Chapter 1219: Who Will Help? (4)

Crackle! Crackle!

A whole wild boar placed over the blazing campfire spins round and round.

Tang Pae, who stared blankly at the sight, had a thought that was obvious yet utterly useless.

‘Is this really okay?’

They said they were avoiding human eyes... well, of course no one would come to a cave in the middle of this sheer cliff just to look at the light, so it’s fine... but still...

“Tsk. If I’d known, I would’ve at least brought some liquor.”

“Did some ghost who died of not drinking latch onto you in your past life? This is the Southern lands, brat!”

“There’s not a soul in sight—what does it matter what we do?”

“...That’s true, though.”

Hearing Chung Myung mutter, ‘If I knew we’d be sticking to cliffs and mountains like this, I wouldn’t have been tense at all,’ Tang Pae gave up thinking any further.

What made it worse for him was that, despite there being no sign of tension and everyone even taking rests, they were moving at least twice as fast as he had expected.

‘If you think about it that way, you should actually applaud how impressive it is...’

“It’s all done!”

“Ah, wait! The inside’s still undercooked!”

“Then can’t we just eat from the outside first?”

“...Are you an idiot?”

“Let’s eat!”

Seeing the Mount Hua men lunging at the roast pig, whatever shred of respect remained for them was completely blown away.

Don’t use Plum Blossom sword techniques to carve damn pork, you lunatics!

While the Five Swords were turning Tang Pae’s stomach inside out, Baek Cheon—who had stepped back as the Acting Sect leader—asked Im So-Byeong.

“How is it? Are we moving according to plan?

“Hmm.”

Im So-Byeong poked his cheek with a fan as he answered.

“If you ask whether it’s according to plan, that’s a slightly tricky question. Of course I accounted for some variables, but...”

Im So-Byeong turned his sullen face toward Namgung Do-Wei. Seeing him groaning while lying there, he displayed a blatant expression of contempt.

“I couldn’t have anticipated a variable like that...”

“...”

This was certainly not Im So-Byeong’s fault.

No matter how great someone is at divining fate, they couldn’t have foreseen that the Namgung Family’s young lord would have acrophobia. In the first place, does it make any sense for a swordsman to have a fear of heights?

“Well... even considering that, we are moving within the expected range. At this rate, we should reach the coast heading to Southern Island within five days.”

“Five days, huh...”

Baek Cheon pondered briefly.

To cross the Southern Lands in five days is a tremendous feat. Even in peacetime, one would doubt whether it was possible.

They could even attempt it because the group consisted entirely of top warriors.

Seol So-Baek was a slight concern, but Chung Myung was managing to carry him along somehow.

So it’s definitely good news, but...

“How about increasing our speed a bit?”

Baek Cheon wanted to reach Southern Island as soon as possible. Besides the situation with the Southern Island Sect, it was better to minimize time spent in Southern Lands, where anything could happen at any moment.

But Im So-Byeong shook his head firmly.

“The speed is already at its limit.”

“Couldn’t we cut down on rest or sleep? We don’t have to waste time like this...”

“No.”

Im So-Byeong cut him off as sharply as a blade, as if unworthy of listening. Then he shrugged and said,

“Of course I understand the Acting Sect leader’s urgency. But people have limits. No matter how great, it’s impossible to maintain focus for three days straight.”

“...That’s true.”

“Right now, caution is more important than speed. If our senses dull even a little, we might miss someone’s presence. That would put us in a worse situation than arriving late.”

Baek Cheon nodded slowly. It wasn’t just resting because they’d found a cave; Im So-Byeong was balancing the group’s stamina in his own way.

“Being discovered is one problem, but cleaning up afterward is worse. If it were just me... I’d roughly bury and silence whoever—peasant or whatever—but...”

“Aha eia!”

“Hejingeo!”

When the Five Swords glared back, with meat still in their mouths, Im So-Byeong sighed deeply.

“...What are you saying?”

“The Evil Sect bastards are trying to die!”

“...Thanks for the translation. So I can’t just silence them at will, and we must proceed with as little detection as possible. For that, proper rest is necessary.”

“Understood.”

Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.

‘It’s not wrong.’

He glanced at Namgung Do-Wei and Tang Pae.

The Five Swords were somewhat used to brutal forced marches, but this would be the first time for Tang Pae, Namgung Do-Wei, and Seol So-Baek did this. They might be pretending to be calm on the outside, but...

‘There’s no way it’s not hard.’

To spend an entire day traversing sheer cliffs is unimaginable to most. And they’re not just hanging on the cliff—they’re moving faster than spoken words.

On top of that, they couldn’t neglect keeping watch, so their stamina inevitably drained rapidly.

‘Judging by how much they’re overeating, they’re probably tense too. Well, who wouldn’t be tense in a situation like this...’

“Ah, damn it! I should’ve grabbed just one bottle from the Beast Palace Lord!”

There he is... the man who threw the word ‘tension’ off Mount Hua’s cliff...

Baek Cheon sighed deeply.

Right, Chung Myung is always like that, and Im So-Byeong indeed looked noticeably darker than usual.

He’s trying his best to appear calm, but Im So-Byeong has a congenital ailment, so his stamina can’t be exceptional.

“Indeed... it’s better not to rush too much.”

When Baek Cheon said that, Im So-Byeong grinned wryly.

“It seems Baek Cheon has a lot on his mind as well.”

“I suppose so...”

“You needn’t take so much burden. There’s no one here who can’t watch my back.”

Baek Cheon let out a snort and ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ was about to nod when Im So-Byeong looked sourly at Namgung Do-Wei.

“Except one.”

“...”

At this point it’s less about origin and more like a visceral disgust...

“Anyway, it’s a relief that the road to the Southern Lands doesn’t seem as dangerous as we thought. We had braced for a possible engagement.”

“Even for the Four Sects Alliance, finding ten people in this vast Southern lands is no different from finding a grain of sand in a desert.”

“I suppose so.”

Put another way, if someone told Baek Cheon to mobilize Mount Hua’s people to find Evil Sect men who had infiltrated the Northern Lands, they would have kicked them in the head and called them mad.

“If there are any risk factors, there should be only two.”

When Baek Cheon looked at him with questioning eyes, Im So-Byeong’s expression hardened slightly.

“That man Jang Ilso is so relentless that, if he sets his mind to it, he can find that grain of sand in the desert.”

Baek Cheon felt a chill down his spine at Im So-Byeong’s words.

Indeed, Jang Ilso... that Jang Ilso might just be capable of it.

“But there’s no need to worry prematurely. No matter how much of a faction they’re from, they wouldn’t imagine we’d be on Gangnam soil at this time.”

“True...”

“Do you think he’d imagine there are people even crazier than himself?”

“...”

Is that a compliment?

“On the contrary, the side I’m more worried about is something else...”

“...Something else? Is there another problem?”

At that, Im So-Byeong made a displeased face.

“It’s probably pointless for me to say anything. We can only hope such a thing doesn’t happen.”

Baek Cheon was about to ask more when—

“No! If you eat all that, what am I supposed to eat?! You piggish bastards!”

Im So-Byeong sprang toward the roast boar in alarm—the whole boar on the fire was rapidly losing its shape.

Baek Cheon sighed and shook his head.

“Not that side—this side.”

“...How on earth do you know that?”

“Isn’t it obvious at a glance?”

The Heavenly Friends Alliance party, entering the dense thicket, looked around in wonder.

The trees were so densely packed that it was hard to tell east from west. Yet Im So-Byeong, like a ghost, found directions within it and guided them.

“This way?”

“This way!”

“Why are you getting angry...”

“Just follow behind me! Stop getting ahead of me!”

“No, you’re just too slow...”

“What did you say?”

Everyone once again realized how multi-talented Im So-Byeong was in this regard.

Ah, of course...

“Tsk. Normally it’s faster to go upward.”

“...”

“Because of someone! Tsk!”

His temperament was worse than expected.

Seeing Namgung Do-Wei visibly crestfallen, Yoon Jong quickly changed the subject with an awkward look.

“In any case, it’s impressive. To us everything looks the same, but you can distinguish and guide us. I don’t think you’ve even seen this place before.”

“Hahaha. It’s not that I’m great. For Green Forest folk, this is basic. How could those who dominate the mountains not know the mountains...”

“There he goes again, grandstanding that he knows secret paths because he ran like a rat to avoid the imperial troops.”

When Chung Myung snapped, Im So-Byeong slumped his shoulders. Seeing that, Yoon Jong widened his eyes.

“Man! Why do you crush people’s spirits? He is helping so much!”

“What are you talking about? It’s obvious Evil Sect bastards are useful!”

“Huh? Where’s that coming from all of a sudden...”

“If they weren’t useful, they’d be dead already!”

Ah...

“If they’re not useful, why keep Evil Sect bastards alive? Grind them up and use them for fertilizer—that’s more profitable!”

Wow... Chung Myung. It’s not entirely wrong... but the more I look, the more you seem like an Evil Sect guy.

Baek Cheon silently patted Im So-Byeong’s shoulder.

“Hang in there.”

“...Thank you.”

“So, break free like I did.”

Im So-Byeong, momentarily at a loss for words, opened his mouth slightly. Just as he was about to say something—

“Shh!”

Suddenly Chung Myung’s expression changed. Motioning for silence, he cautiously moved forward and gently parted the bushes left and right.

The others held their breath and followed him.

Peering out, they saw a procession slowly approaching along a narrow path through the thicket.

There were large carts and a group guarding them.

But what stood out most was the large flag planted on the cart. The character for Sects was embroidered on it, full of gravitas.

“...It’s Four Sects Alliance.”

For a moment tension flickered across everyone’s faces. They watched the procession intently, suppressing any hint of sound.