Chapter 71
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Black Ebony Coffin
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The vast plain in front of the Potala Palace.
Countless torches flickered there like innumerable stars.
In places here and there, numerous people had lit large bonfires and were grilling sheep and yak meat.
They were originally Ming Cult followers who did not eat meat, but after the war with the Mongols, all such restrictions had vanished.
Wei Zongqi too had shed his armor for the first time in ages and sat comfortably, drinking with grilled meat as an appetizer.
At his side, True Demon God Musujong and Tianshan Ink Spear Na Taejong had also taken their seats.
"I'm starving. Hey there, Horse Head Brother. Hand over that grilled leg."
From out of the darkness, a black shadow scurried over and teased Musujong.
It was Pyo Dongsan, another of the Heavenly Man Generals, the Steel Whip Horse God.
Unexpectedly, Pyo Dongsan was not a Central Plains man but one of the brown-haired folk.
His brown hair was tied up, and he had a hooked nose with brown eyes.
At his waist hung a steel whip made by weaving thin dark iron with steel wire, like a belt, and on both arms, he wore gauntlets hammered from dark iron.
He had come from the far west to serve the Bright Honored One.
True to his moniker of Steel Whip Horse God, his skill in taming and training horses had reached the divine realm, making him the one who oversaw all matters related to horses in the Great Cloud Bright Religion.
And in this gathering, he held the rank right below Wei Zongqi.
"Pyo, my brother. You made sure all the young ones are taken care of, right?"
Wei Zongqi gestured to a seat for Pyo Dongsan as he asked.
Of course, the "young ones" he meant were the horses of the Azure Heaven Dragon Cavalry Unit.
"No sick ones among them, and they're all eating their feed and resting well."
"You've worked hard. Come, eat and drink."
As Pyo Dongsan sat, Musujong tore off a sheep leg and handed it over. Na Taejong filled a cup to the brim with liquor.
Pyo Dongsan drained the cup in one gulp and began tearing into the leg.
"I have no idea what trick this is. For them to set up camp right under our noses and offer us meat to our heart's content..."
When Musujong suddenly voiced his curiosity, Wei Zongqi answered.
"Isn't this all just the Leader's scheme in the end? When I galloped here, I braced myself for a brutal fight."
"By the way, what do you think was in that coffin-like thing among those five carriages? I was awfully curious when we handed it over to them."
"Indeed. Made of top-quality black ebony, so the contents couldn't have been ordinary."
When Musujong aired his curiosity again, Na Taejong took up the thread.
Then Pyo Dongsan, gnawing on his sheep meat, cut in like driving a nail.
"Don't be curious. If the Leader didn't tell us, there's a reason for it, and prying into it would be irreverent."
"You're right, Brother Pyo. Tomorrow at dawn, the Leader will emerge, and then everything will be fine."
But the next day, even after daybreak and the sun high in the sky, U Gyeongcheon did not appear outside the castle.
Wei Zongqi heard U Gyeongcheon's Thousand-Li Voice Transmission again around lunchtime, just as the sun began tilting toward the west.
"Are you all resting well? We'll depart for Qinghai at dawn tomorrow, so no liquor today—rest early."
That was it.
Wei Zongqi lacked the inner power to respond even via the Thousand-Li Voice Transmission.
At that moment, U Gyeongcheon stood with the Eastern Heaven Lama in some secluded spot within the Potala Palace.
Before them sat that very carriage, loaded with the single coffin, all alone, and no one was around.
"What on earth made Brother bring this all the way here yourself?"
"What else? My coffin, of course. Heh heh..."
U Gyeongcheon's complexion was even brighter.
After a day had passed, the traces of the Residual Blood Demon Thought Seal that had consumed him had nearly vanished. He had shed the appearance of a sickly old man and now looked like a middle-aged man with only white hair.
Such a U Gyeongcheon climbed onto the carriage himself and beckoned to the Eastern Heaven Lama.
"Come up too. You need to see this for yourself."
"What could it be that's got you so..."
The Eastern Heaven Lama leaped onto the carriage, his face full of curiosity.
U Gyeongcheon pulled out each nail embedded in the coffin's lid one by one.
After extracting all the bronze nails, he slowly flipped open the lid, revealing various items.
"What in the world are all these?"
As the Eastern Heaven Lama peered down and tilted his head, U Gyeongcheon lifted a pair of shackles made of brass tinged with an eerie red hue.
"Did you think I came empty-handed? These are naturally betrothal gifts for you."
"No, even just the Mystic Eye Stone was plenty, and now all this..."
"Ha ha... Do you think my life is worth so little? Take these first."
The Eastern Heaven Lama took the pair of shackles U Gyeongcheon offered and held one in each hand.
They were clearly no ordinary items at a glance.
The outer surfaces of the ancient shackles were intricately carved with Indra and Asura, respectively.
"These look far from ordinary. What kind of story do they hold?"
"The name should be inscribed there. You've probably heard of it before."
The Eastern Heaven Lama examined the outer side more closely and spotted some small characters.
They were an inscription in Sanskrit.
"Hmm... Blood Heaven Shackles? How did you acquire such an ominous ritual implement?"
"They weren't originally ours, but over the past millennium, a great many things have accumulated in our Ming Cult's storehouses. I was sorting through them this time, thought of you, and brought them along."
The Eastern Heaven Lama gazed at them more intently with a somber expression and murmured.
"Innumerable ghosts are wailing within."
"It's a dangerous item, so handle it with care. It seems just the thing to wield with your Great Lama Blood Flame Divine Art."
"I suppose so."
Far from rejoicing, the Eastern Heaven Lama let out a deep sigh and set them aside.
U Gyeongcheon then picked up a thick, ancient book and handed it to the Eastern Heaven Lama.
The cover bore a title in Sanskrit.
"Yoga Sutra? How did you obtain such a precious scripture..."
This time, the Eastern Heaven Lama was truly startled.
The Yoga Sutra was the foundation and pinnacle of Tianzhu martial arts, a manual compiling its ultimate techniques.
Though the martial arts of the Western Regions originated in Tianzhu, the original source, the Yoga Sutra, had never been transmitted.
As a result, while tremendously fierce and domineering, Western Regions martial arts lacked finesse and flexibility—that was their weakness.
But now, with this original source, he had found the key to补足 that flaw and greatly advance.
"I brought it because it seemed like it would be of great help."
"It's far too generous a gift. Can I really just accept something so precious..."
Despite his words, the Eastern Heaven Lama had already tucked it securely into his bosom.
"Our Ming Cult has no use for it at all. As you know, our martial arts have no connection to Tianzhu..."
Indeed.
Since Buddhism originated in Tianzhu, the roots of its martial arts did too.
The Buddhist martial arts of the Central Plains, led by Shaolin Temple, and those of the Western Regions were all based on Tianzhu's yoga techniques, whereas the Ming Cult's were founded on those of Persia.
For the Ming Cult, which worshipped the god of light and fire, Ming Zun, had originated in Persia.
Thereafter, U Gyeongcheon handed over several more treasures from the coffin to the Eastern Heaven Lama one by one.
Not a single one wasn't a treasure, and most were intimately linked to Western Regions martial arts, leaving the Eastern Heaven Lama speechless.
"This is more than enough—overflowing, even. I helped to aid you, Brother, but isn't this little brother the one who's encountered a tremendous stroke of fortune?"
"It's merely the righteous fruit of your compassion. Had you not answered my plea, it wouldn't have happened at all, would it?"
"Be that as it may, where on earth did you gather all these treasures?"
"Didn't I tell you? I sorted through our hidden storehouse near Dunhuang this time. There was a reason, of course, but you'll learn it later."
"Hmm... So the rumors shaking the world lately were true. The ones about the Ming Cult's treasure vault being opened there."
"Keh heh heh... Even rumors like that have spread to the Western Regions? Truly, unspoken words outrun a thousand-li steed."
"Heh heh... Somehow, it reeks of something off. Like the smell of blood."
"Many of my subordinate cultists are grinding their teeth over those hypocrites of the Central Plains. Looks like it's time for the first greeting."
"So, anyone who covets the Ming Cult's precious treasures this time—you plan to gather them all and give them a collective funeral?"
"Why not? Those who consider others' possessions their own by right must pay the price. This time, I told them to go wild."
"Ha ha... Judging by how you've cleared this out, that place must be empty now, right?"
"Not completely. Without even bait, how would the fish be lured?"
Thus, the coffin was now empty.
Yet the space inside was quite spacious, and it even looked comfortable enough to lie in.
But the two men's gazes upon the empty coffin were in stark contrast.
"If this little brother had truly turned his back on you, Brother, you really planned to lie here and pass away?"
The Eastern Heaven Lama asked U Gyeongcheon with a poignant expression.
"Why not? I had no other choice. Truth be told, I'd reached my limit."
"Then you brought those cavalrymen along for that reason too."
"Exactly. In that case, wouldn't this old, sick body need to show some resolve? Keh heh."
U Gyeongcheon, on the contrary, smiled broadly and answered lightly.
"Hmm... Then we can discard this now. No need for it anymore."
"No. Leave it as is. I plan to ride in it tomorrow."
"No, what kind of thinking is that? For a healthy body like yours to lie in a coffin?"
"I have no intention of traveling with my mounted subordinates. I don't want anyone seeing my movements. For the time being. Almost no one knows I've come here for this purpose, so if you alone help me, Brother, no one will know my circumstances or whereabouts."
Hearing this, the Eastern Heaven Lama countered with a grave expression.
"Then, Brother, you're still wary of that Hyeonjin?"
"Heh heh... Hyeonjin is someone you can never let your guard down around. Like a viper, like a yaksha. He might even be a true bloodsucker. And the organization he belongs to, including him, is all the more terrifying. Don't get careless. You too."
"Hmm... Understood. Of course, who could know what passed between you and me?"
"They'll find out someday. On the day we two conquer the world."
"That day will surely come. This little brother is now ready to depart for the Central Plains at any moment. Just send word, and I'll mobilize every resource in the Western Regions."
The two men now faced each other and nodded.
It was, of course, a scene foretelling the bloody storm that would soon sweep over the Central Plains.