Chapter 89
Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Rest (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Silently, without a moment's pause.
Jin Mu-wol's gaze settled as he watched Ouyang Jue approach.
It was clearly not the look one would give a young disciple of the same sect.
As if observing an unidentifiable monster, he stared intently, not missing a single one of Ouyang Jue's breaths.
He wasn't particularly surprised that the boy had broken through the formation so easily.
A fleeting thought, *Somehow, I knew he would,* was all that crossed his mind.
The elder beside him, however, was not so composed.
“No, but still, does that even make sense?”
His breath hitched erratically, unable to hide his astonishment, his pupils dilating as if he had seen something he shouldn't have.
The Heaven-Reaching Old Man, Dan U-ryeong, who managed all the hermitages of Mount Hua and the absolute formation of the Plum Blossom Cave.
A reclusive master from Mount Hua's previous generation, so secretive that it was unclear if he was even still alive, and practically the only person who could speak informally with Jin Mu-wol.
In terms of seniority alone, he ranked higher than even the two Great Protectors, who were Bai Duanxian's senior brothers.
“Bai Duanxian, that rascal… Hmph, I always thought he was the type to get tangled up in strangely complicated relationships.”
At those words, Jin Mu-wol put on a stern expression.
“No matter that Duanxian is of a lower generation than you, he is the Sect Leader now. You should show him the proper respect.”
“Respect? Do you have any idea how much I've suffered cleaning up after that guy? Just take Liu Zhangming for example…”
“Ahem.”
As Jin Mu-wol warned him in a deep voice, Dan U-ryeong slapped his chest as if bursting with frustration.
But his face was full of laughter.
“Goodness, are you saying that because you're a heavenly being now, you have no more ties to the mortal world? You damned rascal.”
“This doesn't seem like a new complaint.”
When Jin Mu-wol smiled faintly, Dan U-ryeong heaved a sigh of resignation.
Then, he looked at Jin Mu-wol with pity in his eyes.
“Not yet?”
“Not yet.”
“I see. So that's how it is.”
“If he seems like he's going to keep forcing his way through, give him this.”
*Flick.*
Jin Mu-wol tossed something lightly, and Dan U-ryeong hurriedly caught it.
It wasn't just because of its speed.
The problem was that what Jin Mu-wol had thrown was truly outrageous.
Dan U-ryeong burst out in anger.
“You crazy bastard! You're giving me this just to stop that little kid from coming here? Why don't you just give it to me instead!”
“You could do that.”
“…What?”
Jin Mu-wol gave an enigmatic smile.
“If you can subdue him and send him back, you're welcome to keep it.”
“You really mean that?”
“Still so greedy and suspicious, even in your old age.”
At that, Dan U-ryeong let out a booming laugh.
“Of course! I'm not going to live like you. I'm going to live a long, long life and watch the Mount Hua Sect flourish.”
“I hope you, at least, will do so.”
Jin Mu-wol's faint smile was met with a bittersweet expression from Dan U-ryeong.
Dan U-ryeong's gaze grew complicated.
* * *
“Stop right there.”
At the voice coming from beyond the darkness, Ouyang Jue stopped in his tracks.
The gruff voice characteristic of an old man, and attire far too simple to be called a Daoist robe.
He was exactly as Ouyang Jue remembered him from his past life, erasing even the slightest sliver of doubt.
“Ouyang Jue, disciple of Bai Duanxian, greets Grand Martial Uncle Dan U-ryeong.”
As Ouyang Jue immediately prostrated himself and offered a clean bow, Dan U-ryeong looked at him with renewed surprise.
‘It's not enough that he breezed through the formation I laid out, but he recognizes me too?’
In terms of appearances, Dan U-ryeong had shown himself even less than the two Great Protectors.
Most importantly, he hadn't shown his face when Bai Duanxian became Sect Leader, nor when Ha Jin-ak returned half-dead.
So how could Ouyang Jue possibly recognize him?
Dan U-ryeong couldn't hide his discomfort and cleared his throat a few times.
“Hmph, ahem. You are a perceptive child. But what brings you all the way here?”
“…”
“If you've lost your way, I can guide you.”
At those words, Ouyang Jue, who had been silent, let his eyes gleam.
“Do you know about it as well, Grand Martial Uncle?”
“Know about what?”
“That is why you are trying to stop me from entering the Plum Blossom Cave, is it not?”
Realizing the pointedness in Ouyang Jue's words, Dan U-ryeong knew he could no longer stall with wordplay.
In fact, if things continued like this, he would be the one at a disadvantage.
Once the sun fully rose, the disciples of Mount Hua would look for the suddenly famous Ouyang Jue, realize he was missing, and start searching.
That was not what Dan U-ryeong wanted.
‘I never imagined this kid would break the formation.’
Hiding these inner thoughts, Dan U-ryeong grinned.
“And what will you do if that's the case?”
“…”
Ouyang Jue hesitated for a moment before readily giving his answer.
“I suppose I must turn back.”
“Yes, in the end… what?”
“I heard that you manage not only all the hermitages of Mount Hua but also its plank roads. In truth, your authority over entry and exit on Mount Hua surpasses even that of Elder Gwak.”
It wasn't an incorrect statement, but not knowing why the boy had said it, Dan U-ryeong wore a perplexed expression.
“That is true, but.”
“I have many reasons to come and go from the outside, so I do not wish to make an enemy of you. I have only come because there is something I wish to know.”
At that, Dan U-ryeong feigned a serious expression.
“If it is something I can answer, I will tell you.”
“Why do you not ask me?”
“?”
He had expected an abrupt question about the Plum Blossom Cave, but the inquiry was so unexpected that Dan U-ryeong let out a sigh of relief.
“What do you mean?”
“How I am passing through the life gates of this formation, why I am not accompanied by the Sect Leader. Why did you tell me to stop before asking any of these things?”
“!!”
He hadn't uttered the words 'Plum Blossom Cave' once. But every single question seemed to pierce Dan U-ryeong to the core.
In other words.
He was asking if stopping him was more important than questioning how the formation was being broken, or why he was entering the Plum Blossom Cave alone.
Even as Dan U-ryeong's expression froze over like ice, Ouyang Jue continued his questioning.
“Grand Martial Uncle, what are your thoughts on my senior brother, Liu Zhangming?”
“…Insolence! How can you refer to your senior brother so carelessly!”
It was a brief moment, less than an instant, but his reaction was clearly delayed.
Ouyang Jue bit his lower lip. The pressure Dan U-ryeong exuded was that heavy and viscous.
“Then let me ask differently. Grand Martial Uncle, is there anything you know about the peculiarity my Senior Brother Liu possesses?”
As he spat out the question, a bitter feeling churned in Ouyang Jue's stomach.
It was only natural, as he was essentially doubting Liu Zhangming, whom he held so dear.
No matter how positive the reason might be.
Ouyang Jue recalled the questions he had harbored until now.
‘Despite reaching the peak through enlightenment, he gained no martial theory and had no goal, yet paradoxically, he has reached a state of complete mastery.’
‘When I asked Liu Zhangming for guidance, he said there was no need to teach me.’
Above all, there was what Liu Zhangming himself had said.
That at the end of the path to the peak, there was a sense of fondness.
That was, more than anything, incongruous.
Imperviousness to heat and cold.
An indestructible diamond body.
Immunity to all poisons.
Ascension to immortality.
The five energies returning to their origin.
There were countless names for such enlightenments, and each sect named them according to their different teachings.
But there was a common thread.
A superhuman.
It meant transcending the state of a mere mortal, becoming unshakable by external factors, both mentally and physically.
But fondness?
That was, above all, a human emotion. It was not a martial theory for climbing the narrow path beyond the peak.
That was why he had been worried, and why he had asked the great master Jin Mu-wol to teach Liu Zhangming.
And he had been flatly refused.
The subtle nuance in Jin Mu-wol's attitude at that time still lingered in Ouyang Jue's mind.
“What in the world is in there?”
“…”
“What is in there that makes stopping my arrival a higher priority than the breach of your formation? And…”
Ouyang Jue clenched his fist once, then opened it. Unconsciously, a cold sweat had drenched his palm.
“What is in there that you must hide it even from the Sect Leader?”
If Bai Duanxian had known as much as Jin Mu-wol or Dan U-ryeong, he would not have been able to act so naturally around him until now.
Ouyang Jue asked, half-certain—no, almost completely certain.
“Do you know how old I am?”
It was a question he could ask because Dan U-ryeong did not reside permanently at Mount Hua and tended to wander.
Furthermore, old men were generally not interested in the ages of others.
If he had heard something from Jin Mu-wol, his answer would be different.
‘Don't tell me… they know that I've returned to the past.’
While Ouyang Jue waited for an answer, it seemed as though every fine hair on Dan U-ryeong's body was standing on end.
Just what kind of disciple was this?
He had been holding onto such questions all this time and had endured until now?
Dan U-ryeong let out a long sigh.
‘Still, Jue is a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. I can't just subdue him…’
Above all, he was a talent absolutely necessary for the future of the Mount Hua Sect.
With that thought, Dan U-ryeong softened his aura.
“You are only eighteen, are you not?”
“…”
“Jue.”
“Yes, Elder.”
“When the time comes, I will tell you. So until then, please be patient.”
Dan U-ryeong took out what he had been hiding in his sleeve.
“!”
Ouyang Jue's eyes widened.
* * *
*Rustle.*
The Plum Blossom Infirmary, at the peak of Mount Hua.
There, a man who was thought to never be able to rise again was getting up.
“Hah, hah.”
Like a rusted hinge, his body trembled with the wind, and even breathing in the winter air was a struggle.
Everyone had hoped for the man's recovery, but no one had believed he would ever rise from his sickbed.
It was in the nature of martial artists to believe that miracles did not exist.
They thought that even if the Primordial Celestial Lord himself helped, it would end with him only regaining consciousness for a moment.
But the man stood up. He staggered as if his legs would break at any moment, but he raised his body with his own strength.
*Shuffle, shuuuffle.*
And then, little by little, one step, two steps, three steps.
He walked, even if it meant his ankles might snap. Even when his vision flickered as if in a high fever, he only frowned and did not stop.
*Creeak!*
When he finally opened the door.
The man shed hot tears.
“You've returned.”
To my Mount Hua.
Ha Jin-ak leaned against the doorframe and wept silently.