Chapter 58
Chapter 58
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Annihilation (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was just as he was about to descend the mountain after finishing his training at Mount Hua.
“Senior Brother Ouyang, are you heading out this time?”
He was stopped by a junior disciple with wide eyes and a small frame.
It seemed the boy had noticed his intention to leave and had rushed over to cling to him.
*It’s not bad that he relies on me, but as they say, too much of a good thing…*
Ouyang Jue briefly pondered how to shake Jo Hun off, but then he realized his worry was needless.
There was already someone else keeping a close eye on Jo Hun.
“Hun, let him go.”
“But… Senior Brother Ouyang.”
“Ahem.”
The moment the stern rebuke was issued, Jo Hun released his grip on the uniform.
Judging by the sweat stains on the fabric, it seemed he had run over in the middle of his training.
*This isn’t good.*
Ouyang Jue looked at Jo Hun with pity.
As that thought crossed his mind, a low voice escaped Liu Zhangming’s lips.
“Is it not enough that you abandoned your sword practice? Must you also cling to your Senior Brother’s robes?”
“Senior Brother…”
“I will not hear your flimsy excuses.”
Liu Zhangming’s face was so cold as he spoke that it seemed no amount of whining from Jo Hun would change his expression.
But it couldn't be helped.
Since Ha Jin-ak had been confined to his sickbed, Liu Zhangming was the leading candidate for the next Senior-most Brother. In fact, it was practically a certainty.
Moreover, he was a Senior Brother renowned for his serious approach to swordsmanship.
“Do not take the sword of Mount Hua so lightly.”
“I’m sorry, Senior Brother Liu.”
“If you are repentant, return to your place. Today, we will spar so I may gauge your progress.”
At those words, Jo Hun’s mouth fell open in spite of himself. He took a slight step back, a clear sign of his shock and fear.
“Ye-yes!”
As Jo Hun quickly turned and scurried away, Liu Zhangming’s stern expression softened.
A faint bitterness lingered, suggesting it was still difficult for him to be cold to the junior disciples he considered his own brothers.
“Where are you headed this time?”
Ouyang Jue hesitated for a moment before speaking.
He had the right to know.
“To Wudang.”
“Wudang?”
Liu Zhangming’s eyebrows twitched.
“What business do you have at Wudang?”
“I formed a brief connection with Master Hyeongeom during the Nine Dragons Tournament. He says he wishes to renew our acquaintance.”
Ouyang Jue’s lips moved slightly.
—They are also the ones who can open a path for us to strike the Black Dragon Gang directly.
—Has it been arranged to that extent?
Even as he sent the telepathic message, Liu Zhangming did not lose his composure.
Though he was filled with righteous anger toward the Black Dragon Gang, he suppressed his killing intent, worried it might put Ouyang Jue in an awkward position.
“…That is good news.”
“Yes. The Sect Leader said he hopes this visit will strengthen our ties with Wudang.”
At those words, a few of the secular disciples who were training nearby pricked up their ears.
Through their ears and eyes, the news that the Mount Hua Sect was fostering a friendship with Wudang would spread to their respective families.
Without acknowledging them, Ouyang Jue continued.
“Well, if things go well, I plan to learn a thing or two while I’m there.”
“A thing or two?”
“Wudang’s history may be short compared to Mount Hua’s, but are they not a Daoist sect that has risen to a comparable position in that short time? I am also curious about the martial ways of Taiji, said to have been left by Master Sambong.”
In truth, there were sneers that Wudang had “succeeded” through the power and immense capital of the Ming Dynasty, but the Wudang Sect was also a bastion of the Great Way.
Even in his past life, had the Wudang Sect not maintained its foundations and regrouped its forces?
Mount Hua had its own problems, but considering how other sects like Diancang and Emei had collapsed, it meant Wudang had preserved an immense amount of power.
Even now, it was no exaggeration to say that Wudang possessed strength rivaling that of Shaolin.
Although Liu Zhangming held pride as a Daoist of Mount Hua, he was not narrow-minded, so he gave a small nod.
But a part of him remained worried.
“It is no different from a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair. Will you be able to navigate it well?”
At that, Ouyang Jue smiled confidently.
“Even if a real dragon lived there, I am confident I can take care of myself and return safely.”
Indeed, Liu Zhangming was briefly impressed.
But his worry remained like sediment at the bottom of his heart.
He was a young junior brother.
The image of him standing with a vacant expression while Senior-most Brother Ha Jin-ak lay on his sickbed was still etched somewhere in his mind.
He simply couldn’t stop him, because everything Ouyang Jue had overcome and resolved so far served as proof of his capabilities.
“Travel safely.”
Liu Zhangming hid his inner thoughts and offered a faint smile.
Ouyang Jue sensed something was amiss, but he didn't think much of it.
Liu Zhangming had always been a being who projected brightness.
“I will return soon, Senior Brother.”
Ouyang Jue turned and descended the mountain.
* * *
“Might you be the Plum Blossom Sword Hero?”
At the unexpected question about his title, Ouyang Jue brought his right hand close to his side.
He widened his stance, ready to draw his sword at any moment.
But when he saw the other person’s face, the tension drained out of him.
An uncharacteristic look of deflation appeared on Ouyang Jue’s face.
The man was unmistakably a villager.
“I am the Plum Blossom Sword Hero, but who might you be?”
“Ah, you mean me?”
As if just realizing his rudeness, the villager scratched his cheek.
“My apologies, Great Hero. I should have introduced myself first…”
The villager sniffed his clothes, perhaps checking if he smelled, and then grinned broadly.
“My name is Heo Yung, and I live in the nearby village of Jangseokgol.”
“…”
At his words, Ouyang Jue exercised his patience, resisting the urge to ask, “And so?”
From his appearance, he was clearly a villager, and the dry, sandy smell of someone who had worked the earth his whole life pricked his nose.
To get an answer from such a man, patience was necessary.
As Ouyang Jue simply stood and watched, Heo Yung had a moment of realization and took something out of his bundle.
“This is some grain snack we made at home. Would you like to try some?”
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, we’ve never met before, have we? This is a bit bewildering. Moreover…”
Ouyang Jue trailed off and looked around.
Although they were at the foot of the mountain, some distance from the main grounds of Mount Hua, anyone approaching would typically be accompanied by one or two disciples.
Especially now, with the conflict against the Black Dragon Gang in full swing. It meant they didn't have the luxury of turning a blind eye to a single villager.
But no one was with Heo Yung.
Yes, it was as if…
“You haven’t been coming here every day, waiting for me to descend, have you?”
“…Ahaha, you must have a keen eye, Great Hero.”
As if caught off guard, Heo Yung scratched the back of his head sheepishly, then did something unexpected.
*Thud!*
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue’s brow furrowed. It was more than unexpected; it was too extreme for a commoner he had just met.
“Do you perhaps have a favor to ask of me?”
“No, Great Hero.”
“Then why are you kneeling before me, a stranger? You are older than I am, are you not? Please, stand up.”
“I cannot do that.”
As Ouyang Jue stared at him, unable to understand, Heo Yung bowed his head even lower.
“Great Hero, you saved not only a worthless life like mine, but all of Jangseokgol!”
Hearing that, Ouyang Jue wondered if it was a joke, but he quickly had to change his attitude.
Below the kneeling man’s bowed head.
Wet tear stains dotted the dirt, one by one. They were surely the hot tears of a man.
“Great Hero!”
A voice from somewhere else made Ouyang Jue turn his gaze.
*So Heo Yung wasn't alone.*
When had he earned such a reputation? Ouyang Jue hid a smile.
Many people were there to welcome him.
Most were of low status. People who barely made a living doing menial labor or selling goods from a bundle.
The autumn wind that blew between Ouyang Jue and the crowd slapped against his cheeks.
A dry chill that stole moisture and sent shivers down his spine seemed to invade his body.
*I should probably hear why these people have gathered for me.*
Ouyang Jue opened his mouth.
“The wind is cold. Shall we find somewhere warm to talk?”
The warm smile that graced his lips seemed to momentarily warm even the cold autumn breeze.
A short while later.
Ouyang Jue left the tavern and was once again alone.
The cup of wine he had been treated to by a tall servant, a short servant, and a tenant farmer who hadn't even received a name from his mother still warmed his hand.
*Things are changing.*
*Hoo.* A small sigh turned into a wisp of white mist in the cold air and vanished.
Since reaching the peak, Ouyang Jue’s five senses had become so sharp they could capture even a fleeting moment.
Especially his eyes.
His vision, enhanced by the power of the Radiant Eyes, gave him a perceptiveness that even the Tang Clan of Sichuan could not match.
And those eyes told him.
Everyone who had been waiting for him was not a spy from another sect, but truly people who had lived in the Shaanxi region.
And they had said.
“Great Hero, you are our hero.”
“We were about to starve to death because the Golden Ring Merchant Guild was driving down the price of grain, but you stopped them, Great Hero!”
“And what about the Black Dragon Gang!”
For Ouyang Jue, these were matters he naturally had to resolve, and he hadn't done it specifically for them.
But they were genuinely grateful.
The grain cakes made by the villager named Heo Yung and the few coins clutched in the hands of some merchants filled Ouyang Jue’s stomach.
He felt it anew. The path he was currently walking was the path of righteousness.
“…It was delicious.”
Compared to the magnificent feasts he had grown weary of in his past life, it was clearly inferior. The difference was so vast that even comparing them would be an insult.
But there was something on that table that warmed a corner of his heart.
Even though the food was simply grilled or boiled, it was delicious. It felt as if something that had been pressuring him until now had been blown wide open.
*If the Mount Hua Sect becomes powerful, and if unorthodox evils like the Black Dragon Gang disappear…*
Wouldn't an era of peace be achieved, at least within the purview of the martial world?
Ouyang Jue briefly pondered why he was working for the revival of the Mount Hua Sect. But it didn't take long.
It was obvious.
“It must have been because of this awkward, heartwarming feeling.”
Ouyang Jue recited the names of a few of the people who had sat at the same table. Among them was a merchant who belonged to the current Golden Ring Merchant Guild.
Speaking coolly, they were also assets who would unconditionally side with the Mount Hua Sect in the future.
*Heh, am I already calculating profit and loss and divining the future?*
A hollow laugh spread across Ouyang Jue’s face.
But within it, there was a small trace of warmth.
* * *
Meanwhile, in a hermitage located inside Mount Hua, Liu Zhangming sat in meditation, once again stating his intentions.
“I wish to follow him.”
“Must you really do so?”
The words were a question, but his posture and aura clearly revealed his negative feelings.
In effect, Bai Duanxian had already said no.
Despite that, Liu Zhangming bit his lower lip. He even seemed somewhat anxious.
“Master Hyeongeom did not say not to send anyone else, did he?”
“Do you think such wordplay will work outside the sect?”
At those words, Liu Zhangming realized that Bai Duanxian had made up his mind.
*But still…*
Liu Zhangming’s lips parted slightly.
“I understand that the Disciplinary Hall could not be assigned to Jue because they are busy looking after our brothers on escort missions. And it is not feasible to assign a Plum Blossom Swordsman who is active in the martial world.”
“…Continue.”
“I will follow Jue. Once I confirm he has arrived safely at Wudang, I will return.”
Hearing this, Bai Duanxian let out a small laugh.
Just a month ago, during the Nine Dragons Tournament.
Was it not Ouyang Jue who had detected him exchanging telepathic messages with Song Muk?
Whatever method he used, he didn't believe Liu Zhangming could completely hide his presence from him.
He simply found the bond between his two disciples commendable.
“If that is your wish, then prepare to leave.”
“Thank you, Sect Leader!”
Liu Zhangming’s face suddenly grew resolute.
He vowed that he would protect his junior brothers in Ha Jin-ak’s stead.