Chapter 214

The moment he saw the old Taoist, Pyo Wol felt a chill as if he had fallen into a pit of ice.

He had met plenty of powerful martial artists before.

Daoist Master Mujung of the Qingcheng Sect was a Sword Hero capable of unifying a region, and the Blood Buddha of the Small Thunder Sound Temple was an Overlord who could have aimed for All Under Heaven.

He had also met the supreme master Wind Venerable, and just a moment ago, he had fought another supreme master, the Wolf King Gu Jin-wang.

Not a single one of them had been an easy opponent.

Pyo Wol had to risk his life every time he faced them.

Even against opponents he seemed to defeat easily, Pyo Wol had given his all.

He predicted countless possibilities and chose the most efficient method to fight them.

That was how Pyo Wol had been able to win his fights and save his own life.

The reason Pyo Wol had survived until now was because he had desperately exploited his enemies’ weaknesses. But he could see no such weakness in the old Taoist before him.

As naturally as water flows from high to low, the old Taoist seemed as if he had always been in this spot.

Pyo Wol had thought he could risk his life and fight Gu Jin-wang. But against the old Taoist before him, he couldn’t even muster such a thought.

It wasn’t a matter of Martial Arts.

The very existence of the old Taoist prevented such thoughts from arising.

Pyo Wol, who rarely showed any emotional turmoil, couldn’t help but wear a bewildered expression in front of the old Taoist.

The old Taoist’s gaze turned to Pyo Wol.

“Was it you? The one who chased away that wolf.”

“……”

“Quite impressive. He’s one of the most ferocious beings in All Under Heaven, yet you managed to chase him off.”

The old Taoist smiled brightly.

It was a pure smile, without a single speck of impurity.

Pyo Wol asked without realizing it.

“Who are you?”

Pyo Wol rarely used honorifics unless he was intentionally concealing his identity. Yet, he had used them without thinking.

The old Taoist looked Pyo Wol up and down and answered.

“I am called Il-geom. I live up on Mount Wudang. And who might you be?”

“Pardon?”

“Well, I’ve never seen such a dumbfounding fellow. Hah!”

The old Taoist, who had identified himself as Il-geom, kept exclaiming in amazement as he looked at Pyo Wol.

If anyone else had acted this way toward Pyo Wol, he wouldn’t have stood for it. But against the old Taoist, he didn’t even feel that way.

Strangely, he felt his mind at ease.

Pyo Wol’s nerves, which had been as taut as a fully drawn bowstring, loosened.

Suddenly, the old Taoist’s gaze shifted to Soma, who was sprawled in the distance.

“That one’s about to breathe his last.”

As he said, Soma’s breathing was faint.

His wounds had worsened from being neglected while Pyo Wol fought Gu Jin-wang.

The old Taoist said to Pyo Wol.

“Carry that little one on your back and follow me.”

“Pardon?”

“Are you going to let him die? Tsk!”

At the old Taoist’s rebuke, Pyo Wol quickly hoisted Soma onto his back.

When he turned his head again, the old Taoist was gone.

At that moment, the old Taoist’s voice echoed in his ear.

—Why are you looking around so foolishly? Up here.

Lifting his head to the sky, he saw the old Taoist floating in the air.

He was as light as a feather, soaring a dozen Zhang forward with each light push off a tree branch.

It was the Wudang Sect’s signature Lightness Art, the Cloud Ladder Ascent.

However, his mastery was so high that it looked like Void Stepping.

Pyo Wol chased after the old Taoist with Soma on his back.

Pyo Wol dashed up the mountain at a terrifying speed. Even so, he struggled to keep up with the old Taoist.

If he slowed down even slightly, the distance between them would grow, and he would lose sight of him.

‘Daoist Master Ilgeom?’

He already knew the story of a great martial artist from the Wudang Sect who had gone into Seclusion a generation ago.

A martial artist who was called the greatest sword of Wudang before Daoist Master Sangjin.

He had learned that his name was Daoist Master Ilgeom while staying at the Wudang Sect.

Pyo Wol had assumed the difference between Daoist Master Ilgeom and Daoist Master Sangjin wouldn’t be that great.

No matter how great a sword he was a generation ago, strength and senses decline with age. While the powerful Internal Energy and experience accumulated over the years might compensate to some extent, one’s overall abilities were bound to decline.

Pyo Wol had thought Daoist Master Ilgeom would be no exception. But seeing him in person, he realized how complacent his thoughts had been. And he once again felt how formidable the power of the prestigious Orthodox Faction was.

He had no idea how many more Experts like Daoist Master Ilgeom were in the Wudang Sect. It was known that several Experts of his generation were still alive. Their Martial Arts might be inferior to Daoist Master Ilgeom’s, but they would be by no means inferior to the current Elders of the Wudang Sect.

His heart grew heavy.

‘If the Wudang Sect is like this, how many Experts must be teeming in the Radiant Martial Gate or the Heavenly Martial Fortress?’

Pyo Wol was reminded once again of how vast the Jianghu was.

But he did not despair.

Pyo Wol had achieved what he had now starting from nothing. As long as he continued to train without letting his guard down, he would not collapse in vain.

Following Daoist Master Ilgeom, he arrived at an unnamed mountain peak.

It was one of the many rocky peaks on Mount Wudang.

This was Daoist Master Ilgeom’s residence.

After retiring from the Wudang Sect, he had been living alone on this secluded rocky peak.

On one side of the peak stood a shabby Thatched Hut.

Pyo Wol looked around, with Soma still on his back.

He felt a strong, mysterious Qi that he hadn’t sensed at the Wudang Sect.

It seemed to be the reason why Daoist Master Ilgeom had chosen this place for his Seclusion.

“Lay that fellow down on the bed.”

Pyo Wol laid Soma down on the bed inside the Thatched Hut.

The wooden bed, which Daoist Master Ilgeom had made himself, was barely holding its shape.

Daoist Master Ilgeom examined Soma’s condition and muttered.

“That wolf’s touch is as cruel as ever. Tsk! I should have killed him back then. Anyway, what is this thing called affection…”

Grumbling, Daoist Master Ilgeom rolled up his sleeves.

He had the unconscious Soma sit up with his back turned.

Pyo Wol watched silently as Daoist Master Ilgeom worked.

A red light seemed to gather on Daoist Master Ilgeom’s fingertips, and then he struck the major acupoints on Soma’s back.

Thud! Thud!

Each time he struck an acupoint, Soma’s body flinched.

“This one is strange, too. So strange. He clearly learned Shaolin techniques, so why is he so twisted? Tsk, the older brother is bizarre, so the younger one is strange too.”

He shook his head but didn’t stop striking Soma with his fingers.

The technique he was using was a finger art called the Blazing Sun Finger.

It was originally a finger technique used to destroy malevolent Qi, but Daoist Master Ilgeom was using it to drive out Gu Jin-wang’s Qi that had infiltrated Soma’s body.

Daoist Master Ilgeom had already reached the level of a grandmaster and could use the same Martial Arts in infinitely varied ways.

The Blazing Sun Finger was no exception.

He was using the profound Qi of the Blazing Sun Finger to save Soma instead.

The sight of Daoist Master Ilgeom doing so left a strong impression on Pyo Wol.

“Keoheok!”

Suddenly, Soma vomited blood.

Only then did Daoist Master Ilgeom stop his hand movements with a satisfied smile.

“I’ve restored his breathing, so as long as he takes care of his body, he’ll have no problem eating and shitting.”

He laid Soma back on the bed and stood up.

Pyo Wol bowed his head to him.

“Thank you for your help.”

“I didn’t do it to receive your thanks, so don’t be so polite. It gives me hives. More importantly, where did you come from? How could I not know of a strange fellow like you? Are you also here for Cheongjin’s birthday party?”

“Yes!”

“Honestly, those Taoists should be focusing on their training, but instead they throw such lavish parties. Tsk, tsk!”

Daoist Master Ilgeom criticized the leaders of the Wudang Sect.

Not only Daoist Master Cheongjin, the Sect Master of the Wudang Sect, but also the Elders could not escape his criticism.

“I was planning to rest here and quietly ascend to the celestial realm, but those brats are making so much noise I can’t go up.”

“Does the celestial realm exist?”

“How would I know?”

“Pardon?”

“I haven’t croaked yet, so how would I know if the celestial realm exists or not?”

“But just now…”

“I’ll find out when I croak. Still, I’ve hardly done anything bad, so if a celestial realm really exists, wouldn’t I go there? You too, stop accumulating bad karma and start building good karma. For a young man, you reek of so much Death Qi, it feels like my nose is going to rot.”

“……”

“Now, tell me. How on earth can a young man like you have the eyes of an old man who has seen all of life?”

Daoist Master Ilgeom spat out harsh words without hesitation. Yet, it wasn’t unpleasant at all because of the warm gaze within them.

Daoist Master Ilgeom was looking at Pyo Wol and Soma with pity.

His eyes, full of compassion, pierced through the wall surrounding Pyo Wol’s heart.

Still, when Pyo Wol didn’t speak easily, Daoist Master Ilgeom shot up from his seat.

“Playing hard to get, are we? You won’t talk without getting something in return? You son of a bitch! You won’t be satisfied until you’ve stripped me of what little I have, will you?”

He grumbled as he brought over a jar that was placed in a corner of the Thatched Hut.

“What is that?”

“Liquor! Don’t you people only open your mouths when you’re drunk? This is pine blossom wine I brewed thirty years ago. Hurry up and drink, then tell me your story.”

“I don’t drink.”

“Bullshit! Just drink it when I give it to you. You rotten bastard!”

Daoist Master Ilgeom unsealed the jar. An incredible scent of pine burst forth.

The refreshing pine scent that cleared his chest made Pyo Wol swallow his saliva without realizing it.

Daoist Master Ilgeom ladled a full gourd of the liquor and poured it into Pyo Wol’s cup.

“Drink!”

“Aren’t you drinking, True Person?”

“What’s the use of an old man waiting to die drinking this good stuff? You drink your fill. You’ll never be able to taste this again, so drink every last drop.”

Pyo Wol stared at the cup for a moment.

It wasn’t an ordinary cup; it was almost the size of a bowl.

After staring at the cup for a moment, Pyo Wol brought it to his lips.

As the pine blossom wine in the cup sloshed, the aroma grew even stronger.

Pyo Wol squeezed his eyes shut and drank the pine blossom wine.

A fiery sensation started in his mouth and traveled down his esophagus to his stomach. It felt as if his entire insides were on fire. He didn’t dislike the feeling.

“Ho ho! Look at this one. He drinks well. Have another.”

Daoist Master Ilgeom let out a hearty laugh and filled the cup again.

Pyo Wol drank without refusing.

“Now, speak.”

“I am…”

Pyo Wol began to talk about the trajectory of his life.

“Right! So that’s what happened. And then?”

Daoist Master Ilgeom chimed in, empathizing with Pyo Wol’s life and expressing his sorrow.

Pyo Wol continued his story naturally as he drained his cup.

Whenever Pyo Wol’s cup was empty, Daoist Master Ilgeom would fill it with pine blossom wine and respond enthusiastically.

Pyo Wol’s story continued late into the night, and Daoist Master Ilgeom became deeply engrossed in it.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

The liquor jar was empty, and Pyo Wol’s story had come to an end.

“So that’s what happened! It was like that.”

Daoist Master Ilgeom nodded his head.

A mysterious Qi, not seen before, flickered in his eyes as he looked at Pyo Wol. But Pyo Wol couldn’t see Daoist Master Ilgeom’s expression. He had already lost consciousness, drunk on the liquor.

It was unheard of for an Expert who had reached Pyo Wol’s level to get drunk and lose consciousness.

This was because once a certain amount of alcohol poison accumulated in the body, one’s Internal Power would automatically expel or purify it.

That was why Pyo Wol had accepted the cups without hesitation. But what Pyo Wol hadn’t anticipated was that the pine blossom wine he drank was no ordinary liquor.

He had brewed countless liquors over decades, but only this one had turned out as he intended.

Many, including Daoist Master Cheongjin, had visited, but no one had managed to get even a single cup of this liquor.

“I wonder if that fellow knows. How precious what he drank is. Hehe!”

Daoist Master Ilgeom stepped outside and looked up at the night sky.

In the cloudless sky, countless stars formed a sea.

“Is this also fate? To meet that child at this very moment.”

Like the stars in the night sky, the afflictions in his heart shone brightly.