Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1152. Well, if it's absolutely necessary (2)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
When he finally came to his senses, Namgung Dowi had only one thought.
‘I, I need to fix this!’
If he couldn’t somehow fix this situation, he might end up getting trampled to death by those glaring at him like ghosts the moment he steps out of the room.
Then his gravestone would read, ‘Namgung father and son perished together at the Yangtze River.’
Everyone would gossip. They’d say that while his father died fighting bravely, the son foolishly got himself killed for running his mouth.
'N- No.'
Among the many pictures of his own end that Namgung Dowi had drawn, such a scene was never one of them. Namgung Dowi, who was trembling with a sense of extreme crisis, desperately opened his mouth.
“Le- Let’s put this agenda on hold for a bit….”
“Why? It sounds good. We can do it right away. What’s the big deal?”
“Tha- That’s not true!”
Namgung Dowi's head began to spin more furiously than ever before.
“Cre- Creating appropriate positions and appointing the right people to them is really important. It’s not something that can be decided hastily in a meeting like this!”
“Hm?”
“Don’t they say that human resources management is everything! Any dynasty that didn’t handle human resources properly eventually collapsed! So we must take this very seriously!”
“…To that extent?”
"It's obvious!"
“Hmmmm.”
Chung Myung smacked his lips as if he found it regrettable.
“But can’t we just decide on a few important positions now and fill in the minor ones later?”
“A- A person’s hearts don’t work that way. If you decide on an important position first, wouldn’t you become a little lazy when it comes to choosing the positions after that?”
“….”
“I hope you understand that everything I say is out of concern for Heavenly Comrade Alliance!”
“Well, if you put it that way...”
“Tha- That’s right, Chung Myung. I don’t think this is something we can decide right here and now.”
“That’s right, Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword. We should discuss this thoroughly with the elders.”
When Hyun Jong and even Tang Gun-ak sided with Namgung Dowi, Chung Myung reluctantly stepped back, licking his lips.
“Well, if you insist...”
“Haha. Yes, yes. This isn’t a simple matter, after all.”
At that moment, Chung Myung glanced at Namgung Dowi.
"However…."
"Yes?"
“Namgung Sogaju-nim, your tongue has really become greasy.”
“….”
“You didn’t use to be like this. Is it because you’ve been hanging around with that Evil Sects brat?”
“….”
“You’re learning good things. Very good things.”
Namgung Dowi's face twisted and his mouth fell open in frustration. No matter what, comparing him to the leader of an Evil Sects was too much!
“I’ll let it slide this time.”
Chung Myung smiled and turned his head to see everyone.
“Then what about the other issues?”
“Hmm, issues...”
Tang Gun-ak cleared his throat slightly. Although they had done this several times before, he still wasn’t used to exchanging opinions in a setting where everyone was equal. But in moments like this, he knew he had to say something.
“Listen, Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.”
“Yes, Gaju-nim.”
"There will be a war, right?"
Chung Myung's eyes turned bleak as he looked at Tang Gun-ak. It was as if he was saying, "Why are we talking about something so obvious now?"
“Then, do you intend to maintain this Yangtze River front until war breaks out?”
“That’s not up to us to decide.”
"Huh?"
“It’s Ten Great Sects guys who decide. If those guys aren’t withdrawing, it wouldn’t make sense for us to leave first, would it?”
“That is certainly true.”
Tang Gun-ak frowned slightly.
'What on earth is Bop Jeong thinking?'
Although Heavenly Comrade Alliance also settled here half-accidentally, it was actually Shaolin, Ten Great Sects, and Five Great Family that settled in the Yangtze River even more suddenly.
To be more precise, it was the several sects from Ten Great Sects and Five Great Family that shared the same views as Shaolin.
With this discussion, Baek Cheon scratched his head.
“Come to think of it, we were so busy with urgent matters that we couldn’t pay any attention to them, but what on earth are they doing?”
“Huh?”
“You see, we’ve been training here and naturally settled since it was unclear where the outsiders would join us... but Ten Great Sects and Five Great Family aren’t in that situation.”
“Certainly.”
“They could withdraw anytime they want...”
Initially, even Ten Great Sects couldn't easily leave the Yangtze River. It was because they didn't know when Evil Tyrant Alliance would cross the river. But now?
“…There’s no way they wouldn’t know that Evil Tyrant Alliance needs to reorganize internally.”
“Underestimating Ten Great Sects would be a mistake. They surely know that.”
It was utterly incomprehensible. If Evil Tyrant Alliance weren’t advancing north, Ten Great Sects had no reason to stay in the Yangtze River region. So why were they still there?
“Why think so complicatedly?”
“Hm?”
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Chung Myung's face. His expression was as indifferent as ever.
“You shouldn’t think that deeply about it. Just think about it from their perspective.”
“…What does that mean?”
“What would you do if you were in that bald position, Gaju-nim? You ran like crazy, but you achieved nothing. You tried to use the opportunity when Magyo was making a fuss, but some guys came and took care of everything.”
Thinking from their perspective, it must indeed be a difficult situation.
“While we don’t care about such things, that bald head is extremely concerned about something like that.”
“You mean face and reputation.”
“Yes, exactly.”
Chung Myung continued with a smirk.
“I don’t know for sure, but in that situation, I bet they don’t want to leave the Yangtze River before us. At the very least they would have wanted to leave after getting the justification that they had protected the Yangtze River until the end. At first, they probably had only one thought in mind. They would watch for a while and then when we disbanded and returned to our respective sects, they would also leave.”
"…Ah."
“Yes. But we’re not going home.”
“….”
"In that situation, if we asked them why they're not going back, they would be really frustrated."
Tang Gun-ak let out a dry laugh.
"What you say isn't entirely wrong, but leaving their sects and spending time here isn't as easy as it sounds. If there were no other sect that would have an influence on Shaanxi as Southern Edge Sect did with Mount Hua, then it wouldn’t be a problem, but for other sects, a brief absence could cause fatal problems.”
"hmm?"
“Of course, the face and justification you mentioned are not completely irrelevant, but it seems a bit excessive to think that they are staying there just because of that reason. It’s definitely not the only reason.”
The moment Tang Gun-ak spoke with confidence, Im Sobyeong suddenly intervened.
"Why are you only thinking halfway?"
Tang Gun-ak's gaze turned to him. Im Sobyeong leaned his back against the wall and spoke with a languid expression.
"Sun Tzu said, 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles.' But our noble Righteous Sects here seem to only know their enemies and not themselves."
"What do you mean by that?"
When Tang Gun-ak asked, Im Sobyeong snickered.
“Think about it, think. They’ve been observing us the whole time, haven't they?"
“That… Yes?”
In the first place, this manor is not structured to hide internal affairs from the outside. Furthermore, since the people in charge of the manor's affairs come and go countless times, it would have been possible to obtain information about this place without having to mobilize Beggar Union.
And in fact, in some ways, they would be more curious about Heavenly Comrade Alliance's movements than Evil Tyrant Alliance's, so of course they paid attention.
"So what do you think they’ve been thinking?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Think about what they’ve seen and heard all this time."
“What do they see and hear? Well….”
At that moment, Baek Cheon opened his mouth.
“Mount Hua and Tang Family have been fighting all day long.”
Yoon Jong followed suit.
“Gaju of Tang Family was so angry that he beat the disciples like rats with the elders in tow.”
Tang Pae chimed in quietly,
“Beast Palace from Yunnan suddenly joined the battle and fought with other sects?”
Namgung Dowi continued speaking, sweating profusely.
“C- Could it be that the rumor that Namgung Family is fighting with Nokrim has spread?”
As Tang Gun-ak's expression grew distorted, Jo-Gol, who had his hands clasped behind his head, smiled and continued speaking.
"And to top it off, they probably heard that Chung Myung went half-mad watching all this."
"…Huh?"
"Do you understand now?"
Im Sobyeong drove the point home as if saying, 'Look at this.'
"The ones wanting to ask, 'What the hell are you doing here?' are probably them, not us."
Tang Gun-ak could neither laugh nor cry at this point.
* * *
“Bangjang.”
“….”
“How long do we plan to stay here?”
“….”
“You don’t plan on burying our bones here, do you?”
Bangjang remained silent with his eyes closed. Jongni Hyeong did not give up and urged him again.
“As you know, Bangjang, Evil Tyrant Alliance will not be able to advance north for a while. The pirates that are currently occupying Plum Blossom Island do not have the resources to cross the Yangtze River. There is no way that the pirates, whose leader is injured, can carry out their work alone without the support of Evil Tyrant Alliance.”
“….”
“But why are we still staying here! We've been wasting time for days."
Jongni Hyeong couldn't overcome his frustration and pounded his chest.
“The discontent among the disciples is indescribable. I understand their feelings as well as mine. After hastily leaving our main sect and being stuck here in this distant place, we need to consider their sentiments! I heard that there are already frequent talks among Peng Family about leaving this place, even if it’s on their own!”
“….”
“Bangjang! Say something, please!”
At that moment, Bop Jeong slowly opened his eyes. But that was all, he just looked at Jongni Hyeong with deeply sunken eyes. He still didn't say a word.
“…Bangjang.”
Jongni Hyeong opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind in response. His voice was lower than usual.
“I didn’t want to tell you this… Now, there’s a rumor going around among the kids that Bangjang is scared. A burnt child dreads the fire. Do you understand what I mean?"
"...A burnt child, you say?"
“Yes, Bangjang! That’s how things are now..."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"…Yes?"
Jongni Hyeong opened his eyes wide in confusion and looked at Bop Jeong. Bop Jeong remained calm.
"Why is it wrong for someone who’s been bitten by a snake to be wary of anything that looks like it? Pretending nothing is wrong and getting bitten again is the foolish thing."
Bop Jeong slightly gritted its teeth.
"I'd rather be called foolish and cautious than suffer humiliation from them again. Am I wrong?"
“Ba- Bangjang.”
Bop Jeong's eyes were clearly focused on Jongni Hyeong, who was sitting across from him. But what he truly saw was the image of Chung Myung looming beyond Jongni Hyeong.
'Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.'
Bop Jeong let out a long sigh.
'What scheme are you up to this time?'
The phantom of Chung Myung chuckled mockingly. Unconsciously, Bop Jeong clenched his fists tightly.
Consider supporting me by subscribing on Patreon for 5$. The Patreon membership for Mount Hua and Infinite Mage is the same. The benefit:
Advance chapters of Mount Hua : 76
Advance chapters of Infinite Mage : 24
|Note
Thank you for the Chapter """