The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 160

"Hmm-. The smell of this grass. Hyaa! The sound of this flowing water!"

Seventeen days have passed since we left the Shi-yue Pavilion.

We were finally able to arrive at the entrance of Mount Wudang.

Although it was a distance that would have taken ten days if we had come diligently, we returned to Mount Wudang very slowly and leisurely.

We rode in a carriage, and when it got dark, we found an inn and rested before going, and if we passed a spot with a delicious smell in the middle, we stopped by and ate delicious food.

Although it was the way back to the Wudang Sect, I felt as if I were on a trip.

All of this was possible because all of our pockets were full.

The master of the Shi-yue Pavilion had given us all so much money that even though we all ate what we wanted and did what we wanted, there was still plenty of money left over.

"Hmm... from now on, it's a road that the carriage can't go on, so you'll have to walk."

My master said with a worried face.

But in fact, I don't know how much I've been waiting for this day.

My master really watched me thoroughly.

He didn't let me walk or run, and he didn't even let me do breathing exercises.

It was to force me, who had only known training, training, and training, to rest.

Even though the wound from that guy Dokgo Jugwak's sword had almost healed, my master was overprotective of me.

But what can I do now? I have no choice but to walk up Mount Wudang.

I haven't been able to move my body properly for almost a month, so I feel like I'm going to die from being so stiff.

"Yes. I don't know how hard it was because I wanted to come to Mount Wudang quickly. Ah. I'm finally moving my body. Sob, sob. Look at how thin my arms and legs have become. I've lost all my muscles because of you, master! How hard do I have to work to fill this up again..."

My master, seeing me who was falsely wiping away tears, shook his head and said, clicking his tongue, "Why did such an impatient guy insist on stopping by the Eung-nam Merchant Guild? Didn't we come two days later because of that?"

"Then do I just take that much money and go into Mount Wudang? I have to make the money work for itself while I'm not paying attention. If you just let a gold nugget sit, it's no different from a stone!"

On my way to Mount Wudang, I stopped by the Eung-nam Merchant Guild and met the old man Gyu-sam.

The reason for that was, of course, to ask him to entrust the money I had earned this time to the Cheon-geum Bank.

When I added up the remaining money from the travel expenses I received from the Zhuge family, what I received from the Nangong family, and finally the gold I received from the master of the Shi-yue Pavilion, it was a whopping forty gold coins.

In fact, with that much money, you could go to a small provincial city, build a manor, and live a life of luxury as a local dignitary.

But, since I have no intention of living like that, I decided to invest all of it, leaving only the minimum amount of money.

Because money can be a great weapon in the future.

"Hoo... are you really a Taoist? A Taoist should not be greedy for money..."

"Then why did you entrust your gold to be invested along with me, master? You should have just taken it into the Wudang Sect without being greedy."

At my words, my master, as if he had been hit where it hurts, cleared his throat and said, "That's because, if I take that much money into the Wudang Sect, it's clear that the master of the Yeong-eun Palace will not leave it alone, isn't it?"

"The Wudang Sect is really too much. Why does the Wudang Sect collect the money we've earned..."

"That's because, our growth like this is all thanks to the Wudang Sect. Don't we have to repay what we've eaten, slept, and learned martial arts since we entered?"

"Well, that's true, but..."

I nodded my head weakly, and my master let out a small laugh and patted my head.

He paid the coachman generously for the money to rent the carriage and for driving the carriage this far, and then he sent him back.

"You'll probably be scolded a lot by the sect leader when you go up to the Wudang Sect. You're prepared for that, right?"

"Yes... master..."

I answered in a weak voice.

To be honest, I think I deserve it.

A young Taoist who hasn't even officially worn a Taoist hat has been running around the martial world causing all sorts of trouble, and I even almost died.

I would have nothing to say even if they told me to return the entry pass I had received.

"For now, I'll speak well for you. Don't worry too much."

"Yes, master."

My master, as if something was so funny, let out another small laugh and then said in a powerful voice, "Now. Then shall we try climbing the mountain for the first time in a while?"

My master led the way, and we followed him.

But after climbing for a short while, Senior Brother Uncheol, who was following right behind my master, suddenly made a strange sound.

"Uh... uh...?!"

"What's wrong, senior brother? Is something wrong?"

"No, what is this... how long has it been since we left the Wudang Sect?"

"It's been a few months. Why?"

"Come here and look at this."

Now that I see it, although he wasn't making a fuss like Senior Brother Uncheol, my master also had a very surprised expression.

"What on earth is it... huh?!"

And then I, too, couldn't help but be surprised right after them.

Because the mountain path that we usually climbed with difficulty had been neatly paved, and even stairs had been stacked up.

And on top of that, as if in consideration of the people who would have a hard time climbing the stairs, they had even put up pillars in the middle and made a railing with ropes.

"This... it doesn't seem like they just cut down some trees and put them in."

"That's what I'm saying. It looks like a really skilled carpenter carved the stairs and installed them..."

"This is Mount Wudang, right? It's not the Shaolin Temple, is it?!"

"Usually, I would say what a foolish question, but I'm also dumbfounded."

We checked if it was real several times by rolling on the stairs with our feet and touching them with our hands, and then we began to climb the mountain.

To be honest, I didn't even think that they would have installed stairs all the way to the Wudang Sect, but surprisingly, the stairs continued on and on.

Originally, the road from the entrance of Mount Wudang to the Wudang Sect was a place where the mountain was rough and the road was not good, so we almost got lost several times and had to rest while going, but since the stairs were so well laid, we were able to arrive in almost half the time it usually took.

And so, we arrived at the entrance of the Wudang Sect so quickly that it didn't even feel like much of an exercise, and there we were surprised once again.

"No... senior uncle. Was our Wudang Sect's sign that big and magnificent?"

"That's what I'm saying. It's been completely replaced with a new one."

"No, it looks like they've put a new door on the Supreme Azure Gate over there."

"Th-That's right."

"And it seems there are strangely many people going in and out of there."

As I explained before, the Supreme Azure Gate is a gate that Taoists who do not know martial arts or ordinary people go in and out of.

In the first place, our Wudang Sect is not a place where many believers come and go.

Because the mountain is so deep and rough, it is a place that is difficult to come to easily unless you have considerable physical strength or a reason why you must come.

"Since they've laid down the stairs, it must have become easier for the believers to visit. As more people started to come, it seems they also put up a new door."

We marveled and headed towards the Jade Clear Gate.

The Jade Clear Gate is a gate that Taoists of our Wudang Sect, like us, go in and out of.

As we approached it, the person who was guarding the Jade Clear Gate recognized us and came towards us.

He was Senior Brother Un Jihak, who was close with Senior Brother Uncheol.

It seems Senior Brother Un Jihak, who is also the leader of the room right next to ours, was on duty guarding the Jade Clear Gate today.

When I secretly checked the energy flowing from him, I could feel that he had become noticeably stronger than before.

It seems he has been training hard even while I was away.

"Senior Uncle Hyeon Yang! Uncheol, Unjeong, Unsik, Unmi, and Unhwi, have you all returned?"

"Yes. We have all returned. I sent a letter to the sect leader in advance before we left."

"Yes. The sect leader had already given a word to inform him immediately if you came, senior uncle."

"I see."

"Yes. Please wait a moment."

Un Jihak called another senior brother who was nearby and, after telling him to inform the sect leader that we had arrived, he looked at us again and said, "For now, please come in. You have all worked very hard outside."

"Thank you."

As we finally entered the Wudang Sect, Senior Brother Uncheol said in a happy voice, "Jihak. It's been a long time. You were in charge of the Jade Clear Gate today."

"Yes. It's really been a long time. Was there anything special?"

"Anything special... there was a lot. I was going to say there wasn't, but it's too much of a lie, so I can't say that."

"Hoo-hoo. Tell me slowly what happened. You won't be going down Mount Wudang for a while, right?"

"I don't know about that. But..."

Senior Brother Uncheol glanced at me and said, "I think so. For at least a few months."

It seemed my senior brother had said that, recalling what my master had said, that I shouldn't even think of going outside the Wudang Sect until my body was completely healed, that is, for at least three months.

"Then I'll go over to room nine in the evening."

"Alright."

We passed Senior Brother Un Jihak and entered the Wudang Sect.

Before returning to the Yuyeop Hall, we decided to stop by the Supreme Azure Palace where the sect leader was first.

Because we had decided to rest after reporting that we had returned, whether we were scolded or broken there.

I also feel more at ease this way.

Isn't there a saying that it's better to be hit first?

Since the Supreme Azure Palace is in the deepest part of the Wudang Sect, we were walking hard towards the inside.

Suddenly, we began to hear the sound of someone running from the direction we were going.

The sound of that presence approaching was truly amazing, so it seemed like a person with tremendous skill was approaching this way while performing a lightness skill.

And that person, who had approached in an instant, shouted at us, "Hyeon Yang! You've finally come!"

He was our Wudang Sect's sect leader, Ok Mu-jin-in.

"Yes, master. I have returned."

"Unhwi, where is Unhwi!"

"Sect leader. I am here."

The sect leader suddenly looked for me. When I raised my hand and stepped forward, he strode up to me.

"Unhwi! I heard you caused a lot of trouble while you were out of the Wudang Sect!"

"Th-That's right..."

I said in a voice as small as an ant.

The moment the sect leader was about to say something, another person appeared from the direction the sect leader had come from.

"Senior Uncle Ok-gyu?"

"Haa, haa... sect leader. How can you go ahead like that."

That person was the master of the Yeong-eun Palace, Senior Uncle Ok-gyu.

It seemed that Senior Uncle Ok-gyu and the sect leader were together at the Supreme Azure Palace, and when they heard that we had arrived, they had run over in a hurry.

'Damn it. Did I do something that wrong?'

How angry must he be to come to scold me as soon as we arrived, even using his lightness skill like that.

Sure enough. The sect leader said to me in a scary voice, "Unhwi. Come here. Hurry!"

I didn't even answer and trotted up to him and stood there.

Then the sect leader came close to me and raised his arm.

As if he were going to hit me, I squeezed my eyes shut and frowned, but...

Suddenly, the sect leader hugged me, and I was so surprised that I opened my eyes wide.

"S-Sect leader, why are you suddenly doing this..."

"Hwi-ya. I heard you hurt your body. Where did you get hurt? Has the injury recovered a lot? What kind of riffraff hurt our Hwi's body? Tell this sect leader everything."

"...?"

"No. For now, let's go inside. Our lucky charm. You are the lucky charm of our Wudang Sect. Why didn't you send a message in advance that you were arriving? I could have even gone to the entrance of Mount Wudang to meet you."

As I was dumbfounded and couldn't answer, Senior Uncle Ok-gyu, who was next to me, opened his mouth.

"The Zhuge family and the Nangong family each sponsored an amount greater than the sponsorship money coming from the Eung-nam Merchant Guild. And on top of that, it's not a one-time sponsorship this time, but they have decided to regularly sponsor the development of our Wudang Sect. Both families said that they were greatly indebted to you, Unhwi. And a brothel called the Shi-yue Pavilion also decided to donate a large sum of money? Where is that donation? Let me see."

Senior Uncle Ok-gyu was smiling a rare, benevolent, peaceful, and affectionate smile.

(End of Chapter)