Chapter: 571
I got up and headed towards the main gate of the Wudang.
As I approached, several people greeted me.
“Ah, old Sohyeop!”
Yeongpung and Gu Ryeong-hwa were there, and Geomhu stood holding a bag.
“I guess you arrived early.”
“Yes.”
Just after Woo Bong-chui said that the interrogation was over.
It was said that Geomhu and the Wudang Sword Master finished their discussions separately and wrapped up their work.
After that, the Wudang Sword Master had to take action to handle the incident at Wudang.
Thus, guests couldn’t remain in this situation and had to quickly leave Wudang.
I shifted my gaze.
Geomhu was talking to the Wudang masters from a distance.
I felt something.
‘Are those authors also elders?’
It seemed they were elders who had come to replace the Wudang Sword Master.
I etched their faces into my memory.
They seemed like people I would have to meet someday.
At that moment.
“Brother.”
The owl next to me spoke up.
“Hmm?”
“… Are we okay?”
It was amusing how she spoke with such anxiety. She wanted to look confident, but she was still young.
Feeling that way, I ruffled Gu Ryeong-hwa’s hair randomly.
“Why are you nervous? Just act as usual.”
“…”
Under normal circumstances, she would have reacted with a thud!
I guess she was quite surprised, as she simply stood still.
“The Wudang said it was fine. Your teacher probably said it was okay too.”
“… Huh.”
“Then, there should be no problem.”
It absolutely had to be that way.
If there’s any issue, I’ll burn that very problem to ashes.
I can’t stand seeing this ugly girl cry.
“… So, where are you going now, oppa?”
“Me?”
I pondered quietly at her question.
Is it okay to leave like this? And where should I go if I leave?
‘With this schedule…’
Initially, I should have briefly gone back to Sega.
But now that I was this far, there was only one route.
“Shouldn’t we go to Hanam?”
“Hanam?”
Gu Ryeong-hwa’s eyes opened wide in surprise at my words.
Then she said,
“Old Sohyeop, does that mean…?”
Yeongpung, hearing that, stepped closer with sparkling eyes.
“Are you thinking of participating in the martial arts competition?”
The Shinryong Martial Arts Festival, which is held during summer!
It was a question whether I was intending to step into that competition. I answered with a smile.
“Yeah, well. It looked amusing.”
“Oh!”
Yeongpung’s expression lit up as though he was excited by my answer.
“Then, I guess I’ll see you in Hanam later.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head at that statement.
“Are you going to the dojo as well?”
“Yes. I have already received permission from the Chief Secretary.”
In that case, I wondered if she was going to Hanam alongside me.
“However, for this, I think I need to go to Shaanxi first.”
“Oh.”
In Yeongpung’s arms was a precious item.
The Geumjeong, known as the beloved weapon of the Mount Hua Sword, was cradled in Yeongpung’s embrace.
It appears they brought it back after discussions with Wudang.
‘Hmm.’
After briefly observing it, I looked back at Yeongpung.
“Then I guess I’ll be able to see you later.”
There were many thoughts in my head, but I tried not to voice them.
Could it be my imagination?
A slight warmth flitted through my left arm.
But I tried to ignore it as well.
All I did was put more strength into the hand that was styling Gu Ryeong-hwa’s hair.
“You too. Let’s meet again.”
“Already…?”
As I said that goodbye, Gu Ryeong-hwa looked startled.
Hearing that, I said humorously,
“Should I chase you all the way to Shaanxi?”
“But, but… It’s only been a few days…”
“Then, are you following me?”
“…”
“Or just behave and follow your master.”
As soon as I said that, Gu Ryeong-hwa grabbed my collar.
I looked at her curiously.
“… Then this time… please accept this letter.”
“Ah…”
With tearful eyes, Gu Ryeong-hwa said this, and I awkwardly nodded.
“I’ll give it a shot.”
I probably wouldn’t, but I had to give a solid answer.
As I comforted Gu Ryeong-hwa like that, Geomhu approached.
“Let’s go now.”
His expression didn’t look great.
‘That makes sense.’
It was natural for him to be displeased since he didn’t have a good experience to share and the treatment was far from exceptional.
I glanced over at the people who came along with Geomhu.
They were Wudang masters.
Observing the situation, I realized why they were there.
‘Is that an escort unit?’
You might wonder why any escort was necessary since Geomhu was accompanying us.
Given that he was carrying the returned noble item, it was appropriate for Wudang to provide direct escort up to a certain distance.
He intended to send a few of his disciples along with us.
They probably wouldn’t go all the way, returning halfway, but that alone needed justification.
No matter what occurred, Wudang had done their utmost to return the precious item.
That’s the facade for it.
What this means is.
‘It’s obvious this is just for show.’
That might also be a reason for Geomhu’s displeasure.
Pondering that, I stepped closer to Geomhu and said,
“Well then, I’ll be on my way first.”
As I casually mentioned leaving, Geomhu looked at me and said.
“Are you really going already?”
“Yes, I’m a bit busy.”
“I won’t leave right away… how about we have a meal together before parting?”
Geomhu kindly offered.
However, I had to decline with a smile.
“Actually, Ryeong-hwa…”
“I’m sorry. I’m pressed for time, so let’s eat together next time.”
It didn’t have any special meaning.
I was genuinely swamped.
Time was incredibly tight for me.
If I spoke a bit firmly, perhaps that’s why? I saw Geomhu smile faintly.
“Okay… then I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
Though he showed signs of disappointment, he seemed willing to understand considering, after all, I’m busy.
Gu Ryeong-hwa still clung to my collar as if she wouldn’t let go.
“I’ll come visit you next time.”
I gently freed her hand.
I turned my back right after.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there were no calls for me.
Unless, perhaps I was deliberately trying to block it out.
I tried to walk lightly to forget it, but my feet felt unusually heavy.
After leaving Wudang and some time passed.
I was wandering through a certain cave.
Light trickled in shallowly through the collapsed ceiling.
It was moonlight.
Splash.
I continued walking, stepping on the water that had pooled on the floor.
Perhaps due to the humidity, the walls were covered in moss. When I touched the wall with my fingertips, I could fully feel the moisture.
I had to click my tongue briefly, feeling uncomfortable.
“Tsk, why did they have to select a place like this?”
Distance-wise, it could be said to be somewhere between Hubei and Hanam.
Not far from Wudang.
I had instructed to pick a place with minimal human presence, but it seemed they truly selected somewhere devoid of any.
Splash.
Ignoring the annoying noise, I pressed on.
It was a cave that had existed for I don’t even know how long.
Such locations are plentiful, so it wasn’t remarkable.
Every time I entered and exited a cave like this, needless memories would resurface.
On a day when rain poured incessantly.
The memory of carrying a bleeding woman on my back while running until my legs felt torn apart.
When I think back on that, I can’t help but smile.
Having traversed through such memories, should I say I felt refreshed?
I pondered it and chuckled lightly.
‘It looks way too peaceful to describe it that way.’
At the very least, I was fully aware that those weren’t the words to use in such a situation.
“Excuse me.”
A voice came from behind.
When I turned my head, the first thing I saw was Seongyul standing there with his characteristically pale face.
He hadn’t uttered a word while moving, but now, finally, he spoke up.
“Why are you here?”
“Here… what brings you here?”
Hearing that, I let out a slight chuckle.
This guy must have found it quite strange.
“I’m looking to meet someone.”
“… You mean here?”
Seongyul made a strange face at my answer.
That was only natural. It was evidently not a suitable place to meet someone.
“Indeed.”
I didn’t want to meet anyone in a place like this either.
However, there was no alternative.
“They said everyone is gathered here.”
People had already convened by that point.
Bringing up the conversation, I continued to move forward.
I slightly clenched my fist.
Whoosh—!
My spirit moved, swung its body once, and returned.
This was just to verify my state.
‘Tsk.’
Of course, my condition was not good.
Even though a day had passed, my body wouldn’t be fully healed. However, I still needed to check.
Because it was essential to calculate the time.
‘At most, two months.’
The letter held tightly in my arms.
To divert the position and attention of the Wudang Sword Master from the blind side.
Additionally, the new Dragon Corps would be established during the upcoming Shinryong Martial Arts Festival.
That meant only two months were left until it happened, at best.
If it comes to that.F
‘A month isn’t sufficient.’
If my body was predicted to take three months to recover fully.
Then, saying a month wasn’t enough was correct.
‘… In two months, I might recover to a certain extent.’
That wasn’t enough.
This was the most critical turning point, and truly could be seen as the “beginning” of the plan.
I had to establish the best possible situation.
‘Tsk.’
I wish I had managed things a bit better from the start.
‘This entire situation spiraled out of control because of getting involved with Wudang.’
Originally, the plan to find Wudang was not for now.
If everything unfolded as planned, it would have been this winter.
‘It got entangled with Shin Noya’s matters. I was attempting to proceed concurrently, but it unravelled a bit.’
Had Youngpung, whom I suddenly encountered, not revealed that he was the successor to the Hwasan Sword, I would not have hurriedly diverted my path to Wudang.
Then I wouldn’t have dealt with the backlash.
‘There’s no helping it.’
This was something that needed addressing, no matter what.
So, I awkwardly moved forward with plans even if they were a bit strained.
Fortunately, there was something to collect.
‘First, the spirit that Youngpung has and the nobles held by Wudang are genuine.’
I don’t know what transpired in the past for those spirits to be kept there.
But the items they possessed were real.
This implies.
‘What about this one?’
What on earth is this thing tied to my left arm?
If the spirits are genuine, then this item must be fake.
There’s no way Shin Noya wouldn’t have recognized this item was false.
In other words.
‘What if there were initially two?’
The possibility existed that there had been two Guijeongs from the start.
Given the fact that Shin Noya never mentioned there was just one,
it was very plausible.
But.
‘Something feels odd.’
There are too many strange aspects.
‘Yeongpung claimed he had heard a voice.’
Yeongpung clearly stated he had heard the remnants of the thoughts left by Shin Noya.
‘So Shin Noya left behind a thought.’
In the past.
The gentleman’s thoughts were contained within my being.
Moreover, Shin Noya was unaware of why his thoughts had fallen asleep.
In that scenario, did he leave a thought warning of danger?
‘That doesn’t align.’
There’s undoubtedly something tangled here.
The existence of two noble spirits. The thought that Yeongpung saw.
Even the presence of the energy currently harboring in Youngpung.
It was clear that something was out of place.
‘I should have investigated more back then.’
Should I have detained Youngpung a bit longer and confirmed it rather than sending him back to Hwasan?
But there was a reason for having dispatched him, fully aware of this.
‘After all, I would see him again in Hanam.’
Furthermore, Youngpung’s reactions had raised my eyebrows.
When the noble spirit that the Wudang managed charged towards me, the reaction that Yeongpung had towards it.
‘The faint energy contained within it.’
The vague sensation that felt distinctly familiar from Yeongpung.
It felt remarkably recognizable yet strangely unpleasant.
Normally, I would have kept it close and examined it.
‘Now, it feels too uncomfortable to stay near.’
Somewhere deep down, my instincts warned me.
It felt telling me that I shouldn’t be next to Youngpung right now.
Since I’ll be participating in the martial arts competition anyway, I would likely see him in Hanam soon.
Making such a decision was not too far-fetched given my tight schedule.
‘In any case… If only Shin Noya had been around, this could have been resolved easily.’
That irritable old man would have made things much easier.
It’s merely disappointing that such is not the case.
‘Whom to blame?’
There’s no comprehensive response to that question.
The reason the old man inside my stomach, who had been a nuisance for so long, vanished was simply because of me.
Yes, there is no Noya.
Shin Noya is currently.
‘There, in another world.’
That remaining thought from Shin Noya likely means he is now in an entirely different realm.
That’s the oath.
Suddenly.
As I took time to collect my thoughts and walked, I found myself abruptly stopped by a wall.
It seemed I needed to divert my path, but I didn’t.
I extended my hand toward the wall without wavering.
Then.
Woooosh—!
It was as if my hand slipped through the wall as if it was a trick.
This means that wall itself was an illusion from the start.
I had to force back a chuckle upon witnessing that.
“They truly have done an exhaustive job.”
It was an illusion formation.
Though only a few days had passed since arrival, they had set this level of formation at the entrance.
Honestly, that wasn’t necessary.
Still, they never listen to me.
I promptly moved forward.
Zoom—!
My body slipped through the wall.
Inside the conditions weren’t that different from outside.
If there was one noticeable distinction.
It was that it was eerily silent.
The sound of the wind.
Even the sound of drops falling from the walls.
There wasn’t a single sound echoing around in the cool tranquility.
I shifted my gaze.
The shattered ceiling and the moonlight spilling through the cracks were striking.
The moss from the entrance was more spread out, and
rock formations protruding here and there lined the area.
And on top of them.
I felt a duality of gazes fixated on me.
Three pairs had ordinary pupils.
The remaining pairs were all colored purple, sparkling radiantly.
Seeing that, I opened my mouth.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to bother with greetings.”
Let’s skip the meaningless chatter.
“Let’s dive straight into the main topic.”
At that statement, the cave shook.
It felt like life surged, but also like a fierce aura.
The swirling energy converged in the air.
“In three months, we…”
Speaking while observing them, my tone was indifferent, yet laced with irritation.
The words that flowed like that,
“We will raid Hanam.”
This was definitely not a trivial statement.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.