Chapter 52
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Flying Heaven Blood Rod
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Dunhuang had been the central hub of east-west trade since the Han Dynasty, a vital crossroads where all the continent's cultures mingled and diverged.
It had also served as the gateway through which Buddhism and Islam spread, leaving countless related ruins scattered in the surrounding areas.
Among the most famous were the grottoes located in a bend northwest of Dunhuang.
These caves had long been known for occasionally yielding extraordinary treasures, drawing in quite a few enthusiasts.
But this latest rumor was something else entirely.
Among those grottoes were several created by the Great Cloud Bright Religion—now reviled as a demonic cult—most of which remained unexcavated.
It was only natural that these caves piqued the interest of the martial world.
Just as Shaolin martial arts, the North Star and progenitor of Central Plains kung fu, originated from Tianzhu, the Great Cloud Bright Religion had its roots in the Great Food Kingdom (Persia, modern-day Iran). Even the bizarre techniques branded as demonic originated from there.
The secret martial arts of the Great Cloud Bright Religion, along with Western Region treasures, still filling those grottoes—what could be more tantalizing?
"You've really been busy with pointless nonsense."
Do Gwang, clearly displeased, scolded I Taejeong.
"Who from Mount Wudang told you to go there and collect such things? Is that what the current sect leader is about?"
The current head of the Wudang Sect was Master Shang Zheng (常貞眞人), Xuan Fengzi (玄風子), the third of the Wudang Seven Sages.
I Taejeong had no reply and merely nodded repeatedly.
"So that's what it was. No wonder so many martial artists have been passing through Lanzhou lately."
Seo Munpyeong nodded and murmured to himself.
"Damn, we have to pass through Dunhuang anyway. Not sure if this is good or bad for us."
Sa Hongcheon added worriedly, prompting Bang Chung to chime in.
"Heh heh... No wonder the western road was pulling at me... Anyway, this Bang always brings fortune wherever he goes, so don't worry too much, everyone. Heh heh..."
"By the way, aren't you the renowned Green Forest Chief Patrol, Great Hero Bang Chung?"
Seo Munpyeong's sharp eyes had spotted him, as expected.
Once Seo Munpyeong acted like he recognized Bang Chung, the two soon began sharing drinks and exchanging tales of valor.
Sa Hongcheon, being of similar age, joined in, and as their conversation deepened, Do Gwang quietly asked Seonwoyong.
"Are you after it too?"
Seonwoyong chuckled softly at Do Gwang's question.
"Why? You seem awfully tempted."
"What if I find some elixir and return to youth or shed my bones and be reborn? Heh heh..."
"You're being ridiculous. You're already too spry for your age."
"What nonsense? If I got my hands on something like that and became your age, I'd..."
"Oh? And how exactly would you live then?"
Seonwoyong asked seriously.
But Do Gwang's answer was pure Do Gwang.
"Why so serious? The answer's obvious. Make a pile of money, keep nine young and pretty concubines, and live it up. Heh heh heh..."
He began slipping into bawdy talk.
"The girls from the Northern Sea region are the best, no doubt. Pale skin, slender figures, and the water there..."
At the table were his sect's junior I Taejeong, Jin Seolhwa, the newly joined Mo Yongcheong, and the still-young Han Sojung.
But Do Gwang was hardly one to mind such things.
As Do Gwang launched into his vulgarities, Old Man Jang finished eating and took Han Sojung away.
"Young master, let such filthy words go in one ear and out the other."
He left those words deliberately for Do Gwang to hear.
Jin Seolhwa then rose, taking Mo Yongcheong with her.
"There won't be any rooms left at this inn. Luckily, my room has an extra cot, so come with me."
"Then I'll impose on you. Mind if I call you sister?"
"Hee hee... Sister might be a stretch in age, but I like it. Let's do that, little sister."
Curiously, as the two women left, their lingering glances had been toward Seonwoyong.
Even listening to Do Gwang's crude talk, Seonwoyong's face bore only a clear, smiling expression.
The next morning, early, Seonwoyong left the Drunk Hero Inn.
The group had drunk late into the night, so everyone seemed to be sleeping in, leaving the inn's corridors quiet.
Without telling anyone, Seonwoyong headed alone to a slum in Lanzhou city.
Just off the main avenue lined with splendid buildings, he entered an alley, and the smell changed immediately.
The stench of urine from drunken revelers vibrated in the air, mingled with the odor of children's feces from some corner, while stray dogs wandered the lane.
Yet it was still a place where people lived, so a few shops had opened early, awaiting customers.
Passing a butcher with only a few pork bones and a stall selling wilted greens, he spotted a ramshackle shop of haphazardly stacked mud bricks, on the verge of collapse.
It was a smithy.
The forge was already lit since morning, the bellows hissing, gray smoke curling from the chimney.
Seonwoyong entered, but no one greeted him.
Being in the city, there were no farm tools.
Just a few kitchen knives and assorted cooking utensils lay about.
Instead of calling out, Seonwoyong began thoroughly inspecting the smithy's interior.
His gaze held a faint tenderness.
Moments later, as he picked up a square kitchen knife and examined blade and tang, a sound came from inside.
A gaunt old man with a hunched back emerged, bare-chested.
He had no hair left, and his emaciated torso was covered in scars.
"What do you want? Looking for a knife?"
Straightening with effort, the old man addressed Seonwoyong.
His mouth had scarcely any teeth.
Seonwoyong didn't reply but flicked the blade with his finger, held it to his ear, and listened.
Wooong...
Unexpectedly, the resonance was deep and prolonged.
"It's as fine as ever. Your craftsmanship..."
At Seonwoyong's cryptic words, the old man shot straight upright.
"Who are you? You're not here to buy. State your business."
The old man's posture and tone brimmed with wariness.
"I was truly worried. Coming here, afraid your trace might have vanished."
Seonwoyong set the knife down and turned to the old man.
The old man scanned Seonwoyong from head to toe with sharp eyes.
"I've never seen you before. What are you babbling about? Enough crazy talk this early—be on your way."
Seonwoyong slowly crossed his arms and murmured leisurely.
"Never seen me? How hurtful. Today, I've come to retrieve what I left in your care. Hand it over."
The old man gasped at Seonwoyong's words.
He hesitated to speak, scrutinizing Seonwoyong's face again.
Then Seonwoyong lifted an iron rod from a corner.
Thick and long, it seemed to weigh dozens of catties and span over five feet.
Rusted solid red, purposeless, ignored by all—but as Seonwoyong hefted it, the old man started.
"Wh-what are you doing with that?"
In response, Seonwoyong channeled inner energy into the rod.
Something wondrous happened.
"Wooong..."
The rod trembled faintly, buzzing like swarms of bees.
Fine cracks formed in the red rust encasing it.
Then, brilliant white light burst from the fissures in the splitting rust.
Wooong...
The buzzing peaked, and the red rust shell shattered off in an instant.
Now in Seonwoyong's hand, the rod gleamed with silvery-white radiance.
"Seeing the world's Flying Heaven Blood Rod rusted and dormant like this is heartbreaking."
Seonwoyong muttered, lightly tossing the rod to the old man.
The old man caught it hastily.
But his interest wasn't in the rod.
His gaze fixed on Seonwoyong, unblinking, complex with shock, doubt, joy, and sorrow intermingled.
The silvery-white glow faded from his grip, replaced by a faint dark red aura.
The massive rod bore intricate engravings and embossings of all kinds—a peerless divine weapon at a glance.
Flying Heaven Blood Rod.
A blood-red iron rod carved with beautiful flying nymphs.
Any in the martial world who knew it would gasp if they saw it.
Hidden from the world for sixty years now.
It was the signature weapon of Meng Huok, the Bright Left Emissary of the Great Cloud Bright Religion that once shook the land—a divine armament among the Fifty Great Weapons of past and present.
The left and right Bright Emissaries were the right and left hands executing and overseeing the sect leader's every command.
And this Flying Heaven Blood Emissary Meng Huok, as left emissary, had served the previous leader Wu Cheonso from start to finish, vanishing with his master—a supreme expert of his era.
"Are you truly that lord?"
The old man's voice cracked as he finally spoke.
Seonwoyong met his gaze steadily.
The old man stared piercingly into Seonwoyong's eyes for a long while, then nodded.
Suddenly, he flung the rod aside, dropped to his knees, and began six deep bows.
With each head striking the floor, he repeated the same salute.