Return of Mount Hua Sect

“W-what is that?”

“How…!”

People dressed in green clothing began to descend from ropes lowered from the cliff.

From the way they skillfully walked down, it was clear they had done this more than once.

“W-what about the clothes?”

“Green Forest! Green Forest!”

“Green Forest and the 72 bandits?”

All the pirates were shocked and confused. It was understandable.

Bandits.

Typically, the 18 River families and the 72 bandits were mentioned together under one name. However, the 18 River families of the Yangtze River, who operated on the river, and the 72 bandits of the Green Forest, who operated in the mountains, didn’t usually cross paths.

They knew of each other’s existence, but there was no reason for them to be hostile or friendly toward each other.

So why had the Green Forest suddenly appeared here?

“Kuahahaha! You water demons!”

“You came to the land! I will cut you all down!”

The bandits who had climbed down the cliff shouted and began to chase after the pirates.

“D-Don’t panic! Just kill the ones coming down one by one!”

“What are you doing! Shoot the bow, shoot!”

The archers cursed and hurriedly grabbed their arrows. Those who climbed down the cliff on the ropes were defenseless against the arrows. It went without saying that if they were attacked at such a time, the pirates would have a great advantage!

But unfortunately, what they had to deal with wasn’t just any Green Forest bandits, but Im So-Byeong.

“Ah, arrows? We have those, too.”

Im So-Byeong said, pointing down at his fan.

“Fire at them!”

“Yes!”

The archers waiting behind him appeared at once and began to shoot arrows they had already nocked on their bows.

Shhh!

A continuous stream of arrows flew.

The archers fired their arrows so fast that no one could even see them moving. The rain of black-painted arrows looked like a black downpour.

“Ahhh!”

“S-Shoot the arrows!”

“What are you doing! Damn it! Fight back!”

The pirates below tried to shoot, but the arrows fired from the bottom couldn’t have the same strength as those shot from above.

No matter how much force it had, by the time the arrow shot from below reached the cliff, its power had dissipated.

“Tsk tsk. No fun.”

Im So-Byeong chuckled and gestured with his chin.

“Pour down the arrows until the baskets are empty. If we get outnumbered, we will have to pay a price for her lacking.”

“Yes!”

A cruel smile appeared on the lips of Im So-Byeong.

“… Green Forest?”

Baek Cheon still couldn’t believe his eyes.

“W-why is the Green Forest here? Aren’t those the people of the Evil Faction?”

“Right.”

“Then why are they fighting each other?”

“What? Then why are the Green Forest and Ten Thousand People clans at war?”

“Uh…?”

“And why do we fight the Southern Edge?”

“That….”

Baek Cheon, speechless, turned mute and then blinked.

“If you are going to be friendly with the Evil Faction, does that mean they are family? It is common for the Justice faction sects to fight one another based on their interests, but it is obvious even if we don’t say it with us.”

Chung Myung giggled.

“This is called ‘Use barbarians to defeat barbarians’! Use evil to destroy evil!”

Yah…

Calling them barbarians when he was also one was a bit…

No, of course, it was true that they were bandits, but it was a bit of a problem with the person who was referring to them as that…

“Heheheheh! Nice! You did good! Fight! Kill them!”

Seeing the bandits and pirates tangling and fighting, Chung Myung laughed and clapped like this was amazing. A despair that couldn’t be hidden bloomed in the eyes of Mount Hua’s disciples.

Baek Sang mumbled helplessly.

“Oh my… there are a bunch of bandits and pirates here, but this guy seems like the worst one to exist.”

“That is the truth, which is why we feel like it. That bastard is the worst, sasuk.”

“… right. That is true.”

The Great Mount Hua sect, renowned for producing the greatest swordsmen and people of extraordinary character, now had such individuals shining brightly in their eyes.

“But how did you manage to get them here?”

“What are you saying? I heard the pirates were targeting Mount Hua!”

“Of course…?”

“Do we apologize for confronting the bastards who clearly knew what they wanted to do? It was obvious that a fight was going to happen here, so why would I walk in like an idiot?”

Puak!

Chung Myung’s words were a mess to decipher… no, they were stabbing Baek Cheon in the chest.

“If the main force of Mount Hua is going to be late, we have to look for another way. Isn’t this something even a 3-year-old kid can figure out?”

Puak!

“The only people around I could call were those bandits, so I informed them in advance.”

“…while you were coming?”

“I talked with them on the way here. I had already put a plan in place since I heard the news. Maybe they even arrived before sasuk did?”

Baek Cheon opened his mouth.

“S-so you knew in advance that things would turn out like this?”

“How could I know? I am not some Zhuge Gong-Myung.”

“Then?”

Chung Myung frowned as if his stomach would explode from talking.

“No! You! Isn’t it basic to be prepared for any emergency!? If you prepare and then don’t use it, it is disappointing, but if you don’t prepare and you regret it, you are dead! Don’t you know that too?”

Baek Cheon, surprised, closed his mouth.

He had known for a long time that Chung Myung believed in strength and wasn’t a normal human, but this was the first time he felt the truth so painfully.

Baek Cheon was in a daze at all that he heard, so Baek Sang moved.

“But that is our thing, and why did the Green Forest King suddenly appear and say he wants to fight the Yangtze River families?”

“Why wouldn’t he fight? They are the bastards who are always whining about joining the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”

“…”

“Does he want to side with the Five Evil Factions and also join the Heavenly Friends Alliance? What nonsense. They need to clearly show us that they have drawn a line with the other Evil Factions.”

“Wait, now that you say it…”

When hindsight kicks in, everything seems easy and obvious. But, thinking and considering all of this before it even happens is easier said than done.

‘Insane bastard. He saw all this from distant Shaanxi…’

It was more about preparation than prediction, but if the preparation was right, wasn’t that the same as prediction?

When they were moving together, and this guy suddenly did something, there were many times when they couldn’t understand why because they always moved at a fast pace.

But when they took a step back, they realized how ridiculous this guy was.

“What is it?”

“Uh?”

“I can see your back! Are you telling them to stab you?”

Baek Cheon, who was lost in thought, suddenly raised his head. Sure enough, the pirates were so distracted by the bandits coming down the cliff that the disciples were showing their backs.

“Okay!”

Think later! Let’s start moving now!

“Good! Sasuk! Sago! Sahyung!”

“The sahyung-sajae are behind you, you damn bastard!”

“Then sajae!”

“Ack!”

Tang Soso let out a loud scream and rushed ahead.

Looking at that, Chung Myung chuckled.

“Fine then…”

Then, when he glanced to the side, his gaze turned cold.

“Would you like for me to aim for the head?”

“G-great captain!”

He suddenly came to his senses when he heard the voice of Chan Bo-Huek calling him.

“This…”

The face, which had turned blank, soon contorted.

“Damn you! Why is the Green Forest bastard attacking us!”

If the people attacking from above the cliff were from Mount Hua or some other place, they would have been surprised, but not this absurdly.

But the Green Forest has come!

Why was the Green Forest attacking the Yangtze River! Why!

“Where is he? Where is the leader of the bandits? Who is that guy who smells like a beggar?”

“I think the person you’re referring to is the Green Forest King.”

“What? The Green Forest King? Wasn’t the Green Forest King a giant?”

“It was rumored that way in the past, but according to what was known during the Green Forest rebellion, the Green Forest King was someone called So-Byeong, and on the outside, he looks like a weak scholar…”

Chan Bo-Heuk bit his lip.

‘Green Forest King.’

This wasn’t just an ordinary bandit troop, but one led by the Green Forest King himself. For some reason, the way they climbed down the cliff also felt odd.

“But why is the Green Forest King attacking us?”

“I-I don’t know about that…”

Jo Seung, who rarely showed any emotion, turned pale as he stuttered. It was something that defied common sense. It was impossible for him, a normal strategist, to understand the situation.

“Eik! Get out of my way!”

Chan Bo-Heuk pushed ahead and shouted to the cliff.

“GREEN FOREST KINGGGG!”

Im So-Byeong, who was on the cliff, turned his head without any expression and looked at him.

“You have such a nice voice. I envy you for that.”

“Why! Why is the Green Forest attacking the pirates? Why is the Green Forest turning us Yangtze River families into its enemies?”

“We were never friends in the first place, so what’s so shocking about this?”

Im So-Byeong sneered at this. Then his face changed as he shouted.

“The Green Forest is not a place you can proudly say is on the right path! At least we have tried to live without causing harm to helpless civilians! But since you are trafficking humans and selling them to other nations, I can no longer tolerate this outrageous behavior of yours!”

“W-what are you talking about…”

“In the name of the Green Forest, I condemn you and will rescue the captured civilians by freeing them! Nothing more will be said! Bring me that damn bastard!”

“Yes!”

The bandits cheered at the top of their lungs and moved faster, cutting down the pirates.

“Hahah! Those little bastards!”

“Maybe it is because they only eat fish that they are this weak! Come here; I will give you two punches!”

“Knock them to death!”

Ordinary bandits cannot gain such an advantage over pirates. But, the ones around weren’t just normal bandits; they were the elite ones that Im So-Byeong carefully selected.

They were better than the rebellious forces of Green Forest and recognized by all, so they were in a situation where they were the best of Green Forest.

“Umahahahahah! These insignificant bastards! I am the hyung to you all! I am here!”

The Iron God Palm, Beon Chung, who was in the lead, shouted and swung his fist like moving a lid, sending the pirates flying.

After that, Kwak Min followed with a swift attack from his blade.

“Ack!”

“S-Stand back!”

Some of the pirates were destroyed entirely. But behind their backs, the angry Mount Hua people, scarier than Green Forest, were rushing at them.

“Where are you running to, you bastards!”

“It must have been nice since the mood was good! Cut them all down!”

Under attack from both sides, the pirate forces began to collapse helplessly.

“This…”

After realizing the situation, Chan Bo-Heuk stepped back without realizing it.

‘This is wrong.’

There was nothing to do.

From the start, handling such a force was difficult. If they had only attacked, they could have acted swiftly, but they had fewer people and could only flee.

No matter which side had the bigger force, there was no one big enough to chase them into the water.

But not now. Thanks to being distracted by the Mount Hua sect, they got caught off guard, and the river they had to run to was blocked by Mount Hua’s disciples.

If he gave them orders to jump into the water, around half of them would survive, but their entire fleet would be lost. That would spell the end of the pirates.

“Jo Seung.”

“G-Great captain!”

“Get out of here first.”

“Uh? B-but…”

“First of all, the troops need to survive for the plan to grow in the future. Or are you going to stay here?”

Jo Seung’s face was conflicted, unsure of what to do. But the conflict soon became meaningless.

“Oye.”

Chan Bo-Heuk turned at the voice coming from behind.

“Who said he can leave?”

“…”

Chung Myung, Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon, had appeared behind him, smiling eerily.

“Ah, of course, you can leave. I mean the head. Instead, give me…”

Chung Myung gently raised his sword and aimed it at Chan Bo-Heuk’s head.

“Please leave the body behind.”

“… you bastard.”

Hatred and killing intent shone in Chan Bo-Heuk’s eyes.

“I will kill you! You fucking piece of shit!”

“Haha!”

Chung Myung laughed as he watched his opponent rush at him like a madman, then jumped right in front of Chan Bo-Heuk with a bizarre smile.