Namgung Clan’s Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal

Chapter 70

70. If You’re Going to Start a Fire, Make It a Blaze

"Are you saying we need to call for the Clan Master?"

"Yes."

Namgung Cheon-Young answered without hesitation. Mu-yeong quietly studied him, clearly expecting a proper explanation.

Namgung Cheon-Young’s account was simple.

"We caught their trail and succeeded in tracking them."

"Then that wound…?"

"It was a sword strike I could barely block."

Mu-yeong swallowed hard. Namgung Cheon-Young was a Martial Artist himself. His pride as a warrior went without saying.

He considered defeat a humiliation, but he also had the dignity to acknowledge someone stronger than himself.

He admitted it without reservation.

"I blocked the first strike, but I couldn’t defend against the second. No, to my shame, it was so fast I couldn’t even see it properly."

Namgung Cheon-Young’s skill had reached the pinnacle, nearly at the peak of mastery. With just a breakthrough, he would become a transcendent Martial Master.

Yet he had suffered a serious wound from just two sword strikes.

Namgung Cheon-Young’s face flushed with embarrassment.

"Shamefully, I knew he was a fiend, but I didn’t have the confidence to keep fighting."

"Hmm…"

"I threw my sword and turned to flee. Fortunately, they seemed to have something else to chase, so they didn’t pursue me."

Mu-yeong swallowed again, realizing the hidden meaning behind those words.

‘If they had chased him… he wouldn’t be standing here alive.’

Perhaps pride as a Martial Artist kept Cheon-Young from saying that part out loud.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy as everyone picked up on the implication.

Even Seo-Wol’s eyes glinted, though her face was set and grim.

Sun Wukong suddenly spoke up.

"What did he look like?"

"Excuse me?"

"That guy—what did he look like?"

"Uh… He was wearing a mask, so his face was hidden."

"If he covered his face, he must have something to hide."

Sun Wukong hummed as if he were singing a tune.

"If someone that skilled is wearing a mask, he’s probably someone whose name and face are already well-known."

"…That’s right."

Namgung Cheon-Young nodded slowly.

It was a logical deduction.

Sun Wukong spoke casually.

"If the enemy was from the Evil Faction Alliance, he wouldn’t need a mask. They’re already our enemies, and with that level of skill, he’d have nothing to fear."

Namgung Mu-yeong’s eyes widened in surprise.

"So you’re saying he’s not from the Evil Faction Alliance?"

"He could be, but at least not one of the publicly known ones."

"…That does make sense."

Namgung Cheon-Young’s eyes sparkled.

"In the past, the Evil Faction Alliance often infiltrated the righteous sects disguised as their own. Just like what happened to the Namgung Clan!"

There was a hint of killing intent in Cheon-Young’s voice. His eyes blazed like fire.

The Evil Faction Alliance had infiltrated the Namgung Clan for years, bringing it down from within.

Though it was during his youth, Cheon-Young remembered it vividly.

"That’s the truly vile part of the Evil Faction Alliance. Maybe the fiend is someone from the righteous sects, or someone known for their wisdom, just as Mr. Sun suggested."

"Well, whatever the case, he’s someone who wants to hide his face."

"His hair was white as frost. An old Martial Master."

"We need to rip that mask off."

Sun Wukong’s tone was casual, as if he were wondering what to have for lunch.

But the content of his words was anything but light.

Namgung Cheon-Young had just said he’d been defeated in two strikes.

Yet Sun Wukong spoke of unmasking such a person as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He showed not a shred of doubt in his words or actions.

Namgung Mu-yeong was impressed, albeit for a different reason.

‘What an extraordinary man.’

Hearing Cheon-Young’s story, Mu-yeong honestly felt dizzy.

He realized more than ever that Namgung Jin-Baek himself needed to step in.

But seeing Sun Wukong’s confident attitude, his anxious heart calmed.

Mu-yeong spoke resolutely.

"I’ll write to my father myself. But we’ll continue the pursuit."

"Understood. I’ll send the letter right away, Young Clan Master."

After giving the order, Mu-yeong turned to Sun Wukong.

"Mr. Sun, will you help us?"

"I’ve come this far—I have to see that guy’s face."

Sun Wukong grinned broadly.

"Whether my father comes himself or sends an assault team, he’ll make the decision. We’ll keep tracking the fiend and, if possible, take him down."

"Take him down…"

Namgung Cheon-Young repeated the words several times, glancing at Sun Wukong before nodding with determination.

"It’s humiliating for a Martial Artist to flee before an enemy. I’m ready to face him again."

"First, you need to recover. There’s much I want to hear about your investigation so far."

Nodding, Namgung Cheon-Young summarized the key points of his pursuit.

Sun Wukong nodded as if he understood.

"So, there’s the masked man, and about ten men in black following him. Each one is at least first-rate, some nearly at the pinnacle."

"That’s right. And there seem to be more scattered around."

"Their target is the surviving members of the Wudang Sect."

"They’re not just trying to silence them. It seems the fiends want something from the survivor."

"Or maybe the survivor himself is what they want."

Sun Wukong smiled meaningfully.

The situation was becoming clear.

Then Namgung Cheon-Young brought up something unexpected.

"By the way, did you notice the atmosphere outside as you came?"

"The atmosphere?"

Mu-yeong looked puzzled.

They’d traveled by mountain path to the Lesser Immortal Sect, then came straight here. He hadn’t paid attention to the surroundings.

But Sun Wukong, ever observant, replied nonchalantly.

"There were a lot of Martial Artists around."

"That’s right."

"Martial Artists… Ah."

Namgung Mu-yeong let out a soft exclamation.

Now that he thought about it, he’d noticed an unusual number of sword-bearing warriors.

"Yeah, there were a lot of fighters around," Namgung Seo-wol agreed. Always curious about strong warriors, she had noticed the abundance of Martial Artists.

"Is it always like this around here? It seemed even busier than near the Namgung Clan."

Namgung Cheon-Young shook his head at Sun Wukong’s question.

"There are no sects or martial halls in this area. There are a few Black Path riffraff, but they’re just thugs."

He paused, then added something unexpected.

"A sort of Zhang Baodao has appeared."

* * *

"The Wudang Sect’s warriors have been slaughtered!"

The shocking news rocked the martial world.

No one knew where the rumor started, but word spread that the entire delegation heading to the Namgung Clan had been wiped out in a bloody massacre.

The truth of the rumor was uncertain.

Many Martial Artists were skeptical.

Since the fall of the Evil Faction Alliance, no major force had dared to attack the righteous sects so brazenly.

Who would dare attack the Wudang Sect?

But as time passed, the truth of the rumor began to emerge.

"I heard a group of Wudang warriors descended from the mountain?"

"The Murim Alliance is in an uproar, like someone kicked a beehive."

"The Black Gang even made an official statement that it wasn’t their doing."

"Which means something really did happen."

These were no mere rumors.

Word spread that the Murim Alliance and Wudang Sect had dispatched pursuit teams.

Soon, the incident became known as the Wudang Blood Massacre.

The border region between Anhui Province and Hubei was on high alert.

But one question lingered.

"Who attacked the Wudang Sect?"

Who was the fiend?

"And for what purpose?"

Why had they committed such a massacre?

Speculation ran wild. Some said it was the Evil Faction Alliance reborn. Others claimed it was someone with a grudge against Wudang. Still others whispered it might have been the work of another righteous sect.

No clear answer emerged.

No official investigation had begun; only rumors swirled.

Then, a strange new rumor began to circulate.

"They’re after the Namgung Clan’s Peerless Secret Manual!"

Many people were baffled.

Why bring up the Namgung Clan’s secret manual now?

But the rumor was given a plausible twist.

"During the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, Wudang acquired many secret manuals, including one from the Namgung Clan!"

"This time, when Wudang sent envoys to the Namgung Clan, they were planning to return the manual as a gesture of goodwill!"

At first, people dismissed it as nonsense.

But as the story grew, it started to sound convincing.

"Didn’t the Namgung Clan’s entire manor burn down, including their library, with many manuals lost?"

"When the Namgung Clan fell, the Murim Alliance’s assault team arrived in Anhui Province."

"There were rumors that Wudang helped with the recovery and quietly took a few manuals."

"Isn’t that why relations between the Namgung Clan and Wudang soured?"

Those well-versed in martial world gossip nodded knowingly.

It was a famous tale.

At the start of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil, the Namgung Clan suffered heavy losses. Wudang came to help, but rumors spread that they had stolen some secret manuals.

The Namgung Clan strongly suspected Wudang. It wasn’t just that things had burned—there were clear signs that some manuals had been taken. Coincidentally, Wudang had also been caught collecting the secret manuals of annihilated sects.

—So that the martial arts of destroyed sects would not be lost, Wudang would preserve their legacy!

At the time, countless mid-sized sects had been wiped out across the Central Plains.

Wudang had been found to have taken some of the most highly prized secret manuals.

Naturally, the Namgung Clan was suspicious.

Wudang, for their part, felt wronged. They had come to help, only to be accused of theft.

The sudden chill between the two sects became a famous story in the martial world.

"Wudang was planning to return the manual they took, to mend relations with the Namgung Clan!"

This rumor spread even faster than the news of the Wudang Sect’s attack.

It spread like wildfire.

The Namgung Clan’s Peerless Secret Manual!

It hadn’t even been a decade and a half since the end of the Great War of Righteousness and Evil.

For those who remembered, the Namgung Clan’s swordsmanship was considered the best under heaven.

And now, their secret manual was at stake.

"But before dying, one of the Wudang Taoists hid the manual!"

"The fiends are after it!"

The rumors grew ever wilder, mixing truth and fiction. Like a fire out of control, the story became more sensational as it spread.

The Namgung Clan’s Peerless Secret Manual.

The allure of it drew Martial Artists from all over to Anhui.

* * *

As Namgung Cheon-Young finished his report, Mu-yeong closed his eyes tightly.

"The rumor has only spread through parts of Anhui so far. Once it crosses the province, it’ll sweep across the entire Central Plains."

Mu-yeong asked Cheon-Young, "Does this manual really exist?"

"Well… there were suspicions that Wudang took a Namgung manual at the time. But it’s not the kind of peerless secret manual the rumors claim."

It was a secret manual for the Outer Hall Warriors. In the martial world, it was considered first-rate, but not the legendary Zhang Baodao level the rumors suggested.

Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.

"Someone’s spreading these rumors on purpose."

"And that someone…?"

"Those men in black, obviously."

Sun Wukong said it with certainty.

"They’re after the Wudang survivor. But it’s not going well."

They needed to achieve their goal quickly and disappear.

"The longer this drags on, the more pursuit teams will show up—not just from the Namgung Clan, but from Wudang, the Murim Alliance, and other righteous sects."

"That’s only natural."

"With all those pursuit teams, it’ll be hard for them to succeed or shake everyone off."

"Then… ah!"

Mu-yeong exclaimed.

"They’re deliberately stirring up chaos. By spreading rumors of a peerless manual, they’re drawing every wolf and vulture to the area, hoping to achieve their goal in the confusion."

"Even wise Martial Masters can lose themselves over a Zhang Baodao. With so many fighters gathering…"

"It’ll be chaotic, noisy, and finding anyone will be nearly impossible."

"Mm!"

Everyone fell silent at Sun Wukong’s words.

Suddenly, Sun Wukong jumped up and called out.

"Hey, Master of Myeong’i Hall."

"Yes?"

"Spread a rumor."

"A rumor?"

"Say the peerless manual is real, and the Namgung Clan is in an uproar trying to find it."

"…!"

Eyes widened all around.

They had set the fire and were watching from the sidelines.

But what if they made that fire even bigger and brighter?

"If you’re going to start a fire, make it a blaze."

A mischievous, almost devilish smile appeared on Sun Wukong’s lips.