The Path Beyond the Wall
I bowed deeply with my fists clasped together, pouring every ounce of gratitude I could muster into the gesture.
It was the only way I could express my thanks right now.
Taeheo Jinin stroked his long beard, nodded once, and spoke to me in his usual relaxed tone.
“I merely showed you how to open the door. There’s no need to thank me so profusely.”
“No, that’s not true. Without you, sir, I can’t imagine how much longer I would have wandered in the dark…”
The amount of aura I could feel flowing from my mana core was extraordinary. I couldn’t measure the exact quantity, but it had easily increased by at least half. And it wasn’t just that—power surged through every fiber of my body. Only now did I truly understand how vast the gap between each stage of the Peak realm could be.
If I faced myself from before breaking through the wall, I was confident I could handle three of him. That was judging by my own standards, having trained in joint techniques meant to fight opponents stronger than myself. Against an ordinary Peak expert, I could probably take on five without much trouble.
But that would only be after I grew accustomed to this new power.
No matter how strong the force you gain, it means nothing if you can’t wield it properly. Only after taking the time to adapt to the new realm and fully internalizing it would it truly become mine.
Even so, I thought…
Breaking through a wall is truly a joyous thing. Indeed it is. But never forget—one wall is not the only thing standing in a martial artist’s way.
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
To face the Heavenly Demon, I still had a long road ahead. The moment that thought crossed my mind, the heat of excitement that had filled my body began to cool. Taeheo Jinin watched me with a pleased smile, then turned and spoke.
“The night grows chilly. Let us return to the hut.”
“Yes, sir.”
We turned and headed back toward the thatched cottage.
…And behind Taeheo Jinin, the White Tiger that had been lying quietly followed along as well.
Its body was as large as the cottage itself, so it couldn’t come inside. Instead, it lay down just outside the door, gazing at us. It let out a wide yawn, but when Hyeryeong suddenly appeared and reached out her hand, the tiger simply stared at her.
…It won’t bite, right?
Thankfully, the White Tiger allowed Hyeryeong to touch it without complaint.
“Hehe…”
At first it had growled, but now it seemed to have decided to simply ignore whatever she did. Its face clearly said it was annoyed to death, yet it didn’t try to avoid her. Perhaps training alongside Taeheo Jinin had mellowed its aggression.
I watched the scene for a moment before turning my gaze to Mok Gyeong, who had just entered the room. She sat down quietly beside me and looked at the White Tiger.
“…Lady Hyeryeong seems to like the White Tiger.”
“She might just be doing it because it’s fascinating.”
“Is that so?”
“How many people in the world would reach out to touch something like that just because it’s interesting?”
…That was true.
Any normal person would probably wet themselves the moment they saw its face. I let out a small sigh as I watched Hyeryeong’s back—she was happily stroking the tiger without a care in the world.
It was a relief that the White Tiger was behaving itself.
If it had a worse temper, Hyeryeong could have been seriously hurt. Maybe it was only acting tame because Taeheo Jinin was present.
I watched nervously as Hyeryeong began scratching under the White Tiger’s chin with her fingertips.
“Yeees~”
“Hehe, you’ll have quite the handful in the future.”
“…I already do.”
“It is a good connection. Treasure it well.”
“Yes, sir.”
“…And treat the child beside you the same.”
There was no need to say anything about Mok Gyeong. Since I had twisted her fate, she was someone I had to carry on my own shoulders.
“…Yes.”
“I’m done washing! But mister! Don’t tell me…?”
“That’s right.”
“Congratulations!”
“Silver Benefactor, I congratulate you on achieving a great breakthrough.”
“Hehe, it has been a long time since it’s been this lively.”
Taeheo Jinin looked at us with the gentle face of a grandfather whose grandchildren had come to visit. Come to think of it, there was no reason for anyone to climb all the way to Tianzhu Peak, so he must have spent a very long time here alone. I swallowed a piece of fruit that was somewhere between a snack and a proper meal and thought to myself.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“First, I intend to return to the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters. No matter what I do, I should go back first. Then I’ll have to find work. The Demonic Sect is already stretching its claws toward the Central Plains, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. Lately, ominous signs have been flickering in the heavens.”
Ominous signs, he said. Just how far could he see?
“You’re right. The Hainan Sword Gate was attacked by the Demonic Cult not long ago. We managed to stop them… but the fact that they went all the way to Hainan means they’re preparing thoroughly this time.”
If the Hainan Sword Gate had been destroyed as it was in the original story, there would have been no faction left to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the Demonic Cult’s advance into the Central Plains. That would have been a massive tactical loss.
Even if their numbers were small, the value of a mobile strike force that could raid the enemy’s rear was enormous.
In that sense, being shipwrecked on Hainan Island had been an incredibly fortunate turn of events. You could say the starting point had been perfectly placed.
“The river of karma runs deep and long. In the end, another river of blood will flow through the Central Plains…”
“Since war is now inevitable, there’s nothing we can do about it. All we can do is reduce the number of victims as much as possible.”
I didn’t know how far I could go, but if I dealt with the Demonic Cult’s schemes one by one, at least the Wuxia Alliance wouldn’t be half-destroyed before the war even began like in the original story.
…The problem was that the mountain of things I needed to do was already piling up. Still, having crossed the wall earlier than expected, I should be able to handle several of those tasks with relative ease.
I would also need to carefully plan my route so I could create separate opportunities for Mok Gyeong’s growth.
“Do your best.”
“If the Wudang Sect ever faces a crisis…”
“The affairs of Wudang must be handled by the people of Wudang.”
“But aren’t you also a person of Wudang, Taeheo Jinin?”
“Wudang is not so weak that it must rely on me. Besides, it is not a good thing for an old man hiding in the back room like myself to meddle in the affairs of the mundane world.”
…That made sense. For someone who could read the heavens and see fate, casually interfering with worldly matters would indeed be delicate. He had even said in my dream that he could not carelessly reveal heavenly secrets.
“If things become truly dire, I suppose I could not avoid getting involved. But I hope such a day never comes.”
“…I will do everything in my power to prevent it.”
“Good. With you and that child here, I believe the matter can be settled within the bounds of the mortal world.”
“…Even me?”
“If you follow the threads of karma, the true enemy will reveal itself. So continue to follow this man. He will become your guiding star. And… ahem.”
…The way he said it made it feel a bit burdensome.
But since I was the one who caused this, what choice did I have? I had to take responsibility.
I casually brushed off Mok Gyeong’s gaze as she looked at me and stared up at the sky visible beyond the room.
It was clear.
I hoped it would stay that way.
“…Then we will take our leave and descend the mountain now.”
We quickly finished our preparations to depart.
There was nothing more to do here but train, and since we had stayed for several days, the Wudang Sect might be looking for us. It was about time we went down and at least gave them an explanation.
“Very well. Next time you come, bring a bottle of liquor. It is one of the few pleasures left in this old man’s life.”
“Understood. I will see you again, sir.”
We immediately began our descent down the mountain.
“…Sir Wei! You have reached a new realm!”
“Taeheo Jinin bestowed his teachings upon me.”
“The venerable one himself gave you instruction…”
Hakun Do-sa looked at me with envious eyes. For the Taoist priests of Wudang, receiving direct teaching from one of their greatest elders was an incredibly enviable thing.
But the fact that his envy ended there proved the depth of this priest’s character. A normal martial artist would have felt jealousy, and no one would have blamed him. Looking into Hakun Do-sa’s unusually clear eyes, I guessed that Wudang’s future would be bright.
…Assuming, of course, that the Wudang Sect remained intact.
To save people like him, I would have to move even more busily.
“Where will you go now?”
“First, I plan to return to the Wuxia Alliance Headquarters.”
I needed to ask the elders what had happened at the Alliance while we were gone. Since the original story never clearly marked the passage of time, I had to confirm events by what was happening at the Alliance.
The minor incidents had probably already occurred. My goal was to resolve the major ones either before they happened or the moment they did, minimizing the damage as much as possible.
That was my immediate objective.
Even a journey of a thousand li begins with a single step. If I steadily resolved matters one by one, I would naturally find myself standing before the Heavenly Demon in due time.
“Mister! I’m all packed!”
“Silver Benefactor, I have finished preparing as well.”
When Hyeryeong and Mok Gyeong, both with their luggage ready, stood side by side next to me—
“Good. Then let’s head down.”
“May you return safely.”
“I will see you again later.”
Receiving Hakun Do-sa’s farewell, we stepped onto the stone stairs of Wudang Mountain.