Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1392

Baek Cheon shoved past people, his voice sharp and urgent.

Even though simply moving faster wasn’t necessarily the solution, Baek Cheon kept shouting as if danger pressed close behind them.

Baek Cheon ordered, “Attack them all at once!”

Martial Uncle! Enemies are catching up from behind!

“Damn it, I’ll go myself!”

The Maninbang was still chasing them, even when they thought they had escaped. Naturally, they were slowing down, especially those who didn’t want to leave anyone behind.

But those who knew, knew the group’s speed wasn’t just because of that.

“We have to keep moving! Now!”

Baek Cheon, having annihilated the enemies in an instant with Namgung Dowi, shouted. But Dang Pae stopped, his feet heavy. He couldn’t help but look back.

Behind him, there was nothing.

“Young Lord, why are you stopping?”

“Sorry.”

Dang Pae gritted his teeth and turned his head forward. It felt like he was twisting his neck too far, trying to look back when he shouldn’t.

His gaze kept drifting back, like someone who had left behind something they shouldn’t have.

‘Why hasn’t he joined us yet?’

The closer they got to the Yangtze River, the more distance they put between themselves and the enemy, the more he realized the extreme distance between them and Chung Myung.

And he sensed it.

He wasn’t a fool, so he knew what it meant that they hadn’t seen the enemy’s main force or Chung Myung at all.

They were becoming safer.

This hellish journey to Gangnam was finally coming to an end. Now, the Yangtze River was just around the corner, and if they weren’t caught in the enemy’s trap, they could reach the Yangtze without much trouble.

But that fact made Dang Pae even more uneasy.

“Green Forest King.”

Dang Pae turned his head to look at Im So-byeong, whose face was like iron, showing no feeling.

“Is there no one blocking our path?”

“Isn’t it strange? If they drove us this far, they would definitely try to surround us. Doesn’t the Maninbang have more than half their forces left at the Yangtze River? What are they doing now…”

“You have quite the temper.”

Im So-byeong’s nonchalant voice was heard. His voice didn’t match his serious face. It was calm, but his face was tense. That’s why the voice was even clearer.

“You know why, don’t you? Why are you asking? Are you asking because you’re not sure? Or are you trying to pretend you didn’t know what was happening?”

Insulting words that would be enough to provoke anger. But Dang Pae simply remained silent, feeling that the cold edge in those words wasn’t necessarily directed at him.

Seeing Dang Pae’s reaction, Im So-byeong bit his lip slightly.

“Where else would he have gone?”

“Let’s not ask each other obvious questions. Because there’s nothing we can do.”

What Dang Pae was feeling now was an indescribable heaviness.

But perhaps Im So-byeong was feeling not just heaviness, but even despair.

A strategist must find the best way out. If they can’t, they feel useless.

The despair Im So-byeong was feeling was contained within those words that there was nothing they could do.

“He must have gone to the Taoist Temple.”

Im So-byeong looked annoyed. ‘What does it matter if we say it out loud?’

Dang Pae, having confirmed Im So-byeong’s expression, turned his head to look ahead. He saw the Mount Hua disciples fiercely breaking through the enemies.

‘Don’t they know as well?’

They were going to the Yangtze River too easily. Where were all the enemies going instead?

But how could they fight without looking back like that?

Even he, who didn’t share meals with the Mount Hua Sword Saint, felt like someone was constantly grabbing him from behind, and he kept looking back even when he tried not to. What kind of mindset did they have when they held their swords?

He couldn’t even dare to guess.

“Young Lord Dang.”

Gwak Hwan-so approached him, looking at him with hardened eyes.

“Is the Mount Hua Sword Saint really luring the enemies away?”

“I’m not sure.”

Dang Pae couldn’t bring himself to answer yes.

No matter what answer he gave, it would only be a painful one for Hainan’s position. They weren’t shameless people, nor were they foolish. They were more than capable of keenly feeling that Chung Myung was taking on excessive risk.

How could he hurt them like that?

“Soon. He’ll probably join us soon. Chung Myung is not like anyone else. It’s hard to understand him.”

Dang Pae said only that much and turned his gaze away.

Dang Pae stopped talking. He felt ashamed to say more lies.

Gwak Hwan-so seemed to have noticed that Dang Pae was lying. Gwak Hwan-so, who had been moving his lips as if to say something, eventually closed his mouth.

“Hurry!”

Baek Cheon’s loud voice cut through their thoughts.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Now was not the time to slow down the group’s pace with such thoughts.

Even if there were concerns and hesitations, now was the time to bury all of that and simply follow Baek Cheon’s instructions.

Because that would be Chung Myung’s will, who remained in a dangerous place alone to save them.

‘But…’

Dang Pae looked around slowly, his heart heavy. He saw the worried faces.

Even though he could only see the backs of the Mount Hua disciples, he saw the hard faces of Namgung Dowi, Hae Yeon, and the Hainan disciples. Everyone looked serious.

‘Taoist. Is this really what you wanted?’

Perhaps everyone here might survive without sacrifice.

But even if they survived, could they accept that survival with dignity? Could they simply affirm the lives they had gained at the cost of sacrificing the one who should not have died?

If Chung Myung really thought that way, Dang Pae would hate Chung Myung.

If he thought they were people who knew at least a minimum of decency, he couldn’t make such a judgment. None of them would have wanted to save their lives at the cost of Chung Myung’s sacrifice.

‘But why…’

Dang Pae bit his lip.

He was asking, but he knew. That in the end, they had no choice but to choose.

The path where he himself became dangerous, and the path where others became dangerous. If those were the only two paths left, Chung Myung would naturally choose the one that put himself in danger.

Until now, he had always made such choices.

That’s why everyone followed him. That’s why everyone liked him.

But the very method that had made everyone follow Chung Myung until now was returning as the worst possible outcome at this moment. As if it was a price that he, and they, would inevitably have to pay someday.

So he couldn’t help but resent it.

At least he didn’t want such a terrible ending. None of them did.

And then.

“Ah…”

A sight like a lie entered Dang Pae’s eyes. The end of the road that seemed like it would never end. The end of the wide forest that seemed like it would continue forever.

The earth spread out beyond the low ridge. The end of that earth was a black line as dark as night.

When they saw the black line, they stopped. They knew what it was, and they were overwhelmed.

A voice that someone uttered as if possessed flowed quietly among them.

“The…Yangtze.”

The Yangtze.

The great river that divided the north and south of the Central Plains. And the place they had so longed to see.

They saw the Yangtze River in front of them.

His legs gave way. Even Dang Pae, who thought he wouldn’t, had to regain his balance from his momentarily faltering body.

How should he express this feeling?

Relief? Exhaustion? Or just simple joy?

He couldn’t name it, but his heart was full.

Dang Pae’s hands trembled. His breath caught in his throat. Around him, others were also shaking.

“Ugh.”

Lee Ja-yang lowered his head in front of Dang Pae.

“Ja-yang.”

Gwak Hwan-so put his hand on Lee Ja-yang’s shoulder. Then, Lee Ja-yang opened his mouth in a tearful voice.

“Honestly…”

Lee Ja-yang made a choked sound, trying to hold back tears.

“To be alive. To be alive and see this sight. Honestly, I didn’t think it would happen.”

Those words represented the feelings of all the Hainan disciples.

Only ten people.

The number of people who came to save them was only ten.

Who would have dared to think that they could break through Gangnam by trusting them? They had only stepped onto Gangnam soil with the mindset that even if they died, they wouldn’t die pathetically.

But after enduring countless sacrifices and a hellish road, they had finally reached this place.

Of course, it wasn’t over yet.

Crossing that river would also be no easy task. Perhaps all those who remained would lose their lives in the process.

But even knowing that, they couldn’t help but feel moved by the sight of the Yangtze River in their eyes.

“Now it’s really just one step.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

Lee Ja-yang nodded at Gwak Hwan-so’s words.

“Now it’s really soon.”

They didn’t talk about the dangers of the river. Gwak Hwan-so and Lee Ja-yang just tried to be strong for each other. The disciples of Hainan, who heard those words, also hardened their expressions resolutely.

At the same time, Baek Cheon, who had only been looking ahead until now, turned his head.

Baek Cheon turned to Gwak Hwan-so, his face cold and serious.

“Young Lord Gwak.”

“Yes, Acting Sect Leader.”

Gwak Hwan-so faced Baek Cheon head-on.

He would now jump into the fire if Baek Cheon told him to, and he would give up his life if he told him to. Because Baek Cheon was someone who deserved it.

“That’s the Yangtze River. If you cross that, there’s Gangbuk. If you reach Gangbuk, the Cheonwoo Alliance or the Nine Great Sects will come to meet Hainan.”

Gwak Hwan-so’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

It wasn’t that he was unpleasant or anything. He was just curious about Baek Cheon’s intention in saying these words. The Baek Cheon he knew wasn’t someone who would bother to say the obvious.

Baek Cheon started to speak, his voice serious.

“Young Lord.”

Baek Cheon clasped his hands and bowed deeply. Gwak Hwan-so was surprised by Baek Cheon’s bow and looked at him, confused.

“The help that Mount Hua can give you ends here.”

“Yes?”

Gwak Hwan-so asked back with a bewildered face.

What was he suddenly talking about?

“The Yangtze River defenses might not be strong. You should cross it before morning. That will be safest for Hainan.”

“Wait a moment, Acting Sect Leader. What are you talking about? Cross the Yangtze River? Then what about Mount Hua?”

Baek Cheon raised his head and looked at Gwak Hwan-so.

The moment he saw that gaze, which had not a single hint of wavering, Gwak Hwan-so knew what Baek Cheon was going to say.

“You ask the obvious.”

The disciples of Mount Hua walked up and stood beside Baek Cheon. Their eyes were no different from Baek Cheon’s.

“We’re going to pick up that idiotic junior brother.”

“Ac, Acting Sect…”

“Surely, that idiot will be waiting for us.”

Baek Cheon’s voice flowed out resolutely.