Paat!
The abbot, who had sprinted a dozen feet in one breath, kicked off the ground again without pausing. He swiftly leaped over the mountain, obstructing his path. He crossed the flowing river in a single bound, continuing his advance.
Behind him, a group clad in yellow robes, the symbol of Shaolin, followed.
Three hundred monks of Shaolin.
Who in the world would not feel intimidated by that sight? It was a scene that symbolized the power of Shaolin itself.
But…
The faces of the monks trailing the abbot were all pale, contrasting with their reputation. Their legs, pounding the ground, trembled as if they might give way at any moment.
"A-Abbot!"
Beop Gye, who was right behind the abbot, called out loudly. But the abbot didn't even turn his head.
"Abbot! The disciples cannot push themselves any longer. We must slow down!"
Only then did the abbot turn his head. The expression on his face was not of concern but of a bright blue rage.
"We cannot slow down."
"There will be stragglers!"
"It doesn't matter!"
At that chilling voice, Beop Gye flinched involuntarily.
The abbot's tightly clenched lips seemed to convey his determination.
"We will leave those who fall behind. We can regroup later at the Yangtze River! Right now, it is crucial to reach the Yangtze River as soon as possible!"
"But…"
"This is an urgent matter!"
"But abbot! Even if we reach the Yangtze River, if our disciples are too exhausted to fight, isn't it useless?"
"I said it is alright!"
The abbot stated firmly.
"If the Namgung family isn't there, then it might be alright, but as long as they are there, we don't need full strength. It is enough to just overwhelm the pirates!"
"…T-that is true, but…"
"Stop with the complaints and speed up!"
"… I understand!"
The abbot's eyes gleamed.
'This cannot happen.'
He had already made several mistakes. If things got worse from there, it might really be irreversible. He couldn't just sit by and watch Shaolin's reputation fall to the ground under his leadership.
A crisis was always a chance.
The current situation was worse than it could be. Still, if Shaolin could arrive at the Yangtze River in time, defeat the pirates, and save the Namgung family, the situation could be reversed in a moment.
That was why the abbot couldn't miss this chance. It was absolutely something not to be missed.
'Faster!'
All he had to do was arrive before Jang Ilso.
Strength was always relative. It would be impossible to deal with the entire Four Precepts Alliance with Shaolin's strength. But what if the opponent was just the pirates?
Without needing to wait for the Kongdong Sect and Peng Family, he could subdue the Yangtze pirates just by joining forces with the Namgung family.
No, even if it was difficult to get there, it was possible to get the Namgung family out of there without any damage.
Then, the rest of the matter could be dealt with by waiting for the other sects to join.
The most important thing now was to reach the Yangtze River first before the Ten Thousand People Clan.
"Hurry up, now!"
"Yes!"
Shaolin, who had turned into a yellow line moving ahead, ran and ran to the Yangtze River.
"So that is what I mean…."
"….."
At the words, which continued quietly, the plump cheeks twisted slightly and then swelled up again, bulging.
'… he might burst?'
'But not in front of the sect leader, no way.'
'No. He is going to burst soon?'
However, the cheeks, which had been swollen as if they would burst at any moment, gradually subsided along with the anger.
'He is enduring it, enduring it.'
'Ohhh.'
'You have grown, Chung Myung…! This sasuk feels so moved by this.'
Hyun Jong, who was observing Chung Myung's expression, coughed softly.
"So, isn't this an act he does?"
"…."
"I am not saying we should help. It… ahem. We are also a Justice faction, but it seems a bit much to refuse something like this…"
Chung Myung's gaze slowly lowered. A letter about the battle caught his eye.
"So…"
"Yes. Yes."
"Mister Tang… no, the Tang family lord."
"Yes."
"Asked for support?"
"Right."
Hyun Jong nodded with satisfaction.
"So, does the Sect leader want to move?"
"Ahem, it isn't a matter of going or not. Isn't this something we have already agreed on?"
"…"
"It isn't about the profit, but a matter of trust, so there is nothing we can do, right?"
This time, Chung Myung's eyes turned red. Hyun Jong slightly turned his head and looked up at the ceiling. He was the sect leader, the far superior person, but at times like this, he was afraid to look at Chung Myung.
"Ughh…."
A groan escaped from Chung Myung's mouth.
The situation was very simple. Chung Myung had declared that he wouldn't interfere with the affairs of the Yangtze River. Of course, it was Hyun Jong, not Chung Myung, who decided Mount Hua's positions, but as long as Chung Myung had a cause, Hyun Jong couldn't change his mind at will.
But a letter that had just arrived from the Yangtze River gave Hyun Jong a cause he never had.
"Does the Yangtze River… need more strength to evacuate people?"
"Right."
Chung Myung rubbed his face with both hands.
"Ugh, my mouth is at fault! The damned mouth!"
And he started to slap his mouth with his hands. Baek Cheon watched the scene and scratched his chin lightly.
'This is how things are going now.'
Chung Myung had said something like that before while discussing matters of the Yangtze with Tang Gunak.
-Even if it is said that it is unavoidable, some of those living in the Yangtze River basin will move to Sichuan if they are given the right support.
Tang Gunak was not ready to return to Sichuan while leaving behind the civilians he had been caring for. As part of the agreement on the conditions for the Tang family to withdraw from the river, the civilians of the Yangtze River who requested to move would be allowed to settle in Sichuan. Mount Hua actively helped them.
Tang Gunak eventually accepted Chung Myung's proposal and was currently in the process of moving the civilians from the Yangtze to Sichuan.
But…
"No! How can they say they are short on manpower? They are the Sichuan Tang family! Huh? Tang family! What does that mean? The Tang family is a place where people gather from the neighborhood, and they are short on manpower?"
"… Hasn't the situation changed now?"
"Ah! The damned Namgung family, bastards! Anyway, they are of no use! I should have wiped those bastards out right then!"
Jo Gul whispered to Yoon Jong.
"When exactly is the time he is talking about?"
"Isn't it the time of the Yangtze River war? No, the Taoist bastard always says such things. It is just Chung Myung being Chung Myung."
If it were normal, he would have at least given Yoon Jong a glance, but Chung Myung didn't even have the attention to do so now.
The situation on the Yangtze River was changing more rapidly than he had expected. He had anticipated that the pirates would go for Plum Blossom Island. Still, even when he was making the plan, he hadn't considered the existence of the 'insane bastard.'
With the occurrence of an unexpected variable, the situation began to change at least a month faster than he expected.
In other words…
"Originally, we could have relocated everyone who wanted to in about a month, but as you know, the situation on the Yangtze River has changed. Not only has the time been shortened, but the common people have learned that the situation has worsened, so naturally, more people want to move to Sichuan."
"…"
"We cannot say that we are not responsible for this… wasn't this done in the name of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, and not the Tang family? I am the leader, so I cannot just throw the affairs of the Heavenly Friends Alliance onto the Tang family and pretend not to know…"
"Sect leader."
"Uh?"
"… You just want to go and help, right?"
"Aheheh."
Hyun Jong coughed loudly, his face turning red.
'Anyway, this man's eyes change when he hears the word 'help.'
He was so foolish. But…
'It is a good thing.'
Chung Myung liked the foolishness of Hyun Jong. No, he respected the man more than anything. Being foolish because he didn't know was stupidity, but being foolish despite knowing was great.
"So, first, respond to the request for support…."
"…."
Hyun Jong spoke, looking at Chung Myung, who was sullen and pouting.
"I am absolutely not planning on doing anything on the Yangtze River. Shouldn't we just evacuate the people? Do you think the Shaolin and the other sects rushing to the Yangtze River right now have the strength to do that?"
"… that bald bastard doesn't usually care about such things. He doesn't have any brains around him either."
"….R-right. He doesn't have it."
Yoon Jong quietly asked Baek Cheon.
"Is the Sect leader speaking by knowing the meaning?"
"He must."
"…."
Hyun Jong, who blurted out something he absolutely shouldn't have said, poked Chung Myung again.
"So before the damage gets worse… shouldn't we do something?"
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
'I never thought of this.'
This war was likely to spread much bigger than expected. So, who would suffer the most damage from the war?
Shaolin? Pirates? Namgung family? Or the Ten Thousand People Clan?
As if.
The people who would suffer the most damage were the civilians near the Yangtze River. The warriors all had their goals and got involved in this by their own decision, so they had nothing to say, even if they died. But what crime did the civilians, who were living peacefully before getting caught in the war, commit?
That was why Hyun Jong said that: to reduce the number of unfortunate deaths.
"Chung Myung."
"…"
"Chung Myungg."
"…."
"Chung Myungggggg!"
"Ahh! Okay! Okay!"
Chung Myung shouted as if he were furious. Then he glared at everyone with sharp eyes.
"But instead! No matter what happens, we do not interfere in the Yangtze River war! Absolutely not! Even if those bastards attack first, we will run away and not fight! I will not do any good, even if it means death!"
"Of course, of course! Isn't this just a move for the civilians? We have no intentions of fighting. Not even a bit!"
"Tsk!"
Chung Myung, who had been looking at everyone with discontented eyes, turned his head.
'Idiots.'
Their eyes changed the moment they heard that civilians were in danger. Even though he had told them to think about themselves over and over again, it seemed like the words were falling on deaf ears.
But…
'Right. This is what Mount Hua is.'
This must be what Hyun Jong meant when he spoke to the abbot. In order for Mount Hua to be Mount Hua, it could not refuse such a request.
"Okay."
"OH!"
"Let's go! Let's go now! We go and quickly evacuate the people!"
"Yes, yes!"
"Ehh, seriously! What is…"
Before Chung Myung could groan more, Hyun Jong shouted.
"Hyun Young! Hyun Sang!"
"Yes, sect leader!"
"Get all the disciples ready! We will set off for the Yangtze River right away. Remember! The sooner we get there, the more people we can save!"
"Yes, sect leader!"
The atmosphere in the hall heated up.
And so… Mount Hua's move to the Yangtze River was decided.