Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Where is the water!”

“There! I put a lot of drinking water in front of the pavilion! There.”

“Where should this go?”

“If you go straight to the back of the pavilion with plum blossoms carved out…”

“Eh? The pillars have plum blossoms carved on them everywhere?”

“It is behind the two-story building there.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Ah, it was nothing. How long do we wait for this?”

“I-If you can wait a bit…”

Cold sweat formed on Yoon Jong’s forehead as he answered.

‘I am losing it.’

It wasn’t normal to have this many people, and even managing and guiding them wasn’t easy. Moreover, wasn’t Mount Hua a place that had no visitors because of its low reputation?

Not just the second-class and third-class disciples, but even the first-class disciples were running around to manage things, but there was still a lack of manpower.

At least…

“Please do not come to the side and line up properly.”

“If you need anything, then let us know. We will resolve it as swiftly as possible.”

“Excuse me! Who told you to fight in here? Do you want to be requested out?”

Yoon Jong internally expressed admiration and praised how well the Tang family members were handling this.

‘As expected. They are skilled at this!’

Unlike Mount Hua’s disciples, who were unable to even calm themselves due to their first time doing this, Tang family members were handling people.

At times like this, he could feel the difference they had with such a prestigious family.

It was not called a prestigious sect for nothing. Only when Mount Hua, like Sichuan Tang, experienced numerous events and was able to deal with them would they regain growth. Yoon Jong once again reflected on the will to develop more.

“I asked how long I have to wait!”

“Ah!”

He was shocked for a moment and turned to see the guest who had asked the same question earlier, looking annoyed. Yoon Jong was shocked and speechless at this.

It was then.

“I apologize. Please wait a little longer.”

Baek Cheon, who had approached Yoon Jong from behind, spoke on his behalf with a smile. The guest, who appeared angry, was taken aback by Baek Cheon’s presence and then nodded.

“R-right. Ha… haha. With so many guests, it will take some time.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

“Haha. I understand completely. You really have been through a lot.”

Yoon Jong’s face twisted at the sight of the man, who now seemed as meek as a sheep.

‘Is he discriminating?’

What was worse was that he had come to realize this himself.

Even if it were Yoon Jong, if Baek Cheon showed up and apologized, he wouldn’t have been able to retort.

What could be done? If he felt wronged, then he should try to look good.

When those who were protecting them returned to their respective places, Yoon Jong sighed. Baek Cheon then comforted him with a slightly sad look.

“You are going through so much.”

“…I didn’t feel much hardship until sasuk arrived.”

“What does that mean?”

“N-Nothing.”

What can I even say?

“This is all too hectic, but it isn’t hard.”

“Is that so?”

“Compared to being harassed by him, this feels like nothing.”

“…I am glad.”

It was true. Usually, this type of work would cause more mental and physical exhaustion. If the bodies of Mount Hua were strong as rocks, then their minds had been turned to diamonds by Chung Myung.

…the problem was that Chung Myung didn’t intend to train them that way.

Baek Cheon looked around at the disciples of Mount Hua, who were busy running around.

‘Everyone is doing their best.’

Although the help from the Tang family was amazing, the disciples of Mount Hua were doing their part too. Everyone was excited. As they watched, Baek Cheon almost burst into laughter.

Baek Cheon had a slight smile and then spoke seriously.

“Even so, if this many people gather, problems are bound to arise. So, do not take your eyes off them for even a moment.”

“…I am saying this in that sense…”

“Uh?”

“And Chung Myung?”

That was when Yoon Jong saw.

The bright face of Baek Cheon until then slowly turned dark.

“…Well, I was looking for him.”

“It seems like he moved to a corner and chose to stay there. Wouldn’t it be better to just leave him alone like that?”

“Will you be able to have a happy life and sleep when you know there is gunpowder below your house that could explode at any moment?”

“It is impossible.”

Baek Cheon looked at the sky with a sad look and nodded.

“If anything happens, come find me right away or tell senior Un Am. If you don’t have us around, then head for Baek Sang.”

“I will do that.”

“…And take care of Jo Gul.”

“I will handle that, too.”

After the instructions were done, Baek Cheon looked around and mumbled softly.

“But where did this guy end up hiding?”

That guy was none other than Chung Myung.

If he was in front of them, it felt like their stomach was boiling, but the moment he ended up out of their sight, anxiety welled up. If the Mount Hua disciples were asked to choose between having Chung Myung with or without, they would all cry and ask him to be around them.

A landslide happening right in front of them would be a lot better than a tsunami coming from an unknown side.

“Ugh. The Beast Palace or the Ice Palace should arrive soon. Then the manpower we need will increase, and we can chase after Chung Myung easily.”

Kuka!

“…I know it is nonsense, but there is no need for that.”

“Uh?”

“…Did I say nonsense?”

“…What are you saying? I have hinted at that…”

“Uh?”

It was then that Baek Cheon, who was looking at Yoon Jong, tilted his head.

Bow! Bow! Bow!

Gulp!

Baek Cheon’s eyes grew bigger and bigger.

‘What kind of nonsense is this?’

When Chung Myung spoke, it didn’t sound like nonsense but rather like an actual dog barking.

“Uh?”

“Did you hear that?”

“I definitely heard it. A dog barked just now…”

The faces of the Mount Hua disciples who heard the sound were filled with shock. They were utterly confounded.

Actually, in places with private houses, hearing the sounds of dogs was common…

The problem was that this was happening on Mount Hua.

Could it really be possible to hear the bark of a dog from the top of Mount Hua, a place so serene even birds take a rest? And the sound was getting louder and louder.

“… it cannot be!”

Everyone turned their heads toward the gate from where the sound was emanating. The family members of the Tang family, who were managing the crowd, also looked in the same direction with confusion.

“W-what!”

“No, this is…”

“Move! I need to see!”

The people crowding the mountain gate were all scared and retreated to the left and right. Then, the sight of a group of people approaching from afar caught their eyes.

“… Nanman Beast Palace.”

“Right, it is the Nanman Beast Palace.”

“Anyone can see it’s them!”

A man so large that one’s mouth would drop upon seeing his form and walk. Rather than being called messy, he looked as if he had a lion’s mane around his body, making him appear even bigger. The tiger skin wrapped around his body, and the leather footwear caught their eyes.

But what was more eye-catching than the appearance of the man were the large dogs with bared teeth.

“Bow! Bow! GRRRR!”

The two black dogs, wearing chain leashes, glared left and right and growled as if they were about to attack people at any moment. But that was only for a moment; when the large man tugged the chain, the dogs became all gentle.

“… Palace Lord.”

“Yes. It is the palace lord.”

Baek Cheon, who observed this, was a bit shocked and then asked Tang Pae next to him.

“… I thought you told him not to bring animals?”

“We certainly did. But…”

“But?”

“… I didn’t tell him not to bring dogs. Because we never imagined he would have…”

“…”

This wasn’t the fault of the Tang family.

“Let’s go!”

With a loud voice, Meng So walked into Mount Hua with his dogs in front. The problem was that the visitors from the Beast Palace weren’t just Meng So.

Grrrr!

Bow!

Those following him were all bringing at least one dog with them.

Big dogs, medium dogs, cute… ugh. That one is cute… ah, not this one!

Baek Cheon thought back and then covered his face with one hand.

“… what is the Beast Palace! They are wild ones.”

They told them not to bring any animals, and they brought dogs! Dogs!

From Baek Cheon’s point of view, it was something that made his entire body angry. But, even if he had to speak in terms of what happened, this was the best way to display that they were from the Beast Palace with all this.

“Who are they?”

“Isn’t it the clothes of the central plains?”

“Ah! Beast Palace! Nanman Beast Palace!”

“What? Them?”

The warriors lined up were all shocked at that.

The Nanman Beast Palace.

A name they had heard countless times, but this was the first time they were seeing it with their own eyes, so they couldn’t help it. Yunnan was currently a restricted area for those from the Central Plains, so the Beast Palace was also off-limits.

“Beast Palace… but why did they have to bring a dog and not beasts?”

“Aren’t dogs beasts?”

“Have you lost it?”

“… I am sorry.”

It was a unique sight.

A tremendous force could be felt from these beast men. There was also no need to speak about their muscles. Just looking at Meng So in the lead was enough to make them feel inferior.

But what could be said…

‘They seem like insanely strong people…’

‘This is the first time in my life seeing such a sight.’

‘So different from what I heard.’

All the people of the Central Plains couldn’t even shake off their confusion, and Baek Cheon was no exception.

“Why the dogs…”

It was then.

“Hahaha.”

Baek Cheon turned his head to the laughter, and there was Chung Myung, who had suddenly appeared.

“Damn.”

“…”

Baek Cheon nodded.

Chung Myung. For the first time in a long time, I agree with your thoughts.

So, how could we handle that?

As if he heard his thoughts, Chung Myung walked to the gate, and Meng So, who was walking at the front, brightly smiled at the sight of Chung Myung.

“Haha…”

But before he could laugh genuinely, the dogs around him began to bark.

Bow! Bow! Bow!

Even if it was for a moment, the chains of the dogs were pulled back.

“Ugh, these nasty bastards…”

Chung Myung frowned at that. But the moment he tried to say something.

Peep!

Baek Ah stuck her head out from his sleeve and looked at the dogs, with her eyes wide open and screeching in anger.

Kiak!

Wawawowow!

The dogs, which had been barking and growling loudly, all curled their tails and began to drool. The eyes of the Central Plains people widened at this sad sight.

“W-what is that?”

“Why are the dogs acting like that?”

They couldn’t understand it, but Meng So seemed happy as if he enjoyed it.

“That guy, too, is the same as always! So you are still unchanged?”

“What dogs did you even bring here? It isn’t the Beast Palace anymore; change it to Dog Palace.”

“Uh? No… well, these dogs aren’t from Yunnan. As you know, the Beast Palace isn’t a nice place for dogs to live.”

That was definitely true. In a place where weasel-like animals beat down tigers, how could a normal dog survive?

“And with the letter from the Tang family, we left with just the people…”

“But?”

Meng So bit his lip and then said.

“As we began to come, we saw the abandoned dogs and the wild dogs all alone, starving to death.”

“…”

“So we began to feed them one by one…”

The dogs were so frightened by Baek Ah that they retreated behind Meng So, trying to conceal themselves behind him.

“And because I felt affectionate…”

“…”

Listening to Meng So’s straightforward words, Chung Myung’s cheeks twitched.

“So… all these dogs?”

“… I can’t just abandon them, right? I tried to leave them at the bottom of the mountain, but they refused to leave.”

“…”

Meng So, finding himself in a difficult position, began to laugh heartily. It was such an abrupt shift.

“Hahahaha! Why does that even matter! Seeing you for the first time in such a long time makes me feel like I could jump through the roof!”

“Don’t overdo it!”

“Hahahaha! Let’s head in!”

“Ughh….”

With a genuine smile, Meng So patted Chung Myung on the shoulder and led the dogs into Mount Hua.

This was the moment when the name of the Nanman Beast Palace became distinctly known among the Central Plains sects that were coming to Mount Hua.

…Presumably, anyway.