Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: A Journey (1)
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“A journey, you say?”
Ouyang Jue tilted his head, looking somewhat surprised.
“Look, I came out here because I have things to do. I don’t have time for sightseeing.”
At those words, the Omniscient One’s lips curved into a smile.
“You never know. Perhaps on your journey, you might stumble upon an inner core, or discover some profound scripture…”
“...What?”
Though Ouyang Jue’s response was a simple question, he had already grasped the man’s intent.
After all, it was with the Omniscient One’s help that the Bloodhound, Ouyang Jue, had grown in his past life.
If the same were to happen in this life, he would always welcome it.
But for some reason, he felt a sense of unease.
‘In my past life, didn't he say… that it was unwise to alter the fate of someone he was destined to connect with?’
That was why the Omniscient One of his past life had limited himself to teaching only the martial arts he knew or introducing him to reclusive masters of a bygone era.
But what the Omniscient One was saying now was different from the past.
‘Stumbling upon an inner core or seeing a scripture by chance can’t be a simple introduction.’
At the same time, a worrying thought crossed his mind.
How much longer could the Omniscient One, who had lived to seal the Black Dragon, possibly have left?
The thought made his current words and actions feel all the more different.
Suddenly, it felt as if a great weight had settled on his shoulders.
‘I’m not even certain that the Eight Evils were directly involved in the destruction of the Mount Hua Sect yet…’
So far, he only knew they were connected.
Unless the Eight Evils had also infiltrated the Hebei Peng Clan, they were an enemy he wanted to avoid.
He had no desire to fight and win against such monsters, much less seek them out to defeat them.
He would only crush them thoroughly if they stood in the way of the Mount Hua Sect and his own path.
Thus, to be honest, the expectation the Omniscient One was showing was more of a burden than a joy.
‘Still, it’s true that traveling with the Omniscient One will open my eyes to many more things.’
If an opportunity for a deep conversation arose, he could figure out the man’s true intentions then.
Ouyang Jue organized his thoughts.
“I’m not on very good terms with those kinds of fortuitous encounters.”
“What a terrible liar you are.”
The Omniscient One chuckled, pointing at the Severing Manifestation.
“A man with no connection to fortuitous encounters not only possesses the Severing Manifestation, but the martial arts you displayed when fighting the Black Dragon weren’t just from the Mount Hua Sect, were they?”
At that, Ouyang Jue tensed, wondering if the Omniscient One had recognized the Heavenly Escape Sword Arts.
But the next words put him at ease.
“Especially when you used the techniques of the Divine Demon Fist. It was quite a spectacle.”
‘The Omniscient One should know of the All-Seeing Eye… Thankfully, it seems the dust cloud the Black Dragon kicked up hid it.’
If it had been revealed that he had used the All-Seeing Eye, he would have faced some serious questioning from the Omniscient One.
With a soft sigh, Ouyang Jue pointed at the great bear, Dae-ung.
“Be that as it may, are you planning to take that bear with you everywhere? It’s far too conspicuous.”
“What does it matter? It’s just like a puppy I’m raising.”
“Do you think other people will see it that way?”
At Ouyang Jue’s sharp retort, the Omniscient One took out a talisman or two and fluttered them.
“I’ll just have to make them understand.”
“...Good heavens. What am I even looking at?”
“What else? You’re looking at the genius sorcerer born on Mount Mao, the great Omniscient One.”
Shamelessly praising himself, the Omniscient One patted Dae-ung’s back.
At that, Dae-ung let out a massive roar.
“Kuaaaargh—!”
Dae-ung, who had been standing on two feet, dropped flat to the ground, exposing its broad back.
The Omniscient One settled lightly on top of it.
“Care for a ride?”
“I doubt it.”
Dae-ung’s resentful glare was too distracting. Ouyang Jue looked at the bear with a hint of pity.
In the end, Ouyang Jue chose not to ride, walking alongside Dae-ung as it began to move.
The sight from behind was truly comical.
‘To think a spirit beast, of which less than a hundred remain in all of Zhongyuan, is being ridden like a horse… truly…’
It was laughable, but it also made him feel that the Omniscient One’s abilities reached the very heavens.
His spells might not be suited for combat, but if he put his mind to it, he could probably wither an entire village into poverty.
In terms of sheer power in spells and incantations, he was superior even to the Heaven-Bearing Asura he had faced at the end.
Perhaps he lost to the Black Dragon in his past life because they were just a terrible match-up.
Ouyang Jue secretly guessed as much.
‘It deflected a blade containing the profound principles of Heavenly Escape without a moment’s hesitation. It must have ignored most spells with its physical body.’
As long as the remaining Eight Evils didn’t possess the same monstrous physical abilities as the Black Dragon.
Even against ordinary warriors, not just the Eight Evils, the Omniscient One was worth more than most peak experts.
As an ally, he was the absolute best choice.
Ouyang Jue inwardly pondered how to coax the Omniscient One to the Mount Hua Sect and persuade the elders.
Just then, the Omniscient One suddenly spoke.
“If a man is born and has not visited Zhangjiajie, how can he be called old even at a hundred years?”
“What’s with the sudden non sequitur…”
“Haha, unfortunately, I have yet to visit that Zhangjiajie. I’ve been cooped up on Mount Mao my entire life.”
The Omniscient One usually wore a gentle smile, but for the moment he spoke those words, his expression darkened.
However, he quickly returned to his bright demeanor.
“I have someone to meet in Zhangjiajie, and some things to pick up while I’m there. Won’t you come with me?”
At those words, Ouyang Jue realized his mistake.
“...Ah. Come to think of it, I never answered your question about the journey.”
His mind had been so preoccupied that he had forgotten to reply to the Omniscient One’s question.
Ouyang Jue looked at the man, who must have been agonizing over it, and let out a small laugh.
“Can’t you tell by the fact that I’m walking with you now?”
“I-Is that so?”
Stuttering, uncharacteristically, the Omniscient One laughed heartily to dispel the awkwardness.
As if on cue, Dae-ung rumbled.
Just before leaving Mixian, Ouyang Jue briefly separated from the Omniscient One and approached a villager.
“I am Ouyang Jue, a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect, sent by Commander Seo Mun-hwi of Chang'an.”
As Ouyang Jue spoke, the villager’s eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands together.
“Ah, ahh…! You’ve finally come!”
“The matter is resolved.”
“...Pardon?”
When the villager asked what he meant, Ouyang Jue simply turned his back.
‘Chattering on about this and that here will only diminish my dignity.’
The reputation of an eccentric master was best earned by arriving like the wind, solving the problem, and departing, thus growing ever larger.
His Mount Hua Sect robes fluttering, Ouyang Jue left Mixian.
* * *
“Let’s avoid the main road.”
By the time they reached the three-way intersection in Chang'an, Ouyang Jue suggested a different path to the Omniscient One.
A look of displeasure crossed the Omniscient One’s face.
“I wish to see a little more of the world, so why must we avoid the main road?”
“You can’t be… serious.”
Ouyang Jue gritted his teeth.
“You want to ride a bear down a main road teeming with countless merchant caravans and armed escorts? Have you truly lost your mind from being cooped up in the mountains?”
“...Can’t I?”
When the Omniscient One asked with a clueless expression, Ouyang Jue roared.
“Damn it all, how in the world did you manage things like sending out the Severing Manifestation before!”
“I’d ask a guest who sometimes visits me… or I’d bewitch a woodcutter with a spell…”
“No, this is insane.”
Muttering a curse, Ouyang Jue’s gaze met Dae-ung’s sullen face.
He wondered if bears could even make such expressions, but since it was a spirit beast, there had to be a way to communicate with it.
A long sigh escaped Ouyang Jue’s lungs.
‘This is hopeless… He’s worse than Senior Brother Liu…’
Liu Zhangming was just naturally gentle but possessed basic common sense. The Omniscient One, despite having lived for hundreds of years, seemed to have nothing in his head.
To be precise, none of the knowledge necessary for people to live among one another.
Ouyang Jue had a very strong feeling this journey would be incredibly arduous.
“Hey, Omniscient One.”
“...Yes?”
“You can’t ride a bear on roads where people travel. Even if you could, others would mistake you for Green Forest bandits.”
“I can just use a talisman for that…”
Ouyang Jue immediately cut him off.
“Are you planning to do that to every single person we meet? Haha, if everyone who passes this way ends up half out of their minds, that would make for quite a rumor.”
As the Omniscient One’s face stiffened, Ouyang Jue smirked and taunted him.
“How about you retire as the Omniscient One and take up the moniker ‘Soul-Stealing Sorcerer’?”
At that, the Omniscient One shuddered and waved his hands dismissively.
“I get it! I understand what you’re saying now!”
“So you’ll follow my lead completely, is that it?”
“I can’t be separated from Dae-ung, so I suppose I have no choice.”
Though he spoke as if he cared for Dae-ung, his tone suggested he simply disliked walking.
Ouyang Jue pointed to a rough path that followed the foothills of the mountain.
“To get to Wulingyuan in Zhangjiajie… let’s plan on walking diligently, using a combination of byways and mountain trails.”
“...Fine.”
Apparently quite vexed at being scolded, the Omniscient One was visibly smacking Dae-ung.
Ouyang Jue felt a renewed sense of pity for the bear.
* * *
Until they reached Zhangjiajie, Ouyang Jue primarily used mountain paths, avoiding people’s gazes as much as possible.
When he thought they were running low on supplies, he would act alone, seeking help from merchants associated with the Golden Ring Merchant Guild.
In the process, he came to a new realization.
‘I knew Bai Chuan was diligent, but it seems his business acumen is also excellent.’
Just as it had been in Jiangsu, the name of the Golden Ring Merchant Guild was recognized in Huguang, a place teeming with countless merchants and guilds.
This meant that not only were Bai Chuan’s abilities greater than he had imagined, but he had also managed to navigate the regional competition adeptly.
And yet, the Omniscient One…
“My Dae-ung says he doesn’t much care for dried fruit.”
“If you’re going to complain, could you at least do it out of earshot?”
“But then you wouldn’t be able to hear me. It’s better to voice my complaints than to let them fester.”
How he managed to complain with such impeccably sound logic, Ouyang Jue found the Omniscient One’s silver tongue truly remarkable.
*Squeeze.*
His fist clenched unconsciously.
Seeing this, the Omniscient One grinned.
“A disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, about to strike a man who hasn’t even learned martial arts? Oh dear, heavens. There won’t be a single bone left intact!”
“Just, just one punch, can’t I? I’ll give you plenty of silver.”
“My Dae-ung here will take the hit for me.”
At those words, Dae-ung’s head shot up.
“Kuooh—!”
“You beast, can’t you take a joke?”
Bothered by the swaying, the Omniscient One swung his tobacco pipe and smacked Dae-ung on the nose.
Ouyang Jue’s jaw dropped at the sight.
“Really… the more I see of you, the more all my illusions are shattered. Have you no shame at your age?”
The Omniscient One immediately retorted.
“I believe that when a person lives for a hundred years and becomes gentle, it’s because their body is failing, and they want to appear kind.”
The warriors he had seen had been like that, too.
The Omniscient One recalled a few friends from his past.
“He acted like a dog in his youth, but after losing an arm and starting to age, he finally learned his place. And he was a truly great warrior, mind you.”
“...So what you’re saying is, you’re healthy?”
At that, the Omniscient One slapped his knee.
“That’s exactly my point!”
“You’re one of a kind. The more I get to know you, the more frivolous you seem.”
He had shown this side of himself in the past life, but he seemed even more lighthearted in this one.
‘Is it because he dealt with the Black Dragon…?’
Ouyang Jue gazed up at Wulingyuan, visible in the distance.