Chapter 97
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Crescent Moon Spring
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After Moyong Cheong stormed out like that, it was Jeon Sogi who came looking for Seonwoyong.
"You're really living it up, aren't you, Leader?"
His opening remark carried a hint of amusement, but Seonwoyong couldn't bring himself to smile.
"What's with you? You should've just been sleeping, old man."
"I wanted to sleep plenty myself, but you lot were having so much fun. Heh heh heh..."
"Cut the nonsense."
Seonwoyong's face hardened, but Jeon Sogi continued with his usual smirking expression.
"So, what do you plan to do with that girl who just left? Ha ha ha."
"She was awfully bold. Said she wants to stay here?"
"Ha ha ha, so does that make her the lady boss? That's a first for you."
"Lady boss? What kind of rubbish is that? She's from the Moyong Clan, sure, but she's still a girl with motives I can't quite fathom."
"I'm curious about her intentions myself, but with a beauty like that, you'll just have to go along with it. Makes me jealous, it does. Heh heh heh."
"Enough with the pointless chatter. So, how are things shaping up?"
When Seonwoyong asked in all seriousness, Jeon Sogi's face also grew grave as he replied.
"They're gathering in droves."
Jeon Sogi had been out since dawn, scouting the goings-on around Dunhuang before returning.
"That figures. The Nine Great Sects, of course one faction's all there, but what about the rest?"
"Out of the Nine Great Sects, everyone's arrived except Wudang and Kunlun, and then there are the Five Great Families, plus every manner of master who's come flocking from across the Central Plains—it's chaos."
Jeon Sogi's expression grew even stonier as he reported.
"Just how bad is it? We expected a big turnout."
"Heh heh... You should've seen the sight, Leader. They've already started erecting proper halls at Crescent Moon Spring."
Seonwoyong finally showed surprise at the news.
"What? Halls in that sandy wasteland?"
Jeon Sogi let out a sigh.
"Hoo. Whoever this guy is, you've got to hand it to his brains. At this rate, a good chunk of the Central Plains' righteous martial world elite might end up buried in the sand."
"Isn't it all the doing of Great Cloud Temple in the end? You're saying that guy's in charge there now?"
The "guy" in question was, of course, Dae Jongdo, the Iron Stream Hermit.
Among the eight elders of the Great Cloud Bright Religion, the Defender Elder had always held the highest position.
And with him also heading Great Cloud Temple, Dae Jongdo's status within the cult was among the top handful.
Jeon Sogi stared straight at Seonwoyong, who had referred to such a man as "that guy."
"I still don't get it. Why you backed that guy so much, Leader."
"Why? You still can't stand him?"
"He's been cold from the start. Kills people like swatting bugs, and you can't read his scheming mind at all. Jeez..."
Seonwoyong let out a sigh as he replied.
"Even so, for Gyeongcheon, that kid... Dae Jongdo was the only one."
"That's true, but I heard it was Great Cloud Temple that ultimately dragged Leader U out of Mount Song."
"And how can we downplay the merit of holding the cult together all this time? Any organization needs a guy like that. Ruthless and cold-blooded."
"You're right, of course, but I just can't warm up to him."
"Anyway, so they've started building halls at Crescent Moon Spring?"
"Sure, but they're nothing like what you'd see in the Central Plains. Just two or three buildings, so they can't house everyone—probably for the leaders to stay in, receive guests, and hold meetings."
"So they're gearing up for a long siege, huh."
"They're no fools, after all. Especially with that monk Hyeonjin pulling strings behind them."
"Of course. They won't be pushovers."
"So what will you do, Leader?"
"Wait for Meng Huo. News should come soon enough, right?"
"I see. If only that friend sends word..."
Just then, Yukmun entered again with an uneasy expression to announce visitors.
"Guests have arrived. Two of them, claiming to be envoys from the Ming Cult's Sacred Wood Division."
Seonwoyong and Jeon Sogi exchanged glances at the words.
"About time they showed up."
Seonwoyong muttered, and Jeon Sogi nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. They must've taken the long way around, checking and double-checking before daring to appear. Must've been tough."
Seonwoyong immediately instructed Yukmun.
"Go out and tell them to come back tomorrow."
Yukmun bowed and left, prompting Jeon Sogi to chuckle as he asked,
"Making them sweat a bit more?"
"Hmph. This is our first contact with Gyeongcheon's people—think I'd make it easy?"
Jeon Sogi nodded.
"Quite right. They can't just waltz in whenever they please."
"Exactly. And the one they want to meet is me."
Seonwoyong's face grew somber as he spoke.
* * *
Crescent Moon Spring lay near Dunhuang's outskirts, by the Famous Lion Mountain—a natural oasis of jade-green waters.
Legends told of a fairy descending from the moon, her tears forming the spring, its crescent shape lending it an air of profound mystery.
Though nestled in the heart of the desert sands, the spring had never run dry for thousands of years.
But now, it was suffering.
Once a quiet spot where herders brought livestock to drink, it was no longer.
Precious wooden pillars, rare in these parts, had been hauled in from afar to serve as beams and supports. Mud bricks and sandstone blocks quarried nearby were being used to construct halls.
Three such halls were rising—nothing remarkable in the Central Plains, but extraordinary in this desert.
At that moment, tiles were being laid on the roof, drawing crowds of onlookers.
It was a rare sight, so the gathering was natural enough.
But most of the crowd being armed martial artists? That was astonishing.
And among them stood three men: Dowang, Yi Taejeong, and Bang Chung.
"Amazing, isn't it? How'd they even get tiles like that out here in the boonies?"
Bang Chung muttered to himself, prompting Dowang beside him to smirk mockingly.
"That's just it—they're hopeless. Just look at the cost of those tiles alone. For guys who might be dead tomorrow or next year. Heh heh..."
Indeed, the green porcelain tiles being laid hailed from thousands of li away, carted over painstakingly.
Likely the priciest stock any Dunhuang building merchant had.
Truth be told, the Nine Great Sects' current prosperity reached the heavens, their wealth overflowing.
Most of them had been favored by the Ming imperial court, prime Taoist temples, while Buddhist sects like Shaolin and Emei were filthy rich.
Even the Beggar Clan rivaled the wealthiest clans.
"You said it. Makes the bandits look downright innocent these days. Heh heh heh."
Bang Chung chimed in, and Dowang raised his voice louder.
"There's a saying about bandits without blades—but these are bandits with blades, so yeah, old timer, I'll agree the green forest folk seem innocent by comparison. Ha ha ha."
Then came a heavy voice.
"Hey, you. Watch your mouth."
Dowang turned to see three masters in blue Taoist robes, ancient longswords at their sides, glaring at them.
They weren't alone.
Dozens of righteous masters nearby, who had been watching the tiling, now all glared alongside the three.
"Whoops. Guess I need to watch my mouth. How could I defy esteemed experts of the Nine Great Sects? You watch it too. Heh heh heh."
Bang Chung seemed to back off first, addressing Dowang, but his grinning face and tone betrayed no such thing.
Who better than Bang Chung to know what identity Dowang was hiding?
Naturally, Dowang was no one to hold his tongue on command.
But his next move was masterful.
"You're awfully timid for an old man. And the Chief Patrol of the Green Forest, no less."
The moment Dowang spoke, the cold stares from the surrounding masters zeroed in on Bang Chung.
Especially since Dowang had emphasized "Green Forest Chief Patrol" loud and clear.
Interest in the tiling vanished; they now encircled Bang Chung.
"So you're with the Green Forest?"
The middle-aged master who'd first warned him stepped forward to demand.
Bang Chung responded with a sour face.
"I'm Bang Chung, who humbly serves as Chief Patrol of the Green Forest."
"Hmph. The meddlesome Chief Patrol whose reach touches the heavens."
The middle-aged master pressed him with an even colder expression.
"I'm sorely lacking. Might I have the honor of your great hero's name?"
Bang Chung asked for their identities, but got no proper reply.
Red plum blossoms were embroidered on their robes' sleeves—their sect was obvious—but they saw no need for personal introductions.
"Hard to believe petty green forest thieves would show up in this yellow desert wasteland, with nothing to steal. What do you think, junior brother?"
The middle-aged master now treated Bang Chung like air.
And their banter was humiliating right to his face.
"Where wouldn't rats go? Word's out there's good pickings, so how could they resist the scent? Ha ha ha."
"Spot on. But do mice know that's usually how they end up dead?"
As the three middle-aged masters tore into Bang Chung, others chimed in.
"First time seeing a real green forest bandit."