Chapter 782: Let’s Have Some Fun (2)

"Mount Hua…"

The face of Heo Do-jin, the leader of Wudang Sect, was cold as if covered in frost.

Heo San-ja, who had just finished giving his report, swallowed nervously, sensing the icy energy radiating from his leader.

Heo Do-jin clenched his fist around the tea table, trying to suppress his rage.

Even after their defeat in the martial arts competition, Heo Do-jin hadn’t changed much. He simply shook his head, determined to fill in whatever was lacking. However, there was one word he could never remain calm upon hearing.

"Mount Hua… Mount Hua won’t stay still for even a moment."

Heo Do-jin spat the words bitterly as he glared at Heo San-ja.

"They exterminated a pirate faction?"

"Yes, and now the people around the Yangtze River are singing Mount Hua’s praises…"

"And cursing us, no doubt."

"...It’s partly because of Mount Hua. Ever since they stirred things up, the pirates have been more aggressive."

"The reasons don’t matter. The result is what's important. In the end, Mount Hua is being praised, and we’re being criticized, correct?"

"...Yes."

After a brief silence, Heo Do-jin finally spoke again.

"Prepare the disciples."

"Excuse me?"

"I will go myself. We need to eradicate at least one of these pirate factions. If possible, I’ll take down two."

Heo San-ja gasped in shock.

"L-Leader! You’re planning to go to the Yangtze?"

"Yes."

"But why… Leader, the people will forget about this in time. There’s no need to waste our strength on this."

"The people will forget."

"...Sorry?"

"But Mount Hua won’t. Have you forgotten? Mount Hua is skilled at turning any newfound fame into lasting benefits."

"..."

"If we leave them unchecked, they’ll use this opportunity to tighten their grip on the Yangtze."

"B-But…"

Bang!

Heo Do-jin slammed his fist on the table.

"Is it not foolish to ignore Mount Hua after the humiliation they dealt us? How could we still take them lightly after all that?"

"..."

"I wouldn’t be this aggressive if it were the old Mount Hua. But this is not the Mount Hua of the past. Their growing strength is only a minor issue. The real problem is that they’ve formed an alliance with the Heavenly Alliance."

"..."

"No one would choose Mount Hua over the Nine Great Sects. But if it’s between the Nine Great Sects and the Heavenly Alliance? That’s a different story. Slowly conceding ground, one step at a time, will eventually cost us our position."

"They can’t possibly be compared to the Nine Great Sects."

"Not yet."

"..."

"But remember when you first heard the name Mount Hua after so long? We all thought the same thing back then."

Heo San-ja slowly closed his mouth.

"But look at them now. That once-laughable Mount Hua is now pressing a sharp blade against our throat. Do you think pride is more important than dealing with this threat?"

"..."

"Enough talk. Prepare the disciples. We’ll head to the Yangtze. Even if we missed the first move, we’re not too late."

Heo San-ja knew Heo Do-jin was right. His leader was a man of deep thought, always seeing further and deeper than most.

But still, Heo San-ja couldn’t shake his unease.

He wasn’t sure if this decision was made with clarity or driven by Heo Do-jin's lingering bitterness toward Mount Hua.

"Leader, I…"

At that moment, a voice came from outside the room.

"Leader!"

"We're in the middle of an important discussion. Come back later."

"Leader, a letter has arrived."

"I’ll look at it later."

"It’s from the head of Shaolin."

"...Bring it in."

"Yes, sir."

The door opened, and a disciple entered, handing the letter over before leaving. Heo Do-jin tore open the envelope and scanned the contents. A twisted smile appeared on his face.

Heo San-ja, watching him, cautiously asked, "May I ask what it says?"

"Shaolin is sending their disciples to the Yangtze."

"...Excuse me?"

"They’re planning to take down a pirate faction as well. They’ve always acted so high and mighty, but this time, it seems they couldn’t sit still."

Heo San-ja’s eyes widened in shock.

‘Even Shaolin?’

This meant Shaolin’s leader had come to the same conclusion as Heo Do-jin.

This implied two things. First, that Heo Do-jin’s judgment wasn’t wrong. And second…

‘Mount Hua has grown so influential that it now moves both Wudang and Shaolin, the two leading forces among the Nine Great Sects.’

This situation truly called for the phrase "the times are changing."

"If we don’t move quickly, even Shaolin will get ahead of us. Prepare at once. I’ll lead the disciples to the Yangtze myself."

"Yes, Leader."

With things progressing this far, Heo San-ja could no longer stop Heo Do-jin.

"I’ll make the preparations immediately."

As Heo San-ja hurried out, Heo Do-jin sat alone, looking down at the table with a sunken gaze.

"Mount Hua…"

I won’t let you rampage any longer.

Not anymore.

 

The entire world was beginning to feel the shift in Mount Hua’s influence.

Those who lived by the Yangtze, those who heard the news from afar, and even those scrambling to respond to it all now realized that Mount Hua’s actions could no longer be ignored.

As power grows, even the smallest movements take on greater significance.

The events Mount Hua was stirring up on the Yangtze were growing larger and more significant with every passing moment.

But…

The disciples of Mount Hua themselves were completely unaware of the shift in their status.

In fact, rather than realizing it…

"Guhhhh…"

"Damn it…"

"What the hell are we doing!"

Gwak Hoi, who had been dragging a cart, finally collapsed face-first onto the ground. The cart he had been pulling was piled high with rocks and dirt, looking like a small mountain.

"Hurry up! Chung Myung might show up any second!"

"If we don’t hurry, he’ll say we’re out of shape from not training enough and make us run around the Yangtze!"

"What kind of nonsense is that? How can you run around the Yangtze?"

"Since when does anything that guy says make sense?"

Uh… well, that’s true.

Groaning, Gwak Hoi got back to his feet and took in the long line of carts stretching toward the riverbank.

"…That crazy bastard."

Chung Myung’s orders had been simple.

• I just need you to do one small thing. See that river?

• Yeah, I see it.

• Fill it in.

• Huh?

• Fill it.

• Uh… what?

Fill in the river.

Is this something a sane person would ask?

Sure, Mount Hua’s disciples were taught that there’s nothing a person can’t achieve with enough effort. They even learned that humans could move mountains if they really set their minds to it.

But the river they were facing wasn’t just any river. It was the largest and longest river in the world, the Yangtze. Even though they were on an island, the river’s width was beyond what any of them could comprehend.

"Why… why are we doing this crazy thing?"

"...Apparently, if we fill in part of the river on the other side, the distance between the island and the mainland will shorten, making it easier to defend. The cannons will also be more effective. And if the river narrows, the current will speed up, making it harder for enemy ships to attack."

"Who’s asking why we’re doing it? Who in their right mind solves problems like this by filling in a river?"

"...Even he didn’t think much of it."

"Then why?"

"Yu Sa-go made an offhand comment about how the river was too wide, and Chung Myung said, 'Then let’s fill it in.'"

"Sa-go… Sa-gooo!"

Why… why do you do this! Why!

When have you ever seen him solve a problem normally?

"The saddest part is…"

"Huh?"

"...The more we do it, the more it’s actually working."

"..."

And that was the saddest part of all.

They had been tearing down nearby mountains and hauling dirt and rocks to the riverbank. Slowly but surely, the vast river was narrowing.

‘This is insane… why are we actually getting it done?’

The one giving the orders and the ones following them… all equally crazy.

"At this rate, we’ll be done in a week."

"No way. The river gets deeper the further we go. It'll take at least ten days."

"Hah, you don’t know anything. Chung Myung won’t let it take that long. He’ll make us do something else, like reinforcing the riverbed to keep the dirt from washing away. I bet it’ll take two weeks."

The disciples were already starting to make predictions like seasoned construction workers.

After being dragged into so many projects, they had become so good at manual labor that they could now estimate timelines better than most experts.

"Five days."

"What? That’s impossible! How could anyone do that in five days?"

"It’ll get done. Trust me."

"Come on, be realistic—"

The disciples, who had been chatting away while looking at the other side of the island, slowly turned their heads.

A ghost… no, Chung Myung, was standing behind them.

"C-Chung Myung…"

"It’ll get done. Why not? If you’ve got time to stand around and chat, why wouldn’t you finish it in five days? Right?"

"..."

"Get back to work."

"...Are you going to hit us?"

"Do I just go around hitting people for fun?"

For a moment, Gwak Hoi almost answered "yes," but fortunately, his quick thinking made him slap his hand over his mouth.

"If you don’t finish in five days, you’ll get hit twice as much."

"..."

"Keep slacking off. I’ll show you how cold the riverbed can be."

"W-We’ll get back to work right away."

"Good!"

With that, Gwak Hoi and the other disciples scrambled back to their carts and rushed to the riverbank.

"Tsk."

The bandits watching from the sidelines were filled with two conflicting emotions.

The first was a strange sense of satisfaction, knowing that Chung Myung wasn’t just picking on them because they were bandits—he bullied everyone.

The second was an overwhelming sense of despair, realizing that no one was safe from his tyranny.

‘He’s heartless.’

‘A demon.’

‘That man isn’t human…’

Just as Chung Myung clapped the dust off his hands and was about to move on, a voice boomed from afar.

"Hwa-San Divine Dragooon!"

"Ugh, my ears!"

Chung Myung spun around, spotting a familiar face sprinting toward him at full speed.

"Huh? When did he get here again?"

Hong Dae-Kwang arrived, panting heavily and gasping for air.

"Ugh, I’m dying!"

"Why are you here again?"

"How could I not come?"

"And what exactly are you? You’re practically a beggar without even a thread to sew."

"Hey, I’m not that bad off—wait, that’s not important right now! Hwa-San Divine Dragon! We’ve got trouble!"

"Why? Why are you panicking this time?"

"Shaolin and Wudang are heading for the Yangtze! They’re planning to destroy the pirate factions!"

"Oh?"

"And that’s not all! The Namgung Family from Anhui is moving as well! Plus, there’s word that Cheongseong from Sichuan has also departed for the Yangtze!"

"Shaolin, Wudang, Cheongseong… and the Namgung Family?"

Chung Myung's lips curled into a twisted smile.

"Seems like they’ve got fire under their feet. I suppose they can’t afford to sit back and watch anymore."

Chung Myung had expected movement, but it had happened faster than he anticipated.

The fact that even the Namgung Family was getting involved meant that the Heavenly Alliance was pressuring them more than he had thought.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Nine Great Sects and the Namgung Family are all heading to the Yangtze!"

"So what?"

"You need to come up with a plan!"

"Why should I?"

"Huh?"

Chung Myung snorted.

"They’re not coming to fight me. They’re going to fight the pirates. Why should I come up with a plan? The pirates are the ones who need a plan."

"...What?"

Right. That made sense.

"All I need to do is sit back, enjoy the show, and eat some rice cakes. Watching them bleed and fight will be entertaining enough. Hehehehe."

With that, Chung Myung sauntered off, chuckling to himself.

"...Why did I even come here?"

Hong Dae-Kwang, who had run all this way to deliver the news, slumped his shoulders in defeat.