The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 400

After leaving Mount Qingcheng, I headed toward Mount Emei at a rapid pace. The distance between the two mountains is far if one considers it far, and close if one considers it close. For an ordinary person, it would take about fifteen days on horseback to reach, but since I was running at full strength, it was a distance I could reach in about five days.

- Qingcheng rescue complete. Heading to Emei. Plan to assassinate the enemy leader first at the Emei Sect.

On the way, I wrote a short letter to the Martial Alliance, attached it to a carrier pigeon, and sent it off. When my senior brothers and I split into three directions, I had made several arrangements. Among them, what I considered most important was information. I spared no expense, asking the Hao Mun to tell me all the information they could gather about the Four Evils Alliance, and the Hao Mun disciples, who already looked upon me favorably, taught me everything I wanted to know at a relatively inexpensive price. That was likely how I obtained the bundle of portraits that Senior Brother Un Cheol and Senior Brother Un Shik would use to determine their targets for execution.

And one more thing. After learning the full situation in Sichuan, I immediately sent letters to the Martial Alliance and the Wudang Sect. The content within them was not much different.

'The three sects have decided to accept our request for reconciliation. However, they are currently in a great crisis. I will write and send their approximate situations, so please send reinforcements. If we can send reinforcements and save them from the crisis, we will be able to form a solid relationship with them beyond simply restoring relations.'

I also wrote in detail about what kind of reinforcements each of them needed. In fact, for the Sichuan Tang Family, if only that cunning Gu Gung-hwan could be eliminated, they would be able to fight the Four Evils Alliance fellows somehow with their own strength. However, since there might be powerhouses against whom poison and hidden weapon techniques do not work, a few powerhouses are needed to deal with them. For Qingcheng, it's the opposite. The experts of the elder level or higher in the Qingcheng Sect possess quite strong martial arts, but it takes a considerably long time for the warriors below them to exert proper strength. In the midst of that, to wage war with the Four Evils Alliance fellows, the number of experts is important, but warriors who can generally handle the enemy troops are needed. So I told them to send such warriors to them. Finally, for the Emei Sect, I asked them to send a balanced number of experts and general warriors. The Emei Sect originally has many experts and also possesses many warriors of the levels below them. However, they must have had no choice but to hold out until the end because they were currently unable to use proper strength due to hunger. Therefore, they would first need food to be smoothly procured for them, and warriors to guard the vicinity of Mount Emei only while they regain their energy.

Whoosh!

Leaving behind the wind that scratched my cheeks, I ran forward. To go south even a little faster, I pulled out every bit of strength I had to unleash my movement technique. Although I had told them to avoid combat if possible, it was out of a sense of over-caution, wondering if Senior Brother Un Jeong and Senior Brother Un Mi might have been caught in a fight with them.

'In fact, since Senior Brother Un Jeong is as strong as Senior Brother Un Cheol, I don't think there's a need to worry that much, but....'

Still, I didn't slow down. It wasn't that anything would happen if I went early, but because there was a possibility that a problem might arise if I were late.

* * *

Five days passed before I knew it, and having run diligently, I was able to reach the vicinity of Mount Emei. To be precise, I had reached the village at the very end of the Mount Emei mountain range. There, pretending to be just a passing traveler and a wanderer who knew nothing, I began to gather surrounding rumors.

"Since the Four Evils Alliance fellows took control of Mount Emei, I haven't been able to sleep peacefully for a single day. You know that two dogs raised at the Jang family's house disappeared the other day, right? Turns out, the Four Evils Alliance fellows took them too."

"Tsk tsk, I heard that in the village behind that stream the other day, two women doing laundry were raped by mysterious men.... Although they couldn't find out who those men were, they're naturally assuming they're Four Evils Alliance fellows."

"Sigh.... I don't know when on earth those fellows are planning to withdraw."

"Indeed. The atmosphere in the neighborhood is too grim."

As a result of moving here and there and gathering information while intentionally suppressing my presence, the people around here had a bad impression of the Four Evils Alliance warriors. At the same time, I gathered more information, worrying if they might hope for the Emei Sect to collapse quickly. Because they might think that only if the Emei Sect collapses will the Four Evils Alliance warriors stop their control of Mount Emei. However, the people around Mount Emei fortunately had rational and logical thoughts.

"The Emei Sect must never give up here.... If by any chance this area falls into the hands of the Four Evils Alliance, doesn't that mean we'll have to live with such fellows for the rest of our lives?"

"That's right. How kind and gentle the Emei monks were.... Although I can't be of help to them, I should at least cheer them on in my heart like this."

They seemed to know well what would happen if they came under the rule of the Four Evils Alliance instead of the Emei Sect. Even now, when they weren't practically ruling but were just gathered, numerous problems were arising here and there. Therefore, they would have no choice but to hope that the Emei Sect would endure this trial well and repel the Four Evils Alliance.

'Good. Fortunately, the reputation seems to be good. This must also be all thanks to the Emei Sect having done well normally.'

After confirming the general public sentiment, I slowly hid my presence and began to climb Mount Emei. It was to check how the siege laid out by the Four Evils Alliance was structured. And although I told Senior Brother Un Jeong to avoid fighting if possible, I have no intention of avoiding it if there is a reason to fight.

'Hmm?'

As I climbed the mountain to some extent, a somewhat noisy sound began to be heard. In my judgment, I thought it shouldn't be noisy yet, so I hurriedly moved to where the sound was coming from. Then, a scene similar to a shambles unfolded before my eyes. It was the appearance of Four Evils Alliance warriors struggling to somehow block people trying to escape their siege. However, the direction is a bit strange. They are not trying to block those coming down, but are trying to block those going up.

"C-catch! Catch them! Aren't they escaping toward the back! Put more people on them!"

"They've escaped. Already two people toward that side...! What are you fellows doing over there!"

Several people wearing loose clothes over their heads were trying to break through their siege and go up, and some of them seemed to have succeeded in breaking through the siege and were continuing to climb up the mountain. Those who succeeded in breaking through the siege were each carrying a fairly large bundle on their backs.

'Ah, could it be...?'

I thought I knew roughly who they were. Although I couldn't tell at once because they were wearing large clothes, they were likely Emei monks. They had already broken through the siege and descended the mountain, and it seemed they had each procured plenty of food and were now returning to the Emei Sect. However, the actions they were performing were very skillful and clean, as if they hadn't done it just once or twice.

Ta-ta-ta-tak!

"We've already missed four! Among the rest, we must not miss even a single person!"

The Emei monks seemed to have their respective roles promised. There were eight people causing a disturbance here. Among them, four had already climbed up the mountain, and the remaining four were still drawing the attention of the Four Evils Alliance fellows, but looking from a step away, they have no intention of climbing up the mountain. They seem to be thoroughly trying to act as bait. They would likely try to escape down the mountain after securing enough time for the other monks to climb the mountain.

'Shall I help a little?'

I approached them with a smile in my heart. I had heard that the Emei monks were in a situation where it was difficult even to move properly because they hadn't eaten properly. However, if several people could plan an operation like that, act as bait for each other, and some could even procure food for the Emei Sect, it can be inferred that quite a few people must have escaped from hunger. Beyond Senior Brother Un Jeong and Senior Brother Un Mi having done their assigned tasks well, they must surely be helping the Emei Sect to be able to act even little by little.

"Die!"

"These loathsome loaches!"

The swords of the Four Evils Alliance warriors were filled with emotion. I could guess how much the besieged Emei monks had teased them normally. Of course, it's highly likely they did such things to survive rather than to tease them on purpose.

To intentionally spread my presence all around, I leaped into the air and then landed while strongly stamping the ground. In an instant, I felt the gazes of everyone nearby focusing on me.

"W-who is it!"

"It doesn't seem to be... Emei. Who...?"

Lightly drawing the Red Dragon Sword, I shouted while intentionally putting more internal energy into my voice.

"I have come from the Martial Alliance! Hearing that the Emei Sect, a pillar of the Nine Great Sects and One Union, is in trouble, the Martial Alliance has stepped forward."

"Martial Alliance?"

"The Martial Alliance, you say?!"

They began to show signs of bewilderment at the name of the Martial Alliance. At that moment, a small voice brushed past my ears.

"What does that mean. They said the Martial Alliance wouldn't be able to intervene in this matter?"

I whipped my head in that direction, but because so many Four Evils Alliance fellows were clustered there, I couldn't tell which of them had said those words.

"Who was it that just spoke?"

"......."

"The one who said the Martial Alliance wouldn't be able to intervene in this matter. Who said that?"

"......."

I asked, but the fellows gave no answer.

"What are you all flinching for! Even if he says he's from the Martial Alliance, the opponent is still just one young warrior! Attack all at once!"

Whether there was someone of a leader rank among the Four Evils Alliance fellows, someone shouted in a cold voice. Having regained their senses at that voice, the Four Evils Alliance fellows began to charge at me with their swords raised.

"Clumsy."

Most of them were warriors who had just barely passed the third-rate level. Although one or two fellows close to first-rate were visible here and there, perhaps as managers, I couldn't even let out a laugh that they were besieging the Emei Sect with barely this much strength.

At my single sword strike, two men collapsed while spraying blood from their chests. Their swords and mine didn't even clash. My sword had been so fast that it wasn't even properly visible to them.

'If the Emei Sect hadn't shrunken from the start and had fought to the death, it might not have turned out like this.'

Since the Emei Sect is a sect with a gentle and merciful character despite being a martial sect, they hid in the sect to endure without crushing the enemies from the start, and eventually ended up starving. Perhaps the fellow called the strategist who devised this operation even knew such habits of the Emei Sect and carried out this operation. However, such things do not work on me. I am someone who can be infinitely cruel if I intend to be, and now that I've even heard what kind of outrages these people are committing in the surrounding villages, I can leave not a shred of mercy in my hands.

"Argh! Argh!"

"An expert, it's an expert! Call the Great Leader... Argh!"

I listened to their screams with one ear and let them out the other while continuously swinging my sword. Every time I swung my sword, the Four Evils Alliance warriors fell like autumn leaves.

(End of Chapter)