Chapter 89: Returning (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Returning (2)
It had been a long, long time.
Emerging from the Fuse, I immediately took to the sky using Sword Flight to get my bearings.
Because the Fuse existed outside the flow of space-time and moved constantly, its exit point in both time and location shifted perpetually.
The moment I left the misty forest, I realized where I was.
‘Ah!’
I was about ten li away from the forest where I had first entered the Fuse.
It was a stroke of heavenly luck.
If the distance had been too great and I had ended up in a different province or county, finding Sama Yeong and the rest of the group would have been difficult.
‘Since the distance is close, perhaps the time discrepancy isn't that large.’
I allowed myself to hope.
But that hope turned out to be nothing more than a vain wish.
In the forest where the Fuse had once been, there now stood a thatched cottage I had never seen before.
What did it mean for something to exist where it shouldn't, and for it to look like it had been built quite some time ago?
Time had definitely passed.
I prayed that it hadn't been too long.
However...
“What?”
I was momentarily struck speechless.
I had expected a discrepancy of a month or two at most.
But the words that came out of A-Song’s mouth far exceeded my expectations.
“...It’s been seven months since I disappeared?”
“Young Master, where on earth have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I was, thinking you had passed away in some terrible accident?”
“Sigh.”
“Young Master?”
“Just... give me a moment.”
My head was more cluttered than I expected.
Too much time had passed.
Seven months—in five more, it would be a full year.
It wasn't just a day or two; in seven months, countless things must have happened.
I had experienced so much that this reality wasn't a total shock, but a sigh escaped me nonetheless.
—What are you going to do?
The odds were extremely high that the matters I had been pursuing were now tangled. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that my plans had fallen through regardless of my will.
I needed to find out what had happened during those seven months first.
Starting with...
“A-Song. Where are Young Lady Sama, Song Jwa-baek, Song Woo-hyeon, and Ghost-Slaying Fist Demon Jang Mun-ryang?”
“Wait, Young Master. Why am I being left out?”
“...You’re standing right here in front of me, safe and sound.”
“........”
A-Song scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish at my remark.
“Stop acting silly and tell me.”
At my prompting, A-Song began to recount what had happened in my absence.
“After you disappeared, Young Master, we stayed here for over a month waiting for you. But then...”
The Cult Leader’s guards and Left Guardian Ha Jong-il appeared where they were staying.
“Guardian Ha?”
Ha Jong-il had been in the middle of carrying out three missions under my orders. If he had come looking for us, it meant he had completed most of them.
But contrary to my expectations...
“Guardian Ha Jong-il said that... what was it... ah! He reported that the negotiations with the Green Forest had broken down.”
“What?”
This was different from the news the Left Guardian had sent previously.
When we were exchanging letters, he had said that the Green Forest Thief King Gwangshingun was acting favorably.
But the negotiations had collapsed in the meantime?
“Do you know why they failed?”
“I heard that Green Forest Thief King Gwangshingun suddenly declared that unless they could settle things through a contest of strength according to the laws of the martial world, they would never come under the Blood Cult’s banner.”
“The laws of the martial world?”
He was friendly in the letters, but suddenly he brings up the laws of the martial world?
Something was strange.
Regardless, it meant he had refused to join the Cult using the pretext of 'might makes right.'
Gwangshingun was a man whose reputation was widely known, with martial prowess said to rival the Eight Great Masters. Even though Left Guardian Ha Jong-il was a Supreme Peak Master, he must have been no match for him.
“So, what happened then?”
Since I was missing, there was no one to make a decision. Even if he had come to report, no further orders could be given to him, so it would have been right to either have him return to the main Cult or wait.
However...
“Well, Young Lady Sama and Young Master Jwa-baek said they couldn't rashly announce that you were missing when they didn't even know what happened to you yet...”
Ah...
Was it because of the chaos that would ensue if my disappearance became known?
Indeed, having been gone for over a month, the situation was completely different from before. Their judgment might have been correct.
“Then what did they tell the Left Guardian to do?”
“They said that if you were here, Young Master, you would have brought the Green Forest under our banner by any means necessary, as the Blood Cult would be at a disadvantage in the future war against the Martial Alliance otherwise. Is that right?”
“...It is.”
I believe I said something like that. It felt like a long time ago, so the memory was a bit fuzzy, but I had said it. It was because we needed to unify the Evil Faction to some extent to match the scale of the opposing forces.
“Because of that, Young Master Jwa-baek, Young Master Woo-hyeon, and Master Jang Mun-ryang left for the Green Forest with the Left Guardian, saying they would do it in your stead.”
I see.
So they went in my place.
But if that was five months ago, why weren't they here?
“Do you know what the outcome was?”
“I’ve been waiting here the whole time, but there hasn't been a single word.”
“Not a single word...”
Had something gone wrong?
If they had fought Gwangshingun and won, the Green Forest would have joined the Blood Cult. The fact that they hadn't returned yet meant...
‘Damn it.’
I was getting worried.
“Then where is Young Lady Sama? She wouldn't have gone with them, would she?”
Knowing Sama Yeong’s personality, she would have waited for me until the very end. So why wasn't she here?
At my question, A-Song glanced at my darkening expression and spoke cautiously.
“Young Lady Sama was with me until three months ago. That room over there is hers. But after she visited a nearby county, she suddenly said something had happened to her father and that he had been gravely injured...”
“My Father-in-Law?”
I couldn't hide my shock.
Who was my Father-in-Law?
He was one of the Five Great Villains and an absolute powerhouse who had broken through the Wall and was counted among the top five in the Central Plains.
The last time I saw him, he was healthy enough to duel with Wicked Heart Granny. I couldn't believe he was injured.
“Did you hear who did it?”
“The Young Lady said she didn't know either. However, she said her father’s internal organs and even his bone marrow were filled with cold energy, and that he was being treated at some temple called Shaolin by a master of Yang Steel Internal Energy named Guyang-something.”
“His internal organs and bone marrow are filled with cold energy?”
A certain person flashed through my mind.
—Could it be that woman?
Among the current sects in the Central Plains, there were no masters, Orthodox or Evil, who used martial arts involving cold energy.
However, the North Sea Ice Palace, an external sect whose current whereabouts were unknown, was famous for its cold energy techniques.
And Seol Baek was from that very North Sea Ice Palace.
‘Could it be...’
During the era of martial world persecution, she had joined the ranks of the Jonju—the Golden Emperor.
If so, had she also been under the Golden Emperor’s command for hundreds of years?
I couldn't be certain, but there were quite a few masters from previous generations under the Golden Emperor whose lifespans had been extended. The possibility couldn't be ignored.
—Then did the Golden Emperor target your Father-in-Law?
If it was Seol Baek, it was possible.
But I couldn't conclude everything based solely on what A-Song told me.
Regardless, according to A-Song, my Father-in-Law was being treated at a temple to drive out the cold energy that had penetrated his organs... and he mentioned a master named Guyang-something? Guyang... I’ve heard that somewhere...
‘The Guyang Scripture!?’
Startled, I turned to A-Song.
“...Did she say that temple was the Shaolin Temple?”
A-Song clapped his hands together.
“That’s it! She definitely said Shaolin Temple.”
‘Ha!’
Shaolin, of all places.
—Isn't that one of the Nine Great Sects of the Orthodox Faction?
Correct. It was known as the birthplace of martial arts and the symbol of the Orthodox Faction.
—Wait. Your Father-in-Law is called a villain. How on earth is he being treated there? If they're Orthodox, wouldn't they jump at the chance to kill him?
No. It’s different.
Shaolin is the symbol of the Orthodox Faction, but they do not involve themselves in the affairs of the martial world.
—What does that mean?
Unlike other sects, Shaolin is famous for refusing to interfere in martial world matters, considering them part of the secular world. Shaolin has been more faithful to its role as a Buddhist order than as a martial sect.
Therefore, while they produce outstanding masters, they do not participate in the affairs of the Martial Alliance at all. I heard they only step into secular matters for the sake of the people's livelihood.
—Then is your Father-in-Law safe?
I don't know. Whether he's safe or not.
—Huh?
I just told you. Shaolin steps in for the sake of the people. They act when they judge something to be a detriment to the common folk. My Father-in-Law is called a butcher who has killed countless people in the martial world. By Shaolin’s standards, he would be considered a detriment.
—What does Shaolin do to people like that?
I heard that Shaolin forbids killing unless it's an absolute last resort. Instead, they imprison those deemed harmful to the people in a place called the Gold Cave and try to reform them through Buddhist scriptures.
—So your Father-in-Law is being treated and then imprisoned at Shaolin?
I heard that Shaolin’s Muscle Tendon Changing Classic and the Guyang Scripture are considered the pinnacle of Orthodox internal arts. In particular, the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic has the power to heal severe internal injuries, and the Guyang Scripture, known for its Yang Steel Internal Energy, can drive out cold energy.
The "Guyang-something" A-Song mentioned must be the Guyang Scripture.
Since Shaolin does not disregard life, they wouldn't have ignored his injuries, even if he is a villain.
—But if they've imprisoned him, isn't that like giving him the medicine and then the disease?
...From our perspective, yes. But from Shaolin’s perspective, they would be fulfilling their duty. Saving a life while sequestering a misguided villain.
—Then the reason Sama Yeong hasn't returned might be because she's trying to save her father.
It seems so. He is her only living relative. There was no way she would leave him behind. Perhaps she was struggling to rescue him and ended up trapped there herself.
—Well, your next task is decided.
I had to save Sama Yeong and my Father-in-Law.
Mount Song in Dengfeng, Henan Province.
There stood the Shaolin Temple, the pinnacle of Orthodox martial arts.
Though called the source of all martial arts, the interior of Shaolin was no different from any other temple. There were the mountain gates, the bell tower, the drum tower, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the main hall, and the Mahavira Hall.
Inside the hermitages, there were countless Buddhist scriptures made of bamboo slips and paper, boasting of their long history, and the Thousand Buddha Hall with its exquisite murals.
Up to this point, these were places accessible to civilians visiting Shaolin.
However, the Muscle Tendon Changing Classic Pavilion, which housed the martial arts of the 108 Techniques—the true essence of Shaolin—and the thirty-six caves known as the Thirty-Six Formations, were off-limits to anyone but Shaolin monks.
Among those thirty-six caves was a place called the Gold Cave.
From inside the Gold Cave, the sound of chanting echoed all the way outside.
“Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, when practicing deeply the Prajna Paramita, perceived that all five skandhas are empty and was saved from all suffering and distress. Shariputra, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form itself is emptiness, emptiness itself is form. So too are feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness...”
The chanting was overflowing with vital energy.
In front of the Gold Cave, where the chanting originated, stood a peerless beauty biting her lip.
She was none other than Sama Yeong.
‘Father...’
The reason she was lingering at this entrance was that her father, Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak, was inside.
Three months ago, she had heard shocking news: Shaolin was detaining her father in a place called the Gold Cave.
At first, she found it hard to believe. How could her father, one of the top five masters in the martial world, be imprisoned in Shaolin?
But it was true. It was said that a heavily injured Sama Chak had entered Shaolin of his own accord.
And the rumors were real. Since coming here, she had been able to see her father’s face only once.
Grit!
Sama Yeong gnashed her teeth and glared at the white-bearded monk guarding the front of the Gold Cave.
This monk, known as the Gold Cave Lord, was the one responsible for guarding this place.
The Gold Cave Lord looked at her and spoke.
“Amitabha. Please withdraw, Bodhisattva.”
“...How can I withdraw in peace when my father is imprisoned here, Monk?”
At her words, the Gold Cave Lord pressed his palms together and replied.
“I tell you this every day, but the more you cling to this attachment, the more it hinders the reformation of Benefactor Sama.”
“Agh!”
It was always like this.
After confirming that her father was here, she had used every means and method to rescue him.
She had tried force at first, but Shaolin’s power was on a different level from other Orthodox sects. Even the Gold Cave Lord before her was a Supreme Peak Master and a candidate for the next Abbot; she had no hope of matching his martial prowess.
She had tried disguising herself with a human skin mask to infiltrate, and even tried drugging the monks' food supplies, but every attempt had ended in failure.
‘If only I could remove the Golden Meridian Needles embedded in Father’s body.’
Sama Chak’s Seven Great Vital Points had been sealed by these Golden Meridian Needles. If his vital points hadn't been blocked and his martial arts sealed, how could a master who had broken through the Wall be held captive here?
“Please withdraw, Bodhisattva. If you continue to persist like this, this poor monk will have no choice but to take action. Amitabha.”
Sama Yeong, glaring at the Gold Cave Lord with a flushed face, suddenly spun around.
She took a few steps as if leaving, but then suddenly kicked off the ground, lunging toward the Gold Cave Lord with lightning speed.
“Amitabha.”
With a sigh, the Gold Cave Lord took a stance.
It was a claw technique called the Dragon Claw Hand, one of Shaolin’s 108 Techniques.
As Sama Yeong unleashed a palm technique, the Gold Cave Lord blocked it with a defensive move.
Clash-clash-clash!
A look of surprise flickered in the Gold Cave Lord’s eyes as he parried her moves.
She had attacked him countless times over the past three months. He had dealt with her every time, but he had never seen a woman with such extraordinary martial talent.
‘She has improved again.’
Even though he was controlling his internal energy level, she was now comfortably fending off the Dragon Claw Hand. He even thought that if they continued to clash like this, she might gain enlightenment and reach the Supreme Peak Realm.
‘The bloodline is truly fearsome.’
She was indeed the daughter of Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak.
But he could no longer go easy on her. Orders had come down from the Abbot.
[If Benefactor Sama’s daughter continues to cause a disturbance, seal her vital points as well and confine her in the Cave of Delusion for a hundred days.]
“Bodhisattva, please forgive this poor monk.”
The Gold Cave Lord, who had been using the Dragon Claw Hand, shifted his stance from a claw technique to a fist technique.
It was the stance for the Hundred-Step Divine Fist, one of Shaolin’s thirty-six ultimate martial arts.
Whoosh!
The Gold Cave Lord thrust his fist forward. A fist force shot out with a sharp whistle.
“Tch!”
Sama Yeong hurriedly performed a mid-air somersault to dodge the strike.
“Impressive. However!”
But the true essence of the Hundred-Step Divine Fist was only just beginning.
As the Gold Cave Lord stepped forward and threw a succession of punches, the fist force created numerous shadows that blanketed Sama Yeong.
‘If only I had my sword.’
Sama Yeong was at a loss against the shadows of the fists. Since weapons were forbidden within Shaolin, she had to rely solely on the Moon Shadow Jade Palm she had learned from her father.
‘I have to endure.’
Sama Yeong gritted her teeth. She considered a tactic of sacrificing flesh to take a bone.
Fortunately, the monks of Shaolin never used lethal moves. She threw herself directly toward the shadows of the fists.
“I knew you would do that.”
“Ah!”
The Gold Cave Lord used a footwork method to move like flowing water, taking her back, and then tried to grab her wrist using a Golden Snake Hand technique.
Flinch!
In that split second, the Gold Cave Lord recoiled in shock and retreated.
Sama Yeong, having escaped the crisis of being captured, couldn't hide her confusion as she put distance between them.
‘Why did he suddenly do that?’
It was at that very moment.
Thud!
Something fell from the sky and slammed into the ground between the Gold Cave Lord and Sama Yeong.
Seeing it, Sama Yeong’s eyes welled with tears as she whispered.
“The Blood Demon Sword!”
Hearing her, the Gold Cave Lord asked in surprise.
“The Blood Demon Sword? What do you mean by th—”
But the Gold Cave Lord couldn't finish his sentence.
It was because of the presence that had appeared behind him, radiating an overwhelming pressure. He felt as if his entire body would be shredded if he moved even an inch.
The Gold Cave Lord swallowed hard and spoke.
“...Who are you?”
“The man who will be that woman’s husband.”