Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1377. I have to make it like that (2)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Wh- What in the world is happening?"
The fishermen who had come to the riverbank murmured among themselves.
The flames were beginning to subside in the distance. Though they showed signs of dying down now, just moments ago the flames had risen so fiercely it seemed they would spread across the entire river.
It was a rare sight (기사(奇事)) to see the riverside engulfed in flames. But what truly held their gaze was not the fire alone.
"The ships, the ships...!"
Massive ships began to cross the center of the Yangtze River. Even at a glance, they were nothing like ordinary merchant ships. They were the water fortress' battleships, specialized for overtaking and ramming other ships.
As they watched the endless procession of ships advancing eastward, everyone instinctively tensed up and swallowed dryly.
They could understand without having to think too hard.
Something monumental, enough to shake the entire Yangtze River, was happening.
“I- Is war about to break out?”
"Watch your words, man! Talking about war, how ominous!”
Disgusted murmurs rippled through the crowd as if the very word sent chills down their spines. But even those voices were laden with anxiety. Because they knew it wasn't entirely nonsense.
“If not, why else would the water fortress fleet be on the move like this? They're ships that haven't budged from their position for months."
“They could just be returning to their base.”
“Now that is nonsense…”
Fear flickered in everyone’s eyes.
They could tell instinctively. That the brief peace they had enjoyed was over.
“It hasn’t been long since the last chaos… There aren’t even many people left around here anymore.”
“That’s true.”
"Now, now. Don't worry too much. That's why... those Ten Great Sects people are here at the Yangtze, right? No matter how strong those bandits are, what can they do with Ten Great Sects here?”
It was a hopeful statement.
But everyone here knew. If Ten Great Sects were truly as formidable as rumors suggested, they wouldn't have allowed such evildoers to rampage freely, even if it was happening across the river.
It was right then.
"Th- There!"
“Huh?”
Those who turned their gaze at someone's voice widened their eyes.
Paaaat!
A group of people was racing toward the riverbank they were at. Their speed was so incredible that even though they were spotted from afar, they reached the fishermen in the blink of an eye.
“Sh- Shaolin?”
Yellow monks' robes. Moreover, several at the front wore red kasaya (가사(袈裟)) over those yellow clothes. There are many temples in the world, but Shaolin is the only one that wears yellow monks' robes.
The warrior monks of Shaolin strode past with grim expressions. Behind them came a group carrying large dao and sword experts with cold expressions.
One of the fishermen, watching the passing martial artists with wide and haunted eyes, whispered in a dazed voice,
“Really… what the heck is going to happen?”
The air of war began to envelop the entire Yangtze.
❀ ❀ ❀
"Bangjang! They said Jang Ilso has shown himself."
“Jang Ilso?”
“Yes! It is said that the man who had been staying in the carriage the entire time came out and gave direct orders. A small group has split off from the main force under his command, but we’ve received reports that their exact purpose is difficult to determine.”
Bop Jeong gripped his prayer beads tightly.
'Paegun.'
The mere fact that he gave orders wasn't what mattered.
What mattered was that he could have issued them from inside the carriage.
The fact that he had stepped outside personally was clearly a mockery (조소(嘲笑)) directed at Bop Jeong.
Blue veins bulged on the back of Bop Jeong's hand.
Right now, Shaolin had clearly suffered the first blow, yet they couldn't even muster the courage to retaliate. They just stubbornly follow Jang Ilso, who had taken the lead.
This was what Jang Ilso was now asking of such a Shaolin.
To where Jang Ilso was. If they managed to catch up to him, what would they do then?
Would they have the courage to step beyond the river and confront him? Would they have the courage to thrust their Precept Blade (계도(戒刀)) filled with Buddhist dharma into Jang Il-so's neck and punish his sins?
'Unforgivably brazen....'
Cold killing intent flowed from Bop Jeong’s eyes.
Others might have just brushed it aside as a trivial matter, but Jang Ilso's mockery was palpable to Bop Jeong.
A mockery directed at none other than Shaolin's Bangjang, who led the three sects across the river.
When had he ever received such ridicule and mockery?
What infuriated Bop Jeong even more was that, despite this, there was no way to respond.
“Bangjang, what should we do?”
Bop Jeong carefully called to Bop Kye. Bop Jeong closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. And as if nothing were wrong, he answered in a deliberately composed voice.
“There’s no need to respond to such provocations one by one.”
“Yes, Bangjang.”
"For now, our priority is to stay close enough to counter the enemy's movements. We can think about how to respond when the time comes. No matter how good a countermeasure is, it becomes meaningless if it’s too late.”
"Yes!"
“Increase our speed!”
Bop Jeong that gave the order stomped the ground even harder.
Bop Kye stared intently at his retreating figure. His back didn’t seem all that imposing.
'Bangjang....'
Certainly, what Bop Jeong had said was rational. And maintaining such rational reasoning is important when dealing with Jang Ilso. Jang Ilso was someone who used deceitful schemes as naturally as breathing. If one reacted to every little action of his, there was a high risk of missing something far more important.
But one doubt wouldn't leave Bop Kye's mind.
'Is Bangjang truly calm right now?'
Once again, Bop Kye couldn’t help but realize one thing.
From the past Yangtze Tragedy until now, Shaolin had countless entanglements with Evil Tyrant Alliance. And they had gritted their teeth through just as many of their schemes. There was no way they didn’t know how dangerous Jang Ilso was.
But when you thought about it coldly, it was no exaggeration to say that Bop Jeong, not Shaolin as a whole, had never directly exchanged strategies with Jang Ilso before.
When the Yangtze River Tragedy occurred, it was not Bop Jeong but Bop Kye who led Shaolin. When the Plum Blossom Island incident erupted, Shaolin had merely arrived too late after everything had already unfolded.
In other words, Bop Jeong had never once directly confronted Jang Ilso's schemes. He has never been the direct target of Jang Ilso's malice.
If that’s the case… If that’s truly the case…
"Didn't I say to hurry?"
“Ye- Yes! Bangjang!”
Bop Jeong's urging voice startled Bop Kye and snapped him out of his thoughts. At his hand signal to those following, the Shaolin disciples running behind gritted their teeth and increased their speed.
Confirming that the overall pace had quickened, Bop Jeong glared across the river with cold eyes.
As Bop Kye watched his retreating figure, an indescribable unease settled in his gaze.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Maengju-nim! We’re falling behind the group that went ahead.”
“Hmm.”
Hyun Jong gazed forward with a contemplative look.
'Bop Jeong.'
Surely Hyun Jong must be the most anxious right now. However, the three sects led by Shaolin, which had headed east first, were moving so quickly that even Hyun Jong was surprised.
Tang Gun-ak spoke softly.
“…As expected, the strength of Ten Great Sects is no small thing.”
"That's hardly surprising."
Hyun Jong nodded his head.
It was exactly as he said. The fact that Ten Great Sects had lost their former prestige was not because they had grown weak. It was because, despite their power, they had refused to wield it properly.
If Bop Jeong had truly resolved to wage proper war against Evil Tyrant Alliance through this opportunity, it would be no different from Heavenly Comrade Alliance gaining a reliable ally.
Even if it was only a temporary alliance that was unable to share all intentions.
“What should we do? Should we increase our speed?”
Tang Gun-ak asked, but Hyun Jong did not answer right away. His gaze was grave.
Compared to the elite group of Ten Great Sects that had gone ahead, Heavenly Comrade Alliance was composed of too many sects it. Though their hearts might be united, increasing their speed further would make it difficult to move as seamlessly as the others.
In the end, Hyun Jong shook his head.
"No. We won't do that. Let's maintain our current speed."
“But, Maengju-nim. If we do that, we might fall behind not only Ten Great Sects but also Jang Il-so who went ahead.”
"That's fine."
Tang Gun-ak gave him a questioning look at the unexpected response.
The most anxious person right now should be Hyun Jong, Maengju and Grand Sect Leader of Mount Hua Sect. No one in the world would deny that. Yet, here he was, saying that it was fine to fall behind…
Just then, Hyun Jong continued calmly.
“Gaju-nim.”
"Yes?"
“When will the sun set?”
Tang Gun-ak's face became blank instantly. What kind of out-of-nowhere question was this?
Hyun Jong spoke.
"The water fortress is now heading east with every available ship at their disposal. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that's what we've heard."
“And across the river, the elite forces of Evil Tyrant Alliance are also heading east. So, Evil Tyrant Alliance’s forces are likely divided into two groups: those guarding their main base and those following Jang Ilso.”
“Of course....”
Tang Gun-ak’s mouth clamped shut. He realized what Hyun Jong was trying to say.
“Y- You don’t mean…?”
“Yes. We will maintain our current pace and let the ships go ahead. And when the sun sets....”
Hyun Jong declared in a composed voice.
"We will lead the alliance across the river."
“Ma- Maengju-nim!”
Tang Gun-ak's face turned pale.
“That’s far too dangerous. If the enemy finds out that we’ve crossed the river, they might turn their forces around and attack us first. Then we'll face a joint attack from Jang Ilso and the water fortress on the river."
"That's the situation our children are facing now, isn't it?"
Tang Gun-ak fell silent.
“If it is too great a risk, you need not come. But Mount Hua will cross.”
Tang Jun-ak instinctively turned back. The Mount Hua disciples following closely behind showed not a single trace of hesitation in their eyes.
'Was this your intention from the start?'
As if answering Tang Gun-ak's thoughts, Hyun Jong spoke.
"There's no meaning in just following at a safe distance. If we do that, all we’ll accomplish is standing idly by while Jang Ilso slaughters our disciples on the other side. I have no intention of doing that.”
“Maengju-nim....”
“I finally understand now. Why unease lingered in my heart even while believing those children were right. Why all of this felt wrong.”
“....”
“A sect is meant to share its fate.”
Tang Gun-ak's expression as he looked at Hyun Jong seemed almost entranced. It was no wonder, as Hyun Jong’s face resembled the very embodiment of the word ‘Taoist’.
"I will go to share fate with those children. I'm only now trying to correct what should have been done from the start."
Tang Gun-ak slowly turned his head to gaze at the Yangtze.
The setting sun beyond the western mountains was dyeing the Yangtze a deep crimson. What would have been a beautiful sight under normal circumstances now felt ominous, like the calm before a storm.
"...If that is your decision, we come along."
“....”
"Isn't 'friend' also a word for those who share fate?"
Hyun Jong quietly closed his eyes.
'Chung Myung-ah.'
Now he seemed to finally understand. What that child is trying to create.
‘I wonder if it's just in my head?’
Things that weren't visible before are displaying its prowess the moment Chung Myung is absent. Like a barrier that would firmly protect Mount Hua even when he’s not around.
'However, you rascal,'
A faint smile appeared on Hyun Jong's lips.
“It's not supposed to be you protecting Mount Hua, but Mount Hua protecting you."
Muttering words too quiet for anyone to hear, Hyun Jong resolutely kicked the ground and surged forward.
|Note
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