029
029
Who is the master of a clan?
The Clan Head.
Who is the master of the Demonic Cult?
The Cult Leader, the Heavenly Demon.
Then who is the master of a martial sect?
Opinions may differ, but for a sect with deep history, the Sect Leader can be considered the master.
In truth, rather than a master, they are closer to a representative, yet the authority and power bestowed upon a Sect Leader are near absolute.
A single word from a Sect Leader can trigger a war between sects or seal the gates of their own. For those who have dedicated their lives to a sect, the Sect Leader is practically the emperor of a small kingdom called a martial sect.
"Ahh... Grandmaster Mubung!"
"Yes. Address me as Mubung."
Therefore, if the Sect Leader acknowledges your existence, all problems are resolved in one fell swoop.
I made the white-haired old man kneel. A man who wouldn't kneel even if the emperor himself commanded was now using the highest honorifics and paying respects to me simply because I was the 'Grandmaster.'
'This is kind of thrilling.'
A stunt like this would be impossible against the Eight Great Families. They have family genealogies. Sects also have hierarchies and records, but they are relatively easier to fool than clans.
"Wudang's influence grows mightier by the day, but it seems you have fallen victim to the schemes of those who envy it. Hyeon-gi, I sense a foul energy within your body."
"......!!"
"I am already a person with one foot in the afterlife. I can purify your outer body, which is rotting away from the Cheonhwa, but I cannot do anything about your insides, which have already become a mess."
*Fwoosh.*
Without warning, I ignited the Samadhi True Fire and burned Taoist Hyeongi's arm. The traces of Demonic Energy and remnants of the Cheonhwa lingering in his arm were completely wiped away. Hyeon-gi slammed his forehead to the ground and cried out.
"I am deeply ashamed to cause a person who has reached the Half-Immortal stage to accumulate bad karma!!!"
"......?"
"This foolish one has held back the ankles of one about to ascend to immortality! Ah... how will I ever face my ancestors and predecessors...!!"
"Ah, ahh. Don't worry about it. It was my choice to make. Before I am a Taoist, I am Mubung."
*Thud, thud thud!*
I tried healing his arm, and now he was smashing his forehead into the dirt in gratitude. He was banging his head so hard in repentance that I worried he might die of a concussion, making me uncomfortable for nothing.
'The old man's got some strength.'
The man who'd been beating his own drum earlier was now smashing his forehead against the ground, and it was starting to scare me. Before Taoist Hyeongi could ascend to immortality ahead of me, I cleared my throat and brought up the main topic.
"Ahem. I came here for a different reason. As you might have guessed, I am a man on the verge of Ascension. However, I cannot leave with a peaceful heart while dark clouds loom over Wudang. Therefore, I intend to leave behind a single arrangement!"
"When you speak of an arrangement...?"
"The Taiji Wisdom Sword!!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
"You fool! Keep that up and you'll die! If you smash your head against the ground one more time, I'll press your pressure points!"
"I, I apologize!!"
Taoist Hyeongi straightened his back and sat upright. Blood was trickling down his forehead, but as befitting the head of a martial sect, it wasn't a major wound. It was merely a symbolic wound displayed for my sake.
"Ahem. Anyway, I intend to pass on the Taiji Wisdom Sword that has been transmitted to me, to Wudang."
"Ahh... finally, the secret manual of the Taiji Wisdom Sword is coming to Wudang...!!"
"No, it's a person."
I corrected Taoist Hyeongi's misunderstanding.
"A woman who has inherited my true transmission will one day appear in the Martial World. She is a master of the Sword Control Art who will wield four swords freely, and a person who has awakened the ultimate principles of the Taiji. She will stand at the vanguard of Wudang in the Blood Calamity that may one day occur."
"A woman... you say a woman?"
"Yes."
"May I ask the reason why?"
"That's because I've taken in a girl and am raising her, of course!"
No matter how I thought about it, 'raising' was the right word. Considering I was feeding her, putting her to bed, and clothing her without receiving a single coin in return, I might as well be raising Sagong Hee.
"Ahh... this foolish one misinterpreted the Grandmaster's intentions! For you to have personally taken in a child...!"
"Misinterpreted?"
"It's an embarrassing matter, but our sect's discipline has crumbled. Because of my personal grudges, an overly ambitious junior brother is attempting to seize the position of Sect Leader."
Talking about troublesome matters is something I hate. But given the nature of dealing with an old man like him, the conversation won't progress if I don't listen. So I'd have to take the lead to speed things along.
"It's not that fellow called Hyeon-ta... I've confirmed that with my own eyes. So, is it the one named Hyeon-cheol?"
"......!!"
I feinted with a trick question but accurately struck the mark. Taoist Hyeongi's eyes widened.
"I could see his ambition boiling over in his qi. But he is also the strongest warrior after you. If you die, he will be the next Sect Leader. Is there anyone higher in seniority than him by generational rank? Or perhaps someone more skilled in martial arts who has left the mountain?"
"...There is no one. Next after me is Hyeon-cheol."
"Then it's settled. Nothing can be done about generational rank."
Even a grandmaster can do nothing about generational hierarchy and lineage ranks. The only way to overturn that instantly is with overwhelming martial arts, but the second strongest martial artist after Taoist Hyeongi is Taoist Hyeoncheol.
'That bastard is clinging to the Demonic Cult.'
He became the Sect Leader, collected all the secret manuals of Wudang, and defected to the Demonic Cult. Because of that, Wudang was pushed to the brink of annihilation rather than just being sealed, but thanks to the Taiji Sword Empress who appeared through a fortuitous encounter, Wudang did not fall.
'What a perfect picture to paint.'
Where there is a crisis, there is always an opportunity. For Sagong Hee's grand entrance, and for me to consume the Wudang Sect, I absolutely needed people who listened to me.
"Hyeon-gi, how many more years do you think you have left to live?"
"...I believe I have at least 3 years remaining."
Having suffered internal injuries from a battle with a demonic practitioner, his inner energy was leaking daily, and the only future left for him was dying from old age. Unless he was assassinated along the way, Hyeon-gi was fated to return to nature in about 3 years, as he himself said.
"Good! The timing is just right. Before I ascend to immortality, my disci..."
"Disci...?"
"...Di, dis... *cough*."
She's a body servant. The words just wouldn't leave my mouth. My pride wouldn't allow me to call Sagong Hee my disciple. Sagong Hee was nothing more than my body servant, a nighttime worker, a guard who knew a bit of martial arts, a maid, and a slave.
To put it bluntly, a disciple... calling her a disciple just didn't feel right....
"......I will raise my disciple to become the Wudang First Sword. The reason I stopped by today is for that."
I compromised with reality.
"What do you need, Grandmaster? Please tell me. I am the Sect Leader."
"Is that so? Well then...."
I raised my sword towards the empty ceiling.
"I'll leave the Taiji Wisdom Sword on the ceiling, so let's take a few secret manuals with us."
"Grandmaster."
Taoist Hyeongi rose to his feet, emitting a burning spirit. I felt a slight twinge thinking that perhaps taking all the secret manuals was too much, even for a grandmaster, but my intuition was wrong.
"I will personally bring you all the secret manuals in this place. Please wait just a quarter hour."
It was express delivery.
"There's no need. Just a wrapping cloth will suffice. I'll take them myself. But wait, is there a good wrapping cloth anywhere?"
"Here it is."
Taoist Hyeongi took off his Sect Leader's robes.
* * *
"Where has the Sect Leader gone?"
"He has issued a gag order."
"Huh, you won't even speak to me?"
Taoist Hyeonta, Sa Jeong-hu, furrowed his brow deeply and released his qi. The young man—the Sect Leader's direct disciple and the one all disciples called Eldest Senior Brother—swallowed nervously, sweat trickling down his face.
"Did you not say you had something urgent to convey to the Sect Leader?!"
"I, I cannot say."
"You wretch!!"
"Hyeon-ta, what is this commotion all about?!"
A thunderous voice boomed from behind. Sa Jeong-hu turned and bowed. There stood Taoist Hyeoncheol, flushed and fuming.
"The Sect Leader has issued a gag order! So you should understand that clearly!"
"Elder Hyeon-cheol, it is an urgent matter."
"Is it so urgent that you'd defy the order of the Sect Leader? Then I will hear the full details! What is it!"
"......."
Sa Jeong-hu openly frowned. How could he possibly explain?
The report that the disciples of Taoist Hyeoncheol seemed to be colluding with the Demonic Cult's minions. The covert mission given by the Sect Leader to Sa Jeong-hu was to monitor Taoist Hyeoncheol and secure evidence—he couldn't discuss any of that with Hyeon-cheol.
"A matter you can't tell me, but must report directly to the Sect Leader? What on earth could such a matter be?"
Suspicion began to creep into the questioning gaze. Skeptical eyes fixed on him one by one, and Sa Jeong-hu gritted his teeth.
"......I cannot tell you."
Making a plausible excuse or fabricating a story was poison to Sa Jeong-hu. He chose 'silence,' which might have been the worst choice. Even though he knew he was stepping into a trap, he had no choice but to exercise his right to remain silent.
"You bastard! Could it be that you—"
"Hyeon-cheol, Hyeon-ta. Have you come?"
The missing man himself, Sect Leader Hyeon-gi, entered the room. Having returned wearing only his white inner robes without his outer vestments, he looked somehow refreshed.
"S-Sect Leader."
"I was delayed a bit resolving a problem while curing my lingering illness. So, what brings the both of you here?"
"Yes. Elder Hyeon-ta was causing a fuss, saying he had something urgent to convey to you. But he was throwing a fit at me, saying he couldn't tell me."
"Oh-ho? Is that so? ...Hyeon-ta, can you speak of it here?"
"...It is difficult right now. That, that is..."
How could he shake off the suspicion? Sa Jeong-hu's eyes darted about before he suddenly came to his senses upon seeing the Taiji symbol embroidered on the Sect Leader's white inner robes.
"...It's somewhat embarrassing to say in front of others, but I have an idea about the person who attacked me that day. I urgently wished to discuss the martial arts displayed by the assailant with the Sect Leader...."
"What?!"
It was a lie. The sight of everyone so shocked made Sa Jeong-hu's insides burn. The lie would soon be exposed, and he felt like he was sinking deeper into the mire.
"Hohoho! Yes, that would be a worthy reason. But don't worry. I have just come from 'meeting' that very person."
Hyeon-gi deliberately emphasized his words. The other martial artists wondered about the person the Sect Leader addressed with such honorifics.
"There is no need to report anything regarding that person. There was a misunderstanding, and he graciously forgave it. Keh keh keh."
The Sect Leader is using the highest honorifics for the person who attacked Taoist Hyeonta? The martial artists fell into confusion. Hyeon-gi cleared his throat and gathered their attention.
"Having gained an enlightenment, I intend to seclude myself in the Bidong for several weeks to reflect on my martial arts and my life. ...It will likely last well over three years, so Hyeon-cheol, you shall serve as acting Sect Leader during that time."
"What?!"
Taoist Hyeoncheol flinched in surprise but was clearly delighted. He quickly hid his expression, but he couldn't hide the joy brought on by the unexpected words.
"I ask this of you. You are capable, aren't you? *Cough...!*"
"O-of course. I can do it well."
The ailing Sect Leader was handing over the position of acting Sect Leader? Sa Jeong-hu couldn't say a word. If only his own martial arts were a little higher, but a warrior of Wudang could not defy the natural order and reason.
"Hyeon-ta, accompany me for a moment. And assist me in my seclusion."
"...Yes, Senior Brother."
Sa Jeong-hu felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he followed Hyeon-gi. Only after he followed him into a thicket far from the prying eyes of others did Sa Jeong-hu finally voice his dissatisfaction.
"Is this really the best course of action, Senior Brother?! You never know what that bastard will do to you and Wudang!"
"It's fine. That person will resolve everything."
"What do you mean, that person?! He—"
*Swoosh.*
Hyeon-gi drew his sword and executed a single slash. The blade cleaved the night air, extending forward with a clear, ringing sound.
Just one movement.
It was only a single movement, but Sa Jeong-hu realized something immediately.
"No way...!"
"That person gave me teachings. And left me with a final mission. Jeong-hu, this just might be my last request to you."
Hyeon-gi sheathed his sword and patted Sa Jeong-hu's shoulder.
"...Could you fetch me about a hundred empty books?"
"Empty... books?"
"Yes. Empty books. If anyone asks, just say I'm organizing my martial arts into secret manuals."
He had stepped out of the secret vault. The Sect Leader's robes were gone. Suddenly, he was asked to bring empty books. And in the brief moment he had gone out, he had mimicked the first form of the Taiji Wisdom Sword.
"...S-Senior Brother. No way, it's not what I'm thinking, right? Haha, don't tell me that young fellow is truly the Grandmaster who inherited the Taiji Wisdom Sword?"
"Hyeon-ta. Do you happen to possess the ability to read the heavenly secrets?"
Sa Jeong-hu felt his spirit leave him from an overwhelming sense of fatigue.
* * *
"From the Taiji Sword Art to the Two Principles Divine Art, the Sipdan-geum, the Cloud-Riding Skill, the Treading Duckweed Across Water... Damn, that's a hell of a lot. This is practically every secret manual except the Taiji Wisdom Sword, isn't it?"
With just the Taiji Wisdom Sword, I had gotten my hands on every secret manual the Wudang Sect possessed.