Chapter 110
110
26. Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of the Elixir
Dang Jung, having neatly adjusted his collar, knelt down and opened the scripture.
His calmly sunken, ash-gray eyes slowly scanned the characters.
With both hands on his knees, he began to read the scripture aloud.
“The Way is truly present, formless and intangible, it can be conveyed by the heart but not received through language, it can be grasped by the mind but cannot be seen……”
However, even after reading the scripture for over a quarter of an hour, his troubled mind did not easily settle.
“That which has form and is clearly visible arises from the distant, unseen chaos……. That which has form and is clearly……. Ah.”
Jin-sung’s thick eyebrows gradually formed a sharp mountain as he repeated the same passage three times.
He groaned softly and slowly closed the Tao Te Ching.
Instead, he took out the Three Treasures and arranged them neatly before him.
The bronze mirror, the seal, and the Songmun Sword that Jin-sung had received on the day he was officially registered as a disciple of Wudang.
All three treasures were engraved with Jin-sung’s Taoist name.
Jin-sung, the eighteenth successor of the Wudang Sect.
Gazing silently at the treasures, Jin-sung steadied his mind as he traced the engraved Taoist name with his fingertips.
He was here representing the name of Wudang. Therefore, he had to perfectly fulfill the given mission.
Having made up his mind, Jin-sung put the treasures in his bosom and fastened the sword to his waist. Then, he left the guest quarters where he had been staying.
Song-hwa and Song-gwang, who were training in the training ground attached to the guest quarters, saw Jin-sung and lowered their swords at an angle.
“Martial Uncle-Grandfather.”
“Where are you going, Martial Uncle-Grandfather?”
“Song-hwa. Where is Peng Daeju?”
“He is in the Dragon Phoenix Unit leader’s office. He went to meet Jegal Danju.”
“I understand.”
Turning his back, Jin-sung headed for the leader’s office.
As he stood in front of the door and made his presence known, Peng Ji-yoon shouted from inside.
“Jin-sung Daoist. Come in!”
“Then, excuse me.”
Jin-sung answered and opened the door.
Jegal Hyo-gang, Red Moon Squad Leader Dam-cheon, Azure Moon Squad Leader Heo Won-so, and Ink Moon Squad Leader Peng Ji-yoon were all gathered in the leader’s office.
As Jin-sung politely clasped his hands, Jegal Hyo-gang nodded, and Dam-cheon returned the gesture.
Heo Won-so frowned, and Peng Ji-yoon waved her hand with a hearty laugh.
“You’ve come at just the right time, Jin-sung Daoist. We were just talking about Daoist.”
“Please sit here, Jin-sung Daoist.”
Jegal Hyo-gang pointed to an empty chair with his chin.
“Yes, Danju.”
Jin-sung answered politely and sat down in the chair. Then, Heo Won-so, who was sitting to Jin-sung’s left, narrowed his eyes sharply.
Peng Ji-yoon, who was looking back and forth between Jin-sung and Heo Won-so with playful eyes, patted Heo Won-so’s shoulder.
“Heo Won-so Daeju. Loosen up your expression. Are you that upset about losing to Jin-sung Daoist?”
“Who said I lost? It was a draw!”
Peng Ji-yoon chuckled mockingly as Heo Won-so became annoyed.
“A draw against a Rookie of Jianghu who is more than a decade younger than you is a loss. If Jin-sung Daoist were your age, you’d be washed up, washed up.”
“Peng Ji-yoon!”
“The Azure Moon Squad Leader lost to a callow youth. Don’t go around saying you’re from the Dragon Phoenix Unit. It’s embarrassing for me too.”
Heo Won-so, his face reddened by Peng Ji-yoon’s teasing, stammered.
“Ji, Jin-sung Daoist is a different case! And! In terms of seniority, he is above me!”
“Hey. You look pathetic, stop it. Why are you bringing up your teacher’s seniority? You pathetic bastard. Excuses.”
Peng Ji-yoon, with a serious expression, crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair.
Despite their bickering, Jin-sung maintained a composed posture without changing his expression.
Jegal Hyo-gang, who was gracefully fanning himself with a fan, poured tea into the teacup in front of Jin-sung and asked.
“Jin-sung Daoist. You will be returning to Wudang soon, yes?”
“Yes. That is why I have something to say.”
“What is it?”
“……I would like to extend my dispatch period.”
Dam-cheon, who had been listening quietly, propped his chin up as if surprised and looked at Jin-sung.
“Unexpected. I thought you would want to return to Wudang.”
“Is there a special reason?”
“I have not completed the first mission I was assigned since being dispatched. I want to finish it with my own hands before leaving.”
Jin-sung answered in a monotone voice, his gaze fixed on the teacup.
Over the transparent tea water, the face of Dang So-hye, with bloodshot eyes and tears streaming down, overlapped.
……It was a clear mistake. Even a rat will bite a cat when cornered. I should have handled it more flexibly.
Jegal Hyo-gang shrugged his shoulders as if Jin-sung’s answer was a good thing.
“Well, if that’s the case, there’s nothing difficult about it. That’s why I was going to call Daoist.”
“That’s right. Good. Even if we send your Three Great Disciples back, I was going to ask if Jin-sung Daoist could stay.”
“What is that…….”
“We are planning to form a new martial force under the Dragon Phoenix Unit. I would like Jin-sung Daoist to take on the role of Daeju.”
However, Jin-sung shook his head without even hesitating.
“I am grateful for the offer, but it is difficult.”
“You refuse so decisively. Why?”
“The order I received from my Sect was to lead the Three Great Disciples and carry out the mission of the Alliance. I cannot send only the Three Great Disciples back to the main Sect. As a Martial Uncle-Grandfather, it is my duty to safely lead my grand-disciples back to the main Sect.”
“A loyal dog indeed. Wudang has trained its disciples well. Well, what would a Rookie of Jianghu know? At an age when his teacher’s words are like the sky.”
As Heo Won-so sneered, Peng Ji-yoon muttered softly.
“Such a child…….”
“What? Peng Ji-yoon, what did you just say?”
“Do you want me to say it again? Childish. I’ve never seen such a childish bastard as Heo Won-so. I’m just saying what’s true, do you want to pick on a kid? Moron.”
“You really……!”
“If you’re going to fight, go outside and fight. It’s deafening.”
Dam-cheon covered his ears and complained.
Even with Jin-sung’s refusal, Jegal Hyo-gang was not upset. He waved his fan with an expressionless face.
“Very well. If that is Daoist’s wish, I will request Daoist’s stay from Wudang. You may extend your dispatch period as much as you like.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Jin-sung Daoist. You may leave now.”
“Yes. And I have something I would like to ask Peng Daeju. Would you spare me some time this afternoon?”
“Is it urgent?”
“It is not urgent. Just…….”
Jin-sung hesitated and closed his mouth at the attention focused on him.
“……Never mind. Please pretend you didn’t hear it. I will take my leave now.”
Jin-sung clasped his hands and quickly left the leader’s office.
It seemed faster and more certain to buy information from the Beggars' Sect than to ask Peng Daeju.
\ \ \
Dang So-hye.
Sixteen years old.
Illegitimate child of Tang Clan Patriarch Dang Mu-hyeok.
Disciple of Poison King Dang Jung. Inherited the Poison King’s unique Martial Arts Technique.
Ran away from home at the end of winter and went missing.
Last sighting was in Wuhan.
Tang Clan’s Seventh Elder Dang Geunmyeong is looking for her.
The information obtained from the Beggars' Sect was not much different from what Jin-sung already knew. However, there was a subtle detail that bothered him.
‘It has nothing to do with me poisoning the man who was supposed to be my betrothed, right?’
‘I didn’t kill him. He wasn’t my betrothed either. Someone else killed him and framed me.’
There was no mention of the man who Dang So-hye had said was her betrothed, or rather, almost her betrothed.
Could the Tang Clan have deliberately concealed the news?
The marriage of a daughter of a prestigious family was a sensitive matter, so that was a possibility.
If there was a flaw in a product that had to be extracted to its maximum value, anyone would try to hide it.
The information that she had run away from home was also hard to believe.
When Jin-sung first offered to accompany her, Dang So-hye had a terrified look on her face.
If she were a naive Young Miss who had run away from home because she was dissatisfied with her family, there would be no reason to be terrified. Rather, she would shamelessly say that she would not go back.
Dang So-hye’s reaction was……. the reaction of someone being chased. Didn’t she feel relieved and try to accompany him when he said it wasn’t a family matter?
After thinking carefully, Jin-sung came to his own conclusion.
‘Is she caught up in a power struggle within the Sect…….’
A family with multiple Madams was always bound to have trouble.
If Jin-sung’s guess was correct, then the Soul-Chasing Flying Dagger that was said to be Dang So-hye’s might belong to someone else.
Or it was possible that they stole Dang So-hye’s belongings and deliberately dropped them next to a carelessly handled corpse.
The false charge of colluding with the Demonic Sect would be a sure way to eliminate a competitor.
‘Can a Daoist drink alcohol? You said I shouldn’t bring alcohol to Jasogung.’
Aside from saying incomprehensible and absurd things, Dang So-hye did not seem to have the temperament to kill people.
The Poison she used on Jin-sung’s group was only a paralyzing Poison that did not leave any aftereffects. If she had intended to kill them, she would have used a deadly Poison.
She also wouldn’t have broken down and shed tears over the wounds of his group.
The swordsman who was with Dang So-hye was suspicious, but if he was a member of the Demonic Sect, he wouldn’t have fallen so helplessly to Peng Ji-yoon’s sword.
The spies that the Demonic Sect planted in the Central Plains were only Martial Artists who had reached the level of first-rate, but his skills were no more than those of a third-rate Wanderer.
As Jin-sung organized his tangled thoughts, he clenched his fist and bit his lip.
Jin-sung’s own speculation was meaningless. To clearly distinguish the truth, the person involved’s statement was needed.
Therefore, he had to meet Dang So-hye again.
\ \ \
After saying goodbye to Empress Hwang, we left the hermitage.
Thanks to being accustomed to hiking for several months, arriving at Cheonjusan was quick. Finding Biraebong was also not difficult.
However, the moment I entered the valley west of Biraebong, I realized that I had taken the serendipity too lightly.
The entire valley was a cave.
There was a cave inside a cave, and another cave inside that.
I had thought naively that there couldn’t be dozens of caves…….
There weren’t dozens, but hundreds.
I rubbed my forehead roughly as a headache washed over me.
How am I supposed to find Gongcheong Seokyu here?
I’m going crazy.
