Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Sometimes Unexpected Guests Arrive (2)

Senior Brother Mu-gyeong recognized Dam Ho and stammered.

"J-Junior Brother. Are you all right?"

"I am much better."

Dam Ho answered in a voice devoid of all emotion. Mu-gyeong's face tightened at the cold response.

It was not only Mu-gyeong. Most of the Mount Hua disciples gathered before the Cloud Mist Palace wore the same expression.

For the past year, not a single one of them had visited Dam Ho. Of course, there were reasons they could not speak of, but that did not erase the guilt they felt.

"How have you been all this time?"

"Treating my wounds."

Dam Ho's answer was brief. From his detached tone, Mu-gyeong sensed that he had no desire to exchange further words.

"Hmm!"

Mu-gyeong could find nothing else to say and simply scratched his head.

At that moment.

"So this one is also a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect."

A quiet voice accompanied someone approaching Dam Ho and Mu-gyeong. Their gazes turned toward its owner.

She was a young woman who looked slightly younger than Dam Ho. Her features were refined and elegant, her figure graceful, and her deep eyes and serene gaze left a lasting impression.

Dressed in robes as white as snow, her delicate beauty was all the more striking.

A puzzled light rose in Dam Ho's eyes. He had never once seen her within the Mount Hua Sect.

'A newly taken disciple?'

But the reply he received was entirely different from his guess.

"My name is Yeon So-ha, a disciple of the Wudang Sect."

"Wudang?"

"This time, I have come to visit Mount Hua with my Master. And you?"

"Cheong-gyeong."

"Are you a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect as well?"

"He is indeed a First Generation Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect."

It was Mu-gyeong who answered.

Yeon So-ha nodded at his words.

"I see. It is a pleasure to meet you, Young Hero Cheong-gyeong."

Dam Ho offered a slight bow.

For an instant, a glint of interest flickered in Yeon So-ha's eyes. He carried an air somehow different from the other Taoists of the Mount Hua Sect she had seen.

Dam Ho looked to Mu-gyeong. He was asking why Yeon So-ha was here.

Mu-gyeong explained.

"As you can see, people have come from the Wudang Sect."

"What is the matter?"

"I am not sure. They arrived suddenly…"

Mu-gyeong was just as much in the dark.

Dam Ho's gaze shifted to Yeon So-ha. She smiled.

"I am not yet in a position to say."

Her eyes turned toward the Cloud Mist Palace.

Within the Cloud Mist Palace, Sage Hyeon-cheon sat facing a Taoist of similar age. He was a Taoist who exuded an air quite different from those of the Mount Hua Sect in many ways. Wearing a Taoist cap upon his head and robes adorned with the Eight Trigrams emblem, he radiated an authority far from ordinary.

Sage Hyeon-cheon and the Taoist sat facing each other, both smiling. Yet their smiles were tinged with a certain stiffness.

Then Sage Hyeon-so entered.

"Grandmaster, you summoned me?"

"Come in, Brother."

Only then did Sage Hyeon-cheon relax his rigid expression and offer a smile.

"What is the matter?"

"First, allow me to make introductions. This is Sage Cheong-heo of the Wudang Sect."

"Wudang?"

A look of surprise crossed Sage Hyeon-so's face. But politeness came before questions, so he offered a fist-and-palm salute.

"I am Hyeon-so of the Mount Hua Sect. Sage Cheong-heo."

"A pleasure to meet you, Taoist Hyeon-so. I am Cheong-heo of the Wudang Sect."

Sage Cheong-heo rose from his seat and returned the salute.

"What brings the Wudang Sect to our humble mountain?"

"Please, sit first. Sage Cheong-heo will explain."

At Sage Hyeon-cheon's words, Sage Hyeon-so took a seat.

Sage Hyeon-so had little interest in the affairs of the martial world. Had he been even slightly more knowledgeable about current events, he would not have remained so composed upon seeing Sage Cheong-heo.

Sage Cheong-heo was the most distinguished martial artist the Wudang Sect had produced in decades. He was particularly renowned for his swordsmanship, and his achievements were said to be sufficient to contend for the title of Hubei's foremost swordsman.

Sage Cheong-heo gazed intently at Sage Hyeon-so. Though his stare was somewhat unsettling, Sage Hyeon-so did not avoid it.

Suddenly, Sage Cheong-heo smiled.

"Amitabha! They said you were the Grandmaster's Junior Brother, and your Daoist power is truly remarkable."

"To speak of Daoist power in a dull-witted old Taoist like me—too generous by far."

Sage Hyeon-so waved his hand dismissively. A faint flush crept across his austere face. In that moment, he looked like a child overcome with shyness.

"He whose virtue is thick returns to the babe. One who has accumulated deep virtue naturally becomes childlike."

At Sage Cheong-heo's words, a furrow formed between Sage Hyeon-cheon's brows.

'Sage Cheong-heo of the Wudang holds my Junior Brother in such high regard?'

Sage Cheong-heo was known throughout the Wudang Sect for his lofty reputation. Not only was he skilled in the sword, but he was also deeply versed in the Taoist scriptures, which added to his prestige.

To hear such praise from a man of this caliber, Sage Hyeon-cheon could not help but look upon Sage Hyeon-so with new eyes.

Sage Hyeon-so, his face flushed red, spoke hurriedly:

"Then what business brings the Wudang Sect to our mountain?"

"I have been remiss in my manners. The truth is, we have come because we require the Mount Hua Sect's assistance."

"You require our assistance?"

"Yes. Most urgently."

A look of doubt crossed Sage Hyeon-so's face.

Both the Wudang and the Mount Hua Sects were members of the Nine Great Sects. But their current standing could not have been more different.

The Wudang enjoyed its greatest prosperity, while the Mount Hua Sect had only just emerged from its decline, preparing to soar once more.

In terms of influence in the martial world and the strength they possessed, the Mount Hua Sect could in no way compare to the Wudang. For so powerful a sect to say it needed their help—naturally, he was puzzled.

"What exactly has happened?"

"Well…"

A troubled look appeared upon Sage Cheong-heo's face. It was Sage Hyeon-cheon who answered in his stead.

"It seems traces of the Demonic Cult have been discovered."

"The Demonic Cult?"

Sage Hyeon-so's eyes widened as though they might split. He stared at Sage Cheong-heo in disbelief.

"It is true… I know it is hard to believe, but their traces appear to have been found."

"What do you mean?"

"An outer disciple of our sect was running the Northern Road Escort Agency. Its caravan was attacked by unknown assailants and completely wiped out."

"That…"

"Everyone perished. Only a single escort named Lim Ho-ryeong survived, and he sent a message. 'We were attacked by the Demonic Cult.'"

"The Demonic Cult…"

Sage Hyeon-so slowly closed his eyes. His eyelids trembled.

The single word "Demonic Cult" carried countless meanings, and the fear lurking beneath it had seized his mind once more.

How could he forget that name?

Decades ago, the entire martial world had been drenched in blood because of that name alone. Countless people had died, and numerous sects had been annihilated.

The sects of the martial world had united to drive out the Demonic Cult. After more than a decade of warfare, they had at last destroyed it. The blood shed and sacrifices made in that struggle were beyond the power of words to describe.

"Is it truly the Demonic Cult?"

"That is what we must verify."

"What?"

"We cannot proclaim to the world that the Demonic Cult has returned based on a single message alone."

"So we must verify the truth ourselves?"

"Correct."

"Then why come to us?"

"We need your help. The Northern Road Escort Agency was wiped out in Shaanxi Province, which is closest to our current position."

"And so…"

"We have also sent people to the Zhongnan Sect. They will surely send reinforcements as well."

"Hmm!"

Only then did Sage Hyeon-so understand why Sage Cheong-heo had personally come to the Mount Hua Sect.

Whether it truly was the Demonic Cult that had attacked, they could not say. But shouldering that burden alone was too great a weight for the Wudang Sect to bear.

Sage Hyeon-cheon spoke:

"The Mount Hua Sect has accepted the Wudang's request and will dispatch disciples."

"Then why am I—"

Sage Hyeon-so looked puzzled.

If the Grandmaster had decided, that was that. There were many strong martial artists in the Mount Hua Sect, and they would surely prove useful to the Wudang's efforts.

The problem was that he was a mere Scholar Taoist who knew no martial arts. He could not fathom why the Grandmaster had summoned him.

"You must go."

"What?"

"As you know, the war against the Demonic Cult ended over twenty years ago. In the present martial world, few still carry the memory of that time. Even fewer can recognize the Demonic Cult's martial arts from the traces they left behind."

"And you want me to go?"

"Indeed. Though you have not practiced martial arts, your knowledge is second to none, is it not? You should still be able to tell."

"Y-yes."

How could he forget? While collecting the bodies of his Master, the Heaven Vault Master, and countless others, those memories had been seared into him.

The wounds left by the Demonic Cult's martial arts—he could identify them even with his eyes closed.

Sage Hyeon-cheon nodded and looked to Sage Cheong-heo.

"Sage Hyeon-so is our Scholar Taoist. His duty is to record and remember everything. With his knowledge, he can determine whether they are truly of the Demonic Cult."

"That is fortunate. We thought the Mount Hua Sect, which fought most fiercely against the Demonic Cult, would know them best."

"Your kind words are deeply appreciated."

In that instant, a cold smile touched Sage Hyeon-cheon's lips. Seeing it, Sage Cheong-heo realized his mistake.

Sage Hyeon-cheon's voice grew cold.

"I trust the elders of your sect are well?"

"They are… quite well."

"While they still live, treat them well. Do not lose them all at once and be left with regret, as we were."

A look of discomfort crossed Sage Cheong-heo's face. But it was brief—he quickly restored his original composure.

"I will certainly keep the Grandmaster's advice in mind."

"My thanks. For not taking offense at the ramblings of this useless old man."

"How could I? All your words are offered for our sect's benefit."

"You may depart at first light tomorrow. By then, I will have prepared the disciples to be dispatched."

"If there is fighting to be done, the Wudang will take the vanguard. So please, do not worry."

"I am most grateful."

Sage Hyeon-cheon's gaze now turned to Sage Hyeon-so.

"Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong will go with you."

"They are the Grandmaster Disciple and the Third Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. You would send them both at once? If anything should happen to them, the Mount Hua Sect will have no future."

"That is precisely why they must go. If the Mount Hua Sect is to lead the way, must they not overcome such dangers on their own?"

"Hmm!"

At Sage Hyeon-cheon's resolute answer, Sage Hyeon-so fell silent.

He saw in Sage Hyeon-cheon's eyes a firmness and resolve born of deep purpose. Sensing his gaze, Sage Hyeon-cheon smiled.

"Do not worry so. The Wudang and the Zhongnan Sects will be there as well. There will be no danger."

"Very well. Then I will descend the mountain. And…"

Sage Hyeon-so paused, hesitating for a moment. Sage Hyeon-cheon and Sage Cheong-heo looked at him with puzzlement.

After a brief hesitation, Sage Hyeon-so finally spoke:

"I wish to bring my disciple along as well."