Returning To Simplicity And Truth (1)

“It seems he fell.”

Jeong Hoe-ja heard Neung Je-gang’s scream.

Three people were now gathered at the entrance of Mind-Cleansing Cave. Deung Myeong, who had transformed into Deung Gak, Jeong Hoe-ja, and one more old Taoist holding a sword.

Through some device there, they were listening to every sound coming from underground.

“Soul Hunter! Confirm it.”

No sooner had Deung Myeong spoken than a black mass suddenly sprang out of thin air, split apart, and moved close to the stone platform that was slowly tilting.

“There is no sign of anyone. The stone platform has been completely destroyed.”

“They said he had mastered Heaven-Shattering Thunderbolt Sovereign, and it truly is impressive. To shatter a stone platform of that size with one palm strike. In any case, does this mean Heaven-Shattering Thunderbolt Sovereign has now completely vanished from the martial world?”

“If he did not teach it to anyone else, then yes. Perhaps that master of his, Nam Yeong, might know it.”

“Is that so? Sect Leader!”

“Yes.”

At Deung Myeong’s call, Jeong Hoe-ja answered and looked at him.

“I want Heaven-Shattering Thunderbolt Sovereign. Can you find Nam Yeong and learn it?”

“It will take a long time. Zhejiang Province is too far.”

“Still, try it once. And make a new stone platform to block this hole. Looking at it makes me strangely uneasy.”

“Understood.”

“Byeon Bong!”

“Yes.”

The old Taoist holding the sword quickly answered Deung Myeong’s call. If Neung Je-gang knew, it would once again send him into a frenzy. The old Taoist was none other than Byeon Bong, the man who had made Neung Je-gang’s family and hometown village into sacrifices for a sea of fire.

“You heard everything as well, but that man called Secret Shadow is an existence created by your mistake.”

“I am sorry.”

“I will forgive you this time. Do not make such a mistake from now on.”

“Thank you.”

“Take Jieun Territory and withdraw. After making a stone platform to block this place, keep close watch over it.”

“Understood.”

After Deung Myeong finished giving all his orders, he flew toward the peak where his stone chamber was and disappeared.

“It is fortunate above all else that we managed to dispose of Secret Shadow, even like this.”

In truth, he could not say how much grief that man had caused him. Everyone he sent to capture him died one after another, so it had greatly worn on him. But now he no longer needed to worry.

Deung Myeong arrived in front of the stone chamber and opened the door. But inside his stone chamber, where he thought no one would be, two people were waiting.

“Grandfather! Father! I have kept you waiting.”

That was right. The two people waiting for him in the stone chamber were the real Deung Gak and his son Deung Hyeon.

“What happened?”

Deung Gak asked.

“Secret Shadow fell into the Bottomless Prison.”

“What about Dam Ja-cheon? Did he tell Secret Shadow the final part of the Robe-Adding Divine Art?”

In truth, that was the real reason they had allowed Dam Ja-cheon and Neung Je-gang to meet. They had thought that if Dam Ja-cheon met Secret Shadow, he might tell him the formula of the Robe-Adding Divine Art that he had been hiding.

“It seems we must give up on the Robe-Adding Divine Art. Dam Ja-cheon says he has completely forgotten it as well.”

“We went through so much trouble to obtain it, only to throw it away completely because of a rat-like bastard.”

“Can it not be practiced even without the final chapter?”

“That will not do. An incomplete Robe-Adding Divine Art is likely to cause qi deviation. Do not even think of practicing it.”

Deung Gak said it with a stern expression.

“Understood.”

“Soon, warriors from the Central Plains will pour in. We must win the battle at Seon-yeong. If we do not win the first battle, we cannot win the next one either.”

“I know that well.”

“Good. We trust you will do well, so we shall take our leave now.”

“Where will you go?”

“I plan to go to Tianshan and drag out the old men living in seclusion. What about you?”

“I plan to go toward Mongolia. It seems necessary to control those people a little.”

Deung Hyeon said.

“Are they not listening?”

“They are making a fuss about taking this opportunity to capture Beijing and rebuild Yuan.”

“Foolish things. Let them do as they please. There is no need to stop them. The more they act up, the more advantageous it becomes for us.”

“But Father, what if those people truly occupy Beijing?”

“Do you think Beijing is such an easy place? With their current strength, it is impossible. So do not go to Mongolia. Go to Sichuan instead.”

“What business is there in Sichuan……?”

“The Tang Clan of Sichuan will send the hidden weapons they have produced so far to the Martial Alliance. You must seize them.”

“Ah, understood.”

Cheonghae and Sichuan were adjacent, so once he seized the goods, all he had to do was cross into Cheonghae.

“But will it be all right for you to leave your position? Will the Martial Alliance not find it suspicious?”

“After handling the matter, I will join the Martial Alliance. There may be people who suspect me, but they will not be able to say anything to me.”

“The Martial Alliance and the Black Alliance will divide their forces and attack. If that happens, the Martial Alliance will probably come through Gansu, while the Black Alliance is likely to pass through Sichuan. Send troops to U-gak Hobong and prepare defenses in advance.”

“Understood.”

“Then I shall leave now. I will return as quickly as possible.”

After saying that, Deung Gak briskly left the stone chamber. Deung Hyeon also exchanged a brief conversation with Deung Myeong and then set out.

Left alone, Deung Myeong climbed onto the pedestal prepared on one side of the stone chamber and sat down.

“War, is it……. The more they come, the deeper the Central Plains will fall into chaos. Ahahahahaha!”

His laughter drifted around the inside of the stone chamber for a long while.

The intelligence chiefs of the Eastern Depot, the Martial Alliance, and the Black Alliance gathered in Lanzhou, the provincial capital of Gansu.

In a vast estate located between the Provincial Administration Commission and the Regional Military Commission of Lanzhou, this was the Gansu Province branch of the Eastern Depot.

“This is terrible. I did not expect the Necromancer Cult to use such a method.”

Princess Jang-ok sighed. An enormous number of people were surging toward Cheonghae like a tidal wave. Their numbers were increasing with each passing day.

“Please kill them all. Did we not decide to handle the Necromancer Cult that way? They are people who will not come back to their senses anyway.”

Go Won-gi cautiously opened his mouth. Even if it was for a great cause, bringing up the lives of millions could not help but make him cautious.

There was still no known method to undo the Necromancer Cult’s Spirit-Command Mind-Seal Technique. That meant even if they were kept alive, they could not live properly.

“Do not say such absurd things. They are all subjects of this country. No matter how deeply they have fallen into a heretical cult, we cannot kill them all. Besides, can you be certain that every single one of them is not in their right mind?”

Princess Jang-ok showed displeasure.

They were the lives of millions. Even if they solved the matter by killing them all, Heaven would not forgive the Great Ming Empire for such cruelty and brutality.

“Those who are in their right minds are even more unforgivable. They are people who have joined the Necromancer Cult of their own will.”

Ma Ryeong Branch Master, the Lord of the Hall of Ten Thousand Sounds, supported Go Won-gi’s opinion. In any case, there was no other method. Now was not the time for sympathy or the virtue of cherishing life toward the Necromancer Cultists.

“S-still, we cannot kill them all.”

Because the two men argued consistently, Princess Jang-ok became flustered.

There were hundreds of thousands, even millions of them. She did not want her name placed on the list of those credited for killing them.

But in any case, now was the moment to deal with them. She also could not simply oppose the idea without any particular method.

“We will observe that matter for a few more days. We cannot make a decision now.”

In the end, they could not reach a conclusion. If she, the head of the Eastern Depot, could not reach a conclusion, the other sides could not do anything either. Among the three of them, Princess Jang-ok held the authority. Everything depended on her will.

“How much food has flowed into the enemy forces?”

“Compared with their current numbers, it is said to be enough to last at least one year. But since the Necromancer Cultists are gradually joining them, an accurate calculation is impossible. According to our subordinates’ judgment, even at the very least, they should have enough to last five or six months.”

“Mm……!”

Princess Jang-ok was lightly shocked. To think that the enemy bandits had prepared that much food…….

This was a serious problem. It was regrettable that they had not blocked it in advance.

Six months. They could not give the enemy bandits that much time. The Necromancer Cultists, who were now a disorganized mob, might become elite soldiers after that time passed.

Princess Jang-ok could no longer insist on her own obstinacy. The safety of the Ming Empire came before the lives of the Necromancer Cultists. She could not let the discipline of the country shake because of her delayed judgment.

“How much time is needed for the experts on both sides to finish all preparations and gather near Cheonghae Province?”

“Roughly one or two months should be enough.”

“We will need about that much as well. Since we must gather all our scattered warriors…… it cannot be done any faster.”

“Then it will be around the same time. I will request the dispatch of troops from His Majesty. In my opinion, he will probably send down the army of Liaodong, and their movement to Jade Gate Pass should also take about that long. Then let us advance from three directions two months from now.”

In the end, Princess Jang-ok also made up her mind. She could no longer avoid reality. Even for the future of the Ming Empire.

“Ah! Is there any news of our Deputy Commissioner?”

Princess Jang-ok asked about Neung Je-gang.

That was the matter that drew her greatest interest. Several months had already passed since he headed to Kunlun. She could not even remember when she had received the last report saying someone had seen him.

Originally, she had come all the way to distant Lanzhou to see him, but he was nowhere to be seen, and she was only troubled by other piled-up problems.

“There is none. I am sorry to say this, but we have already concluded that he is no longer of this world.”

Ma Ryeong Branch Master spoke firmly in a stiff tone. Go Won-gi nodded. Ma Ryeong Branch Master was bluntly saying what he himself could not bear to say.

Princess Jang-ok’s eyes trembled. She had thought that might be the case. But the shock of accepting something she had thought of herself and hearing the same thing come out of someone else’s mouth was different.

“That absolutely cannot be. He is not someone who would die so easily.”

“…….”

Go Won-gi and Ma Ryeong Branch Master had nothing else to say. In any case, they were merely guessing that it was so.

“Still, should we not inform his master?”

“We should.”

Go Won-gi and Ma Ryeong Branch Master exchanged words. They could not simply wait forever.

“But where is his master……?”

The new residence in Antang Mountain had not yet been made known elsewhere. So even if they wanted to inform him, there was no method.

“I will inform him. People raised by his master are in the military, so we should be able to do it through them.”

Princess Jang-ok said. Other than that, there was no particular method.

Thus, the meeting ended.

“Missing? What do you mean? Tell me in detail.”

Nam Yeong did not even blink at the words of the general who had rushed over from the Zhejiang Province Regional Military Commission.

“It means exactly that. They say the Central Plains is now facing a war with Kunlun, which has raised a rebellion. Ah, do you know that Kunlun has been revealed as the force behind the Necromancer Cult?”

He was a general who had once been saved by Nam Yeong and was now working at the Zhejiang Province Regional Military Commission to fight the wokou. Having received orders from his superiors, he had rushed to Antang Mountain in one breath and was meeting Nam Yeong.

“Kunlun is behind the Necromancer Cult?”

Nam Yeong did not know. As expected, because he was holed up in a remote place, he was ignorant of information.

“They say the Young Fortress Lord entered Kunlun and has not returned.”

Stagger.

Je So-yeon, who had been listening from the side just in case, collapsed without even a groan.

Cheong Yeon, who had also been listening beside her, quickly supported her.

“Take her away and lay her down.”

Nam Yeong spoke calmly. He still had not lost his composure.

“Whoa, so you’re saying the boss is dead?”

Ma-jil’s eyes widened.

“Be quiet. That guy would not die so easily.”

There was no one who knew Neung Je-gang’s abilities as well as Nam Yeong did. He knew exactly what martial arts Neung Je-gang was practicing as well. He could not possibly think Neung Je-gang, who possessed such abilities, had died.

“He has probably fallen into a situation he cannot easily escape from.”

Neung Je-gang’s only weakness was that he was weak against mechanisms and formations. Nam Yeong judged that Neung Je-gang had been trapped by something like that.

“A situation he cannot easily escape from……? Then did he fall into a place like the Forbidden Demon Prison?”

Ma-jil jumped in fright. He was the sort who thought it would be better to die than be locked up in such a place again. His voice trembled from the memory alone.

“That may be possible. Hm……!”

Nam Yeong gave a faint groan as he looked at Cheong Yeon, who had returned after laying Je So-yeon down, and Ma-jil.

“Will you two go?”

“I will.”

Cheong Yeon answered.

“Where?”

This was Ma-jil’s answer.

Nam Yeong completely ignored Ma-jil’s words.

“Kunlun is actually not a sect founded by people of the Central Plains, but by Tibetans. In addition, there are many Mongols among them. Perhaps that is why they came to dream of rebellion.”

Because Nam Yeong himself was not from the Central Plains, he was guessing the reason for Kunlun’s rebellion with very objective eyes.

At the beginning of the empire, Ming had also strongly pressured Goryeo. It was the same toward the Mongols and Tibetans. Because of that pressure, Goryeo fell and became Joseon, while the Northern Yuan, which the Mongols established after losing the Central Plains, was gradually pushed farther north.

It was the same for the Tibetans. In the early Ming Empire, they lost Yunnan Province, where they had been widely distributed, and were pushed into Xizang.

The reason they had at least been able to live in Cheonghae Province was because the population there was extremely small. From Ming’s perspective, Cheonghae had no particular strength and nothing culturally noteworthy either, so they did not pay attention to it.

They only paid attention to Gansu Province, where the Silk Road was located, and Sichuan Province, the route to Xizang.

In a word, Cheonghae was an ambiguous place that was neither Ming land nor Tibetan or Mongol land.

“There is no need to think about rescuing him. Even if he fell into a trap, he is a guy who will not die easily. Since Cheong Yeon is from the Eastern Depot, joining the Eastern Depot or finding the Martial Alliance and quickly resolving Kunlun’s rebellion may be the faster way to rescue him.”

“What are you saying? We should run to Kunlun and rescue him immediately. What help would the two of us be if we went there anyway……. Right?”

Ma-jil opposed Nam Yeong’s words and looked at Cheong Yeon. Cheong Yeon nodded.

Nam Yeong was grateful for those words, but what was not right was still not right.

“Did I not say it? Kunlun is mostly made up of Tibetans and Mongols, so they look different from you. Far from rescuing him, you two could end up in danger as well. If even that guy went missing, do you think you could endure there?”

“……!”

Cheong Yeon and Ma-jil could not answer. No, they were unable to answer. They knew that was the reality, but their hearts could not accept it.

It was then.

“I will go too. I will go and help so the rebellion is resolved quickly.”

Je So-yeon, who had fainted, regained consciousness and returned.

“You?”

“I can be called a martial artist now, can’t I? Master also acknowledges my ability, right?”

“T-that is true, but…….”

“Even if you oppose me, I will go. Even if I go alone, I will help confront Kunlun. If that is the way to rescue Senior Brother faster, I do not mind dying.”

She was so firm that it made one wonder whether Je So-yeon had such a personality. It was a side of her they had never seen until now.

The three men shook their heads. But what if she really went off alone?

“Phew! There is no helping it. The three of you should go together.”

“Elder!”

Cheong Yeon called Nam Yeong as if to object. But the sharp, cold chill that immediately flew into the back of his head and lodged there snapped him wide awake.

Cheong Yeon turned his head. Je So-yeon was more than one jang away from him, and she held nothing in her hand. That meant she had shot qi at him.

In the end, Cheong Yeon and Ma-jil’s mission was decided as escort warriors for Je So-yeon’s first entry into the martial world. Since they knew Nam Yeong intended to marry Je So-yeon to Neung Je-gang, she was another master to them.

Ma-jil secretly turned away and grimaced. Je So-yeon already made them do all sorts of things. It seemed things would never become comfortable from now on either.