Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1285

Gwak Hwan-so’s arms and legs churned the water, fighting desperately.

‘Faster!’

He gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, as he swam underwater. He wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, only that he needed to reach the shore as fast as possible.

Splash!

The water pushed him hard, the underwater scenery blurring past. He was moving incredibly fast. Gwak Hwan-so had never swum so fast in his life. He was amazed he could move so quickly underwater.

‘Keuk!’

But no matter how fast he moved, the gap between him and those ahead only widened.

‘Damn it.’

Almost without realizing it, Gwak Hwan-so bit his lip, his eyes fixed on the backs of the Cheonwu Alliance members (a group of martial arts schools), now barely visible.

He thought about martial arts. Of course, he was slower.

These weren’t just students from famous groups. They were leaders of their own schools. It would be wrong to compare his skills to theirs.

But…

‘To be outdone in a water attack? How can that be!’

This was what Gwak Hwan-so couldn’t understand.

He was from Hainan (an island known for its water). He’d been swimming before he could walk, growing up with water as his playground. How could he possibly be lagging behind others in swimming speed?

Water attacks weren’t just about high martial prowess. Just as there were good runners and good swimmers, those unfamiliar with water should struggle to swim skillfully, no matter how hard they tried.

Especially in deep water, shouldn’t that be the case?

Yet, the disciples of Hwasan, grabbing onto their companions one by one, were only getting further away from him.

‘Damn it!’

If the sect leader and elders who had gone ahead hadn’t created a path for them, he might have already lost track of them in this rough current.

He was about to swim even faster…

Thump!

Someone grabbed his leg.

Startled, Gwak Hwan-so turned to see Lee Ja-yang shaking his head strongly, his face about to burst. Lee Ja-yang pointed towards the rear.

The distance between Gwak Hwan-so and the Hainan disciples had grown considerably. Just as he couldn’t catch up to the Cheonwu Alliance members despite his desperate efforts, the Hainan disciples following him couldn’t keep up with him either.

Gwak Hwan-so bit his lip.

Unable to shake off his lingering attachment, he glanced forward before reminding himself of his role and loosening the strength he had put into his limbs.

‘Damn it….’

He signaled Lee Ja-yang to go ahead and moved quickly towards the rear. Moving to the very back of the group, he gently pushed the backs of the lagging disciples.

The exhausted disciples looked at Gwak Hwan-so, who simply nodded in response. Only then did they regain their strength and swim forward again.

Gwak Hwan-so clenched his fist tightly and followed behind the advancing disciples.

Whoosh!

The Hwasan disciples, having almost reached the shore, burst out of the water.

Chung Myung tossed Seol So-baek, who had been clinging to his shoulders, away irritably.

“Agh! This lump of baggage!”

“Chung Myung-ah!”

“Hey, you crazy bastard! That’s the Palace Lord (like a leader or important person)!”

“Palace Lord? What about the Palace Lord? What’s he doing here if he can’t even swim!”

“Well… he’s essential for persuading Hainan.”

“Essential my foot!”

“Glug… D-dojang….”

“Tch!”

Chung Myung pressed down hard on Seol So-baek’s stomach with his foot. Clear water gurgled out of Seol So-baek’s mouth.

“…He really can’t swim at all.”

“Why would he need to swim in the Northern Sea? Even Chung Myung nearly froze to death when he went in the water there.”

“But thinking back, didn’t Chung Myung tie Baek Ah to a fishing rod and go fishing back then?”

The Hwasan disciples talked quietly among themselves. Then, they all looked sadly towards the north, as if they were all thinking the same thing.

They were thinking about Baek Ah, their friend who was far away in Gangnam.

“Is he doing well?”

“…We’re sorry.”

“To think a person could feel guilt towards an animal.”

The Hwasan disciples briefly offered a silent prayer, thinking of Baek Ah, who was desperately traversing Gangnam with his short legs. People and animals alike should have a conscience.

“No time for this. Move.”

“Yes!”

No sooner had Baek Cheon spoken than Jo Gul, Yoon Jong, Yoo Iseol, Tang Soso, and Hae Yeon shot forward like lightning. Namgung Dowi looked back at Baek Cheon with a confused look.

“What are you going to do now?”

“We’re going to check if there are any enemies nearby. We need to assess the situation before we can decide on our next move.”

“I, I also want to do something…”

“No.”

Baek Cheon shook his head firmly.

“If someone who isn’t in sync moves, it could cause problems. Young masters, please stay here and look after Palace Lord Seol, and control the Hainan disciples who arrive later.”

“…Understood.”

“Once everyone is ashore, give them a short rest, and erase all traces left on the beach. Eventually, our tracks will be discovered, but delaying that time even a little will be a great help.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

“Then…”

Baek Cheon’s expression, which had been giving firm and neat instructions, changed in an instant. He turned his head weakly. He was looking at Chung Myung, who was shaking Seol So-baek violently in the back.

“Aren’t you getting up? Aren’t you getting up, you bastard? Just because he’s the Palace Lord! His eyes are rolling back from drinking a little water!”

“B-breath… Breath… Dojang….”

“Does he still think he’s a child! He’s too old to be acting like this! Stop acting weak. Aren’t you getting up? You, you… Ack! Ouch! My ear, my ear! No, Sasuk! Why my precious ear! Ack!”

“Come on, you punk.”

“Ack! Baek Cheon, my ear! Let go of my ear! You…”

Baek Cheon didn’t even pretend to listen, grabbing Chung Myung’s ear tightly and dragging him away into the forest. Namgung Dowi, who was staring blankly at the scene, sighed deeply.

“Why?”

When Dang Pae asked the reason for his sigh, Namgung Dowi simply wore a bitter expression without a word.

“Is it because the gap between you and them doesn’t seem to be closing?”

“No. It’s not that.”

Namgung Dowi shook his head.

“I know I’m still lacking. Especially since the martial arts of the Namgung family aren’t the kind that can be improved by being impatient. If I steadily persevere (patience and hard work), I’ll eventually be able to compete with the others. Except for the Hwasan Sword Demon, that is.”

“Then why?”

“…Isn’t it strange?”

“Huh?”

Namgung Dowi glanced at the forest where the Hwasan disciples had disappeared with a strange look, then said.

“They’re too skilled at everything.”

Dang Pae nodded with a slightly awkward expression at those words. Namgung Dowi silently looked at his hand. A clear red mark remained on the wrist that Baek Cheon had grabbed and pulled in the water. The clarity of that handprint seemed to speak of the distance between Baek Cheon and Namgung Dowi.

“They’re even good at swimming underwater.”

“What’s so special about swimming…”

“It’s not just that.”

Namgung Dowi added with a hardened expression.

“I was only thinking about getting there as quickly as possible, but they’re naturally thinking about the next step. Every time I see them, I wonder what those people can’t do. Don’t you think they’d be good at anything you asked them to do?”

Dang Pae had to nod in agreement. Certainly, the Hwasan disciples had that aspect. The feeling that they could do anything twice as well as others, and more skillfully.

“Martial prowess can somehow be matched with effort, but I wonder if I can ever catch up with that aspect…”

“You’re worrying about something trivial.”

A voice that sounded mocking suddenly cut in. Namgung Dowi turned back with an awkward expression to see Im So-byeong, soaked to the bone, wringing out his clothes as he approached. His face was full of annoyance.

“How can someone who grew up in the warm Namgung family, seeing only good things and eating only good things, be the same as those who grew up experiencing all sorts of hardships outside?”

Namgung Dowi retorted with a sulky expression.

“The difference between me, someone who grew up protected, and those who grew up tough, enduring all sorts of hardships?”

“Ah. You seem to understand that much. Wow, your brain is getting better.”

Despite the clear sarcasm, Namgung Dowi didn’t get angry; instead, he chuckled.

“I understand what you mean, but what about the Green Forest King?”

“…Huh?”

“The Green Forest King seems to be someone who really rolled around in the weed fields outside, but the Green Forest King doesn’t seem to be good at anything except using his head.”

“That… Uh… That’s.”

“It seems that weeds are weeds in their own way? It seems there are useless weeds too.”

“Ugh….”

Dang Pae was fascinated as he watched their conversation. It was the first time he had seen Namgung Dowi land such a big blow on Im So-byeong.

‘Dowi has grown!’

Dang Pae’s heart was filled with emotion.

Im So-byeong started complaining later, but Namgung Dowi didn’t even listen and was lost in thought.

‘The Hwasan people are definitely different.’

They’re good because they’ve experienced all sorts of things? That’s not wrong, but it’s missing the key point. The really important thing is that the ‘all sorts of things’ include things that others wouldn’t experience even if they lived their whole lives.

Do those who grew up really rough know how to do all those things?

‘That can’t be.’

That can’t be possible. The Hainan disciples would have lived quite rough lives for a righteous sect, but since the situation unfolded, they’ve been barely managing to keep up.

But the Hwasan disciples are moving as if they already knew all this. As if they had been thinking about and preparing for this situation long ago.

Is this even possible? Namgung Dowi, who had been thinking deeply, shook his head.

Preparing for war isn’t that difficult. Increase martial prowess, collect weapons and food, and secure power. But to predict the things that will happen in that war and cultivate the appropriate abilities is realistically impossible.

‘I don’t know.’

Namgung Dowi became curious again. What kind of world does the Hwasan Sword Demon Chung Myung see? Is he really seeing the same world as the others?

At that moment, the Hainan disciples began to arrive on the shore one by one. Geum Yang-baek and the elders rushed out at the front. Namgung Dowi bit his lip without realizing it.

‘The Nine Great Sects (major martial arts groups) and the Five Great Families (influential family clans) of the world.’

A burst of laughter escaped his lips.

‘If there’s anything wrong, it’s the world I was looking at. I was the fool who was dreaming and living in it.’

Reality is always cruel. But now, Namgung Dowi will not turn away from the approaching reality. If that’s the real world, he will face it without avoiding it…

“Dowi-ya. Don’t just stand there, come here and press Palace Lord Seol’s stomach. Not enough water came out.”

“…Yes.”

But it seemed a little too early for Seol So-baek.