Return of the Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1377: The Preparations Are Never Complete. (2)

“W-what on earth is happening?”

The fishermen of the Yangtze River who had come to the riverside murmured.

A blaze far off was dying down. Though it now seemed to be subsiding, a short while ago the flames had roared so fiercely they looked as if they might engulf the entire river.

It was a rare spectacle to see the riverbank consumed by fire. But the flames were not the only thing drawing their attention.

“Bo-boats...!”

Huge ships began to cross the middle of the Yangtze River. Even at a glance they were nothing like ordinary merchant vessels. They were the combat ships of the Pirates, specialized in overtaking and ramming other craft.

Watching the columns of ships relentlessly steaming eastward, everyone tensed and swallowed hard.

They didn’t need to think hard to know.

That right now something enormous enough to shake the entire Yangtze River was unfolding.

“Is... is a war breaking out?”

“Hey, watch your language! War? Don’t say such ominous things!”

Voices shuddered here and there as if the words alone sent chills down their spines. Even those voices were thick with anxiety — they knew these were no idle words.

“Or could it be the Pirates would move like that? Those ships have been sitting unmoving for months.”

“They might be returning to their lair.”

“What nonsense...”

Fear crept into everyone’s eyes.

They instinctively knew the brief peace they had enjoyed was over.

“How long has the chaos been going on... There are hardly any people left around here now.”

“That’s true.”

“Now, now. Don’t worry too much. Isn’t that why the Nine Great Sects are here on the Yangtze? No matter how fearsome those scoundrels are, what could they do with those people present?”

It was a hopeful remark.

But everyone present knew otherwise. If, as rumors claimed, the Nine Great Sects were truly that formidable, they wouldn’t have allowed such villains to run rampant even on the far side of the river.

It was at that moment.

“There, over there!”

“Huh?”

At the shout, those who turned their heads widened their eyes.

Whoosh!

A group of people was running swiftly toward the riverside where they stood. They came so fast that though spotted far off, in the time it took to blink they were already upon them.

“S-Shaolin?”

They wore yellow monastic robes, and a few at the front had red cloth draped over them. Of the countless temples across the land, only Shaolin wear those yellow robes.

The murim monks of Shaolin passed them in an instant with stern faces. Behind them came groups wearing large broadswords and cold-eyed swordsmen, running in succession.

One man watching the martial fighters run with frightened eyes spoke in a dazed voice.

“Could something truly massive be about to happen?”

A warlike atmosphere began to hang over the entire Yangtze River.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Abbott! Jang Ilso has revealed himself.”

“Jang Ilso?”

“Yes! The one who had been holed up inside the carriage the whole journey came out and gave orders personally. A small number who received his orders left the main force, but reports say their exact objective is hard to determine.”

Beop Jeong gripped the prayer beads in his hand tightly.

‘Hegemony Lord.’

The mere fact that he gave orders was not the important thing.

What mattered was that orders can just as easily be issued from inside a carriage.

That Jang Ilso went out of his way to appear outside the carriage was clearly a taunt directed at Beop Jeong.

Blue veins bulged on the back of Beop Jeong’s hand.

Shaolin had clearly been struck first and yet could not even summon the nerve to counterattack. All they were doing was doggedly following in Jang Ilso’s wake.

Jang Ilso was asking Shaolin that very thing now.

If he reached the place where Jang Ilso was — across the river — what would they do then?

Did they have the courage to cross the river with the clear intent of striking at him here? To thrust a law-laden execution blade into Jang Ilso’s throat and punish him for his crimes?

‘So utterly shameless...’

A cold, bluish killing intent flowed from Beop Jeong’s eyes.

Others might dismiss it as trivial, but Beop Jeong felt Jang Ilso’s mocking clearly.

It was a sneer aimed not at just anyone, but at the Abbott of Shaolin who led the three sects beyond the river.

When had he ever been subjected to such mockery?

What made Beop Jeong angrier still was that there was no way to respond.

“Abbott, what will you do?”

Beop Gye casually called to Beop Jeong. Beop Jeong closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and answered in a deliberately calm voice.

“We need not respond to every such provocation.”

“Yes, Abbott.”

“First, we must tail them so we can react to the enemy’s movements. We can think about countermeasures when it’s possible to implement them. No matter how good a plan is, if it’s too late it’s meaningless.”

“Yes!”

“Increase the pace!”

Having given the order, Beop Jeong drove his foot more forcefully into the ground.

Beop Gye stared at his back. The figure did not seem so large.

‘Abbott...’

What Beop Jeong said was certainly sound logic. And when dealing with Jang Ilso, it was important to adhere to that logic. Jang Ilso is someone who uses cunning like breathing; to react to every petty act of his risks missing something far greater.

But one doubt would not leave Beop Gye’s mind.

‘Is the Abbott truly so calm right now?’

Beop Gye couldn’t help but realize a certain fact anew.

From the Yangtze incident to the present, Shaolin had been entangled with the Four Sects Alliance countless times, and had often been enraged by their machinations. There was no way not to know how dangerous Jang Ilso was.

But coldly speaking, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Beop Jeong, not Shaolin, had never directly traded moves with Jang Ilso.

When the Yangtze incident occurred, it was Beop Gye, not Beop Jeong, who led Shaolin. When the Plum Blossom Island affair erupted, Shaolin only arrived belatedly after it was already too late.

This meant that Beop Jeong had never once directly confronted Jang Ilso’s schemes; he’d never been the direct target of Jang Ilso’s malice.

If that’s the case... if that is truly so...

“Didn’t I tell you to hurry?”

“Yes, yes! Abbott!”

Startled by Beop Jeong’s urging, Beop Gye snapped out of his thoughts. He motioned to those following, and the Shaolin disciples running behind gritted their teeth and quickened their pace.

Confirming the overall increase in speed, Beop Jeong glared coldly toward the far side of the river.

An indescribable unease filled Beop Gye’s eyes as he watched that back.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Alliance Leader! The distance between us and those ahead is widening.”

“Hmm.”

Hyun Jong looked ahead with a contemplative expression.

‘Beop Jeong.’

It was undoubtedly Hyun Jong who was most anxious right now. Yet the three sects, led by Shaolin and moving eastward ahead, were traveling so swiftly they would even surprise him.

Tang Gunak spoke in a low voice.

“...Indeed, the Nine Great Sects’ strength is not to be underestimated.”

“There’s nothing new about that.”

Hyun Jong nodded faintly.

Exactly so. The reason the Nine Great Sects have lost their former prestige is not because they are weak, but because, despite possessing sufficient power, they have not wielded it properly.

If Beop Jeong had truly decided to use this opportunity to wage proper war against the Four Sects Alliance, from the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s perspective it would be like gaining a powerful ally.

Though it would be a temporary ally that could not share every intention.

“What will you do? Shall we increase our speed?”

Tang Gunak asked, but Hyun Jong did not answer immediately. His gaze was grave.

Compared to the vanguard made up solely of the Nine Great Sects’ elites, the Heavenly Friends Alliance contained far too many sects. Their hearts might be aligned, but if they increased speed further it could be difficult to move as cohesively as those ahead.

In the end, Hyun Jong shook his head.

“No. We will not. Maintain our current speed.”

“But, Alliance Leader. If we do that, we may fall behind not only the Nine Great Sects but even Jang Ilso who went ahead.”

“That’s fine.”

Taken aback by the unexpected reply, Tang Gunak eyed him suspiciously.

Hyun Jong, the alliance leader and former sect leader of Mount Hua, was surely the most impatient of all — no one could deny that. Yet he said it was fine if they were late...

Then Hyun Jong spoke calmly.

“Lord Tang.”

“Yes?”

“When will the sun set?”

Tang Gunak’s face briefly went blank. What kind of strange question was that all of a sudden?

Hyun Jong said.

“The Pirates are now gathering all available vessels and heading east. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s what the reports say.”

“And across the river the Four Sects Alliance’s elite forces are heading east. So their troops are likely split: those guarding the main force and those following Jang Ilso.”

“Of course...”

Tang Gunak shut his mouth. He had grasped what Hyun Jong was about to say.

“C-could it be...?”

“Yes. We’ll keep a moderate speed and send our boats ahead. And when the sun sets...”

Hyun Jong declared in an even voice.

“We will lead the alliance and cross the river.”

“Alliance L-leader!”

Tang Gunak’s face went pale.

“That’s far too dangerous. If the enemy learns we’ve crossed the river, they could turn and strike us first. Then we’d be forced into a pincer with Jang Ilso and the Pirates above the river.”

“Isn’t that the situation the youngsters are in right now? Isn’t it?”

Tang Gunak fell silent.

“You need not join if it’s too dangerous. But Mount Hua will cross the river.”

Tang Gunak suddenly looked back. The eyes of Mount Hua’s disciples clinging close showed not the slightest wavering.

‘So this was his intention from the start?’

As if answering Tang Gunak’s thought, Hyun Jong said.

“It’s meaningless to merely follow at a safe distance. Doing so might mean we’ll only stand by and watch Jang Ilso harm the youngsters across the river. I have no intention of doing that.”

“Alliance Leader...”

“I finally understand why, even when I believed the youngsters were right, a doubt lingered in my heart. Why everything felt somehow wrong.”

“...”

“A sect shares its fate together.”

Tang Gunak’s expression as he watched Hyun Jong looked as if he were entranced. No wonder — Hyun Jong’s face seemed almost sculpted to embody the words ‘man of the way.’

“I will share my fate with those youngsters. I’m only now correcting what should have been done from the beginning.”

Tang Gunak slowly turned his head and watched the Yangtze River.

A crimson sunset beyond the western hills stained the Yangtze River a deep red. What might ordinarily have been beautiful now felt like an ominous calm before the storm.

“...Then we will go with you.”

“...”

“Isn’t a friend also someone who shares your fate?”

Hyun Jong quietly closed his eyes.

‘Chung Myung.’

Now he seemed to understand. What that youngster had tried to create.

‘Is this merely my delusion?’

All that had been hidden began to exert its power the moment Chung Myung was absent, like a barrier that would firmly protect Mount Hua even without him.

‘But you, lad.’

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Hyun Jong’s mouth.

“It is not you protecting Mount Hua, but Mount Hua protecting you.”

Muttering words barely audible, Hyun Jong stamped the ground resolutely and moved forward.