Return of the Mount Hua Sect (HTL 1634+)

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"How the hell are we supposed to live like this? Damn it. How much longer do we have to deal with this chaos?"

A merchant grumbled as he looked at the deserted street with a discontented expression.

"Hey, calm down a bit. Have you forgotten those Evil Tyrant Alliance bastards are still around? I'm worried they might hear you."

"Hear me? So what? What are they going to do? Kill me? I'm going to starve to death anyway because I can't even do business!"

The one who had just scolded him to watch his words sighed as well.

Honestly, sitting in the market with no customers in sight, it's no wonder one might say they'll starve to death.

But it was hard to blame those who didn't show up. With those terrifying Evil Tyrant Alliance camped nearby, who would be brave enough to stroll down the streets to shop?

"I don't understand what the hell the government troops are doing. They take taxes like leeches and…"

"When have those bastards ever cared about anything outside of Beijing? Besides, I heard Beijing itself is a mess right now."

"Damn it."

On a normal day, no one would bother calling on the government troops. No one knows better than the common folk that the authorities have no interest in their lives.

But things had gotten so desperate that even the useless government was worth mentioning.

"Then what about the Heavenly Comrade Alliance? What are they doing?"

"Hey, do you have any conscience? How much have those folks already fought against the Evil Tyrant Alliance?"

"…. Tsk."

"They've spilled enough blood to dye the Yangtze River red. Even if you can't say thank you, don't curse them for not doing more. Don't be an ungrateful beast!"

The man who tried to vent found himself called a beast and twisted his face in anger.

"Damn it, if I had any money saved up…"

Some ask why people don't just leave, even in such a dire situation, but abandoning the land that's fed you for generations is not as easy as it seems.

Especially when you're living day-to-day. Abandoning your home would mean you'd have nothing to fill your empty stomach. You'd be lucky not to starve to death eating tree bark.

"Enough. Complaining like this won't change anything. Besides, isn't it a relief that things are only this bad?"

"A relief? Did you just say it's a relief?"

"Honestly, isn't it? With those Evil Sect scum right at our doorstep, nobody's been killed or hurt yet. When they burned Wudang Mountain, I thought we were all going to die."

One of the listeners suddenly lost his temper.

"So what? Are you saying those bastards are nicer than we think? Should we bow down and thank them for sparing us?"

"That's not what I meant. Why are you twisting my words?"

"This is dangerous thinking! Do you know why Evil Sect are what they are? Do you think normal people would just join them? Those beasts are scum who wouldn't recognize their own parents!"

The old man, his face red as a ripe persimmon, ranted until he was nearly out of breath.

"Do you think they'll stay quiet forever just because they're quiet now? They're sure to reveal their vicious fangs soon enough! People like you always get stabbed in the back."

"Um …."

"Shut up and listen! I'm not finished yet!"

"It's not that…"

"Huh?"

Noticing the ominous reaction, the old man frowned. The other man's face had gone pale, and he was staring, not at the old man, but at something behind him.

Sensing the dread, the old man slowly turned around.

And he saw it.

A group was approaching, filling the town's main road.

"Oh.…"

There was no need to recall the saying, "Those who come are not kind, and the kind do not come." The group exuded a menacing aura, blatantly carrying their weapons in hand.

Though his prediction had been accurate, the old man found no joy in it. Finally, he let out a scream-like shout.

"The- The Evil Sect bastards are comiiiiiiing!"

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"Aaaah!"

Agonizing screams echoed all around.

A peasant, trying desperately to escape, was brutally stabbed in the back. A fierce aura filled Evil Tyrant Alliance fighter's eyes. The blade twisted sideways with a sickening sound.

The nearly dead man's eyes bulged wide from the intense pain as his body contorted.

Watching this, the evil sect fighter licked his lips, feeling his blood boil with excitement.

'This is it!'

How long had he held back?

Sure, he'd fought battles, but he wouldn't have joined the evil sect if fighting was all he wanted.

These people didn't enjoy combat—they reveled in carnage, finding joy not in defeating the strong, but in crushing the weak.

That's what the evil sect were from the start. It was only fear of their leader that had kept their instincts suppressed until now.

But now, the leader had given his permission. There was no more need to fear, nothing to hold back.

"S-Save me…"

Swoosh!

A sword swung with full force, cleaving the chest of a retreating victim. The sensation of flesh splitting and bones snapping surged through the wielder's wrist.

His heart pounded like a war drum.

He stabbed the falling man repeatedly, shivering with ecstasy at the sight of the light fading from the victim's eyes.

"Stop wasting time and set everything on fire! Burn it all!"

The Evil Tyrant Alliance fighter smacked his lips.

'Really?'

Setting fires would immediately alert everyone to their assault. It seemed like a pointless hassle, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was finally releasing what had been held back.

They quickly glanced around after setting the fire.

Still not enough. They needed to see more blood. As much as possible, before someone else beat them to it.

Thick black smoke billowed simultaneously from several villages near Gyunhyeon, dark and dense enough to obscure the midday sun.

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"That…"

Baek Cheon's face turned pale.

Black smoke was rising thickly from the village. He instinctively knew what was happening. It was obvious that this was no ordinary fire—it was much larger in scale.

Besides, isn't this a sight he's seen countless times before when the Evil Sect on the Yangtze River were running wild?

'A Raid.'

But now, at this moment?

After a brief hesitation, he bit his lip hard.

The reason didn't matter. He was no longer Baek Cheon, who had to predict the enemy's movements as one of the pillars of Heavenly Comrade Alliance and a representative of Mount Hua's Vice Sect Leader.

What mattered now was the simple fact that innocent villagers were being slaughtered by Evil Sect's claws right in front of him.

So, what should he do now?

'Fight.'

Or protect.

One way or another, he had to rush in and stop them immediately. After all, that was the very reason he had sought the guidance of Heo Do-jinin, bowed his head, and descended from Mount Wudang.

However…

He instinctively looked down at his arms.

'Can I do this?'

Even though he had learned the secret techniques of Using Four Liang to Move a Thousand Jin from Heodo-jinin, and even though he now had the means to wield a sword, could he really stand against those beast-like Evil Sect scum in his current state?

It would have been difficult to face them alone even with his body in perfect condition. But now, with most of his original martial strength lost, he wasn't sure if he could fight them at all.

His hands began to tremble.

'The Alliance?'

He considered waiting for the Alliance to arrive instead of charging in recklessly. But he quickly shook his head.

Due to recent attacks, Heavenly Comrade Alliance was likely reinforcing the defense of its main base. Even if they rushed over upon seeing the smoke, it would take them at least one shichen to arrive. [tl note: two hours]

That was more than enough time for everything to end in tragedy.

He gripped his sword tightly.

In the worst-case scenario, he would die. And perhaps no one would ever know of his death.

Like a mantis raising its front legs against an oncoming cart, he would die miserably, and his body would be burned black among the other corpses. The Alliance and Mount Hua might never even realize that he had died here.

He feared not the death itself, but the possibility that his death would hold no meaning.

Despite this, Baek Cheon took a short breath.

His trembling eyelids slowly closed, then reopened. The fear and anxiety that had lingered in his eyes had vanished.

'So what if that happens?'

He never sought to be something extraordinary. He just wanted to fulfill his duty.

'I don't care.'

Even if no one recognized his actions, it didn't matter. His opponent right now was himself—specifically, the fear within.

Tap!

Baek Cheon kicked off the ground.

It felt too grandiose to call this resolve. The first sword he ever held was still in his hands. So, there was no reason for his initial determination to change.

He picked up his sword to protect someone.

This wasn't something reserved for the strong. It shouldn't be a statement meant only for the strong.

He sprinted with all his might, leaping straight into the smoke-filled village.

He immediately spotted a Evil Sect warrior, with a sword poised at the throat of a fallen woman. His body moved before his mind could react.

Awkwardly, but naturally. Clumsily, but swiftly, he swung his sword. With that one strike, the Evil Sect warrior's head separated from his body.

Splat!

Red blood sprayed into the air.

Thud!

The severed head rolled onto the ground. As blood splattered everywhere, Baek Cheon instinctively looked down at his sword. His own face was reflected in the blood-stained blade.

It was a poor strike. In the past, he would have scoffed at such a clumsy swordplay. But now, his feelings were different.

'I can fight.'

Baek Cheon turned his gaze, feeling a surge of confidence.

The Evil Sect warriors, realizing something was amiss, spotted him and began to approach.

Before fear could settle in, Baek Cheon took a deep breath, filling his chest with air.

".... Who are you?"

Perhaps they were unnerved by the strange device strapped to his arm, or maybe it was because Sapa warriors didn't hold any sense of camaraderie. Despite their comrade losing his head, there was no rage on their faces as they advanced toward Baek Cheon.

"I asked, who the hell are you?"

Hearing the question repeated, Baek Cheon quietly exhaled.

The plum blossom emblem that always accompanied him was already engraved in his heart. Moreover, he was no longer even the vice leader of Heavenly Comrade Alliance factions.

Only now did he realize how hard it was to define himself with words.

So, in the end, all he could say was this—a phrase he had once thought was crude and artificial, something that only appeared in stories passed down by others.

"I'm just a wandering hero."

As expected, the Evil Sect warriors' faces twisted into bizarre expressions.

Feeling awkward and embarrassed, Baek Cheon added one more thing to brush it off.

"You bastards."

"..."

Amid the awkward silence, Baek Cheon drew his sword and pointed it at his enemies. His stance was quite different from before, but his resolve remained unchanged.

"You will not touch these people any longer. Come at me. I'll take you all on."

There was no more trembling.