Chapter 193

The young monk Bo-gyeong’s gaze was fixed on the man in front of Woo Jang-rak.

He couldn’t make out his true appearance because his face was covered with a scarf, but he knew this was the man Woo Jang-rak had called Pyo Wol.

For some reason, Woo Jang-rak was reluctant to speak about Pyo Wol.

He had vaguely mumbled something about Pyo Wol having a very close relationship with the Snow Cloud Stronghold’s lord, Yu Gicheon, and that he needed his permission. But Bo-gyeong didn’t fully believe Woo Jang-rak’s words.

It was because he had read the emotion of fear faintly reflected in his eyes when he mentioned the name Pyo Wol.

Though he had only seen him for a moment, the man named Woo Jang-rak did not seem the type to be easily frightened by others.

Polite but not cowardly, seemingly gentle but with a strong will.

That was the man Bo-gyeong saw in Woo Jang-rak.

He was curious about the man that such a Woo Jang-rak feared.

That was the reason Bo-gyeong had come outside.

The moment he saw Pyo Wol, Bo-gyeong felt a chill run down his spine.

It was as if a cold wind was clawing at his chest, like he had climbed Sosil Peak in the dead of winter.

He had never felt this way from the other monks of the Shaolin Temple. Not even from Un-song or Seong-am, whom he respected the most.

Un-song was the junior martial brother directly under the Shaolin Temple’s Sect Master, Unji, a martial artist known as the Shaolin’s First Fist.

Seong-am was a first-generation disciple, a possessor of such destructive martial arts and ruthless hands that he was given the alias Mad Buddha.

Bo-gyeong trained in martial arts with them as his goal. But even from them, he had never felt such a dangerous aura as he did from Pyo Wol.

Bo-gyeong cautiously approached Pyo Wol. Then, Woo Jang-rak introduced him to Pyo Wol.

“This is Monk Bo-gyeong from the Shaolin Temple. He possesses such great martial prowess that he is known by the alias Ten Steps Invincible in the Henan region.”

“Amitabha! I am Bo-gyeong of the Shaolin Temple. I have heard of Great Hero Pyo Wol’s reputation from Great Hero Woo. It is an honor to meet you like this.”

Bo-gyeong greeted him first with a half-bow.

Pyo Wol stared at Bo-gyeong for a long while before finally opening his mouth.

“I am Pyo Wol.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I have inadvertently ended up accompanying Great Hero Woo as he is taking a precious item to our temple. Because of this, I believe Great Hero Pyo’s journey may be delayed, and I wish to ask for your understanding.”

“Do as you please.”

“Does that mean you grant your permission?”

“There’s nothing to permit or not. I’m the one tagging along with them.”

The reason he had accompanied Woo Jang-rak in the first place was because he was unfamiliar with the state of Jianghu.

There was no need to accompany them all the way to Dengzhou.

During the journey here, he had grasped, at least roughly, how Jianghu operated.

Even if he parted with Woo Jang-rak’s group, he would have no problem getting to Mount Tianjung.

Bo-gyeong once again expressed his gratitude.

“Thank you. For your understanding.”

“The Mount Wudang Sect Leader’s birthday banquet must be quite a big event, I see?”

“It’s a rare occasion. Many will come, thinking they can receive help from the Wudang Sect if they get on good terms with them on this occasion.”

“Does the Shaolin Temple also wish for the Wudang Sect’s help?”

“Surely not. We have never once wished for one-sided help from the Wudang Sect. We simply help each other.”

Bo-gyeong’s voice was full of confidence.

Although their influence had waned compared to the past due to the Two Powerhouses, many still considered the Shaolin Temple the leader of Jianghu.

The Shaolin Temple was a place armed with even greater pride and self-esteem than the Wudang Sect.

Bo-gyeong, too, was brimming with pride.

“Why don’t you also go up to Mount Wudang, Great Hero Pyo? I heard the Wudang Sect has put a lot of effort into it, as it’s the first such event in decades. There will probably be much to see.”

“We’ll see…”

“If you do wish to go up, you can tell me tomorrow morning.”

“I will.”

Pyo Wol nodded and walked past Bo-gyeong.

It was clear to anyone that he was not paying much attention to Bo-gyeong.

Bo-gyeong wore a slightly flustered expression.

It was the first time he had received such treatment.

Whenever he said he was from the Shaolin Temple, everyone showed great interest in Bo-gyeong. Even those with no connection to him would try to find something to talk about to get acquainted, even just a little.

Bo-gyeong had always found such people’s attitudes burdensome and annoying. But seeing Pyo Wol, who seemed to have no interest in him whatsoever, he felt a slight sense of disappointment.

Soma followed behind Pyo Wol.

The moment Soma passed by, a strange sensation washed over him.

A somehow nauseating feeling made his stomach churn slightly.

Bo-gyeong did not yet know what that meant.

The two soon disappeared from his sight.

Bo-gyeong asked Woo Jang-rak with a dumbfounded expression.

“Just who in the world is he?”

A place called one of the Four Great Mountains of Daoism, along with Mount Qiyun in Anhui, Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan, and Mount Longhu in Jiangxi.

It was Mount Wudang.

A famous Daoist mountain made up of twenty-seven peaks, thirty-six cliffs, and twenty-four valleys, it exuded a Daoist mystique that cleared the heart just by looking at it.

There was an age when, before humans had properly established themselves, all sorts of wicked things threw the world into chaos.

The one who led soldiers and swept away those wicked things was the celestial True Martial Great Emperor.

The Wudang Sect was a Daoist sect that revered the True Martial Great Emperor, boasting a tremendous majesty that overwhelmed other Daoist sects.

In the case of the Mount Hua Sect, its Daoist temples were scattered throughout Mount Hua due to the ruggedness of the mountain, but in the case of the Wudang Sect, most of its Daoist temples were concentrated on Ziyun Peak.

For that reason, it looked particularly more magnificent.

Anyone who climbed Mount Wudang for the first time was overwhelmed by its majesty.

During the Great Blood War, the Wudang Sect suffered great damage. Most of the great halls were destroyed and burned, shaking the very foundation of the sect. But they managed to rise again and achieve their current prosperity.

The blood and sweat shed by the Wudang Sect Daoists until then were immeasurable.

The ordeal had made the Wudang Sect Daoists despair. But by overcoming the ordeal, they came to have great pride.

They believed that the confidence that they could rise again from any desperate situation was their greatest asset.

The Wudang Sect was busy preparing for the upcoming Sect Leader’s birthday banquet.

Cheongjin Jin-in did not want to celebrate his birthday in a grand manner, but the elders of the Wudang Sect wanted to use his birthday banquet to announce the Wudang Sect’s prestige to all under heaven.

For that reason, grand banquet preparations were in full swing, regardless of Cheongjin Jin-in’s wishes.

The cooks responsible for the meals of the Wudang Sect Daoists were frantic preparing food.

Just preparing the meals for the Wudang Sect Daoists took up the whole day, so when they had to prepare meals for outsiders as well, it became an emergency for the cooks.

Do-dong and the third-generation disciples assisted, but they couldn’t keep up, to the point that they had to hire people with excellent cooking skills from the common folk living at the foot of the mountain for a high price.

The kitchen was in an uproar, with a cook sitting at every stove, churning out food.

The still-young acolytes were busy carrying food, watching the cooks’ expressions.

Lee Soyeol was one of those acolytes.

Having entered Mount Wudang not long ago, he had not yet received a Daoist name, and he was assigned to the kitchen as an assistant, sweating profusely.

Although he was only ten years old, Lee Soyeol was quick-witted and received all the love from the cooks.

Just then, a cook called out to Lee Soyeol.

“Daoist Master Soyeol!”

“I’m not a Daoist Master yet.”

“But you’ll become one soon, won’t you?”

“Still, please just call me by my name for now.”

The cook looked at Lee Soyeol, whose face turned red with embarrassment, as if he were cute.

He felt as if he were his own son.

He held out a tray with freshly made food to Lee Soyeol.

“Daoist Master Woo Seong is on duty today, and we’re late in bringing him his food. Please take this food to him.”

Daoist Master Woo Seong was a first-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect.

Managing the Scripture Depository was Daoist Master Woo Seong’s responsibility.

The Scripture Depository was where the Wudang Sect’s important books were stored. Like the Shaolin Temple’s Scripture Depository, this place also stored many of the Wudang Sect’s martial arts manuals.

For that reason, security was exceptionally tight, and those like Lee Soyeol, who had not yet even been entered into the Daoist registry, could not dare to approach.

If they hadn’t been so short-staffed, Lee Soyeol would never have had the chance to deliver food to the Scripture Depository.

Lee Soyeol scurried across the Wudang Sect grounds.

Though he held a rather large tray in both hands, there was not the slightest tremor.

The first things acolytes of the Wudang Sect learned were the Tai Chi Sphere Art and the Tiger Pounce Step.

The Tai Chi Sphere Art was a basic art of the Wudang Sect for learning internal energy by rotating a large sphere with one’s hands.

The Tiger Pounce Step was, as the name suggests, a gait like a walking tiger, and it was the basis of the Wudang Sect’s footwork.

The Wudang Sect decides whether to accept an acolyte as an official disciple based on their achievement in the Tai Chi Sphere Art. One whose achievement in the Tai Chi Sphere Art was lacking could never become an official disciple of the Wudang Sect.

Fortunately, Lee Soyeol had quite a talent for martial arts.

He had properly learned the Tai Chi Sphere Art, and his achievement in the Tiger Pounce Step was not bad either. Thanks to that, he could move lightly without a single tremor even while holding a tray full of food.

The path to the Scripture Depository was unfamiliar even to Lee Soyeol.

As it was a central area within the Wudang Sect, Lee Soyeol had almost no reason to enter it.

The Scripture Depository was filled with scriptures collected by the Wudang Sect.

Although its scale was smaller than the Shaolin Temple’s Scripture Depository, its importance was by no means inferior.

For that reason, the Wudang Sect paid special attention to the security of the Scripture Depository.

Normally, Lee Soyeol, who was merely an acolyte, would not have been able to enter and exit the Scripture Depository, but it was unavoidable as they were so short-staffed.

Lee Soyeol bowed his head in greeting to the Daoists guarding the entrance of the Scripture Depository.

“Hello.”

“Oh! It’s Soyeol. Have you brought food?”

“Yes! I was told to bring it to the Scripture Depository.”

“Is that so? Senior Martial Uncle Woo Seong has stepped out for a moment.”

The Daoist made a troubled face.

His Daoist name was Taesang, a second-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect.

Daoist Master Woo Seong, who managed the Scripture Depository, was his Senior Martial Uncle.

At Taesang’s words, Lee Soyeol’s face fell.

“Then what should I do? Should I come back later?”

“No need for that. Just slip into the Scripture Depository, place the food on the table, and come out.”

“Is that okay?”

“The Sect Master called for him, so he just stepped out for a moment and will be back soon. And he’s not the type to complain about the food being cold, so don’t worry and just go put it down.”

“Yes!”

At Taesang’s detailed explanation, Lee Soyeol’s face showed relief.

Lee Soyeol bowed his head to Taesang in thanks and then entered the Scripture Depository.

The inside of the Scripture Depository was silent.

During the day, quite a few Daoists come in to peruse the books, but at night like this, foot traffic comes to a complete halt.

This is because the use of lanterns inside the Scripture Depository is strictly forbidden, as there are many books that are highly flammable.

No fire is permitted except for the minimal number of lanterns to light the darkness.

Lee Soyeol waited for a moment until his eyes adjusted to the darkness, then carefully stepped inside.

Daoist Master Woo Seong’s seat was at the entrance of the Scripture Depository.

It was a key location with a clear view of the inside of the Scripture Depository.

From here, he watched with a tiger’s eye to see if any Wudang Sect Daoists might damage important scriptures.

Lee Soyeol placed the food he had brought on Daoist Master Woo Seong’s desk, then carefully looked around the interior of the Scripture Depository.

“Wow!”

A sound of admiration escaped his lips.

One had to be at least a second-generation disciple to enter the Scripture Depository. Until then, they had to train by learning the martial arts taught by the second-generation disciples.

“Someday, I too will…”

Lee Soyeol dreamed of becoming an official disciple of the Wudang Sect and proudly entering and exiting the Scripture Depository.

It was then.

“Huh?”

In Lee Soyeol’s vision, he saw something squirming in a corner of the Scripture Depository.

‘What is that?’

At first, Lee Soyeol thought he had seen wrong. So he rubbed his small eyes several times with his hands.

But it wasn’t a mistake, nor was it his imagination.

Something was moving in the corner of the Scripture Depository.

‘But they definitely said there was no one inside the Scripture Depository.’

Without realizing it, Lee Soyeol started walking toward it.

Only after taking about ten more steps did he realize that what he had seen was a human figure covered in a black camouflage cloak.

“Ah!”

A sound escaped Lee Soyeol’s lips without him realizing it.

At that moment, the figure who had been rummaging through the Scripture Depository while covered in the camouflage cloak turned around.

His eyes met Lee Soyeol’s directly.

In that instant, a sigh burst from the lips of the cloaked figure.

“Hah!”