Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1286. Who came to Gangnam (6)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Who?"
Jang Cheon-gi (장천기(長泉琦)), the leader of Yaksha Manor (야차방(夜叉房)), one of the small and medium-sized Evil Sects in Guangdong, asked back with a dumbfounded expression.
“Who came to Gangnam?”
"They say it's Hainan Sect?”
“Hainan Sect? Hainan Sect came into Gangnam?”
“That’s right! It’s complete chaos right now.”
"That..."
Jang Cheon-gi asked back with a dazed face.
"You're saying Hainan Sect bastards haven't just gone mad from too much sea breeze, but walked into Gangnam of their own accord?"
“How could I have come here on my own? When the Maninbang invaded Haenam, I abandoned my base and fled to Gangnam.”
“Does that make sense?”
Even someone completely ignorant of military strategy, shouldn't people have some common sense?
Fleeing means putting distance between oneself and the enemy. What kind of lunatic would flee toward the enemy's headquarters? Surely those Hainan Sect stupid bastards know that Gangnam belongs to Evil Tyrant Alliance.
“Either way, we must move immediately. Orders have come from Ho Gamyeong.”
"Orders?"
"They say they've already landed on the shore and are heading north. We've been ordered to seal every escape route so not even a rat can slip away. The order was issued under the name of Myriad Man Manor.”
“Myriad Man Manor? Not Evil Tyrant Alliance?”
“…It was written as Myriad Man Manor.”
"Why? No… Wait, that’s not important right now."
Jang Cheon-gi shook his head.
"It seems those Hainan Sect bastards really have entered Gangnam. In all my years of living…"
"Sect Leader. We don't have time for this. These are direct orders from Malice Rakshasa himself. If we fail to comply, who knows what will happen…”
Jang Cheon-gi flinched at the mention of ‘Malice Rakshasa’.
No matter what anyone says, the person that people of Guangdong fear the most was Paegun Jang Ilso. But the story was different for a small sect leader like Jang Cheon-gi, Jang Ilso wouldn’t even regard them as flies passing by, but Ho Gamyeong watches every single fly.
If they were to fall out of Ho Gamyeong’s favor, a small sect like Yaksha Manor could be wiped out overnight.
“Y- Yes! This is no time for this! Bring me my spear! And call everyone else too! Where did they say our assigned position was?"
“They said they’ll inform us when we group up.”
“I see. That’ll do! What are you waiting for! Hurry!"
“Y- Yes.”
Jang Cheon-gi suddenly let out a hollow chuckle as his subordinate went out in a hurry.
"Hainan Sect Sect Leader can't have gone senile."
Of course, even martial artists aren’t completely immune to illness, but even those thick-headed Righteous Sects people wouldn't all walk into certain death together just because some senile old man told them to, would they?
“Idiots.”
Jang Cheon-gi clicked his tongue disapprovingly and shook his head.
"No matter how enraged they were, if they were going to die anyway, it would have been better to die where they lived."
They clearly don't know what kind of place Gangnam was. If they had even a little bit of knowledge that the Gangnam of three years ago and the Gangnam of now were completely different, they wouldn't have attempted such a reckless thing.
Gangnam was no longer a place where people could breathe freely.
Every person here was the eyes and hands of Evil Tyrant Alliance. At least in this Gangnam now, one cannot drink even a sip of water without going through Evil Tyrant Alliance.
"A fish that crawls into the desert by itself can only dry up and die. Especially when the hunter approaching from behind is Malice Rakshasa
Jang Cheon-gi let out a sharp sneer before striding swiftly out of the room.
* * *
"So?"
Ho Gamyeong’s brow twitched slightly as he disembarked from the ship. His gaze was fixed on the lifeless bodies of Hao Sect members scattered across the beach. Judging by their blackened faces, they had clearly died from poisoning.
"You're saying they all got poisoned while mindlessly searching empty ships?"
“….”
"And thanks to that, we completely lost their trail?"
Yo Pwi, whose face was still pale from the aftereffects of the poison, flushed with shame.
"We never thought they would use such methods..."
“You didn’t know?”
Ho Gamyeong stared at Yo Pwi in silence. Yo Pwi slowly lowered his head.
“I have no excuse. If punishment is due, I’ll accept it without complaint.”
Ho Gamyeong continued to stare at him before shaking his head slightly.
"No."
It was an unexpected reaction. Yo Pwi hesitantly raised his gaze to observe Ho Gamyeong's expression. There was surprisingly no trace of emotion.
“If there’s fault, it is mine mine for assigning a task beyond their capabilities. I should have considered that.”
Ppudeuk.
The indifferent words made Yo Pwi clench his teeth.
It wasn’t wrong. One has to endure the consequences of the mistake they made. It wasn't even an order to kill someone but just a simple command to stick to their tail. Even with ten mouths, what can they say after failing to carry out such a task?
Yet the reason for his rising indignation was that all the damage from this incident fell squarely on Yo Pwi and Hao Sect. He had lost all the subordinates he had carefully trained, but neither Ho Gamyeong nor Myriad Man Manor had suffered any losses.
In such a situation, it was only natural for his insides to boil at receiving what seemed like mocking reproach.
"We failed to obtain intelligence that there was a poison arts master among them. Had we know..."
"Intelligence?"
Ho Gamyeong stared at Yo Pwi without expression.
"You shouldm do better to distinguish between what can and cannot be said. Wasn’t it Hao Sect’s responsibility to gather that information in the first place?”
“That’s…”
"Enough."
Ho Gamyeong coldly cut him off.
"It's meaningless to dwell on past events. It's a matter of making up for it going forward."
It wasn’t a particularly harsh statement. Depending on how one thinks about it, they might even sound like defense. But Yo Pwi couldn't take Ho Gamyeong's words at face value.
"First, tracking them..."
“From the very start!”
Finally unable to contain his anger, Yo Pwi cut off Ho Gamyeong's words and spoke with a growl.
“If we’re going to talk about blame, isn’t the fault on Myriad Man Manor for allowing them to seize the ships and land in Gangnam without resistance?”
“….”
"If not for that, my men wouldn’t have died so pointlessly!"
He glared at Ho Gamyeong with bloodshot eyes and asked.
“Am I wrong?”
His voice was filled with malice as if daring Ho Gamyeong to kill him if he wanted to. However, to Yo Pwi’s surprise, Ho Gamyeong nodded calmly.
“You’re right.”
“Right… What did you say?”
“You’re not wrong. It was my mistake. No, my fault."
Yo Pwi looked at Ho Gamyeong with a dumbfounded face.
“It would have been better if we had dealt with them in Hainan Island. But it didn't go as planned. Do you need further explanation?"
"...No."
"Then that's settled. However... there's one thing we need to address."
"What..."
"'Am I wrong?' isn't the right question, is it?"
Yo Pwi flinched at Ho Gamyeong’s gaze. Ho Gamyeong's emotionless gaze pressed down heavily on Ye Wei.
“Or are you still living in the past?”
Yo Pwi bit his lips hard. He trembled slightly for a moment before speaking with a cracked voice.
“…I apologize. I was out of line.”
“Good. I’m glad you understand.”
Ho Gamyeong changed the subject as if indicating he wouldn't pursue the matter further.
“There should still be communication lines with other branches. Have them investigate their movements and secure their location by whatever means necessary."
"Yes. I'll instruct them to stop them."
“Listen carefully to what I say. What I ordered was to track their movements.”
"…Yes?"
"They're not the kind that can be stopped by the power of a mere branch."
“….”
"In any case, Hao Sect is a major force. They are not like the scattered riffraff running about. There’s no need to increase meaningless casualties. Do not approach them unnecessarily—just pinpoint their exact location. We’ll handle the rest. Just do what you’re told.”
Yo Pwi nodded heavily.
"I'll keep it in mind."
“Move.”
"...Yes."
As Yo Pwi turned and quickly walked away, Ho Gamyeong’s gaze grew cold. Just then, a mocking voice reached his ears.
"How merciful of you."
Go Yang sneered openly.
"The esteemed strategist is so righteous and just. It seems you would fit better in the imperial court than among us in Kangho. If it were me, I would have pulled out his tongue.”
"Pointless."
But Ho Gamyeong remained composed.
"That would merely be venting anger. There’s nothing to gain from that. Even if his abilities are worth no more than a rat's tail, they're still better than nothing. Right now, even that level of ability is necessary."
“But he insulted our manor.”
"What he insulted wasn't Myriad Man Manor, but me."
Ho Gamyeong said calmly.
“It’s hardly matter for me to be insulted. It's always been that way. So there's no need to concern ourselves with pointless things."
“Suit yourself.”
Go Yang clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
Of course, Go Yang himself harbored no friendly feelings toward Ho Gamyeong. However, he had to acknowledge this side of him. While Righteous Sects often brought trouble upon themselves because of their pointless pride, Evil Sects tended to ruin matters over useless pride.
'But if that bastard had dared to mention Ryeonju's name, he would’ve been torn apart on the spot.’
That was what made Ho Gamyeong so difficult to deal with.
“But I don’t understand.”
"Hm?"
Go Yang snickered.
“In times of crisis, even a cat’s paw is borrowed. But do you think those fools have even the skill of a cat’s paw? It would be more realistic to hope that Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword slips off a cliff and falls to his death rather than hoping that those guys catch him.”
"You're not wrong. You might know how to judge skill, but you're still lacking when it comes to reading people."
"...Hm?"
“I didn’t tell them to find him. I told them to pinpoint his location. That simply means don't lose him."
“Is there a difference?”
“If it’s Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword I know….”
Ho Gamyeong's eyes sank ominously.
“No, it’s meaningless to explain. You’ll see soon enough.”
Go Yang's face twisted slightly.
"How profound."
“There’s no time for useless small talk. Let’s move.”
"As you wish, esteemed advisor."
As Go Yang turned away without lingering, Ho Gamyeong gave brief instructions to a waiting adjutant. The adjutant hesitated slightly before speaking.
“But, Advisor-nim, what should we do with the ones who brought the ships here?"
Ho Gamyeong shifted his gaze slightly and looked behind him. Hainan Sect disciples were standing awkwardly on the shore. Ho Gamyeong reprimanded them in a cold voice.
"Keep those who can't follow as hostages, and bring along those with martial arts skills." "Yes."
Yoo Gong simply closed his eyes as if resigned. Ho Gamyeong's eyes flashed meaningfully for a moment.
If Go Yang had overheard, he might have criticized it as another unnecessary move. However, Ho Gamyeong thought differently.
'If there's a variable Mount Hua bastards haven't anticipated, it would be those fellows.'
And in his mind, this variable would be lethally effective, like a poisoned dagger stabbing deep before they even noticed.
“Move out.”
"Yes!"
As soon as the order of Ho Gamyeong was given, the army of Myriad Man Manor began to advance northward.
Their sole target: Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
And the head of Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.
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