Chapter 1352
It’s just the way it turned out. (2)
The sensation of the stomach turning upside down. The body spinning round and round, the feeling of endlessly plummeting to an unknown darkness. Familiar yet infinitely unfamiliar, with that sensation, Jo Geol struggled to open his eyes.
Blurry vision greeted him as he saw something swiftly passing by. He shut his eyes tightly once more, then opened them again, groaning softly as he surveyed his surroundings.
“…What’s going on?”
“Are you awake?”
Jo Geol finally looked down below him.
“Sahyeong?”
“Yeah.”
The familiar back of someone was in front of him. Jo Geol finally realized that he was being carried on Yoon Jong’s back.
“…Where are we?”
“We are leaving the Hundred Thousand Mountains and heading north towards Gangbuk.”
“Already… Gulp! Cough! Ugh…”
For a long time, Jo Geol’s hasn’t been using his throat, resulting in continuous dry coughs.
“Take it easy for a bit.”
“I’m fine now. Please let me down…”
“You still need to rest more.”
Jo Geol fell silent at Yoon Jong’s firm voice. In truth, despite trying to put on a brave front, his condition was dire. Just being carried on someone’s back was becoming increasingly difficult.
“Soso.”
“Yes, I’m already checking.”
Jo Geol slowly turned his poorly functioning neck to look behind. Tang Soso, carrying Yu Iseol, was closely following behind him, placing her hand on his back.
“The pulse is normal, and… The internal injuries should be fine now at this point. The problem is the external trauma. Since it won’t heal easily, you’ll need to be careful for a while.”
Jo Geol blinked and looked at Yu Iseol, who was still unconscious on Tang Soso’s back. Her injuries were incomparable to his own. While he had pushed himself a bit too hard, Yu Iseol had fought until the very last drop of blood. So, it would take even more time for her to regain consciousness.
Wait…
Realizing this fact, Jo Geol raised his head abruptly. He scanned the surroundings, from Baek Cheon and Im Sobyeong running ahead to the disciples of Haenam following behind.
“S-Sa… Sahyeong! What about Chung Myung?”
“Why? Afraid he’s dead?”
“No, what kind of bastard would he be to die? I mean, where is he? He was a wreck.”
“He woke up earlier and started slicing through Maninbang like there’s no tomorrow.”
“With that body of his?”
“…He seems fine.”
“Oh…”
By this point, it’s not just a joke anymore, but rather a point where one should seriously question whether Chung Myung is truly made of flesh and bone. Even though he’s injured, Cung Myung has probably suffered the most, and even though he’s exhausted, Chung Myung was probably the most exhausted one.
Yu Iseol is still unconscious, and Jo Geol has barely regained consciousness, yet Chung Myung is up and fighting already?
“…Is he even human?”
“I’m starting to doubt it too.”
Jo Geol shook his head.
“Could it be dangerous?”
“It’s not that dire of a situation. Of course, it’s not completely safe either, but compared to the situation in the gorge, it’s nothing.”
Certainly, it seemed that way to Jo Geol as well. The ones leading the way were self-explanatory, and the condition of those behind them looked noticeably better than before.
Yoon Jong, thinking Jo Geol had regained consciousness sufficiently, quickly explained the current situation.
“So, are the others following behind?”
“Yeah.”
“…But what if the paths diverge? How do we handle that?”
“Haenam assures us that won’t happen. And just in case, we’re also adjusting our speed accordingly.”
“Hmm.”
Jo Geol nodded.
There were some puzzling aspects, but everyone had carefully deliberated on the plan. It wasn’t worth questioning every little detail, especially for someone who had been comfortably lying down until now.
And if the plan was devised by Baek Cheon and Im Sobyeong, it was probably better than whatever he could come up with.
At that moment, Yoon Jong spoke, sounding frustrated.
“And you, you wake up and immediately start worrying about others? Start thinking for yourself! Your body is like a ragged piece of cloth thrown together haphazardly.”
Jo Geol fell silent and glanced down at his body. The marks on his arms, sewn up like patches on a torn cloth, were clearly visible through the wide sleeves.
“Hey, please sew it up nicely… What kind of doctor is this person without any delicacy.”
“What? Do you want your mouth sewn up?”
“…No.”
As Tang Soso’s sharp voice flew in from behind, Jo Geol quietly lowered his head. He couldn’t deal with her right now. Well, in truth, he couldn’t deal with her even under normal circumstances, but anyway…
Then, Lee Jayang, who was running alongside, raised his voice.
“Are we continuing straight ahead?”
“To the northeast!”
“Yes!”
Finishing his sentence, Im Sobyeong immediately changed direction. Lee Jayang, confirming the direction, swiftly leaped forward and unsheathed his sword.
Clang!
His sword strike left a faint mark on the top of a tree that stood tall ahead. It was a subtle mark that was hard to notice unless one looked closely.
Jo Geol furrowed his brow unconsciously.
“Could you even see that while running?”
“Yes.”
“…No…”
The one who answered Jo Geol’s question was Lee Jayang, who had quickly returned to his position.
“There’s no need to worry. While others from different sects might not notice, the disciples of Haenam are unlikely to miss anything.”
“Really?”
Lee Jayang spoke with firm assurance.
“The disciples of Haenam have been going out to sea on boats since they were young. To catch fish in the vast ocean, you mustn’t miss even a single small bubble floating on the surface.”
“Ah…”
“Not everyone, of course, but most of them have good eyesight. So, don’t worry about missing any traces.”
Jo Geol nodded. He couldn’t fully grasp the explanation, but he got the gist of it.
“Sahyeong.”
“Hm?”
“…We wouldn’t have a clue about that, would we?”
“Who knows if it even exists?”
“Yeah…”
“I heard every sect has its own cypher like that. Seeing it firsthand, it’s quite impressive.”
“Every sect? Do we have one too?”
“We did.”
“We did?”
“It’s gone now.”
“Ah…”
Burnt to ashes. Right. There wasn’t anything in the first place. Just burned brightly and vanished.
“Anyway, if we can’t recognize it, those Sapa bastards will never be able to either.”
“That’s true. Right now, we’re adjusting our course based on just that one mark. They won’t have a clue about our trail, even if they stumble upon it.”
“I see.”
It’s no wonder they suddenly changed direction while marking the tree…
“If our allies can recognize it, that’s all that matters.”
“It seems they have.”
“Really?”
“At the back.”
Upon Yoon Jong’s words, Jo Geol turned around. Despite Yoon Jong’s remark, he didn’t see anything specific. But when he forced himself to raise his internal strength, he could sense something approaching from beyond the dense forest.
For a moment, tension gripped his body.
‘An enemy?’
But his apprehension quickly dissipated. The sensation emanating from the approaching figure didn’t feel unfamiliar.
“It’s Young Lord Tang.”
As Yoon Jong spoke, Tang Pae revealed himself from behind, making their presence known. The figures of Haenam’s disciples running behind him were also clearly visible. One group among the divided force had successfully joined without any issues.
“…Wow, they really recognize this.”
“That’s why it’s called a cypher, isn’t it?”
Jo Geol nodded. The idea that only members of a specific sect could recognize something made him feel somewhat uneasy.
“Sahyeong.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s make one for ourselves when we return, something like that.”
“Why?”
“It seems useful, doesn’t it? And…”
Jo Geol slightly lowered his voice as if he was embarrassed.
“I am envious about it too.”
Upon hearing this, Yoon Jong burst out laughing. This guy, who was barely conscious a moment ago, was already talking about making cyphers for Hwasan. Given his current condition, it was quite something.
“Yeah, let’s make one for sure.”
He quietly swallowed the words lingering in his mouth.
‘If we can safely return, that is.’
While the two were talking, Tang Pae had fully joined them. He looked at Jo Geol, who was now conscious, with a relieved expression.
“Jo Geol Dojang, are you alright? Is your body okay?”
“I’m fine!”
Jo Geol pretended to flex his arms, but then grimaced.
“Ouch…”
“Just stay still, you clumsy idiot!”
“Uh, the ride feels a bit uncomfortable…”
“What’s wrong with this bastard?!”
Watching Jo Geol making jokes, Tang Pae couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t known Jo Geol for long, nor had he engaged in many conversations with him. But just knowing that Jo Geol had regained consciousness made him feel oddly good.
“Shh.”
“Oh! Are you awake?”
“My head… it hurts. Please, quiet down.”
Yu Iseol held her head with one hand and spoke as if in pain. Jo Geol smirked.
“Seems like you’re talking like you’re back in the old days? Is this what they call regression?”
“Sahyeong, do you really want to die?”
“Doesn’t ‘Sahyeong’ and ‘want to die’ not go well together?”
“They go perfectly well in Hwasan!”
“Well, that’s true…”
It seemed that others felt the same way. Just the fact that the person had regained consciousness brightened the mood of the group, even though it wasn’t the time to breathe easy yet. Perhaps this was the real power Jo Geol possessed.
“But where are we headed now?”
“Don’t know. That’s what Sasuk and Nokrim King had decided. Or maybe that damn Chung Myung already predetermined it.”
“Hmm.”
Jo Geol nodded as if understanding.
At that moment, Baek Cheon’s voice came from the front.
“For now, distancing ourselves from them is the priority, whether it’s about direction or tactics. Since they’re focusing on defense to block us, it’s almost like we have a free pass.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The journey to Hundred Thousand Mountains was truly hellish, but once they broke through, there didn’t seem to be anyone blocking their path. It might have been a hasty assessment, but at least for now, that was the case.
“If we can just keep our distance, we might arrive at the Yangtze River without any problems.”
“…As long as no one suddenly pops up ahead, right? Like a Bishop of Demonic Cult or something…”
“Oh, shut up!”
“Stop your bickering!”
“Someone shut this guy up!”
Amidst the sporadic voices echoing around, Jo Geol chuckled softly.
They had already lost many comrades. But that didn’t mean they have resigned to death. Mourning the fallen could wait until they all safely made it out.
‘Just gotta make it to the Yangtze somehow…’
At that moment, Jo Geol’s head tilted slightly to the side.
“Hey, hold on a second. But…”
“What now, this guy again!”
“Shut your mouth, Sahyeong! Before I really sew it shut!”
“Oh, no, it’s not that… This markings, you say only the disciples of Haenam can recognize them, right?”
“How many times are we gonna have this conversation? Are you brain-dead or something?”
“No, my point is… Then how does Chung Myung know and follow us?”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, everyone’s bewildered gaze focused on Jo Geol. With a flustered expression, Jo Geol continued hesitantly.
“I mean… I might just be too dumb to understand, but Chung Myung doesn’t know this symbols. Yet, he is at the very back right now.”
“…Is that so?”
“Then how does that guy know where we are?”
Jo Geol asked with an awkward expression. After a momentary silence following his question, he expected someone to retort with a sarcastic remark. However, to his surprise, no sarcasm came his way. Instead, everyone exchanged awkward glances, silently gauging each other’s reactions.
‘Huh?’
Oh… This isn’t right…
With a glimmer of hope, Jo Geol looked ahead. Even if these fools didn’t understand, at least those two…
“Um…”
But at that moment, Jo Geol saw it.
Im Sobyeong and Baek Cheon, the two most reliable figures responsible for the group, were looking at Jo Geol with faces that seemed to have just received a blow.
“Wha… what’s going on?”
“…”
“How will he find us?”
“…”
You should trust the ones worth trusting…
Trustworthy ones…
Comments