Return of the Mount Hua

There, too… a future exists. (1)

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“Don’t fall behind!”

“Yes!”

“You too, you bastard!”

“Ughhhhhh.”

A groan naturally escaped from Im Sobyeong’s lips, sounding like that of a sick person. No, since he was actually a sick person to begin with, it might be more accurate to just call it a groan.

“No…!”

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

Im Sobyeong, who was about to grumble, quietly shut his mouth. His temper tempted him to retort, ‘Why do I have to suffer like this for those Wudang bastards I don’t even know?’ But if he did, that fist with bulging veins would surely fly at him without further discussion.

“Even bandits wouldn’t be this ignorant. Damn Taoist brat!”

Come to think of it, how different are bandits and Taoists, really? Both leave the secular world to live their own lives deep in the mountains, don’t they?

The only difference is that bandits receive help from passersby, while Taoists receive help from those who seek them out – just a tiny difference.

“They’re falling behind over there!”

“I’m going, I said!”

Im Sobyeong hurriedly ran over and kicked the rear of a person, who was lagging behind.

“Aagh!”

“Hey, you bastard! Even a sick person is running, so stop whining and run!”

Im Sobyeong gritted his teeth as he kicked the lagging person once more in frustration. Even so, everyone was running for their lives, without anyone dropping out.

‘Somehow…’

Was it luck, or was it a good strategy? Even Nokrim’s bandits, who would normally have given up and laid down to do as they pleased, were somehow managing to keep running.

Regardless of affiliation, everyone glanced at the runners beside them, gritting their teeth. Then, they pushed their legs with all the strength they could muster.

‘It had this kind of effect.’

Simply creating a group and dividing people did not erase their existing sense of belonging. It would take a long time for a sense of belonging to the division to surpass that of the sect. 

However, this also meant that they still had a sense of rivalry towards those from other sects. If they couldn’t hold on and fell behind, countless eyes would turn on them. If they were running alongside their senior brothers or elders from their sect, their shortcomings would be the end of it. But now, they couldn’t expect such a good outcome. Their inadequacies would undoubtedly lead to ridicule toward their sect.

‘So they can’t afford to fall behind, even if it kills them.’

Watching them running desperately, Im Sobyeong shook his head.

“Running with the honor of their sect on their shoulders…”

Meanwhile, the young Hwasan’s guys leading the charge were still energetic, so there was no room for complaints.

“All this for honor, how pathetic…”

At that moment, something caught his eye.

Im Sobyeong opened his eyes wide.

“Where do you think you’re lagging, you damn bandit bastards, trying to get yourselves killed! Should I skin you alive?”

“Eek!”

“If any Nokrim bastards fall behind, I’ll cut all your ankle tendons and send you to the Beggars Sect, so let’s see what happens!”

Im Sobyeong shouted as he kicked the backs of the exhausted bandits. Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he watched this.

“You said they were pathetic.”

“Ah, but Nokrim is a different story, Nokrim! Don’t disgrace yourselves. Tsk, tsk.”

Chung Myung looked on with a stern face, but Im Sobyeong averted his gaze and pouted.

“I’m not saying they’re obsessed with worthless honor or anything. If Nokrim is looked down upon, we might as well shut down the business. You don’t understand.”

“Sure, sure. I suppose you have your deep reasons.”

Im Sobyeong flippantly unfolded a fan and waved it in front of his face. Not that it was unnecessary – he was sweating profusely, so fanning himself wasn’t out of place.

After a long sigh, Im Sobyeong spoke in a lower, more serious voice than before.

“But surprisingly…”

“There’s been no attack.”

“Right?”

Chung Myung’s gaze also darkened.

“That means they’re really targeting Wudang.”

“We haven’t arrived yet.”

“Of course, but…”

Im Sobyeong’s eyes, half-hidden by the fan, gleamed with a cold light. Until they reached Mount Wudang, nothing could be assumed. Any possibility had to be considered.

However, the fact that no traps had been confirmed so far clearly indicated that the target of Sapaeryeon was not here.

Im Sobyeong whispered in a heavy voice, low enough not to be heard by those around them.

“Wouldn’t it be better to increase the speed a bit?”

“No. If we push too hard, we’ll have stragglers.”

“I understand, but if they are really targeting Wudang, they’ve probably launched a full-scale attack by now.”

“…”

“Wudang won’t be able to withstand it.”

Chung Myung’s face hardened slightly. However, after a moment of silence, he shook his head.

“But it’s still Wudang.”

“I know. I understand. But it’s still just Wudang. You know that war isn’t about the strength of individuals. Wudang doesn’t have anyone who can handle Jang Ilso or Ho Gamyeong.”

For a moment, the image of Heo Do Jinin flashed in his mind, but Im Sobyeong quickly shook his head.

Heo Do Jinin wasn’t enough.

It’s not that he was lacking. It was that Heo Do Jonin had already exposed his weaknesses to the enemy. Jang Ilso and Ho Gamyeong would surely exploit those weaknesses, forcing him into difficult choices.

In a war between forces of similar strength, they might somehow endure, but now Sapaeryeon overwhelmingly had the upper hand, didn’t they? It wasn’t about whether they could fight – it was about how long they could hold out.

“Even so, we can’t,” 

Chung Myung remained firm despite knowing everything. A faint cold killing intent emanated from his eyes. 

“The moment we push ourselves, we don’t know when or how they’ll extend their claws.”

Im Sobyeong glanced ahead.

Indeed, as Chung Myung said, they were at their limit. They were already moving at a much faster pace than Im Sobyeong initially expected.

If they increased the speed further, not only would stragglers appear, but the formation itself would collapse. Then the purpose of forming the divisons in the first place would be completely lost. It would create vulnerabilities that need not be mentioned.

Already, there was lingering distrust toward the new structure, and they couldn’t leave such an impression on them from the first performance.

“What about Wudang then…?”

“They’ll endure.”

Chung Myung replied as if there was no need to think further.

However, that wasn’t a sufficient answer for Im Sobyeong. Endure? Wudang? Against Sapaeryeon?

The memory was still vivid. Wudang was the one who was utterly destroyed, manipulated by the schemes of Jang Ilso at the Yangtze River without accomplishing anything. If Wudang hadn’t hastily declared defeat back then, the power structure of Gangho might have been different now.

Could Wudang, who was so powerless then, stand alone against Sapaeryeon and hold out?

“Are you placing your faith in Heo Do Jinin?”

“No.”

Chung Myung was firm in his answer once more. Instead, he cast his gaze far off toward Mount Wudang, still out of sight but surely in that direction.

“Children grow naturally without their seniors needing to nurture them, and eventually, they grow taller than the seniors who watched over them, whether you want it or not.”

“…”

“And even more so if they’ve been deeply wounded.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Chung Myung’s eyes darkened profoundly.

“There, too… a future exists.”

❀ ❀ ❀

Fwooooosh!

Once again, a severed rock plummeted down the cliff, as if it were being swept away. 

Rumble!

A deafening roar echoed, as if the sky were collapsing.

“Pour it on!”

“Yes!”

Rocks were dug out and boulders in the vicinity were smashed, creating fragments that tumbled down the cliff face. While these stones were not particularly powerful on their own, they became formidable when accompanied by a massive boulder.

“Take cover!”

Seeing the huge boulder falling from the center, Sapaeryeon’s warriors, pale with fear, leaped to evade, but were caught in a shower of stones. Those already in the air couldn’t respond to the falling rocks as effectively as before.

Thud! Thud!

The falling rocks, now at terrifying speed, shattered the bodies of the enemies in midair. Even those who managed to block the rocks were helpless as their bodies were pushed backwards and down.

“Aaaah!”

Falling or slipping down, was there anything more deadly on a smooth cliff face like a porcelain wall?

“Those damned bastards!”

The enraged warriors of Sapaeryeon glared up at the cliff as if they would devour those at the top. It had been Wudang who had looked up with such eyes at the Yangtze River. Back then, it was the ones on the cliff who emerged victorious.

Will it be the same this time as well?

“C-Commander!”

With just one attack, dozens of members of Sapaeryeon fell from the cliff. More than half of them likely died instantly, and most of them wouldn’t even leave behind a proper corpse.

The even bigger problem was that the higher they climbed, and the more people scaled the cliff, the more damage a single attack would cause.

“A good sword strike.”

However, Ho Gamyeong remained calm, as if watching someone else’s affair.

“What are you doing? Continue to encourage them. Promise eternal wealth and glory to the one who reaches the top of the cliff first.”

“Y-Yes, Commander!”

The subordinates nodded with pale faces.

Ho Gamyeong calmly looked up at the cliff. His face was so devoid of emotion that no particular feeling could be discerned.

“Wudang has someone like that too. But… foolish.”

“Huff! Huff!”

Sweat continuously dripped down Heo Gong’s forehead.

Even for Heo Gong, releasing sword energy capable of cutting the cliff was no ordinary feat. With each strike, it felt as if his very soul was being worn away.

But he couldn’t stop now. He had to succeed.

Rumble!

The sword once again emitted a blinding white light.

Fwoooosh!

With all his might, Heo Gong’s sword energy sliced through the cliff face again. The severed rocks began to fall with a thunderous roar once more.

This was not a single strike, but a continuous barrage of sword strikes that changed the very geography of Mount Wudang.

“Sasuk! Are you all right?”

“Are you okay, Saje?”

The swordsmen of Wudang understood how incredible Heo Gong’s swordsmanship was and how much internal energy and mental strength it cost him to unleash such powerful strikes.

“Saje, instead of this, for now, you should…”

“I will defend this place!”

Those who tried to dissuade Heo Gong flinched at his resolve and closed their mouths.

“Never! I will not let a single one of them climb this cliff.”

Feeling his chilling determination throughout their bodies, they could only nod, unable to persuade him further.

“We trust you, Sasuk!”

There was no one who could oppose Heo Gong’s words at that moment. 

Regardless of ranks or positions, at this moment, Heo Gong was unmistakably the center of Wudang, even though Heo San-ja held the position of Acting Sect Leader. 

Heo Gong’s actions carried significant meaning for the other disciples of Wudang, communicating an important message to them.

“Elder!”

“Yes!”

Those who had attempted to dissuade Heo Gong quickly turned, their robes fluttering. Looking below, they spotted the enemies attempting to take this position by taking a detour through a steep mountain path instead of climbing the sheer cliff face.

Clang.

Without hesitation, they drew their swords.

“We can’t leave it all to Saje.”

The strength each sword could wield might differ, but the intent behind them was the same.

“Support Heo Gong! Not a single enemy should reach our Saje’s back!”

“Yes!”

Wudang swordsmen, swords drawn, leaped into action, aiming at the approaching enemies.

The sun was already dipping toward the west, painting the surface of the White-Faced Cliff a deep crimson, as if illustrating the future of this mountain in vivid colors.

Next chapter >>>

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And Sapaeryeon hasn’t even deployed their main force yet… I don’t think Wudang’s strategies are effective. 

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