Chapter 385: The Ascendant
If it had been Namgung Myung discussing the fate of the righteous martial world, Tang Mujin would have let the words slip through one ear and out the other. But when the speaker was Namgung Jincheon, the weight of the conversation changed entirely. Namgung Jincheon was not one to speak lightly.
Tang Mujin asked, “How much time do you think we have until the cult leader reaches that next realm?”
“It’s uncertain. That’s why we must hurry.”
Tang Mujin nodded. “I see. Now I understand why you sent Banyup Do-in at that particular moment… It was to unite the righteous warriors by delivering the most shocking news at the most crucial time. Namgung Myung will understand your intentions.”
Namgung Jincheon, hearing this, asked, “Why is Myung’s name being mentioned here?”
“Didn’t you send Banyup Do-in deliberately on Namgung Myung’s wedding day?”
“Wedding day?”
It seemed Banyup hadn’t relayed the situation of that day. Tang Mujin tried to smooth over the situation with an awkward smile, but Namgung Jincheon, with a serious expression, stood up and left, presumably to find Banyup.
Tang Mujin felt a twinge of unease. ‘Did I say too much?’
Sensing Tang Mujin’s tension, Yuyu Do-in chuckled softly. “Mount Kunlun is so remote that news from the outside rarely reaches it. Especially in times like these. Namgung Jincheon probably just found out his son got married.”
Oh dear. Tang Mujin quietly lamented for Banyup and said, “I see. Thank you for the conversation. We’ll step back for now and see how we can assist the Kunlun Sect.”
“Thank you.”
Tang Mujin and Hyungong quickly rose from their seats. Unintentionally, they had been the ones to create the situation where Banyup delivered the news of Namgung Jincheon’s passing. But what’s done is done. Tang Mujin and Hyungong decided to be a bit shameless about it.
‘It’s not like we knew the circumstances… It’s not really my fault.’
Tang Mujin and Hyungong hid themselves in a corner of the largest hall. The place was bustling with children running around, which was exactly what they intended. Even someone as formidable as Namgung Jincheon, or Banyup, who might hold a grudge after being scolded by Namgung Jincheon, wouldn’t dare act rashly in a place full of children.
With his mind somewhat at ease, Tang Mujin fell into contemplation. ‘What should we do now?’
The thought that the cult leader had surpassed the pinnacle and was approaching an even higher realm lingered in his mind. ‘Should we go help the Sword Demon and try to eliminate the cult leader?’
No, that was an absurd idea. Even the Sword Demon Namgung Jincheon had only met the cult leader with the guidance of the monk from the Temple of Thunder. It would be nearly impossible to break through the cult and meet the leader without assistance, and even if they miraculously met the leader, the chances of defeating him were slim.
Namgung Jincheon didn’t seem to consider that possibility either. ‘Should we return to the Central Plains?’
But even returning to the Central Plains wouldn’t provide a special solution. Urging those who had already left wouldn’t make the righteous warriors gather any faster.
Tang Mujin ended his fruitless pondering and glanced at Hyungong, who was also deep in thought with a serious expression.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Just… thinking about how unpredictable life can be.”
Hyungong was reflecting on past decisions with a hint of regret. ‘Should I have joined the cult, even if it meant taking a risk back then?’
From Hyungong’s perspective, the cult had a high chance of successfully taking over the martial world of the Central Plains. And Hyungong was someone who believed it was wiser to join the winning side and reap the benefits rather than trying to turn the tide from a losing position.
‘The problem was betraying Gwangyeomra as soon as things started to go awry. I should have shown sincerity and persuaded them when things got a little off track. Trust deepens when you show your true intentions in difficult times… I tried to take the safest path and ended up bringing trouble upon myself. Perhaps the saying “haste makes waste” was meant for situations like this.’
However, as he was regretting, the face of Seolhwa appeared in Hyungong’s mind. He took a deep breath in and out. An inexplicable warmth accompanied his exhale.
On the day Seolhwa died, a small flame took root in Hyungong’s heart. It wasn’t hot enough to consume him, but it was more than enough to burn away his distractions.
After Seolhwa’s death, Hyungong often thought, if the cult leader had either killed Baek Hyang-a cleanly or hadn’t let Baek Hyang-a’s condition deteriorate so much, Seolhwa might have survived without getting caught up in the mess.
In truth, Hyungong knew it wasn’t something to blame the cult leader for. The overwhelming responsibility for Seolhwa’s death lay with the Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, followed by the Master of the Small Pavilion or the Master of the Great Pavilion.
Logically speaking, the cult leader’s role in Seolhwa’s death was minimal. But Hyungong needed someone to hold accountable. All the others who should have taken responsibility for Seolhwa’s death were already dead.
Hyungong needed a target for his vengeance. The void left by Seolhwa in his heart was too vast. He had to fill it with a thirst for revenge just to endure.
Moreover, even setting aside Seolhwa’s matter, it was too late to turn back. Hyungong was the one who had actively united the righteous martial world against the cult. In essence, the option to surrender to the cult was no longer available.
‘I’ve already mounted the tiger. I can’t get off now.’
Just as Hyungong reached his conclusion, Banyup quietly entered the hall. His expression was slightly sullen, indicating that he had indeed been scolded by Namgung Jincheon.
Tang Mujin and Hyungong held their breath and concealed their presence. But in a hall with nowhere to hide, there was no reason to believe they wouldn’t be discovered just by hiding their presence.
The moment their eyes met Banyup’s, Tang Mujin and Hyungong sprang to their feet, greeting him with a friendly demeanor.
“Oh, where have you been? We couldn’t find you anywhere!”
”…You were looking for me?”
“Yes. We were worried after you performed that spell and coughed up blood. You see, I’m a physician, and I was quite concerned about your condition.”
Banyup’s expression showed a hint of discomfort. But it’s hard to be angry at a smiling face. Banyup had to swallow his small anger and resentment.
With a deep sigh, Banyup spoke. “I came for a similar reason.”
“A similar reason?”
“There’s a seriously ill patient. I heard you’re a renowned physician, Tang Master. Could you take a look at their condition?”
“Of course.”
“Please, follow me.”
The three of them left the hall. However, the distance to the patient was farther than Tang Mujin and Hyungong had anticipated. Banyup led them to a neighboring peak.
“This way.”
They finally arrived at a small hall with two buildings. It was similarly shabby and devoid of people, but when Banyup moved some items in the yard, its true form was revealed.
The hall was crowded with over a hundred people, and in the center of the yard sat an elderly Taoist in meditation.
Tang Mujin immediately realized that the patient Banyup mentioned was the meditating Taoist. The Taoist was so emaciated that even someone with no medical knowledge would find his condition alarming. It reminded Tang Mujin of the ascetic monk he had once seen at Shaolin Temple.
Banyup introduced the Taoist. “This is Senior Brother Wonpyeong.”
Wonpyeong, with his gaunt face, smiled and nodded at Tang Mujin and Hyungong.
Tang Mujin crouched beside Wonpyeong and asked, as he would with any patient, “Where do you feel discomfort?”
Wonpyeong wrote on the dirt with his finger to communicate with Tang Mujin.
Tang Mujin waited for more, but that was all Wonpyeong had to say.
’…The symptoms can’t possibly end there.’
Instead of pressing further, Tang Mujin took Wonpyeong’s wrist. However, the pulse was so weak that Tang Mujin moved his hand to Wonpyeong’s neck.
Tang Mujin spoke in a deliberately calm voice. “Your pulse is slow but rough, and your body temperature is higher than normal.”
The symptoms were strange from the start. Typically, when there’s a problem in the body, the pulse is either fast and rough or slow and weak. But the Taoist’s pulse was slow yet rough. Moreover, it’s rare for the body temperature to rise when the pulse is slow.
Tang Mujin, hiding his puzzlement, lightly pressed Wonpyeong’s side. When Wonpyeong flinched slightly, Tang Mujin applied a bit more pressure to his solar plexus.
Wonpyeong’s expression tightened further.
“Your side and solar plexus are tense, indicating symptoms of chest and flank fullness.”
Tang Mujin spoke calmly, but this symptom was also unusual. With such tension in the side and solar plexus, one would typically cry out in pain or writhe when touched.
Tang Mujin tilted his head slightly, then began to press and massage various parts of Wonpyeong’s body, observing his reactions.
“Please let me know if it hurts.”
Dang Mujin repeatedly pressed on points that should have caused Wonpyeong significant pain, yet his reactions remained faint and unchanging.
Finally, Dang Mujin placed his hand on Wonpyeong’s abdomen, channeling his internal energy to assess the state of his meridians and organs.
“It seems it’s been a while since you’ve eaten. Your stomach’s movements are sluggish, and the flow of your internal energy to your limbs is not smooth. Yet, there’s a strong heat concentrated in your head.”
The heat in his head was so intense that it seemed to seep out in all directions.
Dang Mujin had never encountered a patient like this before. These symptoms were unheard of.
He hesitated to give a diagnosis, his uncertainty evident to anyone watching.
Wonpyeong, as if expecting this, gave a faint smile and wrote in the dirt again.
Clearly, Wonpyeong was more aware than anyone of his abnormal condition.
Dang Mujin returned a reassuring smile to Wonpyeong, then whispered to Banyup in a voice as small as an ant’s.
“I’ve never seen symptoms like these. How did this happen? There are too many conflicting symptoms tangled together.”
Banyup nodded in understanding.
“It’s because of the Taoist arts.”
“The Taoist arts?”
“If used moderately, they cause no harm. But if you overuse them without proper preparation, it damages the body.”
Dang Mujin understood the meaning behind Wonpyeong’s words about not dropping dead.
Both Wonpyeong and Banyup knew that Wonpyeong was inching towards death.
“The Taoist arts inherently go against the natural order. The heavens are forgiving to a degree, but to perform feats that greatly defy nature, one must offer sacrifices and prepare for the necessary costs. And right now, the Kunlun sect is not in a position to make such preparations.”
Dang Mujin, listening intently, asked, “What exactly is Wonpyeong doing now?”
“He’s been hiding this temple and its people for four months on his own.”
“Wasn’t that achieved through a formation? Like the placement of stone lanterns or statues…”
Banyup nodded. “That’s important, but a formation that can completely deceive someone with keen senses can’t be achieved by building placement alone.”
If formations were that simple, there wouldn’t be a single building in the world hidden by them.
Though neither Dang Mujin nor Hyungong were experts in Taoist arts, they could easily guess that hiding a temple for months was a far more difficult feat than teleportation.
Dang Mujin pondered over Wonpyeong’s condition again, trying to organize his thoughts.
No matter how he thought about it, there was no good news to give. The situation was dire.
He whispered to Banyup once more, “If something happens to Wonpyeong, what then?”
“His disciple will take over.”
Banyup glanced behind him as he spoke.
There stood a young Taoist, barely over twenty. He would have to take on Wonpyeong’s role if the elder passed.
Even to the relatively young Dang Mujin, the disciple seemed too young.
The young Taoist seemed to think so too, as his eyes betrayed an undeniable fear.
Dang Mujin sighed deeply. “It’s harsh.”
“It can’t be helped. Those who flee at the first sign of hardship aren’t called guardians.”
Dang Mujin pressed his temples.
Difficult decisions always come with sacrifices. Yuyu must have known this would happen when he set foot on Mount Kunlun.
This time, Banyup whispered to Dang Mujin, “Is there a solution?”
Dang Mujin couldn’t answer easily.
He could alleviate the heat in Wonpyeong’s head and suppress his pain, but a complete solution to save him was beyond his grasp.
The symptoms had surpassed the realm of medicine, so the solution had to as well.
Hyungong, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. “Dang Mujin.”
“Yes?”
“In your opinion, what’s the most critical symptom?”
Dang Mujin thought carefully before answering, “The heat in his head.”
The sluggish flow of internal energy, the dull stomach, the chest tightness, and the numbed senses—none of these were immediately life-threatening. But the heat in his head was different. It could explode at any moment, and if it did, it would be fatal. Acupuncture might relieve some of the heat, but it would only be a temporary fix.
Hyungong suggested hesitantly, “What about using danhwaseon?”
“Danhwaseon?”
Danhwaseon is a type of moss that grows at the base of short birch trees.
Dang Mujin knew the name but not its properties.
However, he didn’t dismiss Hyungong’s suggestion.
Firstly, Dang Mujin never ignored others’ opinions on medical matters. Secondly, Hyungong’s medical skills were not to be underestimated.
Hyungong had spent a long time at the Tang family, learning medicine more actively than Namgungmyeong or Honggeolgae, and his skills surpassed those of most physicians.
Moreover, Hyungong had a peculiar knack for understanding the properties of plants that were neither quite medicinal herbs nor miraculous elixirs.
“I’ve never used danhwaseon as a medicine. What are its properties?”
“It’s slightly cool, helps with headaches, and balances internal energy. It’s more of a mild elixir than a medicinal herb. You’d need to consume quite a bit, though…”
The direction of its effects seemed promising.
While it couldn’t be used on the patient immediately, it was worth testing its effects personally. With no other solutions in sight, there was nothing to lose.
However, there was a fundamental problem. Dang Mujin pointed out, “The problem is, we don’t have any danhwaseon right now.”
“Short birch trees are common in cool, high places. Once you find one, you can gather a lot of danhwaseon, so quantity won’t be an issue.”
As Hyungong finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Dang Mujin and Hyungong turned to see strangers approaching.
The strangers were four monks, all dressed in unusual bright crimson robes, their features distinctly different from the typical people of the Central Plains.
Three of the monks were robust and appeared to be in their forties or fifties.
But the monk at the front was so old it was hard to guess his age, short and frail, with sunken cheeks but clear eyes.
Dang Mujin instinctively realized that this elderly monk was likely the one Namgung Jincheon had mentioned from the Soraeum Temple.
Everyone held their breath, watching the monks.
Yet the monks seemed oblivious to the people in the temple, merely glancing around.
How they found their way here was a mystery, but it was clear they didn’t understand the formation concealing the temple.
Dang Mujin and Hyungong considered whether they could ambush and eliminate the monks.
Banyup advised, “Step back. Even with the formation, if we move too aggressively or get too close, they’ll sense us.”
“Are you saying we should just let them go?”
“There was a similar situation before. Namgung Jincheon also let them go, saying if even one escaped, we couldn’t handle the aftermath.”
Dang Mujin fidgeted with his hands, unable to suppress his frustration.
‘If I could use the Sleeping Soul Technique, I might manage…’
But he wasn’t sure.
If the plan failed, the consequences were unpredictable, and he wasn’t confident he could handle them. Too many lives were at stake.
Ultimately, Dang Mujin relaxed his shoulders and shook his head.
‘It’s better to act cautiously. Another opportunity will come.’
Fortunately, the monks seemed unaware of anything amiss and left after a cursory inspection.
Only then did the people in the temple breathe a sigh of relief.
The tension eased slightly. Hyungong returned to the original topic, asking Banyup, “Is there a place nearby where short birch trees grow?”
Banyup nodded. “Yes. If you head south out of the mountains and go about thirty li southwest, there’s a forest. You should find short birch trees around its outskirts.”
Dang Mujin and Hyungong exchanged glances.
Thirty li wasn’t far. They felt confident they could reach it without being detected by the demonic cult’s warriors.
Dang Mujin and Hyungong rested until nightfall, then retraced their steps out of the Kunlun Mountains.
Though many demonic cult warriors were nearby, they didn’t notice Dang Mujin and Hyungong moving under the cover of darkness.
“That was easy.”
The two circled the outskirts of a small forest. As expected, there were plenty of short birch trees, almost like shrubs. At their bases, a pale moss clung thickly.
Hyungong tasted the moss and nodded. “It’s the taste of memories. This is danhwaseon.”
”…”
The taste of memories? What on earth did Hyungong eat as a child?
Dang Mujin and Hyungong began stuffing their pouches with danhwaseon.
Before long, they sensed unfamiliar presences nearby.
”···”
A shiver ran down the back of Dang Mujin’s neck.
The approaching figure was following the exact path that Dang Mujin and Hyeon-gong had taken.
Though not as skilled as Namgung Myeong, both Dang Mujin and Hyeon-gong were adept at moving under the cover of darkness. Most people wouldn’t be able to detect their presence or trace their steps.
The fact that someone was following them slowly was a bad sign. It could mean they were stalling for time to gather reinforcements.
‘No, there’s only one person approaching.’
Dang Mujin and Hyeon-gong quickly hid behind a nearby rock, ready to ambush if necessary.
Their hearts raced, a tight excitement gripping them both.
But the stranger seemed to know exactly where they were hiding. Instead of approaching the rock, he called out from a distance.
“Esteemed travelers, I am Seonna-seung from the Soraeum Temple. I am acquainted with the sword ghost Namgung Jincheon. I mean no harm. May we speak for a moment?”
Realizing they had been discovered, there was no point in staying hidden. Dang Mujin and Hyeon-gong revealed themselves, slightly on edge.
As expected, it was the small monk they had seen earlier in the day.
Dang Mujin’s eyes met the monk’s, who had a gaze so pure and clear it felt almost unfamiliar.
Dang Mujin felt a bit unsettled.
Seonna-seung was clearly trained in martial arts, yet his demeanor was more like that of a scholar monk devoted to a lifetime of studying scriptures than a warrior monk.
Hyeon-gong had a similar impression.
‘He has the innocence of a child. He seems indifferent to worldly success, honor, wealth, or even martial prowess.’
However, Hyeon-gong reached a conclusion that went a step further than Dang Mujin’s.
’…He could be useful.’