Return of the Mount Hua

There’s a crazy bastard after all. (1)

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“Ah, what’s going ooooon?!”

“…”

Hong Daekwang stared blankly at Chung Myung, his face completely drained of life.

‘I must have been crazy.’

Why on earth did he ever miss this madman? This devil of a person, who destroys all his peace just by existing? Him?

“Um… Hwasan Shinryong… No, Hwasan Geomhyeop.”

“What?”

“Information doesn’t just… you know? Just magically appear the moment you demand it… right? It’s not like that.”

“What are you talking about! What’s the point of the Beggars Sect if they don’t have any information?!”

“That’s not what I’m saying… There is information, but it’s not like it shows up exactly when you want it…”

“Nooooo!”

Hong Daekwang squeezed his eyes shut.

“These damned beggars are no help at all! They can’t even beg properly, and if they can’t even provide information on time, what are they living off of?!”

“…I appreciate your concern, but…”

I don’t think that’s something you need to be worrying about, though?

But whether he understood Hong Daekwang’s feelings or not, Chung Myung relentlessly nagged and pressed him.

“So, what happened?!”

Hong Daekwang, looking utterly resigned, gazed up at the ceiling.

There was so much he wanted to say. If the person throwing a tantrum in front of him was anyone other than Chung Myung, Hong Daekwang would have smiled brightly and said:

‘My dear junior. You see, it takes a little time for the information you requested to reach here via the carrier pigeon. I can’t fly out like a bird to fetch it myself, and rushing it won’t make it come any faster. So, relax and wait. It won’t take long.’

Yes. He could say that.

And anyone who understood the authority of the Beggars Sect would nod in agreement or feel ashamed for daring to press Buntaju [branch leader] without thinking.

Anyone with common sense, that is.

Unfortunately, the person in front of him now was Chung Myung. This guy treat the authority of the Beggars Sect like a dog bone rolling around on the street. Not to mention, he had neither common sense nor logic.

If he said something like that, Chung Myung would probably retort, ‘Useless beggars! It’s because you’re so lazy that you have to live off begging.’

“Hrk…”

Or, he might just collapse backwards, unable to contain his anger, like he was doing now.

Watching Chung Myung’s face get redder and redder, Hong Daekwang felt his hair stand on end.

It was like watching a fire spreading towards a powder keg. The moment that flame hit the barrel of oil, there would be an explosion.

His face?

No, this entire branch might blow up.

‘Please! Please! Hurry up already, you bastard!’

He had requested it urgently, so by now, the Beggars Sect’s famed Thousand Li Blue Pigeon [천리청구(千里靑鳩)] should be flying here with the message tied to its foot, flapping its wings as if they would fall off.

Whether this branch gets destroyed or not depends entirely on how fast those wings can flap.

“Arrrrgh!”

Finally, Chung Myung’s eyes started to flip, and Hong Daekwang was seriously debating whether he should just bolt and run without looking back. It was a tense, on-the-edge moment.

Screeeeeech!

“It’s hereeeeee!”

At the sound, Hong Daekwang jumped up from his seat. He wouldn’t have been this happy even if he had seen his late grandfather’s face again. Not that he even knew what his grandfather looked like – he didn’t even know his father’s face! But, let’s move on!

“Where!”

“There! It’s coming!”

At that moment, a pigeon with blue-tinted wings shot through the wide-open window at lightning speed.

“Gotcha!”

Hong Daekwang quickly stretched out his hand, snatching the bird mid-flight, and hurriedly opened the small message tube tied to its leg.

The moment he pulled out the tightly rolled-up scroll, Chung Myung snatched it away in one swift motion.

“Let’s see!”

Chung Myung unfurled the message, and his eyes darted back and forth across the paper at incredible speed.

“What does it say?”

“Well…”

“Hmm?”

After reading the entire message, Chung Myung lifted his head and looked at Hong Daekwang. For some reason, his expression was so strange that it was hard to describe.

“Beggar uncle.”

“What?”

“…It seems like you guys might be done for.”

“…What? Wh-What are you talking about?”

“No, it’s just… I thought there wouldn’t be any…”

Chung Myung let out a hollow laugh and scratched the back of his head.

“But it turns out, there’s a crazy bastard after all.”

“Huh?”

Hong Daekwang stared blankly at Chung Myung, utterly confused, as if he had no idea what was going on.

❀ ❀ ❀

Jiujiang.

A tense, grim atmosphere hung over the area surrounding Maehwado, now fully controlled by Surochae.

The bustling scene that had always lightened up the streets was nowhere to be found. It was difficult to spot a single passerby, and even the inns that used to fling their gates open wide and eagerly beckon customers had all slammed their windows shut.

Those who had quietly gathered at a small inn on the far outskirts of the city, which had sprung up alongside Maehwado, could only hold their breath as they watched the pirates roaming the streets.

“…Do we really have to go on living like this?”

Someone, peering through the gap in the window at the backs of the pirates passing by the inn, let out a deep sigh and lamented.

“In truth, isn’t there no big problem? They aren’t hurting anyone.”

“It’s not that there’s no problem – it’s just that it hasn’t happened yet, you fool.”

One of the merchants, sounding utterly frustrated, thumped his chest as he spoke.

“Isn’t it like a tiger – when its belly is full, it leaves passersby alone? Sure, those pirate bastards are quiet now, but how do we know when they’ll stir up trouble?”

“You have a point, but…”

A look of worry fell over the merchants’ faces.

It had been several days since Surochae had taken over Maehwado, yet no one had claimed to have suffered any harm at the pirates’ hands.

But that did not mean they could simply view the pirates – whom they had feared all their lives – with peace of mind. This was especially true for the merchants who made their living traveling the Yangtze River.

“We just have to find a way to get along. In the past, if we ran into pirates while sailing, we used to pay a toll, didn’t we? If we think of it like that…”

“How is that the same? Running into them briefly once every few weeks or months is inevitable, but how are we supposed to live meeting those bastards every single day?”

“…”

“And back then, we only had to pay for the goods we were transporting. But now they’re taxing the items we keep in the warehouses, too. Damn it, business is already terrible, and after paying everything those bastards demand, what are we supposed to live on?”

A collective sigh escaped the merchants.

Hwasan, which had occupied Maehwado before, only charged money to those who needed to borrow the warehouses – it never imposed taxes on each item stored there. So, in practice, the only payment the merchants made for using Maehwado was the toll fee for shipping goods by boat.

Of course, there were other small expenses for using various facilities, but wasn’t it the same wherever you went in the world?

Yet once those pirate scoundrels took over Maehwado, they instantly doubled the toll fee and even announced they’d start taxing the goods stored on the island as well.

In the end, while they say it’s doubled, the merchants actually have to pay three or four times as much.

“Do we really have to put up with this?”

“Hold on. You know that the Donghae Merchant Guild that left Maehwado and took to the river yesterday?”

“The Donghae Merchant Guild? Right, them. What about it?”

“…They’re all dead.”

“What?! What do you mean?”

“Those damned bastards are using their heads. They’re sinking every merchant ship that tries to cross the river outside of Maehwado. They’re basically saying if you don’t want to die, use Maehwado.”

“…Good heavens.”

Everyone seemed frozen, unable to speak.

In the past, even if people ran into pirates while crossing the river, it was rare for anyone to be harmed – usually, the toll payment alone would settle matters.

But with those damned bastards acting like this, no one dares to cross the river anymore.

Sure, the Yangtze is so vast that there’s no rule saying you’ll always run into pirates. The chance of an unlucky encounter might be about one in ten.

But who in their right mind would risk both their fortune and their life on a one-in-ten gamble?

“…Now we’re really done for. They’ll bleed us dry.”

“It was better when Hwasan was here.”

They hadn’t realized it back then, but now that Hwasan was gone, the merchants deeply felt how much protection they’d had while Hwasan occupied Maehwado.

“What’s the use in looking for people who aren’t here? So? Is there any news from Gupailbang? It’s been ages since these scoundrels took over, yet they still haven’t shown up once?”

Now, the only hope the merchants had left was for Gupaillbang to reclaim this place. Otherwise, it would at least be good if they could wipe out those pirates roaming the Yangtze again.

“…From what I hear, there’s still no movement.”

“Still?!”

One of the merchants, unable to hold back his anger, raised his voice.

“Surely those Great Sects aren’t thinking of just handing this place over to the pirates?”

“S-Surely not! This is Gangbuk, after all.”

“Then why haven’t they shown their faces yet?”

“That’s…”

The merchants looked at one another with anxious eyes.

“They already lost their nerve once because of Sapaeryeon and backed down. Who’s to say they won’t do the same this time?”

“Come on, that can’t be! No matter what, they’re still the Just Sects…”

“Just Sects? If you were going to talk about being ‘just’ [just as in justice/just sects], that should have been three years ago! Isn’t it true that Gupailbang bowed their heads to the pirates back then because they feared for their lives?”

“…”

“Could it be the same this time…?”

“Hey, don’t say such ominous nonsense! The situation back then was different. If Gupaillbang truly decide to act, they’ll behead not just those pirate bastards but even that Black Dragon King in no time…”

Bang!

Just then, the door of the inn swung open with such force it seemed it might break, and a man dressed in blue strode in slowly.

“…”

He wore the tight-fitting blue uniform typical of pirates, and a face brimming with murderous intent. The entire inn fell dead silent.

“Hmph.”

The man swept his cold gaze around the room. Those caught in his stare could barely breathe.

The pirate spoke.

“Just now, in here….”

A cruel gleam flickered ominously in his eyes.

“I thought I heard someone mention Gupaillbang?”

“T-That’s….”

“You said the Black Dragon King’s head would roll?”

All color instantly drained from the merchants’ faces. Who would know better than them just how brutal these pirates could be once they set their minds to it?

“This is why you should never show unnecessary mercy. The Black Dragon King extended them so much consideration, yet they repay that kindness by running their mouths so carelessly.”

Rage flickered across the man’s twisted face.

“It seems I’ll have to kill a few as an example to teach you a proper lesson.”

“Th-That’s not what we meant…….”

“No! It’s a misunderstanding!”

The merchants frantically waved their hands in protest, but the man acted as though he hadn’t heard a word, jerking his chin at them.

“Drag them out.”

“Yes!”

When the pirates came rushing in, the merchants, pale as ghosts, began screaming.

“M-Misunderstanding, sir! Please!”

“Spare us!”

“Eek! I…I…!”

The merchants, seized by the pirates, pleaded through tears, but the hands closing in on them showed no mercy.

“Drag them out and kill them all. Insulting the Black Dragon King is a crime you can’t pay for, even with your lives!”

Clicking his tongue, the man who had shouted turned away.

Then, leaving the inn, he muttered to himself,

“I don’t know why the Black Dragon King bothers showing mercy to scum like that. He could just kill them all and take everything. Whether they’re merchants or Just Sects’ bastards – it doesn’t matter.”

“Kill them and take it…?”

Just then, a thunderous voice rang out from behind the man.

A look of annoyance crossed his face. He clicked his tongue and turned around. Another fearless fool…

Crack!

In that instant, a powerful hand gripped his throat.

“Keuk!”

The sudden, crushing grip made the man choke, his tongue lolling out involuntarily. The pressure was immense, as if his windpipe might burst open any moment.

His face turned a dark red in an instant, and he frantically looked at the one gripping his neck.

The moment he recognized who it was, an indescribable terror filled the pirate’s eyes.

Stark white robes, offset by thick black hair.

Eyes like a tiger’s, and strong, bold features reminiscent of a lion.

But what drew the eye even more were the two characters “Azure Sky [창천(蒼天)]” written in a powerful, flowing script on the right side of his chest.

“N-Nam… keuk! Namgung….”

Kwaaaaaang!

Without hesitation, the man gripping his throat slammed the pirate forcefully into the ground. The impact was terrifyingly loud, beyond anything a human body should make. Moments ago confidently tormenting the merchants, the pirate now sprawled on the floor, reduced to a bloody mess.

“Surochae.”

The man who had taken down a pirate in a single strike.

A sound laced with despair and horror escaped the pirates who saw that face.

How could they ever forget it?

Three years ago, this man had fought their leader, the Black Dragon King, as an equal – an existence nearing the realm of invincibility.

“Em-…Emp… Emperor’s Sword!”

“Th… This….”

A colossal roar exploded from the mouth of the Emperor’s Sword, Namgung Hwang.

“You wretched pirate vermin! How dare you set foot on Gangbuk’s soil right before my eyes? I’ll slaughter every last one of you!”

It was the moment when the lion of Anhui, who had lain dormant for three years, finally roared towards the heavens.

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