Chapter 117
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Solution
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“You’ve grasped how to control your strength!”
Cho Ak-ryang exclaimed in admiration at Dan Ak-seon's movements, which were far more fluid than before.
He had mastered the knack of extending and retracting his power according to the situation.
Striking hard before the opponent's force was unleashed, and flowing softly just after it had passed…
He was faithfully following the profound principle of striking with hardness before the opponent's force and yielding with softness after it passed.
That wasn't all.
Looking at his footwork alone, Dan Ak-seon was neither fast nor unpredictably divine. However, he remained unhurried and calm, making the precise movements needed at the exact right moment in response to his opponent.
‘While the enemy bustles, I calmly wait; knowing the rhythm, let them fight as they please.’
The martial chant, taught in a song-like form with only the key points for easy memorization.
He was recreating it at his fingertips.
“I thought it would take him at least a few more years of training to grasp this…”
Cho Ak-ryang muttered to himself.
Seeing this, Beom Gye-wi grinned.
“That's because our Physician Dan is a genius.”
As if deciding he had shown enough, Dan Ak-seon withdrew his hands and leaped back.
“I can continue learning, right?”
Cho Ak-ryang gave a wry smile.
With such a clear demonstration before his eyes, he had no reason or justification to object.
He could only nod.
On the third day.
Dan Ak-seon could finally move the bell without making a sound. He even reached a level where he could retrieve the bell accurately without Ga Du-dal telling him where it was hidden.
“With this, the preparations are more or less complete.”
Ga Du-dal, having confirmed Dan Ak-seon's skill, wore an excited expression.
“Let's make our move tonight.”
“Yes, sounds good. But where in Unjin Hermitage is the Primal Ape Divine Sword?”
At Dan Ak-seon's question, everyone's gaze turned to Ga Du-dal.
After a moment's hesitation, Ga Du-dal spoke.
“Inside Unjin Hermitage, there are five personal training chambers. No one can enter except the designated person. One is assigned to the sect leader and each of the elders. Yang Il-so was hiding the Primal Ape Divine Sword in the second chamber and training with it.”
“Did you see it yourself?”
“I was suspicious whether it was real, so I watched for a long time. But he brought the sword out of the training chamber just once. Perhaps the chamber was too cramped, as he was training alone deep in the deserted mountains.”
“That's strange. Is there a reason he's so obsessed with the Primal Ape Divine Sword?”
Hearing Dan Ak-seon's question, I Rip added an explanation.
“There's a legend associated with the Primal Ape Divine Sword.”
It was a story related to the Hengshan Sect's lost ultimate technique, the Eight Soul-Burning Swords.
“That's probably why Yang Il-so stole the Primal Ape Divine Sword.”
There was no other plausible reason.
Perhaps, contrary to the rumors, Yang Il-so harbored an inferiority complex toward his junior brother, Jin Jo-un.
“On the surface, it looked like Yang Il-so yielded the sect leader position on his own, but what if he was actually pushed out by the competition?”
The story that Jin Jo-un's martial prowess far surpassed his senior brother Yang Il-so's is an open secret in the martial world. Perhaps that's what fueled his inferiority complex and drove him to do this.
“Do you think he's unlocked the secret of the Primal Ape Divine Sword?”
I Rip shook his head at Dan Ak-seon's question.
“I don't think so. A man who would go so far as to steal the sword wouldn't have meekly given up the sect leader position. The sword disappeared ten years ago, and Jin Jo-un became the sect leader five years ago. Seeing as Yang Il-so has been quiet all this time, it's safe to assume he hasn't unlocked the secret yet.”
Then, suddenly realizing something odd, Cho Ak-ryang asked Ga Du-dal.
“But you said there's a formation, didn't you?”
No matter how much one learns the art of thievery, it's useless if you can't get past the formation.
“Hey, come on now. I'm the Ghostly Shadow Demonic Son. I'm not called the Divine Thief for nothing.”
Ga Du-dal let out a confident laugh.
“I found a way to break it long ago.”
“A way to break it?”
Seeing the clear disbelief in Cho Ak-ryang's eyes, Ga Du-dal's expression turned serious.
“Of course. I spent a whole year studying nothing but formations for this.”
Beom Gye-wi shot him a look of pity.
“You study formations just to steal things?”
“Because there should be nothing under the heavens I can't steal. To live up to the name Divine Thief, I have to do whatever it takes.”
Nodding, Ga Du-dal took something out from his robes.
It was a piece of paper, folded many times.
When Ga Du-dal unfolded the paper, tiny script and complex symbols drawn between the lines were revealed.
“This is the method to break it. My existing studies weren't enough, so I had to learn the rest by throwing myself at it.”
Beom Gye-wi looked horrified at the vast amount of information densely packed onto the paper.
“Just how many times did you go?”
“About… thirty times?”
“It's a miracle you weren't caught.”
“That's my job.”
I Rip stared at Ga Du-dal with a look of weary disgust.
If nothing else, he had to acknowledge his dedication to thievery.
It was then.
“Hmm?”
Dan Ak-seon, who had been intently studying the diagram, wore a peculiar expression.
He traced it with his finger for a moment, then crossed his arms and fell deep in thought.
“Do you have anything else?”
Ga Du-dal looked bewildered at Dan Ak-seon's question.
“Anything else?”
“You said there are five training chambers, right? This is the method for the second chamber's formation.”
“I have the others, of course, but…”
Ga Du-dal scratched his cheek, looking troubled.
“There was no reason to go inside, so I only poked around the entrances a little.”
“May I take a look?”
Ga Du-dal took out a few more pieces of paper from his robes.
This time, however, they didn't contain as much information as the first one.
Dan Ak-seon took them and began to compare them with the first one, checking something.
After being engrossed in the papers' contents for some time, Dan Ak-seon finally nodded.
“Just as I thought!”
Dan Ak-seon turned to his puzzled companions.
“We might not have to steal it after all.”
“What!”
Ga Du-dal jumped in surprise.
He had put in so much effort, and now all his work might go to waste.
“What's this all of a sudden, Physician Dan?”
Ga Du-dal hurriedly tried to persuade Dan Ak-seon.
“We're just recovering a lost item. It's not a bad deed at all.”
“I know. But I don't think we'll need to.”
“What? How on earth?”
“Let's go first. I'll explain the details on the way.”
Seeing Dan Ak-seon's confidence, Beom Gye-wi glared at Ga Du-dal.
“What a waste of time. We should have just shown the diagrams to Physician Dan from the start.”
I Rip smiled warmly and nodded.
“A good thought. Thievery doesn't suit Physician Dan. A future pillar of the martial world, who has great things to do, engaging in theft… It's better for him not to do anything that could tarnish his reputation.”
I Rip cast a gloating glance at Ga Du-dal, who stood there looking dismayed.
“You should forget those miscellaneous skills you learned.”
“What? Why?”
Dan Ak-seon's retort left I Rip looking bewildered.
“Aren't they useless now?”
“But they're very helpful.”
Ga Du-dal looked at Dan Ak-seon with a moved expression.
In this group, Dan Ak-seon was the only one who acknowledged him.
“See? I knew it, right?”
Ga Du-dal approached Dan Ak-seon and whispered quietly.
“I'll teach you even more interesting things from now on.”
Since things had turned out this way.
He figured it didn't matter how they got there, as long as they reached their destination.
It's human nature to want to use what you've learned. Once he mastered all the arts of thievery, his fingers would surely itch to test them out.
‘It's just a matter of timing!’
The result will be the same.
Ga Du-dal soothed his bitter feelings with this small consolation.
* * *
The Nanyue Temple was one of the many halls scattered across Mount Heng, boasting a long and storied history.
So old that its founding date was unknown, it had been burned to the ground in several great fires and had also been damaged by those in power.
Nevertheless, it was consistently rebuilt, achieving the grand scale it has today.
From the Lingxing Gate to the Kuixing Pavilion, the Zhengchuan Gate, and the Imperial Stele Pavilion, every structure within the Nanyue Temple exuded history and tradition.
The Great Hall, in particular, was the largest structure within the complex.
Its hip-and-gable roof looked as if two roofs were layered one upon the other.
Below it, a number of stone pillars, symbolizing the seventy-two peaks of Mount Heng, supported the Great Hall.
“…And so, the Chief of the Beggar's Sect and the son of the Divine Physician, named Dan Ak-seon, will likely visit our sect within a few days.”
At the report from the second-generation disciple in charge of receiving guests, the figures gathered in the Great Hall showed signs of pleasure.
“Not bad. The mere fact that they will put our sect's name on the joint petition, not the Qingcheng Sect's, is highly significant.”
“I agree. Reclaiming our status as one of the Nine Great Sects has been our sect's long-cherished wish.”
Jin Jo-un, the Sect Leader of the Hengshan Sect, listened to their opinions in silence.
The others had no objections either.
“We also received help from the Divine Physician in the past, so wouldn't it be right to grant permission?”
“And with the Chief of the Beggar's Sect coming in person, it would also be a way to save his face.”
“Hmph! Have you all forgotten the price we paid because of the Demonic Physician?”
The gazes of everyone gathered in the Great Hall simultaneously fell upon one person.
Yang Il-so, the Sect Leader's senior brother and an elder.
Unexpectedly, he had voiced his opposition directly.
“That boy, Dan Ak-seon, may be the Divine Physician's son, but he is also the child of the Demonic Physician. How can we allow that hateful bloodline into our sect?”
Having said that, Yang Il-so looked around the assembly and spoke.
“A sect that forgets its past has no future.”
As Yang Il-so's round eyes widened, several figures lowered their heads. However, there were some among them who expressed their own opinions.
“But we must consider the reality of the situation, mustn't we? This is an unparalleled opportunity for our sect…”
“Reality? Did you just say reality?”
Yang Il-so cut the man off and roared.
“The faces of the disciples who died that day still flicker before my eyes. I still have sleepless nights because I cannot forget their screams whenever I try to sleep.”
“…”
A heavy silence fell upon the Great Hall.
Seeing this, Jin Jo-un let out a soft sigh.
He had expected it, but not such fierce opposition.
Fifteen years ago.
The Hengshan Sect clashed with an unorthodox sect over certain interests.
Hengshan County, which bordered Mount Heng, had long been a hub where agricultural products from surrounding areas gathered, thanks to its well-developed transportation network of waterways and roads.
Naturally, as a place where interests converged, it was filled with all sorts of people. Unfortunately, while the Hengshan Sect was preoccupied with internal matters, a group called the Black Mist Clan secretly established a foothold.
By the time the Hengshan Sect noticed, they had already expanded their influence enormously. It was only later discovered that the Black Mist Clan was not a single unorthodox faction.
Under their leader, Ghost King Demonic Wheel Jo Go, masters from the mercenary White Snake Society and the Seven Chambers of the Green Forest were stationed in large numbers.
Jo Go was a man who held a great grudge against the Hengshan Sect.
In the past, a Hengshan disciple had been murdered at his hands, so the sect hunted him down. He was eventually caught in Mount Heng's inescapable net, pierced through the chest and abdomen by four swords, and fell from the Thousand-Zhang Cliff.
Presumed dead, he was now leading the Black Mist Clan.
The Hengshan Sect belatedly devised countermeasures, but Jo Go gave them no time.
Starting with the martial halls of Hengshan's secular families and extending to the escort agencies.
He led a large number of masters and launched a preemptive strike under the cover of night.
The damage to the Hengshan Sect was truly significant.
Although they wiped out Jo Go and the Black Mist Clan, countless disciples lost their lives in the process.
Yang Il-so drove the point home.
“Do not forget. The one who saved Jo Go's life was none other than the Life and Death Demonic Physician.”