The Road to Wudang (9)
“Is he dead?”
“Looks like it. No way someone could be alive looking like that.”
Unless he had some kind of super-regeneration ability, there was no chance of survival. His dantian was shattered, and blood was pouring from every hole in his body. I stared down at the Black Shadow Sect Leader, whose breath had completely stopped, and felt a twinge of regret.
I’d wanted to squeeze a bit more information about the Demonic Cult out of him.
Since even the original story didn’t have much detail on the Demonic Cult, cleanly subduing the Black Shadow Sect Leader might have yielded some pretty useful intel. It would’ve been difficult to get internal information since he was just a pawn… but still.
“Hero Wei. We’ve finished cleaning up.”
“Any injuries?”
“Thanks to you draining most of their strength, only a few have minor scratches. Everyone else is fine.”
Why were they looking at me with such respectful eyes? I awkwardly avoided the heated gazes of these grown men and picked up the bamboo hat that had fallen to the ground. It was the one I’d thrown aside right before the fight.
…Guess I’ll just have to buy a new one. This one’s full of holes now.
I placed the ruined bamboo hat over the Black Shadow Sect Leader’s face.
It was too gruesome to keep looking at, and I figured the poor bastard deserved to head to the afterlife with at least some dignity. Better to cover that hideous face with a hat.
“Huu.” Time to get to work.
“Everyone, keep a close watch so these bastards don’t try to run or cause any trouble. I’m going to search the mansion.”
“We’ll help too.”
“I’ll only take two warriors with sharp eyes. The rest of you, proceed with the interrogation. We need to uncover the full truth behind this incident, don’t we? And send one person to the clan to let them know everything’s been resolved.”
“We’ve already sent someone to the clan. They should be back soon.”
Then I didn’t have anything to worry about.
I turned my head and looked at the pavilion I’d punched a hole through earlier. Searching it would probably take all night, but the thought of valuable gold, silver, treasures, and secret manuals hidden inside made my mouth water.
Shall we?
I stepped boldly into the pavilion.
“…Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
“It was nothing. I only did what needed to be done.”
“No, no. How could getting involved in someone else’s business be considered just ‘what needed to be done’? You’ve accomplished something truly great.”
Clan Leader Kang looked at me with tears glistening in his eyes. Clan Leader Gu standing beside him also had reddened eyes. I alternated my gaze between the two old men’s teary faces and gave an awkward laugh.
“Did the interrogation go well?”
“We learned a great deal. It seems they’ve been scheming for a long time to use the strategy of ‘using one enemy to destroy another’ to make our two clans destroy each other and seize control of this city.”
“What audacious bastards.”
Just as the clan leaders said, this wasn’t something a mere mid-tier sect could pull off. A small sect with only about a hundred members daring to think they could dominate even a small city? There was a government office here—half-defunct, perhaps, but still present—and the combined forces of the two clans could crush a sect like theirs in half a day.
So of course I’d suspected there was a backer behind them. And after seeing the Black Shadow Sect Leader’s internal energy, I realized it was the Demonic Cult.
…Though I still didn’t know why the Demonic Cult was involved in something like this.
They must have burned every trace of their connection inside the mansion, because we found nothing. Based on the information we had so far, it seemed they were planning to secretly establish a branch of the Demonic Cult in this city close to the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters and launch a surprise attack on the Alliance once war broke out.
Since ancient times, surprise attacks from unexpected places have always been effective. And if the orthodox factions launched an expedition, this city would be an easy and convenient route to pass through.
If war broke out, the warriors of the Wuxia Alliance would most likely pass through this city. The moment they arrived, a surprise attack would inflict irreparable damage. It was easy to imagine.
Being struck by an unexpected blow in a place they thought was their own territory would cause them to crumble easily. And since martial artists were generally weak at coordinated group actions, it would be even more devastating.
In that sense, this incident was an unexpected windfall.
One internal bomb had been removed.
At the very least, the Wuxia Alliance wouldn’t be helplessly repeating defeats until the protagonist had to step in and save the day like in the original story.
…Though the biggest problem was how the original rushed to an absurdly quick ending like roasting beans over lightning. The later parts were full of convenience-driven plot developments and sudden setting changes. Still, since this was now reality, surely it wouldn’t turn out exactly like… that?
The thought of a supporting character whose name I’d forgotten suddenly appearing dozens of chapters later with a completely different name made me want to laugh bitterly at how ridiculous it would be in real life.
Anyway.
“We searched every corner of the Black Shadow Sect’s pavilions but found no traces of the Demonic Cult. They were extremely thorough in erasing their tracks. I thought there might be at least one hidden emergency cache since it was a nighttime raid, but…”
Annoyingly thorough, those bastards. Well, that’s how they nearly swallowed the entire murim in the end.
“Hoo… What a shame.”
“What we did find were the wealth they extorted from the common people, various weapons, and what appears to be the Black Shadow Sect’s secret manuals.”
“Appears to be?”
“What do you mean by ‘appears to be’?”
I took the manual out from my robe.
“I didn’t read it just in case. If what’s written here is a demonic art, reading it wouldn’t do any good, would it? I’d like to ask the clan leaders to deliver this manual to the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters.”
…Truthfully, I had skimmed a bit, but there wasn’t much of value.
“Understood.”
“I’ll have a trustworthy warrior deliver it to the Wuxia Alliance.”
“That settles this matter… As for the Black Shadow Sect’s assets, I believe it would be best to return them to the people of the city. Not only is there something unsavory about coveting such tainted wealth, but what was stolen should be returned to those it was taken from. Isn’t that only right?”
“You’re truly remarkable. To think you have not a shred of greed!”
“If only I had a daughter…”
The two clan leaders’ admiring gazes washed over me like a warm shower. If this were a game, my favorability would probably be maxed out with nowhere left to go.
“I’ll leave this matter in your hands, Clan Leaders.”
“Understood. I swear on my name that I will handle this with complete integrity.”
“I too swear on my name.”
Things were progressing smoothly. This was exactly why one needed to build a reputation.
The persuasive power of words from a nameless nobody and someone with real status were worlds apart.
“While we’re at it, wouldn’t it be better for the two clans to reconcile?”
“Reconcile…”
My suggestion made the two clan leaders glance at each other and clear their throats awkwardly. It probably wasn’t easy for two long-time rivals to suddenly make peace. But as long as the two clans remained at odds, there would always be others who would try to exploit that gap.
It would be better to settle things properly now and foster harmony.
“…Clan Leader Kang. Given how things have turned out, shall we give it a try?”
“Ugh… Clan Leader Gu. I never thought the day would come when I’d reconcile with you.”
That side was taken care of.
Now it was time to collect my reward and leave this place.
“And about the reward…”
“Mister, are you really okay with taking so little?”
“Hyeryeong, does this gold ingot look like a child’s toy to you?”
Ten whole gold ingots. Of course, it was laughably small compared to what the clan leaders had originally wanted to give me, but there was no point in carrying around too much money.
I wasn’t exactly a saint, but I knew better than anyone that having too much money was meaningless.
“Still, considering what you did, Mister…”
“I also received three spiritual medicines.”
“But you gave one to me!”
“You gave one to me as well. You really didn’t have to…”
Hyeryeong and Mok-gyeong looked up at me with hesitant expressions. I wasn’t sure why they were looking at me like that.
“Don’t worry about it. You two getting stronger makes things easier for me too.”
Getting stronger alone meant nothing.
War wasn’t something one fought by themselves.
What I needed were comrades who would stand by my side and watch my back. Not people I had to protect.
“Even so…”
“Hyeryeong. Stop overthinking and just eat it.”
Hyeryeong reluctantly nodded.
“You too, Mok-gyeong. Don’t feel burdened. If you want revenge, you need to get stronger. To break through the wall of the Super Peak realm, you’ll need to consume at least ten spiritual medicines of that caliber.”
When I brought up revenge, Mok-gyeong also reluctantly accepted.
“So that’s the end of this conversation? Don’t suddenly start saying you can’t accept it or anything.”
I turned away from the two nodding youngsters and watched the funeral procession.
The young masters of the Kang and Gu clans.
People dressed in mourning clothes walking together down the street. It felt a bit wrong to think this at a funeral, but it was fascinating. It was the kind of scene you’d see in a movie or drama.
“…I’m glad everything worked out.”
The Black Shadow Sect had been annihilated. The surviving members were being sent to the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters for interrogation. The Black Shadow Sect Leader’s limbs and head had been torn apart and hung in the marketplace. The escaped doctor had apparently been silenced—his corpse was found in the well behind the building. The woman named Myung-hee had noticed things had gone wrong and tried to flee, but Mok-gyeong caught her and brought her back…
Clean and tidy.
Watching the funeral procession, I uttered the usual customary words.
“May the deceased rest in peace.”
Our first meeting hadn’t been pleasant, but there was no need to speak ill of the dead.
I watched the funeral procession gradually moving further away and thought to myself.