Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1199

“Wait… No, Manager Jang,” Tang Gunak said, sounding unsure.

Tang Gunak sounded a little nervous. He cleared his throat loudly and tried to look calm, then sighed.

“Of course, I agree that we must go to Hainan,” he said.

It was clear there was no room for disagreement.

The Cheonwu Alliance had already decided to do things differently from the Nine Great Sects. The most important part of that new direction was going to Hainan. If they didn’t go to Hainan now, people would think their promises to Beopjeong were just empty words.

So, agreeing to go to Hainan was the obvious next step.

“And I know the situation in Hainan is not easy. If we can, we should hurry. But being quick and being careless are not the same.”

Baek Cheon nodded, agreeing.

“Going to Hainan is a serious matter. We have to go far into Gangnam. So, we need to prepare well. If we rush, we could make things worse, right?”

“I fully agree with the Clan Lord’s words.”

Baek Cheon nodded and looked at Tang Gunak.

“To keep people safe and avoid problems, we need to prepare properly.”

“But why…”

“That’s exactly why.”

“Hmm?”

Tang Gunak tilted his head, not understanding. Baek Cheon then explained further, calmly.

“Right now, going quickly is the best way to avoid problems.”

“…Are you talking about Hainan?”

“No.”

Baek Cheon answered immediately without the slightest hesitation.

“Of course, going faster will also help Hainan. But the main reason to hurry is not just for Hainan, but for the people who are going to Gangnam.”

“…Explain in more detail.”

“It’s not like we only discussed the trip to Hainan yesterday or today. Even though only a few people in the Alliance knew, news will spread, don’t you think?”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gunak nodded, thinking there was some truth in that.

“And recently, even the Alliance Leader found out what we are planning. The Alliance Leader will have to explain why the talks failed, so he will probably talk about this.”

Tang Gunak nodded, finally understanding.

“Are you saying that our trip to Hainan could be known to the Four Evil Sects?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s not that I don’t trust the people I told. But secrets are hard to keep, like water, they always find a way out. Even if people don’t mean to tell. In fact, because they don’t mean to be bad, they might talk about it without thinking.”

Tang Gunak’s face became slightly serious. He thought it was a reasonable point.

‘The Four Evil Sects⋯⋯.’

If Shaolin hadn’t gotten involved, things might be different. But now, it’s very likely that the Four Evil Sects will find out about our trip to Hainan.

“It’s become troublesome.”

From the Cheonwu Alliance’s point of view, Gangnam was literally a hostile territory. But what if the Four Evil Sects knew about their trip to Gangnam?

‘A suitable place will become a death trap.’

Tang Gunak, his face hardened, looked at Baek Cheon.

“Manager Jang.”

“Yes, Clan Lord.”

“I understand what Manager Jang is saying. But I am also worried. I understand that we need to hurry because the situation could become difficult, but⋯⋯.”

“Are you saying that we might be jumping into a dangerous place without preparation?”

“That’s right.”

Tang Gunak readily agreed, and Baek Cheon spoke again.

“I have also considered that part. But this time, it’s not something that can be solved by delaying. While we are thinking, they will also be devising countermeasures.”

“Hmm. But⋯⋯.”

“And the one who is devising those countermeasures is Jang Il-so.”

Tang Gunak shut his mouth at those words.

Planning strategies and fighting him? Everyone knows how that ends. If Jang Il-so has time to prepare, no one in the martial world can beat him.

“Of course, I know. It may seem rushed and dangerous,” Baek Cheon admitted. Tang Gunak didn’t argue and just listened.

“But the Cheonwu Alliance has always taken a long time to agree and find the best plan. That worked before, but it won’t work now.”

Tang Gunak’s face became more serious.

He understood what ‘from now on’ meant. When war breaks out in the martial world, taking time to discuss and agree on everything will be pointless. Quick decisions and brave actions will be needed.

“Is that your opinion?”

“Yes, Clan Lord.”

Baek Cheon nodded.

“But if we’re wrong, it could be a disaster.”

“That’s why I said three days. I can’t find the perfect plan alone. But with everyone here and three days, we can find a good plan, even if it’s not perfect.”

Baek Cheon paused. “I think we need to balance both approaches. We shouldn’t be too stubborn and decide everything ourselves, but we also can’t take too long. So, from now on, we have to work hard to find an answer quickly.”

Tang Gunak rubbed his chin, thinking. At first, he thought it sounded rushed and unplanned, but now it seemed very sensible.

He looked at Baek Cheon differently now.

He had seen Baek Cheon speak confidently to Beopjeong before, but now he realized this man was truly clever. While everyone else was still shocked by Hwasan getting a new leader, Baek Cheon was already thinking about what to do next.

‘He might seem rushed and young, but the leader of Hwasan can’t be just that, can he?’ Looking at Baek Cheon now, he understood what Baek Cheon meant earlier.

“First of all…” Tang Gunak frowned slightly. “Just to be sure, is this Hwasan’s idea as a group within the Cheonwu Alliance?”

“Yes, of course. If you have a better idea, we can change our plan.”

“I understand.” After making sure he understood the main point, Tang Gunak asked again. “You said we need to gather people. How many people are you thinking of? About how many from each group…?”

“If I think about it, I’d like one person from each group, so more than ten people in total.”

Tang Gunak’s eyes widened, looking surprised for a moment.

“Are you going to Hainan with so few people?”

“Do you think we can fight the Four Evil Sects just by having more people?”

Baek Cheon shrugged.

“Even if we send a hundred or two hundred people, if the Four Evil Sects surround them in Gangnam, they’ll be defeated before they can even fight properly. Do we send enough people to actually fight the Four Evil Sects?”

“…That would start a war.”

“Yes, exactly.”

Baek Cheon looked directly at Tang Gunak with firm eyes.

“So, we should send as few people as possible to Hainan.”

“But then they can’t fight back if they are found?”

“That’s why I said we should only send people who are skilled in martial arts. And if possible, choose those who are very good at moving quickly from each group.”

“…Moving quickly?”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon said confidently, his face shining as if he was very sure of himself. “Because we’ll have to run if we’re caught.”

“Even if we run, we have a better chance of surviving if we split up and run in different directions. So, we need people who can escape from the Four Evil Sects on their own. That’s the most important thing.”

“Uh…” It made sense. Yes, it really did make sense.

Tang Gunak couldn’t hide his surprise. He stared at Baek Cheon, thinking, ‘Does a leader of a group usually talk like this?’ Even people who weren’t like this usually become careful about what they say and do when they become important…”

Tang Gunak cleared his throat and nodded.

“So, Hwasan’s idea is to get to Hainan quickly with just a few people who are good at moving fast.”

“Yes.”

Tang Gunak rubbed his chin. “It sounds good, but it also seems risky, like we’re not ready. If they get to Hainan like that, how will they get out safely?”

“We don’t need to worry about that,” Baek Cheon said.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Baek Cheon’s lips curved into a strange smile.

“Usually, the Cheonwu Alliance would make a perfect plan to escape Hainan. But isn’t that actually pointless?”

“Why?”

“We could plan everything, get to Hainan, but what if Hainan doesn’t trust our plan and just wants to stay there? What can we do then?”

“…Huh?” Tang Gunak looked confused.

Baek Cheon sat up straighter. “The most important thing now is to find out what Hainan wants. We can plan the rest later. All our problems started because we lost contact with Hainan after the Four Evil Sects took over Gangnam.”

“…Contact.”

“Yes. I think we should focus on getting that contact back first.”

“Hmm. If we do that, it would be a little…” Tang Gunak started to agree, then stopped. Something seemed wrong.

“Wait… Aren’t you being a bit contradictory? If they want to stay in Hainan, why do we need to make contact?”

A strange smile appeared on Baek Cheon’s face. “Of course, it’s not for our benefit.”

“But?”

“Clan Lord, sometimes we do things not because they are useful to us. Sometimes, we do things because it’s the right thing to do, out of kindness, don’t you think?”

“Kindness?”

“Think about it,” Baek Cheon said, sounding very sympathetic. “How worried must the other groups be? Hainan is like a brother group to them, trapped in enemy territory with no way to talk to them.”

“Other groups? You mean the old Nine Sects?”

“Yes!” Baek Cheon’s face looked genuinely concerned. “If Hainan decides to join the Cheonwu Alliance, then of course we should help them directly. But even if they don’t, we can’t just leave them there. At least, we should try to get their communication lines working again while we’re in Gangnam.”

“…You call that ‘the right thing to do’?”

“Haha, Clan Lord,” Baek Cheon smiled brightly. “This is Hwasan’s way.”

Tang Gunak’s face became openly doubtful. It was a bit awkward for him, not being a Taoist, to argue about ‘the way’ and ‘the right thing to do’ with Hwasan, but something still seemed strange…

Just then, Tang Gunak looked at someone else. He thought someone would definitely argue with Baek Cheon about this. He looked at Chung Myung…

“Oh?” Tang Gunak saw it. Chung Myung, who had looked furious just moments ago, was now looking at Baek Cheon with shining eyes, as if impressed.

“That’s actually quite smart?” Chung Myung said.

“Hehe. Isn’t it?” Baek Cheon grinned.

“If we do this well, maybe we can even trick that bald old man, even if we fail?” Chung Myung mumbled.

“This is the dignity of the leader, my third disciple,” Baek Cheon said proudly.

“Hmm… I admit it this time,” Chung Myung grumbled.

The tension slowly left Tang Gunak’s face. ‘Is this really okay?’ he wondered quietly. As soon as this meeting ends, I need to talk to Hyun Jong alone.