Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1273. A tiger trapped in a cage of poison (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“It seems that even the greatest strategist have a hard time dealing with Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.”
Ho Gamyeong slightly furrowed his brow at Go Yang's blatant mockery.
"Your tongue seems to work fine despite the state you're in, I see.”
"Kukukukuk."
When Go Yang laughed without answering, Ho Gamyeong shook his head.
"Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword couldn't have thought of such a strategy."
"Are you underestimating him?"
"No."
Ho Gamyeong answered calmly.
"He's not the kind of man who needs to concoct plans to escape unscathed. Such thoughts are the tactics of rats like me."
"...Rats?"
"Yes. And on that ship is one rat just like me."
“Nokrim King.”
"Correct."
Go Yang nodded. It was clear this sort of clever trick was something Nokrim King was well-known for.
"It irritates me to think about it."
Go Yang spat out the blood that pooled in his mouth.
"What do you think? Should we make them regret leaving us behind?"
"Regret?"
"They're probably expecting us to chase right behind them. But I think we have some time."
Go Yang cast a sidelong glance toward Hainan Island.
"They should pay for daring to abandon us like that."
"Absolutely not."
Ho Gamyeong cut him off decisively as though there was nothing to consider. Go Yang’s brow twitched slightly in irritation.
"I have no reason to listen to you."
“You seem to understand Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword, but you still don’t understand Nokrim King."
"Hm?"
"That man isn’t one to make things easy. He knows full well that we have to chase after him immediately."
"And why is that?"
"Have you forgotten what's in Guangdong?"
At those words, Go Yang closed his mouth for a moment.
What was in Guangdong? He didn’t even need to ponder it. For them, the answer was obvious.
“…Our headquarters.”
"Exactly."
Across the sea was the headquarters of Myriad Man Manor. And that headquarters now stood completely empty. Ho Gamyeong had brought every last person with him.
"If we fall behind even for a moment, they’ll target the headquarters without hesitation. Instead of burning Hainan Island to the ground, we’d end up losing our headquarters."
"You're fixating on mere buildings?"
"The buildings themselves don't matter. The issue is that the main headquarters' storehouses still contain all our wealth and provisions stockpiled for the war with Gangbuk."
Ho Gamyeong said in an emotionless voice.
"What if, while we're conducting this slaughter in Hainan Island, all our military provisions burn to ash? Perhaps Ryeonju-nim himself would test you. To see just what conditions a human can survive through."
Go Yang clamp his mouth shut.
While he feared nothing under heaven, that person was different. Just imagining that person approaching with a smile sent chills racing down his spine.
"...We must hurry."
“If you have time to talk, get moving. That rat is probably praying we’ll delay our departure even a second longer."
"Understood."
Go Yang turned around without hesitation and walked away. Ho Gamyeong watched the distant ships with cold eyes and muttered,
"It seems even you’ve been intoxicated, Nokrim King."
Ho Gamyeong curled his lips. This was a strategy that was typical of Im Sobyeong but entirely unlike him at the same time.
In the realm of tactics, this was quintessentially Im Sobyeong. Forcing the enemy's hand and leveraging their reactions to gain an advantage—that much was entirely in line with his methods.
But in the realm of strategy, it was utterly unlike him.
The Im Sobyeong he knew would never do something this mad. For someone who had spent years leading the relatively weaker forces of Nokrim into arduous battles, Im Sobyeong would fully understand what it meant to lead the disciples of Hainan Sect into a breakthrough toward Gangnam.
In this situation, there was only one choice Im Sobyeong should have made: abandoning Haenam without looking back.
Had he done so, Hainan Sect would have been lost, but the key members of Heavenly Cormade Alliance could have escaped with their lives. And Im Sobyong must have known this was the most correct approach.
Yet, the reason Im Sobyeong made such a reckless decision could only be one thing.
Those who manipulate the world with their minds inevitably find themselves drawn not by reason but by something far deeper. It’s strange but endlessly repetitive: the most rational individuals are often captivated by those who make the most irrational choices.
For Im Sobyeong, who was intoxicated by Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword Chung Myung, there was no other way. It would be meaningless to propose strategies that his followers wouldn't choose. He simply did the best he could within the constraints.
In that sense, Im Sobyeong's plan certainly made sense. However...
“In return, Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword must die.”
Ho Gamyeong would make it so.
Even if it meant letting all others escape, even if it meant offering his head as punishment for killing Mount Hua Chivalrous Swor without authorization, he would ensure that man never returned alive from Gangnam soil.
That was the only way to rid himself of the inexplicable unease that had plagued him since the moment he first encountered the man.
"Bring the messenger bird!"
"Understood!"
Ho Gamyeong was about to turn away indifferently but suddenly paused..
'More than that...'
Surveying the blood-soaked and devastated shore, he muttered under his breath.
“Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword....”
Isn't it laughable to call someone with sword techniques cruel enough to make even Evil Sects shudder a ‘Chivalrous Sword’?
"Plum Blossom Sword Ghost would be more fitting."
Ho Gamyeong smirked faintly and turned away without hesitation.
The waves indifferently pushed away the flowing blood.
***
"Throw them!"
"Eurachaaaaa!"
Jo-Gol tore up a plank from the deck and hurled it with all his might. The wooden plank spun fiercely as it cut across the water's surface. Then, Chung Myung leaped onto the plank and sprang into the air.
"Eucha!"
Every time Jo-Gol and Yoon Jong threw a plank, Chung Myung landed and propelled himself closer to the ship.
Finally, after stepping on the last foothold and making a great leap, Chung Myung landed on the deck.
Kung!
A dull crash resounded as crimson blood splattered onto the deck.
"Chung Myung-ah!"
"Are you alri..."
Mount Hua disciples who were about to rush forward suddenly froze instinctively. The killing intent radiating from Chung Myung made even them flinch.
'Chung Myung....'
Yoon Jong bit his lip.
A terrifying coldness flowed from Chung Myung's eyes. Enough to make one believe he had just crawled out of hell itself.
It felt like that sword in his hand would fly at them if they moved even slightly closer. Even knowing he wouldn't, their feet wouldn't creep closer.
At that moment, when everyone else had frozen in place, only one person continued walking toward Chung Myung without hesitation.
"Chung Myung."
Chung Myung's gaze suddenly snapped toward the direction. His hand holding the sword trembled momentarily.
"Are you alright?"
At those words, the killing intent in Chung Myung's eyes slowly softened. As Yoo Iseol approached within arm’s length, Chung Myung stared at her blankly before lowering the sword in his hand.
“…What a question.”
“You’re hurt.”
"It's nothing."
Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders and casually shoved his sword back into its sheath.
"Chu- Chung Myung-ah!"
"Sahyung! You're injured!"
Only then did the other disciples of Mount Hua shout and approach.
Namgung Dowi let out a breath he had been holding in without realizing it.
In that brief moment of tension, his entire body had broken into a cold sweat. It had been only a brief moment, barely enough time for a single breath, yet the pressure from that confrontation was overwhelming.
‘Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword....’
The Chung Myung he knew was always overflowing with composure.
Though his swordsmanship was as merciless as it could get, the man himself always kept an eye on his surroundings even in the tensest situations. At least, that was the Chung Myung Namgung Dowi had observed.
For someone like him to lose control of his killing intent meant that the battle on the shore had been unimaginably intense.
But what shocked Namgung Dowi wasn't about Myriad Man Manor pushing Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword to such extremes.
He was shocked by Yoo Iseol approaching Chung Myung who was oozing life as if nothing had happened.
'How can someone do that?'
Even Namgung Dowi, standing at a considerable distance, had instinctively felt the urge to draw his sword. No, to be honest, it was killing intent that made him want to throw himself off the deck rather than draw his sword.
Yet how could someone approach someone emanating such killing intent without even drawing their sword? If Chung Myung had swung his sword, their head would have flown.
'This isn't normal...'
It wasn’t that the other disciples of Mount Hua didn’t trust Chung Myung enough to approach him.
None of them probably thought he would actually swing his sword at them. But even so, their bodies froze. That was only natural—it was the instinctive response of any human suddenly facing an unpredictable danger.
Anyone who had even the slightest concern for their own life wouldn’t have been able to do what Yoo Iseol had just done.
"Take it off, Sahyung!"
“…Are you crazy?”
"What nonsense! Take off your clothes so I can see your wounds!"
"Why are you shouting!"
As Chung Myung began squabbling with Tang Soso as always, Baek Cheon approached Chung Myung carrying a large bucket.
“Chung Myung-ah.”
"Yeah?"
As Chung Myung raised his head, Baek Cheon held out the bucket.
"...Wash up first. You look terrible."
It wasn't about being dirty. Just that looking like a demon covered in blood anywhere, anytime wasn't pleasant to see. Especially since they weren’t the only ones here.
Only then did Chung Myung glance around.
He could see Hainan Sect disciples who couldn't even dare to approach him. Even Geum Yangbaek, the sect leader, could only watch with a pale face, unable to approach and speak.
"Tsk."
Chung Myung, realized anew that this world was different from the past, and accepted the bucket that Baek Cheon offered.
And then it flipped right over my head.
Splash!
Water poured down, washing away the blood that coated his body. It wasn’t enough to completely clean him in one go, but it was enough to make him look more presentable.
During that moment, Baek Cheon’s gaze quickly scanned Chung Myung's body. He could clearly see the fresh stains darkening the fabric around Chung Myung's legs.
“Your leg…”
"Hm?"
Chung Myung glanced at his leg as if it was nothing serious. Through the torn fabric, a deep wound was plainly visible.
"It's nothing."
"Are you poisoned?"
Baek Cheon's face stiffened.
After washing away others' blood, Chung Myung's blood became visible. The blood was darkish. Baek Cheon bit his lip hard.
"Soso. The antidote..."
"Don't bother."
Chung Myung shook his head and stretched out his hand. His hand slowly darkened, and then, crimson flames of Samadhi Dvesha Fire (삼매진화(三昧瞋火)) flared at his fingertips. Simultaneously, a piercing scent that stung the nose spread in all directions.
“It’s not even a strong poison.”
"You...."
"No need to worry. I ripped open his belly in exchange for taking one hit to the leg."
Baek Cheon bit his lips silently.
‘I misjudged.’
It wasn't that he underestimated the opponent. However, since the main force of Myriad Man Manor was in the Yangtze River, he thought that there would be no one here who could match Chung Myung.
That complacent judgment almost led to irreversible consequences.
“Chung Myung-ah. I..."
"Sasuk."
"Yes?"
"We don't have time to chat leisurely. Move. Those bastards will be chasing us soon.”
"......"
“Right?”
A deep sigh escaped Baek Cheon's lips.
"Yes. You're right."
"Then tell them to pick up the pace."
“Understood.”
As Baek Cheon moved to give orders, Chung Myung looked back at the shore.
'Myriad Man Manor...'
They were even more tenacious than he had anticipated. But there was no choice. This wasn't something done because he could, but because he must.
‘We will escape. No matter what.’
Chung Myung's eyes radiated cold killing intent.
And Yoo Iseol quietly watched such Chung Myung. With indifferent eyes whose thoughts were impossible to read.
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 Magic Realm Convenience Store Worker : 10 Chapters
|Note
Comments Box