177. Rescue (2)
Rescue (2)
177. Rescue (2)
"Yeongmok. Tomorrow, wear the sword in which Reverend Heo San dwells and accompany me to the Wudang estate."
As she combed Cho-ryeong's hair neatly, my master spoke to me, her voice brimming with anticipation. Upon hearing that Reverend Hyeon-gang's party would return to the Alliance tomorrow, my master had been happier than anyone. Seeing her brighten like this for the first time in a while lifted my own mood as well.
—Hmm. Why go to the trouble of showing me the estate too...—
Heosan was secretly pleased. After visiting the Mount Tai estate last time, Geo Am had been truly delighted. In his day, Mount Tai Sect had been a proud pillar of the Old Nine Schools, and he said that when he visited the Martial Alliance, he too had stayed at that estate. A reunion after over a hundred and fifty years of longing. Geo Am had probably just rambled on, lost in sentiment, but his words stirred Heosan.
The Flame Emperor, whose Flame Blossom Sect had never made it into the Old Nine Schools even when it existed, and the Moon Immortal, who had always been unaffiliated, simply laughed it off. But Heosan couldn't. In this age, it was utterly unbelievable, but in their active days, Mount Tai's majesty had overwhelmed Wudang. Thinking about it, it was only natural—Heosan was the grand-disciple of Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of Wudang. No matter how legendary a figure had established Wudang, or how extraordinary the sect, back then it was a newly founded sect that hadn't been around long, so it seemed it couldn't surpass Mount Tai. Mount Tai was, as its name implied, a sect of deep history that had claimed the very place called Mount Tai—a name that could humble any man of the Central Plains.
Yet, absurdly, in the current martial world, Mount Tai Sect was gradually being forgotten, and Wudang had instead become the Mount Tai, the great mountain, of the martial world, a situation so ironic it wasn't funny. Perhaps Geo Am and Heosan might harbor subtle feelings about matters concerning their own sects.
"Yes. Understood."
"Master! Master! I've reflected a lot now, so please lift my confinement. I want to go see the Shaolin estate too."
As though the anticipation of meeting Hyeon-gang were contagious, Cho-ryeong spoke from Master's arms, and Master answered with a stern face.
"Can you promise not to fight with other martial artists anymore?"
"That I cannot promise. If anyone insults Master, my senior sisters, or Junior Brother again, I'll discipline them myself."
Cho-ryeong spoke to my master with something like firm resolve in her voice. As a martial artist, her words weren't exactly wrong, so my master's sigh only deepened. My master was unmarried herself, but raising a child really was no ordinary task. While we were idling about like that, a commotion stirred beyond our estate. I was nowhere near capable of the feat Murong Hyeok-jung had demonstrated that day—holding an entire vast sect within the net of his perception—but even the others, not just me, could easily sense the sound of hurried voices and many people moving.
"What could that be? This disturbance?"
My master pricked up her ears and expanded her qi sense. I was already trying too, but so many sounds mingled together that I couldn't grasp the situation outside. We'd already spent several days in the Alliance, but we remained completely uninformed about the Alliance's events. Wondering what was going on, we stepped out into the garden to assess the situation, and saw the estate's gatekeeper shouting at someone.
"You cannot! Heroine! This is the Murong Clan estate, and the residence of Yeongsan Sect. I will deliver a message to the people of Yeongsan Sect, so please wait here!"
"I said move! I told you it's urgent!"
A ringing, youthful voice. It was Jo Bok, the girl I'd seen that morning. What business did a girl with an injured leg have here?
"What's going on?"
Whenever I saw her, a mischievous urge always rose in me, but the desperate look on her face now told me this was no time for jokes. I approached her and asked.
"P-please... help! The Medicine Immortal! Call for the Medicine Immortal!"
Using her bamboo staff as a cane, she limped over, grabbed my hand, and wept.
"What's happened? Heroine Jo?"
Lee Eun-ha also came running to ask, and at last, color returned to Jo Bok's face.
"We have to go to the Beggars' Sect estate right now. Otherwise, my master... my master might die!!!"
Drunken Beggar? The entire Yeongsan Sect, myself included, was stunned by such an utterly bewildering statement. Come to think of it, a few martial artists from the neighboring estates were dashing out toward the Alliance's western gate, their faces ashen.
"Has something befallen the elder's party?"
Drunken Beggar might not rank among the Top Hundred Masters, but he was a proud first-rate expert. Moreover, he had been moving with powerful masters like Hyeon-gang and Hyesang. Upon hearing that such a man was seriously injured, my master asked Jo Bok, her face deathly pale, and Jo Bok answered only with her tears.
"Jeong-hyang. Son Yeong. Eun-ha. Yeongmok. Go to the Beggars' Sect estate immediately. Jo Bok cannot use her leg, so Yeongmok, carry her on your back. Cho-ryeong, remain here and guard the estate. If anything happens, inform Miss Murong."
At my master's swift orders, everyone moved as one. The Beggars' Sect estate was only a few hundred meters away, but even that time felt too precious to waste. As my master commanded, I lifted Jo Bok onto my back and ran, even employing lightness skill.
This was not the peaceful place I had seen by daylight. In the garden of the Beggars' Sect estate, the Beggars' Sect martial artists who had been with us in Shanxi that day lay collapsed, and other martial artists surrounded them, administering emergency treatment. The beggars who had cheerfully shared camp meals with us. One had a severed arm. Another was missing an eye. All of them were in life-threatening condition.
And a few Beggars' Sect martial artists were surrounding a blood-soaked old man, desperately trying to restrain him.
"Out of my way! This is my final warning! If you don't stand aside, I will use force!!"
"You cannot, Elder! Your internal injuries alone are already extremely critical! Elder Heroic Beggar is gone, so you must receive treatment here, Elder!!!"
Drunken Beggar, his complexion so haggard he might have been mistaken for a corpse, shoved at the martial artists with a furious face, but he couldn't even push aside a young martial artist who appeared to be third-rate.
"Q-quickly. Stop my master. If my master leaves like this, he's going to die!!"
Jo Bok spoke urgently to me from where she clung to my back. The situation seemed overwhelmingly dire, but first, I needed to set Jo Bok down and hear what was happening.
"What happened? Where on earth were you injured this badly?"
Drunken Beggar looked at me, reacting to my voice.
"You were here too? Good timing. Give me a hand."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's go rescue Reverend Hyeon-gang."
"What?! What do you mean by that?!"
My master had arrived belatedly. She shouted with a pallid face upon hearing Drunken Beggar's words.
"Sect Leader, you've come too. And you even brought the Medicine Immortal. Bok, that child. She's grown a lot.
"Medicine Immortal. Please look after our kids. And the Wudang and Shaolin ones too."
The moment we arrived at the estate, we saw numerous critically injured people. Lee Eun-ha, upon being called, set aside Drunken Beggar's story with the judgment of a true medical professional. She found what she needed to do, began examining the patients in the gravest condition first, and shouted at the hesitating beggars to bring the necessary medicinal herbs.
"What exactly happened?"
"Ah, truly. How embarrassing. After that battle with us that day, the Great Sun Association bastards holed up in their main base like moles. We tried to investigate, but nothing came of it, and with the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering approaching, we decided to return to the Alliance. But when we'd nearly reached the Alliance, we were attacked by a group. It was right under the Alliance's nose, and we had Reverend Hyeon-gang with us, so at first we thought nothing of it.
"But damn it all. Something was strange. We cut them with swords, but they wouldn't be cut. We cut them with sword qi, and they still wouldn't be cut. We even tried Martial Aura, but they were only pushed back a moment. That's when Reverend Hyeon-gang shouted. Jiangshi, he said."
J-jiangshi? I didn't mishear him, did I?
"Wait. Elder. Doesn't Wudang possess jiangshi-exorcism sorcery passed down from Mount Maoshan? Reverend Hyeon-gang, whose master came from the Maoshan Sect—surely he can destroy jiangshi?!"
My master, who endlessly revered Hyeon-gang, cried out sharply at Drunken Beggar's words.
"He tried. Not just Reverend Hyeon-gang—all of Wudang's Daoists tried. But it had no effect. If jiangshi have appeared, it's definitely the Blood Cult's work. They suffered at Maoshan's hands a hundred years ago. They wouldn't have left that weakness untouched."
"Th-then what about Reverend Hyeon-gang?"
"He saw no chance of victory, so he blocked the escape route and let us flee. Right now, Wudang, Shaolin, and the other nearby sects have hurriedly dispatched martial artists to rescue Reverend Hyeon-gang. But that's the thing. These are jiangshi that withstood even Reverend Hyeon-gang's Sword Aura without any trouble. Even if the Alliance Leader himself went, there seems to be no hope of victory."
Drunken Beggar spoke with difficulty, choking up a mouthful of blood. In an instant, the look in my master's eyes changed.
"Yeongsan Sect will also go to rescue Reverend Hyeon-gang. Eun-ha, remain here and treat the injured martial artists. Leave Cho-ryeong in Miss Murong's care for the time being. Jeong-hyang. Son Yeong. Yeongmok. We will head there immediately."
The moment she heard Drunken Beggar's words, my master commanded us with the charisma befitting a sect leader. I had always respected her authority as sect leader and followed it. But not this. I absolutely couldn't. The subjugation force we'd been part of was far higher in caliber than the others. Moreover, even supreme first-rate masters like Hyeon-gang and Hyesang had been utterly helpless—there was no way the others' strength would work.
"No, Master!"
"It's an order, Yeongmok. Head there at once."
"Please rescind that order. This is utterly impossible. Countless elite martial artists are gathered in the Martial Alliance. According to the elder, they'll soon organize a proper rescue force rather than another improvised party and go to save Reverend Hyeon-gang. Yeongsan Sect should join that force."
"And if it's too late by then? Elder Drunken Beggar is injured this badly too, isn't he? Reverend Hyeon-gang, who blocked the retreat to save everyone—he must be far more grievously wounded!!"
With glistening tears in her eyes, my master showed no sign of backing down. As a member of the Orthodox Faction and as a martial hero, I knew she was right. But...
"Master, I'm truly sorry, but the rescue force has already departed. With your lightness skill and those of my senior sisters, you won't be able to catch up even if you leave now. So please remain here and tend to the wounded. Even if we manage to bring Reverend Hyeon-gang back, his treatment mustn't be delayed if he's gravely injured. Senior Sister Jeong's Ice Soul Divine Art will be highly effective for stopping bleeding. Use your Great Clarity Internal Art to assist the injured Wudang martial artists with their qi circulation. I will rescue Reverend Hyeon-gang."
"Yeongmok... But still..."
"If you come along and are harmed by the enemy, I will certainly prioritize you over Reverend Hyeon-gang or anyone else. So that I can fight with a clear mind, please remain here and look after the wounded, Master.
"Senior Sister Son. It's unlikely, but this happened right under the Martial Alliance's nose. There may be an attack inside the Alliance as well, so I leave the others in your care."
"Is it impossible for me too? Even if my sword can't cut a jiangshi, with the Moon Immortal Steps, I can surely evade the enemy's attacks well enough."
"Senior Sister. Think carefully. Remember the power of the Taiji Wisdom Sword Formation, the Arhat Formation, and the Dog-Beating Formation that day. The enemies are demon creatures that defy common sense—they can break through those formations."
"Then what about you, Junior Brother? I know you're strong, but you said Martial Aura doesn't work against them, didn't you?"
"Senior Sister, you know. You are a martial artist. I am a Daoist. In this world today, where is there a Daoist more excellent than I? Jiangshi are originally dealt with through Taoist arts."
Naturally, I possessed no such Taoist arts. I truly wanted to run away. Reverend Hyeon-gang was a good man, but I didn't wish to risk my life for him. Yet if I didn't go, my master would never back down, even if it killed her. Rather than watch them be rendered helpless and struck down, I had to go alone.
"Right. With just you there, we might somehow manage. Let's go, the two of us. When we return, I'll empty my entire fortune to buy you a drink."
Even more tormented than my master was Drunken Beggar, who had left the rear guard to Reverend Hyeon-gang and led the martial artists back to the Alliance. But in this situation, with terror so intense my heart felt ready to burst, his words about settling it all with a single drink were so faintly ridiculous that I was able to recover a sliver of composure.
"Old man, you're pretty badly hurt yourself, so just tell me the location. I'll carry you on my back."
"No!!!"
Jo Bok's scream, as if torn from her throat. Drunken Beggar let out a hearty laugh and told me the approximate location and direction. Business concluded. I immediately struck the back of Drunken Beggar's head and knocked him unconscious.
"Where do you think you're going? My Daoist robes are precious. I don't want to carry a blood-soaked, dust-caked beggar on my back. Be a proper patient, listen to our Senior Sister Lee here, and wait quietly.
"Senior Sister Son. Seal this fellow's acupoints using the Moon Immortal's acupoint-sealing art. He's at a third-rate level right now, so it'll work well enough."
If this dragged on any longer, I'd be caught. I hurled my body in the direction Drunken Beggar had indicated and fled the Martial Alliance. Perhaps this was exactly the sort of scene from a heroic tale I'd always longed for. But unlike the protagonists in novels, my heart filled only with fear.
Fuck. I wasn't going to die here, was I?