Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1356. That guy is coming (1)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Before they knew it, they had left the cave and had been running for an entire day.
Im Sobyeong suddenly stopped in his tracks without any warning.
The ones running at full speed behind him panicked, scrambling to stop themselves in time. Those who nearly toppled over from the sudden halt barely managed to right themselves and shouted angrily.
“Ah! What the hell is this all of a sudden!”
Intense complaints erupted. But Im Sobyeong paid them no mind, scanning their surroundings with keen eyes.
"Wow, he’s not even pretending to listen. Even with all this cursing?"
"I heard Evil Sects people are so used to being cursed at that it doesn’t even faze them."
"For someone like that, he sure gets worked up when Chung Myung goes off."
"…That bastard doesn’t just curse. He stabs people with his words."
“Ah, true.”
After glancing around for a bit, Im Sobyong nodded.
“We’ll camp here for the night. The terrain is perfect for avoiding enemy eyes and staying dry from dew."
“...Here?”
"Yes."
“No, do we really need to rest....”
Yoon Jong instinctively began to protest, but then his words caught in his throat as he turned to look back. The exhaustion on the faces of Hainan Sect disciples was obvious. It would have been stranger if they hadn't been tired, running with injured people on their backs while not fully recovered themselves.
“Resting when we have the chance is important. If you just push forward blindly, you end up wasting even more time in the long run.”
"Understood."
Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.
“We’ll rest here. Everyone, finds a place to settle down. But don’t start a fire.”
Jo-Gol, carefully climbing down from Yoon Jong’s back, asked with a puzzled look.
"Why no fires? Myriad Man Manor must be still far behind us."
“This is Gangnam. Even if it’s not Myriad Man Manor, there are eyes everywhere. We can't assume mountain villagers are necessarily on our side."
Hearing Baek Cheon’s explanation, Jo-Gol’s face grew slightly pale. Seeing that, Baek Cheon chuckled and gave him a light pat on the shoulder.
"If someone sees a fire from far away, do you think they’ll know who we are? If Myriad Man Manor asked if they had seen anything suspicious, they would naturally say yes.”
"Aah, that makes sense."
Jo-Gol nodded as if finally understood.
"Then we should be careful."
"That’s right."
“Sahyung, what are you doing? Let’s go find a spot to rest. If we hesitate, the others will take all the good spots."
Jo-Gol urged Yoon Jong. Baek Cheon watched him with a bitter smile.
Just then, a voice tinged with amusement was heard.
"You've gotten skilled at handling people, haven't you?"
“Is that a compliment?”
"It means you're becoming more of a con artist."
"…Thanks for the compliment."
Chung Myung chuckled at Baek Cheon's expression.
Truthfully, Baek Cheon likely knew that even if the commoners did recognize them, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t report them to Myriad Man Manor. But it wasn’t something he could say outright. Especially not to someone like Jo-Gol.
"You should go find a place to rest too."
“You worry so much. You sure nag a lot these days."
Baek Cheon didn't deny it and just smiled bitterly. That wasn't entirely wrong either.
Hainan Sect disciples scattered and looked for a suitable place to rest. Though ‘suitable’ merely meant finding somewhat flat ground to lie down on.
Lee Jayang plopped down comfortably and stared ahead with an exhausted face.
"It’s too damp here. Go lie over there. Give me the one you were carrying."
“N- No, Daesahyung. Sahyung must be tired too..."
"That's enough, just go."
Gwak Hwanso kept moving around to look after his sahyung. Lee Jayang watched him blankly and let out a hollow laugh.
'Amazing, really.'
Lee Jayang could barely lift a finger at this point. But Gwak Hwanso, who worked twice as hard as others, checking on sahyung and the wounded along the way, was still tending to others first.
Was it because he still had strength left? No way.
Even Lee Jayang could see that Gwak Hwanso's legs were shaking. He must’ve wanted nothing more than to collapse right then and there.
Gwak Hwanso was simply enduring because there were things that needed to be done.
“...That’s amazing.”
They say crisis tempers people, and maybe that wasn’t wrong.
Truthfully, although Lee Jayang acknowledged Gwak Hwanso as daesahyung, he did not particularly think highly of him. He thought that a hot-tempered personality and selfish tendencies weren't suitable for the position of sect leader who must unite everyone.
But now, those flaws Lee Jayang had seen in him were nowhere to be found.
Having traveled the arduous path from Hainan Island to here, Gwak Hwanso steadily growing into a great person who was worthy of being called sect leader of Hainan Sect, no matter what anyone says.
While Lee Jayang felt unchanged despite facing the same crisis, Gwak Hwanso was using that crisis as a stepping stone for growth.
'The vessels are just different.'
Lee Jayang smiled bitterly.
At one point, he had thought he could let Gwak Hwanso sit as the leader of the sect while quietly manipulating things from the side to guide Hainan Sect as he saw fit, but now he can't even think about it. How could he possibly manipulate someone who had grown like this?
At this point, he could only do as he was told and follow orders like a dead man walking.
'...If we survive, that is.'
A small hope had unknowingly settled in Lee Jayang's eyes.
The trust in the disciples' gazes as they looked at Gwak Hwanso was unshakable. A look never seen in Hainan Sect of the past.
Though it was unbearably difficult and painful now, if they escape this place and Gwak Hwanso becomes Hainan Sect sect leader, with Lee Jayang supporting him with all his might, perhaps recreating Hainan Sect glory isn't just a dream.
After staring blankly at the scene for a moment, Lee Jayang laughed as if in disbelief and took out dried rations from his bundle.
'Getting ahead of myself.'
First, they need to survive....
"Sahyung, do you have any dried rations left?"
Then someone approached and asked him. Lee Jayang questioned back.
"Why? Didn't you pack enough rations?"
"…I lost mine during the fight."
“Ah....”
They had packed as much food as they could when they left Hainan Sect, but it wasn't as easy as one might thought to keep their luggage intact during the fierce battle.
Especially among the wounded, those who still had their packs were fewer than those who had lost them.
"Here, at least eat this for now."
"Sa- Sahyung, then could I also..."
Lee Jayang's face hardened slightly. A few others had discreetly started getting up to search for food.
"Does anyone have water to spare?"
"I'm out of wound medicine, does anyone have any?"
“...This.”
As he watched the scene unfold, Lee Jayang’s expression grew increasingly grim.
They had thought they were sufficiently prepared to cross Gangnam, yet supplies were starting to run out before they had covered even half the distance.
Normally, they could have simply used their money to buy more supplies, but not now. Where in Gangnam could they safely spend money? They had to avoid people’s eyes.
In this situation, money was nothing more than useless baggage.
'Other things aside, food shortages are a serious problem.'
Of course, martial artists could endure longer without eating compared to ordinary people.
But that was merely enduring in the literal sense. If they kept burning through their strength, running at full speed without proper sustenance, it was obvious what would happen to them.
“...I, I don't have any rations either..."
“I only have enough for one meal. If I give it to you what am I supposed to eat?"
"Is anyone holding out on us? This isn’t the time to be hoarding supplies!"
The group was merely murmuring in concern at first, but gradually the tension spread. If things continued like this, it seemed likely to become a major problem.
“Everyone....”
Just as Gwak Hwanso was about to say something.
Kung!
Something dropped in front of them.
"The hell’s wrong with these deer? Running blind right in front of people like idiots and making a fuss."
Chung Myung threw the deer he had hunted toward Hainan Sect disciples, and dusted off his hands while giggling. The Haenam disciples were fixated on the deer lying on the ground.
Baek Cheon shot Chung Myung a disapproving look and grumbled.
"Hey, didn't I say no fires?"
"Ugh, again with the nagging! Bet you came out of the womb nagging instead of crying. Just shut up and watch!"
"Hm?"
Chung Myung quickly peeled off the deer skin with his sword. It seemed like it wasn't something he had done only once or twice.
“…You're too good at that?”
"Wasn't he a Taoist?"
“I think so?”
He soon lifted one large-cut deer leg with both hands.
"What are you gonna... Huh?"
Baek Cheon’s eyes went wide. The deer leg had begun cooking, emitting pure white steam that rose in wisps. Chung Myung cackled smugly.
“This is what I call Scorching Yang Palm Force, Scorching Yang Palm Force!”
“...Have you ever seen such a madman....”
Baek Cheon’s jaw dropped wide.
"In all my life, first time seeing someone use Scorching Yang Palm Force to cook meat..."
“No, Sasuk. He has done this before. Back in the Northern Sea."
"Really?"
Words that would mortify the people of the Southern Sea Sun Palace who consider Scorching Yang Palm Force their signature technique.
Even as Baek Cheon blinked in disbelief, Chung Myung remained wholly absorbed in cooking the deer leg. A moment later, he casually tossed the perfectly cooked meat behind him.
“Eat.”
“...Yes?”
Catching the meat on reflex, Seol So-baek hesitated and quickly shook his head.
"N- No! I... Rather than me, the others..."
"Enough, just eat first."
Chung Myung looked at Seol So-baek and smiled.
“You did well enough. So stop overthinking and eat up.”
“...Dojang.”
Seol So-baek bit his lips slightly.
He was the gungju of Ice Palace, but being young and inexperienced, it was difficult for him to be a proper fighting force in this kind of battle. Perhaps knowing this himself, he had been doing his best to remain unnoticed while minimizing his presence until now.
But does that mean he wasn't exhausted?
Chung Myung continued casually butchering and cooking the deer. An appetizing smell spread.
Hainan Sect disciples were unable to even ask for food and just watched blankly. But when Chung Myung started casually tossing roasted pieces their way, they scrambled to catch them and bowed deeply in gratitude.
“Thank you, Dojang!”
"Thank you so much."
Chung Myung then asked with a mischievous grin.
"Tired, huh?"
"...Actually, a bit..."
“Your body feels no strength, right? Feels like eating meat will bring your strength back?”
“Y- Yes! Truly, thank you....”
"But you know what? I know from experience that people don’t gain much strength from just eating meat.”
“...Yes?”
"What really gives you strength is something else."
Chung Myung reached deep into the deer’s split belly and pulled something out.
A moment of silence. Chung Myung spoke with gleaming eyes.
"This is the best, this."
“...That?”
In his hand was the deer’s liver, still steaming hot.
"This, eaten raw, is a tonic so potent it could make a dead person jump up. Let's all have a piece."
“…You're eating that raw?”
“Now, who wants to go first?”
Chung Myung sliced off a piece of the deer liver and slowly approached Hainan Sect disciples.
“Hiiiiikk!”
At that, Hainan Sect disciples collectively scrambled backward in a rush.
Chung Myung furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t understand their reaction.
"How strange. You guys eat raw fish just fine, but why such a fuss about not being able to eat this!"
"Th- That... how can that be the same? How could a person eat..."
“Um…”
At that moment, everyone's attention turned to Seol So-baek standing behind Chung Myung.
Seol So-baek was staring intently at the hot liver in Chung Myung's hand while licking his lips.
“Can I have that instead of the meat? In the Northern Sea, raw reindeer liver is quite the delicacy."
“....”
"And... the blood keeps dripping on the ground, why waste something so precious? It's so nutritious."
“....”
“If you're going to throw it away, give it to me! We can’t even get this where I'm from!”
"Uh... S- Sure."
“Thank you, Dojang!”
Seol So-baek’s face lit up with joy. Watching him approach the deer while salivating, Chung Myung suddenly thought.
Perhaps uniting Heavenly Comrade Alliance was an even more difficult and horrifying task than he had originally imagined.
|Note
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