Stealth Squad Deployment (2)
"If you're all finished, I'll clear the teacups."
The guest monk glanced around the room absentmindedly and nearly dropped his tray in surprise.
Four guests sat there, their faces and eyes utterly expressionless, not uttering a single word.
They didn't even spare him a glance, as if they weren't sure whether he was there or not. Flustered, the guest monk gathered the teacups and hurried out.
"Then... I'll return at dinner time for the evening meal..."
He was a monk of relatively low martial prowess assigned to guest duties. Tilting his head in confusion the whole way, he left the room.
By the time the guest monk had departed, Song Hyeon and his group were already moving through the woods far from the guest quarters.
Left behind in the room were four talismans drawn by Joo Eun-ri.
Each bore the characters for Song (宋), Wang (王), Ju (朱), and Dang (唐), creating an illusion for the guest monk.
"You sure it's okay to rely on talismans like that?"
"If even one of the Murim Alliance's luminaries stops by the room, we'll be exposed."
"So getting caught is just a matter of time, then..."
Wang Yi Sam asked with a worried look, but Song Hyeon pressed on without responding, continuing their movement.
A clue to deceiving the Murim Alliance's experts: the darkness beneath the lamp.
That meant heading to the place in Shaolin Temple where footsteps were scarcest.
'Probably pointing us there.'
Song Hyeon's guess proved correct.
Whenever the group passed, the patrolling Shaolin monks would turn their heads away, shift positions, or otherwise clear the path.
Wang Yi Sam whispered in bewilderment.
"This is weird. Feels like they're deliberately making way for us."
Song Hyeon didn't reply, but it was proof they were on the right track.
Soon, a dilapidated and eerie building loomed before them.
"We already at the Repentance Cave?"
"This isn't the Repentance Cave. It's the Vajra Vault."
"...!"
Wang Yi Sam, a veteran of the jianghu, knew the rumors about Shaolin's Vajra Vault well.
The warehouse where Shaolin monks stored exotic weapons confiscated from Central Plains villains after defeating them.
Along with the Scripture Pavilion, which housed martial arts manuals, and the Arhat Hall, home to the Eighteen Arhats, it was one of Shaolin's Three Great Secret Places.
Song Hyeon strode boldly into the Vajra Vault without hesitation.
As Joo Eun-ri and Dang Ryong followed, Wang Yi Sam belatedly scanned the surroundings before catching up.
Once inside, the interior stretched vast and deep, seemingly endless.
The rear of the Vajra Vault had been carved into the mountain's base as a cave.
Torchlight lined the walls, illuminating the space.
Shelves along both sides of the corridor displayed weapons of unknown origin.
Seeing them, Song Hyeon paused, a flicker of nostalgia crossing his face.
During the previous Black Wolf Castle infiltration, he had recommended suitable exotic weapons to his team based on their abilities.
Those members had high potential but lacked experience, so they needed the extra care.
This time, though, it wasn't necessary.
Seo Baek, Joo Eun-ri, and Dang Ryong each had their own unique styles.
Only one—Wang Yi Sam—still seemed to need looking after, just like before.
'A dao swordsman who fights practically. Nothing jumps out as a perfect fit, but better pick something for him.'
Meanwhile, Joo Eun-ri and Dang Ryong eagerly browsed the weapons with gleaming eyes.
Experts in Qimen Dunjia and hidden techniques—who else could resist?
Wang Yi Sam clicked his tongue watching them.
'Look at those greedy eyes.'
Of course, if there had been liquor or silver instead of mysterious weapons, Wang Yi Sam would've been just as distracted.
Then, someone entered the Vajra Vault.
Wang Yi Sam turned casually—and gaped in shock.
Shaolin Abbot Mu Hye and Jin-mun were walking right toward them.
"Damn it, we busted?"
As Wang Yi Sam muttered, someone stepped forward.
"Senior Brother Wang, it's me."
"Junior?"
Thinking their escape from the guest quarters had been discovered, Wang Yi Sam stared blankly—until he recognized Seo Baek and rushed over with a grin.
"What the hell happened? Weren't you dragged to the Repentance Cave?"
"Too much to explain now. I'll tell you slowly later."
"R-Right! Anyway, good to see you—great!"
Unable to contain his joy, Wang Yi Sam grabbed Seo Baek's shoulders and shook them hard.
Then, sensing something off, he stepped back.
"Junior, you seem... different. You sure you're my junior?"
"Why do you keep saying that? It's me."
"Nah, you look totally different from when you were headed to the Repentance Cave."
Even the rough-and-tumble Wang Yi Sam noticed Seo Baek's changes.
After major breakthroughs in internal arts via the Pursuit Blood Point, guidance from Jin Ha-gun and Lee Kang, and real combat against the Three Freaks of Shaolin, he'd grown beyond recognition.
"One must rub one's eyes when meeting a scholar after three days apart."
Song Hyeon stepped forward, quoting a classic.
"Impressive growth in such a short time."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Song."
Seo Baek bowed to Song Hyeon, then nodded to Joo Eun-ri and Dang Ryong.
He and Joo Eun-ri shared a joyful glance at their reunion, but Dang Ryong ignored him with a bored look.
Then, a sharp voice rang out from behind Jin-mun.
"Well, if it isn't the Fourteen Constellations?"
The speaker was a black-robed man with black cloth over his eyes—Lee Kang.
"Your friend comes from afar—is that not delightful?"
A line from the Analects meaning joy at a distant friend's visit.
But Lee Kang's raspy, grating tone held no warmth.
Wang Yi Sam and the others assumed the eyepatched eccentric was picking a fight with Song Hyeon.
Yet Song Hyeon clasped his hands in a formal Buddhist salute, showing utmost respect.
"I truly appreciated your escort to Yunnan before. Thank you again."
"Just returning the favor—no need for thanks."
Wang Yi Sam looked back and forth between them in confusion, sensing some past connection.
"You were a cripple back then. How'd you regain your old strength?"
"Good fortune. Or perhaps Yunnan's pure air and water."
"Guess the experiment on you worked."
"Same for you, no?"
"Joking? Your head's still attached, but some bastard took my eyes."
Lee Kang pointed to his eyepatch, and Song Hyeon gave a wry smile.
"You're different too. Can't fully read minds anymore, it seems."
"Still sharp as ever."
Their bizarre reunion ended there.
Joo Eun-ri cut in sharply.
"But how did you all get here?"
Song Hyeon explained to her and the group.
He recounted the secret message from the Shaolin Abbot via the three teacups.
The talismans were mere decoys, and the patrolling monks had opened the way.
"Shaolin is filled with pure-energy masters like clouds. Talismans alone couldn't fool them all."
"So my talismans were just for show?"
Joo Eun-ri asked indignantly, but Mu Hye responded with joined palms.
"Amitabha. Thanks to your talismans, we bought precious time."
"Time?"
"Time to hold off the Murim Alliance's luminaries."
Everyone turned puzzled gazes to Mu Hye.
Lee Kang sneered.
"Buncha suckers... fooled by the Abbot."
"Amitabha. Forgive this monk's scheme."
Mu Hye began explaining his plan.
"Rather than the Body Transfer Skill, I chose to trust Layman Seo Baek."
Everyone, including Seo Baek, was stunned.
"Three reasons. First, the Body Transfer Skill is extremely hard to perfect. Second, evenly distributing internal energy among the Alliance's experts is no easy task. It would only sow division."
The group nodded at Mu Hye's words.
The Body Transfer Skill was tough even one-on-one.
Against a crowd, it'd waste energy needlessly.
And with so many Alliance experts and Shaolin monks, disputes over portions were inevitable.
"Third—and the greatest reason—I intend to place Layman Seo Baek at the vanguard of this operation."
"...!"
"His journey through revenant-infested Central Plains to Shaolin proves his experience. He also demonstrated his prowess escaping the Repentance Cave."
"Right! Our junior suffered so much from Sichuan to Shaolin..."
Wang Yi Sam blurted emotionally at Mu Hye's praise, then clamped his mouth shut, realizing his rudeness.
Still, the group welcomed Mu Hye's decision.
Song Hyeon, Wang Yi Sam, and Joo Eun-ri nodded happily at Seo Baek, relieved he'd escaped the Body Transfer Skill's risks.
But Seo Baek himself remained impassive.
After his Repentance Cave breakthroughs, even the Body Transfer Skill seemed trivial.
Unaware, Wang Yi Sam scratched his head, grumbling that his junior had changed.
Then, the silent Dang Ryong spoke.
"This is boring. What's the plan?"
Lee Kang chuckled.
"A viper slithers into the scriptures."
Tension iced over between Lee Kang and Dang Ryong.
But Mu Hye's next words seized everyone's attention.
"The operation to eliminate Seo Bul."
Seo Bul?
Puzzled looks returned.
Seo Bul—also known as Seo Bok—from the Warring States era Qin Dynasty. A legendary figure sent by Emperor Qin Shi Huang to seek the elixir of immortality. Every Central Plains native knew the tale.
But that was over a millennium ago.
No wonder they were baffled by a sudden plan to eliminate him.
"Actually, our Shaolin scouts returned with intel on Seo Bul. Jin Hyeop, step forward."
A young Shaolin monk, about twenty-something, emerged from behind Jin-mun.
With Jin-mun's help, Shaolin monk Jin Hyeop unrolled what looked like a mat from both sides—revealing a detailed map.
The terrain was meticulously depicted for easy recognition.
At the center, a city marked in red ink stood out.
"This is presumed to be Seo Bul's city," Mu Hye said, pointing with his index finger.
"Why hunt a man from over a thousand years ago? Some ancient book he left there?"
Joo Eun-ri fired the blunt question.
Rumors held Seo Bul as the founder of alchemy, drawing interest from any aspiring immortal.
Studying Qimen Dunjia and spells, Joo Eun-ri couldn't hold back her curiosity.
But Mu Hye's answer stunned them all.
"Seo Bul lives."
"Impossible. Qin's been gone over a millennium..."
"He discovered the secret to immortality."
Mu Hye's usual compassionate voice had turned icy cold.
"Seo Bul is the one who unleashed the revenants."