novelraw Chapter 188 : Venerable Huiyin
Chapter 188 : Venerable Huiyin
Chapter 188: Venerable Huiyin
The dawn mist at the mountain gate of the Emei Sect gradually lifted, and warm sunlight began to slant down.
Beneath peaks that seemed to touch the clouds, the grand gate was already crowded with prospective lay disciples gathered from all directions.
I lightly tapped the unfamiliar sensation of my long black hair and slowly looked around.
The scenery and atmosphere were clearly different from the Shaolin Temple. For one thing, unlike that gloomy place filled only with men, this place had only women gathered together, so it felt brighter somehow.
“There are more people gathered than I expected, Sister Muhong.”
“…….”
I flinched at the word “sister” that Ilhong had spoken.
For this infiltration, the identity we had chosen was none other than sisters. Thinking about it again, I realized that because of requests, I truly experienced all sorts of strange situations.
Once, I even had to flirt with another man to lure out a degenerate from Namseongga. And now, I was infiltrating a male-forbidden sacred domain while dressed as a woman.
“Geumhong, don’t cling to me.”
My husky, androgynous voice had been created by swelling my vocal cords with medicinal herbs.
Now that I had finally discarded the shackles of my male disguise, I lightly pushed away Ilhong, who was clinging to me with a face that looked as if she was thoroughly enjoying herself.
“Oh come on, what’s wrong with women being close to each other?”
“Sometimes you scare me, Seo Geumhong.”
After going through several undercover operations, I had realized something—perhaps because she was a former operative of the Hao Sect, this girl’s adaptability was exceptional.
Already she was acting like an inseparable and affectionate sister, gripping my arm as if binding it.
“Sister Seomuhong, we’re finally entering the Emei Sect. Why do you look like that? Smile, smile.”
There was playful mischief hidden in her innocent smile.
“…You seem to be having fun, don’t you?”
Who was the idiot that said cross-dressing was a manly act?
Every time I walked, my hair swayed and my sleeves fluttered. It made my skin crawl and was unbearably uncomfortable.
Once we went inside, we would wear Daoist robes, so it would be easier. But for now, our cover story was that we were the children of wealthy households who had come to become lay disciples.
“Now it finally feels real what we’re about to do.”
I muttered while watching the line of women entering the gate gradually shorten. On both sides, martial artists of the Emei Sect holding spears and swords were receiving the lay disciples.
“Not ‘now it feels real.’ At times like this you should say, ‘Oh my.’ Sister.”
“…….”
Ilhong covered her mouth with her hand and spoke in an exaggerated tone.
“Come on, repeat after me. Oh my—”
They say raising subordinates is useless.
When the line in front cleared, I ignored her and strode forward.
“Ah! Captain, that’s unfair.”
Ilhong hurried after me, accidentally letting the word “captain” slip out.
“Those who wish to receive the teachings of Emei, please line up in an orderly fashion here.”
An Emei martial artist holding a spear calmly called out.
Women gathered together in an awkward and unfamiliar atmosphere.
But unlike the Shaolin Temple—where even riffraff gathered hoping to build connections—many of the women here had already learned martial arts to some extent.
There were even a few who could release Breathing Technique somewhat.
Thinking about it, the number of women who learned martial arts in the Murim was relatively small. Among them, the teachings of the Emei Sect were famous for being harsh and frugal.
Thus, the fact that they had gathered here meant that rather than seeking connections, they already had a genuine aspiration to practice martial arts despite being women.
I continuously looked around at the mysterious and secretive initiation scene of the Emei Sect.
As I glanced around with curious eyes, someone behind me tapped my arm and spoke.
“Is this your first time at the Emei Sect?”
Of course it is. Who comes to a place like this twice?
In this tense situation, someone casually starting a conversation made me wonder if it was another person like Venerable Huiyul. Without replying, I walked forward toward the area where the belongings inspection was in full swing.
“Ah! Don’t ignore me!”
Ignoring the shout behind me, I quickened my pace and stood before the Emei martial artist as if marching.
Perhaps because the Emei Sect was somewhat influenced by worldly Daoist traditions, the admission process was not as strict as the Shaolin Temple, which was called a sacred site of Buddhism.
People voluntarily handed over items that might stir worldly attachments among the belongings they had brought.
Of course, most of those who came were determined to properly learn martial arts, so they readily gave up the things they had brought as if cutting off their ties to the mundane world.
But I saw Ilhong pass through with a shameless expression, saying, “I didn’t bring anything,” while hanging Thunderburst Bombs all over inside her clothes.
“…Geumhong, don’t use those. You understand?”
“Oh come on, they’re for self-defense.”
Self-defense, my foot. If you carry eight small grenades inside your clothes, you’re preparing for war.
“Seriously, you shouldn’t say things you can’t back up.”
When I snorted and shook my head, Ilhong added another playful remark.
“You should say ‘Oh my.’ Try it….”
Thud!
Because of her words inviting a beating, I ended up smacking the top of her head.
Thus began the training of the Emei Sect.
As with any Daoist sect, it started with theoretical lessons preaching unity with nature, harmony of yin and yang, and the concept of natural non-action.
“This is unbelievably boring….”
I pinched my thigh to resist the overwhelming drowsiness.
It was tedious and dull, but if I wanted to infiltrate deep into the Emei Sect and uncover the identity of the Sect Leader, I needed to memorize and study it even by force.
I had heard that top students could enter the Lotus Court and even be granted an audience with the Sect Leader.
“The training atmosphere is completely different from the Shaolin Temple.”
At Shaolin Temple, since young men who could fight gathered in droves to learn martial arts, there were always rivalries and competitions over who was stronger.
“Sometimes they even ganged up on someone they didn’t like.”
It was a place that smelled strongly of male aggression, far from the Buddhist Way.
But here, there was none of that. It was quiet—almost awkwardly solemn.
“If they find out the captain is a man, that gang-beating atmosphere might return.”
“…….”
For a moment, an image flashed in my mind of being surrounded by women and beaten while being called a “pervert.”
Ilhong’s sharp remark—something that could very well happen if I were exposed.
At Shaolin Temple, it was fine because I was a man. But here, if my identity was revealed, the scandal would force me to take down the sign of the Troubleshooter Office.
“Hehe, don’t worry, Sister Muhong. I’ll take good care of you.”
Ilhong winked.
“…Right. Geumhong. I’m counting on you.”
I could somehow feel subtle pressure in her words telling me to treat her well.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, she leaned even closer under the pretense of being my sister, and I couldn’t push her away.
Leaning against my arm, Ilhong giggled.
Days passed like this as we endured the time of frugal living and training in the basics of the Emei Sect.
We took turns receiving instruction from the True Mountain Disciples. Then, when the long-awaited martial arts training time finally arrived, Ilhong and I spotted familiar faces.
“Miss Gi Hyo… Miss Jeong Yo…?”
Under the bright sunlight, two women of the Tiger-Subduing Monastery approached with their white Daoist robes fluttering.
The one with neatly tied hair and sharp eyes was Gi Hyo, and the woman with clear eyes but a suspicious-looking expression was Jeong Yo.
The worn treasured swords hanging at their waists and the calluses from training made it clear they were core martial artists of the Emei Sect.
“Hmm? Someone called our names.”
“Do you know us?”
The two women looked me up and down, puzzled by my carefully crafted androgynous appearance.
“…Aren’t you the female chivalrous heroes of the Emei Sect who gained fame through the Evil-Slaying Campaign? I’ve heard much of your reputation.”
I quickly improvised a response. I told them that although I had never met them, I had heard of their reputation in the Jianghu.
At that, the two women clapped their hands in delight. Their expressions showed proud satisfaction.
“Oh my, we didn’t do anything that deserved such fame.”
“Perhaps the rumor spread after we beheaded the villain Samdumma last time. In any case, I’m glad.”
They explained that such nicknames and reputations should be recognized and praised among female martial artists, as it was a sign of strong solidarity among them.
They whispered with smiles that we should keep speaking like this in the future.
“But if you two are members of the Tiger-Subduing Monastery who should be out in the field, why are you participating in training lay disciples like this…?”
“…….”
At my question, their proud expressions suddenly drooped.
It seemed something unpleasant had happened.
“…We messed up an important task given by the Sect Leader, so we were exiled here.”
“Mm… you could call it a form of disciplinary reflection. It seems we won’t be allowed to breathe outside air for a while.”
Gi Hyo and Jeong Yo looked at distant mountains with gloomy expressions.
Within the strict and closed regulations of the Emei Sect, the authority to legally go outside was extremely precious.
Since there was always the possibility that someone might fall in love with a man and run away with the sect’s martial arts, only thoroughly verified individuals were allowed to enter the Jianghu.
“That’s all because of that Troubleshooter from Beijing who told us to trust him!”
Jeong Yo suddenly burst out, and I couldn’t help but flinch in shock.
Ilhong also exchanged glances with me, barely suppressing her surprise.
“Ha… We should never have trusted an outsider. To think we’d be betrayed like this.”
Gi Hyo rubbed her furrowed brow and muttered bitterly.
“What did that Troubleshooter do?”
At my careful question, the women glared toward Mount Song.
“He disappeared without a word! We hired the Beggars’ Union to investigate, and they said he’s not even at the Shaolin Temple. What is this supposed to mean?!”
At Jeong Yo’s outburst, Gi Hyo sighed and added,
“He claimed he had never failed a request before, yet we were the ones who got scolded by Venerable Huiyin and ended up looking like fools.”
“Ahem.”
I covered it up with a cough.
There were circumstances and timing for everything. It seemed they had searched quite diligently for me when I disappeared.
Honestly, whether it was Shaolin Temple or the Emei Sect, I didn’t know why my name was mentioned wherever I went.
Especially at Shaolin Temple, they said it had become an outright forbidden topic.
“It’s your karma, Sister. Accept it.”
Ilhong whispered another remark that was hard to refute.
I needed to uncover the identity of Venerable Huiyin as soon as possible and clear up this unfair misunderstanding.
The problem, however, was how to approach her and how to find out the truth.
I had some broad ideas, but when it came time to act, it felt daunting.
“Anyway, was it Seo Muhong and Seo Geumhong? Both sisters are very beautiful. You must have attracted a lot of men’s attention outside.”
“Indeed. How can you be so pretty? And Muhong, you probably received a lot of attention even from women.”
The two women showed interest in me, saying I had a charm that could captivate women as well as men.
Receiving praise for attracting men’s attention wasn’t particularly pleasant.
Meanwhile, Ilhong looked as though her mood had soared to the sky after being praised as a woman for the first time in a while.
“Hehe. See, Sister? I’m this impressive.”
“Yeah, you’re amazing…”
Her face looked like it was melting.
She must have accumulated quite a bit of frustration after being treated like one of the guys by me all this time.
Perhaps I should praise her like that occasionally.
“Anyway, let’s begin the training.”
“The first thing you’ll learn is the most basic martial art of the Emei Sect, called the Lesser Yang Sword…”
Jeong Yo drew the treasured sword from her waist and began explaining.
Just as the explanation of the Emei Sect martial arts was about to begin for their former clients who knew nothing—
The atmosphere of the training ground suddenly changed.
From afar, a woman walked forward confidently, drawing everyone’s gaze.
Her slender and elegant figure moved with authority, the white Daoist robe fluttering in the wind.
The Emei martial artists gasped as the mysterious woman appeared.
“…Why is she suddenly here?”
“The Sect Leader… in a place like this…?”
The woman walking slowly forward was the target of the request that Venerable Huiyul had begged me to uncover.
She was the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect who had recently reached the Blazing Flame Realm—
Venerable Huiyin.
She personally came to the training ground as if to inspect the lay disciples’ training.
“Ugh…!”
At that very moment, the Starfall Heart Cultivation Method that had accumulated Good Karma suddenly went berserk.
As if two opposite poles were repelling each other, the energies throughout my body reacted violently.
And even the burning Heaven-Slaying Star.
“…What the hell is that woman?”
I groaned in pain.