Chapter 301
Black storm clouds roiled ominously across the sky, while an ghostly wail seemed to reverberate from all directions.
"How could the Incense Master of Wicked Incense have mastered the Prajna Great Power?"
Shaolin's ultimate arts have never once been leaked to the outside world.
Moreover, the Prajna Great Power is a martial art that ordinary disciples cannot even begin to learn.
This meant Master Moon had held a considerably high-ranking position as a disciple—and that Shaolin itself might be aware of this fact.
"Are you saying Shaolin stands behind Wicked Incense?"
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
The probability that a mysterious assassin sect with centuries of history had Shaolin as its backer was zero.
Had that been the case, Buddha Venerable Hong-hyeon would never have told him to protect the murim in the first place.
—"This old monk, too, has abandoned his status to return to the secular world..."
Yet Master Moon had referred to Shaolin as the "main temple," openly declaring himself a Shaolin disciple.
Unless this was complete nonsense, it meant he had deliberately forsaken his identity to join Wicked Incense.
'Was Master Moon a secular disciple?'
Shaolin, among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, accepts the largest number of secular disciples. Depending on circumstances, they even impart the main temple's ultimate arts to these disciples without reservation.
'Or... he could have been Blood Shaolin.'
Shaolin is another Shaolin—one that shatters calamities when crisis befalls the murim.
They say Blood Shaolin exists.
The warrior monks of Blood Shaolin all conceal their identities, secretly training in destructive variations of the Seventy-Two Supreme Arts under the abbot's permission.
However, almost no one knows of Blood Shaolin's existence. Bu Eun-seol himself had only heard of it in passing, like a folktale, during a Grade A Mission for the Kill-Seeking Unit.
'But I can't just recklessly purge Shaolin the way I did with the Five Poisons Sect or the Four Flames Alliance.'
What if Bu Eun-seol's spirit and mind had still been immersed in the Demonic Path as before?
He would have acted without hesitation, immediately mobilizing all his forces and intelligence networks against Shaolin.
But now, he had regained his original, utterly tranquil state of mind. He coldly analyzed the situation and devised countermeasures.
'Investigating Shaolin must not be done rashly.'
Shaolin is a great pillar supporting the Righteous Faction, home to many eminent monks possessing profound martial arts and mystical abilities.
It would be far more perilous than investigating the Martial Alliance's inner workings—requiring commensurate caution.
'Though in the end, it's just a matter of sequence.'
Originally, Bu Eun-seol had planned to thoroughly investigate not just the Martial Alliance but all orthodox factions, including the Nine Great Sects and One Gang.
Because every piece of evidence so far suggested the mastermind was far more likely to be someone from the orthodox side.
But Shaolin isn't a place to be carelessly provoked...
For now, it couldn't be investigated. It would require the most extensive preparations and meticulous planning.
"Let's return for now."
Bu Eun-seol turned listlessly.
For now, he had no choice but to content himself with having dealt with Wicked Incense.
Just as he gathered his internal power to activate his movement technique—
"...!"
His eyes flickered like disturbed water.
The moment he channeled his energy, the lingering aura of the Prajna Great Power dispersed through his meridians clashed faintly with the true qi in his dantian.
The foundation of Bu Eun-seol's being was the Reverse Extreme Inner Method of the Demonic Path.
Yet since childhood, he had accumulated true qi through the Life Nourishing Secret of the Tendon Transformation Sutra—and now, his meridians had even absorbed the Prajna Great Power.
In the end, not just his spirit and mind but even the imprints on his flesh stood straddled between the Demonic and Righteous Paths.
"Haa."
A deep sigh escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips as he grasped the full picture.
If this situation continued...
Whether he willed it or not, he would have no choice but to deeply master and advance the martial arts of both orthodox and unorthodox paths.
Zziing.
Then, his extrasensory perception caught a faint sound.
It seemed to originate from deep underground, traveling up through his feet as a subtle vibration.
'The children?'
Only then did Bu Eun-seol recall that the abducted children had always been connected to Wicked Incense.
Which meant the kidnapped children were undoubtedly imprisoned somewhere within Wicked Incense.
After a moment of deep contemplation, Bu Eun-seol heightened his Beast Path senses to their limit.
Simultaneously, he stomped the ground hard.
Kuuung.
The impact rippled outward, triggering his Void-Breaking Mind's Eye.
At the same time, his Domain of Heightened Senses expanded nearly a thousand feet into the earth below.
'Another underground facility, is it?'
Bu Eun-seol's eyes flashed as he analyzed the sensory feedback spreading outward through his Void-Breaking Mind's Eye.
He had discovered a massive space beneath where Wicked Incense stood.
'I need to find the way down.'
As Bu Eun-seol scanned the village, his gaze abruptly locked onto a conspicuously placed well at its center.
The well had run dry, its interior housing a bucket large enough to carry a person, tied to a thick rope.
"..."
The well's depth was such that even Bu Eun-seol's darkness-piercing vision couldn't discern its bottom.
Thud.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol stepped into the massive bucket and descended.
Below lay a vast, naturally formed cavern, with traces of frequent human passage.
Though torch stands lined the walls, their unlit state left the interior shrouded in thick darkness, the air heavy with dampness.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brows.
A faint hostility emanated from all directions—like beasts in the darkness stalking their prey.
Swish!
With the sharp Sound of Breaking Air, something razor-sharp flew toward his temple. Tilting his head lightly to evade, he watched as a shadow clutching a sharp metal implement descended from the ceiling.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol didn't dodge, merely observing the figure gripping the metal weapon.
But it was a trap.
While his attention was fixed on the shadow before him, another had crouched low, slinking closer in secret—before slashing violently at both his ankles with a sharp blade.
Swish!
At the same time, more sharpened metal pierced his side, back, and chest.
Thunk.
By the end, four sharp metal implements were deeply embedded in Bu Eun-seol's body.
"An ordinary martial artist would have died here."
Despite the weapons lodged in him, he remained standing impassively, a faint smile curling his lips.
Crackle.
The moment he unleashed his Internal Power, the sharp metal shattered into dust, scattering in all directions.
Whoosh!
As Bu Eun-seol released a surge of Blazing Flame True Qi through Finger Wind, the torch stands along the walls burst into flame.
Simultaneously, the shadows crouched in the darkness were revealed.
"So, you were doing the same things as on Hell Island."
Bu Eun-seol clicked his tongue.
Under the torchlight, the shadows turned out to be young boys, their baby fat not yet shed.
Thirty in total.
Malnourished and skeletal from lack of proper food and washing, their bodies were caked in grime.
Yet their eyes, reflected in the torchlight, radiated a blade-like killing intent—utterly devoid of fear.
"Force-fed Human Blossoms again."
Bu Eun-seol's brow creased.
These boys had all been forcibly saturated with extreme drugs like Human Blossoms.
Though lacking Internal Energy, their bodies were unnaturally agile like Murim Masters, their temperaments twisted into something bestial and savage.
'Fortunately, they haven't cultivated Internal Energy yet.'
The boys showed no signs of formal martial training—no traces of cultivated Internal Energy.
"Then there's a way."
Hiss—
Bu Eun-seol stretched out his hand, and the boy at the front floated into the air, landing in his palm.
Had any martial artist witnessed this, they would have been stunned.
Pulling small objects like teacups or weapons through Void Object Retrieval was hardly difficult.
But summoning a boy standing fifty or sixty feet away? That bordered on Divine Skill.
"Ugh..."
Trembling under Bu Eun-seol's overwhelming Martial Prowess, the boy didn't even think to resist.
"No need to fear."
Bu Eun-seol spoke flatly as he began channeling Internal Energy into the boy's Great Vertebra Acupoint.
Hwaaak!
White smoke billowed from the boy's body as his ashen skin and jaundiced eyes regained their natural color.
Bu Eun-seol had injected potent Reverse Polarity True Qi, forcibly expelling all traces of the drug from his system.
'Good bone structure.'
Had the boy's Bone and Muscle Structure been inferior or his Meridians weak, he wouldn't have withstood the True Qi.
But in the time it took for incense to burn halfway, the boy had fully absorbed the Reverse Polarity True Qi, circulating it through every Meridian.
"How do you feel?"
The boy nodded, his gaze now clear.
"My mind... it's sharp now. The dizziness and confusion are gone."
"Good. The rest of you—come forward one by one."
Bu Eun-seol proceeded to purge the drugs from all thirty boys, infusing each with Reverse Polarity True Qi.
Though all possessed exceptional Bone and Muscle Structure, the first boy he treated stood out the most.
"You're the leader of this group?"
The boy at the front nodded.
"Yes."
"Your name."
"...Hungry Ghost."
The boy seemed to have been orphaned so young that he'd never been given a proper name.
Just like Bu Eun-seol in the past.
"Do you have anywhere to return to?"
"What do you...?"
"Those who kidnapped you are all dead. This Lord came to save you."
At this, half the boys behind Hungry Ghost brightened—while the other half darkened.
"Half of us... are orphans. Like me, without even proper names."
Half the abducted boys had no homes.
Taken solely for their physique, with no one to miss or claim them.
"Take this."
From his robes, Bu Eun-seol handed Hungry Ghost a money pouch and a black pebble engraved with a wolf's image.
"Take those with nowhere to go to Chengdu. Leave this stone in front of the inn nearest the relay station. Someone will come for you."
"Where will they take us?"
"Sword Brow Mountain. Langya Pavilion."
Bu Eun-seol's tone was indifferent.
"Once there, seek out Master Cheol. Tell him everything that's happened—and that I sent you."
"Great Hero, what is your name?"
Hungry Ghost's eyes gleamed with keen curiosity.
Bu Eun-seol answered flatly.
"Bu Eun-seol. That should suffice."
"Bu Eun-seol..."
Hungry Ghost muttered under his breath.
At that moment, the boys still had no idea.
That the man standing before them would one day ascend to the pinnacle of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Paths as the Grandmaster of Martial Arts.
And that they themselves would become ten saviors who would rescue Langya Pavilion from crisis in the future.
The boys all departed Scented Fragrance on buckets. This place was, after all, a hidden location far from Hoedang Mountain, accessible only through secret passages.
They would be able to reach Chengdu quietly, without any connection to Yu Rim.
"It's really time to go back now."
Bu Eun-seol, who had been staring at the now-empty cave, walked back toward the buckets.
"..."
Suddenly, Bu Eun-seol scrutinized the bucket intently. Though it appeared wooden on the outside, it was actually made of solid metal.
Moreover, the chain connected to the bucket, despite being metal, was as supple as rope and as elastic as rubber.
'Hidden weapons...'
This was Scented Fragrance, hailed as the grandmaster of hidden weapons.
Then somewhere here, there must be a secret vault storing meticulously crafted hidden weapons.
The very weapons used to kill his grandfather might still be here.
'Let's find out.'
In an instant, Bu Eun-seol summoned the Empty Mind Spirit Communion.
He intended to scour every inch of this place, from the underground to the surface.
"So this is where it was."
As he activated the Empty Mind Spirit Communion, a faint white glow became visible in the distant darkness.
After walking for a while, he spotted a wall seeping a dim light.
Though it looked like solid rock, it was actually made of iron—a secret door concealing a mechanism.
Clank.
The moment he touched the wall, a mechanical sound echoed, and the hidden iron door slowly revealed itself.
Inside, over thirty kinds of unique hidden weapon devices were stored atop metal chests.
"Not here."
Though the hidden weapon devices here were incredibly intricate, they were all extremely small in size and shape.
"Thirty... I see."
Upon closer inspection, these thirty devices were likely meant to be equipped on the boys trained here.
"Hmm."
Bu Eun-seol picked up a hidden weapon device shaped like a wrist guard, then shook his head and set it back down.
Click.
Suddenly, a faint mechanical sound came from one of the metal chests—so quiet he might have dismissed it as coincidence.
Bu Eun-seol studied the chest intently before abruptly channeling his internal energy.
Whoosh!
Simultaneously, he lifted all thirty hidden weapons from their chests into the air.
Zzzzzz...
A low mechanical hum rose from the floor as a large metal chest ascended to waist height.
Snap.
When he opened it, inside lay a single, bizarre glove.
It was crafted in the exact likeness of a human hand—so perfect, from the wrinkles to the pores and even the fine hairs, that it looked less like a glove and more like real skin peeled from fingers.
Shhh.
As if entranced, Bu Eun-seol slipped the glove onto his right hand.
Immediately, his middle, ring, and pinky fingers were pressed flat by the glove,
making it seem as though they had vanished entirely.
Seven Fingers.
With this glove on, Bu Eun-seol's hand appeared to have only seven fingers left.
"...!"
Shock flooded Bu Eun-seol's pupils.
Though the martial world had countless treasures, none deliberately made a normal hand appear to have only seven fingers.
And there was only one legendary figure in the martial world known for having seven fingers.
"The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade..."
This glove undoubtedly belonged to the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade, Bu Jan-yang.
He hadn't severed his fingers to master saber techniques—he had simply worn this glove to feign having seven fingers.
But why?
Bu Eun-seol couldn't comprehend it.
Why would he deliberately pretend to have seven fingers? And why was his glove stored in Scented Fragrance's secret vault?
"Was the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang an assassin for Scented Fragrance?"
An absurd notion.
Before his disappearance, he had been none other than the Deputy Hall Lord of the Demon Hall.
The second most revered figure in the Demonic Path would never stoop to assassination.
Even if he had wanted to create a second identity, there were countless other ways.
"But..."
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
One of the most effective methods of disguise was to completely conceal physical traits.
'He exploited that.'
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade had turned an unchangeable physical trait into a blind spot.
He must have deliberately spread the lie that he had seven fingers.
Then, when assuming a disguised identity, he would have simply used all ten fingers normally. That alone would ensure no one suspected he was the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
Bu Eun-seol's gaze lost focus.
A thought flickered through his mind—what if the Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang was his grandfather's true identity?
Plip.
Just then, a drop of blood staining Bu Eun-seol's body touched the glove.
Where the blood seeped in, faint characters surfaced.
But Bu Eun-seol, staring blankly into the air, didn't notice.
As he tucked the glove into his robes, flames of heat qi flickered in his eyes.
"I have to find him."
Something more important than locating Scented Fragrance's leader had emerged.
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
Once the greatest saber master in the martial world, the Killing Star, and the Deputy Hall Lord of the Demon Hall.
A peerless master whose trail had vanished so completely that even his deeds were now untraceable.
Bu Jan-yang of the Hwangju Prefecture Constabulary.
A man who had spent thirty years quietly and peacefully preparing the dead—those who died alone, without kin—for burial.
A gentle, affectionate soul who taught the beauty of nature and the principles of life.
Only by comparing the trails of these two figures could he uncover the truth.