151. Great Sun Association (1)
Great Sun Association (1)
151. Great Sun Association (1)
The Great Sun Association had dispersed its forces by forming eastern and southern fronts to fight a decisive battle against the unorthodox coalition of the Gunjo Sect and Sangjo Sect, and the Medical Immortal Rescue Force. Naturally, we couldn't annihilate the entire Great Sun Association with only the people gathered here, but if we succeeded in raiding their empty nest and inflicted massive damage, their offensive to absorb surrounding unorthodox forces would weaken as they diverted attention to defense, their pursuit of the Yeongsan Sect would become impossible, and the Yeongsan Sect, having screwed over the Great Sun Association, would be able to preserve its prestige.
Honestly, from the moment I'd expressed my refusal to the decisions of the sect and the alliance, I'd figured some fairly big names would gather, but I hadn't expected that even Reverend Hyeon-gang, the greatest heavyweight in the martial world, never mind Drunken Beggar or Venerable Hyesang, would be here.
"Embarrassing as it is, I am a daoist in name. My master was not from Wudang, but Reverend Hwangbok, who came from Maoshan."
—Hwangbok? That brat was the master of a master this great?—
Hwangseong suddenly burst out at Hyeon-gang's calm story.
—You know him?—
—He's my junior brother. A fellow whose martial arts are weaker than mine was the master of the martial world's greatest master?—
—Great Grandmaster, your martial arts are weak too, but aren't you still the Great Grandmaster of our Yeongsan Sect? Given time, our Senior Sister Son here will become the mightiest master, greater even than Reverend Hyeon-gang, so please don't be jealous.—
—Jealousy, what jealousy?!—
While Hwangseong fumed, Hyeon-gang continued his story.
"I learned martial arts from my martial uncles, but my master taught me the Maoshan Sect's divination arts. Recently, the constellations over Shanxi have been ominous. I hope it is merely the groundless worry of an old Daoist, but I grew concerned and came here."
Hyeon-gang spoke with gravity. His martial arts aside, when he spoke with those profound, mysterious eyes, he truly looked like a genuine Daoist.
—Hmph. Ridiculous. The stars move by the laws of the cosmos, unrelated to humans. To discern human fortune and misfortune, you must read human faces and the Four Pillars; does gazing at the night sky even make sense as a claim? Hwangbok, that wretch, went all the way to Wudang and passed down heretical divination arts!—
Hwangseong still spoke while fuming. A man's jealousy was unsightly, but knowing how much vaster the universe was than Earth, I felt his words might be correct. Yet considering that stellar astrology had existed in every civilization since antiquity, they also seemed wrong. And in reality, something unusual was indeed happening in Shanxi.
Well, knowing nothing, I had best keep still.
"Reverend Hyeon-gang's martial prowess is acknowledged by all under heaven, but I must reiterate that for those of us assembled here, a frontal confrontation is impossible. Only a very small number will infiltrate, investigate their secrets, throw the Great Sun Association into chaos, and render them docile for the two months until the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering concludes. That is our mission."
Venerable Hyesang began to speak.
"Reverend Hyeon-gang, Elder Drunken Beggar, and myself, three in total, will infiltrate the Great Sun Association, while the Yeongsan Sect and the remaining personnel will stand by nearby. Escape will be more difficult than infiltration, so I ask the rest of you to conserve your strength in preparation for our withdrawal."
In the end, the plan was for the three masters to infiltrate and wreak havoc inside the Great Sun Association while the rest of the support unit waited and blocked the pursuit forces when they escaped. Though called a support unit, the task of waiting right at the Great Sun Association's doorstep was still an extremely dangerous mission, with no telling when they'd be discovered.
"One moment. I will remain with the support unit. In truth, my martial prowess falls short of the rumors. Only my reputation for raising disciples well has spread, exaggerating my martial prowess. For the assault, I recommend Yeongmok."
With a serious face, Drunken Beggar pointed at me while addressing Venerable Hyesang.
"What say you? You, too, have a debt to collect from the Great Sun Association. Rather than merely standing by with the support unit, wouldn't it be far better to personally inform them of the price for laying hands on Yeongsan?"
"Of course. They may not have known what they were doing, but after daring to humiliate my Great Grandmaster before my very eyes, I can't let it pass. As you may know from the Heavenly Wolf Sect affair, infiltration and assault are actually closer to my specialty than defense. I will wreak even more havoc than you, Elder, so if the support unit faces the slightest danger, please retreat immediately."
Drunken Beggar laughed heartily.
"Is running for it not a beggar's specialty? Besides, your martial arts lie outside the common sense of the martial world, so incorporating you into a defensive formation is exceedingly awkward. The Yeongsan Sect Leader is an orthodox daoist who inherited Reverend Heo San's true transmission, and the head disciple has also trained in the Taiji Wisdom Sword, so she will join the Wudang daoists. That young girl over there inherited Layman Geo Am's true transmission, so forming a formation with Shaolin, fellow Buddhists, will work well, and that young lady said to be Moon Immortal's descendant uses an ever-changing sword, so she will pair well with the Beggars' Sect's staff techniques. The current Medicine Immortal will support from the center, tending to the wounded."
Drunken Beggar, who knew more about the Four Heroes of Dong-o than I had expected, assessed the Yeongsan Sect's fighting strength with a single glance and finished assigning three squads. Honestly, I couldn't shake my unease. Even with the Beggars' Sect, Wudang, and Shaolin accompanying them, the mission itself was far too dangerous. But if someone had insulted my master, I wouldn't have been able to bear it. And that sentiment was the same for my master.
They were no longer delicate women. They were martial artists fully qualified to stand as unit commanders at the Baek Clan Estate. I could not keep them hidden in my arms forever, caring for them like dolls.
"Our dear bodhisattva is most remarkable. You appear to have already mastered the Indestructible Vajra Body, yet seeing you still have your hair and eyebrows, it seems your realm differs somewhat from Shaolin's Vajra Art."
Lowering himself to meet her eyes, Hyesang spoke kindly to Cho-ryeong.
"Hehehe. It's called Vajra Physique."
"A body made hard is not a training method for defense alone. Come this way. I shall also teach our bodhisattva the combat methods of the Indestructible Vajra Body."
Hyesang spoke kindly and led Cho-ryeong away.
"Fellow Daoist, this way. Myeong-jin, Yeongsan Sect already walks the same path as Wudang. Teach them the Taiji Wisdom Sword Formation."
Hyeon-gang called over a middle-aged Wudang disciple and instructed him to teach the sword formation. Wudang's sword formations and Shaolin's combat methods were not things one easily taught to someone from another sect upon first meeting, even if they weren't secret transmissions; they, too, must have keenly felt the insufficiency of their forces given the personnel here.
"Hm. Young Lady Son? To be blunt, Moon Immortal's martial arts are not widely known. I did search through old texts, but likely nothing remains beyond records of an ever-changing sword art and lightness skill swifter than the wind. Your martial arts follow a completely different path from ours, so it seems most suitable that while we establish our formation, you move freely to sow chaos among the enemy, and fall back behind us should danger arise—guerrilla warfare."
Experience could not be ignored. A martial artist who had spent decades on battlefields instantly grasped our fighting strength and wove it into a tactical framework. Excluding Master, Yeongsan Sect's members now lacked nothing in individual martial strength for their ages. But although our small sect possessed peerless martial arts, it lacked experience in group combat. If this affair ended safely, Yeongsan Sect would likely grow greatly once again.
The meeting ended, and we now moved toward the Great Sun Association in Taiyuan. Along the way, Lee Eun-ha collected wild herbs growing by the roadside, gathered the medicines each person had brought, and on the spot upgraded and manufactured them into the Medicine Immortal's medicinal pills—carrying out the most crucial role even from her ambiguous position.
"The bodhisattva is remarkably bright. That is correct. This is the foundation of Arhat Fist. The Union of Hard and Soft is truly difficult, yet the softness unique to a young woman and the strength trained through heavy striking have guided you to this point."
Watching Cho-ryeong thrust out her small fist, the gleaming-eyed bald monks beamed as if doting on a genius granddaughter. Son Yeong had made me forget, but Cho-ryeong had indeed been a prodigy too. Combining movement and training was virtually the Yeongsan Sect's way of life. On the way to Taiyuan, my master and Jeong-hyang learned the sword formation, and Cho-ryeong was somehow steadily becoming a disciple of Shaolin.
No, Arhat Fist aside, should they really be teaching her the Cheomju Kick, a second-rate martial art?
"Well then, Master. I will go and make certain those sons of bitches who humiliated Great Grandmaster learn exactly what kind of sect the Yeongsan Sect is."
At close range from the Great Sun Association, we briefly exchanged farewells with the support unit that included my master.
"I know Yeongmok is strong, but as my master said, you absolutely must not overdo it."
"You're the one who must not overdo it, Master. The Taiji Wisdom Sword Formation is truly powerful, so under no circumstances step beyond it."
"That goes without saying. I'm the only one here who can't even use sword qi, you know?"
My master spoke a little glumly. In this entire subjugation force, my master was still a third-rate martial artist; she and Cho-ryeong were the only ones. She herself was dejected, but the Wudang daoists who had actually observed her could never underestimate my master. Even Hyeon-gang himself had said, half in jest, that with her uncompromising steadfastness, if she, a late bloomer, someday achieved great growth, the Taiji would become a symbol of Yeongsan, not Wudang.
"Bodhisattva. You are heading toward Henan, are you not? Please visit Shaolin Temple later. The Dao values principle, but the Buddha values affinity. If you come to Shaolin Temple, I shall teach you more interesting arts."
True monk-like benevolence. Venerable Hyesang gave Cho-ryeong a brief farewell and genuinely wished to pass down Shaolin's martial arts without reserve. Having thus parted from the support unit, Hyeon-gang, Hyesang, and I now used our full lightness skills and sped toward the Great Sun Association at dazzling speed.
A stupendously enormous hall. If the Murong Clan's estate was a castle, this place resembled a fortress.
"First, the prison. It is said the Great Sun Association's recent movements have put far more effort into capturing prisoners than attacking surrounding sects. The captured prisoners may know a great many things. And if possible, it would be best to rescue the Medical Immortal and bring the coalition of minor sects over to our side."
Just before the assault, Hyesang gave us a final briefing. He was a high-ranking personage of Shaolin, yet toward Cho-ryeong, and toward me as well, he showed truly courteous conduct in every word and deed.
"The Medical Immortal, you say. I have heard she is a considerable beauty, enough to be recorded in the martial world's annals. The Medical Immortal Sect has saved countless lives, orthodox and unorthodox alike. I do hope she has not suffered hardship."
Hyeon-gang spoke regretfully. I didn't know the Medical Immortal's face, but my fists clenched unconsciously as I remembered how the women of Yeongsan Sect had once been captured by Heuk Cheon-gyeon because of their beauty. The Yeongsan Sect had suffered that ordeal thanks to that mad bitch Cheon Myeong-hwa, yet paradoxically, thanks to that mad bitch, they had been able to preserve their chastity. But could such a miracle apply to the Medical Immortal as well?
"First, let me draw attention at the main gate. While I do so, Venerable Sir and Reverend, please enter the Great Sun Association's interior."
Seeing me volunteer for the role of bait, Hyeon-gang and Hyesang were quietly surprised. They had heard of my martial prowess but hadn't seen it firsthand, and the sight of me, far younger, volunteering for the most dangerous mission seemed to have considerably startled these pillars of the martial world.
"The Great Sun Association probably hasn't identified the orthodox vanguard yet. I've already clashed with Commander Geum once in Sakju, so if I run wild at their front gate, they'll hardly think this is an infiltration raid."
Occasionally, even my head works cleverly. At my reasonable opinion, Hyeon-gang nodded and gave his assent. Once Hyeon-gang and Hyesang had hidden themselves somewhere, at last, I alone remained before the Great Sun Association's main gate.
Hyeon-gang and Hyesang were great masters, but they did not know my true full strength. At least with the Four Heroes alongside me, I boasted enormous firepower equivalent to five first-rate masters. In defense, I still had no small shortcomings, but in offense, I was already among the mightiest in the Central Plains. My master and junior sisters were with the support unit, and since the matter had already begun anyway, I had no reason to hold back. The Martial Alliance would bear the consequences together with us afterward, in any case.
I felt sorry for Hyeon-gang and Hyesang, but I had absolutely no interest whatsoever in infiltration operations. Drunken Beggar had assessed that our master was the finest sect leader, the one who held my reins well. His words were accurate. Now I would make it so that no one under heaven could even dream of daring to oppose Yeongsan.
The Four Heroes, manifesting their Sword Aura, flew toward the Great Sun Association's main gate. Unconcerned with any allocation of internal energy, they flew forward, smashing the entire wall of the main gate, and where they passed, only horrific wreckage remained, like the traces of modern cannon fire. I shouted toward the gatekeepers of the Great Sun Association, who could not even scream at this incomprehensible natural disaster.
"You sons of bitches of the Great Sun Association! Yeongmok of the Yeongsan Sect is here!"