Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1258

Lee Ja-yang watched as more and more Evil Blood Sect soldiers marched inland. His face became hard with worry.

“Senior Brother,” Lee Ja-yang said, his voice tight with worry.

Kwak Hwan-so turned, his face serious. He just nodded slightly, waiting for Lee Ja-yang to speak.

“Senior Brother, are we… are we finished if they do this?” Lee Ja-yang asked, his eyes wide. Small drops of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, like morning dew on a leaf. He felt a knot of fear tighten in his stomach.

Their plan was simple from the start.

The Evil Blood Sect, having landed on the coast, would head towards Mount Oji, where the Hainan Sect was located, leaving their ships behind. They would watch and then seize the ships to head inland.

It was a simple, yet certain plan.

The plan was based on a simple idea: The Evil Blood Sect would never guess the Hainan Sect would leave their home. It was such a surprising idea, even the Hainan Sect was surprised they thought of it!

Making the decision was difficult, but if they could steel themselves, it was a plan that was harder to fail than to succeed.

But…

“Those bastards… are guarding the ships? Have we been found out?”

Kwak Hwan-so replied in a stiff voice, “…The plan probably hasn’t been exposed. If it had, they wouldn’t have left only that many troops behind. Instead, they would have guarded the coast tightly and tried to find us.”

Lee Ja-yang nodded. “You’re right,” Lee Ja-yang said, nodding slowly. “That makes sense. But…”

‘Either way, isn’t it true that the plan has gone wrong?’

Looking at the Chang Gui Squad guarding the ships, Lee Ja-yang felt a cold weight settle in his chest. It was like a stone pulling him down. They wore the clothes of Maninbang, the leaders of the Evil Blood Sect. If that many of Maninbang’s disciples remained to defend, their plan to seize the ships in one fell swoop would certainly be difficult to achieve.

‘What should I do?’

Sweat trickled down Lee Ja-yang’s nose.

People in Hainan Sect knew Lee Ja-yang was very smart, but in this situation, he couldn’t find a suitable solution.

Of course, if they mobilized the full force of Hainan, defeating them wouldn’t be difficult. No matter what anyone said, Hainan was a powerful sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.

But that didn’t mean they could end the battle in an instant.

The opponents were, after all, disciples of Maninbang, the leader of the Evil Blood Sect.

If they delayed even a little, Maninbang’s main force, which had left the coast, might notice the situation and return. If that happened…

‘It’s over.’

Even fighting with the advantage of the terrain, it was difficult to hope for victory. It was all too obvious what would happen if they were ambushed by Maninbang on both sides in the open space of the coast.

“For now, we have no choice but to wait as much as possible, Senior Brother.”

“‘Wait,’ Kwak Hwan-so said, confused. ‘Wait for what?'”

“Yes. We have no choice but to wait until Maninbang’s main force goes deep into the island. That way, even if they realize we’re attacking those who are left, it will take time for them to come to support us.”

They would have to quickly deal with them in that gap.

“…The damage will be great.”

“There’s no other way, is there?”

A sigh escaped from Kwak Hwan-so’s mouth.

The reason they were trying to seize the ships as quickly as possible was that they didn’t want Maninbang’s main force to go deep into the island either.

Currently, Maninbang’s target was Mount Oji, where the Hainan Sect’s headquarters were located. But people lived on the road they were taking to Mount Oji.

Kwak Hwan-so had heard exactly what the Evil Sect had done in Shanxi while the Mount Hua Sect was away, and he wanted to prevent the Evil Blood Sect from approaching the common people at all costs.

‘Is there no other way?’

But Lee Ja-yang’s words also made sense. If they rashly hurried things and were trapped on this island or ambushed and annihilated, the damage would be even greater.

‘What about the Sect Leader?’

Kwak Hwan-so turned his head and looked at the opposite peak. There was no particular reaction from Geum Yang-baek, who was dividing his forces and ambushing them. He was probably just as confused.

“…And that’s how it will be anyway.”

“Huh?”

“The signal to attack will be given by the Cheonwu Alliance. We wouldn’t, but the Cheonwu Alliance has no reason to risk themselves worrying about the common people of Hainan, do they?”

“…”

Lee Ja-yang gnashed his teeth briefly with an angry face.

“Those damned Maninbang bastards will commit all sorts of atrocities and then come out to fight. Because that’s rational.”

Kwak Hwan-so sighed.

Lee Ja-yang’s words didn’t make sense right now. Lee Ja-yang clearly knew that waiting as much as possible was the best thing to do in this situation. Nevertheless, the only reason he was so full of dissatisfaction was this.

‘Was it around here?’

The village where Lee Ja-yang lived before entering Hainan was on the road from the coast to Mount Oji. If Maninbang advanced straight towards Mount Oji, they would have to pass through the village where Lee Ja-yang lived.

And Lee Ja-yang’s family lived there.

His head argued for rationality and the sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many, but his heart didn’t seem to agree.

Well, who could be calm in a situation where their family might suffer because of their silence?

“Ja-yang…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lee Ja-yang cut him off coldly with a slightly irritated voice.

“I’m not such a fool that I don’t know what’s a priority. I also know that my family shouldn’t be treated any differently than the other common people of Hainan.”

“…”

“So don’t worry. I won’t be such an idiot as to rush out and ruin things.”

Lee Ja-yang bit his lip tightly after finishing his words.

Kwak Hwan-so couldn’t say anything to Lee Ja-yang. Kwak Hwan-so saw the pain in Lee Ja-yang’s eyes. He placed a strong hand on Lee Ja-yang’s shoulder, a silent promise of support.

“Endure it.”

“…I know.”

Why wouldn’t he want to rush out right now?

But he had to endure it. If he couldn’t endure it, a situation could arise where more people would lose their lives.

“It’s fortunate that the Cheonwu Alliance took over the command. If the Sect Leader had the command, I might have already run to the Sect Leader.”

Lee Ja-yang said, forcing a smile. But the smile only felt more pitiful. Kwak Hwan-so lowered his head slightly.

It was then.

“No. Wait a minute, Senior Brother. Are you really okay?”

“…Huh? Why do you ask?”

Another disciple who was with them opened his mouth with a flustered face.

“Isn’t it pointless to drag out the time?”

“Huh?”

“Have you forgotten? We’ve already poked holes in that ship. It’s floating now, but it’ll sink soon!”

Lee Ja-yang and Kwak Hwan-so’s faces turned pale in an instant upon hearing those words.

They had completely forgotten that fact because they were so nervous.

“We, we poked holes in the ship because we thought it was better than destroying all the ships… If we drag out the time, we’ll be found out because of that. Then…”

Lee Ja-yang and Kwak Hwan-so looked at each other with faces full of dismay.

‘Damn it!’

If they had known this would happen, they would have just destroyed the ships as they were told! Why did they insist on being stubborn?

“Hwa, Hwasan? Does Hwasan know about this?”

“…I don’t know. No, even if they do, they probably don’t know exactly when the ship will sink. We’re the ones who poked the holes and prepared it.”

“Ah, shouldn’t we tell them?”

“How can we warn them?” Lee Jamyang whispered, his voice shaking. “We can’t let them see us like this! They are just ahead!”

Gwak Hwan-so just stared, mouth open. “This is…”

Lee Jamyang’s eyes widened. “I… I did something stupid…”

Realizing that things had gone terribly wrong, Lee Jamyang stared desperately ahead with trembling eyes.

And at that moment.

“…Huh?”

Lee Jamyang’s mouth slowly opened.

“Th-that… that… that?”

“Huh?”

Gwak Hwan-so looked at Lee Jamyang with a puzzled expression. Lee Jamyang’s face was already as pale as if he had encountered a ghost.

“What’s wrong?”

“Th-that… what is that…? That crazy… that crazy bastard?”

“Crazy bastard?”

If there was a crazy bastard here… could it be?

Gwak Hwan-so quickly turned his gaze towards where Lee Jamyang was looking.

“…That.”

And at that moment, Gwak Hwan-so’s eyes widened to twice their normal size.

On the downhill path leading to the coast, a man was walking down, casually slinging a drawn sword over his shoulder.

“H-Hwasan… Hwasan Sword Demon?”

“What in the world is that crazy bastard doing…?”

The two men’s mouths hung open. Chung Myung’s expression, even in the midst of all this, was utterly calm.

“Damn it!” Heo Maeng kicked at a small stone on the sandy ground. He was not happy at all.

Coming all the way from the Jang River, so far away, just to guard a ship in Hainan? It was like being a dog tied to a post! No wonder he was in a bad mood. The hot sun beat down on his neck, and the salty air smelled of fish. “Why us?” he grumbled.

“Why us of all people?”

“If you have something to say, shouldn’t you say it when the strategist is around?”

“Damn it. What can I say to that bloke who shows no emotion?” Heo Maeng glared at the ship behind him, frustrated.

“Anyway, that’s the strategist for you. Who would even target this small ship? If he’s so worried, he could just leave a few guys behind. What nonsense is it to pull out an entire squad to guard a ship?”

“Shhh. Keep your voice down.”

“If the Lord were here, he wouldn’t even bother with such small things. That’s why I hate moving with the strategist.”

This time, the others around him didn’t say much.

“Still, there’s no good in losing the ship, is there?”

“You need to make sense. Where is Hainan? It’s an island! Islands are full of ships. If we lose one, we can just get another.”

“The strategist must have his reasons.”

“Damn it!” Heo Maeng cursed roughly and grumbled.

“I thought I’d finally get a taste of blood after coming all the way to Hainan, but it looks like I’ll just be sightseeing on the island before heading back.”

“Either way, since we came with the strategist, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy ourselves properly even if we went up together.”

Heo Maeng sighed deeply, frustrated.

Just then, his eyes narrowed slightly.

On the vast grassland bordering the coast, a man was walking through the thick bushes at the edge.

“What’s that?”

“…Probably a local from Hainan. Looks like he’s coming to board a ship.”

“That fool is asking for death. I have nothing else to do, so I might as well play with him…” Heo Maeng, who had been licking his lips and rolling up his sleeves as if he had found a good target, suddenly stopped talking.

The clothes of the person walking along looked familiar.

‘That… is that a martial uniform?’

A martial uniform that showed he could move easily, different from the clothes of ordinary people. And it was a black martial uniform.

Up to this point, there was nothing unusual. Black martial uniforms were common among martial artists in the Central Plains. Also, Hainan was a large island, so it wasn’t strange to see a wandering warrior who didn’t belong to the Hainan sect, right?

The problem was what came next.

“…That.”

“Yes?”

“Is that perhaps a plum blossom?”

At Heo Maeng’s question, everyone turned their heads sharply. They looked at the chest of the person walking along.

“…I think it is?”

“Y-yes. It’s a plum blossom.”

“A plum blossom, you say?”

There were many sects in the world, but only one sect used black martial uniforms and plum blossom patterns as their symbol.

“H-Hwasan?”

But why would Hwasan’s martial uniform suddenly appear in a place like this?

“V-Vice-Captain!”

“Hmm?”

“Th-that human… that! That, that bastard! That’s him!”

“That bastard?”

“H-Hwasan….”

“Huh?”

“Hwasan Sword Demon!”

The words ‘Hwasan Sword Demon’ shocked those who were on the coast.

Just hearing those words made their muscles tense up as if they were in a battle.

“Hwasan Sword Demon, you say?”

“Yes! It’s the Hwasan Sword Demon! I remember him clearly!”

“W-why is that bastard here…?”

But the man was approaching faster than they could understand what was happening. Chung Myung, who was now close, stopped walking. Then, he spoke to the Chang Gui Squad, who were careful and nervous.

“Hey, you lot. Do you know how to scream?”

“…What?” Someone asked, surprised. Chung Myung said calmly.

“Scream loudly.”

The sword that had been slung over his shoulder slowly came down.

“So that the bastards who went ahead of you can hear it clearly.”

Chung Myung’s sword, shining in the hot sunlight, looked dangerous.