Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 992

Im So-byeong started with a small chuckle. Then, he laughed a little louder. Soon, he was throwing his head back and roaring with laughter. Jo Gul and the others just stared, silent.

Jo Gul watched Im So-byeong laugh. Im So-byeong was laughing loudly, looking up at the sky. Jo Gul felt awkward. He asked Yoon Jong, his senior brother, quietly, “Why is he acting like that?”

Yoon Jong paused. “He must be very happy.”

“That much?” Jo Gul was confused. He understood being happy, but this seemed like too much. Im So-byeong kept laughing loudly. Usually, Im So-byeong seemed weak and not like a strong leader. But seeing him laugh so wildly, Jo Gul could see a different side of him.

While Im So-byeong laughed, Yoon Jong noticed something else. “Why is *he* acting like that?” he asked.

“Who?” Jo Gul replied.

Yoon Jong pointed. “Chung Myung, over there.” Yoon Jong looked at Chung Myung. He had never seen Chung Myung look so sad. Chung Myung was sitting alone, drawing in the dirt with a small stick. He looked very gloomy, like a dark cloud was over him.

Im So-byeong, still laughing, looked at Chung Myung and waved the oath paper in the air, like a winner showing off to someone who lost. “Hahaha!” Im So-byeong laughed again.

Yoon Jong shook his head, looking from Chung Myung drawing in the dirt to Im So-byeong celebrating. “This is a mess,” Yoon Jong said.

“It really is,” Jo Gul agreed.

Baek Cheon smiled a little and walked over to Im So-byeong. “Congratulations,” Baek Cheon said.

“Ah, Baek Cheon! Thank you! Thank you!” Im So-byeong replied.

“Are you really *that* happy?” Baek Cheon asked.

“More happy than words can say!” Im So-byeong opened his fan with a snap. “All those hard years, all the times we were made to feel small, all the pain we went through to join the Heavenly Union!” He paused. “How can I not be happy? Everything is worth it now! The Green Forest is now part of the Heavenly Union!”

“I thought we were going to tell people later…” Baek Cheon said.

“That doesn’t matter now. What matters is we are safe,” Im So-byeong said.

“Safe?” Baek Cheon asked.

Im So-byeong smiled knowingly. “Think about it, Baek Cheon. If the Green Forest wasn’t friends with Mount Hua right now, what would happen?”

“Well…” Baek Cheon thought for a moment and nodded. He understood. “It would be very dangerous.”

“Exactly! Right now, the good groups and the bad groups are fighting more than ever. The big, respected groups like the Nine Great Sects have been made to look bad by the Four Evil Sects. They are angry and want to show they are still strong. If the Green Forest wasn’t in the Heavenly Union, they might attack us, especially the angry Shaolin group.”

And it’s not just Shaolin. Many groups want to prove they are still powerful. “Other groups that are like us, the ‘unorthodox’ groups, can go south to Jiangnan and join the Four Evil Sects. But the Green Forest can’t do that. We are based in the mountains, mostly in the Gangbuk area, which is in the center of the country.”

“That’s right,” Baek Cheon agreed.

“So, for the big ‘unorthodox’ groups in the center, the Green Forest is the only one mainly in Gangbuk. We have some people in Gangnam, but it’s less than thirty percent of our group.”

“So, we only have two choices,” Im So-byeong continued. “We could leave our homes and everything we’ve built in Gangbuk and move south to Gangnam. Then we would have to obey the Four Evil Sects. Or, we could stay in Gangbuk and try to survive while being careful of the Nine Great Sects.”

Baek Cheon shook his head. “That would be very hard.”

“Yes! Even if the Green Forest is strong, we are not as strong as the Nine Great Sects. If they decided to attack us, they could destroy all the bandits in the mountains in less than a month.”

“…”

“And the other choice is just as bad. How could I ever obey Jang Il-so? That terrible man!”

“…”

Everyone knew that Jang Il-so and Im So-byeong were enemies. Really, it was more like Im So-byeong hated Jang Il-so because Jang Il-so had always beaten him easily.

“But!” Im So-byeong suddenly held up something else. It wasn’t his fan. It was the oath paper, with Hyun Jong’s seal on it. “Now, we are proud members of the Heavenly Union!” he announced. “No matter how big the Nine Great Sects are, they can’t hurt us now! We are part of the Heavenly Union!”

“…”

Tears came to Im So-byeong’s eyes as he spoke loudly. Baek Cheon was surprised. “Why are you crying?” he asked, confused.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Baek Cheon,” Im So-byeong said. “I just suddenly feel… sad.”

“Sad?” Baek Cheon asked.

“Yes!” Im So-byeong looked far away, tears in his eyes. “All those hard years… The bad people outside trying to use us, and the stupid people inside complaining about helping the ‘good’ groups! The old leaders saying things were better in the past! Saying I wasn’t good enough to be the Green Forest King! Saying the Green Forest was getting worse!”

“You really have been through a lot,” Baek Cheon said.

“No, no! It’s all over now! I can’t wait to see the faces of those old leaders when I show them this oath! *Bang!* I want to do it right now! Hahaha! I’m going to make them so ashamed they’ll wish they were buried with their ancestors! Those grumpy old men!”

Baek Cheon quietly wiped sweat from his forehead and stepped back a little. Im So-byeong’s reaction was a bit much, but Baek Cheon understood he was happy. Baek Cheon looked at Im So-byeong again and thought, ‘Maybe he’s smarter than he looks.’ Im So-byeong must have known something like this could happen from the first time he met Chung Myung. He chose Mount Hua to help the Green Forest. If Im So-byeong had waited too long or made a wrong choice, the Green Forest would be in much more danger now. He seemed strange and funny, but Baek Cheon realized again that Im So-byeong was a good leader for the Green Forest, making the right choices.

Then, Baek Cheon looked the other way. Chung Myung was leaning against a tree, staring at the sky. He looked incredibly sad. Even Im So-byeong, that annoying man, looked happier than Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung?” Baek Cheon called.

“…”

“Hey, Chung Myung?” Chung Myung slowly turned his head to Baek Cheon.

“Martial Uncle…” Chung Myung said weakly.

“Yes, Chung Myung. Are you okay?” Baek Cheon asked, worried.

“I…” Chung Myung started.

“Yes?”

“What good things will ever happen to me…?” Chung Myung said sadly.

“…”

Tears came to Chung Myung’s eyes. “I never thought I would live to eat with a ‘heretic’!” he cried. “I would rather raise worms! Even if we need to do this to survive, how can I be with a ‘heretic’?”

“Calm down,” Baek Cheon said.

“Even the Sect Leader is going too far! He must feel very bad about something to accept that ‘heretic’! And not just one or two, but so many bandits! Oh no. Oh no. What will happen to Mount Hua? Oh no, Martial Brother. Mount Hua is doomed. Mount Hua is doomed…”

Baek Cheon was shocked and started sweating. He had heard Chung Myung complain many times before, but this was different. This was the first time he seemed so truly sad and desperate.

“I should just die. I should just stop talking and die. Why am I still alive to see this?”

“You are still young, you crazy kid! What are you saying? You sound like a very old man!” Baek Cheon was overwhelmed by confusion.

Jo Gul watched Chung Myung and asked, surprised, “Is it really that bad to eat with a ‘heretic’?”

“He is terrified of ‘heretics’,” Yoon Jong explained. “He doesn’t even think of ‘heretics’ as people. It’s gotten worse since Jang Il-so showed up. Im So-byeong is not even that bad as ‘heretics’ go, but if Chung Myung is reacting this much, imagine how much he hates people like Jang Il-so or the Black Dragon King.”

“We should try to calm him down,” Baek Cheon said.

“Shouldn’t we just leave him alone?” Jo Gul asked.

“No, I’m worried he might say something like, ‘Mount Hua has lost its way! I will kick out the Sect Leader and become the leader myself to fix Mount Hua!’”

“Okay, I’ll try to give him something sweet to eat first.” Baek Cheon knew it was almost impossible for Chung Myung to become the Sect Leader, but the idea was still scary. Chung Myung as the leader of Mount Hua? That would be a disaster not just for Mount Hua, but for the whole center of the country! For peace everywhere, we have to stop that from happening!

But most of the Mount Hua disciples were just watching Chung Myung with strange smiles. They weren’t really surprised that the Green Forest joined the Heavenly Union. They had seen the Green Forest around for a while and didn’t mind them anymore. They were just happy to see Chung Myung, who always acted like he was the best, finally upset. ‘Even *he* can have a bad day,’ they thought. ‘Now that the Sect Leader is in charge, things will be easier for us.’ ‘Everyone gets their turn!’

Just then, Dang So-so smiled and said, “See, Senior Brother? I told you to be nice! You are being tricked because you are mean! Hahaha!”

“Is it funny?” Chung Myung asked quietly.

“Hahaha!” Dang So-so laughed louder.

“I said, is it funny?” Chung Myung repeated.

“Heh… heh.” Dang So-so’s smile slowly disappeared, and her face turned pale. Chung Myung, who had been sad and hopeless, slowly stood up.

He spoke quietly. “Martial Uncle.”

“Huh?” Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung’s face, feeling worried.

“I’ve been thinking,” Chung Myung said.

“Yes?”

“There’s only one reason why this bad thing happened,” Chung Myung said.

“What is it?” Baek Cheon asked.

“We are weak,” Chung Myung said firmly.

“…” Baek Cheon was shocked. *Wait, what?* Just two days ago, they crossed the big river, destroyed the Surochae group, and saved the Namgung family! *Weak?* Baek Cheon blinked.

“Chung Myung… I don’t think that’s right,” Baek Cheon said.

“No, it is right,” Chung Myung said, his face serious. “Think about it. It’s simple. If we were strong enough to beat the Four Evil Sects and the Nine Great Sects, we wouldn’t need to be friends with those ‘heretics’, would we?”

“If one group could beat everyone, it wouldn’t be Mount Hua! It would be the Demonic Cult!” Baek Cheon said.

“Ah, no!” Chung Myung shouted.

“Huh?” Baek Cheon was surprised by the shout and quickly covered his mouth. He knew he had made a mistake.

“Demonic Cult?” Chung Myung repeated quietly.

“Demonic Cult?” Chung Myung’s eyes started to shine with a crazy light. Everyone who saw it glared at Baek Cheon angrily. ‘You idiot! Why did you say that word!’ ‘He’s going to go crazy now because you said ‘Demonic Cult’!’ ‘We should just shut him up!’ Baek Cheon felt their angry looks and looked away at the sky.

Chung Myung muttered darkly. “That’s right, Demonic Cult. Yes. We have to beat the Demonic Cult too. Then we don’t have time to play around.” Chung Myung’s eyes were now completely wild. He grabbed his Plum Blossom Sword.

Baek Cheon quickly looked around, wanting to tell Im So-byeong, who had started all of this, to stop Chung Myung.

But…

“Wait, where did he go?” Baek Cheon asked, looking around for Im So-byeong.

“The Green Forest King? He ran away as soon as he heard ‘Demonic Cult’,” someone said.

“…” *Ah. That’s a smart way to live,* Baek Cheon thought. *I should remember that.*

*Swish.* Chung Myung drew his Plum Blossom Sword. He grinned, looking at everyone. “Come on,” he said.

“…”

“Time for some *fun* training!” Chung Myung announced. The color drained from everyone’s faces.