"Don't fall behind!"
"Yes!"
"You too, damn it!"
"Ughhh."
A groan escaped from Im Sobyeong's lips, sounding like the moan of a sick person. Well, considering he is actually sick, it might be correct to call it just a moan.
"No...!"
"What?"
"...Nothing."
Im Sobyeong, who had been grumbling, closed his mouth quietly. He wanted to snap, "Why do I have to go through this hell because of those Wudang guys I barely know?" but he knew that saying so would result in a punch from that bulging fist.
'Even bandits aren't this crude. Damn Taoist bastard!'
Well, come to think of it, what's the big difference between a bandit and a Taoist? Both live in seclusion in the deep mountains, living their own lives away from the world. The only slight difference is that bandits receive help from passersby, while Taoists receive help from those who come to them.
"Someone's falling behind over there!"
"I'm on it!"
Im Sobyeong quickly ran over and kicked the butt of the lagging Meng Do.
"Argh!"
"Hey, you idiot! Even a sick person is running, so stop whining and run!"
Im Sobyeong ground his teeth as he kicked the lagging person once more in anger. Even so, everyone was running for dear life without falling behind.
'Still, somehow...'
He didn't know whether to call it luck or good strategy, but even the Nokrim bandits, who would normally have given up and lain down, were running somehow.
Regardless of their affiliation, everyone glanced sideways at their running companions, gritting their teeth. Then, mustering all their remaining strength, they pushed their legs harder.
'This has quite an effect.'
Just by creating divisions and separating people, the existing sense of belonging wouldn't disappear. It would take a long time before the sense of belonging to the factions would surpass their original loyalties.
However, this also meant that they still had a sense of competition against the other factions. If they couldn't endure and fell behind, countless eyes would glare at them. If they were running alongside their seniors or elders from their sect, it would just be their own shame, but now they couldn't expect such a lenient outcome. Their shortcomings would certainly lead to ridicule of their entire sect.
'So they can't afford to fall behind, even if it kills them.'
Im Sobyeong shook his head as he watched those running with all their might.
"Running with the honor of their sect on their shoulders...."
Meanwhile, the young Mount Hua guys in the lead were still full of energy, leaving no room for complaints.
"What a pathetic sense of honor...."
At that moment, something caught his eye. Im Sobyeong's eyes widened.
"Who do you think you are, falling behind like that, you damn bandits! Do you want me to skin you alive?"
"Eek!"
"If you Nokrim bastards fall behind, I'll cut your tendons and send you to the Beggar's Union, so let's see what happens!"
Im Sobyeong roared, kicking the exhausted Nokrim bandits' backs to urge them on. Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he watched this scene.
"You said they were pathetic."
"Nokrim is different, Nokrim! It's embarrassing otherwise. Tsk tsk."
Chung Myung stared at him blankly, but Im Sobyeong just avoided his gaze and pouted.
"It's not about obsessing over worthless honor. If Nokrim gets looked down on, we have to close up shop. You wouldn't understand."
"Sure, sure. There must be deep meaning behind it."
Im Sobyeong snapped his fan open and started fanning his face. Not that it was unnecessary; sweat was pouring down his face, so fanning was quite reasonable.
After taking a long breath, Im Sobyeong spoke in a more serious tone than before.
"But surprisingly...."
"No attacks."
"Right?"
Chung Myung's eyes also turned serious.
"That means they are indeed targeting Wudang."
"We haven't arrived yet."
"Of course, but."
Im Sobyeong's eyes, half-hidden by the fan, glinted coldly.
Until they reached Mount Wudang, they couldn't be certain of anything. They had to consider that anything could happen.
However, the fact that there were no traps so far clearly meant that the Evil Tyrant Alliance's goal was not here.
Im Sobyeong lowered his voice to a whisper so that others wouldn't hear, his tone heavy.
"Shouldn't we pick up the pace a bit?"
"No. If we push too hard, we'll fall behind."
"I understand that, but if they're really targeting Wudang, they might have launched an all-out attack by now."
"...."
"Wudang can't hold out."
Chung Myung's face slightly hardened. However, after a brief moment of silence, he shook his head.
"Even so, it's Wudang."
"I know. I understand. But it's still just Wudang. You know as well as I do that war isn't about individual strength. There's no one in Wudang who can handle Jang Ilso or Ho Gakmyung."
For a moment, Heo Dojin's image flashed in his mind, but Im Sobyeong quickly shook his head.
Heo Dojin won't do.
It's not that he lacks capability. Heo Dojin has already exposed his weaknesses to the enemy. If it's Jang Ilso and Ho Gakmyung, they would mercilessly exploit those weaknesses and force difficult choices upon him.
If it were a war between forces of similar strength, they might somehow hold out, but isn't it clear that Jang Ilso is currently overwhelming them?
This isn't the time to question whether we can fight but rather how long we can endure.
"Even so, no."
Despite knowing everything, Chung Myung remained resolute. A faint, cold light gleamed in his eyes.
"The moment we push too hard, who knows when and how they'll extend their claws."
Im Sobyeong glanced forward.
Indeed, as Chung Myung said, they were at their limit. In fact, they were moving much faster than Im Sobyeong initially thought possible.
Increasing the speed further would not only cause stragglers but also collapse the formation. This would completely undermine the purpose of forming the party. Not to mention, it would create vulnerabilities.
Even with the existing distrust towards the party, they couldn't afford to leave such an impression on their first campaign.
"So, what about Wudang...?"
"They'll hold out."
Chung Myung answered as if there was no need to think further.
But that wasn't enough of an answer for Im Sobyeong. Hold out? Wudang? Against Jang Ilso?
The memory is still vivid. It was Wudang that got crushed on the Yangtze River, unable to do anything against Jang Ilso's schemes.
Even if Wudang hadn't hastily declared defeat back then, the current landscape of Kangho might have been different.
But can the Wudang, who were so helpless back then, single-handedly withstand Jang Ilso now?
"Do you trust Heo Dojin?"
"No."
Chung Myung was resolute again. Instead, he gazed into the distance, towards Wudang Mountain, which was not yet visible but definitely in that direction.
"Children grow naturally, even without adults trying to nurture them. And eventually, they'll surpass the adults watching over them."
"...."
"Especially if there are scars."
"What do you mean?"
Chung Myung's eyes darkened deeply.
"There's a future there, too."
* * *
Boom!
Another piece of rock broke off and fell off the cliff like a landslide.
Rumble!
A thunderous noise echoed as if the sky were falling apart.
"Pour it on them!"
"Yes!"
They dug out rocks and shattered visible boulders, causing fragments to tumble down the cliff face. These rocks, now hard to handle individually, gained a different power when combined with massive boulders.
"Take cover!"
Seeing the massive falling rocks from the center, the Jang Ilso warriors threw themselves aside in panic. Those already airborne couldn't handle the falling rocks as calmly as before.
Thud! Thud!
The falling rocks, accelerated to terrifying speeds, smashed Jang Ilso warriors' bodies mid-air. Even those who managed to block them were inevitably pushed back or downwards.
"Aaaah!"
Falling or sliding down. On a smooth cliff face, there's nothing more deadly.
"Those damned bastards!"
Enraged, the Jang Ilso warriors glared up the cliff, as if they would eat their enemies alive. It was Wudang who had looked up with such eyes at the Yangtze River. Back then, the ones on top won.
Will it be the same this time?
"Commander!"
With a single attack, dozens of members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance fell off the cliff. More than half of them likely died instantly, and many of them probably didn't even leave proper corpses.
Even worse, the higher they climbed the cliff and the more of them that attempted the climb, the greater the damage a single attack would cause.
"That's an impressive sword strike."
However, Ho Gakmyung seemed indifferent, as if he were watching someone else's business.
"What are you doing? Keep encouraging the alliance members. Tell them that whoever climbs the cliff first will be promised eternal wealth and glory."
"Yes, sir, Commander!"
The lieutenants, their faces pale, nodded.
Ho Gakmyung calmly looked up at the cliff. His face was emotionless, showing no particular feelings.
"To think there was someone like that in Wudang. But… foolish."
"Huff! Huff!"
Heo Gong's forehead was dripping with sweat.
Emitting a sword strike capable of cutting down a cliff was no easy task, even for Heo Gong. Each strike felt like it was wearing down his very soul.
But now was not the time to stop. He had to do it.
Kiing!
The sword emitted a bright white light once again.
Paaaah!
The sword energy, unleashed with full power, slashed through the cliff face once more. The severed rocks began to fall again with a thunderous noise.
It wasn't just one strike; this sword energy was repeatedly changing the terrain of the mountain called Wudang.
"S-Sasuk!"
"Are you alright, Sajil?"
The swordsmen of Wudang knew. They knew how extraordinary the sword energy that Heo Gong was unleashing was. And how much internal energy and mental strength he was consuming to release such extraordinary strikes.
"Sajil. Instead of this, we should first…"
"I will hold this place!"
Those who tried to dissuade Heo Gong recoiled and fell silent at his resolute stance.
"I will never! Let even a single one of them reach the top of this cliff."
Feeling his formidable determination, they could no longer try to dissuade him and only nodded.
"We trust you, Sasuk!"
No one could oppose Heo Gong's words at this moment.
Regardless of ranks and positions, at this moment, Heo Gong was undoubtedly the center of Wudang. Even though Hu Sanja, the interim Sect Leader, was present, it was Heo Gong's stance that held more weight.
Such actions from Heo Gong conveyed a significant message to the other disciples of Wudang.
"Elder!"
"Yes!"
Those who had tried to stop Heo Gong turned quickly, their robes fluttering. Looking down, they saw a procession attempting to occupy this place by bypassing through a steep mountain path instead of Baek An Cliff.
Ching.
Without hesitation, they drew their swords.
"We cannot leave this solely to Sajil."
The strength each sword could muster might differ, but their determination was the same.
"Assist Heo Gong! Not a single enemy should reach behind Sajil's back!"
"Yes!"
Wudang's disciples, with their swords drawn, moved swiftly to confront the approaching enemies.
The sun had already dipped to the west, painting Baek An Cliff in a red hue. It was a vivid color, as if showing the future of this mountain.