Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 893

The people in the hall suddenly became very still. Their faces tightened, like they had just heard terrible news.

Hong Daeguang saw their faces and was surprised. Then, he understood why they looked so shocked, and his own mouth dropped open.

Usually, when a group like Mount Hua ‘closes its gates,’ it doesn’t mean they stop hearing all news from the outside world. It’s almost impossible to do that completely.

They know they will have to open their gates again eventually. So, they usually find ways to hear news from the outside, even while they are training.

But right now, the Mount Hua disciples were all reacting as if they had never heard any of this news before.

Hong Daeguang thought, ‘These Mount Hua people really are isolated. They have no connections to the outside world.’

It seemed they had truly shut themselves away in the mountains. They were just focused on training, not paying attention to anything happening outside.

Thinking about this, Hong Daeguang understood how amazing Chung Myung’s actions were. If Chung Myung hadn’t come, wouldn’t these people still be practicing their swords, not even knowing if Xi’an city had been destroyed?

And then, he also realized how out of touch Mount Hua Sect was with the world.

“Okay, so,” Hong Daeguang said, scratching his head hard. “The Jiangnan region is now united. And now, evil groups from Jiangbei are crossing the Yangtze River and joining the Four Evil Sect Alliance.”

Hyun Jong’s face became serious. The word ‘gathering’ felt heavy to him. He started to think deeply about what it meant.

“So, it has come to this,” Hyun Jong said quietly. He had expected this news, but hearing it still made him feel uneasy.

“Then, should we consider the Four Evil Sect Alliance to be stabilized?” Jo Gul asked, making Hong Daeguang scratch his head.

“Well, I don’t know how to answer that.”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

Hong Daeguang groaned softly for a moment, choosing his words carefully before opening his mouth.

“This is a bit more complicated than you think. From an external perspective, the Four Evil Sect Alliance has achieved complete unification. There are no more forces in Jiangnan resisting the Four Evil Sect Alliance, and even the evil sects in Jiangbei are acknowledging the Four Evil Sect Alliance as the representative force of the evil sects in the Central Plains, joining under its banner, aren’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“The problem is what comes next.”

“Yes?” Jo Gul tilted his head, seemingly not understanding, and Chung Myung asked indifferently.

“What do you do when the hunt is over?”

“Scapegoat? Get rid of those who helped you once you don’t need them anymore?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened as he stared at Jo Gul.

“No… When the hunt is over, you have to distribute the spoils. Why get rid of someone who helped you? Are you crazy? Don’t you feel sorry for it?”

Jo Gul blankly stared at Chung Myung before looking around at his fellow disciples. Then, heartwarming words of blessing poured out.

“Bad guy.”

“Disgusting.”

“Morally bankrupt.”

Jo Gul, who had suddenly become an irredeemable piece of trash, leaned his head against the wall with a gloomy face. Ignoring Jo Gul, who was muttering to himself, Chung Myung continued.

“Now that they’ve grown their size, they’ll slowly want to divide it up. The leaders of the Five Great Evils won’t quietly bow their heads under Jang Il-so, even if no one else does.”

“The Beggars’ Sect agrees,” Hong Daeguang nodded, agreeing with Chung Myung.

“It’s been too quiet. It’s strange. They are usually not this easy to control. Even if Jang Il-so is the leader, this is going too far.”

Then, Baek Cheon asked with a puzzled expression.

“May I ask one question?”

“As much as you like.”

“If that’s the case, isn’t it strange that problems are arising now?”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

Baek Cheon looked at Hong Daeguang and said in a clear voice.

“Now that the Four Evil Sect Alliance has unified Jiangnan, a war with the Nine Great Sects in Jiangbei is inevitable.”

“That’s right.”

“Wouldn’t it be risky for them to fight among themselves now, before a big war?” Baek Cheon asked.

“Even if they have secret plans, wouldn’t it make more sense to cause trouble *after* they have taken over Jiangbei? If they fight now and lose, they could lose everything.”

Hong Daeguang nodded strongly, agreeing with Baek Cheon.

“You are very insightful.”

“Thank you,” Baek Cheon replied, slightly embarrassed.

“That’s right. That would be rational. If we don’t consider one factor.”

“One factor?”

“Jang Il-so.”

Baek Cheon’s face naturally hardened as he thought of Jang Il-so.

“For the last three years, Jang Il-so has become a very strong leader of the Four Evil Sect Alliance. Really, it’s almost like all the groups in the Alliance are obeying Jang Il-so personally.”

“Are you saying he has become strong enough to subdue the other sects of the Five Great Evils?”

“If that was true, there wouldn’t even be any fighting inside the Alliance. But think about this: what if a huge war starts between Jiangbei and Jiangnan, and Jang Il-so leads the Four Evil Sect Alliance to win?”

“Ah…” Baek Cheon nodded, understanding now.

Yes, if that happened, it would be very hard for anyone to question Jang Il-so’s power again.

“I understand. So, if problems arise, it would rather⋯⋯.”

“Yes. It’s happening now.”

Hong Daeguang spoke quietly, his face grim. “This is like the calm before a storm. It wouldn’t be surprising if a war started tomorrow, anywhere.”

Hyun Jong, who had been listening quietly, groaned lowly and asked.

“What are the Nine Great Sects doing? The leaders of the Nine Great Sects must know this as well.”

“Of course, the leaders of the Nine Great Sects know. But right now, they are too busy dealing with problems. Especially in Henan, just trying to replace the Wudang and Namgung clans is taking up all their time…”

“Henan?”

Hong Daeguang closed his mouth and slowly turned his head.

The ominousness was thick in the voice he had heard so often. Sure enough, Chung Myung was staring at him with wide eyes.

“Where?”

“⋯⋯Did I say something wrong?”

“No. Where did you just say?”

“I said Henan.”

“Ah, Henan?” Chung Myung smiled brightly.

“Shaolin is in Henan?”

“Sh- Shaolin is naturally in Henan. Mount Song is in Henan⋯⋯.”

“Not in the Yangtze River?”

Hong Daeguang stopped talking, feeling the heat of Chung Myung’s sharp gaze. He shifted uncomfortably, his rough beggar’s clothes rustling slightly.

Really, protecting the Yangtze River mouth was the job of the Nine Sects. Everyone knew the Sa-Pa Alliance could attack there at any time. The big problems with the Yangtze River, and the agreement called the Jiangnan Non-Aggression Pact, had all started because of mistakes made by the Wudang Sect – one of the Nine Sects.

But the Nine Sects said they didn’t have enough people or supplies. So, they had left the Yangtze River, abandoning it and letting the innocent Tang Family struggle to defend it alone.

Chung Myung had just reminded him of this embarrassing truth, poking at Hong Daeguang’s shame. As a member of the Beggars’ Sect, which was also part of the Nine Sects, Hong Daeguang couldn’t meet Chung Myung’s eyes.

“Well… yes. I’m currently in Henan…”

As Hong Daeguang desperately tried to escape the situation, he clearly saw Chung Myung’s head tilt to the side.

“In Henan, you say?”

“…Yes. That’s right. Henan…”

“And you were just watching, doing nothing, as those Sa-Pa bastards invaded here?”

“…”

Hong Daeguang fell silent.

It felt like a sudden punch.

“So, not even far away on the Yangtze River, but right next door, and you didn’t give a damn whether those Sa-Pa bastards burned down Shanxi, destroyed it, or caused chaos, and just prayed?”

“Well… the Shaolin Sect is also quite short on manpower…”

“And those lazy beggars were just being lazy and begging for food in Hubei?”

“…”

“Ha…”

“Haha…”

“Hahaha.”

Chung Myung smiled brightly, but it wasn’t a happy smile. The blue veins on Chung Myung’s forehead were clearly visible.

“Is this monk completely mad?”

Chung Myung shot up from his seat.

Sensing the ominous atmosphere, the Five Swordsmen leaped like lightning and grabbed him.

“Hey, where are you going!”

“Where do you think I’m going? I’m going to Shaolin!”

“What are you going to do at Shaolin!”

“Do I need to spell it out? This crazy monk! How could you do this? Playing games with people’s lives? If Guanyin, a powerful spirit of mercy, saw this, she’d be so angry she’d hit you! Since Guanyin can’t do it herself, I’ll have to do it for her!”

“Well, even so, he is the head monk of Shaolin, so please watch your words…”

“Head monk what? Was the Shaolin head monk born with an iron helmet on his head? It’ll break if you hit it!”

“Hey, you! Calm down!”

Baek Cheon screamed as he held onto Chung Myung, but then…

“This… this is outrageous!”

The Five Swordsmen slowly turned their heads at the sudden, angry voice. They saw a man trembling with rage.

Of course, it was a situation that warranted anger. According to Hong Daeguang’s explanation, it was clear that Shaolin had ignored Shanxi.

No matter how short they were on manpower, if Shaolin had moved, Gal Cheon-rip would never have been able to reach Shanxi.

So, this was something to be angry about, something that deserved to be cursed.

If only the head of the person spewing curses wasn’t shining so brightly.

“Are you saying that Shaolin didn’t send aid to Shanxi? What kind of madness is this!”

“…Abbot… what do you mean, madness? You are the abbot, after all.”

And you belong to Shaolin.

It seems you’ve been wearing the Mount Hua uniform for too long, causing some confusion and misunderstanding…

But Hye-yeon’s face was overflowing with anger. His face, which rarely showed anger, was now horribly distorted.

“How can a temple that should be saving all those who live turn a blind eye to suffering people! This is utterly wrong! I will go to the abbot right now…”

“You little punk!”

At that moment, Chung Myung shook off the Five Swordsmen and ran towards Hye-yeon, delivering a flying kick.

Chung Myung kicked Hye-yeon like a ball, sending him rolling into the wall, then rolled his eyes and started kicking him relentlessly.

“You’re subtly trying to avoid responsibility, aren’t you? Hey, you! Aren’t you from Shaolin?”

“Ack! Aack! Sir! I haven’t set foot in Shaolin for years… Aack!”

Hye-yeon desperately protested, but Chung Myung wasn’t one to listen to reason.

“Once Shaolin, always Shaolin, you little punk! And didn’t you spout nonsense at the martial arts competition, calling us wrong? Wrong? You little punk! Say it again! What? Wrong?”

“Aack! That was ages ago! Ack!”

Everyone trembled as they watched Chung Myung beat up Hye-yeon.

‘That vicious bastard.’

‘He still remembers that.’

‘He’s persistent.’

“Anyway, those damn monks!”

Chung Myung, still seething after venting his anger on Hye-yeon, rolled up his sleeves and began to approach Hong Daeguang.

Hong Daeguang’s face turned blue.

‘Am I going to get beaten too?’

Even someone who had left Shaolin for years was being beaten like this, so there was no reason why he, a member of the Beggars’ Sect, wouldn’t be beaten on the spot, right?

But fortunately, Chung Myung didn’t seem to have any intention of beating up Hong Daeguang, as he plopped down in front of him.

“You’re all doing such a great job making a mess.”

The sound of his grinding teeth was clear.

The Sa-Pa Alliance was running wild, and the Nine Sects were still scheming.

“I didn’t expect anything in the first place. Stupid bastards.”

Hong Daeguang flinched as Chung Myung’s sharp gaze turned towards him.

“So, where is the Tang Family now?”

“The, the Tang Family is currently guarding the Yangtze River…”

“…The Yangtze River?”

“…”

Hong Daeguang smacked his lips as if he had nothing to say, and Chung Myung smirked.

“What a mess. What a mess.”

Just as Chung Myung’s face seemed to be getting even hotter, Hyun Jong opened his mouth.

“First.”

“…”

Chung Myung swallowed his curses and calmed down, panting as Hyun Jong spoke.

“Let us meet with the Tang Family Head. And we must inform other groups in the Heavenly Union that Mount Hua has stopped being isolated.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Hyun Jong sighed very softly as he spoke.

“The situation is not easy, but on the other hand, we knew this would happen, which is why we have been training diligently for so long, isn’t it?”

“That is correct.”

“Let us correct things one by one. Now, Mount Hua has the strength to do so.”

“Tsk.”

Chung Myung nodded as if he understood, with a slightly uneasy expression. Hyun Jong smiled gently.

Now, it is time to correct all that is wrong.