Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1458. It won't be that bad (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Sweat that flowed down the forehead seeps into the eyes. The adjutants couldn't even blink their stinging eyes. It was because the cooling corpse of their colleague lay before them.
Just one word. Because he was the first to say that one word, fate diverged.
The surviving lieutenants had, in a sense, dipped their feet into hell and barely returned. Their entire bodies were soaked with sweat.
Ho Gamyeong now stood respectfully by Jang Ilso’s side.
“What about logistics?”
"We'll draw them from the main camp. We've stockpiled sufficiently, so there shouldn't be any issues."
“Even so... it seems we'll have to camp out, which doesn't suit my temperament.”
"It will be ten days at most. Ryeonju-nim must endure it."
“Hnnh... Easy to say, easy to say.”
Jang Ilso rubbed his furrowed brow with his fingertips. A languidness that hadn't been seen for some time emanated from his face.
The atmosphere was no different from usual, and the conversation was also as usual.
But to Jeok Ho, who had accompanied Jang Ilso all the way here, the entire scene felt bizarre.
'Just what...'
Jang Ilso, who had given up on pursuing Tang Family in Shaanxi, moved east as if it were a given. Leaving Sichuan, which he had gone to such lengths to occupy, behind.
But Ho Gamyeong, who must have headed toward Sichuan from the opposite side, was waiting here as if prearranged.
Had these two been in communication with each other?
'That can't be.'
Jeok Ho never took his eyes off Jang Ilso from the outskirts of Shaanxi to here. Because he had to guard Jang Ilso. And during that time, he could swear on his life that Jang Ilso had never attempted to contact anyone.
So how did these people, who had been so far apart, somehow know where the other was going and meet so naturally?
Jeok Ho had never considered himself dull. But at this moment, he had to acknowledge that he was ultimately just a martial artist who wielded a sword.
Even if they looked at the same thing with the same eyes, the world these people saw and the world he saw were completely different.
Biting his lip slightly, he approached where the two were. Even in that brief time, countless thoughts stirred in his mind.
Although it was ultimately beneficial, there are still issues such as punishing Ho Gamyeong, who blatantly tried to deceive Jang Ilso. The management of the Sichuan region, which was still difficult to say had been completely pacified. The pursuit of Tang Family, who had moved north... And countless other issues piled up.
But among all those concerns, what eventually came out of his mouth was none other than a question.
"...Ryeounju-nim. May I ask why we are setting up camp in a place like this?"
Jeok Ho's question was perfectly reasonable.
By common sense, the most urgent matter now was aiding Hao Sect Leader, who had gone to Jeomchang. No, to be precise, to reclaim the command over Hao Sect and the Blood Palace, which had been entrusted to Hao Sect sect leader.
After that, they could discuss the pacification of Sichuan, which had become a no-man's land.
Both issues are more than urgent enough to demand immediate attention. So why waste time in a place like this?
“Tsk.”
At that moment, Jang Ilso clicked his tongue shortly. Just as he was about to open his mouth with a look of annoyance on his face, Ho Gamyeong took on the annoying task instead.
“Because it’s the right place to be right now.”
“...Why?”
Jeok Ho, without realizing it, looked at Ho Gamyeong with a slightly less burdened expression. At that moment, he instinctively realized why Ho Gamyeong's presence was important.
Even someone like Jeok Ho found it difficult to question Jang Ilso. But wouldn't it be different if the opponent were the strategist?
“That way, it will be much easier for him to move.”
"...Him?"
“Bop Jeong. I mean, Shaolin Bangjang.”
Jeok Ho's face went blank at the answer that seemed like a Zen riddle. Why did Shaolin Bangjang suddenly appear here?
Could it be...
“Are you saying they will attack us? Is that why you've blocked this place?”
If Ryeonju-nim and the strategist shared the belief that the Nine Sects would invade Sichuan and had chosen Zhangjiajie as the ideal defensive location, it would make some sense. But...
"Not at all. That won't happen. They don't have such resources."
Ho Gamyeong completely dispelled any of Jeok Ho’s speculation.
“Then why on earth....”
“It seems like you’re thinking the other way around. We’re not trying to keep Ten Great Sects in check right now. In fact, we’re helping them.”
Jeok Ho looked at Ho Gamyeong with a blank expression. What nonsensical talk was this? Why would they be helping Ten Great Sects? To Evil Tyrant Alliance, Ten Great Sects were nothing short of mortal enemies.
“Why on earth?”
“That way, it will be easier for them to bring others under their command.”
Perhaps feeling that those words alone were not enough to explain it, Ho Gamyeong took a deep breath and calmly elaborated.
"This is Zhangjiajie. From here, you can go to Shaanxi, Hubei, or Sichuan. What do you think those comfortably feasting in the north will think once they learn we’ve set up camp here?”
“Well....”
They would probably think a blade has been placed right under their chin. They’ll assume Evil Tyrant Alliance, which has trampled Sichuan and Yunnan, has now set its sights on Hubei.
The war had already begun. Those who had been watching the situation with their butts out would have been terrified after witnessing the annihilation of Qingcheng and Emei.
So what will they do?
"You mean to make them gather under Evil Tyrant Alliance?"
"Exactly."
“Why?”
"Isn't it obvious? That way, they’ll draw clearer boundaries and build walls. Walls so solid they can never be dismantled again."
Jeok Ho's eyes trembled.
'Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Ten Great Sects....'
Ho Gamyeong was saying that by pointing their blades north from here, they would permanently cleave Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Ten Great Sects apart.
“Is that really possible....”
“Haah…”
At that moment, Jang Ilso, who had been just listening to the conversation between the two, shook his head from side to side.
“Hngh. Why do you keep asking questions when you won’t understand even if explained to you?”
"...My apologies, Ryeonju-nim."
"Think about it. Even just a few years ago, could you have imagined risking your life fighting alongside the Black Ghost Fortress?"
"I could not... have imagined it."
Because they were enemies. And not just any enemy, but one that absolutely had to be defeated and trampled underfoot. Yet now, Jeok Ho clearly saw Black Ghost Fortress as allies.
"That's it."
Jang Ilso's red lips twisted slightly.
“People draw boundaries out of necessity. But... once the boundary is drawn, even the one who drew the line ends up being swept up in it."
Jeok Ho looked at Jang Ilso with a puzzled look. Ho Gamyeong calmly elaborated in a voice devoid of emotion.
“The reason Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Ten Great Sects were able to join hands despite their ill feelings toward each other until now is because there existed a middle ground. A middle ground named small and medium sects, and ordinary people. It means that until now, they have shared joint responsibility for those who bear the name of Righteous Sects."
After pausing for a moment, Ho Gamyeong asked.
"But... if a clear line is drawn across that ambiguous middle ground, what do you think will happen?"
Jeok Ho's face stiffened. That's....
"Right now, we’re playing the role of wolves. We’re not attacking yet, but we’re terrifying enough to make the sheep huddle together."
Jeok Ho looked at Jang Ilso and Ho Gamyeong with bewildered eyes.
It's somewhat complicated, but to summarize, aren't they saying that by positioning themselves here, Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Ten Great Sects will separate more definitively?
Then the world would be perfectly divided into three parts.
'Then what happens?'
The greatest reason Evil Tyrant Alliance hadn’t dared to act rashly until now was because the moment they pushed into the north, Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Ten Great Sects would surely join forces.
No matter how much infighting there was, it was only natural to unite against an external enemy.
But what if Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Ten Great Sects no longer see each other as political rivals, what if a boundary is created between them and they begin to see each other as external enemies?
If so, Evil Tyrant Alliance will gain innumerable benefits.
"I understand what you mean. But... whether they will truly move as you think..."
"They will."
“...Yes?”
It was Jang Ilso, not Ho Gamyeong, who answered. His lips twisted into a faint smirk.
"Because that’s what they want most, and that’s the reason they were able to appear in Sichuan in the first place."
Two of them.
But the meaning of 'they' in front and behind was clearly different.
"Tsk. Moving according to that monk's intentions really irks me... but if it benefits us, there’s no reason not to. Just watch. That old monk from Shaolin is probably scurrying around greedily even now."
Jang Ilso let out a chuckle. His gaze naturally turned toward Shaanxi, recalling someone likely making their way back home in defeat.
"How pitiful, Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword."
“....”
"The world is so heartless. After all that effort."
Contrary to his words, Jang Ilso’s eyes sparkled with great joy. It was a hard-to-describe emotion. It was close to the base pleasure one might feel when grabbing a dreamy child by the hair and thrusting reality before their eyes.
"I told you, didn't I? You're past the age for childish whims. The world is ultimately a place where the greediest win."
A faint laugh escaped.
The fate of Heavenly Comrade Alliance, who lost Sichuan and was confined to Shaanxi, was already half-sealed. Ten Great Sects will tear into them more thoroughly now that they've lost their justification by heading toward Tang Family.
And even if Ten Great Sects don't, people naturally seek more familiar places when faced with a major crisis. Compared to Ten Great Sects, how many would stake their lives on Heavenly Comrade Alliance, which is merely a newcomer?
"That’s all that’s needed. Let them hate each other. Ten Great Sects, having gained an opportunity, should trample Heavenly Comrade Alliance, and Heavenly Comrade Alliance should harbor an irrevocable grudge against such Ten Great Sects. So that we can laugh without hesitation at each other’s ruin. Hahahahahaha!”
A loud laugh burst out of Jang Ilso's mouth.
It had been long. Too long.
How much time had he endured to create this scene? How long had he been sharpening his claws to change and twist the future that would ultimately collapse under their alliance no matter how much evil he wreaked and raged?
Enduring again and again, he had finally painted the picture he desired. This pleasure was incomparable to anything else in the world.
It was at that very moment that countless indescribable emotions swirled through Jang Ilso's bloodshot, greasy eyes.
“Rye- Ryeonju-nim!”
There was an urgent voice from behind. Jang Ilso’s face distorted slightly.
The thrill that shouldn’t have been interrupted was broken, and even murderous intent rose. But he quickly suppressed his emotions and glanced back. Ho Gamyeong, ever quick-witted, spoke first.
“What is it?”
“A– A report from Sichuan!”
“Sichuan?”
Ho Gamyeong's eyebrows twitched.
“Yes! They say that an unidentified group is approaching Chengdu as of this moment.”
Ho Gamyeong furrowed his brow and quickly turned his thoughts.
Heavenly Comrade Alliance? No, that can't be. There was no way they could appear in Sichuan now. No matter how powerful a large force may be, its mobility has limits.
“How many?”
“T–That is…”
The one reporting hesitated momentarily. As if the answer was difficult.
Sensing something strange in that reaction, Ho Gamyeong raised his voice slightly and pressed him.
“Answer me. How many?”
"T- There are only about a dozen…”
“A dozen?”
Ho Gamyeong frowned. What was so significant about a mere ten people approaching Chengdu that warranted such alarm?
He waved his hand with mild annoyance.
"I understand, now withdraw..."
"B- But!"
"Hm?"
The messenger shouted, sweating nervously.
“They say that among those dozen, the figure of the Posion King, Tang Gun-ak, was seen!”
“Tang Gun-ak?”
Ho Gamyeong's eyes widened slightly. Why was Tang Gun-ak heading there?
"Does Tang Family have something left to collect? At this point..."
"A- And there is also someone with a physique twice the size of others!"
"...What did you say?"
"A- And someone carrying the Plum Blossom Sword as well..."
Ho Gamyeong's face grew increasingly rigid.
‘Tang Gun-ak, an abnormally large man, and… a Plum Blossom Sword?’
Tang Gun-ak. Beast Palace Gungju Maeng So. And someone from Mount Hua.... But only about a dozen?
Lost in thought momentarily, Ho Gamyeong suddenly jerked his head up. His two eyes shook as if an earthquake had occurred.
"S- Sect leaders? Could it be that the sect leaders of each sect have left their forces unattended...?”
It was something unimaginable by his common sense.
Of course, if such a thing were possible, it would birth an absurdly formidable group. After all, the current sect leaders under Heavenly Comrade Alliance were practically the best martial artists of those sects.
But what kind of mad sect leaders would abandon their retreating forces and enter enemy territory on their own? What kind of lunatic…?
"...P- Plum Blossom Sword Demon..."
At that moment, Ho Gamyeong's head turned violently towards Jang Ilso.
“This is....”
And he saw. The base pleasure covering Jang Ilso's face shattered like glass.
"Rye- Ryenju-nim."
"Hah... Hahah."
A hollow laugh escaped Jang Ilso's mouth. At the end of that laugh, which sounded almost bewildered, Jang Ilso muttered.
“This even I didn’t see coming? To think… there’d be someone in this world even crazier than me.”
Jang Ilso’s laughing face twisted further into something grotesque. Then, a chilling killing intent seeped from his eyes.
"They're coming to stab at this moment? Even in this situation?”
Ho Gamyeong knew. That in Jang Ilso’s voice was an emotion he had never felt from him before.
An emotion even Jang Ilso himself couldn’t bring himself to name.
|Note
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