Chapter 281
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 281
Chapter Title: A Woman of the Unorthodox Path...
The sun had set.
Another night of camping.
At least it was the time of year when the days were longest, so they could push hard with the pursuit.
But at night, tracking traces became difficult.
The Shaolin monks began preparing their camp.
A disciple approached Yeon Jin, who was sitting cross-legged and chanting sutras.
Hang San.
He was quick-witted and sharp-minded.
"Martial Uncle."
Hang San carefully opened his mouth before Yeon Jin.
Yeon Jin opened his eyes and looked at him.
"What is it?"
"While reviewing the information we've gathered during the pursuit, I realized something."
Yeon Jin's eyes gleamed.
If this kid had sought him out specifically, it had to be important.
"Speak."
"The one we're tracking now isn't the infiltrator who received orders from headquarters."
Yeon Jin gazed at Hang San.
"Headquarters ordered us to find the unorthodox martial artist who slipped into Wu Chang. We searched every corner of Wu Chang for two days."
They had been on their way back to Darim Daru after finishing that search.
"But Martial Uncle, you detected traces of demonic energy from the Dragon Training Pavilion cadets who had just entered Wu Chang from outside, and that's when the pursuit began. The traces were only on those who were hit by arrows. So faint that none of us noticed them. It means there was already an unorthodox infiltrator inside the pavilion, separate from the one we were seeking."
Yeon Jin nodded.
Another unorthodox infiltrator had existed.
"That person infiltrated as a cadet and participated in the Summer Combat Festival."
Yeon Jin had witnessed the entire process of their journey here.
"If the infiltrator had mastered demonic arts to the level of infusing energy into arrows, the pavilion wouldn't have missed it. At that realm, there's no need for something like the Prajna Bori Eye."
It was sound reasoning.
"Yet no one noticed. That means the demonic arts weren't advanced."
Yeon Jin listened calmly to Hang San's words.
"But if demonic energy was still on the arrows, it must have been the weapon that shot them. The bow itself must be infused with demonic energy."
Yeon Jin's eyes shone.
A weapon infused with demonic energy.
No ordinary weapon.
Moreover, a bow imbued with demonic energy was exceedingly rare.
It would be renowned as a divine weapon among the unorthodox.
Even the orthodox sects would know of its fame.
"As far as is known, there's only one such bow infused with demonic energy. Bows aren't a weapon commonly favored by wanderers of the jianghu anyway."
That was true.
Bows were heavily used in the military, but not preferred by jianghu martial artists.
Yet there was one famous bow among the unorthodox.
One of the ten divine weapons the unorthodox called the Ten Demonic Armaments.
"The Four-Character Thunderclap Bow."
Yeon Jin knew of the bow as well.
He'd never seen it, but its reputation was known.
It was one of the ten strongest divine weapons in the unorthodox martial world.
"That's my thought too."
Hang San stopped there, closing his mouth.
Because Yeon Jin's face was lost in thought.
The owner of the Four-Character Thunderclap Bow was known to both Hang San and Yeon Jin.
Sa Hye Alliance Leader Gong Ya Jang-cheon.
"If the Four-Character Thunderclap Bow appeared at the Dragon Training Pavilion, then that woman must be closely connected to Gong Ya Jang-cheon."
Yeon Jin murmured.
It was obvious.
No one would lend out a divine weapon like the Four-Character Thunderclap Bow lightly.
"Disciple or blood kin, that's what you're saying?"
Hang San nodded at Yeon Jin's question.
"But could Gong Ya Jang-cheon's disciple or kin have such low martial attainment? Enough for him to entrust the Four-Character Thunderclap Bow?"
Yeon Jin pointed out the contradiction in Hang San's reasoning.
"......"
Hang San fell silent for a moment.
Yeon Jin's point was valid.
Someone with demonic arts so weak they went undetected at the pavilion, connected to Gong Ya Jang-cheon and carrying the Four-Character Thunderclap Bow?
Absurd.
"This disciple lacks insight and doesn't know for sure, but... could there be an artifact that seals demonic energy to hide it?"
Yeon Jin's eyes widened.
Why not?
The Shaolin Temple itself had such things...
But Yeon Jin halted his thoughts there. That wasn't important now.
Recalling if the Sa Hye Alliance had such an artifact.
It did.
"Seven-Colored Phoenix Ring..."
"Pardon?"
"A tool the Sa Hye Alliance took as spoils from the Demonic Cult in the last war. It seals internal energy."
"Ah..."
The gap in Hang San's reasoning filled perfectly.
Now things had gotten serious.
They had come to capture the unorthodox martial artist who met the pavilion lord.
But now the Sa Hye Alliance Leader was involved.
"We'd better inform Abbot Martial Uncle."
A messenger pigeon took to the night sky.
One they had brought anticipating urgent news flew off like this.
Ha Mu-baek arrived back at Mok Ran Mountain.
He had retraced his steps.
Deep into the night.
No one around.
Now he had to start searching from here again.
For the Shaolin baldies and the reckless unorthodox woman.
'A woman of the unorthodox path...'
At twelve years old.
An unorthodox woman who had taken in the starving him and Seol Ran, fed them, and given them money to last a while came to mind.
She had seemed in a great hurry.
Back then.
She had helped him when he was getting beaten by the neighborhood beggars.
She even traveled with Ha Mu-baek and Ha Seol Ran for a bit.
Worried they'd face retaliation from the beggars if she left too soon.
Perhaps she thought she had to at least take them to another village to fulfill her responsibility.
'Her daughter was around Seol Ran's age, she said.'
She must have desperately wanted to take them along, but had to head to the battlefield, so she couldn't.
The martial artist who apologized like that.
The war was so fierce that even a mother had to leave her daughter and go to the front lines.
Damn Demonic Cult and Blood Cult bastards.
She hadn't even given her name.
He only remembered her face.
'She was truly beautiful. And incredibly strong, I bet.'
Reconstructing her image in his memory now.
She must have been a master of considerable realm.
At least beyond peak.
All those who helped him until he met his master were benefactors to Ha Mu-baek.
Benefactors who protected not just him, but his sister Seol Ran too.
That was why.
His thoughts lingered on that reckless girl.
Not direct repayment of the debt.
But returning the favor in this way.
Ha Mu-baek spread his senses wide and kicked off the ground.
The last direction Gong Ya Hwi-yeon had moved.
From near Mok Ran Mountain to Song Mountain Shaolin Temple was two thousand li in a straight line.
A considerable distance.
However, for the messenger pigeon, it was just six hours of flight.
Thus, by morning.
Abbot Hyeon Gwang of Shaolin received the letter from Yeon Jin.
He read the contents carefully.
After finishing, he closed his eyes.
"Amitabha. Heh. Gong Ya Jang-cheon, of all people..."
Even he hadn't anticipated this.
No, even Yeon Ja-gyeong, who leaked the info, couldn't have imagined it.
And Yeon Ja-gyeong still didn't know this fact.
How far the ripples of his scheme would spread.
"What to do..."
Hyeon Gwang pondered, rolling his prayer beads.
The letter also described Ha Mu-baek's appearance from Yeon Jin's encounter.
There was a report on the meeting with the Thunderclap Hound.
"That monster was always like that."
Hyeon Gwang recalled Ha Mu-baek from the last war.
That guy showed no change in gaze whether facing orthodox or unorthodox martial artists.
The same eyes.
Yet his eyes would roll back fighting the Demonic Cult or Blood Cult.
To him, orthodox and unorthodox were the same.
His uncooperative attitude meant...
He already had a connection to Gong Ya Jang-cheon's acquaintance that Yeon Jin was pursuing.
If Ha Mu-baek interfered, Yeon Jin couldn't stop him.
He wasn't one to back off out of regard for Shaolin.
But giving up because of Ha Mu-baek's involvement...
The prize was too tempting.
An acquaintance of Sa Hye Alliance Leader Gong Ya Jang-cheon.
Of course, they couldn't kill her.
That would spark an orthodox-unorthodox war.
In this situation, war wasn't what Hyeon Gwang wanted.
But capture and detain?
If Shaolin held her...
It would gag the Sa Hye Alliance perfectly.
An irresistible reward he couldn't pass up.
"Amitabha. Amitabha."
Hyeon Gwang's dilemma deepened.
He knew well.
He'd ultimately choose the option he was pondering now.
Yet he sat worrying still.
Because of the aftermath.
"Amitabha..."
The prayer beads kept rolling in Hyeon Gwang's hands.
"Master. Your disciple found this."
One of the Demonic Cult Leader's disciples.
Sima Hu-do carefully placed a manual before the iron gate.
A tattered old manual.
Most of the writing faded.
But the title Emptiness Piercing Heaven Art was legible.
No response from the iron gate.
But knowing his master was listening, Sima Hu-do cautiously withdrew.
Time to meet his secluded master was extremely limited.
A day after Sima Hu-do left.
Creeeak.
The iron gate opened on its own.
And the manual Sima Hu-do left floated lightly through the gap.
The one who took it chuckled at the title.
Emptiness Piercing Heaven Art, huh.
The name sounded impressive.
But Sima Hu-do wasn't assigned to hunt Emptiness fragments.
They had found three of five pieces, knew one was in Wu Chang.
Retrieve the last and the one in Wu Chang to complete it.
Annoying that the Wu Chang piece was tied to that dog bastard.
So the name Emptiness Piercing Heaven Art stirred no thoughts.
Yet he turned the pages.
Sima Hu-do.
One of his more capable disciples.
Such a one wouldn't bring this without reason.
That belief made him flip the pages.
His hands began trembling slightly with each turn.
And at the last page.
His eyes bulged, body shuddering.
'I-impossible... How could this...'
It was said to be split into five pieces five hundred years ago.
Yet.
The Emptiness Piercing Heaven Art in his hand.
Was identical to one of the pieces already recovered.
How could this be?
Not split into five?
Confusion hit.
He took deep breaths, calming excitement.
Organized thoughts.
Four pieces so far.
Two duplicates.
Still three unique pieces.
But the piece Sima Hu-do brought was odd.
Definitely an Emptiness fragment.
"Trash now."
He recognized it because he had others.
To an ignorant viewer, it'd seem worthless garbage martial art.
Not like the other three pieces.
Each was excellent on its own.
One had even flowed into the Dan Mok Clan's hereditary arts.
"What the..."
He needed to hear it directly from her.
Ordered a subordinate guarding the seclusion chamber to summon Sima Hu-do.
"Master. Disciple Sima Hu-do here."
"Where did you get this?"
Straight to the point.
"A used bookstore in Sichuan."
"Why bring it?"
Sima Hu-do pondered the master's question.
"I don't know, really. I just happened to flip it open. It was an ordinary book for a used bookstore. Utterly useless content, unlike the grand name Emptiness Piercing Heaven Art."
"Yet you took it?"
"Yes. It strangely drew me. Like the arts I practice resonated? So I brought it just in case."
"......"
No reply from the master.
Lost in thought.
Resonated with Sima Hu-do's arts.
The arts he practiced...
Asura Thunder Spirit Returning Origin Heart Method.
One of the Demonic Cult's Eight Great Heart Methods, chosen as best fit for Sima Hu-do.
'Does the Asura Thunder Spirit Returning Origin Heart Method connect to an Emptiness fragment...?'
Such a hypothesis arose.
Needed verification.
He picked up one of the held pieces matching the Emptiness Piercing Heaven Art.
Copied part of it.
About thirty percent.
Not enough to grasp the full art.
"Look."
Creeeak.
The iron gate cracked open, the copied paper floating before Sima Hu-do.
Sima Hu-do examined as ordered.
"This dull disciple can't recognize the peerless divine art before me."
He bowed his head.
"That's all?"
"Well..."
"Well?"
"It feels similar to the Emptiness Piercing Heaven Art. My internal energy trembles faintly in response."
"Understood. Leave it and withdraw."
Sima Hu-do bowed deeply and left.
After sending the disciple away.
Current Demonic Cult Leader Seok Cheon-gyeong was swept in turmoil.
This was unforeseen.
An art resonating with Emptiness fragments in the New Cult?
No one knew.
Only the leader and successor knew of Emptiness.
They didn't practice the Asura Thunder Spirit Returning Origin Heart Method.
They cultivated the Demonic Cult's strongest, Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
"Need to examine it properly."
Seok Cheon-gyeong resolved to properly study the Asura Thunder Spirit Returning Origin Heart Method.