Shall We Be Friends? (2)

Gwang Cheon, the highest elder of the Wudang Sect, managed to persuade the Yin Monster after many twists and turns.

He gave up quite a few things as the price, but what of it?

With his hands clasped behind his back, he arrived at the sect leader’s office and grinned broadly.

“Are you inside?”

At the old man’s approach, the pavilion doors opened and Mu-gwang, the sect leader, appeared.

“Master, why have you come in person? You could have sent the juniors to summon me.”

“No. I know well how you have been running about for our Wudang. Even I would not order the sect leader to come and go at my whim.”

Those words were not easily spoken from Gwang Cheon, who was known for being stingy with praise.

Mu-gwang hid his joy, clasped his hands, and bowed his head.

“Not at all. As a poor sect leader, I keep dragging out the reclusive masters to trouble them, so I cannot lift my head.”

“I know the circumstances well, so there is no need to think like that. First, come inside and let us talk.”

Mu-gwang led the way and guided him inside.

The interior of the office was more frugal than expected.

Two desks and chairs. Tea cups and utensils; aside from that, only a flag bearing the taiji symbol representing the Wudang hung on the wall.

“You look well. Do you have any good news?”

Gwang Cheon sat across from the sect leader at the desk and spoke.

“If you call it good, it is good news; if not, then bad news.”

Although vague, Mu-gwang sensed from the master’s tone that it was good news.

“So it depends on how one accepts it. It seems you view it positively, Master.”

“Well, you could see it that way—if the sect leader agrees.”

No matter how high an elder, when deciding great matters the sect leader’s consent was always required. That was the Wudang’s rule.

Curious, Mu-gwang refilled Gwang Cheon’s teacup and urged him on.

“Please tell me quickly. If it is something you are promoting, Master, there is no reason I would refuse.”

Having spoken, Mu-gwang brought the teacup to his lips.

But the answer that followed nearly made him spit out his tea.

“Do you mean to say it involves withdrawing from the Murim Alliance?”

“Eh? What did you say just now? That we would withdraw from the Murim Alliance?”

Mu-gwang was visibly shocked, but there was not a flicker of change on Gwang Cheon’s wrinkled face.

“I heard that the Southern Edge Sect and the Tang family of Sichuan recently left the alliance. Why should we be any different?”

“Why do you say that?”

Mu-gwang, knowing the elders’ temperaments and tendencies well, was the sect leader.

Of them all, Gwang Cheon had been a man who fought at the heart of the Murim Alliance for righteousness.

That he would take the lead in urging withdrawal from the Murim Alliance—of course Mu-gwang could not understand it.

“It is all for the sake of our Wudang.”

“Explain in detail, Master. Surely you weren’t coerced by the Yin Yang Twin Monster?”

Gwang Cheon solemnly shook his head.

“Do I look like someone who would succumb to threats?”

“How could I think that? But to make such a decision, there must be reasons everyone can understand.”

He had put it politely, but the meaning was clear: Mu-gwang was not convinced.

Gwang Cheon took his teacup and drank once.

Then, in a low tone, he began to persuade the sect leader.

“First: our Wudang must uphold the late master’s will, so we cannot stand as enemies to the Yin Monster who drew the Blue Sky Sword.”

“I know that, but we cannot draw a blade on the same Justice Faction. What is the second reason?”

“In exchange for abandoning the Murim Alliance, we gain Brother Gwang Neung.”

At that moment, Mu-gwang’s eyes widened.

“You mean the Yin Monster has agreed to heal elder?”

“Yes. It took quite some effort to persuade him.”

Mu-gwang was joyful and moved, his eyes welling with tears.

“You have done a great deed. At last, elder will…”

“If things go well, your master in the heavens will be pleased. In any case, the decisive matter lies in the third reason.”

Another reason? Mu-gwang could not contain his curiosity.

“Please tell me. I am very curious why you made such a decision, Master.”

Gwang Cheon paused for a moment, then, as if his throat were dry, drained his teacup in one gulp.

His expression bore a gravity as if he had made a momentous resolution.

What came next from his mouth was more shocking than anything.

“Between me and the Yin Monster… we have sworn to be bosom friends.”

At that instant the teacup clutched in Mu-gwang’s hand fell onto the desk.

Thud!

What is bosom friends? It means a friend without guile, a close companion willing to share life and death.

The problem lay in the nature of their relationship.

Gwang Cheon, the Wudang’s highest elder, and the Yin Monster, famed hero of the Evil factions, pledged such a bond? No matter how friendly they’d grown, it was unimaginable.

“I-Is that really true?”

“Is that a problem? Our Master Jang Sam-bong also befriended both Justice Faction and Evil Factions. Do you say I cannot?”

“It’s not that, but…”

Mu-gwang was bewildered and could not regain his composure; it was a matter serious enough to reshape the martial world order.

“In all my years traversing the martial arts world, I have never met one whose heart aligned with mine so completely. Even if you oppose it, you cannot sever our bond.”

He sounded ready, if need be, to turn the entire Wudang into enemies for the Yin Monster.

Faced with Gwang Cheon’s resolute will, Mu-gwang was left speechless.

‘This is maddening. How did the Yin Monster charm Master Gwang Cheon? How could he sway someone so stubborn…’

He laced his fingers and began to sort out the situation.

As sect leader, it was most important for him to weigh the practical benefits for the Wudang.

‘If Gwang Neung sahyung regains his senses, our Wudang will gain a Profound Realm-level expert. But our ally, the Murim Alliance, will be gone.’

He balanced the scales, and it was not a decision that took long.

‘There is no problem. Gwang Cheon as Master means we will not be enemies with the Yin Monster. No one else can harm us if not the Yin Monster. Perhaps this is an opportunity for the Wudang to spread its wings.’

The value of a Profound Realm expert cannot be exchanged for anything.

Even the ill-tempered sect leader of the Emei Sect would no longer look down on the Wudang.

Mu-gwang could not resist the temptation; indeed, he concluded it would bring tremendous benefits.

“Have you decided?”

Mu-gwang nodded gravely at Gwang Cheon’s question.

“We will declare our withdrawal from the Murim Alliance. We will not side with the Heterodox factions, but we will certainly refrain from Justice-Evil conflicts.”

Those words effectively meant maintaining a neutral middle path—a decision no less significant in the Wudang’s history.

Moreover, it was precisely what Gwang Cheon desired.

“Well thought. That is the path for our Wudang.”

“However… one problem remains.”

“A problem? Isn’t it enough if the two of us decide?”

The sect leader controls the elders, and if Gwang Cheon, leader of the council, agrees, there is nothing they could not push forward.

But the problem lay outside.

“The Murim Alliance will not just watch our decision quietly.”

Gwang Cheon frowned as if his pride had been stung.

“Who dares meddle in the Wudang’s decision!?”

“You have lived in seclusion for many years, Master, so you may not know, but the current Murim Alliance leader is no ordinary person.”

“I heard she’s a nun from the Emei Sect. So what?”

Mu-gwang tilted his head slightly to the left; Gwang Cheon’s tone about the Murim Alliance had subtly changed.

It was something unimaginable in the old days.

He did not show it, but continued with his concern.

“As you know, our Wudang differs in scale from the Southern Edge Sect or the Tang family. The Murim Alliance leader will never let us go.”

From the start, the Southern Edge Sect and the Tang family did not hold much weight within the Murim Alliance.

So they could quietly withdraw, but as one of the alliance’s pillars, the Wudang’s case would be entirely different.

“What did you say just now? Dare the Emei Sect let go of the Wudang?”

In the martial world as Gwang Cheon once knew it, such a thing would have been unthinkable.

The Ami Sect was barely considered part of the old major sects and could not be compared in stature to the Wudang.

Naturally, it hurt his pride.

Still, Mu-gwang did not bend his opinion.

“Master, do you know why no one in the Murim Alliance dares oppose the leader? Because they are all dead.”

“What are you implying? Do you mean the Murim Alliance leader, who should be the pillar of the Justice Faction, has killed her own?”

“There is no proof, but circumstantially we must leave the possibility open.”

Gwang Cheon snorted as if incredulous and said,

“She must be mad. Though they call themselves Justice, they were never trustworthy. We should have withdrawn long ago.”

“Indeed. Come to think of it, the late master also kept himself separate and ran his sect independently.”

As his words ended, Gwang Cheon casually raised his right hand.

A stream of water spurted high from the teapot.

Swoosh!

The stream formed the shape of a taiji in the air and began to spin.

“The way of the Wudang is the taiji. What do you think taiji is?”

“Teach me, Master.”

“Taiji is harmony. It achieves balance, like this stream of water.”

Mu-gwang quietly watched the rotating stream in the air, moved by Gwang Cheon’s internal qi.

Then, as if realizing something, he nodded once and said,

“Whether righteousness or heresy, we must not lean wholly to either side.”

“Yes. That is the Wudang’s foundation. We must hold the balance at the center of the world, yet we have all forgotten that.”

“I understand. We must put it right even now.”

Gwang Cheon, satisfied, waved his hand once.

The stream that had been circling in the air vanished seamlessly under his inner energy.

“Do not worry. If Gwang Neung sahyung regains his senses, there will be no need to fear the Murim Alliance leader’s displeasure.”

Mu-gwang bowed his head once.

Then, with a sudden ‘ah’ expression, he asked the master,

“By the way, Master, you said you became bosom friends with the Yin Monster—how old is he?”

Gwang Cheon was not someone who would miss the meaning behind the question.

If the Wudang’s highest elder and a bosom friend were on equal standing, the division of power in the martial world would place them above the sect leader.

It would make it impossible to treat them as equals going forward.

Out of pride, he at least wanted to confirm that.

“Why? Worried about ranks? I heard the Yin Monster once took a brotherly oath even with that old storm rider. He must be at least twice your age, if not more.”

Mu-gwang could not argue further and bowed his head again.

“…Ah. I understand, Master Gwang Cheon.”

“Anyhow, tell them to vacate the Great Training Ground. My bosom friend will begin as soon as she is ready.”

“Understood.”

All the taoists of the Wudang gathered in one place.

The Wudang’s Great Training Ground, which can hold a thousand or so, was now surrounded by a great crowd.

On that day, stepping onto the training ground was forbidden—except for two people.

Even though the protagonists had not yet appeared, the atmosphere was extremely heated.

Especially the young taoists were so excited they kept murmuring with flushed faces.

“Is it true the Yin Monster will heal elder mind there?”

“That’s what they say. I heard from my master that he must keep taking attacks until the Taiji Heart Sword is complete.”

“Is that really possible? Is the Yin Monster’s martial art that strong?”

“Haven’t you seen him display the Air Sword technique? Watch once—it’s beyond imagination.”

“But why would the Yin Monster go that far for us?”

“Haven’t you heard? The Yin Yang Twin Monster are no longer enemies. The sect leader said…”

Then it happened. The taoists’ murmurs fell silent in an instant.

At the same time, thousands gathered their gazes on one spot.

On the platform where the Wudang’s leaders were gathered, someone had just appeared.

“There, over there!”

“The Yin Monster is coming!”

Yu Seol, clutching the Blue Sky Sword in her left hand and the Dragon Flower Spear in her right, began to descend from the platform.

Behind her, Gwang Neung Jin-in followed silently, his eyes bloodshot.

After walking for a short while.

As they neared the training ground, Yu Seol scanned the taoists and gave a wink.

“Hello, everyone.”