195 Chapter 1083: Because That is the Duty of a Taoist (Part 3)

Shaaaah.

The disciples of Mount Hua dashed forward like the wind. As they did, they kept glancing at the child gently nestled in Tang Soso's arms.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine."

"Really, he's fine?"

"I said he's fine!"

"Okay, okay…"

Tang Soso, who had been patient all along, finally showed a hint of irritation in her eyes.

"I was just worried…"

Looking at Baek Cheon, who acting especially foolish, Tang Soso shook her head.

"The child is fine. It's just exhaustion. The real issue is that person."

All eyes turned back to the woman carried on Yoo Iseol's back.

"If we had discovered her a little later, it would have been irreversible."

"Ah…"

A shiver ran through everyone at those words.

If they had just fled without checking, the woman and the child would have been buried in the ruins, lost to fate. In their exhausted state, it would have been impossible for them to escape on their own.

"It won't go wrong...?"

"No, don't be negative!"

"Shut your mouth, Siju!"

"Got it!"

"…I'm sorry, but which bastard is the last one?"

Baek Cheon squinted as Jo Gol discreetly turned his head.

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth, but he held back because he didn't have time to waste on hitting Jo Gol(?) or something like that.

For now, they had to move to a safer place as quickly as possible.

"What about the Yangtze River?"

Im Sobyeong, who was following behind, replied in a slightly urgent tone.

"If we run north, it'll take about a day."

At that moment, Baek Cheon's gaze turned towards the woman carried by Yoo Iseol. Tang Soso had said she was okay, so there shouldn't be an immediate problem, but he still felt uneasy.

Perhaps the urgency he felt at that moment wasn't entirely rational. It could have been impatience with the desperate escape they barely managed, the fear of losing what they fought so hard to obtain.

But Baek Cheon knew. Sometimes, there were things more important than reason. The impatience he felt now was by no means wrong.

"Sasuk!"

"Yes. Let's pick up the pace."

"Hey, wait! Dojangs! Even faster than now?"

Im Sobyeong shouted, his face expressing, 'Hey, you crazy guys! Are you saying that with a sound mind?' But instead of responding, Baek Cheon glanced elsewhere.

Im Sobyeong naturally followed Baek Cheon's gaze. Namgung Dowi, whose complexion had turned pale, was boldly declaring with his face, 'Even if I collapse from running, I will never slow down!'

"...This is why Father said not to associate with those bastards from the righteous sects..."

Who said the Evil Sect members were out of their minds? Those who spoke such words should all be captured and thrown into that crazy Mount Hua Sect.

"Run!"

"Eek! W-wait for me!"

Im Sobyeong, panicked, caught up with the disciples of Mount Hua, who were increasing their speed.

For others, it might have been a matter of keeping pace, but for Im Sobyeong, it was a matter of survival. If he were to be left alone in that unfamiliar territory, who knew what could happen afterward?

"Oh, no. W-wait for me too... *cough* I'm sick too... *cough* I-I'm sick. You bast... *cough* I'm sick! *cough* *cough* *cough*"

Im Sobyeong, whose stomach was churning, coughed as if he were about to vomit, but unsurprisingly, no one paid the slightest attention.

Well, one person did give him a glance. Chung Myung looked back with a slightly pitiful glance, perhaps because he had a little more hate for him than others.

"D-Do...!"

The moment Im Sobyeong was about to shout with a face full of emotion.

"Tsk tsk. That Evil Sect bastard. I wondered when he would collapse, and now he finally did."

"...."

"Whether you collapse by running or just collapse, isn't it the same thing? Why not just bury yourself in advance? Isn't that the way to leave a corpse whole?"

"...Bitch..."

"What?"

"*cough* *cough* *cough*"

Im Sobyeong quickly coughed, turning away from Chung Myung's eyes. Of course, he cursed inside.

'What did I say wrong, you bastard?'

What kind of pity did these bastards have? They seem like the kind of guys who'd smack their heads with their knees out of anger more than the Taejongnogun.

"Ugh...."

At that moment, a low moan escaped from the woman on Yoo Iseol's back. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at her. It seemed to be not a moan regaining consciousness, but simply a moan that slipped out.

"Samae, are you okay? Should we switch?"

"I'll take care of it."

"...Alright."

Baek Cheon nodded quietly.

It might not be a big deal for the woman from Kangho, but for a woman from a private household, being carried on a strange man's back could be a big deal. So, in the end, among them, Yoo Iseol, who was a bit stronger, had to carry the woman.

'It must be tough.'

Baek Cheon looked at Yoo Iseol with sympathy in his eyes.

Carrying a patient and running was more challenging than one might think. If vibrations were transmitted, the patient's condition could worsen, so you had to be careful with each step. It consumed twice as much physical and mental energy than usual.

But Yoo Iseol was carrying the woman without a single complaint. A sense of responsibility came thickly from her expressionless face.

"Soso, do you want me to take a turn?"

"Get your hands off, Sahyung! Where are you putting your dirty hands?"

"...Dirty."

Kicked to one corner, Jo Gol suffered a significant injury. However, Tang Soso rubbed salt into the wound without giving the child to anyone else.

"Everyone else is fine, but not Sahyung."

"That's right."

"You stay behind. If the baby wakes up and sees your face, he'll cry."

"...But these guys..."

The disciples of Mount Hua quickly rushed ahead. They were making noise, throwing punches to dispel the sense of crisis that they might be attacked by the Evil Tyrant Alliance at any moment, but their movements were as desperate as ever.

"Huuk... Huuk!"

As time passed, Im Sobyeong, who had been keeping up well, gradually began to fall behind. Due to a long-standing illness, there might be issues with stamina. Besides, haven't he been overexerting himself ever since he left?

The disciples of Mount Hua momentarily tried to give him attention, but a blunt voice penetrated their ears.

"Just run."

With those words, Chung Myung slowly slipped behind. Then, with a somewhat shocked expression, he placed his hand on Im Sobyeong's back.

"What kind of weak bandit bastard has such low stamina?"

"W-What kind of bandit would run like this...cough! What's going on!"

"Yeah, yeah."

"But still, huff! You're helping...."

Chung Myung licked his tongue briefly.

"Well, I guess you've earned your keep."

If it weren't for Im Sobyeong, they would have all died when the Black Ghost Castle attacked. He never thought he'd utter the words that he owed his life to a member of the Evil Sect, but there it was.

"Hurry up, you bandit. Before I change my mind and leave you alone for real."

"...A human-like mad dog."

"Huh?"

"...Nothing."

Im Sobyeong gritted his teeth and pushed strength into his legs. The hat on his head crumpled and flowed down haphazardly. Still, thanks to Chung Myung pushing his back, he regained some composure.

Then, suddenly, he slowed down again. Chung Myung asked curiously;

"What are you doing, man?"

"Just a moment."

Creating some distance from the people in front, Im Sobyeong opened his mouth with a quiet voice.

"Isn't something a bit strange, Dojang?"

"What?"

"That woman and child."

Looking at the woman on Yoo Iseol's back, Im Sobyeong narrowed his eyes.

"I checked behind, just in case, but there were no other survivors, right?"

"...."

"A strong man couldn't withstand it, but for a woman like to survive the crash.... It's just...."

Chung Myung didn't answer and kept running. Seeing Im Sobyeong's determined expression, he ran silently. After a while, Im Sobyeong opened his mouth again. His voice was very heavy.

"Am I guessing correctly?"

".... Well."

Im Sobyeong cast a meaningful glance at the woman and child. The one who had caused the surrounding area to be devastated by magic was Danjagang. Jang Ilso and Chung Myung had only attacked Danjagang.

Since Danjagang was the cause of the deaths of those who were swept away, the reason why that mother and child survived could only be found in Danjagang.

However... Im Sobyeong soon shook his head. In a battlefield where lives were at stake, could it really be possible to prevent specific harm by someone who had lost reason and was rampaging due to magic?

"Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"...Yes."

Neither Chung Myung nor Im Sobyeong continued the conversation. Perhaps the answer would never be known. The only one who could provide an answer was no longer in this world.

Chung Myung's eyes, focused on the front, were dark.

This was indeed an unanswerable question. Chung Myung didn't know that there was a woman and a child there, so he wasn't strong enough to divert his attention elsewhere in the presence of Danjagang and the Heavenly Executioner.

As Im Sobyeong said, all of this might just be a coincidence.

But if... truly, one in a thousand, one in a million, if what Chung Myung was thinking was correct....

'Even if they were associated with the Demonic Sect...weren't they human?'

It's something he didn't want to think about. Even if he knew, he had to forget it.

"So... it's something that must be done."

In response to Chung Myung's murmur, Im Sobyeong threw a puzzled look. But Chung Myung didn't give him a glance. His mind was already filled with another existence.

'Heavenly Demon.'

No matter how much one accepted the doctrine, or how close one was to being brainwashed, humans were ultimately beings who doubted and continue to doubt. And they could not rid themselves of the compassion in their hearts, however small.

That's why the Heavenly Demon was so dreadful.

Because it made humans blind fanatics.

'Surely... even if I have to stake everything.'

He must not create a world where the Heavenly Demon spreads its wings again. Even if it means not repeating the tragedy of resistance.

With determination, Chung Myung forcefully pushed Im Sobyeong.

"Say it in words!"

So they ran again until the day turned to night. At the end of their relentless run, the disciples of Mount Hua finally arrived at the Yangtze River.

What they, with bodies beyond exhaustion, finally saw upon arrival was a massive ship standing by the riverbank. Their affiliation was too clear.

Lost for words, those who had been staring at the ship turned to each other.

"A pirate ship?"

"...Seems like it."

"Doesn't look like anyone's inside."

"Why is this here...?"

Chung Myung walked out among the people who couldn't hide their confusion and grinned as he looked at the empty boat.

"You have a dirty personality, you bastard Jang Ilso."

Yoon Jong, as if finding it ridiculous, commented after looking at the empty ship.

"...When did they prepare this?"

"I don't know. Well, does it matter?"

Chung Myung nodded towards the ship.

"It looks like we're going for a ride. Get on."

"This, this one?"

"It's the pirates' ship, isn't it?"

"So what? Are we supposed to swim with these people?"

The disciples of Mount Hua, with anxious faces, looked at the empty ship but soon nodded.

"...There's no other way. We have to ride."

"Yes, Sasuk."

After Un Geom commented, the disciples of Mount Hua reluctantly boarded the empty ship. When they raised the anchor and unfolded the folded sail, the ship slowly began to move along the river.

"...It's been a long journey."

"Indeed."

The disciples of Mount Hua, who looked like they were about to collapse onto the railing, stared at the disappearing southern bank with eyes filled with various complex emotions. Even though it hadn't been two days, it felt like several months had passed.

While looking at the land drifting away in silence, at that moment, the sound of a child's cry brushed against their ears.

"...Looks like he woke up."

Tang Soso began to comfort and soothe the child she was holding. The child's small hand tightly gripped her thumb. Watching this scene, everyone couldn't help but smile a little.

Baek Cheon, unable to take his eyes off the scene, said.

"Next time...."

"Yes, Sasuk."

Yoon Jong answered calmly.

"Next time will be different."

Those who looked at each other silently gazed at the child in Tang Soso's arms without saying a word.

A ship silently moved across the river, tinged red by the setting sun.