Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1341

Drip. Drip. The sound of water echoed in the darkness.

Im So-byeong looked up. Water was dripping from a rock on the ceiling, drop by drop.

“What is this place…?”

He looked down again.

It was completely dark. He couldn’t see anything in front of him. Even a skilled martial artist, used to using their senses, would be careful here. He could just make out a narrow path stretching into the distance.

“A cave… or a tunnel?” The tunnel went far behind them. He was still confused about how they arrived here. His mind was racing.

“Cough.” Cheong-myeong, walking in front, coughed, a harsh, dry sound. He bent over slightly. Every time he moved, bits of dried blood broke off and fell to the ground.

Im So-byeong frowned. “Chief…”

“I’m fine,” Cheong-myeong said, lifting his head. He acted like it didn’t hurt at all and kept walking.

Im So-byeong sighed. He had offered to carry Cheong-myeong on his back, but Cheong-myeong was too stubborn. He refused and insisted on walking himself. ‘No one can change his mind,’ Im So-byeong thought.

After walking in silence for a bit, Im So-byeong finally asked, “Chief… Where are we?”

“A cave.”

“Huh?”

“Can’t you see? It’s a cave.”

Im So-byeong’s face showed his annoyance. “No, that’s not what I mean! What *kind* of cave is this?” Even as he asked, he felt silly. *A cave is just a cave, right? What else could it be?*

But actually, it was a good question. Im So-byeong looked closely at the cave walls. It didn’t look like a natural cave. It was roughly made, but you could tell people had worked on it.

‘Someone dug this huge cave?’ Why? What for?

Just then, Cheong-myeong spoke quietly.

“Do you know where this is?”

“…I don’t know.”

“The edge of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.” Im So-byeong frowned, thinking. What did that mean?

“People think the war against the Demonic Sect was just one big fight on a mountain. But really, there were thousands of battles all over this area, the southern part of the Central Plains. It went on for years.” He paused. “The worst fighting wasn’t even at the top of the mountains. It was here, on the paths leading up to them.”

“So this place is…”

“Yes.” Cheong-myeong’s voice was cold. “One of their secret hideouts.”

Im So-byeong’s face became serious as he looked around again.

‘A place like this…’ The mountains were already a great place to hide because of the land itself. But who would have thought they would dig tunnels like this inside the mountains?

But Im So-byeong was shocked for another reason. As someone who plans battles, he knew this tunnel was terrifying. It was already hard to guess where enemies would attack from in the mountains. But these tunnels meant enemies could appear from *anywhere*, even from under the ground.

‘How did they ever fight enemies like this?’ He thought about the Demonic Sect fighters he’d seen in Hangzhou and now this tunnel. Suddenly, he understood how terrible the war must have been. He could almost see it happening in front of him.

Even after all this time, the smell of blood was still in the cold tunnel.

“Does ‘one of them’ mean there are other tunnels like this?”

“There must be hundreds, maybe thousands.” Im So-byeong gave a weak laugh.

But before he could think more, the tunnel split into three paths.

“Uh…” Everyone stopped. When you come to a fork in a place you don’t know, you naturally stop and think about which way to go.

But Cheong-myeong turned left without stopping at all. It was like he knew exactly where to go. Im So-byeong looked at him, confused. “Why this way?”

“Wall.”

“…Wall?” Im So-byeong looked at the wall Cheong-myeong meant.

“Ah…” He quickly understood. On the left path wall, he now saw rough marks he hadn’t noticed before. They looked like deep scratches. These were marks from weapons hitting the wall in a fight.

‘A battle happened here? Even in this tunnel?’ *Thud!* Im So-byeong jumped, feeling something under his foot. His face went white when he saw what it was. He had stepped on a human bone, old and yellowed.

“…Corpses…” A low moan came from behind him. Dead bodies were everywhere on the tunnel floor. They had been there so long they had turned to bones. It was like the scene he had seen before, when they fought their way through the mountains to the south.

“…Songmun Ancient Sword.”

“A Taoist…?” Silence fell after someone spoke.

They were in a narrow tunnel, deep underground, where no light could reach. Even here, a terrible battle had happened between the Demonic Sect and the Orthodox Sects. It was clear the Orthodox Sects couldn’t fight the Demonic Sect’s sneaky attacks in the mountains. So, they had bravely come into these dangerous tunnels to fight them.

“Chief.” The Hainan disciples were shaking with fear. But the Mount Hua disciples and Im So-byeong just stared at Cheong-myeong.

“Chief… So, you knew there was a tunnel entrance back there?”

“Yeah.”

“…Th-then, did you also know Ho Ga-myung would lead us to it?” Cheong-myeong nodded slowly.

“Yeah, that’s just how he is.” Im So-byeong was surprised for a moment. “So, did you also know Ho Ga-myung would trick me and lead me to that dead end?”

“No.”

“…Huh? Then…”

“I just got ready for anything bad to happen.”

Cheong-myeong answered without looking at him. Maybe he didn’t want to look at them, or maybe he was too weak to even turn his head.

“It would have been better if we hadn’t been tricked. But even if we were, we had to find a way out.”

“…”

“The way out was already there when we got through the canyon.” Im So-byeong just stared at Cheong-myeong’s back, unable to say anything.

Ho Ga-myung had completely outsmarted him. Maybe this was his punishment for being too proud. He had thought Jang Il-so was his real rival, not Ho Ga-myung. He hadn’t even considered Ho Ga-myung a threat.

No matter why, Ho Ga-myung had won this battle of minds. But winning wasn’t even the point anymore. It was clear Cheong-myeong was in control of everything.

‘What kind of person is Cheong-myeong?’ Im So-byeong started to understand how Ho Ga-myung felt. He understood why Ho Ga-myung ignored Jang Il-so in his plans. If your carefully made plan just ends up being used by someone else, anyone would feel like that, right?

Im So-byeong felt completely helpless and confused. Then, Baek Cheon spoke.

“Cheong-myeong.”

Cheong-myeong didn’t answer. But Baek Cheon asked directly, “How did you know there was a way in here?” The Mount Hua disciples were surprised. Some of them shifted uncomfortably and looked between Baek Cheon and Cheong-myeong.

This wasn’t the first time Cheong-myeong had surprised them all with information no one else knew. But usually, no one asked him about it. They just accepted that Cheong-myeong could do anything. That was just how things were with Cheong-myeong.

But now, Baek Cheon was asking the most important question, directly. It was like he wouldn’t accept the usual silence anymore.

“Answer me,” Baek Cheon said firmly. This time, he wouldn’t ignore Cheong-myeong’s silence.

After a moment, Cheong-myeong spoke. But his first words were unexpected. “Do you know why the Green Forest King was tricked by Ho Ga-myung?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“Because he didn’t know.”

Baek Cheon looked at Im So-byeong, asking for answers. Im So-byeong’s face was now serious. He wasn’t smiling anymore, and his expression was cold.

“If he had known this kind of place was here, he would never have come in alone. Fighting on your own ground is like that. It gives you a huge advantage you can’t understand until you’ve done it.” Baek Cheon nodded slowly, thinking about what Cheong-myeong said.

“But it means if you know the land, you can guess what your enemy will do. Especially if they think I know even less about this place than they do.”

“…”

“The Green Forest King didn’t know this kind of place existed, and Ho Ga-myung didn’t know I knew about it. That’s why he was tricked. Because Ho Ga-myung doesn’t know what I know.”

Baek Cheon looked at Cheong-myeong’s back, his eyes serious. “War isn’t just about who is stronger in a fight. No, really, just being good with a sword isn’t the only strength. Anything that can beat your enemy is strength.”

Cheong-myeong slowly turned to Baek Cheon. His eyes, seen through his bloody hair, were cold.

“How did I know?”

“…”

“I didn’t just know. I *knew* it. That’s why I went there. Ho Ga-myung might know Guangdong well, but I know it better.”

“…That’s…”

“How do I know better?” Cheong-myeong smirked. “How do you think?”

Baek Cheon felt anger rising and started to speak loudly. But then someone pulled his sleeve. He turned and saw Yu I-seol, who had just woken up. She was covered in blood and slowly shook her head, telling him to stop asking.

Baek Cheon started to speak again, but then Cheong-myeong’s walking changed. The tunnel ended. They came into a huge space, so big it was hard to believe they were still underground.

“It will take them at least two days to find the entrance. Rest and get your strength back.” Cheong-myeong said in a flat voice, and then fell forward.

“Ch….” Before anyone could speak, Baek Cheon moved fast and caught Cheong-myeong as he fell. He looked at Cheong-myeong, unconscious, and sighed deeply. “…Damn it.” His voice echoed in the large room.