Not a Great First Impression
"That so-called Great Sage, Equal to Heaven overturned the sacred grounds?"
"Yes, Martial Uncle Hocheong."
"To smash the very place where Patriarch Jang Sambong ascended to the heavens... What in the world..."
A look of considerable bewilderment crossed Hocheong's face.
"Explain to me exactly what happened."
"He vanished while we were escorting him up Mt. Wudang. I suspect his true purpose lay elsewhere from the start. For an outsider not only to set foot in the sacred grounds, but to defile them as well..."
"Is it not a fact that this man eliminated the culprit behind the Wudang Blood Incident and saved Daoist Hyeonjeong?"
"That is true, however..."
"Of course, tearing through Wudang's sacred grounds is something I find exceedingly difficult to forgive."
"Under ordinary circumstances, it would warrant the gravest of punishments."
"And yet that fellow is unquestionably a benefactor of Wudang..."
A subtle smile, however, crept across Hocheong's face.
Gwangso, who had attended Hocheong for many long years, caught even that faint shift in expression at once.
The sacred grounds of Wudang have been desecrated, and yet he doesn't seem particularly upset?
Was that not strange?
Gwangso bowed his head, hiding both his face and his eyes. Strange? How could it be? One of Wudang's three wise Daoists — one of the Samcheong — would never harbor such thoughts. He forced the doubt back down where it belonged.
"As things stand, the great debt we owed has been as good as settled."
"You mean..."
"Thanks to this Great Sage fellow, we incurred a considerable debt to the Namgung Clan, did we not? I hear he is also the young clan head's master, which makes him practically a member of the Namgung Clan himself."
"That is so."
"Improving relations with the Namgung Clan is something our Sect Leader, Senior Brother, has long and earnestly desired. We cannot simply walk that back. Even so, we must at least improve those relations from a position of advantage."
"That, too, is correct."
"Because he saved Daoist Hyeonjeong, we had no choice but to yield a certain amount of ground. But now that this Great Sage has caused such a spectacular incident, the situation has reversed."
Hocheong smiled with evident satisfaction. He narrowed his eyes and fixed Gwangso with a pointed look.
"You saw him at the foot of Mt. Wudang. What did you make of him?"
"Ah... the one they call the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven."
Gwangso let the words trail off. The man had been difficult to put into words. He worked his mouth a few times before finally managing an answer.
"I do not know."
"You don't know?"
"It is not as though my skill is so lacking that I cannot distinguish a master. But that man... rather than a martial artist, it felt as though I were looking at something else entirely."
"Hrm."
At Gwangso's answer, Hocheong's eyes narrowed further.
"Then he is a master. No question."
If Gwangso, a Peak Realm expert, could not even begin to take his measure, the man was a cut above even that.
"You mean he has crossed the wall of the Transcendental Realm?"
"If he hadn't, there is no way you would have felt nothing at all."
"But the Transcendental Realm..."
"He is the one who resolved the bloodbath in Hubei. The Yusal Sect as well, no less."
"Then... could the Butterfly Immortal's words be true?"
The Sect Leader was currently trapped in qi deviation, his inner energy running wild. Once qi deviation set in, no medicine in the world would avail — no spiritual elixir, no divine pill could easily restore the body. There were only two paths: overcome it through sheer force of will and spirit, or have a still greater master personally circulate their energy to bring it under control.
"Surely he cannot be a greater master than the Sect Leader."
Gwangso spoke as though the very idea were absurd. The Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, Taecheong — the epithet One Blade Wisdom Sword had held a place among the Ten Great Masters for well over a decade. Within the Wudang Sect, there was no master capable of aiding the Sect Leader's energy from the outside. He would have to overcome it alone. And of course, he could not fulfill his duties as Sect Leader in the meantime. The vacancy was enormous. Every affair of the Wudang Sect had ground to a halt.
"The Butterfly Immortal suddenly insisted that if we brought in this Great Sage, it might be possible..."
Gwangso spoke as though he could scarcely comprehend it. Hocheong clicked his tongue.
"I studied alongside the Butterfly Immortal once, so I know him well. He has a naive streak. That may be all it is."
"Frankly, I find it hard to believe. Fortunately, the Unhyeon Sword Gate has brought Divine Physician Baeksu, said to be the finest healer in Hubei. The Divine Physician said he needs time, so while the treatment proceeds, Master and the Martial Uncles can lead the Wudang Sect in the Sect Leader's stead..."
"That is enough. Someone might misunderstand."
"Misunderstand, Martial Uncle? It is only natural that the three of you — the Samcheong, the Sect Leader's own martial brothers, my Master and Martial Uncles — should act in his place. What is there to misunderstand?"
"The Chief Disciple is still here, is he not?"
"Hall Master Mugok is still young. And Daoist Hyeonjeong is a scholarly disciple. Neither is sufficient to represent and lead Wudang, a martial sect of the jianghu."
Hocheong dismissed it with a light wave of his hand. Gwangso closed his mouth, though his face remained thick with discontent.
"If there are any who harbor such thoughts, I will not let them be."
"We are all family of Wudang. Why speak so? They are desperate in their own way, I am sure."
"It seems Hall Master Mugok holds the most preposterous misunderstandings about you Martial Uncles."
"Hall Master Mugok's master has suffered a grave misfortune. It is only natural he cannot easily settle his heart."
"Hmph. I think not. He is firmly convinced that he, as Chief Disciple, ought to be the one acting in the Sect Leader's place..."
"Enough. That is quite enough."
Gwangso clamped his mouth shut, but his jutting lower lip expressed his dissatisfaction perfectly. Hocheong gave a light laugh and spoke as though encouraging him.
"We are all family of Wudang, are we not? Do not take it so much to heart."
"Martial Uncle Hocheong, you are far too generous."
Hocheong smiled with benevolent warmth.
"Can we trust this Great Sage?"
"Even if he is a master, how could we trust him so readily? Resolving the Wudang Blood Incident and rescuing Daoist Hyeonjeong was a great kindness, but laying hands on the Sect Leader's body is another matter entirely."
"Yes. I suppose so."
"Moreover, the true culprit has yet to be identified, and on top of that he desecrated Wudang's sacred grounds. I find it suspicious that he may have some other design. If this Great Sage were acting on someone's orders..."
"Mm."
"That said, he carries the Blue Heaven Jade Plaque. There would be problems if we moved against him carelessly."
"Divine Physician Baeksu is already treating the Sect Leader. We need only express our gratitude for the rescue of Daoist Hyeonjeong."
"Understood."
"But it would also be troublesome if he lingered too long at the Wudang Sect. We shall improve relations just enough, then send him on his way."
"And the Sect Leader..."
"How could we entrust the circulation of his energy to a man whose origins we do not even know? Divine Physician Baeksu's skill is excellent. If the Sect Leader receives treatment and recuperates, he will recover in due time, even if it takes a while."
"But what if they do not leave so easily? This Great Sage surely had some scheme in mind when he desecrated the sacred grounds, and above all, the Butterfly Immortal who arranged to bring him here will not accept it readily."
"If they will not leave, then we must make them leave. Must we not?"
Gwangso nodded.
"Understood. I will look into a method."
"Gwangso."
"Yes?"
"When you do a job, you must make use of those who will shout loudly in your place."
"...!"
In that instant, something clicked. Gwangso's eyes went wide. He composed his expression at once and bowed his head.
"As it happens, the young gate master of the Unhyeon Sword Gate who brought Divine Physician Baeksu looks rather bored. I thought I might go keep him company."
Hocheong answered the rather sharp reply with a light laugh. The moment Gwangso left the room, a cold light surfaced on Hocheong's face.
Hubei Province, Mt. Wudang, the Wudang Sect.
One of the two great pillars of the Nine Sects and One Gang, a great sect of deep and storied history. Sun Wukong looked around with an expression of genuine interest.
The heaven-blessed vistas of Mt. Wudang. The Wudang Sect's estate melted so seamlessly into the landscape that it seemed to have always belonged there, as natural as the mountain itself. The scenery drew a breath of wonder. The mood within the grounds, however, was another matter entirely.
"Teacher Sun, why did you leave Wudang's sacred grounds in that state..."
At Muhwa's plaintive voice, Sun Wukong scratched his chin with an awkward look.
"Didn't know."
Would he have done it if he'd known? Well, honestly, he probably wouldn't have cared much even if he had.
Dangrang, you bastard. You should've told me that.
Come on. He should've at least mentioned that was the place where he'd taught Jang Sambong. Why skip that in the briefing?
The Daoists of the Wudang Sect were all horrified. Even Ak Biun, who had been well-disposed toward Sun Wukong, had a change of face — a faint hostility even surfaced in the eyes that looked at him. If Ak Biun was like that, what of the other Wudang Daoists? Had it not been for the debt of gratitude — that he had resolved the Wudang Blood Incident and saved Geumgak — they would have drawn their swords on the spot and tried to cut him down.
"Ugh. This makes it feel like the kindness we showed them has been wiped clean."
"A person's life matters. You think some sacred ground is more important than that?"
"Well, yes, but... it's the place where Jang Sambong, the founding patriarch, trained and ascended to immortality."
"Hell, at this rate you'll make a sacred site out of every place Jang Sambong ever took a shit, took a piss, caught a nap, or jerked off."
"Teacher Sun!"
Muhwa's face flushed crimson at the unfiltered remarks tumbling from Sun Wukong's mouth. Sun Wukong clicked his tongue.
"You people don't even know what actually matters."
"The truth is, this has become quite a headache."
The Butterfly Immortal, standing nearby, interjected in a quiet voice.
"Originally, I had earnestly requested that Teacher Sun awaken the Sect Leader from his illness."
"But they weren't going to allow it, and now you've handed them the perfect excuse? They won't entrust him to someone who desecrated the sacred grounds?"
"That is so. And above all, the Unhyeon Sword Gate — a secular branch of Wudang — has brought in Divine Physician Baeksu, the so-called finest healer in Hubei, and the Sect Leader is already under his care."
"So what, you don't need me anymore?"
The Butterfly Immortal's face went pale with alarm. He waved his hands hurriedly.
"How could that be, Teacher Sun? You are a benefactor of the Wudang Sect."
"A benefactor, huh. From what the Hall Master of Discipline here was saying, they were treating us just fine up till now."
The attitude Gwangso had shown at the foot of the mountain was nowhere to be found. Muhwa agreed.
"Considering our original relationship with the Wudang Sect, their attitude was certainly favorable."
The Wudang Sect knew full well that they had incurred a great debt. And the old rumors had turned out to be true.
"They did have manuals taken from the Namgung Clan."
A cold smile touched Muhwa's lips. The rumor that during the Orthodox-Unorthodox War, the Wudang Sect had taken some of the Namgung Clan's secret manuals — was that not the real reason the two houses had fallen out?
The Butterfly Immortal bowed his head, his face flushed with shame.
"I have no face to show. To think the Namgung Clan's manuals would be in Wudang's Scripture Pavilion..."
"At least they weren't peerless, once-in-a-generation manuals, so that's a relief. And the Samcheong of the Wudang Sect offered a personal apology."
While Sun Wukong had been away, the Samcheong of the Wudang Sect had personally represented Wudang, apologized to Muhwa, and returned the manuals.
"The Samcheong, huh..."
At the mention of that name, Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed.
"You know of them, Teacher Sun?"
"Course I know. They're the current Sect Leader's martial brothers."
"And Wudang's elders as well. More than seventy percent of the current Ten Swords of Wudang are disciples they raised."
"The Samcheong apologized in person?"
"Yes. Honestly, that alone is as good as a genuine improvement in relations. They swallowed their pride and came to us first."
"The Samcheong are the elders and representatives of this Wudang, after all."
And yet the Butterfly Immortal's face was far from bright as he spoke of them.
"The Samcheong are quietly welcoming this situation. I'm certain of it."
Muhwa spoke with conviction.
"Why?"
"Even if relations improve, they have no intention of handing the initiative over to Namgung. They had no choice but to yield — and now the desecration of the sacred grounds has given them their spine back."
"Hmm."
"Refusing to leave the Sect Leader's treatment to Teacher Sun is the same thing. They saw their opening and took it."
Sun Wukong nodded. His footsteps came to a halt before a great hall. A faint clamor leaked through the doors. Muhwa let out a sigh and looked at him with a touch of worry.
"Teacher Sun, you are a man of the Namgung Clan."
"..."
The core figures of the Wudang Sect were gathered inside. Sun Wukong stood before the door and quietly listened to Muhwa's words.
"Even if they try to hold you accountable for the sacred grounds, we of Namgung will stand with Teacher Sun. Please just remember that."
Sun Wukong gave a short laugh.
"Heh. If anyone's getting held accountable, it should be me holding them accountable."
"What?"
Instead of answering Muhwa, who tilted his head, Sun Wukong threw the door open without hesitation.
The door swung wide, and the faces of Daoists radiating a stern, imposing aura filled his vision one by one. Sun Wukong's gaze settled on one place alone.
Three old Daoists looking back at him. And the crimson threads of fate stretching between them and himself.
The Samcheong of the Wudang Sect.
Sun Wukong grinned.