The boat carrying Jang Ilso drifted farther from the riverside.
Seated at the edge, gazing at the flowing river, Jang Ilso heard Ho Ga-Myung's voice.
"Alliance lord."
"Hmm?"
Jang Ilso turned his gaze toward Ho Ga-Myung, who was calmly rowing, and the man spoke.
"May I ask you something?"
Jang Ilso nodded absentmindedly.
"I've said it many times, but just ask. Why bother?"
Ho Ga-Myung hesitated briefly before continuing.
"I understand that you need someone skilled in the Justice faction's martial arts to deal with the Demonic Cult."
"Yes, but?"
"I don't understand why it has to be Mount Hua's Sword Saint."
Jang Ilso smiled, amused, instead of answering immediately.
But that smile wasn't enough for Ho Ga-Myung.
"If you weren't so determined, you could have brought in not just Wudang but also Shaolin."
"That would have been possible," Jang Ilso admitted.
This wasn't about relationships. The Demonic Cult posed a grave threat to everyone in the murim world.
Yet, that also meant Jang Ilso held a powerful card—one that could rival any other. If he truly wished, he could have mobilized Shaolin.
"If you need a sharp sword, wouldn't it have been better to join forces with them? It's true Mount Hua's Sword Saint severed Black Dragon King's arm, but it isn't the sharpest sword in the Justice faction…"
"Tsk."
Jang Ilso clicked his tongue, displeased, and Ho Ga-Myung bowed his head apologetically.
"Ga-Myung."
"Yes, Alliance lord."
"You sometimes miss the point in strange ways."
Ho Ga-Myung looked at Jang Ilso with questioning eyes and shared his thoughts.
"In my opinion, there are sharper swords in the Justice faction, and swords easier to control. No matter how sharp Mount Hua's sword is, a sword that can hurt its wielder can never be the right sword, right?"
Jang Ilso snickered and nodded.
"Right. Those words are true."
"Then why…"
"As you said, there must be swords in the Justice faction that are easier to handle, stronger, and safer."
"Yes."
"But Ga-Myung, how can you not see? Just because a sword isn't dangerous to me doesn't mean it isn't dangerous to others."
"…"
"If the enemy were easy to deal with, I wouldn't have crossed the river. What I want isn't a safe or sturdy sword. It's the sword of the devil—one that can perfectly sever the enemy's neck, even if it means cutting off my own arm."
Jang Ilso's eyes curved gently with a smile, shining.
"That's why it's called Mount Hua's Sword Saint. Do you understand?"
Ho Ga-Myung nodded slowly and silently.
Yet, despite his nod, his expression remained unconvinced. His thoughts hadn't changed.
'… Mount Hua's Sword Saint is too dangerous.'
Having fought countless fierce battles alongside Jang Ilso, Ho Ga-Myung knew better than anyone the dangers they faced. Perhaps no one in the entire Evil Sect had been as immersed in the battlefield's mud as Jang Ilso.
His instincts spoke clearly.
That little bastard Mount Hua's Sword Saint was more dangerous than any enemy they'd faced so far—several times more so.
'No, senses aside.'
People said no other sect had expanded as rapidly as the Ten Thousand People Clan. That might be true—except for Mount Hua.
The Ten Thousand People Clan rose from a small island in Guangxi to lead the Four Sects Alliance. But Mount Hua was an absurd sect that climbed from a third-rate sect on the verge of collapse to the position of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.
If you asked who sought higher status, it was obviously the Ten Thousand People Clan. But if you asked which path was harder…
Ho Ga-Myung bit his lip tightly.
'How many years?'
In less than ten years, Mount Hua, once a small sect in Shaanxi, had come this far.
At the center of it all, no matter what anyone said, was Mount Hua's Sword Saint.
That's why it was dangerous—more than anything else in the world.
'Of course.'
Jang Ilso must have considered all this. With all that in mind, he was trying to use Mount Hua's Sword Saint as an arrow to sever the high priest's neck.
But Ho Ga-Myung didn't agree.
'Because what they pursue is different.'
To Jang Ilso, everything was a means to bring the world under his control. He could sacrifice the Ten Thousand People Clan, the Four Sects Alliance, Mount Hua's Sword Saint, even Jang Ilso himself.
For him, the goal was something priceless.
But Ho Ga-Myung was different.
For him, the most important thing wasn't conquering Kangho but ensuring Jang Ilso's safety.
He would do anything to protect Jang Ilso. When he tried to kill Mount Hua's Sword Saint for entering the Southern Lands against orders, it was because he feared that Mount Hua's Sword Saint might one day threaten Jang Ilso.
"And…"
Jang Ilso spoke with a subtle smile, as if reading Ho Ga-Myung's thoughts.
"That isn't all."
"Uh."
"… Yes, that isn't all."
Jang Ilso slowly raised his hand and wiped the corners of his mouth. His lips, as red as blood, were twisted by the rough touch. His eyes held a deep, unreadable light.
Ho Ga-Myung sighed without realizing it. Could anyone truly guess what was in Jang Ilso's mind?
The lord he chose was outstanding, but because of that, he sometimes made things difficult for those who followed him.
Ho Ga-Myung's expression hardened.
'It's dangerous.'
Sure, a sword of the devil might be needed to deal with the Demonic Cult, as Jang Ilso said. But after defeating the Demonic Cult?
In times without enemies, a sword of the devil was useless. It became a monster that had to be discarded.
The more confident one is, the more likely they are to be hurt by such a sword—because they believe they alone can handle it.
So…
A cold darkness settled over Ho Ga-Myung's eyes as he silently rowed.
Hyun Jong, who had been silently watching Jang Ilso's boat depart for a long time, sighed.
'It's tough.'
Every time he faced Jang Ilso, it felt like an immense force was pressing down on him.
The only reason he could stand calmly before Jang Ilso was simple: there was another mountain behind him.
Hyun Jong turned his head to look at Chung Myung.
Several words came to mind, but in the end, he shook his head. There were so many things he wanted to say, but nothing he could.
Only one thing remained.
"Are you really going?"
Chung Myung smiled faintly at the question.
The agony he'd felt moments ago vanished as if washed away. His eyes were clear and transparent, his face playful—this was the usual Chung Myung.
"Well, wouldn't it be polite to go when we're being begged like that?"
Hyun Jong stared at Chung Myung's smiling face for a long moment before sighing deeply.
He knew he shouldn't, but seeing Chung Myung's confident expression always eased his anxiety. He understood how many emotions lay behind that smile.
"Then Mount Hua too…"
"No, sect leader."
Chung Myung's direct reply made Hyun Jong frown.
"Why?"
"Because it's dangerous."
"That's why…"
"It's not Mount Hua that's in danger—it's us."
"Hmm?"
Chung Myung shrugged.
"That bastard Jang Ilso is like a poisonous snake; he'll bite me at any chance he gets."
"… Yes."
"That's why it's dangerous for Mount Hua to enter that bastard's land. If something goes wrong, we need to be able to come to the rescue at any time."
Hyun Jong remained silent.
Rather than everyone stepping into the Southern Land together, it made more sense for Mount Hua to keep a sharp eye across the river and disrupt Jang Ilso's plans.
However, there was one thing Chung Myung didn't reveal.
"Just answer one thing now."
"Yes, sect leader."
"The reason you don't want to take other Mount Hua disciples with you—is it because you're worried about them, or because it would be easier for you to escape if something happens?"
"The latter."
An unfamiliar heat flashed through Chung Myung's eyes.
"This time…"
The corners of his lips twisted.
"I really want to go wild."
Chung Myung shrugged, looking at Hyun Jong, who seemed hesitant to speak.
"Don't worry, sect leader."
Chung Myung glanced at those standing behind him.
"Honestly, I don't trust them all that much, but I'm not going alone."
Hyun Jong reluctantly nodded.
"I…"
He looked quietly at Chung Myung and those behind him, then sighed.
"I still don't know what's right or wrong."
"…"
"But I know one thing."
Hyun Jong smiled for the first time.
"When I can't decide what to do… there's only trust left."
"Sect leader."
"Remember this, Chung Myung."
Chung Myung stared silently at Hyun Jong. The hesitation on Hyun Jong's face was gone. His gaze was deep and resolute.
"If something happens to you in the Southern Lands…"
"…"
'Mount Hua will hold the Four Sects Alliance, the Ten Thousand People Clan, and Jang Ilso accountable. Even if it's something you don't want, even if that decision is foolish and pushes Mount Hua into greater ruin than before.'
Hyun Jong's voice was steady and unwavering.
"I will not hesitate."
He looked at every disciple before him without exception. The unprecedented sharpness in his gaze proved he wasn't just saying it.
"So…"
Belief and concern, worry and trust—all weighed in Hyun Jong's voice.
"You have to come back alive."
Chung Myung straightened his posture. At the same time, the other Mount Hua disciples did the same.
"Yes! Sect leader!"
The disciples here bowed deeply to their sect leader.
The unfinished ties, the lingering regrets, and even the new determination—all held in Chung Myung's gaze as it turned toward the land beyond the Yangtze River.