Chapter 1888 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1888. You Can Do It. (8) ❀ ❀ ❀

His eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand geun.

[근, geun is a traditional Korean weight unit, about 600 g each, so 1000 geun ≈ 600 kg]

It wouldn’t be so hard to just close them again. But Cheong Myeong chose instead to lift those heavy lids. The voices ringing in his ears kept telling him he couldn’t rest yet.

When he finally forced his eyes open, the first thing he saw was the midday sky.

Thinking how strangely unfamiliar that sight felt, Cheong Myeong opened his mouth. A sharp, tearing pain surged up from his parched throat.

“What’s…. the situation?”

Though his voice was faint, somehow someone caught it, and a familiar voice hurried over.

“Huh? Cheong Myeong-ah! You’re awake? You okay? Your body? No, your head, is it all right?”

The booming voice made his whole body ache. Reflexively, Cheong Myeong tried to cover his ears, but his arm wouldn’t obey him. Fortunately, he didn’t have to endure the pain for long.

Thwack!

A flying shoe smacked Jo Geol right in the face.

“What do you think you’re doing to a patient, you damn fool!”

“No, I was just worried, so....”

“Out of the way!”

Tang Soso, silencing Jo Geol at once, nearly flew to Cheong Myeong’s side to check his condition.

“Thank goodness. You regained consciousness quickly.”

“…How long has it been?”

“Not long. Absurdly short, in fact. Honestly, I thought you’d be out cold for at least three days.”

Cheong Myeong struggled to sit up, but Tang Soso panicked and tried to stop him.

“You can’t get up yet! You need proper rest, or you’ll really end up a corpse!”

“Proper rest, huh…”

Cheong Myeong gave a weary chuckle.

“If only I could.”

Tang Soso bit the inside of her lip in silence.

As a doctor, she should insist he remain in absolute rest. His condition was so bad it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his soul was barely stitched to his corpse.

But at the same time, she couldn’t deny that right now, this place needed Cheong Myeong.

“…This is why you should only have to do one thing.”

While Tang Soso sighed with a pained expression, Cheong Myeong forced his disobedient body upright.

“Here, this will ease the pain.”

“….”

“Die later if you want.”

Cheong Myeong gave the medicine she held out a quick glance, then shook his head.

“Right now, I need my head to stay as clear as possible.”

“Ugh.”

Sigh after sigh left Tang Soso, like someone faced with an unanswerable problem.

Cheong Myeong looked around. The area was packed with the injured. They were being treated in an open field without even a tent to block the wind.

After carefully taking in his surroundings, Cheong Myeong finally recalled the person he most needed to see.

“Sahyung.”

“Yeah?”

Jo Geol, who had quietly come near again, answered.

“First…”

Cheong Myeong rubbed his chin lightly.

“Go drag over the Nokrim King.”

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“I was busy chasing down the remnants, you know.”

Im Sobyeong stuck his lips out in protest.

“….If we just let those bastards go, it’ll cause damage to the civilians.”

“….”

“Honestly, do you know how hard it is to organize pursuit squads, convince the ones who don’t want to go, and send them off? You know I’m a Sapa guy. Do you think those righteous types listened to me willingly?”

“.…”

“So I had to fake authority, borrow someone else’s name for clout, and even threaten them that if Dojang found out later, he’d grind them all up alive. Right?”

“Uh…”

Cheong Myeong coughed awkwardly.

“Sorry about that.”

“Sorry? You think ‘sorry’ fixes this? I was working my ass off, and you just dragged me over and beat me half to death, huh?!”

Im Sobyeong pointed at his swollen eye. The bruise was turning an ugly purple where Cheong Myeong’s fist had landed so cleanly.

Cheong Myeong gave another sheepish cough and tried to explain.

“Well… when everyone else was fighting for their lives, you showed up looking perfectly fine, so...”

“….”

“I just lost my temper.”

“So what, should I have chopped off an arm or a leg before coming here? What, were you hoping the annoying Sapa bastard who’s not even that useful would just die here and save you the trouble?”

“Uh…”

“…Seriously?”

“No, not that far. Just… a little less intact, maybe.”

“What a damn demon you are…”

Im Sobyeong shuddered in outrage. Then he suddenly froze and glanced around. He realized anew that he was the only Sapa member left here.

“…Don’t tell me you’re planning to, tosagupaeng?”

[tosagupaeng, 토사구팽 (狡兔死走狗烹) is a proverb: “When the cunning hare dies, the hunting dog is cooked.” Meaning: Once someone has outlived their usefulness, they are discarded or destroyed. So it is like: “Don’t tell me… you’re using me and then tossing me aside?”]

“Stop talking nonsense and continue. Now’s not the time.”

“That means you will someday!”

“Ah, then you’re going to die now instead?”

“Of course not! Where was I again? Ahaha!”

Im Sobyeong instantly forced a sycophantic grin.

Yoon Jong and Jo Geol, who had been watching, shook their heads.

“Why would he act like that?”

“…Exactly. Does he really think Cheong Myeong would boil him alive just for being a Sapa guy?”

“Ha ha, that’s ridiculous—”

A silence fell.

“…Why’d you stop mid-sentence, Sahyung?”

“Uh… never mind.”

Yoon Jong’s face twitched slightly.

Looking back, it was true. Even when it seemed human decency should’ve allowed mercy, Cheong Myeong never hesitated to grind someone down simply because they were from the evil sect.

And now, the only remnants of the evil sect left in the world were the Nokrim. So…

Suddenly, Yoon Jong felt pity for Im Sobyeong. Compassion welled up.

“As I said, after the battle ended, the enemy forces scattered and fled south. A few went north, but it’s meaningless. They’ll be dealt with soon.”

“And the pursuit squads?”

“I gave them a good stab in the back, and they finally started moving. I told them if they didn’t chase and kill the enemy now, we’d have to go all the way to Gangnam and start another war. That got their heavy butts moving.”

Cheong Myeong nodded. It wasn’t even really a threat. That was the truth.

It was impossible to wipe out every last evil sect member who had crossed the river. But they had to minimize the number who crossed back over to Gangnam. Only then could they prevent the need for another Gangnam campaign to finish them off.

“Anyway… the enemy pulled out faster than I expected. I understand that reduced the damage, but why?”

“Well, the reason isn’t anything complicated. Twofold.”

“Two?”

“First, the escape of Thousand Faced Manipulator. Since Hao Sect made up the largest part of the Evil Tyrant Alliance forces, they began to scatter the moment he fled.”

Cheong Myeong nodded.

He didn’t yet know the exact details, but it was certain that Thousand Faced Manipulator had abandoned Jang Ilso in the middle of the war. If Jang Ilso had won, Thousand Faced Manipulator would’ve had to pay with his neck for that betrayal. But since it ended this way, one could say it was simply a decision to preserve his own life.

“Not that he’ll survive anyway.”

“Of course not. It’s just buying himself a little time.”

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance had no intention of letting Thousand Faced Manipulator live. They had to make absolutely sure the Evil Tyrant Alliance could never rise again.

In Cheong Myeong’s judgment, Thousand Faced Manipulator wasn’t even worth that kind of concern. But since there’s always a chance of the unexpected, there was no reason to leave behind a potential threat.

“And… I may have spread some lies here and there.”

“Lies?”

“Yes. I shouted everywhere that Jang Ilso was dead and Thousand Faced Manipulator had fled. The enemy panicked and scattered.”

“That’s not even a lie, it’s the truth, right?”

“Before Jang Ilso died.”

Cheong Myeong stared blankly at Im Sobyeong. Im Sobyeong just shrugged, like he didn’t see the problem.

“If you think about it, it was less a lie and more a prophecy? Foresight? Something like that. After all, it turned out exactly that way, didn’t it?”

“….”

“What?”

“…No. Nothing.”

Cheong Myeong gazed absently up at the sky. Im Sobyeong puffed out his chest.

“Heh. Seems this strategist’s brilliant mind has left you impressed.”

“…Let’s just say that, for now.”

Cheong Myeong only felt frustrated that he didn’t have the strength to argue.

“Anyway, it’s not like they could’ve verified anything in the chaos. All I did was give a little push to those already wanting to flee. That’s why they shattered so quickly.”

Im Sobyeong’s face grew more serious.

“The biggest problem with Evil Tyrant Alliance is that they lack competent field commanders. Even if no orders came from above, if there had been some figures who could calm the situation on the ground, they wouldn’t have collapsed so fast.”

“So power imposed by force crumbles when faced with greater power.”

“Exactly.”

Scratching his head, Im Sobyeong went on.

“In that regard, even our Nokrim has things to reflect on. Though at least we’re better off, since we have around seventy leaders holding the title of Branch Chief, but...”

“Enough digression.”

Im Sobyeong nodded.

“Yes. The ones who crossed the river will mostly be eliminated before they can recross the Yangtze River.”

It was a cruel statement. Considering how many evil sect troops had crossed the river, it was clear that it wasn’t something to be said lightly.

But neither Im Sobyeong nor Cheong Myeong dwelt on it. Both knew well that if those troops made it back alive, the number who would die later would far exceed those who would fall here.

“There’ll still be some casualties, won’t there?”

“Of course. We’re not in good condition either, but…”

Im Sobyeong trailed off, glancing at Cheong Myeong with some hesitation.

“In truth… it’s a rather delicate matter.”

Cheong Myeong gave a faint smile.

“Speak freely.”

“As a strategist, I’d say this, the General’s plan with the party system has failed. During the war, the parties broke apart and reverted to their old sect structures.”

Cheong Myeong nodded without the slightest hint of offense.

“I know. That’s the accurate assessment.”

Even Mount Hua had done the same, so what more could be said? But then Im Sobyeong said something unexpected.

“But… it can’t be written off as a total failure.”

“Hmm?”

“Those who went out on pursuit are all mixed together. Which means the voices of each sect don’t fully reach the front lines.”

Cheong Myeong gave a faint smile, understanding his meaning.

“You mean orders like ‘don’t fight and quietly withdraw to minimize damage of your sect’ won’t get through to the front?”

“Exactly. So even if there are some losses, until the remnants are dealt with, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance structure will still function. What happens after… who knows.”

Cheong Myeong slowly nodded. Then, with a faintly bitter expression, he looked up at the sky.

“….If only it had been like that back then.”

After a moment of silence, Cheong Myeong nodded again.

“Then what’s left is tending to the wounded, eliminating the remnants, and…”

His gaze shifted.

The disciples of Mount Hua who still had strength were gathering the cooling bodies of the dead. It was what Taoists were duty-bound to do.

Watching quietly, Cheong Myeong let out a faint groan and rose to his feet. Im Sobyeong asked.

“Where are you going?”

“To do what must be done.”

A flicker of unease crossed Im Sobyeong’s face.

“General. There’s still plenty for you to do here. There’s the aftermath to manage, the cleanup, so much left to handle…”

“Yes. That would be right.”

At Cheong Myeong’s quiet voice, Im Sobyeong fell silent.

“But there’s no need for that anymore.”

“…What?”

When he saw Cheong Myeong’s expression, Im Sobyeong couldn’t say anything more.

Cheong Myeong turned his back and walked away. Watching him go, Jo Geol murmured.

“Where’s he going?”

Yoon Jong answered, his voice heavy with bitter understanding.

“Most likely… to see a friend off.”

Next Chapter

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