Chapter 394
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C394. It would be best to descend soon
Hanan Province.
Wudang Temple.
Early morning.
A young man with a bamboo backpack entered the entrance of Wudang Mountain.
It was Yeon Jeokha, who had left Goseong Village.
He had said goodbye to Shim Tong, the Old Dao of the Nine Heavens, at the Goseong inn.
Although Shim Tong was somewhat disappointed, there was no other option if he wanted to finish his study of mystical techniques before summer.
Yeon Jeokha climbed the mountain humming a tune.
The descent had been gloomy, but now, with the arrival of spring, the landscape was lush and pleasing to the eye.
When he reached Haegumji, two Daoists suddenly appeared.
Upon seeing Yeon Jeokha’s face, they disappeared without a word.
They were so unique that there was no need to confirm their identity.
After passing Haegumji, Yeon Jeokha quickly climbed up to the Five Dragons Palace.
The Palace, to which he was returning after more than two months, was full of new disciples.
One or two out of every ten faces were unknown.
It seems that everyone was in a hurry, possibly because the time of the lesson was approaching.
As he walked distractedly towards the Five Dragons Palace, Yeon Jeokha turned back towards the Hall of Truth.
He was going to inform Master Cheonmyeong about the results of his practice of benevolence.
“So, did everything go well with what you did?”
Master Cheonmyeong looked at Namcheon with interested eyes.
He was a peculiar disciple in many ways.
At first, he thought he was a roughneck who had arrived thanks to the recommendation of the Sword Emperor, Namgung Byeok.
But then, Cheongbulno accepted him as his official disciple.
An incomprehensible choice, but he accepted it out of respect for Cheongbulno.
So, what happened?
The masters of the Five Dragons Palace were amazed by his skills.
He not only excelled, but he was at a completely different level.
Although it was his first time practicing mystical techniques, he seemed to surpass the six masters of the Palace.
He had even caused a stir by manifesting the thunder talisman with the name “Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens”.
‘So Cheongbulno accepted a good disciple after all.’
After hesitating until the last moment, it seems he decided to receive such an exceptional disciple.
“More or less.”
“Haha, it seems you are not very satisfied with the results, right?”
“He said it was a partial success. By the way, there may be complaints towards the Wudang Sect for that.”
“Complaints?”
Yeon Jeokha hesitated for a moment before deciding to reveal the truth.
He couldn’t hide the fact that the disciples of the Wudang Sect had been involved in the affairs of the Yoomyung Cult.
“Actually, the person the Golden Guardian wanted to eliminate was a practitioner of the Yoomyung Cult.”
“Have they discovered your identity?”
“No, but the people who were there realized that I am a disciple of the Five Dragons Palace.”
Upon hearing this, Master Cheonmyeong’s face darkened.
If they were disciples of the Wudang Sect headquarters, that wouldn’t be a problem.
But if there were members of the Golden Guard, it wouldn’t be long before the word got out.
“Then, the Yoomyung Cult could find out.”
“I think so.”
“Don’t worry too much. You are not a disciple of the headquarters, right? The disciples of the headquarters do not usually follow the guidelines of the central headquarters. If they know the situation, they won’t be able to do anything.”
“That would be a relief…”
“Since things have come to this point, finish your studies as quickly as possible and descend.”
“Do I just have to descend?”
“Of course. That’s the advantage of being an external disciple. The headquarters has no responsibility or authority to supervise external disciples. If you descend, the Yoomyung Cult will not be able to hold the Wudang Sect accountable.”
“Then, it would be best to descend before things get difficult, wouldn’t it?”
“Haha.”
Master Cheonmyeong just smiled.
Clearly, although he was a friend of the Sword Emperor, his language was quite brusque.
Now that I mention it, the actions he had taken when he first arrived at the Wudang Sect were also not common.
Thinking about the severe family tradition of the Namgung Family, it was truly unusual.
“I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“I know you arrived at the headquarters on the recommendation of the Sword Emperor. What is your relationship with him?”
“The Sword Emperor is the sworn brother of my deceased father. Therefore, he is like an uncle to me.”
“Ah! I see. What is the name of your ancestor?”
“He uses the characters Yeon, Mu and Ryong.”
Master Cheonmyeong nodded.
Devoting his life solely to the practice of Taoist arts, he did not immediately associate the name Yeon Muryong with Yeon Jeokha.
“Yes, your ancestor will be happy to see you. Strive even harder until the day you descend.”
“Yes.”
Yeon Jeokha said goodbye to Master Cheonmyeong and left the Hall of Truth.
As he walked slowly towards the Five Dragons Palace, the sound of the lessons echoed softly in the courtyard.
It was Master Baekun, who was teaching mystical techniques to the external disciples.
“Ah! That’s why the Master is in the Hall of Truth.”
The six masters of the Five Dragons Palace often left their place during the lessons of their younger colleagues.
But for a rookie like him, it was a great learning opportunity.
Yeon Jeokha silently entered the Five Dragons Palace and sat at the back.
“… The thunder technique at the Five Dragons Palace is based on internal cultivation, using both talismans and prayers. According to the ‘Classic of the Nine Heavens for the Invocation of Thunder’, the god who presides over thunder is the ‘Lord of Thunder’. What we must understand before executing the thunder technique is…”
Master Baekun’s eyes met Namcheon’s.
At that moment, Master Baekun’s eyes trembled.
Namcheon had not manifested thunder through the ‘Lord of Thunder’, but through the ‘Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens’.
He didn’t understand why he had appeared in his lesson just when he had said he was on a practice of benevolence.
It was as if he was going to shout: “I can ask the Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens!”
“What we must understand is…”
The same words were spinning in his mouth.
It was because ‘Lord of Thunder’ and ‘Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens’ were intertwined in his mind.
Master Muui, who was in charge of “Yeo Dongbin”, whispered:
“The ‘Lord of Thunder’ is the father of all living beings and the master of the ten thousand spirits.”
Master Baekun, who was sweating, finally concluded:
“The… Mysterious Woman of the Nine Heavens… I mean, the Lord of Thunder… is the father of all living beings and the master of all souls…”