1287 — A Sight To See Until You Are Sick Of It. (1)

Swoosh!

Trained legs strike the ground.

The disciples of Southern Island Sect ran with all their might. The distance to Zhanjiang, their current target, was about 157 km. An ordinary person, even if they stayed awake and walked continuously, would take three days, but as disciples of a prestigious sect they could cover it in just a few watch-periods.

This was a matter of stamina before speed.

As disciples of Southern Island, one of the Nine Great Sects, they could maintain an ordinary person’s full-sprint pace all day. To put it extremely, they could run nonstop for three days without sleeping.

Therefore the movement speed of warrior men was incomparable not only to ordinary people but even to horses.

But this extreme pace was now tightening around the throats of Southern Island Sect’s disciples.

At first they didn’t truly feel it. They just ran as hard as they were told.

But as time went on with nothing but running and not a word spoken, everyone realized.

They were running straight into a trap of their own accord.

From the mouth of Zhanjiang where they aimed, it was highly likely the Four Sects Alliance had formed a cordon. Right now they were charging full speed straight toward that very cordon.

“Ja-Yang!”

“Why— cough! Why are you doing this!”

Lee Ja-Yang answered with exhaustion plainly on his face. Normally he wouldn’t be this tired after running a few watch-periods at this pace. It seemed the pressure of running in the Southern lands, not Southern Island, had quickly drained his stamina.

“Where do you think we are now?”

“Yes?”

“Now!”

Lee Ja-Yang rolled his eyes and thought.

“Well… at this pace we should be arriving any time now.”

“So that means we’ll meet the enemy soon, doesn’t it?”

Lee Ja-Yang’s face visibly hardened.

“…Probably.”

“Then shouldn’t we start slowing down?”

“I think so too, but…”

Gwak Hwan-So looked at the Heavenly Friends Alliance members running at the front.

Lee Ja-Yang was a sensible man. If his thoughts matched Gwak Hwan-So’s, then that was common sense. But…

‘What are they thinking?’

So far they had passed through places unlikely to have enemies and ran without question. But from here the situation was different, wasn’t it?

Common sense said they should slow down now and move stealthily to avoid attracting attention.

If over two hundred people ran like this, wouldn’t anyone notice, even if it wasn’t the Four Sects Alliance?

‘Acting Sect Leader!’

Gwak Hwan-So’s gaze fixed on Baek Cheon’s back.

No matter how ignorant of war he might be, Gwak Hwan-So was not a fool who lacked common sense. This was the Southern lands. Once discovered by the enemy and a fight broke out, they would be forced into ceaseless combat.

Then shouldn’t they delay the timing of the first engagement as much as possible? Even if things became unavoidable after being discovered.

So why were they still not slowing down?

This time Gwak Hwan-So’s eyes turned to Geum Yang-Baek. Geum Yang-Baek simply followed quietly behind the Heavenly Friends Alliance members.

“Why isn’t the sect leader saying anything?”

“Perhaps it’s difficult for him.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s the sect leader… It might be awkward to argue right and wrong with the Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua and the envoy of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”

Those words carried various complicated implications.

Of course Gwak Hwan-So didn’t understand all the implications, but he grasped one thing clearly.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes!”

Lee Ja-Yang’s firm answer showed it was the right call. Gwak Hwan-So filled his legs with force and ran forward.

“Acting Sect Leader! Taoist Chung Myung!”

Chung Myung and Baek Cheon, who were running, turned to look at Gwak Hwan-So.

“Aren’t we almost at the place where the enemies should be? Even now we should slow down and move stealthily…”

“Warrior Gwak, that…”

Baek Cheon was about to say something.

“Come here.”

“Yes?”

Chung Myung reached out, grabbed Gwak Hwan-So by the shoulder, and yanked him forward. Gwak Hwan-So was dragged along, wearing a perplexed expression.

At that moment Baek Cheon spoke.

“This one?”

“This one is better than the sect leader. The sect leader should command Southern Island.”

“…Understood.”

Gwak Hwan-So couldn’t make sense of the conversation. Without further explanation, Baek Cheon slipped back and headed toward Geum Yang-Baek.

As Gwak Hwan-So tried to look around, a chilling voice crept into his ear.

“Don’t turn your head.”

He flinched and fixed his gaze forward. He didn’t know the situation, but hearing Chung Myung’s voice made him feel he had to.

“W-what should I do?”

“Watch carefully.”

“Yes?”

“No, more precisely, watch and understand.”

“What does that…”

“There isn’t time to explain or teach. No matter how much I explain you won’t understand, no matter how much I teach, you won’t learn. You must feel it with your skin and realize it through your senses.”

What on earth did that mean?

“But remember one thing for sure.”

“Yes?”

“If you don’t learn, you will all die.”

Gwak Hwan-So’s face hardened noticeably.

“This isn’t a threat. As things stand, none of you will make it out of the Southern lands alive. So watch carefully. See how we fight, how we move. Feel it first and somehow pass it on to the others.”

“T-taoist?”

Despite being told not to turn his head, Gwak Hwan-So looked at Chung Myung. What met his eyes was Chung Myung’s face, cold and hardened unlike usual.

He stared at Chung Myung in silence, then shifted his gaze to others. Chung Myung was someone he couldn’t hope to understand, so he looked for answers in those similar to him.

But in that instant he realized something.

Not only the disciples of Mount Hua, but Hae Yeon, Namgung Do-Wei, Tang Pae, and even Im So-Byeong and Seol So-Baek wore expressions similar to Chung Myung’s.

They were clearly sharing the same something; the only one not sharing that feeling was Gwak Hwan-So.

‘This is…’

If Chung Myung was right, after seeing and experiencing what would happen here, he would come to know the nature of that expression too.

And that moment arrived faster and more suddenly than Gwak Hwan-So had thought.

“Taoist! Ahead!”

“I know.”

Chung Myung replied coldly and turned his head. Baek Cheon, who had fallen back, had returned by his side. Receiving Chung Myung’s signal, Baek Cheon shouted quickly.

“Jo Gul! Yoon Jong!”

“Yes!”

“Left! Yiseol, So-So! To the right!”

“Yes.”

No sooner had Baek Cheon’s orders ended than Mount Hua’s four disciples lunged backward.

‘Why backward?’

Before Gwak Hwan-So’s question could even form, Baek Cheon’s orders continued.

“Green Forest King! Sect leader Geum will take the rear. Oversee the overall situation from up front! Monk Hae Yeon, Namgung’s young lord, and Tang young lord, support the dangerous central positions!”

“Understood.”

“Yes!”

“Chung Myung!”

“Speak.”

Baek Cheon’s voice dropped slightly.

“Go and tear them apart!”

Hearing that, Chung Myung lifted one corner of his mouth and smiled coldly.

“Even without saying it…”

Swoosh.

“That was the plan.”

In that instant Chung Myung shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

‘What?’

To the still-stunned Gwak Hwan-So, all he saw was Chung Myung’s back charging like lightning. Moments later, a gleam of sword qi bloomed like an apparition, and dark-red blood spurted.

Ssshhh!

A body, having lost its neck to Chung Myung’s swing, sprayed blood.

Having taken two lives with a single stroke, Chung Myung wasted no time and surged onward.

Gwak Hwan-So felt half out of his mind. How did they know enemies were hiding there when he hadn’t sensed anything?

‘No, more than that—is it really fine to meet the enemy like this…?’

“Warrior Gwak!”

At that moment Baek Cheon’s thunderous shout blew away Gwak Hwan-So’s distractions.

“Yes! Yes, Acting Sect Leader!”

“Don’t be distracted—quickly follow right behind that guy!”

“Be-behind…”

“Do not lose him. From now on that’s the only thing you must do, warrior Gwak. But remember this.”

Baek Cheon said, staring directly at Gwak Hwan-So.

“If you lose him, everyone following will die.”

“…”

“Don’t lose him even if you die—follow him with the resolve to die. Don’t worry about what comes after.”

“Ah, understood.”

“Go!”

Baek Cheon shoved Gwak Hwan-So hard on the back.

Propelled forward, Gwak Hwan-So gritted his teeth and ran after Chung Myung’s back.

‘What is he even saying?’

It was an order he couldn’t understand. What’s so important about not losing the back of the man ahead that they yelled like that?

He wasn’t on par with their skill, but he was a great disciple of Southern Island Sect. Surely he could manage that much?

And above all…

‘Why do they keep talking about death and whatnot?’

‘Learn or die.’ ‘Lose him and die.’ They weren’t scaring a clumsy kid—what were these words?

Impatience and anger welled up inside. As Gwak Hwan-So exhaled to calm himself, Chung Myung suddenly increased his speed and widened the distance in an instant.

“W-what!”

Startled, Gwak Hwan-So stamped the ground and sprinted with all his might. Leaping over a corpse cut by the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword, he saw Chung Myung ahead quickly swing his sword.

“Aaaaaah!”

Those lying in ambush were cut down at once and screamed. Blood splattered everywhere. Faces drenched red as they collapsed were clear in Gwak Hwan-So’s eyes.

Two bodies crumpled like rotten straw, another dropped to his knees trembling, but Chung Myung left the convulsing man and ran forward again.

Gwak Hwan-So’s eyes widened slightly.

He’s still alive. That man is still…

“Grrk…”

The convulsing man saw Gwak Hwan-So running toward him and weakly raised his blade. In that instant an indescribable conflict rose within Gwak Hwan-So.

Should I kill him?

But if he was left alone he’d soon die anyway. He had no ability to resist. Was it right to cut such a man down?

Then should he just pass by? But if the man didn’t die before the next person arrived, someone could get hurt by his sword.

What on earth…

Before his hesitation ended, Gwak Hwan-So reached right in front of the fallen man. The hand holding his sword trembled uncontrollably.

‘Sw-swing…’

“Ugh… aaah!”

At that moment a deadly aura flared in the fallen man’s eyes. He sprang up and swung his blade at Gwak Hwan-So—an astonishingly powerful strike for someone who was dying.

A startled Gwak Hwan-So opened his eyes wide.

‘It’s too l-late…!’

Just as he thought it was too late and prepared to shut his eyes, something hot splashed across his face.

“Ah…”

Gwak Hwan-So’s body trembled.

Something long protruded from the forehead of the Evil Sect man who had swung his blade. It was a sword.

He found himself unconsciously feeling his wet face.

A slick, warm sensation. What covered his face was blood.

The blood spurted from the sword that had pierced the man’s head and splattered over his entire face…

Wham!

Chung Myung’s fist crashed into Gwak Hwan-So’s face.

“Gah!”

Gwak Hwan-So crumpled to the ground. Only when he came to and raised his head did Chung Myung rush over, grab him by the collar, and haul him up.

“Get up, you useless brat.”

“T-taoist…”

Before he could speak, Chung Myung pulled Gwak Hwan-So close to his face. Gwak froze in that momentum.

“On the battlefield, the hesitant die first. A single moment’s hesitation can kill not only you but everyone.”

“…”

“If you hesitate one more time when swinging your sword, I’ll kill you. If you want to die, die alone! Got it?”

“Ah, I-I understand…”

Chung Myung flung Gwak Hwan-So away without waiting for an answer. Teeth clenched, he shot a fierce glance and spun his body.

“Get used to it.”

The low voice pierced Gwak Hwan-So’s ears.

“From now on it’s a sight you’ll see until you’re sick of it.”

Gwak Hwan-So’s body trembled violently.