Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“… what are they doing?”

Venerable Heo Do’s eyes twitched a bit.

“That….”

Heo Sanja, knowing what this meant, looked down. Of course, he hadn’t done anything wrong, but who would face their sect leader head-on?

“They are spreading… infinite grain.”

“Infinite?”

“… Yes. That… since there were treasures recovered from the bandits. It was right to return them to the people of Hubei….”

Tak.

Heo Sanja glanced up at the sound. It was the sound of Venerable Heo Do lightly tapping the table.

“Infinity… in Wuhan?”

“…”

“They are doing something stupid.”

His hands stroked his beard roughly.

“How many people are in need in Wuhan for them to give so much grain to Wuhan? If they were going to provide relief for those in need, they could have looked elsewhere in Hubei….”

“Then….”

“Right. This is clearly a ploy by Mount Hua to expand their influence in Hubei.”

Heo Sanja frowned slightly as he said,

“But sect leader, don’t they already have a base on the western side of the Central Plains? Why go all the way to Hubei….”

“Influence doesn’t always mean dominance.”

Venerable Heo Do shook his head. His voice was slightly more enraged.

“There is no need for Mount Hua to increase their dominance in Hubei. It is enough to just weaken our influence in Hubei.”

“Weaken?”

“Aren’t people always fond of comparing? Mount Hua, which uses Shaanxi as their base, has come all the way to Hubei to fight the bandits and provide relief to the people. So, wouldn’t people be asking what the Wudang Sect is doing and what we were doing all this time?”

Heo Sanja tilted his head as if he still couldn’t understand.

“But isn’t that a temporary problem? There is something that Wudang has been doing in Hubei all this while.”

“So foolish.”

Venerable Heo Do shook his head.

“By nature, people are more focused and interested in new things than in the past. What the Wudang people have done in Hubei is rather a natural thing for people.”

“….”

“I am not blaming them. That is the way the world works. The problem is that Mount Hua was able to pinpoint that exact area and attack it.”

After saying that, the sect leader bit his lip.

‘That man, Hyun Jong….’

Hyun Jong, the person he met, couldn’t be assessed.

That was one of two things.

Either his idea about people was wrong, or someone else in Mount Hua was leading them.

Either way, it wasn’t a good thing for Wudang. Now that Mount Hua had risen in fame all over the world, it was a threat that there was someone in Mount Hua who was quick enough to take advantage of their gaining reputation.

“T-then shouldn’t we take action? We can also provide relief….”

Venerable Heo Do glared at the question.

“Now, what will the world say if we start to do the same? We, as Wudang, are belatedly copying Mount Hua. This is a lot different from clearing out the remaining bandits.”

“….”

“It might be able to hold the public sentiment for a while, but in the long run, that will be the worst possible move. Shouldn’t the name of Wudang come before Mount Hua?”

“I wasn’t thinking right. Sect leader.”

Venerable Heo Do grabbed his knee tightly with his hand and continued to tap the table.

“Mount Hua…”

It felt like there were long needles in his stomach.

When he first heard the name Mount Hua, it was just a tickle. No matter how amazing the growth of Mount Hua looked, it was a sect that was so entirely destroyed and rose up with just one martial art.

So he thought this was their final struggle.

But the needle, which was stinging, was now irritating and grew larger like a giant one, which caused bleeding in the stomach.

The bigger problem was that it was impossible to know when this needle would pierce through the heart.

“Heavenly Buddha.”

Heo Do chanted in a low tone.

Although he was confident in his deep discipline, the name of Mount Hua wreaked havoc on him.

“Sect leader.”

Heo Sanja took a cautious look at the sect leader and carefully spoke.

“I find it difficult to understand the feelings of the sect leader because I lack that sensitivity. Of course, in my thoughts, Mount Hua isn’t an easy thing. But isn’t Mount Hua always Mount Hua?”

“…”

“A sect that failed to regain its previous stage and power for over a hundred years. A sect isn’t a place where one can easily regain their influence just by getting a bit stronger and using their brain, right?”

Venerable Heo Do couldn’t handle this and sighed.

There was another reason he didn’t like Heo Sanja’s words. This was because most of the responses he received from the other Nine Great Sects, whom he asked for help, were similar.

“Could you stop flowing water?”

“… sorry?”

“The right order is like flowing water. It isn’t that difficult to stop water dripping from a mountain. Even if the water flows and forms a small stream, this can be stopped with a little effort.”

It seemed a bit random, but Venerable Heo Do’s expression had changed so seriously that Heo Sanja nodded in earnest.

“But if the water flows and gathers to form a river, human strength cannot stop it. No matter how much we build dams and dig holes, the water will eventually overflow.”

“…”

“What is the use of regretting after the water becomes a river? Is there any plan a person can come up with to stop it?”

Heo Sanja broke out in a cold sweat at that.

‘Once it forms a river, it can never be stopped.’

Did that mean that Venerable Heo Do believes that Mount Hua if left alone, would one day become stronger than what Wudang can handle?

‘Is Mount Hua that scary?’

Heo Sanja remembered the face of Chung Myung he had seen at the Sword Tomb in the past.

When he saw him, he had never imagined that Wudang would be in this situation…

“What do you plan to do?”

Instead of answering Heo Sanja’s question, Venerable Heo Do looked up at the ceiling.

‘Foolish people.’

Shaolin didn’t know.

They had never been crushed by Mount Hua. They would never think anyone could stand above them.

The other sects had different reasons, but they were equally unable to understand. There had been several sects above them.

Only two sects were alert and unsure about Mount Hua’s rise.

Wudang and Southern Edge.

Southern Edge had already failed to stop Mount Hua and had closed their door. Of course, even if Southern Edge was compared with Wudang, who could guarantee that Wudang wouldn’t end up in the same situation?

“If no one steps ahead…”

Soon, a chill that felt so odd for a Taoist was in the eyes of the sect leader.

“We should at least break their force down.”

Heo Sanja felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Sect leader…”

“Heo Sanja.”

“Yes.”

“I am a follower of Tao.”

Venerable Heo Do slowly shook his head.

“But before I was a Taoist, I was Wudang’s sect leader. If I had to choose between practicing Tao and the glory of Wudang, I would choose the glory of Wudang every time.”

“… Sect leader.”

“Even if it means persecuting the same Taoists by force.”

Heo Sanja sighed.

They were Wudang.

Before being warriors, they were Taoists. From the time of their ancestor Sam Bong-Jin… no, ever since the palace was built and monks gathered at Wudang, they had been trying so hard not to violate their duties.

And that was why he thought the words of the sect leader didn’t make sense.

But how could he not understand the words and feelings of the sect leader?

‘If this happens, what will happen to the world?’

Mount Hua had already joined forces with the Tang family and the other sects to dominate the west. Meanwhile, if Wudang, who could be called the core of the Nine Great Sects, became hostile to Mount Hua, the hostility between the Western sects and the Nine Great Sects would rise again.

“No need to worry.”

“Uh?”

“It isn’t that I don’t know what you are thinking. But in the end, this is what would happen. Mount Hua and Wudang had always maintained a kind relationship. There was no such thing as two sword and Taoist sects coexisting side by side. When the strength of Mount Hua rose, Wudang had to bow its head, and when Wudang took power, the name of Mount Hua was erased from the world.”

“…”

“The natural principle has surfaced again.”

Venerable Heo Do, who was quietly observing Heo Sanja, spoke in a heavy voice.

“If you merely try to use force to suppress those who offer advice and help, you will never receive a positive review back. So don’t try to push them and show them. The name of Wudang is still high, one which Mount Hua cannot dare to cross!”

The eyes of Heo Sanja, which were confused, had turned determined now.

He wasn’t sure if this was right or wrong. All he knew was that Venerable Heo Do wasn’t the kind of person who would make the wrong choice.

“I will lead the disciples and go.”

“Take the Three Swords with you.”

“You mean, even Mu Jin?”

Venerable Heo Do nodded.

“It is time for that child to make up for his mistakes. If you are one of Wudang’s Three Swords, you can never lose to the people of Mount Hua.”

“The strength of Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon…”

When the name of Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon came up, the sect leader’s face turned cold. It was as if another thorn was stuck within.

‘I see there is no other way.’

The power of Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon, confirmed at the tournament, was at a level that no Wudang disciple could handle. There were countless skilled people in the world. Still, Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon and Shaolin’s Hae Yeon were on an entirely different level.

“Take Heo Gong.”

“H-Heo Gong? Sect leader! Heo Gong is an elder! No matter how great Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon is, it would be shameful for Wudang to send an elder to defeat a kid.”

“There is no need for him to fight.”

“Uh?”

“If it is the Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon that I know, he would come out with just a scratch. If that child’s passion for winning is strong, he wouldn’t care about clashing with higher-ranking people.”

“…”

“It is shameful to challenge a child, but it isn’t shameful to accept a challenge which comes your way. Just because Heo Gong is present with you, things will all fall naturally, so do not worry about it.”

Heo Sanja slowly nodded.

“You have just one purpose.”

There was a bright light in Heo Do’s eyes.

“The world now holds Mount Hua in the top position. But that isn’t solely due to the performance of Mount Hua. It is because people don’t know that Mount Hua can have weaknesses too.”

“…”

“Let everyone know that it is just the best disciple who supports Mount Hua. Let Mount Hua know for itself that its reputation is nothing more than an illusion if it has no strength to support it!”

“I will keep this in mind, sect leader.”

“If you cannot….”

Venerable Heo Do shook his head without finishing his sentence.

“Go now.”

“Yes, sect leader. I will fulfill the orders and then come back.”

Heo Sanja rose from his place.

As he turned to leave, he glanced back. But in the end, he couldn’t voice the doubts in his mind, so he walked quickly.

Tak.

As he walked out, the clear sky filled his vision.

-If you cannot even do that…

What did the sect leader want to say after that?

He couldn’t guess. Heo Sanja’s face soon stiffened as he walked away.