Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1349

“Quiet.”

Namgung Dowi raised his hand slowly, his heart pounding. *We must not be found,* he thought.

At his signal, the Hainan disciples held their breath. They lowered their heads further, hiding behind thick bushes, the leaves scratching against their faces. Their throats were dry with tension.

Silence hung heavy in the air. Then, tap tap tap!

Swift footsteps rushed past the bushes.

“It’s this way!”

At the loud shout, the Hainan disciples pressed themselves deeper into the bushes. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they held their breath.

Fortunately, those who passed by did not see them. It was not surprising. A desperate scream echoed from far away. With such a clear sign of the enemy, who would look for others hiding nearby?

*Master,* Namgung Dowi thought, resisting the urge to look back towards the scream. *I want to go back, but I must protect these disciples. Master Chung Myung is counting on us to escape.* The only way to help Master Chung Myung now was to lead everyone away as fast as possible.

After the sound of footsteps faded, Namgung Dowi knew they had to move quickly. Staying here was too dangerous. “We will move out,” he said.

“Yes!” the disciples replied.

*Swoosh.*

Namgung Dowi pushed off the ground and took the lead. He looked towards the tall peak in the distance.

*The fifth peak to the left from the highest one.*

But he moved to the left of the peak. They needed to split up. If they all went the same way, the enemy would easily find them. Different paths would make it harder to follow before they met again later.

A rough voice started to say, “What…” but before he could finish, Namgung Dowi’s sword flashed. It sliced through the air and into the thug’s neck.

“Gurgle…”

Instead of a scream, only a gurgling sound came from the thug as he fell to the ground with a soft thud. Namgung Dowi quickly caught the body and pulled it into the shadows. He didn’t want anyone to see it.

“Hoo…”

Sweat dripped down his face. He had rested well, but looking for enemies while running was harder than he thought. Using his senses to find enemies took energy. Moving quickly and using his senses at the same time made him feel tired much faster.

*Don’t complain,* he told himself. *It’s only been an hour. Baek Cheon-hyung led them for twice as long. And Master Chung Myung… he went on for days.* The thought of their strength pushed him forward. The pride of his noble family would not let him show weakness.

“Let’s hurry!” Namgung Dowi said.

“Yes, Young Master!” the disciples replied.

Namgung Dowi pushed off the ground again, sending a silent message in his mind. *Please be safe and follow us, Master!*

*Swoooosh!* Chung Myung’s sword moved like a whirlwind, a silver blur in the darkness. It twisted and plunged into the enemy’s chest with brutal force.

*“Kraaaah!”* The scream ripped through the night, a sound so full of pain it twisted the faces of those who heard it. It was a signal, a flare of agony that would bring more enemies.

“There he is!”

“You⋯⋯!”

Those who rushed towards the scream stopped when they saw Chung Myung. They saw the gruesome scene of bodies lying everywhere.

Even in the dark, they could see the dead. There were more dead bodies than living enemies now arriving. A cold fear washed over them. They felt like they had come to their own deaths.

But their fear would not save them.

Chung Myung stood amidst the fallen bodies, his sword dripping red. His eyes were like chips of ice as he watched the newcomers. *Taa!* He exploded into motion, kicking off the ground.

“Ava, avoid⋯⋯.”

*Swoooosh!* Before the warning could finish, a streak of crimson light, the blood on Chung Myung’s blade, cut through the darkness.

*Plop. Plop.*

The bodies of those who could not even defend themselves were cut down and fell.

*Swish!* Chung Myung flicked the blood from his sword. His face was grim. *How many more?* he wondered, but he knew he had to keep fighting. His gaze darkened slightly.

It seemed like fewer enemies were attacking him now. *Fewer enemies now,* Chung Myung thought. *Have I defeated them all around here?* Then, *Bang! Bang!* Fireworks exploded in the southern sky. Bright colors flashed against the dark. *Ah, so he finally realized.* Chung Myung narrowed his eyes. *Troublesome, but too late.*

*Certainly… a troublesome fellow,* he thought about Hoga Myung. The fireworks were probably a signal to call back all the scattered enemies.

Hoga Myung had made two big mistakes.

First, he didn’t know Chung Myung knew this land so well. Hoga Myung could not have known. How could he guess that Chung Myung was familiar with the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and had fought many battles against large groups here before?

The second mistake was worse. Hoga Myung forgot his biggest strength.

Maninbang’s power over the Heavenly Union was having so many more fighters. A huge number of people should be a threat.

But Hoga Myung used his numbers badly. He spread them out too much across the mountains. This meant Chung Myung only had to fight small groups at a time. Chung Myung knew he could win these small fights. Hoga Myung’s loss was almost certain from the start, because he chose to fight in the wrong place and in the wrong way.

*But Hoga Myung is not stupid,* Chung Myung thought. *He’s realized his mistake and is already changing his plan.* Chung Myung frowned. *Why did he make such a basic error in the first place?* Could Hoga Myung be weaker than he thought? Someone who has failed once finds it harder to recover than someone who has never failed. But Hoga Myung’s quick reaction was still surprising. *Have I underestimated him? Or is something else going on?*

“Hmm,” Chung Myung murmured.

He looked at the sky again. The east was getting lighter, the first hint of dawn painting the sky with pale grey. It was time to go. *This is enough,* he thought. He hadn’t come to kill more enemies, just to give the others time to escape. He didn’t need to waste any more energy.

Chung Myung turned to leave, then glanced back south one last time, his eyes unreadable. Then he shot north, a silver ray in the dim morning light.

*Thud. Thud.* Hoga Myung walked slowly, his eyes fixed on the ground. He had looked broken and lost just hours ago. But now, it was like a mask had been put back in place. He was still pale and tired, but his clothes were neat, and his eyes were sharp and cold again.

“Have you found it?” he asked.

“Yes, Strategist! It’s here!”

His men were bent over, carefully looking at the ground. The grass was trampled and broken in places. One of them nodded quickly. “We found tracks of a group moving.”

“How many?” Hoga Myung asked.

“About twenty.”

“⋯⋯How many footprints did we find before?”

“Also about twenty.”

*Twenty footprints,* Hoga Myung thought, nodding slowly. *They are trying to be careful.* “Quite meticulous,” he said aloud. Dividing their group was smart. It would make it harder to follow them. *But not smart enough.*

“But they are too honest,” Hoga Myung murmured. It was clear they were not used to being hunted. People who are not used to being chased often forget about footprints. Even if they thought about it, it’s hard to hide tracks when running. They probably thought the grass would hide their footprints anyway. *They are not perfect, and neither do I need to be.*

“Then they went that way,” Hoga Myung said, looking at the tall mountain. The footprints pointed towards it. Their destination was clear.

“Move out,” he ordered.

“Yes!”

Hoga Myung and his men moved quickly.

“Strategist! This way!”

Some of the men ahead pointed to the ground. They were looking closely, trying to understand something.

“Two groups… no, more than three groups met here. They came from different directions.”

“Is this their meeting point?” Hoga Myung asked.

“But…” The man hesitated.

Hoga Myung frowned. “What is it?”

“…They arrived at different times.”

“Why is that strange?”

“Those who arrived first didn’t stay together. They moved on right away.”

“Moved on?”

“Yes, look here!” The man pushed aside some bushes. “See this footprint? It’s deeper at the back. That means they stopped suddenly and turned around. They didn’t keep running this way.”

“Keep going,” Hoga Myung said.

“And there aren’t many footprints of people waiting here. They came, saw something, and left without waiting for the others.”

“Hmm.” Hoga Myung nodded slowly. *Different arrival times… they didn’t wait for each other,* he thought, his brow furrowing. *Why?* “They may be new to this,” he said, “but they are not stupid.”

“…They couldn’t be sure we weren’t behind them, Green Forest King. And they didn’t trust everyone in their group.” Hoga Myung murmured, realizing the plan.

Im Sobyung must have looked at the path from here, decided where to go, and then left to make sure it was safe. He needed to tell those behind him which way to go.

Hoga Myung imagined it all happening in his mind.

The first group arrived, checked the area, chose the escape path, and left. The others would follow the path they found.

“But something is missing,” Hoga Myung said softly.

*A way to tell the others the direction…* Hoga Myung’s eyes widened slightly. *Not a signal… something already planned.* He suddenly understood. He snapped his head up.

*If Im Sobyung was here, and decided on a path, he needed to show the others which way to go.* A quick signal? No, that was too risky. They would use something already agreed upon. And that was probably…

Hoga Myung’s head snapped back. One of his men flinched. A small smile touched Hoga Myung’s lips.

“We might not know what it is…”

The face of the man he was looking at twisted in fear.

“…But there must be a mark. Something only they would recognize.”

“…”

“Am I right?” Hoga Myung asked.

Yugong, the Hainan disciple who was caught, bit his lip hard.