Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Wudang Sect.

Swish. Swish.

A pure white cloth moved slowly and gently over the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword.

The blade was already so well maintained that it seemed to need no further polishing. Still, the person there polished it seriously, as if this was a ritual in their life.

After gazing at the blade, which was as clean as a mirror, for a long time, he slowly set it down.

“Phew.”

He sighed. The sword was clean, yet his mind was not.

At that moment, he heard a noise from outside.

“Sect leader, are you inside? It is Heo Sanja.”

Wudang’s sect leader, Venerable Heo Do, slowly raised his head, looked at the door, and asked,

“What is this about?”

“There is something the Sect leader needs to know.”

“Come in then.”

Venerable Heo Do pushed the sword into its place and set it aside. Soon, Heo Sanja stepped in and bowed.

“Sect Leader.”

He hesitated slightly as he began to speak.

“It is said that the Mount Hua sect went to Mount Hyeong and subdued all the bandits there, including the Great Star Bandits, who were trying to take over the Green Forest.”

“…”

“From what I heard, there was very little damage to Mount Hua, and all three bandit groups were subjugated.”

“Hmm.”

Ultimately, Venerable Heo Do couldn’t hold back a groan and grumbled.

‘Mount Hua again?’

Most of the news he heard these days was about Mount Hua.

Actually, if one thought about it logically, it shouldn’t be like this. Wudang’s position was to be at the top of the world and observe everything. It was also a place where he wouldn’t have to listen to any rumor floating around in the world.

So, to be precise, it had to be said that among all the news, the one that bothered him the most and made him uncomfortable was about Mount Hua.

“You said there were no major injuries?”

“Yes. It is supposed to be like that.”

“From what I gathered, all the disciples of Mount Hua were safe. I also understand that the second-class disciples were all wielding swords. Is that correct?”

“According to what has been said, that is accurate.”

Venerable Heo Do’s face stiffened at this.

“So, those who we regard as children in Wudang, they subdued three groups of mountain bandits and suffered no injuries.”

“…”

Heo Sanja didn’t respond. He knew that the question wasn’t meant to be answered.

“Mount Hua… the Mount Hua sect…”

Venerable Heo Do’s face remained calm as he continued to mutter, and then it darkened.

‘I always suspected that this place was unusual.’

It was undeniable that the second-class disciples of Mount Hua had outperformed those of Wudang. Hadn’t they already witnessed this repeatedly?

However, this incident directly demonstrated that their strength was significantly greater than what the world perceived it to be.

“I cannot comprehend them.”

Venerable Heo Do spoke in a low voice.

“Even if we gathered the most talented children in the world and trained them, they wouldn’t be able to develop like that. So how did Mount Hua, which was on the verge of dissolution, manage to nurture their disciples in this manner?”

For some reason, Venerable Heo Do’s face, which rarely changed, now showed signs of aging.

He knew it wasn’t true, but every time he heard about the inexplicable growth of Mount Hua, it felt as if the world was blaming him for Wudang’s incompetence and his own.

Venerable Heo Do, who was taking deep breaths and trying to suppress his anxiety, looked at Heo Sanja.

“Is there anything else to report?”

“… that…”

Heo Sanja hesitated for a moment before reluctantly speaking.

“Some people are criticizing our sect because of this.”

“Criticizing?”

“… Yes.”

“Why would a sect be criticized for the actions of others?”

“That… even though we were not too far from the bandits, we merely watched them without subjugating them…”

“…”

Venerable Heo Do, at a loss for words, now understood.

Indeed, the bandits of Great Star were close to Wudang, and both were located in the same Hubei region.

“All this time… those who thought it was something Wudang couldn’t even do, seemed to have changed their minds when Mount Hua came all the way from Shaanxi and destroyed them.”

“How could this happen!”

Venerable Heo Do’s voice rose.

“Aren’t those bandits part of the Green Forest? If we subjugate them, then it’s like declaring war against the Green Forest! Isn’t the reason Mount Hua managed to subdue the bandits because they were confident the Green Forest wouldn’t wage war against them?”

Great Star Bandits?

Those bandits could have been swept away at any time if Wudang had stepped in.

But, they were one of the Seventy Two Mountain Bandits under the Green Forest. No matter how strong Wudang was, it wasn’t an easy task for them to deal with all 72 bandit groups.

If the other sects had helped, it wouldn’t have been so difficult to subjugate the Green Forest, but it was clear that the other sects would just watch and wait for Wudang to exhaust itself.

Then how could Wudang alone subdue the bandits?

“Of course. But then…”

Heo Sanja let out a deep sigh.

“The problem is that those who speak do not consider the details. Looking at it from the outside, isn’t it true that Mount Hua did take down the bandits who were within Wudang’s jurisdiction?”

“…”

Venerable Heo Do suppressed his rising anger and closed his eyes tightly.

As Heo Sanja said, expecting ordinary people to understand such a deep conflict was unreasonable. They only saw what they wanted to see.

“Praises for Mount Hua echoed to the heavens. Everywhere we went, all we heard were conversations about Mount Hua. It made me wonder if someone was deliberately spreading these tales.”

“Huh!”

Venerable Heo Do exhaled roughly and clenched his fists.

‘We can’t just sit back and do nothing!’

As Mount Hua’s reputation grew, Wudang would suffer the consequences.

“First, we need to pacify the public sentiment. Prepare the disciples.”

“Why the disciples…?”

“Wasn’t Mount Hyeong where the bandits were defeated? There should be some bandits left. It’s late, but shouldn’t we at least make a show of action?”

“That…”

“I know. It’s a childish move, and nothing will change. But it’s better to repair the barn even if we lose a few cows than to sit idle and do nothing.”

“I-it’s not that…”

“Hmm?”

Heo Sanja, who looked uneasy, spoke softly.

“That… word is that Mount Hua is heading towards Mount Great Star.”

“They’re going where?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“A-as you said, to clean up any remnants of the bandits…”

Clench!

Venerable Heo Do shattered the corner of the table.

“This…”

As his face reddened, Heo Sanja fell silent. He had observed the sect leader all his life, but he had never seen him this furious.

“Not just Wudang, but the entire Nine Great Sects have been shamed! Mount Hua! Damn, Mount Hua!”

His anger wasn’t solely because Mount Hua had acted where they should have.

‘In any case, a bandit group without a leader is bound to scatter and reform.’

Even though Heo Do knew this, he still made an effort to appease the public sentiment. And there was no way Mount Hua wasn’t aware of this fact.

In other words, Mount Hua’s actions were calculated to exploit the situation and tarnish Wudang’s reputation.

“Why did this even happen!”

It was unbelievable that a small fight against the bandits could make things this complicated.

No.

It was also like that during the Worldly Martial Arts tournament. Had anything happened as expected once Mount Hua was involved?

“They gained fame by crushing the Nine Sects, so now they are trying to take advantage of their pace. Then soon, the Heavenly Friend Alliance will also come out!”

“….”

“Not good. This is very bad.”

Originally, he wouldn’t have attracted much attention, but as Mount Hua did this, the eyes of the entire Central Plains were now focused on Mount Hua. Naturally, the entire Central Plains would be focused on the formation of the alliance.

The alliance hadn’t received much attention, and Mount Hua would have to make years of effort to make it known. Now was the best opportunity to let the entire world know it.

Performance created a reputation, and reputation attracted attention. And this led to influence.

With this small act, the influence of Mount Hua and the Heavenly Friends Alliance would have exceeded what Venerable Heo Do had originally intended.

“I cannot sit by and watch this any longer!”

Venerable Heo Do, who was lost in thought, jumped up.

“Get things ready. I am going to Shaolin.”

“S-Shaolin?”

“Yes.”

His eyes shone.

“I need to meet the abbot.”

“What did you say?”

“They cannot be stopped.”

The eyes of Heo Do lost their calmness at the cool words of the abbot.

And the expression of the abbot facing the elder was very gentle.

“Abbot.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

“Are you saying that, not knowing the consequences of what will happen from now?”

“…”

Venerable Heo Do gave a cold look at the abbot.

“That thing called the Heavenly Friends Alliance isn’t a place that we can take lightly. Although various sects are coming together, we need to be wary of the fact that the Western part of the Central Plains is entering!”

“…In the West, the Kunlun sect, Qingcheng, and Emei exist. Even if they tried, the West wasn’t entirely theirs.”

“Isn’t that more of a problem then!”

Unable to handle it, Venerable Heo Do shouted.

“If an alliance arises there, conflict with the existing sects will become inevitable! I am saying this because it will divide the strong sects! At a time when the remnants of the Demonic Sect have been stirred in the North Sea, should we be fighting amongst ourselves?”

Even though he was shouting in anger, the abbot’s expression was as serene as a calm lake.

“What does the sect leader want to do then?”

“Stop them.”

“…”

Venerable Heo Do said with a stern face.

“We need to prevent them from gaining any more fame or increasing their power to disrupt the world! Isn’t that truly for the benefit of Kangho?”

The abbot slowly pushed the teacup towards Venerable Heo Do. First, he was asking the man to calm down.

Venerable Heo Do looked at the steaming teacup with a stern gaze.

There was a moment of silence.

The abbot was the first to break the long silence.

“It isn’t that I don’t understand the feelings of the sect leader who ran all the way here.”

“…”

“But it isn’t something I can handle. Sects that aren’t part of the Nine Great Sects are coming together and forming an alliance. What justification do we have to stop them?”

At the words of the abbot, Venerable Heo Do asked in an ice-cold tone.

“You cannot stop it?”

“…”

“Or you won’t?”

The abbot didn’t respond.

“This isn’t just my opinion. There are a lot of people who think that this alliance isn’t good for the land. It is just that no one is speaking about it.”

“Hmm.”

“But if the abbot continues to do this, I will have no other choice.”

Venerable Heo Do jumped up from his place.

“I enjoyed the tea.”

“Sect leader.”

“Look after yourself, let’s meet again, Abbot.”

Without waiting for his response, he left.

The abbot, left alone, turned his attention to the untouched teacup in front of Venerable Heo Do.

“Abbot.”

A monk entered through the wide-open door and looked at him.

“The sect leader?”

“He departed without a backward glance.”

“Hmm. He appears to be an impatient individual.”

As the abbot lowered his head, the monk spoke in a low voice.

“I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but his voice was so loud that I couldn’t help but overhear.”

“How could I silence that voice?”

The abbot responded nonchalantly. The monk lowered his head and cautiously spoke.

“Abbot. I don’t believe the sect leader’s words were entirely incorrect.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The one who prevents the Heavenly Friends Alliance from…”

The abbot quietly raised his head and looked at the monk.

“Is it because the alliance will disrupt Kangho?”

“Will it not…”

“Or is it because you fear the alliance will usurp the fame and power we currently wield?”

“…”

“Consider this.”

The abbot chuckled.

‘Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon, who brazenly demands money, is pure-hearted.’

He spoke of Kangho’s safety and the people’s peace, but his innermost desire was to never relinquish what he held.

‘And I am no different.’

After a deep sigh, the abbot turned towards the window and gazed at the sky.

However, he couldn’t shake off his suspicions.

‘It all seems too perfect.’

Things shouldn’t happen this smoothly. Everything was proceeding flawlessly as if orchestrated for Mount Hua and the Alliance.

This was unachievable with Mount Hua’s strength alone.

Didn’t it seem like someone was bolstering Mount Hua’s power?

“Amitabha.”

The abbot closed his eyes in displeasure.

‘Perhaps everything has already commenced.’

When he opened his eyes again, dark clouds were gathering in the distant sky.