Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 917

“Ah, what happened? Tell me!”

Hong Daeguang stared blankly at Chung Myung, his face looked empty.

‘I must be mad.’

‘Why did I miss this madman? This devilish human shatters all my peace. Why me?’

“Um… Divine Dragon of Mount Hua… No, Sword Saint of Mount Hua.”

“What is it?”

“Information… it’s not something we just have ready all the time. It takes time to get it.”

“What are you talking about! What good is the Beggars’ Sect if they don’t have information!”

“That’s not what I mean… We have information, but it’s not always there exactly when you want it…”

“Nooooo!”

Hong Daeguang squeezed his eyes shut.

“Honestly, you beggars are useless! No help at all! You useless lot can’t even beg properly. What do you live on if you can’t produce information when I need it!”

“Thanks for your concern, I guess.”

‘I don’t think you need to worry about that, do you? Huh?’

Whether he understood Hong Daeguang’s feelings or not, Chung Myung kept pushing him.

“Ah, so what happened!”

Hong Daeguang stared at the ceiling with a defeated look.

There were so many things he wanted to say. If the person ranting in front of him was anyone other than Chung Myung, Hong Daeguang would have smiled and said:

‘Look here, young friend. It takes a little time for the information requested from the main branch to arrive by messenger hawk. I can’t personally fly like a bird to fetch the information. Bothering me won’t speed things up, so please wait patiently. It won’t be long.’

Yes. He could say that.

And if he said that, those who knew the Beggars’ Sect’s prestige would nod or feel guilty for bothering a branch leader of the Beggars’ Sect without thinking.

If they were people with any sense, that is.

But, the person in front of him was Chung Myung. This man wouldn’t even treat the Beggars’ Sect’s prestige as a dog bone lying in the street. He had no common sense or reason.

If he said that, Chung Myung would probably curse him, saying, ‘You useless beggars! You’re so lazy that you have to beg for a living.’

“Hic.”

Or he’d lose his temper and fall backward.

Watching Chung Myung’s face grow increasingly heated made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

It felt like watching a flame slowly spread toward a powder keg. It was clear that the moment that fire touched the oil drum, it would explode with a bang.

That face?

No, this entire branch.

‘Please! Please! Hurry up, you little bird!’

Since he had requested it with super-special urgency, the Beggars’ Sect’s Thousand-Mile Blue Dove was probably flying with a letter containing the information tied to its leg, its wings flapping off.

Whether this branch was blown to pieces or not depended solely on the speed of those wings.

“Kuh!”

Chung Myung’s eyes were starting to roll back. Hong Daeguang was thinking about running away without stopping, when—

Piiiiiiiiii!

“It’s here!”

At the sound, Hong Daeguang jumped up from his seat.

He wouldn’t be this happy to see his deceased grandfather’s face again. Actually, Hong Daeguang didn’t even know his father’s face, let alone his grandfather’s, but anyway, moving on!

“Where!”

“There! It’s coming there!”

At that moment, a dove with blue wings flew in through the wide-open window with lightning speed.

“Oof!”

Hong Daeguang reached out and quickly caught the Thousand-Mile Blue Dove, then tore open the small messenger tube tied to its ankle.

As soon as he took out the rolled-up letter, Chung Myung snatched it away.

“Where!”

Chung Myung’s eyes darted left and right at the speed of light as he unfolded the letter.

“What does it say?”

“Well…”

“Huh?”

After reading the entire letter, Chung Myung looked up at Hong Daeguang. His expression was strangely indescribable.

“Old beggar man.”

“What?”

“It looks like you guys are screwed?”

“What? Wh-What are you talking about?”

“No. I just… I didn’t think there would be one…”

Chung Myung laughed hollowly and scratched the back of his head.

“There was a crazy bastard.”

“Huh?”

Hong Daeguang stared blankly at Chung Myung, his face completely confused.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on Plum Blossom Island, the mood was equally tense, but for different reasons.

Heavy tension hung in the air over Plum Blossom Island. The streets were no longer lively. It was difficult to find people, and all the taverns that used to be bustling had their windows tightly shut.

Those who had quietly gathered in a small tavern on the outskirts of the city could only hold their breath as they watched the passing Suro soldiers.

“Do we really have to live like this?”

One of them sighed as he watched the Suro soldiers through a gap in the window.

“Actually, isn’t it not that big of a deal? It’s not like the Suro Army is harming people.” said a merchant.

Another merchant, thumped his chest and said, “It’s not that there’s no big deal, it’s that it hasn’t happened yet, you fool. Doesn’t a tiger leave alone those who pass by when its belly is full? These Suro bastards may be quiet now, but how do we know when they’ll do something?”

“That’s true, but…”

The merchants’ faces were clouded with worry.

It had been several days since the Suro Army had taken control of Plum Blossom Island, but no one had yet reported being harmed by the pirates.

But that didn’t make it possible to feel comfortable around the pirates, whom they had feared their entire lives. Especially for the merchants who made their living traveling the Yangtze River.

“We have to get along somehow. Didn’t we used to pay tolls when we met pirates while sailing? Just think of it as the same thing…” said the older merchant with a worried frown.

“How is that the same? You might meet them for a short time every few weeks or months. But how are we supposed to live facing those bastards every day?” said the younger, more impatient merchant.

“And back then, we only had to pay for the goods we were transporting. But now they’re taxing even the goods in the warehouse. Damn it, business is already bad. What are we supposed to live on after paying the money those bastards demand?”

The merchants all sighed.

Mount Hua, which had occupied Plum Blossom Island, only rented out warehouses to those who paid. They did not tax each item stored there. So, really, the only money the merchants paid while using Plum Blossom Island was the toll for transporting goods on ships.

Of course, there were costs for using various facilities, but wasn’t that the same everywhere?

But when those Suro bastards took control of Plum Blossom Island, they immediately doubled the tolls. They announced that they would tax the goods waiting within Plum Blossom Island.

So, while it was said to be double, really, they had to pay almost three or four times as much.

“Do we really have to put up with this?”

“Arthur, listen. Remember the Donghae Merchant Group that left Mae Hwa Island yesterday and headed down the river?”

“Donghae Merchant Group? Ah, yes, I remember them. What happened?”

“…I heard they’re all dead.”

“What?! What are you talking about?”

“It seems those pirates are thinking clearly. They’re sinking every merchant ship that tries to cross the river outside Mae Hwa Island. They’re telling everyone to use Mae Hwa Island if they don’t want to die.”

“…Good heavens.”

Everyone went silent, as if frozen in place.

Before, meeting river pirates wasn’t too bad. They usually just asked for money, and no one got seriously hurt.

But if those pirates act like this, no one will dare to cross the river.

Of course, the Yangtze River is so wide that you might not even run into river pirates. You could say the odds of meeting them are about one in ten.

But what fool would risk their fortune and their life on a one-in-ten chance?

“…Looks like we’ll be completely robbed now,” one merchant sighed.

Another grumbled, “Life was easier when Hwasan was here.”

They all knew it was true. Only now, with Hwasan gone, did they truly understand how much protection the sect had given them when they controlled Mae Hwa Island.

“What’s the point of looking back? So, is there any news from the Nine Great Sects yet? How long has it been since these pirates took over? Why haven’t they shown up?”

Now, the only hope for the merchants was for the Nine Great Sects to take back this place. Or, if that didn’t happen, to wipe out the river pirates who roamed the Yangtze River once more.

“…I heard there’s still no movement,” someone said quietly.

“Still?” another asked, surprised.

One of the merchants, unable to hold back his anger, raised his voice. “Surely the Nine Sects aren’t thinking of just handing this place over to the river pirates, are they?”

“S-Surely, they wouldn’t do that, would they? This is Gangbuk, after all,” another replied nervously.

“Then why haven’t they shown their faces until now?”

“That’s….”

The merchants exchanged worried glances.

“Didn’t they get scared by the Sa Pae Clan before and retreat? What guarantee is there that they won’t do the same this time?” one asked, fear in his voice.

“Come on, surely not! Even if they are the Righteous Sects…” another protested weakly.

“Righteous Sects? If you’re going to talk about Righteous Sects, you should have done so three years ago! Isn’t it a fact that the Nine Sects bowed their heads to the river pirates because they were afraid for their lives?”

“….”

“Surely not this time too….”

“Hey, don’t bring bad luck by saying that! Things weren’t good back then. If the Nine Sects get serious, the river pirates, including that Black Dragon King, will have their heads chopped off in no time, I tell you….”

Thud!

Just then, the tavern door burst open, and a man in blue clothes slowly walked in.

“….”

He wore the river pirate’s signature tight-fitting blue uniform, and his face showed murderous intent.

The tavern became as silent as a graveyard.

“Hmm.”

The man scanned the room with cold eyes. The merchants who met his gaze froze, barely daring to breathe.

The river pirate opened his mouth.

“Just now, in here….”

A cruel glint flashed in his eyes.

“I think I heard someone talking about the Nine Sects?”

“W-Well, that’s….”

“The Black Dragon King’s head will be chopped off?”

The color drained from the merchants’ faces. They knew better than anyone how cruel these river pirates could be when they wanted to be.

“This is why you shouldn’t be kind. The Black Dragon King has been so considerate, yet you ungrateful wretches dare to spout nonsense.”

Anger twisted the man’s face.

“Time to teach you a lesson.”

“T-That’s not what we meant….”

“No! You misunderstand!”

The merchants frantically waved their hands and made excuses, but the man didn’t even pretend to listen and gestured to his men.

“Drag them out.”

“Yes!”

As the river pirates rushed in, the merchants screamed in terror.

“It’s a misunderstanding! Sir! Sir!”

“Please, spare me!”

“Hiek! I, I…!”

The merchants, seized by the river pirates, pleaded with tears in their eyes, but the hands that bound them were merciless.

“Drag them out and kill them all. They dared to insult the Black Dragon King. Their lives aren’t enough to pay for their crime!”

The man who shouted clicked his tongue.

As he left the tavern, he muttered, “I don’t understand why the Black Dragon King shows mercy to such fellows. He should just kill them all and take what they have. Merchants or Righteous Sects, it’s all the same.”

“Kill and take?”

Just then, a voice boomed from behind, deep and powerful like thunder.

Annoyance flashed across the pirate’s face. He clicked his tongue, turning around to face the fool who dared interrupt him. He expected to see another scared merchant.

But what he saw made him freeze.

Standing in the doorway was a man in pure white robes, startlingly clean against the tavern’s grime. His black hair, thick and untamed, framed a face that was rugged and strong, like a carved lion. His eyes, the color of a tiger’s, fixed on the pirate with burning intensity. Embroidered in bold, black letters on the right side of his white robe were two characters: Azure Heaven.

“N-Nam… Gack! Namgoong….”

Before the pirate could speak, a hand, large and rough, shot out and clamped around his neck.

Kawaaaaaaaang!

The man who grabbed his neck slammed the river pirate to the floor in one swift motion. The sound was a loud crash, like bones breaking. The river pirate, who had been so imposing just a moment ago, lay sprawled out, covered in blood.

“Surochae.”

The name, filled with despair and horror, escaped the mouths of the river pirates who saw his face.

How could they forget that face?

Three years ago, that name, close to absolute, had stood evenly against their leader, the Black Dragon King.

“E-Emperor… Emperor Sword!”

“You….”

A huge roar erupted from the mouth of Emperor Sword, Namgoong Hwang.

“You worm-like river pirates! How dare you set foot on Gangbuk land in front of my eyes? I will kill you all!”

It was the moment when the lion of Anhui, who had been crouching for three years, finally roared towards the sky.