Chapter 351: Chapter 1239: Who Came? (Part 4)
"What should we do, Sahyung?"
"..."
"Sahyung."
Gohong looked at Yugong with desperate eyes.
"...You said there was no support, didn't you? You said we had to get off a sinking ship."
"..."
"But suddenly, if someone like that came..."
Seeing Yugong remain silent, Gohong, unable to contain his frustration, raised his voice.
"If they really blocked the Evil Tyrant Alliance with their support, then we..."
"Speak sensibly!"
Yugong glared.
"Is the Evil Tyrant Alliance the name of someone's dog? How many people do you think would be able to stop them?"
"But they must have had a plan, and they wouldn't have entered Southern Island without any measures, right? Word that the Heavenly Comrade Alliance's momentum threatens even the Ten Great Sects has spread even to Gangnam..."
"Nonsense."
Yugong dismissed Gohong's worried words.
"Threatening the Ten Great Sects, so what? This is Southern Island. Even Shaolin's influence doesn't reach here. So what can the Heavenly Comrade Alliance do?"
"...But still..."
"Don't worry about it. At best, they'll show their faces and leave."
"Did they come all the way here for that?"
"Better than doing nothing."
"Well..."
Yugong's face showed irritation.
'Things have gotten messy.'
The timing was awkward. If they had arrived just one day earlier, they could have observed the situation and made a decision later. And if they had arrived after the typhoon subsided, they could have preemptively withdrawn without causing discomfort.
But due to an awkwardly tied knot, they arrived amidst the discomfort of unwanted cohabitation.
'Why then?'
The disciples who opted to depart had already received cold glances.
However, amidst disciples expressing their intention to leave the sect, those who came from a distant land appeared in Southern Island. Naturally, the eyes looking at the disciples who had requested to leave became even colder. Even those who had shown a realistic response until now threw disdainful glances.
Why wouldn't they?
If Yugong were in the opposite position, he would've pointed fingers and criticized himself. People of other sects understood principles, but those who received favors in Southern Island and didn't acknowledge those favors would be considered beast-like and insulted.
"Sahyung..."
"What."
"Really, on a once-in-a-blue moon, or no... once-in-a-lifetime chance."
Gohong spoke with a slightly anxious tone.
"If, by any chance, Southern Island... No, if the main force received their support and managed to block the Evil Tyrant Alliance... What would happen to us?"
Yugong couldn't answer that question.
What would happen? That was something you could only know when you thought about it.
At the moment such a situation arose, the disciples who had requested to depart would be stamped as traitors. They would be outright ostracized in Southern Island, whose position would have soared after blocking the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
Being rejected by Southern Island meant that it would become difficult to set foot on Southern Island. At least within Southern Island, the Southern Island Sect had a stronger influence than the Tang Family in Sichuan and the Namgung Family in Anhui.
"Sahyung. Wouldn't it be better to cancel the departure now..."
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Yugong shouted irritably.
"How can those few bastards stop the Evil Tyrant Alliance!"
"..."
"In this situation, it's not them who can stop it. Even if the legendary heroes from a hundred years ago, claiming to have stopped the Demonic Sect, came in person, they wouldn't be able to block the Evil Tyrant Alliance." [...hmm...]
"Well, that may be true, but still..."
"And! Canceling the departure? Do you think anything will change? It's too late. At best, you'll be treated like a worthless pawn, sticking to the side of a ship in distress."
Gohong sighed deeply. In truth, he knew. Even if reversed their stance them, the stigma engraved on them would not disappear.
Once the words of leaving the sect were uttered, they could never return to the true path of Southern Island.
"So, don't worry about it."
"..."
"When the typhoon subsides as scheduled, we'll conduct the ceremony and leave. And for the rest of our lives, we'll forget about Southern Island."
Gohong bowed his head deeply. Yugong, who was staring at him, sighed and spoke.
"Gohong."
"...Yes, Sahyung."
"Think about your grandmother at home. She's already fragile, and how would she survive if you were to meet an untimely end?"
"...Yes."
"I may not know, but you haven't done anything wrong. You don't need to bow your head as if you've committed a crime. As important as the sect is, isn't your birth family equally important?"
"Sahyung also has a child, right?"
"...I'm just scared."
Yugong forced a smile.
"Growing up without a father, I find it frightening to think that my child will grow up hearing stories of a fatherless child."
"Sahyung..."
Yugong turned his head to face the driving wind and rain.
Southern Island often experienced typhoons, but that didn't mean it was accustomed to them. Even though they went through it repeatedly, what was frightening was the sudden typhoons of the Southern Sea, turning calm seas into hell in an instant.
How many people had that hellish sea taken away?
"When my child was born, I thought about wanting to raise my child securely. I didn't want him to grow up yearning for a father like me, whose face he can't even remember."
"I understand. No, everyone would understand."
"...Understanding? What's that?"
Yugong chuckled sardonically.
"It's just an excuse. It's just that I don't have the courage to die. But is that really such a terrible thing? Dying is scary for everyone."
"..."
"So, if you're going to leave, don't leave any regrets."
"Yes, Sahyung."
Gohong nodded heavily.
Although he said those words, Yugong's heart wasn't at ease. Especially troubling to him was the question Gohong had thrown.
If, by some miraculous chance, Southern Island managed to miraculously stop the Evil Tyrant Alliance, what should they do?
Guo Hansuo?
No, Great Sahyung would never attempt revenge. Despite being easily angered, he was also a generous and magnanimous person.
But what about the other disciples?
Would those who abandoned the sect in crisis and fled to survive on this Southern Island land be able to raise their heads and live freely? Even if Guo Hansuo tried to stop it, could they somehow avoid detection?
He could endure any persecution that would befall him. No, it was something he must endure. But... How could he prevent the ongoing troubles for his child?
Yugong, who was gradually becoming anxious, asked vaguely.
"So... what are the outsiders doing now?"
"They seem to be unpacking at the guest house. It's not too late in the day, is it? The formal meeting with the Sect Leader is likely to happen tomorrow morning."
"Is that so?"
Yugong stood up from his seat, pondering something for a moment.
"Let's go."
"Uh... yes?"
"Why did they come? We need to find out. Staying here with just us won't ease our minds."
"But, Sahyung, there are others there..."
"Our faces have already been exposed. Are we just going to hide in a room until the typhoon passes?"
"..."
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Yugong opened the door. The rain poured down heavily, but now was not the time to be concerned about such things.
"Even if they are thoughtless people, they should know the current situation in Southern Island. They probably won't try to do something immediately. They will likely keep their distance and observe, discussing among themselves."
That was precisely what Yugong was thinking. If the intentions of those visitors were as he expected, they, too, would need someone to testify to the favor of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance even after Southern Island fell.
'If things go well, we might be able to form an alliance.'
With a firm determination, Yugong stepped forward without hesitation.
"Sahyung."
"..."
"Uh, Sahyung?"
Yugong stared blankly at the guest room, not hearing the calling voice. What was happening inside surpassed common sense.
"Hahaha!"
A person who heartily drank his alcohol slammed the glass down loudly.
"What's this! What kind of water do they use to make alcohol here? It's tasteless! Tasteless!"
"Chung Myung. Alcohol is originally made from water."
"Oh, is that so?"
People were sprawled all over the place. Among them, there were those Yugong had never seen before and those he knew well. That is to say...
"Oof... dying..."
'Why was he acting like that over there?'
Yugong was most shocked by the fact that Lee Ziyang, who was usually so sharp-tongued that everyone except Guo Hansuo kept their distance, was lying there practically unconscious.
No, others were the same.
So, not only the foreigners who visited Southern Island, but even Southern Island's disciples were all spread out in silence.
Judging by the pitifully empty faces and the scattered alcohol bottles rolling around, one could guess what had happened here.
"...Did they drink?"
No, it was normal to serve food and drinks to guests who visited.
What was truly incomprehensible was why Southern Island's disciples were rolling around in the guesthouse, a place meant for resting after having food and drinks.
"Huh... that guy... drinks a bit too much..."
"Unravel that twisted tongue and speak properly."
Among the people rolling around in a state of non-responsiveness, two men sat facing each other, swaying as if they could collapse at any moment, holding alcohol glasses.
"....Great Sahyung?"
"Isn't he the Mount Hua martial artist we saw in Shaolin before? Why are they...?"
Guo Hansuo and Baek Cheon, with their eyes foggy, stared at the glasses in their hands. Then, as if they had made a promise, they gulped down the alcohol in one breath.
Glug! Glug! Glug! Glug!
"Uh... that... they..."
The two people shoved every drop of alcohol in a bowl-sized glass down their throats and simultaneously threw the glasses as if to cast them away.
"...I won."
"I won too."
Thud!
And at the same time, the two men collapsed to the side. The sound of snoring, murmuring, and someone groaning created a bizarre dissonance, filling the guesthouse.
'What on earth is happening?'
Just half a day ago, this was a place sharp with mutual distrust.
But how could it unravel so quickly in such a short time? Moreover, it happened with the visitors who came to Southern Island for the first time.
It was the moment Yugong tried to make some guesses about what had happened and how it had reached this point.
"What's this? Are they all out? The kids are so weak against alcohol. Tsk!"
Someone leaning against the wall, sipping on alcohol, looked around with relaxed eyes.
"Oh."
Then, noticing Yugong and Gohong standing at the door, he smirked.
"Do you want a drink too?"
Yugong was momentarily speechless. At that moment, Gohong whispered quickly.
"Sahyung, it's Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. I distinctly remember."
"...Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword?"
That guy?
"Don't just stand there, come have a drink. It's quiet because there's no one to make a big fuss. Shouldn't we treat the guests?"
"..."
"Sahyung..."
Yugong, with a fixed expression, entered and sat across from Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.
"I'm Yugong."
"Chung Myung."
Chung Myung chuckled and lifted a drink.
"Since you're late, let's start with three drinks."
Yugong raised his glass without a word.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Bagel_Seeds
Bagel_Seeds lmfao bro just gave up
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