Chapter 1360: They're Coming (Part 5)

"From the east?"

"Yes."

Baek Cheon glanced at Chung Myung.

"Is there really no other way?"

"Entering through the river mouth is suicide. We won't even reach the Yangtze River and will die."

"Hmm..."

Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.

It was a valid point. Currently, the river mouth was a battleground, the full force of the Evil Tyrant Alliance against the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and the Ten Great Sects.

Attempting to break through with just this group?

'It'd be better to stick a sword in your mouth.'

Courage and recklessness were different, and it was even closer to arrogance. It wasn't his place to risk the lives of so many for arrogance.

"But there's also the left side. It might be good to turn in that direction at the right time and aim for that side. The width of the Yangtze River on the left side is actually narrower, so it would be favorable for crossing the river."

"Oh?"

Chung Myung looked at Baek Cheon with a surprised expression. Baek Cheon's face distorted upon seeing the eyes that seemed to be saying, "Dong Ryong had quite a good idea on this matter."

"I'm your Sasuk, you bastard!"

"Sure, sure. Impressive, Sasuk."

Chung Myung chuckled and nodded.

"The idea is not wrong, but there's one more thing to consider."

"What?"

"If we head that way, the Evil Tyrant Alliance will easily detect our movements."

"Is the east different?"

"Yes. With the destruction of Black Ghost Castle, the information network in the east has completely collapsed."

"Ah..."

Baek Cheon finally seemed to understand Chung Myung's words.

Before the Evil Sect unified under the name of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, Gangnam was divided into four forces: Myriad Man Manor dominating the south, Black Ghost Castle in the east, Hao Sect controlling the west, and Su Lo Chae dominating the Yangtze River Basin.

So, as Baek Cheon mentioned earlier, the western part of the mouth was an area firmly held by the Hao Sect. For those in a position to conceal their movements, there was no more burdensome place than that.

"Of course, compared to the Hao Sect, the Black Ghost Castle is not easy to deal with, but those guys had their heads cut off, and their arms and legs were broken. They can't show the same dominance as before."

"Indeed..."

"And that damn Jang Ilso chose to gather all the forces and abandon the east rather than stabilize the situation there. So now the east of Gangnam is a deserted land."

Yoon Jong, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

"If we can only move through the mountains, choosing the east as our direction increases our chances of survival."

"Right."

Chung Myung nodded his head firmly.

"There's no other way. The only choice is the east. We'll head to Nanjing without being noticed by them as much as possible."

"Nanjing..."

Baek Cheon, who had been contemplating for a moment, asked.

"Did you inform Sect Leader... no, Great Sect Leader about this?"

"I wrote it in the letter."

"Hmm..."

Baek Cheon's eyes sank heavily.

If that was the case, there was no other choice from the beginning. To reach the Yangtze River, they might be able to figure it out somehow, but to lead the Southern Island Sect and cross the Yangtze River, they definitely needed the help of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

Unless there was an undisclosed alternative meeting point, they had to head for Nanjing, even if it meant sacrificing someone.

"So, the decision is made. Finish the supply and head straight to Nanjing."

"Yes, Sasuk!"

"Understood!"

With a clear goal in mind, the eyes of the Mount Hua disciples became resolute.

It was still grim, but compared to piercing through the mouth head-on, it was a much more manageable goal. If luck was on their side, they might be able to reach Nanjing without leaving a trace until the end.

"Then I'll go first!"

"Hey, your body hasn't fully recovered yet!"

"You heal faster if you run! Haap!"

As Jo Gol stepped forward, Yoon Jong couldn't help but follow, shaking his head as if indicating he couldn't be stopped.

Observing this, Baek Cheon subtly asked Yoo Iseol.

"Samae, is your body okay now?"

"I have no problem running now."

"Still, be cautious just in case."

"...Even if I don't want to..."

Yoo Iseol turned her head slightly and glanced at Tang Soso, who was sticking closely beside her. Tang Soso continued to emit an almost fiery gaze. Strangely, Yoo Iseol's face, rarely showing any expression, became pale.

"As you can see..."

"...I worried for no reason."

Baek Cheon nodded.

"Let's go quickly, then."

He spurred the ground and moved forward. As Chung Myung, who followed, turned around, a voice mixed with laughter suddenly reached his ears.

"It would be nice if things could be resolved so easily."

Chung Myung turned to see Im Sobyeong covering half of his face with a fan, smiling strangely. Chung Myung spoke bluntly.

"After all that fuss about dying, are you finally finding life worth living again?"

"Isn't victory and defeat like a seesaw in business? If you just lie down after getting hit, you'll get hit again. You have to rise up like a devil...!"

"...You could die a little."

Chung Myung laughed as if it were absurd.

Sometimes, the members of the Evil Sect seemed incredibly stubborn, while at other times, they were more tenacious than weeds. It was quite amusing to see Im Sobyeong, who refused to consider himself a member of the Evil Sect, displaying qualities more befitting of the Evil Sect than anyone.

At that moment, Im Sobyeong, in a serious tone, spoke.

"As you know, Dojang."

"..."

"That guy won't stay still. By now, no matter how much Ho Gakmyung tried to conceal things, that guy will have fully grasped the situation."

Chung Myung nodded silently.

It was none other than Paegun, Jang Ilso. With such a commotion in Gangnam, if he still didn't know the situation, he didn't deserve to consider himself the leader of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Such a miracle would never happen.

As Im Sobyeong said, Jang Ilso would have already grasped the entire situation. And probably, he would try to lead the situation in the direction most favorable to him.

'It means he's coming.'

The image of Jang Ilso, who exploded with madness, flashed in his mind. A vivid image that anyone who saw it once would never forget.

"What do you think?"

"Jang Ilso?"

"Yes."

"Why are you asking me about him?"

Im Sobyeong scratched his head with the tip of the fan.

"To be honest, I can roughly guess what Ho Gakmyung is thinking."

"Oh, you guessed it but got it wrong?"

"That's why I said roughly! Although I can't fully understand, I can at least guess the direction, you know? The direction!"

The disheartened Im Sobyeong muttered with a slightly dejected voice.

"But... it's strange. I can't read Jang Ilso's thoughts. Not because he's exceptionally brilliant, but because I can't grasp his direction at all."

Chung Myung raised an eyebrow as if to express his confusion.

"But... it's strangely intriguing that Dojang seems to somewhat understand Jang Ilso's thoughts to some extent..."

"Would you like to see if you can still talk even if your mouth gets crushed?"

"Ha ha...it's just a joke, a joke."

As Chung Myung bared his teeth, Im Sobyeong flinched and took a step back. But his shameless smile didn't go away at all.

"Anyway, how does Dojang see it?"

"How am I supposed to know that damn guy's thoughts?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm in the same boat as you, trying to figure out what he thinks. But I'm sure you can roughly guess his direction, right?"

"..."

"This is an important matter. It may be a matter of life and death for everyone."

Chung Myung frowned and opened his mouth, but Im Sobyeong inserted one more phrase.

"Don't make it difficult, just tell us how Dojang would move if you were Paegun right now."

"...First, move east."

"The reason is?"

"Because that's how we can lure in the Ten Great Sects."

"Ho?"

"If it's the east, anywhere is fine. If I were Jang Ilso, I would want to avoid a direct clash with the Heavenly Comrade Alliance as much as possible."

"...Avoid a clash with the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?"

"That's right. If that happens, the guys from Ten Great Sects will be across the river, watching the show while enjoying themselves."

"But couldn't that also be interpreted as intending to break through the enemy lines?"

"Breaking through the enemy lines means dealing with the ones who can't move separately, not leaving out those who don't interfere."

"..."

"Once the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and the Evil Tyrant Alliance start having issues, the old man Beopjeong will definitely come targeting the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Then the guys from Ten Great Sects who have been watching idly will unite under Beopjeong to attack the Evil Tyrant Alliance. For glory and benefits."

Im Sobyeong nodded.

That was the structure of the righteous sects he was well familiar with. Usually complaining about everything for various reasons, but as soon as a clear victory and profit showed up, they were the first to dash towards it, more fervently than anyone else.

Compared to that, the Evil Sect, who didn't hide their desires, seemed more genuine.

"What Jang Ilso least wants is such a situation. What he aims for is a full-blown melee war. To create such chaos, he needs to shake up the situation as much as possible. In order to do that, he has no choice but to involve the Ten Great Sects."

"Even though Evil Tyrat Alliance has to face twice the force?"

"War isn't just about numbers or forces."

"..."

"There's an art to it. He will see it that way. If it were me, I would definitely head east. Then, subtly, I would spread oil on the legs of the Ten Great Sects, who are hesitating to step in, and set it on fire."

"What's next?"

After a moment of silence, Chung Myung lifted his head.

"Well... I'm pretty crazy, but I don't have as much taste as that guy does."

"...I understand. So Jang Ilso will likely block our path."

Chung Myung nodded.

"Probably."

"Well... it simplified things."

Im Sobyeong chuckled.

"They probably can't accurately pinpoint our location, and even if Jang Ilso does, it's not easy to block the entire vast area of the Yangtze River Basin. In the end, it's a gamble with a fifty-fifty chance. Whether we can reach the Yangtze by luck or meet them before that. It means we have to gamble with our lives."

Chung Myung's gaze darkened.

Seeing that gaze, Im Sobyeong believed that his guess was not far off.

'A gamble with our lives.'

At first, it sounded terrifying, but thinking about it calmly, it wasn't any different from what they had been doing all along. No, it was even a slightly smoother path than before.

"Understood. Then let me assist you in that way."

"Sure."

Chung Myung glanced back at the disciples of Southern Island following behind. Although they looked exhausted, they were still keeping up well.

The situation had not deviated greatly from what he had expected. Not yet, at least. However...

Chung Myung's face, who was watching ahead, strangely stiffened. An expression not visible to others flashed. His eyes, too, began to boil.

'What is this, this ominous feeling?'

He hadn't missed anything. That must be the case. But strangely, he felt like he was missing something crucial, something that must not be missed...

He soon closed his eyes as if suppressing his thoughts and opened them again.

'Not now.'

Even if he missed something, there was no way to turn it back now. The only thing to focus on now was to forcibly open a path for survival.

'We must definitely cross the Yangtze River.'

So that there would be no more sacrifices or deaths from anyone.

Unconsciously gripping the sword, Chung Myung's knuckles showed blue veins.