Chapter 951: Don't Lower Your Head (Part 1)

The Mount Hua disciples, who had been sprawled out as if dead, all raised their heads with a bright gleam in their eyes. While they had heard bits and pieces of the situation while carrying people onto the carts, ordinary civilians had their limits when it came to knowledge. The Mount Hua disciples were curious about the detailed circumstances of the Yangtze River.

However, Chung Myung quickly lowered his head with a dispirited expression.

"No, well....it will take care of itself."

"...Is that so?"

Chung Myung flicked his ear with a finger.

"Still..."

"Agh."

Before Tang Gunak could finish his sentence, Chung Myung held out his hand.

"The order must not be reversed."

"Hmm?"

"Who should come first, the ones who went to fight with swords in their hands or those who are innocent and might get hurt? Even if you have some interest on that side..."

Tang Gunak couldn't answer immediately. It should naturally be the latter.

"Even if you have an interest in that side, you should help everyone evacuate first."

Tang Gunak nodded slowly, impressed with the young Taoist once again. Knowing something in theory and practicing it were two different things. While a major change in the balance of power was happening right in front of him, resisting paying attention to that direction was not something you could do with ordinary patience.

Despite his outwardly brash personality and exaggerated actions, there were few people as strong as Tang Gunak who could match Chung Myung's patience in Kangho. 

"But..."

"Hmm?"

Chung Myung's ears perked up. His hand, which was held forward, was constantly busy, and his lips were moving restlessly as if he had something to say.

Seeing that the discrepancy between his words and actions, Tang Gunak's expression became slightly shaken.

Chung Myung hesitated before opening his mouth.

"That… … the situation is... … uh… … ."

"… … ."

"No, it's not that I'm curious! That's not necessarily the case, but there may be damage during transportation... … . that… … ."

"Didn't you say you weren't curious?"

"Ugh! Who said I was curious? I'm just talking, that's all!"

Tang Gunak sighed and shook his head.

Anyway...

"Ugh! Whether the Namgung bastards live or die, what's that got to do with me?"

Chung Myung suddenly flared up, turning to the Mount Hua disciples and grumbling.

"If you're all rested, get up! We're wasting daylight!"

"...This kid's taking it out on us for no reason."

"Someday he'll get it, someday..."

The Mount Hua disciples mumbled as they begrudgingly stood up. Though they might grumble verbally, they, like everyone else, were eager to get the Yangtze River region residents to a safe place as soon as possible.

Mount Hua wouldn't be able to do anything for those who decided to stay there. But at least for those who made the big decision to move to Sichuan, the best help should be provided, right?

"Any issues with moving people to Sichuan?"

"Would there be issues?"

Tang Gunak replied calmly.

"First, getting out of the Yangtze River region is a priority. Transporting people to Sichuan can be done slowly. Thanks to the grains you all brought, and the grains brought from Plum Blossom Island, there won't be any problems feeding the residents."

"Then it's settled. Have you secured the land in Sichuan?"

"That's still under consideration."

Tang Gunak furrowed his brows slightly.

"Even if the number is high, it might not be easy for them to adapt to living in the city. It'll be even more difficult for those who lived along the river. So..."

"Umm."

Chung Myung nodded as if he found it reasonable.

"So, I'm thinking of settling them in the Mingang River basin to the west of the city. It seems that this would be the best for those who were living along the river. It may not be comparable to the Yangtze River, but it's still a river."

Hearing this, Chung Myung smiled contentedly.

The number of evacuees was not small.

The Mu Clan didn't have much to do with commoners in general, but as the ones in charge of Sichuan, which was a region with a strong local color and a powerful Tang Family, they wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to secure the support of the local residents.

So, normally, it would be right to have people live in an area where their influence was strong and where they could gain benefits. After all, even the Tang Clan had made a lot of sacrifices to support them.

However, Tang Gunak was now prioritizing the people's lives over the Tang Clan's interests. Even if they lost some influence, he wanted to find a place that was most similar to where they had lived.

"This is the way to go."

Chung Myung nodded vigorously, feeling his heart lightened.

"It sounds like a good idea."

"Do you think so? Well, I'm not entirely sure. We may need to find an even better place."

Three wrinkles appeared on Tang Gunak's forehead. Chung Myung eventually burst into laughter. He remembered how Tang Gunak had never shown such a face even when Tang Clan's elders tried to control him.

"Sect Leader also said that he would support us as much as possible in the name of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. So, don't worry too much. Getting out of here right now is the priority."

"That's right."

Tang Gunak nodded quietly.

At that moment...

"Are they from Mount Hua Sect?"

"The disciples of Mount Hua have arrived!"

People suddenly rushed out from inside the house and surrounded the Mount Hua disciples.

The residents who had still been in the house noticed their arrival and rushed out to greet them. They grabbed their hands, and the women wiped the dust from their faces with their sleeves, showing unexpected hospitality. The faces of the Mount Hua disciples lit up with gratitude.

"Oh, no. You don't have to do this..."

"What have we done?"

But from the perspective of the residents, the situation was different. If they had tried to walk here, they wouldn't have arrived for days. Even more so if they had to carry young children with them; it would have taken them more than ten days to travel this distance. These were people who had stepped out and offered their help in a situation where the atmosphere in the Yangtze River was grim. How could they not be grateful?

Then someone gently grabbed Jo Gol's sleeve.

"Excuse... These..."

"Yes?"

Jo Gol turned around, surprised to see the object held out to him.

"These are... dumplings. Not many, but I made them for you..."

Jo Gol hesitated for a moment, then carefully took the wrapped dumplings from the person.

"You don't have to do this..."

Despite the fact that his level of martial arts had now reached a level that most warriors could not hope for, it still was not easy to go back and forth between Wuhan and Guanggu several times a day, pulling a cart loaded with luggage and people to the brim.

But at this moment, all the fatigue and hardship seemed to melt away.

"I'll eat them with pleasure."

Jo-gol said with a grateful smile. Yoon Jong playfully patted Jo Gol's shoulder.

"Are you going to eat them alone?"

"Yes, I'm going to eat them by myself. You won't get any."

Normally, Yoon Jong might have grabbed Jo Gol's neck, but now he just grinned.

They say that righteousness is something given without a price, but in moments like this, Yoon Jong couldn't help but think that it was not quite right. It wasn't that there was no price, but rather that the meaning of the price was different. Warm hospitality, a few words of gratitude, a handful of dumplings – weren't these small gestures more than enough of a reward?

"Thank you."

Baek Cheon stepped forward as the group's representative and bowed his head.

"When it comes down to it, you're all suffering because of those who brandish their swords. We can't compensate you for everything, but we'll do our best to help."

"What are you talking about? How can that be considered the fault of Mount Hua or the Tang Clan? Yes! We might not know about other places, but we understand how much Mount Hua and the Tang Clan have done for us. Even animals understand and remember kindness. If people like us don't, that would be wrong."

"Exactly, we're just grateful."

Watching them wiping their eyes with their sleeves, Baek Cheon smiled warmly.

"Well, then, let's get back to it..."

"If you've all rested, let's go, Sasuk."

"...Huh?"

Turning around, Baek Cheon saw that his disciples and followers were already holding the handles of the cart.

"Well, maybe it's because you're older. You're not very fast."

"Even while saying that, the people of the Yangtze River are eagerly waiting for us. We need to move a bit faster."

"...These guys?"

Baek Cheon squinted his eyes. Weren't these the same people who were on the verge of death, complaining about how they would really die at this rate, how they should knock that Chung Myung guy out, and how they needed a break?

"The sun has already set, and you're going again?"

"Hahaha. What's a night to a martial artist?"

"There's someone waiting for me, so I have to go again."

Is that you, Jo Gol?

"But you still need some rest."

"I've rested enough. This much is nothing."

Is that you, Yoon Jong?

One by one, they all seemed to be taking after Chung Myung. Their words and actions were not matching up.

"Ah, Sasuk!"

"I got it! You guys."

Baek Cheon smiled and walked towards the cart, but after a moment, he stopped and turned around.

"Chung Myung..."

Baek Cheon was about to call Chung Myung, but he suddenly closed his mouth.

Chung Myung had unexpectedly escaped the crowd and was staring blankly at somewhere in the opposite direction.

South, where the distant Yangtze River lay.

"... "

An emotion that could not be discerned was felt from his back. Baek Cheon was about to call him once more but eventually shook his head and slowly walked towards Chung Myung, placing his hand on his shoulder from behind.

Baek Cheon slowly approached Chung Myung and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm?"

"Let's get going, Chung Myung."

"Oh yeah, we should."

Chung Myung nodded as if he didn't care. Baek Cheon decided not to press further, as it wasn't difficult to guess, and there was no need to confirm it.

Seeing Chung Myung's back heading towards the cart, Baek Cheon quietly spoke.

"It's one's responsibility to take care of their own mistakes."

"Huh?"

Chung Myung turned to look. Baek Cheon passed him, glancing at him, and continued nonchalantly.

"But when I wasn't leading the disciples and followers properly before, when you stepped forward to change everything…"

"...?"

"So, I really was thankful."

Baek Cheon paused for a moment but didn't turn around.

"Actually, I was really grateful."

He suddenly remembered something, turned around as if struck by a thought, and added, "Back then. Just back then, not now."

"But isn't this guy...?"

"Let's go."

Baek Cheon, who smiled briefly, took hold of the cart's handle.

"We should finish our work before the situation worsens. We can think about everything else later."

Chung Myung, who smiled too, didn't say anything further.

"Dong Ryong has grown a lot. He even knows how to say those words to me."

"I'm older than you, and it's always been like that! It was the same back then, and it'll be the same in the future!"

"Really?"

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and turned his head to face Tang Gunak.

"Then I'll come back later. There was a child in the group we brought in a while ago, and he seemed to be very tired, so please take a look at him."

"Don't worry, our medicine experts are taking care of them."

"As expected, there are no gaps."

Chung Myung grinned and jumped onto the cart.

"Alright, let's go!"

"Yea!"

This time, the disciples of Mount Hua also began pulling the cart without a word. They accelerated, leaving the cheering citizens behind.

Watching the cart receding into the distance amidst the noisy scene, Tang Gunak quietly smiled, lowering his head.

"What a mess."

He never expected to be relied on so firmly by these young kids who hadn't even fully grown up yet. If this continued, he might not be able to perform the role of an adult.

"We can't lose to Mount Hua."

Then he shouted.

"Prepare your things! We need to finish our work before Mount Hua returns!"

"Yes, Sect Leader!"

On his way to the manor, Tang Gunak's shoulders were more confident than ever.