Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Hwamyeong Duo
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Inside the carriage, two excited children stared at Mujin with shining eyes.
It was their first time ever leaving Seochang, and they couldn’t hide their thrilled expressions.
“…Are you that happy?”
“Yes!”
“Uh-huh!”
“If you wanted to go so badly, you should have said so sooner.”
At Mujin’s words, Soyeon furrowed her delicate brow and replied.
“Dojin said… you’re busy, so we shouldn’t bother you with trivial things.”
Ever since they had properly begun their martial arts training, the children, true to their lineage, had grown more interested in the martial world with each passing day.
With the preliminary matches for the Orthodox Grand Tournament recently held in Seochang, the streets had been buzzing with talk of the duels for some time.
Unbeknownst to Mujin, everyone in Seochang was keenly interested in the main tournament, held every five years on Mount Song.
It was impossible for Soyeon and Dojin not to be curious about such a grand martial arts competition.
Moreover, there were now several martial artists from the Nine Great Sects within the family.
The two children, who had pestered them with questions about the tournament at every opportunity, had built up a fantasy about it day by day.
They had only kept quiet about it to Mujin, fearing it would interfere with his training.
“Great Monk, this is an event for your main temple. Why haven’t you mentioned it?”
Being held on Mount Song, the Orthodox Grand Tournament was a major event for the Shaolin Temple as well.
When asked why he hadn’t considered going despite it being his own sect’s event, the Great Monk Hyeon-u smiled as he looked at Dojin.
“Would my absence truly cause a problem for the Shaolin Temple? These days, watching this child grow is my greatest joy.”
Those were not the words one would expect from an elder in charge of the Shaolin Temple’s Arhat Hall.
But the affection in the Great Monk Hyeon-u’s eyes as he looked at Dojin was so profound it seemed as if honey were dripping from them.
It was no shallow ploy to curry favor with Mujin.
Abbess Jinhwa nodded as if she completely understood the Great Monk’s sentiment.
And why wouldn’t she? She felt the exact same way.
The two had been utterly captivated by the twins, who were blessed with a martial talent said to be a gift from the heavens. Watching Soyeon and Dojin grow had become the greatest pleasure in their lives.
“Aren’t there martial artists from the Emei Sect and the Shaolin Temple participating in the tournament?”
At Mujin’s question, Abbess Jinhwa tilted her head and replied.
“I imagine there are, yes.”
“The Shaolin Temple will have some participants as well.”
“…”
Mujin fell silent at the ambiguous answers from the elders of the two sects.
Unable to watch any longer, Myeong-ryeong gently interjected.
“Martial Uncle. I’ve heard that Su-ae, Cheong-do, and Do-hae from the ‘Jeong’ generation will be participating in the main tournament this year as well.”
Hearing Myeong-ryeong, who was listening from the side, Abbess Jinhwa nodded.
“Is that so? Speaking of which, are you not participating?”
Myeong-ryeong was the youngest among the ‘Myeong’ generation disciples.
Having entered the sect as a registered disciple and caught the eye of Jin-hyo from the ‘Jin’ generation, she became an official disciple. In truth, she wasn't much older than those of the ‘Jeong’ generation.
“With the ‘Jeong’ generation children participating, if I were to join as well, I would only be a burden to them.”
“You’ve made a great decision.”
Myeong-ryeong simply shook her head at Abbess Jinhwa’s words.
As a brief silence fell over the carriage, Soyeon spoke up.
“Master, can we see people who use the Piercing Snow Cloud Palm at the Orthodox Grand Tournament?”
“I’m afraid that will be difficult. There are no children in the ‘Jeong’ generation who have learned the Piercing Snow Cloud Palm yet. Besides, the ones participating this time are all swordsmen; none of them have properly mastered palm techniques.”
“Oh, really?”
Soyeon’s face fell with disappointment.
This time, Dojin turned to the Great Monk Hyeon-u and spoke.
“Master, will there be anyone participating in the tournament who has inherited the insights of the Hundred-Pace Divine Fist?”
The Great Monk Hyeon-u also shook his head.
“You are the first to learn my insights. Unfortunately, I could not find anyone within the Shaolin Temple worthy of learning them. The talented children were already disciples of my other martial brothers, learning their essences, and beyond them, I couldn't find anyone with the potential to master my insights. As you know, the insights I teach you are only half of the art, lacking form and stance. To master it, one needs that much talent. Otherwise, it would just be a waste of time.”
The Great Monk Hyeon-u’s words confirmed for Mujin that his claim of coming to the secular world to find a disciple had not been a lie.
As Mujin watched the two answer the children's questions, he briefly glanced out the carriage window.
-No-sak. We have scoundrels following us. Stay alert.
-Yes, sir!
Though he maintained an indifferent expression, Mujin’s eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
‘What kind of bastards are they, to show up when the children are with me.’
* * *
Not far from Seochang, a tragedy was unfolding near a public road.
“Wh-why…?”
The twenty peddlers, who lived hand to mouth, never imagined they would meet such a gruesome end in the middle of a public road in broad daylight.
Nineteen of his like-minded companions were dead, and the sole survivor sat collapsed on the ground, staring at two old men.
“You were just unlucky, my boy.”
“All those who saw us here today had their names written in the book of the dead.”
“I-I don’t even know who you are!”
The merchant sensed instinctively that no matter what these demons before him said, they would not let him live.
So he screamed with all his might.
Seeing those who died without knowing how and those who died begging for their lives, he felt it was too unjust to die in silence.
So he decided to at least scream.
“You don’t know who we are…? Remember us, even in death.”
“We are…”
-Thrust! Thrust! Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!
The old man with red eyes, who was poking the man’s chest with his fingers just enough not to kill him, smiled and spoke.
“The Hwamyeong Duo.”
-Splat!
As the old man in black robes, his face as dark as if afflicted by a grave illness, placed a hand on the back of the groaning man who was spitting blood, the man’s head exploded as if by magic.
As brain matter and blood scattered in all directions, the red-eyed old man in blue robes flicked his hand, batting away the falling gore.
“Hmph. You there. I told you to be careful. What if blood splattered on my clothes? You know how hard this fabric is to come by.”
The old man, who had just slaughtered twenty innocent people, looked worried that his blue robes might have been stained with blood.
“That’s why I told you to wear black like me. A little blood doesn’t even show.”
“It would look strange for two old men to be wearing matching outfits. And you know my red eyes don’t go well with black clothes. They stand out much better with these blue robes.”
It was a conversation one could hardly believe came from people who had just committed a massacre.
“Anyway, when are they going to get here?”
“They should be here soon. Let’s wait and see.”
The two old men clasped their hands behind their backs, their gazes fixed on a point down the road.
Just then, thirty men in black martial arts uniforms appeared as if from nowhere and began clearing the bodies and scattering dirt over the road to cover the blood.
And in the distance, a four-horse carriage was approaching them.
Confirming the carriage drawn by black horses, the red-eyed old man spoke.
“Looks like they’re here.”
“Seems so. What will it be… will you take the nun? Or the monk?”
“Well. To avenge our friend, the Crescent Moon Sword, the nun would be more fitting, wouldn’t she? I think I’d enjoy punching a hole through that bitch’s chest more.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to crush the monk’s head.”
The faces of the two old men were now gleaming with killing intent.
Mujin, who had been sleeping with his eyes closed, snapped them open as the scent of blood pricked his nose.
“The smell of blood.”
At Mujin’s words, the expressions of everyone in the carriage hardened.
The others looked at Mujin with surprise, as he was the first to notice the scent of blood that no one else had.
“Enemies?”
At Myeong-ryeong’s question, Mujin nodded.
“It seems so. They’ve been following us since we left Seochang.”
The Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa, who had felt no presence at all, exchanged glances and tilted their heads.
They were deeply surprised that Mujin had detected a presence they themselves had not.
No sooner had Mujin finished speaking than the auras of martial artists radiating killing intent registered on the senses of the Great Monk and the Abbess.
-Knock, knock.
“Stop.”
He knocked on the carriage wall, and No-sak slowly brought the carriage to a halt.
“You two are not to come outside under any circumstances. Masok, you too.”
Masok, holding the two children’s hands tightly, nodded at Mujin’s command.
Then, Mujin opened the door and stepped out of the carriage.
The men who had been following them from Seochang had already formed a loose circle around the carriage, surrounding it.
Their hostility was palpable, and they openly emanated killing intent. Receiving their glares, Mujin spoke.
“You’ve come for me, I presume?”
As he stepped forward from the carriage, the red-eyed old man spoke.
“If you’re the brat they call the Hidden Dragon of Sichuan.”
“You’re the scoundrels from that Moon-Slaying Sword Sect, right?”
Mujin asked as he unwrapped the cloth from his sword.
“You’re a sharp one. But for a young man, you have a foul mouth. I like that you’re not like those righteous types.”
The red-eyed old man said, a smile on his face.
The Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa, after calming the frightened Soyeon and Dojin inside, stepped out of the carriage. Their expressions stiffened as they saw the two old men up ahead.
“The Hwamyeong Duo?”
“Amitabha. The demons of Guizhou have come all the way to Sichuan.”
At their reaction, the expressions of the old men called the Hwamyeong Duo grew increasingly grotesque.
“Kekeke. We finally see your faces.”
“We’ve been dying to meet you. Our hands have been itching to tear your bodies apart.”
At the Hwamyeong Duo’s words, Abbess Jinhwa and the Great Monk Hyeon-u furrowed their brows.
The killing intent radiating from them was so thick that just sensing their aura felt like inhaling the putrid stench of blood.
“How vulgar.”
!
At Mujin’s comment, the Hwamyeong Duo focused their gazes on him.
“Why act so surprised? It’s been a while since I’ve encountered such a vulgar killing intent. Is it because you’re scoundrels? Is this the only way you can manifest it?”
“This whelp has a talent for provoking people.”
“For you, I’ll make a special exception. I’ll blow off all four of your limbs, and save your head for last.”
Mujin smirked at being called a whelp.
“Your delusions are so grand. Has senility already set in?”
As he spoke, Mujin finished unwrapping the cloth from his sword and extended it in a middle stance.
-Fwoosh!
With just the sound and the motion of pointing his sword, the killing intent of the Hwamyeong Duo that had enveloped the area was sliced apart and scattered.
!!
At this unheard-of sword technique that could cut another’s aura, not only the Hwamyeong Duo but also the Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa stared at Mujin with astonished eyes.
“I must show you two an unsightly scene. As we are before heretics, I hope you will understand.”
At Mujin’s polite words, the Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa nodded.
“They are not easy opponents. You must be careful.”
“It seems they are not the only enemies present.”
No sooner had the Great Monk Hyeon-u finished speaking than thirty black shadows, who had been hiding around the road, leaped into the air, revealing themselves.
Each and every one of them was a well-trained martial artist.
‘Every single one of them…’
‘They are first-rate masters.’
The Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa began to raise their internal energy as they assessed the newly appeared assassins.
Mujin shouted towards No-sak.
“No-sak, you protect the carriage. Don’t let a single one of them get near it!”
At Mujin’s command, No-sak climbed from the driver’s seat to the roof of the carriage, keeping a watch on the assassins who might charge.
“You three, protect the carriage as well! Do not let anyone inside!”
At Abbess Jinhwa’s command, Myeong-ryeong and the two disciples of the ‘Jeong’ generation aimed their swords with grim expressions and answered.
-Yes!
Mujin scanned his surroundings and sent a telepathic message.
-If you two can handle the Hwamyeong Duo, I will clear the field as quickly as possible.
At Mujin’s message, the Great Monk Hyeon-u anticipated that today’s battle would not be easy.
The Hwamyeong Duo were renowned masters even among the Unorthodox Faction.
They were masters who had made a name for themselves throughout the Central Plains, ranking among the top 20 masters of Samu-cheon.
Although their background was in the heretical path, they were by no means masters who could be ignored.
Furthermore, they had brought with them no less than thirty first-rate masters.
Two peerless masters renowned throughout the Central Plains and thirty first-rate masters.
It was enough force to destroy an average sect overnight.
-Please… be careful. Do not overexert yourselves. We will open a path somehow. When we do, you must not look back. Take the carriage and ride to Gamnak.
Abbess Jinhwa sent her message, her resolve seemingly hardened.
With disaster suddenly upon them, they had to make a cold judgment.
Their own lives, which they had lived long enough, were less important than saving the two young children who were just beginning to shine. That was their conclusion.
But Mujin’s telepathic message shattered her resolve.
-There’s no need for that. Thirty minutes at most. If you can hold out for that long, I will clear the field. If you can just hold on until then, I can send these scoundrels to the underworld today.
Mujin’s confident words deepened the two Buddhist disciples’ dilemma.
The fame of Mujin, whom they had personally witnessed, was certainly not empty.
But he was not yet a master who had reached a higher realm.
Peerless masters possessed an aura that only other peerless masters could feel.
Mujin showed no sign of such an aura.
He was only twenty-three. To reach the peerless realm at that age was no simple feat, so it was only natural.
And yet, Mujin was not the least bit intimidated.
-Family Head Hwa… perhaps…
-Do as I say! It is for the sake of the two children!
As Mujin insisted strongly, the two had no choice.
If the very person they were telling to flee refused, insisting would only create more danger.
Just then, the Hwamyeong Duo began to walk toward Mujin, glaring at him.
“I don’t know what kind of black magic you used, but I’ll rip that insolent mouth of yours apart.”
“You’re the heretics. If you don’t know, who would?”
With those words, an immense killing intent erupted from Mujin’s body.
It was a killing intent so intense that even Abbess Jinhwa and the Great Monk Hyeon-u, who had been watching the Hwamyeong Duo, turned to look in shock.
Compared to Mujin’s killing intent, which rose like a wildfire and threatened to consume everything around it, the Hwamyeong Duo’s was nothing more than a small campfire.
‘Wh-what kind of killing intent is this…?’
‘How can his spirit be so commanding?’
As the killing intent and commanding presence from his time as the Divine Demon, ingrained in his body through countless killings, flowed out of Mujin, the expressions of the Hwamyeong Duo hardened for the first time.