Return of Mount Hua Sect

“That…”

It was good until everyone unanimously decided to make the decision to close the gates.

Of course, seeing Chung Myung grind his teeth made them a little creeped out, but everyone was a bit prepared for this.

But what the disciples of Mount Hua, who had made the decision, didn’t expect at all was… that they had to explain the decision to this person in front of them.

“That…”

Baek Cheon scratched the back of his head with an awkward look, which was unusual for him.

“And so it happened, monk.”

It was still vivid in his eyes.

That moment when Hae Yeon declared to his elder that he wouldn’t return to Shaolin.

“….”

“Closed Gate?”

“….”

Tears quickly welled up in Hae Yeon’s deer-like eyes.

“Then… me?”

“Uh….”

Baek Cheon answered awkwardly and hesitantly.

“That… what should I do about this?”

“….”

“Ha… hahaha…”

Cold sweat began to run down his back as he laughed awkwardly.

‘Say something now!’

‘He is crying!’

‘No. What do you want me to do?’

Who would have thought about Hae Yeon’s future in what happened?

At that moment, Hae Yeon opened his mouth.

“That… I am asking just in case.”

“… Yes.”

“If the Gates are closed… then the outsiders?”

“That…”

Baek Cheon smiled and answered kindly.

“If you close the gate, outsiders cannot come in. Isn’t that what Closed Gate means? You are asking something odd. This is something you know.”

“Yah, huh!”

“No, what can I do if you answer like that?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes widened slightly as if asking why protests poured in from behind.

“That is true, so I cannot lie.”

“Wah….”

“Did you leave your humanity on the other side of the Yangtze River?”

Hae Yeon closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away. Clear tears flowed down from his eyes.

‘These Mount Hua bastards who aren’t even human!’

The Evil Faction would be better. The Evil Faction was better.

No, it wasn’t their fault; it was Hae Yeon’s fault.

He knew from the start that Mount Hua was like this, so what was he expecting when he declared that he would stay with Mount Hua?

Jo Gul, who had been watching Hae Yeon’s expression, let out an awkward laugh.

“Hahahah! M-monk! This isn’t something to be so sad about.”

“… Uh?”

“Don’t do that. Instead, take this chance to become a full monk. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t know, but if you end up fully trained, the sect leader would welcome you with open arms.”

“….”

“Think carefully. Rather than living your whole life bald, wouldn’t you rather be a monk, grow hair, eat meat, and…?”

Yoon Jong suddenly grabbed Jo Gul by the hair and pulled him back, hitting him in the mouth.

“Yah, this non-stop mouth! Shut up!”

“Ah! Ack! Ugh! Why! Why are you hitting me? Why! Ack!”

Baek Cheon shook his head as he watched Yoon Jong quickly subdue Jo Gul.

“… I will have a good talk with the sect leader. Don’t worry too much, monk.”

“….”

When Hae Yeon didn’t answer, Baek Cheon laughed awkwardly.

“Haha. As the monks say, isn’t life like this?”

Hearing that, Hae Yeon smiled.

“… Please, sir.”

“Uh? What did you say?”

“… Go.”

“Uh?”

“Go out, please.”

“….”

“Did you say Closed Gate?”

Im So-Byeong’s eyes were so wide that they almost popped out.

“Closed Gate?”

“Um.”

“Closed Gate?”

“Right.”

“You said Closed Gate?”

“…”

“This might be a rude question, but…”

“Uh?”

“Did you do something wrong?”

Oh…

Amazing. One could not tell if he was rude or not. As expected, he was the leader of bandits.

At that moment, Im So-Byeong suddenly shouted.

“Are you in your right mind?”

“You are yelling at me!”

Chung Myung kicked Im So-Byeong away. However, Im So-Byeong, who would have normally joked about dying, got up as soon as he fell and returned to the original position like water.

“Oh my!”

Chung Myung flinched at the almost-flying momentum. Im So-Byeong shouted with his eyes wide open.

“No, are you saying this because you don’t know what the situation is right now? Money! Money! I mean money! Money!”

Im So-Byeong, who had been sick until now, continued to curse as if his head would burst.

“No! It isn’t just about money! It isn’t like someone who is a Taoist doesn’t know how much is at stake here! Closed Gates! What kind of nonsense is this?”

Im So-Byeong’s attitude, who had been yelling, changed again.

He grabbed Chung Myung’s hand and begged with earnest eyes.

“Are you kidding? Are you teasing me? Tell me it is a joke. Uh?”

“It is true.”

Thud.

Im So-Byeong, who had collapsed on the spot, mumbled with a face devoid of soul, legs hanging loosely.

“… is that something a bandit says to a Taoist?”

At that moment, Tang Gunak, who had been quietly listening from the side, looked at Chung Myung with a face unable to understand.

“I don’t know what you are thinking either. You are suddenly entering Closed Gates. The things you were trying to do are finally bearing fruit.”

“Well, that is true…”

When Chung Myung showed a slightly difficult look, Tang Gunak stared at him and nodded.

“So you are saying that it isn’t time yet?”

“… you understand it.”

“Jang Ilso is a scary person. He must be even scarier now that he has obtained the entire Evil Faction.”

The most important thing in leading a sect wasn’t how much you make now. It was whether you could handle a crisis.

As someone who led a sect, he could fully understand Chung Myung’s feelings.

Because he had seen countless times what happens to those who are distracted by the small things in front of them and fail to prepare for the important things.

“No, I understand….”

But Im So-Byeong still seemed to have something to say.

“That is why there is the Heavenly Friends Alliance! Mount Hua doesn’t have to do it alone!”

“That has its limits.”

“Limits? If my strange strategies come together…”

“Even Zhuge Liang couldn’t stop all of Wei, so how can you?”

“No, that is…”

“If you are outnumbered, strategy is just secondary,”

Tang Gunak nodded.

“Right.”

He added.

“In any case, it is true that we have gained time. I don’t think Jang Ilso will be silent for three years. There must be a reason why he changed the mutual non-aggression here. So the given time is at most two years.”

“Right.”

“To be frank, the only one who can strengthen their power in those two years is Mount Hua. Mount Hua is full of young and talented individuals. They will be able to grow the most dramatically during this time.”

If the one leading them was Chung Myung, they would definitely show results beyond what Tang Gunak imagined.

But Im So-Byeong still seemed dissatisfied.

“Stabilizing the Yangtze River right now will be difficult without Mount Hua.”

“Do not worry about that. That is why the Heavenly Friends Alliance exists. The Tang family will step forward. If that isn’t enough, we can ask for support from the Beast Palace.”

“Ugh…”

Im So-Byeong groaned and poked his head with his fan.

“Furthermore, the small and medium sects in Sichuan, Shanxi, and the Yangtze River are hoping to establish good ties with our Alliance. If we accept them and receive help, we can fill the void left behind by Mount Hua to an extent.”

“It is true, but…”

If the Four Precepts Alliance didn’t take action directly, most other Evil Factions could be dealt with by the Tang Family. The problem wasn’t that the Evil Faction was strong, but that others could not come to the Yangtze River.

“And the Evil Faction, which has decided not to touch Plum Blossom Island… actually, it’s true that Mount Hua doesn’t have much to do. It isn’t possible to leave the island empty forever.”

“Well, you are right.”

When Im So-Byeong spoke with a sullen face, Tang Gunak looked at him expressionlessly.

“Anxious?”

“…”

Im So-Byeong’s face hardened a bit.

“I know that Green Forest isn’t trying to join us after seeing the Alliance alone. Green Forest is only looking for Mount Hua and Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon… no, it’s Mount Hua’s Sword Saint that you look at with the Heavenly Friends Alliance as a potential enemy.”

Im So-Byeong didn’t speak.

“But whether we become friends or colleagues, it isn’t right to benefit just one side. If you want to be a friend of Mount Hua, prove that you can be the sword of Mount Hua.”

“…”

“First, stabilize the Alliance and solidify the Yangtze River while Mount Hua is away. Isn’t that it?”

Im So-Byeong, who was moving his lips like he wanted to speak, glared at Tang Gunak with a cold gaze.

It wasn’t just his usual easy-going manner, but rather the aura of the King of the Green Forest.

“I think you need to understand one thing.”

“Do speak.”

“Green Forest hasn’t made the Heavenly Friends Alliance its enemy. And even if you were the enemy, no party other than Mount Hua, where the leader is, can give us any orders.”

“Of course.”

The two people looked at each other.

“Kuk.”

However, Im So-Byeong, who soon lost his energy, dropped his shoulders and sighed deeply.

“I thought I was getting some benefit, but I ended up running until my feet hurt. Oh, my fate.”

Im So-Byeong, who had been mumbling, looked back at Chung Myung.

“It is worth investing time, right?”

“What an obvious statement.”

“Ugh. Long-term investment was never my thing. Life is so short.”

Im So-Byeong, who had been calculating in his head, nodded.

“No matter how much I say, you are not the type of person to change something you have decided.”

“I know it well.”

“When you decide something, you are not the person who just accepts without calculating.”

In the end, it meant that the conclusion was decided.

Im So-Byeong sighed and said.

“I will do whatever I can to take care of the Yangtze River and the commercial sides. The Tang Family will handle the people.”

“No.”

“… Uh?”

“You need to do that too. We will do our best to handle the Evil Faction people who fight and provide relief to the Green Forest at the same time.”

“….”

Im So-Byeong, who had been staring at Chung Myung, scratched his head.

“You really expect too much. Are you asking me to protect the commercial district and also get rid of the people’s perception of the Green Forest being part of the Evil Faction?”

“That is a good chance.”

“Ugh.”

Well, this person is always harsh. There is no way he doesn’t know how hard it is.

“… I understand. I will try my best. But!”

Im So-Byeong stared at Chung Myung with determined eyes.

“I will use the influence you and Mount Hua have.”

“….”

“The Heavenly Friends Alliance without Mount Hua would never last 3 years. You should know how unnatural it is for the Tang family of the Justice Faction and the Green Forest of the Evil Faction to work together. What was nothing special where there was Mount Hua, would become a cause for war with no Mount Hua.”

Tang Gunak slowly nodded his head as if agreeing with those words. Im So-Byeong continued.

“There is a limit to what I and the Tang Family Lord can do to stop it. If the return of the Taoist is too late, there is a risk of both me and the Tang Family Lord losing power before the Alliance gathers.”

“You cannot even control one of the brats…”

“Who is to blame for it!”

“How dare you yell! Fucking idiot!”

When Chung Myung glared, Im So-Byeong felt a sting and shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway…”

Tang Gunak stepped forward to support Im So-Byeong.

“I also agree with the Green Forest King. Even if the Tang Family and Green Forest are like that, if you leave now, we will have to completely cut off all communication with the North Sea Ice Palace. Their hostility towards the Central Plains is beyond imagination.”

“Hmm.”

“No matter how much you try to ask for cooperation, there is a high probability that they will not extend a hand to the Central Plains while Mount Hua is in a Closed Gate state. They are not helping the Heavenly Friends Alliance, but Mount Hua.”

Tang Gunak said in a slightly more subdued tone.

“And the same goes for the Beast Palace. They might reach out right away, but if the period is too long, it will be the same.”

“Uh? You two are close, though.”

“Our friendship is maintained because of you. And the Beast Palace Lord liking me and the Tang family are different issues.”

“….”

“There is only one reason I am saying this. The Heavenly Friends Alliance was possible because of Mount Hua. Without Mount Hua, the Alliance would not survive. So….”

Tang Gunak paused for a moment and looked at Chung Myung with stern eyes.

“Come back as soon as possible.”

“….”

“Of course, you will also achieve the best result and come back.”

Chung Myung shook his head.

“That is too much to ask.”

“….”

“But…”

The corners of Chung Myung’s lips curled up.

“You can look forward to it.”

His eyes shone.

“I will show you some surprising results.”

“Hahaha. That is why you are called Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon. No, Mount Hua’s Sword Saint. I can’t get used to it.”

“Ugh. That rotten name.”

Tang Gunak smiled broadly.

He knew there was a good reason for what Chung Myung did. So what he had to do was support Chung Myung and Mount Hua as much as he could.

“Leave the rest to me.”

“Ugh, I will lend a hand.”

Chung Myung smiled broadly.

In the past, this would have been hard to imagine. But now, there are people he could entrust with his confidence.

If he had to pick one thing that made the current Mount Hua better than the past, it would be the presence of these people.

Chung Myung held out his hand. Then, Im So-Byeong and Tang Gunak grasped each other’s hands.

Their tightly intertwined hands conveyed warm body heat.

“Please.”

Tang Gunak accepted Chung Myung’s brief words with a gentle smile, and Im So-Byeong smiled as well.