Chapter 1430: So Is This Dagger A Failure? (5)

“Ugh…”

“…”

“Uuuugh…”

“…”

“Uuuuuugh…”

“Oh, really! You’re disgustingly loud!”

Chung Myung, who was being carried, snapped and slapped the head of Jo Gul in front of him.

“Is carrying one wounded person such a problem? Huh?”

“I- I’m wounded too, you bastard!”

“Judging by how you’re shouting, you’re perfectly fine!”

“Uuuugh.”

Tears welled in the corner of Jo Gul’s eyes.

“Why me, why! There are plenty of perfectly fine people over there!”

“They can’t. They’re inconvenient for me. They’re running at full strength and must be exhausted, too, people should have conscience, how could they be asked carry me when they are like that? Wow, sahyung’s character.”

“Then what about me? Is it not inconvenient for me? Is it fine for me to suffer?”

“Yeah.”

Jo Gul’s head dropped limply as if shot down in one breath. Chung Myung snickered.

“Sahyung can have some hardship. You grew up comfortable.”

“If I suffer any more I’ll actually die, you bastard!”

“Enough! If you have time to mouth off, run faster! We’re busy right now!”

“Uuuugh.”

Jo Gul swallowed his tears and dashed forward.

It’s irritating, but not wrong. There’s no time to complain now. Even at this moment, those Ten Thousand People Clan guys are probably chasing the fleeing Tang Family people.

Haven’t they already painfully experienced how relentless and horrific their pursuit is? Now just the sight of Ho Ga-Myung’s face can make one shake with fear.

“Heave-ho!”

Jo Gul pushed off the ground and shot forward in an instant.

“But, sahyung.”

“Why?”

“Are you okay? There’s the Four Seas Merchant Guild in Chengdu. How about at least you going to Chengdu?”

“Not really…”

Jo Gul twisted his face.

“What kind of bastard is Jang Ilso, if he was going to cause trouble, he’d have done it already!”

“…”

“And don’t underestimate our merchant guild! Do you know how hard it is to make a living trading across the Central Plains? They’ve weathered crises like this many times!”

“How proud.”

Chung Myung snorted. Actually, he wasn’t that worried either. The report the Beggars’ Union delivered surely came under the orders of Hong Dae-Kwang or Neung Sam. If it were them, they’d surely have included information about the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

The lack of any mention of the trading house meant there likely wasn’t anything unusual there. If there had been even a single character about the trading house, Chung Myung would have sent Jo Gul to Chengdu even if he had to beat him into going.

Jo Gul added.

“And anyway, if they can’t be stopped then no one in Chengdu will be safe. Evacuating only my family won’t be the end. If you’re going to protect people, do it properly!”

Chung Myung, who had been quietly listening, looked down at Jo Gul. Somehow Jo Gul’s shoulders carrying him looked noticeably broader.

At that moment, Baek Cheon quietly approached Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s not too late, right?”

At those words, Chung Myung’s gaze darkened slightly.

To be honest, Chung Myung didn’t know either. If he’d remained conscious and had been monitoring the situation he could have roughly calculated it, but from what he’d heard now the information was too scarce.

Maybe those bastards had already caught up to the Tang Family, or maybe there was still plenty of time.

But either way, what they had to do didn’t change.

“If it’s late, should we turn back?”

“That’s nonsense.”

“Right. That’s settled then. Clear your head and just run. Whether we’re late or not we can check when we arrive.”

Baek Cheon nodded. Hearing those words made the noisy thoughts in his head seem to vanish.

Then Chung Myung, who had been staring at Baek Cheon, spoke.

“By the way… your face is awfully pale. You’re going to collapse soon, aren’t you?”

“Huh? Sasuk’s face is naturally pale, isn’t it?”

“Sahyung’s noisy. Just run quickly.”

Baek Cheon glanced at Chung Myung and smiled.

“Who’s worrying about whom right now? You weakling.”

“…Wow, look at that pathetic face.”

Chung Myung grumbled but smiled and turned his gaze away.

“You won’t listen even if we try to stop you. Just hold on as long as you can. If you can’t, then just collapse.”

“Worry about yourself, you damned fool.”

A bitter smile formed at the corner of Baek Cheon’s mouth.

‘He’s like a ghost, really.’

That guy’s body probably isn’t normal either. Tang Gunak poured the family’s treasure into his treatment, but objectively it looked like they barely kept a corpse breathing. Didn’t Tang Gunak himself say that he had barely saved Chung Myung?

And yet in the meantime he assessed the situation, made decisions, and even worried about others…

It was a strange feeling. The situation hadn’t really changed. They were still heading to the Tang Family, and the Tang Family was still in danger. In fact, the situation had probably become more urgent.

Yet despite that, the feeling was noticeably different from before.

Staring blankly at Chung Myung on Jo Gul’s back, Baek Cheon clicked his tongue.

‘I can’t handle this, really.’

Everyone here would know: Chung Myung right now could not display even a quarter of his true ability.

No, that’s an overestimate. Perhaps the current Chung Myung is no different from an ordinary commoner who cannot wield a sword.

Yet confidence rose. Simply the fact that that damned bastard had regained consciousness.

Not only the disciples of the Five Swords and Mount Hua, but even Hyun Jong and the elders of Mount Hua, and even Tang Gunak—the atmosphere had changed.

Still urgent, but not frantic. The intense anxiety that had enveloped them seemed to have noticeably lifted.

“No, run faster! Haven’t you even eaten porridge? You bastards, I told you to pay attention to your pacing technique! If you end up late, you lot, when I get back…”

Baek Cheon squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I wish I could just shut that mouth of his.’

Of course, that was a wish that could never come true.

“That’s why I’m saying, huh? From the start…”

“Come on! Run faster, more!”

“Yes!”

When Baek Cheon quickly cut off Chung Myung’s nagging and shouted, Mount Hua and the Tang Family increased their speed.

Chung Myung snorted and looked ahead. His gaze darkened and felt differently than before.

❀ ❀ ❀

Tang Byeok looked back at Tang Wei with worried eyes.

“Elder! Are you, a-are you okay? Let me carry you!”

And for good reason: Tang Wei’s face was soaked in sweat pouring like a waterfall, as if he could lose consciousness and collapse at any moment. But Tang Wei rebuffed Tang Byeok with a stubborn expression.

“Don’t do that useless stunt.”

“B-but…”

“If you’ve got energy to spare, take care of the women and children! I’m fine!”

Tang Byeok looked at Tang Wei with slightly startled eyes.

To anyone’s eye, he didn’t look fine. But once Tang Wei insisted on coming out like this, Tang Byeok could do nothing.

“We must go faster! Those Evil Sect bastards are probably chasing us even now. We have to reach Shaanxi before they catch up.”

“Yes!”

After staggering once, Tang Wei pushed away Tang Byeok’s hand trying to help and looked back. Many of the Tang Family’s elders were following behind him.

“You stupid fools! Don’t leave the children to their mothers, carry them yourselves!”

“W-we’re already doing that.”

“Do the elders have no hands? No backs? Are you saving that precious strength to use in the afterlife? Why aren’t you moving?”

“U-understood!”

Watching Tang Byeok dash off, Tang Wei drew a deep breath. Wiping his face, sweat remained as if he’d plunged his hand into water.

But he absolutely could not stop moving.

He still believed this choice was wrong. The place where Tang Family members should die is within the Tang Family’s Central Plains. The Tang Family’s poisons, the Tang Family’s workshop, these must never be lost.

But since it had come to this, they had to protect whatever remained. If they couldn’t, they’d be nothing but people who threw everything away with a foolish choice.

At least when he died and faced his ancestors, he wanted to be able to say he did his best.

“Huk! Huk!”

Tang Wei spat rough breaths and desperately moved his trembling legs.

‘Shaanxi…’

Jang Ilso probably already treated Sichuan as his own land now. And in fact it had become hard to deny that.

But Shaanxi was different. Shaanxi’s remaining land to the Four Sects Alliance would be hard to invade. If they could only reach there, they’d be able to shake off the pursuit.

There’s one key point. Can they reach Shaanxi before those Evil Sect scum catch up to their backs? That’s the only thing.

‘More…’

Tang Wei bit his lip and shouted in a clear, ringing voice.

“Not much left! We just need to get to Shaanxi. Everyone, muster your strength!”

He didn’t expect answers. It’s better to gather the strength to take another step than to shout back.

‘How far is it? 150 km? 250 km?’

If they had all been Tang Family men, they could have broken through that distance quickly. But most of those left were children and women who had not learned martial arts.

Even Tang Family women, even those of direct lineage, don’t learn martial arts. The children of the family head’s line are taught simple palm techniques and mind methods for self-defense, but that’s all.

‘Customs.’

Yes, that’s the Tang Family’s code, ancestral rules passed down generations that must never be broken.

But… if these Tang daughters had trained in martial arts like men, would they have had to undertake such a desperate flight?

No, even if that could not have helped them much, did they have to flee in such a frantic way?

For a moment Tang Wei’s mind conjured the face of Tang Soso, Tang Gunak’s daughter, the girl who rejected the Tang Family’s code and left for Mount Hua.

When he heard of that girl’s choice, Tang Wei had poured scorn and contempt on her. He had thought she was exactly the sort of daughter Tang Gunak would have.

But the reputation that girl carved out as a member of Mount Hua resounded across the land and soon reached Tang Wei’s ears.

What if that girl hadn’t made that choice and had remained with the Tang Family?

She probably would have been nothing more than someone helping these exhausted women now.

Was she special?

Tang Wei looked at the Tang daughters anew.

Maybe not. Perhaps those here could all have lived like Tang Soso. If so…

“…No.”

But Tang Wei shook his head soon after.

The ancestors’ choice was not wrong. Women would eventually leave the Tang Family and become members of other houses. If they were taught the family’s poisons and stealth techniques, the powerful families of the land would eventually develop immunity to the Tang Family’s poisons.

Isn’t avoiding such a situation only natural?

Do you think the ancestors had no doubts? Their conclusion was reached after deep thought. Judging that choice wrong because circumstances changed would be the arrogance of later generations.

Yes, what he must do is the Tang Family…

“Eh?”

At that moment, Tang Wei’s outstretched foot caught on a rock. His old body lurched forward. Just as he was about to fall, someone grabbed his arm tightly.

“Are you alright, Elder?”

Tang Wei turned his head and looked at the person holding his arm.

‘Who is it?’

He didn’t know. He knew the face, but not the name.

There were so many people in the Tang Family. He only knew she was someone’s daughter.

He felt the hand gripping his arm tremble slightly, not from fear, but from exertion. Even though she was too exhausted to steady herself, she had been watching Tang Wei and reached out.

“I-I’m fine.”

With the strong pull that helped him up, Tang Wei steadied his legs again. He let out a small breath and stared blankly at the Tang daughter. Her face looked simple and honest.