We Are In No State To Receive Guests.

Tae-ul Jinin spoke calmly. At that sight, a sigh slipped from Tae-jeong Jinin’s lips.

“As an elder of Kangho, you may fail to open a path for the juniors, but you must not stand in their way.”

Tae-ul Jinin smiled gently.

The Kunlun disciples were certainly worthy of being called prodigies.

‘There is no way Sword Freak would have accepted just anyone.’

With just a little nurturing, they would soon grow sharp.

They were blades ready for immediate use. But that was all.

They might shine right now, yet they were not talents that could become the cornerstone of a sect.

Even so, he could understand.

Even if he himself were Kunlun, Tae-ul Jinin would have made the same choice.

Surviving the present was more important than the future.

Just as Qingcheng had done in the past.

“Kunlun is necessary both to the Orthodox Murim and to us. There is no need to create an enemy for no reason.”

Beyond Sichuan lay Qinghai. Now that Kunlun had collapsed, there was no longer any power there that could represent the orthodox side.

That was why the Murim Alliance was concerned about Qinghai.

The Qingcheng Sect could not simply look away either.

Besides, it was not a bad thing to have one breakwater in place.

Now that it was clear they could not surpass Qingcheng, there was no need to topple them.

“Song Hak. It is unfortunate that boy ended up like that, but it will instead become a good lesson for him.”

Half a year at this point in time was significant.

Song Hak was not competing only within Qingcheng.

He faced Wudang and Shaolin.

He had to compete with the prodigies of the other Nine Sects, One Union.

Yet Tae-jeong Jinin knew why Tae-ul Jinin could speak that way.

Song Hak had been the pride of Qingcheng.

A pillar who was supposed to lead the next generation of Qingcheng.

But that was no longer the case.

“It is fortunate that we have that child.”

Tae-ul Jinin nodded.

Qingcheng had found someone.

A shining talent that could not even be compared to Song Hak.

Because of that, they did not need to cling to Song Hak’s defeat.

Murim Alliance Leader Baek Gun-ak looked at the guests who had come.

A monk in worn robes and a Taoist in a neat training robe.

They were men even Alliance Leader Baek Gun-ak found it hard to face.

Revered Shaolin of the North, Esteemed Wudang of the South.

They were the Abbot of Shaolin and the Sect Leader of Wudang.

They had supported the Murim since long before the Murim Alliance even existed.

Even as Murim Alliance Leader, Baek Gun-ak could not easily meet them.

Yet the two of them were now here together.

Seeing the two of them in the same place was not something one saw often.

‘…Though I did agree to meet them.’

He had not expected them to come this quickly.

They had clearly set out as soon as they received his letter. They might even have left their mountains before the letter arrived.

That showed how important the matter was. At Baek Gun-ak’s side, Jegal Tae spoke carefully.

“Then I will wait outside.”

He was a strategist of the Murim Alliance, but he was also a man of the Jegal Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.

But the Wudang Sect Leader, the Sword Immortal, shook his head.

“No. You will learn of this sooner or later anyway, so listen with us.”

Saying so, he looked to the side.

The Divine Monk nodded and set something down before the two men.

It was an object wrapped in cloth.

It was something that had faintly bothered Baek Gun-ak ever since the two entered.

The Divine Monk gave a small nod, as if to tell them to unwrap it.

Jegal Tae undid the cloth.

A wooden box emerged.

Talismans were attached to it, giving it an ominous feel.

With a reverent expression, Jegal Tae opened the box. Without realizing it, a low sound escaped his throat.

Jegal Tae did not easily lose his composure, so Baek Gun-ak also grew curious about what was inside.

The moment he checked the contents of the box, Baek Gun-ak’s expression became no different from Jegal Tae’s.

When the two men fell silent, the Divine Monk spoke.

“I thought it would be best for you to see it with your own eyes, so I brought it.”

“What in the world is this?”

It was Jegal Tae who asked.

“It is a being that is known as a spirit or monster. Commonly, one might call it a yokai.”

What was inside the box was a head.

It was a shape unlike both human and beast. A face that was a mixture of man and animal.

A grotesque appearance that neither of them had ever seen before.

If the ones present had not been the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal, they would have thought it a prank.

“I ask that you give me a detailed, a very detailed explanation.”

Baek Gun-ak spoke in a trembling voice.

At that, the Sword Immortal beside him began to speak.

And from his mouth flowed the hidden history of Kunlun.

Even after the story ended, Baek Gun-ak could not easily speak.

It was only after a long while that he forced his mouth open.

“Then, how are we to stop it?”

“We cannot stop it. All we can do is prepare.”

The Divine Monk answered calmly.

“Even the disciples of our sect, who still had records of it, did not believe until they saw proof with their own eyes.”

Sword Immortal continued.

Moreover, Wudang was a Taoist sect. They even learned arts to ward off spirits.

If even such people could not believe it, the other sects would be far worse. Sword Immortal looked at Jegal Tae and asked:

“How do you think the Clan Head of the Jegal Clan would respond?”

“…If it were my elder brother, he would not believe it.”

As if he had expected that answer, Sword Immortal smiled.

“Even if I personally showed him this?”

Jegal Tae could not answer, but his reaction alone made the answer clear.

He was the Sect Leader of Wudang, no less.

Even so, they would fail to trust his words.

Yet Baek Gun-ak could understand. If the Sword Immortal and the Divine Monk had not come together, he too would have doubted.

Common sense dictated that there was no way the two of them would join hands to deceive him.

“If even the Five Great Clans would react this way, how will those who walk the unorthodox path accept it?”

They would not even listen to the story properly. Even if they believed it to be true, they would ignore it.

All the more so in times like these.

Baek Gun-ak pressed his brow as if his head hurt.

Seeing him, the Divine Monk spoke evenly.

“It is impossible for human hands to block the crashing waves.”

“Then why tell me this?”

At Baek Gun-ak’s question, the Divine Monk gave a faint smile.

“Even if you cannot stop the waves, you must at least find a boat that can withstand them. Even if it is only a small boat.”

That was true. It was better to be struck knowing than to be struck in ignorance.

However.

“Could you two not handle this yourselves?”

The Abbot of Shaolin and the Sect Leader of Wudang.

Setting aside their positions, the names of the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal might carry more weight than that of the Murim Alliance Leader.

This was different from the time when he was the Chivalrous Emperor.

Since becoming Alliance Leader, more constraints had arisen.

At Baek Gun-ak’s question, the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal both shook their heads.

“We are far too old for that.”

Baek Gun-ak could not deny it. The changing of generations was approaching.

The old had to disappear for new shoots to grow.

He had expected that one day this would come, but hearing it from their mouths carried a different weight.

Their bodies felt smaller than before.

Time did not spare even great masters.

‘…Of all times, it had to be now.’

The world was in utter turmoil.

Yet Baek Gun-ak shook his head.

It might be precisely because of that turmoil that things were so unsettled.

In the current Murim, how many people wielded as much influence as the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal.

It was not simply because their martial arts were strong.

They were respected not only by the Orthodox, but even by those who walked the Unorthodox path.

Once the two of them departed this world, their absence would be hard to fill.

Nor was that something only the orthodox knew.

After discussing a few more matters, the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal rose to their feet.

At that moment, as if something had come to mind, the Sword Immortal turned back to Baek Gun-ak.

“If it becomes too difficult, seek out the Sword Freak, that old friend of mine.”

Leaving those words behind, the Sword Immortal departed.

Once the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal were gone and only the two of them remained, Baek Gun-ak spoke.

“What do you think we should do?”

“For now, it is better not to let the others know. The Five Great Clans might use this as a pretext to force you to step down, Alliance Leader.”

Jegal Tae too belonged to the Jegal Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.

Even so, he spoke honestly.

Baek Gun-ak knew well the man they were now pushing forward.

“Moyong Cheon.”

A man who bore the arrogant title of Sword Emperor.

Yet he was a man more suited to turbulent times than Baek Gun-ak.

If that happened, he would not be able to carry out the request of the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal.

They did not need to guard only against enemies outside.

“If it is a wave that cannot be avoided, as the two said, it is best to wait for the right time.”

Before the waves came, clouds and wind would gather.

They could only truly move when that time came. Before that, they had no choice but to act quietly.

“Haa.”

Baek Gun-ak let out a deep sigh.

“Still, it is fortunate that we have the support of Shaolin and Wudang.”

Two of the Nine Sects, One Union.

They were not “only” two.

Shaolin Temple and the Wudang Sect were called the heads of the Nine Sects, One Union. They could not control the Nine Sects alone, of course, yet their symbolic weight was not small.

In exchange, they had left him with a troublesome task.

“Right. Nothing comes for free.”

Their support was for the future of the Central Plains.

But Baek Gun-ak had no intention of avoiding it.

The man called the Chivalrous Emperor was that sort of man.

This was why the Divine Monk and the Sword Immortal had come to Baek Gun-ak instead of Moyong Cheon.

Moyong Cheon would have used this situation to gain his own benefit.

After sorting out his thoughts, Baek Gun-ak turned to Jegal Tae.

“The Sword Freak… no, the Kunlun Sect Leader. I will have to meet him. Find him for me.”

“…Yes.”

He had wanted to avoid it, but now he could no longer do so.

As Jegal Tae bowed his head, he sighed inwardly.

The next day, Gyo-ha’s group descended Mount Qingcheng.

After all that had happened, it was awkward for them to remain there.

The Qingcheng Sect did not try to hold them back either.

Thus, the group that left Qingcheng did not head for the provincial capital.

They went instead to a village on the Zhong River.

It was to verify the information the Beggars’ Union had provided.

The report said that children and women vanished every night.

In the end, it turned out to be the work of a wolf pack.

They were able to resolve the matter by wiping out the wolves.

“…Are we supposed to consider that fortunate?”

Jeon Pyeong spoke bitterly.

Wolf pelts hung in bunches from Gyo-ha’s shoulders as he walked behind him.

If it had been the work of monsters, it would not have ended so simply.

And for ordinary people, even these wolves were objects of terror.

He could imagine how horrific the world they would soon face would be.

“For now, we have to deal with what is right in front of us. The disciples who supposedly went missing.”

At Bong Seok’s words, Jeon Pyeong nodded.

Some time ago, through Bong Seok, he had heard that the Murim Alliance had dispatched forces to search for them.

Even so, they could not simply sit back and wait.

Among them were not only Jeon Pyeong’s martial uncle, but also his fellow junior who had trained with him.

‘The sect told us not to get too deeply involved if things looked dangerous.’

But traveling with this group, he had begun to think it truly might not be something humans had done.

They had to confirm it personally.

If there was one fortunate point, it was that they were not alone.

There was not only Gyo-ha, but Seo Jong-dae was also an outstanding master.

The two of them had agreed to head to Qinghai together. Toward the last man Jeon Pyeong had yet to meet.

‘…I cannot exactly trust him, though.’

Naturally, Bong Seok had no choice but to go with them.

Bong Seok was a two-knot beggar of the Beggars’ Union. In terms of martial ability and in terms of skills, he would be of help.

“Then let us hurry.”

At Jeon Pyeong’s words, the group nodded.

Once they crossed the pass, they would reach the provincial capital.

The heart of Sichuan.

It was where the Sichuan Tang Clan, one of the Five Great Clans, was located.

Thus the group arrived at the Sichuan Tang Clan, only to run into an entirely unexpected situation.

“I am sorry. Our main house is in no state to receive guests at the moment.”

Tang Ho, Jeon Pyeong’s close friend, spoke with an apologetic expression.