Chapter 44
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Do-gwang's True Identity
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“I came to this Absolute Light Mountain, of course, because I received orders from the Chief of the Main Stronghold to capture that bastard Seo Hong-san.”
“May I ask the reason? I don’t know much about the Green Forest’s code of conduct, but it’s unheard of for the Chief to order the arrest of a single mountain stronghold’s leader.”
“What big deal could there be? That guy’s got his guts hanging out. He’s cut off the annual tribute he’s supposed to send, and he’s ignored orders not to mess with people from passing merchant caravans...”
“Ah, it’s true that Absolute Light Mountain’s reputation has been impressive in recent years.”
“As you know, these are peaceful times. We Green Forest folk can’t help but watch out for the government’s eyes.”
“But why didn’t you step in from the beginning earlier?”
“That wasn’t possible. Even as Chief Patrol, I can’t just tell individual strongholds what to do. It’s one of the Green Forest’s codes.”
“Then why later?”
“Haha... If it weren’t for me, that guy’s head would already be in the hands of you four heroes. In that sense, I actually owe you all my thanks.”
“So, if it weren’t for Seonwoyong here and our caravan had been hit as is, what were your plans, Chief Patrol?”
“If that happened, it would’ve been simple enough. It would depend on how much of the goods you got from Absolute Light Mountain today you send up to the Chief. That’s the Green Forest’s code. Haha...”
At Bang-chung’s blunt words, Sa Hong-cheon could only give a wry smile and drain his cup.
That was when Seonwoyong spoke up.
“Old timer. Tell us about the latest news from the Western Regions. You seem to know more than anyone.”
Bang-chung smiled and began conversing with Seonwoyong.
“It seems you’re the leader of your group after all, young friend Seonwoyong.”
At Bang-chung’s remark, Sa Hong-cheon was struck dumb as if he’d swallowed honey, but Do-gwang didn’t dodge the comment.
“What are you talking about? He’s not some young hero—he’s the Caravan Leader! The leader of the Great Cloud Caravan.”
“Right, I was going to ask about that. Great Cloud Caravan—I’ve never heard of it. When did you start traveling the trade routes?”
There could be no merchant caravan in the Central Plains that the Green Forest’s Chief Patrol didn’t know about.
No matter how small the caravan, none could completely evade the Green Forest’s grasp.
“When else? When we left the Western Capital this time.”
Seonwoyong kept his mouth shut, and Do-gwang answered again.
“Anyway, you’ve got a sharp tongue and a short fuse. I’ll grant you’ve got some skill, but the jianghu is vast and deep, full of hidden masters beyond count. Think you can handle it?”
“Haha... What’s so special about hidden masters? We can be the hidden masters, or the down-and-out wanderers—it’s all the jianghu. Heh heh heh...”
Bang-chung looked at Do-gwang again.
He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, his actions and speech like some clueless street thug with no sense of propriety, but the pressure Bang-chung subtly felt was absolutely real.
Even for him, who had mingled with countless experts of the jianghu his whole life, this level of master was one he could count on one hand.
And Seonwoyong, sitting calmly beside him, was even more so.
A young man in his early twenties with no trace of martial arts detectable, yet the skill he’d already shown had no visible limit.
It wasn’t just his martial arts.
Looking at Seonwoyong, even his very essence felt ambiguous.
Any person has an impression, a personality, features that make them stand out to others.
But Seonwoyong had none of that.
He was clearly a strikingly handsome man, yet his face lacked any memorable traits.
No flashy or standout personality, no strong assertions—just a mild-mannered fellow.
Bang-chung suddenly realized where that sense of incongruity came from.
At that moment, Seonwoyong, as if uninterested in Bang-chung’s answer, drained his cup and slightly lifted his head to gaze at the night sky.
Eyes of enlightenment utterly unlike those of a youth in his twenties.
His gaze wandered some point in empty space, ignoring everything around him—like the eyes of one who had seen through all the world.
Bang-chung set aside his interest in Seonwoyong for now and resumed speaking with Do-gwang.
He couldn’t help but bubble with curiosity about these two intriguing men.
“Hey, young friend. So are you a hidden master? Or a down-and-out wanderer? Like you said.”
“Heh heh... Right now, I’m obviously a hidden master. Everyone here knows I took the head of one of the stronghold leaders today.”
Do-gwang grinned and drained his cup, and Bang-chung grinned back as he pressed further.
“But I know the technique you used earlier was the common-as-dirt Three Disasters Sword Method. Yet that footwork when you turned—it reeked of Wudang. Nine Palaces Steps, maybe? That heel spin like a top. You ever dabble as a Daoist? Heh heh...”
“You’ve got sharp eyes, old man. I’ve poked around places like that out of curiosity about the world. Never did the Daoist thing, though. Heh heh...”
“More than just poking around, I’d say... I’ve seen plenty of those Daoist bastards get cut down.”
“Hoo... And you’re still keeping that head of yours attached. Gotta respect your skill, old timer. Those guys’ swordplay is ruthless as hell.”
“That’s why I’m asking—are you that Hand Mo fellow? The one who left Wudang and vanished over a dozen years ago...”
Bang-chung’s eyesight was no joke.
But Do-gwang’s reaction remained the same.
“Hand is right, but I’ve forgotten the rest of the name. Names are useless crap in this world anyway. Heh heh heh...”
But the ones shocked by Bang-chung’s words were others.
Sa Hong-cheon, Jin Seol-hwa, and even Yu Mun-sul and Seo Hong-san jumped in surprise, silencing the table for a moment.
Jin Seol-hwa was the first to stand and offer Do-gwang a formal clasped-hands salute.
“Are you truly Senior Myriad Sword Scholar Son Mu-gi? If so, you’re my martial uncle’s generation—I’ve been disrespectful all this time.”
Sa Hong-cheon barely nodded as he rose and offered greetings.
“I failed to recognize one of the famed Wudang Seven Luminaries. Forgive me. Allow this Sa to greet you properly.”
Only Seonwoyong stared indifferently into space with a bored expression.
Do-gwang half-acknowledged the group’s greetings, waving one hand dismissively.
“Don’t know any such person. I’m just Do-gwang. Right now, the Great Cloud Caravan’s coachman.”
Everyone could only fall silent in awe before Do-gwang’s true identity.
In the current jianghu, Wudang Sect’s prestige rivaled Shaolin’s.
And the seven masters representing modern Wudang were the Wudang Seven Luminaries, one of whom—the Myriad Sword Scholar Son Mu-gi—was sitting right before them.
Especially Son Mu-gi, the youngest of the seven, was rumored to boast skill unmatched in Wudang’s three-hundred-year history, the greatest swordmaster in a century.
He had rejected the Daoist path, keeping his layman status without taking a Daoist title.
In particular, the tale of him achieving great success in the Twelve Constellations of the Twenty-Four Character Sword Manual—a supreme technique created by the eternal elder Zhang Sanfeng, whose transmission had been lost—before abandoning the sword entirely had shaken the jianghu.
Naturally, “myriad swords” referred not just to ten thousand blades but also the full attainment of sword’s ultimate realm.
Twelve years ago, he had shaken the jianghu upon his debut in his twenties, then left Wudang and vanished.
No one knew why, and Wudang had never mentioned his name since.
“Then you must be at least fifty... How do you look so young? If you’ve got some immortality elixir, share a bit with me...”
At Bang-chung’s question, Do-gwang chuckled.
“Whoa... That immortality elixir’s nothing special. You just live without regard for above or below, and it happens. Especially after ditching those stinking long-nosed Daoist pricks. Haha...”
His brash talk left listeners dumbfounded.
“Anyway, what’s the mood in the Western Regions? Let’s hear about that.”
As Seonwoyong asked again, the atmosphere sobered.
“Hmm... The Western Regions’ mood. It’s suspicious, yeah.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
Sa Hong-cheon followed up.
It concerned the safety of their path ahead—they couldn’t brush it off lightly.
“Too quiet—that’s the problem. Truth is, nothing’s happened at all.”
“And that’s suspicious...?”
“There’s a rumor Kunlun Sect has sealed their gates.”
“Gasp. Kunlun sealing their gates? Unbelievable. I’ve heard nothing of the sort.”
“That’s what makes it more suspicious. A caravan from Lanzhou recently delivered goods ordered by Kunlun and came straight back. If they’re not even accepting ordered items, it’s definitely a seal.”
For a sect to seal its gates was exceedingly rare.
And most reasons involved pressure from rival powers.
Such seals were usually announced grandly to the jianghu, causing massive uproar.
For a giant like Kunlun to seal quietly made it all the more eerie.
Shocked into silence by Bang-chung’s hint, all stared—except Seonwoyong, who calmly shifted his gaze back to the night sky.
As if he’d heard what he wanted and confirmed what he knew.
“The mood’s heavy, huh. Only one force could force Kunlun to seal—from beyond the borders.”
Do-gwang tossed in a word, then unusually somber, drained his cup.
“Reminds me of sixty years ago. Shortly after I started eating jianghu rice.”
Bang-chung added a line.
He was the only one here who could bring up events from sixty years past.
“I’ve only heard tales. You mean that Blood Cloud Cult chaos?”
Sa Hong-cheon asked, and Bang-chung dredged up old memories.
“As I recall, without Kunlun’s call to arms back then, the Central Plains would be the Demonic Cult’s world already. Are they finally paying the price now? Or is it a sign of new bloodshed? Or both...”
Then Seonwoyong suddenly stood.
“I’ll head out first.”
As Seonwoyong left, Do-gwang followed, and Sa Hong-cheon and Jin Seol-hwa rose too.
Now only the three Green Forest men remained.
Seo Hong-san, stripped of his inner power, was equally speechless, and Yu Mun-sul was taciturn by nature, saying nothing.
After a long contemplation, Bang-chung eyed the remaining two and spoke.
“I’ll have to head to the Western Regions too. Hey, Pavilion Master Yu. Send Seo Hong-san to Yoryang Mountain. Chief Gwang should handle it fine.”
Even at that, Yu Mun-sul merely nodded.