Chapter 232
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: The Power of Taiji
So, with me taking on the task of destroying the sapling, another problem cropped up.
“Apparently that maid So-so is on guard against Young Master Goon. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep you away from the sapling. How are we supposed to get around that?”
At Seol’s question, troubled looks appeared on the faces of the Hao Gate trio.
Soon, Hong cautiously offered his opinion.
“Hmm. What if we disguise someone else as Young Master Goon to lure them away, like you suggested earlier?”
Hwa-ryeon shook her head at the idea.
“Who’s going to handle the luring? It’ll definitely draw a horde too big for anyone but Ja-seong to manage.”
Disguise someone as me to draw the monster horde away instead.
In that case, So-so would commit overwhelming forces to tie my feet down, and the substitute would end up surrounded by more monsters than they could handle.
Naturally, their odds of survival would be abysmal.
They probably wouldn’t last long before meeting a gruesome end.
“Plus, if the decoy gets killed like that, the enemy will catch on right away that something’s off.”
“…Luring’s out, then.”
Hwa-ryeon’s rebuttal scrapped the decoy plan.
Various ideas were tossed around for a while after that, but nothing solid emerged.
How long did we rack our brains for a good idea that just wouldn’t come?
Exhausted, Seol slumped over the table and grumbled.
“Sigh. If we could just neutralize that Thousand-Mile Vision, everything would be solved…”
At her words, the Hao Gate trio’s gazes all snapped to her.
Startled by the sudden attention, Seol slowly straightened up.
“W-Why…?”
“Neutralize the Thousand-Mile Vision… maybe?”
Ye So-ha, who had been looking grave, turned to Cheong.
“Cheong, you said the ‘eyes’ you found looked like clones, right?”
“Yes. Judging by their form, they seemed to be parts of her own body transformed.”
“Then…!”
“They must be spiritually linked…!”
There they go, talking in their own cryptic code again.
I gave the Hao Gate trio a cold look before asking snidely.
“Why do you three always keep it to yourselves? Mind letting us in on it?”
“Oh, sorry. Let me explain right away.”
Ye So-ha apologized, her face much brighter than before.
Seol’s grumbling must have sparked a flash of inspiration.
“The eyes scattered all over Mount Wudang are the sapling’s guardians. We suspect they’re clones made by transforming parts of that maid So-so’s own body.”
“Clones?”
I tilted my head, not fully grasping it, and Cheong pulled out a sheet of pristine white paper and a brush, sketching something out with swift strokes.
The moment we saw the finished drawing, we couldn’t help but grimace.
“Eek!?”
Seol even screamed in horror.
Cheong’s depiction of the grotesque creature was that repulsive.
An eyeball like it had just been plucked from its socket, with fleshy wings sprouting from both sides.
Cheong’s needlessly realistic rendering made it all the creepier.
“…This is the clone?”
“Yes. Ugly, isn’t it? Thousands of these clones are scattered across Mount Wudang, watching every corner. Including around the Wudang Sect.”
“Eep…!?”
While our women recoiled, Ye So-ha gazed at the drawing impassively and spoke, prompting Seol to let out a short shriek as she scanned the room.
Her face looked ready to burst into tears any second.
Seeing this, Ye So-ha gave a faint, reassuring smile.
“There are none near this room. You’re safe.”
“R-Really?”
Seol let out a small sigh of relief at Ye So-ha’s words.
But a trace of anxiety lingered, her eyes darting around wildly.
I expanded my energy sense to the max to check the surroundings and confirmed it.
“It’s true. Not even an ant near the guest hall.”
With even me backing Ye So-ha up, Seol’s frantic eyes finally settled down.
I stifled a subtle chuckle at the sight, then hardened my face and got back to business.
“So, what exactly are you planning to do with these clones?”
“As I said, the clones aren’t separate entities—they’re parts of that maid So-so’s body. Their spirits are connected.”
“And since they share senses, we can deal a major blow to the main body through the clones.”
“Hmm…”
I let out a small groan as I mulled it over.
To sum up their plan: strike So-so’s spirit directly via the disgusting clones scattered everywhere.
“If we pull it off right, we could neutralize all the eyes on Mount Wudang and deal a serious hit to her main body too.”
Ye So-ha added that last bit, trying to seal the deal.
It sounded like a perfect plan so far.
But I had noticed.
The slight tremble in Ye So-ha’s eyes as she said it.
“There’s a flaw in the plan?”
“…You’re sharp. Yes, there’s one thing that bothers me.”
I narrowed my eyes at Ye So-ha’s follow-up.
*
Back to the present.
Taoist Hyeonjin and Mu-yeop were stunned to hear from Ye So-ha how dire the situation was.
“Hah, hahaha…! If things get that bad, it won’t just be us—it’ll be everyone in Gyunhyeon too?”
“Yes. We’re out of time.”
Mu-yeop exploded at my firm words.
“There’s a limit to absurd claims! What kind of nonsense is…!”
“Haven’t you been through too many ‘nonsensical’ situations already to dismiss it like that?”
“…….”
Mu-yeop fell silent at my retort.
The sky had turned blood-red, and the mountains were withering away.
The animals and plants scurrying across Mount Wudang had all become hideous monsters lunging to kill humans.
Everything that had happened on Mount Wudang was absurd beyond belief.
“Whew…”
Mu-yeop flapped his mouth a few times before letting out a deep sigh.
Meanwhile, Taoist Hyeonjin asked with a rigidly set face.
“Then what’s your plan? If you knew it was this bad, you must have something in mind.”
Mu-yeop looked up at Hyeonjin’s words, both of them pinning their hopes on me.
I nodded to the two expectant faces.
“You’re right. That’s why…”
“Junior Brother! Young Master Goon!”
Just as I was about to explain the plan we’d devised last night, a shout echoing through the cave hit everyone’s ears.
Soon, Mu-jin came rushing in, panting.
“Senior Brother? What’s wrong?”
Mu-yeop tilted his head at Mu-jin’s beaming face and asked.
A joyous report came back, matching his radiant smile.
“T-The Sect Leader has regained consciousness!”
“What?! Is that true!?”
Mu-yeop grinned as brightly as his senior at the news of the Sect Leader’s recovery.
I exchanged nods or smiles with Ye So-ha and Taoist Hyeonjin.
Then, Mu-jin approached Ye So-ha and politely cupped his hands in greeting.
“Young Lady Ye, thank you so much! At first, I thought your sorcery nonsense was pointless flailing, but I was wrong. I’ll never forget this debt.”
“…Thank you?”
Ye So-ha gave an awkward reply, unsure if it was praise or an insult.
The elated mood filled the cave only briefly.
Mu-jin turned to me, then muttered with a start.
“Oh no…! This isn’t the time, and here I was getting sidetracked.”
“Huh? What do you…?”
Mu-jin grinned at my puzzled look.
“Young Master Goon, Young Lady Ye. Come with me. The Sect Leader is asking for you.”
*
Ye So-ha and I followed behind Mu-jin.
Trailing us were Mu-yeop, insisting on seeing his senior Sect Leader, and Taoist Hyeonjin, who’d gotten roped into coming along.
Mu-yeop made sense, but was it okay for Hyeonjin to tag along?
Harboring that minor doubt, we arrived at the heart of the Wudang Sect, the Sangcheong Palace.
“Senior Sect Leader, I’ve brought them.”
“Thank you, Junior Brother.”
The familiar silhouette came into view the moment we entered.
The rest of the group had arrived ahead of us.
Looks like we’re the last ones.
“You’re here? Over here.”
Hwa-ryeon turned at my presence and welcomed us.
Sitting beside her, I finally faced the elderly Taoist before us.
That man…
“Welcome. Young Master Goon Ja-seong, Young Lady Ye So-ha.”
The white-haired elder smiled kindly.
Mu Heo-ja, current Grand Elder and Sect Leader of Wudang, greeted us.
“I’m sorry to make you come to me. I should have visited you myself, but as you see, I’m still recovering.”
“We’re fine, don’t worry about it. We’re just glad you’re awake.”
As he said, his voice still lacked strength from his condition.
Yet the keen glint in his eyes was extraordinary, befitting Wudang’s Sect Leader.
Putting such impressions aside, the conversation began with Mu Heo-ja’s courteous thanks.
“First, let me say this: thank you truly. Not only did you save my life, but I hear you’ve greatly aided the Wudang Sect and its disciples. Please accept my humble gratitude.”
With that, Mu Heo-ja bowed deeply.
We flustered a bit at the elder’s excessive courtesy.
“Your excessive courtesy is burdensome. Please, lift your head.”
“You’ve done a great service to my sect and to me personally—how could it be excessive?”
For the leader of a massive sect like Wudang, his demeanor was remarkably unpretentious.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere relaxed a touch as we continued… like hell it did.
The topic was far too grave for that.
“What did you just say… the Demonic Cult?”
“Yes. Behind Tyrant Heaven Fortress and the anomalies on Mount Wudang is the Demonic Cult—the Bloodwood Cult.”
The Demonic Cult.
Those two words alone made every martial artist in the jianghu shudder, and Mu Heo-ja and Mu-jin’s faces hardened.
When we revealed that the cult was behind Tyrant Heaven Fortress’s atrocities and Mount Wudang’s horrors, Mu-jin, listening beside them, twisted his face in fury.
“Those Demonic Cult scum survived to slaughter Wudang disciples again…!”
“Mind your manners before the Sect Leader, Mu-jin Senior Brother.”
Mu-jin took deep breaths to calm himself at Mu-yeop’s words.
Meanwhile, Mu Heo-ja sighed, his eyes dark and sunken.
“How could I not have considered the Demonic Cult? Twisting innocent lives into malevolent beings—that’s exactly their specialty.”
The self-reproach in his words cast a solemn hush over the room.