Chapter 14
The group moved guided by Myungjin, who was guarding the inspection ground.
“This is unexpected,” Lee Ryang approached and whispered softly.
“What is it?”
“I thought he’d cause a scene by not laying down his swords.”
A few people nodded in agreement.
It was true that everyone was tense when Eunho jumped out of the carriage.
Eunho chuckled at Lee Ryang’s question.
What else am I supposed to say?
“Perhaps they thought we’d make a fuss. But consider this, if someone confidently confronts the Wudang sect, do you think the presence or absence of a sword matters?”
“Oh.”
It made sense when he heard it.
However, Myungjin, who had been pretending not to listen, scowled.
“Please watch your words. Unsheathing blades at the inspection ground does not carry such meaning. It is a solemn ritual to pay respects to the founder of Taichi.”
Eunho just shrugged.
Or maybe not. Whatever.
Anyway, these days, young people lack respect for their elders.
Of course, to them, Eunho was just a young man.
***
The group wandered around the place, marveling at everything.
It was no match for the Cheonhajang, but the size of the Sect was still considerable.
Young Taoists were busy moving about.
Some were managing the sanctuary, while others were practicing, and their spirit could not be compared to that of other sects.
It was no wonder they were called one of the two pillars of orthodoxy along with the pillar of strength, the Shaolin.
Even the cleaners’ every move was not light, making them look like Taoists in their own right.
A middle-aged man with a long beard greeted them when they arrived at a large open space.
“Master, these are the people from Cheonhajang,”
As Myungjin introduced the group, he put his hand on Myungjin’s shoulder and smiled kindly at them.
“I am Qing, the chief disciple in charge of Woojin Palace. Have you had any difficulty in reaching here?”
Jang Byodo’s body froze.
Taechung Jinin!
He was a well-known martial arts master even in the secular world, and above all, he was a respected elder of the Murim Alliance and a leading figure in the orthodox Murim.
“Yes…”
The fact that such a figure was personally welcoming a mere messenger further solidified the reality that this was the Wudang Sect.
“Ah, this is our Cheonhajang’s Young Leader.”
Quickly regaining his composure, Jang Byodo introduced Eunho, who was still standing awkwardly.
“Amitabha, I have heard that the Young Leader himself is coming. I am truly grateful to Cheonhajang for taking such care of this inspection tour. Speaking of which, is Master Ha-jin well? I met him a few times a long time ago…”
Taecheung greeted Eunho with a kind smile, and Myungjin, who was standing next to him, narrowed his eyes.
Why would you be so arrogant? Just because you’re the Young Leader of Cheonhajang.
He hated those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths.
It was even more distasteful for Myungjin, who had risen to his current position through his own talent and hard work, having been born into an ordinary family.
Either way, Eunho’s expression was sullen.
He didn’t like talkative people, and he certainly didn’t like Taoists, but here he was stuck with a talkative old Taoist and an arrogant young Taoist who kept staring at him.
“At that time, Master Ha-jin…”
It was hard to listen any longer.
“I’d like to take a rest first.”
In the end, a gruff voice erupted from Myungjin, who had been staring at him disapprovingly.
“How dare you!”
He hadn’t liked him from the start, but how dare this upstart interrupt Master Taechung, whom he respected! As the proud chief disciple of the Wudang Sect, he couldn’t bear it.
Myungjin glared at Eunho.
It looked like he wanted to blow his top right away.
If it hadn’t been for Taechung’s scolding, he might have even drawn his sword in the name of the Wudang Sect.
“Oh my, what rudeness to our guest!”
“But Master…”
He was angry, but he couldn’t argue with his master’s words.
Myungjin tried to calm himself down and turned his attention back to Eunho.
As soon as a chilly air descended, Lee Ryang, who was watching from the side, instinctively realized that it was his turn to step up.
Easing the stiff atmosphere was Lee Ryang’s specialty!
“Hey, Young Leader, why don’t you stop mocking him? It’s not appropriate to mock someone who was just scolded by their Master. I don’t know much, but I heard that martial artists value chivalry. It looks like you’re making enemies on purpose.”
“Mocking?”
Myungjin, who was trying hard to turn his head, fixed his gaze on Eunho at the word ‘mocking’.
“…!”
He was indeed mocking him.
It was plainly obvious to anyone that he was picking on him.
In fact, he was doing it well.
It didn’t seem like it was just a fluke.
Lee Ryang’s remark, intended to improve the situation, had only added fuel to the fire in Myungjin’s heart.
Myungjin’s eyes began to flicker with qi.
What’s with this endless provocation?
Eunho and Myungjin’s eyes clashed intensely in mid-air.
“Ahem, Young Leader, that’s enough. I’ll calm Myungjin down.”
In the end, Taechung, who couldn’t bear it any longer, stepped in to mediate between the two.
“You must have been tired from your long journey. I apologize for talking so much out of the joy of meeting you. We have prepared meals and accommodations for you, so please rest comfortably.”
“Thank you.”
Jang Byodo, who was reading the mood, quickly bowed his head in gratitude and dragged Eunho away.
As Taechung Jinin had instructed, the group had a meal and then went to their assigned accommodations.
***
“These guys are really eating like barbarians.”
It was the worst meal of Eunho’s ‘life’.
The assigned accommodation was not fancy, but it had a sense of moderation that was not rustic.
It was an excellent accommodation for guests, but Eunho found it uncomfortable beyond measure.
The qi of Wudang Sect felt even stronger the deeper they went into the sect.
As the night deepened, everyone went to bed.
Eunho, who had been tossing and turning, finally sat up abruptly.
“I can’t take it anymore!”
Rather than trying to sleep in this eerie and unsettling atmosphere, it would be better to just stay up all night.
Eunho immediately set out to find Lee Ryang.
He was a bit of a fun guy to have around.
However, he couldn’t sense Lee Ryang’s qi where he was supposed to be.
“Did he run away?”
There was a flicker of anticipation in Eunho’s eyes.
He had been bored, and if Lee Ryang had actually run away, he would go chase him down!
However, contrary to his expectations, when he slowly expanded his perception, he could senseee Ryang’s qi within the Wudang Sect.
Eunho immediately mobilized his abilities.
***
An old Taoist priest with white hair but a young face that defied belief, and a slender young man with bright eyes.
The two were walking side by side through the darkened Wudang Sect.
“So, is your master still in good health?”
In response to the old Taoist priest’s question, the young man smiled broadly.
“He is as healthy as ever.”
“Heh heh, it seems he doesn’t age either. You must be having a hard time taking on all that mischief. Anyway, what brings you here?”
“It was purely out of curiosity that I met a man of interest and ended up coming here.”
Lee Ryang thought of Eunho.
He was a character that became more interesting the more he got to know him.
“Are you talking about me?”
As a figure suddenly dropped from the sky, the startled Lee Ryang let out a scream.
“Eek!”
“You sure seem to make strange noises.”
Lee Ryang, who had confirmed the identity of the person, patted his chest and said.
“You’re really good at scaring people.”
Either way, Eunho stared at the two with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“What were you two up to on this dark and stormy night?”
“Ahem, I was just being guided around the Wudang Sect because I couldn’t sleep.”
However, Eunho continued to stare at the two of them suspiciously.
“So you’re the famous Young Leader of Cheonhajang.”
Eunho’s eyes narrowed.
“Do you know me?”
“Khahahahat! I’m well aware of your exploits at Namgung Cheong’s funeral. You were quite the handful back then. Well done, indeed. With Pang’s personality, he wouldn’t just sit still, would he? But with the Young Leader’s eyes wide open, there shouldn’t be any big trouble.”
“You seem to know a lot.”
Eunho’s suspicion melted away in an instant.
“I am Jin-yang, the chief manager of this place. I’m a close friend of this friend’s master, so we were just catching up.”
Lee Ryang nodded in agreement.
“So your master…”
The conversation between the two resumed.
Before Eunho knew it, he was walking side by side with the two, chatting away as if they were old friends.
Jin-yang introduced him to all corners of the Wudang Sect, and Lee Ryang responded with sparkling eyes.
Eunho, however, maintained a nonchalant expression. But his lips curled up as he spotted something.
A stone statue of a figure carrying a huge broadsword on its left waist!
It was a face he knew very well.
“Yeo-dongbin.”
***
It was around the 830th year of cultivation for the Eunho of the previous life.
“Eunho-nim! Eunho-nim, wake up!”
Eunho, exhausted from the various trials of the immortals, lifted his heavy body.
Two familiar faces greeted him.
“What is it, Geumgak? Jangho too?”
Geumgak, who flinched at Eunho’s somewhat annoyed tone, immediately spoke up.
“Yeo-dongbin has a message for Eunho-nim.”
“Geumgak. I’ve been busy with all sorts of trials from these immortals for days and I just finally laid down. Do you really have to tell me now?”
“But….”
I know.
The Great Immortal sent it here, so what can a mere mortal do?
“Sigh, tell me what you need.”
After hesitating for a moment, Geumgak’s physical body contorted strangely and transformed into Yeodongbin’s appearance.
Yeodongbin, who had transformed into Geumgak, spoke with a feigned stern expression.
“This lazy, wicked, and all-evil source of all evil fox!”
Pow!
Eunho’s punch knocked Geumgak down.
“Ugh, Eunho-nim…!
“Oh, sorry, it’s because you look so much like him that I got angry. Just continue.”
“…Go to the Wudang Sect and deliver this book.”
The book Geumgak handed over was the secret manual of Jang Sambong, the master Eunho had killed.
It was a Wudang treasure containing the very essence of Taiji!
TL/N: Taiji is a concept that represents the state of the universe before the separation of Yin and Yang.
“Geumgak, you go and take care of it.”
When Eunho spoke in a sullen tone, Geumgak replied as if he had expected it.
“They won’t acknowledge it unless you go yourself.”
Eunho squeezed his eyes shut.
“Why do you use honorifics with that damn immortal, anyway?”
This Geumgak guy was the most mischievous and talented of all the demons Eunho knew.
Come to think of it, he was confident in his abilities and had a rather arrogant personality.
In fact, Eunho had to beat him up sincerely for decades to try to correct his behavior.
So, it was annoying to see him using honorifics with Yeodongbin.
It was not Geumgak but Jangho who answered Eunho’s question.
Jangho, a fox demon who was unusually sturdy for his kind, spoke with wide innocent eyes.
“Hehe, Eunho-nim, this Geumgak guy isn’t bad at one thing, is he? He can go anywhere in the world and hear anything, so the immortals seek him out all the time. They even gave him the nickname ‘Cheonli-an’ (Thousand Mile Eye)!”
“What are you laughing about?”
“I naturally smile a lot.”
“Ugh.”
And so, Eunho reluctantly took the book and delivered it to the Wudang Sect.
Of course, the Wudang Sect members were not going to welcome the eerie Eunho with open arms.
From the three major disciples of the elders of that time, chief managers, and even the highly skilled masters of the previous generation, all the immortals flocked to the temple to cause trouble.
Unfortunately, Eunho at that time was too monstrous and too rough.
The chief manager’s arm was broken, and the elders’ legs or fingers were broken.
Some of the three major disciples trembled with fear, wetting their pants, and saying that the supreme master was angry and had sent down heavenly punishment.
Even a few of the previous generation’s highly skilled masters who were about to ascend to the heavenly realm testified that they had briefly visited the heavenly realm.
Of course, the credibility of their testimonies was greatly reduced when the immortals they met in the heavenly realm consoled them with camaraderie, saying, “That bastard’s fist is always powerful. I know well….”
Even at that time, the Wudang Sect, which boasted the best of any sect, was shattered by a single demon.
However, there were some rewards.
The Wudang Sect members were overjoyed to learn that Eunho had come to deliver the book of Master Jang Sambong belatedly, and they treated him to elaborate meals, poems, and music.
Eunho, who was completely drunk on the alcohol they poured him, cursed Yeodongbin to the sky all the way back.
The relationship between Yeodongbin and Eunho was different from any other.
This was because he had once turned Yeodongbin, who came to him saying he would punish the source of all evil, into half a rag and sent him back.
That’s why it was also Yeodongbin who tormented Eunho the most as he cultivated his merits.
When Eunho recognized Yeodongbin, Jin-yang was delighted.
“Haha, that’s right. This is the shrine where Yeodongbin is enshrined. He is the greatest sword of heaven and the one who eradicates all evil in heaven and earth.”
“He’s also a stubborn person once he makes up his mind.”
The corners of Eunho’s mouth twisted in a strange way, and there was a moment when Lee Ryang and Jin-yang’s eyes widened.
