Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Translator: Penny
Chapter 50
Jinbu Hermitage, where they were assigned, was located not far from Zixiao Palace. It consisted of a two-room manor and a spacious courtyard. A Daoist Attendant was also assigned to cook meals and sweep the courtyard for guests.
After Mujin, who had guided them there, departed, Zhuge Munho spoke, sounding exasperated:
"Hey, what's with you?"
"..."
"Why did you glare at the disciple he brought to guide us, even frowning? That's incredibly rude."
Zhuge Munhyeon still looked puzzled.
"Didn't you notice it?"
"Notice what?"
"Those eyes."
"Huh?"
"Didn't they seem strange to you?"
"Strange? What was so strange about him? To me, he seemed like the most refined person I've ever met. His gestures, his gait, his demeanor—even his way of speaking made me think he was some kind of immortal."
"..."
"Honestly, you're such a weirdo. I can't figure out why you act like this sometimes. You were so friendly with the Elder... Ah, could it be you're jealous?"
"What?"
"Haa, I get it. You probably never imagined someone could be better than you. To be fair, I've never met anyone like you either. The world is truly vast."
Zhuge Munho clicked his tongue.
Hmm... Ahem... I was foolish. What was I expecting from you lot? What's with that tone? It's like I'm some petty, jealous fool who thought he was the only one who mattered, only to be shocked and envious when he saw someone even better... This!
Thwack!
Zhuge Munhyeon's hand struck the back of Zhuge Munho's head.
"Ow! Why did you hit me?!"
"Because you deserved it! Who's being petty now?!"
"..."
I didn't say that.
But how could he argue when he was glaring at him like that?
Zhuge Munho rubbed his stinging head, cursing inwardly.
Damn brat! What's got him so upset this time...? His temper is the real problem. No matter how much I try to dote on him, his stubbornness always ruins everything. Daoist Mujin is a hundred times better than you! I can't even shout that out loud—my own weakness is truly pathetic.
Just then, Zhuge Munhyeon, who had been wearing an indifferent expression, addressed the four of them.
"Horse Stance."
"Huh?"
"You need to train."
"Ah, but we just arrived? I haven't even unpacked yet."
"You're here, that's all that matters. What's with the luggage? You're weak enough as it is—you don't have time to rest. Did you see those Wudang Daoists? Mujin and the others are all extraordinary. When you witness such excellence, you shouldn't just admire it; you should be striving to catch up."
"..."
"While I set up the training formation, practice your Horse Stance. Are you wearing all your Iron Weights?"
At this, Zhuge Munho forced an awkward smile and began trying to placate Zhuge Munhyeon.
"Munhyeon, you've misunderstood me. You know, you know... How could anyone possibly be better than you? I just meant that Daoist Mujin isn't far behind you either—something like that. You understand my intent, right?"
"..."
He's trying so hard, thought Zhuge Munhyeon, already convinced the man was a petty fool.
Zhuge Munhyeon chuckled softly and subtly raised his hand.
Startled, Zhuge Munho hastily leaped into the courtyard and assumed the Horse Stance.
"Hey, aren't you guys going to do it too?"
"U-us too?"
"Us too? Are these guys crazy? They're weaker than even the Wudang Daoist Attendants! And they think they can use Ejection Qi?"
Zhuge Munhyeon's eyebrows arched sharply.
Gwan Hwipyeong hurried to Zhuge Munho's side, forming a line with his brothers in the Horse Stance. He grumbled, "Ah, why did Elder Brother have to say something so pointless?"
"Don't you know his personality?"
"Seriously, he has no tact whatsoever!"
"..."
Zhuge Munho could only groan inwardly at his brothers' complaints.
Who could he blame?
There was an ancient saying: "Think ten times before speaking once." His own mouth was his worst enemy.
Meanwhile, Zhuge Munhyeon, who was setting up a training formation in a corner of the courtyard, paused abruptly as Mujin's face flashed through his mind.
That's strange. Really strange. A Daoist's eyes shouldn't be able to do that...
After all, people are born with their innate nature: their manner of speaking, their temperament, their actions.
However, for martial artists, their temperament could be cultivated artificially depending on the martial arts they practiced.
Of course, unless one had exceptionally keen senses or took the pulse to examine the flow of qi and blood, it was difficult to detect.
Some martial artists even learned techniques to conceal their energy.
Still, there was one thing that could never be hidden: the eyes.
Not the physical features like Phoenix Eyes, Dragon Eyes, or Turtle Eyes, but the energy within the eyes—whether it was Hidden but Not Obscured (light present without darkness), Calm but Not Foolish (peaceful yet not naive), or Emanating but Not Leaking (radiant yet restrained). These were the methods by which one judged the energy within a martial artist's eyes.
The Demonic Cult had a similar concept, judging talent by observing the eyes of their peers. Among them were the Jet Black, whose pupils were so dark they seemed to absorb all light like a bottomless abyss; the Blood Moon, whose eyes shimmered with a crimson hue; the Nine Tails, whose gaze overflowed with demonic energy; the Dark Thunder, whose tranquil demeanor concealed a destructive nature; and the Specter, whose capricious and unpredictable nature defied all expectations.
Yet when he first saw Mujin, a fleeting crimson flash had crossed his eyes.
It was only for an instant, vanishing into the depths of his eyes, which were otherwise filled with Immortal Qi. But having lived his entire life on the Demonic Path, he immediately recognized that intense light.
Two-Faced Sight.
This term referred to those who possessed both virtuous and malevolent tendencies in equal measure.
A person who could become either saint or demon.
That's strange. If he's a disciple of Zixiao Palace, that means the Sect Leader himself is raising him... Could he not have known? Or perhaps...
Zhuge Munhyeon frowned, a sudden thought striking him.
How could this be? The aura of the Heavenly Killing Star... If left unchecked, it will bring great calamity upon the world.
This was the kind of meddling Daoist benevolence that led them to take in disciples, saying things like, "I can't kill a young life, so I'll suppress it with Immortal Qi."
Of course, sometimes this intent moved the heavens, altering their innate destiny and allowing them to grow into exceptional Daoists.
But in other cases, the surging Demonic Nature drove them mad, turning them into calamities. When the evil inherent in their nature, long suppressed by Daoist teachings, finally erupted, it often brought about unimaginable disasters.
Because of this, some radical members of the Demonic Cult devised a strategy of deliberately throwing children born with Demonic Nature in front of passing Daoists.
Let them grow into potential threats. Let them destroy the sect from within. If it works, great. If not, oh well.
No, that's not right. The Demonic Cult is said to be in chaos due to internal strife, so it couldn't be a scheme. Could one of the Wudang Daoists have taken him in during their travels?
But that possibility was also unlikely.
If that were the case, Mujin's eyes should have contained both the Blood Moon and Immortal Qi in equal measure.
Then, the Immortal Qi should have gradually consumed the Blood Qi until it was completely suppressed.
It was concealed. Definitely.
In other words, the eye's appearance was acquired later in life.
It was clear that after mastering the Secret Daoist Arts, he had been exposed to the Heterodox Path's martial arts.
The situation was reversing. If his Blood Qi devoured his Immortal Qi in this state, he would likely succumb to Demonic Nature.
How strange. What's going on? Could it be... did he learn some Demonic Art as a 'fortunate encounter' in the Scripture Repository?
The Scripture Repository of the Wudang Sect, a vast library housing tens of thousands of Daoist scriptures and martial arts manuals.
Could it possibly contain only virtuous texts?
How many years had the sect endured in the treacherous martial world? How many disciples had roamed the land under the banner of the Wandering Pilgrimage?
The manuals of Demonic Cultists and villains they had slain were often stored within its walls.
Hmm, if I leave him like this, he's bound to cause trouble... What if his Blood Qi is already consuming his Immortal Qi?
"Ugh, forget it. Let him be. Why should I care about some Wudang Sect brat's problems?"
After agonizing over it for a long time, Zhuge Munhyeon scratched his head vigorously, shaking off his worries.
What business is it of mine to worry about someone else's kid?
"Hey! Keep your arms up!"
He glanced back and pointed at his brothers' arms, which were starting to droop under the weight of the Iron Weights.
The problem isn't Wudang—it's the Zhuge Clan. If I meddle in someone else's affairs and get blamed, I'll be the only one suffering.
"M-Munhyeon-ah... when will the Formation be complete?" Gwan Hwipyeong pleaded, his voice trembling.
"Why have you been so quiet all this time?"
"I want to practice the Formation."
"..."
Gwan Hwipyeong begged, his voice on the verge of tears.
Anyone watching would think we're obsessed with Formation training... But it's all because the Horse Stance is too strenuous and the Iron Weights are too heavy. Why are they using the Formation as an excuse?
"It'll be done soon. Lift one leg."
"...Okay."
One careless remark had turned the four of them into Mount Wudang's "Crane Squad."
The next day, a geological survey began of the collapsed Virtuous Celestial's Secret Cave.
Below the Five Peaks on the western side of Mount Wudang.
They built the Secret Cave near Yangfu Hermitage.
Though he didn't know all thirty-six hermitage caves, he recognized several famous ones immediately.
It was near Taiji Cave, where he had cultivated.
It wasn't for nothing that Wudang's most accomplished Daoists had secluded themselves there in their final years, facing the wall in meditation to prepare for Ascension.
If Mount Wudang's peaks were arranged like a dragon ascending to heaven, Taiji Cave would be located beneath its jaw, in the position commonly known as the "reverse scale" or "inverse scale."
While it risked incurring the dragon's wrath, it was also a place where the earth's vital energy converged.
Yangfu Hermitage lay just below it.
The terrain was excellent.
To borrow the words of a geomancer, the site was bathed in sunlight, a yangji location. The Azure Dragon and White Tiger flanked it to the left and right, while the Vermilion Bird and Phoenix stood guard to the south and north, providing unwavering support.
And that wasn't all.
The Sword-Releasing Pool, nestled halfway up the mountain...
Damn it! Just thinking about it made his blood boil again.
Those goddamn Horse Nose Daoists! Even if they're dead, how could they record someone so maliciously?
Hearing such slander in life, words that would make a ghost leap from the underworld, he felt an overwhelming urge to turn Mount Wudang into a barren wasteland.
"I'll start by examining the geological features," he said.
"Proceed," Baekmu replied.
Yeonghwa nodded in agreement.
With outsiders entering Wudang to undertake construction, could there possibly be no responsible supervisor?
The Master of the Yuzhen Palace had personally come, accompanied by Mujin, who had been dispatched from the Zixiao Palace.
Hmm, that's strange. Did I misread him yesterday?
Mujin, whose eyes had lost the unsettling glint from the previous day, now appeared every inch the promising young Daoist.
"Munhyeon-ah."
"...Yes?"
Baekmu called out to Zhuge Munhyeon, who was scrutinizing Mujin with narrowed eyes, his tone subtly urging.
"Go and inspect the mechanisms yourself."
"Me? Why me?"
"Don't be absurd! You might one day succeed me as the head of the Heavenly Craft Workshop's Engineering Division!"
"..."
Me? That's ridiculous.
Munhyeon had planned to step in only after the Excavators, masters of digging, had roughly cleared the debris and begun the actual repairs.
"Oh! It seems Munhyeon has a talent for engineering as well."
"Indeed. He's a prodigy for the ages. After just a month of training, he's already surpassed the skills of engineers who've toiled for decades."
"I see. His martial arts talent was already remarkable, but to possess such engineering aptitude as well... The Zhuge Clan has truly struck gold."
"Hahaha! Absolutely!"
They're having a good time. I am a martial artist. Neither in my past life nor in this one have I ever had the slightest interest in engineering. If you need someone for that, use Zhuge Munho and Gwan Hwipyeong. That's why I brought them here.
But...
"I thought your promise to find the Clear Yang Sword was just a formality, but it seems you meant it. With Munhyeon's involvement, I can entrust this matter with even greater confidence. Muryangsu-bul."
"..."
At Yeonghwa's words, accompanied by a hearty laugh, Zhuge Munhyeon picked up his shovel once again.
He trusts me. He even muttered a sincere Daoist invocation.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny