Chapter 194

The inn was bustling from the morning.

Woo Jang-rak’s subordinates brought out a chest containing Buddhist scriptures from a room. Bo-gyeong stood by, watching to see if anyone had any other ideas.

The wanderers looked puzzled at Bo-gyeong’s sudden appearance. But when they heard he was a second-generation disciple of the Shaolin Temple, they all accepted it.

The only surprising thing was that instead of heading straight for the Shaolin Temple as they had expected, they were going to attend the birthday banquet of the Wudang Sect’s Sect Master. However, not a single wanderer expressed any complaint.

For wanderers like them, getting a chance to see the inside of a prestigious orthodox sect like Wudang was as difficult as plucking a star from the sky.

Being able to see the inside of the Wudang Sect would be a story to boast about for a lifetime. But there was a problem.

Staying at the Wudang Sect for a few days would extend their journey by that much. But naturally, all the wanderers said that it didn’t matter.

The benefit of seeing the Wudang Sect far outweighed the delay in their schedule.

The faces of the wanderers preparing to climb Mount Wudang were filled with excitement.

The same was true for Seol Ha-jin.

She had been in a good mood since morning.

It was because a series of pleasant things had happened.

Yesterday, she had settled a long-standing grudge with her senior martial brothers from Jinmen Island, and today, she had gotten the chance to see the Wudang Sect, making the corners of her mouth curl up to the sky on their own.

With a pleasant smile, Seol Ha-jin looked around the inn.

Just then, Pyo Wol and Soma, descending the stairs, came into her view.

Seol Ha-jin approached Pyo Wol and asked.

“Did you hear? We’re going to the Wudang Sect today.”

“Yes!”

“You’re going too, right?”

“We’ll see!”

“What kind of answer is that? You’re not coming with us?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“You should probably come with us, right? It’ll be great. When else would we get a chance like this to see the inside of a great prestigious sect like Wudang?”

Seol Ha-jin’s face was full of excitement.

She tried to coax Pyo Wol in a suggestive tone, but cruelly, Pyo Wol did not give a definite answer.

It was then.

Suddenly, a commotion arose near the entrance of the inn.

With the sound of people murmuring outside, two Daoists entered the inn.

The moment the Daoists stepped inside, the movements of the people in the inn came to a halt.

“Huh?”

“It’s the Wudang Sect.”

People instinctively recognized that the Daoists who entered the inn were from the Wudang Sect.

Their guess turned into certainty because of Bo-gyeong’s reaction.

Bo-gyeong had recognized the Daoists’ identities and hurried over.

“Amitabha! Bo-gyeong of the Shaolin Temple greets Daoist Master Woo-pyeong.”

“Well now, why is Monk Bo-gyeong here? Where has Great Monk Un-il gone?”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong recognized Bo-gyeong at a glance.

The Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Sect occasionally had exchanges, so their key figures knew each other by face.

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong was a first-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect, and Bo-gyeong was a promising talent of the Shaolin Temple, so of course, they knew each other’s faces.

Bo-gyeong answered Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s question.

“By my Master’s strict orders, I was guarding an item that will become a treasure of our martial sect.”

“A treasure?”

“It is a Buddhist scripture written in Sanskrit. The original, which came from the Western Regions. It may be of little value to other sects, but to our sect, it is an unparalleled treasure.”

“I see.”

“Did you perhaps come here knowing I was here? You didn’t have to come looking for me, I would have climbed Mount Wudang as a matter of course.”

“Ah! My apologies. I came today to see someone else, not you.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s talk in a moment. Until then, please talk with my disciple.”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong pushed his disciple, Tae-gwang, towards Bo-gyeong.

Tae-gwang was quite a talkative person, and fortunately, he had met Bo-gyeong a few times before, so they got along well.

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong passed Bo-gyeong and headed towards Pyo Wol.

He cut to the chase and got straight to the point.

“Help me.”

“……”

“A young apprentice died at the main sect last night.”

“And?”

“The cause of death is unclear. No one at the main sect has been able to find the exact cause of death.”

A look of regret was evident on Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s face.

Last night, the body of a young apprentice was discovered in the main sect’s Scripture Depository.

The young apprentice who had brought a meal for Daoist Master Woo Seong, who managed the Scripture Depository, did not come out even after a long time had passed, so Daoists who found it strange went in and discovered the body.

Because of this, the Wudang Sect was in an uproar.

It was only natural, as the young apprentice who had entered the Scripture Depository just a short while ago was discovered as a corpse soon after.

The problem was that no one in the Wudang Sect could find the cause of the young apprentice’s death.

This was despite the fact that all the Daoists who examined the body possessed extraordinary observational skills and knowledge.

That was how mysterious the young apprentice’s death was.

On the outside, it looked like he had died of natural causes. But the Daoists knew better than anyone that it made no sense.

The probability of a healthy child who practiced martial arts dying of natural causes in just one shichen was lower than the probability of lightning striking the Wudang Sect dozens of times in a row.

Moreover, it was an incident that occurred just before the birthday banquet of the Wudang Sect’s Sect Master, Cheongjin Jin-in. Because of this, the entire Wudang Sect was in an uproar.

“I’m asking you. If you can uncover the cause of that child’s death, I will surely reward you.”

“Was he a child you cherished?”

“He was a child I had my eye on. His talent was decent, so I was thinking of making him Tae-gwang’s disciple later and teaching him myself. If you can find the cause of that child’s death, I will stake my honor and grant you any request.”

“Where did the child die?”

“The Scripture Depository.”

“The Scripture Depository?”

“It’s a place where we have collected precious books gathered by our sect.”

“Precious books?”

“From miscellaneous books to tomes that chronicle the history of Jianghu, it mainly stores books that are not easy to obtain.”

“What about martial arts manuals?”

“They were originally stored in the Scripture Depository, but in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances ahead of the Sect Master’s birthday banquet, we moved them to another location.”

There were hundreds of people formally invited to Cheongjin Jin-in’s birthday banquet. Including their entourages and uninvited guests, at least a thousand people would enter the Wudang Sect.

There was no guarantee that among them, there wouldn’t be someone coveting the Wudang Sect’s martial arts secret manuals. So, to keep the secret manuals safe, the Wudang Sect had moved them all to another secret cave three days ago.

“Aren’t you someone who makes a living by killing people? Since you kill people with methods we can’t even imagine, can’t you also figure out the methods others used to kill?”

“You trust me, an assassin?”

“As of now, I have no other choice. I beg you. Please uncover the cause of that child’s death.”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s voice was filled with desperate emotion.

He looked ready to kneel if Pyo Wol refused.

“Alright. I’ll go up.”

“Really?”

“In return, let me investigate the Scripture Depository as I please.”

“I agree! There are no martial arts manuals there, so it doesn’t matter.”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong readily accepted Pyo Wol’s proposal.

He immediately went to Tae-gwang and informed him that Pyo Wol would be going with them. Bo-gyeong, who was next to Tae-gwang, looked at Pyo Wol with a puzzled expression.

‘Who on earth is that man to make Daoist Master Woo-pyeong wear such an expression?’

Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed as if Daoist Master Woo-pyeong was walking on eggshells around Pyo Wol.

It wasn’t just Daoist Master Woo-pyeong. Woo Jang-rak was also walking on eggshells around Pyo Wol. He couldn’t understand why martial artists renowned in Jianghu were so wary of Pyo Wol.

The person who was happiest when it was confirmed that Pyo Wol would be climbing Mount Wudang was none other than Woo Jang-rak. His mental burden had been greatly reduced.

Pyo Wol and Soma packed their belongings and came down.

Just then, Seol Ha-jin approached and asked.

“This is unexpected.”

“What is?”

“I thought with your personality, you would never go to a crowded place like this event. What’s your angle?”

“There’s no angle.”

“Hmph! Try fooling someone who’ll believe you.”

Seol Ha-jin snorted.

From what she had felt while traveling with him this far, there was absolutely no such thing as coincidence in what Pyo Wol did.

At first, one might think it was a coincidence, but upon reviewing the situation later, one would realize that most things had proceeded according to Pyo Wol’s intentions.

The small things Pyo Wol had done had gathered to create a big result. Having seen such situations several times, Seol Ha-jin did not believe Pyo Wol’s words.

‘If you peel back that handsome face, there’s definitely a nine-tailed fox inside. If not that, then a thousand-year-old serpent is coiled up in there.’

＊＊＊

The group left Baokang and headed for Mount Wudang.

The closer they got to Mount Wudang, the more martial artists carrying weapons they saw. They were all martial artists heading for Mount Wudang.

A common light of excitement existed on all their faces.

Although decades had passed since the sect had opened its tightly shut doors, the number of people who could still set foot in the Wudang Sect was extremely small.

After experiencing several great disasters, the Wudang Sect had learned a great lesson, and after that, it never made the mistake of revealing everything about itself.

Once this moment passed, there was no telling when they would get to see the inside of the Wudang Sect again. Because of this, martial artists who had settled in the Hubei province area were all heading to the Wudang Sect without exception.

Thanks to this, the ones enjoying a boom were the inns located at the foot of Mount Wudang. Every inn was overflowing with guests to the point where there were no vacant rooms.

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong clicked his tongue as he looked at the martial artists.

“Tsk, tsk! It’s not like everyone can enter the Wudang Sect just by doing that.”

No matter how vast the Wudang Sect was, the number of people it could accept was fixed.

The number the Wudang Sect had decided on was a thousand.

Any more than that, they couldn’t accommodate, so they had no choice but to block them at the mountain gate.

For martial artists who had not received an invitation from the Wudang Sect, their entry to the mountain gate would be decided based on their identity, affiliated sect, and so on.

The more certain their identity and the higher their reputation in Jianghu, the higher the probability of entering the Wudang Sect. In particular, those belonging to major sects were given priority for entry.

For the remaining martial artists, entering the Wudang Sect was bound to be as difficult as plucking a star from the sky.

In that respect, Woo Jang-rak’s group was lucky.

It was because a first-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect, Daoist Master Woo-pyeong, was personally guiding them. On top of that, Bo-gyeong, a promising talent from the Shaolin Temple, was with them.

With this, they could pass through the mountain gate freely without any separate procedures.

The closer they got to Mount Wudang, the number of martial artists increased exponentially. By the time they arrived at the foot of Mount Wudang, it seemed as if the entire street was packed with martial artists.

The martial artists who arrived late were in an uproar because they couldn’t find lodging. If Woo Jang-rak’s group had also arrived late, they would have been in the same predicament.

“We have no reason to stay here, so let’s go straight up to the Wudang Sect.”

“We should do that.”

Woo Jang-rak immediately nodded at Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s words.

The sun was already about to set.

Since the lodgings were already full, it was impossible for this large group to find a place to sleep. It was better to climb Mount Wudang now, even if they arrived late at night.

Under Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s guidance, the group climbed Mount Wudang.

Fortunately, the path to the Wudang Sect was well-paved, and disciples of the Wudang Sect were stationed here and there.

The Wudang Sect disciples lit torches and guided Daoist Master Woo-pyeong and the group to the Wudang Sect. Thanks to them, the group was able to arrive at the Wudang Sect before the night deepened.

Next to the mountain gate was the famous Sword Release Pool.

It was a place with a legend that martial artists visiting the Wudang Sect would unfasten and entrust their swords as a sign of respect for the Wudang Sect’s founder, Zhang Sanfeng.

Although it had become a mere formality in this era, there were still many who thought of the legend of the Sword Release Pool when they thought of the Wudang Sect’s mountain gate.

The Sword Release Pool was being guarded by second and third-generation disciples of the Wudang Sect.

One might wonder who would dare to come late at night and make unreasonable demands of the Wudang Sect, but there were more people in the world than one might think for whom common sense did not apply.

They would stubbornly pester to be allowed to see the Wudang Sect or make unreasonable demands to be let through.

Because of this, the disciples of the Wudang Sect had to take turns standing guard even in the middle of the night without proper rest. Perhaps for that reason, their faces were full of fatigue.

The person in charge of the guard tonight was a second-generation disciple, Tae-yeol.

“Senior Martial Brother!”

Tae-gwang was the first to run to Tae-yeol.

Tae-yeol warmly greeted his junior martial brother, whom he hadn’t seen in days.

“Tae-gwang. Senior Martial Uncle has come as well.”

“You must have had a hard time.”

Daoist Master Woo-pyeong patted Tae-yeol’s shoulder.

Tae-yeol’s face was extremely haggard, as if showing the mental anguish he had been through.

Lee Soyeol’s sudden death was enough to shake the Wudang Sect to its core.

Although he had not yet been formally registered as a Daoist, a talent like Lee Soyeol would have naturally become a formal disciple of the Wudang Sect.

The ones most hurt by Lee Soyeol’s death were the people responsible for the Wudang Sect’s security, like Tae-yeol.

Although no trace of an external intrusion had been found yet, if Lee Soyeol was indeed murdered, the responsibility would fall on them.

“I am sorry. This incident occurred because this disciple failed to stand guard properly.”

“How could that be your responsibility? It hasn’t even been confirmed that the child’s death was a homicide, so don’t blame yourself too much.”

“Thank you.”

At Daoist Master Woo-pyeong’s comfort, Tae-yeol’s expression became a little more relieved. His gaze turned to the people behind Daoist Master Woo-pyeong.

“And these people are?”

“They are guests who came with me. Since they are my guests, I will guide them up the mountain myself.”

“Then please just fill out the guest register briefly.”

“I will.”

Woo Jang-rak’s group took turns writing their names in the guest register, and finally, it was Pyo Wol’s turn.

Pyo Wol picked up the brush. And he wrote his name vigorously in the guest register.

Pyo Wol (Drifting Moon).

It was the moment that name first appeared in the official records of Jianghu.