Chapter 1356: They're Coming (Part 1)

They had run for a full day, emerging from the underground hideout.

Im Sobyeong, who had been leading the charge, abruptly stopped without any apparent reason. Those who had been following closely behind, running at full speed, came to a startled halt. Some, on the verge of falling due to their momentum, managed to steady themselves and let out startled exclamations.

"What the heck, out of nowhere!"

A burst of complaints erupted, but Im Sobyeong paid no attention and scanned the surroundings without pause.

"Wow, not even pretending to hear. Even after enduring this much cursing."

"The Evil Sect is used to being cursed; it's nothing new."

"Considering that, when Chung Myung curses, it's a whole different level, isn't it?"

"...That guy doesn't just curse; he uses curses like a weapon."

"Ah, true."

Im Sobyeong, who had been wandering around, nodded after a while.

"Let's rest here tonight. This place is perfect, discreet and ideal for avoiding dew."

"Here?"

"Yes."

"Well, we don't really need to rest..."

Yoon Jong, who was about to object reflexively, suddenly fell silent as he looked back. The weariness on the faces of the disciples of Southern Island was evident. It was more exhausting to carry even the wounded with bodies not yet fully recovered.

"Rest when you can. Mindlessly running in a hurry will only delay us more in the end."

"Understood."

Baek Cheon agreed with Im Sobyeong and nodded.

"We'll rest here. Find a place to rest, everyone. But don't light any fires."

Jo Gol, who cautiously descended from Yoon Jong's back, asked with a puzzled expression.

"Why not? It's still a long way for Myriad Man Manor to catch up."

"This is Gangnam. Even if it's not Myriad Man Manor, eyes are watching from all directions. We can't assume that people climbing the mountain are necessarily on our side."

Listening to Baek Cheon's explanation, Jo Gol's face became a bit uneasy. Then Baek Cheon patted him on the shoulder with a sly smile.

"People who only see the light from a distance won't know who we are. If Myriad Man Manor asks if we've seen anything strange, of course, we'll say we haven't."

"Ah, I see now."

Jo Gol nodded as if he finally understood.

"Then we should be careful."

"Exactly."

"Sahyung, what are you waiting for? Let's find a place to rest. If you hesitate, the others will take all the good spots."

Jo Gol urged Yoon Jong, and Baek Cheon laughed at him bitterly.

"Have you become proficient in handling people?"

"Is that a compliment?"

"It means you're turning into a swindler after all."

"...Thanks for the compliment."

Chung Myung laughed, looking at Baek Cheon's expression.

In fact, Baek Cheon secretly doubted that even if the commoners here clearly knew who they were, there was no guarantee that they wouldn't push them towards Myriad Man Manor. But he couldn't say that directly, especially to someone like Jo Gol.

"Find a place to rest too."

"Why are you worrying so much? Your nagging has increased again."

Baek Cheon didn't deny it and smiled bitterly. That statement wasn't entirely wrong.

Southern Island's disciples scattered to find suitable places to rest. But in reality, they simply lay down on roughly flat ground.

Yoon Jong, who found a spot and sat down heavily, looked ahead with a weary face.

"It's too humid here. Go lie down over there. I'll take care of the guy behind."

"Ah, no, Great Sahyung. You must be tired too..."

"Enough, hurry up."

Guo Hansuo continued to move around, taking care of other martial brothers. Watching him silently, Lee Ziyang let out a bitter laugh.

"Really impressive."

Lee Ziyang now had no strength left, not even enough to lift a finger. Yet, in the midst of checking on the other martial brothers and the injured, Guo Hansuo, who had suffered twice as much as others, was taking care of everyone.

Because he still had strength left? Unlikely.

Even Lee Ziyang could see Guo Hansuo's legs trembling. Perhaps he wished he could just lie down anywhere right now.

But Guo Hansuo was enduring because there was work to be done.

"...Amazing."

Crisis shapes a person, and that saying seemed to hold true. In truth, Lee Ziyang had acknowledged Guo Hansuo as Great Sahyung, but he hadn't particularly held him in high regard. He thought Guo Hansuo's impulsive nature and selfishness weren't suitable for the position of sect leader that had to consider everyone.

However, in the present Guo Hansuo, Lee Ziyang couldn't find the flaws he had seen in the past.

From Southern Island to this point, Guo Hansuo was becoming an impressive figure deserving of the title of Southern Island's sect leader.

'It's a different level.'

Lee Ziyang chuckled.

There was a time when he had thought about roughly putting Guo Hansuo in the position of sect leader, gently provoking him to move the Southern Island Sect according to his wishes. But now, he couldn't even think of doing that. How could he wield Guo Hansuo, who had grown so much?

He just assumed he was dead and had no choice but to do as he was told.

'...If we survive.'

Suddenly, a small glimmer of hope appeared in Lee Ziyang's eyes.

The trust in the eyes of the martial brothers looking at Guo Hansuo was hard to come by. It was a gaze that Lee Ziyang had never seen in Southern Island before.

Now it was tough and painful, but if Guo Hansuo could leave this place and become Southern Island's sect leader, and Lee Ziyang could assist him with his full strength, it might not be a dream to revive Southern Island's glory.

Absorbed in that thought for a moment, Lee Ziyang chuckled in disbelief and took out a ration from his baggage.

'You've come a long way.'

Surviving for now...

"Sahyung, do you have any rations left?"

Someone approached and asked. Lee Ziyang asked back.

"Why? Didn't you bring enough rations?"

"...I lost my luggage during the fight."

"Ah..."

When they left Southern island, they tried to gather as much food as possible, but preserving their luggage during the fierce battle wasn't as easy as they thought. Especially for the injured, there were fewer people with luggage left than those who lost it.

"Well, have this for now."

"Sa... Sahyung, can I also..."

Lee Ziyang's face stiffened slightly. Some people discreetly stood up to find food.

"Anyone have extra water?"

"Gold Chang [idk] medicine is all gone. Anyone have Gold Chang medicine?"

"...Like this."

Watching the situation, Lee Ziyang's face gradually hardened.

Although they thought they had prepared well to pass through Gangnam, items were starting to run out, and they hadn't even reached the halfway point.

Under normal circumstances, they could have used the money they had prepared to buy new supplies. But not now. In Gangnam, where could they spend money? They had to avoid people's eyes.

In this situation, money was nothing but a useless burden.

'Even if that's the case, the shortage of food is a serious problem.'

Of course, martial artists could endure longer periods without eating compared to ordinary people. But that was just enduring. If, while exerting all their strength and running at full speed, they couldn't properly consume food, the consequences were obvious.

"...I-I also don't have rations..."

"I only have enough for one meal, what am I supposed to eat if I give this to you?"

"Doesn't anyone have anything hidden? Now is not the time to save!"

Initially, it was a bit bewildering, causing a stir, but gradually the tension spread. If left unattended a little longer, it could lead to a big problem.

"Everyone..."

It was the moment when Guo Hansuo was about to say something.

Thud!

Something fell in front of them.

"Why are these deer cubs acting so blind? Clearly there are people here, and they're causing a commotion."

Chung Myung, who threw a hunted deer toward the Southern Island disciples, chuckled and patted his hands. The Southern Island disciples were fixated on the deer lying on the ground.

Baek Cheon, with a somewhat uneasy expression, commented.

"Hey, didn't we say not to make a fire?"

"Ah, again with the nagging! I'd rather be born crying than nagging. Noisy, and ugly too!"

"Huh?"

Chung Myung skillfully skinned the deer with his sword. For some reason, it didn't seem like a skill that had been done once or twice.

"...So skillful?"

"Wasn't he a Taoist?"

"That's true."

He soon lifted a large deer leg with both hands.

"What are you trying to... huh?"

Baek Cheon's eyes widened. The deer legs quickly started to cook, releasing white steam. Chung Myung laughed joyfully.

"This is called yang internal energy, yang internal energy!"

"...Have you seen such a crazy guy?"

Baek Cheon's mouth hung open.

"This is the first time in my life that I have ever seen someone cook meat with internal energy..."

"No, Sasuk. He did this before. In the North Sea."

"Really?"

If people from the Southern Sea Sun Palace, who specialized in hot internal energy, heard about using yang internal energy as a stove, they would be amazed.

While Baek Cheon blinked in surprise, Chung Myung continued to cook the deer leg without hesitation. After a while, he casually threw the well-cooked deer leg back.

"Eat."

"Uh... yes?"

Startled, Seol So Baek hastily nodded as he received the deer leg thrown by Chung Myung.

"Oh, no! I... others should..."

"Just eat for now."

Chung Myung chuckled at Seol So Baek.

"You did well enough. So, don't think unnecessary thoughts and eat your meat."

"...Dojang."

Seol So Baek bit his lower lip slightly.

As the ruler of the Ice Palace, he was still young and inexperienced, making it difficult for him to become a proper force in such a battle. Perhaps he was aware of this fact, and he had been trying to avoid being in the way by not showing his presence as much as possible. [...just admit it author, you forgot about him...]

But even so, could he not be exhausted?

Chung Myung continued to dismantle and cook the deer nonchalantly, the appetizing smell of meat emanating.

The disciples from Southern Island could only watch the scene in a daze, unable to utter a word. When Chung Myung threw the cooked meat to them, they expressed their gratitude intensely.

"Thank you, Dojang!"

"Really, thank you."

Chung Myung chuckled and asked.

"Are you tired?"

"Well, to be honest..."

"Can't your body use any strength? Eating meat should make you feel more energized, right?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you so much..."

"But that's not it. From my experience, simply eating meat doesn't provide much strength."

"Really?"

"True strength comes from something else."

Chung Myung inserted his hand into the split belly of the deer, pulling something out. A moment of silence followed. Chung Myung, with shining eyes, spoke.

"This is the best, this."

"Th-That?"

What he held in his hand was the still steaming liver of the deer.

"Eating this raw will make even a dead person jump up. Let's each have a piece."

"Eating it raw?"

"Now, who wants to start?"

Chung Myung approached the disciples from Southern Island, holding the deer liver and cutting a piece.

"Hi-yi-yi!"

Upon seeing this, the disciples from Southern Island hurriedly stepped back.

Chung Myung frowned as if he didn't understand.

"It's strange. People eat raw fish all the time, so why make a fuss about this?"

"It's weird. Why is everyone making a fuss about eating this while they have no problem eating raw fish?"

"How is this the same as that? How can people eat that?"

"Uh... well..."

At that moment, everyone's gaze shifted to Seol So Baek standing behind Chung Myung.

Seol So Baek, with his mouth slightly open, was looking at the hot liver in Chung Myung's hand.

"Can't you give me that instead of meat? In the North Sea, raw reindeer liver is considered quite a delicacy."

"..."

"Also... since earlier, blood has been continuously dripping on the ground. Why would you waste that? Do you know how good that is for your body?"

"..."

"If you're going to throw it away, please give it to me! If we don't eat it we can't have it."

"Uh... fine."

"Thank you, Dojang!"

Seol So Baek was grateful and delighted. Watching him approach the deer with saliva dripping, Chung Myung suddenly thought that bringing together the Heavenly Comrade Alliance might be more difficult and gruesome than he had imagined.