Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 833

The rumour exploded across the Central Plains like a thunderclap. It was said that the Sahe Lian (a shadowy, powerful group) had made a strong, unbreakable treaty with the Nine Great Sects (the most respected schools of martial arts) and the Kangho Alliance (a huge union of martial artists). At first, many people refused to believe it. “Impossible!” they said. But then, more news arrived, like wave after wave crashing on the shore. Each new report confirmed the last, and slowly, shock turned to disbelief, and then to anger.

“How could the respected groups join with the less respected groups?”

“Is ‘joining with them’ too strong a word?”

“If it’s not joining with them, then what else could it be?!”

“Well, yes, but…”

The news that enraged those who heard the rumours the most was that they had abandoned the Yangtze River.

The river pirates on the Yangtze River were badly hurt in the war. If the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were not allowed to go on the Yangtze, wouldn’t they cause chaos?

This was like the Nine Sects and Five Great Families abandoning the innocent people of Kangnam.

The people were furious, but the news that followed was even more shocking.

– The main person behind this treaty was Heo Do-jin of Wudang.

– Elder Beopgye of Shaolin, Nangong Hwang, the head of the Nangong Family, and Byeok Hyeon-ja, the leader of Qingcheng, all agreed with Heo Do-jin.

– The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families who did not go to the Yangtze also feel the same way about this treaty.

At first, it was just shock, but the second time, anger grew, and the third time, it turned into hatred. Those who were furious at the news went straight to Wudang Mountain.

People climbed the Haegeom Ridge, their hearts pounding with anger. When they reached the front gate of Wudang, they stopped. The huge wooden gates were shut tight, like a giant’s mouth clamped shut. The silence was heavy, broken only by their own angry breaths.

“They stirred things up like this and now they’re closing the gates?”

“There’s a limit to how shameless you can be!”

“Come out! Come out right now!”

If Wudang had welcomed those who came instead of closing the gates, the situation might have been different. No matter how wrong they were, not many would openly curse in front of Wudang.

But the firmly closed gate made those who were trying to be polite very angry.

“You sons of bitches! You call yourselves the Orthodox Faction after this!”

“You used to talk about being a Taoist sect, but now you’re abandoning innocent people?”

“The years we trusted you are wasted!”

Those who had gathered at the mountain gate began to throw things at the gate and over the wall. Mud and rotten food splattered against the wood.

It’s always difficult at first. Once the first people started cursing and throwing things, those who followed also raised their voices to criticize Wudang.

The insults became like poison arrows, flying over the gate. They were cruel and unfair, and they stung Jin Hyun’s heart. Some even kicked the closed mountain gate with all their might and spat on it.

Inside the mountain gate, Jin Hyun stood still, listening to the shouts. Each angry word was like a stone hitting him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sound, but the insults echoed in his head.

“Jin Hyun-ah.”

Mujin carefully placed his hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s go inside. It’s just going to hurt you more if we stay here.”

“…No, Martial Uncle.”

Jin Hyun shook his head.

“I need to see it clearly. Pretending it’s not happening won’t change anything, will it?”

“That’s true, but…”

Jin Hyun took a deep breath and looked back at the mountain gate. The thudding on the gate and the filth flying over the wall pained his heart.

‘To this extent…’

He muttered in a hollow voice.

“I didn’t think they would be this cold. We’ve done quite a bit in the name of Wudang, after all.”

“They’re not angry because you haven’t done anything. They’re angry because you’ve done so much. If there’s no expectation, there’s no disappointment, isn’t there?”

“…I suppose so.”

But those words didn’t comfort Jin Hyun. In other words, their disappointment was extremely great.

“Martial Uncle.”

“Speak.”

“I know that the Sect Leader’s choice was not wrong. And I also know that all those choices were for our sake.”

“……”

“But… seeing this now, I can’t help but think it would have been better to die there. Not because it’s shameful… but if I had known that the name of Wudang would fall this low…”

Mujin sighed deeply, feeling frustrated.

How could he not understand Jin Hyun’s feelings?

Being a disciple of Wudang was the most honourable thing for them.

How could they forget the envious looks they received when they walked down the street wearing the Wudang uniform?

But they would no longer receive such looks.

To them, Wudang had become nothing more than a bunch of traitors who joined with bad people to save themselves.

Mujin sighed and patted Jin Hyun on the shoulder.

“Life is precious to everyone.”

“……”

“What’s wrong is wrong. But if there’s something wrong, we can make up for it. If the day comes when we re-establish Wudang’s righteousness, those who are angry will look at us again then.”

“…Yes, Martial Uncle.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Mujin nodded and turned around, and Jin Hyun also turned around to follow him. But he couldn’t easily take his feet off the ground.

Jin Hyun looked at Mujin’s retreating figure with a bitter expression.

‘But Martial Uncle, there were those who didn’t cherish their lives there.’

Weren’t they afraid? No, that couldn’t be.

The only difference between them and Wudang was one thing.

Can they carry out their will even in fear?

Can they take a step forward even while being afraid?

That small difference brought about such an extreme difference in results.

‘It’s difficult.’

What is righteousness? What is justice?

Things that he thought he already knew were becoming vague.

The rough insults of the crowd were still coming over the gate.

The fact that there was nothing wrong with each of the insults they spewed made him even more sorrowful.

‘I’m sorry.’

A silent tear escaped his eye. ‘I am so sorry,’ he whispered, though no one could hear him but himself. Sorry to the people outside the gate, sorry to Wudang, and sorry to the memory of what they once stood for.

Meanwhile, far away on the Yangtze River, the effects of this treaty were already being felt in terrible ways.

Rumours are said to be fast, but this time, because the Haomun group made sure everyone heard, it spread twice as fast as usual to every corner of the world.

Those who heard it were all angry, but among them, there were those who didn’t even have time to be angry.

They were the ones who lived off the Yangtze River.

Wham!

A speedboat mercilessly rammed into a boat crossing the Yangtze River. As the boat tilted, chains flew from the speedboat, connecting the boats. The river pirates quickly climbed onto the boat, stepping on the chains.

“P, please save me!”

People watching the raid went pale and fell to their knees.

The pirates who climbed onto the ship had cruel, shining eyes.

“If anyone hides even one coin, I will rip you apart right here! Hand over everything! You, open the hold and take everything valuable!”

“Yes, sir!”

“T-taking everything is too much, please…!” Captain Lin, a brave old man with a weathered face, stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly. “We will give you a fair share, a toll, anything you ask, but please… don’t take everything.”

The lead pirate, a rough man with a scar cutting across his cheek, narrowed his cruel eyes. “Who are you to beg?”

“I am Lin, the captain of this ship, sir,” Captain Lin pleaded, his hands shaking. “If you take everything, we are destroyed. We will lose everything! And if we are ruined, how will you profit from us again?”

*Shkkk!*

Before he could say another word, the pirate’s sword flashed. It sliced through Captain Lin’s chest in a sickening sound.

“Aaaargh!” Captain Lin screamed, blood喷涌 from the deep wound. He fell to the wooden deck with a heavy thud, his eyes wide with shock and pain.

“Hieeek!”

Those who saw a man cut down in an instant were terrified and began to tremble.

“You rude fool! How dare you talk back to me?”

The pirate slowly licked the blood from his sword, his eyes fixed on the terrified faces, enjoying their fear.

“Even if you die, others will still pay us. If I hear another peep out of you, I’ll kill you all and throw you to the fishes.”

“Anyone caught hiding anything dies on the spot!”

“Move it, move it!”

People began to open their money pouches one by one. Their faces were pale, filled with resignation. If they lost all their money, they wouldn’t be able to avoid starvation, but at least it was better than dying.

‘How did this happen…’

The pirates were more vicious than ever. Before, they had taken a reasonable toll and managed the Jang River in their own way, but recently, only mournful cries echoed wherever they went.

Thanks to the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families obliterating the river bandits, the surviving pirates were killing people indiscriminately and stealing their goods.

‘If this continues, all the merchants traveling the Jang River will be ruined.’

‘What is going to happen?’

‘If they hadn’t come to the Jang River, none of this would have happened!’

Each of them gritted their teeth inwardly. It was an interesting thing, in a way. Their anger towards the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, who had driven the situation to this point, was greater than their anger towards the pirates who were robbing and killing people before their very eyes.

“We’ve collected everything. What should we do with these guys?”

“Let them go.”

The one who appeared to be the leader smirked and said.

“The government won’t intervene unless people are dying in droves. They don’t care about money. The government will still get their taxes, even if we rob you.”

The faces of the commoners darkened at those words. There was no denying the truth in what they said.

“There’s no need to stir up trouble unnecessarily. Besides, we need to let them live so they can bring more money and take the ship again. See you next time. If you want to keep your lives next time, bring plenty of money with you. Hahaha!”

The pirates, having completely plundered the ship, cackled and transferred to their own vessel. They quickly disappeared into the distance.

Those who were blankly staring at the stern of the ship collapsed on the spot and began to wail.

“…I’m ruined. I invested my entire fortune in this trading venture… If this happens, I’ll have no choice but to starve to death when I return!”

“Starve to death? I even took out loans! Now I’m going to be sold off, that’s what’s going to happen!”

“Damn it! Until recently, this kind of thing never happened!”

“What kind of mess is this because of those dog-like Nine Sects!”

These people weren’t carelessly boarding the ship despite the dangers of the Jang River. They knew it was dangerous, but they had no choice but to board the ship to make a living.

Those who lived off the Jang River had no choice but to earn their living from the Jang River. Even knowing the dangers, it was too difficult to find another way to survive now.

“…How are we supposed to live?”

“Sniff.”

This kind of thing wasn’t happening only to this ship. Similar incidents were occurring throughout the Jang River.

The river bandits, having suffered immense damage, were greedily robbing ships and filling their own coffers under the Black Dragon King’s permission.

Normally, when their atrocities became too severe, the commoners would run to the righteous sects for help, but now they had no choice but to endure their tyranny.

“Captain, are you alright!”

“Bring a clean cloth here! Now!”

The crew was busy checking on the captain who had collapsed on the floor. Seeing the captain’s face, pale from blood loss, the people were filled with despair and cursed.

“That bastard Heo Do-jin!”

“Is it just Wudang that’s the problem? Namgung and Shaolin were there too! The Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families are all the same!”

“Have those self-righteous bastards ever cared about us? Always talking about agreements and whatnot. They’re no better than the pirates, those scum! They’re all in cahoots!”

“Ptooey! I’m disgusted!”

The ship listlessly changed direction.

Having lost all their goods, heading to their destination would only incur more expenses for the return fare.

“…I can only pray that we don’t encounter any more pirates on the way back.”

“What does it matter? We’ve already been robbed clean.”

“Don’t say such foolish things… What if those guys get angry because we have nothing to steal and do something nasty?”

“…”

One of the merchants sighed deeply, as if the ground was sinking beneath him.

“Life is too hard. It’s really too hard…”

Everyone became somber at that lament. As they were all immersed in their own sorrows, someone pointed outside the ship and said.

“Look over there… That ship is going to get hit too.”

“Oh dear…”

Sure enough, a ship was approaching in the distance. The fast ship, having spotted it, turned its bow and began to move towards the approaching ship.

Everyone watched with pitiful expressions. They could only watch the impending misfortune with sympathy.

“Look over there, look.”

“What?”

“Another pirate ship is coming. Not just a few, but a whole group of them.”

“What’s going to happen to the Jang River?”

Everyone was speechless at the miserable sight.

Then, someone muttered in bewilderment.

“…But why is it going over there?”

“Huh?”

“Weren’t the pirates supposed to take whoever they approached first? The fast ship has already latched on, so why is it going over there?”

“…Huh?”

The people blinked and looked back at the scene.

“It’s going fast… Huh? Uh? Uh-oh?”

The ship that appeared late didn’t slow down and charged forward. Then, it rammed straight into the fast ship that had latched onto the merchant ship.

Kawaaaaaaaang!

“…What the?”

The eyes of the people widened in disbelief.