Don’t bow your head. (1)
The disciples of Hwasan, who had sprawled like the dead, all raised their heads with renewed determination.
While they had heard snippets about the situation while carrying people on carts, ordinary people could only know so much. Naturally, the disciples of Hwasan couldn’t help but be curious about the detailed circumstances at the Jangwon.
However, surprisingly, Chung Myung just picked his ear with sour expression on his face.
“No, well… I’m sure they’ll manage on their own.”
“…Is that so?”
Chung Myung blew on his finger with pensive look.
“But still…”
“Eh.”
Before Tang Gunak could say anything more, Chung Myung held out his hand to stop him.
“The order can’t be reversed.”
“Hmm?”
“Who should come first, those who went out to fight with swords in their hands or those who suffer without any fault?”
“…Well…”
Tang Gunak couldn’t respond immediately. Naturally, it would be the latter.
“Even if you have an interest in that side, you should evacuate everyone else first.”
Tang Gunak nodded slowly in response to Chung Myung’s words.
He was truly impressed by this young man. Knowing something in theory and putting it into practice were entirely different matters. While a critical situation was unfolding nearby that could change the course of the war, to divert one’s attention from there required exceptional patience.
Despite his outwardly boisterous personality and exaggerated actions, few disciples he knew possessed the level of patience that Chung Myung had.
“But…”
“Hmm?”
Chun Myung’s ears perked up. His hand, extended forward, was constantly fidgeting, and his lips were moving as if he had something to say.
Seeing that his words and actions didn’t quite align, Tang Gunak’s expression became slightly uneasy.
Chun Myung hesitated and then opened his mouth.
“Well… the situation is, uh…”
“…”
“No, it’s not that I’m curious or anything! It’s not like that, but, uh, there could be casualties during the transfer, and, um…”
“You’re not curious, you say?”
“Ah! Who said I’m curious? I mean, it’s just that…”
Tang Gunak sighed and lowered his head.
Anyway…
“Ah! Whether the Namgung bastards live or die, what does it matter to me?”
Chung Myung suddenly vented his frustration, glaring at the disciples.
“Now that you’ve all had your rest, get up!”
“…That guy is taking it out on us for no reason.”
“He’ll pay for this someday, he will…”
The disciples of Hwasan grumbled but got up obediently. Despite their complaints, they too wanted to move the residents of Yangtze riverbanks to a safe place as soon as possible.
Even those who had resolved to live there couldn’t expect Hwasan to solve all their problems. But at the very least, shouldn’t they do their best to help those who had made the big decision to relocate to Sichuan?
“Are there any issues with relocating people to Sichuan?”
“Would there be any issues?”
Tang Gunak replied calmly.
“First, the priority is to get out of the river basin. Sending people to Sichuan can be done slowly. Thanks to the grain you’ve brought and the grain from the Maehwa* Island, there won’t be a problem feeding the refugees.”
“Alright, then. Have you secured land in Sichuan?”
“I’m still pondering that.”
Tang Gunak furrowed his brow slightly.
“Even if there are many suitable places, I’d prefer to establish a presence in a city with strong influence of the Tang Family…”
“But?”
“It doesn’t seem like these people will adapt easily to city life, especially those who have lived along the river. It might be best for them to settle in the Mingang Basin, west of the city. It’s not comparable to the Jangwon, but it’s still a river, isn’t it?”
Upon hearing this, Chung Myung grinned.
The number of migrating refugees is not small.
While martial arts sects are fundamentally unrelated to commoners, as the Tang Family, with a strong regional identity, they wouldn’t want to miss out on commoners who would unequivocally support them.
So, generally speaking, it’s right to let people live in areas where your influence is strong and gain benefits from it. After all, the Tang Family has also made many sacrifices to support them. But right now, Tang Gunak is prioritizing their lives over Tang’s interests. Even if it means losing some influence, he’s looking for a place that’s most similar to where they used to live.
“That’s the way it should be.”
“Is that so? Hmmm. I’m not entirely sure yet. We might need to find an even better place.”
Three wrinkles formed on Tang Gunaks’s forehead. Chung Myung couldn’t help but burst into laughter. This was the person who never showed such a face even when challenged by the elders of the Tang clan.
“Sect Leader said he would do his best to support you in Cheonumaeng’s** name, so don’t worry too much. Getting out of here immediately should be the priority.”
“Indeed.”
Tang Gunak nodded quietly.
That’s when it happened.
“Are those Hwasan people?”
“The disciples of Hwasan have arrived!”
People rushed out from Jangwon and surrounded the disciples of Hwasan. The refugees who were still staying in Jangwon had noticed their arrival and came running out to greet them.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“Oh my, look at the dirt on your faces.”
The people who had rushed out held their hands together, and the women wiped the faces of Hwasan’s disciples with their sleeves. The unexpected warmth of their welcome brought smiles to the faces of the disciples.
“Oh, no. There’s no need for this…”
“What did we do?”
However, the perspective of the refugees was different. If they had tried to come here on foot, it would have taken them days, if not weeks, to arrive. Even more so with young children in tow, it would have been an arduous journey.
Considering the grim atmosphere along the Yangtze River, how could they not be grateful to those who had stepped forward to help?
At that moment, someone gently tugged on Jo Geol’s sleeve.
“Um… this… please take it.”
“Yes?”
Turning around, Jo Geol blinked in surprise as he saw what was being offered to him.
“What is this…?”
“It’s dumplings. There aren’t many, but please have some…”
Jo Geol accepted the dumplings wrapped in cloth and wiped his nose subtly.
“You don’t have to do this…”
Of course, their bodies were exhausted. No matter how skilled in martial arts they were, and even though they had reached a level of expertise that most martial artists could only dream of, pulling a cart loaded with both goods and people back and forth between Wuhan and Gugang multiple times a day was no easy task.
Yet, in this moment, all the fatigue and hardship seemed to vanish.
“I’ll eat them gratefully…”
Yoon Jong lightly tapped Jo Geol’s shoulder as he awkwardly lowered his head. “Eating alone?”
“Yes. I’ll eat them alone. I won’t share them with sahyeongs.”
Under normal circumstances, Yoon Jong might have grabbed Jo Geol by the collar, but now he just smiled broadly.
Someone once said that giving without expecting anything in return was true benevolence. However, every time he experienced moments like this, Yoon Jong couldn’t help but think that the saying was wrong.
It wasn’t that there was no price. It’s just that the meaning of that price was different. Wasn’t warm hospitality, a few grateful words, and a handful of small dumplings more than enough, overflowing even, as a price?
“Thank you.”
Baek Cheon, representing them, bowed his head towards their hosts. “In the end, you are going through all this trouble because of the wrongdoing of those who carried swords. We may not be able to compensate for everything, but we will do our best to help.”
“What are you talking about? How is that the fault of the Hwasan?”
“Yes! We may not know about other places, but we do know how much Hwasan and the Sichuan Tang have done for us. Even animals appreciate kindness, so how can we, as human beings, not recognize it?”
“Yes, we are simply grateful.”
Watching those who were wiping their eyes with their sleeves, Baek Cheon smiled warmly.
“Alright, let’s get going again…”
“If everyone has rested, we should depart, Sasuk.”
“Hmm?”
Turning around, Baek Cheon noticed that his Sajes and Sahyeongs were already holding onto the cart’s handles.
“Oh, perhaps it’s your age, but you’re not as spry as before.”
“Even in the midst of this, the people of the Yangtze are anxiously waiting for us. We need to move a bit faster.”
‘These folks?’
Baek Cheon raised an eyebrow.
At what point did they change their minds? “Chung Myung, that bastard, should put a bottle in his snout and fall asleep.. and let us get some rest,” “I’m really going to die,” “If that demon guy passes out, let’s knock him out and put him to sleep,” and “Let’s rest a bit” – when did they say all that?
“Oh, is it the sun is setting? Are you going again?”
“Hahaha. What does night matter to a bunch of taoists? We have people waiting for us, so let’s keep going.”
Jo Geol, is that you?
“But you still need to rest a bit.”
“We’ve rested enough. This is nothing.”
Yoon Jong, too?
Each one of them seemed to resemble Chung Myung in both speech and action. Their words and actions weren’t in sync.
“Oh, Sasuk!”
“Got it! You guys!”
Baek Cheon chuckled and walked toward the cart. However, after a moment, he stopped and turned his head.
“Chung Myung…”
Baek Cheon was about to call out to Chung Myung but suddenly stopped himself. He had somehow moved away from the group and was staring off into the distance at the southern horizon where the Yangtze River lay.
“…”
From his back, an indiscernible emotion could be felt. Baek Cheon hesitated for a moment, contemplating whether to call him again. But then he slowly approached Chung Myung and placed a hand on his shoulder from behind.
“Hmm?”
“We should start moving again, Chung Myung.”
“Oh, right.”
Chung Myung nodded as if it was of no concern. Baek Cheon didn’t press further to inquire about what was on his mind. It wasn’t hard to guess, and there was no need to confirm it.
As Chung Myung turned toward the cart, Baek Cheon quietly spoke.
“I should take responsibility for my own mistakes..”
“…Huh?”
Chung Myung turned to look at him. Baek Cheon glanced at him briefly and continued with a casual tone.
“But back when I couldn’t properly lead my sajl and sahyeongs as the Leader, and you stepped up to change everything…”
“…”
“So, what I mean is… You took charge when I couldn’t.”
Baek Cheon paused for a moment but didn’t turn back.
“To be honest, I was truly grateful.”
Then, as if something crossed his mind, he quickly turned around and added.
“Back then. Just back then. Not now.”
“No, but this guy?”
“Let’s go.”
Baek Cheon smiled and stood in front of the cart, grabbing the handle.
“We need to wrap things up before the situation gets worse. We can worry about the rest later.”
“…”
Listening to Baek Cheon’s words, Chung Myung smiled as he looked at him.
“Dong Ryong has grown up a lot. He even knows how to say those kinds of things to me.”
“Well, I’ve always been older than you, you brat! It was like that before, and it will continue to be!”
“Whatever.”
Chung Myung turned his head and glanced at Tang Gunak.
“I’ll be off then. There’s a child among the people we brought earlier, and they seem quite tired, so please take a look.”
“Don’t worry, there are already skilled medical practitioners looking after them.”
“As expected, you leave no room for mistakes.”
Chung Myung smiled brightly and leaped onto the cart.
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Eurachaa!”
This time, Hwasan’s disciples also began to pull the cart and run without a word of complaint. Accelerating quickly, they left the cheering commoners behind, and the commoners raised their voices to cheer them on.
Amidst the noisy scene, Tang Gunak smiled quietly and raised his head.
‘This is a big deal.’
He never thought he would consider these children, who weren’t even his own, so dependable. At this rate, he might end up not being able to play the role of an adult.
‘But I can’t let down the Tang Clan either.’
He turned around and shouted.
“Pack up your belongings! We need to finish our work before Hwasan returns!”
“Yes, Lord!”
Tang Gunak’s shoulders, heading back to the headquarters, were prouder than ever before.
________
*Maehwa Island is literally Plum Blossom Island. Since it’s a name I don’t see any purpose in translating it every time and making it lengthy. It can also be left as Maehwado (do – being an island) if the context doesn’t really calls for emphasizing the island all the time.
**Cheonumaeng – 천우맹(天友盟)
- 天 (Tiān) – This character means “heaven” or “sky” and is often used to represent the celestial or divine.
- 友 (Yǒu) – It means “friend” or “friendship.” It represents camaraderie and positive relations.
- 盟 (Méng) – This character signifies an “alliance” or “league,” often used in the context of formal associations.
So, when combined, “天友盟” would translate to something like “Heavenly Friendship Alliance”. Honestly, until I think of something more ‘pretty’ I’d like to leave it as it is.
Return of the Mount Hua 
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