Chapter 872: Crossing Paths
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 872: Crossing Paths
Whoooooosh!
A frigid wind blowing from the North Sea began to howl fiercely.
Shiver.
The snow wind seeped directly into the body of Kwon Pyeong, an Ordinary Martial Artist, making him tremble incessantly. It had pierced right through the gaps in his clothing.
"Are you alright?"
Won Gwang, a fellow Ordinary Martial Artist standing beside him, spoke up with a worried expression. He was concerned by how excessively Kwon Pyeong was reacting to the cold.
"...I’m not alright... I feel like I’m going to freeze to death..." Kwon Pyeong replied, his voice shaking.
"Tsk, tsk. Why did you dress so lightly? No wonder you're freezing." Won Gwang clicked his tongue in disapproval.
"It wasn't this cold this morning..." Kwon Pyeong muttered, offering an excuse.
"You should have dressed warmly even if it didn't feel cold. It’s already November; how could you be so complacent?"
"......Stop nagging and just give me your overcoat... I’m going to get frostbite at this rate."
"What? Why should I give you my clothes? Absolutely not," Won Gwang refused flatly.
He was worried about his friend, but not enough to give up his own warmth.
"Would it make you feel better if I caught a cold?"
"Isn't it better for only one person to be sick than two?"
"Ha! What a tragedy. Is this all the camaraderie we’ve built over seven years, crossing the line between life and death since joining the Cheonmu Alliance?"
"I guess you didn't know. Our camaraderie was reset when the Cheonmu Alliance collapsed. Start building it again in the Uicheon Alliance." Won Gwang smirked as he spoke.
"You cheapskate."
"You dimwit."
The two Ordinary Martial Artists continued to trade jabs and banter.
"Try circulating your internal energy. Wouldn't that make it a bit better?"
"What? How can a gate guard use his internal energy so frivolously? I cannot do that." Kwon Pyeong spoke with a mock-stern expression.
By definition, gate guards were the first line of defense against intruders. They were supposed to maintain peak condition while standing firm at their posts.
"Seriously, who would even come to the ruined Cheonmu Alliance?" Won Gwang asked, looking incredulous.
Currently, the Cheonmu Alliance was little more than a ruin. Since the establishment of the Uicheon Alliance was announced, the vast majority of members had transferred over. All the foundations of the Cheonmu Alliance that had been in Jinan had moved to Nanchang. It was, quite literally, defunct.
So, who on earth would come here?
"Who knows? Maybe a Divine Thief will break in to find some hidden treasure of the Cheonmu Alliance."
"The Uicheon Alliance already stripped this place bare, not leaving so much as a mouse behind. You think there’s any treasure left?" Won Gwang retorted.
If there had been anything valuable, they would have taken it first. Treasure, my foot.
"Still, they must have ordered us to guard the gate because something precious remains, right?" Kwon Pyeong asked, looking puzzled.
"Hmph, precious? They probably just want us to stand guard quietly until the building collapses." Won Gwang snorted in response.
"Sigh... I joined the Uicheon Alliance with chivalry in my heart... but the work is no different from when I was in the Cheonmu Alliance." Kwon Pyeong lamented.
"You should be glad you even kept your job. So many people flocked to join that plenty of others couldn't even secure a position."
"I thought they accepted everyone who submitted an application?" Kwon Pyeong asked in surprise.
"That was only for the initial members. I heard they changed it so that those who were hesitating have to take an exam now."
"Huh... I didn't know the entry requirements had become so strict."
"It’s a stroke of luck for us. It changed right after we got in. If they told me to take an entrance exam again at my age, I’d never pass."
"......That’s true."
"So be grateful and enjoy the easy ride. In a recession like this, where else are you going to find such a cushy post?"
"I’d better circulate my internal energy right away then."
"Hahaha, that’s the spirit."
The two gate guards began to chuckle and joke around.
Step, step.
Step, step.
The sound of multiple footsteps began to echo in their ears. Startled, they quickly turned their heads.
And then, they saw them.
A group of people was walking toward them.
They wore snow-white martial arts robes embroidered with dragons. Their gazes were exceptionally clear, and their strides were perfectly synchronized without a hint of disorder. They radiated an extraordinary aura.
Gulp.
Won Gwang and Kwon Pyeong swallowed hard. An inexplicable tension had suddenly gripped their bodies.
Step, step.
Step, step.
After a few moments, the leaders of the group reached the guards.
One was a grim-looking old man with a large scar running across the center of his face, and the other was a bewitchingly beautiful woman who looked like a celestial maiden.
"Wh... who are you?" Won Gwang asked cautiously, wondering about their identity.
"This humble Taoist is Mu-yang, the Sect Leader of Kunlun," the old man at the front began to speak slowly.
"The... Kunlun Sect!?"
"The... Sect Leader?!"
The two gate guards jumped in surprise, their eyes widening. It was a shocking revelation.
This was Kunlun! The sect of immortals located far away in the Kunlun Mountains. Why would their Sect Leader appear here in Jinan, at the eastern edge of the Central Plains?
"I have come to see the Uicheon Alliance Leader. May I meet him?" he asked in a calm tone, looking at the two guards.
"Th... that’s... impossible," Won Gwang replied, his voice trembling.
"This is a grave matter that may shake the very history of the Murim. Please, do not refuse us," Mu-yang continued with a polite bow.
Faced with such an attitude, the gate guard looked troubled. He was just a lowly Ordinary Martial Artist, yet he had caused the Sect Leader of Kunlun—one of the Nine Sects—to bow his head. How could he not be flustered?
"...........Even if you say that... it is impossible." Won Gwang eventually refused, looking apologetic.
"Hmph... why do you refuse? Did I not say the fate of the Murim is at stake? Do you perhaps doubt my words?" Mu-yang asked, looking confused.
The status of the Sect Leader of Kunlun was by no means low. How could the leader of the Kunlun Sect—the most mysterious of the renowned Nine Sects—be considered insignificant? Yet, his request had been flatly rejected. He couldn't understand it. Since when had Kunlun been so ignored?
".........It is not that I doubt you, Sect Leader... A grave matter of the Murim... We would love to arrange a meeting with the Alliance Leader immediately... but..." Won Gwang trailed off, his expression grave.
"But?"
"The Alliance Leader is not currently in Jinan."
"What!?" Mu-yang raised his voice in surprise. It was a completely unexpected answer. The Alliance Leader wasn't in Jinan? What did that mean?
"The Alliance Leader is currently in Beijing."
"Be... Beijing, you say?"
"That is correct."
"Sigh........" Mu-yang let out a long lament. He had thought he could meet the Alliance Leader as soon as he arrived in Jinan, but it seemed things wouldn't be that simple.
"Do you know when he will return?" Mu-yang asked with a heavy expression.
"It is still uncertain when he will return... We are also in the dark regarding his current status." Won Gwang replied, looking ashamed.
No one knew when he would return. He hadn't shared any details about when he was leaving or when he would arrive.
'........This is a problem..'
Hearing this, Mu-yang’s expression became incredibly serious. Time was of the essence, yet their paths had crossed like this.
"Phew...... It can't be helped." Mu-yang eventually let out a deep sigh. Since things had turned out this way, he felt he had no choice but to go to Beijing himself.
"Then, can you call someone else? Preferably someone with enough authority to represent the Alliance Leader."
"..........That is also impossible."
"And why is that?" Mu-yang asked, unable to understand.
This was impossible, that was impossible. Why were there so many things they couldn't do?
"Because not a single high-ranking official of the Uicheon Alliance remains in Jinan."
"What!?" Mu-yang’s eyes widened in shock. What on earth did that mean?
"They have all moved to the Uicheon Alliance headquarters established in Nanchang," Won Gwang explained politely.
"......It hasn't been that long since the founding was announced... and they’ve moved already?..... They wouldn't even have finished setting up yet.."
"It has been about two weeks. They are currently supervising the site from temporary tents."
"......Sigh.."
Mu-yang’s eyes trembled incessantly as he listened to Won Gwang. He realized he had chosen the wrong destination from the very beginning.
Mu-yang glanced slightly to his side. There, he saw Un-seol looking at him with a cold gaze.
"Sect Leader." Her voice was clear and resonant.
".....Yes, speak."
"Can we talk privately for a moment?"
"....We can talk here..."
"No, I really must speak with you privately."
Having said that, she turned around and began to walk away slowly. It was a signal to follow.
'I’m dead.'
Mu-yang thought as he watched her. He felt that today might very well be his last.
*
"Didn't you say everything would be fine once we got to Jinan?!" Un-seol raised her voice, sounding furious.
"........I thought it would be."
"Then you should have checked through the Beggar Sect beforehand!"
".....You know why. We were so afraid the Demonic Cult would catch up that we ran here without even stopping at a village.."
"That’s why I told you we should stop at a village along the way!" she shouted in anger.
She had suggested it several times. Let's stop at a village, gather some information, and put some grease in our stomachs after being stuck in the deep mountains eating nothing but weeds.
But every time, Mu-yang had refused flatly. He argued that they couldn't afford such luxury while the Heavenly Demon was chasing them, that they had to inform everyone of the truth as quickly as possible, and that they might bring harm to an innocent village.
Because his stance was so firm, Un-seol had no choice but to go along with him, and this was the result. They had completely missed their target.
"You stubborn brat of a grand-disciple! You’re as big as a mountain, yet you’re such a coward!" Un-seol began to berate Mu-yang relentlessly. She felt like she would explode if she didn't vent her anger.
"................"
Mu-yang kept his mouth shut tight under her fierce criticism. He had nothing to say in his defense.
"Ugh, you frustrating fool! You frustrating fool! I came here trusting only you! How could this happen?" She continued to nag him, adding the resentment of her empty stomach to her scolding.
After she had finished venting for a while, she asked, "So, what are you going to do now? You’ve missed both the Uicheon Alliance and Jang Sun-woo!"
"For now... I intend to go to Beijing."
"And what if you miss him again?"
"..........."
He couldn't answer. He had no other plan if they missed him again.
"You stupid boy! How can you be so lacking in foresight? This is why they shouldn't pick a Sect Leader based only on martial arts.." Un-seol looked at him and began to mock him openly.
".............."
Mu-yang remained silent. He felt humiliated, but he didn't dare talk back to his grand-ancestor.
"I will go to Beijing alone." Un-seol suddenly announced in a calm tone.
"What?!" Mu-yang asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
"The rest of you go to Nanchang."
"No, how can you think of going to Beijing alone?" Mu-yang asked, looking flustered.
"I can't have the disciples wasting their time again, can I? Once was enough." She spoke with a firm expression.
"But... how... alone.."
"Do you want us all to miss him as a group again?" She glared at him with sharp eyes.
"It’s not that... but..."
"Then stop talking and go to Nanchang. If you wait there, you will eventually meet the Alliance Leader." Un-seol spoke calmly.
"......Will you really be alright?.. Grand-ancestor." Mu-yang asked with concern. He felt uneasy letting her go off on her own.
"Who do you think I am, a child? I am not without experience in the Murim. You don't need to worry at all."
".......But wasn't your last experience a hundred years ago?"
"To be precise......... it was eighty-nine years ago...... You’re exaggerating quite a bit.... Sect Leader." Un-seol frowned as she spoke. She was annoyed by the disrespectful Sect Leader inflating her age.
"Anyway, I can take care of myself, so you all just worry about yourselves." She spoke with a determined look.
"..........."
Seeing that expression, Mu-yang knew he couldn't break her stubbornness.
".......I understand...... I will follow your command, Grand-ancestor." Mu-yang accepted her decision respectfully.
"Good. I will make sure to catch this Jang Sun-woo fellow, so wait patiently."
"........Please, even if you meet him, do not be hostile." Mu-yang added worriedly.
"If he isn't a bad person, there will be no reason for hostility," Un-seol replied calmly. "But if he is a demon-kin soaked to the bone in demonic nature, I will thrash him until his very character changes."
Un-seol’s eyes began to sparkle like starlight.