is the next sect leader?” Beopjeong asked.

“For now, Heosanja, Real Person Heodo’s junior brother, will be the acting sect leader.”

Beopjeong’s face turned pale.

“T, this fool…”

‘The worst thing a sinner can do is admit their sin. People don’t really know what happened. They’ll be confused and angry at the news, but once their anger cools down, they’ll assume there must have been reasons.’

‘The Nine Sects and the Five Great Families have built up a lot over the years, so some will defend them.’

‘However, Real Person Heodo taking responsibility and stepping down is like admitting that the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families have done something very wrong.’

“I must meet Real Person Heodo in person,” Beopjeong declared.

“That’s difficult, Chief Abbot. Wudang is said to be closing its doors for three months.”

“This…!”

Purple veins stood out on Beopjeong’s face.

“What on earth are you doing! Heodo, you utter fool!”

A thunderous roar came from Beopjeong, who rarely lost his temper.

“Why has it come to this! Why!”

His fingertips trembled with anger and shock.

‘It’s collapsing.’

‘The martial world order, centered on the Nine Sects, which he had tried to protect, was now being shattered.’

‘Has the chaotic era already arrived?’

‘The moment the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families lose their power, the world will no longer be peaceful.’

He could almost see the Central Plains burning.

“I will go to the Yangtze River. I must meet Mount Hua,” Beopjeong stated.

“Chief Abbot, we… cannot go to the Yangtze River,” Beobgye replied.

A sense of confusion and emptiness settled on Beopjeong’s face.

He looked at Beobgye silently, then laughed mockingly at his situation.

“Send a letter to the Mount Hua Sect Leader… No, to the Heavenly Union Lord. Tell them I request a meeting.”

“Yes,” Beobgye confirmed.

“Beobgye, when this is over, go to the Repentance Cave. I order you to meditate for six months.”

“I will obey,” Beobgye said.

“Hehehehe.”

The tower he had carefully built collapsed. It was as if everything he had built was just a sandcastle.

‘The Evil Faction, and the Heavenly Union,’

He closed his eyes and chanted a Buddhist prayer.

‘It is difficult.’

For the first time, Beopjeong felt that Shaolin’s name was losing its importance.