I crouched, gripping my long blade. How did he notice… When I was tailing him, the sect leader showed no sign of noticing.
Even after hiding in the bushes, I completely concealed my presence. Suddenly, something flashed through my mind, and I hastily checked my energy core.
Ah…
To properly see Baek Cha-hyeon fight using his inner energy, I had also drawn up my own inner energy to enhance my vision. The fight with the black-robed figure was so impressive that I became engrossed, and before I knew it, I was circulating energy as thick as five strands of silk thread.
There was no way an internal arts master of Baek Cha-hyeon’s level wouldn't be able to sense this much inner energy. This might be for the best. Since things have turned out this way, I’ll have to have a showdown with the sect leader right here.
I racked my brain, thinking of how to handle the situation, and slowly walked out of the forest. I sheathed the long blade in my hand at my back and stepped over the broken gate into the shrine. The shrine’s walls were not very high and were crumbling in several places.
I quickly scanned my surroundings for an escape route in case things went wrong, and stopped in front of the door. Baek Cha-hyeon took a sip of wine and held up the bottle.
“Care for a drink?”
It didn't seem like a trick to catch me off guard. It looked like he would really give me a drink if I just said the word. I was so tempted that I found myself swallowing hard.
Spiritual wine, filled with natural energy, made by preparing a spiritual herb with alcohol. It was an incredibly expensive treasure, enough to bankrupt a prosperous orthodox sect. Just like pills made from prepared spiritual herbs, it would likely have the effect of replenishing one's inner energy.
What was it that the black-robed figure, now lying dead on the side, had been rambling about earlier? He said that spiritual wine was absorbed faster and was more effective than pills, making it more than five times as expensive. I don't know when I'll ever see such a rare treasure again.
I wanted to try it, just once. However, the fact that Baek Cha-hyeon had vomited blood bothered me. Even after drinking so much of the spiritual wine containing the energy of a spiritual herb, his complexion was as pale as wax.
The black-robed figure might have done something to the spiritual wine. Perhaps it had different side effects than the pills. It would be madness to drink something I wasn't sure about.
Since I had barely used any on my way here, my energy core was still full of inner energy.
“I'll pass.”
“You're a coward.”
“I'm just cautious.”
Baek Cha-hyeon sneered, his expression crooked. "A martial artist turning down a chance to become stronger. That's why you'll live your whole life as a wandering swordsman.
Cough, cough.”
Baek Cha-hyeon covered his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a series of dry coughs.
"Are you all right?"
"Do I look all right?"
When I saw him during the day, he didn't seem sick at all. But now, with his complexion and his gloomy, sunken eyes, he looked just like a patient suffering from a chronic illness. The aura he exuded also flickered ominously, like a lantern in the wind.
I guess wine is still wine, even if it's spiritual wine made from a spiritual herb. He wasn't just drinking in moderation; he was drinking day and night. It would be stranger if it didn't take a toll on his body.
"I will stand guard. You should circulate your energy to heal your injuries first."
The wrinkles on Baek Cha-hyeon’s brow deepened. He was wary, but showed no hostility. There was no killing intent either.
Judging by the atmosphere, it didn't seem like he wanted to fight me. Was he planning to intimidate me a little and then try to win me over? After all, his inner energy wasn't limitless, and he held no grudge against me.
He was busy enough dealing with the assassin; there was no reason to make an enemy of me as well.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough."
Perhaps it was because he had used his inner energy, but his coughing grew worse. Baek Cha-hyeon sheathed his sword and drank the rest of the wine.
“I'll take you up on that. Cough, cough.”
He threw the empty bottle aside, turned, and went inside the building. He plopped down in an empty spot, placed his sword beside him, and sat cross-legged. He closed his eyes and began to circulate his energy.
Just how much spiritual wine did he drink? I could feel a considerable amount of natural energy and inner energy moving, enough to make the air ripple. Once you start circulating your energy, you can't stop in the middle.
If you abruptly withdraw your inner energy, your qi and blood will immediately become tangled or twisted, leading to qi deviation. Right now, Baek Cha-hyeon was in a completely defenseless state, unable to even lift a finger. If I walked up and hit him just once, he would become half-paralyzed or vomit blood and die.
And yet, he was calmly circulating his energy. It seemed he had judged that I would not be able to harm him. I had witnessed the sect leader's secret deal, but the orthodox sect was ruined anyway.
And since Sister Soso was still a part of the sword school, I couldn't act rashly. Was he brave? Or was he arrogant?
Perhaps he had no other choice. If the sect leader died, would Sister Soso give up on her revenge and return to the Western Village with me?
Probably not.
In fact, her desire for revenge against the assassin would only grow stronger. Instead of following the arrogant and twisted sect leader, the remaining disciples would rally around the young master, Baek Seok-hun. Seeing as Baek Cha-hyeon had poured all of the sword school's assets into cultivating his inner energy, it was clear he knew the identity of the assassin.
If they were to clash with the assassin soon, the sect leader was a much better bet than the young master, who didn't seem to know how to use inner energy. There was nothing special about standing guard. All it meant was standing watch and preventing anyone or any animal from approaching while he circulated his energy.
I looked around, picked up the empty wine bottle, and brought it to my nose. A strong smell of alcohol wafted out, along with the rich scent of the spiritual herb. Should I have had a sip?
I licked my lips in regret, but the image of Baek Cha-hyeon vomiting blood kept bothering me. When I get back to the Western Village, I should look into the method of preparing spiritual herbs with alcohol. If Physician Sang doesn't know, I can ask Do Gwang-il next spring.
There were still three unopened bottles left in the box. Should I sneak one... I gulped down dry saliva and glanced inside the shrine.
Baek Cha-hyeon was completely absorbed in circulating his energy. Stealing it would be easy, but the thought of the consequences made my hand freeze. This was a treasure that Baek Cha-hyeon had acquired by uprooting the very foundation of the orthodox sect he was born and raised in.
If I refused when he offered but then stole it behind his back, he would never let it go. I already had the prepared pills; I couldn't risk ruining things by getting greedy for a suspicious treasure. With a trembling hand, I closed the lid of the box and stepped back.
To soothe my regret, I searched the bodies of the dead men. Who on earth were these guys? Judging by the fact that they knew how to brew wine with spiritual herbs and mentioned black market merchants, they were no ordinary members of the dark path.
From the two subordinates, I found a few silver taels and banknotes. The swords they used weren't bad either. The black-robed figure who had fought on nearly equal terms with Baek Cha-hyeon was quite the jackpot.
A silk pouch was full of banknotes. A quick check revealed it was over 100 silver taels. Combined with what I already had, we could all return to the Western Village and live for over a decade without worrying about money.
From another pouch, I found a few strangely shaped coins, a small hand mirror, and a piece of wood. They were familiar items I had seen somewhere before. No way. ...
I stared down at the black-robed figure, lying sprawled and growing cold. My gaze stopped at his neck. I tilted the black-robed figure's head to the side and pulled down the collar of his padded cotton clothes.
It's there.
The long, slender hand of a woman, tattooed along his neck. The Medicine Buddha, was it?
Ban Ho-yang.
It was the same tattoo that the demonic warrior from the Heavenly Mountains, that bastard, had on his neck. This bastard… he's a demonic sect warrior. And the hand mirror and coins were identical to the ones the demonic warrior opium merchant who impersonated Pyo Hol-deuk had.
He was definitely from the Heavenly Mountains. I unconsciously turned my eyes toward the building. No matter how blinded by revenge he was, for the head of a lay disciple sect of the Mount Hua Sect to be dealing with demonic sect warriors…
It was a crime grave enough to warrant the annihilation of his sect. But since it was already ruined, I guess it didn't matter. The night in the mountains in the middle of winter was harsh.
Even though I had worn warm clothes, the cold seeped in and made my body tremble. I dug a shallow pit in a corner of the yard, gathered some wood chips and fallen leaves, and started a fire. The wind wasn't strong, so warming myself by the bonfire made it bearable.
Two hours later, Baek Cha-hyeon finished circulating his energy to heal his injuries and came out of the building. It seemed to have worked; the color returned to his face, and his cough was gone. Before he could speak, I struck first.
“Do you know who the assassin is?”
Was it because I had gained his trust by standing guard? To my direct question, Baek Cha-hyeon also answered directly.
“Word came that he would kill me on a certain day of a certain month.”
“Is that why you sent the disciples away?”
With a regretful expression, Baek Cha-hyeon turned his gaze in the direction of the Western Shadow Sword Sect.
“From the time our founding ancestor established this place in Red Wave Village until he closed his eyes, the Western Shadow Sword Sect was nothing more than a humble lay disciple sect. We called it a sword school, but we were always watching the dark path factions around us and struggling to pay tribute to the Mount Hua Sect. To be powerless in the martial world, to be a weak martial family… it's truly a miserable thing.”
Is there any martial artist who doesn't know the sorrow and misery of being powerless? Most martial artists never even get close to becoming absolute masters or enjoying wealth and glory; they live miserably at the bottom before dying by the sword. Baek Cha-hyeon was one of the very lucky ones.
Of course, he himself didn't think so. "It was only in my father’s generation, the former sect leader, that we finally achieved this much prosperity. That karma has now returned, so how can I avoid it?
But I cannot simply offer up my neck. Do you know what the assassin is truly after?” Baek Cha-hyeon didn't wait for my answer and continued speaking.
“The Western Shadow Sword Sect. His plan is to kill me and swallow it whole. I can't let that happen. I would rather close the doors with my own hands than ever hand over the sword school. Not a single inch of the sword school's land, not a single sword, not a single bowl will ever be taken.”
The sect leader had squandered his family's fortune to buy the spiritual wine not just to gain inner energy. It was also a form of self-destruction, born from the venomous thought that he would rather destroy his own orthodox sect with his own hands than watch it be stolen before his very eyes.
Not only did he kill the former sect leader, but he's also after the orthodox sect's assets… At this point, it was certain. The assassin was no simple murderer.
He clearly knew the sect leader. A relationship that could only be described by the word 'karma'. It seemed he had no intention of surviving and rebuilding the orthodox sect even after killing the assassin and avenging his grudge.
Though it had subsided for now, Baek Cha-hyeon's illness appeared to be deep-seated. Whether it was a side effect of the spiritual wine or a pre-existing chronic illness, after a bloody battle with the assassin, it probably wouldn't end with just a cough.
Just because Baek Cha-hyeon might die soon doesn't mean the line of the Western Shadow Sword Sect would end. He had a perfectly fine successor.
"Are you really going to close the doors of the Western Shadow Sword Sect? The young master's achievements are nothing to scoff at…"
Even if he were to die in vain, the common sense action for the head of an orthodox sect would be to pass the family on to the young master and entrust him with its reconstruction. It wasn't as if the young master, Baek Seok-hun, lacked martial talent.
He was still young; if given enough opportunity, he would surely soar even higher. At the mention of his only son, Baek Cha-hyeon’s aura sank.
“Do you know the story of enduring hardship for revenge?”
“You mean Fucha and Goujian?”
It was a famous story about revenge, one that even martial artists who couldn't write their own names knew. King Fucha of Wu slept on a pile of uncomfortable firewood and sharpened his sword, seeking revenge for his dead father.
King Goujian of Yue licked the bitter gall of an animal every day to never forget his humiliation, fanning the flames of his vengeance.
“To me, that child is Fucha's firewood and Goujian's gall. Whenever my grudge wears thin and fades, I look at that child, and it pierces my flesh sharply once more. And…”
The sect leader’s eyes flashed fiercely.
“He is also the secret art that will allow my sword to reach the assassin's heart. That is his role left in this school.”
The sect leader's attitude toward his only child was chillingly cold. This wasn't the clumsy emotional expression of a strict father. He thought of his only flesh and blood as nothing more than a tool for revenge.
“Will you help me?”
"Would I be of any help?"
“When you sparred with that child during the day, I felt your inner energy rise. Just now, it was certain. I don't know what fateful encounter led you to obtain inner energy, but since I am the only internal arts master in our school, you will surely be a help.”
As I remained silent, Baek Cha-hyeon explained in more detail.
“The assassin won't come alone. I will face him, so you and the disciples will take on the rest. You just need to buy some time until I finish him off. I won't force you. You can leave whenever you want. Whether you go alone or take Soso and her child with you, do as you please.”
Even though he needed my help, Baek Cha-hyeon neither forced nor persuaded me. It sounded like he was saying it knowing that Sister Soso wouldn't leave so easily.
“When is the assassin coming?”
“He will come to take over the sword school in ten days, at the hour of the Dog. He will be the last guest to visit this school. An unwelcome one, though.”
“Can I tell the disciples?”
"Do as you wish."
Baek Cha-hyeon replied indifferently and headed for the box of wine bottles. He opened the lid, looked inside, and then turned back to me. As if finding it strange that I hadn't touched the spiritual wine, Baek Cha-hyeon studied me for a long moment before closing the lid.
He picked up the box and disappeared out of the shrine. I waited for about a quarter of an hour, then gathered dirt to extinguish the bonfire and descended the mountain. Under the half-moon tilting over the dark mountain behind, it was the early dawn, and everyone was sound asleep.