Chapter 278
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 278
Chapter Title: Just Return
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon stared at Ha Mu-baek with eyes full of doubt.
She couldn't understand why he insisted on using the Seven Colors Hairpin Seal right now. She had followed his orders, swept up in his overwhelming presence,
but still.
"Why use the Seven Colors Hairpin Seal in the first place?"
Ha Mu-baek turned the question back on her.
"Well... to hide that I'm from an unorthodox sect, and also..."
"To evade pursuit from the Evil Blade Alliance?"
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon nodded.
"You need to hide that you're unorthodox."
Ha Mu-baek continued.
"Because Shaolin monks have entered Wuchang."
"Gasp."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon jumped in surprise.
Because she was unorthodox.
Because she was the granddaughter of the Evil Blade Alliance Leader.
She knew how much Shaolin despised the unorthodox sects.
Why had they suddenly come to Wuchang?
It couldn't be because of her.
No one knew her true identity.
Even Ha Mu-baek himself hadn't known before she removed the Seven Colors Hairpin Seal.
"I get along decently with the unorthodox side."
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Gong Ya Hwi-yeon's gaze returned to him.
"That's why the Evil Blade Alliance Leader sent someone asking for my help in finding his missing granddaughter. Here in Wuchang. To me."
Her eyes trembled finely at those words.
In the end, it was because of her.
"What will you do?"
Ha Mu-baek asked.
Her gaze dropped to the ground.
"With the Seven Colors Hairpin Seal, even Shaolin monks won't find you. However..."
Ha Mu-baek's eyes shifted to her bow.
The Four-Character Thunder Bow.
It looked utterly ordinary, unrecognizable to most.
But it was one of the Ten Weapons of the Evil Path.
The ten divine weapons representing the unorthodox sects.
As such, the weapon itself carried a heavy evil aura.
Shaolin monks wouldn't miss it.
Especially with their Prajna Wisdom Heart Eye.
An annoying ocular technique.
It had been incredibly useful when facing the Demonic Cult and Blood Cult alongside them.
'It depends on who's come.'
Depending on the proficiency of their Prajna Wisdom Heart Eye, they might or might not recognize the Four-Character Thunder Bow.
"You think they can identify this?"
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon was startled, following his gaze to her own Four-Character Thunder Bow.
It truly looked like an ordinary bow.
No one could tell from its appearance alone.
No, it was already surprising that Ha Mu-baek had recognized it.
But since it was Ha Mu-baek, she accepted it.
Other people, though...
"You've heard of the Prajna Wisdom Heart Eye, right?"
Only then did Gong Ya Hwi-yeon open her mouth and nod.
"What will you do?"
Ha Mu-baek asked again.
Now her face hardened with seriousness.
A countenance filled with worry.
"Um... will they recognize it right away?"
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon asked cautiously.
Ha Mu-baek nodded silently.
"Sigh."
She let out a deep breath.
"I'll be stepping away for a bit."
"The Fierce Dragon Corps has no breaks."
Ha Mu-baek replied.
What was she supposed to do then...?
"Which is why you need to withdraw from the pavilion."
That was the last thing she wanted.
The expression immediately surfaced on Gong Ya Hwi-yeon's face.
Ha Mu-baek hoped she would return to the Evil Blade Alliance this way, if possible.
"I'm going to win the Summer Combat Festival too."
At her response, Ha Mu-baek furrowed his brow.
"If you use internal energy at the Summer Combat Festival, plenty of people will realize you're unorthodox then."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon averted her eyes slightly.
"And with your skills, you can't possibly win."
Ha Mu-baek stated flatly.
Her gaze turned back to him.
There was Namgung Hu, who had reached the peak realm.
If he competed, victory was naturally his.
It might change depending on the future realms of the other Fierce Dragon Corps disciples,
but Gong Ya Hwi-yeon was out of the question.
"So. Just return."
Ha Mu-baek declared firmly.
The conviction of the world's greatest.
Until now, she would have trusted that conviction and given up.
That was what the world's greatest meant to her.
But his unshakeable certainty sparked rebellion instead.
"I'll be away for a while, then."
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon bowed her head and promptly gathered her belongings before vanishing.
Ha Mu-baek watched her go and sighed lowly.
"Ha... Damn. None of these kids ever listen obediently."
A grumble.
Yet there was nothing for it.
She refused to withdraw.
In the end, she was one of his disciples too.
Since he was training the entire Fierce Dragon Corps, they were all his disciples now.
"Such a hassle. Tsk."
From Mount Mokran to Wuchang was roughly 180 li.
A distance that required five hours of nonstop, rapid travel.
Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul raced his horse without pause.
He arrived in Wuchang that way.
It was around late afternoon.
His horse was panting raggedly, on the verge of collapse.
Pang Do-yul handed it off and hurried on foot.
His destination was, naturally, the Daring Lodge.
If Shaolin monks had come to Wuchang, they'd surely be staying there.
But no Shaolin monks were at the lodge.
Only the lodge master, Gong Ji-deok, greeted Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul.
"What brings Pavilion Lord Pang to our humble lodge?"
"I heard guests from Shaolin had arrived, so I came looking."
"My martial uncle and brothers are out touring Wuchang."
Pang Do-yul's eyes lit up at Gong Ji-deok's response.
Things hadn't gone too far south yet.
"Then I'll visit again later."
"I'm sorry for the wasted trip, Pavilion Lord. I'll inform my martial uncle when he returns."
With nothing gained, Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul left the Daring Lodge.
But it wasn't entirely fruitless.
'The lodge master called him "martial uncle," so they're from the Yeon generation. And they haven't found him yet.'
If they had, they wouldn't be touring Wuchang now.
'They'll come to me soon enough.'
It was the natural progression.
They had come to Wuchang hunting unorthodox warriors.
He didn't know their source, but he was the one who had met the unorthodox envoy sent to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
So if they couldn't find that person in Wuchang, they'd naturally seek him out.
'They arrived yesterday, so maybe tomorrow.'
With his mind steeled, Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul returned to the Dragon Training Pavilion.
The disciples who had set out early in the morning only entered Wuchang late at night.
The Shaolin monks were still patrolling every corner of the city.
With their Prajna Wisdom Heart Eye active.
One by one, they grew exhausted.
Maintaining an internal energy ocular technique all day was no small feat.
They had scoured the slums without rest, but today yielded no results either.
On their way back to the Daring Lodge,
they encountered disciples trudging toward the Dragon Training Pavilion.
"Hm?"
The Shaolin monks glanced indifferently at them.
Among them, Yeon Jin tilted his head.
His eyes, still operating the technique, caught a faint trace of evil aura.
A subtle evil aura emanated from several disciples.
It was so faint it seemed about to vanish.
This wasn't evil aura originating from the disciples themselves.
It was something they had picked up somewhere.
Yeon Jin halted.
"What's wrong, Martial Uncle?"
At his disciples' question.
"I think we've found a clue."
The lower-level disciples' Prajna Wisdom Heart Eyes couldn't detect it.
Only Yeon Jin's eyes saw it.
Yeon Jin strode toward the disciples.
The disciples flinched at the monks suddenly approaching them.
Their leading instructors stepped forward.
"From where do these esteemed elders hail?"
It was a Hidden Dragon Corps instructor.
"Amitabha. I am Yeon Jin of Shaolin."
The Hidden Dragon Corps instructor was startled by Yeon Jin's courteous introduction.
He too was from one of the Nine Great Sects.
Moreover, a Yeon-generation elder from Shaolin outranked him in seniority.
"A disciple of the Jeung Clan bows to Grandmaster Yeon Jin."
The instructor clasped his hands and bowed politely.
Yeon Jin smiled warmly at the sight.
The future pillars of the righteous sects lifted his spirits.
But anger stirred as well.
Evil aura clung to the bodies of these righteous talents.
"But what brings Grandmaster here...?"
The instructor asked carefully.
"Amitabha. I saw evil aura on these future hopes of the martial world, so I had no choice but to approach."
The instructor paled at Yeon Jin's words.
Evil aura?
How could that be on Dragon Training Pavilion disciples?
They had merely held the Summer Combat Festival on Mount Mokran and were returning.
Yet Shaolin was unrivaled in detecting evil aura.
And this Yeon-generation grandmaster spoke with such conviction in his eyes.
"Wh-who are they?"
"Pardon the intrusion."
Yeon Jin pointed out several disciples.
They were dragged forward by his gesture.
They shared a common trait.
They had all been eliminated by Gong Ya Hwi-yeon's arrows.
Since they were shot from the Four-Character Thunder Bow, a faint residue of its evil aura lingered on their bodies.
An amount even most Shaolin monks wouldn't notice.
Yet Yeon Jin had spotted it.
"Is there any connection between these benefactors?"
But the instructor didn't know.
How could he? Disciples from Hidden Dragon Corps, Wa Dragon Corps, and Fierce Dragon Corps were all mixed together.
"I'm sorry, Grandmaster. There doesn't seem to be any common link among these disciples..."
"Is that so? Hm."
Yeon Jin tilted his head.
Among all these disciples, only about a dozen bore traces of evil aura.
There had to be something linking just them.
Their uniforms showed they were from different corps.
As a wrinkle formed on Yeon Jin's forehead,
"Um..."
One disciple spoke up cautiously.
"I don't know about the others, but the three of us were eliminated by arrows."
A Hidden Dragon Corps disciple.
At his words, the other disciples' eyes widened.
They chimed in one after another.
"I got hit by an arrow too..."
"Me as well..."
Once they all spoke, the connection emerged.
They had all been eliminated by arrows.
'Then the arrows are the issue.'
It was obvious.
"How many benefactors used bows?"
Yeon Jin asked the Hidden Dragon Corps instructor.
"Just one. A single Fierce Dragon Corps disciple."
"Hmm."
There were none.
No objects imbued with evil aura, no people carrying it.
"That benefactor isn't here?"
The instructor nodded at Yeon Jin's question.
"Yes. The winner of this Summer Combat Festival. Since the results came out after staying overnight this year, early this morning... They're resting a day near Mount Mokran where the festival was held and plan to return tomorrow."
"Thank you. Amitabha."
Yeon Jin clasped his hands and withdrew.
The instructor returned the greeting with clasped hands and resumed leading the disciples.
Back with his disciples, Yeon Jin said,
"We're heading straight to Mount Mokran now."
"Understood."
The Shaolin monks left Wuchang instead.
'Fierce Dragon Corps. That makes sense.'
Yeon Jin grimaced as he raced toward Mount Mokran.
He knew what the Fierce Dragon Corps was.
The meat shield against the Mountain-Crossing Demonic Forest.
As such, it accepted anyone without qualification restrictions.
Even an unorthodox warrior could slip in easily.
There were no Shaolin monks at the Dragon Training Pavilion.
Just a couple of lay disciples as instructors.
They didn't practice the Prajna Wisdom Heart Eye.
So they couldn't screen for unorthodox practitioners.
Still, questions lingered.
Why would an unorthodox warrior join the Fierce Dragon Corps specifically?
And the evil aura on the arrows was strong enough to leave traces.
At that level, even without the Prajna Wisdom Heart Eye, others should have sensed the unorthodox energy or aura.
Yet no one knew of their presence.
'We'll know when we meet them.'
Yeon Jin shook his head even as he ran.
Upon reflection, the Fierce Dragon Corps disciples weren't who they sought.
The target was the Evil Blade Alliance warrior who had visited the Dragon Training Pavilion.
The one who had even met the Pavilion Lord.
But a Fierce Dragon Corps disciple?
'The unorthodox scum have infiltrated deeper than we thought... Amitabha. Buddha, please look upon us with mercy.'
The Shaolin monks unleashed their lightness skills, hurtling toward Mount Mokran in a group.
Hae Pyeong-so watched them from afar.
A band of figures kicking up dust as they ran.
He didn't realize they were Shaolin monks.
They were too distant.
But the moment he saw them, his spine tingled once more.
'That was them.'
His instinct's warning.
He had found its source.
Hae Pyeong-so gazed toward Wuchang.
It was fine.
His instincts were quiet.
Hae Pyeong-so stealthily approached Wuchang.
Focusing intensely on his senses.
Thus, he cautiously re-entered Wuchang and scaled the Dragon Training Pavilion's wall.
So far, so good.
He moved even more carefully toward the Pavilion Lord's quarters.
There, he spotted Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul strolling about.
[Pavilion Lord.]
Pang Do-yul whipped around in surprise, scanning his surroundings.