Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Sect Leader!”

Heo Dojin turned his head at the voice calling for him. His brow slightly furrowed upon seeing the group approaching.

Those in black robes ran towards their side, followed by others in green and blue garments.

It was a truly bizarre combination, but Heo Dojin immediately recognized who they were.

“Mount Hua….”

A slightly suppressed voice leaked out of Heo Dojin’s mouth. The only people who are so ostentatious in the current Kangho are the Mount Hua Sect.

Of all times, he encountered the most troublesome group now as they were heading towards Black Dragon Water Fortress.

“…What should we do?”

Heo Dojin’s eyes shone at Heo Sanja’s question.

“There’s no particular reason to avoid them. We didn’t commit a sin.”

It was not long before a strange smile came to his lips.

Come to think of it, he hasn’t seen Mount Hua in person since the Murim Competition. He only heard the story that was told.

‘I need to verify with my own eyes.’

The decision was made shortly.

“Heo Sanja.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“We should meet Mount Hua Sect.”

“…Sect Leader, is there really a need…”

The flustered Heo Sanja began to dissuade Heo Dojin.

It’s not because he feels uncomfortable meeting Mount Hua.

Although the Righteous Sects didn’t have strict top-bottom order between their sects like the Evil Sects did, there was naturally a hierarchy.

The reputation and skills of Wudang were far superior to Mount Hua’s. By rights, it should be Mount Hua approaching them to pay their respects. If Heo Dojin initiates the conversation, it might just inflate Mount Hua’s egos.

Heo Dojin said with a slightly displeased look, as if he had seen through Heo Sanja’s innermost thoughts.

“Are you still concerned about such things?”

“…Sect Leader, however….”

“Enough of the unnecessary formalities. What’s important is what we gain.”

In the end, Heo Sanja nodded reluctantly.

As long as Heo Dojin decides to do so, any further discussions were merely a waste.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

When Heo Dojin changed his direction, the disciples of the Wudang Sect who were following him immediately headed towards Mount Hua Sect.

Meanwhile, Hyun Jong looked at them and unknowingly let out a sigh.

‘Hmm.’

The momentum of Wudang’s elite has been suffocating.

‘Wudang…’

They were seasoned martial artists. While they weren’t deliberately intimidating, there was a naturally heavy and solemn energy emanating from them.

“They are coming this way, Sect Leader.”

“I know.”

Hyun Jong watched them as he swallowed dry saliva.

In the past, he might not have dared to face Wudang’s Sect Leader. But just as Mount Hua has changed from the past, so was his own standing.

It was time to show a dignified appearance as the Sect Leader of Mount Hua Sect and Maengju of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

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‘But…’

Hyun Jong’s back was dampened with cold sweat.

His position has obviously changed. However, it was clear that the way they treated Hyun Jong would have changed just as much or more.

The gaze from Heo Dojin, who took the lead, weighed heavily on Hyun Jong’s shoulder.

It was then.

“Why are they sneaking around as if they’ve found something to scavenge?”

Hyun Jong looked back at his voice which suddenly broke the tension.

Chung Myung, who followed him, was looking at Wudang Sect with both hands on the back of his head.

“…Chung Myung-ah.”

“It looked like their feet caught fire too. They used to just pass by without a second glance in the past.”

“….”

“Sect Leader.”

“Huh?”

“Please don’t be too harsh on them. Their stomach must be churning with envy lately, so please accept them with a big heart, Sect Leader. After all, aren’t they our descendants?”

“….”

Hyun Jong listened to it blankly and eventually let out a hollow laugh.

It would be only Chung Myung in this world who could speak of Wudang in that way. Even Shaolin’s Bangjang couldn’t regard Wudang as lightly.

“Huu.”

In any case, thanks to that, the pressure that had gripped him seemed to have disappeared like a lie. Now he could look at Heo Dojin with a more comfortable face.

As the distance between the two sects narrowed, their pace naturally slowed down. Heo Dojin approached Hyun Jong with a leisurely stride.

Hyun Jong cupped his hands and took a formal greeting pose.

“It’s an honor to meet Sect Leader of Wudang.”

“I am Heo Dojin, Sect Leader of Wudang Sect. I’m pleased to meet Sect Leader of Mount Hua Sect.”

Heo Dojin also took a formal greeting in return. After deeply bowing his head, he raised his head and spoke with a friendly face.

“It seems it’s our first meeting since the Murim Competition, Sect Leader.”

“Indeed. I’m very glad to meet Sect Leader again.”

Greetings came and went like a ritual, and Heo Dojin laughed heartily.

“Back then, I never imagined Mount Hua would gain such renown. My compliments.”

“I’m flattered. No matter how much Mount Hua has raised its name, how can we compare to the famous Wudang? We were just lucky.”

“Hahaha. Too much humility can be seen as insincere, I presume? If you, as the Maengju, attribute everything to luck, what would the members of Heavenly Comrade Alliance think?”

“It’s all thanks to everyone viewing me favorably. If Maengju’s position was determined by skill and connections, how could I have ever been chosen? My shoulders are about to sink under the heavy loads of responsibility.”

Jo-Gol whispered to Yoon Jong, listening to the conversation coming and going.

“Sahyung, Sahyung. Both of them speak so gently, but it feels quite intense, doesn’t it?”

“Gol-ah.”

“Yes?”

“…Close your mouth. If you cause trouble here, I’ll really grind your bones.”

“…Yes.”

Jo-Gol quietly covered his mouth with both hands.

Then Heo Dojin gazed at the people standing behind Hyun Jong.

“If I may ask, who are those people standing behind you?”

“They are from Seventy-Two Stronghold of Nokrim.”

“…I see.”

Heo Dojin nods silently. That was all his reaction.

Having expected some strong reactions for bringing a group from the Evil Sect, Hyun Jong looked at him with a slightly strange expression.

He never thought that Heo Dojin wouldn’t comment on it.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Ah… I thought I had to make an excuse.”

Heo Dojin merely laughed at Hyun Jong’s words.

“Isn’t it due to Sect Leader’s virtue that even the rogues of Nokrim are enlightened? I’m just jealous. Even if I pursue Tao my whole life, I don’t think I can even come close to your toes.”

“…I’m flattered.”

Hyun Jong bowed his head in bewilderment.

Heo Dojin looked around the disciples with a smile on his face.

‘They’re sharp.’

The energy that flows out secretly is no less than that of Wudang. Of course, they’re not as tranquil as Wudang. At first glance, they even seemed shallow. It’s impossible to regard them as having the tranquility of Taoists, even just as empty words …

‘Instead, their energy is clear and free.’

An unexpected realization hit him.

‘Since when did being heavy and serious represent Taoism?’

In the first place, Taoism would have been something that wasn’t bound down.

Heo Dojin, who was briefly lost in thought, soon nodded heavily and looked at Hyun Jong.

“Back in Wuhan…”

When the word Wuhan came out, Hyun Jong’s face hardened.

The sparring matches in Wuhan.

It’s a pleasant memory for Mount Hua, but it’s a terrible memory for Heo Dojin. And now he was bringing it up in front of Mount Hua Sect.

“We were quite displeased that our disciples were humiliated.”

“…We were just lucky.”

Hyun Jong replied with slight discomfort, but Hee Dojin’s face was surprisingly calm.

“I also thought it might have been just luck. But seeing Mount Hua’s disciples today, it wasn’t solely luck.”

Heo Dojin once again greeted Hyun Jong with respect.

“I have learned a lot, Sect Leader.”

“Please don’t. I haven’t done anything.”

“If there was nothing Sect Leader did, how could Mount Hua have come this far?”

Once again, when Hyun Jong tried to offer modesty, Heo Dojin’s gaze fixed on someone else.

“Isn’t that right, Mount Hua Divine Dragon?”

“Our Sect Leader is a bit amazing.”

“Haha. That’s what I meant.”

“As expected, since it is a Sect Leader of Wudang, you know that! This is why such a man should be in high positions.”

“Hahahat.”

“Hehehehe!”

The two of them looked at each other, laughing as if they got along very well.

Their eyes, however, were keenly observing and gauging each other, unlike their apparent bright expressions.

“You defeated Heo Gong, didn’t you?”

“Yes, with my skill.”

“….”

For a moment, Heo Dojin, who was speechless, glanced briefly at Hyun Jong. However, Hyun Jong had already turned his gaze to the distant sky with both hands behind his back.

It was as if he was saying, ‘I can’t do anything about that; you handle it.’

“Skill… Right, skill. Heo Gong isn’t someone who can be defeated by mere luck.”

“Yes. He was incredible.”

“And you, who defeated him, are even more incredible?”

“Hehe. That wasn’t exactly my point, but since Sect Leader put it that way, it’s hard for me to deny. Ahem!”

“….”

Heo Dojin looked around at Mount Hua Sect members, but no one met his gaze. It was because their disciple, who would make them ashamed no matter where he was presented, was sticking out his belly even in front of that Wudang.

‘I want to hide.’

‘I feel like I could die of embarrassment.’

“Haha.”

Heo Dojin laughed out loud and nodded.

“Good. There’s no reason to hesitate calling something impressive as impressive. Even Daode Tianzun* once said that unnecessary courtesy ruins human affairs.”

Chung Myung saw Heo Dojin with his eyes glistening at his cool words.

“But you’d better be careful. Our young ones are training without even sleeping, all to defeat you.”

“I always welcome challenges.”

“Challenge….”

Heo Dojin grinned after a brief pause.

“Since you’ve said so, if our young ones challenge you next time, don’t avoid it out of annoyance.”

“Uh… I can’t promise that.”

“Haha. Then there’s nothing we can do.”

Heo Dojin wrapped up the casual conversation and spoke to Hyun Jong.

“I have many things I’d like to discuss, but due to pressing circumstances on my journey, it’s regrettable that I cannot stay longer to chat.”

“Will there be another opportunity?”

“Yes. I will visit again and seek your guidance.”

Heo Dojin gave a respectful bow.

“Then.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

Heo Dojin turned around without hesitation when Hyun Jong returned the gesture with equal respect.

“Let’s depart.”

“Yes!”

Wudang Sect departed first, leaving behind the stationary Mount Hua Sect. Only when they had moved some distance away did a deep sigh escape Hyun Jong’s lip.

“…Impressive.”

It’s not unknown how much Wudang might dislike Mount Hua.

But Heo Dojin never lost his manners and respect for even a moment. Rather, he seemed to hold Mount Hua in high regard.

Hyun Jong wondered if he could have acted in the same manner.

‘The demeanor of a renowned Sect Leader would be like that.’

Someone whose posture is humble, yet from that humility radiates a power that overwhelms the other. Rather, if Heo Dojin had openly expressed his teeth toward them, he might not have felt this pressure.

And the members of Wudang Sect behind Heo Dojin also didn’t reveal any of the emotions that might have built up from their previous encounters.

‘We still have a long way to go.’

Neither he nor Mount Hua are good enough to be compared to Wudang.

“Hmm.”

Meanwhile, Chung Myung, who was watching Wudang group moving away with his arms folded behind Hyun Jong, rolled up his lips.

‘They still have the upper hand, don’t they?’

There was no rudeness from the members of Wudang Sect, including Heo Dojin.

But Chung Myung was rather annoyed by Heo Dojin’s attitude. Being able to maintain oneself correctly indicates a certain level of leisure.

“Let’s see how long that leisure lasts.”

Chung Myung’s glaring gaze at Wudang was sharp.