Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1159. A sect abandoned by all other sects (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“Huh?”
"You?"
Chung Myung's face twisted with irritation as everyone stared at him in disbelief.
"What? Am I not allowed to disagree?"
"It's not that surprising, really."
“No, if you think about it, it’s even stranger that you listen to other people so obediently.”
Everyone nodded in agreement with Baek Cheon, an expert on Chung Myung Art.
"That's true?”
"Exactly."
"As expected of our Sasuk."
“These punks?”
However, when Chung Myung glared, they quickly averted their eyes. Tang Gun-ak, who had also instinctively lowered his gaze, quickly straightened up, realizing his mistake.
“Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.”
"Yes."
“What makes you think that way?”
Then Chung Myung lifted his head slightly and stared at the map.
“Hey, listen carefully.”
“Yes, Hyung-nim!”
Bonchung quickly unfolded the map and held it up high. He seemed even more disciplined than when Nokrim King gave orders, but no one found this strange. After all, it was only natural that strange things would happen when Chung Myung was involved.
Chung Myung picked his ear and spoke.
"Well. It's not like I wouldn't enjoy seeing that bald head lose his cool and end up looking like a well-cooked octopus."
"You'd probably enjoy it more than anyone."
"I bet he'll gain enlightenment and ascend to the heaven that day."
"...Would the heavens even accept him?"
“Ah…. I didn’t think of that.”
If the day came when Chung Myung ascended, the heavens would probably need to hold an emergency meeting. Accepting someone like him as an immortal could lead to unforeseen consequences.
“Of course. Besides, isn’t this something that cannot be discussed simply with our feelings against Shaolin?”
Tang Gun-ak continued speaking in a serious tone.
“Fucking with Shaolin…. Kuhuhuhum! No, resolving our old grudges with Shaolin is just a side benefit. The important thing is to strengthen the power of Heavenly Comrade Alliance and show the world that Heavenly Comrade Alliance is now on par with Ten Great Sects.”
"Hmm."
"As you know, people don't easily accept new things. If we try to surpass Ten Great Sects through conventional means, even a hundred years might not be enough."
Even Hyun Jong nodded in agreement at this.
When Mount Hua was on the verge of destruction, Hyun Jong's dream was to one day enter Ten Great Sects again, even though he knew deep down it was impossible.
If even Hyun Jong, who had experienced the sorrow of being kicked out of Ten Great Sects, felt that way, how much more so would others?
“But if we can make one sect belonging to Ten Great Sects choose Heavenly Comrade Alliance over Ten Great Sects, then we can accomplish in one go what would have taken a hundred years. Isn’t that right?”
"Well, yes, that's true."
But Chung Myung's reaction was rather lukewarm.
"Then why are you opposed to it? Haven't you always argued that we need to make Heavenly Comrade Alliance stronger to stand against Evil Tyrant Alliance and Magyo?"
“Ah. Good, good. Of course, if it works out, it would be great."
"Yes?"
Chung Myung chuckled softly.
"Now, let's decide. We need to cross through Gangnam, which is swarming with those crazy Evil Tyrant Alliance bastards. We'll have to cut through Gangnam where that lunatic Jang Ilso will be waiting with his eyes wide open, ready to rush at us at full speed, greeting us with a big grin, saying, ‘Ohohoho! You crawled in well!’.”
As Chung Myung snapped his fingers, Hyun Young spoke up as if on cue.
"For reference, if we take Kugang as the starting point, it’s about three thousand li to reach Damgang, which is adjacent to Hainan Island." (One Li is about 500 meters)
"Hiiiiik!"
“T- Three thousand li?”
“That too, in a straight line.”
Yoon Jong looked back at Tagn Soso with his eyes wide open.
“S- Soso. How far was it when we went to the North Sea?”
“At that time…. Well, it must have been about five thousand li. We set off from Shaanxi.”
"O- Only five thousand li to the North Sea?"
A soulless voice leaked out from Jo-Gol's mouth.
“We almost got screwed back then too.”
“…That’s right. I really thought we were going to die."
"And there weren’t even any enemies there. Now we have to travel three thousand li straight through Gangnam, which is full of nothing but enemies?"
Everyone looked at the map with a blank expression. Looking at a map that depicted the entire Jungwon on one sheet, they lost their sense of reality for a moment. It was only after hearing the words “three thousand li” that it finally sank in.
“T- Then, how long does it take?”
"If we assume a normal merchant's pace... let's see... you could manage seventy or eighty li a day..."
“Fo- Forty days?”
"If you're lucky, a month. And that's if you only stick to well-paved roads."
"Ha… haha…."
Baek Cheon laughed out loud.
'This won't do.'
To be honest, if someone can survive for a month in Gangnam, where Evil Tyrant Alliance rules, then they don't need to go all the way to Hainan in the first place.
That person would have to be a god of martial arts, and if they were, why would they need to strengthen their forces? They could just wipe out Evil Tyrant Alliance.
“No, well. Let’s say we go. Let's say we make it to Hainan."
Chung Myung spoke in a disinterested tone, still picking at his ear.
“Then what are you going to do?”
"What do you mean by that? Oh! I get it. Well, considering the bad situation, wouldn’t Hainan also be willing to cooperate?"
"No, what I’m asking is, what do we do after they cooperate?"
"…Huh?"
Chung Myung's face suddenly distorted.
“Let’s say they lose their minds and say, ‘Oh! We were already pissed off by that bald-faced bastard anyway!’ So let’s say they join Heavenly Comrade Alliance!”
"Yeah."
"Then what? Do we just say, 'Thank you very much! We'll be in your care!' and come back? Then what’s the difference between now and then?”
"...Hainan's affiliation would change."
“Oh, yes. You're absolutely right. Such a wonderful idea. So when those Evil Tyrant Alliance bastards start attacking Hainan, we'll just stand by and watch from afar, and we'll get to hear people say that we just sat back and did nothing. That great bald-head idiot will click his tongue, saying, 'If only they were part of Ten Great Sects, we would have helped. Damn it, Buddha!'"
Just hearing it made their stomachs churn.
"...So we should help... No, no."
This was so absurd that even Jo-Gol cut himself off mid-sentence. How on earth could they send force to help a place over three thousand li away?
If they could send their main force to the southernmost part of Gangnam, there would be no need to help. They would have already wiped out Evil Tyrant Alliance by the time they got there.
“Ei. That's just thinking too one-sidedly."
"Huh?"
At that moment, Jo-Gol laughed and said,
“I also learned something from you so far. In times like this, you should think the opposite way! If Evil Tyrant Alliance attacks Hainan, we'll strike at the Yangtze River! That way, the front lines will be divided!"
"Oh, really? Then, while Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Evil Tyrant Alliance are having an all-out war, the great bald head will be clapping his hands with glee! 'Good, good! Let them fight, and may they both die!'"
Jo-Gol's cheek twitched slightly. Chung Myung rebuked him.
“Hey, you blockhead! Do you really think that by adding Hainan to our side, we'll suddenly gain the power to wipe out Evil Tyrant Alliance? Do you know what they call it when the weaker side tries a diversion?"
“Wha- What is is?”
"Defeat in detail, you little shit! Defeat in detail!"
As Chung Myung, who was furious, lunged towards Jo-Gol, Hyun Jong quickly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
“Chung Myung-ah.”
"No, that guy is driving me crazy...!"
"Yes, yes, but we're in a meeting, so save it for later."
"Ugh."
When Chung Myung groaned, Jo-Gol hung his head.
“Hmm. But Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword. I think what Jo-Gol Dojang said makes sense. A diversion isn't necessarily a strategy only for the side with more force. If we can just find a way to move Ten Great Sects..."
"Then Jang Ilso will catch on."
“…Why?”
“I told you not to think of that son of a beast as a normal human being. That damned bastard came all the way here and got on his knees just to take down the Magyo bastards that showed up in his territory."
“….”
"You're going to get behind such Jang Ilso?"
Chung Myung snorted.
“I guarantee you that the moment we push into the Yangtze River, they will just retreat their force without a second thought?”
"...You're saying he'll just give up the Yangtze?"
"Tsk, tsk. This is why the older generation… No, the people on top are no good.”
Chung Myung shook his head.
“Because they are obsessed with the prejudice that they cannot easily give up land once taken, so they think Jang Ilso will fight back. Jang Ilso is not a man who defends. He's an attacker. If we launch an attack, Jang Ilso will gladly pull back his troops. So, what do we do then?"
“Well….”
Tang Gun-ak sighed.
"We'd have to keep pushing forward. Otherwise, there's no point."
"Right. We'd have to push all the way to Hainan. How far is that?"
“…Three thousand li.”
“Yes, yes. And if we lead our forces and react to those who stall and waste time, it would take about a month. In that time, Jang Ilso would’ve had enough time to make steamed buns out of Hainan Sect and eat it, build a villa in the southern sea, and write about three poems there for fun."
“….”
"And then, when Jang Ilso returns?"
Chung Myung stared at the map with cold eyes.
"The thing we feared so much during the Magyo incident will really happen. We'll get trapped and devoured in the middle of Gangnam."
"...Just thinking about it is horrifying."
Distance was the problem, distance. Realistically, if Hainan Sect is attacked, there's no way they could help.
At that moment, Baek Cheon tilted his head, looking confused.
“No, I mean… I don't really understand how we got here. Wasn't the original plan not to leave Hainan Sect there? Hainan Sect..."
“Dongryong-ah.”
"Huh?"
When Chung Myung looked at him with eyes that said he was the most pitiful person in the world, Baek Cheon flinched and looked around.
"Ah, right. If we bring Hainan Sect here, it's over, right?"
"Y- Yes, but getting the ships is the issue, so we'd have to carefully plan that out..."
"Yeah. Sure. Let's say they arrive on land. Now what?"
"Now what? Well..."
"Right. Hainan Sect alone has over five hundred people, and we'd have to push through Gangnam with them."
“….”
"In the meantime, if they lose power, it's meaningless, so we must keep them intact.”
"Wow... That's quite an achievement?"
"What the hell did you just say, you shithead?"
“Ah, let's talk this out! With words!"
Although Hyun Jong tried to hold Chung Myung, this time Chung Myung was not easily calmed.
"If I could do that, would I be sitting here agonizing over this? Just go down to Gangnam and get Jang Ilso’s head! Hey, you madman! We're trying to strengthen our forces to fight Evil Tyrant Alliance, and you're talking about doing something that would require us to defeat them first? And you're all 'wow, wow' over this? Hey, you human! You're driving me crazy, you!"
Everyone cleared their throats and avoided Chung Myung's gaze.
After fuming for a while, he finally took a deep breath and calmed down.
“This is when the word ‘chicken ribs’ is used. Sure, it's great if you can gain something. But you have to lose more than what you gain.”
“….”
“I’m not saying that the great bald king isn't doing anything because he doesn't have a plan. He just knows it's a dead end. If you touch this place without thinking, it’ll only get worse.”
"Hmm, that's true..."
"We've been overthinking this."
“It’s a shame. It was a good idea.”
The gathered group nodded, understanding the practical difficulties. The plan wasn't bad, but it wasn't something they could easily pursue. It was more beneficial to leave things as they were.
Everyone was convinced of that fact. However, there was one person, Yoo Iseol, who silently stared directly at Chung Myung with clear eyes, even amidst the agreement.
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes, pierced by that indifferent gaze.
“Why, Sago?”
"Then what about Hainan?"
"What?"
"...What about the people of Hainan Sect?"
“….”
"Are they just going to be abandoned like this?”
Chung Myung suddenly fell silent. His eyes darkened.
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