Return of the Mount Hua

If one must bear it. (4)

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“Cough!”

Dark, clotted blood poured endlessly from Tang Gunak’s mouth. There was no need to check what those lumps mixed into the blood were.

“…Dam Yeohae.”

Even his voice, laden with hatred, couldn’t emerge properly, as if it had been smothered.

“Tsk, tsk. How unlucky you are, Tang Gunak.”

Cheon Myeon Susa smiled faintly, as though mocking Tang Gunak.

“If only you had died in a single strike, the pain would have been less. Now you’re in for needless suffering. What can you do? You can only blame your unnecessarily sturdy body.”

Gnash.

Tang Gunak ground his teeth.

“You… bastard…..”

The extreme fury in his eyes only served to amuse Cheon Myeon Susa even further.

“You must have thought you could figure it out. After all, you’ve faced me once before.”

“…”

“But everything can change depending on the situation. You should have taken that into account.”

Tang Gunak, about to retort, clamped his mouth shut. Then he spat out another mouthful of black blood.

‘Damn it.’

Dam Yeohae was right.

Under normal circumstances, such a thing – Dam Yeohae getting close to Tang Gunak – would never have happened.

No matter how skilled Cheon Myeon Susa was, no matter how flawlessly he disguised himself as Tang Pae, Tang Gunak wasn’t someone who would fail to sense anything amiss.

But this time was different. His entire focus had been on Jeok Ho. Even the slightest drop in concentration could have ment him losing his head. Facing such an opponent, even someone like Tang Gunak couldn’t pick up on Cheon Myeon Susa’s faint aura.

“Cough!”

Tang Gunak wiped his mouth with his sleeve and barely managed to stand.

“Oh, you still have some energy left?”

Cheon Myeon Susa spoke as he seemed to be intrigued. Tang Gunak’s gaze turned cold.

“…Those poison-laced caltrops [독질려(毒蒺藜)]?”

“I picked them up.”

“Picked them up?”

“I’m talking about the ones your son threw countless times. They were scattered all over Gangnam.”

“…”

“Our men had a hard time, but collecting such things is Haomun’s specialty. If we put our minds to it, we could even collect the strands of hair you dropped in Sichuan.”

Involuntarily, Tang Gunak let out a bitter laugh.

This is why retrieval of the Tang Clan’s hidden weapons is an absolute rule. But recovering all the hidden weapons used in Gangnam, practically the lair of Sapaeryeon, was impossible.

Yet somehow, they had combed that vast escape route to gather these tiny caltrops?

“……That’s vicious.”

“That’s quite the compliment. It’s been a while since anyone’s said something like that, so I don’t mind it.”

Still disguised as Tang Pae, Cheon Myeon Susa smiled brightly.

Tang Gunak came to a sudden realization, something he’d often forgotten thanks to Jang Ilso’s monstrous nature.

Those drawn to Jang Ilso were also monsters who ruled over the Evil Sects.

Forgetting that for a moment had been Tang Gunak’s careless mistake.

“Even so, since we’ve already crossed hands once, I might as well finish things myself…”

Just as Cheon Myeon Susa was about to step forward, a thick, scarred hand blocked his way. Narrowing his eyes, Cheon Myeon Susa looked at Jeok Ho standing before him.

“What is it?”

“I believe your meddling should end here.”

“…..Meddling?”

“Isn’t it only right to at least preserve some honor? He is someone who deserves that much.”

Cheon Myeon Susa let out a hollow laugh.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It was something that didn’t require your interference. It was an honorable duel.”

“Honorable?”

“Yes.”

In that instant, a murderous glint flashed in Cheon Myeon Susa’s eyes.

Though Jeok Ho was one of Jang IIso’s favored subordinates, Cheon Myeon Susa was Munju of Haomun.

Considering his position in Gangho and his rank within Sapaeryeon, someone like Jeok Ho had no right to block his way.

But Cheon Myeon Susa soon let go of his killing intent.

“Ryeonju’s dogs all lack a sense of their place.”

“…”

“And… it seems you’ve chosen the wrong path. To think a Sapa bastard would talk about honor.”

Even in the face of such blatant mockery, Jeok Ho did not react. After staring at Jeok Ho for a long moment, Cheon Myeon Susa shrugged lightly.

“Do as you wish.”

Truth be told, he wanted to tear Jeok Ho apart and kill him right on the spot, but now wasn’t the time for infighting. He could kill this man later.

No, he absolutely would.

Just as Cheon Myeon Susa turned without hesitation and took a step.

Thwack.

A dagger flew in and stuck in the ground at his feet.

“…”

Cheon Myeon Susa stared blankly at the quivering dagger, then turned his head. He saw Tang Gunak, breathing heavily, his hand stretched out. He looked practically half-dead already.

“…What are you doing?”

Cheon Myeon Susa sounded genuinely puzzled. He truly couldn’t fathom the reason for such a futile action.

At that moment, words leaked from between Tang Gunak’s lips.

“I won’t let you go.”

“…What did you say?”

Tang Gunak caught his breath.

He had not noticed Cheon Myeon Susa’s Disguise Arts [역용*]. And if even he failed to notice it, others would hardly stand a chance.

In other words, the same trick could be repeated elsewhere, too.

Hence, one must not treat Cheon Myeon Susa as just another martial artist. Especially in the chaos of battle, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say there was no one more dangerous than him.

He had to be stopped, even at the cost of one’s life. He could not be allowed to leave.

“You… can’t leave, Cheon Myeon Susa.”

Before he could disguise himself again, he had to be pinned here. Even if only for a moment longer.

Even if it meant hastening his own demise.

Cheon Myeon Susa, Dam Yeohae, stared blankly at Tang Gunak for a moment, then lightly rubbed his face. For someone so vigilant in his deceit, it was quite an uncharacteristic gesture. It meant he was that taken aback.

“So… you’re saying you deliberately wish to die by my hand?”

“…”

“…Is that it?”

Cheon Myeon Susa cast a sideways glance at Jeok Ho. Though Jeok Ho’s face remained expressionless, his eyes flickered with faint bewilderment.

In Tang Gunak’s current condition, he could neither handle Cheon Myeon Susa nor Jeok Ho. Yet he intended to cling to both of them. It was an action that defied all reason.

“What on earth…”

At that moment.

Clang.

Something shattered in Tang Gunak’s hand with a sharp sound.

‘A bottle?’

It was a small white porcelain bottle, just big enough to fit into one hand. Once it broke, purple smoke drifted up from his palm.

Jeok Ho and Cheon Myeon Susa both held their breath.

‘Poison?’

But why poison at this point? If poison alone could have held them back, he would have used it long ago. This was nothing but a futile act of resistance.

At the moment the two thought as much, Tang Gunak slowly rubbed the poison clinging to his palm onto the wound in his side.

‘Paralyzing Powder [마비산(痲痹散)]**?’

It was undoubtedly poison. But it wasn’t being used as poison.

Tang Gunak was applying the powder meant to paralyze an opponent onto his own wound, to lessen the pain in his side.

“Such a pointless effort…!”

Clang! Clang!

Two more porcelain bottles shattered in quick succession.

Drip.

The poisonous liquid dripped onto Tang Gunak’s dagger. The moment the different liquids mixed, thick white smoke rose from the dagger’s blade.

“What is that now?”

“I… don’t particularly fancy poison.”

It wasn’t something he should casually admit as the Lord of the Tang Clan, but Tang Gunak truly didn’t favor poison. In fact, he went further than that. Someday, he believed the art of poison should vanish from the Tang Clan.

Because the more they relied on poison, the murkier and darker the clan’s future would be.

Yet Tang Gunak also acknowledged a certain fact: poison, by nature, was precisely that sort of a thing. It should be eradicated, but there would always be times when it was absolutely necessary.

And now was precisely such a time.

“This is foolish, Tang Gunak. You think poison will work on us?”

“Don’t belittle the Tang Clan.”

Steadied by the paralyzing powder, Tang Gunak’s breathing eased as he gripped the dagger.

“The Tang Clan isn’t unaware of its limits. That’s why we’ve worked until now to overcome those limits.”

“…”

“Now, I’ll show you exactly that.”

Cheon Myeon Susa, utterly dumbfounded, was about to retort.

“It’s acid [산(酸)], an incredibly strong one.”

“…Acid?”

At Jeok Ho’s muttering, Cheon Myeon Susa once again examined Tang Gunak’s dagger.

Sure enough, that white smoke wasn’t the aftermath of poisons. It was the residue of blood and other substances on the dagger burning away. Even the blade itself seemed to be corroding bit by bit.

It was truly a vicious acid. Likely just a touch would make one’s body melt into a gooey mess.

‘Indeed……’

Poison could be suppressed with internal energy, but acid could not. Of course, it wouldn’t dissolve one’s body in an instant as it might for an ordinary person with no martial arts training. Even so, there were limits to what internal energy could withstand.

In that sense, Tang Gunak’s tactic was undoubtedly a threat.

‘But if he had such a technique, why didn’t he use it until now…?’

That fleeting question soon answered itself.

Tap.

A drop of liquid spattered from the dagger onto the back of Tang Gunak’s hand.

Ssssst.

The moment it touched him, white smoke billowed as the spot began to melt.

“…I see now.”

It couldn’t be controlled. And that applied to Tang Gunak as well – his internal energy wouldn’t protect him from it.

The Tang Clan had developed ways to build resistance to poison through cultivating tolerance and suitable internal energy. But this potent acid [강산(强酸)] harmed friend, foe, and even the user indiscriminately. The one who used it, being closest to it, was bound to suffer.

“A real do-or-die*** strategy.”

It was a tactic that couldn’t be employed without accepting the risk of injury or death.

“You’re desperate, Tang Gunak.”

Tang Gunak took a long, deep breath.

‘Desperate…’

Did Cheon Myeon Susa truly grasp what that meant? Tang Gunak turned the dagger in his hand and seized the blade with his bare hand.

Ssssst!

A dreadful pain accompanied the sensation of his fingertips melting from the skin deep into his fingers. A wound like this could never be fully healed, even with the Tang Clan’s medical skills.

Loosing the feeling in one’s fingertips is something no dagger user can ever allow. However, if you only hold the hilt, you can’t fully unleash the power of dagger techniques.

Smearing acid on the blade means, in the end, you’re not looking back.

Throb.

That wasn’t only the danger. Even now, the body struck by Cheon Myeon Susa’s blow was crumbling from within. Even without pushing himself further, the outcome would be the same. Merely letting time pass would quickly bring about his death.

Despite this, he felt no anxiety.

‘So this is what it was.’

At last, he understood the meaning behind the ‘resolve’ he had carried silently until now. Tang Gunak twisted the corner of his mouth.

“Once again…”

He had already let go of his competitive spirit and thirst for revenge. Even if he went all out, he knew he couldn’t handle both of them alone – especially in this condition.

But that didn’t matter.

“…You’re not leaving, Cheon Myeon Susa.”

If he could keep that man here even a moment longer, he wouldn’t hesitate, even if it meant burning away his own life.

Cheon Myeon Susa, Dam Yeohae, felt a twitch near his eyes. He clenched his fist so hard it made a cracking sound.

“It seems your kind only sheds a tear once the coffin is in sight.”

Jeok Ho likewise gripped his blade.

“Hoo….”

Tang Gunak also clasped his dagger and stared at them both.

‘Heavy.’

The weight carried by those twelve daggers. He felt it keenly once more. Was he truly fit to bear it?

‘I guess I’ll find out now.’

In that moment, Tang Gunak’s dagger tore through the air. Like the dagger that once cleaved the world in ages past – dazzlingly brilliant.

Next chapter >>>

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*역용 (Yeokyong) used by biga, also know as 역용술 – a technique for altering facial appearance. Often requires the use of internal energy. In some descriptions, it involves manipulating facial muscles and bones to completely change one’s appearance, distinguishing it from simple disguises. However, there are also descriptions where Yeokyong  is simply referred to as a method of disguise. Cms is using masks, as far as we know. 

**마비산(痲痹散)(mabisan) – 痲痹: paralyzing/benumbing (in medicine); 散 – powder/smth in powdered form. 

***배수진(背水陣) – an idiom – a battle formation set with one’s back to a river or the sea. This originates from the story of Han Xin of the Han Dynasty, who positioned his troops with their backs to the river so they could not retreat, forcing them to fight with all their strength and ultimately defeating the forces of Zhao.

Through the whole chapter CMS is addressing Tang Gunak very impolitely btw.

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…is Guank really going to die?

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