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Return of the Mount Hua Sect

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Chapter 831

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Return of the Mount Hua Sect

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Chapter 831

The abbot remained silent for a long time, his face expressionless.
Byeop Gye couldn’t bear to meet his gaze and lowered his head.
“… Is everything you said true?”
“Abbot…”
Byeop Gye could only groan in response, unable to find words. Even with ten mouths, there was nothing to say as the expression went.
“Huh…”
The abbot laughed incredulously.
“You signed an agreement with the Evil Faction? A unilateral agreement that prevents only one side from advancing into the Southlands, including the Yangtze River?”
“…”
“How…”
He couldn’t even finish the sentence and fell silent.
‘It was my mistake.’
It wasn’t just about sending Byeop Gye. If he was dispatching most of the Shaolin disciples, he should have gone himself. At best, it was a matter of dealing with numerous pirates, and it wasn’t something Byeop Gye should have been sent for.
“Oh, this foolish person. How are we going to fix this… Amitabha. Amitabha.”
The abbot mumbled, shaking his head repeatedly. Byeop Gye watched with the feeling of swallowing a stone.
“Abbot… If something goes wrong, please remove me.”
“Do you mean those words?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better to say I agreed without the abbot’s permission, who had different intentions? It might be difficult for me to show my face, but Shaolin is…”
“Such foolish words!”
The abbot shouted.
“That would only tarnish Shaolin’s name. How would the world view Shaolin if we did something like this just to survive? From now on, words not directly from my mouth would become worthless and reversible? That would undermine Shaolin’s status.”
“…”
“It is an external affair. I understand your feelings, but…”
If it hadn’t been such an unconventional offer, there was no way Jang Ilso would have obediently let go of those who entered his territory.
But…
“How on earth should I resolve this matter?”
If it had been just a year ago, it wouldn’t have been such a big deal. No matter how much they despised the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, if there was no other option, the people would inevitably rely on them again.
But not now.
“I never would have thought that ignoring the establishment of the Heavenly Friends Alliance would lead to this…”
The abbot had supported the Heavenly Friends Alliance despite opposition from other sects. At the time, he did so for various interests. Still, he couldn’t have imagined that his actions would plunge their position into the abyss.
“How could things turn out like this?”
If only he hadn’t tolerated the formation of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.
If only Jang Ilso hadn’t organized the Evil Faction into an alliance and set a trap in the Yangtze River.
If only Venerable Heo Do hadn’t made the extreme choice of sacrificing his reputation to save his disciples.
And if only the Four Precepts Alliance hadn’t made such an extreme decision!
Even if just one of these events hadn’t occurred, it might have been something that could have been resolved somehow. But these are all meaningless assumptions. All of this happened in the end, and all that was left was to restore the status of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, who were being driven into the ground at this very moment.
“What was the reaction?”
“The sects that didn’t come to the Yangtze River are requesting an explanation. The rumor hasn’t spread widely yet, so public sentiment against us isn’t boiling, but it will soon spread…”
“Right… it has to be. Amitabha. Amitabha…”
He continued to chant, his mind racing with frustration.
Public sentiment was a frightening thing.
The common people usually endured no matter how much persecution they received. Still, the moment they crossed a certain line, they had the strength to rush into the Imperial Palace with simple farming tools.
The moment they became beyond angry at the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, the downfall would begin quickly.
“What about the Heavenly Friends Alliance?”
“… Uh?”
“What about Mount Hua? What are they up to?”
Byeop Gye looked at the abbot with a face that showed he had no clear understanding and then answered hesitantly.
“We got out of the Yangtze River first and…”
The eyes of the abbot widened in shock.
“You’re saying you didn’t even check what Mount Hua was doing?”
“The situation was….”
“…”
The abbot closed his eyes tightly and sighed inwardly.
‘Ahh… why did this happen…’
If Byeop Gye had enough time to stand back and observe the situation, he would have been keenly aware of the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s movements. It wasn’t Byeop Gye who couldn’t understand the fact that the people who would benefit the most when the Nine Great Sects fell would be Mount Hua and the Heavenly Friends Alliance.
But….
‘There is a difference between watching from a distance and recognizing the situation in the middle of a storm.’
The same went for Byeop Gye and Heo Do.
It was true that it was difficult to make a cool-headed decision in a rapidly changing situation. Still, he didn’t expect that he would panic so much as to make such an absurd choice.
A time when there was no war or conflict.
Those who had developed their strength through it might have gotten stronger, but they haven’t matured. Even the abbot didn’t know that he was no different from a strong child.
“Were there any signs of leaving the Yangtze River?”
“… Looking back, we tried to leave quickly, but they didn’t show any signs of preparing.”
“Right… right, it must be. There is no way Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon would miss this chance.”
The abbot laughed in frustration.
“We missed the timing. The rumor that we were fighting with the Precepts Sects Alliance would have already spread through the world. Still, if we were to say that the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the Evil Faction made the agreement, it would only sound like nonsense. We lost it. We lost it all. Amitabha…”
The abbot couldn’t hide his despair. The more this happened, the more distorted the face of Byeop Gye became.
“I apologize, Abbot…”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
The abbot shook his head.
Everything had happened. What difference would blaming Byeop Gye make now? What they had to think about was how to somehow resolve what happened.
“To the sects who inquire, please confirm that the treaty is indeed true.”
“How do we…”
“It is better than getting into trouble and avoiding it. Just say that Shaolin will take responsibility for what happened.”
“… Yes. I will.”
“And!”
In an instant, the eyes of the abbot shone.
“It isn’t different because they are all sects. Tell them that we must keep in mind that since this is a treaty made in the name of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, it must be followed.”
“A-Abbot!”
Byeop Gye’s eyes widened.
“Well, it happened because of our fault. But forcing the others…”
“Do as you are told!”
Byeop Gye stayed silent in response to the abbot’s remark.
The man’s face was so severe that he didn’t even dare to say any persuasive words.
“There will be a lot of backlash.”
“It cannot be helped.”
The abbot’s eyes had turned cold.
“Of course, it isn’t a good thing to lose public support and hear complaints. But it isn’t the worst. The worst thing is that Shaolin loses its control over the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families because of this incident.”
“…”
“Even if we are criticized, we must remain the star of Murim. Suppose they rebel against our decision and act independently. In that case, the entire world will say that Shaolin is no longer the leader of the Nine Great Sects. That must be prevented.”
Cold sweat began to form on Byeop Gye’s forehead.
At this point, he couldn’t help but realize the magnitude of his mistake.
“And…”
“Yes, abbot.”
“Emphasize that the person who decided all of this was Wudang’s Heo Do, and Shaolin will not receive visitors for a month from now.”
“Y-you mean we are closing the gates?”
“No. We just won’t be accepting visitors.”
The abbot sighed.
“You have to avoid the falling rain. Another solution is to remain still until the storm calms down. First, let’s see how public sentiment develops.”
After finishing that, the abbot chanted with an exhausted look.
Those who were angry would inevitably find someone to blame. It was unavoidable that the complaints of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families would be directed at Shaolin. Still, the public’s criticism of Shaolin needed to be prevented.
In that case, he had to come up with the right measure and the right scapegoat.
“Wudang… because of this, Wudang will lose its position. Heo Do. Heo Do… will also…”
The abbot couldn’t continue speaking and closed his eyes.
If one was in a position of leading a sect, one could not help but wonder why Venerable Heo Do made such a choice. Moreover, didn’t they know how the Mount Hua Sect had fallen?
It would also be difficult for the abbot to endure if Shaolin fell like Mount Hua did this time.
“But no matter how much it is, there are limits.”
He understood, but he didn’t understand.
It was then that the abbot sighed and shook his head.
“A-abbot!”
An urgent voice came from outside the door.
“What is happening?”
As the Abbot quickly answered, the door opened, and Byeop Gye hurried inside.
“We-we are in huge trouble.”
“Don’t rush into talking. What is happening?”
“W-Wudang…”
As soon as he heard the word Wudang, the abbot’s face went stiff.
“It is said that Wudang’s leader, Heo Do, has given up his position as sect leader and is going to step down.”
“What?”
The abbot jumped from his seat, his eyes wide, and asked again.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. This news comes directly from Wudang.”
“T-this…”
The abbot’s voice trembled.
He thought they would say something to deflect the anger, but he didn’t expect it would go this far.
‘Is he willing to take full responsibility for the situation?’
This was something that could not be accomplished without immense determination.
It was unprecedented for a sect leader, once they resigned, to take back that position. This meant that Venerable Heo Do was taking full responsibility for the incident and was stepping down from the sect leader position.
“The next sect leader?”
“Heo Sanja, a sajae to Venerable Heo Do, will serve as temporary sect leader for a while.”
The abbot’s face went blank.
“What insanity…”
The most foolish thing a guilty person could do was to accept their guilt. People didn’t know much about what happened there. They would be shocked and angry at the news they heard, but after their anger subsided, they might guess there must have been a good reason for it.
There were quite a few things that the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families had accumulated over the years, so there will definitely be people defending them.
But for Venerable Heo Do to take responsibility for the incident by stepping down from the position of sect leader was ultimately the same as admitting that the Nine Sects and Five Families did make a huge mistake.
“I need to meet Venerable Heo Do in person.”
“… It is difficult, abbot. It is said that Wudang will close its gates for 3 months from now.”
“This…!”
In the end, the abbot’s face had blue veins protruding.
“What is this! Woah. This fool!”
A thunderous shout erupted from the abbot’s mouth, who normally doesn’t get angry.
“Why did it end up like this! Why!”
His fingertips trembled with anger and shock.
It was collapsing.
The order he tried to protect, centered around the Nine Great Sects, was shattering and crumbling at this moment.
‘Are you saying that the difficult times have already arrived?’
The moment the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families lost control, the world would no longer be as peaceful as it was in the past.
It was as if he could see the Central Plains ablaze.
“I am heading to the Yangtze River. I need to meet Mount Hua.”
“… Abbot. We… we cannot go to the Yangtze River.”
At that moment, a look of despair and shock overtook the abbot’s face.
He looked at Byeop Gye in silence and then chuckled mockingly. It was a mockery of the situation.
“Mount Hua’s sect leader… no, the Alliance leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance. Request a meeting with them.”
“… Yes.”
“As soon as the matter is over, enter the Penance Hall. I order you to meditate there for half a year.”
“I will do as commanded.”
“Huhuhu.”
His carefully built tower had collapsed, as if everything he had worked so hard to build was just a sandcastle.
‘The Four Precepts Alliance and the Heavenly Friends Alliance.’
He closed his eyes and chanted a prayer.
‘It is difficult.’
For the first time, the abbot felt the name of Shaolin was diminishing.

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