Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: A Bonfire Under the Starlight
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As Dang Mujin's group headed south after leaving the Bone Shedding Pavilion, thick black smoke rose behind them—from the direction they had come.
The sun was setting, and dusk was settling over the land, so they could clearly make out the reddish glow of the flames even from afar.
Hong Geolgae stared at the firelight for a moment before speaking.
"Let's rest here for the night."
"Sure."
Dang Mujin agreed immediately. Like Hong Geolgae, he had been carrying a limp body on his back, and his arms had been stiff and his back aching since before sunset.
Dang Mujin and Hong Geolgae set down Yu Gwan-il's body and Yu Jin-gwang on the ground. Meanwhile, Namgung Myeong and Hyeon-gong gathered branches and lit a fire.
It felt like the first real break in ages. They'd been following Yu Gwan-il nonstop, day and night, with no time to rest.
Hong Geolgae warmed himself by the campfire, then made a troubled face.
"But is it okay to light a fire here?"
Namgung Myeong shrugged.
"We've got more than a couple of injured folks. We need it to keep warm."
"What if people from the Kunlun Sect come this way?"
"Not all hundreds of them will come all the way here. Even if ten or twenty show up, it's fine. We can just send them to Elder Muryang."
Dang Mujin and Hyeon-gong chuckled at that. Even Yu Jin-gwang, who had been lying limp, wriggled a little and sat up. He'd apparently been pretending to be out of it just to avoid walking.
While the group ate their meal, the smoke and flames rising from the Bone Shedding Pavilion grew even more intense.
"That smoke—it's definitely from the Bone Shedding Pavilion, right?"
Namgung Myeong answered Hong Geolgae's question.
"Has to be. There's no other building around there."
"What do you think started the fire?"
"Who knows. But it probably doesn't matter."
"Why not?"
"The Kunlun Sect's going to rebuild it anyway. If we come north again, we might see an even bigger Bone Shedding Pavilion next time."
Yu Jin-gwang chimed in.
"Maybe not. They might not rebuild it."
It was a casual remark, but coming from someone who had surpassed the absolute peak, it felt like there was some reasoning behind it.
Truth be told, it didn't matter if there was or not. Out here in the empty, dark field, with nothing to do but talk around the campfire—what else was there? Hyeon-gong picked up with an appropriate question.
"Why do you think that? The Bone Shedding Pavilion is the Kunlun Sect's symbol and identity."
"It is now. But will it stay that way?"
That was a loaded statement. The group unconsciously leaned in toward Yu Jin-gwang.
"What do you mean?"
Surprised by the eager response, Yu Jin-gwang scratched his head.
"This might take a while. You okay with that?"
"As long as it's interesting, it can be as long as it needs to be."
Namgung Myeong could be brutally honest sometimes. Yu Jin-gwang gave him an awkward look.
"Well... sure. Listen until it stops being fun. It's just my imagination, so don't take it too seriously."
Yu Jin-gwang cleared his throat a couple of times, then launched into the main story.
"Let's start a bit further back. Have you ever heard that the Jeomchang Sect is short on people?"
"Yes."
Dang Mujin didn't know about it, but Namgung Myeong, Hyeon-gong, and Hong Geolgae answered right away. It must have been pretty well-known.
"Doesn't that strike you as odd? All the other prestigious righteous sects have parents flocking in to make their kids into martial artists, and tons of people begging to become disciples."
Hyeon-gong nodded. The prime example of those 'other prestigious righteous sects' was the Wudang Sect.
Whenever word got out that the Wudang Sect was taking new disciples, people swarmed like clouds. There were so many applicants that they could only accept a tiny fraction. The other sects weren't much different.
"Isn't it because the Jeomchang Sect is in such a remote area? Yunnan isn't exactly a populous region either."
"That's not wrong. But if that were the only issue, at least locals from Yunnan would be lining up to get their kids into the sect. Yet even Yunnan folk rarely seek out the Jeomchang Sect. Why do you think that is?"
"Because the Jeomchang Sect is poor?"
Yu Jin-gwang's face fell at that.
It was a cold, realistic point—but the problem was who said it: Hong Geolgae.
And Hong Geolgae was qualified to say it. Beggars had no wealth, but the Jeomchang Sect had little wealth and a ton of debt. The Beggars' Sect was the only sect that could lecture the Jeomchang Sect about poverty.
"...That's not entirely off-base. But there's a bigger issue. Take a guess."
"Hmm."
The group pondered. Something was on the tip of their tongues, but they couldn't quite pin it down.
Dang Mujin thought of his daughter, Dang Yeong, who had just been taking her first wobbly steps.
If Dang Yeong said someday she wanted to become a martial artist, would he allow it?
Maybe. If she wanted to become a Qingcheng Daoist or an Emei nun, it would hurt his heart, but he could permit it.
'But the Jeomchang Sect?'
Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine. Absolutely not.
He couldn't bear the image of Dang Yeong charging forward with a sword in hand, as if her life meant nothing.
Watching Dang Mujin's expression, Yu Jin-gwang grinned.
"From that look, I see you've got it figured out, Dang Mujin. What do you think it is?"
"...Because they don't live long?"
"Exactly."
It could have sounded insulting, but Yu Jin-gwang nodded without a hint of offense—refreshingly straightforward, leaving those around him flustered instead.
"I'd bet the Jeomchang Sect has the highest rate of young martial artists dying. They rush into battles against the Demonic Cult or unorthodox sects first and fight without holding back. The fact that their lineage hasn't died out despite that is the sect's true strength."
"Ah... yes."
Yu Jin-gwang seemed to take pride in the strangest things.
But since he was the one saying it, no one could argue. He and his father had both crossed the absolute peak barrier—father and son. He had the right to tout the Jeomchang Sect's resilience.
"Anyway, before I left to make some money, the current sect leader came up with a way to address the manpower shortage."
"What was it?"
"He made sure Jeomchang Sect martial artists trained in defensive techniques too. Fewer deaths means less shortage, and word of fewer deaths would draw more people to the sect—that was the idea."
It was a practical, wise response, but something felt off.
Namgung Myeong voiced the same unease Dang Mujin felt.
"Does the Jeomchang Sect even have defensive techniques?"
"Of course. It's an old sect with history. They have things like the Rising Phoenix Sword or Seven Absolutes Heavy Hand—defensive arts that get overlooked because they're less powerful."
"I see. But what does that have to do with the Bone Shedding Pavilion?"
"The point is, to keep the lineage going, the Jeomchang Sect had to somewhat abandon its identity of one-strike kills and extreme speed swords. It's become a bit more generic. And it'll keep going that way—downplaying the riskiest moves and shifting toward survival."
The group gave a lukewarm reaction. They got the story, but not why it was coming up now.
Yu Jin-gwang hadn't expected them to connect the dots yet and pressed on without waiting.
"Now we're getting to the real point. Name some famous sects and their defining traits, off the top of your heads."
The group rattled them off.
"The Jeomchang Sect doesn't value their lives and pursues the most powerful single strike."
"The Kunlun Sect actively embraces demons, using demon-tainted martial arts to subdue them."
"Emei Sect and Shaolin Temple uphold Buddhist traditions and strive to save all sentient beings."
"I've heard the Qingcheng Sect has excellent martial arts, but they spend more time cultivating their inner selves and the Dao than honing their skills."
Yu Jin-gwang smiled like a teacher pleased with his students.
"Right. Each sect has its unique flavor. But how much does that flavor help them survive and pass on their legacy?"
Dang Mujin rubbed his chin. As the son of a sect leader, Yu Jin-gwang might have pondered this, but it wasn't something Dang Mujin had ever considered.
Instead, he glanced at Namgung Myeong, hoping the son of the Namgung family head might have thoughts.
But Namgung Myeong looked blank.
Yu Jin-gwang continued.
"I don't think it helps much. What draws people to a sect isn't saving sentient beings, self-cultivation, or extreme speed swords. People want the results: powerful martial arts and the fame of being a martial artist."
It was brutally pragmatic, and Dang Mujin reacted sourly.
"Come on, it's not all like that."
"You said there's a Qingcheng branch near your home. Ever seen anyone join them to study the Dao, achieve immortality, or grasp the truths of the universe?"
Surprisingly, Dang Mujin hadn't—not once. Everyone's goal was the Qingcheng martial arts.
"People don't want that stuff. And what people don't want gets pushed aside. The Kunlun Sect will go the same way."
Yu Jin-gwang poked at the campfire with a bitter expression.
"Subduing demons (伏魔), kneeling demons (伏魔). Noble goals. To uphold that identity, the Kunlun Sect rejects shining jewels—prodigies—and accepts rough stones: unorthodox martial artists. They've kept the tradition so far, but it won't last."
"How will it change?"
"Instead of reforming unorthodox fighters, they'll take in young prodigies like other sects and teach them martial arts. It'll drift from their identity, but it's easier and more effective, right?"
Yu Jin-gwang turned and looked toward the Bone Shedding Pavilion. The smoke was noticeably thinning.
"From what I know, the Bone Shedding Pavilion has burned down more than five times."
"So they'll rebuild it."
"No. The old Kunlun Sect needed it to absorb more unorthodox martial arts. But now their system is established enough. Realistically, they have no reason to maintain it. Few people coming to the Bone Shedding Pavilion from the main branch means the Kunlun Sect has started neglecting it."
Yu Jin-gwang spoke dreamily.
"Imagine the Kunlun Sect taking young prodigies instead of reforming unorthodox fighters. Polishing gems instead of rough stones. What happens to future Kunlun martial artists' prowess?"
"...It'll be higher than now."
"Exactly. All they have to do is drop the demon-subduing identity, and a bright future opens up. That's the direction they'll go."
Dang Mujin had a question—one born from not growing up as a martial artist, so a bit old-fashioned.
"What's the point of a sect that loses its identity? A Jeomchang Sect that holds back in front of enemies. Shaolin and Emei who train martial arts without saving beings. Qingcheng swinging swords over cultivation. Kunlun that doesn't reform demons. What's the meaning in that?"
Yu Jin-gwang gave a wry smile at Dang Mujin's question.
"None at all. The era of true martial artists ends, and it becomes the age of thugs who just swing swords well. But that's the flow I sense. To keep up, sects will ditch their identities and become thug gangs."
Dang Mujin wanted to argue but couldn't. He'd seen the clearest change firsthand.
The Demonic Cult, where they'd killed a cult leader more priest than warrior, only for the power-worshipping Grand Protector to seize the throne. Had the Demonic Cult ridden the tide?
As the mood grew heavy, Yu Jin-gwang clapped to lighten it.
"What do you think? Pretty plausible imagination, huh? Of course, I don't actually think it'll happen."
The sunken atmosphere eased a bit.
Hong Geolgae and Namgung Myeong sighed in relief. With Yu Jin-gwang backing off, that future wouldn't come.
But now Dang Mujin was serious.
"What if it really does happen someday? All sects become the same—thug gangs differing only in their martial arts."
"Hey, it was a joke. Don't get so serious. Anyway, it was worth a listen, right?"
The group nodded.
The five lay sprawled on the grassland, gazing at the star-filled sky. Staring up at the twinkling stars made them feel like they were falling into the endless heights.
Beside the five lay the body of a previous-generation martial artist, staring at the same starry sky.
Dang Mujin looked at the Lightning Flash Sword Yu Gwan-il's body and thought.
'If Elder Lightning Flash Sword were alive, what would he think of Young Master Yu's words?'
Would he dismiss it as nonsense from a bratty son? Or smile bitterly at reading the times well? Who knew.
The group's breathing slowed and grew steady as they gazed at the sky.
Dang Mujin closed his eyes too. He imagined a future where he and his friends had grown old and been buried.
The sects wouldn't become identity-less thugs.
Qingcheng Daoists wouldn't obsess over martial arts but bind their hair to grasp universal truths. The Jeomchang Sect would endure hard times and swing their swords bravely as ever.
The Kunlun Sect would rebuild the Bone Shedding Pavilion, and their martial artists would chase unorthodox fighters in ridiculous "reforming" pursuits.
That would hold for a hundred years, a thousand years.
Imagining a future no different from now, Dang Mujin fell asleep.