CH 202

“This is so cool.”

Soma was stunned as he looked at the panoramic view in front of him.

From the vicinity, he could see the wide view of Wudang Mountain at a glance. Mountain peaks soaring high into the sky, and white clouds lay in between the deep valleys looking like the sea.

All of them came together to form a landscape painting.

Soma had never seen such a mysterious landscape before.

He spent most of his childhood at the Xiaoleiyin Temple, which is in Xizang. Up until now, his experience during that time remained as a frightening memory rather than a mystery.

The atmosphere of the Xiaoleiyin Temple, which is located in a dense southern forest where the stars do not come in, was gloomy. 

And while he was there, Soma always had to worry about his own survival, so he could not afford to look around.

Even after gaining his freedom, he could not see and appreciate the surrounding scenery for a while due to his anxiety, but today he could finally see and feel the beauty of Mt. Wudang.

“Wow!”

With his arms wide open, Soma was hit by the gust of wind all over his body.

Beside him, Wu Jang-rak was looking at him, smiling. 

Most of his men still feared Soma.

On their way here, they got to know the real Soma. This was enough to make everyone feel terrified of him. It was the same with Wu Jang-rak. But as he got closer, he learned that Soma is not as scary as he looked.

He might have been broken due to his harsh experiences in childhood, but Wu Jang-rak felt that Soma’s root is not evil.

That’s why while Pyo-wol was alone with Chongjin, he took good care of Soma. Otherwise, he would have neglected Soma no matter how much Pyo-wol asked him. 

Soma looked at Wu Jang-rak and said,

“I had fun! Now let’s go down.”

“Have you seen everything?”

“Yeah! But I’m hungry now.”

“I’m getting hungry, too. Let’s go back and eat.”

“Okay!”

The two of them returned to the Wudang sect in a good mood.

Then someone came up to them.

He was a tall young warrior with a chiseled face.

The young warrior greeted Wu Jang-rak with a fist and palm bow.

“Master Wu! How are you?”

“Oh, hello!”

Wu Jang-rak also greeted the person in front of him. 

A strange light appeared on Wu Jang-rak’s face as he looked at the young warrior. He tried to look back at his memories, but no matter how much he tried, he could not recall seeing the young warrior in front of him.

“Have we ever met? I can’t seem to remember. It’s probably because I’m getting old.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure that we are meeting for the first time today. I only know you because I am interested in Master Wu.”

“Ah, I see. What is the name of this young master?”

“My name is Jang Muyeon.”

“Jang… Muyeon?”

In an instant, Wu Jang-rak’s eyes twitched.

It was only then that he realized the identity of the young warrior.

Jang Muyeon, the Soul Spirit Killing Swordsman.

A young master from the Rain Mountain Manor had appeared in front of him.

Wu Jang-rak heard that he had arrived in the Wudang sect, but he never expected that he would appear in front of him like this.

With an effortless expression on his face, Wu Jang-rak said,

“So it was young master Jang of the  Rain Mountain Manor. It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. I wanted to see Master Wu, so I went to you like this. There is a saying that if you earnestly wish for it, the heavens will grant your desire. It seems to be true.”

“Heh heh! I can’t believe young master Jang wanted to see this ordinary warrior. It’s an honor.”

“How can Master Wu be an ordinary warrior? If the former general of the Taiyuan Merchant Group said that he was an ordinary warrior, everyone in Jianghu would curse at him.”

“I don’t know what to do with your excessive praise. Anyway, did you also come here to attend the birthday party of the Wudang sect leader?”

“I came here to do two things.”

“Really?” 

“To celebrate the birthday of Chongjin, who I had admired for a long time, and to deal with the enemy of Xizang.”

Jang Muyeon said without a single change in his expression. 

He said it so calmly that it didn’t seem like a big deal, but the content of his words was by no means simple.

Jang Muyeon’s gaze turned to Soma, who was by Wu Jang-rak’s side. To be precise, his eyes were fixated on the sword Soma was holding.

“That’s a wonderful sword. I think that’s a greatsword. Where did you get it?”

“I got it as a gift.”

Soma replied while tightly embracing the sword, Gongbu. 

He instinctively read the greed in Jang Muyeon’s eyes.

Jang Muyeon smiled at Soma,

“You’re lucky, I wish I also received a gift like that, but anyway, congratulations. You have such a nice sword.”

“……..”

“There’s no need to be so wary. I’m not a bad person.”

Jang Muyeon sighed and took a step back. 

However, Soma’s gaze at him remained unfavorable.

Jang Muyeon looked at Wu Jang-rak again,

“Anyway, I’m glad we got to know each other. I hope that this kind of relationship will continue in the future.”

“I hope so too.”

“Enjoy the rest of the birthday party. This might just be a grand banquet that will never come again.”

Jang Muyeon turned around after saying his goodbye. 

Wu Jang-rak looked at Jang Muyeon’s back with a stiff face.

“He…”

Jang Muyeon’s gaze at Soma was similar to that of a beast just before hunting. Wu Jang-rak was not naive enough to not know what his gaze meant.

‘He must have known everything.’

Anything that happened in Jianghu was rarely a coincidence.

Most of them had clear causes.

Wu Jang-rak’s gaze turned to the sword in Soma’s hands.

It was clear that the other person had come all the way here in order to find the sword.

‘Ugh! If I do something wrong, things will get worse.’

Fortunately, this place is the Wudang sect.

It didn’t matter if the Rain Mountain Manor belonged to one of the three manors, it was inevitable that they would be inferior to the Wudang sect.

No matter how bold Jang Muyeon is, he would not dare to use force inside the Wudang sect.

* * *

Jang Muyeon suddenly stopped walking and looked back.

Soma and Wu Jang-rak had already disappeared from his view. 

For a moment, murderous intent flashed in Jang Muyeon’s eyes.

“That’s the sword Gongbu.”

The sword Soma held in his arms, was definitely Gongbu which his father, Jang Pyeongsan had wanted so much.

The fact that such a famous sword was held in the arms of a crow-like kid made him angry.

Hearing the news that his mother’s family had suffered a catastrophe, he quickly rushed to Enshi with the White Tiger Sword Corps.

The scenery he saw there was the Heavenly Silver Marketplace, on the verge of collapsing due to internal strife.

The Heavenly Silver Marketplace, which lost both Hwa Yu-cheon and Hwa Ok-gi, was caught up in a fierce internal strife, with the remaining leaders fighting each other.

The Heavenly Silver Marketplace, which used to threaten the Bamboo Sea clan, was completely ruined.

Jang Muyeon killed all those who dared to covet the inheritance left by his maternal uncle on the spot.

Even though Hwa Yu-cheon died, the property he left behind was his own. 

For the sin of daring to covet his possessions, they deserved death.

Jang Muyeon put an end to the Heavenly Silver Marketplace’s quarrel in an instant.

Upon his appearance, the Heavenly Silver Marketplace’s remaining warriors had no choice but to hold their breath and prostrate themselves.

Jang Muyeon brutally tortured the remaining people, forcing them to recall the memories of the day Hwa Yu-cheon died.

As a result, he was able to find out what happened in the Dead Forest that day.

He found out how such a prestigious sect, the Heavenly Silver Marketplace, including his maternal uncle, collapsed.

And at the moment his uncle died, he also found out that another party was involved. 

They were Wu Jang-rak’s group.

Jang Muyeon felt that Wu Jang-rak and his party were related to the death of his maternal uncle, so he ran to this place together with the 30 members of the White Tiger Sword Corps to follow them.

It might have been unexpected for Wu Jang-rak and his party to attend the birthday feast of the Wudang sect leader, but that didn’t stop him.

Five warriors approached Jang Muyeon.

They were the warriors of the White Tiger Sword Corps who entered the Wudang sect with him.

“Young master! Your expression is not good.”

The person who spoke to Jang Muyeon was Joo Cheon-hak, the leader of the White Tiger Sword Corps.

Joo Cheon-hak has performed numerous missions for Jang Pyeongsan. Among those missions, there were many which were so dangerous that he had to risk his life. But he still ended up completing all of those missions and thus gaining Jang Pyeongsan’s trust.

Jang Muyeon looked at Joo Cheon-hak and said,

“I found the sword, Gongbu. Some kid had it.”

“Really? You mean a kid has that famous sword?”

“He said it was a gift from someone.”

“You mean it wasn’t given to him by Wu Jang-rak?”

“He is not strong enough to kill my uncle, nor is he that determined There must be someone else who gave the sword to the kid. We have to find him.”

“Will you kill him once you find him?”

“Did you forget? This place is a Wudang sect. Even if I carry the name of the Rain Mountain Manor on my back, it will be difficult to deal with it if we act recklessly here.”

“Should we just watch for now?”

“You have to find the weak point. Watch the kid and the people around you. If you search thoroughly, you will definitely find a weak spot.”

“Alright.”

“I’m going to work when he goes down Mt. Wudang, so prepare thoroughly until then.”

“I will do that. I will also tell the guys at the bottom of the mountain to stand by.”

Joo Cheon-hak replied without a change in expression.

Jang Muyeon nodded and murmured,

“Yes… We’ll use this opportunity to tell the whole world what will happen to them if they dare touch the Rain Mountain Manor. This way no one will covet our property again.”

* * *

Pyo-wol walked out of the Shangqing Temple.

Before he knew it, It was already getting dark. 

But the surroundings remained as bright as broad daylight. This is because as soon as darkness fell, the Wudang sect taoists lit torches and lanterns. Thanks to this, the Wudang sect remained bright. 

It was rare for the Wudang sect to light this many torches and lanterns to this extent. If many warriors hadn’t come in, they would never have lit so many lanterns.

All of this was to save the prestige of the Wudang sect.

Thanks to this, even though it was late at night, the warriors were able to watch and enjoy the performances taking place throughout the Wudang sect.

Pyo-wol pulled down the scarf that was covering his face.

At that moment, many eyes were immediately focused on him.

“What kind of man’s face is that?”

“Heuk! That’s crazy.”

“Isn’t he a woman?”

The warriorswho saw his face whispered.

Pyo-wol’s appearance was so gorgeous that he stood out among the crowd.

People’s reactions were divided into two main categories. 

Those who were surprised and those who were jealous.

Most were the former, and quite a few were the latter.

Among those who were surprised, many were women.

“Oh my gosh!”

“Is that the face of a man?”

Some women looked at Pyo-wol with blushing faces.

People’s reactions were burdensome, but Pyo-wol calmly passed in between them.

Some bold women approached Pyo-wol without hesitation, regardless of the gaze of the people around them.

“What’s your name, young master?”

“My name is Yeo Yeon-hu of Hyeongpyeongjang.”

“This is also fate…”

The warriors could not close their mouths in surprise at the sight of the women flirting with Pyo-wol.

‘It was true that Jianghu female warriors were more open-minded than other ordinary women, but it was extremely rare for them to approach a man first in such a public place.

Pyo-wol was like a butterfly surrounded by flowers.

“The world is unfair.”

“Damn it!”

“You could live comfortably with that kind of face.”

The warriors, blinded by jealousy, glared at Pyo-wol as if they were about to eat him.

Pyo-wol simply told the women his name and left. A few women followed, but they couldn’t catch Pyo-wol as he immediately disappeared into the crowd.

As soon as he left the field, there were fewer people.

Thanks to this, Pyo-wol was able to catch his breath for a while.

Pyo-wol expected this reaction.

Now that he has revealed his face, many people who came to the Wudang sect will pay attention to him and remember the name Pyo-wol.

It was not Pyo-wol’s personality to expose his face and attract attention like this.

Pyo-wol usually preferred to hide himself thoroughly like an assassin. This is because it is easier to work when he does not have the people’s attention on him.

Even so, Pyo-wol exposed his face for a reason.

“Excuse me!”

When he was almost at Qingliu Palace, a woman called to him.

It was Hong Ye-seol, a woman dressed in dark red silk, like the sunset that hung over Wudang Mountain.

A strange light flashed in Pyo-wol’s eyes for an instant.

The fish he wanted came to him on her own. 

However, contrary to his inner feelings, Pyo-wol looked at Hong Ye-seol with an expressionless face.

Hong Ye-seol said with a bright smile,

“My name is Hong Ye-seol. Can we talk for a minute?”