Novel Return of Mount Hua Sect Chapter 913
News that water fortresses finally took over Plum Blossom Island and finally set foot in Gangbuk quickly spread throughout the world.
The word that became the focus was not Plum Blossom Island, but ‘Gangbuk’.
The name Plum Blossom Island is very important to those living in the Yangtze River and to the merchant guild of Jungwon, but for the Gangbuk people who never leave their place of residence throughout their lives, Plum Blossom Island was still unfamiliar.
“Do you mean water fortresses set foot in Gangbuk?”
“That’s what I’m saying! They’ve occupied a city along the Yangtze River and are acting as if they own it!”
“Oh, how could something like that happen? Weren’t there agreements not to cross the river for three years? There’s still some time left before those three years are up, isn’t there?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You’re talking stupid. Was it a mutual non-aggression pact? It’s a Gangnam non-aggression pact! The Righteous Sects in Gangbuk cannot cross the Yangtze River, but it is okay for the Evil Sects in Gangnam to cross the river.”
“Ah...”
And the situation was enough to remind the public of how one-sided the pact with the Evil Tyrant Alliance was in the past.
“So what? Are they just going to stand by and watch this?”
“Is that possible? The treaty was about not attacking Gangnam, does it state that they can’t touch those who came to Gangbuk?”
“Yes! That’s how it should be!”
“No matter how humiliated Ten Great Sects is, it’s still the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family! It is the right thing to say. If they had avoided fighting at the Yangtze River in the first place, would they have lost to the evil enemies of Evil Sects?”
“Right! And it’s not like they were defeated! It was Chivalrousness!”
There were a few who wanted to say that the process and content of the Chivalrousness were no different from defeat, but eventually, those words went unspoken, and swallowed back down the throat.
This is because the atmosphere wasn’t favorable for pointing out such facts.
“Anyway, this is Gangbuk, no matter how much the Ten Great Sects are treated like a toothless tiger these days, aren’t tigers still a tiger? Would they just leave an intruding wolf cub in their territory? They’ll definitely try to kill it.”
“That’s right! Of course! How dare Evil Tyrant Alliance step on the land of Gangbuk?”
People who had been unanimously criticizing the Ten Great Sects for abandoning their dignity at the Yangtze River now stood in support of them at this moment.
The advance of water fortresses, or the Evil Tyrant Alliance, into Gangbuk was such scary news to them. No matter how dishonorable the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family were, it would be impossible to compare them with the other Evil Sects.
“Even beasts are scarier when they are injured. Wouldn’t Ten Great Sects or Five Great Family have been just looking for an opportunity to take revenge on the Evil Tyrant Alliance for the past three years?”
“Ahem, of course. They’ve been tied down by that ridiculous Gangnam Non-Aggression Pact. If it weren’t for that, they would have invaded Gangnam long ago and chopped off Jang Ilso’s head!”
“Tsk, tsk. I don’t understand. What’s so important about such a pact? If they had just ignored it and attacked, no one would have said anything.”
“Goodness, this man! If they can’t even keep their own words, how can they be called Righteous Sects? How are they any different from those barbaric punk of Evil Secst?”
“It’s just an expression, you see?”
“Anyway, the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family will definitely not sit idly by. Definitely not!”
Everyone believed. The Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family, who had been humiliated by the Evil Tyrant Alliance and disgraced their pride, will naturally seek revenge this time.
Although it was a disappointing performance, the expectations for the prestigious sect, which was once everyone’s pride, were still alive.
Moreover, there was a reaction borne out of fear that life could become a living hell if those prestigious sects failed to stop the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
Everyone in Gangbuk wanted the Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family to come to the front and clean up the mess again, but....
Things didn’t just flow the way they wanted them to.
* * *
The solemn chill spread across Bop Jeong’s face.
“...What did they say?”
Bop Kye couldn’t bring himself to meet his eyes and hung his head. Although he hadn’t done anything wrong, he felt guilty and embarrassed.
Forcing his stiff lips to move, Bop Kye spoke in a weak voice.
“We have received responses, but... there are only a few sects that are willing to come to Shaolin.”
“A few?”
“...Yes.”
Bop Jeong was silent for a moment. Only the sound of prayer beads rolling in his hands was heard regularly.
“Which sects refused?”
“That, that’s....”
A drop of cold sweat flowed down the forehead of the law community.
“First of all, the Beggar Union has expressed willingness to participate.”
“....”
“And... Kongtong is on its way to Shaolin. Kunlun has also agreed to come, but...”
“Because it’s Kunlun, they probably won’t be able to arrive on time.”
“That’s what I thought too.”
Kunlun Mountain, where Kunlun is located, is on the border of Qinghai and Xinjiang. As a result, the distance from Hanam alone is a whopping 7,000 Li. This is a further distance than the Outer Palace.
Therefore, Kunlun has been a member of the Ten Great Sects since the past but at the same time was in a subtly alienated position.
“Bop Kye.”
“...Yes, Bangjang.”
“Tell me. Do you think their actions are forgivable?”
“...Bangjang.”
“Aren’t the opponent this time Evil Sects, not anywhere else? How can they think of their own gain in such a situation?”
Bop Kye pondered for a moment before lowering his head.
This was because the answer he had to give was too embarrassing and guilty to come up with on his own.
“Bangjang....”
“Tell me.”
“Breaking something that shouldn’t be broken is... Weren’t we first?”
“....”
Bop Kye spoke with his eyes tightly closed, unable to bear to look at Bop Jeong.
“I am... This is what I did. I was there... I should have prepared for death....”
Bop Jeong shut his mouth.
Because he realized that he was so overcome with emotion that he said something he shouldn’t have said.
“I too prioritized the safety of my disciples and Shaolin over my duties. How can I, in such a position, blame them?”
“That’s...!”
Bop Jeong tried to refute with something, but soon shook his head.
It was because he knew too well that no words could comfort Bop Kye, that no excuses could justify their actions.
“Even so, isn’t it too short-sighted! After Gangbuk burns, what happens next? It is obvious who will be next. Amitabha. Amitabha....”
However, the heated words of Bop Jeong soon became blurred.
He knew full well that the words he spoke were losing their power.
Bop Kye cautiously observed him and then spoke.
“Bangjang. If only the Yangtze River incident had occurred, there would certainly have been more sects who wanted to deal with the Evil Sects first. However....”
“...What does that mean?”
“You know... about the work of Mount Hua.”
When the word Mount Hua came out, the face of Bop Jeong became noticeably firm.
Bop Kye continued in a resigned tone.
“Nobody wants to be in the lead. The price of sacrificing one’s life for the sake of Chivalrousness and Jungwon... Isn’t everyone aware of it now?”
Bop Jeong’s face momentarily showed defeat.
“Hoho... ho.”
In the end, what came out of his mouth was a self-deprecating laugh. After a brief chuckle, he spoke quietly.
“... Original Sin.”
It was a word that echoes weights. Bop Kye looked at Bop Jeong with a worried look.
“...Bangjang.”
“Yes, you’re right. Who are we to blame....”
It was something that should not have been done.
It was something that should never have been done.
The incident left deep scars not only to Mount Hua but also Ten Great Setcs and Five Great Family. And it continues to this day, making everyone groan.
Neither Wudang nor Shaolin escaped that ghost.
Because they’ve seen with their very own eyes that the result of fighting at the forefront for chivalrousness is annihilation and abandonment.
Perhaps the real cause of the Yangtze incident lay there.
“...Send a message to Heavenly Comrade Alliance.”
“Ba- Bangjang?”
“Let’s see what they say. Shameless and guilty as we are.”
Bop Kye nodded his head without a word. This was because he knew that adding words here would only make Bop Jeong more distressed.
“I will do so.”
As Bop Kye stepped down carefully, Bop Jeong’s face was clouded with deep remorse.
‘How did you endure....’
A small chant leaked from his mouth as he closed his eyes.
‘How did you endure such a painful time...’
The name ‘Mount Hua’ throbbed in his heart like a burning scar.