Chapter 42: Taking in a Side-Path Practitioner (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Taking in a Side-Path Practitioner (2)
Doyeon might have felt a deep sense of revulsion, as it was likely her first time dealing with someone from the lower rungs of society, but neither I nor the Demon Subjugation Group felt any such thing. We had spent our lives rubbing shoulders with people of his ilk.
We knew exactly why he approached people like this: he was a medicine seller looking to scrounge a free meal.
Perhaps Poison Wolf Ibu felt a flicker of pity for the man, for he spoke up.
"Eat with us."
When Poison Wolf Ibu pointed to an empty seat and told him to sit, the man didn't hesitate for a second before plopping down.
Smiling Face Sword asked, "Did you sell many medicines?"
The medicine seller scratched the back of his head and replied, "I sold a fair amount."
Doyeon furrowed her brow. While she didn't openly criticize us for showing him kindness, her expression made it clear she highly disapproved of his trade.
Possessing a certain degree of Buddhist piety, Doyeon was likely worried that people might fall ill from his questionable concoctions. To her, a charlatan selling fake medicine was an eyesore.
"There are no harmful ingredients in them, I hope?" she asked.
The medicine seller understood her implication and replied, "Do not worry too much. I didn't just practice the Way in the mountains; I also studied medicine quite extensively. I haven't put anything harmful in them."
Hearing him claim he’d studied medicine on top of his Daoist training only made him sound less credible. It actually increased my concern.
"People won't get sick after taking them, will they?"
"Not at all. No one has ever fallen ill from my medicine."
Once the group had finished their hearty meal and the table was cleared, we all ordered Oolong tea. It was then that the medicine seller finally introduced himself.
"My name is Hwang Chu, and I hail from Mount Qingcheng. I was on my way to Sinryong for some business when I ran out of travel funds, so I had to sell some medicine along the way."
"You're going to Sinryong?" Doyeon asked.
The fact that his destination happened to be the same as the Demon Subjugation Group's felt like more than just a coincidence. Doyeon’s gaze grew sharp.
Despite her scrutiny, the man named Hwang Chu introduced himself with an air of nonchalance. He claimed to be a long-time disciple of a Daoist sect on Mount Qingcheng, that he had business in Sinryong, and that he was twenty-two years old. He was younger than me, but he looked a bit prematurely aged, so it was hard to tell. He also carried a somewhat gloomy aura.
However, his personality was cheerful, and he proved to be a good conversationalist who got along well with others.
Nevertheless, our group remained wary. The fact that he was vague about his specific sect and that his destination matched ours was suspicious. Of course, it could have been a genuine coincidence, but it left a bad taste in our mouths.
"Yes, I have a relative there," Hwang Chu added after a brief hesitation. Then he continued, "I overheard earlier that you all seem to be heading toward Sinryong as well. Would it be alright if I followed along? I won't be a burden."
When Hwang Chu spoke in a pleading tone, Doyeon replied coldly.
"I'm sorry. We are warriors dispatched on a mission. We cannot travel with a commoner."
At Doyeon’s ice-cold rejection, Hwang Chu’s face fell. She had no intention of entertaining an uninvited guest from the start.
Hwang Chu looked dejected by her firm refusal, but he quickly regained his spirits.
"Then it's fine if I just follow behind you, right?"
To that, Ye Woon replied, "If you must, then follow from a distance. But will you be able to keep up? We are all on horseback, so it will be difficult to trail us."
Hearing Ye Woon’s words, I worried that he was judging the situation too lightly. Though he was skilled, his lack of experience in the Murim made him prone to helping others out of simple sympathy. In the martial world, helping just anyone was a taboo. While chivalry was fine, I had often seen such kindness lead to dangerous situations.
After a moment of awkward silence, Hwang Chu spoke up.
"By the way, everyone here has such a sharp aura; you all seem like masters."
Hwang Chu looked at Ye Woon first. Seeing this, Po Jung-in stepped forward as if displeased.
"Our lord is the Silent Star Throwing Sword, the Red Sword Hero Eo Ja-seo. Have you heard of him?"
It was a bit childish, but I understood the sentiment of the Twin Heroes of Guiyang.
"Eh? That gentleman is the Silent Star Throwing Sword, the Red Sword Hero?"
"So you do know him," Po Jung-in noted.
Hwang Chu nodded. "Of course. He is a rising hero in Sichuan Province these days. I have heard countless tales of Young Hero Eo’s exploits."
Po Jung-in and Hyeong Yu-jeong looked triumphant upon hearing that. They failed to notice the look of relief that flickered across Hwang Chu’s face.
*
That evening, while I was resting quietly after dinner, Ye Woon and Doyeon came to my room.
"A secret message has arrived. It seems we must move early tomorrow morning."
Ye Woon handed me a letter from a messenger pigeon. I unfurled it.
"What? A sect in Sinryong was wiped out by the Blood Lamas?"
As I muttered the words, Ye Woon added, "The Blood Lamas are moving fast. We must annihilate them before the damage spreads further."
I nodded, thinking to myself, 'This isn't going to be easy. Since they're sending instructions via messenger pigeon every step of the way, I can't even slip away. It might be better to just detach the Sword Palace Squad and send them ahead.'
Ye Woon said, "Then I will prepare everything so we can move out early tomorrow."
After Ye Woon and Doyeon left the room, I shuddered at the growing anxiety that I was getting closer to the Blood Lamas.
*
Driven by the urgency of Ye Woon and Doyeon, we set out before sunrise.
"Someone is coming."
Someone was following our group on horseback. Hyeong Yu-jeong, who was beside me, spoke up.
"That's the medicine seller from yesterday."
The medicine seller rode hard to catch up and eventually pulled his horse to a stop. Having wandered the lands for quite some time, he was a decent rider.
"May I follow you?"
Doyeon cut him off flatly. "No. We are moving with a purpose; we cannot accompany a civilian."
The man named Hwang Chu pleaded, "Aigoo, do you think I want to be a nuisance? It's just that I've heard there are many bandits in this area."
I looked at the road ahead. Indeed, it was a path that wound through the mountains.
Ye Woon looked at him and said, "As I said yesterday, just stay behind us."
Ye Woon had confidence in his Sword Palace Squad. He believed they could easily protect a single commoner. At Ye Woon’s words, Doyeon didn't argue further.
"How far are you going, friend?" I asked.
Hwang Chu replied, "Aigoo, does a medicine seller ever have a fixed destination? I go wherever there are people to buy my medicine. My face is too well-known around here now, so I can't stay any longer."
Deciding he wasn't a particularly dangerous individual, I didn't object to Ye Woon’s decision.
Our group resumed our hurried pace. I wanted to go slower, of course, but with Ye Woon constantly pushing, I found myself snapping the reins just as fast. The thought 'This isn't right' kept swirling in my head.
When the horses grew tired, we stopped by a stream to let them drink. Hwang Chu approached us. Having followed us through the dust, he looked like a mess.
"The secret technique you showed on the roadside yesterday was quite interesting," I said.
Hwang Chu met my gaze. "Compared to Young Hero Eo, it was merely a shameful display."
I chuckled. I liked his slyness in not yet revealing it was a trick. Slyness was a survival skill for the weak.
"Setting aside the Void Step, how did you manage the Void Manipulation and the Telekinetic Sword Control later? I watched closely, but I couldn't figure out how you did it."
When I asked, Hwang Chu looked a bit troubled.
'Come on, man. Why the long face? I'm just asking to kill time on the road. I'm not trying to expose your identity.'
As I sat there smiling, he spoke with a serious expression.
"There were no tricks involved when I performed Void Manipulation and Telekinetic Sword Control."
I was disappointed. It seemed he wasn't ready to be honest yet. However, I persisted with my questions. I had been hoping to learn the trick, so his attempt to hide it as if it were some grand technique was starting to annoy me.
Sensing my displeasure, he took a step back.
"Do you really want to know?"
I nodded.
"It is Void Manipulation and Telekinetic Sword Control as performed by Side-Path Practitioners of the Daoist path like myself. We are able to perform such techniques by utilizing spirits."
"Spirits?"
By spirits or souls, he meant ghosts.
"A ghost is sealed within this sword. And that ghost obeys the commands of my bell. The ghost's energy is strong enough to move the sword itself."
I felt a chill run down my spine. Regaining my composure, I asked, "Are you a Spirit Illusion Sorcerer?"
In the Murim, those who controlled and utilized souls were called Spirit Illusion Sorcerers. They were people who caught ghosts and worked through them; they were generally shunned and looked down upon by both martial artists and common folk alike. They were the type of people usually only called upon by commoners to exorcise minor spirits.
"Spirit Illusion is just one branch of the side arts. I am a Side-Path Practitioner."
I asked again, slightly surprised, "Are you saying you used a soul to perform Void Manipulation and Telekinetic Sword Control yesterday? Everyone knows that souls have no physical power."
"That is true, of course. However, it is different if the one utilizing the soul is a highly trained Side-Path Practitioner."
"Hoh!"
I was genuinely surprised. Whether he was a Spirit Illusion Sorcerer or a Side-Path Practitioner, if he could achieve Telekinetic Sword Control and Void Manipulation through souls, wasn't it essentially the same level of mastery?
"You may not believe me, but our lineage of Thaumaturgy consists of techniques passed down from before the actual martial arts even existed. The miracles performed by Zhuge Liang were all Thaumaturgy. Later, Side-Path Practitioners founded and spread Daoism. As Daoism gradually evolved, internal energy cultivation methods and martial arts were created based on Thaumaturgy. Medicine is also included within Thaumaturgy."
It was true that sorcery and incantations were prevalent long before martial arts were formalized. However, I had always heard that such things were meant to stabilize the human psyche, not to achieve actual miracles.
I asked Hwang Chu, "So, you're saying you use souls... does that mean souls are always following you around?"
"No. I use a different method. That is something akin to a secret clan technique, so I cannot speak of it lightly."
Since he was reluctant to speak, I didn't pry further. To be honest, I was just curious; I didn't necessarily need to know. And I didn't believe everything Hwang Chu said at face value. No matter how many mysterious things existed in the Murim, I had never heard of anyone actually commanding ghosts. I dismissed it as the nonsense of a charlatan medicine seller.
*
As we had to cross a mountain, we dismounted and walked up slowly. The path was well-maintained, likely due to frequent travel.
Just as we were about to descend the mountain, the sound of clashing weapons and screams echoed from somewhere. Listening closely, it seemed to be coming from around the mountainside.
'I've seen this situation many times before.'
It was a classic setup from martial arts novels. Villains always appear at inns, and bandits always appear on mountain paths. It seemed reality was no different. It meant there were many people in the world who harbored hatred.
However, I had crossed this mountain several times and knew it as a place where bandits were unheard of.
'How strange.'
I descended toward the mountainside with a sense of ease. With masters surrounding me, why should I fear mere bandits or highwaymen?
As we reached the middle of the slope, the stench of blood already stung my nose.
"There's no need for us to get involved," Ye Woon said, grimacing.
The ones dying and spilling blood weren't innocent travelers, but the bandits themselves.
A group of warriors was fending off the bandits while protecting a crowd of dozens of people dressed in fine silk. Judging by their orderly conduct and identical uniforms, it appeared they were guards from a specific sect.
It was practically a massacre. The warriors were killing the bandits without a shred of mercy.
In novels, bandits might kill caravan leaders or escorts, but in reality, bandits were usually the ones slaughtered by trained martial artists. Bandits strictly targeted commoners.
But this time, for some reason, the bandits had failed to recognize the warriors and attacked, only to be annihilated. Eventually, three or four bandits who couldn't withstand the warriors threw down their weapons and fled. The warriors pursued them to the end and cut them down.
"Aaaagh!"
The wealthy-looking travelers could only watch, trembling in fear at the warriors' slaughter.
Having wiped out all the bandits, the warriors began wiping the blood from their blades with cloth.