novelraw Chapter 59 : Chapter 59
Chapter 59 : Chapter 59
Chapter 59 Wudang is Taiji (6)
— Clang!
Nam-jin drew his sword.
Checking Nam-jin drawing his sword from behind, the young Taoists also drew their swords and stepped forward.
“Senior Brother! Junior Brothers!”
Dam-hyeon and Dam-hu tried to stop the people around them in surprise, but Nam-jin was already in a state where he couldn't hear anything.
Nam-jin’s sword was aimed at Ban Cheol-hwi.
“The sin of insulting Wudang. Even if you are someone who doesn't know martial arts, I cannot just let it pass. I will hold you accountable according to Wudang’s laws. If you do not obediently follow my guidance, you will see blood here.”
Jaun let out a small sigh and rose from his seat.
Subsequently, Jaun walked in front of Nam-jin’s sword, which was emitting a sharp aura.
“Put down your sword.”
“Move. Protecting someone who insulted Wudang is the same as committing the same sin.”
“You were the one who started it first. Didn't you insult the Murim Alliance first in the first place?”
Nam-jin looked at Jaun and laughed vainly.
“My humiliation today is beyond words. How dare a child talk back in front of a first-generation disciple of the Great Wudang right now! Right and wrong will be determined at Wudang, so step aside immediately. Otherwise, I will cut you down first.”
At Nam-jin’s words, Baek-myo, who was standing next to him, sighed deeply, scratched her head, and walked forward.
“Anyway, I can’t see a peaceful day lasting more than one day in my life.”
Nam-jin, who was glaring at Jaun, turned his head toward where Baek-myo’s voice came from, but Baek-myo’s figure had already disappeared from that spot.
— Thud!
In an instant, Nam-jin’s head shook violently.
Nam-jin, who hadn't paid attention to Baek-myo at all, didn't even notice her moving.
— Collapse
As Nam-jin, who was hit properly on the back of his neck by Baek-myo, collapsed forward, Hyeon-dam, who was watching the scene, sighed from the side and got up from his seat.
“Haha. We’re screwed. Let’s bolt, guys.”
***
The group, hurriedly packing their bags and leaving Wudang’s mountain gate, soon began to run.
Baek-myo, running with Ban Cheol-hwi tucked under one arm, poked Ban Cheol-hwi’s side.
“It hurt a lot when you got hit earlier, right?”
“Cough. Rather than that, my waist held by Young Lady hurts more. Can’t we change the position a little?”
Ban Cheol-hwi, being carried by Baek-myo, spoke with difficulty while dangling his limbs.
Baek-myo, slapping Ban Cheol-hwi’s back once, answered.
“Just endure a little. Once we get down to the middle, I’ll carry you on my back. By the way, for a guy who doesn't even know how to use a sword, you are recklessly reckless. Your neck is still attached because it was Wudang; if this were another sect, you would have already crossed the Sanzu River.”
“It is my nature not to endure injustice. If I get stabbed, I get stabbed, and if I die, I die.”
“Kiki. Anyway, you’re an oddball. You’re doomed to live long.”
Hyeon-dam, running fast down the mountain, glanced back at Jaun.
“Youngest. What do we do now?”
“It’s okay. Since Wudang doesn't look kindly on us anyway, it seems more comfortable to work by ourselves rather than working with them.”
“Really? Will it be okay?”
“I don’t know how much that Taoist named Nam-jin will talk about what just happened, but judging by his nature, there is a high possibility he won't even report properly out of shame. Since it has come to this, let’s move on our own while watching how Wudang responds.”
The group, running down the mountain path for a long time, stopped at a small clearing by the main road at Jaun’s gesture.
Jaun, discovering a small shrine a little below the clearing where they stopped, concentrated and felt the surrounding energy.
“It doesn't seem like Wudang is chasing us.”
“Yeah. I thought they would follow immediately and catch us, but I guess not. Are they satisfied with just chasing us out?”
At Hyeon-dam’s words, Jaun shrugged his shoulders once and expanded his energy to look around.
Jaun’s eyes, which had been concentrating for a long time, shone in an instant.
‘Found it.’
It was a very small trace.
A faint demonic energy, which he wouldn't have felt without the Sword Immortal’s words, was felt from the right side of the shrine.
“That might be better. Rather than Wudang following and interfering with everything. Now, let’s start the investigation. I think we can start searching from here.”
“Investigation? From here? Is there something here?”
At Baek-myo’s question, Jaun nodded.
“Probably. Let’s go.”
***
Leaving the main road, the group carefully walked into the small forest path on the right side of the shrine.
The old forest path connected from the main road continued straight inside.
It seemed not to be used often, as weeds were quite lush.
Around the time the group had walked for about half a shichen (hour), stepping on weeds that occasionally caught their feet, an old inn revealed itself in the distance.
“Uh? This is Manghyang Inn?”
At Hyeon-dam’s words, Jaun turned his head.
“This is the place. A very long time ago, I came here with my master when we had business to stop by Wudang and stayed for a day. Since Mt. Wudang isn't an easy mountain to climb, it was a place crowded with pilgrims resting in the middle…….”
Like Hyeon-dam said, it was an inn of a size one would see in a big city, but no matter how much they looked, they couldn't find any trace of people.
“Seems almost out of business.”
Baek-myo agreed with Hyeon-dam, who was carefully examining the inn that had gotten a little closer.
“Yeah. Can’t see any people either. Whew. Look at the dust around there. It doesn't seem like they closed down completely, they should have at least cleaned well.”
“Hmm. Let’s try going in for now. No need to arouse the innkeeper’s vigilance unnecessarily. The innkeeper might be related to this matter. Please act as if you two also barely know martial arts. From now on, we are pilgrims going up to Wudang.”
“Kyaa. Good! I wanted to try roleplaying like this. How should we do it? Ah! Shall we go with the setting that the four of us are escorts working at one escort agency? I’ll be the highest person!”
“No, the Youngest just said let’s act like we don’t know martial arts, but if you pick escort, what are we supposed to do.”
“Well, escort level should be fine. Young Hero Ban will take the role of the manager and we will be the escorts.”
As Jaun nodded, the excited Baek-myo answered.
“Good. Then I’m the Head Escort.”
“Ah yes. Head Escort Baek. Do as you please.”
Hyeon-dam, smirking as if she was incorrigible, bowed with clasped hands exaggeratedly towards Baek-myo.
“Let’s not relax our guard for now, go in, and examine the situation as much as possible. If I feel anything strange, I will signal immediately. I can feel demonic energy flowing from somewhere around here.”
At Jaun’s words, the group nodded.
“Then let’s go in.”
****
“Is anyone here.”
Hyeon-dam lowered his voice and shouted in front of the inn door.
Seeing cobwebs even on the inn’s signboard, it seemed either on the verge of going out of business or had just gone out of business.
As a creaking sound was heard from the inn building, Baek-myo shuddered and hugged her body with her two arms.
“Ugh…… I hate things like this the most. Feel like a ghost will come out.”
“Oho. How does Young Lady Baek-myo know there are ghosts?”
“Ack! What are you saying! Giving me goosebumps!”
“No, didn't you say it knowing?”
“Stop it. Since there are no such things as ghosts in the world……”
Ban Cheol-hwi shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn't understand Baek-myo’s reaction at all.
While the group was bickering for a while in front of the inn like that, the inn door opened with a creak.
“……Are you guests?”
The one who opened the door and came out was an old woman with a stooped back.
“Yes. By any chance, can we stay here for a few days?”
At Jaun’s answer, the old woman tilted her head.
“Well, it is possible but……. As you can see, the condition isn't that good. By the way, who are you folks to come looking for this place?”
“We are escorts! And I’m the Head Escort!”
Looking at Baek-myo, who stepped forward excitedly as if asking if she was the same person trembling at the ghost story just a moment ago, the old woman smiled benevolently.
“Chuckle. Right, how did the escorts know about this place?”
“A very long time ago, I stayed here with my master. Back then, there were so many people…….”
At Hyeon-dam’s words, the old woman nodded.
“There was such a time. Was it about fifteen years ago? Back then, I was also quite a popular widow.”
The old woman, reminiscing about the past, smirked and gestured for the group to follow her in.
“Come in. I guess I’ll light the kitchen fire after a long time.”
The group, looking back at each other for a moment, carefully entered the inn following the old woman.
— Creeeaak
— Creeeaak
Sounds of wood warping were heard intermittently from here and there.
“Ah, seriously.”
Baek-myo, looking around with uncomfortable eyes, whispered quietly towards Jaun.
“Youngest. We aren't staying here long, right? We are just going to look for a moment and leave, right?”
“I think I’ll know after investigating a bit. We had no place to rest after leaving Wudang anyway, isn't it good that we can stay here?”
“Honestly, it would be better than sleeping outdoors but……. The atmosphere is too gloomy.”
Baek-myo looked around once again.
“Hehe. You don’t like it much, do you? But what can be done. It is a place just waiting for the day to close down.”
At the old woman’s words, Hyeon-dam tilted his head and asked.
“It might be rude but…… as I said earlier, when I came before, it was full of people. But how did it happen…….”
“With Demonic Cult bastards plus Sado Alliance bastards running wild here and there, how can pilgrims come to this far place. The only pilgrims going up to Wudang now are people living in that village below. So naturally, inn guests are bound to decrease.”
The old woman, looking around the inside of the inn with a bitter expression, turned back.
“Right. Are you just going to eat? Or are you really going to stay?”
“We will take rooms. It seems we have to stay here for today.”
“Oh my. Big customers. Is two rooms enough? Please wait a little at the table here. I will go look around the rooms.”
The old woman wiped the table a few times with her sleeve and began to walk up the stairs to the second floor with difficulty.
“……Is it true there is something here?”
At Baek-myo’s whisper, Jaun tilted his head.
“I felt demonic energy faintly but……. I definitely think we came close, but I still feel like something is far away.”
“If you feel so, it might be the influence of a formation. Since formations hiding energy are common.”
At Ban Cheol-hwi’s words, Hyeon-dam tilted his head.
“But are formations really that common? I feel like I haven't seen many even at this age?”
At Hyeon-dam’s words, Ban Cheol-hwi let out a regretful sigh.
“I heard that in the past, scholar-daoists occupied about half of the total personnel in Taoist sects. However, as mechanisms developed and took the place of formations, the scholars studying formations also gradually decreased.”
Ban Cheol-hwi lifted the teacup on the table and moistened his throat.
“It is the same for magicians studying magic arts. If a magic art obtained after ten years of research is broken by martial arts learned for two or three years, would you have the heart to study? As they are forgotten one by one like that, it eventually became like this.”
Ban Cheol-hwi tapped his chest with a frustrated expression.
“Even this Wudang is like that. Behind the gateway written ‘Divine Dragon Explores the Sea’, a grand formation passed down for hundreds of years remains intact, but seeing that Wudang’s disciples know nothing, it is just frustrating.”
Having said that, Ban Cheol-hwi tapped his chest.
“I was thinking of telling them about the grand formation when the time came, but seeing their despicable behavior, I shouldn't.”
“What does that mean?”
At Baek-myo’s words, Ban Cheol-hwi continued.
“I saw it while climbing the mountain, but from the moment one crosses the Divine Dragon gateway to the place where Wudang’s pavilions are, a massive formation remains.”
Ban Cheol-hwi moistened his throat with tea and continued.
“Although it is not managed at all right now, if one tends to it just a little, even if not to the level of the past, it seemed one could see some effect.”
“A formation? What kind of formation is there?”
“Illusion Formation. In the past when the formation was working properly, pilgrims crossing the gateway would have felt as if a massive dragon was looking down at them from within the clouds.”
“Really?”
“That is so. Pilgrims feeling such a massive existence would have climbed the mountain spending time in repentance with bowed heads, and when the formation’s energy changed near the Sword Dissolving Pond, they would have conversely felt warm and gentle energy.”
At Ban Cheol-hwi’s words, the three looked at each other with surprised eyes.
“Pilgrims who felt clear energy with all pressure disappearing like that would have paid their respects to the Celestial Worthy at the Sword Dissolving Pond, praising Wudang’s spiritual efficacy. But seeing that the current Wudang doesn't even know such a formation exists……. Tsk tsk.”
“So such a secret was hidden in the Divine Dragon Explores the Sea signboard and the Sword Dissolving Pond.”
Hyeon-dam looked out the inn window as if fascinated.
Jaun fell into deep thought after hearing Ban Cheol-hwi’s words.
“Then could such formations remain in this vicinity?”
“Of course. Wudang was originally a sect where martial arts and formations developed vigorously. Although forgotten now, there is a high possibility that traces related to formations remain all over Mt. Wudang. If there is someone with knowledge about formations, I believe they can sufficiently use that energy by restoring the formations created by sages.”
Jaun nodded hearing Ban Cheol-hwi’s words.
“Then can you notice where such formations are, Young Hero Ban?”
“I won’t know exactly where they are, but if a formation is operating, I should be able to find it through investigation and even break it.”
Ban Cheol-hwi tapped his head and grinned at the group.