The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 389

Whether he smelled the thick scent of blood, Senior Brother Un Cheol raised only one corner of his mouth and wore a fishy smile. I've occasionally realized while traveling with him that Senior Brother Un Cheol also secretly enjoys fighting. That expression is one that can never be shown unless it's someone who truly enjoys fighting.

"Hwi-ya. Then what should we do? Go to Mount Emei?"

Senior Brother Un Jeong asked. There was a faint expectation in his voice. Senior Brother Un Jeong also seems to secretly like adventure, despite his pretty face. Not that I dislike that side of him at all.

"Senior Brother and Senior Brother Un Mi have to take on a somewhat uninteresting mission, in a way."

"Uninteresting mission?"

"You're to break through the blockade of the Four Evils Alliance bastards that are said to be surrounding the Emei Sect and supply them with food."

"Food?"

Senior Brother Un Jeong and Senior Brother Un Mi looked at me with suspicious eyes. They seemed to think whether just bringing food was such an important task.

"Right now, the Four Evils Alliance bastards are trying to starve the Emei Sect to death. According to what I heard from the Family Head, the Emei Sect is literally a natural fortress. Perhaps the Four Evils Alliance doesn't want to pay such a high price to strike the Emei Sect, which has no other significant forces. So, as long as the Emei Sect holds out well, it can be said to be a half-won fight."

When I spoke up to this point, Senior Brother Un Jeong and Senior Brother Un Mi nodded as if they understood. Since my senior brothers are on the intelligent side, they understood my words immediately.

"I see. In the end, the reason the Emei Sect can't hold out must be because of a lack of food."

"If we deliver food, they'll be able to hold out that much longer, right?"

"Exactly. Once we make it so they can hold out, if the Qingcheng side I'm going to is resolved first, Qingcheng can go to help them, and if the Tang Family side is resolved first, the Tang Family can go to help them."

I grinned seeing my senior brothers, who had a determined expression after realizing the importance of the task they were assigned, and continued.

"This task might look like an easy one, but it will actually be a very difficult and tricky one. The Emei Sect wouldn't have not tried to secretly send people out. But the fact that they couldn't come down must mean the guard is that tight. Conversely, it means breaking through and passing up there is also that difficult."

Senior Brother Un Jeong nodded. The Emei Sect is also a place that plays a role in the Nine Great Sects and One Union. So, it's something that can be known without even checking that there will naturally be warriors with stronger martial arts than Senior Brother Un Jeong.

"But still, I think you senior brothers will be able to pull it off sufficiently. Because it's a task where you have to break through the loopholes of the Four Evils Alliance with wisdom and resourcefulness, not just blindly fighting the enemies."

Perhaps thanks to my expression and tone of belief, confidence seemed to surge in my senior brothers' faces.

"But Unhwi-ya. What are you going to do at Qingcheng? I heard the situation there isn't very good either, will it be okay for you to go alone? Wouldn't it be better to help the Tang Family with us and go there together?"

Senior Brother Un Cheol said something quite plausible, but I shook my head.

"In my opinion, it would be better to go to the Qingcheng Sect even a day earlier. The way Qingcheng is being attacked is by gnawing from the top by breaking the strong ones through life-and-death duels of masters. So, if I go to Qingcheng late, that many more masters will die. I have to go quickly to save that many more Qingcheng Taoists."

My senior brothers now seem to have all understood what I'm trying to say.

"So, Unhwi, you're trying to help the three sects at the same time now. So that the Four Evils Alliance bastards can be driven out as efficiently as possible."

"That's right. To be honest, before the Four Evils Alliance bastards grow even larger, talking to the Martial Alliance Leader and giving overall help to the martial world could also be a way. But if the matter grows that large, the Four Evils Alliance bastards will also realize the fact that the Martial Alliance is moving, and then they will also try to concentrate their strength in one place and have a decisive battle with the Martial Alliance. If that happens... everyone can guess how much sacrifice there will be without even saying it, right...?"

All the Four Evils Alliance bastards would die, but in the process, many orthodox warriors would also die. In the first place, the reason the Demonic Cult created the Four Evils Heaven and the Leader of the Four Evils Heaven created the Four Evils Alliance was to deal a blow to the orthodox martial world. They might even order each person to perform a double suicide with one person.

"So we're trying to get maximum efficiency with minimum personnel. And in that process, many Four Evils Alliance warriors will die, but... I'm not a god, am I? I won't be able to save all of their lives."

I continued while looking at my senior brothers who were pledging the success of this task with determined expressions.

"But if there's just one thing I'm worried about... it's that it's the first time we're doing different missions while being this far apart from each other."

At that, Senior Brother Un Cheol spoke while thumping his chest.

"Don't worry. Based on what I've learned and mastered while traveling with you so far, I'll do it while paying maximum attention to safety."

"What about Senior Brother Un Jeong?"

"Right. In the first place, isn't ours a mission where we might not even have to fight if we're lucky? Since it doesn't seem like the situation of the Emei Sect will suddenly get drastically worse just because we're a few days late, we'll also try to do it as safely as possible."

"Good. Think that your lives are much more important than the mission, not unconditional success. Understood?"

"Yes. We'll keep that in mind."

My senior brothers and I exchanged what we wanted to say with our eyes instead of words while making eye contact, and then departed in our respective directions. To be honest, even though I received a pledge from my senior brothers, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't worried. However, I decided to trust my senior brothers. I've watched all of their growth processes right next to them for the past several years. In my judgment, each and every one of them has grown into a warrior who can sufficiently play an active role as a warrior. So, if they pull off this mission well, they'll be able to perform individual missions even without me.

"Everyone. You'll do well."

I muttered to myself while unfolding my movement technique in the direction where Qingcheng was. Those words were not meant for someone to hear, but were said to reassure myself. Please let my senior brothers pull it off safely and well. It was a wish filled with my sincerity.

* * *

The Qingcheng Sect is located on Mount Qingcheng, southwest of a region called Guanxian, northwest of Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Originally, the Qingcheng Sect has a deep connection with the Sichuan Tang Family. Because in the first place, the distance itself wasn't that far, and they shared quite a lot of each other's territories. However, it has been a long time since they were unable to interact properly as the Four Evils Alliance began to run wild. For one thing, the reason could be said to be that the territory of the Sichuan Tang Family narrowed from the entire northeast of Sichuan to Chengdu because of the Four Evils Alliance. Now, for Qingcheng and Tang to meet and talk or interact, they have to meet through the Four Evils Alliance. However, the biggest reason was separate. To be honest, if a sect like the Qingcheng Sect made up its mind to break through and pass the low-level thugs of the Four Evils Alliance, they would have been able to break through easily. However, they didn't have such leisure right now. To be precise, mental leisure.

"Heh.... This time too, the promised date has approached tomorrow.... Who would be good to go out tomorrow?"

The Sect Leader of Qingcheng, Yu Han-ja, spoke in a tone mixed with a small sigh. However, none of the several Taoists around answered. Yu Han-ja looked back at them, sighed once more, and then opened his mouth again.

"Right.... Since the Second Elder, Third Elder, and Fourth Elder have all passed away.... Not only them, but all the other disciples who went out to fight...."

They were currently receiving challenges from the Four Evils Alliance. The Four Evils Alliance proposed that instead of having a foolish many-to-many war, they should have one-on-one life-and-death duels with the honor of the sect at stake. The winner can continue to fight, and since it's a life-and-death duel, the loser dies or, even if spared, cannot participate in the next fight. Of course, this was an unfair fight that would continue until one side declared surrender or there were no more people who could fight, but since Qingcheng wouldn't be able to hold out long if the Four Evils Alliance bastards came out in an all-out war anyway, they had no choice but to accept.

The life-and-death duels that began like that. At first, the Qingcheng Sect won several times in a row. It was because the Second Elder, who was one of the top strongmen in the Qingcheng Sect from the beginning, went out. However, the situation completely changed after a warrior named Jang Hoeng came out from the Four Evils Alliance. Because Jang Hoeng defeated and killed the Second Elder, Third Elder, and Fourth Elder in fights, and killed several others who challenged him after that. That's why the other Taoists of Qingcheng right now are unable to readily say they will go out at the Sect Leader's words. Since there is no one among them who can be said to be significantly stronger than the Second Elder who died first, going out to fight is no different from declaring that they will die at the hands of Jang Hoeng.

"Whew.... It can't be helped then. In the end, is there no choice but for me to go out...?"

The Sect Leader spoke while letting out a small sigh. At that, the other elders immediately shouted.

"N-no! If anything happens to the Sect Leader.... our Qingcheng will lose its focal point!"

"That's right! The reason our Qingcheng disciples are able to not be greatly agitated right now is probably because the Sect Leader is here. So the Sect Leader must not go out to fight directly...!"

The Taoists desperately dissuaded him, but in a corner of their hearts, they knew well how irresponsible what they said was. In the end, the fact that the Sect Leader couldn't go out meant that they should sacrifice someone else's life to survive for a few more days.

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have tried an all-out war instead. Even the man named Jang Hoeng could have been defeated if I, the Second Elder, and the Third Elder had joined forces and attacked together...."

The Sect Leader regretted it, but it was already too late. Whether it was because of the thought that they would never lose to the warriors of the Four Evils Alliance in a one-on-one fight, or because of mere pride, they had accepted the Four Evils Alliance's proposal and had already suffered as much damage as they could.

"But wouldn't it be fine if I just beat Jang Hoeng? My Qingcheng is collapsing like this because of my wrong judgment.... I can't just leave it like this...!"

He spoke in a mournful voice. His sincerity seemed to be felt by everyone here. No one could say anything at his voice, which seemed to convey his heart.

'Is Qingcheng collapsing like this in the end...?'

They didn't want to go out and buy time with their own deaths, but they also didn't want the Sect Leader to go out and fight, which was strictly speaking just selfishness. However, they all had similar thoughts.

"Whew.... Sect Leader. And Elders, I will go out."

At that moment, a Taoist who didn't look very old, sitting quietly at the very end, opened his mouth. Everyone's eyes focused there.

"You're saying you'll go out...?"

"Yes. If by doing so Qingcheng can be maintained for even a few more days.... I will do so."

The name of that young Taoist was Yu Baek-min. At this moment, neither the Sect Leader nor the other older Taoists could open their mouths. Because they couldn't stop the noble sacrifice the young Taoist was trying to make for Qingcheng. It was then.

"That won't do. You can't sacrifice the future of Qingcheng in a place like this."

Suddenly the door burst open, and someone entered. Everyone looked at him with bewildered eyes, but he opened his mouth without concern.

"And the Sect Leader must not go out either. Even if you kill Jang Hoeng, it's not very meaningful because someone stronger than him will come and try to collapse Qingcheng somehow."

"W-who...?"

The Sect Leader asked after barely calming his heart. Then the intruder who suddenly entered said with a grin:

"Nice to meet you. I am Unhwi of the Wudang Sect. I've come to help you all."

Everyone just looked at Unhwi with surprised eyes, as if they couldn't understand both the words 'Wudang Sect' and 'to help you all' at once. Unhwi gave a grin as if he had expected that.

(End of Chapter)