novelraw Chapter 164 : To Mount Emei (2) RAW
Chapter 164 : To Mount Emei (2) RAW
Chapter 164: To Mount Emei (2)
The momentum radiated by Boyeon Divine Nun was overwhelmingly oppressive, yet Geum Hwa Sa-tae barely endured it and slowly began to speak.
“Master, you need not be overly troubled by the elders’ words.”
But Boyeon Divine Nun said nothing, simply staring slowly into her disciple’s eyes.
“From the matter of the Poison Demon to the Blood Massacre in the Murim Alliance, you also know well what role that child played.”
“…….”
“Even the recently met Alliance Leader still had firm trust in the Tang Clan Head. The Clan Head I know could never be such a person…….”
“Geumhwaye.”
“……!”
For the first time in a very long while, Boyeon Divine Nun called her not by a title of the Sect Leader’s line, but by the name she had given her long ago when she had taken the young disciple’s hand and crossed Emei Mountain’s gate together.
Startled, Geum Hwa Sa-tae looked at her master, and Boyeon Divine Nun slowly began to speak.
At some point, her gaze carried the usual warmth.
“A very long time ago, the Alliance Leader brat and I once watched a promising young successor from a prestigious clan and spent the entire day praising him.”
“…….”
“We rejoiced greatly, saying that at long last, the Murim Alliance had birthed a child truly destined to walk the righteous path of the Orthodox Way.”
“…….”
“Namgung Myeong. I truly never imagined that brat would go so far as to commit something like this.”
“!!”
The one Boyeon Divine Nun spoke of was, shockingly, Namgung Myeong.
Her expression clearly showed how complicated her feelings were as she let out a deep sigh.
“Huu, why did I realize it so late. Anyone can misjudge a person, and anyone, once they stray even a little, can change into something unbearably wicked.”
“…….”
“The Clan Head you saw must also have been such a child. But the elders’ concerns are not baseless either.”
“……However, Master.”
“If one merely changes their heart once, a new Namgung Myeong may be born.”
Boyeon Divine Nun’s resolve seemed firm.
She clearly perceived Tang Sewoon as a person of high caution.
“If another Namgung Myeong is born in this jianghu, the pain brought by the ensuing chaos will all fall upon the common people. And I cannot simply stand by and watch such a thing.”
“…….”
“I know our Emei owes that child a great debt. Extend a proper invitation, tell him we shall settle our overdue debt without fail.”
With those final words, Boyeon Divine Nun dismissed even Geum Hwa Sa-tae.
And so, within the room where Boyeon Divine Nun alone remained—
……Guanyin Bodhisattva.
A low Buddhist chant quietly echoed.
A brilliantly bright moon hung in the night sky.
‘It is truly difficult.’
Having departed her master’s room, Geum Hwa Sa-tae did not return to her own quarters.
Her heart refused to calm so easily.
‘Rather, the one who could quell the chaos of the jianghu is precisely Tang Sewoon. That child.’
The sudden uprising of demonic practitioners including the Poison Demon, and the ambush carried out by the Demonic Alliance.
The tragedy of the Qingcheng Sect and the departure of the White Path Union.
Amid the violently turbulent currents of the jianghu, she believed Tang Sewoon to be the pillar upon which orthodox martial artists could lean.
That was how trustworthy his actions and character had been.
And that made it all the more painful.
‘……Huu, to think we would lose such a talent to something so absurd.’
Because of the incident committed by the Qingcheng Sect, Tang Sewoon and the Sichuan Tang Clan had been pushed from the orthodox to the border of orthodox and unorthodox.
She did not believe Sewoon had truly converted to the unorthodox path.
The matter of the Qingcheng Sect had been so shocking that the anger and sense of betrayal he felt must have been too great—so she had assumed.
‘I wished to meet him slowly and soothe that wound…….’
A throbbing pain rose in her head.
She turned her steps away from her quarters.
She was heading toward the training ground.
She felt that she needed to swing her sword freely to calm her mind.
But unfortunately, her intention could not be fulfilled.
Swae-aek!
Chwaa-at!
The loud tearing sound of sword wind ripping through the air reverberated around her.
Someone was already at the training ground.
‘That child…….’
Holding her breath, Geum Hwa Sa-tae began watching her disciple, Do Ha-yeong’s sword dance.
The Burning Blood Sword Technique tracing its arc through the air was graceful yet overflowing with power.
‘Amazing! She is advancing toward complete mastery of Supreme Peak-level!’
It seemed she had recently gained a great enlightenment and made a breakthrough.
It was not the result of Geum Hwa Sa-tae’s instruction.
Due to the recent turmoil, she had spent much time at the main hall of the Murim Alliance, and this achievement was something Do Ha-yeong had earned purely through her own dedicated training.
‘Lately she has been interacting more frequently with other young successors than before.’
She had tried to hide it, but a master’s eyes saw everything.
Not only with the Shrine Maiden Sect, but also with the Successor Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect and the Great Disciple of Mount Hua, she had grown close.
Then, at that moment—
Seuseuseu!
Paat!
‘Hmm?’
The sword that had been gliding smoothly like a breeze suddenly wavered chaotically.
There was only one reason for such a thing.
Some inner demon or stray thought had intruded mid-technique.
Whatever the cause, complex emotions clouded Ha-yeong’s eyes.
Seuseut!
In the end, Do Ha-yeong lowered her sword.
“Huu.”
“You have improved greatly.”
“……!”
Ha-yeong, who had let out a sigh, turned around in surprise.
Seeing Geum Hwa Sa-tae, she immediately showed proper courtesy.
“Disciple Ha-yeong greets Master.”
“It was a fine sword, but at the end your sword tip became heavy with thought. Does something trouble you?”
“……Ah, no. It is merely because my training is lacking.”
“Hm, is that so.”
Geumhwa Satae, who had watched her for many long years, noticed at a glance that Hayoung had something on her mind, but she pretended not to notice and let it pass.
‘Hehe. Right, it’s about that age when one starts to have things they want to hide.’
She had instinctively realized that this was one of those matters where an adult should know, yet choose to be deceived.
At that moment, Hayoung’s eyes lit up as she posed a question.
“How did things go with meeting Master-Grandmother (師祖)?”
“Hm, it seems Master wishes to meet the Clan Head of the Tang Clan once.”
“……!”
At Geumhwa Satae’s words, Hayoung’s expression darkened.
She, too, realized it the moment she heard.
That Boyeon Shinni’s summons had by no means come solely from goodwill.
“Tomorrow, we plan to formally send word to the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“……Will Tang Gong… no, will the Clan Head of Tang come willingly?”
“……I hope he will come.”
Geumhwa Satae spoke with a bitter smile.
In truth, even if Boyeon Shinni had summoned him, it was not an order that had to be obeyed unconditionally.
Though Boyeon Shinni was a great elder of the Jianghu, comparable to Sword Emperor Yoo Jinhak.
Wasn’t the Sichuan Tang Clan no longer part of the Murim Alliance?
And wasn’t Sewoon the same?
Moreover, though it was outwardly an invitation, from Sewoon’s perspective it could easily be seen as a threat.
They were no longer of the orthodox sects, but stood somewhere between orthodox and unorthodox.
As her head began to ache again, Geumhwa Satae turned away, unwilling to show such an unseemly 모습 to her disciple.
“The night wind is cold. I will head in now, so don’t overdo it and get some rest.”
“Yes, Master.”
With that, Geumhwa Satae forced a smile and departed for her quarters.
Silence once again settled over the training ground.
Do Hayoung slowly lifted her head and gazed up at the sky.
A full moon (滿月) had risen.
Though it was a breathtakingly beautiful full moon, the sight only threw her heart into further turmoil.
Because she felt that the nature of the full moon—showing only its most beautiful face, while never revealing the shadow on its reverse side—resembled someone all too closely.
‘Just what are you trying to do? And what other secret are you hiding, Tang Gongja. No….’
Hayoung slowly murmured to herself in her heart.
‘……Jecheon Daeju.’
---
Rough, solid-looking bizarre rock formations (奇巖怪石) stood like a folding screen all around.
Streams of flowing water harmonized naturally with the mountain.
This place, where a true spectacle unfolded, was a famed sacred mountain said since ancient times to brim with spiritual energy.
“Ao!! If they want to see us so badly, they should come themselves! Are those Emei people’s asses really that heavy?!”
The roar of Patamyeong—no, of Nameless—echoed through the surroundings.
……It was Mount Emei.
Tang Serin, startled, hurriedly warned Nameless.
“Patamyeong! This is the territory of the Mount Emei Sect. Watch your words and behavior.”
“Hmph! Let them try telling me to come, I’ll just smash the—!”
“Hey.”
“……Guh.”
At Tang Serin’s stern expression, Nameless flinched and stepped back.
A small procession of about a dozen people from the Sichuan Tang Clan was climbing the precipitous slopes of Mount Emei.
Because the terrain was far too steep for carriages to ascend, everyone was climbing on foot.
What was tormenting them was a single ‘coffin (棺),’ carried together by eight people, Nameless included.
“Hoo, let’s endure just a bit more. Once we go a little farther, we’ll reach Golden Summit Peak.”
“We’re fine, Clan Head!”
“That’s right!”
“Ah—no, you traitors…!”
When Sewoon, who was carrying it at the very front, spoke, the warriors of the Beast Palace and the Dark Flower Unit immediately responded.
As a result, Nameless alone ended up looking like the one whining, and he jumped about in indignation.
Clicking his tongue as he looked at the pitiful fellow, Sewoon glanced up toward the summit.
‘There really isn’t much left now.’
The halls of the Mount Emei Sect, which had looked like mere dots before, were now clearly taking shape.
Three days ago, upon receiving a personally handwritten message from Boyeon Shinni, Sewoon had immediately gathered his men and departed for Mount Emei.
‘This works out well instead. We’ll settle this quickly and then move to deal with Tongcheonbang.’
As a sharp light flickered in Sewoon’s eyes at the thought of crushing his enemies—
[Hey, but junior brother.]
Nameless’s telepathic voice rang out.
[Aren’t we just going to get framed and beaten senseless if we hand this over for nothing? From what I can tell, that Emei granny seems to have really picked her moment.]
Nameless’s concern seemed reasonable at first glance.
No, that wouldn’t happen.
The moment Sewoon looked at what lay inside the coffin he was carrying, he could state with certainty that things would unfold in a completely different direction.
[Enough. Boyeon Shinni’s eyes are sharp enough to rival the Alliance Leader’s. Don’t go hiding in the shadows and doing something stupid only to get caught and cause trouble.]
[Yes, yes.]
Just as the two of them were about to resume climbing together—
Screeech!!
“!!”
“……!!”
With an ear-splitting sound of air being torn apart, a fierce whirlwind swept past them.
“W-What was that?”
“Like some kind of typhoon….”
Those who had nearly been blown off the sheer cliff by the violent wind let out sighs of relief.
The others mistook it for a blade-like wind that had arisen from the valley.
But—
[……You saw it, right, junior brother.]
At Nameless’s telepathic words, Sewoon subtly nodded.
The two of them had clearly seen it.
A lavishly adorned four-person palanquin ascending the cliff at an incredible speed.
The whirlwind just now had not been natural.
It was the pressure of wind generated as a group of beings charged straight up the mountain like a gale.
Nameless was dumbfounded.
[No, does that even make sense? Carrying a four-person palanquin while running up a sheer cliff like this??]
The four mysterious men, each holding one of the palanquin’s poles, possessed utterly absurd levels of skill.
But by now, Sewoon was already able to deduce their identity.
Ssssss.
The moment he sensed the strange aura, he immediately activated his Color Perception Eye and, in an instant, grasped their true nature.
All four men carrying the palanquin shared the same characteristic.
Though their bodies were male, they possessed no yang energy whatsoever.
Their bodies were filled entirely with yin energy.
In the Jianghu, there was only one place where such beings could come from.
‘The Eastern Depot.’
A sharp glint rose in Sewoon’s eyes.