Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 89 - This Is Insane
Chapter 89 – This Is Insane
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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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The journey was smooth.
A fortnight later, Ju-seong arrived at Emei Mountain as a guest.
Though it was a sect of women, secular pilgrims came and went, so it wasn’t some forbidden land for men.
The main reason Ju-seong had come to Emei Sect was to examine the sect leader’s condition.
Now that he knew the sect leader had taken a pill made from human lives by the Ten Thousand Ears Gang, he had to check if there were any abnormalities.
Naturally, Ju-seong and the two women had decided to keep this secret strictly confidential.
There was no telling what disaster might result if it leaked.
Though his worries were piling up, seeing something magnificent still drew exclamations… that’s human nature.
“My word… So this is what a famous major sect looks like.”
Ju-seong gazed at Emei Sect’s halls rising like celestial villas on each mist-shrouded peak.
It was the day after he had unpacked at Emei Sect and stayed the night. It was early morning, and smoke from cooking rice was rising gently from peak after peak.
“Hmm.”
Sniffing, he detected herbs and grains steamed soft. Even Ju-seong’s keen and picky nose found it fragrant.
“Martial Senior Ok-wol. Can’t I eat before we go?”
At Ju-seong’s question, Ok-wol looked at him as if he were the most pathetic thing in the world.
Then, remembering that this glutton was in fact a stronger martial artist than herself, she quickly smoothed her expression and replied.
“Hmph, hmph. There will be time to eat after we meet the sect leader.”
“But there’s no meat, yet it smells so delicious… By the time we finish meeting the sect leader, it’ll all be cold.”
“Young Hero!”
Only after Ok-wol scolded him as if reprimanding a child did Ju-seong obediently step forward.
* * *
The Golden Summit Hermitage was the sect leader’s main residence.
Though its modest exterior seemed unfitting for the head of a major faction, as Ju-seong surveyed the surroundings, he understood why the sect leader stayed there.
‘If they sold this hermitage, nine-tenths of the price would be for the view.’
As it was the highest peak of Emei Mountain, the scenery looking down from that dizzying height was truly overwhelming.
The hermitage door was half-open, letting the breeze wander in and out. An old woman’s voice seeped through the gap.
Against the clear sound of a wooden moktak, the voice reciting sutras was pure and refined.
Before long, sensing the visitors’ presence, the sutra and moktak sounds stopped, and her voice flowed out.
“Let only Emei Mountain’s guest remain; the rest may descend. It’s mealtime… you must be weary.”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
The two women pressed their palms together in respect, then left Golden Summit.
‘Wait, so they’re the only ones…’
In the end, he was the only one missing breakfast.
Just as Ju-seong was wearing an aggrieved expression, the sect leader’s summons reached his ears.
“Benefactor, please enter.”
Inside the hermitage, hot tea was already prepared and steaming.
Master Jeong-hwa, seated across from Ju-seong, calmly drank her tea and asked.
“So… Benefactor, you said you wanted to take my pulse?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I am a junior disciple of Physician Seo-baek of the All-Living Clinic. I also helped Martial Senior Ok-wol and Young Lady Yang deal with the matter in Chongqing.”
Master Jeong-hwa nodded and replied.
“I heard from those girls. Mok Yeo-woon, that child was killed by the assassin, and the assassin was revealed to be from the Ten Thousand Ears Gang. Since Cheong-jin, the chief disciple of Qingcheng, confirmed that fact, this war should end soon.”
“If it’s not too presumptuous, what are your plans concerning the Ten Thousand Ears Gang?”
A chill descended momentarily into every deep wrinkle on Master Jeong-hwa’s face.
“They dared to toy with the two pillars of the orthodox sects and got caught… They have no right to complain if they are crushed by those pillars.”
Within less than a quarter of an hour of meeting her, Ju-seong was realizing why this gentle-looking old woman was called the Blade of Extinguishing Evil.
But the cold, fierce aura quickly dispersed, and Master Jeong-hwa returned to her calm, benevolent bhikkhuni demeanor.
“Benefactor’s contribution is great. Above all, in that we can now stop the conflict with Qingcheng.”
Come to think of it, Ju-seong was newly struck by how peaceful the atmosphere was.
“Now that I think of it, you should be at war with Qingcheng, yet it’s remarkably peaceful here.”
Master Jeong-hwa smiled softly and looked at Ju-seong.
“That, too, is thanks to you, Benefactor. I heard from Ok-wol about the Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s horrific underbelly. And how you uncovered it. When Vajra Pavilion’s foundations collapsed… by explosives, wasn’t it?”
“Ah… Yes. The Vajra Pavilion Master used explosives intending to take me down with him.”
“It was an outrageous amount of explosives. As a result, Sichuan Province’s government office went into an uproar. The Provincial Surveillance Commission’s soldiers are tearing through the black markets. In a situation like this, the separation of government and martial world matters loses its power. After all, non-interference is merely a courtesy the government extends to us.”
“Ah…”
Ju-seong nodded and let out a small exclamation.
The Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s rapid withdrawal wasn’t simply because they were about to be exposed for human sacrifice.
It was because the Vajra Pavilion Master’s use of explosives was about to land them in trouble with the government.
‘Well, they didn’t have much choice.’
Better to be in trouble over explosives. If that horrific scene had remained intact, the Ten Thousand Ears Gang would have faced a very unpleasant situation.
‘Instead of a complete disaster, they withdrew from Sichuan to minimize all other damage.’
On his way back, Ju-seong had poked around places that looked like Ten Thousand Ears Gang branches, but every one was either a dead end or completely empty.
‘Hmm… That bedwetter must be shaking in his boots. He should be running low on the medicine I made him.’
Ju-seong suddenly thought of Cheong-rang, the Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s southwestern Sichuan branch chief.
When you thought about it, this whole journey had started because of him. Ju-seong had set off after extracting information from him.
‘I’ll have to go back soon and make him new medicine. He wouldn’t have withdrawn with the rest of the Gang. To suppress his condition, he needs to stay close to me.’
The Ten Thousand Ears Gang bastards were draining out of Sichuan like the receding tide.
The hasty withdrawal seemed odd, but considering the government’s involvement, it made sense.
Master Jeong-hwa continued.
“In any case… With the Prefect himself about to lose his post over such a massive incident, Sichuan’s martial world was practically forced into a lull. Since the passion cooled before serious blood was shed, there’s room for negotiation.”
…In the end, all of this traced back to Ju-seong.
Those bastards had tried to pit Emei and Qingcheng against each other to mutual destruction while also taking out Ju-seong and the Divine Physician on the side.
Ju-seong, in uncovering the conspiracy, had provoked the Vajra Pavilion Master into using explosives.
That had roused Sichuan’s government office like a kicked hornet’s nest.
Qingcheng and Emei fell into a lull. The Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s plan to destroy both sects was ruined.
In the end…
Ju-seong, thrashing about and bumping into things, had inadvertently thrown the Ten Thousand Ears Gang’s grand scheme completely off course.
‘This is like… stumbling backward and accidentally catching a tiger.’
Whatever the case, because those bastards had moved quickly to cover their tracks, it was difficult to denounce them publicly now.
Even if Emei’s sect leader, Master Jeong-hwa, believed Ju-seong, without clear evidence, it was hard to declare the Ten Thousand Ears Gang a public enemy of the martial world.
Too many had their fingers in the Gang’s pie, and the evil path sects would shield them.
To denounce another major faction without solid evidence, you had to be at least the size of Shaolin or Wudang.
‘Still, just getting the word out is meaningful.’
Ju-seong decided to accept it as such.
Master Jeong-hwa studied Ju-seong’s expression and spoke.
“By the way, you want to examine my condition? Since you’re a junior of Physician Seo-baek, your skill must be assured. Who is your master?”
Feeling inexplicably guilty at her question, Ju-seong hesitated before answering.
“He, um, dislikes being known to the world. I can’t tell you.”
“If that’s the case, so be it. In any event, to have raised a hero like you and a renowned physician like Seo-baek… he must be an incredible person.”
Ju-seong nodded in reply.
“Of course. He’s incredible in many ways.”
‘Except for his personality.’
Ju-seong muttered that to himself, then carefully took the wrist Master Jeong-hwa extended and felt her pulse.
It was a frail, wrinkled hand, belonging to arms with muscle that had wasted away from age. Yet the tough tendons hadn’t lost their elasticity, and the heart pumped clean blood in a regular beat.
“…Astonishingly healthy. I have nothing more to say.”
“I’ve been feeling light every day lately. Hye-jeong really brought me something wonderful.”
Ju-seong watched the smiling Master Jeong-hwa’s face and schooled his own expression.
‘Thankfully, there seem to be no side effects from that dreadful pill.’
Overall, her body was healthy for her age. Master Jeong-hwa was quite elderly.
There was a large age gap between the current sect leader’s generation and the first-generation disciples.
The first-generation disciples were only around their thirties to forties, while the sect leader’s generation were all over eighty.
After paying his respects to the sect leader and descending, Ju-seong asked about this.
Ok-wol’s answer went like this.
“It was decades ago. Long before I was born, when the Sect Leader was still a third-generation disciple… Do you know about the White Lotus Bloodshed?”
“I do. When the White Lotus cultists were massively persecuted.”
“Right. Our seniors reportedly helped the common folk among the persecuted White Lotus cultists. But the government office caught wind of it, and we were ordered to seal our gates for a long time. That’s why there’s such a big age gap between the elder generation and the first-generation disciples.”
“Ah… So the same goes for Qingcheng?”
Ok-wol nodded.
“There’s also a big age gap between the elder generation and the first-generation disciples there.”
“As expected of righteous sects indeed…”
They might clash and squabble, but the will to protect the powerless was something they shared.
Perhaps that was why the orthodox sects had remained the mainstream of the martial world for so long.
As soon as he finished urgent matters, Ju-seong sent word to Physician Seo-baek via a merchant group that frequented Emei Sect.
After the collapse of Vajra Pavilion, Ju-seong had also gone missing. Seo-baek must have been anxiously wondering about his fate.
* * *
About ten days after sending word, Ju-seong decided to end his brief stay at Emei Sect and descend the mountain.
It wouldn’t do to impose further, and more importantly, the meatless temple food wasn’t agreeing with him.
Of course, it was delicious, but the longer he stayed, the emptier his body felt.
Better to leave before he lost control and stole the meat side dishes meant for the young novices.
Ju-seong, having just stepped through the mountain gate, encountered an unexpected visitor.
“…Huh? Senior Brother?”
“Junior Brother. So you were still here.”
Ju-seong couldn’t hide his bewilderment as he looked around, and his eyes met another familiar face.
“Dong-sam?”
Dong-sam greeted him with an awkward expression.
“Ah, yes. It’s been a while, Elder Brother. No, Young Hero.”
When Ju-seong tilted his head and looked further, standing right beside Dong-sam was the Ten Change Blade Guest, Seo Woo-jin.
A possibility flashed through Ju-seong’s mind.
‘Why do they look so much like master and disciple?’
Dong-sam standing next to Seo Woo-jin reminded him of himself with his master.
Thinking there was no way that could be, Ju-seong spoke sharply.
“You bastard… What are you doing just standing there? Get over here.”
At Ju-seong’s gesture, Dong-sam’s body reflexively moved to step forward.
But Seo Woo-jin placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and said.
“Why is your rear so flighty, boy? That’s why your lower body goes off-balance when you swing a blade.”
Ju-seong rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then spoke in a dumbfounded voice.
“…Sir Ten Change Blade Guest? Is this what I think it is?”
One of the Hundred Great Masters of the Jianghu.
The man said to have put all his fighting into ten slashes.
The Ten Change Blade Guest, Seo Woo-jin, nodded and replied.
“He’s my disciple.”
Ju-seong massaged the back of his head and muttered.
“This is insane.”
What kind of pairing was this?