Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Huek! Heuk! Heuk!”

Lee Jong-Bang ran until his legs gave out.

‘I-I need to escape!’

Even if the other bandits were caught, they might only end up with the basic punishment, but he wouldn’t get that.

Being close to Go Hong and acting as his assistant, he wouldn’t be treated like the others. It was clear that if he were caught, he would be killed.

Even if Mount Hua had spared him, Im So-Byeong would never have done that. When it came to cruelty, no one was worse than Im So-Byeong. So he had to run until his legs gave out to escape from them.

‘What a damn lunatic.’

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t hold back his curses. If his leader had just listened to his advice and chosen to retreat, the situation wouldn’t have escalated to this point. But that idiot, whose insane advice did he follow to have such confidence?

‘Just what…?’

Who was the ‘him’ he kept talking about?

The fact that he was ignoring Lee Jong-Bang’s words meant that this was someone Go Hong knew, and so did he. Considering that he managed to predict what would happen, it was quite detailed.

Then how…

“Euk! Eukk!”

No, now wasn’t the time for that. First, he had to get to a place where he wouldn’t be followed….

Swishhhh!

Crack!

“K-Kuaaak!”

Suddenly, Lee Jong-Bang fell down, screaming as if his throat was being torn apart.

Considering the speed at which he was running, he should have been rolling on the ground, but his body couldn’t move an inch from where he fell. This was because a spear that flew from somewhere had pierced his thigh and went deep into the ground.

“Ack! Ackkkkk!”

As he screamed, he reached out his hand and grabbed the spear stuck in his thigh. But he couldn’t pull it out, no matter how much he tried. Instead, it only increased the pain.

‘Just what…’

What perplexed him more than the pain from the wound was the identity of the person who had hurled the long spear. If Mount Hua had been pursuing him, they would have used a sword, not a spear.

At that moment.

Step. Step.

The sound of people approaching him from behind resonated through the air, and then figures appeared.

“Tsk tsk. Just a bit of fright, and people react like this.”

It was spoken in a tranquil tone.

However, at that point, Lee Jong-Bang stiffened like a mouse in front of a snake. Despite the voice not being hostile, he felt the most fear from this.

Step. Step.

Those serene steps echoed a little more before halting in front of Lee Jong-Bang.

When Lee Jong-Bang turned his trembling eyes to the side, he saw these flamboyant shoes.

The kind that was too ostentatious, which would be quite burdensome for them to wear.

And this realization made his heart sink.

He couldn’t even breathe. Nevertheless, his gaze shifted upward as if he were entranced.

That blood-red robe had a tiger design threaded into it. The pure white hands exposed beneath the red sleeves were adorned with a brightly shining ring and a colorful bracelet, gleaming to the fullest.

‘A woman?’

No, not at all.

This person’s physique was too robust to be a woman’s.

Then…?

“Hu… hu….”

Lee Jong-Bang’s mouth opened in horror.

Although he couldn’t see the face, he could think of just one person. Those flashy clothes and accessories. There was just one person who would dress like…

And finally, he managed to catch a slight glimpse of the man’s face.

The thin lips, which were red as if they were painted with blood, made the look truly captivating. And that bridge of the nose, which felt masculine. And the eyes beneath those thin-lined eyebrows looked so profound that no one could discern what the man was thinking.

The moment he finally saw the golden crown on the neatly combed head, a groan escaped from Lee Jong-Bang.

“Uh, Jang… Jang… Jang-il…”

“Tsk.”

The man who squatted in front of Lee Jong-Bang poked his forehead with a delicate finger.

“Is it alright for you to carelessly call me by my name?”

Lee Jong-Bang hastily covered his mouth with both hands. Still, he spoke through his hands.

He couldn’t help it.

If anyone were to face that man, they would react the same way. The reason was quite simple.

Because the man in front of him was Jang Ilso.

The leader of the Ten Thousand People clan.

The Emperor of True Evil.

There were countless ways to describe him, but none would ever fit this man perfectly. The language was too crude and words too trivial to describe him.

‘Why? Why is this man here?’

No way…?

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso stared at Lee Jong-Bang, who was scared, and said,

“Is Go Hong dead?”

“…”

“Shouldn’t you answer?”

“Y-Yes… yes! Yes! He is dead!”

“To whom?”

“M-Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon! I wasn’t sure, but I think it is him, it has to be him.”

The words ‘wasn’t sure’ and ‘has to be’ couldn’t be put together. But Lee Jong-Bang, who was now cornered, didn’t care about such errors.

‘Why is Jang Ilso appearing here?’

His heart pounded as if it would burst. Although he wasn’t sad now, he was still crying.

“If they saw you here, the bandits would all feel really embarrassed. And the others?”

What others?

Was he talking about the Blood Hounds?

“M-Must be dead…”

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso’s expression subtly changed as he asked,

“And Im So-Byeong?”

“Yes, he is alive. Right now, he is alive.”

“So then Im So-Byeong will take the throne of the Green Forest King once again? Right?”

“Yes, T-that is…”

“I told them not to go ahead and kill recklessly in front of the Green Forest King, but they did it again. Mount Hua has saved the Green Forest King, who will rule again. No, the Heavenly Friends Alliance will swallow it all now.”

“…”

“Just as I thought.”

Jang Ilso smiled. His finger touched Lee Jong-Bang’s forehead and slowly applied pressure.

“Did you say your name was Lee Jong-Bang?”

Lee Jong-Bang’s eyes widened in surprise, his heart nearly leaping out of his throat.

‘W-why?’

Why did this man know him?

No matter how well-known his name was, he was less significant than dust on shoes. There was no reason for Jang Ilso to remember his name.

So why?

“Tsk tsk. Having been around fools like Go Hong, I understand how much you must have suffered. At least if he had followed your words, he wouldn’t have died so foolishly, right?”

Lee Jong-Bang couldn’t even respond.

Anything he said would only give the man a reason to kill him. If he said yes, it would be like insulting Jang Ilso and saying no meant that he made a mistake.

“Shouldn’t you answer?”

“That… I… that, I….”

“This man, seriously.”

Jang Ilso clicked his tongue as if he felt sorry for the man who was trembling beneath him.

“Do we really need to catch the pod and kill it? You make me out to be a very bad person.”

“Ah, no. Not at all, leader! Absolutely not!”

“Oho. You recognize me then?”

“If you have eyes and ears, how could I not recognize the leader? Those who don’t recognize you should have their eyes gouged out and ears torn!”

“Hmm. That sure tickles me.”

Jang Ilso wore a bright smile, as if he was delighted.

“But what do I do? It can’t be known anywhere that I was here.”

“Well, I didn’t see anything either. Even if I saw it, I wouldn’t be able to speak! If you don’t believe me, just pull my tongue out!”

“If I pull out your tongue, can’t you write?”

“C-cut my hands! Leader, if you don’t believe me, you can do all that!”

“Man. Didn’t I tell you? You make me out to be a bad person. But I’m not that bad.”

“T-then….”

“I knew enough to know that you were being sincere. I have a pretty accurate eye for people. I knew you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

As he finally saw himself living, tears welled up in Lee Jong-Bang’s eyes.

He lived.

Even if he had escaped the jaws of a tiger, he wouldn’t have been this happy. Wasn’t this area in front of Jang Ilso worse than a tiger’s jaws? Could it be a tiger’s stomach?

At that time, Jang Ilso’s red lips opened.

“But there is just one problem here….”

“… Uh?”

Puak.

Soon, his finger pierced through the forehead of Lee Jong-Bang. Lee Jong-Bang, with the finger stuck inside him, looked in shock at Jang Ilso, unable to believe, and fell down. He slowly stopped breathing.

“The problem is that I don’t trust people.”

Jang Ilso wiped the blood off his fingers with a cloth and stood up.

“Looks like Mount Hua did a pretty good task.”

Then, Ho Ga-Myung, the Poison Hearted Monster, approached him with an indifferent look.

“Leader.”

“Uh?”

“I really do not understand this. A considerable amount of money and effort went into making those troops. Was there any need to waste so much money in the first place?”

“Tsk tsk. Ga-Myung, Ga-Myung.”

“Yes, leader.”

“This is the problem with you. Didn’t I always say it? Uh?”

“….”

“In order to gain something, you need to lose something,”

Jang Ilso, with his back to him, looked intently at the distant mountain peak and said.

“The one called Go Hong might look strong, but in reality, he isn’t much different from a coward. If he was truly confident in his skills, he would have tried to kill Im So-Byeong already. But doesn’t the fact that he has been careful until now and taken my help means that he was timid?”

“… right.”

“If he hadn’t been given a stick to wave, he would have never betrayed the Green Forest at all. He would have never moved.”

No, Ga-Myung had other thoughts.

Even if Go Hong had been offered more troops, he would have refused outright. It worked out because Jang Ilso had spoken the words.

The war between Green Forest and the Ten Thousand People Clan was always ongoing. In such a situation, if the enemy leader came in person and gave trustworthy words?

‘It would be shocking.’

This was only possible because of Jang Ilso. It was something only Jang Ilso could do.

“As a foolish person, I am not someone who can understand the picture that the leader drew.”

“It will not be difficult. It is just a matter of following the principles.”

Jang Ilso raised his fingertips, examined them, and spoke. That was when this shadow formed.

“If there is something to gain, there is something to lose. When there is light, there is shadow. If those people are those who dare to be light, wouldn’t it be so bad to throw some firewood for them to burn bright? Wouldn’t the shadow deepen with that?”

“…”

“Now, Green Forest has become friends with Mount Hua.”

“Isn’t this the result of the enemy getting stronger?”

“So, it surely holds meaning, right?”

Ho Ga-Myung shook his head as if he couldn’t find any reason.

He was a man who had mastered the art of war, but Jang Ilso had his own means of finding solutions, and they weren’t through normal strategy. At times like this, Ho Ga-Myung realized how insignificant learning things through books was in the face of a gifted person.

“Let’s head back. I would like to send a gift, but to do that, I have to work, right? I have no choice but to congratulate myself for figuring things out like this. A shame.”

Jang Ilso turned around with Ho Ga-Myung sighing and following him.

“Ah, and.”

“Yes.”

“Have you checked the family members of the troops?”

“Half of them were orphans, and most weren’t on good terms with their families. Isn’t that the price of bringing together such people?”

“I see. Then give the money to those with families.”

“Do we have to?”

“Tsh.”

Jang Ilso frowned slightly, and Ho Ga-Myung bowed his head.

“I will do as you asked.”

“You can buy a person’s heart with a few coins, and it’s a business with plenty for us.”

“Yes, leader.”

Jang Ilso took out a pouch made of golden thread and lightly tossed it to Ho Ga-Myung.

“Add it to the money being paid.”

“Yes!”

Having said everything he wanted to say, Jang Ilso walked away calmly. Ho Ga-Myung glanced at the peak where the Green Forest bandits were located.

‘Such pitiful bastards.’

No one would even know who had been behind this plan. And by the time anyone realized that fact, they would find there was no escape from this snake tightening its grip around their body.

But it wasn’t their fault.

That was just how Jang Ilso was.

The Lord, Jang Ilso.

The snake that was making a mockery of the world broke its silence and began to move.