Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1360. That guy is coming (5)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"East?"
"Yes."
Baek Cheon glanced subtly at Chung Myung.
"So there's no other way?"
"Charging into Kugang is suicide. We’d be killed before we even reached the Yangtze.”
"Hmm..."
Baek Cheon quietly nodded in agreement.
Chung Myung was right. Kugang is literally a dragon's den right now. It was the deadliest of deadly zones where Evil Tyrant Alliance's total force was concentrated against Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Ten Great Sects.
Storming into such a place with only this number?
‘You might as well bite a blade and fall flat on your face and die cleanly.'
Courage and recklessness were two different things. This goes beyond recklessness into mere bravado. They couldn't risk so many lives on mere bravado.
"But what about the left side? Changing course at the right moment and heading toward Yuexiang doesn’t seem like a bad idea. The river’s narrower there, which makes it easier to cross.”
"Hooh?"
Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with renewed surprise. Baek Cheon’s face distorted at the look in his eyes that screamed, 'Quite a good idea for Dongryong?’
"I'm your Sasuk, you punk!"
"Yes, yes. You're amazing, Sasuk.”
Chung Myung snickered and shook his head.
"Your idea isn’t wrong, but there’s one more thing to consider."
"What?"
“If we head that way, Evil Tyrant Alliance bastards can pick up on our movements easier.”
"The east is different?"
“Yeah. Since Black Ghost Fortress was wiped out, their intelligence network in the east is in a complete mess.”
“Ah....”
Only then did Baek Cheon seem to understand Chung Myung's words.
Before Evil Sects was unified under Evil Tyrant Alliance, Gangnam was divided into four forces.
Myriad Man Manor which rules the southern part of Gangnam, Black Ghost Fortress which rules the eastern part, Hao Sect which rules the western part, and Eighteen Water Fortress of the Yangtze River which controls the Yangtze River region.
The western region Baek Cheon had just mentioned was firmly under the grip of Hao Sect. For someone trying to move in secrecy, there could be no worse choice.
“Of course, Black Ghost Fortress weren’t exactly pushovers compared to Hao Sect, but in any case, those guys have had their heads cut off and their limbs broken. They can’t exert the same control they once did."
"Makes sense..."
“And that damned Jang Ilso bastard chose to gather all the power in the south and leave the east alone rather than stabilizing its situation. That’s why the east of Gangnam is now a no-man’s land.”
Yoon Jong, who had been listening in silence, finally spoke.
“If we could move only through the mountains, it wouldn’t matter, but once we have to descend, heading east gives us the highest chance of survival.”
“Exactly.”
Chung Myung nodded.
"There's no other way. East is our only choice. We make our way to Nanjing while staying as unnoticed as possible.”
“Nanjing....”
Baek Cheon mulled it over before asking,
“Sect Leader… No, did you convey this fact to the Grand Sect Leader?”
“I wrote it in my letter.”
“Hmm....”
Baek Cheon's gaze grew heavy.
If so, there were no other options from the start. They might be able to figure out a way to reach the Yangtze, but crossing it with Hainan Sect forces absolutely required help from Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
Without any way to communicate a different meeting point that hasn't been agreed upon, they must head to Nanjing regardless of what sacrifice it might entail.
"Then it's settled. Once resupply is finished, we move for Nanjing."
“Yes, Sasuk!”
"Understood!"
Now that a clear objective had been set, the eyes of Mount Hua disciples hardened with determination.
The situation was still grim, but this was a far more achievable goal compared to charging headfirst into Kugang. If luck on their side, they might even be able to get to Nanjing without being discovered.
“Then I’ll go on ahead!”
“Hey, you haven't fully recovered yet!"
"It'll heal faster if I move! Haaap!"
Jo-Gol shot forward, leaving Yoon Jong shaking his head in exasperation before following after him.
Watching them, Baek Cheon spoke quietly to Yoo Iseol.
“Samae, are you feeling better?”
"Running isn’t a problem anymore."
“Still, be cautious just in case.”
"...Even if I don’t want to..."
Yoo Iseol subtly turned her head to glance at Tang Soso clinging to her side. Tang Soso breathed fire with her eyes. Yoo Iseol’s normally stoic face had become unusually pale.
“As you can see....”
“...I worried for nothing.”
Baek Cheon nodded.
"Then let's move quickly."
He kicked off the ground and surged forward. Just as Chung Myung was about to follow, a chuckling voice drifted to his ears.
"It would be nice if things worked out that smoothly."
When Chung Myung looked back, Im Sobyeong was giving him a cryptic smile while half-hiding his face with a fan. Chung Myung said bluntly.
“You looked half-dead before, and now it seems you’re feeling better?”
"Victory and defeat are the norm in warfare, aren't they? If you stay down after getting beaten, you’ll just get beaten again.. One must rise tenaciously...!"
“...Wouldn’t hurt if you just stayed dead.”
Chung Myung laughed incredulously.
Sometimes these Evil Sects scoundrels seemed utterly pathetic, yet other times they clung on more tenaciously than weeds. It was quite amusing that Im Sobyeong, who refuses to be Evil Sects-like, shows the most Evil Sects-like qualities of all.
Then Im Sobyeong spoke in a markedly serious voice.
“You know, Dojang.”
“....”
“That bastard isn’t going to sit idly by. By now, no matter how much Ho Gamyeong curses, he must have grasped the entire situation."
Chung Myung nodded silently.
It was none other than Jang Ilso, Paegun. If he still hadn't grasped the situation when there was this much chaos in Gangnam, he doesn't deserve to call himself Paegun. Such a stroke of luck will never happen.
Just as Im Sobyeong said, Jang Ilso must have already taken in the whole situation. And undoubtedly, he was moving to shape it in his favor.
'So he's coming.'
The image of Jang Ilso bursting into maniacal laughter flashed through his mind. It was an intense image that anyone who saw it once would never forget for the rest of their life.
“What do you think?”
“About Jang Ilso?”
"Yes."
"Why ask me that?"
Im Sobyeong scratched his head with the tip of his fan.
"To be honest, I can roughly predict what Ho Gamyeong is thinking."
“Oh, you predicted but still got crushed?"
“That’s why I said roughly! I can’t know everything, but I can figure out the general direction, the direction!”
Looking slightly dejected, Im Sobyeong spoke in a subdued voice.
“This time I got the direction right, but I just couldn't see it through to the end..."
“Anyway, so what?”
“But I can’t read Jang Ilso at all. Not because his moves are extraordinary, but because I can't read his direction itself."
Im Sobyeong, speaking in frustration, stole a glance at Chung Myung before letting out a low chuckle.
"However... strangely enough, Dojang seems to read Jang Ilso's thoughts to some degree. Should I say you're on the same wavelength…?"
"Want to see if you can still talk with your mouth smashed in?"
"Ha. Ha... Just joking, joking."
As Chung Myung bared his teeth, Im Sobyeong stepped back in a flinch. Yet he didn't withdraw that shameless smile one bit.
"Anyway, what does Dojang think?"
"How the hell would I know what that bastard is thinking?"
“Yes, yes. Just like how I can’t fully read Ho Gamyeong. But you can at least guess the general direction, can’t you?”
“....”
“It’s important. Everyone’s lives may depend on it."
Chung Myung frowned and was about to open his mouth when Im Sobyeong added one more remark.
“Don’t think too hard about it, just tell us how you would move if you were Paegun right now."
“...First, move east.”
“Why?”
“That way I could attract Ten Great Sects.”
“Hooh?”
“Anywhere east would do. If I were Jang Ilso, the last thing I'd want is a head-on clash with Heavenly Comrade Alliance."
“...Avoiding a clash with Heavenly Comrade Alliance?”
“Yeah. If that happens, those Ten Great Sects bastards will just watch from across the river, reaping all the benefits.”
"But couldn’t that be interpreted as a strategy to defeat them one by one?"
“Defeating each one separately means taking down those who can’t move, not for those who choose not to get involved."
“....”
"If Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Evil Tyrant Alliance wear each other down, that old geezer Bop Jeong will definitely strike at Evil Tyrant Alliance. Then the situation becomes too clear-cut. Even those Ten Great Sects bastards who've been watching will unite under Bop Jeong to strike Evil Tyrant Alliance. For glory and profit."
Im Sobyeong nodded.
That was precisely the nature of Righteous Sects he was familiar with. They would posture with dignity and make all sorts of excuses to avoid involvement, but the moment victory and gain became certain, they would pounce more greedily than anyone else.
Compared to them, Evil Sects that don't hide their desires almost seem more sincere.
"That's probably what Jang Ilso wants to avoid the most. What he’s aiming for is pure chaos. And to create such chaos, he needs to shake up the situation as much as possible. Which means he has no choice but to draw in Ten Great Sects.”
“Even if that means Evil Tyrant Alliance has to face twice the force?”
“War isn’t fought by numbers or strength alone.”
“....”
“That’s the key. He’ll see it that way. He’ll see it that way. If it were me, I’d definitely move east. So I could pour oil on the legs of Ten Great Sect who was sneaking their feet out and set it ablaze."
"And then?"
Chung Myung, who had been silent for a moment, shook his head.
“Well… I think I’m crazy too, but I'm not as mad as that bastard."
“...I see. So you’re saying Jang Ilso will be blocking our path.”
Chung Myung nodded.
"Probably."
“Then… that makes things simple.”
Im Sobyeong chuckles.
"They won't be able to pinpoint our exact location either, and even Jang Ilso can't completely blockade the entire Yangtze River region. . In the end, it’s a gamble with a fifty-fifty chance: Can we reach the Yangtze unscathed, or will we run into them first?”
Chung Myung's eyes darkened.
Seeing that look, Im Sobyeong felt certain his own guess was not far off.
‘A gamble with our lives on the line.’
It sounded terrifying at first, but thinking carefully, it wasn’t anything new. They've been doing this countless times until now. No, this path was actually a bit easier than what they've faced so far.
"I understand. Then I'll support accordingly with that in mind."
“Yeah.”
Chung Myung glanced at Hainan Sect disciples trailing behind. Though clearly showing signs of exhaustion, they were keeping up well.
Nothing had yet deviated too far from his expectations. For now. But....
Chung Myung's face staring ahead stiffened strangely. An expression invisible to others flashed across his expression. His eyes also began to churn.
'Just what, this ominous feeling?'
He had overlooked nothing. Definitely. But he strangely kept feeling like he was missing something. Something fatal that he absolutely must not miss….
He promptly closed his eyes tightly and then opened them as if suppressing his thoughts.
'Not now.'
Even if he had overlooked something, there was no turning back now. The only thing to focus on now was forcing open a path to survival.
'We will definitely cross the Yangtze'
So that no one else would have to be sacrificed or die.
Blue veins rose on the back of Chung Myung's hand as he unconsciously gripped his sword.
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