Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 984

The Namgung family members carried Namgung Hwang’s body. They were crying loudly. They had already used all their strength. Now, they fell to the ground, completely worn out. They couldn’t take anymore. The sounds of their weeping filled the air.

And the Tang Clan took care of them as best they could.

“How are they doing?”

Tang Gun-ak turned to Hyun Jong, his eyes calm.

“Many are badly hurt, but luckily, it seems no one else will die.”

“…That’s a relief, at least.”

Hyun Jong sighed.

He said it was a relief, but he wasn’t sure if it was really good news.

‘The Namgung paid too high a price.’

They lost their Clan Lord and elders all at once. Also, only a third of those who went to Plum Blossom Island survived. Almost all of the Namgung Clan’s strength was on Plum Blossom Island, so this was a loss that can’t be fixed.

Hyun Jong looked at Namgung Dowi, who was unconscious. He looked tired and wounded. Even with his eyes closed, it was very clear how young he was.

‘The weight on his young shoulders was too much.’

He probably couldn’t think that far ahead right now. But after the sadness went away and he became calm again, he would start to see the truth.

The biggest problem was that they had lost almost all of the older people who should have been the most important in the family. Namgung Myung was still alive, but he couldn’t do the Clan Lord’s job.

And that wasn’t the only problem.

Even if Namgung Dowi was very talented and could lead the Namgung Clan again, he was still too young. It would take at least ten years for him to do what Namgung Hwang did.

‘The bad people in the fighting world (Jianghu) won’t leave the Namgung Clan alone until then.’

Hadn’t Mount Hua already been through it?

For a weak group, a famous past could cause them more trouble than help. The more famous they were, the more enemies would target them.

A lot of damage and a break with the older people.

It was like…

Lost in thought, Hyun Jong shook his head.

‘It won’t come to that.’

He couldn’t bear to see them suffer the same pain he had.

“I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry.”

Tang Gun-ak gave a small smile.

He was caring and concerned, like a parent trusting their child to a doctor. His eyes were full of worry and love. Hyun Jong might think the connection with the Namgung Clan was small, so how could he be so sincere?

‘The more I see him, the more amazing he is.’

No, it wasn’t just Hyun Jong who was amazing.

Tang Gun-ak looked at the Mount Hua disciples who were looking at the Jang Gang from the railing.

‘What’s truly amazing is them.’

He knew, of course, that Mount Hua had become stronger.

It would be strange if those trained by the Mount Hua Sword Master, who had stayed away for three years, hadn’t become stronger. But the way they fought surprised even Tang Gun-ak, who had already guessed they were strong.

‘What kind of training do they have to do to grow so much?’

It was normal for their inner strength to increase and their skills to get better. Didn’t all martial artists work hard on that?

But their strength couldn’t be explained by just that.

‘Anyway, they’re mysterious people.’

Tang Gun-ak smiled a little sadly and looked back at the patient he was helping. To him, it was just an amazing and mysterious thing. And in a way, it was also rewarding.

But that was possible because Tang Gun-ak knew and understood the Mount Hua Sect somewhat. Jao-gae had come to Plum Blossom Island with Mount Hua by chance. He saw things differently, and it wasn’t easy for him to understand this situation.

‘Was Mount Hua this strong?’

He didn’t feel much of a difference between when they entered Plum Blossom Island and now. Mount Hua and the Tang Clan had completely rescued the Namgung Clan from Plum Blossom Island without much damage.

“…A storm will rise.”

Mount Hua was clearly the leader of the Cheonwu Alliance. But that didn’t mean that Mount Hua was the strongest group in the Cheonwu Alliance. Everyone thought so. At least until now.

Mount Hua could be the leader because they were the center of the Cheonwu Alliance and a group that showed the values ​​that the Cheonwu Alliance believed in. The Sichuan Tang Clan had been in charge of the Cheonwu Alliance’s real fighting strength.

But…

‘Not anymore.’

Once what happened on this Jang Gang became known, no one would think that way.

Now, the Mount Hua Sect had become the clear leader of the Cheonwu Alliance. They had become a true great sect, as strong as the top groups in the fighting world.

‘How will they accept this situation…’

Jao-gae looked at the riverside.

There, the Shaolin and the Common Sect, and some of the Beggars’ Sect, were still camped.

Beop Jeong stared blankly at the two ships coming closer. The corners of his eyes twitched a little.

‘How did this happen?’

Those who had walked into death were calmly leaving the island. Even more confusing was that the Surochae’s ships, which should have been blocking them, were instead letting them come out.

‘What the hell is this…’

Beop Jeong’s lips trembled.

He wasn’t planning to stay there forever.

Once Mount Hua and the Tang Clan stepped onto Plum Blossom Island, there were two possible results.

Either they would be destroyed on Plum Blossom Island along with the Namgung.

Or they would escape Plum Blossom Island after a lot of trouble, but the Surochae and Maninbang would attack them in the cold Jang Gang, and they would die one by one.

He couldn’t do anything about the first option, but if the second happened, he would jump into the Jang Gang and help them, even if it was a small chance. He couldn’t stand the thought of watching them die and then escaping.

But the situation was completely different from what he had expected.

“How…”

His eyes, which had been dizzy, were now full of complicated feelings.

‘This… What on earth is this…’

His judgment was absolutely correct. No matter how many times he thought about it, there was no mistake. Going to Plum Blossom Island was like suicide.

But now, all of that was meaningless.

Since Mount Hua and the Tang Clan, the Cheonwu Alliance, had gone to Plum Blossom Island and rescued the Namgung, his cold judgment would look like the mistake of a fool. His patience would look like the neglect of a coward.

There was no way to avoid everyone blaming the Nine Great Sects. Actually, the Nine Great Sects are not the biggest worry now.

“⋯⋯”

Beopjeong quickly looked behind him. The Shaolin monks were standing in lines behind him. They were watching the two ships coming closer. Their faces showed no feelings. They did not even look at Beopjeong.

He made a fist without thinking about it.

These monks had stayed loyal even when Hye-bang left. This meant they had believed in Beopjeong then. But now, they were turning away from him.

‘Foolish people!’

Beopjeong started saying Buddhist prayers in his mind to calm his anger. Just then…

“…Abbot,” Jongli-hyung said. He had been watching everything from the side. He turned to Beopjeong. His eyes were shaking. Jongli-hyung was also the leader of an important family group. He was not stupid. He knew what was happening.

“W-what should we do now?”

“…” Beopjeong closed his mouth tightly. He said nothing. It was like the saying, ‘Even if I had ten mouths, I would have no excuse.’ This situation was that bad.

“If this was going to happen,” Jongli-hyung said, “wouldn’t it have been better if we had gone with Mount Hua to Plum Blossom Island? If we go back like this, what will everyone think of us?”

Beopjeong stayed quiet even though Jongli-hyung was blaming him a lot.

Jongli-hyung spoke louder, sounding angry.

“Abbot!”

“Calm down!” Beopjeong turned to him. His face was full of anger. Jongli-hyung stepped back a little when he saw the sharp look in Beopjeong’s eyes.

Beopjeong bit his lip and said, “…They will be here soon. Do we have to shout at each other now?”

“But…”

“Wait and see.” The ships were almost at the riverbank.

“It is not over yet,” Beopjeong said. His eyes flashed with a bright blue light.

While this was happening, the ship with the Cheonwu Alliance arrived at the riverbank.

*Thud!* The sound of the ship gently hitting the sandbank was very loud.

*Gulp.* It became very quiet. You could even hear people swallowing. Everyone looked at the ship.

“Carefully move the injured people!” someone shouted from the ship.

“Yes!” voices replied. Warriors from the Sichuan Tang Clan jumped off the ship. They were wearing green uniforms. They carried people from the Namgung Clan in their arms. These were survivors.

Jongli-hyung closed his eyes tightly.

‘They really rescued them,’ he thought. From far away, it was hard to know if the Namgung Clan was really on the ship. But now, it was clear. The Cheonwu Alliance had rescued the Namgung Clan.

‘What should we do now?’ Jongli-hyung thought. This should be happy news. Everyone should be happy and praise them. But Jongli-hyung could not feel happy. He felt ashamed because he couldn’t be happy that people who had suffered were alive. This feeling hurt him deeply.

Maybe the disciples of Mount Common behind him felt the same way.

Even as he thought this, more survivors from Namgung were carried off the ship. The Tang Clan members found a flat place on the ground. They put the unconscious Namgung people down and checked how they were doing.

After the Tang Clan, the swordsmen of Mount Hua came out. They wore black uniforms. They jumped off the ship quickly and stood in lines. They did not speak. They did not look at anyone.

Maybe they were ignoring everyone else. Even though they had done something brave, it was bad manners not to even look at Shaolin and Mount Common.

But the people standing there were almost thankful for this. They felt too ashamed to look at Mount Hua.

Just then, Hyun Jong, the leader of Mount Hua, came out from behind them.

*Step.* Beopjeong had been watching silently. Now, he moved. He walked slowly and deliberately towards Mount Hua. He bowed his head deeply to Hyun Jong, who had stepped forward. He put his hands together in greeting.

“You have worked hard, Headmaster,” Beopjeong said.

Hyun Jong smiled quietly.

These two men had had a big fight before they came to the Yangtze River. But now, they did not show any anger or bad feelings from before on their faces.

“You are too kind,” Hyun Jong said. “I only did what I should do.”

Beopjeong could not speak for a moment. He bit his lip. Hyun Jong had said humble words. But the words, ‘what I should do,’ made Beopjeong feel bad inside. Did that mean Shaolin had not done what they should do?

Of course, Hyun Jong was not trying to be mean. Beopjeong knew Hyun Jong was not the kind of person to meanly laugh at someone or make fun of them directly. But because Hyun Jong wasn’t trying to be mean, Beopjeong felt even worse about himself.

Beopjeong’s eyes flashed with a bright light.

“However,” Beopjeong said. He slowly stood up straight. He looked around at Mount Hua and the Tang Clan in a way that showed he had something important to say. Then, he looked at the ships of Su Rochae that were still on the Yangtze River.

“There is something you need to explain.”

Hyun Jong’s eyes became a little smaller for a moment.

“Explain?”

“Yes, Headmaster. It might seem small, but it’s important.”

“…What is it?”

Beopjeong stared at Hyun Jong with cold eyes.

“If I saw correctly, it looked like Su Rochae and Maninbang opened the way for the Cheonwu Alliance to escape. Is that right?”

Hyun Jong closed his mouth. He didn’t answer because of the question itself. He could feel the sharp anger in Beopjeong’s words.

“With my limited knowledge, I cannot understand how that is possible.”

“Abbot, now…” Jongli-hyung started to say something, but Beopjeong ignored him.

“So, you must explain, Headmaster,” Beopjeong said strongly, his eyes becoming twisted with anger. “Explain about my question. Did the Cheonwu Alliance secretly work with the evil group on Plum Blossom Island?”

The air on the riverbank became still and cold in an instant.