Supporters In Sichuan. (2)

The Black Night Clan—the largest intelligence organization among the Evil factions—had also expanded into Sichuan. If they offered their help, the journey ahead would gain momentum.

“Understood, Yang Monster, Great Warrior. I’ll deliver the message at once.”

Hall leader Yeop-seong immediately accepted Yu Jinsan’s request. All he had to do was inform the Sichuan branch of the Black Night Clan that the Yin Yang Twin Monster were here. They would likely respond within a few days. All that remained was to wait.

“May we stay here for a few days?”

“Stay? On the contrary, it’s our honor to host you. First, let me show you a place to rest.”

Yu Jinsan and his granddaughter were shown a place to rest at the Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall. The modest pavilion was clean and cozy; it would be comfortable enough for their stay.

“We won’t forget Hall leader Yeop-seong’s kindness.”

It was a formal remark, but Yeop-seong looked genuinely moved, his hands trembling slightly.

“Don’t feel obliged. If anything is inconvenient, say the word.”

“Thank you.”

Two days passed without incident. With nothing to do, Yu Seol lay on her bed all day like a corpse. By contrast, Yu Jinsan spent most of his time at the table, studying the Emei Sect martial arts manual. The more he studied, the more certain he became: this was extraordinary.

As expected—the Emei Sect’s secret, peerless technique. Remarkable.

Buddha’s One Light Line. Truly an invaluable ascension technique: a long-range method that condensed qi and fired it from the fingertip. Its power was hard to fathom—likely enough to pierce anything. If his guess was right, it was a genuine finishing move. One drawback was its prodigious internal energy consumption, which made repeated use impossible.

It would be amusing to use the Emei Sect’s technique to take down the Murim Alliance leader, he thought, curious to see her expression if she learned he had mastered Buddha’s One Light Line. The image of her running wild made a smile creep across his face, and he chuckled to himself.

Suddenly his granddaughter’s face popped up from behind his shoulder.

“Grandpa, what are you doing?”

“You startled me! Make some noise when you come next time.”

“Is something funny? Why are you laughing by yourself?”

“It’s nothing. But—why so sudden?”

Yu Seol wriggled behind him and grabbed his shoulder. “I’m bored~ I’m bored~ come for a walk with me.”

She’d been holed up in the room for two days; boredom was inevitable. Yu Jinsan agreed that fresh air would do them good.

“All right. Let’s go take a look around the Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall together.”

“Sounds fun. Hurry up, Grandpa.”

Yu Seol hooked her arm through his and led him outside. The hall’s layout was simple: the grounds weren’t large, pavilions clustered together, nothing special to see. In scale, it was about a tenth the size of the Defeating Blade Clan.

Nothing managed to pique his granddaughter’s interest. Her once-excited expression quickly faded to sulking.

“How is it? Not much different from other sects, right?”

“Boring. What to do~ what to do~” she pouted, tugging at his lapel.

“Why are you doing that to your old man? If you’re that bored, go somewhere quiet and train for a while.”

“No, I want to play right now.”

He had no idea what to play with her here. Wearing a perplexed expression, Yu Jinsan suddenly pricked up his ears—he recognized a familiar voice not far off.

“Wait a moment.”

Cheon Woo-hwan, the eldest of the Extreme Five and chief steward of the Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall, was arguing with another steward. Yu Jinsan slipped closer to eavesdrop.

“Why haven’t my juniors returned yet? I sent them together assuming it would be a quick errand.”

“We’re looking into what happened. Might I suggest waiting a bit longer?”

“Didn’t you say the same thing earlier? Aren’t you being too lax about this?”

Extreme Five and the Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall were close—friends who helped each other—but it wasn’t a relationship of command.

“Sigh… We’re troubled too. We put a great deal of force into this escort.”

“Then I’ll look into it myself—attach some elites as support. If the steward has difficulty, I’ll ask Brother Yeop directly.”

“It would be useless to go to the sect master. You know Cheon warrior well, don’t you? We have no available warriors at the moment.”

Yu Jinsan listened quietly, then said to his granddaughter, “Child. It seems your friends in the murim world are in trouble.”

“They’ve gone missing? What should we do?”

“Turning a blind eye to friends in danger isn’t the way of the murim world.”

Yu Seol brightened at the prospect. “So are we going to help?”

Yu Jinsan hesitated only briefly—he’d just had an idea. My Seol can’t always remain in my shadow. This is a good chance to build her independence.

To one day stand at the top of the martial world she would need experience. He had already subdued the Dang Sect and Emei Sect, so at least within Sichuan she should be relatively safe. Deciding, he adopted a serious tone.

“This time, Seol, go by yourself.”

“Me? Alone?”

“Yes. Go and talk to them.”

He turned his back. Left alone, Yu Seol tilted her head in bafflement. Her grandfather had always led the charge; he had never asked her to handle things on her own before.

Yu Seol watched his back with worry, then reluctantly moved toward Cheon Woo-hwan and the steward. Yu Jinsan did not return to his quarters. He hid about ten meters away and secretly watched his granddaughter.

You can do it, child. Decide and act on your own, just as you’ve learned from your old man.

She might have noticed he was hiding, but he had no intention of intervening this time. He brightened his eyes and silently cheered for her.

A moment later he saw Yu Seol whisper with them. Cheon Woo-hwan and the steward raised both hands in delight.

They’d sent the best support; now there would be no debts between them. It was repayment for the help received from the Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall and Extreme Five, and a chance to give his granddaughter experience—two birds with one stone.

Satisfied, Yu Jinsan turned away with a pleased smile.

Back in the pavilion, Yu Jinsan opened the manual again. For the time being he planned to train in Buddha’s One Light Line. Being from the same Buddhist martial tradition, it seemed to pair well with the Muscle Changing Technique; if so, learning it would be easier.

I should have a few secret techniques of my own. If I master them properly, they’ll be quite useful.

He recited hand seals and mapped the technique’s principles in his mind. It was a training method only possible after reaching the Supreme realm. Once his understanding of martial arts improved to a certain degree, he planned to test its power and raise his position.

He sat alone poring over the manual when the door opened and his granddaughter returned. It seemed the discussion had finally ended. He tried to feign indifference but couldn’t hide his curiosity.

“How did it go?”

“Something seems to have gone wrong.”

“What is it?”

Yu Seol perched on the bed’s edge and said, “They were escorting the Hogwang Trading Company to Haejin Port. It’s long past the time they should’ve returned, and it seems they’ve all gone missing.”

“How do you know they’ve gone missing?”

“They sent people to Haejin Port to check, but no one had arrived.”

Yu Jinsan folded his arms and thought for a moment. Among those involved were likely warriors from the Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall, including four of the Extreme Five. Vanished entirely? From what he heard, it didn’t sound simple.

“So, Seol, what’s your take?”

She propped her chin and answered seriously, “They probably changed their destination midway.”

“If that were so, wouldn’t they have sent someone to notify the others?”

“They did send someone, but that person seems to have had an accident on the way.”

What sort of accident befalls a fit messenger—especially a warrior? He couldn’t scoff at her careful deduction, though. Yu Jinsan suppressed a smile.

“What if the entire convoy was ambushed and annihilated?”

Yu Seol shook her head firmly. “That can’t be. There are no hostile forces in the area capable of dealing with those men.”

With four of the Extreme Five, they could take down even supremely powerful masters; few would dare face them. But Yu Jinsan felt different: complacency invited disaster. He suspected something had indeed happened.

“So what do you plan to do?”

“We’re going to search together.”

“How?”

“They took a cart, so I can track their traces.”

Yu Jinsan leaned back, weighing the idea. After careful thought, he decided that despite potential difficulties, it shouldn’t be a major problem.

“If you’ve decided, don’t delay—move. If they need help, it will be urgent.”

Yu Seol rose with a solemn expression. “Grandpa.”

“…Yes?”

“Are you really letting me go alone?”

Yu Jinsan patted her shoulder and nodded. “Your old man can’t always be by your side; you must develop the strength to handle things on your own. This time I’ll entrust it to you.”

“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

He considered giving a few admonitions but stopped—nagging endlessly might hinder her growth. So he quietly watched his granddaughter depart.

In the murim world, learning by direct experience is best, he thought. She should resolve it and return within a day at most.

Yu Jinsan found himself with rare alone time, but he couldn’t shake a certain emptiness.

Cheon Woo-hwan waited at the entrance of the Heavenly Sword Mountain Hall, anxiety for his missing juniors clear on his face. He sighed and looked up at the sky.

“Uncle!”

The call brightened his expression instantly—Yu Seol had arrived.

“You’re here, Yin Monster, Great Hero?”

“You know the direction, right?”

“Yes, I’ve checked in advance.”

Yu Seol nodded and suddenly stamped the ground. Thud-up!

She grabbed the nape of Cheon Woo-hwan’s neck and leaped up like a bird. “Then lead the way quickly!”

“…Gasp!”

As her grandfather had said, it could very well be urgent. There was no time to hesitate.