Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 991

“Finally,” Namgung Dowi thought, his hands sweating. *Why am I so nervous?* he wondered. The Namgung Clan was powerful. No one *should* refuse them. If they decided to join the *bad* group, even the leader of that group, Jang Il-so, would rush to stop them.

Dowi looked behind him. Namgung Myung looked calm, as always. *Good,* Dowi thought. *He looks confident.* But Dowi still felt uneasy. This was the Cheonwoo Alliance. They didn’t follow the usual rules of the *fighting world*. In fact, had they ever done what anyone expected?

“Hoo,” Dowi sighed, taking a deep breath. *I just have to be honest,* he thought. *That’s all I can do.*

“Acting Clan Leader,” Hyun Jong said softly to Dowi. Hyun Jong used this title because Dowi wasn’t officially the Clan Leader yet.

“Yes, Alliance Leader,” Dowi replied.

“Let me be clear,” Hyun Jong said. “Is the Namgung Clan asking to join the Cheonwoo Alliance?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Dowi said. He took another deep breath. “I want to ask again, here and now. The Namgung Clan wants to join the Cheonwoo Alliance.”

“Hmm,” Hyun Jong said, nodding slowly, his face serious. “Joining us might cause trouble with other groups. Are you sure you understand that?”

“Yes,” Dowi said firmly. “We are sure.” His eyes were steady and strong.

It made sense. Where else could the Namgung Clan go? And honestly, Dowi *wanted* to be with the Cheonwoo Alliance, not those Nine Great Sects. It felt right, in his head and in his heart.

“Why do you want to join us?” Hyun Jong asked.

“Because,” Dowi said, looking at everyone, “I knew talking to the others was pointless.”

He continued, “My father went to Plum Blossom Island to take responsibility for what happened at the Jang River and to bring back honor to the *fighting world*. He taught us that the Namgung Clan, the Azure Sky Namgung Clan, must always stand for honor.”

“Hmm,” Tang Gunak murmured, closing his eyes for a moment. Hearing about Namgung Hwang, Dowi’s father, seemed to make him think.

“The Nine Great Sects,” Dowi continued, “they cared more about themselves than honor. I’m not saying they were wrong. But…” Dowi’s face became determined.

“If my father were still alive, and here today, he would choose the Cheonwoo Alliance, not the Nine Great Sects. I believe the Namgung Clan’s future is with you, not with them, or with the Five Great Families.”

Hyun Jong was about to agree, thinking Dowi had said enough, but Dowi spoke again.

“And this isn’t just about fixing our problems now. I want to give the young people of the Namgung Clan something to be proud of. Pride in being a clan that values honor, not just money or fame!”

The Mount Hua disciples behind them nodded without thinking. Pride might seem like nothing. Compared to money and power, what good was it? But it made them stand straight.

The Shaolin monks couldn’t even look at the Cheonwoo Alliance or the Namgung Clan. They had lost their pride, their sect’s honor. The Mount Hua disciples knew pride wasn’t about strength. That’s why they nodded.

“So, I’m asking you,” Dowi said, bowing his head. “Please let the Namgung Clan join the Cheonwoo Alliance. I will work hard to prove you made the right choice.”

Hyun Jong smiled, a real smile this time. *Excellent!* he thought. It had only been a few days since Dowi escaped Plum Blossom Island. Losing his father, seeing his family killed – it must have been terrible. But Dowi was strong. He wasn’t looking back at the past, but forward to the future. He had faced pain and was now building a new future for Namgung. How could Hyun Jong not be happy? Seeing such a good young man, even from another clan, made him proud. Hyun Jong’s face, which had been serious since arriving at the Jang River, finally lit up.

“What do you think?” Hyun Jong asked, his voice happy. Tang Gunak smiled, seeing Hyun Jong’s good mood.

“It looks like you’ve already decided,” Tang Gunak said. “So, what does my opinion matter?”

“Don’t say that!” Hyun Jong said, a little embarrassed. Tang Gunak smiled at Dowi.

“There’s no reason to say no. Shouldn’t we be asking the Namgung Clan to join us?”

“Exactly!” someone agreed. “Who would refuse a clan like theirs? I agree!”

Hyun Jong nodded, pleased. “Anyone disagree?”

“No!” everyone said together, like they had planned it. It made sense. No one disliked the Namgung Clan. For the Cheonwoo Alliance, it was a good thing to get stronger by adding the Namgung Clan. Even if they just thought about it practically, it was a big win. The Namgung Clan was still powerful, even after their troubles. They were much stronger than most groups. Being one of the Five Great Families meant something real, not just a fancy title.

“We can’t decide this alone,” Hyun Jong said. “But I don’t think the leaders of the other groups will disagree. So, as Alliance Leader, I approve the Namgung Clan’s…”

“No!” a loud voice shouted.

“…joining…” Hyun Jong stopped, surprised, and looked towards the sound. Im So-byeong, who usually smiled and used a fan, was now staring angrily, his face scary.

“Nokrim King?” someone whispered.

“I will never allow this!” Im So-byeong yelled.

“No way!”

“What’s going on?” someone else muttered.

*Bang!* Chung Myung kicked Im So-byeong hard, without a second thought, and rolled his eyes. “Why is this idiot talking? Is this a place for *bad* guys to cause trouble?”

Im So-byeong, kicked in the side, groaned on the floor. But he sat up quickly, still angry.

“No! This is not fair! What has Namgung ever done for you? They were just having fun in Anhui. Now they got beat up by the *bad* guys and want to hide with the Cheonwoo Alliance!” Im So-byeong’s eyes were wide with anger. He was so loud that even Hyun Jong and Tang Gunak jumped back a little.

But Chung Myung didn’t care at all. He stared at Im So-byeong and then poked him in both eyes with his fingers.

“Aaaagh!” Im So-byeong screamed and fell back, covering his eyes. Everyone else winced and covered their own eyes too.

“Who are you staring at like that, you *bad* guy? I’ll take your eyes out!”

“Kuh, keuh!” Im So-byeong cried, tears running from his eyes. He looked at Hyun Jong, his eyes full of anger. He knew he couldn’t talk to Chung Myung, so he would try to talk to someone reasonable.

“Even though we are *bad* guys!” Im So-byeong cried. “We’ve worked so hard for three years! Carry bags? We carry bags! Carry people? We carry people! Guard people? We guard people!” As Im So-byeong shouted louder, Hyun Jong got smaller and smaller.

“We’ve been doing this for three years! And now you’re letting Namgung join? We haven’t even joined yet! How can you let them in and leave us out?”

“…” Hyun Jong couldn’t say anything. It was true. For the last three years, Mount Hua had used Nokrim a lot. No normal *bad* group or trader could have used them as much as Mount Hua had. Of course, it was mostly Chung Myung who did it, not Mount Hua really. But Chung Myung was part of Mount Hua, so Mount Hua was responsible.

“You should have a heart!” Im So-byeong declared.

Chung Myung, not Hyun Jong, answered. “Oh, are you upset? Then be good! You idiot! Who told you to be *bad*?”

Im So-byeong, who usually would have stopped talking at that, was shouting louder than ever today.

“No, what can I do if my father is the Nokrim King? What am I supposed to do? Should I just disappear and be born again? Do you know what it’s like to have a *bad* guy as a father?”

“No,” Chung Myung said. “Because I have no parents.”

“…Oh,” Im So-byeong said, nodding. “Then you really don’t know.”

While everyone watched, confused, Im So-byeong continued. “I wanted to be born into a good family, get a good job, and have a normal life! But my father is a mountain bandit leader! How can I change that? I was born like this, but I’m trying to be good! You should help me! Are you going to treat me badly just because of who my father is?”

“Stop being unfair to *bad* guys!” Im So-byeong shouted. “Resign, you mean Alliance Leader!”

*Thwack!* Chung Myung hit Im So-byeong again, thinking he was going too far. “No, this idiot is going too far, just when I was starting to listen! Okay, I’ll kill you now!”

“Stop, Chung Myung!” Hyun Jong quickly stopped Chung Myung, feeling like he couldn’t watch anymore.

“Kuh, keuhem,” Tang Gunak coughed, covering his mouth, looking embarrassed. “Actually… what Nokrim King said… it’s kind of true…” The Mount Hua disciples looked up at the ceiling, pretending they didn’t hear anything. They were all embarrassed.

“But,” Hyun Jong said, his face a little red. “I understand what you’re saying, Nokrim King. And we know we should let Nokrim join the Cheonwoo Alliance.”

“Yes, Sect Leader!”

“But…” Hyun Jong looked a bit worried and awkward. “The Nine Great Sects are saying we are working with *bad* guys. So, it’s hard to let you join right now. How about we do it later, when things are calmer? Can you understand?”

“Join later?”

“Yes, that’s what I mean.” It was a reasonable idea. Letting Nokrim join now would give Beopjeong, who was already trying to say the Cheonwoo Alliance was with *bad* guys, more reason to attack them. Im So-byeong was smart; he would understand.

But then, Im So-byeong reached into his clothes and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and gave it to Hyun Jong.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a promise, in writing.”

“A… written promise?”

“Yes! A promise to let Nokrim join the Cheonwoo Alliance! And you have to announce it within a year!”

“…” Hyun Jong looked at the paper, his eyes wide. The words were tiny and packed together.

“N-Nokrim King?”

“Sign it. And put your fingerprint.”

“…”

“Now!”

“…” And so, at the meeting to let the Namgung Clan join, Nokrim also got approved. It felt a little strange and unfinished.