The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 402

My senior brothers led me inside very naturally. Along the way, I exchanged greetings with Emei monks we passed, and sometimes heard words of relief that I had returned safely. Everything seemed very natural.

"Senior Brothers. I'm not sure if this is the Emei Sect or your sect?"

"We've been here for almost a month now. After seeing the people here every day during that time, we've just become familiar with it."

Senior Brother Un Jeong told me roughly about the things that had happened here while we climbed. He spoke of how about a month ago, one of the Emei monks had mustered their remaining strength to try to break through the siege and come down. And how they ultimately failed to break through the siege, and instead the Four Evils Alliance warriors received reinforcements. Then how my senior brothers fortunately arrived and succeeded in entering the Emei Sect by taking advantage of the gap created when that Emei monk tried to break through the siege once more.

"The man I'm carrying on my shoulder said he was additionally dispatched from the main force about a month ago. So it seems he came around the time that monk was trying to escape."

"Yeah. That seems to be the case."

"Looking at the Emei monks now, I don't see anyone who looks that unhealthy. After you senior brothers arrived, have they been eating well?"

"To be honest, it's not quite eating well, but we're managing to meet the minimum amount of food somehow. Now that more people can move, they take turns being bait for each other, and several people can go down to the surrounding villages and come back up. So we're somehow procuring food."

"That's fortunate."

While we were talking, we arrived at the Emei Sect's prison cell, and I obtained a rope, bound the Four Evils Alliance warrior tightly, and threw him into the cell. The prison cell had so much dust accumulated that it seemed no one had been confined there for a long time, but that wasn't my concern.

"Then let's go meet the Sect Leader now."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Thus we arrived at the Sect Leader's quarters. There was an elderly nun there with a gentle smile. I had met the Abbot of Shaolin before, but she was a monk with a different atmosphere. The Shaolin Abbot carried a staff and seemed to embody the spirit of Dharma, guiding the suffering of this world toward enlightenment. But the Emei Sect Leader—how should I put it—seemed to have the compassionate eyes and heart of a Bodhisattva caring for the wounded of the world. She had a gentle and soft impression that didn't seem like the leader of a martial sect.

"Sect Leader. It's an honor to meet you for the first time. I am Unhwi of the Wudang Sect."

I respectfully performed a fist-and-palm salute and spoke to her.

"I've heard much about you. I am Yeong-hwa, the current Sect Leader of the Emei Sect."

Her cheeks were somewhat sunken, but fortunately, she didn't appear to be starving to the point of being unable to move immediately. At the same time, I felt a very leisurely smile. Strangely, I tend to be weak against this type of person. If the opponent came at me strongly, I could respond accordingly, but with people like this, I don't know how to act.

"Thanks to your senior brothers, our Emei Sect has received much help. We will never forget this kindness."

"The situation hasn't even been resolved yet, so it seems too early to speak of kindness. I think it would be better to quickly deal with those Four Evils Alliance bastards, restore the Emei Sect to normal, and then discuss this again."

"Hehe.... Senior Brother Un Jeong said you would say something like that, and you're saying it exactly as he predicted."

Sect Leader Yeong-hwa let out a laugh and continued, looking at Senior Brother Un Jeong.

"Among the senior brothers, you are the youngest, but I've heard you are the most dependable and the most capable. There were many stories filled with the belief that if you could just hold out until Unhwi Dojang arrived, you would somehow save us. That's how we were able to wait."

I glanced at Senior Brother Un Jeong. He seemed a bit embarrassed that he had said such things to the Sect Leader, so he looked away slightly.

"I'm not such a great person, but it seems my senior brother has raised expectations too high."

"Those expectations weren't raised by Senior Brother Un Jeong's words, but by his actions. Senior Brother Un Jeong is such an excellent person, and since such an excellent person says I'm a great person, expectations naturally arise."

The Sect Leader spoke with a gentle smile. I felt both pride and joy, but now it was time to share some not-so-good news.

"However, Sect Leader. I learned something on the way up that I think I need to tell you—some rather unfortunate news."

"Could there be a situation worse than now?"

"Well, I'm not sure what my senior brother told you, but I think you must have been waiting for reinforcements from the Martial Alliance."

"That's right. I was expecting support to arrive from the Martial Alliance soon."

"Unfortunately, it may be difficult for those reinforcements to reach here."

I told the Sect Leader what I had heard from the man I had locked in the prison cell just moments ago. The faint smile that had been on her face throughout hardened very slightly, but soon she returned to her original expression and spoke.

"Hmm.... I see."

"However, it's too early to despair. I also saw other possibilities while coming up here."

"Other possibilities?"

"Yes. Rather than waiting for help from elsewhere... wouldn't you and the Emei monks save the Emei Sect yourselves?"

"......."

The Sect Leader's face hardened for the first time. She wore a complex expression full of thought, bit her lip slightly, and spoke to me.

"How embarrassing."

"Pardon?"

"It's such an obvious thing to say, yet... our sect should save ourselves. We are also proud members of the Nine Great Sects and martial artists, yet we had forgotten that. We should have stepped forward ourselves rather than waiting for outside help...."

She spoke with self-deprecation. I hadn't expected the Sect Leader to respond this way, so I was slightly flustered and spoke to her.

"There's no need to think that way. Isn't it natural to have such thoughts when driven into such a situation?"

"No. I'm talking about the situation before this. If we had fought the Four Evils Alliance with all our strength before trapping ourselves here.... we wouldn't have been this helpless."

"But didn't that decision protect everyone's lives?"

"Ah...."

"Thanks to the Sect Leader's decision, I understand that the Emei Sect has suffered no casualties. I think that alone is a tremendous achievement."

She let out a self-deprecating laugh. It wasn't a laugh of relief at my words, but rather a laugh of self-reproach.

"That's a result-oriented statement. If the Taoists hadn't helped us, we would have either starved to death or surrendered to them. One or the other."

In fact, the Sect Leader was right. From my memory, the Emei Sect in my past life ultimately surrendered to the Four Evils Alliance because they couldn't let everyone starve to death. But now it's different. I've come, and my senior brothers have come here. And unlike then, the atmosphere throughout Sichuan is stirring overall. This means that in this life, the Sect Leader's choice was correct.

"I don't think so. After all, isn't it because the Sect Leader made such a choice that this opportunity comes?"

"Unhwi Dojang...."

"And an opportunity is an opportunity once you seize it. From now on, let's all work together to save the Emei Sect and prove that the Sect Leader's choice was right."

She finally nodded her head firmly. It seemed she now had the will to do something.

"Very well. Do you perhaps have any strategy or method in mind?"

"Yes. As I came up, I roughly observed the surrounding terrain and the level of the enemies. If the Emei Sect cooperates, I've come up with a strategy that seems quite feasible."

"Cooperation? But this is our matter, so of course we should take the lead. I haven't heard what the strategy is yet, but our warriors will take the initiative."

"Good. Actually, there's not much of a strategy to speak of. Sect Leader, please just gather about twenty of the strongest warriors currently in the Emei Sect. And...."

I began to explain the strategy I had conceived to her. The more she heard, the more her expression became enigmatic. It was probably because the strategy I mentioned didn't make common sense.

"Unhwi Dojang. Really... can we really do that?"

"Of course. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And we must meet baseness with baseness."

I looked at her and smiled slightly. Seeing my expression, her brow narrowed very slightly, and I thought my expression must have seemed a bit chilling to her.

* * *

Before executing the strategy, I headed to the prison cell. There were several things I needed to ask the man I had locked up. A considerable amount of time had passed, but the man still hadn't regained consciousness. It seemed I had pressed his acupoint harder than intended. I sent energy to wake him up.

"Mmm...."

Soon after regaining consciousness, the man slowly opened his eyes and looked around, then looked down at his body, which was bound tightly.

"Ah!"

With a small exclamation, he seemed to realize where he was. Looking at me, he adjusted his posture to sit properly.

"G-Great Hero. You really spared me. Thank you!"

"Don't you see your situation? I haven't spared you yet. You could say I'm still in the stage of deciding whether to spare you or not."

"Ah! I understand my situation well. I'll do anything. I'll tell you anything."

I let out a small laugh watching the man speak so desperately. I wondered why unorthodox sect warriors all showed such similar reactions.

"Well. I'm curious about several things, but first I need to confirm if you know this. It's the most important thing to me right now."

"What is it? I hope it's something I know!"

"I hope so too. You Four Evils Alliance bastards—the ones surrounding this Emei Mountain—they have to eat too, right?"

"That's right. Of course they have to eat, don't they?"

"How do they eat, and how do they receive their rations? Is there a place where they gather to eat? And how are you supplied with food?"

"Th-that's...."

"You don't know? Then there's nothing I can do."

As I started to get up, the man cried out urgently.

"Ah, no! I know! I can answer everything! It's just that so many questions came at once that I didn't know what to say first! Let me tell you one by one, step by step. Please just listen to me for a moment...!"

"What? Was that it?"

I smiled wickedly and sat back down in front of him.

"Alright. Speak slowly. You need to remember as much detail as possible. If anything is wrong, I'll have a hard time sparing you."

"Yes, Great Hero!"

The man began to slowly recite the information I wanted. As I listened to his story, I began to conceive of a strategy to execute with the Emei warriors.

'If food is scarce? Then we procure it from nearby. And you bastards should experience hunger too. Even missing one meal causes suffering—that's what it means to be human.'

I couldn't forgive those who had dared to torment people with something as basic as food. I intended to teach the Four Evils Alliance warriors besieging this place what hunger meant, just as they had done to the Emei monks.

(End of Chapter)