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Chapter 413. The Price of Bonds
In recent days, it had become difficult to spot Wudang Sect personnel within the Murim Alliance.
Alongside Shaolin, they were the ones who claimed to be the strongest faction within the Alliance, and wherever they went, they wielded their authority. Yet now that their presence had vanished, people naturally found it strange.
"What, did the Wudang lot go on a group outing and get food poisoning?"
"That's not it. You know the attack on the Hall of Repose? I hear it was Wudang's doing."
"Oh, come on. What kind of nonsense is that?"
Е̇ń u ṁа_
"I'm telling you it's true! Apparently Clear Water True Man has been hauled off to the Inspection Office over it."
"Seriously?"
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When the circulating rumors, initially dismissed as baseless, began to solidify into something undeniable, people could not contain their shock.
"No matter what, to invite someone as a guest and then attack them...... is that really acceptable?"
"Even Black Path thugs wouldn't stoop that low. Are they telling me the great Orthodox Path martial artists of the world have no sense of decency?"
"The world's gone to ruin. Absolute ruin."
É ǹ_um а̀
On the other hand, there were opposing voices.
"The mistake was inviting a Black Thought Alliance dignitary to the Murim Alliance in the first place!"
"Damn right! This incident makes it clear. The only ones truly acting for the sake of the murim are Wudang! They acted in the name of justice!"
"You lunatics...... you invite someone to eat and then try to assassinate them, and you call that the Righteous Path? You call that the code of chivalry?"
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Of course, few echoed their sentiments.
At any rate, as public opinion against Wudang soured at breakneck speed, the Wudang Sect personnel began to shrink of their own accord.
Е̄n um̆ а̊ .і d́
Having received nothing but praise, they found it impossible to adapt to the sudden shift of being reviled overnight.
Belonging to Wudang was both a source of pride and a badge of status.
Once that badge was tarnished, they first fell into frustration, then experienced loss and despondency—and in the end, they denied all of it and turned to rage.
"After everything Wudang has done for the murim over the years."
"Has there ever been a time in history when our choices were wrong?"
"If Clear Water True Man made such a decision, then within the greater scheme, it was surely not a wrong one!"
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When fury congeals within, the arrowhead inevitably turns outward.
Having repackaged their transgressions as sacrifice and their arrogance as foresight, they began to search for the cause of the current crisis outside themselves.
The great Wudang, in the wrong?
That was no different from the preposterous claim that the sun rises in the west.
"If the cause of this crisis lies in Dam Ak's insolent defiance, then the one who escalated it is Jin So-un, who aided him and blew the matter wide open."
"He has always been a man with the Black Path's twisted ideology burrowed deep into his skull. How else could he have brought a Black Path sect to the sacred Murim Academy entrance ceremony?"
W̆еbn о̆ v̈_ёl Е n̆ u m̂ а̀
"On top of that, he reportedly struts around flaunting the epithet 'Black Flame Dragon,' bestowed upon him by the Four Emperors Peak Lord and current Black Thought Alliance Leader, as though it were a badge of honor."
Had a certain someone near Anhui Province heard this, he would have bellowed 'Bullshit, you sons of bitches!' and gone on a rampage—but he was still in Anhui.
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[The Fierce Tiger Unit has been crippled, its hands and feet severed.]
[The Fierce Tiger Unit Captain fought valiantly to the end against the combined assault of Jin So-un and Dam Ak, who employed Witchcraft, but ultimately lost his qi center.]
Moreover, when news arrived that the Fierce Tiger Unit personnel dispatched to capture Dam Ak had been devastated, the fury directed at Jin So-un blazed like oil-fed flames.
As these grievances piled higher and higher—
Е ńum̈ а̇. і̃ ď
"How long must Wudang endure and wait?"
—they finally arrived at a fundamental question.
As though their own transgressions had never existed in the first place.
Outside the Murim Alliance, meetings among Wudang members grew increasingly frequent.
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Avoiding the eyes of the public, dodging the ears of informants, they gathered one by one in hidden places.
"We may have lost Dam Ak, but Jin So-un will brazenly return."
W̊ ӗ b̀n̆ о́ v ē_l E ñ u m̆ а̂
"We prepare for that day."
Surrendering themselves to the phantom flames of restoring Wudang's prestige.
***
There is a saying that one hand cannot overcome ten.
Of course, that does not apply to me.
My hands are as big as a mountain, so ten hands are more than manageable.
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But if there is one thing I learned to the marrow from Dam Ak's ordeal, it is that even one mountain-sized hand has a hard time against a hundred.
'Of course, thinking it's possible in the first place is pretty delusional.'
Ever since this life began, I had known perfectly well how I needed to live.
I cannot compromise with anyone. I cannot make mutual concessions with anyone.
To prevent the tragedies and despair I know are coming, I must destroy the existing order and stability.
In other words, the more people come to see me as the tragedy and despair, the more likely an entirely different future—the one I desire—will unfold.
Ẁ e b̄n оv̂ el Eňum.a
That was why, the moment I returned, I focused on my inner arts first.
I consumed the countless spiritual medicines from the Murim Compendium of Spiritual Medicines and from my own memories. Some had been obtained by chance, others had come into my hands through utterly absurd means.
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"Because of that, quite a few masters who should have appeared ended up vanishing."
Through all of it, I achieved Five Cycles of inner arts—a staggering quantity that no one in the Taeul Sect had ever attained in my previous life.
In a murim where just One Cycle is enough to make a serious name for yourself, having Five Cycles at my age meant the whole world would tremble every time I so much as breathed hard.
And yet, what was reality?
W ё b̀ n ӧ v е l Е̌ǹ ŭ mâ
'These sons of bitches act like I'm some monster that showed up in their village.'
They were rallying to subjugate me as though I were some demonic beast that had disrupted the harmony of all creation.
The Taeul Sect kids were following along diligently, but it still was not enough.
Each of them being on par with disciples from other sects would not do.
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They needed to be overwhelming in a different sense entirely.
And until they reached that point, I had to be the one protecting them.
Ẅ е bňоv̂ е̂ l E ň û m а̄
Right now, there were two ways I could advance.
Achieve a new realm of understanding, or increase my inner arts.
The idea of a new understanding had come to me recently, from clashing with Yong So-ah.
'That son of a bitch, seriously.'
My quantity of inner arts was clearly greater.
On top of that, I knew all of his combat habits.
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In my mental training, I had always fought against the Yong So-ah of my previous life.
And yet—
'I couldn't reach him.'
On the Demon Spirit Plateau, at the Ten-Thousand-Poison Sect—every moment I crossed swords with Yong So-ah, I had been in earnest.
But not once had I been able to put him in danger.
If the quantity of inner arts defined one's level, then mine was certainly higher—and yet I could not reach him.
W е b̆nо̀ v el̂ Е̂ ǹu m á
'In the end, it comes down to the difference in study.'
Wudang Sect.
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That is to say, the Wudang Sect that had carried on its traditions for hundreds of years since Patriarch Jang Sambong—within it, the distilled essence of countless masters who had broken through their limits over the centuries must be hidden at its deepest core.
Those insights were passed down and passed down again, so that each new generation of disciples began their study from a higher plane of understanding.
Meanwhile, the only records the Taeul Sect possessed amounted to 'got beaten here, died there.'
Those centuries of historical difference created a fundamental gap.
Е nu̇mа́ .і́d̆
In the end, the fastest path to a new understanding was the guidance of someone who had reached a high realm—but what lunatic would willingly share the secrets of their absolute level?
"If quality won't do, I'll have to overpower with quantity."
Ultimately, greater inner arts were the only way to protect myself, protect my junior brothers and sisters, protect my sect, and beyond that, protect the Murim Alliance and the murim itself.
"Which means......"
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CLICK—
The clear sound of the wooden case opening rang out.
W ё b̄ǹ о̀ v̊e l̆ Е_n̄ ŭ mа
"I'm eating this because I have no choice. First, to keep the secret. Second, to protect all of you."
Yeah. I've got no choice.
As I reached for the pill, Geum-pyo's face flickered before my eyes.
I waved my hand to banish the phantom, but then Eun-ho appeared, throwing a deadpan punch my way.
"Insolent brats...... You don't understand the profound intentions of your Eldest Senior Brother."
But somehow, the cold stare of Sa-ryeon and the teary-eyed gaze of Dong-ryong were not so easy to brush aside.
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Still, I had to steel my resolve.
I carefully returned the pill to its place and closed the case.
"No. This is far too dangerous for you kids to consume."
I, Jin So-un, Eldest Senior Brother of the Taeul Sect.
For the safety of my junior brothers and sisters, now was the time to sacrifice myself.
With the resolve of a man hurling himself into a pit of fire alongside the enemy commander, I marched past the phantoms of my juniors and plunged into the secluded mountains where no one would find me.
E n̈ ŭm̊ а̌.і d̀
Absorbing the Taiji Pill might take an unknown amount of time.
At the very least, I could not afford to be disturbed during that process.
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A pill more potent than any I had ever consumed.
I could not help but be more tense than I had ever been.
I wiped the saliva flowing from the tension and quickened my pace.
Leaving the main road, I leaped across the treetops with Grass-Skimming Flight, scanning for desolate, rugged mountains.
W̃ е b ňӧ vе l Е ñ ǔ ḿа
And I found one—a craggy peak so forbidding that even herb gatherers would think twice before venturing in.
"This should do."
I extended my Sensory Perception to scan the surroundings. Small wildlife and large predators alike were swarming everywhere.
"And there's a bear den right over there!"
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Target confirmed, I swooped down with the agility of a hawk snatching its prey.
The bear curled up inside the cave instantly bared its claws and charged at the morsel that had dropped from the sky.
Wе b̌ n о̊véľ Ѐ ňu̇ṁӑ
ROOOAR!
I gathered my inner arts.
BOOM-BOOM-BANG!
My martial arts uniform swelled as if about to burst, and the moment I unleashed every ounce of killing intent I had, the charging bear skidded to a halt.
"What? Not going to keep coming?"
GRRRR—
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The bear abruptly ducked its head and scrambled away in full retreat.
After enough time had passed that the beast was no longer in sight, I picked up a suitable boulder and hauled it to the mouth of the cave.
THUD—
A massive rock more than large enough to seal the entrance completely.
Next, I cut enough grass to pad the cave floor, filled my water pouch to the brim, and prepared for any contingency.
When I returned to the cave, my preparations complete—
Е n u m а . i d̊
"......"
A small, elderly man was surveying the cave.
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What? Where did he suddenly come from......
'Huh?'
I stopped in my tracks and placed my hand on the sword hilt.
Because every instinct I had was screaming that this old man was dangerous.
Énǔ mа.і̀ d̄
The old man addressed me in an unhurried voice.
"Are you a martial artist?"
His frame barely reached my chest. Wrinkled skin. A hunched back and hair tied up in a careless knot.
He looked like any old man one might find in the mountains, but I did not lower my guard.
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Not once, while I had been approaching this cave—
'He never triggered my Sensory Perception!'
W̄ е b̆n̈ о́v̀ eĺ Ё.ñ ŭmа
I had not sensed his presence at all.
The stream was not far away, yet I had detected nothing until now.
On the other hand, what about now? A faint trace of inner arts could be felt emanating from his body.
He was clearly someone who had trained in martial arts.
How had a man possessing inner arts reached this place without being detected by my Sensory Perception?
Concealing my unsettled thoughts, I replied with forced nonchalance.
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"Yes. And what brings you to these harsh mountains, Elder?"
"What would an herb gatherer come to gather except herbs?"
"......An herb gatherer, you say."
What herb gatherer in the world could stand before an armed warrior and act as if nothing were amiss?
"I followed a peculiar fragrance, and it led me here."
The old man's eyes—clouded, yet unmistakably sharp—raked over my entire body.
Е ń ũ m ӓ
I caught myself just in time before my hand drifted to my chest.
"And it seems that fragrance has an owner."
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In that instant, I was certain.
This old man.
He knew something.
"I tried not to flaunt it, but I suppose it showed."
W̃ еḃ n о̂v ѐl̃ E̊n̈um a
"As the saying goes, 'The fragrance of an orchid reaches a thousand li; the virtue of a person reaches ten thousand.' A treasure of true quality cannot easily hide its scent."
Posing as an herb gatherer and casually tossing out literary phrases.
I frantically rifled through my mental archive, searching for any figure who matched this old man.
I needed to know who he was and where he belonged before I could respond.
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But there was no one in my records who fit.
'What the hell is he?'
E n̆ ŭ m̄ а̂ . ī_d̄
Based solely on the amount of inner arts he had on display, I could easily crush him—but my gut was telling me otherwise.
Be careful.
In my previous life, whenever my instincts had flared this sharply on the battlefield, something had always gone wrong that day.
"I do hear quite often that I possess virtue. But this is rather a remote place to come visiting just for a whiff of fragrance, wouldn't you say?"
"At my age, one comes to crave the intangible more than the tangible."
"For someone who says that, your eyes are quite full of desire."
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"......Is that so? I thought I had let most things go, but if that is still the case...... tsk tsk, perhaps this is what they call old-age ugliness."
My patience was reaching its limit.
Fuck, why should I have to tiptoe around my own property?
So what if the man's a master?
Am I supposed to just roll over and hand it to him?
In my previous life, how much had I lost by meekly saying 'Yes, understood'?
Е ń u̇ m̀а̀
Since receiving this second life, I had made one vow.
Never again would I live a life of only losing.
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So now I could say it with pride.
Fuck off!
"So what do you want?"
I prepared the Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven and bared my hostility without pretense.
Ŵ eb̈n̆ о̆ ṽ_е l̊ Е̇ ñ ūṁ ӓ
"Oh? Your demeanor changes in an instant. You have made up your mind, I see."
"It won't go the way you want."
"How do you know what I want?"
"Whatever it is, the fact that you can't say it plainly means it isn't anything decent."
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At my retort, the old man let out a laugh like scraping metal.
"Heh heh, how entertaining. So you intend to fight this old man, is that it?"
Е̌.n u m̃ӓ
"Even if you get what you want, you'll be leaving at least one arm behind."
"Without even hearing what I want?"
Strike first, and victory is assured.
Throw the first punch, and triumph is certain.
Reciting the ancient sage's teaching deep in my bones, I swung the Red Radiance Sword.
Three Forms of the White Moon Governing Heaven
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First Form
Extreme Swiftness
A streak of light lanced outward, shearing through trees and brush.
WHIIIIING—
The belated sound of air being split showed just how fast the blade had moved.
But at the same time, I sensed a grim future.
Е̇ n̂ úm̄ ӑ
'No feedback.'
Sure enough, where the cut had been made, no spray of blood followed.
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In fact, there was no trace of the old man anywhere—not in front, not to the left, not to the right.
Then—
"Heh heh heh. I'd heard he had absurdly sharp instincts, but I never imagined the boy would be this unhinged."
A voice materialized behind me.
Е_n̆ ũ m а.
Goosebumps erupted on my neck. I whipped my head around.
TAP— TOSS—
The old man was using one hand to toss a familiar wooden case into the air and catch it.
No way......
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I hastily patted my chest.
'Gone.'
Е̊ num̌ ӓ .і d
The old man wore a triumphant grin as he asked:
"Is this what you were looking for?"
What the—give it back.
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