The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 232

"A formation... you say?"

The head steward asked with a face that couldn't believe it.

I understand his puzzled expression.

That's what formations are originally like.

Just as martial arts have endless applications, formations also have countless applications.

When I went to Xinjiang to save Senior Uncle Hyeon Cheong with my master, I also encountered formations countless times.

Perhaps the formation that was planted in Minister Jeong's quarters now is a formation that makes one hear auditory hallucinations and see visual hallucinations.

"Yes. Depending on how you use a formation, you can really use it in many different ways. There are also formations that simply hide one's presence from others, and there are also formations where you have to fight a virtual enemy if you are trapped in the formation. If you fight in that formation, you can get injured even if you are not actually fighting an enemy."

"Th-That's ridiculous..."

"That's not all. There are also formations that dig into a person's heart and show and let them hear only what they don't want to see and hear. It means that it makes them see and hear what they fear the most."

"Oh. Then by any chance, this formation too...?"

Although he made a fairly reasonable inference, I shook my head.

"No. I don't think so."

"Is that so? The moment I heard your words, I had the thought that the Left General had planted a fear in the master, and that he was using it..."

"If that were the case, I shouldn't feel the same thing. Because I'm not afraid of that Left General or whatever at all."

"Ah... I see."

"So I think this is closer to conveying what the caster wants to show and let them hear through some method. So in the end, it means that the person who made this formation is a person who knows exactly what Minister Jeong is afraid of."

I, after saying that, put the object back in its original position and said to the head steward, "Can you secretly get something similar to the wooden board that was broken a little while ago?"

"Oh... by any chance, are you trying to restore the formation?"

"That's right."

"You found it with great difficulty, but why..."

"If we destroy the formation before we find the person who made this formation, the caster might notice and run away. If we just destroy the formation right away, he will be quiet until we go back, and then someday he will torment Minister Jeong again, won't he?"

"Ah... I see. My thoughts were short."

The head steward honestly admitted that he had thought wrongly.

That's right. Solving only the phenomenon without removing the root cause is not a fundamental solution.

"The problem is how to operate this formation..."

I, looking around slowly, thought.

Since I don't feel anything now, there must be something around that activates the formation, but there is no way to know what it is yet.

If I had known it would be like this, I would have studied formations a little more, and I regret it again.

When I went to Xinjiang to save Senior Uncle Hyeon Cheong before, there was a time when I broke the formation by breaking and overturning all the trees and rocks that looked like objects around.

Even now, if I do that, the formation will certainly be broken... but I can't destroy the entire manor because of that, can I?

'This makes the situation frustrating...'

Now that I know that it's a formation, not martial arts, the servants who I had met until now and thought were not the culprits because they had no internal energy have all become possible culprits again.

Because even without internal energy, it would be possible to activate the formation just by manipulating the objects.

"For now, please clean this up as if nothing had happened. As secretly as possible, by having only the servants you can really trust do it."

"I will do so, Taoist master."

"And... let's also meet the martial artists whom Minister Jeong has hired."

Although I haven't found out anything clearly yet, it's too early to be disappointed.

Because I have found at least one small clue, and I have found out that this incident is because of a formation.

***

After that, we went around meeting the martial artists whom Minister Jeong had hired one by one.

The number was about fifty, but I couldn't find a martial artist with a very great martial art.

They were all at best second-rate, and if you look at them loosely, they were people who had just shed their third-rate skin.

But only one person. The Hundred Hands Swordsman, Do Won-hee, has a considerable martial art.

Because he was a martial artist who had reached the rank of first-rate.

In general, martial artists who have reached that level of realm are not often hired by others and become bodyguards.

Because if they work as escorts in a place like an escort agency, they can touch much more money than just being a bodyguard.

"Are you curious why I'm still here?"

But he did not hide his displeasure at my question of why he was still here with such skills.

"Are you suspecting me? That I might be the culprit who is threatening Minister Jeong?"

"No. It's not that, but since you can earn much more money if you display those skills elsewhere, I asked because I was purely curious why you are here."

He looked me up and down.

Although I have never seen him fight, and I haven't done anything special, since I said that I had grasped all his skills, he must have been curious about what my skills were.

"My skills... you recognized them?"

"Yes. I could see it at a glance. Because you have a much more outstanding skill than the other martial artists."

He let out a snort.

He didn't seem to be in a bad mood at my compliment.

"Ahem... although what people pursue is different, I am not a person who thinks money is the best. Because I have seen many wandering martial artists who have lost their one and only life too easily while chasing only money."

"That's cool. Then may I ask what you think is the most important thing? As a junior in the martial world, I would like to hear your esteemed opinion."

"A senior?"

A slight smile appeared on his face.

Since I was also a low-class martial artist who was no different from a wandering martial artist in my previous life, I know very well what wandering martial artists want.

They are all thirsty for recognition and treatment.

It is clear that their minds will be full of the thought that they are not recognized in the martial world compared to the skills they have, and there is a high possibility that they are tired of the reality where they can't even have a chance to show off those skills.

But if a disciple of the Nine Sects and One Gang like me bows his head first and goes in, saying 'senior'?

For a wandering martial artist, it would be a much more pleasant thing than receiving a large sum of money.

"Haha! As you, my junior, know better, shouldn't a martial artist, by all means, pursue honor and fame rather than money?"

"Honor and fame, you say?"

It is a statement that suddenly reminds me of Hwangbo Jung-hyeon, whom I met a while ago.

Has he changed his mind by now?

He, without even noticing that I was thinking of something else, continued to speak excitedly.

"But, honor and fame are not everything. To be honest, being a bodyguard for Minister Jeong here does not raise my honor."

"To be honest, I also thought so."

"Actually, the biggest reason I am here is because I was impressed by the person named Minister Jeong. His heart and thoughts, and even his career as a chancellor... I thought that if I served such a person, I would have done half of what a man should do, so I am still sticking here."

He, with his chest puffed out, said.

It was a sight that seemed to feel a great pride in serving Minister Jeong.

"Then you must be having a hard time because of Minister Jeong's recent condition."

"Ah... that's right. To be honest, my body is more comfortable, but my mind is not at ease. Dementia..."

He seemed to be convinced that Minister Jeong had gone senile.

"Actually, my grandfather also passed away like that in his later years. He even really smeared his own excrement on the wall... The disease that makes a person the most shabby is dementia."

"But you still have no intention of leaving this place?"

"No. I plan to be here until the day Minister Jeong passes away."

The Hundred Hands Swordsman's expression was even resolute.

I had the thought that it might be okay to tell this person that Minister Jeong was not senile, but was suffering because of a delicately made formation, but I decided not to tell him for now.

Even if he is not the culprit who is trying to harm Minister Jeong right away, I don't know where and how words will spread.

Although I thought he was a trustworthy person and told him that we had noticed this matter to some extent, there is a possibility that he is actually the culprit, and even if he is not, another person who is close to him might be the culprit.

"You are cool. Thanks to you, senior, I will have to think a little more about what I should pursue as a martial artist in the future."

"No. I'm not usually the type to talk about this kind of thing, but since you, my junior, listened to my story well, the words just came out."

"I'll go back for today, and I'll come again next time. I'll probably have a few things to ask then, is that okay?"

"Of course. I'll also tell the martial artists who work with me to answer your questions with all their heart, so please have a good talk with them."

"Thank you very much, senior."

On that day, I ended up having about fifty seniors, and I didn't get any special harvest.

At this point, to be honest, I'm starting to think that the harm is being done from the outside, not the inside.

Since the level of the martial artists is not that outstanding, only when the formation was first planted, a master who could not be noticed by anyone came and set up the formation, and only when necessary, the formation is activated...

'Huh, from the outside?'

I, who had realized something, looked around and then, using my lightness skill, jumped up to the tallest and most prominent tree nearby.

When I reached the top, I could see Minister Jeong's manor at a glance.

I first looked at the place where Minister Jeong's quarters were.

By chance, the place where Minister Jeong's quarters were was in the very center of the manor. To the north of that place, there was a high wall, and to the south, there was a main gate.

But when I looked from above, I was finally able to find something strange.

'There and there... and that side, the trees seem to be sparse?'

There were quite a few trees planted around the manor, but there were empty spaces in the middle as if a mouse had eaten them.

When I focused my internal energy on my eyes and enhanced my vision, that place began to look magnified.

And I was able to notice it right away.

That the places where the trees were sparse were places where the trees had been artificially cut down.

'If I connect those places and Minister Jeong's quarters with a line... huh?!'

When I drew a virtual line on the places that had been eaten by mice, I was finally able to realize.

'Although I can't know for sure... it's a formation. It's definitely a formation.'

The scale of the formation was much larger than I thought.

And the objects are located outside the manor.

It was natural that I couldn't find them because I was only looking for the objects inside the manor.

If I hadn't checked from a high place, I would never have noticed.

'A person?'

A human shadow flickered in one of those places.

I, hiding my presence as much as possible, approached that place with the maximum speed I could.

When I arrived there without even making the sound of the wind. I was able to overhear two people talking there.

"How long do we have to do this?"

"Stop talking and hurry up."

"I heard he's not even sleeping in his quarters today."

"Oh, come on. You're talking a lot today. If we just do it until today, our turn will be a long time later, so let's just hurry up and finish."

I, holding my breath, watched what they were doing.

They began to act familiarly, moving rocks and moving fallen logs from this side to that side.

'What are they doing now? What's with the turn?'

They continued to do incomprehensible actions, not even imagining that I was watching them.

Perhaps they are manipulating the formation...

'If it's a turn... it means that there are not just one or two people doing this, right?'

I began to feel a little anxious.

An anxious feeling that Minister Jeong's enemy might not be just one person.

(End of Chapter)