Who Would Help? (4)
Ta-tak! Ta-tak!
A whole wild boar spun slowly over the roaring campfire.
Staring blankly at the sight, Dang Pae found himself having a thought so obvious it was useless.
Is this really okay?
They were supposed to be avoiding people’s eyes, but… well, of course no one was likely to come all the way up to a cave tucked into the middle of a sheer cliff just to peek at the firelight. Still… no, even so…
“Tch. If I’d known it would be like this, I would’ve brought some liquor.”
“Did this bastard die in his past life from not being able to drink or something? We’re in Jiangnan, you idiot!”
“Who cares when there isn’t a single soul around?”
“...Fair point.”
When Cheong Myeong muttered that if he’d known they’d be traveling only along cliffs and mountains like this, he wouldn’t have been tense at all, Dang Pae gave up thinking entirely.
What made it even more agonizing was that, despite the fact that they looked to be moving with absolutely no sense of urgency—resting whenever they felt like it—they were still covering ground at least twice as fast as expected.
If you think about it that way, I should probably be applauding them for it…
“It’s done!”
“Ah, wait! The inside’s still undercooked!”
“Then we can just eat the outside first, can’t we?”
“...Are you a genius?”
“Let’s eat!”
Watching the Mount Hua lunatics throw themselves at the roasted boar made even the last shred of respect he’d been clinging to vanish in a clean sweep.
Don’t use the Plum Blossom Sword Technique to slice pork, you insane bastards!
While the Fifth Sword was driving Dang Pae mad, Baek Cheon—who had at least stepped back a little as the Acting Sect Leader—asked Im So-byeong,
“How is it? Are we moving according to plan?”
“Hmm.”
Im So-byeong prodded his own cheek with his fan as he answered.
“If you’re asking whether it’s going exactly according to plan, that’s a little complicated. I did account for certain variables, of course, but…”
With a sullen expression, he turned his head and looked at Namgung Dowi. Seeing him sprawled there and groaning, Im So-byeong openly twisted his face in disgust.
“I couldn’t have predicted variables like that one…”
“...”
That much was true—this wasn’t really Im So-byeong’s fault.
No matter how incredible a man who could read the flow of fate might be, he couldn’t possibly have predicted the young patriarch of the Namgung Clan’s fear of heights. Besides, was it even sane for a swordsman to have acrophobia in the first place?
“Still… even taking that into account, we’re moving within the expected range. At this pace, we should reach the coast bound for Hainan within five days.”
“Five days, huh…”
Baek Cheon fell into brief thought.
Crossing Jiangnan in five days was an astonishing feat. Even in ordinary circumstances, it would’ve been questionable whether such a thing was possible.
It was only because everyone in the group could genuinely be called a Peak Master that they were even able to attempt it. Seol Sobaek was a slight exception, but Cheong Myeong was dragging him along one way or another.
So yes, it was definitely good news…
“Could we speed up a little?”
Baek Cheon wanted to reach Hainan as quickly as possible. There was the matter of the Hainan Sect, of course, but more than that, it was only prudent to shorten even by a little the amount of time they spent in Jiangnan, where anything could happen at any moment.
But Im So-byeong shook his head firmly.
“We’re already at our limit.”
“Couldn’t we just cut back on resting and sleeping? We don’t need to waste time like this…”
“No.”
He cut him off with a sharpness that made it clear the suggestion wasn’t worth hearing.
Then he shrugged and said,
“I understand why the Acting Sect Leader is impatient. But people have limits. No matter how remarkable someone is, it’s impossible to maintain concentration day and night for three straight days.”
“...That is true.”
“Right now, caution matters more than speed. If our senses dull even a little, we could miss the presence of people entirely. If that happens, we’ll be in a situation worse than simply arriving late.”
Baek Cheon nodded slowly. He understood now that this wasn’t merely a pause because they’d found a cave, but Im So-byeong’s own way of rationing the group’s stamina.
“Being discovered is one problem, but cleaning up afterward is an even bigger one. If I were alone, I’d just bury whatever peasants or whoever happened to see us and shut their mouths…”
“Aha-ehya!”
“Hejingeo!”
When the Fifth Sword stopped chewing mid-bite and glared over in outrage, Im So-byeong let out a deep sigh.
“...What is that supposed to mean?”
“You Sapa bastard, you’re asking to die!”
“...Thank you for the translation. Which is why I can’t just silence everyone however I like, and we have no choice but to move forward without being seen. For that, proper rest is necessary.”
“Understood.”
Baek Cheon nodded, satisfied.
He’s not wrong.
He glanced sideways at Namgung Dowi and Dang Pae.
The Mount Hua disciples were used to grueling marches, but for Dang Pae, Namgung Dowi, and Seol Sobaek, this was probably their first experience of this kind. Outwardly, they were all trying to keep their composure…
There’s no way this isn’t hard on them.
Traveling the length of a sheer cliff all day was something most people couldn’t even imagine. And they weren’t merely clinging to the wall—they were moving faster than horses.
On top of that, they couldn’t afford to neglect vigilance for even a moment, which meant their stamina was being drained at an alarming rate.
Those bastards are eating more than usual too, so they must be tense. Honestly, who wouldn’t be in a situation like this…
“Damn it, I should’ve gotten just one bottle from the Beast Palace Lord!”
There was one.
The man who had tossed the very word tension off a Mount Hua cliff somewhere and forgotten it there.
Baek Cheon let out a long sigh.
Fine. Cheong Myeong was just being Cheong Myeong. But Im So-byeong’s face was also clearly darker than usual. He was pretending to be as calm as ever, but because he had a congenital illness, there was only so much strength he could bring to bear in the first place.
“Still… I suppose it would be better not to rush too much.”
At that, Im So-byeong grinned.
“Mount Hua’s disciple Baek Cheon is thinking things through too, I see.”
“I have no choice…”
“Well, there’s no need to feel too burdened. There isn’t a single person here who can’t keep watch over the rear.”
Just as Baek Cheon was about to smile and nod, Im So-byeong turned to Namgung Dowi with a sullen look.
“Except one.”
“...”
At this point, it wasn’t just a matter of birthplace—it was bordering on a physiological aversion.
“Anyway, I’m relieved the road into Jiangnan doesn’t seem to be as dangerous as expected. I’d prepared for at least some clashes.”
“Even for the Evil Tyrant Alliance, finding ten people in a place as vast as Jiangnan is no different from trying to find a grain of sand in the desert.”
“True enough.”
If the roles were reversed and someone asked Baek Cheon to use the Mount Hua disciples to infiltrate Jiangbuk and root out Sapa bastards, he’d probably have kicked the man in the head and asked if he’d lost his mind.
“There are only two things we really need to worry about.”
When Baek Cheon looked at him with a puzzled expression, Im So-byeong’s face hardened slightly.
“One is that a man named Jang Il-so is the sort who, if he puts his mind to it, could really find that grain of sand in the desert.”
At Im So-byeong’s words, a chill ran down Baek Cheon’s spine.
Jang Il-so… If it was that Jang Il-so, then perhaps he really could do it.
“But there’s no need to worry in advance. Even that Tyrant Lord couldn’t possibly imagine that we’d be entering Jiangnan at this point in time.”
“That’s true…”
“Do you really think that bastard would imagine there were lunatics even crazier than he is?”
“...”
Is that supposed to be praise?
“The one I’m actually worried about is someone else, though…”
“...Someone else? Is there another problem?”
At that, Im So-byeong wore a reluctant expression.
“Even if I explained it, I doubt it would mean much. We can only pray that it doesn’t happen.”
Just then, Baek Cheon opened his mouth to ask more.
“No! If you eat all that, then what am I supposed to eat, you gluttonous bastards!”
Im So-byeong, aghast, rushed toward the roasted boar. The whole boar that had been suspended over the fire was losing its shape at lightning speed.
Baek Cheon sighed and shook his head.
“That way. Not this way.”
“...How the hell do you know just by looking?”
“Isn’t it obviously this way?”
The members of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, having entered the thick brush, looked around left and right in wonder.
The trees and undergrowth were so dense that it was hard to tell east from west, north from south. Yet Im So-byeong was navigating them as though he had a ghost’s sense for direction.
“This way?”
“I said this way!”
“Why are you getting angry…”
“Just follow behind me! Stop trying to get ahead of me!”
“No, but you’re going too slowly…”
“What?”
Everyone was once again reminded that Im So-byeong was a tremendously versatile man in exactly this sort of way.
Ah, of course…
“Tch. It would be faster to go above, anyway.”
“...”
“Because of who, exactly? Hahh!”
He was also far more unpleasant than expected.
As Namgung Dowi visibly sank into dejection, Yoon Jong hurriedly changed the subject with an awkward expression.
“In any case, you’re amazing. To our eyes, every path here looks the same, but you’re able to distinguish them and guide us. I heard you haven’t even been here before.”
“Hohoho. It’s not that I’m amazing—this is basic knowledge for anyone from the Green Forest. How could the Green Forest, which claims to rule the mountains, call itself Green Forest if it didn’t know the mountains…”
“You’re just dressing up the fact that you’re good at sidetracks because you’ve spent your life running around like a rat from government troops.”
When Cheong Myeong snapped at him, Im So-byeong’s shoulders drooped.
Seeing that, Yoon Jong frowned.
“Hey, why do you have to crush a man’s spirit like that? He’s helping us so much!”
“What are you talking about? It’s only natural for a Sapa bastard to be useful!”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden…?”
“If he weren’t useful, he’d already be dead!”
Ah…
“If a Sapa bastard isn’t even useful, then why keep him alive? It’s way more profitable to grind him up and use him as fertilizer!”
Wow. Cheong Myeong. That’s not exactly wrong, but… no matter how you look at it, you sound more like the Sapa bastard here.
Baek Cheon silently patted Im So-byeong on the shoulder.
“Hang in there.”
“...Thank you.”
“Really, you should just come to Mount Hua with us.”
For a moment, the words died in Im So-byeong’s throat. He opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but just then—
“Shh!”
Cheong Myeong’s expression changed in an instant. Gesturing for silence, he moved carefully forward and gently parted the brush to either side.
The others held their breath and followed behind him.
Poking their heads out, they saw a procession slowly approaching along a narrow path through the undergrowth.
A large wagon, and a group guarding it.
But the thing that stood out most was the enormous banner planted on the wagon. Embroidered across it in imposing characters was the word Dominance.
“...It’s the Evil Tyrant Alliance.”
At once, tension flashed across everyone’s faces. Holding their presence to an absolute minimum, they stared hard at the procession.