Fortunately, the Demonic Flower Hall Master did not appear before until I returned to the Wudang Sect.
Since there was still plenty of ti left for my promise with my master, I returned to the inn I had rented with money before and took a sufficient rest.
This fight was more ntally draining than physically.
I felt anew how lonely the past Self-Taught Swordsman Unhwi was, and how fierce he was.
And so, for two days, I ditated and rested in the inn room without being disturbed by anyone.
With a new enlightennt, I realized that the martial arts that had been stagnant had advanced by one stage.
'Especially, there was a great developnt in the Six Yang Divine Art.'
Until now, the Six Yang Divine Art had remained at about the fifth level of achievent.
It was to the extent that I could convert my internal energy into yang energy and use the extre yang energy of the Six Yang Divine Art in my sword.
This much can be said to be amazing. In the first place, there are not many martial arts that can handle yang energy, and a sword imbued with yang energy can produce a greater power than a sword imbued with ordinary internal energy.
'Now, I think I can understand how to construct yang energy with internal energy.'
Originally, it would be a more correct expression to say that I used it by morizing it rather than understanding it.
As written in the oral formula, I had only done it as my body and instincts followed, rather than my head, and as I vaguely felt, so I could not gain a great enlightennt, but by contemplating my past self, the level of my martial arts naturally rose.
It was an enlightennt I gained by acknowledging that the Self-Taught Swordsman Unhwi was also a part of .
I thought that until now, I had been too imrsed in the role of a Taoist of the Wudang Sect after reawakening.
So, to so extent, I tried not to cross the line, and I might have been caught up in the stereotype of how a Taoist should act.
'Demonic Flower Hall Master. Thank you for this.'
Thanks to the Demonic Flower Hall Master's insistence, I brought out my past self without using the martial arts of the Wudang Sect at all, and since that naturally led to the achievent of martial arts, I felt a little bit of gratitude towards him as well.
Of course, it is very resentful that he tried to make our Wudang Sect the culprit of this incident.
'More experience. I need to think more.'
I realized once again this ti that martial arts do not improve just by training.
I am looking forward to where the many experiences and many fights I will have in the future will take , and I fell into a state of selflessness.
And so, today, I beca a little stronger.
***
A few days later.
Returning to the Wudang Sect, I first ca to our room.
But in our room, there were only Senior Brother Un Sik and Senior Brother Un Mi.
I, after a simple greeting with my senior brothers, asked, "Where are Senior Brother Un Cheol and Senior Brother Un Jeong?"
"Senior Brother Un Cheol seems to have received so mission with the Grand Senior Brother. He went down the mountain because of that mission."
"I guess they're already working them hard because they're the Five Swords of Wudang."
"Didn't you also go out for that reason?"
"Th-That's right."
Since I had told my senior brothers that I had just gone out on a mission, I mumbled and asked the next question.
"Then what about Senior Brother Un Jeong?"
Then Senior Brother Un Mi chuckled and said, "Where would a senior brother who has obtained an entry pass go? He was so excited that he got the Sect Leader's permission and went to Wuhan."
"I guess he went to see Miss Mi-hyang?"
"That's right. He said he was going to the Shi-wol-ru."
Envy was visible on the faces of Senior Brother Un Sik and Senior Brother Un Mi.
"Sigh. I also have to receive a cool mission soday and perform it."
"Sigh. I'll also et soone I'm destined to be with soday."
The two said at the sa ti.
But the content was a little different. Senior Brother Un Sik seems to be envious of the fact that Senior Brother Un Cheol received a mission as one of the Five Swords of Wudang, and Senior Brother Un Mi seems to be envious of Senior Brother Un Jeong who has Miss Mi-hyang.
"Both of you, don't be too hasty and think slowly. As ti passes, you will be able to achieve everything you want."
"Will it happen just by ti passing? I have to train hard even in my daily life and grow myself."
"That's right. That's the most important thing."
"I should also train hard. Wouldn't won like a man with strong martial arts more?"
"That's also a matter of course that it's a pain to say it twice."
The two of them hardened their resolve again with a determined expression.
Although the final destinations of the two senior brothers are different, in the end, the process is to train hard in martial arts, so wouldn't it be okay?
Because if you train hard in martial arts, you will have more choices even if your goal changes later.
"Hwi-ya. What are you going to do now? You've been back for a long ti, shall we train together?"
"I'd like to, but I think I have to go to my master first. To be honest, after the martial arts tournant, my master and I were supposed to go to the Martial Alliance, but I went out before that."
"Then there's no other way."
"It's actually better. When we train by ourselves, we'll work really hard and surprise you when we can train together later."
"I'll look forward to it, senior brothers."
I, after chatting a little more with my senior brothers, left our room and headed to my master's quarters.
When I arrived there, my master, as if he had been waiting for for several days, imdiately said, "You've returned well. Then prepare to leave again."
"Already?"
"Yes. I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow. I've already told the Sect Leader everything."
I, with a dumbfounded expression, asked my master, "What were you going to do if I didn't co today, that you were already preparing everything?"
"If you didn't co today, you would have co tomorrow. If you didn't co tomorrow, you would have co the day after tomorrow."
"How long were you planning to wait like that?"
"I was planning to wait until a month after the day you left the Wudang Sect. Didn't you promise ? That you would co back by then."
"What if I couldn't keep my promise?"
"Then I don't know where you went, but I would have gone to save you. Since you're not a guy who would break a promise."
"Master..."
I even felt a ringing in a corner of my heart, feeling his complete trust in .
"That's enough of the mushy talk, for now, hurry up and go greet the Sect Leader."
"What greeting?"
"Well, a return greeting, and a greeting that you will go to the Martial Alliance and co back safely."
"I ca today, are you leaving right away like this?"
"Yes. We're leaving early tomorrow morning."
My master spoke firmly and almost kicked out, telling to go to the Sect Leader before it got any later.
He is a master who cannot stand the atmosphere turning even a little bit soft.
Having this conversation with my master, I feel like I have beco Unhwi of the Wudang Sect again from the Self-Taught Swordsman Unhwi.
I, with a light heart, walked towards the Sangcheong Palace where the Sect Leader was and looked around the scenery of the Wudang Sect.
Because tomorrow, I have to leave this place again, and for so reason, I had a premonition that if I go now, I won't be back soon.
***
It was deep in the night.
At the Ghost Iron Gate... no, at the place that was the Ghost Iron Gate until a little while ago, several people had co, taking advantage of the dead of night.
Except for two, they were dressed in black from head to toe.
Moreover, except for their eyes, no part of them was exposed, so it was difficult to distinguish who was who until they heard each other's voices and made eye contact.
"Elder Oh. Thank you. I didn't know you would lend the Ghost Shadow Squad."
"Of course, I should. It's not just anyone, but the third young master's request."
One of the two was called Elder Oh, and the other was called the third young master.
The elder was the Ghost Shaman, one of the eight elders of the Demonic Cult.
The Ghost Shadow Squad he leads looks like assassins at a glance, but they are a group specialized in tracking, information gathering, and exploration.
And the third young master's na is Muk Wol-gwang.
He was one of the five sons of the Heavenly Demon, but he had given up the succession competition early on and had entered under the first young master, Muk Il-gwang, and had beco his subordinate.
"When I return to the main headquarters, I will be sure to convey Elder Oh's contribution to my brother."
"It is too early to talk about contributions. Only when we get sothing from here can we call it a contribution."
Elder Oh, the Ghost Shaman, spoke firmly and then ordered the Ghost Shadow Squad to find out everything they could from here.
The reason they ca here was because the fourth young master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had died here a few days ago.
Although a few days had passed, and the Beggars' Sect disciples had co right after the incident and turned this place upside down, few expected to be able to get proper information.
But the Ghost Shaman was confident. To find sothing in a place where no one can find it.
Because that is the differentiation and ability that only the Ghost Shadow Squad has.
"The third young master must also be very heartbroken. You have lost a blood relative."
The Ghost Shaman said this to him with the intention of comforting him, but the third young master looked at the Ghost Shaman without answering.
Seeing his gaze, the Ghost Shaman flinched inwardly.
Because he was looking at him with empty eyes that had no emotion.
'If he had shown anger, I wouldn't have felt this way...'
The third young master turned his gaze back to the direction of the Ghost Shadow Squad and opened his mouth.
"My younger brother was destined to die anyway. The only question was when and how."
"St-Still..."
"His martial arts were weak, he hated having escorts with him, and he also neglected his training. He enjoyed reigning like a god over the weak who he could easily defeat without effort, so it was no different from putting his life on the line at all tis."
"That's what I was curious about. Why didn't the fourth young master go around with his personal escorts?"
Within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the blood relatives of the Cult Leader are naturally special managent targets.
They are followed by particularly skilled escorts.
If they are uncomfortable with being followed, they are also given skilled personal escorts who can escort them without revealing their presence.
But the fourth young master went around alone without any escorts.
"It must be because he was afraid of the eyes and ears of the personal escorts because he was doing dirty and ugly things that he couldn't tell anyone he was the son of the Heavenly Demon. No matter how much of a scoundrel he is, he knows sha. If he does ugly things when soone is watching, he can't help but feel intimidated, can he?"
"Still... I don't understand why he felt ashad in front of his own escorts."
"Just because they protect , are they my people? They are my father's people."
"Ah...!"
The Ghost Shaman reflexively nodded his head.
He had not thought that far. Although they were assigned as escorts, in reality they were monitors watching over him.
All the things that the successor candidates do in their daily lives, how they train in martial arts, who they join hands with, etc., would be reported to the Heavenly Demon.
"But, no matter how much he put his life on the line, this incident is an incident where the blood relative of the Heavenly Demon was murdered. That's why I'm trying to reveal the truth, even bothering the Ghost Shadow Squad and Elder Oh."
At that ti, the leader of the Ghost Shadow Squad, the Ghost Shadow Squad Leader, approached the Ghost Shaman.
The fact that he ca to the Ghost Shaman ans he has already found sothing.
"Did you find sothing?"
"Elder Oh. There is sothing you need to see for a mont."
", personally?"
"Yes."
"What is it?"
The Ghost Shaman frowned.
This kind of thing is not common.
The Ghost Shadow Squad Leader is an expert specialized in finding and chasing soone's traces since he was very young.
Usually, if there is a questionable matter, he judges it and tells the Ghost Shaman.
But the fact that he called the Ghost Shaman ans he has found sothing that is difficult for him to judge.
Inevitably, the Ghost Shaman followed him. The place he followed him to was the inner court.
"There was a fight in this entire manor, but the biggest fight happened right here. It is also presud that the fourth young master died here."
Although the Beggars' Sect disciples who had cleaned up the scene had cleanly erased the corpse and its traces, the Ghost Shadow Squad had almost accurately guessed it.
But the Ghost Shaman, as if it were a natural thing, frowned and said, "Then that's it. Can't we just deduce what martial arts the bastard used from its traces? Did you call for such a trivial matter?"
"But... I can't even guess what that martial art is."
"What?"
The Ghost Shaman, with wide eyes, looked at the Ghost Shadow Squad Leader.
The Ghost Shadow Squad Leader is a person who is an expert at guessing what kind of martial art it is with just a very small trace.
Even if he can't guess which martial art of which sect it is, the Ghost Shadow Squad Leader is the one who can at least find out which school of martial art it is.
But for him to ask the Ghost Shaman for help, saying he can't get a grasp of it.
"Move aside. I'll see for myself."
The Ghost Shaman began to examine the traces himself. In his youth, he had also been a Ghost Shadow Squad Leader.
On top of that, he now has more experience and a career. That's why he was confident that he could find what the Ghost Shadow Squad Leader couldn't find.
But...
"What... on earth?"
He, who had been examining the banquet hall for a long ti, ended up shouting with a deep frown.
"My god. Does it even make sense that this many people were killed by a single person, and with just the Three Talents Sword Art at that?!"
He shouted without caring at all that the surrounding Ghost Shadow Squad mbers were looking at him.
Because in his not-so-short life, this was the first ti he had encountered sothing so incomprehensible.
(End of Chapter)
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