Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 676
Im Sobyong, who was dragged into a corner, looked at Chung Myung with a sulky face. His expression was pitiful, like a puppy falling into the water.
However, Chung Myung and Baek Cheon’s gazes were as sharp as a blade. Im Sobyong hesitantly opened his mouth.
“No, but…”
“What!”
But Im Sobyong flinched his shoulders as a thunderstorm shout come in before he could say anything.
“……I didn’t mean any harm…”
“What, this bastard? No harm intended? No harm? There’s a limit to messing up someone’s feast even in a stranger’s house! Where did this Evil Faction scum come from!”
When Chung Myung finally tried to overturn his eyes and rush in, Baek Cheon quickly grabbed him from behind.
“Chu- Chung Myung! First of all, he’s still the Nokrim King…..”
“I have to beat him since he’s the Nokrim King! Would I beat him if he wasn’t?”
“……That’s actually true.”
It should have sounded like nonsense, but the situation was forcibly making the statement correct.
“No, dammit! I saved this guy, who would’ve died on his own, and now he’s coming here to die by my hand? Well, I should send him off with my own hands! Stick your head out!”
“Chu- Chung Myung! Just calm down for now!”
Baek Cheon sneaked a peek at Im Sobyong. In fact, Chung Myung is not wrong, but Im Sobyong is still the Nokrim King. A man of high standing. If one doesn’t distinguish between Evil Faaction and Righteous Faaction, his status is higher than the Kangho elites sitting on the high seats right now.
How could someone like that be happy to hear such harsh words….
“Hehe.”
But Im Sobyeong, for his part, didn’t show any signs of displeasure, but rather scratched the back of his head sheepishly, smiling smugly.
“Isn’t that why I came here?”
“…Huh?”
Then he spoke with a rather serious face.
“A gentleman should not forget his benefactor’s grace. I have received immeasurable grace from Mount Hua and Chung Myung, so how can I not come to celebrate my benefactor’s feast? That’s the way of a gentleman…. Ahhh!”
In the end, Im Sobyong’s face was kicked by Chung Myung’s foot and he fell back quite a distance.
“What gentleman, you bastard! Where does a bandit talk about being a gentleman? If a bandit is a gentleman, then who in the world isn’t Confucius?!”
Im Sobyong jumped to his feet quickly.
“Ha ha! A gentleman is not bound by the situation. No matter the circumstances, if his heart follows the principles of benevolence and righteousness, he can be considered a gentleman…. No, don’t kick! Hey!”
Chung Myung’s feet, with both his shoulders held by Baek Cheon, swung through the air several times.
“…Excuse me, Baek Cheon Dojang. Please don’t sneakily bring him closer step by step, hold him properly. It seems like his foot is getting closer.”
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t do it knowingly.”
Baek Cheon, whose compassion for Im Sobyong has vanished, dragged Chung Myung back with a faint sigh.
“Huuk! Huuk! Huuk! Huuk!”
With his eyes bloodshot, Chung Myung stared at Im Sobyong as if he were going to eat him.
“You’ve been here for two days?”
“Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve seen people passing by and I feel at peace…. Hahaha. I guess it’s better to see people occasionally rather than just staying in the mountains all the time.”
“….”
Baek Cheon, who saw Chung Myung’s face turn even redder, freaked out and said quickly.
“I think you were a, a little hasty, Nokrim King. If they knew Nokrim was here, they wouldn’t have stayed still…”
And it wouldn’t just end there.
Of course, Mount Hua indeed saved Nokrim, and there is a subtle relationship between them that no one could have guessed. At least not those who came here to see the existence of Heavenly Comrade Alliance with their own eyes.
However, there’s a huge difference between guessing and confirming with their own eyes.
“Haha, that’s a trivial matter. Don’t worry about such things… Uh? No, you can’t let go of that hand! Baek Cheon Dojang! Your hand!”
Baek Cheon’s hand, which was about to loosen, reluctantly grabbed Chung Myung again.
‘If I could let him get hit just once, I would have no regrets.’
Why are all things tangled up in Mount Hua in that shape?
“Hey, you-! Eup! Eupup!”
When Chung Myung was about to explode, Im Sobyong sprang up. And as a last resort, he forced the alcohol he was holding into Chung Myung’s mouth.
“There, there. Don’t be so angry. Just take a big sip of this alcohol. That’s right, that’s right! Good, good! Wow, you’re doing great. Down it, down it!”
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
As the alcohol went down smoothly, Chung Myung’s body, which was full of energy, slowly loosened up.
“Kuaaahh!”
Soon after, the bottle was pulled out, and Chung Myung burst out of his mouth.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“It’s a special Myeongju I prepared. I know well that Mount Hua Divine Dragon enjoys alcohol, don’t I? How can you call someone who doesn’t know their liquor a gentleman?”
“Did you only bring one bottle?”
“Of course not! There are a few more bottles.”
“Hahaha. You really know your stuff!”
“Hahahaha! Of course, of course!”
Suddenly in high spirits, the two men looked at each other and laughed. Baek Cheon, watching this, had his face crumpled mercilessly.
‘I wish they’d both just die.’
However, contrary to his wishes, these two scoundrels were not easily taken away even by King Yama.
“But why are you here?”
When Chung Myung, who had diluted his anger with alcohol, asked, Im Sobyong shrugged.
“I told you, I came to celebrate.”
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“No, I’m telling you. In fact, our Nokrim is also a member of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance!”
“…Since when?”
“Other sects that are part of the same alliance are all attending and brightening the event, but we can’t even attend!”
“…Yeah, but since when….”
“That’s not important!”
Im Sobyong laughed slyly.
“Who do you think is the most sensitive to the sects in Heavenly Comrade Alliance?”
“Shaolin?”
“No, it’s Evil Faction.”
“Huh?”
Im Sobyong’s eyes became a little serious as if the main point starts now.
“When Heavenly Comrade Alliance gains fame and starts absorbing influence, how do you think the Ten Great Sect and the Five Great Family will react?”
“They’d probably try to fight us.”
Chung Myung gritted his teeth as if he was getting angry just by imagining it.
“Come and see! Be it a monk or a Taoist, I’ll peel all their skin off!”
“…Chung Myung-ah. You’re a Taoist too.”
“Oh, right. Darn it, I forget it every once in a while.”
“….”
Im Sobyong chuckled then.
“It may seem that way, but it’s not actually like that.”
“Huh?”
“It’s natural for you to think that way, as people like Mount Hua Divine Dragon Chung Myung don’t care much about face or justification, but the great sect of Kangho cannot abandon their face and justification. So, they can’t just trample on a sect of Righteous Faction that doesn’t cause problems just because it bothers their eyes.”
“I see.”
Baek Cheon nodded as if he had understood.
If the Ten Great Sect or the Five Great Family openly antagonize Heavenly Comrade Alliance, they would inevitably be accused of clinging to power and oppressing other sects.
It won’t be a problem for a sect like Mount Hua which didn’t have anything to lose, but it would definitely be a sensitive issue for those who used to rule Kangho like the Ten Great Sect.
“So they may be trying to do something discreetly, but it would be difficult for them to do anything openly. Instead, they would turn their attention elsewhere.”
“…So you’re saying that’s when the Evil Faction comes into the picture?”
“Yes.”
Im Sobyong nodded firmly.
“It’s all thanks to the work that Mount Hua has done that the Heavenly Comrade Alliance is getting so much attention. There’s nothing better than the actual performance in raising fame and spreading good words.”
“That’s right.”
The influence of Mount Hua and other sects has increased significantly as they form brotherhood ties, but the fact that they gathered many people to watch the spectacle in the first place is due to what Mount Hua has done so far.
The same goes for the Ten Great Sect.
If they see the influence of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance growing stronger, they will undoubtedly strive to strengthen their influence in Kangho.
“Therefore….”
Chung Myung looked at Im Sobyong with a slightly mysterious gaze.
“Will the Ten Great Sect go on a hunt for Evil factions to build up their own achievements?”
“That’s correct.”
Im Sobyong grinned.
“It’s not a big deal. It’s a matter that has been repeated countless times. That’s why the Evil Factions are also paying close attention to the situation here. There might be quite a few of them here beside me.”
At that word, Baek Cheon turned his head.
He could see many people sitting on a mat and drinking alcohol.
‘Among them…’
It was an unexpected situation.
However, on second thought, it wasn’t such a strange thing. It was impossible to perfectly verify the identities of those who had gathered here, so how could they know in detail who they were and where they were from?
“Well, in my case, I’ll be fine if I just stick to Mount Hua.”
“… No, so why did it become like that!”
“Hahaha! For other Evil Factions that are not Mount Hua’s ‘brother’s’ like Nokrim, it’s like a fire has fallen on their feet!”
Im Sobyong laughed loudly and skillfully wrapped his arm around Chung Myung’s shoulder.
“I look forward to your kind cooperation.”
“…Can’t you please die? I’m asking for your kind cooperation.”
However, instead of pulling away, Im Sobyong slightly lowered his posture.
“Dojang.”
“Hm?”
“Things may not go as smoothly as we think.”
“….”
“You know as well as I do that the current Kangho has been accumulating power for quite a long time. And it’s not just the Righteous Factions. The current Evil Factions are also overflowing with power because they haven’t fought a big war for a long time.”
“Nokrim seems to be in tatters, though?”
“….”
Im Sobyong looked at him with a hurt expression, but Chung Myung didn’t care as much about his heart as dust. Instead, he pushed him away and dusted off his shoulder.
“…Anyway…”
A little sullen Im Sobyong said.
“The great conflicts that have so far thrown Kangho into chaos have not necessarily begun in significant events. They have an excess of power and want to unleash it somewhere, and then a trivial quarrel arises? From that point on, it spirals out of control and spreads.”
“….”
“I don’t want to burden you with words like this, but perhaps the founding of Heavenly Comrade Alliance might end up igniting the giant gunpowder keg known as Kangho.”
Baek Cheon’s face inevitably turned serious.
He hadn’t realized that the founding of Heavenly Comrade Alliance could be interpreted in such a way. It was just a few sects forming an alliance because they were like-minded…
“So what?”
“Yes?”
However, Chung Myung’s face remained gloomy.
“So, what you’re saying is, the Righteous Factions and the Five Great Family might try to show off that they haven’t been defeated yet by beating up those martial artists from the Evil Faction?”
“…Yes.”
Chung Myung responded indifferently.
“Whether those martial artists from the Evil Faction die or not, or whether the Righteous Factions die while fighting them or not, what does that have to do with me?”
“….”
“Actually, I wish they’d fight and they’d both die. Then Kangho would be empty, and we could take it all. Hehehehehehe!”
“…”
“…”
Im Sobyong and Baek Cheon’s eyes trembled at the same time.
Looking at Chung Myung, who was laughing and grinning as if he was thrilled by the mere thought, it was impossible to tell who belonged to the Evil Faction and who belonged to the Righteous Factions.
“Dojang…. This, it doesn’t seem… like you understand this well… If this issue becomes big, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance won’t be able to escape its influence either.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Excuse me?”
Chung Myung frowned.
“So, would it never happen if the Heavenly Comrade Alliance hadn’t formed?”
“….”
“When something is full, it overflows. Even if it weren’t for the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, it would have exploded sooner or later. As you said earlier, the cause isn’t important.”
“Um, that’s true.”
“Also.”
“Yes?”
Chung Myung closed his mouth.
‘Magyo is advancing regardless.’
No matter how peaceful they tried to be, Magyo will not tolerate the situation.
“That’s why we have the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.”
Im Sobyong smiled as he looked into Chung Myung’s eyes filled with firm conviction.
That’s why he had come to see Chung Myung.
“Yes! Our Nokrim will do our best to help as well.”
“…Why you guys?”
“Don’t say that and let us join! Trivial matters! Annoying tasks! We can take care of everything, including dealing with irritating people! Just give us a chance would you?!”
“Ah, just get lost!”
Im Sobyong stretched out holding Chung Myung’s trousers. Back Cheon sighed deeply, ignoring the familiar commotion.
‘…Will it be okay?’
Baek Cheon began to be seriously worried about the future of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
***
군자 (gunja) is a Korean term that translates to “gentleman” in English. It refers to a person who embodies the virtues of Confucianism, such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity
명주 (Myeongju) is a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage that is made from fermented rice. It is a type of rice wine, similar to Japanese sake or Chinese huangjiu. A beverage from rice, huh. As an Indonesian myself, I love Tajin and Beras Kencur the most. Not alcohol tho.