"Wudang Sect?"
"Unhwi, you say? How did you get in here?"
"When I said I had urgent business with the Sect Leader, they let in. They said you'd be having a eting here."
"Who?"
"The Qingcheng disciple guarding the main gate. At first, he said it was absolutely not allowed, but when he heard I was a Wudang Taoist who ca to help Qingcheng, he let in."
I spoke the truth as it was, but the Qingcheng Taoists looked at as if they couldn't believe it.
"Are you saying you've co to help our Qingcheng now?"
"That's right."
"Who sent you? Since you said Wudang, did the Wudang Sect Leader send you?"
I gave a grin, shook my head slightly, and said:
"You could say that, but strictly speaking, I've co representing the entire orthodox martial world."
"Representing the orthodox martial world?"
"Yes. First, please accept this."
I handed the symbol of the Qingcheng Sect, which I had taken out in advance, to the Sect Leader. He accepted it reflexively, and then looked at again with eyes twice as wide as when he heard I had co to help.
"T-this is...!"
The symbol of the Qingcheng Sect was a small dagger about the length of a palm. It was said to be a dagger used by one of the ancestors of the Qingcheng Sect, and that person could reportedly manifest sword qi of over five feet even with that dagger.
"It is the will of the orthodox martial world, not any one person. The orthodox martial world wants to be close to the Sichuan martial world again as before. Please accept our apology."
I bowed my head and spoke as if requesting him. To be honest, we aren't in a position to request. Currently, the Sichuan martial world is in a crisis, and honestly, right now, being friendly again doesn't benefit us. However, I'm doing this to help him make a decision even a little more easily. Because he can take our hand without putting down his pride.
"Haha.... As for those past matters.... Since you're even bringing back our sacred object like this, there's nothing I can't do."
He spoke more calmly than I expected.
"However, the problem is that even if we accept that reconciliation, it won't be of any help to the orthodox martial world. Honestly, our current situation isn't very good."
"Actually, I ca knowing the situation to so extent. Before coming here, I stopped by the Sichuan Tang Family first. The Family Head told about the current situation of Qingcheng."
"Is that so? Well, that must be why you ca here."
"Yes. How many Qingcheng Taoists have been sacrificed so far?"
"Hmm...."
He couldn't answer imdiately and let out a large breath. It seems telling the current situation as it is wasn't an easy thing for his pride.
"Eight in total have passed away. And that was by the hand of just one person nad Jang Hoeng."
Jang Hoeng. I know that na well.
'As expected, not only the Four Evils Alliance but also the Four Evils Heaven is involved.'
He was the third-in-command of the Four Evils Heaven, the owner of the Four Evils Heaven, and a man who was no different from the left arm of Gal Ryeok-hyeok, who was called the First Sword of the Unorthodox Path. Although he is a man whose na is not yet well known, in the future, he is also called by the na Slaughter Sword. This is because he is the very person who killed many orthodox warriors.
"I heard you have a fight with him tomorrow. I will go out for tomorrow's fight."
"What?! That won't do."
"Why not?"
"Our sect cannot sacrifice a disciple of another sect just to survive for a re week. If it cos to that... it would be better for to go out."
Looking at him dissuading , I gave a grin. It was because I felt that his words were out of concern for .
"Sect Leader, you think I won't be able to beat Jang Hoeng."
"Jang Hoeng has defeated all the elders of our Qingcheng. He is such a strongman that even if I were to go out, I couldn't guarantee whether I could beat him or not. But... to be honest, you still look young, and I'm saying this because it doesn't seem like you'd be stronger than ."
"It could be seen that way. In fact, I might not be able to win if I were to fight the Sect Leader right now."
"Then are you saying you're really going to go out and die?"
I slowly shook my head and said:
"Of course, it's absolutely not like that."
"Then?"
"I know a way to beat Jang Hoeng."
"A way to beat him...? How?"
"But that thod cannot be done by anyone else, only by . So I must go out."
"......."
The Qingcheng Sect Leader looked straight into my eyes without a word. He seems to be looking at like that because he's curious about what I'm thinking.
"Understood. Then... I'll leave it to you."
"You've made a good decision."
I'm not sure what he was thinking when he decided to leave the fight to , but for now, if he accepted it, that's all that matters.
"Is there anything you need for the fight tomorrow? I'll support everything I can do for you until then."
"Hmm.... I think it will be enough if you just give a place to rest for a while."
"That much is easy. Baek-min-ah."
"Yes, Sect Leader."
"Give Unhwi Dojang a room here. A large and clean room."
"I will do so."
I gave my thanks to the Sect Leader, and after lightly greeting the other elders here, I followed Yu Baek-min out of the room. On the way to the lodging, I saw Yu Baek-min hesitating as if he wanted to say sothing to several tis, but I didn't pretend to notice. Finally, when we arrived at the lodging, he spoke to as if he couldn't hold it in any longer.
"I have sothing I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"How can you beat Jang Hoeng?"
"What do you an how?"
"Actually, looking at Unhwi Dojang's appearance, it seems your age doesn't differ much from mine."
"It seems so."
"It's not a boast, but I have the strongest martial arts among our Qingcheng Sect's third-generation disciples. But...."
"But?"
"I honestly don't even have a clue how to beat Jang Hoeng...."
He spoke to saying there was sothing he wanted to ask, but in fact, he couldn't ask anything and trailed off. It's more of a complaint than a question. Perhaps he wanted to ask how I could be so confident.
"You just have to do as you're doing now."
"Pardon...?"
"Stake your life on everything. And strive until just before you die. Ti will take care of the rest. And it can be said that I ca to Qingcheng today to buy that ti for you."
"Ti... will take care of it?"
"I didn't an to listen, but I heard everything you said earlier when you were talking with the Sect Leader about going out to fight Jang Hoeng tomorrow. To be honest, weren't you prepared for death?"
"That's... correct."
"That's it. Since you were prepared for death today, think of it as having died once today. And from tomorrow, think of it as being born again and strive to death. You've already died once, so there's no reason you can't strive as if you're really going to die in a life you're living as a bonus, is there?"
I spoke with sincerity. Because I actually did. Of course, I really did die once and then woke up. Whether my words were effective, Yu Baek-min's eyes changed. In fact, I had never heard the na Yu Baek-min in my past life. Perhaps he passed away at the hands of the Four Evils Alliance, Jang Hoeng, before he could properly set out into the martial world.
"What you an.... I've understood well. Thank you. I showed a foolish side upon our first eting."
"Not at all. I think it's sothing you could sufficiently worry about."
"Thank... you."
He told to use the room comfortably and then went back. Seeing his back as he walked sowhat weakly, I felt like I was reminded of my past self. I am soone who felt poignantly how weak justice without power is. It seems he is in exactly that situation now. He probably can't bear it because his situation, his skill, and all these things feel so weak. But he's not just frustrated by that situation... he's angry.
'A good warrior might co out of Qingcheng in the future.'
Anger toward oneself becos a good fuel, allowing one to burn oneself brightly. Usually, saying one burns oneself is a negative expression, but in the case of a warrior, it's a bit different. Because a warrior will be able to reach a higher realm by burning himself.
"For now, that's a story that's possible only if I save Qingcheng."
I began to perform luck-based ditation while sitting cross-legged, imagining the fight that would take place tomorrow. It's to create the best physical condition. Whether it was because the room was good or because of the determination to save Qingcheng, I was able to fall into a state of self-transcendence in no ti.
* * *
A day passed quickly. I even declined als yesterday and prepared for the fight today. It's not that I wasn't hungry. However, I had to keep my mind clear for the fight today, so I declined all that food I like. Because an appropriate empty stomach awakens the mind clearly.
Finally, it was the ti Jang Hoeng was supposed to co, and I waited for Jang Hoeng at their grand martial arts field along with the masters of Qingcheng. They said he always arrives a bit later than the scheduled ti.
'Making people wait can impose that much ntal burden.'
He can be said to be a man who picks only actions that would win craftily from beginning to end. Perhaps even such a trick was taught by that strategist.
"Whew.... Will it really be okay? Even now, from our Qingcheng Sect...."
"Don't worry. And if anything happens to in the fight today.... please be sure to deliver the news to the Martial Alliance and the Wudang Sect. Because they are people who will surely take revenge for ."
"Haha.... I have no idea what you're thinking."
He said he didn't know, but the thought I'm having is simple. Win unconditionally! And I can win.
"Have you been well for a week?"
It was then. The door of the martial arts field opened, and a man with a slender impression walked in. Seeing him entering here leading two subordinates, I barely lowered the corners of my mouth that were trying to creep up and looked at him. Because he was the Jang Hoeng I had thought of.
'If it weren't for , this man would also have been alive until the Four Evils Heaven conflict.'
He was a man who had killed many orthodox warriors even during the Four Evils Heaven conflict, but before that, he was already notorious for killing powerless commoners whenever he felt like it.
"I don't want to make small talk. Let's start this week's duel quickly."
The Qingcheng Sect Leader spoke stiffly. At that, Jang Hoeng answered with a slithering expression.
"Let's do that. But today, I have one thing to change in the proposal."
"What is it?"
"Isn't one duel a week too few? From now on, I'll change it to once every two days."
"T-this atrocious! If it's going to be like this, let's just have an all-out war!"
"Ho. Do you really want that?"
"Ugh...."
The Sect Leader couldn't continue to look at Jang Hoeng's slithering eyes and avoided them. An all-out war would cause great damage to each other, but in the end, it was no different from the destruction of Qingcheng.
"Then know it as such. Once every two days. But who is coming out today?"
I didn't answer with words and walked a few steps in front of him. He looked at and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Are you now struggling to live even a few more days sohow by sending out such a young warrior? This is truly... pitiful."
However, I walked right up to him without concern, looked straight into his eyes, and said:
"Shut up. It's because you have no dignity like that that Gal Ryeok-hyeok doesn't recognize you even if you achieve greater rit."
"W-what...?!"
For the first ti, bewildernt appeared on his face. He seed not to have even thought that the na Gal Ryeok-hyeok would co out of my mouth.
(End of Chapter)
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