Episode 125: Deep Night

As night fell, everyone began their training. With nothing much to do until the martial artists from the Wudang Sect arrived in Luoyang, it was the perfect time to reflect on their encounter with the Three-Eyed Buddha.

Namgung Myung focused on refining his prosthetic arm and honing his telekinesis skills. Hong Geolgae practiced the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and polished the techniques he learned from Daepunggae. The Wudang martial artists were also deeply engrossed in their sparring and training.

Dansulyeong secluded herself in the workshop. Her goal was to design a new prosthetic for Namgung Myung and to create a weapon powerful enough to challenge the Three-Eyed Buddha. The former seemed feasible, but the latter was nearly impossible. Even Dansulyeong had her limits.

Meanwhile, Dang Mujin was lost in thought, reflecting on his battle with the Three-Eyed Buddha.

“Sword and poison.”

In his hand, instead of his usual sword, he held a dagger and a few needles.

“In the end, it’s all about the poison.”

During their last encounter, the Three-Eyed Buddha had expelled the poison Dang Mujin had used in just a few breaths. Witnessing this, Dang Mujin felt a wave of disappointment. If the poison could be expelled so easily, what was the point of his poison techniques?

But as time passed, his perspective shifted. He realized he was the only one who had managed to land an effective attack on the Three-Eyed Buddha. Even the highly skilled Namgung Myung, Yujin Gwang, and Wi Hwan, with their mastery of the Four-Element Sword Technique and the Thirty-Six Spectral Swords, couldn’t threaten him.

Yet, after ingesting Dang Mujin’s poison, the Three-Eyed Buddha’s demeanor changed. He ignored all other attacks, focusing solely on expelling the poison before charging at Dang Mujin. This indicated just how threatening the poison was.

“Even the most skilled couldn’t achieve what I, a mere first-rate martial artist, did—”

Dang Mujin paused, frowning.

“No, being first-rate at my age is impressive.”

The fact that the Three-Eyed Buddha saw him as the most threatening presence confirmed the potential of his poison techniques. His heart raced with excitement.

“Fancy techniques? The skeptical looks of others? They don’t matter. What matters is practicality, as the old master taught me through the Self-Heart Sword.”

With a positive outlook on poison, the advantages of his poison techniques became clear. They were powerful on their own, could be combined with other martial arts, and were something even Namgung Myung couldn’t easily replicate.

“I don’t need to focus on the sword. Poison is the right path.”

Though it was the first time he consciously acknowledged it, Dang Mujin had always known the power of his poison techniques. That’s why, during the fight with the Three-Eyed Buddha, he focused on using poison rather than approaching with a sword.

The effectiveness of his poison techniques depended on the potency of the poison itself.

“Is there a poison so potent that it could spread through the meridians of a supreme martial artist before they could resist? A poison that could even bring down the Three-Eyed Buddha?”

The world is vast, and somewhere, such a poison must exist.

Dang Mujin decided he would soon visit Nogunsan. Though it hadn’t been long since he parted ways with the people there, Nogunsan was rich with poisonous substances. If he was lucky, he might find a poison of unparalleled lethality.

Sitting cross-legged, Dang Mujin began his breathing exercises. The energy from the air entered through his nose, circulated through his body, and pushed out impurities as it settled in his dantian.

Today, his usually robust dantian felt empty. After using up all the poison stored within, he hadn’t replenished it.

This was the first time his dantian had been completely emptied.

”…No, it should be empty.”

Unexpectedly, he sensed a faint trace of poison within his dantian. It was so minimal that it could easily be overlooked, but it was undeniably there.

It wasn’t leftover poison or something he had missed. Poison naturally clumps together, forming a mass if not carefully managed.

Having meticulously gathered every last bit, his dantian should have been completely clear of poison.

Moreover, the poison within his dantian was unlike any he had encountered before. It wasn’t particularly strong or potent, but it was unfamiliar and foreign.

“Where did this come from?”

After pondering for a while, Dang Mujin realized the truth. His internal energy, flowing through his meridians, carried a faint trace of poison.

Refocusing on his breathing exercises, he noticed that while the energy he inhaled was pure, it acquired a slight poisonous quality as it circulated through his meridians and settled in his dantian.

He recalled a story he once heard. Some insects and animals are born without poison, but by living close to it and consuming poisonous substances, they naturally develop it.

It seemed he was in a similar situation.

“Living with poison in my body, it’s not surprising.”

Dang Mujin stopped his idle thoughts.

The faint poison in his internal energy didn’t seem harmful, and there was nothing more to learn by dwelling on it.

He just wished there was someone he could ask about this phenomenon.

For the first time in a while, Dang Mujin thought of Gwai. A sense of emptiness filled a corner of his heart.

A few days later, some of the Wudang Sect martial artists from Jiangxi arrived in Luoyang.

While some were still on escort missions and hadn’t returned yet, within five days, all the Wudang martial artists from Jiangxi would gather in Luoyang.

They repeatedly asked their fellow Wudang martial artists the same question.

“Is the debt really paid off?”

“Yes. How many times are you going to ask?”

“It’s just hard to believe.”

Eventually, Wi Hwan opened a pouch and showed everyone the gold that Chief Seo had brought. It was undeniable proof that the debt had been settled.

The martial artists stared at the gold in a daze, then laughed and celebrated like madmen, before starting to plan for the future.

Their plans all shared one common point: everything would begin once they returned to the Wudang Sect.

The Wudang martial artists approached Yujin Gwang.

“Senior Yu, when will you head back to Yunnan?”

But Yujin Gwang’s response was lukewarm.

“Well… I should go back.”

“It sounds like you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that. I just think I’ll take my time. Just me, not you guys.”

“You’re planning to return separately?”

“Yes. I think I’ll take my time.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

Yujin Gwang spoke with his usual expression.

“Since I’m out here, I might as well explore a bit. Who knows how long it’ll be before I can return to Luoyang once I’m back in Yunnan?”

“True, that’s a good point.”

The Wudang martial artists accepted his reasoning, but Yujin Gwang’s true intentions were different.

He had no intention of returning to the Wudang Sect.

In the past few days, Yujin Gwang had visited the Golden Pavilion Master twice, directly asking why he had lost on purpose in the gambling match.

But the Golden Pavilion Master didn’t give a clear answer. Though he had a reason for losing, he seemed uncertain about his actions.

Thus, his explanation was vague and elusive.

“Well, I’m not sure if this was the best choice.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you.”

“Then, are you trying to burden the Wudang Sect with debt?”

The Golden Pavilion Master chuckled softly at Yujin Gwang’s question.

“Debt? The Wudang Sect was already indebted to me before I lost on purpose. The nature of the debt has just changed.”

“Then what is it?”

“What I want is not from you or the Wudang Sect, but from Yuganil.”

To have business with a father who fled after losing a bet was baffling.

Yujin Gwang pressed for more answers, but the Golden Pavilion Master offered no further explanation.

The only certainty was that the Golden Pavilion Master expected nothing from Yujin Gwang. That was the real problem. Yujin Gwang had no way to repay this debt.

Once broken and bent, Yujin Gwang couldn’t regain his former straightness.

No one noticed, but he had become a broken arrow.

And a broken arrow shouldn’t return to the quiver. For his own sake, and for others.

That’s why Yujin Gwang decided to leave the Wudang Sect.

He watched his fellow disciples, excited about returning to the Wudang Sect.

He felt nothing but a heavy heart.

Dang Mujin and his companions were in a similar predicament with their plans.

Caught up in the gambling den and the appearance of the Three-Eyed Buddha, their priorities had shifted, but their ultimate goal remained: to hide within the Wudang Sect’s protection, eliminate the Salmak, and return home.

Yet, nothing had been resolved. Though they had repelled the Salmak once, it still lingered.

In fact, the situation had worsened. The reliable protection of the Wudang Sect was about to vanish.

”…Should we follow the Wudang Sect?”

It wasn’t a good option. The Wudang Sect was too far and too remote. While staying there would be safe, it wouldn’t allow them to fight the Salmak.

So, was there another place they could seek refuge?

Two places immediately came to mind: the Shaolin Temple and the Namgung Clan.

The Shaolin Temple is the safest place in the world. Not even the most fearsome assassins or the legendary Three-Eyed Buddha could breach its walls.

It’s also conveniently close. Just a two or three-day journey away.

But there’s a significant problem. The temple would never allow Dan Seol-young to enter. The strict monks and the Ten Commandments would see to that.

“What about the Namgung family?”

The Namgung family is just as secure. Their influence is vast, and with Namgung Jincheon, a martial arts master of the highest order, even the Three-Eyed Buddha would be kept at bay.

Yet, there’s a hitch there too. Namgung Myung.

Tang Mujin nudged Namgung Myung, who was fidgeting with his prosthetic hand.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“Why don’t we head to the Namgung family estate?”

Namgung Myung was taken aback by Tang Mujin’s bold suggestion.

“Why on earth?”

“It’s safe. We could get some help too.”

“You heard everything I told my father, didn’t you?”

“Just apologize sincerely. Say the pain in your left arm made you speak nonsense. He wouldn’t be so heartless as to turn away his own son.”

Namgung Myung shot Tang Mujin a look filled with disdain.

“Are you out of your mind? Has the poison finally reached your brain?”

Unlike his usual easygoing demeanor, Namgung Myung was resolute, unwilling to budge an inch.

Since it was a half-joking suggestion, Tang Mujin wasn’t too disappointed. Pressing further would have been disrespectful to Namgung Myung.

Tang Mujin’s dilemma lingered, and he went to bed without a clear plan for the future.

Tang Mujin tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep late into the night.

How much time had passed?

Even in his drowsy state, Tang Mujin sensed something was off.

A subtle feeling, like someone was nearby. That peculiar sensation when another presence is close.

It’s probably nothing, he thought, trying to drift back into a deep sleep. But then, he felt a faint movement near his head. A sharper sense of danger jolted him awake.

A thought struck him belatedly.

“Namgung Myung wouldn’t be in the room at this hour, would he?”

They were staying at an inn, with three small rooms. One for Tang Mujin and Namgung Myung, another for Hong Geolgae and Chu Sam, and the last for Dan Seol-young alone.

And Namgung Myung wouldn’t be in the room at this time of night. Ever since they arrived in Luoyang, he’d been out exploring the night streets more diligently than ever.

“Who could it be?”

With his heart sinking, Tang Mujin opened his eyes. A large figure crouched by his bedside, blocking the moonlight.

He couldn’t see the face.

But the faint moonlight revealed countless scars etched into the figure’s skin, and even in the darkness, the eyes shone brightly.

Finally, he saw the large scar on the man’s forehead. It was as if a third eye was staring right at Tang Mujin.

As Tang Mujin tried to leap up, a large hand clamped down on his face.

“Nice to meet you.”

The Three-Eyed Buddha grinned, baring his white teeth.