Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1550. Nevertheless (5)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“Let’s go! Just run!”
“No, why are we suddenly running!"
“Everyone else is running!”
Jo-Gol ran out of Huayin, swearing that he wouldn’t fall behind the other groups.
“We’re not even going the same way, so why are we running together!”
"I get it, so just run!"
Gwak Hwe grabbed his forehead.
When that man had begged him to please join his unit, he should have refused, even if it meant getting beaten up! Damn this thing called sentiment.
"So where are we headed?"
“Jiangsu!”
“Ugh....”
Gwak Hwe's face distorted. It was one of the farthest places one could reach from Shaanxi.
He hoped it was a coincidence, but... there's no way.
"When will we ever reach Jiangsu... Sa- Sahyung. Where are you going!"
Jo-Gol left the grumbling Gwak Hwe behind and dashed forward in a single breath. He was heading for Yoon Jong’s team, which was running ahead.
“Yoon Jong Sahyung! Where are you headed?”
“Anhui.”
“Knew it!”
Jo-Gol nodded vigorously. Anhui was the area with the most serious crisis right now. So, it was only natural that some of Mount Hua’s units would be assigned to Anhui.
“What about Sasuk?”
“Anhui.”
Jo-Gol's face hardened for a moment. Was it a coincidence? Or....
“Sahyung. Sasukis….”
"Gol, where are you going?"
"Me? I'm going to Jiangsu Province."
"As you may know, Jiangsu borders Zhejiang. You remember that Hangzhou is in the north of Zhejiang, right?"
“Yes, of course.”
How could he forget the place that had given him such terrible memories?
"When public order collapses in a city, the consequences tend to spread like wildfire. Anhui didn’t collapse too quickly only because there are sects there that follow Namgung, but Jiangsu’s situation must be dire. And if remnants of Magyo remain, the problem will be even worse… Gol. Are you listening to me?”
Jo-Gol slowly moved away from Yoon Jong.
“Where are you going?”
“No. Just go on your way.”
"You are now in a position to lead people, so you should... "
Jo-Gol squeezed his eyes shut. I must be crazy. Why did I ever worry about a guy like him?
“What about Sago?”
"Who knows?"
“Oh, now that I think about it, Soso didn't seem to form a unit? Is she going with sago?"
"No."
Yoon Jong shook his head firmly.
"Soso isn't in a position to operate as a mere unit leader right now. She'll likely station herself in one of the mountain fortresses that will become an intermediary contact point and oversee the situation of the physicians."
"Ah..."
Hearing it, it made perfect sense. It was Tang Soso who founded the mobile medic corps, and she was also the one who decided to deploy them for this mission, so it would indeed be more effective for her to directly manage the overall situation.
Though he understood, he momentarily felt as if Tang Soso had drifred away. He had to break a sweat just to form one small unit, and Soso was already in command of so many people.
"I'll have to work hard if I don't want to embarrass myself.”
Yoon Jong chuckled at those words.
“That’s quite surprising.”
"This guy, really!"
“That you still think you have any embarrassment left to suffer.”
“This guy is real!”
Jo-Gol glared at Yoon Jong with a crumpled face, then cautiously checked his reaction.
“But… um…”
“What now?”
“Chung… Myung, what about him?”
Yoon Jong's expression instantly sank. To someone who didn’t know him, it might look simply calm. But Jo-Gol, who was used to Yoon Jong, didn’t miss the faint thread of chill flowing beneath that expression.
"It won't be necessary."
"Yes?"
“Something like units. He’s someone who can easily handle things alone.”
“N- No, Sahyung. Why are you saying that…?”
“I only stated the truth. Having a unit like this won't help him. Sticking clumsy unit members on him will just hold him back.”
That's not wrong. Honestly, Jo-Gol-do agrees.
Even so, the reason he couldn’t easily nod was because of the peculiar chill laced in Yoon Jong’s voice.
“He was different from us in the first place.”
"Sahyung?"
“I’ll go first.”
Yoon Jong-eun left Jo-Gol behind and went forward.
“Sahyung! Let’s go together!”
Only then did Yoon Jong's face, running with Jo-Gol behind him, subtly contort.
‘Pathetic.’
It was a reproach thrown at himself.
Forcibly shaking off his thoughts that were trying to become complicated, he fixed his gaze on the back of the person running ahead.
‘Sasuk.’
Yoon Jong's eyes as he watched Baek Cheon's back were dark.
‘If everyone’s going to act as they please like that… then I’ll do the same.’
Yoon Jong, hardening his resolve in his heart, spurred his legs on even faster.
---
"This might sound out of place given the situation... but it's quite a sight."
Chung Myung frowned slightly at Tang Gun-ak's words.
But even Chung Myung had to admit it was accurate. Dozens of units of ten-odd members fanning out across the land wasn't something you saw every day.
“What about Beggar Union?”
"They said they would join up on their own."
“Slowpokes.”
When Chung Myung bluntly criticized them, Tang Gun-ak glanced at him.
“Isn’t it something that deserves praise?”
“What’s there to praise about doing now what they should’ve been doing long ago? What they were doing before was what deserved criticism.”
Tang Gun-ak chuckled bitterly.
The old Beggar Union would've at best gathered some beggars at convenient rally points.
The entire task of distinguishing them one by one, dividing them, and dispatching them would have been the responsibility of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
But the way Hong Dae-gwang, who had newly become the branch leader, handled things was different.
No matter where the units were departing from Huayin, or how fast they move, we can know their tracks and catch up, so don’t waste time and move out immediately.
‘That’s some incredible confidence.’
Perhaps, as Chung Myung said, this was the very attitude the Beggars’ Union should’ve shown from the beginning.
"Ah. They also promised to relay Evil Sects' locations in each province as quickly as possible."
"That's basic. Why are they saying it like they're doing us a favor? Anyway, those beggar bastards."
When irritation finally appeared on Chung Myung's face, Tang Gun-ak shook his head from side to side.
"But in the case of Yuryong Sect, we will need to make a move from our side. There’s no suitable way for them to join up.”
“No need to overthink. Just pick a few and send them to each province.”
“To the provinces?”
"Yes. To be precise, to the mountain strongholds. Yuryong Sect also has strongholds they use as intermediate bases in each province, don't they?"
“Certainly… Rather than telling them to find their own way. We can just tell them the locations identified by the nearby mountain strongholds.”
"That’s right."
Tang Gun-ak nodded. With that, most of the issues were settled.
He quietly looked up at the sky and let out a long breath.
'One day?'
No, not even a day. Merely half a day.
The time it took this massive alliance to gather opinions, reach conclusions, and reorganize its formation.
Some might say even that was slow, but Tang Gun-ak knew well how gatherings of various great family and sects usually dragged on.
Half a day was a tremendous speed that cannot even be expressed in words like ‘miraculous’.
And....
“We will use the mountain strongholds as intermediary bases for supplies.”
As Im Sobyeong quickly approached and spoke, Tang Gun-ak asked,
"Will supplies be necessary? Just..."
"Don't talk nonsense. Do martial artists not eat? It might be possible normally, but in situations where they must repeat intense battles, they're bound to feel hunger. Since it's unknown how many days this will take, preparation is all the more necessary."
“Hmm.”
"And the supplies aren't just for them. No matter how fast we move, there will already be cases where we’re too late. Grains and money are absolutely necessary for the refugees.”
Tang Gun-ak nodded. That was something he hadn’t considered.
"We’ll designate a mountain stronghold as a central point and coordinate with nearby merchant guilds. The Eunah Merchant Guild Sangdangju Master Hwang will handle this part."
"That would be best."
Tang Gun-ak secretly clicked his tongue.
The departure was hasty, but that's not all. Rather than finishing preparations first and then sending people, they sent people ahead while completing the preparations afterward. That something this unreasonable was even possible was thanks to the three pillars—Nokrim, Yuryong Sect, and the merchants’ guild.
‘In the past… If it were Ten Great Sects, it would have been something they couldn't even dream of.’
Not because they were lacking or insufficient. It's because the very foundation itself was different.
Wudang controlled the southern part of Henan to Hubei, and Shaolin exerted enormous influence over Henan in general. And Southern Edge Sect held firm grip on Shaanxi.
But those three regions were not connected. Even for a Hubei merchant guild to pass into Shaanxi was no easy task. That was how difficult regional interconnection was.
But Southern Edge Sect’s methods are different. Southern Edge Sect was not restricted by region and could travel throughout Jungwon.
Nokrim and merchant guilds. Yuryong Sect and Beggar Union.
Because these four powers had bases spanning the entire land.
“Was it like this from the beginning?”
"What was?"
“No, nothing.”
Tang Gun-ak shook his head. What was the point of questioning that now? What mattered was that it had already become this way.
Chung Myung continued.
“What we need to worry about is turning each mountain stronghold into a proper base.”
“We’ll make sure of it. We’ll receive support from Beggar Union, and we’ll also send our own people separately.”
Im Sobyeong sighed deeply.
“Ugh… To think mountain bandit strongholds would end up dens for Righteous Sects.”
But he knew best that there was no other way, so it couldn't be helped.
"Make certain of it."
"Don’t worry. That much is…"
"No. More certain."
“....”
A look of surprise crossed Tang Gun-ak's face as he watched Chung Myung. The pair of eyes he met had already sunk cold.
"We must maintain the communication network perfectly. So we can recall those we’ve sent out at any moment. If this is Jang Ilso’s scheme, he will surely exploit the moment our forces are scattered."
Tang Gun-ak nodded.
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Only after receiving a definitive answer did Chung Myung turn his head away.
Behind the people of Namgung Family who were running most urgently, Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong, and Jo-Gol were running. The people dispatched from Southern Edge Sect were also in that vicinity.
"Huu!"
Chung Myung exhaled briefly and took a bold step forward.
“Then if anything happens, please contact me as quickly as possible.”
“Are you going as well?”
“Hey! Come here!”
Kiii!
At Chung Myung’s words, Baek-ah, who had been waiting nearby, swiftly leapt onto Chung Myung’s shoulder. As if understanding the entire situation, his black eyes were equally resolute.
"Beggar Union’s Blue Pigeon aren’t slow, but there may still be times when they’re noticed. So for truly urgent news, send word through this guy."
“Hmm.”
Tang Gun-ak sent a slightly reluctant gaze. Chung Myung shrugged.
“It’s not that I didn’t think staying behind in the headquarters might be better....”
His gaze slipped forward.
“It just feels like there may be a few variables.”
Tang Gun-ak sighed. Now that he had made up his mind, he wouldn't change it. That’s Chung Myung.
"I won't stop you. But remember one thing."
“What is it?”
“You are now the General of Heavenly Comrade Alliance before you are a disciple of Mount Hua. Hundreds, thousands of lives hang on your every move.”
Tang Gun-ak looked at Chung Myung with resolute eyes.
"Never forget that weight."
Chung Myung stared at Tang Gun-ak for a moment and then shrugged slightly.
“…What an obvious thing to say.”
His voice was faintly indifferent, but it felt slightly different from usual. Perhaps it was only Tang Gun-ak’s imagination.
Chung Myung turned around before Tang Gun-ak's thoughts deepened.
"Then."
Paaaaat!
His body shot forward in a single breath. Transformed into a streak of light, he closed the distance with those who had gone ahead in the blink of an eye.
Tang Gun-ak clenched his fist inside his sleeve.
'Now I can only trust.'
Even though an unknown unease still stirred in his heart, Tang Gun-ak firmly turned away from it and turned his body.
He too must do his best here.
“Let’s go.”
Tang Gun-ak firmly moved his reluctant feet.
|Note
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