Chapter 350

“Yeah.”

Seokjangsan nodded at Cheongsu’s out-of-the-blue question, then asked,

“But why are you asking something so obvious?”

“It’s just...”

Cheongsu continued with an awkward expression.

“It felt strange just standing here without saying anything.”

“You’re an odd one...”

That was what he said, but something about Cheongsu’s gloomy expression bothered Seokjangsan.

“You really do have something weighing on you, don’t you?”

“...?”

“You’re not exactly the type to strike up a conversation with people first.”

Especially not when things between them had hardly thawed enough for Cheongsu to act so warmly toward him.

True, much of their lingering resentment had faded after Cheongsu came to him at the Martial Alliance and asked for his help, but even so.

“If something’s bothering you, tell me. We’re brothers by blood, no matter what else has happened.”

“...!”

Something ached deep in Cheongsu’s chest at those words.

After everything that had happened, he had no one left to rely on.

When his master, Taoist Hyeongong, had been abducted after frequenting a gambling ship, Cheongsu had grown even more distant from the other Wudang disciples.

Then the information his master brought back after escaping had led to the deaths of Uncheon Zhenren and numerous Wudang disciples.

Given all that, Cheongsu had felt he had no choice but to isolate himself willingly.

Yet even the master he had trusted most had begun treating him with contempt.

“Why did you enter your master’s room without permission? If you come in again without my leave, I’ll tear your eyes out.”

His master had not returned to the guesthouse until late the previous night, and those words had shocked Cheongsu to his core.

They were not words anyone should say to a disciple who had been waiting out of concern for his master.

The murderous pressure accompanying them, together with the strong reek of blood coming from Hyeongong’s body, had frozen Cheongsu from head to toe.

Shocked and terrified, he had fled his master’s room as though escaping for his life.

Afterward, only one thought had remained.

Everyone had abandoned him.

And yet Seokjangsan—who had more than enough reasons to abandon him a hundred times over—had approached him first and willingly held out a hand.

For one reason alone.

Because they shared the same blood.

If Brother Jangsan is like this...

For a moment, Cheongsu considered telling him about his master’s suspicious behavior the night before.

After his master had left yesterday evening, Cheongsu had entered Hyeongong’s room to tidy it up and discovered traces of ink on the table.

He had also found a fine brush stained with ink tossed carelessly into one corner.

But there had been no written paper anywhere on the table.

“...!”

Overcome by an uneasy feeling, Cheongsu had hurried out of the guesthouse.

It had not taken him long to find his master strolling leisurely through the marketplace, looking around at the stalls.

When a careless pack peddler bumped into his master, Cheongsu quickly ducked into an alley.

As his master waved the man off, a folded piece of paper slipped from his sleeve.

Cheongsu saw the pack peddler pick it up.

From that instant on, his body had gone rigid.

He could not move.

His master strode off with a hurried gait completely unlike the leisurely pace from before and soon vanished into the distance, but Cheongsu remained standing there in a daze for some time.

His heart insisted it could not possibly be what it looked like.

It must have been a letter he wrote for his clan uncle. It just happened to fall out.

But the voice of reason inside his head shouted that his suspicions were true.

If it was only a letter, why would he fold it over and over so tightly?

Cheongsu could not remain hidden in the alley forever, so he eventually stepped back into the marketplace.

His head throbbed.

He had no evidence whatsoever.

Everything was nothing more than his own conjecture.

If he spoke of it to anyone in such circumstances, he would merely become a disciple slandering his own master.

To accuse one’s master without evidence was a grave offense of betraying one’s master. Expulsion from the sect would be the least of it; even the tendons and meridians of all four limbs could be severed.

It isn’t certain, so keeping my mouth shut is the right thing to do. But what if what I suspect is true...?

Unable to choose one course or the other, Cheongsu wandered along half dazed until a beggar caught his eye.

The beggar was sitting off to one side of the marketplace asking for alms, facing the guesthouse where the Wudang party was staying.

That beggar must belong to the Beggar Clan!

For local Beggar Clan members, keeping watch on martial artists who entered their territory was only natural.

Cheongsu was about to pretend he had not noticed the man and walk past when Hu Gae suddenly came to mind.

More precisely, Kwak Yeon, who was traveling with Hu Gae, came to mind.

By now Kwak Yeon had surely heard somewhere in the martial world that the Martial Alliance had fallen and the Wudang expedition force was in dire straits.

Then he’ll have dropped everything and be coming to find us.

Given Kwak Yeon’s character, Cheongsu considered that as certain as the rising sun.

If Martial Uncle Kwak gets here, we won’t have anything to fear even if those Gathering Demons Division bastards come after us.

In Cheongsu’s helpless situation, that was the only hope he had left.

And there was nothing wrong with letting Kwak Yeon know the expedition force’s route.

Cheongsu quickly searched inside his robes.

Then he walked over to the begging man.

CLINK!

“Oh! Thank you kindly, Taoist!”

The beggar hurriedly bowed his head.

“...?”

When Cheongsu remained standing there after giving him alms, the beggar cautiously raised his head again.

“Seems the Taoist has something to say to this beggar.”

Cheongsu noticed the two knots at the man’s waist.

“Yes, Eye.”

He nodded and bit down hard on his lip.

“Junior Brother Cheongsu, what have you been thinking about all this time?”

Seokjangsan’s question made Cheongsu flinch back to the present.

“I had nightmares all night and barely slept. I guess my head’s still a little foggy.”

Cheongsu decided he had no right to drag Seokjangsan into his nightmare.

If he had solid evidence, of course he would have to speak.

But he did not.

“What kind of nightmare was that bad...? Though considering the situation we’re in, I suppose it isn’t surprising you’d have dreams like that.”

Seokjangsan nodded before continuing.

“Anyway, come find me whenever you feel like talking about whatever’s bothering you.”

“...I will.”

As Seokjangsan turned away, he added,

“We’ve got a hard forced march ahead of us from here. Make sure you’re properly prepared. Don’t just stand around staring into space.”

Cheongsu watched him walking away, emotion suddenly welling up inside him.

“Brother!”

Seokjangsan turned his head from some distance away.

“...?”

“When it’s just the two of us, I’d like you to call me Geon.”

Seokjangsan broke into a bright smile.

“All right, Geon!”

*****

The Wudang expedition force traveled along the official road for several days without incident.

Once they reached Pingshan County, where a military garrison of one thousand soldiers was stationed, they turned east as planned.

They were now quite far from Sword Demon Valley, and Mount Zhongnan, home of the Zhongnan Sect, had drawn considerably closer.

Signs of relief gradually began to appear on the faces of the Wudang disciples, who had remained tense throughout the journey.

The Gathering Demons Division had also suffered considerable losses in the recent battle, so they believed it could not immediately invade the Zhongnan Sect’s territory.

At the end of the Monkey Hour, around five in the afternoon, the expedition force reached Ganggok County.

From Ganggok County, the Zhongnan Sect’s territory was only a day away.

Unfortunately, the road there was rugged, making it far from an easy journey for a Wudang force hauling several carriages filled with wounded men.

“We will spend tonight inside Ganggok County City. Tomorrow morning, we depart and enter the Zhongnan Sect’s territory by evening.”

Although there was still time before sunset, Taoist Hyeonam halted the march at Ganggok County.

He wanted to avoid the risk of being caught in the mountains after nightfall.

Because the advance detachment led by Taoist Cheongil had already secured a guesthouse, the expedition force was able to unload its baggage and rest without difficulty.

Still, merely being inside a county city was no guarantee that the Gathering Demons Division would not attempt another attack.

Taoist Hyeonam therefore stationed Wudang disciples around the guesthouse and ordered them to stand guard.

Taoist Hyeongong had been waiting for him to finish giving instructions.

“Junior Brother Hyeonam, I intend to leave for Mount Zhongnan now.”

“...?”

When Hyeonam looked at him, Hyeongong continued.

“Our circumstances may be urgent, but it would be discourteous to enter the Zhongnan Sect’s territory without so much as notifying them, wouldn’t it?”

Even between orthodox martial sects, it was customary to make contact before entering another sect’s territory.

“That is true, but...”

Hyeonam nodded, then continued.

“Senior Brother Hyeongong, your wounds have not completely healed.”

Hyeongong shook his head.

“I merely lost an arm. I suffered no internal injuries, ?? (Original source) so protecting myself presents no great difficulty.”

“...”

“If we intend to show the Zhongnan Sect proper respect, a first-generation disciple should go. I also intend to meet their Sect Leader personally and ask for assistance. If the Zhongnan Sect’s people come out to meet us, won’t our expedition force finally be completely out of danger?”

Everything he said was perfectly reasonable, so Hyeonam readily nodded.

“Then I must trouble you, Senior Brother Hyeongong.”

“Trouble me? What are you saying? I need to do at least this much legwork if I’m to preserve any dignity. There’s no need to feel apologetic.”

Taoist Hyeongong immediately left the guesthouse with his disciple, Cheongsu.

Standing near the guesthouse entrance, Seokjangsan watched Cheongsu follow his master away.

The sight of Cheongsu repeatedly looking back over his shoulder, his shoulders drooping, left him uneasy.

It overlapped too closely with the dark expression Cheongsu had worn while talking about his nightmares several days earlier.

He looked like a calf being led away by a ring through its nose.

Why is Geon so afraid of his master?

Taoist Hyeongong might have lost much of the goodwill people once held toward him, but he was still unquestionably a first-generation disciple of Jaso Palace.

There has to be something about Taoist Hyeongong that Geon can’t bring himself to tell anyone.

Seokjangsan was still watching Hyeongong and Cheongsu disappear into the distance when Jongsu, one of his peers from the Hall of Heroic Martiality, came up beside him and suddenly remarked,

“Well, now I’ve seen everything. Never thought arrogant Martial Uncle Hyeongong would volunteer to run an errand.”

“...!”

“They say people change after going through something terrible. Think that’s what happened?”

Seokjangsan nodded.

“Probably.”

Yet he could not shake the feeling that the change was not entirely for the better.

Unable to ignore that nagging sense of unease, Seokjangsan said,

“Jongsu, could you pass something along to the others from the Hall of Heroic Martiality?”

“Huh? What brought this on...?”

“Tell everyone not to let their guard down while we’re traveling tomorrow.”

Jongsu looked puzzled.

“Passing it along is easy enough, but why all of a sudden?”

Seokjangsan had no way to explain the ominous feeling troubling him, so he gave another reason instead.

“Tomorrow’s mountain road is the last real hurdle, right? That’s exactly why we should be even more careful.”

Jongsu readily nodded.

“Mm. That’s true.”

The atmosphere within the expedition force had indeed been growing more relaxed ever since Pingshan County.

“It isn’t my place to presume to lecture the elders, but I thought at least those of us our age should stay sharp.”

“All right. I’ll tell them.”

As Jongsu hurried away, Seokjangsan stared down the official road where Hyeongong and Cheongsu had already disappeared from sight.

They’re only going to Mount Zhongnan and coming back. Nothing should happen.

That was how Seokjangsan tried to soothe his regret that he had not pressed Seokgeon a little harder for answers several days earlier.