Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1213. It's as good as it gets (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Now then, the question is, how do we get to Hainan...?"
Tang Pae, who was considered to be the most sensible among the group, slowly turned his head and looked at Namgung Dowi.
It’s quite an odd situation.
Judging by their names alone, the people on this journey to Haenam are the kind who could flip an entire fortress upside down and still have more to spare.
Sogaju of Namgung Family, sogaju of Tang Family, gungju of Ice Palace, and Nokrim King of Nokrim. In addition, there were Five Swords of Mount Hua Sect, currently considered the sect with the best momentum in the world. And even Hye Yeon, who was expected to become bangjang of Shaolin someday unless he tore his monk's robes with his own hands and broke the precepts.
Whether looking at their prestige or their skills, one can't help but say they are extraordinary. However......
‘Why is there no one to talk to?’
Just thinking about discussing something with any of them made his chest tighten, and cold sweat began to trickle down his back.
In the end, the only person Tang Pae could grab onto was Namgung Dowi, who somewhat seemed human.
"What’s your thought?"
"No, why are you asking me...."
Naturally, Namgung Dowi was dumbfounded, not knowing Tang Pae's intentions.
"If you think about it, isn't it strange? The journey to Hainan is an extremely important matter. But how is it that we’ve never once discussed how we’re going to get there, not even up to the day of departure? Does that even make sense?"
"No, so why are you asking that...."
Tang Pae let out a deep sigh. Eventually, his gaze turned to the person in charge of this matter.
"....Baek Cheon Dojang."
“I was actually just about to bring that up.”
Then, the look on Tang Pae’s face as he looked at Baek Cheon slightly brightened. This meant Baek Cheon had some sort of plan or intention in mind.
"There was someone who kept us silent on that matter, so I think we can listen to what that person has to say. But...."
"But?"
"That... uh, that's... "
Baek Cheon glanced to one side with a reluctant expression.
"Say it again, you bastard! What? Mount Hua’s sect leader succession ceremony is meaningless?"
Slap! Slap!
“Is it this stupid snout of yours that’s spouting nonsense? This! Is this the snout? This one?"
Slap! Slap!
Baek Cheon sighed as he looked at Im Sobyeong's mouth, which had suddenly swollen at some point.
"Let's wait until the swelling goes down a bit first."
"....."
How about stopping the beating first? This human....
"That’s.... "
Im Sobyeong wiped his mouth and tried to speak, but then stopped to wipe away the tears welling up in his eyes.
Seeing that, everyone slightly turned their heads away. Of course, it’s true that trouble comes from the mouth, and no one can deny that it was wrong for him to speak carelessly, but…
Even if that’s true, watching someone of Nokrim King’s stature being beaten like a dog and shedding tears in front of everyone, it’s just uncomfortable for all involved.
No, putting everything aside, isn’t that just basic human decency?
"What’re you crying for? You think you did something good?"
Of course, not everyone here can be considered human…
Im Sobyeong, sniffling, tried to say something but twisted his face. His split lips must really be stinging.
"That... The reason I suggested we not discuss the plan before departing is due to the risk of information leaking."
"...Don't you trust people too little?"
Im Sobyeong glared at Tang Pae with poisonous eyes at the word.
"What kind of laid-back nonsense is that? Do you think we're in Sichuan or something? Do you know how many people come and go, from cooks to the workers around the manor! Are you saying that all of those people are so loyal to Heavenly Comrade Alliance that they wouldn't reveal their plans even if a blade was put to their throat?”
"Th- That's not it, but......"
"This kind of laid-back talk is why everything's falling apart! Do you even know how ruthless Kangho is! This is why people raised in a greenhouse don't get it!"
As Tang Pae visibly drooped, Baek Cheon smiled bitterly and stepped in to defend him.
"Trusting people isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"No! Baek Cheon...."
"Keep going. Let's see if there’ll be any remains of that 'big mouth'."
As Chung Myung growled slightly, Im Sobyeong meekly shut his mouth. Kangho might be ruthless, but it couldn't be worse than that guy's fists.
Baek Cheon continued
"But it's true that we have to be careful. The chances of information flowing to Evil Sects may not be high, but we can't help but be less wary towards Righteous Sects."
"Is that really necessary to go that far..."
"Ah. This guy! He really doesn’t get it, does he!"
This time, Chung Myung glared at Tang Pae.
"Our Acting Sect Leader is saying that the Great King Baldy could hand over our information to Evil Tyrant Alliance! Our Acting Sect Leader!"
"Su- Surely he wouldn't go that far?"
"Surely, my foot! That guy does whatever he wants when he calls us all part of the same Righteous Sect! Now that he doesn’t consider us a part of Righteous Sects anymore, what’s stopping him from doing worse!"
"No matter what, isn't he a monk?"
"A monk? A moooooonk? If that bald bastard's a monk, then I'm a Buddha, man! Where are the monks in Shaolin in the first place! From the moment those bastards started stabbing people with swords while claiming to be monks, the place was already rotten!"
"Chung Myung... Stop it. Monk Hye Yeon is crying."
Yoon Jong patted Hye Yeon's slumped shoulders.
"It's okay, it's okay. You’ve broken your precept after all."
"I didn't!"
"Didn't you?"
"...."
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, Im Sobyeong cleared his throat and continued.
"Anyway, that's why I didn't let anyone discuss inside, and now that we have to leave, let's share the plan."
Chwarak!
Im Sobyeong took out a small map from his sleeve and spread it on the floor.
"....Just how many types of maps do you have?"
"I’ve prepared them in all sizes! There's a smaller one too, want one?"
"...I’m good."
At this point, it’s less about being prepared and more like it’s verging on a hobby.
"First, there’s something we all need to agree on."
"Hm?"
"The most important thing when choosing our route to Hainan is whether we have any allies we can rely on in that area."
Everyone tilted their heads at those words.
Im Sobyeong patiently explained the situation.
"As you know, it's best to move with the minimum number of people for such tasks. However, it's impossible to properly persuade Haenam with only a minimum number of people. So, unfortunately, over ten people have to head to Hainan... As the number of people increases, the same is true for the chances of getting caught."
"Hmm."
Everyone nodded at those words.
"So, until the very last moment, it's better to move through areas where we have allies who can help us hide our tracks. With that in mind, we have three options. The first is the sea route."
"Sea route?"
"Yes."
Im Sobyeong pointed to one side of the map.
"We'll take the Yangtze River towards Zhejiang Province, board a ship, and head to Hainan. Since Namgung Family still has many affiliates in Anhui and Zhejiang, it will greatly help in hiding our movements. We could even conceal the fact that we headed to Hainan by ship."
"Indeed..."
Namgung Dowi also nodded as if it were doable.
"The best thing about this route is that we can hide our tracks most certainly, and above all, we can use the sea route. Anywhere in Gangnam, Evil Tyrant Alliance's influence can reach, but the sea is a different story. Those guys don't catch fish and sell them, so they won't have any reason to come out to the sea."
Everyone nodded at those words. Indeed, no matter how formidable Evil Tyrant Alliance was, they wouldn't have control over the sea route.
"So if we can secure a proper ship, prepare amply, and depart, we can reach Hainan most safely. The downside is...."
"It will take a long time."
"Tsk. That's right."
Im Sobyeong immediately nodded at Baek Cheon's words.
It was already a long journey, and this route would add even more distance. Additionally, it was difficult to speed up a ship that relied on manpower.
"That's no good."
"It's not a situation where we can afford to be relaxed."
"There's also the risk of getting stranded in the middle of Gangnam if something happens to the ship."
At first glance, it seemed like a good option, but upon closer inspection, there were many problems.
"We understand the sea route. So, what's the next option?"
"This one."
Im Sobyeong's finger drew a line on the map again.
"The method is to detour by land. First, we enter Sichuan, head towards Yunnan, and finally arrive at Champa to take a ship to Hainan. I mentioned this before."
"Yes."
"This route isn’t bad either. The problem is... there's a lot of snow on the roads leading to Sichuan and Yunnan."
"Hmm."
At those words, Tang Pae nodded deeply.
Although Tang Family may be called the ruler of Sichuan, it was only a formality. Tang Family's influence was strongest in the northern region including Chengdu, while the southern region where Emei and Qingcheng are located was considered to be dominated more by Ten Great Sects.
And Yunnan also has not only the Southern Beast Palace but also Diancang Sect. It would be difficult to completely hide their movements.
"Even if we get through all of that safely, it's difficult to find a ship that can go from Champa to Hainan, where we don't know how the Southern Sea Sun Palace might react. If we're not careful, we could end up creating unnecessary trouble."
Up to this point, it was all discussed before.
But even after reconsidering, each option had its own pros and cons, so it was hard to easily conclude which one was right. Because arriving there isn't everything.
"Nokrim King."
Baek Cheon looked straight at Im Sobyeong and spoke.
"You said there are three routes, right?"
"Yes."
"Then what is the third method that Nokrim King has in mind?"
Baek Cheon looked at Im Sobyeong with meaningful eyes. Based on his experience with Im Sobyeong so far, the unspoken third route was likely the one Im Sobyeong considered the most realistic.
Im Sobyeong, who received that gaze, smiled faintly as expected.
"Yes. I will answer. The third route I'm thinking of is...."
The tip of Im Sobyeong's finger firmly pressed one side of the map. It was Kugang where they were currently located.
"Here."
The finger that had pressed Kugang then dragged downward as if it would tear the map apart.
Everyone's eyes widened upon seeing the line created by the fingertip.
"....Are you crazy?"
"Are you in your right mind?"
"I knew this fellow would reveal his true colors someday! How much is Jang Ilso paying you, you Evil Sects bastard!"
"...Let’s not cross the line."
Amidst the outburst of reactions, Im Sobyeong chuckled.
"Why are you all acting like this? Surely it’s not that such distinguished figures are afraid, right?"
Baek Cheon grimaced at his sly question.
It was only natural for everyone to react this way. In fact, it would be strange not to. That's because the last line drawn by Im Sobyeong was a straight line connecting Kugang and Hainan.
The shortest route, cutting straight through the land of Gangnam controlled by Evil Tyrant Alliance—was the final route Im Sobyeong proposed.
"Sea route sounds good."
"No, I think Yunnan is more realistic."
"Let's go anywhere. So long it's not the third route!"
The moment those who instinctively sensed something tried to quickly reach an agreement.
"Hoooooo?"
A spine-chilling voice reached their ears.
"That's quite......"
"......"
"......"
“Tempting?"
Everyone creakily turned their heads. Soon, an inescapable despair darkly shadowed their faces.
Chung Myung was... smiling.
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