You can do it. (8)
His eyelids felt almost as heavy as a thousand geun.
It wouldn’t be so hard to just keep his eyes closed like this. But Chung Myung chose to lift those heavy eyelids. The sound ringing constantly in his ears was telling him he could not rest just yet.
When he forced his eyes open, the first thing he saw was the midday sky.
Thinking how strangely fresh this sight felt, Chung Myung opened his mouth. A sharp pain, like his parched throat was being split apart, rushed through him.
“The situation…..?”
Though his voice was faint, someone seemed to catch it. A familiar voice hurried closer.
“Huh? Chung Myung! You awake? You okay? Your body? No, is your head intact?”
The booming voice made his whole body ache. Chung Myung instinctively tried to clamp his hands over his ears, but his arms wouldn’t move the way he wanted. Fortunately, he didn’t have to endure the pain much longer.
Thwack!
A shoe came flying from somewhere and slammed into Jo Geol’s face.
“What do you think you’re doing to the patient, you damned idiot!”
“No, I was worried, So…”
“Out of the way!”
Silencing Jo Geol in an instant, Tang Soso practically flew over and checked Chung Myung’s condition.
“Thank goodness your consciousness came back quickly.”
“…How much time has passed?”
“Not long. Ridiculously little, in fact. Honestly, I thought you’d be out cold for at least three days straight.”
Chung Myung struggled to raise himself. Startled, Tang Soso tried to stop him.
“You mustn’t get up yet, Sahyeong! You need proper rest! If you don’t rest, we’ll really end up preparing your funeral.”
“Proper rest, huh…….”
Chung Myung let out a weak laugh.
“If I only could.”
Tang Soso bit the inside of her cheek without a word.
As a physician, it was only natural to order Chung Myung to remain absolutely still. His condition was so dire that saying his soul had been barely stitched back onto a corpse would not be an exaggeration.
However, at the same time, she could not deny the fact that Chung Myung was needed here and now.
“…This is why one should only have a single role to play.”
While Tang Soso let out a sigh with a somewhat pained expression, Chung Myung nevertheless forced his uncooperative body upright.
“Here. It will lessen the pain.”
“…”
“Whether you drop dead later or not.”
Chung Myung glanced at the medicine Tang Soso thrust out brusquely. Then he shook his head.
“Right now I need my head to be even a little clearer.”
“Ugh.”
Like someone facing a problem with no answer, Tang Soso let out sighs one after another.
Chung Myung looked around. The wounded were packed in all around. It seemed they were treating urgent cases out on an open field where they hadn’t even managed to set up tents to block the wind.
After carefully taking in the surroundings, Chung Myung finally succeeded in recalling the one he had to find first.
“Sahyeong.”
“Hm?”
Jo Geol, who had somehow come to stand beside Chung Myung again, answered.
“First.”
Rubbing his chin lightly, Chung Myung said.
“Go fetch me Nokrim King.”
⠀⠀
“For the time being, I was focused on chasing down the remnants.”
Im Sobyeong’s lips jutted forward as far as they could.
“…Since if we just let those bastards go, they’ll end up attacking civilians.”
“…”
“Honestly, it’s not easy to form pursuit parties and persuade the ones who don’t want to go, and send them out. As you know, I’m from the Evil Sect – do you think those gentlemen were going to listen to me willingly?”
“…”
“In the midst of that I had to conjure up authority I don’t have, borrow someone else’s authority, and even try threatening them that if Dojang hears about it later, he’d grind them all into paste, huh?”
“Well…”
Chung Myung cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I said I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? You think saying sorry fixes it? I was working myself to the bone, and then you just drag me here out of nowhere and beat me half to death? Huh?”
With a bitter expression, Im Sobyeong pointed at his eyelid. The eyelid where a straight punch had landed cleanly was now turning a deep shade of blue.
Chung Myung kept coughing awkwardly and spoke, as if making excuses.
“No, it’s just that… While everyone else was risking their lives fighting, someone whose nose didn’t even show suddenly appears looking far too unscathed…”
“…”
“I lost my temper for a moment, that’s all.”
“So what, should I have chopped off an arm or a leg before showing up? Since this Sapa bastard was already getting on your nerves, and I’m of dubious use now, were you hoping I’d be dead meat?”
“Uh…”
“…Really?”
“No, not quite that far. Just, you know, within reason.”
“You… you devil.”
Im Sobyeong shuddered in exasperation.
Then suddenly, he stiffened and darted his eyes around. He had just realized that he was the only one from an Evil Sect sect left here.
“Don’t tell me – b-boil the hounds once the hares are caught?”
“Quit spouting crap and keep talking. Not now.”
“That means you will someday!”
“Ah, then would you like to die right now?”
“As if I would! Where was I again? Hahhah!”
Im Sobyeong’s expression changed instantly as he forced out a servile laugh.
Yoon Jong and Jo Geol, who had been watching, shook their heads.
“Would you want to live like that?”
“…Exactly. Do you think he’s acting that way because he’s afraid Chung Myung will actually throw him in a pot and boil him just for being from the Evil Sect?”
“Haha. That’s ridiculous…”
A brief silence fell.
“…Why did you stop mid-sentence, Sahyeong?”
“Er… Uh, no, never mind.”
The muscles in Yoon Jong’s face twitched slightly.
Looking back, that was how it had been. Even in moments when one might think, on a human level, ‘surely this much could be forgiven,’ that brat had never once hesitated to grind his enemies into dust for no reason other than the fact that they were from the Evil Sect.
And now, with Nokrim being the only Sapa force left intact in the world, it was only natural that…
Suddenly, Im Sobyeong looked pitiable to Yoon Jong. Compassion welled up in him.
“As I said, once the fighting here ended, the enemy forces scattered and are moving south. Some are heading north, but it’s meaningless. They’ll be dealt with before long.”
“Have the pursuit parties set out?”
“Once I prodded them a bit from behind, they all started moving. I threatened that if we didn’t chase them down and kill them now, we’d have to go all the way to Gangnam and wage another war, and they finally lifted their heavy behinds.”
Chung Myung nodded. It wasn’t even much of a threat. It was the truth.
It was impossible to eradicate every Sapa fighter who had crossed the river. But the number of enemies retreating back across to Gangnam had to be reduced as much as possible. Only then could they prevent the need for another expedition to Gangnam to wipe them out.
“That aside… The enemies broke off faster than I expected. I understand that reduced the damage, but why?”
“Well, is there any complicated reason? There are two.”
“Two?”
“One is Cheon Myeon Susa’s escape. From that moment, Haomun, which made up the largest portion of Sapaeryeon’s troops, began to scatter.”
Chung Myung nodded.
They still couldn’t know exactly what had happened, but it was certain that Cheon Myeon Susa had abandoned Jang Ilso during the war. If this war had ended in Jang Ilso’s victory, Cheon Myeon Susa’s decision would have cost him his head. But since things had turned out this way, one could say he had chosen the path that at least preserved his own life.
“Not that it’ll save his life anyway.”
“True enough. It only keeps his head attached for a short while.”
Cheonumaeng had absolutely no intention of letting Cheon Myeon Susa live. They had to thoroughly prevent Sapaeryeon from ever re-emerging.
Of course, in Chung Myung’s judgment, Cheon Myeon Susa wasn’t of that caliber. But since there’s always that one-in-ten-thousand chance, there was no reason to leave behind such a dangerous variable.
“And… Well, I did spread a few lies.”
“Lies?”
“Yes. I shouted here and there that Jang Ilso was dead and Cheon Myeon Susa had fled. Sent them scattering in a panic.”
“That’s not a lie, that’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“Before Jang Ilso died.”
Chung Myung stared blankly at Im Sobyeong. Im Sobyeong shrugged as if to say, ‘What’s the problem?’
“Strictly speaking, it was more of a prophecy? Foresight? Something along those lines. It turned out just like that, didn’t it?”
“…”
“Why?”
“………No. Nothing.”
Chung Myung blankly looked up at the sky. Im Sobyeong puffed out his chest.
“Heheh. Seems you’re impressed by this strategist’s scheme.”
“…Let’s go with that for now.”
Chung Myung could only lament that he lacked the strength to refute him point by point.
“Anyway, in that chaos they had no way to verify it. I just gave a little push to the backs of the ones already wanting to run. Thanks to that, they scattered like leaves in the wind.”
Im Sobyeong’s face grew quite serious.
“The biggest problem with Sapaeryeon is that they lack field commanders capable of leading. Even if orders weren’t coming down from above, if there had been people to calm those around them, they wouldn’t have collapsed this fast.”
“What’s held down by force alone crumbles before a greater force.”
“Exactly.”
Scratching his head, Im Sobyeong continued.
“In that respect, we of Nokrim have things to reflect on too. At least we have about seventy Chaeju holding some form of authority, so we’re better off, but still…”
“Enough of that.”
Im Sobyeong nodded.
“Yes. Most of the ones who crossed the river will be dealt with before they can reach the Yangtze.”
It was a rather brutal thing to say. Considering how many from the Evil Sects had crossed the Yangtze, it was certainly not something to toss off in passing.
However, neither Im Sobyeong nor Chung Myung pointed it out. They knew that if those men made it back alive, the number of people who would die then would be far greater than the number who ought to die here.
“There won’t be no damage, will there?”
“Of course there will. We’ve got no spare strength on this side either, but…”
Im Sobyeong trailed off for a moment, then glanced at Chung Myung, hesitating.
“To be honest… It’s a bit sensitive.”
Chung Myung chuckled briefly.
“Speak. Don’t hold back.”
“Speaking as a strategist… The plan of the General who created the various divisions failed. As the war went on, the divisions ended up splitting and reverting to the old sect system.”
Chung Myung nodded without the slightest sign of offense.
“I know. That’s an accurate assessment.”
Even Hwasan had done so – what more was there to say? But then Im Sobyeong said something unexpected.
“But you can’t call it a total failure…”
“Hm?”
“The ones who’ve gone out in pursuit are all mixed together. Which means the voices of each sect can’t fully reach them.”
Chung Myung let out a brief laugh. He understood what Im Sobyeong meant.
“You mean orders like, ‘Don’t fight – slip away to reduce our sect’s losses,’ won’t reach the front?”
“That’s right. So even if there are some losses, while we’re clearing out the remnants, the framework called Cheonumaeng will function. What happens after that, I can’t say.”
Chung Myung nodded slowly. Then, wearing a slightly bitter expression, he looked up at the sky.
“…If only it had been like that back then, too.”
“…”
Chung Myung, who had been silent for a moment, nodded again.
“Then what remains is attending to the wounded, dealing with the remnants, and…”
Chung Myung turned his gaze.
The disciples of Hwasan, who still had strength, were gathering up the bodies as they cooled. As Taoists, it was only natural.
Watching this quietly, Chung Myung let out a faint groan and pushed himself to his feet. Im Sobyeong asked,
“Where are you going?”
“To do what must be done.”
A look of bewilderment flickered across Im Sobyeong’s face.
“General. There’s a mountain of things you have to do here. Starting with the cleanup, there’s so much to take care of now…”
“Right. That would be the proper thing to do.”
At those softly spoken words, Im Sobyeong fell silent.
“But there’s no need for that anymore.”
“…What?”
Seeing Chung Myung’s expression, Im Sobyeong couldn’t say anything further.
Chung Myung turned his back and walked away. Watching this, Jo Geol asked as if to himself.
“Where is he going?”
Yoon Jong, sounding as though he already knew, replied in a bitter voice.
“Most likely… to send off a friend.”
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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