Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Settling Matters (3)
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“Is Jin-ak alright?”
Worry dripped from Bai Duanxian’s words.
The fact that Ha Jin-ak, despite having recovered from his illness, was injured again seemed to torment him.
Before Ouyang Jue could speak, Ha Jin-ak raised a hand and waved it dismissively.
“I just got a little tired from fighting after so long.”
“I asked if you were alright.”
As if telling him to drop the needless bravado, Bai Duanxian asked with a grave expression. Ha Jin-ak subtly lifted the front of his Daoist robe, which he had been covering.
“…Hmph.”
A low groan escaped Bai Duanxian.
A blackish, thorn-like object had precisely pierced the space between Ha Jin-ak’s collarbone and neck.
That location was undoubtedly aimed at the upper dantian, to damage the head.
It was obvious how the intruder had intended to deal with Ha Jin-ak.
Ha Jin-ak tried to cloak the severity of the situation with a cheerful demeanor.
“It seems they prefer me lying down, haha.”
“This is no laughing matter.”
As Bai Duanxian admonished him, Ouyang Jue gave a slight nod.
“Master is right. Even if the intruder was close, you shouldn’t have fought him alone.”
“How was I to know he was one of the Eight Evils? I just saw someone quietly setting foot on Mount Hua and thought if he were a woodcutter, I’d kindly send him on his way.”
Ouyang Jue’s expression grew complicated at those words.
To him, the sight of Ha Jin-ak throwing himself into danger for the Mount Hua Sect, despite his long suffering, was like a moth flying into a flame.
A serious voice slipped through Ouyang Jue’s lips.
“That means the enemy also knows the weight you carry in the Mount Hua Sect, Senior-most Brother. So how can you be so reckless with your body, not knowing your own value?”
“Uh, umm…”
As Ouyang Jue launched into a full-blown lecture, Ha Jin-ak managed an awkward smile.
“Alright, I was wrong.”
“Please recuperate in a safe place. And if you must fight, you must go somewhere you are certain to win.”
Finishing his words, Ouyang Jue glanced at Bai Duanxian.
He couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, wondering if he had undermined his Senior-most Brother’s dignity too much in front of their master, the Sect Leader.
But a subtle smile was woven into Bai Duanxian’s face.
“It’s quite convenient that you’ve said what I was going to say.”
“…Hah.”
With even Bai Duanxian affirming Ouyang Jue’s words, Ha Jin-ak couldn't lift his head any higher.
However, as Bai Duanxian spoke again, his slumped shoulders straightened.
“But Jin-ak, because of you, not a single disciple was harmed. And this was despite one of the Eight Evils, arguably the strongest demons in the history of the martial world, infiltrating Mount Hua.”
“Master…”
“So, lighten your shoulders and rest easy. I will carry the burden.”
Bai Duanxian’s gentle smile eased the expression on Ha Jin-ak’s face. Even the pain in his neck seemed to lessen slightly.
“Jue, I’ll walk on my own from here.”
“Will you be alright?”
“It was difficult on the uphill stairs, but this is the grounds of the Mount Hua Sect, is it not? If the other disciples see this, they will worry endlessly.”
As Ha Jin-ak politely refused, Ouyang Jue could not insist further.
He wasn’t wrong, after all.
As Ha Jin-ak’s figure gradually receded toward the Plum Blossom Clinic, Ouyang Jue looked up at Bai Duanxian.
“May I call a member of the Beggars’ Sect onto the grounds?”
“…You mean your friend, Iron Wind?”
Bai Duanxian narrowed his eyes, looking displeased. The way the Beggars’ Sect had its hands in everything had always unsettled him.
But with things as they were, he had to borrow their strength.
Bai Duanxian decided to trust in the loyalty Iron Wind held for Ouyang Jue.
“Do as you wish. But you must report to me directly once your conversation is over.”
“I understand, Sect Leader.”
Ouyang Jue cupped his hands in respect, then immediately went into the forest to send a carrier pigeon.
Not long after, Iron Wind walked through the main gate of the Mount Hua Sect, rubbing his eyes.
“A kid calling for an adult?”
Perhaps because he was summoned in the early dawn, Iron Wind grumbled with uncharacteristic annoyance.
“What in the world is going on? You think beggars don't sleep?”
“One of the Eight Evils infiltrated the Mount Hua Sect.”
“What was that? I thought… What?!”
Surprise and shock flashed across Iron Wind’s face in succession.
Ouyang Jue let out a small laugh, wondering if the old beggar’s expression could even change that drastically.
“Just as I said. A member of the Eight Evils I’ve never seen before tried to sneak in under the cover of night.”
“So what happened? Did anyone die?”
At that, Ouyang Jue frowned, feigning a serious expression.
“You sound like you’d be relieved if someone did.”
“Ah, no… that’s not it.”
Realizing his slip, Iron Wind fumbled in his pouch and pulled out a silver coin.
“Let this make up for it, ahem…”
“I don’t need it. No one died.”
“What?! One of the Eight Evils came, and no one died?”
Iron Wind shot Ouyang Jue a disbelieving look, his expression one of utter disbelief.
“If you’re planning to spread false information to deceive people, you should tell me beforehand, alright?”
“No. It’s the truth.”
“…Judging by your face, you don’t seem to be lying.”
It looked like this was going to be a long story.
Iron Wind glanced around and plopped himself down on a nearby rock.
“That can’t be the only reason you called me here… There’s more, isn’t there?”
“I wounded him on the back.”
“The back? How bad?”
Ouyang Jue briefly drew Severing Manifestation and swung it along the path of his Heaven’s Light Separation Sword.
*Whoosh!*
The clean, elegant movement instantly captivated Iron Wind.
“Impressive.”
Ouyang Jue naturally ignored the comment.
“About one to two inches. It’s a pretty deep cut, so it’ll be hard to hide, even for a demon.”
“So you’re asking me to find a heavily injured master of incredible skill?”
“Glad you’re quick on the uptake.”
Ouyang Jue patted Iron Wind’s shoulder.
“I’m a little worried I’ve given you too difficult a task.”
“And the payment?”
When Iron Wind asked with a playful expression, Ouyang Jue’s face immediately turned serious.
“Are you joking? You should know that just getting this information is payment enough.”
At those words, Iron Wind felt a pang of guilt and yelled.
“You brat… Can’t you take a joke?!”
“Don’t try to hoard the information. Pass it along to the other beggars and get it done. This is urgent.”
As capable as Iron Wind was, his reach was limited to Shaanxi or its surroundings.
He couldn't cover the entire martial world, hence the remark.
But Iron Wind just grinned as if to tell Ouyang Jue not to worry.
“Spoken like a true Daoist, always full of useless worries. Don’t you fret, I’ve got someone backing me up!”
“…”
Ouyang Jue thought of the leader of the Beggars’ Sect, the Heavenly Frog.
But he quickly dismissed the image.
How capable could Iron Wind possibly be for the sect leader to personally support him?
He was old, and his martial arts weren’t particularly outstanding.
It was the sharp intuition he’d gained with age that had likely landed him his high position.
‘No way.’
Ouyang Jue watched Iron Wind walk away, looking pleased with himself.
A short while later.
After visiting the injured, Ouyang Jue returned to the Omniscient One’s hermitage.
“Enjoying your walk alone?”
At the Omniscient One’s sarcastic remark, Ouyang Jue put on an apologetic expression.
“Well, the other Daoists don’t know you’re here.”
“Groooowl…!”
Even Dae-ung, who was usually quiet, let out a cry of complaint upon seeing Ouyang Jue’s empty hands.
The look in his eyes, as if asking how he could fail to bring even a single sardine, seemed particularly sorrowful today.
Ouyang Jue chuckled at the sight.
“Just how big is your appetite… Have you eaten all the animals in the mountain already?”
“Roooar!”
*Thump! Thump!*
Dae-ung stomped his front paws on the ground, as if to say, *You didn’t play with me for days, you went out, and you came back with no food?*
‘This fellow’s whining is getting more frequent…’
Just then, the Omniscient One whispered slyly.
“Now you see why I’m usually so harsh with him?”
“…Yeah, a little.”
“He might be that big, but in bear years, he’s just a kid. If you’re too nice, he’ll walk all over you.”
As he said this, the Omniscient One raised his fan. Dae-ung flinched and retreated into the cave created for him by magic.
The Omniscient One, laughing at the sight, turned to Ouyang Jue and asked.
“So, what happened?”
“Well…”
Ouyang Jue briefly explained everything—the duel with Jeok Sa-goeng, the appearance of the crow, and the wound he had inflicted on its back.
At times, the Omniscient One looked surprised; at others, his expression turned grave.
His face grew particularly grim when he heard about the demonic illusion the crow had used.
“It seems I’d better see that Mr. Ha myself. That’s not something a physician can treat.”
“…?”
“Demonic energy inevitably weakens and twists righteous energy. To have it embedded within the body without an external wound means it will rot not only the dantian but the soul as well…”
*Rustle!*
The Omniscient One spread dozens of talismans in the air, plucked one out, and handed it to Ouyang Jue.
“Go to the Mount Hua Sect and give them this. This fellow will hold it off for a few days. Bring him here in the meantime.”
“I will.”
He had been about to start his training. Ouyang Jue looked at the formation in the front yard with a hint of disappointment.
“Should I bring him now?”
“The sooner, the better.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue immediately ran towards the Plum Blossom Clinic.
He worried on the way that Ha Jin-ak might refuse the Omniscient One’s help, but his fears were unfounded.
“I have been wanting to meet him, as a matter of fact.”
On the contrary, he was curious about the Omniscient One’s arts.
From the demonic energy of the Eight Evils to their curses and spells.
The Omniscient One possessed a new world of knowledge that Ha Jin-ak had never experienced.
Seeing the Omniscient One and Ha Jin-ak talking and laughing, Ouyang Jue stepped into the formation.
*Ssk.*
Within it, Ouyang Jue recalled many things.
From the most shocking battle with the Black Dragon, to the combined assault on the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon with many others.
And even the brief exchange with the crow.
*Kaaang!*
Drawn from its sheath, Severing Manifestation let out a sharp cry. As Ouyang Jue’s Purple Mist energy intensified, the blade became ever more solid and sharp.
Soon, Ouyang Jue took his stance and gazed at the plum blossom tree before him.
*Psss…*
Plum blossom petals, falling as spring came to an end.
Every single battle was recorded on each one. The illusion created by the formation blurred Ouyang Jue’s vision.
Among them were visions of a devastating past.
The past where Ha Jin-ak took the brunt of an explosion for him and was engulfed in flames.
The Forgetting Sword’s shout to flee as he held back the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
The cry of Jeok Sang’s sword on Mount Tai…
Amidst it all, Ouyang Jue raised Severing Manifestation high and horizontal.
“…Hoo.”
Short breaths, swift movements.
Ouyang Jue took half a step forward and sliced through all the plum blossom petals within the illusion.
From the shredded petals, a torrent of blood poured out, and enemies he had already killed were resurrected, spewing curses.
The curses of Bai Cheong-il and Bai Wun-hwan, the pillars of the Black Dragon Gang, stabbed at Ouyang Jue’s mind.
This was all training to face the Heaven-Bearing Asura, but it was also to temper his unmoving mind.
Then, suddenly, something strange caught his eye.
A soul.
A soul stood hollowly, looking up at the plum blossom tree.
The only thing he could feel from it was pure emotionlessness.
Ouyang Jue assumed it was an illusion conjured by the formation.
But then the illusion spoke.
“Are you satisfied?”
“…?!”
“Is your goal to kill all the Eight Evils and make the Mount Hua Sect the greatest in the world? The realm that even Lü Dongbin could not achieve, where your martial arts reach the heavens, is not far. Why do you chain yourself to the affairs of mortals?”
The illusion extended its hand, and another Severing Manifestation appeared in its grasp. The pressure it exuded, just by standing there majestically, was comparable to Jin Mu-wol’s.
“Give up.”
The illusion looked down on Ouyang Jue.
“With the martial arts you possess, you could easily ascend to the heavens. Why are you stagnating over worries like the Mount Hua Sect?”
*Pathetic,* the illusion sneered at Ouyang Jue.
“You, Jin Mu-wol, and that Gwangnyeongja… you are all so utterly pathetic. To be bound to the mortal world by such trivial human problems.”
“Gwangnyeongja… you mean Perfected Man Hak Dae-tong, the founding ancestor of the Mount Hua Sect?”
“Haha… Hahaha!”
The illusion burst into loud laughter, then its expression changed in an instant as it glared at Ouyang Jue.
“It’s laughable that someone who knows nothing about me would borrow enough of my power to return to the past.”
“Explain yourself!”
As Ouyang Jue’s eyes blazed, the phantom waved its hand lightly.
“Whether you achieve what you desire or not, you will eventually return to me… I will wait for the day we meet again.”
Just as Ouyang Jue, unable to restrain himself, was about to swing Severing Manifestation.
The formation completely disintegrated and vanished.