Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 1736



Only Noblemtl

Episode 1736. Can You Hold On? (1)

Reading people’s minds is a difficult task.

Hogamyeong thought so too. Even without mentioning the ten-mile deep water thing.

Among them, the one standing before him now was someone whose inner thoughts were particularly difficult to fathom. Perhaps it was because of the red bandage covering his face, or perhaps it was because of his red eyes that made it impossible to know what he was thinking.

However, I thought that the biggest reason why it was difficult to guess their intentions was because of their ‘origin.’

Blood Palace.

They are heterogeneous. Very heterogeneous.

They are a sect that does not follow the rules of the sect, and although they are outsiders, they live a life that is completely different from that of other outsiders. What is most frustrating about Hogamyeong is that you cannot figure out what their goal is in life.

As far as he knows, Blood Palace is a religion. In the past, wasn’t it called Blood Religion instead of Blood Palace?

So it was more difficult to understand.

Most religions in the world have two goals in common: to follow and understand the will of the one they serve, and to spread that will.

This is exactly the part where Hogamyeong fails to understand the blood palace. They wear the mask of religion, but they do not preach. They simply live in a place where no one goes, following their own doctrines.

That is why I cannot understand. What is the goal of the head of a religion that does not preach? Where is everything he breathes, walks, and thinks headed?

Some might think that there is nothing strange about this, that such a religion could exist. But if that is the case, then one new question inevitably arises.

The question was, ‘Then why did they set foot out into the world again?’

However, there is no way to resolve that question. There is no room for communication whatsoever with the Blood Palace Lord, who stands like a withered and twisted old tree.

‘Can you figure it out?’

Even if he were Jang Il-so and his master, would he be able to figure out the author’s inner thoughts?

As Ho Ga-myeong pondered such questions, Jang Il-so opened his mouth. With his characteristically unique nasal voice.

“Hmm.”

Jang Il-so looks at the Blood Princess. There is deep interest in his eyes.

“How is it?”

“… … .”

“Was the world you saw after coming out of that gloomy and dirty cave so enjoyable?”

At those words, the bandage covering the Blood Palace Lord’s face twitches slightly.

“That may be true. But… … . If that’s the case, shouldn’t you know that you might end up back in that dirty hole at any moment?”

A faint glow came out of the eyes of the blood palace master who was looking at Jang Il-so. However, Jang Il-so continued to speak without stopping.

“You know.”

Jang Il-so chuckles.

“There is no other way anyway. Now, even that dirty cave is no longer safe for you.”

“I know. Just as you said.”

At that moment, a voice like scraping iron flowed out from the Blood Palace Lord. It was a voice that was a little thicker and heavier than before.

“There is no other way.”

The eyes of the Blood Palace Lord, emitting a red light, stare at Jang Il-so, who is smiling as if he finds it amusing.

“We admit that we haven’t been of any help so far.”

“It’s neat.”

“From now on, things will be different.”

“… … .”

Jang Il-so looked at the blood princess without saying a word.

Jang Il-so, who had not taken his eyes off the Blood Palace Master for a long time, nodded.

“Try it.”

“… … .”

“You can go.”

The Blood Princess turned around and left the tent without a moment’s hesitation.

“… … .”

Then, Hogamyeong looks at Jang Ilso with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Your Majesty, Lord Lien.”

Weren’t you calling to find out the intentions of the Blood Palace Lord? So what did you find out from this short conversation?

“Hmm.”

Before Ho Ga-myeong could even express his embarrassment, Jang Il-so leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.

“That’s interesting.”

“Your Majesty, what the heck… … .”

“huh?”

Jang Il-so tilts his head back and looks at Ho Ga-myeong. His unusually red lips are strangely curved.

“Why is that? Gamyeong-ah.”

“Weren’t you trying to understand the author’s intention?”

“yes.”

“But why… … .”

“Tsk tsk. Gamyeong-ah, Gamyeong-ah. Why are you saying such an obvious thing?”

Jang Il-so raised his head again and lightly grabbed the glass in front of him.

“Words are meaningless. Anything that can be made up is bound to be a lie.”

Jang Il-so stared at the clinking glass of alcohol. A strong scent of alcohol wafted out.

“But there are some things that can never be hidden. Just like how even if a drink looks as clear as water on the outside, its scent cannot be hidden.”

“… … What did you see?”

“It disappeared.”

“What if it disappears?”

Jang Il-so chuckled. It was difficult to explain in words.

“Well. Should I call it fear? Or discomfort? I can’t express it all with such shallow words, but there was a kind of despair that people who are stuck in a swamp show. To them.”

“… … .”

“But that disappeared.”

“Are you saying that their problem has been solved?”

“well.”

A wicked light flowed into Jang Il-so’s eyes. It was as if his gaze was mocking the whole world.

“When will a person who is tormented by fear be able to cast off that fear?”

“… … I don’t know.”

“There are two things. One is when the source of the fear disappears.”

“… … .”

“The other one is… … . when you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Jang Il-so’s eyes became gloomy and sank.

“Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t seem like they have other ideas. No… … . To be precise, what they’re trying to do doesn’t seem to conflict with what we’re trying to do.”

Hogamyeong’s face hardened slightly.

If we interpret it, it is clear that the author had other intentions, but for now, he just wanted to cover it up. However, Hoga-myeong knew. Something that was covered up like this was bound to fester.

“Don’t you know?”

“… … .”

“That someday, that festering wound could become a large noose that strangles the Lord.”

“I know.”

Jang Il-so slowly drank the alcohol in his glass.

“Very well.”

The strong scent filled my mouth. It was hot and dizzying, as if I had swallowed poison.

“rather…….”

“You know, Gamyeong.”

“… … .”

“Even if a poisoned arrow is stuck in your arm, there is no time to leisurely pull it out and kill the enemy in front of you. You have to fight first, even if it means cutting off that arm later.”

“Isn’t there a way to cut it off in advance?”

“Then the enemy will kill me. A cripple with one arm cut off would be an easy target.”

A short sigh escaped Hogamyeong’s mouth.

As Jang Il-so said, he knew it too.

It’s a mess.

Haomen, the Sun Palace, and the Blood Palace all have their own thoughts. Although they are tied together by the name of Yeon, this loose connection may be broken at any moment.

But I also knew the name of the house.

This is what war is all about. As victories and defeats pile up, resentment towards each other only grows. War was something that had to swallow up all of that and move forward.

but…….

“Isn’t it a good thing we have alcohol?”

“… …Your Majesty.”

Ho Ga-myeong tried to comfort Jang Il-so. Although he looked more relaxed and easygoing than anyone else, Ho Ga-myeong knew that the burden he was carrying in this situation was by no means light.

But the words that came out of Jang Il-so’s mouth at that moment were slightly different from Ho Ga-myeong’s expectations.

“It helps to mask the disgusting smell of those pigs slurping.”

“… … .”

Hogamyeong looked at Jang Ilso with a blank expression.

There is no change.

This man, even in this situation… …. was so ashamed of himself for having been weak-hearted even for a moment.

“But, pseudonym.”

“… … Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Isn’t this familiar?”

Jang Il-so looks at Ho Ga-myeong with a soft smile.

“… … .”

Hogamyeong, who had been staring at those eyes for a long time, found himself smiling without realizing it.

“… … That’s right.”

Yeah, I’m used to it.

The sight of lowly devils swearing and swearing for a small profit. The sight of them waiting for an opportunity to stab their comrades in the back. And the way they fought while laughing in the midst of a crowd of enemies.

It wasn’t something completely unfamiliar to them, having crawled up from the deepest depths of Sapa. It’s just funny how the same thing keeps happening in the middle of all this.

But again, I can understand.

I don’t know why, but it’s been like that in the past too. As war intensifies, people become more despicable.

“There’s nothing new about it. You’re shaking up the world of martial arts, you’re the master of a power, so whatever you do, you’re just a big piglet anyway.”

“… … .”

“As long as you don’t let go of the leash you’re holding… … . I won’t show it until the war is over.”

That’s right.

But Hogamyeong didn’t know the other side of those words. It was a torturous thing to fight a war like this while holding their leashes and controlling them.

The rare shadows on Jang Il-so’s white face were proof of that fact.

But you have to endure. War is about swallowing filth and moving forward. The one who can’t endure until the end will lose. Jang Il-so and Ho Ga-myeong both knew that fact.

“You don’t have to worry too much.”

“yes?”

Before he knew it, Jang Il-so was looking at him with a smile.

“Of course, I’m not in a position to brag. I don’t know when or where a knife might be stuck in my throat.”

Jang Il-so drank all the alcohol he had filled his glass with in one gulp.

Several poisoned blades are already thrust into his back. If he shows even the slightest opening, the daggers will pierce his back without fail.

But he can’t get rid of them. The moment he pushes those daggers away, the things he wants will never come into his hands.

Moving forward.

Moving forward as if the daggers aimed at him from behind did not exist was the path that those who wanted to become the world’s greatest conqueror had to take.

“But… … there’s no need to worry too much.”

“… … .”

“War is simple. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s enough to be a little better than the enemy.”

Jang Il-so’s eyes sank gloomily.

“The swamp of war is fair to everyone.”

They are stuck in a swamp of reality and desire. No matter how hard they struggle, they sink deeper into the mud.

But what about them?

They too will be in the mud right now. Not the mud that Jang Il-so is in, but the mud called Lee Sang.

“Do you think they will collapse on their own?”

“well.”

Jang Il-so smiled brightly.

“It can’t be that easy.”

“… … .”

“But know this. It’s not like the sword of reality can take down those things. They can die laughing even if a sword is stuck in their throat. But… … .”

Jang Il-so’s eyes shine eerily.

“When you realize that the ideals you’ve believed in are nothing… … it falls apart strangely easily.”

“… … .”

“Even for the smallest of reasons.”

Jang Il-so’s two eyes simultaneously held deep emptiness and heat.

“Can they escape? The contradiction they have created for themselves? Can they endure? The collapse of the symbol of that contradiction?”

Jang Il-so chuckles.

“It’s too bad. It would be more enjoyable if we could sit across from each other and have a drink.”

Jang Il-so lifted his glass. Then he slowly sipped his drink. The excitement he felt when he encountered Hwasan Swordsman was contained in the drink.

* * *

And that moment.

Emptiness and heat. A man with eyes that were strangely similar to those in Jang Il-so’s eyes looked at the people sitting in front of me.

Baekcheon.

His mouth opened slowly.

“Baekcheon, the great disciple of Volcano.”

“… … .”

“I am meeting the great general.”

A suffocating tension settled over the vast Daejeon.