Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Whole Story
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A little while back in time.
The utterly bizarre drinking party that unfolded at the summit of Mount Wudang wasn't lewd, disgraceful, embarrassing, and cloyingly sticky right from the start.
"Indeed, you've taken on a fine disciple. For him to become such an outstanding martial artist—truly a blessing for the jianghu. Here, have a drink."
"...Thank you."
Before the drinking escalated, when Daoist Qinghe's mind was still sharp, he was perfectly normal aside from his excessive exclamations with every sip.
"On the way up Mount Wudang, I gave these folks a bit of instruction, and their aptitude turned out better than expected."
It was because they'd taken the time to introduce the group: three peak-level experts, now two at peak and one transcendent master.
"What? From the entry to peak realm straight to transcendent in less than a week?"
"Wow, no way—is that even possible? Even I didn't progress that fast..."
A meteoric rise that even left the sect master—hailed as the jianghu's greatest talent—sticking out his tongue in astonishment.
Breaking through to transcendent in one go—an absurd feat that even the jianghu's top experts couldn't help but marvel at.
"If you think about their ages, it's not actually that fast, is it?"
The average age for reaching transcendent was between sixty and seventy, the twilight of human lifespan.
Those who shattered the great threshold survived into old age; those who failed were buried in the earth.
Reaching transcendent in one's late sixties wasn't particularly remarkable in itself.
It was just that the time taken for growth was absurdly short; considering their accumulated training, a lack of any progress would have been the real anomaly.
It meant Kang Pyo's talent had been mediocre, and his struggles all the fiercer for it.
The pinnacle he'd achieved at the end was Shattering Blade.
Density blunt sword strikes in an instant to escape into sharp energy—Kang Pyo's unique essence.
"Indeed, a true swordsman."
To Daoist Qinghe himself or the sect master, martial arts were a form of cultivation, a way of self-discipline on the path.
Thus, they were martial artists and Daoists, swordsmen who practiced swordsmanship, but not swordsmen to the core of their identity.
Kang Pyo, by contrast, poured his life into a single blade, honing its arts with utter sincerity.
"Isn't he just the best...?"
A martial artist who perfectly struck So-hyang's tastes.
It wasn't for nothing that she could barely contain her desire to spar with him.
She still wanted to clash blades right then, but having secured his promise to challenge her, she could wait eagerly.
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"Oh? And this young lady seems to be a disciple of our main sect. It's surprising I hadn't heard of a child achieving such feats at her age."
"Ah, she's actually a lay disciple. She broke through to peak realm amid the crises during this trading expedition."
"Oh? A lay disciple at peak realm...?"
Traditionally, Wudang's main sect and lay disciples were distinctly categorized.
Main sect disciples received the core arts, trained rigorously, and formed the sect's true strength and manpower.
Lay disciples served as bridges to merchant houses or influential families in the secular world.
By taking members of a specific group as disciples, it solidified "our people," fostering mutual protection.
Similar to marriage alliances among clans, but somewhat lighter bonds.
Thus, the arts passed to lay disciples emphasized health cultivation, and few focused intensely on martial arts to begin with.
They weren't there for martial prowess; they poured effort into studies or business connections.
For such a lay disciple to complete the Lesser Heavenly Circulation and reach first-class—a level where one could claim the name of a martial artist—was impressive enough.
"Let alone peak realm... remarkable."
"Right? She's got real talent."
Daoist Qinghe nodded approvingly, while So-hyang beamed with pride, as if hearing praise for her own child.
"Oh, even among the laity, such talent...?"
The sect master, ever the sect administrator, licked his lips like a hunter spotting prime prey.
"Mm, I think so too. She's quite capable as a merchant, and meeting me in her moment of crisis shows she's got luck on her side."
Exceptional martial talent, superb business acumen, and innate fortune... truly the sort to make one's mouth water.
"She's a bit timid and watches others' faces a lot, but that's a strength too. Surprisingly resolute—when thrown into crisis, she instinctively finds a way out."
Pure praise; So-hyang wasn't one to spout nonsense, so the sect master took it as truth.
"Song Seolryeong, was it? Heir to the Song Merchant Group, right?"
"...Y-Yes!"
To the trembling Song Seolryeong, quivering like a frightened small animal, the sect master made an offer.
"How about formally joining the main sect as my disciple? The Daoist name lineage might get messy, but that's no big deal."
It wasn't unheard of, and for talent like hers, bending precedent was trivial.
Song Seolryeong's face, however, turned ashen with profound distress.
"Uh, um?"
Song Seolryeong saw herself as a merchant, not a martial artist.
As heir to the merchant group, she couldn't sever secular ties to become a Daoist.
"Th-That's incredibly gracious, but...!"
Yet, did that mean refusing the sect master's personal invitation to discipleship?
From one of the Nine Great Sects, Wudang's sect master, directly offering to take her as his disciple...?
Still, no meant no.
"I have to inherit the family business, so I'm truly sorry, but I don't think I can...!"
"Oh ho."
The sect master quietly marveled.
So that's what they meant by surprisingly resolute.
Apart from her timid, fearful nature, she had the courage to say no when it was no.
A complete talent as both merchant and martial artist.
He hated to let her slip away.
"Don't worry about that. Even as a nominal disciple, you can keep doing business."
"...Huh?"
In essence, Wudang would back her fully.
"R-Really? Doesn't that go against sect rules...?"
From Song Seolryeong's view, it was flawless—no catches, pure gain.
"Ha, I'm the sect master. I can tweak the rules for that. So, will you or won't you?"
"...If you're offering that, no reason to refuse. I'd need to discuss with the merchant group back home, but the answer's basically set."
"Good. We'll hash out details later, and do the formal rites then too."
"...Yes."
Song Seolryeong answered a bit dazedly at the whirlwind of major developments that had suddenly borne massive fruit.
The sect rules would need tweaking, but the benefits were clear and it violated no propriety, so no real objections.
It'd probably pass smoothly.
This would set the precedent.
[This is how we start step by step...!]
The sect master sent a sound transmission to So-hyang, his eyes gleaming with fervent heat.
So-hyang smiled sweetly and drew a circle in the air with her finger.
It was greed for talent and pursuit of profit, but also practice for achieving their goal.
Frequent rule changes would naturally extend to inter-gender relations and marriages.
His eyes deepened further as he gazed at his master, exchanging cups with childlike glee, devouring her with his stare.
"Haha, you're an oddity from the Zhuge Clan! A rare fist and weapon fighter!"
"Hahaha! That's right! I'm Zhuge Hansang, the Heaven-Shaking Fist Hero of the Zhuge Clan! It's an honor to meet a venerable senior of the jianghu!"
"Mm, we should discuss the blood brush, but can we drink now and talk tomorrow?"
"Haha! Of course! May I pour you a cup?"
"Oho? Look at this spirited youth!"
"Ahahaha! You're too kind!"
"Ehahaha! Take my cup too!"
Zhuge Hansang, the archetypal lively youth elders adored, meshed well with Daoist Qinghe.
Amid the raucous laughter and chatter, constructive talk flowed too.
For instance, discourse on martial arts.
"That new technique you showed earlier—it seemed to follow the principles of Reverse Taiji. Is that alright for Wudang's top elder?"
"No issue. The line between orthodox and demonic sects is simply whether the source is external nature or internal demon."
Demonic energy's nature suited reverse-heaven principles, hence the tendency.
No reason orthodox arts couldn't follow reverse-heaven, nor demonic ones pure flow.
Of course, reverse-heaven arts outside the New Cult's mainline were often ruthless and unethical, so the perception was natural.
"Mine simply disrupts yin-yang harmony—that's all, no real problem."
"I see."
Discourse on orthodox versus demonic.
"Lady So-hyang, when you mixed the liquor earlier, you used intent to make ice. Do you not know how to generate chill through energy control?"
"Oh, there's a way?"
"Intent is versatile, but creating phenomena without it raises the ceiling of what's possible. It's the essence of qi cultivation."
Advice on qi control, from Solar Yang Earth Arts to Lunar Yin Earth Arts.
Naturally, So-hyang shared on her specialties.
"Since you focus on qi cultivation, no need for visible movements."
No matter the emphasis on essence, no reason to suppress strengths for swordsmanship.
Tips on breath and heartbeat control, internal muscle mastery, and settling qi and blood.
Such discussions held real value.
With each's strengths differing sharply, it was time well spent learning merits and patching flaws.
And throughout, the sect master conversed while suppressing the urge to pounce on his master surging at every moment.
He forcibly quelled his impatience, sending forth natural reverence instead of lust.
He had to play the long game.
Until she saw him not as a foster child, but a man—until he could ponder seriously without inner discomfort.
No rushing, no losing patience.
Infiltrate subtly, step by step, until he'd claimed the seat beside her—that was the best strategy to win his master.
"Do whatever you want with our pretty disciple!"
"P-Pretty...? ...Do whatever I want...?"
Strategy be damned, he couldn't resist his master's loosened allure, leading to the current impulsive charge.