Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Wudang (1)
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The rumor that Ouyang Jue had shared a meal with common folk began to spread, gradually becoming a heartwarming tale.
Upon hearing the rumor, the Iron Wind Hound grumbled, calling it nonsense, but his words held little weight.
In fact, the Beggars' Sect even helped shape it into a commendable story.
After all, as Ouyang Jue's name grew in weight and value, so too did the worth of those who had acted alongside him.
It was a direction that was beneficial both morally and practically.
Isn't that the most ideal choice in the martial world?
Thanks to this, the various small and medium-sized sects that had been defeated in the Nine Dragons Tournament breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness.”
“At least we won't have to blush with shame elsewhere.”
Ouyang Jue had emerged not just as a promising junior of his time, but as a rising star whose name was beginning to resonate beyond Shaanxi and throughout the northern regions.
Perhaps they could even spin a tale of having crossed swords with a future hero of the martial world.
However, a few martial artists, not content with this, voluntarily entered secluded training.
They were the Master of the Dark Clouds of the Kongtong Sect and Wi Jin-cheon of the Heavenly Martial Peak, both of whom had been defeated by him.
“This should be interesting.”
The lines around Ouyang Jue’s mouth deepened.
While the Master of the Dark Clouds could draw out the pinnacle of the Seven Stars Fist with his innate talent, Wi Jin-cheon was someone who had never managed to rise to prominence.
Now, there was no need to fear the changes from his past life. He just had to face them with composure, without looking back or trembling.
Couldn't they become comrades who would one day stand against the great evil he was destined to face?
If his plans had ended with just Shaanxi, he would never have thought to lay such a foundation.
Just then.
“...E-excuse me.”
A voice drifted up from below his waist. It was so frail, as if a single poke from a finger could make the speaker collapse.
Ouyang Jue looked at the pale-faced child and asked.
“Are you all right?”
“Huh?”
The child was so shabby that grime could be seen on the skin through the tattered collar. Dust was caked in the corners of their eyes, making for a pitiful sight.
But seeing the blank expression as they asked back, he was suddenly reminded of Jo Hun.
Ouyang Jue chided himself for asking such a pointless question.
‘No, of course they aren’t all right.’
As he said this, he wondered if he had ever possessed such goodwill. It was so unfamiliar that it was almost perplexing.
But a stranger shouldn't show such confusion. That would only instill fear in the child.
Suppressing his inner surprise, Ouyang Jue offered a gentle smile.
He then extended a hand to the child, who had taken a step back.
“I am Ouyang Jue of the Mount Hua Sect. What is your name, little one?”
“…”
As the child grew wary, Ouyang Jue's hand reached into his robes.
On the battlefields of his past life, Ouyang Jue had learned long ago how to deal with children like this.
“Here.”
The child, who had been frightened when Ouyang Jue suddenly seemed to be pulling something out, gulped upon seeing what was revealed.
Beef jerky. And a high-quality kind at that, with the grain of the meat still intact.
“Go on.”
At his sweet and gentle words, the child practically snatched the jerky from his hand.
But there was no look of wrongdoing on their face.
This must be the kind of life the child had lived and seen. A bitter expression crossed Ouyang Jue’s face.
There was a time when the four or five-year-old Ouyang Jue was just like that.
‘…If the Mount Hua Sect hadn’t saved me.’
Looking at the child's gaunt, bony frame, Ouyang Jue couldn't tear his eyes away.
It wasn't pity he felt. It was just a sense of regret.
In these harsh Central Plains, in the lands of the Great Ming, the child must have had no opportunity to learn the skills needed to survive.
Watching the child devour the jerky, Ouyang Jue asked.
“Where are your parents?”
At his words, the child clamped their mouth shut like a mute who had eaten honey. The savory smell of the melting jerky was the only answer.
It was as if they were worried Ouyang Jue would disparage them for being parentless.
Ouyang Jue opened his mouth to lift that veil of fear.
“In place of your parents, I will show you the way.”
“…But I haven't learned anything. I don’t even know how to read well.”
“You think you are ignorant?”
Ouyang Jue’s smile vanished, and he spoke with sincerity.
“From what I see, you have learned enough. You have merely been wandering because you could not find your path.”
Perhaps thinking the Daoist was mocking them, the child’s voice grew agitated.
“Why, why do you think so?”
*Grumble.*
They had only eaten one piece of jerky, yet a thunderous sound rumbled from the child’s stomach.
And what of the drool trickling from the corner of their mouth?
It was not filth. It was the desperate struggle of a body close to death, sensing food and fighting to survive.
Ouyang Jue stroked the child’s dry, brittle hair.
“Instead of blindly trying to take what was in my pouch, you spoke to me first, did you not? Even when you were so hungry.”
“...!”
“You have learned enough. Benevolence and the Way are not determined by the family one is born into. In my eyes, you are no orphan. You are strong, someone who can surely overcome anything, if only you find your path again, if only you find someone to guide you.”
At those words, the child seemed to recall all the hardships they had endured, and collapsed on the spot, weeping.
“*Sob, sob…*”
Having not even eaten thin gruel properly, their voice was nothing more than a small whimper inside their mouth.
The child’s cries were just that faint.
A life so small, so tiny that no one would ever watch over it.
Such were the war orphans scattered throughout this era, the early Ming dynasty.
“Will you follow me?”
Ouyang Jue let out a small laugh, wondering why he had said such a thing without thinking.
Taking the child to either Mount Hua or Chang'an meant going in the opposite direction of Wudang.
Besides, they were complete strangers.
Giving them a few pieces of jerky and moving on would have been enough. Taking care of the child like this was unnecessary meddling.
No matter how he thought about it, this action would bring no benefit to his future endeavors.
Ouyang Jue wondered if he had caught some kind of 'Daoist disease'.
But he didn't stop the words he intended to say.
“I will show you that path.”
“…”
At his words, the child gave a small, shy, and awkward nod.
Afterward, Ouyang Jue matched his pace to the child's small steps, crossing a mountain at a slow walk until he reached Chang'an.
There, not only was the Golden Ring Merchant Guild, but also a clinic built on the land where the Black Dragon Gang's headquarters had been, so there was no trouble in caring for the child.
Despite him showing up out of the blue and entrusting a child to them, some of the merchants looked at him with admiration.
Each time, Ouyang Jue had to overcome his awkwardness. He would have preferred hostility; he wasn't used to this kind of reaction.
“I trust you. I will leave the child in your care and be on my way.”
“Please, rest assured.”
Ouyang Jue accepted the greeting from Bai Chuan, who had run out barefoot, and departed from Chang'an.
The time spent taking care of the child was two hours.
The sun, which had been at its zenith, had now begun to dim, and the autumn wind rustled through his Daoist robes.
Just as the orange sunset began to blur his vision.
“Are you not the truly learned one?”
An old Daoist, who had appeared out of thin air, wore a mischievous smile.
The face was so familiar that Ouyang Jue considered him a person of interest, so he showed a rare, fleeting look of bewilderment.
But he quickly regained his composure.
He had thought it a strange coincidence that a starving child had singled him out on the main road to ask for help.
Instead, a sense of displeasure rose within him.
“Are you mocking me?”
“Mocking you? I merely wanted to find out.”
Master Hyeon Geom calmly accepted Ouyang Jue's anger and unfolded his fan.
“Whether you are as upright as the rumors say, or simply a hollow man chasing fame.”
“That is hardly an excuse.”
Despite Ouyang Jue's sudden, harsh words, Master Hyeon Geom simply nodded his head.
In truth, he had tested him using a situation reminiscent of his own childhood, so he understood that anyone in his position would have been displeased.
“To think you brought a child just like I was in my youth and used them merely to see my reaction… I feel nothing but disillusionment.”
“Watch your words.”
Master Hyeon Geom warned sternly.
But Ouyang Jue had long since cast aside the pretense of being a Daoist.
Ouyang Jue’s jaw clenched, deepening the lines on his face.
“Is what I have just witnessed the Righteous Path that Wudang pursues?”
“…”
Staring at Ouyang Jue with a hardened expression, Master Hyeon Geom spoke in a heavy voice.
“You should remember as well. The promise you made with me during the Nine Dragons Tournament, and what you gained from it.”
“Are you now coveting Severing Manifestation?”
“Well, it would be ridiculous for an old man like me to be seeking a divine sword or whatnot.”
Master Hyeon Geom let out a strange smile. It was nearly impossible to discern what he was thinking.
It was because the gap in their martial skill was still significant. Ouyang Jue lightly clenched and unclenched his fist.
“If this is the outcome, then I will not back down.”
“Is that so.”
Master Hyeon Geom closed his mouth. Though it was a simple action meant only to end the conversation.
A crushing pressure descended upon Ouyang Jue, as if someone were stroking the nape of his neck and choking him from behind.
It was not strength, but weight. An immense weight seemed to press down on his shoulders and neck.
The moment this aura turned into an attack, it would fill his entire vision.
But he was unyielding.
Ouyang Jue did not apologize to Master Hyeon Geom. Instead, he straightened his shoulders proudly.
Seeing this, Master Hyeon Geom let out a dry laugh.
“I merely did this because I was curious about your character. If I had intended to make an enemy of you, there were plenty of ways. When you arrive at Wudang, I will ensure you are treated with the utmost hospitality, so let us stop this.”
“Utmost hospitality, you say…”
Ouyang Jue repeated Master Hyeon Geom’s words and struck his own left chest.
At a glance, it seemed like a gesture of frustration, but in truth, he had precisely struck an acupoint with the first joint of his thumb.
His calm breathing had suddenly become ragged, exhaling heat like a furnace.
Then, a smile formed on Ouyang Jue’s face.
‘Do I really need to do this?’
No, he didn't.
His opponent was Master Hyeon Geom. A renowned master and elder of the Wudang Sect, said to hold a position even higher than that of an elder, and rumored to have close ties with the government.
In the past, right after returning from his previous life, he would have backed down here.
He would have tried to negotiate to gain another card to play.
Yes, just like how he had made a deal with Master Hyeon Geom at the Nine Dragons Tournament.
Ouyang Jue drew upon his Purple Mist energy and exhaled.
The purple mist from his breath momentarily obscured Ouyang Jue’s face.
“…?!”
Master Hyeon Geom’s expression stiffened slightly. But that was all; he was by no means flustered or surprised.
*Shing!*
Beyond the thick purple mist, he felt a predator slicing through the air.
*Clang!*
Master Hyeon Geom reflexively parried Severing Manifestation.
But the impact was not insignificant.
The vibrations from the sword tip flowed through his entire body. If he hadn't protected himself with internal energy beforehand, he would have suffered internal bruising.
‘To have achieved so much at such a young age!’
Master Hyeon Geom thought of his disciple at Wudang, Yeop Cheong.
His current level was first-rate. Thus, Master Hyeon Geom considered his achievement to be quite outstanding for his age.
But look at the Ouyang Jue before him.
Such spirit, to stand against him without backing down!
And he possessed martial skill that was not outmatched by his spirit.
Master Hyeon Geom smiled faintly.
“You’ve changed. I used to think you were a cunning martial artist wearing the mask of a Daoist.”
Before his words had even finished, Master Hyeon Geom’s sword drew a taiji symbol.
Ouyang Jue’s eyes gleamed as he watched the sword's path.
What he was demonstrating now was the true lineage of the Wudang Sword Arts, the Taiji Wisdom Sword, which only a very select few among the initiated disciples could learn.
*Swish, Clang!*
The Wudang sword, naturally blending into the Great Void, drew a taiji and revolved in place.
Everything caught within it, friend or foe, became entangled in the taiji's orbit.
The sharp edge of Severing Manifestation.
The unique purple mist of the Purple Mist energy, and even the faint scent of a single plum blossom.
The taiji spun once, moving a great cycle.
Unable to withstand the force, Ouyang Jue’s feet sank into the dirt.
As powerful as Ouyang Jue’s internal energy was, as magnificent as the edge of Severing Manifestation was, the cycle spun by the taiji was instead directed back at Ouyang Jue, the one who had swung the sword.
“…Kuh.”
But how could there be no killing intent? What a contradiction.
Ouyang Jue finally realized. Master Hyeon Geom had not the slightest intention of harming him.
He had truly just wanted to test his reaction.
‘However.’
He didn't like it.
*Grit!*
Ouyang Jue clenched his teeth.
“Cunning martial artist? Daoist? What in the world does any of that matter?”
“…?”
“I am a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect! If you use a pathetic excuse like a test to mock Mount Hua, I will not forgive you, even if you are a Master!”
Holding his breath, Ouyang Jue swung his sword as his instincts demanded and desired.
He intended to crush the arrogance of Master Hyeon Geom, who had dared to test him, a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.
…*Shing*.
Heavenly Escape Sword Arts, Hundred Demons' Slash.
The technique of the Sword Immortal Lü Dongbin, a swordsman closer to the absolute than any other, had reappeared in the Central Plains after hundreds of years.