Taoist In-bong's father.
I didn't know his name, but I knew he was a Transcendent expert.
And even now, he was using a Concealment Art to keep himself hidden.
That was why no one else here had noticed that he was standing over there.
I seemed to be the only one who had. That was probably thanks to the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Art I'd learned.
I turned in his direction and offered a small cupped-fist salute.
Then I spoke to the Qingcheng Sect disciple.
“First, I'd like to meet the Sect Leader.”
“Ah, yes. Please, this way.”
The disciple who had come to receive us didn't appear to hold much seniority, yet he immediately began leading us inside. It seemed he had been sent specifically to escort us to the Sect Leader.
As I followed him toward the Sect Leader's quarters, the devastation throughout the sect grounds was appalling.
Buildings had collapsed or split apart, and dark crimson stains could be seen here and there between the ruins.
“It looks like a great many people were hurt.”
“That's right. If the Sichuan Tang Clan hadn't arrived when they did, many more of our disciples would have lost their lives.”
He continued as we walked.
“The Emei Sect suffered damage as well, yet they still came to help our sect. We truly owe them our gratitude.”
With an attitude like that, there probably wouldn't be any hostility between the two sects like there had been in my previous life.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has also spared no support for our sect.”
The disciple let out a sigh before continuing.
“When the earthquake first struck, we truly didn't know what to do. Things were so dire that we even considered sealing the sect.”
Sealing the sect meant not only putting an end to all outside activity, but refusing to accept any new disciples as well.
That was how serious the situation had been.
“It was that bad? Then I suppose this is fortunate, considering what could have happened.”
Still, the situation already seemed to be coming under control. What could possibly have happened that they had gone so far as to send an Emei Sect disciple to ask us for help?
Before long, we reached the Sect Leader's quarters.
“Sect Leader. His Highness Prince Seongbo and Handsome Young Hero have arrived.”
The door soon opened, and the Sect Leader stepped outside.
He looked much the same as when I'd last seen him.
There was one obvious difference, though – his left arm was fixed in a splint.
“This humble Taoist of Qingcheng greets His Highness Prince Seongbo.”
“Please rise.”
“Your Highness's grace is boundless. Please, come inside.”
I greeted the Sect Leader with a cupped-fist salute, and he returned the greeting with a slight nod.
Given the circumstances, there was no time for lengthy pleasantries. Besides, what Taoist Geum-bong had done during the Murim Grand Assembly – drugging his own father, the Sect Leader, and clouding his mind – was hardly something to discuss in front of outsiders.
We took our seats.
“First, allow me to thank you for making such a difficult journey to come here.”
“What are you saying? Qingcheng is one of Sichuan's great pillars. How could I possibly stand by after Qingcheng asked for aid?”
“I am simply grateful that Your Highness holds both this humble Taoist and Qingcheng in such regard.”
“How could I ever treat lightly a Sect Leader so deeply respected by the people of Sichuan?”
I inwardly grinned as I listened.
I'd noticed it when he spoke with the Emei Sect Leader before, but Prince Seongbo had gotten considerably better with words.
“So, why exactly did you request our assistance?”
“Another aftershock struck not long ago.”
“Yes. I remember it quite well, considering we nearly found ourselves in danger too. We were in the middle of relief work at the time. A few people suffered minor injuries, but fortunately, there was no serious damage.”
“That is good to hear.”
“In fact, my brother nearly met with disaster himself, but Handsome Young Hero here threw himself in harm's way to save him.”
Prince Seongbo then gave me a grateful look.
Ever since that incident, his fondness for me seemed to have grown even stronger.
“At that moment, Handsome Young Hero was every inch a true hero.”
“Oh! Is that so!”
Your Highness Prince Seongbo.
Could you please stop laying it on so thick?
I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Did that aftershock cause another problem?”
“Yes. Some disciples who headed up the mountain to rescue those staying at the Wind Cultivation Pavilion… became stranded themselves. I am ashamed to ask this of you, but I would like you to rescue both them and the disciples at the Wind Cultivation Pavilion.”
He continued with an apologetic expression.
“We should, of course, be handling this ourselves, but as you saw on your way here, we simply don't have the manpower to spare.”
I thought for a moment, then asked the Sect Leader a question.
“Are you badly hurt?”
“That, I don't know. We still haven't been able to determine whether any of them are injured.”
“Not them. I meant you, Sect Leader.”
“Me?”
He answered with an awkward expression.
“I was rescuing some disciples from a collapsing building… and some debris merely grazed my arm.”
You could call it that all you wanted, but clearly he'd been badly injured.
That was why he couldn't go himself and had been forced to request outside assistance.
The other Elders and senior members of the sect were probably in much the same condition.
“Understood. We'll do everything we can to rescue them.”
“Thank you. The disciple who guided you here earlier can explain the details.”
We rose from our seats and left the Sect Leader's room.
The disciple who had guided us earlier immediately approached.
“My father… I mean, did the Sect Leader explain everything to you?”
Ah.
I'd thought they looked alike.
So they were father and son.
The Qingcheng Sect followed the Taoist tradition, but it was still a sect whose members were permitted to marry and have children.
“Yes. We heard the general situation.”
“Then allow me to show you to your accommodations first.”
And so we headed to our lodgings. As for rescuing the stranded disciples, only my companions and I would be going.
The path to the Wind Cultivation Pavilion was treacherous enough as it was, and if another aftershock happened to strike, things could become disastrous.
So I asked Prince Seongbo's group to remain behind and help tend to the Qingcheng Sect's injured.
“You want me to tend the injured?”
“Yes, Your Highness. When do you think a person's heart is at its most vulnerable?”
“Hmm. When they're going through hardship, I suppose?”
“Close. More specifically, when they're sick or injured. If you actively help them now, Your Highness, you'll win not only the Qingcheng Sect's goodwill, but the hearts of Sichuan's people as well.”
“Oh! I see!”
“So I'm counting on you.”
Leaving Prince Seongbo behind, my group followed the disciple toward the Wind Cultivation Pavilion.
“Ah, I've been terribly rude. I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Gyeong-mun.”
“Eun Seo-ho.”
“I've naturally heard a great deal about the Handsome Young Hero. I've also heard about the kindness you showed my father.”
Did he know what had really happened with Taoist Geum-bong and the Asura Blood Cult?
“I heard that Geum-bong purchased some suspicious medicine from strangers in the marketplace, which poisoned my father, and that you were the one who cured him.”
Ah… so that was the story everyone else had been told.
Well, it made sense. Nothing good could come from carelessly spreading word of the Asura Blood Cult.
“It was merely the Primordial Heavenly Lord's mercy that allowed our paths to cross.”
I carefully asked him another question.
“By the way, was the Sect Leader badly injured?”
“…Yes.”
Taoist Gyeong-mun's face was filled with worry as he answered.
“The bone in his left arm is broken, so he'll need to rest and recover for quite some time.”
“That's worse than I expected.”
“It's bad enough that he can't personally take action.”
I nodded, then asked,
“What exactly is the Wind Cultivation Pavilion used for?”
“You can think of it as a place for secluded cultivation. You may already know this, but the Qingcheng Sect's martial arts begin with experiencing and understanding nature. Because of that, our version of secluded cultivation doesn't involve locking ourselves away somewhere and focusing solely on martial arts. Instead, our disciples train while surrounded by nature itself.”
“I see.”
“And since they cultivate the wind while immersed in nature, it's called the Wind Cultivation Pavilion.”
That name certainly fit.
The Qingcheng Sect had plenty of martial arts that evoked the wind.
Even their signature movement art, the Slender Willow Drift, was a free and unrestrained technique modeled after willow leaves fluttering in the wind.
“We feared that the disciples cultivating there might have run into trouble, so we sent several Bong-generation disciples to check on them, but…”
Wait.
If they were Bong-generation disciples, then surely…
“Did Taoist In-bong go to the Wind Cultivation Pavilion as well?”
“You know In-bong?”
“He was my opponent during the Murim Grand Assembly.”
“Ah! That's right. Yes, I heard about that.”
He nodded several times.
“Haah… in any case, you're correct. In-bong went there too. That boy practically represents Qingcheng's future, so naturally, I'm worried about him.”
“How many went?”
“Five in total, including In-bong. My disgraceful younger brother, Geum-bong, was among them as well.”
I could understand why he looked embarrassed.
After all, Geum-bong was the unfilial son who had used an Evil Art to cloud his own father's mind.
“Was he forgiven?”
“Truthfully, deceiving and humiliating the Sect Leader is a crime that should have resulted in his Dantian being destroyed and his expulsion from the sect. But we did not go that far. Instead, he was stripped of his status as a Core Disciple and ordered to clean the latrines for three months.”
“I see.”
“In the end, he's still my father's own flesh and blood. We couldn't simply cast him out.”
That might be what Gyeong-mun believed, but from my perspective, they had probably kept Geum-bong inside the sect so they could watch him.
If they destroyed his Dantian and sent him down the mountain, there was a very real chance someone would approach him again.
“Still, he is my younger brother, so I can't help worrying. Please… take care of him.”
“Understood. I'll do everything I can.”
Before long, we discovered an enormous boulder completely blocking the path.
“We managed to clear the road this far, but beyond here…”
“We'll take over from here.”
I began working alongside my Escort Guards.
Slice! Slice!
My Escort Guards who had reached the Peak realm or higher and I went first, cutting the enormous boulder into large, manageable chunks.
Then it was the turn of those who had been waiting behind us.
Everyone already knew their assigned role, and their years of experience working together showed once again.
After roughly two hours of work, we finally cleared away the boulder and reopened the path.
“That was incredible.”
“We're simply doing our best.”
The Wind Cultivation Pavilion was still quite far away, so there was no realistic way to clear the entire route in a single day.
We needed to hurry for the sake of those trapped inside, but getting ourselves injured because we rushed would only make matters worse.
Besides, we needed to preserve enough stamina and Qi to deal with anything unexpected.
“We'll stop here for today.”
“Yes!”
We returned to the Qingcheng Sect and went to our respective accommodations.
Calling them accommodations was generous. They were little more than temporary field tents, but there was no helping it.
The buildings had already collapsed or been shaken badly enough that another aftershock could make them dangerous.
After washing up, I returned to my tent, where Lady Seohyang spoke to me.
“Deputy Merchant Lord, someone's been wandering around over there for a while now.”
“Excuse me?”
“Over there.”
Lady Seohyang pointed toward a particular spot.
“But Palgap says there's no one there. Am I seeing something I shouldn't be seeing?”
I shook my head at her question.
“No, nothing like that. He's a good man. He simply has circumstances that require him to hide himself with a Concealment Art.”
“I see.”
She suddenly seemed to remember something and nodded.
“Come to think of it, I think I saw him before, during the Murim Grand Assembly.”
“You probably did… hm?”
Something about her words suddenly struck me as odd.
“Wait. You can actually see him?”
“Yes.”
Lady Seohyang nodded.
Her Ice Crystal Eyes could see things that were hidden. Did that include seeing through concealment arts as well?
Those Ice Crystal Eyes were even more remarkable than I'd thought.
No wonder the Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace coveted them. And no wonder the North Sea Ice Palace revered her as their Divine Maiden.
“Just as I thought… Very well. I'll go speak with him for a moment. It seems he's here to see me.”
A short while later.
Using the excuse that I wanted some fresh air, I approached Taoist In-bong's father and sent him a Voice Transmission.
– Let's take a short walk.
– Very well.
We headed toward a quiet part of the Qingcheng Sect grounds where few people were around.
– I heard what happened. Taoist In-bong was stranded on his way to the Wind Cultivation Pavilion.
– That's right.
– You must be terribly worried. I'm sorry that mere words are all I can offer.
– I saw how hard you worked today. You have my gratitude.
He continued.
– Fortunately, In-bong is unharmed. He is stranded midway along the route, but…
I mentally counted the number of days that had passed before asking,
– Then hasn't he been starving?
– I went there myself and brought him food.
– You actually went there and met Taoist In-bong?
– All I can do is bring them food and reassure them that rescue is coming if they wait. I can't bring them out myself. That's what pains me.
I found that strange.
If he could reach them to deliver food, shouldn't he also be able to rescue them himself?
– Why can't you bring them out yourself?
– The only route I can use is the cliff face, and it isn't merely steep. It's a sheer deathtrap where one fall means certain death. If I were to slip and lose my grip on him even once… I can hardly bear to imagine it.
He continued.
– And I can't exactly rescue only In-bong…
– That's true.
– Besides, to climb that cliff while carrying someone, I'd have to release my Concealment Art. And I don't want to do that.
That sounded suspiciously like the real reason.
– Better to wait a little longer and have everyone rescued together, safely.
He had a point.
It would certainly look strange if In-bong alone suddenly returned after being rescued.
– I'll do everything I can to get them out as soon as possible.
– Thank you. But more importantly, don't sacrifice safety for speed.
– I'll keep that in mind as well.
With our conversation finished, I returned to the tent.
“Did your talk go well?”
I nodded at Lady Seohyang's question.
“Yes.”
“I don't know what you discussed, but you don't look very pleased.”
“Ah, this… I simply have something on my mind. Fortunately, he says Taoist In-bong and the others are all safe.”
“That's a relief.”
“Yes. It really is.”
Still, if even a Transcendent expert described the cliff like that, it had to be unimaginably dangerous.
Thinking about a father climbing such a cliff just to bring food to his son made something tighten in my chest.
I'll make sure we get them out safely.
.
.
.
Morning came.
We resumed work.
The path buried beneath the dirt and rubble was narrow, and right beside it was a sheer drop thousands of feet deep.
It was a cliffside plank road carved into the rock, so there wasn't much that could be done about it, but merely looking down was enough to make my stomach drop.
After working for quite some time, we finally came face-to-face with the stranded disciples.
“We're saved!”
“Waaah! We're going to live! We're really going to live!”
The disciples erupted into cheers.
Then something struck me as strange.
Why weren't Taoist In-bong and Taoist Geum-bong with them?
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won't get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt