Return of the Mount Hua Sect
Chapter 580: It Seems A Bit Too Healthy (4)

Dong Woong glared at Im So-Byeong with bloodshot eyes as though he wanted to kill him. However, Im So-Byeong just grinned the entire time.

“Is a guy like this really dragging the justice sects into the Green Forest’s affairs?”

“I was just trying to make a living, nothing more.”

“A man who doesn’t even feel shame!”

“Ehh. I just made some good friends.”

Dong Woong’s eyes radiated murderous intent.

“The bandit group captain will tear your flesh apart! The price for breaking Green Forest’s laws and bringing in outsiders is…”

Puaaaak!

Suddenly, Dong Woong’s head jerked forward as if it would snap. His eyes bulged out, and his tongue felt tied before he could pull it back into his mouth.

“ACKKKK!”

“This bastard!?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened as he looked at Dong Woong, who was clutching the back of his head.

“Why does this captive bastard even have such a long tongue? Pull it out!”

“Ughh!”

“What now? Law? What law?”

Paack!

Chung Myung’s hand mercilessly struck the back of Dong Woong’s head again.

“This bastard is wearing human skin on him, so he should at least have some conscience! How dare a bastard who steals from others talk about the law? You shouldn’t! Right, there’s no way a bandit would have a conscience! You should do your job well, you trash!”

“I-It isn’t that…”

“And how dare this fucking bastard speak about life and death in the presence of adults? Ugh, enough. I’ll discipline you now!”

Crack.

Chung Myung, who had spun Dong Woong’s chin with a strong punch, climbed on top of him and began to swing both fists.

“Kuak! Kuak! S-spare me…”

“You won’t die! You won’t die from this! Do you think you’ll die from just a few hits?”

“M-My insides feel like… kuak! Ack!”

“I said you won’t die, you bastard! You won’t! Would I lie?”

Chung Myung’s fists moved diligently, turning Dong Woong’s face from side to side.

Hyun Young watched this with delight.

“Oh my, what a wonderful kid. How can he hit that hard?”

“…”

The faces of the Mount Hua disciples contorted in response.

Was this what a Taoist would do, and what was that Taoist even saying?

“Euk!”

Chung Myung was so steady in his punishment that he didn’t even need to catch his breath.

“Anyway, I am all done.”

“…”

Dong Woong, who was lying there in such a mess that one couldn’t find his eyes or nose, held back his tears.

‘These people are worse than bandits.’

No matter how scary the bandits were, they wouldn’t have beaten a man who had been stabbed like this. Just what on Earth were these people, walking around in the clothes of Taoists, who didn’t even treat the injured?

These weren’t Taoists, who were known to uphold the most conscience in their words and actions.

“Hey.”

“Yes!”

But regardless of that, his body felt extremely honest because of the violence.

As soon as he heard the word ‘hey,’ his body jumped up, not caring about the pain.

‘This guy is an expert,’

This wasn’t a skill that had been used once or twice. The sense of crisis, which made Dong Woong’s voice turn polite, too, made it feel like they would die if they got hit once more.

Chung Myung said as if throwing something out.

“Say it.”

“Uh? What…?”

Paak!

Chung Myung’s hand hit Dong Woong on the back of his head again.

“Information! Information! You idiot! I am saying I want the details now!”

“U-Um, by information, do you mean about the Green Forest?”

“If not?”

Dong Woong glanced at Im So-Byeong.

A little while ago, he had shouted at him for breaking the rules of the Green Forest.

It wasn’t something out of the ordinary. Because bringing outsiders was against the law. But leaking information was a bigger violation.

And so…

“Are you thinking now?”

“N-No! No! I will speak!”

Dong Woong was so scared that he screamed and gulped back his tears.

‘What was that guy even doing?’

What made him act so aggressively in a place filled with older people?

What shocked him more was that no one there moved to stop him. Dong Woong indicated Im So-Byeong with his eyes.

“That… actually, that man would know more about the Green Forest than I do…”

Chung Myung sighed and nodded.

“Right.”

“T-thank goodness you understood…”

“You are Forces of Evil. I was mistaken for a moment because I only hang out with gentle ones. Forces of Evil don’t like to lose.”

Srrng.

Dong Woong’s eyes bulged as Chung Myung’s sword was drawn with an eerie sound.

‘Why is he drawing his sword now?’

“I should have started by cutting off a limb…”

“AHHH! The bandit! The Green Forest is now dominated by the Great Star Bandits! And it’s in Mount Hyeong. Not only that, but other bandits are also staying here, the Royal Tiger bandits and Red Tiger bandits.”

Chung Myung, who heard the words pouring out like rapid fire, asked Im So-Byeong.

“Why didn’t you people add ‘tiger’? The Royal Tiger bandits and all have ‘tiger’ in their names?”

“… that’s the character of the bandits… why show off things which we aren’t, right?”

“So the other two are weak?”

“… it can be thought so.”

Chung Myung fixed his gaze on Dong Woong.

“Why does only your bandit group associate itself with the Green Forest and not the others?”

“T-that…”

Im So-Byeong explained.

“Although they’ve joined forces, the ties between the three bandit groups aren’t close. All three of them are known to be rough and want power in the Green Forest, so they don’t have good ties.”

“So…”

Chung Myung simply said.

“Are you saying that even though they are joining forces as a rebellion, they don’t get along?”

“Yes.”

“Even the worst wouldn’t do such things. What is this?”

“What do you expect from a bandit? They are bandits to the core. And aren’t bandits just people from here and there? Hahahah.”

Um? You were the leader of those bandits, right?

Weren’t you the Green Forest King?

Im So-Byeong, who was smiling, stopped as he realized that the attention was on him and cleared his throat.

“I tried to change it in my way, but it didn’t spread far.”

“Yes. The next leader will do it.”

“Hypocrite..”

“What?”

“I think there is something on my nose! I need to go clean it.”

Im So-Byeong spoke, and Chung Myung looked at him with a sullen look, making Im So-Byeong give out an awkward laugh.

“The Great Star Bandits, Red Tiger Bandits, and the Royal Tiger Bandits are all known to be the best in the Green Forest. If those three join forces, it is certain that they will surpass 20% of Green Forest’s entire power.”

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and glared at Dong Woong.

“Yah!”

“Yes!”

“Are all the bandits up there?”

“Well, from what I know, yes.”

Be sure now. He needed confirmation. Chung Myung liked to lie but hated it when other people lied to him.

Dong Woong broke into a cold sweat as he saw Chung Myung’s fist clench with a sound.

“I-I am telling the truth. That was all my eyes saw. The bandit group leaders don’t always tell us the entire situation. I found out on the same day that the Green Forest bandits would attack.”

“Hmm. It is useless. You are useless.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue like he was disappointed and asked Im So-Byeong.

“What do you think?”

“I think the bandits who entered Mount Hyeong have to be just the three.”

“Aside from those three, no other living thing would come to help them, right?”

“No, it won’t be that. Considering the size of Mount Hyeong, if a fourth bandit group came in, a fight would have clearly broken out.”

“…”

Im So-Byeong smiled.

“Originally, all bandits were like that. It cannot be more than this.”

“…”

Upon closer inspection, it seemed that this individual was not a bandit but rather someone who despised bandits.

“… Right, it works.”

Chung Myung decided not to ask any more questions and scratched his chin.

“How many bandits are in one mountain?”

“About 500 for our Great Star Bandits.”

“Five hundred?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened slightly.

“Yes! If you exclude our party, less than 400 people would be left!”

“Are there 400 in each of the other bandit groups too?”

“The number should be around that, considering the number of people remaining in the main force.”

“So, there are around 1,500 bandits?”

Dong Woong was quick to nod, and Chung Myung mumbled with a blank look.

“No, that’s insane… isn’t this some kind of bandit kingdom then? There are 1,500 bandits? What are the officials doing?”

Oh god!

He thought the world had changed a lot since he heard some bandits and thieves talking so openly.

Im So-Byeong spoke as if he had read his thoughts.

“Haha. These days, it’s a great world to take…”

“… shut your mouth before I hand you over to the officials.”

“Yes.”

Im So-Byeong quickly fell silent, too, and wore an awkward smile. Chung Myung shook his head.

“1,500 bandits.”

“Right, all just ragtags around…”

“Shut it.”

“Yes!”

Chung Myung thought for a moment and looked at Mount Hyeong and Hyun Young.

“Right.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Sang looked at the Un disciples with a frozen expression.

“What do you think? 1,500 seems like a troubling number.”

But Un Geom looked at him with unwavering eyes.

“There’s no way to negotiate without taking risks.”

“Hmm.”

“They may have had a purpose, but they came down the mountain and invaded a place with civilians. Who can guarantee that this won’t happen again? If we didn’t come to deal with them and were just passing by, this isn’t something we can simply turn a blind eye to, elder.”

“I see.”

It was the correct answer, and it was a strong one. However, they sought a more realistic one, so he turned to Un Am.

“What about you?”

“I believe that’s a question you should ask the child, not me.”

“Um?”

Un Am smiled as he pointed to Baek Cheon.

As soon as Hyun Sang looked at Baek Cheon, he spoke with conviction.

“There is no reason to retreat.”

“Hmm?”

“The stronger the enemy, the more the disciples learn. Of course, it’s risky, but what can we gain if we don’t take the risk?”

A smile eventually spread across Hyun Sang’s lips, unable to conceal his delight.

Naturally, he didn’t want the children to take risks. However, he couldn’t help but feel proud of the children who were willing to take the risk.

“Right. Then…”

“Why worry.”

“….”

At that moment, Chung Myung walked in, frowning and saying,

“Yes, they are bandits. All you have to do is go up there and clean them out.”

Hearing those words, Hyun Sang smiled joyfully.

That’s right, Chung Myung.

I knew you would say that which was why I didn’t ask you.

How do you manage to be so consistent?

“Ahem.”

Hyun Sang cleared his throat and nodded.

“Engaging with those in the mountains won’t be easy. We will need to prepare thoroughly and then strike.”

“Yes, elder.”

“Um Am.”

“Yes!”

“Consult with the Green Forest King about the mountain terrain and plan a route in advance.”

“Yes!”

“Un Am.”

“Yes!”

“Please check on the children’s condition and do everything possible to ensure their safety.”

“Yes!”

“Baek Cheon, collaborate with the Un sasuks to devise a comprehensive strategy and consider all possible scenarios. Your role is the most crucial.”

“I will get it done.”

“Right. And… Chung Myung.”

“Yes!”

“Do not cause any accidents.”

“… Yes.”

Hyun Sang nodded and declared,

“We depart tomorrow at sunrise!”

His voice was full of determination. He glanced at everyone gathered around him one by one and spoke.

“It is crucial to establish an agreement and achieve the goal. However, do not forget that what we expect from you is to complete the task without causing any harm.”

“We will keep that in mind, elder!”

“Let’s clearly demonstrate the strength of Mount Hua!”

With Hyun Sang’s ambitions revealed, the subjugation was decided.