Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Joining the Battle
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Opening the stone coffin, the first thing that caught my eye was a single corpse resembling Yeo Eungwon.
It should have turned to white bones after hundreds of years, but the fact that it hadn't decayed showed remarkable preservation.
Even the clothes on the corpse were intact.
Next to it lay three silver ingots the size of a child's palm and a letter. The paper hadn't rotted at all, a testament to how well the stone coffin had sealed out moisture.
I also found a bamboo tube about a handspan long, sealed on both ends.
A faint energy emanated from the bamboo tube.
It was an auspicious aura that filled me with reverence.
I opened the lid sealing the tube's mouth.
At that moment, I caught a fragrance like a hundred flowers blooming at once.
It was so vivid I felt like I'd stepped into a flower garden. Dozens of stems bore blossoms.
'This must be the udumbara flower spoken of in Buddhist scriptures.'
Udumbara—the very name came from Sanskrit, known in sutras as a bloom that appeared once every three thousand years.
I wasn't entirely sure such a flower truly existed.
I'd sought it only because it was the sole hope for curing my mother.
I took just the letter and the bamboo tube.
There was no need to take the silver ingots the size of a child's palm.
I wasn't desperate enough for money to feel greedy over them.
They seemed to be emergency funds Yeo Eungwon had stashed away for use while on the run.
'But why silver ingots instead of gold?'
Gold would have been preferable for emergency funds, so curiosity led me to inspect them.
I realized the truth at once.
"Brother, that doesn't look like silver ingots."
I wondered how Yeoseol, who'd never seen silver ingots, knew they weren't, but I dismissed the doubt quickly.
Questioning everything she said would lead to constant suspicion.
I knew that when she spoke with such certainty about things she'd never experienced, it meant Mae Yu-yeon's consciousness was linked.
"Looking closer, they seem to be lead ingots."
They were lumps made of lead.
"Why would the Moon Shadow Divine Thrower leave behind worthless lead ingots?"
"There must be some story behind this."
Sensing Yeo Eungwon had left them for a reason, I pocketed the lead ingots.
"Yeoseol, let's head back to the VIP quarters."
We resealed the stone coffin and left the tomb.
The ancestral tomb remained utterly deserted, without a soul in sight.
Numerous venomous creatures still prowled the surroundings.
We leaped onto the rooftops and made our way toward the VIP quarters.
"Look over there."
Turning at Yeoseol's words, I saw people collapsed here and there on the ground.
They appeared to have fallen victim to the venomous creatures' poison.
"For the Tang Clan, this is no different from a disaster striking. But the calamity hasn't ended yet."
I could sense the presence of Bi-dan-jeon warriors.
Gazing far into the horizon, I spotted a horde kicking up clouds of dust as they charged.
The Demonic Cult seemed to be bringing Tang Pai reinforcements to assault the Tang Clan.
Having witnessed Tang clansmen fighting Demonic Cult warriors with poison, they'd realized conquering the Tang Clan wouldn't be easy.
Thus, they planned to pressure the Tang Clan by leading with Tang Pai.
The Demonic Cult feared the Tang Clan's poisons.
Even if they couldn't eradicate the Tang Clan, they needed to weaken it.
Without breaking the Tang Clan in Sichuan's martial world, advancing to other regions was impossible.
They couldn't leave a foe at their back.
That was why I understood Shin Eung's reason for targeting the Tang Clan specifically.
As I packed my satchel in the VIP quarters, Tang Jinin arrived.
"Scholar Cheon! How can you still be here? You must flee at once."
Tang Jinin continued.
"I'll lead the main house warriors to block the Demonic Cult scum. We've activated the poison formation in Tang Family Village, so there's plenty of time to evacuate."
I asked,
"Aren't venomous creatures running rampant in the Tang Clan right now? Weren't they needed for the poison formation?"
"Oh? You knew? Yes, without the creatures, the formation won't hold long. Our main house's Ten Thousand Poisons Formless Poison Formation relies on them to unleash its full power."
"What of the Family Head?"
Tang Jinin replied with a resolute expression.
"If the formation breaks, the main house is in danger, so the Family Head has taken command at the forefront himself."
I hadn't known Tang Myeong possessed such boldness.
With the Family Head stepping up, I figured they wouldn't lose this fight.
It meant the elders and veterans were fully mobilized too.
'In that case, perhaps I should lend a hand and boost my influence.'
Gripping my Vault of Heaven Sword, I said,
"Though my reputation may be undeserved, fellow martial artists call me the Scholar Sword Immortal. How could I face them if I fled at the Tang Clan's crisis? I'll fight alongside you."
Tang Jinin's face flushed with emotion at my words.
"The other martial artists staying in the VIP quarters fled like cowards... Yet Scholar Cheon steps up sword in hand for our main house's peril."
"Tang Gongzi is my disciple. How could a master ignore peril when he knows martial arts? Let's go."
Yeoseol stared blankly at me, tilting her head.
She seemed puzzled by my intentions.
"Tang Gongzi, can you escort Yeoseol to safety inside the Tang Clan?"
"Brother, I'll fight too."
It would be great if Yeoseol fought beside me, but exposing her talents to outsiders wasn't wise.
"Yeoseol, only fight if Demonic Cult warriors breach the Tang Clan grounds. Until then, stay out of it."
Tang Jinin didn't know Yeoseol's strength.
Thinking I was just placating my little sister, he chimed in.
"My goddess! Just cheering us on gives us strength."
Yeoseol stared at me and Tang Jinin before sighing.
"Fine, whatever. But if you come back hurt, that's it."
I stroked Yeoseol's head.
"This girl—getting taller just means more nagging."
Yeoseol mimicked my voice.
"An adult's nagging is the product of their regrets from experience. That's what you always say to me, Brother. Don't make me regret it."
Her words felt eerie.
Were they Mae Yu-yeon's regrets or Yeoseol's?
"Got it. I won't get a single scratch."
Tang Jinin muttered enviously.
"I wish I had family worrying about me like that."
"I'll worry for you. Let's go."
Before Yeoseol entered the Tang Clan grounds, I handed her the letter, lead ingots, and bamboo tube.
"Hold onto these."
"Okay. If anything happens to you, I don't know what I'll do—so come back unharmed."
With that, Yeoseol turned away.
After watching her enter the Tang Clan grounds, Tang Jinin and I headed out.
Among Tang Family Village's residents, all able-bodied fighters gripped weapons.
The rest had evacuated inside the Tang Clan.
Tang Myeong led the elders to confront the incoming Demonic Cult warriors.
Spotting me with Tang Jinin, he spoke.
"The Tang Clan will remember fighting alongside the Scholar Sword Immortal. Our thanks."
Only now did Tang Myeong show me respect, cupping his hands.
"How could I stand idle when the Family Head demonstrates such demon-subduing resolve?"
At my reply, Tang Myeong eyed me intently for a moment.
I was the only non-Tang clansman present.
Of course—who wouldn't be grateful for someone drawing a sword for their family?
The Demonic Cult halted at the village gates.
Two middle-aged men stepped forward.
"This seat is Holy Heaven Cult's Ninth Division Leader, Shin Eung."
The other spoke.
"This seat is Holy Heaven Cult's Fifth Division Leader, Neung Heo."
Murmurs rippled through the Tang Clan's ranks.
They'd expected Ninth Division Leader Shin Eung, but not Fifth Division Leader Escaping Divine Moon Neung Heo.
With two division leaders, peril outweighed fortune.
The five hundred Demonic Cult warriors, all with explosively amplified innate energies, exuded heat haze-like auras from their positions.
Fifth Division Leader Neung Heo wielded a pair of mandarin duck hooks masterfully, earning his moniker Escaping Divine Moon.
Shin Eung and Neung Heo supported Third Young Master Mo Donggwak among the division leaders.
I wondered why Mo Donggwak was absent.
'Has Mo Donggwak not recovered yet?'
Even after detoxifying, prolonged rest was needed for organ recovery, so his absence made sense.
Mo Donggwak focused on circulating qi to overcome the aftereffects of the formless poison.
He wasn't in a state to channel inner power for martial arts.
Thus, he was displeased at missing the assault on the Tang Clan.
But thoughts of using himself as bait to hook a big fish dispelled his irritation.
"Seventeenth Division Leader."
The Demonic Cult Leader's three disciples each held a division leader post.
First disciple as Fifteenth, second as Sixteenth, third as Seventeenth.
Disciples traditionally took the final divisions.
A disciple's role wasn't for idling.
"Have they come?"
"Yes."
"Then, send the messenger hawk."
At Mo Donggwak's order, his subordinate replied and vanished.
Soon, a hawk took flight from the manor.
Someone watched the manor from the mountainside.
Wang Cheong, White Tiger Unit Leader, who had entered Sichuan with the Azure Dragon Unit but kept a low profile.
The Murim Alliance had urgently dispatched the Azure Dragon and White Tiger Units to protect Kunlun Sect survivors and block Demonic Cult southern advances.
Yet the White Tiger Unit moved covertly, never emerging openly.
Their sole aim: capture the Demonic Cult Leader's third disciple, Mo Donggwak.
Wang Cheong addressed Nangong Seongjin behind him.
Nangong Seongjin had joined the White Tiger Unit from the Azure Dragon Unit, aiding Kunlun Sect, bringing Pang Soun, Zhuge Dowon, and Un-sang.
Capturing Mo Donggwak was their mission.
"We can finally catch Mo Donggwak."
"The Demonic Cult forces gathered in Sichuan have marched to attack the Tang Clan, leaving fewer than fifty in this manor."
Nangong Seongjin replied, and Wang Cheong nodded gravely.
"But these fifty are all Frenzied Blood Demons with amplified innate energies. Be cautious—they're peak masters, every one."
Recently, Demonic Cult warriors who'd explosively boosted innate energy two- or threefold were called Frenzied Blood Demons.
Pang Soun responded.
"With three hundred White Tiger Unit members, taking the manor won't be hard, even with Frenzied Blood Demons."
Wang Cheong glanced at the sky.
"Attack before sunset. Nangong Gongzi takes the east with a hundred, Pang Gongzi the west, Taoist Un-sang the south—three teams."
"Yes!"
The team leaders replied firmly.
"The team securing Mo Donggwak withdraws immediately; the other two cover the rear against pursuers."
"Yes."
"Then we return straight to the Sichuan branch."
"Won't we support the Tang Clan?"
Nangong Seongjin asked.
Wang Cheong shook his head.
"Our mission isn't Tang Clan support. Even five hundred Frenzied Blood Demons can't eradicate them—they're just venting. Besides, the Scholar Sword Immortal is there."
"Ah!"
"Right!"
"Hm."
Exclamations came from Pang Soun and Un-sang; Nangong Seongjin grunted skeptically.
He didn't see the Scholar Sword Immortal as someone the leader would cite so reassuringly.
"I wonder how much help the Scholar Sword Immortal can provide."
Pang Soun glared at Nangong Seongjin with displeasure.
"Tch. You don't know Brother Cheon at all. He's not called Scholar Sword Immortal for nothing."
Irritation laced Pang Soun's voice.
Nangong Seongjin was startled—this was the first time Pang Soun had been so serious since joining.
"It's because Nangong Gongzi doesn't know. The Scholar Sword Immortal can certainly repel the Demonic Cult's offensive."
With Un-sang backing Pang Soun, Nangong Seongjin went from startled to baffled.
He'd never heard them praise anyone before, so he doubted his ears.
Involuntarily, he sought Wang Cheong's support with a glance.
"Nangong Gongzi might not know, assigned to Azure Dragon Unit. But what those storyteller guests said at that inn we stopped at—about the Scholar Sword Immortal—is nine times out of ten true."
"Really?"
"I fought alongside him against the Demonic Cult myself, so I know."
No arguing with the leader's words.
"Enough distractions. Focus on securing Mo Donggwak."
"Yes, Leader."
The White Tiger Unit divided forces and advanced on the manor.