Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1544. Isn't that good enough? (4)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Burn it down!"
“Kill them all!”
Flames roared up from a village near the Yangtze River.
The sudden disaster made the commoners cry out in shock and scream as they fled, but those who raided the village chased them relentlessly, eyes glittering with madness, and drove blades into their backs.
Screams, pleas, and the crying of children could be heard from everywhere.
"Aaaaagh!"
"Wife!"
A man screamed in grief and rage as he saw the blade protruding from his wife’s chest. He charged at the villains with a yell, but they were opponents that could not be overcome with anger alone.
Sogok!
The husband's head was severed in one strike, and his corpse fell limply.
“Don’t Gangbuk bastards have any guts?”
The man who had beheaded the husband in one blow, Yi Gon (이곤(李堒)), shook the blood off his sword while cackling with laughter.
A scene that could be called nothing short of a living hell unfolded around him. Burning houses, blood spattering everywhere, and people screaming as they fled in all directions.
Yi Gon licked his lips slowly.
‘It’s been a while.’
His heart pounded and his eyes gleamed with excitement.
People often ask if such things don't happen commonly in Gangnam controlled by Evil Tyrant Alliance, but the reality was not so.
Jang Ilso had strictly forbidden Evil Sects from laying a hand on commoners.
Of course, it wasn't out of overflowing compassion. It was because each and every common person was someone who would fill Evil Tyrant Alliance's bellies.
But for low-ranking Evil Sects who saw no share of that wealth, resentment festered.
But here in Gangbuk, none of that mattered.
There were no watchful eyes of Evil Tyrant Alliance monitoring day and night, nor those beast-like Myriad Man Manor bastards who would cut off wrists and thrust heated brands into bellies for disobeying orders.
It meant they could run wild to their heart’s content without having to hold back on anything.
“Tch! Not even beggars, but they don’t even have a sack of grain in these houses.”
Several others who had formed a group with him were searching for valuables with bloodshot eyes. But Yi Gon had no interest in things like valuables. Logically, what great treasures could bastards who just tilled the land in a rural place like this possibly have?
"If we go further up, we'll probably find some bastards with decent money."
"Hehe. We really can keep whatever we obtain in Gangbuk, right?"
His group member seemed to completely trust their superiors' words. Well, it would be stranger to doubt it when it had been promised in the name of Paegun.
As for Yi Gon, whether the promise or the wealth was real or not didn’t matter to him.
Even if it was all a lie, it would be far better than staying in the suffocating Gangnam.
“Once we’ve killed enough, we move.”
“Sounds good.”
The group that had burned the village to the ground began to advance north.
Yi Gon roughly wiped the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve. It was the smell of blood he had after a very long time.
His eyes were becoming dyed with increasingly thick madness.
* * *
“Bangjang!”
Bop Kye hurriedly threw open the door.
"Re- Reports are coming in that Evil Tyrant Alliance is landing at various points along the Yangtze River!"
Bop Jeong's tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
“We are requesting maximum support, but with most of the small and medium-sized sects gathered in Hubei and Shaanxi, it is impossible to completely block off the Yangtze River.”
No, perhaps even if they hadn’t been away, it would still have been impossible to block the Yangtze. From the start, how could such a long and wide river be fully monitored by human effort?
“This is no time to be sitting like this. W- We must come up with some measure!”
"Hmm."
But Bop Jeong’s expression was so serene that it was doubtful he had even properly heard the urgent cry of Bop Kye.
"Have you confirmed it?"
"Yes?"
"What I asked you to confirm."
Bop Kye swallowed dryly before answering.
“That… though it hasn't been precisely confirmed, the martial prowess of those currently attempting to land doesn't seem very high."
Bop Jeong slowly nodded his head.
“…So they are dead stones (사석(死石)/Sacrificial stones).”
"Bangjang! Of course, they're nothing more than rabble to us, but that's not the case for the commoners. It is said that several villages have already been burned. If we leave this as it is, the damage will grow uncontrollably. We need a countermeasure!”
Bop Kye raised their voices in desperation. But Bop Jeong only slowly shook his head.
“It can’t be helped.”
“Huh? What do you…?”
"Myriad Man Manor of Zhangjiajie has moved. You know what that means as well, do you not?"
Bop Kye instantly fell silent.
Evil Sects currently causing disturbances at the Yangtze River were at most rabbles. No, rather than Evil Sects, they were nothing more than thugs better suited to be called by the name of Black Path outlaws.
They might be running rampant now like fish in water while taking advantage of the Yangtze being left unguarded, but in a real war, they would be nothing more than numbers to pad the ranks and wouldn’t be able to exert any significant power.
So where was the true fighting power of Evil Tyrant Alliance right now?
"The moment we move to deal with those rablles, Evil Tyrant Alliance will advance north. Isn't that obvious? We must not move rashly."
“H- However, Bangjang. If we do that…”
"Yes. The damage will be significant. Countless people will lose their lives.”
Bop Kye nodded hard in agreement, hoping that Bop Jeong might still make some other wise decision.
“But there’s no helping it.”
“...”
"The suffering of innocents grieves me deeply. Yet should we fall to Evil Sects, the entire Gangbuk will become hell itself. Just like Gangnam."
“...Bangjang.”
"We must endure."
Bop Jeong cut off decisively with a voice that held not an inch of hesitation.
"What those bastards are aiming for is for us to waver. Under no circumstances should we move according to the enemy’s intentions.”
“H- How can you be so sure?”
Bop Kye bit his lips and protested.
"Could not their intention be to tie us down and lay waste to Gangbuk? Bangjang could be wrong..."
“Bop Kye!”
Bop Jeong, which had raised its voice for a moment, glared at Bop Kye with cold eyes.
"The Buddha overcame all manner of demonic temptations to attain enlightenment. Do not waver."
“...”
Bop Kye clenched his teeth.
He knew it wasn't wrong. It would be foolish to ignore Myriad Man Manor and go after mere rabble.
But… in that case, why had they trained in martial arts in the first place?
This was a different case from the time when they had to grit their teeth and watch the calamity beyond the Yangtze River. This time, if they set their minds to it, they could help the common people without great effort. They could save them.
And yet, even in a situation like this, were they supposed to turn a blind eye to all that suffering?
“Bangjang. If that is the case, then perhaps…”
“That won’t do.”
But before Bop Kye could even spit out the words, Bop Jeong shook his head first. Because he already knew what Bop Kye was going to say.
“Paegun would never have overlooked something like that. The moment we head to Zhangjiajie, the trap he’s laid will surely be waiting for us.”
"Then what in the world..."
“Amitabha.”
Bop Jeong quietly recited.
“We won’t have to wait forever. If Myriad Man Manor does not move as they are, they too will have meaninglessly consumed the forces they pushed into Gangbuk. Would Jang Ilso just watch until he becomes such a fool?"
“...”
“He will surely move. Surely. This is a battle of patience. If they move, we can surely annihilate the enemy.”
“Bangjang...”
"Dispel the delusions from your hearts. Do not be played by the schemes of enemies who wish us to waver. And convey instructions to the others as well to maintain their positions and not move."
“...”
"Hurry."
“...Yes, Bangjang.”
Bop Kye nodded reluctantly. His movements were slower and heavier than usual. Watching him leave with his head bowed, Bop Jeong added.
“Bop Kye.”
“...Yes, Bangjang.”
“Two hours.”
Bop Kye looked back with questioning eyes.
"I will permit only up to a distance that allows return within two hours. I will allow the annihilation of Evil Sects gathered there. Relay that other sects may also move under the same condition.”
“Ba- Bangjang!”
“It must not exceed two hours. This must be obeyed.”
Bop Kye nodded hurriedly.
“I will be sure to relay that.”
“You may go.”
"Yes!"
Bop Kye left with a face that was markedly different from a moment ago. Bop Jeong’s eyes soon grew heavy again.
‘Nothing will change, and yet he is so pleased.’
Even for a martial artist who had reached the peak, how far could one travel in a two-hour round trip? In the end, it would be nothing more than the outskirts of Hubei.
Even if they annihilate Evil Sects within that area, it won't help the direction of this war by even a speck.
Knowing this, Bop Jeong had still granted what Bop Kye wanted. Though he would never have permitted it before, now Bop Jeong too knows. That human heart is not as rational as he had thought.
Just by annihilating Evil Sects before their eyes, the discontent that filled their hearts would be resolved to some extent. Then wouldn’t that be for the best?
Bop Jeong shook his head with a slightly bitter face.
This was something he had actually learned from Heavenly Comrade Alliance. That people find satisfaction not when doing the right thing, but when doing what they want to do.
"Huu."
He sighed deeply and fell into thought.
'Paegun....'
He was truly a man who made moves that others couldn't even imagine.
But the shock was no longer the same.
Unlike the past, now Bop Jeong also knew that the man named Jang Ilso always surpassed expectations.
He was just curious now.
“What will you do, Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.”
This must be what they call a dead end.
“Did I not tell you? That someday your own words and actions would bind you.”
The softly chanted Buddha's name spread out heavily.
“Amitabha.”
* * *
“They say the bastards are carrying out a massacre.”
In Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s great hall, the expressions of those gathered could not possibly grow any darker.
"Urgent reports have flown in from Huaining and Chizhou."
“...Is it Anhui?”
As someone muttered, Namgung Dohwi bit his lip so hard it bled.
The river crossings were happening all along the Yangtze, but the place where they were most concentrated was none other than Anhui.
'We...'
Not only was Namgung Family absent, but Namgung Dowi had actively brought the small and medium-sized sects of Anhui to Shaanxi. As a result, Anhui had literally become a no man's land.
Evil Tyrant Alliance, as if having anticipated such movements by Namgung Dowi, was landing in the emptied Anhui without any hesitation.
“What should we do, Nokrim King!”
In his urgency, Namgung Dowi turned to Im Sobyeong with a heated voice.
At this rate, Anhui would literally become hell.
No, it's not just Anhui. If they continue to watch this unfold, the world will soon burst into flames. It was an incomparably different situation from moments ago when problems had arisen in just a few locations.
"We must do something!"
Listening to Namgung Dowi's desperate voice, Im Sobyeong was lost in thought with a hardened face.
After a moment, when Im Sobyeong's gaze shifted toward someone, all eyes in the room followed.
Toward Chung Myung, sitting like a stone statue in his chair with arms crossed.
Heavy stares bore into him, and Chung Myung forced open lips that could barely bring themselves to move.
“First of all...”
The hand hidden behind Chung Myung’s elbow was clenched so tightly that blood couldn’t circulate.
“Until Jang Ilso moves...”
“...”
“Just a little more...”
That was the moment.
Screech.
A chair scraped harshly against the floor as someone stood.
It was Yoon Jong.
He looked down at Chung Myung with an indifferent face and spoke calmly.
“I’m going to Anhui.”
“Yoon Jong-ah!”
The one who reacted wasn't Chung Myung, but the other Five Swords.
"Sa- Sahyung! Why are you suddenly acting like this?"
“Why?”
Yoon Jong asked Jo-Gol back, as if he found Jo-Gol's reaction of trying to dissuade him strange.
“Does a person need a reason to go and save people?”
The calm voice, as if stating the obvious, pierced everyone's hearts like a blue-cold dagger.
|Note
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