Return of the Mount Hua

Let’s see how you like a taste of your own medicine. (3)

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“Kuhhh. Gamyeong, honey water… bring me some honey water…”

“…Ryeonju.”

Ho Gamyeong let out a deep sigh.

Seriously, how could someone so skilled in martial arts be so stubborn, refusing to use his internal energy to dissipate his hangover?

“…Honey water.”

“Yes.”

However, instead of scolding Jang Ilso, Ho Gamyeong ordered a servant to fetch the honey water immediately. When the servant brought it, Ho Gamyeong personally took the bowl and even infused it with a bit of cold energy, so that Jang Ilso could drink it nice and cold.

“Here it is. Please, have some.”

“Ughhh.”

With a grimace on his face, Jang Ilso took the bowl that Ho Gamyeong offered and gulped it down in big swallows.

Then, in a dissatisfied voice, he shouted, 

“It’s cold!”

“…”

Ho Gamyeong bit back the words, ‘To hell with being your military strategist!’ that almost slipped off his tongue, holding them back with superhuman patience.

To be honest, this was not the moment to chastise Jang Ilso. 

Because he had just witnessed with his own eyes what Jang Ilso had done – or rather, what he had accomplished.

‘Unbelievable.’

Who Jang Ilso had met… it was beyond belief. Even in his wildest dreams, Ho Gamyeong would never have imagined it could be that person.

‘He is on a different level.’

This is precisely what it means when they say imagination cannot reach reality.

This is the difference between a ruler and a strategist.

If the focus is on formulating precise and meticulous strategies for executing plans, Ho Gamyeong is clearly superior to Jang Ilso. But a ruler draws a bigger picture that a mere strategist cannot even dare to imagine.

Jang Ilso is the kind of person who effortlessly brings dreamlike ideas into the realm of reality.

Knowing how extraordinary his lord was, Ho Gamyeong found himself even more frustrated.

“…I understand why you do it, but no matter how I think about it, there’s no need for Ryeonju to bother with such small fry.”

“Tsk, tsk. I’ve told you so many times, yet every time…”

Jang Ilso clicked his tongue as he looked at Ho Gamyeong, who seemed sullen.

He swiftly threw off the blanket that had been covering him. Getting down from the bed, he began to walk slowly.

The servants quickly approached, undressing him from his nightclothes and starting to groom him. They wiped his body with a damp towel and dried it thoroughly with a dry one. A fine silk inner garment was draped over his exposed upper body.

“How many times have I told you? The moment I disregard the small things, I, too, will become a pig. Do you want me to become a fat pig?”

While being dressed by the servants, Jang Ilso glanced sharply at Ho Gamyeong. His gaze was like a blade.

The blade-like gaze was directed at Ho Gamyeong.

Ho Gamyeong involuntarily flinched. He knew exactly what that gaze meant.

It was a clear rebuke.

A warning that Ho Gamyeong’s remarks had crossed the line of what Jang Ilso would tolerate.

“I was foolish, Ryeonju!”

Ho Gamyeong immediately prostrated himself on the spot.

Jang Ilso’s sharp gaze softened once more as he silently looked down at Ho Gamyeong.

“Tsk, tsk. Gamyeong-ah, Gamyeong-ah.”

“…”

“Do you think I don’t understand why you speak like that? Of course, you don’t like seeing Ryeonju sharing drinks with lowly ones and laughing loudly with them.”

“…It’s true that I harbored such feelings.”

“You’re not wrong.”

The servants adjusted Jang Ilso’s attire with delicate touches.

“People need dignity. The dignity required of a warrior, or a Bangju, and of a Ryeonju like myself is all different.”

“I believe so as well.”

“But that’s merely the attitude of one who is content with their position. If one becomes complacent in their place, what remains is only a fall.”

Jang Ilso’s expression grew more fierce.

“If I were content to remain merely a Ryeonju, I wouldn’t mingle with such people. But if I desire something greater, if I am still hungry for more!”

He covered his face with his hand as if he were gripping it.

“Even if it’s a cup mixed with the spit they spat out, one must know how to drink it with a joyful heart. Authority doesn’t come from attitude – it comes from strength.”

“…”

“I…”

He paused for a moment, then removed the hand covering his face. A gentle smile spread across his face, as if nothing had happened.

“Even at this very moment, I am growing stronger, Gamyeong. Should a martial artist ever stop becoming stronger?”

“Your words, Ryeonju, are right a hundred, a thousand times over!”

Ho Gamyeong, still prostrated, banged his forehead against the floor.

Jang Ilso furrowed his brows.

“No, why are you banging your head like that? It must hurt.”

“…”

“Stand up. Stand up. I’ve told you not to bow unnecessarily, but you never listen. Tsk, tsk.”

Ho Gamyeong carefully rose to his feet.

Moments like these always reminded him of the fact that Jang Ilso was indeed Paegun.

Jang Ilso was not someone he could easily approach. No matter what actions he took, it was the same. Not because Jang Ilso’s authority was so strong, nor because his strength was so formidable.

Simply because he was that kind of person.

A servant slowly finished applying makeup to Jang Ilso’s face. After dusting a bit of red powder on his eyelids over the white foundation and drawing his eyebrows, the servant carefully stepped back. Jang Ilso then dipped his finger into lip rouge and began applying it to his lips.

“Anyway, as I was saying-“

Bang!

“Ryeonju!”

Suddenly, the door swung open with a loud bang, and the sudden shout caused Jang Ilso’s pinky, which was delicately moving over his lips, to slip slightly.

“…Tsk.”

A thick displeasure spread across Jang Ilso’s face.

Noticing the murderous glint in his eyes, Ho Gamyeong quickly shouted out.

“Do you have any idea where you are, barging in so noisily? You fool!”

“S-Sorry! It’s an urgent matter!”

“Shut up, you…!”

“…Enough.”

Jang Ilso wiped the smudged rouge with a towel and turned his head to look at the one who had burst in. The murderous intent that had filled his eyes moments before had vanished as if it had been washed away.

“It must be urgent. So, what’s the matter?”

“On Maehwa – no, on Jiujiang Island, Nokrim’s bandits have withdrawn.”

“Where?”

“That island. The one Hwasan occupied…”

“…You mean Maehwado.”

Jang Ilso lifted his fallen bangs with a finger. A servant quickly approached, brushed his hair back, and placed a crown on his head.

“They withdrew and abandoned Maehwado?”

“Yes! That’s right. And the Sichuan Tang Clan is also pulling out of the Yangtze River region and returning to Sichuan.”

Ho Gamyeong asked again in a surprised tone.

“So suddenly?”

“…Given that the news has already reached us here, I think they might have already pulled out and left.”

“What in the world…?”

Ho Gamyeong fell silent. The sudden influx of information left his mind in disarray.

‘What are they thinking?’

He understood it to some extent.

If they were to cross the Yangtze River, Maehwado and the Sichuan Tang Clan, who guarded the Yangtze, would be the most vulnerable. It made sense for them to pull back now that things had settled.

But what Ho Gamyeong couldn’t understand was the urgency behind it all.

‘We haven’t even made our move yet.’

It might make sense for other places. When someone is scared, they tend to rush things.

But the problem was that Hwasan wouldn’t be like that.

Hwasan was the kind of sect where people wondered what they must have eaten to become so insane – the very place where the eccentric Hwasan Geomhyeop resided. A sect where everyone seemed to have lost their minds collectively.

Even when Wudang surrendered in fear, Hwasan was the one that stubbornly charged at Jang Ilso and Maninbang. 

And Cheonumaeng, led by such a sect like Hwasan, is now scared and abandoning the Yangtze River? The very place where just holding their ground would guarantee them immense profits?

‘There’s no way.’

If it were Hwasan – or Cheonumaeng he knew – they wouldn’t give up such massive benefits merely out of concern.

Then what on earth could be the reason…?

“Anyway…”

At that moment, Jang Ilso clicked his tongue as he brushed back a stray strand of hair.

“That cheeky brat… the moment he gets out of his cage, he goes around stabbing people in the side. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

Ho Gamyeong flinched at the expression on his face.

It was a strange look – one filled with what seemed to be intense irritation, yet also an inexplicable sense of delight.

“So, they won’t just play along, huh? Good, that’s the spirit.”

Unable to contain himself after hearing Jang Ilso’s words, Ho Gamyeong asked,

“Who are you referring to?”

“Who do you think?”

“…Are you talking about Hwasan Geomhyeop again?”

Jang Ilso didn’t bother to answer. Ho Gamyeong knew well enough that his silence was as good as a confirmation.

But Ho Gamyeong couldn’t easily accept this situation.

It was only natural for Jang Ilso to exist in a realm that Ho Gamyeong couldn’t comprehend. But how could a mere rascal like Hwasan Geomhyeop occupy that same realm?

“Ryeonju, if I may speak frankly.”

“Go ahead.”

“…I believe that you are overestimating Hwasan Geomhyeop. He is not someone who can exchange moves with you, Ryeonju. Even that grand nickname, wasn’t it something we coined ourselves?”

“And why do you think that?”

“That young brat-“

“Tsk, tsk. Gamyeong.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you know how old I was when I first stepped into Gangho?”

When Ho Gamyeong didn’t answer, Jang Ilso spoke with amusement.

“Compared to back then, I’ve gained a bit more experience now, and I’ve become a little more cautious. And I’ve grown incomparably stronger.”

“That is true, Ryeonju.”

“But I haven’t necessarily become any smarter.”

“…”

“That’s how people are. Growth is ultimately about how much of what you have inside you can be brought out. A tiger is still a tiger even as a cub, and a dog is still a dog even when fully grown. But if it’s a dragon, there’s no need to even discuss it.”

Ho Gamyeong bit his lip.

Jang Ilso’s words were never wrong. However, Ho Gamyeong found it hard to accept that truth.

Was it merely out of jealousy?

No.

The reason for his anger was not because Hwasan Geomhyeop was better than him but because that brat dared to encroach upon the existence of Jang Ilso. To him, that was nothing short of blasphemy.

“And even if what you say is true, it makes no difference. The important thing isn’t whether that brat is a match for me – it’s that his move is currently tightening around my neck.”

“Tightening around your neck, you say…?”

“The map!”

“Yes!”

The servants hurriedly ran to fetch a large map. As they spread it out on the broad table, Jang Ilso’s long, slender finger pointed to the middle of the Yangtze River.

“What do you think?”

“…Pardon?”

“This is Maehwado.”

Ho Gamyeong, looking at Maehwado again at Jang Ilso’s words, tilted his head in confusion.

“I don’t understand. For an army, it might be considered a strategic stronghold, but is it really that significant for martial artists? Besides, we’ve already seized control of the entire Yangtze River through Surochae.”

“Tsk, tsk. You’re still only thinking about battles.”

“Then…”

“Do you know what massive amounts of goods are flowing through this place?”

Jang Ilso chuckled, his voice raspy.

“For the damn past three years, the volume of goods flowing into Gangnam through Maehwado has skyrocketed. If this place gets blocked, the ones whose throats will be strangled are us.”

“Ah…”

“Damn brat.”

Jang Ilso ground his teeth. Yet, even as he did, the corners of his mouth curled up as if he was almost pleased.

“It hurts a lot. It’s… a very deep wound.”

His blazing eyes stared off into the distance.

To the far north, where there stood a certain mountain known for its rugged terrain.

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