Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 835

River pirates were attacking everywhere along the wide, muddy Yangtze River. The river, usually a source of life, now carried fear. People lost their homes, their food, everything. Some even lost loved ones to the pirates’ blades. Every day brought more stories of terror. People along the Yangtze River became very angry and worried. Just trying to bear it became too hard. Despair hung heavy in the air, thick as the river mist.

Tired people asked the government for help. But the government only gave a polite answer, saying they would ask the Emperor to stop the pirates.

From the start, the government couldn’t really control the Yangtze River. If they could have found and stopped the river pirates hiding everywhere in that huge river, they would have done it a long time ago.

Bandits destroyed villages and lowered taxes. But the river pirates did not steal the government’s food. So, the government did not feel it was urgent to stop the river pirates like they would bandits.

The river pirates were also smart enough to be very careful not to touch the goods the government was moving.

So, the government didn’t think they needed to do anything right away.

People were very sad and angry. They felt hopeless. Like someone grabbing for anything to hold onto, they went to smaller groups near the Yangtze River for help. They didn’t go to the big groups, the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families.

But these smaller groups didn’t want to help either.

“We don’t know how to fight on water. If we try to help without knowing what to do, we will just make things worse.”

“We will try our best to protect the villages nearby, but…”

“Even the Nine Great Sects can’t help. What can we do?”

In the end, the common people had to go back with no help.

Most of all, they felt hopeless because even the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families had given up. What could they do?

Merchants on the Yangtze River were trying to find ways to protect themselves. But they probably wouldn’t find any amazing answers.

The best they could do was hire guards and use guard ships around the merchant ships. It was silly to think that cheap guards could fight the Surochae pirates. Surochae used to be a very powerful group.

While all this bad stuff was happening, things got worse. People were angry at the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families and blamed them. Then, strange stories started to spread.

“River pirates can’t get close to the area around Gugang.”

“The Cheonwoo Alliance, with Hwasan leading it, has set up in Gugang. Hwasan caught the Surochae river pirates attacking near Gugang and destroyed them.”

“The Cheonwoo Alliance, led by Hwasan, has said that Gugang is their area and they will protect the merchant ships going to and from Gugang.”

The merchants who heard this news were very excited.

They gathered in small groups at the docks and started talking loudly about it.

“Wait, aren’t the good groups not allowed on the Yangtze River? I thought they had a deal?”

“No, no! It’s not that the good groups can’t come, it’s that the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families can’t come! The Cheonwoo Alliance and Hwasan aren’t part of those groups, are they?”

“Oh, that’s right! Why didn’t I think of that?”

People were so surprised by what the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families did that they forgot about the Cheonwoo Alliance. Now, they started to remember that name again.

“But will it really work? The Cheonwoo Alliance isn’t as big as the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Families, right? Can they really fight the Four Evil Alliances?”

“It’s not necessarily like that. Didn’t Hwasan start fighting those bad river pirates in the first place?”

“That’s right!”

One of the merchants nodded strongly.

The things that happened after that were so big that people forgot, but it all started when Hwasan attacked the Daegyeongchae.

“If Hwasan was scared of Surochae, they wouldn’t have done that in the first place. Weren’t all the river pirates who went near Gugang defeated? Hwasan is even sending ships to watch the area.”

“Then what about Surochae? Aren’t they doing anything?”

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

“Does that make sense?”

“Actually, it makes sense. Didn’t Surochae get hurt the most in the war?”

“Of course. Many of their bases were destroyed.”

“Maybe Surochae is too weak to fight Hwasan now. And Hwasan wasn’t afraid of Surochae even before. They were already sure they could beat them. Now that Surochae is weaker, why would Hwasan be afraid?”

“Good heavens… Was Hwasan that strong? Strong enough not to be afraid of Surochae?”

“People are talking about Hwasan more than Shaolin or Wudang these days. Maybe we didn’t realize how strong Hwasan really is.”

Again, someone nodded strongly.

It doesn’t matter if all the news is true or not.

The important thing is that the way to trade through Gugang is open again. The merchants on the Yangtze River are losing a lot of money every day because they can’t send their ships.

“So, if Hwasan can keep it up, we can use the trade route to Gugang, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Wait… does this even make sense? River pirates control the Yangtze River, so we can’t send our ships here. Even if we get our goods to Gugang, how will we ship them anywhere?”

“That’s not a problem. Hwasan built a bridge across the Yangtze River in Gugang.”

“A bridge? Across the Yangtze River? That’s crazy!”

Building a bridge across the huge Yangtze River? That’s impossible!

“No, wait. Listen. They built long docks on both sides, using an island in the middle of the Yangtze River. You just bring your goods there, and they will put them on ships and take them across.”

“Really?”

“That’s right. But they charge money to use the island. They say it costs a lot to protect the trade route.”

“Hey! Is money the problem now? Our goods are rotting in the warehouse! If we can’t send ships, we’ll lose everything! Gugang? Did you say Gugang? Forget this! I need to tell the trading company now!”

The rumors spread among the merchants very quickly.

For those who were worried because they couldn’t send their ships because of the river pirates, this news was like a light in the dark. Everyone who heard the news rushed to Gugang.

“It’s real!”

When people arrived in Gugang, the river mouth looked completely different. There were many merchant ships parked around the river.

“Excuse me. Can I ask you something?”

A man from the Green Forest group, who was fixing a ship, turned to look at the merchants who had hurried over.

“What do you want?… No, wait… uh, what is it?”

The man started to speak rudely, but then he quickly changed his face, put his hands together respectfully, and spoke politely. The merchants were a little surprised. Then, one of the merchants quickly spoke.

“Is it true that Hwasan is moving goods across the river here?”

“It’s not Hwasan, it’s the Cheonwoo Alliance, the Cheonwoo Alliance!”

“Yes! Yes! The Cheonwoo Alliance. Is that true?”

“Of course, it’s true. What do you think these ships are doing? But if you drop off your goods on the island, you have to move them to the other side. Of course, we’ll lend you carts. For a fee, though.”

The merchants’ eyes lit up.

“So it’s true?”

“Wait a minute, doesn’t that mean we have to pay the boat fare twice and pay to use the carts?”

“So what if you do? Or would you rather meet the river pirates and have everything taken from you!”

“Who said anything was wrong? E-Excuse me! What do I have to do to use this ship?”

The Green Forest Warrior smiled and said.

“Come on over! We’ll move anything, goods or people. We can lend you ships, and even people to carry things if you need. Talk about prices over there.”

“Over there?”

The merchants quickly looked to where he pointed.

Indeed, a small house stood alone in front of the pier where the ships were lined up.

The merchants suddenly became very excited.

“Get out of the way!”

“Out of my way, you bastard!”

“I was here first!”

Merchants hurried to the ticket booths at the docks. They pushed and shoved each other as they ran, all wanting to be first. Nokrimdo watched them, a sad smile on his face. He chuckled softly.

“…Who would have thought it would end up like this?”

You really never know what will happen in the world.

*A loud SCREEECH echoed across the water!*

The ship sped towards the island, waves splashing high on both sides.

“They’re, they’re coming!” someone yelled.

“Move! Move now!” another shouted.

The pirates saw the ship and their eyes went wide with fear. They dropped their swords and ran to the beach as fast as they could.

*THUD!*

The ship hit the dock. A person jumped onto the wooden pier. The pirates were standing in straight lines. As soon as they saw him, they all bowed deeply at the same time.

“Great Leader, you have arrived!”

“Great Leader?” one pirate whispered, confused. Then, a voice, sharp and mean like a knife, cut through the air.

*”Great Leader?”* it repeated, dripping with sarcasm. As soon as they heard it, every pirate flinched and lowered their heads.

“Ha… Haha…” Chung Myung chuckled, a cold sound. One pirate’s face was wet with sweat. He nervously licked his lips and tried to speak.

“W-well, we are all like… one big family now, right?”

“One big faaaamily?” Chung Myung repeated, drawing out the word. He rolled his eyes and sneered.

“The world is getting *so* much better, isn’t it? A pirate becoming family with a Taoist monk? Really?”

*‘That mean guy,’* one pirate thought. *‘We are nice to him, and he still gets angry.’* But they were too scared to say anything out loud.

They knew he was very strong and had a wild personality, like a storm that destroys everything. But they didn’t know he was *this* strong and *this* crazy. *‘He’s strong enough to fight Paegun!’* one thought, remembering the legends. *‘We are so lucky to be alive.’* *‘He really scares me,’* another shivered.

Chung Myung looked at the pirates, his eyes wide and a bit wild.

“Hey, you guys,” he said, his voice a low growl.

“Yes!” the pirates shouted back, their voices shaking slightly.

Chung Myung seemed happy that they answered so loudly. He nodded slowly, and then his voice became softer, almost like he was being kind.

“People are important,” he said.

“Yes!” the pirates repeated, still unsure.

“But you? You are not people, are you?” Chung Myung’s soft voice turned sharp again. “What are you? Just a bunch of pirates, trying to act like people? Is that right? Tell me, is it right?”

“N-no, it’s not right!” the pirates stammered.

“Good, you understand.” Chung Myung nodded, a cruel smile on his face. “So, work hard until you drop. If I see anyone being lazy, I will tie their arms and legs and throw them in the sea. If you are such good pirates, you can swim even with your arms and legs tied, right?” The pirates were silent, their faces pale.

“Why aren’t you answering me?” Chung Myung’s voice rose again.

“W-we will do our best!” one pirate cried out.

“We will work very hard!” another yelled.

“Please, just don’t hurt us!” begged a third.

“Good,” Chung Myung said, his face softening slightly.

Chung Myung nodded, looking pleased with himself. Just then, Jo Gul stepped off the ship and saw what had happened. He shook his head and chuckled quietly.

“…He really is perfect for this job.”

“He’s a natural at this,” Jo Gul said, still chuckling. “He was like a kid, all excited and yelling when he crashed the ship into the dock earlier. Maybe we should just make this his regular job.” Ohgeom shook his head.

“He’s a menace.”

Ohgeom shook his head again. He looked around the island, taking in all the activity.

“Hey, you! Make that pillar straight!” he yelled.

“We don’t have enough wood!” someone else shouted. “Where is the ship with more supplies?”

“W-we are trying to bring them now! But it takes time by ship…” someone stammered.

“Faster!” Ohgeom roared.

“Yes, sir!”

Big wooden buildings were going up quickly in the center of the island. The Dang family members were everywhere, directing the work. They were shouting orders and pointing at things, making sure everything was built right.

“Aish, really. If I knew it would be this much work, I would have brought my uncles to help,” one Dang family member grumbled. “We thought we were coming to fight pirates, not build houses,” another replied. “We couldn’t bring them then. And it’s not like we are building palaces here, anyway.”

“Still, it’s too bad,” the first one said. “Hey, you! No, not there! Don’t put it like that! Move it!”

Baek Cheon watched the Dang family members rushing back and forth, looking tired. He sighed quietly.

“Did we really have to make this so big?” he asked.

“Things are different now,” Jo Gul explained. “Chung Myung said that not just merchants from Gugang, but from all around here will come to this place. So, yes, we need to build more, make it bigger. And we need roads too.” Baek Cheon nodded slowly, still looking unsure.

*‘This is becoming huge,’* Baek Cheon thought. It was strange, but the pirate chaos on the Jang River was actually good for Hwasan. The more pirates attacked ships, the more merchants would want to use the safer routes through Gugang.

Chung Myung pointed his chin towards the pirates, not even looking at them.

“So,” he said, “have any customers come yet?”

“Y-yes,” a pirate replied quickly. “Lots and lots of them are coming to the other side. Nokrimwang is getting ready to start working with them.”

“Where is Nokrimwang?” Chung Myung asked.

“He’s… uh… meeting the customers,” the pirate said nervously. “It seems like he was born to do this.”

Chung Myung frowned slightly. “…” *Well,* he thought, *being a bandit is kind of like dealing with customers, in a way. But I guess this is a little different…*

*‘Whatever,’* Chung Myung thought. *‘As long as he makes money.’* He pushed those thoughts away and grinned, looking at all the merchant ships waiting on the other side of the river.

“Money is money!” Chung Myung said happily. “Let’s get it all! Hee hee hee!” *Humiliate the Nine Sects, make tons of money, and beat up pirates at the same time. Perfect!* he thought. He grinned wider, thinking about all the gold he would soon have.