Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 912

“They’re the Suro bandits!”

“It’s the river pirates!”

The ship was huge and dark, impossible to miss. It was like a floating mountain coming closer. When people on Plum Blossom Island saw it, their faces went white as paper. The happy sounds of the market stopped, replaced by a nervous silence.

People knew river pirates usually did not kill or hurt people without a reason.

Like mountain bandits who don’t raid villages, river pirates had a secret rule: they didn’t hurt people on land. This rule helped them stay alive.

But even so, river pirates were still river pirates!

Just seeing them take over Plum Blossom Island, which everyone traveled to freely, was enough to scare people.

One merchant stammered, his voice shaking, “Is… is this really happening?”

Another cried out, “Mount Hua is letting this happen? If they don’t stop them, we’re finished! This island is lost!”

A third merchant whispered, almost to himself, “Business… is business even possible now?”

There was only one reason why people didn’t run away right away.

Most of the people there were merchants. The people who used Plum Blossom Island and lived in the nearby cities were mostly merchants and their families.

The rest were people who came to do business with those merchants. If they ran away, they would have to find a new way to make a living.

It wasn’t easy to just give up your job. So, they just stood there, worried.

“They’re coming this way!” someone shouted.

“What?”

Everyone’s eyes widened. The ship that had docked at Plum Blossom Island was slowly turning toward the pier.

“What do we do? Should we run?”

“What will we do if we run? If we can’t do business, we’ll all starve anyway. We might as well stay and die here.”

“We can’t give up. We have to find a way to survive.”

“I can’t leave. You guys go ahead.”

Some smart merchants had already moved their goods from the warehouses. But even they couldn’t leave easily.

The merchants who could survive on their own wouldn’t worry much. But for those who made a living by trading with other regions, everything depended on Plum Blossom Island.

“Let’s hear them out first,” one said. “Don’t river pirates usually avoid hurting people on land?”

“Are you crazy?” another replied. “Have you forgotten how they burned down the village near the river before?”

“That’s true, but…”

“River pirates are not known for following rules. Their ‘principles’ change whenever they want. You can’t trust them to stick to any rules.”

“Then what do you want us to do?”

While the people were confused and unsure, the big black ship kept getting closer to the pier.

Soon, the ship slowed down and started to dock.

Gulp.

Everything went silent. The sound of someone swallowing was as loud as thunder.

From the huge ship, a group of men in blue Suro bandit uniforms jumped down. They quickly ran and took over the area around the pier.

“Step back!”

“Move back, or we’ll chop your heads off!”

The merchants were scared and quickly moved back.

“Wait a moment. I want to ask something…”

“You fool!”

One merchant, trying to speak without moving back, made a pirate angry. The pirate raised his weapon.

But just before the weapon hit the merchant’s neck…

“Youuuu!”

A loud roar exploded. The pirate froze.

“I-I am…”

A man slowly appeared on the ship’s deck.

He had a long, black beard and a strong body.

His black robe had a golden dragon on it. Everyone knew who he was.

“He’s the Black Dragon King.”

The Black Dragon King’s eyes were sharp and bright.

He was big and scary. When he got angry, some people felt weak and fell to the ground.

The Black Dragon King’s voice boomed, “Didn’t I say? No hurting people!”

The pirate mumbled, terrified, “L-Lord Black Dragon King, I just…”

“Worm!” the Black Dragon King roared, cutting him off. “Go take a swim!”

The Black Dragon King threw the pirate into the river. There was a splash, and then silence.

‘H-He threw a person…’

‘Is that even possible?’

The merchants stared at the Black Dragon King, shocked.

“Hmph!”

The Black Dragon King glared around, thankfully at the pirates, not the merchants.

“Listen up!” he shouted. “Anyone who hurts people here will pay. Anyone who hits someone will lose an arm. Anyone who cuts someone will lose their head. And anyone who kills someone will become fish food!”

“Yes! We understand!”

The Black Dragon King nodded, satisfied.

He turned to the merchants, his voice still loud but slightly calmer. “Listen up! This place is ours now. But things will stay the same… mostly.”

He puffed out his chest. “I, the Black Dragon King, promise you: no stealing on Plum Blossom Island! We will keep you safe!”

“T-Then, what about the fee…”

“Hmm.”

The Black Dragon King frowned. He didn’t like talking about money.

One of the pirates quickly spoke up. “The Black Dragon King says the fee will be doubled. Since the boss has changed, the money should change too!”

The merchants swallowed hard and nodded. Double was reasonable. Some were unhappy, but they didn’t dare to argue with the Black Dragon King.

If they argued too much about the price to save a little money, they could lose their lives.

“Go,” the Black Dragon King said.

“From now on, this city belongs to the Jang River Eighteen Bandit Groups. Anyone who stays or does business here must pay taxes to the Suro bandit group!”

“Yes!”

The pirates rushed forward to take over the city.

Some people were relieved that the Suro bandits would keep them safe. Others were sad that the fee had doubled. Still others wondered if they could trust the Suro bandits.

But not many realized that this was the Sa-pae Alliance’s first step into Gangbuk.

❀ ❀ ❀

“The Suro bandit group has taken over Gugang.”

The prayer beads in Beopjeong’s hand stopped moving.

Beopjeong narrowed his eyes slightly. “…Taken over, you say?”

“Yes, Abbot. It’s not exactly Gugang, but a new city next to it. The country hasn’t named it yet…”

“People used to call that place Plum Blossom Island.”

“Yes, that’s right, Abbot.”

Beopjeong bit his lip slightly. “I heard the Green Forest left Plum Blossom Island just yesterday. And now, the Suro bandits have taken it over?”

“…Yes.”

“Mount Hua… Didn’t the Green Forest warn the Sa-pae Alliance? Otherwise…”

“I’m not sure. But knowing Mount Hua…”

“…That’s probably it.”

Beopjeong closed his eyes.

He thought, ‘When you start to suspect something, you doubt everything.’ He felt unsure for a moment. He knew that even if the whole world traded with the Sa-pae Alliance, Mount Hua never would.

“…How far have the Suro bandits gone?”

“They have crossed the river…”

Beopgye stopped talking. Beopjeong’s face turned cold.

“You mean they have crossed over to Gangbuk.”

“It seems so, Abbot.”

“…Not just crossing over for a short time, but taking it over and calling it their territory.”

Beopjeong’s eyes darkened.

“Abbot. Is this the Sa-pae Alliance announcing their move into Gangbuk?”

“No.”

“…Yes?”

Beopjeong shook his head firmly. “It’s not the Sa-pae Alliance. It must be the Suro bandits acting alone.”

“How could…”

Beopgye started to ask why, but then stopped. He knew that Beopjeong had a good reason for saying that.

“But won’t others see it differently?”

Beopjeong didn’t answer. He knew that Beopgye was right.

As long as the Suro bandits were part of the Sa-pae Alliance, people would think the Sa-pae Alliance was moving into Gangbuk.

And since that land was in Gangbuk, the Gangnam Non-Aggression Pact didn’t matter anymore.

“Utterly foolish…”

Beopjeong ground his teeth. Why couldn’t they understand?

The Nine Sects had been criticized for causing the Jang River Catastrophe. Now, people would want to know if they were truly keeping the pact, or if they were just afraid of the Sa-pae Alliance.

The Nine Sects and the Five Great Families would have to answer that question.

‘We can’t back down from this.’

To prove that they were righteous sects protecting the Jianghu from the Sa-pae Alliance, they had to punish the bandits who had invaded Gangbuk.

‘But will that punishment be the end of it?’

If a war started with the Suro bandits, the Sa-pae Alliance would join in. If that happened, the war would quickly spread.

“An utterly foolish fellow… He’s causing trouble with his greed. This fake peace is better than war.”

After thinking for a long time, Beopjeong said one name.

“…Chung Myung.”

“A-Abbot?”

“Huhu. The Mount Hua Sword Saint… Mount Hua!”

Crack!

The prayer beads in his hand broke.

Beopjeong knew that Mount Hua was behind all of this.

But because they had protected Plum Blossom Island and helped Hobuk for the past three years, the Shaolin and the Nine Sects couldn’t criticize the Heavenly Union Alliance.

“Abbot…”

“Send word to the Nine Sects and the Five Great Families. Tell them to meet at Shaolin right away.”

“What about the sects that have closed their doors…”

“All the sects.”

“But Abbot…”

“Did I not say all the sects?”

Beopjeong’s voice got louder, and Beopgye quickly nodded.

“I will do so.”

“Hurry.”

“Yes!”

After Beopgye left, Beopjeong looked at his hand. The prayer beads were broken.

“Huhu.”