Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Three-Eyed Buddha
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On the road from Kaifeng to Luoyang, Yu Jingwang's face was flushed with excitement.
'Looks like sunshine is finally shining on my life.'
Thanks to his father's scandal, Yu Jingwang had lived every moment under scrutiny, crushed by the immense pressure to achieve something great.
Even as he threw himself into gambling, he knew it wouldn't change his fate. He had merely chanted hollow hopes to keep from collapsing. A festering rot had always lingered in a corner of his heart.
But like a miracle, fortune had come to Yu Jingwang's life. Not some petty luck the size of a palm, but a colossal stroke that one might never encounter in a lifetime.
And this great fortune had drawn even more luck in its wake, so it was only natural that anticipation filled Yu Jingwang's expression as he gazed at Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae.
'Just one more success to cap it off.'
Meeting the Golden Vault Master meant rolling the dice at least twice. Each win would double his money, quadrupling his stake.
Yu Jingwang tallied the funds soon to be in hand against the Jeomchang Sect's debts. Even after repaying every last debt and interest, plenty would remain.
If things went according to plan, the sect wouldn't worry about operating costs for a while.
For the first time tasting abundance, the Jeomchang Sect members would surely swell with goodwill toward him. His father would reclaim his honor, and Yu Jingwang's days as the family outcast would end.
The possibility of losing to the Golden Vault Master? He had forgotten it long ago. He was already mounted on the dragon that was Dang Mujin's group, soaring to the heavens. No mere dice could block a dragon's path.
'Once the debts are cleared and we return to Yunnan, they won't try to name me the next sect leader, will they?'
It might be presumptuous, but the possibility existed.
Yu Jingwang smiled softly and said to Dang Mujin,
"If I'd known things would turn out like this, I never would've mentioned lodging fees. I should've offered money to keep you around. To think I failed to recognize a bearer of such great fortune..."
But Dang Mujin thought differently. Hong Geolgae aside, his own luck wasn't particularly special.
If it had been this good so far, bad luck was due soon. And he already had something weighing on his mind.
"This isn't the time to let your guard down."
"Is something wrong?"
"Do you remember the merchant caravan that passed us three days ago?"
Yu Jingwang rummaged through his memories. But with so many caravans traveling between Kaifeng and Luoyang, he couldn't pinpoint the one Dang Mujin meant.
"I'm not sure which one you mean."
"The one with no mules, just four packhorses."
Now he remembered.
Small caravans usually used cheaper mules or donkeys over packhorses. But this group of fewer than ten had led four packhorses, so it had stuck in Yu Jingwang's mind. Though he hadn't paid it much attention.
"Did they have a problem?"
"One of them was the man we saw gambling at the Nanchang tavern. Remember the guy peering down at us from upstairs when we entered?"
"I vaguely recall... But it doesn't seem worth worrying over."
It could be coincidence, and coincidences happened. Travelers crossed paths with familiar faces now and then, especially merchants covering long distances.
Dang Mujin shook his head.
"The issue is that same man was in the caravan we passed the next day, and the one after that. And he wasn't the only one. The same faces keep appearing in the caravans passing us."
Yu Jingwang's expression turned serious. If true, this went beyond coincidence.
And Yu Jingwang knew who might be tailing Dang Mujin's group.
"Net Assassins?"
"Most likely."
"Were they circling us today too?"
"No. That's what bothers me most."
When constant watchers vanished, it meant one of two things.
They had stopped surveilling, or they were moving beyond watching to action.
And as far as Dang Mujin could tell, the Net Assassins had no reason to suddenly back off.
Yu Jingwang relayed the info to the Wi brothers, Wi Yeong and Wi Hwan, who passed it to the rear.
The group veered slightly, ascending a nearby hill.
Far ahead, in their path, a caravan sat motionless.
Nothing odd yet. The problem was the hour: it had just entered You time, dusk approaching.
Sunset meant caravans should bustle preparing campfires, gathering twigs, cooking meals.
But that distant group had no one scraping dry branches, lighting fires, or readying food. They simply sat, waiting for something.
Yu Jingwang muttered,
"Suspicious."
"What should we do?"
"Can we shake them?"
"Not a chance."
"Then we strike first, before they ambush us."
The group slowly approached the suspicious caravan.
Just seven men. And their cart's load was mere straw piled high for show.
The group halted, and Yu Jingwang spoke.
"Stop and assess. But no matter what, Dan and the physician stay back."
Dan Seoryeong nodded and handed Dang Mujin two bamboo tubes. The others didn't recognize them, but Dang Mujin knew instantly: refined Heavenly King Needle Cases, smaller and more intricate than before.
"You said the last ones worked well? I put extra care into these. Smaller, but far more powerful."
Dang Mujin tucked the Heavenly King Needle Cases away, a small smile tugging at his lips. Having such a trump card eased the mind.
"Be right back."
Five advanced first toward the caravan: Dang Mujin, Namgung Myeong, and Jeomchang Sect's Yu Jingwang, Wi Yeong, Wi Hwan.
At about a hundred paces, the five were certain. Not one of those seven was an ordinary merchant. All murim warriors, and all beyond Peak realm.
Wi Hwan muttered,
"This won't be easy."
"Retreat?"
"No. Backing off now means they'll hit us from behind—more dangerous."
Dang Mujin thought of the Jeomchang warriors waiting behind. About ten first-rate fighters. Enough to handle trouble.
When the groups closed to twenty paces, Yu Jingwang stepped forward with a greeting.
"Good day."
The foes stared blankly, but surprisingly, one stepped up with a light nod.
"Pleasure. What brings you here?"
He wore loose robes, with sharp eyes and a smile that seemed more sneer than warmth.
"Our path led this way, and you seemed to claim the spot first."
"If that bothered you, why not bring your whole group from behind?"
Dang Mujin frowned.
"So you know exactly how many we are."
"Of course. Storming our branch with a pack of Jeomchang warriors? You think we wouldn't count heads? The Net Assassins' reputation isn't that cheap."
Something felt off. Before Dang Mujin could speak, Yu Jingwang did.
"You've been lurking around us lately. What's your game?"
"No need to wonder yet. By night's end, you won't have the chance."
Planning a night raid? Yu Jingwang laughed heartily.
In the next instant, he unleashed a sword flash too fast to see.
No need to name the style: Radiant Spectrum Sword, said to cleave light itself.
But the foe was Peak realm too. The smirking man crossed dual daggers, blocking.
"Righteous swordsmen usually posture with stances and names before striking, no? Sneak attack? Disappointing."
"I don't do formalities. And if you're chatting, at least look pissed."
"Haha!"
Wi Yeong and Wi Hwan signaled back, and Jeomchang warriors with Hong Geolgae rushed to join Dang Mujin and Yu Jingwang.
Seven Peak experts against them. Here: four Peak and thirteen first-rate. Tough fight, but not hopeless.
Yu Jingwang said,
"Wipe 'em out and sleep easy tonight."
With that, Jeomchang warriors charged as one.
Clang. Weapons scraped and clashed, metal ringing everywhere.
Jeomchang techniques were utterly unique.
Wudang's soft, defensive swordplay; Shaolin's robust, balanced fists; Qingcheng's tenacious yet flexible blades. Righteous arts emphasized attack-defense balance.
Jeomchang swords ignored defense, unleashing ultra-swift strikes for one-hit kills.
To them, defense seemed to mean killing the foe before dying yourself.
It explained their heavy losses in the Orthodox-Demonic War, and why this fringe sect ranked among the Nine Great Sects: sheer ferocity.
The first clash yielded casualties. Two first-rate Jeomchang men died instantly; two more took wounds barring combat.
One foe Peak expert suffered gut and thigh piercings, life hanging by a thread. Blood poured; untreated, death certain.
The smirking man muttered,
"Truly extreme swords. How do you throw away your lives without hesitation? Don't they matter?"
Yu Jingwang smirked.
"Lives matter plenty. But endless training lets you strike before doubt creeps in."
"Good method."
The fighters clashed again.
Jeomchang men attacked suicidally, but no deaths this time. Foes had gone ultra-defensive.
Dang Mujin swung his sword, occasionally retreating to fling needles. Unlike Mount Nogun, no rain veiled his shots, so foes spotted and deflected them barely.
A few needles stuck now and then, but none allowed enough to fell with poison.
'Tough.'
Then, a transmission reached Dang Mujin's ear. Yu Jingwang's voice.
-Not just Net Assassins.
Dang Mujin lacked skill to reply via transmission.
"Yes?"
-No need. Just in case. Of the living foes, three are Net Assassins. The other three use different styles. Can't say for sure, but black path warriors or Demonic Cult.
Trouble. Black path was manageable, but Demonic Cult meant organized might. Unlike ragtag unorthodox.
'Why the Demonic Cult? Later—fight first.'
Dang Mujin sheathed his sword, gripping needles in both hands.
At Mount Nogun, one hand, one curve max.
Now, both hands, two midair turns. His needles targeted hard-to-block spots: occiput, back, thighs.
He hadn't breached Peak walls yet, but his skill had advanced from Mount Nogun.
Early shots yielded nothing, but persistence cracked defenses.
Jeomchang men exploited gaps, hurling themselves in. Foes turtle-shelled defensively.
'Why so defensive?'
Dang Mujin's mind raced. Odd.
They'd scouted the group's strength days ago.
Why bring evenly matched forces? Famous Net Assassins could muster more.
Why drag it out till now? Waiting?
No answers.
Blood pooled more, sun dipped, hills and fields glowed red.
Far off, a figure approached, backlit by sunset. Gait screamed martial artist.
Dang Mujin squinted at his robes. Shaved head, gray cassock.
Shaolin monk—ally. Dang Mujin shouted,
"A Shaolin high monk comes to aid us!"
"Good!"
But as the monk neared, Dang Mujin, Namgung Myeong, every Jeomchang man sensed wrongness.
Oppressive aura crushed their will to fight. The monk's eerie presence.
Net Assassin elites swung lazily, grinning as they fell back.
All eyes locked on the approaching monk.
Huge build, skin dark gray, exposed flesh scar-riddled.
Not hyperbole: scars blanketed him.
Most striking: a long horizontal forehead gash, healed wide, thumb-thick.
It resembled a third eye embedded in his brow, slitted, scanning all.
No one there had met him, but such a monk was unique worldwide.
Namgung Myeong groaned.
"Three-Eyed Buddha..."
Three-Eyed Buddha. Exiled Shaolin apostate, pledged to Demonic Cult.
Not among Six Venerables as Orthodox, but Super-Peak realm rumored twenty years.
Net Assassins dragged dead comrades' bodies aside, kneeling before Three-Eyed Buddha.
Much clarified.
The strangers with Net Assassins: Demonic Cult fiends.
Why they circled without striking.
Three-Eyed Buddha spoke.
"You left plenty alive, I see."
He eyed Dang Mujin's group and Jeomchang men as prey, not foes.
Next: the hunt. Dang Mujin, Namgung Myeong, Hong Geolgae—all felt paralyzing dread.
Even all-out against solo Three-Eyed Buddha? Impossible. Six Peak elites remained too.
No chance, even optimistically.
"Sh-shit! Run!"
Hong Geolgae bellowed to shake fear. Loud enough to startle dozing wild pigeons into flight.
But Jeomchang men held firm. So Dang Mujin and Namgung Myeong couldn't flee.
'Legs frozen?'
No. A Jeomchang first-rater crouched, then rocketed forward, thrusting.
"Raaah!"
Three-Eyed Buddha extended his massive right hand, seizing the man's head.
As if the warrior shoved his own skull into the grip.
Instantly, fingers crushed. Skull pulped; man dead. Horrific.
"Nauseating."
"Run, damn it!"
Hong Geolgae yelled again. Petty dice luck meant nothing against overwhelming power.
But Jeomchang men advanced slowly instead. No exceptions.
"Run?"
Yu Jingwang eyed the sunset, then Three-Eyed Buddha.
"Jeomchang Sect serves Hou Yi's descendants. We're murim men who chose to be his arrows."
"You'll all die!"
Hong Geolgae cried; Yu Jingwang retorted,
"So what?"
Yu Jingwang grinned.
"There's an arrow that fears breaking, so clings to the bow?"
With that, Jeomchang warriors raised swords, charging Three-Eyed Buddha as one.
No hesitation in their steps.
"Haha!"
Dull thuds, blood sprayed, bones crunched.
Dang Mujin, Namgung Myeong, Hong Geolgae—their legs shook. They couldn't fully conquer fear like Jeomchang men.
But in the end, the three didn't flee. Resigned to fate, they charged Three-Eyed Buddha.