Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Cough! Cough, Coughhhhh!”

Im So-Byeong wiped his mouth with the handkerchief and groaned, looking up at the sky.

“… is it raining?”

At such a young age, it was absurd to think that a warrior who leads a sect could predict the weather with this body.

But what could be done? That was the reality.

Im So-Byeong clenched his numb hands.

‘Damned situation.’

Lately, he had been feeling the symptoms getting worse. The Yin Qi in his body was becoming so strong that it was causing serious trouble in learning martial arts.

Clack.

The door opened violently, and his aide brought in his medicine.

“It’s time for your medicine.”

“That thing is useless, cough! Cough!”

“You should still take it.”

“Ugh.”

Im So-Byeong accepted the medicine. Taking it all the time didn’t solve his sickness, but it did reduce the symptoms a little, so he couldn’t help but eat it.

“Still, isn’t this medicine given at your order?”

“Right, huh.”

Hundreds of coins were spent to find this herb that was somewhat effective. The cost alone exceeded a hundred thousand coins a year.

Frowning and snarling, he chugged it down.

Tak!

And he put down the bowl close to a toss and leaned back on the chair covered with tiger skin.

“Has Mount Hua not contacted us yet?”

“Yes.”

“… they’re late.”

When Im So-Byeong let out a groan, Na Gok, one of the 10 Green Forest Nobles, said,

“Those people, isn’t there a chance we got eaten and spit out?”

“That…”

“Is this guy serious!?”

Just as Im So-Byeong was about to speak, Beon Chung looked furious at those words.

“How dare you say that! Are you implying that my brother is a deceitful person? Come here right now! I’ll tear that jaw off immediately!”

Seeing Beon Chung so protective, like a parent defending a child, Na Gok stepped back.

“… what is he doing?”

“Talking only hurts us.”

Im So-Byeong sighed.

‘This guy, that guy.’

No one to trust, no one.

At a time like this, he should be in good health, but instead, his condition was deteriorating.

“… still, they are the ones with the Justice Faction tag. They aren’t the type to easily break their promises.”

“I heard they were more like bandits…”

“….”

“I also heard they’re scammers.”

At Na Gok’s words, Im So-Byeong looked back at him with a defeated expression.

“Is that true?”

“… it’s not wrong.”

Im So-Byeong sighed.

“Anyway, I won’t pretend to be something I’m not just because of one pill. And now they should be arriving…”

It was then.

“Green Forest King!”

A loud voice came from outside the door, and the door was thrown open.

“… just leave it open.”

These idiots had no manners, barging in without permission. The rough and ill-mannered Green Forest was unsuitable for Im So-Byeong, who lived a delicate life.

The first to rush inside was the Black Night Tiger.

“A letter came from Mount Hua!”

“Oh.”

Im So-Byeong stood up wide-eyed.

“It’s here!”

He hadn’t expected them to write a letter, but it could be a good method, too, right?

“So, what came with the letter?”

“… Huh?”

Im So-Byeong frowned, tilting his head.

“Was there anything else that came with it? A wooden box?”

“None.”

“… None at all?”

“Yes.”

“Nothing?”

“Yes.”

“… Cough.”

“…”

Im So-Byeong, who had been so happy mere moments ago, now had a distorted expression.

“Is there something like a bulge in the letter?”

“Too flat.”

“… Bring it.”

“Yes.”

Respectfully, the man handed the letter to Im So-Byeong, who opened it with a trembling hand.

“…”

At the same time, his eyes and mouth widened in shock.

“Kuak….”

He clutched his chest, stumbling to the side.

“Green Forest King!”

“Physician… Physician… Ahh, water… Hurry!”

“Yes! Here!”

When the Black Night Tiger grabbed a decanter of water and offered it, Im So-Byeong snatched it away and gulped down the water.

“Cough! Cough!”

Then, as if realizing something was wrong, he coughed and spat the water back out.

‘I might actually die at this rate.’

Black Night Tiger picked up the fallen letter.

What was written in it?

His eyes widened, mirroring Im So-Byeong’s expression.

‘We’re going to the North Sea to gather materials for the pill, so wait for me.’

‘Ah, it won’t be fun if you cause trouble while I’m gone.’

“W-what is this…”

Even he was too shocked to speak.

“…Hmm, insane….”

“Cough! Cough! What is this!”

Im So-Byeong coughed furiously as though he would cough his lungs out. When blood spurted from his mouth, the nearby warriors rushed to him in fear.

“Lord!”

“Are you okay?”

Im So-Byeong looked at them with sadness in his eyes.

“I bit my tongue.”

“….”

“….”

“But… that insane idiot….”

Im So-Byeong looked at them, his expression collapsing.

The North Sea? What nonsense was this? What about the promised pill?

“I don’t have to put up with this! We need to go to Mount Hua immediately and demand what’s owed to us!”

Na Gok roared, his face turning red. However, Beon Chung and Black Night Tiger, who were supposed to support him, remained silent.

Na Gok didn’t back down and continued.

“The Green Forest King needs to deal with that arrogant bastard, Chung Myung, or whoever it is. He needs to pay for messing with the Green….”

“You.”

“Yes?”

Im So-Byeong pointed a finger at him, looking tired.

“Come here. Come.”

“Uh?”

Na Gok tilted his head and approached him.

And then.

Puak!

“Kuak!”

Im So-Byeong kicked him in the shin. And he continued to hit the fallen guy with both hands.

“What? Cut his neck? I thought you were eyeing my chair with those unusual eyes, aiming to kill me! You want me to come back with my throat slit? You sly bastard!”

“Ack! Ack! I-I didn’t mean it like that! I was… Ahhhh!”

“Die! Die!”

As Im So-Byeong kept hitting him, Beon Chung sneaked closer to stop him.

“This will lead to death. Calm down.”

“He’ll die from this?”

“No. The lord will.”

“…”

Im So-Byeong was already gasping for air. He straightened himself and caught his breath.

“… Put that bastard in a cell and starve him for three days.”

“Yes.”

Na Gok, beaten for no reason and now being imprisoned, sobbed. Im So-Byeong sat in the chair and coughed.

“… He truly is a disciple who excels at stirring things up.”

“What’s your plan?”

“Tch.”

Im So-Byeong, angered by the letter’s content, picked it up.

“That cunning guy wouldn’t have gone to the North Sea without a reason. There has to be a motive. He told us to wait, so we must wait.”

“Are you alright?”

“… So, do I have to go to the North Sea?”

“…”

“Ugh. A person who sees the bigger picture. There has to be a reason! Ahh! There has to be! The reason!”

Seeing his eyes turn red, Beon Chung couldn’t help but think that his lord had been captured by his hyung’s antics.

Unfortunate.

“Um.”

“What is it?”

“My ears are itching. I wonder who is swearing at me.”

“… that is strange. You’ll be itching all day if that can make your ears itch.”

“…”

As Chung Myung was about to snap back, he heard a commotion ahead.

“Sasuk!”

Baek Cheon turned his head.

The person who had been lying down with their eyes closed began to tremble.

“He’s getting up!”

Baek Cheon, Yoon Jon, Jo Gul, and Hae Yeon looked at the child who was trying to regain consciousness.

With their eyes opened it seemed like the child was trying to focus on something and spoke clearly.

“… mom.”

“Right! Are you feeling better?”

“I’m hungry.”

The child’s mother, who had been waiting for those words, embraced the child with tears in her eyes.

Baek Cheon let out a sigh.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“I’m glad, Sasuk!”

“Amitabha. This is all the grace of Buddha.”

But Chung Myung, standing behind him, frowned.

“Soso found the disease, and I caught the fish. What did Buddha do in between? I wouldn’t mind if it was the Taoist God, but this!”

“… disciple.”

“Uh?”

“Aren’t you afraid of hell?”

“Get out of here with talks of hell.”

Chung Myung frowned. The patients were now getting up one after another. It had only been a day since they ate the raw food, but, like Soso said, they were really making fast progress.

“They’re here!”

“To keep the patients warm, give them something to eat! And don’t rush; eating too quickly can make you sick, so take your time!”

“Yes, physician!”

Seeing the patients getting up, the villagers looked at Tang Soso with admiration.

Why wouldn’t they?

From their perspective, she was the one who solved a disease they couldn’t. So it wasn’t strange to trust her.

“Soso. Can we feed them more raw food now? Is there any other treatment?”

“Yes, sir. But overall, it’s a starvation kind of situation. We will need more food.”

“…the supplies we brought are about to run out.”

“Anything edible will do for now. A little more fish would be nice.”

“Yuck! Amitabha! Amitabha! Buddha!”

Tang Soso looked at Hae Yeon with a puzzled expression.

“Why is the monk doing that?”

“…there are some things in the world that are better left unknown.”

It was Baek Cheon who didn’t want to inform their youngest member about that dangerous situation.

“But it’s strange. The solution was so simple…”

“If it happened in the past, I would have never believed it.”

“Hmm?”

Tang Soso’s face showed anger.

“As I heard from an elder before, these people must have fished in winter and struggled to find food in the wild. But the recent situation prevented them from leaving the house.”

“Hmm.”

“Which is why those who rule the region have to constantly think about it. I don’t know what effects their actions have in this area.”

Tang Soso was the daughter of the Sichuan Tang family, who held significant influence in Chengdu, comparable to the King himself. They may not be a royal family, but the Sichuan Tang family’s actions strongly impacted Chengdu.

That was why this situation didn’t sit right with her.

Clack!

Just then, the village chief hurriedly entered. The trembling of the staff in his hand showed his passion for his role as village chief.

“Ah…”

After checking on the patients who regained consciousness, the old man shook his hands and glanced at Tang Soso’s back.

And without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Tang Soso’s hand. His shoulders shook and a sob escaped.

“Thank you… really… thank you….”

The disciples of Mount Hua were at a loss for words. It was the same chief who had treated them poorly the day before, but now they could see how worried he must have been.

“How can I ever repay you for this…”

Tang Soso laughed awkwardly as she saw him struggling to speak.

“Of course, I just did what I had to do, chief.”

“No, this can’t be normal.”

The village chief bit his lip.

“If any of you had chosen to leave, nobody would have said anything. But you didn’t hesitate to persuade all of us to let you treat and care for the sick and even provided grain to help the people of the North Sea… I don’t know how to express my gratitude. Really… thank you so much…”

While Tang Soso was thinking of something nice to say, Chung Myung, who was next to her, had a bright smile.

“Well, as a taoist of Mount Hua, we did what we had to do.”

“No, him?”

“What is he up to now?”

Baek Cheon and the others looked wide-eyed, but Chung Myung didn’t care.

“You need to remember that Mount Hua sect warriors did their best for this village.”

“S-Shaolin too…”

“What? When did you do anything?”

Hae Yeon looked sullen at this, and Yoon Jong patted him on the shoulder.

“We know. Don’t be too sad, monk.”

“….”

The village chief lowered his head with a sad expression and asked.

“Are they all cured now?”

“They’re a bit malnourished, but they will all recover fine.”

Tang Soso explained the cause of this disease step by step. Upon hearing this, the village chief fell into deep thought with a sad expression.

“… such a thing.”

Who would have thought that the dire situation preventing people from leaving was the cause of what they were all going through?

“It’s all my fault…”

“Don’t beat yourself up. The chief did his best. The problem isn’t the chief, but the Ice Palace.”

When the word ‘Ice Palace’ was mentioned, his face wrinkled.

The corners of Chung Myung’s mouth turned up into a smile as he noticed this.

“Now then, should we discuss the price?”

“Hm?”

“Oh?”

The disciples of Mount Hua quickly turned their heads towards Chung Myung.

“Price? You expect to be paid?”

“Of course! Where in this world is anything given for free?”

“…”

Of course, that was not wrong. But it was a very inappropriate word to say right now. Baek Cheon wanted to stop him, but the chief said,

“If we receive help, it’s only right to pay it back. But… as you can see, we don’t have many possibilities for that, so we apologize.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s not money.”

“Huh?”

“We are rich, so we don’t need money.”

Chung Myung patted his stomach and smiled.

For some reason, Baek Cheon wanted to poke that stomach today.

“Then what should I give…?”

When the man looked a bit confused, Chung Myung smiled and said,

“Chief.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s talk over a cup of hot tea.”

Baek Cheon frowned slightly.

“What the hell is going on here?”