Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 907

As if a decision had been reached, Im So-byeong finally spoke.

“There’s no need to think about it that seriously.”

“Huh?” Chung Myung asked.

Im So-byeong wore a wicked smile. “People are like this: if you help them once, they’re grateful. But if you help them ten times, they start to expect it. They always want more.”

“And if you don’t give them that eleventh favor, they’ll criticize and curse you.”

“What do you think people are, anyway?” Chung Myung asked, frowning.

“It’s only natural, isn’t it? Isn’t that how everyone is?” Im So-byeong looked around, seeking agreement, but met only cold, reproachful gazes.

“I guess you can’t hide where you come from,” one of the disciples muttered.

“What else would you expect from a bandit?” another added.

“A Demonic Sect is a Demonic Sect, after all,” a third chimed in.

Im So-byeong’s eyes trembled. “Am I the only one like that? Am I really the only piece of trash?”

“Yes.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Seems so.”

Im So-byeong’s head dropped low. He muttered something about ‘those damned Taoist guys. I can’t seem to fit in at all. They act more like bandits than I do, but only at times like this…’, but the Mount Hua disciples ignored him.

“Anyway, so what?” Chung Myung asked impatiently.

“Ahem.” Im So-byeong cleared his throat and spoke again. “The important thing is the method! It’s not just about stepping back, but about declaring it properly and then stepping back.”

“Declare?”

“Yes. What happens if you don’t give the eleventh favor?”

“You get cursed, you said.”

“That’s right! They curse you if you don’t help. But let’s change the method! What if we boldly declare that we won’t help you anymore from now on and then step back?”

“But won’t they just curse us anyway?”

“Even *more*! That’s the point!” Im So-byeong answered with a bright smile.

“They’ll curse us even more severely. As if they want to kill us…”

“Hey, you bastard!” Wham!

Chung Myung, who flew through the air, kicked Im So-byeong’s chest squarely. As Im So-byeong screamed and fell backward, Oh Geom and Tang Gun-ak were horrified and hurriedly restrained Chung Myung, pulling him away.

Chung Myung, his eyes rolling, growled like a guard dog who had found a thief. “I’m getting pissed off! Are you trying to make people angry on purpose? Should I show you how hard a bandit’s head is?”

“Calm down, Chung Myung!”

“He’s the Green Forest King! You can’t kick him!”

“Easy, easy, Chung Myung. He’s a Demonic Sect guy, but he still has a position. You have to treat him with respect.”

But the Green Forest King was the Green Forest King. Im So-byeong, who had been kicked, bounced up like a spring and stood up again. “Oh?”

At that sight, the Mount Hua disciples nodded, exclaiming that he was indeed the Green Forest King.

“Let me finish my… *cough! cough!* Ugh… why am I suddenly… *cough!*” Suddenly, a burst of bright red blood sprayed from Im So-byeong’s mouth, landing on his chest and the floor with a wet *splatter*.

“Whoa!” Tang Gun-ak jumped back.

“Eeeek!” someone else shrieked.

A shocked silence fell over the room, everyone staring at the blood.

Im So-byeong stared blankly at the blood that had soaked his front. Then, he weakly turned his gaze to Chung Myung. Chung Myung grumbled. “What is he, a sunfish? He spits out blood after being kicked once?”

‘Is he even human?’

‘A devil.’

‘Why did something like that come out into the world… I’d rather have Jang Il-so, Jang Il-so!’

“Are you alright, Green Forest King?” Tang Gun-ak asked.

Im So-byeong weakly nodded his head. “Yes, don’t worry. I’m fine… *Cough! Cough!*”

“More than that… Let me finish my sentence… Please, let me finish…”

Chung Myung nodded listlessly. “Alright. Go ahead.”

“Where was I? That… Cough. Anyway, they’ll resent us. But, cough! We just need to let them know that we’re not the ones they should be resenting.”

“Make people blame the other sects instead?”

“Oh ho. You’re saying strange things. Why would that be… Cough! Cough! Ahem! Why would that be turning the arrows? That’s just the way it should be.” Im So-byeong grinned.

The sight of him smiling brightly while dripping blood sent shivers down everyone’s spines, but no one dared to point it out.

“It’s better this way. Thanks to Mount Hua lifting its closure and protecting Xi’an in Shaanxi, we have a justification for this.”

“Justification?”

“Yes. What better justification is there than returning to protect your own territory? Since the Demonic Sect is extending its reach from Hubei and Henan to Shaanxi and Sichuan, we can say that we’re returning home to protect the place we originally had to guard.”

Chung Myung looked at Im So-byeong with a ‘oh?’ expression.

“If that happens, the resentment will shift. It’s not that we’re leaving because it’s hard and annoying, but because we’re leaving to protect. Then who will the remaining people look at?”

“Look at who?”

“They won’t look at the people going on a long journey to protect other innocent people, but at the Taoist guys who are locking their doors and playing immortals, will they? While everyone else is suffering, they’re closing their doors and not even showing their faces, those lucky Taoist sons of bitches… No, put your fist down. That fist, please. Cough! Cough! Blood, blood here!” Im So-byeong quickly held out his blood-soaked front, and Chung Myung reluctantly lowered his slightly clenched fist, his eyes still full of displeasure.

Swish!

Im So-byeong unfolded his blood-soaked fan. “We just need to remind the world that each sect was originally protecting its own territory. Sichuan was the Tang Family, Shaanxi was Mount Hua, and Hubei was Wudang. If that happens, people will naturally remember once again that the Tang Family has been doing things they didn’t need to do by leaving their region.”

Hyun Young nodded, liking Im So-byeong’s words. “Indeed, there is such a method. It’s much better than just pulling out.”

But Baek Cheon seemed to have a slightly different idea. “But even if the real Demonic Sect people aren’t targeting Sichuan, isn’t this just covering our eyes and pretending everything is fine?”

“What are you saying, Baek Cheon disciple? The Demonic Sect is already in Sichuan.”

“Yes?” Baek Cheon widened his eyes in surprise. Tang Gun-ak was even more surprised, quickly asking Im So-byeong, “Is that true?”

“Yes. I don’t know their exact identities, but there are definitely Demonic Sect members hiding in the mountains of Sichuan, threatening the lives of those who come and go.”

If there were Demonic Sect members hiding in the mountains and threatening those who came and went…

Um… what do you usually call those people…

“Bandits?”

“Unidentified Demonic Sect members! Anyway, those Demonic Sect members will soon cause problems at just the right time. To the extent that they don’t kill people, coincidentally, of course! Very coincidentally!” Im So-byeong waved his fan.

Baek Cheon’s mouth dropped open. So, to give the Tang Family a reason to leave, the Green Forest is directly disguising themselves as the Demonic Sect and causing accidents in Sichuan?

“No, will they be fooled by that? Of course, there’s a distinction…”

“They won’t go.”

“Yes. They won’t go. That’s right.”

If the Demonic Sect is in the mountains, they’re bandits; if they’re in the river, they’re pirates; if they’re in the fields, they’re marauders.

“I don’t have ‘bandit’ written on my face!” Cheong-myeong exclaimed. “If we just change his clothes, no one will know he’s a bad guy.”

“Hmm, yes…” Tang Gunak nodded slowly, as if Dang So-baek had made a good point.

If rumors started spreading—even small ones—that troublemakers were causing problems in Sichuan, no one would be angry if the Dang family returned. In fact, people would *want* the Dang family to protect them.

After all, weren’t they the Sichuan Dang Clan? If the Sichuan Dang Clan was going to protect Sichuan, who would tell them to leave and stop protecting everyone?

Everyone understood and agreed without question. Im So-byeong smiled proudly and spoke.

“Heh heh heh. You understand! Do you know what this is called?”

“A plot.”

“Despicable.”

“Filthy.”

“It’s a plan! A brilliant plan! Not filthy, you Taoist fools!”

The bandit’s desperate cry went unheard by the Taoist fools, as always.

Only Cheong-myeong looked at Im So-byeong with admiration.

“I saved a dying guy and cursed him for being useless,” Cheong-myeong said. “Turns out he’s useful after all.”

“Useless? I almost broke my back earning money on Plum Blossom Island!”

“More like you broke your wrist trying to steal money.”

“…If I knew it would be like this, I would have just stolen it.”

“If you had, your neck would have been broken, not your wrist.”

Cheong-myeong had thought about spreading rumors through the Beggars’ Sect or the Green Forest to lessen the blame. But he hadn’t thought of disguising himself as one of the rebels in Sichuan and causing trouble directly.

“The rebels are really something,” Cheong-myeong said. “Their plotting is on another level. Is it because of the work they used to do?”

“…It’s a brilliant plan, I tell you!” Im So-byeong insisted.

“Tsk tsk. It’s like how the same water becomes milk when a cow drinks it, and poison when a snake drinks it. The same plan is brilliant when it comes from the leader of the Orthodox Sect, but just a plot when it comes from a bandit.”

“Ah, no, that’s…” Im So-byeong started.

“If you’re upset, join the Orthodox Sect. Who told you to be a bandit?”

Im So-byeong closed his mouth, feeling dizzy.

Baek Cheon quietly whispered to Cheong-myeong.

“But… isn’t that a bit much?”

“What’s too much?” Cheong-myeong asked. “Do you even get a penny for being Orthodox until you freeze to death? We have to take care of things like this.”

Come to think of it, that was true…

Tang Gunak, worried that Cheong-myeong would insult Im So-byeong until he was buried alive, quickly wrapped things up.

“If that’s the case, then the Dang family has a reason to leave the Yangtze River area,” Tang Gunak said. “But I’m still worried about the innocent people who will suffer.”

Cheong-myeong answered, “Don’t worry. There’s a way to deal with that too.”

“Huh? A way?” Tang Gunak asked.

“Even if Wudang can’t do it, there are people living in the Yangtze River area who will move to Sichuan if we help them,” Cheong-myeong explained.

Tang Gunak looked surprised.

“To Sichuan?”

“Yes,” Cheong-myeong nodded. “We have to give them a chance. If they move to Sichuan, both the Dang family and Mount Hua can support them. We have plenty of money saved up over the past three years.”

This time, Im So-byeong clapped his fan as if impressed.

“Indeed, there is plenty of money. And even if we give them a chance, not many people will actually move, so it won’t cost much. To think you predicted all of this and are going to take credit for it. A devil would weep…”

“But that bastard is going too far!” Cheong-myeong shouted.

“Hold on, Cheong-myeong!”

“If you hit me again, you’re dead!”

After another brief argument, Cheong-myeong finally calmed down and said, “That’s how you’ll feel comfortable.”

“Hmm.” Tang Gunak looked at Hyun Jong as if asking for permission. Hyun Jong smiled and nodded.

“If the Clan Lord is so concerned about the common people, how can someone walking the path of Tao care about money?”

“He seemed pretty attached,” Cheong-myeong muttered.

“He *should* be attached!” Hyun Jong retorted.

“We were poor, Sect Leader,” Jo Gul added.

“Be quiet, you scoundrels!” Hyun Jong said, his face reddening. “There are outsiders present!” He cleared his throat loudly and spoke politely again. “So, do as you wish.”

“…Thank you, Alliance Leader,” Tang Gunak said with a nod.

Im So-byeong smiled. “Then, like the Dang family, we will also leave Plum Blossom Island.”

“Huh? Why Plum Blossom Island?” Cheong-myeong asked.

“…Isn’t Plum Blossom Island closer to the fighting than the Dang family? If a war breaks out, we’ll be the first to die!” Im So-byeong exclaimed.

“Well, yeah, but…” Cheong-myeong said.

Cheong-myeong listlessly picked his ear. “It’s a waste to leave now when we haven’t earned enough money yet… Why don’t you stay a little longer?”

“…You said human lives are the most important thing!” Im So-byeong protested.

“That’s right. But…” Cheong-myeong blew on his finger. “Do bandits even count as people these days? It wasn’t like that in my day.”

Im So-byeong was speechless and looked at Cheong-myeong as if to say, ‘Is this really a human being?’ But Cheong-myeong was still sulking.

“You won’t help the world much even if you live, so why don’t you earn some more money?”

“I’ll pull out!” Im So-byeong declared.

“Don’t make hasty decisions,” Cheong-myeong said.

“Money is important, but we have to live first!”

“Anyway, people don’t know the value of money these days? Tsk tsk. It wasn’t like that in my day,” Cheong-myeong grumbled.

‘Were there only devils living in the world in your day?’ Im So-byeong wondered.

“Ahem. I think that’s the right thing to do, Green Forest King,” Hyun Jong said.

“Thank you, Alliance Leader,” Im So-byeong replied.

Until now, Im So-byeong had thought that Cheong-myeong was the real leader of the Heavenly Union. But at this moment, he thanked the heavens that Hyun Jong, not Cheong-myeong, was in charge.

If that devil was the Heavenly Union Leader, the world… No, even if the world was fine, the Green Forest would definitely burn down.

With things roughly settled, Cheong-myeong began to grin.

“I’ve set the stage, so that bastard will start moving soon.”

“…Set the stage?” Baek Cheon asked.

“No, it’s nothing. Hee hee hee hee,” Cheong-myeong chuckled.

Everyone felt uneasy as they watched him laugh with a wide, mischievous smile, without explaining anything.

‘So, you guys dared to try and screw us over? Beop Jeong, you bastard!’ Cheong-myeong thought.

The corners of Cheong-myeong’s mouth twisted.

“It seems you’ve forgotten who I am while I’ve been away for three years,” he said.

“Try getting screwed over once. Hee hee hee hee! Ehehe! Ehehehehehehet!”

Jo Gul, watching Cheong-myeong convulse, cautiously asked Baek Cheon, “Why is that bastard doing that again?”

“Why bother asking? He’s probably plotting something again,” Baek Cheon replied.