Treasure Hunters. (3)

Mount Wudang. Located in the south of Hubei Province, it is a sacred Taoist mountain filled with spiritual energy. Dozens of peaks pierced through the clouds in majestic grandeur. Their destination was Heavenly Pillar Peak, the highest point and the home of the Wudang Sect. Though the mountain path was steep, it felt like nothing more than a casual stroll to the Yin-Yang Twin Monsters.

“Wow… Grandpa, this place gets more beautiful the more I look at it, doesn’t it?”

Yu Seol could not take her eyes off the beautiful scenery. Yu Jinsan nodded in admiration.

“Indeed. It has a completely different charm from Mount Emei. It feels as if immortals are meditating on those peaks right now.”

“They say some grand elder, who lived here, was an immortal too.”

This was something a first-generation disciple of the Wudang Sect had mentioned earlier. Yu Jinsan smirked dismissively.

“An immortal? Nonsense. Just a wild rumor.”

“Aw, was he weak then? I guess their treasure won’t be much either.”

“No, child. He was a figure who shook the world during his lifetime.”

“How much?”

“Well, your grandfather heard that no one could ever survive even three of his strikes.”

Yu Seol’s eyes widened. “Is that why his name is Three Strikes?!”

“It is not certain, but it makes some sense.”

“If Sam-bong and I fought, who would win?”

Yu Jinsan stared quietly at the drifting clouds. How could he know? The man had died ages ago, making any comparison impossible.

“Of course our Yu Seol would win.”

“Hehehe.”

Seeing the dimples appear on his granddaughter’s face, he could tell she was pleased.

“The disciples must have arrived at the sect by now.”

“Right? I hope they come out to welcome us.”

“They will welcome us, alright. Brandishing their swords.”

Sending the first-generation Wudang disciples ahead was intentional. Since his granddaughter’s popularity was currently soaring in the martial arts world, he wanted to secure a proper justification to protect her reputation. It was the Wudang Sect that had insulted the Yin-Yang Twin Monsters, and they were the ones who had attacked first, even causing property damage.

‘With this much justification, no one in the martial world will blame us even if we turn the Wudang Sect upside down.’

The real question was whether it was worth going through all this trouble for the reward. Yu Jinsan had been following his granddaughter’s lead, but he still had doubts.

“Child, even if our relationship with the Wudang Sect isn’t good, do we really have to go this far?”

“Grandpa, you heard them insult us. You told me before that if a person keeps enduring everything, they can’t protect their self-esteem.”

Since when had she become so logical? They were his own words, so he could not argue. But he was certain there was another reason.

“Is that truly the only reason?”

A faint smile appeared on Yu Seol’s face.

“And we’re running low on money. We need to replenish it.”

As expected, this was the real purpose.

“I knew it. You spent everything so recklessly.”

“Earn big, spend big! That’s my motto, hehe.”

Yu Seol flushed with excitement, clearly imagining herself living in luxury.

“You look thrilled at the thought of raiding the Wudang Sect.”

“Yeah~ I wonder if there are any strong masters here. I hope there are many.”

“They won’t be as easy to handle as the Southern Edge Sect or Emei Sect. You can look forward to it.”

The Wudang Sect was one of the strongest forces among the Great Nine Sects, operating on a completely different level from the places they had visited before. Still, he wasn’t worried, as they had grown much stronger too.

“I heard the Supreme Taiji Sword Emperor was the strongest person in the Wudang Sect.”

Since the Sword Emperor, Elder Mu-jin, was already dead, she didn’t expect much. But Yu Jinsan thought differently.

“Among the active members, yes. But the true terror of Wudang lies in the white-haired old men hidden away in the back rooms.”

The retired grand elders of Wudang were not to be underestimated. Though they were just waiting out their final days in seclusion, they were the ultimate defense force that would move without hesitation if the sect faced destruction.

“Sigh…”

“Why the sigh?”

Yu Seol pouted. “I don’t like hitting frail old grandpas.”

Out of respect for the elderly, Yu Seol avoided fighting the very old. Yu Jinsan knew this well and had no intention of forcing her.

“Leave the old-timers to your grandfather. Don’t worry.”

Yu Seol smiled brightly and hugged her grandfather’s arm with both hands.

“You’re the best, Grandpa! I’ll buy you something delicious when this is over.”

“Alright. Your clothes are ruined anyway, so let’s stop by the market later.”

The two continued chatting as they walked up the mountain path. It looked like a leisurely walk, but their speed was superhuman. Moving as if shrinking the earth itself, their pace rivaled the high-level light footwork martial arts of top martial artists.

Further up, the mountain path leveled out, and the scenery shifted.

“Grandpa, look over there.”

Where she pointed stood a small pavilion and a pond surrounded by colorful flowers.

“Beautiful. The pond water is incredibly clear.”

“Should we go swim and play in there?”

Yu Jinsan hesitated and looked at his granddaughter. She was not joking.

“Ahem! This isn’t the place for that. People are watching.”

“Aww~ I guess so.”

No one was visible, but they could clearly sense the Wudang Taoists lying in ambush around them.

“Of course! We have to maintain our dignity. If the great Yin Monster were caught swimming in the Sword-Unloosing Pond, we would become the laughingstock of the martial arts world.”

Yu Jinsan had heard of this famous pond before. To show respect for the Wudang founder, anyone visiting had to leave their weapons behind. Sure enough, a signpost stood nearby:

From this point forward, carrying weapons is strictly forbidden. Any violation will be viewed as an insult to the Wudang Sect and treated with hostility.

It was a standard rule found in almost every major sect, just like at Mount Southern Edge and the entrance of Mount Emei. However, the security here felt exceptionally tight. The Taoists hidden in the trees were highly skilled, fully prepared to deploy a sword array at any moment.

“Grandpa, it says we have to leave our weapons here.”

“Since when did you care about rules?”

“We are guests, after all. I’ll leave mine.”

Yu Seol unstrapped the spear from her back and tossed it. It landed cleanly among the numerous weapons already left by the pond.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“You said it yourself, Grandpa. We must show basic courtesy even to our enemies.”

Even if she underestimated the Wudang Sect, leaving her weapon behind seemed overly confident. Still, Yu Jinsan didn’t mind. Their power metrics were high enough that a physical weapon didn’t change their absolute advantage. He followed her lead and threw his own weapon aside.

“Very well, that works. Let’s go up.”

The grandfather and granddaughter walked past the Sword-Unloosing Pond. The Taoists were guarding the path right behind it, and Yu Jinsan expected them to block the way. Yet, even as they walked right through, none of the hidden guards attacked.

“I guess they’re just letting us through.”

“Mhm. It seems your sincerity reached them.”

Yu Jinsan glanced at his granddaughter and noticed she was holding back a laugh. He looked behind him and was instantly dumbfounded. The two spears they had thrown down were floating in the air, quietly following right behind them. Yu Seol finally burst into laughter.

“Puhehehe!”

“What are you doing? I thought you left them behind.”

“I did leave them outside. They’re just following me on their own.”

Watching the Twin Dragon Spears dance in the air, it was clearly the legendary Air Spear technique. Controlling two spears simultaneously required immense mental focus. Yu Jinsan couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Is it really possible to control two spears at the same time?”

“I’m still practicing. I’ll be able to use it in real combat eventually, right?”

Despite the massive mental toll, Yu Seol looked perfectly relaxed. She was a natural genius of war. Yu Jinsan nodded proudly.

“If it’s you, Yu Seol, you can definitely do it. I am proud of you.”

If she mastered telekinetic control over the Twin Dragon Spears, no one could stop the Yin Monster. They were guaranteed to be unmatched under heaven.

Taoists were gathering in front of the Three Pure Ones Pavilion, the massive main hall of the Wudang Sect. Emergency bells rang out everywhere, plunging the mountain into total chaos. Mount Wudang had never been this panicked in its entire history. This was the greatest crisis since the founding of the sect.

“You fools! Tell me again exactly what happened!”

Taoist Mu-jeong, the sect leader of the Wudang Sect, was furious. Before him, four first class disciples knelt with their heads pressed to the floor.

“We… we have committed a capital offense.”

“So you were caught badmouthing the Yin-Yang Twin Monsters and attacked them first? And in the process, you tore the Yin Monster’s clothes and broke a gold bracelet worth forty thousand gold coins?!”

The disciples had nothing to say. They simply kept their heads glued to the floor.

“They said the total bill for the clothes and the bracelet is forty thousand gold coins. Please kill us, sect leader.”

Sect leader Mu-jeong clutched the back of his neck in frustration. One of the elders stepped forward and spoke quietly.

“Sahyung, it is not entirely the fault of these disciples. Those demonic monsters clearly set a trap to create an excuse to destroy the Wudang Sect.”

Otherwise, how could low-level disciples fight the Yin Monster and return alive? Mu-jeong had already figured that out.

“If the Yin-Yang Twin Monsters are coming with intent, today might be the end of Wudang.”

Just then, Myeong-jin, the most senior disciple among the four, lifted his head.

“Do not worry, sect leader. Their goal is not our lives.”

“Speak. What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what it is exactly, but the Yin Monster is clearly looking for our Wudang Sect’s hidden treasure.”

“The treasure? And?”

“I gave them a few locations. In exchange, she agreed to a deal that no one will be killed.”

Sect leader Mu-jeong instantly slapped Myeong-jin across the face.

Smack!

“What did you just say?! You dared to sell out Wudang just to save your own skin?!”

Despite the slap, Myeong-jin did not beg for forgiveness. Instead, he looked directly at the sect leader with an ironclad confidence, as if his choice was entirely justified.

“I told them the location of the Wind Wall. The Yin-Yang Twin Monsters will head straight there.”

A sudden silence fell over the pavilion. Mu-jeong’s rage vanished almost instantly, replaced by a calm, calculated focus.

“Is that the absolute truth?”

“Yes. I handled it precisely that way.”

The furious patriarch from a moment ago was completely gone. Instead of punishing the disciple, he gently patted his shoulder.

“Well done, my disciple. You have done a great service.”

“I simply did what I could for the memory of elder Mu-jin.”

The pride of the Wudang Sect, Supreme Taiji Sword Emperor Mu-jin. His life had ended after losing a fair duel against Maeng Nam-cheon, the master of the Soyo Mountain Lodge. However, due to a disinformation campaign pushed by the Martial Alliance Leader, the public consensus had been distorted to make everyone believe he was killed by the Yin Monster.

Mu-jeong turned his solemn gaze to his strategist.

“Mu-hyeon sahyung, request an immediate emergency mobilization of the Grand Elders Council.”

“Understood, sahyung.”

Mu-jeong looked toward the entrance of the sect with a cold smile.

‘The heavens are helping us. To think the perfect opportunity to avenge my brother would present itself so easily.’