Novel Return of Mount Hua Sect Chapter 597

”Huuk! Huuk! Huuk! Huuk!”

Li Jeongbang ran and ran with a broken leg.

‘I, I have to run away.’

Even if other bandits are caught, they may end up with only moderate punishment. But he won’t.

As Go Hong’s confidant, he can’t be the same as others. It was clear that he would die if caught.

Even if Mount Hua kept him alive, Im Sobyong wouldn’t. When cruelty is necessary, Im Sobyong is the one who is crueler than Go Hong. So he had to run and run until his leg was broken to escape their pursuit.

‘You’re such a stupid bastard!’

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t resist cursing. Things would not have come this far had he taken his advice to step away from the Nokchae and run away. But that idiot considered his advice a dog’s tongue and had his throat cut.

‘But what the hell…….’

‘Who was the “he” he was talking about?’

The fact that ‘he’ told Go Hong to ignore Li Jeongbang’s words means that he knew Li Jeongbang’s existence. It’s pretty detailed, given that ‘he’ even roughly guessed what Li Jeongbang would say.

‘Then what the hell…’

“Huuk! Huuk!”

‘No, this is not the time to think about that. First of all, a place where they can’t chase after…….’

Swaeaeaek!

Kwadeudeuk!

“Keu- Keuaaakk!” Suddenly, Li Jeongbang screamed and fell down.

Considering his running speed, he would have to roll around for some time, but his body couldn’t move an inch further from the spot. It was because a long spear that had flown from somewhere pierced his thigh and was deeply embedded in the ground.

“Aaargh! Aaaaaakh! Aaaaaakh!”

Screaming as he lay face down, he stretched out his trembling hand and grabbed the long spear embedded in the back of his thigh. However, no matter how much strength he put in, the spear didn’t come out. It only adds to the pain.

‘What, what the hell….’

What confused him even more than the pain from the wound was the identity of the person who threw the long spear. They wouldn’t have thrown a sword as a spear if Mount Hua had been after him.

At that moment.

Step. Step. Step.

He thought he heard someone from the bushes behind, and then a group of people appeared.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Just roughly give him a scare. Why would you hurt him?”

It was a soft and relaxed voice.

However, Li Jeongbang hardened like a frog who met a snake at that moment. Although that person harbored no particular outright hostility, a power in their voice terrified anyone who heard it.

Step. Step. Step.

The leisurely footsteps echoed a little more before stopping in front of Li Jeongbang.

When Li Jeongbang turned his trembling eyes to the side, he saw a pair of colorful shoes in five colors.

It was overly flashy. Too much for a man to wear.

Li Jeongbang’s heart began to shrink automatically.

He couldn’t even breathe. Nevertheless, his eyes gradually turned upward as if possessed.

The blood-red cloth was embroidered with gold threads with vivid figures of tiger. On the white hands exposed under the red sleeves, a brilliant ring and a colorful bracelet were placed and shone to the fullest.

‘A woman?’

‘No, it’s not.’

His body shape was too strong to be a woman.

‘Then…?’

“Hu… Huu….”

Li Jeongbang’s mouth fell open in fear.

He couldn’t check the face, but only one person came to his mind.

These flashy outfits and excessive accessories. Who in the world would wear such an outfit like this….

Li Jeongbang’s eyes finally confirmed the man’s face.

The thin lips were red as if they had been painted with blood, making them look all out of the ordinary. On the other hand, the high bridge of the nose was perfectly smooth and masculine.

The eyes under the thin, fine eyebrows were so deep that it made it impossible to guess what the man was thinking.

At last, when he checked the golden crown on top of the man’s hair that was neatly brushed back, an unbearable groan flowed from Li Jeongbang’s mouth.

“Keu. Ja, Jang…Jang Il-“ “Tsk.”

The man squatting quietly in front of Li Jeongbang’s face poked his forehead with his fine fingers.

“Do you have to call my name recklessly?”

Li Jeongbang hurriedly covered his mouth with his hands.

However, the sobbing sound still leaked out, albeit suppressed.

It’s inevitable.

If anyone were to have this man in front of them, they would react the same way now.

The reason is too simple.

Because the person in front of him now is Jang Ilso.

Paegun Jang Ilso.

Bangju of Myriad Man House. (Maninbang. Bangju is the leader. -ju, remember.)

Emperor (제왕(帝王)) of Myriad Demon (만사(萬邪)).

There were many words to describe him, but none of them could fully describe this man perfectly. The language was too crude and too insignificant to depict this man.

‘Why? Why is he here?’

‘No way…?’

“Humm.”

Jang Ilso stared at the terrified Li Jeongbang and opened his mouth.

“Is Go Hong dead?”

“…….”

“You have to answer, you know?”

“Y- Yes… Yes, sir! He is! He’s dead, sir!”

“To whom?”

“I, I think it’s Mount Hua Divine Dragon! I’m not sure, but I think it, it is really him.”

Uncertain and sure were words that couldn’t be mixed together. However, Li Jeongbang, who was driven to the edge of the cliff, could not afford to discern such a reason.

‘Why is Jang Ilso coming out of here!’

His heart was beating like it would explode. He wasn’t sad, but tears welled up in his eyes.

“Seeing you here, the bandits must have run away without being ashamed. What about the others?”

‘Others?’

‘Does he mean the blood-colored men?’

“They, they’re dead…..”

“Humm.”

Jang Ilso had a subtle look on his face and asked again.

“Im Sobyong?”

“He, he’s alive. He definitely lived.”

“Then Im Sobyong will be the Nokrim King again, right?”

“Yes, that, that is the case…..”

“Since I told them not to recklessly kill the bandits of Nokchae, Nokrim will soon stabilize.

Mount Hua, who saved the Nokrim King, will devour the Nokrim. No, I’m sure Heavenly Comrade Alliance will devour them.”

“…….”

“Just as I thought.”

Jang Ilso grinned. His index finger, which touched Li Jeongbang’s forehead, began to exert force.

“Did you say your name was Li Jeongbang?”

Li Jeongbang was surprised that his heart almost jumped out of his throat and opened his eyes wide.

‘H- How?’

How does Jang Ilso know him?

No matter how much he was Go Hong’s Wisdom Bag (지낭(智囊)), he was worse than the dust on his shoes compared to that of Paegun Jang Ilso. There was no reason at all for a person like Jang Ilso to remember his name.

‘But how?’

“Tsk tsk. I know how hard it must have been for you to be around such a moron as Go Hong.

At least he wouldn’t have died so stupidly if he’d followed your advice. right?”

Li Jeongbang did not dare to answer.

Anything he says is a justification for Jang Ilso to kill him. If he did agree, it would be an insult to the lord he served, and if he did not, it would be a rebuttal to what Jang Ilso said.

“You have to answer, you know?”

“I… I’m… I, I’m…….”

“Geez.”

Looking at Li Jeongbang who couldn’t say anything, Jang Ilso clicked his tongue as if pitying.

“Should I just kill you? You make me such a bad person.”

“N- No, sir. No, Paegun! Absolutely not!”

“Hoo. Did you recognize me?”

“How can I not recognize Paegun if I have eyes and ears! Those who don’t recognize such personage should just gouge their eyes and rip their ears!”

“Hmm. It tickles.”

Jang Ilso smiled brightly as if he were happy.”

“But it’s a pity. It shouldn’t be known anywhere that I’m here.”

“I, I didn’t see anything. Even if I saw something, I wouldn’t dare mention it anywhere! If I’m not trustworthy, please pull out my tongue!”

“Can’t you write even if your tongue pulled out?”

“Then, then please cut off my hands! If I’m not trustworthy, feel free to do so!”

“Man. You make me such a bad person. I’m that cruel of a person.”

“The- Then….”

“I knew enough that you meant what you said. I have a pretty good eye for people. I know you won’t tell anyone.”

Tears filled Li Jeongbang’s eyes at the light of hope that hung over him.

‘I survived.’

He wouldn’t be this happy if he escaped from the tiger’s mouth. Isn’t the front of Jang Ilso a more dangerous place than the inside of the tiger’s stomach?

Then Jang Ilso’s red lips opened.

“There’s only one problem…….”

“…Yes?”

Puuk.

Before long, his fingers pierced through Li Jeongbang’s forehead. Li Jeongbang, whose fingers were stuck in his head, drooped as soon as he looked at Jang Ilso with eyes in disbelief. His breath had stopped.

“The problem is that I don’t trust people.” Jang Ilso wiped the blood off his fingertips with a handkerchief and slowly pulled himself up.

“Looks like Mount Hua has done a good job.”

Then, Poisonous Heart (독심나찰(毒心羅刹)) Hoga Myung (호가명(扈加名)) approached and said with a nonchalant face.

“Bangju-nim.”

“Yes?”

“I don’t quite understand. It took quite a lot of money and effort to raise Hungry Ghost Corps (아귀대(餓鬼隊)). Why would we have to waste them in a place like this?”

“Tsk tsk tsk tsk. Myung-ah. Myung-ah.”

“Yes, Bangju-nim.”

“That’s why you’re a problem. Didn’t I always tell you. Huh?”

“…….”

“If you want to gain something, you need to lose something.”

With his hands behind, Jang Ilso slowly opened his mouth as he gazed at the distant mountain peak.

“Go Hong looks gutsy, but in reality, he is nothing short of a coward. If he were really confident about his skills, he would have already tried to eat Im Sobyong. But isn’t being discreet so far mean he’s surprisingly timid and cowardly instead of prudent?”

“…… That’s right.”

“He wouldn’t have moved until the end if we hadn’t given him Hungry Ghost Corps, and fed him Dogma to confirm that he would never betray us.”

No, Hoga Myung didn’t think so.

Even if he were to attach something more than Hungry Ghost Corps, Go Hong would have refused. If it wasn’t for Jang Ilso who said that.

Nokrim and Myriad Man House are waging war. In such a situation, the head of the enemy comes directly and accepts the coaxing words immediately?

‘That’s ridiculous.’

It was only possible because of Jang Ilso. Only Jang Ilso could do it.

“As a fool, I cannot understand what Bangju-nim is scheming.”

“There’s nothing difficult about it. It’s just making sense.”

Jang Ilso raised his fingertips and examined them. Then, a slight shadow fell on his white face.

“When there is something gained, there is something lost, and where there is light, there will always be shadows. If they dare to be light, throwing them enough firewood is not bad.

Wouldn’t the shadows be deeper then?”

“…….”

“Now Nokrim is a friend of Mount Hua’s.”

“Isn’t the result is that the enemy becoming stronger?”

“Isn’t that why it’s so meaningful?”

Hoga Myung shook his head as if he couldn’t win.

He was also a master of military tactics, but Jang Ilso was a man who found his way through instinct, not through military tactics. Whenever this happened, Hoga Myung realized over and over again how insignificant learning and knowledge were in front of his natural talent.

“Let’s go back. I’d love to send them a gift, but if I did, it’ll ruin everything, right? I have no choice but to congratulate them in my heart. It’s a pity.”

Jang Ilso turned slowly.

Hoga Myung sighed and stuck behind him.

“Oh, and.”

“Yes.”

“Have you checked all the families of Hungry Ghost Corps?”

“Half of them are orphans, and most of the rest are not very close to their families. Isn’t it a corps made by gathering only such people in the first place?”

“I see. Then give the family a large sum of money.”

“… Do you really mean it?”

“Tsk.”

Hoga Myung quickly bowed his head as Jang Ilso frowned slightly as if he was annoyed.

“I will do as you command.” “You can buy a person’s heart with a few pennies, and it’s a business with enough surplus.”

“Yes, Bangju-nim.”

Jang Ilso took out a gold-threaded pouch from his chest and lightly threw it at Hoga Myung.

“Add this to the money Myriad Man House have to pay.”

“Yes!”

Jang Ilso, who had finished what he had to say, walked leisurely with his hands behind his back. Hoga Myung peeked back at the Nokrim peaks in the distance.

‘Poor fellows.’

None of them will even know whose palm they are in. And by the time they find out, they’ll realize that there’s no way to escape the snake that gripped them tight.

But it’s not their fault.

It’s just that Jang Ilso is such a person.

Paegun Jang Nilso.

The snake that made fun of the world broke the long silence and began to move.