Chapter 186

Wudang Sect.

It was one of the few sects that had endured for the longest time since the world of Jianghu was first recognized by people.

Since the beginning of Jianghu, they had always been a powerful force.

At one time, they were called one of the two great pillars of Jianghu, along with the Shaolin Temple, and were also classified as one of the Ten Hegemons.

Although they had experienced numerous ups and downs over the years, they were always classified as a major power.

Some said the history of the Wudang Sect spanned well over a thousand years. The transformation of a nameless Daoist Temple on Mount Wudang into the colossal force known as the Wudang Sect, by integrating neighboring Daoist Temples, was an event worthy of being recorded in the history of Jianghu.

Having properly established itself as a martial sect, the Wudang Sect always stood at the pinnacle of Jianghu.

Throughout its long history, it produced countless geniuses, and these geniuses created supreme arts that would be remembered for ages in the history of Jianghu. The supreme arts created over such a long period were hidden in the Wudang Sect’s treasure vault, becoming the foundation of their power.

Even in times of decline, the Wudang Sect invariably produced martial artists at the highest level of Jianghu. For this reason, many regarded the Wudang Sect with a mixture of awe and fear.

Especially in Hubei, the influence of the Wudang Sect was indescribably immense.

To slightly exaggerate, one could say that most people in Hubei made a living thanks to the Wudang Sect.

Even the owner of the tavern, upon the appearance of the Wudang Sect’s martial artists, rushed out barefoot and bowed obsequiously. He looked ready to give them his liver and gallbladder.

“What brings the esteemed Daoist Masters of the Wudang Sect to such a humble place?”

“I’m here to meet someone, so give me a quiet table if you have one.”

“Of course. This way, please. This window seat is the cleanest.”

Despite the owner’s guidance, the middle-aged Daoist master’s furrowed brow did not relax. He was not particularly pleased with the seat the owner had shown him. But the other seats were no better.

“Hmph!”

The middle-aged Daoist master sat down with a dissatisfied expression. Only then did the young Daoist boy sit opposite him, sighing in relief.

“What kind of food should I bring?”

“Bring something that isn’t strongly scented.”

“Understood.”

As the owner replied and turned to leave, a youthful voice stopped him in his tracks.

“And bring a bottle of liquor, too.”

“Pardon?”

The owner of the voice was none other than the young Daoist boy.

The inn owner wore a perplexed expression at the unexpected words.

It was something of a taboo for a Daoist to drink alcohol.

Just then, the middle-aged Daoist master shook his head and said.

“So this is why you chose a tavern as our meeting place.”

“Hehe!”

The young Daoist boy smiled, glancing furtively at the middle-aged Daoist master.

Drinking alcohol within the Wudang Sect was strictly forbidden. Even the Sect Master could not drink alcohol within the Wudang Sect. However, outside of Mount Wudang, it was permitted to some extent.

Daoists were human too, and enforcing overly strict abstinence could be counterproductive.

For that reason, a little bit to wet the lips, as long as it wasn’t excessive, was tolerated.

The young Daoist boy had aimed for this very point when he chose the tavern as their meeting place.

“Who do you take after to be so cunning?”

“I heard you also drank a lot in your youth, Master.”

“Who told you that?”

“Martial Uncle Woo-il.”

“That rascal spoke out of turn. I should have shut that mouth of his long ago.”

The middle-aged Daoist master clicked his tongue.

His Daoist name was Woo-pyeong, a first-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect.

The young Daoist boy’s Daoist name was Tae-gwang, and he was Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s direct transmission disciple.

Tae-gwang was excited to be out of Mount Wudang after a long time. It wasn’t that his freedom was particularly suppressed on Mount Wudang, but the air outside felt quite different from that on the mountain.

Plus, he could even drink like this, so it couldn’t get any better.

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong looked at his disciple with a benevolent smile.

“Drink in moderation. Anything in excess is worse than not enough. If you cause trouble from drinking again, even I, your Master, won’t be able to protect you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just wet my lips. Hehe!”

“If only you couldn’t talk. How did I end up taking such a rascal as my disciple and going through all this trouble. Tsk!”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong clicked his tongue.

Usually, the Wudang Sect accepted young children as Do-dong and observed them for a long time to assess their aptitude and character.

Among them, those with outstanding talent were accepted as third-generation disciples, but Tae-gwang had skipped that stage.

While Daoist Master Woo-pyeong was traveling through Jianghu, he found a young child wandering alone after losing his parents to a plague. That child was Tae-gwang.

Tae-gwang was twelve years old at the time.

Considering that other Do-dong usually entered Mount Wudang at the age of three or four, it was a very late age.

But Daoist Master Woo-pyeong gladly took Tae-gwang in. It was because he had recognized Tae-gwang’s outstanding aptitude.

Thus, Tae-gwang became Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s disciple and met expectations with his excellent martial talent. However, he had one fatal flaw: he loved alcohol too much.

It might have been different if he had never started drinking, but since he had already tasted alcohol during his childhood wandering All Under Heaven, there was no way to stop him.

“Drink in moderation. Understood?”

In the end, this was all Daoist Master Woo-pyeong could do.

A short while later, the inn owner brought a bottle of liquor and some simple snacks. As Daoist Master Woo-pyeong had requested, the strong spices had been omitted. So it felt a bit bland, but it was to Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s liking.

Just then, Tae-gwang said in a low voice.

“Are those men wanderers?”

Tae-gwang’s gaze was directed at Go Il-pae’s group.

“It seems so.”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong replied calmly.

It was not unusual to see wanderers in Jianghu.

If the Wudang Sect existed at the very top of Jianghu, then wanderers existed at the very bottom. He didn’t particularly like them, but they were, in any case, members of Jianghu.

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong soon averted his gaze.

Wanderers were not his concern in the first place.

They hadn’t caused any trouble, so there was no reason to pay them any mind.

It was then.

The door opened, and another group of people entered the tavern.

Thick dust had settled on their heads and shoulders, as if they had traveled a long way.

They looked around for a moment, then spotted Daoist Master Woo-pyeong and approached him directly.

“Are you Daoist Master Woo-pyeong of the Wudang Sect?”

“I am, but?”

“We’ve come to the right place. We are from Jinmen Island.”

“Ah! A pleasure to meet you.”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s face brightened.

Pyo Wol got up from the bed and went outside.

He and Seol Ha-jin had spent a passionate night together, but they had slept separately. Pyo Wol, too, was not used to sleeping with someone, so he was more comfortable that way.

“Hyung-ah!”

As he came out, Soma waved his hand.

The Gongpo Sword was still held preciously in his arms.

Pyo Wol went straight to where Soma was sitting.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“Nope! I just came out a little while ago.”

“Have you eaten?”

“I ordered for you too, Hyung.”

“Good job.”

Pyo Wol nodded and sat down.

Perhaps because he had exerted himself last night, he was quite hungry.

While waiting for the food, Go Il-pae and the wanderers came down the stairs.

“Ah! I’m dying.”

“Ugh! I need some hot soup.”

“How much did we even drink?”

Seol Ha-jin came down last, shaking her head.

Go Il-pae and the wanderers had crawled back to the inn around dawn. They had drunk so much that their breath still reeked of alcohol.

Seol Ha-jin hurriedly ordered some food for them to sober up.

Go Il-pae, with his head buried on the table, asked Seol Ha-jin.

“Are you okay?”

“What about?”

“Oh, right! You didn’t drink, did you? Damn it! My head must be filled with alcohol poisoning. I can’t even remember what happened yesterday.”

“Didn’t you drink too much just because you’re taking today off?”

“Once we leave this place, we won’t be able to touch it for a while, so we had to drink our fill.”

“You could die from alcohol poisoning at this rate. Drink in moderation.”

“I should. My head hurts even more because I was being mindful of the Wudang Sect Daoists while we ate.”

Seol Ha-jin wore a puzzled expression.

“Wudang Sect Daoists?”

“They came to the tavern where we were drinking.”

“Are you sure? What reason would Wudang Sect Daoists have to enter a tavern?”

“It looked like they were meeting someone.”

“Really? Who did they meet?”

Seol Ha-jin showed her curiosity. But Go Il-pae shook his head and answered weakly.

“I don’t know! The way they were whispering among themselves, it seemed like something pretty important. I didn’t want to get on their bad side, so I just drank while keeping an eye on them.”

Wanderers like them were prone to disaster if they got involved with a major sect like the Wudang Sect. That was why experienced wanderers like Go Il-pae avoided getting entangled with them as much as possible.

Seol Ha-jin knew this, so she didn’t press any further.

She didn’t want to get involved with the Wudang Sect either.

A short while later, the inn owner brought out the food, and the conversation died down as the wanderers began to eat greedily.

Soma watched the wanderers for a moment, then said to Pyo Wol.

“Hyung-ah!”

“What is it?”

“Why do people drink alcohol? They suffer so much afterward. I just don’t get it.”

“You’re right.”

Pyo Wol couldn’t understand it either. But he had no intention of criticizing the wanderers.

Whether they drank or not was their choice, and bearing the consequences was also their responsibility.

Right now, the wanderers were paying the price for their all-night binge.

It was fortunate that there was no immediate threat; if they had been attacked by someone, they would have been wiped out without being able to do a thing.

Having finished his meal, Pyo Wol stood up from his seat. Soma quickly followed suit and said.

“You’re going to look around the city, right? I’ll go with you.”

Having spent quite some time with Pyo Wol, Soma now knew his habits inside and out.

Pyo Wol nodded.

“Let’s do that.”

“Heehee!”

Soma smiled at Pyo Wol’s permission.

Just then, Seol Ha-jin stood up and said.

“I’ll go with you too. If I stay with these fools, I think I’ll get drunk too.”

She shook her head and approached Pyo Wol’s side.

The breath of the wanderers who had been drinking until dawn was thick with the poison of alcohol. Being with them was giving her a throbbing headache.

“Phew! I can breathe now.”

Seol Ha-jin let out a breath as she stepped outside.

She liked to drink too, but she didn’t chug it down mindlessly like the other wanderers.

Soma suddenly said to Seol Ha-jin.

“Noona, why don’t you part ways with those fools too?”

“Huh?”

“If you keep hanging out with those fools, I think you’ll become a fool too.”

“Still, I feel at ease when I’m with those fools.”

“Really?”

“They’re so simple-minded that their thoughts are written all over their faces. At least I don’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back.”

“You’re quite shrewd yourself, Noona. I thought you just lived without a care in the world.”

“What’s that? You little brat.”

“I like it! You have my approval. Noona, if there’s anyone you want to kill, just tell me.”

“No, thanks. Am I crazy?”

Seol Ha-jin shuddered as if the mere thought was horrifying.

Having seen Soma’s true nature, she knew all too well what kind of tragedy would unfold if she made such a request.

Soma laughed at Seol Ha-jin’s reaction.

The other wanderers were afraid of him, but he found it fascinating that Seol Ha-jin acted so nonchalantly.

Seol Ha-jin and Soma bickered as they followed Pyo Wol.

Just as Pyo Wol’s brow furrowed slightly at their squabbling, a group of people approached from the opposite direction.

They, too, were engrossed in a conversation, much like Soma and Seol Ha-jin. Because of that, they didn’t notice Pyo Wol’s group walking toward them.

‘Wudang Sect.’

Seeing their attire, Pyo Wol recognized them as the Wudang Sect Daoists the wanderers had mentioned.

As Pyo Wol had guessed, they were indeed the Daoists of the Wudang Sect, Daoist Master Woo-pyeong and Tae-gwang.

With them were the people they had met at the tavern yesterday.

The moment she recognized their faces, Seol Ha-jin’s complexion turned deathly pale.

“Ah!”

At that moment, the martial artists with Daoist Master Woo-pyeong and the others looked up and saw Seol Ha-jin.

“Junior Martial Sister?”

“Ha-jin?”

They recognized Seol Ha-jin.