Chapter 208
Chapter 208
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 208
Chapter Title: Everyone Was Busy Yawning
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The more Daoist Master Pure Crane observed him, the more fascinating this Dao companion seemed.
The more he interacted with this man named Unhwi, the more he sensed a peculiar charm.
At first, when they had only exchanged letters, he'd come across as prickly and overbearing.
Military correspondence during wartime naturally stuck to the essentials, stripped down to bare necessities.
Even so, most of the requests from the Anti-Demonic Alliance were demanding ones.
From mobilizing personnel to the exact timing of White Snow Valley's opening. Any miscommunication could spell massive losses for both the Anti-Demonic Alliance and the Kongtong Sect.
His pursuit of perfection was meticulous and resolute beyond measure.
Word had it that the young leader of the Anti-Demonic Alliance's reputation had spread beyond Sichuan to the entire Central Plains.
So inwardly, he'd assumed the young man was arrogant and perfectionist despite his youth.
But no, far from it?
The more they conversed, the more entertaining he found him.
"Truth be told, White Snow Valley has a legend passed down through the generations."
"A legend, you say?"
"Indeed. It's about our sect's founder, the Radiant Star Sage."
"That's intriguing. They say even Emperor Xuanyuan sought his teachings? I'm quite fond of such tales."
He responded keenly even to conversations that might otherwise drag.
Perhaps because of that, Daoist Master Pure Crane found himself unexpectedly warming to the topic.
"Long ago, White Snow Valley was home to a deranged evil dragon that had lost its reason. It delighted in devouring humans and setting the mountainsides ablaze. Because of it, Mount Kongtong became a barren wasteland without a single blade of grass, and the surroundings turned into a desolate desert."
A commonplace legend anywhere, yet he listened with such rapt attention.
Daoist Master Pure Crane felt oddly like a famed storyteller at the marketplace.
"It just so happened that the Radiant Star Sage, wandering the world in search of a suitable sacred mountain for his sect, arrived at Mount Kongtong."
"Naturally, he sought to subdue the evil dragon."
"Precisely. The Sage's founding of the sect stemmed from a grand mission to alleviate the world's sufferings and delusions even a little. He could hardly stand by and watch such atrocities."
"Ooh. How impressive."
"And so, a fierce battle erupted. The sheer cliffs dotting these lands are said to be traces of a single stroke from the Sage—truly a scene from myth, wouldn't you say?"
Unbeknownst to himself, Daoist Master Pure Crane got caught up in his own enthusiasm.
"Fortunately, after a protracted fight, the Sage emerged victorious. He tore the dragon asunder and scattered its spiritual essence across the mountainside... From that moment, Mount Kongtong became a spiritually potent sacred mountain, and the Sage established his abode here, forging the Kongtong Sect as we know it. Quite the entertaining tale, isn't it?"
Unhwi even rose to his feet and offered a respectful clasped-hands salute.
"Thanks to you, Sect Leader, I've heard such a thrilling story. I never dreamed that White Snow Valley—famed even in the jianghu—held such a legend. This humble Mo vows to spread the lesson and moral far and wide, making it a model for all alliances. My gratitude."
Judging purely by that demeanor, he seemed genuinely awestruck by the Radiant Star legend.
Had he not witnessed secular disciples hawking wares do the same, even he might have been fooled.
"Hahaha! It seems you have quite the talent for fibbing, Dao companion."
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
Unhwi lifted his head, eyes sparkling innocently.
"When this poor tongue spins this yarn, everyone is busy yawning. Yet you haven't shown a flicker of boredom."
"......"
"Hahaha!"
In an instant, the sparkle in Unhwi's eyes turned to dead blackness.
The sight was so adorably pitiful that Daoist Master Pure Crane couldn't stop laughing.
"Puhahaha!"
What a teasingly fun Dao companion.
He reminded him of someone.
* * *
...What the hell? Did I just get played with my eyes wide open?
The Little Heavenly Demon of the world?
By one of the Nine Great Sects' leaders, no less, who's supposed to be the pinnacle of stubbornness?
「You wretch! How dare a mere Nine Great Sect leader insult our Young Cult Leader like this?!」
「What a rare sight, seeing the Young Cult Leader bested... Ahem! Young Cult Leader, we cannot let this stand!」
「Indeed! Punish this fool a hundredfold for one offense and make an example of him!」
「Strike down your Heavenly Lightning Temperament upon him! This Little Demon will shave him bald!!」
「Little Demon Fifteen! Thanks to the seniors' long guidance, I've been reborn anew! If you give this Little Demon another chance, I swear I'll do better than anyone—」
「No! Leave it to this Little Demon Sixteen! Baldness stems mainly from blocked scalp meridians, so yin-type techniques are best! This Little Demon will team up with the ghost fiends to seal every capillary!! He'll never tie his topknot again!!」
The lingering spirits, now feeling lively, were ranting louder than usual.
Should I really shave that scalp clean?
If I hadn't just found traces of Master, I'd have crushed them...
After touring all of White Snow Valley, I met privately with Daoist Master Pure Crane to discuss future plans.
White Snow Valley was more peaceful than expected overall.
There was an elder lecturing on the Daoist scriptures, while children played games like shuttlecock on one side, giggling merrily.
People hauling supplies, repairing building clusters, raising livestock, cooking, doing laundry, and so on.
No different from the daily life in any ordinary Daoist temple.
But their eyes were different.
Fierce.
And sharp.
They held an unshakeable conviction that they would never crumble, no matter what.
'How does a man so trusted by his disciples get duped by some Ghost Sect hack?'
Of course, separate from that trust, his excessively lenient nature might have played a part, and the Ghost Sect Leader's schemes were cunning enough.
Still, White Snow Valley's atmosphere was more positive and hopeful than gloomy overall.
"As you see, our sect has carried on for tens of thousands of years since our founder, the Radiant Star Sage, opened its gates."
Daoist Master Pure Crane set down his teacup quietly, speaking in measured tones.
"We all strive to stray as little as possible from our daily routines. Whether the sect flourishes or declines, we hope to remain steadfast. Like Mount Kongtong, standing firm in this spot for tens of thousands of years against the desert sands. Like our ancestors, who, from this frontier, never averted their gaze from the righteous path of the jianghu."
"......"
"It's the same now. Even if our sect splinters and the Demonic Cult rages outside, day-to-day life remains unchanged from yesterday."
"......"
"That's why the disciples carry on with the same routines here, and the sect members wield their swords to protect those routines. Is not wu wei the very core of all Dao? Hahaha."
For some reason, I felt I'd glimpsed one facet of the giant heart this man always carried.
Why wasn't he anxious or restless?
No matter how supreme a Heart-Sword Unity expert he was, he couldn't repel the Demonic Army single-handedly.
Yet he maintained his composure because of his profound cultivation.
And because his disciples placed deep trust in his teachings.
This must be the storied might of the Nine Great Sects.
"So if you have a good plan, please share it. So that we may continue our same routines henceforth."
And he could casually bow his head to a much younger junior.
Not just anyone could do that.
And.
'...This man.'
For some reason, in his determination to safeguard his sect's daily life, I caught a shadow of someone.
'Just like Master.'
Perhaps my guess after seeing the Blood Nether Realm had been right.
"Then, may I take that as willingness to accept the final proposal from my previous letter?"
My earlier missive had contained two requests.
First, to briefly open White Snow Valley's entrance after the explosion.
Second—
"You mean opening the path to the Radiant Star Tomb?"
"Yes. That's right."
I absolutely had to secure the Radiant Star Tomb, no matter what.
A wry smile tugged at Daoist Master Pure Crane's lips.
"Truth be told, when that proposal first arrived, it caused quite a stir within our sect."
"I understand. It's the sacred site where your founding ancestor resided, after all, so much must be weighed."
In the Central Plains, Taoism's origins are typically traced to Huang-Lao—that is, Emperor Xuanyuan and Grand Supreme Lord Laozi.
But the Kongtong Sect was different.
They regarded the Radiant Star Sage as the true beginning.
Because of the legend that Xuanyuan had sought teachings directly from him.
Thus, the Kongtong Sect claimed themselves as the orthodox main lineage of the Dao, inheriting the Sage's mantle.
Even ordinary sects revere their founders immensely—what more for the Kongtong, where it was practically their identity?
Yet this would turn the Radiant Star Sage's holy site into a battlefield.
It wasn't that the Kongtong Sect had refrained from purging the Ghost Sect and South Palace Clan's defilements due to weakness.
If anything, it was because it was that precious.
"But think carefully. Even now, the Demonic Cult continues massing troops at Mount Kongtong. They're no longer hiding their presence."
Indeed, pale-faced ghosts were being sighted everywhere on Mount Kongtong outside White Snow Valley.
"The South Palace Clan has taken heavy losses too, but with their involvement about to be exposed, they can't sit idle. They'll surely dispatch reinforcements."
The South Palace Clan couldn't ignore recouping their investments either. The Gansu martial world was vital to them.
"And it's the Radiant Star Tomb that the Demonic Cult and South Palace obsess over so strangely."
"......"
"I don't know what they seek there, but doesn't that make it all the more crucial to block them?"
"......"
"We need to blunt their spearhead again before it grows sharper, Sect Leader."
Fwoosh!
Flames blazed in my eyes.
"Lend me the Demon-Subduing Sword Guards. Once their rest ends, I'll reclaim the Radiant Star Tomb and return."
"......"
"......"
"......"
"Sect Leader."
A long silence flowed.
A wry smile spread across Daoist Master Pure Crane's lips.
"The Dao is the myriad things themselves. Zhuangzi himself cited the butterfly dream to say attaching meaning to anything is futile vanity."
"......"
"In the end, that mere tomb is empty delusion too. If the founder's will resides in our hearts, then that is the true Radiant Star Tomb, is it not? This tongue knows it, the elders know it, and even the young disciples know it."
"...Then, your words mean—"
"Truth be told, our reluctance to casually yield the Radiant Star Tomb stems from another reason."
「Huh?」
「Not because it's a sacred site?」
「In our Holy Cult terms, it's like defiling the First Heavenly Demon's sanctuary! But there's a weightier reason?」
My eyes widened slightly.
It was utterly unexpected.
Yet.
Thump thump!
For some reason, my heart raced strangely.
Heat coursed through my body.
"May I... ask what that reason is?"
My voice trembled unbidden.
Whether he noticed or not.
Daoist Master Pure Crane gravely nodded.
"It's because an item remains there from the benefactor who bestowed great favor upon our sect."
"!!!"
In that instant, I intuitively realized.
This was a tale tied to my master.