章 16: Chapter 1658 - I Like Such Foolish People (3)
Thud!
Even as he pushed off the ground, Yoon Jong's gaze instinctively turned backward. The disciples were following closely, their faces uniformly serious and tense. They all understood the gravity of the situation, knowing how dangerous their current mission was. But it wasn't the impending danger that occupied Yoon Jong's thoughts.
'Is it possible?'
No matter how he thought about it, the timeline was tight. While the distance from Shaanxi to Wuhan wasn't excessively far compared to the places they had traveled before, the critical factor wasn't the physical distance. What mattered was whether they could reach Wuhan before the Evil Sect.
Yoon Jong's face hardened as he glanced at the disciples.
No matter how much he racked his brains, there weren't many ways to arrive in Wuhan before the Evil Sect. They couldn't recklessly increase their speed because the group was a mix of people with different affiliations, wielding different weapons, and possessing varying levels of martial arts skills. It was inevitable that the group's pace would be uneven.
As soon as they pushed their speed beyond their limits, someone would fall behind.
One might think that arriving in Wuhan on time was more important than worrying about stragglers, but...
'As long as we're unsure of the Evil sect's target, we can't afford to leave anyone behind.'
If anyone lagged behind, they could become easy prey for the Evil Sect. That was a worst-case scenario that had to be avoided at all costs.
The more he thought about it, the heavier his head felt.
Knowing Chung Myung's instructions, Yoon Jong knew they should move like lightning. He had no doubt about that. However, the burden of having so many lives depending on him made his steps feel increasingly heavy.
'Can I do this?'
Yoon Jong glanced to his side.
He saw Jo Gul running not too far away, his face uncharacteristically somber.
'That guy too…'
Yoon Jong felt a bit bitter.
Even the usually carefree Jo Gul was feeling the pressure in this situation. As the deputy unit leader, it was natural for Jo Gul to feel the burden. Yoon Jong, as his senior, should have been more attentive.
Just then, Jo Gul's face darkened even more. Yoon Jong couldn't help but speak up.
"Gul-ah."
"…"
"Gul-ah."
"Oh!"
Jo Gul's eyes widened in surprise at the sound of his name. Yoon Jong asked gently.
"Are you feeling the pressure?"
"Well, yes, Sahyung. This isn't easy at all."
"Yeah, it's understandable."
"No matter how much I think about it, I can't come up with a good plan."
"Huh?"
Jo Gul grabbed his curly hair with both hands in frustration.
"We can't use 'Gab-Eul-Byeong-Jeong-Mu,' and 'Heuk-Baek-Jeok-Cheong-Hwang' is too obvious."
"Huh?"
"Oh! How about 'Cheong-Ryong-Dang'? It's classic but impressive, isn't it? Or maybe 'Baek-Ho-Dang' is better?"
Yoon Jong's face started to twist slightly.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Chung Myung told us to come up with suitable names for the units, didn't he? We need something simple yet memorable, so everyone knows exactly where to go."
…Crunch.
Yoon Jong's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. He really wanted to...
"Is the name that important right now?"
"Sahyung! This is crucial! If we get caught up in the battle without clear unit names, everything will be chaos! We need names that instantly tell everyone where to go!"
"Uh…"
It was hard to argue with that logic.
Yoon Jong felt his pride hurt at being outwitted by Jo Gul. Jo Gul continued, unaware of Yoon Jong's internal struggle.
"Look over there. The other deputy unit leaders are serious too, right? They're all thinking hard about the right names."
"If that's true, Kangho is doomed."
"Why?"
"…."
Instead of answering, Yoon Jong sighed deeply. He felt foolish for worrying about Jo Gul feeling pressured.
"Shouldn't we speed up a bit?"
"It's too much."
"What? Why? It seems like everyone's keeping up."
"Here, yes."
"What do you mean by that?"
Jo Gul tilted his head and looked back. Yoon Jong sighed deeply.
"I've heard that leading a group of people varies based on its size."
His gaze was cast far toward the tail end of the group.
"The more people there are following, the faster those at the back have to run. By now, those at the end are probably at their limit. Those weak in martial arts might already be at risk of falling behind."
"What? Then it's a big problem! Someone should go and sort it out."
"It's being handled."
"By whom?"
"...."
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"Huff! Huff! Oh, I'm dying!"
"Be quiet!"
"No, seriously, I'm dying!"
Im Sobyeong, drenched in sweat, was half-rolling his eyes as he shouted. Chung Myung looked at him with disdain and scolded him.
"What kind of king of the Nokrim can't handle this? Someone who grew up eating well in the mountains!"
"E-everyone has their own strengths! I'm good with my head, not my body. I was born weak!"
"Is that something a martial artist would say?"
"N-no, I mean, how can I...?"
To be exact, he had confidence in his strength, but his stamina and endurance were lacking.
The headband he wore was already soaked with sweat from his forehead, becoming wrinkled and drooping. His neat scholar's robes clung to his body as if drenched in rain, making running even harder.
"Why do you wear that stuff! Just take it off!"
"What else should a scholar wear if not a scholar's robe? This is my pride!"
"A bandit pretending to be a scholar, you'll freeze to death."
"No, you can't touch what's important... Huff! Stop talking to me; I'm out of breath!"
"You're always whining. You ran just fine when we went to Hangzhou last time."
"It's different... Huff! Stop talking to me!"
Im Sobyeong waved his hand as if he had no strength left to argue. He didn't even have the energy to vent his rising resentment.
This is all because of someone!
Heading to Hangzhou just required running hard. But now, it wasn't that simple.
"They're falling behind."
"Ah, damn!"
Panting, Im Sobyeong ran to support those falling behind as Chung Myung pointed them out.
"T-thank you..."
"Thank you, my ass. Just run, damn it, before I stick a knife in your gut. Or should I just cut off your useless legs?"
"Eek! I-I'm sorry!"
Terrified by Im Sobyeong's ferocious and chilling face shoved close, the man mustered all his strength and sprinted ahead.
Realizing he had inadvertently shown his bandit nature, Im Sobyeong quickly adjusted his expression as he saw another line falling behind.
His bandit instincts flared up again.
"Run! Don't fall behind; run faster, you bastards!"
As Im Sobyeong shouted, those falling behind gritted their teeth and caught up with the front line. Im Sobyeong cursed inwardly.
'Damn it.'
Frustration surged within him.
Theory and practice are different.
When a long line forms during movement, even a slow pace at the front causes gaps. To maintain formation, the rear must alternate between walking and running. Otherwise, the procession stretches out interminably.
Some might question why a long line is a problem. But in a situation where the Evil Tyrant Alliance might ambush at any time, breaking formation is unacceptable.
Thus, Chung Myung and Im Sobyeong had to rush around, coaxing and pushing those falling behind.
Yes, they knew someone had to do it.
But!
"Why me, why!"
He understood it all in theory, but actually dealing with it was exhausting.
Why was the frail Im Sobyeong handling this when there were plenty of strong men at the front?
This absurd situation was clearly that devil's doing.
"Heo-ek! Heo-ek!"
Anyway, thanks to him and Chung Myung, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance members are somehow managing to maintain their formation while running. If they can reach Wuhan like this, then maybe...
"Nokrim King."
"…Why? What do you want me to do this time?"
Im Sobyeong turned to look at Chung Myung with a face full of annoyance. However, seeing Chung Myung's face serious and hardened, he relaxed his expression.
Chung Myung asked, "What do you think?"
"About what?"
"About what we discussed earlier."
"What exactly do you mean?"
Chung Myung's eyes darkened slightly.
"There is a pattern to what Jang Ilso does. This matter he's involved in won't deviate much from that pattern."
"…"
"Do you really think so?"
Im Sobyeong's face hardened slightly. Why was he asking this?
"Well, as I said earlier, I don't think he'll follow that pattern this time, but in the past, it did seem like there was a trend, as Sect Leader Jegal mentioned. But is there a problem?"
Chung Myung, deep in thought and silent, shook his head.
"No."
"No, if you bring it up, you should finish."
"Hey. Someone's falling behind again. Run."
"…Ah! Seriously, I've had enough!"
Im Sobyeong pulled up his voluminous sleeves to his elbows and ran. Flames seemed to blaze in his eyes.
"You little bastard, do you want to be buried here? Huh? Are you from Nokrim? Are you crazy?"
Chung Myung watched Im Sobyeong run towards the stragglers, then slowly turned his gaze. He looked towards Wuhan, far in the distance, beyond the people running ahead.
No, more precisely, to those who had headed to Wuhan before them.
'Jang Ilso…'
A strong sense of unease surged within him. Something had definitely changed, something he couldn't quite pinpoint.
'What are you thinking?'
Instinctively, Chung Myung gripped his sword hilt tightly, the blue veins on the back of his hand standing out prominently.
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Sagrak.
A red shoe stepped slowly onto the underbrush.
"Hm."
The gaze of a person wrapped in a splendid red robe turned to the winding mountain ridge and the towering peak.
Although still far, the peak piercing through the white clouds exuded a mysterious aura just from its outline.
"Is that the place?"
Ho Gakmyung answered briefly.
"Yes, Ryeonju-nim. It is Wudang."
"Hm."
The green grass, the light ochre rocks, and the white clouds created a beautiful harmony. The corners of Jang Ilso's lips curled up softly.
"Well. You never know, do you?"
"Yes?"
"Whether it will still be called Wudang in the future."
Ho Gakmyung understood the meaning and nodded.
"Indeed, we can't be sure anymore."
"Right?"
A look of satisfaction spread across Jang Ilso's lips.
"Let's go. They must be eagerly waiting for me, their necks stretched out in anticipation. We should meet their expectations."
"Yes. Everyone, move forward!"
Ho Gakmyung commanded immediately. The large army began to move again.
Watching the advancing troops with snake-like eyes, Jang Ilso glanced to the side.
"Hopefully, they won't be too late... That would spoil the fun, wouldn't it?"
Chaos stormed between his curved, elongated eyes like a tempest.
クリエイターの想い 
Muffin_niffuM
Muffin_niffuM Who's ready for a war arc?
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