Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1219

Im So-byeong was a man of his word.

True to his promise, the Cheonwu Alliance slipped across the Jang River as quietly as shadows. For a whole day, they moved through the mountains, and not even a whisper of the Sae Pae Union reached them. It was as if Im So-byeong had vanished them from the face of the earth. He had boasted that in these mountains, no one could find their trail, not even the Sae Pae Union, and he was proving it to be true.

Of course… that was if one could truly call the path they were taking a ‘path’.

Ratatat!

If viewed from above, even the bravest man in the world would feel his knees weaken and slowly back away; from such a steep cliff, rather large stones tumbled down.

It was fortunate that there were no travelers in these deep mountains with such steep cliffs. If there had been someone below, they would not have been able to avoid a great disaster.

However, if there was someone below, and if they were lucky enough to dodge all the rapidly falling stones, and if they looked up in surprise, they might have been able to spot it.

A dozen or so small somethings clinging to that dizzying cliff.

“Hee, hiik!”

Namgung Dowook, who instinctively looked down at the falling rocks, clung to the cliff in horror.

Considering his lofty position as the young lord of the prestigious Namgung Clan, spreading his arms and legs like a frog and sticking to the cliff might seem undignified, but right now, there was no room in his head for such concerns.

“Why… Why! Whyyyyyy!”

Namgung Dowook screamed as if in his death throes.

“Why do we have to go this wayyyyyy!”

The desperate cry echoed mournfully.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Then, Im So-byeong, who was dangling next to him, held onto a rock with one hand and leisurely fanned himself with the other.

“Please be quiet. Someone might hear us. We are on a secret mission.”

“Who would hear us, who! There isn’t even a bird in sight, let alone a person!”

Namgung Dowook shouted like he was having a fit.

Indeed, clouds were passing beneath their feet. No matter how strong a bird’s wings were, would it be able to climb this high?

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk.”

But Im So-byeong didn’t even listen to Namgung Dowook.

“For someone who is to become the head of the Namgung Clan, you are making such a fuss over a mere cliff…”

“A mere cliff! Even Zhang Sanfeng would die if he fell from here!”

“Whether you fall off a cliff or get hit by a sword, you die the same way. How can someone who is so afraid of dying wield a sword?”

“Are those the same? Are they!”

“What’s the difference?”

Im So-byeong smirked and clicked his tongue.

“Anyway, you look undignified, so please be quiet, please.”

“Ugh…”

Namgung Dowook, his face flushed red, gritted his teeth and glanced down.

Chills.

In that moment, he realized with every fiber of his being what it meant to have his knees weaken, and he quickly snapped his gaze upwards. Then, he squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

“D-Dang, Brother!”

“…What.”

“A-Are you alright?”

“…Do you think I’m alright?”

He squinted and turned his head, and indeed, Dangpae’s face was almost pale. Dangpae took a deep breath and said.

“D-Don’t look down. It’s a little better if you think of this as flat ground.”

“How can I think of it as flat ground when it’s not?”

“Just do it, damn it!”

“……”

At that moment, a pile of rocks fell over their heads again.

“Hiiiiiiiik!”

“Aaaaaaaaargh!”

The two clung tightly to the cliff in horror. Stones the size of adult fists rained down right behind their heads.

“T-This is crazy!”

Namgung Dowook glared at Im So-byeong again, his eyes bloodshot.

“Why! Why do we have to go this way! Why!”

“Ah, come on! Stop exaggerating so much. Everyone else is so composed.”

“Who! Who is composed!”

“Can’t you see over there?”

“Huh?”

When he turned to where Im So-byeong’s fan was pointing, he made eye contact with someone. Soon, Namgung Dowook’s mouth dropped open.

“……”

“……”

Jo Gul, who was holding onto a protruding rock on the cliff with one hand and munching on a rice ball with the other, awkwardly hid the rice ball behind his back.

“Ah, sorry. I was a little hungry…”

“……”

“W-Well, it’s a bit boring too.”

It wasn’t just Jo Gul, either.

The Hwasan disciples who were following behind him were looking at him with indifferent expressions, as if this Manjang Cliff was just a walking trail. As if they were criticizing him, ‘Ah, that guy is blocking the path.’

“A-Aren’t you scared?”

“Here?”

“……Yes.”

“Why?”

Jo Gul shrugged nonchalantly. The moment Namgung Dowook saw him shrug, he almost fainted and soiled himself.

“Well, it’s kind of high… but compared to Hwasan, this is almost flat, so not really.”

“Hey, in Hwasan, even after two months of training, you can climb this much.”

“Why even go to Hwasan? Even a kid from Hwaeum County could play ball here, right?”

“Hey, let’s go faster. Is this your first time climbing a cliff?”

Tears welled up in Namgung Dowook’s eyes.

“……That’s right.”

“Yes? What did you say?”

“H-Hapbei.”

“Huh?”

“There are no… no mountains in Hapbei…”

“……”

“Sniffle.”

Somehow, everyone became solemn.

“Sniffle…”

“……”

“Sniffle…”

“……”

Namgung Dowook lay down, clutching his head, inside a small cave in the middle of the cliff. They had tried to go further, but the sun had set, and they had found a cave that even birds couldn’t easily enter, so they had come inside.

The others sighed as they watched Namgung Dowook, who kept groaning.

“……Namgung Dowook, the pride of the world, has a fear of heights.”

“But doesn’t that make him more human? Actually, he’s been such a goody-two-shoes that he felt so distant, like you couldn’t draw blood even if you stabbed him.”

“Yeah. Honestly, he was like a stern uncle before his head got smashed.”

“Why are you bringing me into this!”

Oh Geom clicked his tongue and looked at Namgung Dowook. Indeed, Namgung Dowook’s face was as pale as someone who had barely escaped from hell.

“Is it that scary?”

“……He said there are no mountains in Hapbei. He said it’s all flat there.”

“That’s why those rich kids are like this…”

“No, if you think about it that way, isn’t Jang also from a rich family?”

“Geol, compare things that are comparable. Compared to the Namgung Clan, Jang’s family is like a beggar in the neighborhood.”

“……Aren’t you and Chung Myung actually from beggar backgrounds?”

“What did you say, you little punk?”

Oh Geom looked at Namgung Dowook as if he understood and didn’t understand at the same time. He knew that the man wasn’t one to exaggerate, so he must be terrified, but… on the other hand, it was too difficult for them to understand someone who was afraid of such cliffs.

In the first place, anyone who is afraid of cliffs is filtered out before they even reach the gates of Hwasan. Therefore, Namgung Dowook was bound to be a bizarre(?) species that they were seeing for the first time in their lives.

“But it doesn’t seem like he’s exaggerating. Even Young Lord Dang’s face is pale.”

“That guy is funny too. There are so many mountains in Sichuan.”

“W-Who goes around on mountain cliffs in Sichuan!”

Dangpae, who was maintaining a more human appearance than Namgung Dowook, shouted, abandoning all pretense.

“If people go around, is that a cliff? It’s a cliff because people don’t go around!”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Like famous generals in history who led armies through dangerous paths.”

“That’s why he’s Zhuge Liang! If anyone could do that, would he have been remembered in history!”

“……That makes sense?”

When Im So-byeong nodded, Dangpae shouted again as if he was having a fit.

“No! Isn’t it enough to just go over the cliff! If not, go under the cliff! Why! Why are we going through the middle of the cliff! Why! We’re not spiders!”

“I told you, we need to avoid people’s eyes.”

“Why are there people on the cliff! In this remote valley!”

Im So-byeong casually pulled Jo Gul forward. And said.

“Say it one more time.”

“……Ah.”

There are… There are those who not only live on the cliff but also build Taoist temples on it.

Come to think of it, aren’t those guys really crazy?

Im So-byeong said.

“Why are you acting like you don’t know? Are there no people in remote valleys? If you want to avoid people, the last place you should approach is a remote valley! Why are all the famous mountains in the world filled with temples!”

“……”

“But Taoists and Buddhists are a little better. At least those people build buildings and say, ‘I’m here.’ Do you know how often it happens that you find a suitable cave and stick your head in, thinking you’re going to build a mountain fortress here, only to have a hundred-year-old hermit pop out and wipe out the entire mountain fortress?”

“……Why would someone suddenly pop out of there like a dragon?”

“That’s what I’m saying!”

The problem is the people who carry swords.

It seemed that Chung Myung’s words, ‘There’s no normal guy among those who carry swords,’ weren’t wrong.

“How much do you have to consider to do business in the mountains! Are there any Taoists or monks lurking around here! Is there anyone with a story to tell, training alone in a deep cave for decades! Is there anyone who has been expelled from a good sect, sharpening his sword in a secluded place.”

“……”

“What if you finally find a place with no one and build a mountain fortress? Suddenly, news spreads that a rare medicine has been discovered somewhere, and all the guys in the neighborhood who can wield a sword run to the mountains…”

Baek Cheon patted Im So-byeong on the shoulder.

“Speak without crying.”

“……I’m sorry. I got a little emotional.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t have become a bandit…”

“What am I supposed to do when I was born and my father was a bandit!”

“That’s why I ran away.”

“……”

Im So-byeong, speechless for a moment, stared blankly at Baek Cheon. At this point, it was necessary to seriously consider who was more disrespectful to parents.

“……Is Seol So-baek alright?”

Dangpae, who had taken his eyes off the bickering fools, asked Seol So-baek. There was no need to worry about those mountain beasts, but Seol So-baek was at least a normal person, wasn’t he?

“Ah. Thank you for your concern. I’m fine.”

Seol So-baek smiled brightly and replied.

“It was a little scary, but I didn’t have to use any strength because I was hanging on.”

“……”

“And there’s no way Chung Myung, our friend, would fall from a place like this, right? If he died like that, there would be nothing to be upset about. It’s worse than being struck by lightning out of the blue.”

We decided to call that ‘unfair’… What’s wrong with his way of thinking?

At that moment, Namgung Dowook raised his upper body like someone who had found hope.

“C-Could you carry me too…”

“Lie down, lie down!”

“Think before you speak. You’ll be teased for the rest of your life.”

“Think of your deceased father!”

“Sniffle…”

Namgung Dowook collapsed again and groaned. Everyone shook their heads.

They had braced themselves for hardship from the moment they decided to cross Gangnam… but who would have imagined that the hardship would be like this?

Dangpae sighed deeply.

“Anyway, we’ve got some time to rest, so let’s get some rations…”

“Ura-cha!”

At that moment, a loud shout came from outside the cave, and something fell inside with a thud.

Dangpae’s mouth dropped open as he saw a wild boar and a deer suddenly appear in the cave. Then, Chung Myung dusted off his hands and stepped inside.

“I’m hungry! Prepare the meal!”

“Meat!”

“Let’s eat!”

Dangpae squeezed his eyes shut at the sight of the Five Swords rushing in, gleeful.

‘Those guys will adapt even if they’re thrown into the middle of hell…’

Still, it seemed they wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry on the way. It was one stroke of luck out of a thousand misfortunes.