Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Im Sobyeong smiled with great satisfaction upon seeing this. And Baek Cheon also smiled contentedly. This was the sight that showed that Heavenly Comrade Alliance, which had been on the path of conflict and division, was truly beginning to unite as one…

“Why is everyone here? It’s driving me crazy.”

“…Yes?”

“Get out of here, you punks! Just gather your leaders! Your leaders!”

Baek Cheon looked around in surprise without realizing it. Even though he knew that Im Sobyeong was the one speaking, he had an uncanny sense as if it was Chung Myung who had spoken.

“First, the two sogaju over there.”

“Yes.”

“Hm.”

“Please send one representative each from Ice Palace and Beast Palace to the front. As for Mount Hua… Ugh, just send all five of Mount Hua.”

At that moment, Tang Pae raised his hand.

“What is it?”

“Why does Mount Hua get five?”

At those words, Im Sobyeong’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t want to say anything because the kids were there, but do Tang Family Sogaju have the confidence to take on any one of those five one-on-one?”

Tang Pae quietly closed his mouth.

“Don’t you think we should treat our maximum power separately? Do I have to tell you these things one by one?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Tsk.”

Im Sobyeong flapped his fan over his face as if he was very frustrated.

“And that….”

“Yes?”

“Will Shaolin representative come too?”

Hye Yeon’s face turned beet red.

“That… I think Nokrim King Siju is slightly misunderstanding something, I am not the representative of Shaolin.”

“Then, will you join Mount Hua to be the sixth?”

At those words, deep anguish appeared on Hye Yeon’s face.

It doesn’t make sense for him to be the representative of Shaolin, but it also seems very, very strange for him to be the sixth of Mount Hua. After all, isn’t he a monk?

Hye Yeon, who had been controlling all the doubts and distracting thoughts in his mind, opened his mouth with a resolute face.

“Siju!”

“Yes?”

“…Let’s at least say I’m the fifth.”

“….”

“Being below that human is a bit…”

“Wow… Monk, why are you picking on me?”

Jo-Gol got angry at Hye Yeon’s blatant gaze and made a look of injustice on his face. However, everyone else except him nodded as if they fully understood Hye Yeon’s feelings.

“Then the fifth it is.”

“No, are we just deciding this like that? What about my opinion?”

“Gol-ah. You’re being noisy.”

“…What a harsh world.”

In any case, everyone gathered around Im Sobyeong. Among them, only Im Sobyeong had the standing to represent an entire sect here. He was also unofficially acknowledged as the strategist of Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Naturally, everyone had no choice but to listen to him.

However, the first words that Im Sobyeong spoke when he gathered everyone together instantly stunned those who had expected a strategy.

“What are we going to do?”

“….”

“….”

The people gathered looked at Im Sobyeong with various emotions. Im Sobyeong fanned himself lazily, as if asking, “What do you expect me to do?”

“Um, that… Nokrim King.”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t have a plan…?”

“Plan?”

Im Sobyeong snorted.

“I’ve been getting beaten up with no end in sight, so where would I get a plan from? If I had a plan, I’d have used it already. Do you think I enjoy getting hit so much that I put up with it?”

“…That’s true, but….”

When everyone tried to maintain decorum, the person they needed was Jo Gul.

“No, but you have a good head! You must have thought of something!”

“Oh, good head?”

“Yes, good head!”

Im Sobyeong looks at Jo-Gol with a snicker.

“So, you guys have only been getting beaten up so far, but now you don’t want to get beaten up anymore, and since you don’t want to bother thinking, ‘Why don’t you Evil Sects think about it and come up with a brilliant plan to avoid getting beaten up again?’”

“N- Not to that extent….”

“It’s people like you that make strategists’ lives miserable!”

Im Sobyeong tried to lunge forward in anger, but Yoo Iseol and Yoon Jong naturally held him down from the left and right. Though it was their first time doing this, it looked incredibly fluid and natural.

“Strategy? Do these yangbans think that strategies are just made up on the spot? Do I carry around a bag of strategies and pull one out whenever needed? Hey, these humans! If you think a strategy is so versatile, give preferential treatment to the strategist in the first place! You usually ignore us because we can’t use swords and only use our brains, but in times like this, what? If we find strategy right away, we’re useless?”

“N- No one said anything like that….”

“Do these yangbans think strategists are some kind of immortal sages! Do you think Zhuge Liang succeeded in all his campaigns! Why are you yelling at me when even that yangban failed!”

“No one’s yelling…”

“You filthy sword-wielding bastards!”

Those who were looking at Im Sobyeong with empty eyes turned their heads toward Nokrim without realizing it. Unlike those who were speechless, Nokrim bandits were used to this situation and yawned as if to say, “He’s at it again.”

“That… Don’t mind him. He does this once in a while.”

“….”

Everyone suddenly became curious about what kind of lives these people had led.

“Kuhum.”

Baek Cheon cleared his throat with a cough.

“So, in conclusion… you don’t have a plan right now?”

“But what if there is?”

“Yes?”

Im Sobyeong spoke with a nonchalant face.

“If I had a plan, would you follow it?”

“Of course….”

Im Sobyeong turned his head and looked at Beast Palace warriors.

“Since you’re strong, you can easily take a beating and hang on to Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword’s arms and legs. Sure, some heads might get cracked and limbs broken in the process, but you’ll win.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Beast Palace warriors shouted.

“Why should we do that!”

Then, Im Sobyeong looked back at Baek Cheon with a sullen face.

“You heard them?”

Baek Cheon lowered his head in dismay.

If you think about it, other sects have no reason to completely trust Im Sobyeong, even if Mount Hua trust him. No, even if they did trust him, they had no reason to endure greater sacrifices to achieve their goal.

‘It’s really difficult.’

Baek Cheon realized it anew.

How difficult it is to balance interests and justifications of each sect and unite them as one. The more he experienced it, the more he doubted whether it was even possible.

People don’t just follow grand ideals and the path everyone thinks is right to the point of sacrificing themselves. If that were possible in reality, why would there be so much conflict in the world?

“Tsk, tsk.”

Im Sobyeong glanced at Baek Cheon and clicked his tongue. Baek Cheon, puzzled by the sight, was about to tilt his head when Im Sobyeong blurted out.

“Isn’t the answer already obvious?”

“What?”

“What have you been doing so far, Dojang?”

“What have I been doing? Well…”

Hitting, kicking, grabbing and ripping apart….

‘…All we did was fight.’

A wave of guilt surged up.

“Haa…. Why does Dojang only go halfway every time?”

“Huh?”

“Is that what you wanted to do? Who is the demon who did all this trickery?”

“Well….”

It’s Chung Myung.

There is no need to add the words ‘who did all this trickery’ in front of it. In Heavenly Comrade Alliance, aren’t the only person who can be called a demon is Chung Myung?

“Then why do you think that yangban encouraged this situation?”

The answer came immediately. Not from Baek Cheon, but from Five Swords gathered around him.

“Because he has a filthy personality.”

“To see us get beaten up.”

“To torment us.”

“Because that’s just the way he was born.”

The moment Im Sobyeong flinched and was about to say something, Tang Pae and Namgung Dowi quietly added their words.

“That seems about right.”

“Actually, he doesn’t really need a reason.”

Im Sobyeong remained silent as if he was at a loss for words. He needed to counter the situation with logic and eloquence, but he couldn’t think of a way to refute this.

“Right… that’s true, but, yes…. well, that could be possible…. no, that’s only natural. That’s just how he is.”

It’s hard to deny after everything he’s been through. Too much.

“Anyway, isn’t that just part of the reason?”

“If I were to force myself to think positively, then yes, that would be the case.”

“Then that demon… No, why on earth did Chung Myung Dojang do something like this! Think about it! Think.”

“Well….”

Baek Cheon frowned slightly.

The reason for making them fight each other? Honestly, he didn’t know. Was it to see how much resentment had built up?

“Then in reverse.”

“Yes?”

“What did you learn from all that fighting?”

While Baek Cheon was silent, trying to find the answer and choose his words, Jo-Gol, who was next to him, opened his mouth calmly.

“What did we learn? All I learned is how nasty these people can be and how to beat them up more effectively.”

“That’s it.”

“What?”

Jo-Gol, who had expected to be scolded again, looked at Im Sobyeong in surprise. To his surprise, Im Sobyeong nodded as if he had given a good answer.

“That’s exactly it, that’s!”

“…What?”

“How to beat each other better?”

“….”

“That, in reverse, means you’ve figured out the other sects’ weaknesses and your own strengths. Using your strengths to strike the enemy’s weaknesses is a basic of basics that goes beyond discussing strategy.”

Those who thought it was a reasonable point nodded in agreement.

“What? Did I actually do something right?”

Jo-Gol’s desperate cries were completely ignored.

“And that means you also know what you can do. You must have felt it while hitting and getting hit.”

“….”

“What can you do when someone like Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword charges at you? What will you do?”

The expressions of those listening grew serious.

“Well….”

Seeing them ponder, Im Sobyeong smiled slightly behind the fan that covered his face.

‘Think.’

People can’t just follow someone’s instructions.

In the battlefield they will face in the future, no one will be there to give immediate instructions. To survive, it’s crucial to perfectly understand the abilities of those beside you and quickly decide what you need to do.

Think and act for yourself rather than following directions.

Before knowing the enemy, you must first understand yourself, your sect, and the capabilities and characteristics of those fighting alongside you.

“Tang Family…”

Before Tang Pae could say anything, Beast Palace blurted out.

“We’re not confident in charging in and grabbing someone’s leg and hanging on, but Beast Palace is the best at buying time.”

“Ho?”

Im Sobyeong’s fan shook pleasantly.

As the gaze focused on him, Beast Palace scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

“It’s easy to mistake us for being brutish, but our martial arts, which mimic the movements of beasts, are quite effective in evading attacks. That’s the nature of beasts.”

“Come to think of it….”

Ice Palace, who had faced Beast Palace the most, nodded as if they understood.

“Great!”

Im Sobyeong folded his fan with a satisfying snap.

It was good that someone finally spoke up, but it was even more significant that Beast Palace, which had always taken a step back and maintained an attitude of ‘let’s see how much you will acknowledge us’, spoke first.

It meant they understood his point.

“Tang Family can help too. Stopping those who charging in is what Tang Family is best at. If Beast Palace runs wild in front, it’ll be a bit difficult to attack… But we’ve had exchanges with them before, so it shouldn’t be too hard to understand.”

“But Tang Family is vulnerable at close range, isn’t it? Getting too close…”

“Our Ice Palace can handle that. I am confident that we are experts in defense!”

“No, using Ice Palace for defense seems like a waste. Ice Palace’s sword is more suited for offense. We, Namgung Family, should handle the defense…”

“Mount Hua should be on the offense rather than Ice Palace…”

Once it started, opinions poured in from all directions. Not just from those at the center, but also from those standing behind, each adding their own comments.

In the midst of the flood of words that poured out, sometimes violently and sometimes gently, Im Sobyeong covered his mouth with his fan.

‘It’s becoming simpler.’

Once a goal is set, people tend to come together like this.

Smiling slightly, Im Sobyeong closed his fan with a snap and spoke up.

“If it’s like this, then even they w…”

“Then we can use Nokrim as a shield!”

“They’re kind of useless anyway! Meat shields are perfect!”

“Right! Isn’t Nokrim tougher than Beast Palace? Let’s just push them in first!”

Im Sobyeong, who had been listening to the conversation as if speechless, widened eyes.

“What? Are you saying that Evil Sects bastard should be meat shields? You dirty Righteous Sects bastards!”

Thus, the discussion and arguments among Heavenly Comrade Alliance member continued and continued into the early hours of the morning.