The Golden Burning Poison Fruit.
It begins with abdominal pain accompanied by diarrhea, but the agony intensifies as if fire is searing through your veins, ultimately leading to death. For this reason, it’s often employed as a poison for assassination.
“N-no way! How could this happen!”
“Uaaack!”
Faced with this absurd turn of events, the Blood Cultists either collapsed in rage or stared blankly into space, lost in bewilderment. Only moments ago they had celebrated that their twenty years of endurance were finally over, only to watch it all crumble to nothing.
“D-damn it!”
Elder Jin Gu stood frozen in shock.
Elder Jin Jeong, seeming to grasp what had transpired, nodded slowly.
“You were meant to provide an elixir to restore his body, but it appears you gave him poison instead of medicine.”
“…”
“He likely didn’t realize it was poison and began circulating his qi, causing the toxin to spread throughout his body instantly.”
Under normal circumstances, consuming the Golden Burning Poison Fruit doesn’t kill so quickly, but because the Blood Cult Leader had begun qi circulation, the poison spread at an accelerated pace, hastening his demise.
This raised a question. Honestly, there had been other ways to kill the Blood Cult Leader without bloodshed. So why hadn’t they attempted those methods and simply chosen to seal him away instead?
The answer lay in the nature of the Wudang Sect itself—it was a Daoist sect. While being righteous and valuing life was admirable, it sometimes made things unnecessarily complicated.
The Sect Leader summarized the entire situation in a single sentence.
“So, you’ve killed the Blood Cult Leader.”
“…!”
“Should I treat you as heroes who eliminated the Blood Cult Leader—a long-standing menace to both the Wudang Sect and the martial world? Or should I regard you as intruders who attacked this sacred ground to help him escape?”
One of the Blood Cultists broke the heavy silence with a defiant shout.
“Don’t waver! We are the glorious Blood Cult! Blood Cult Tianxia! Zhenli!”
“Avenge our leader!”
They roared their battle cries and charged forward.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The battle resumed, but with the Sect Leader present, the outcome was inevitable.
Clang!
A dropped sword came flying through the air, and I caught it reflexively.
“My lord!”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
I steadied the Escort Guards and calmly surveyed the battlefield. That’s when Elder Jin Gu caught my attention—specifically, him rushing toward Elder Jin Jeong, who was engaged in combat with the Blood Cultists.
His eyes burned with malice.
Even if I wanted to intervene, I was still only at the Peak level, while Elder Jin Jeong was a master who had reached the Transcendent realm. Just then, a conversation with my Master surfaced in my memory.
— A way to block an attack from a warrior stronger than yourself?
— Yes.
— It’s impossible. So if such a situation arises, I recommend running away without hesitation.
— Still, isn’t there such a thing as a contingency plan?
— Hmm… if the opponent is off-guard or not paying attention to you, Department Chief, there is one method.
— What is it?
— I don’t particularly want to recommend it, but…
Master had trailed off hesitantly.
— I’ll listen. Please, tell me.
— Huuu… very well. You must only use it when absolutely necessary.
— Thank you.
Master had drawn his sword and demonstrated the technique himself.
— It’s a method that applies the eighth form, One Hanging Icicle. Normally, you concentrate your qi at the sword’s tip, but instead you focus it on the flat of the blade—the part that will contact the enemy’s weapon. If you charge while using the No-Trace Step to its fullest extent, you’ll be able to block not just once, but perhaps up to three times if you’re skilled.
This was precisely the situation Master had described. Elder Jin Gu wasn’t paying any attention to me whatsoever.
I employed the No-Trace Step to its fullest and rushed toward Elder Jin Gu, swinging my sword while applying the One Hanging Icicle technique.
Kkang!
Elder Jin Gu’s blade clashed against mine.
“Who are you?”
“Keuk! Elder Jin Gu! Surrender peacefully to your punishment!”
“I cannot do that! Now that it’s come to this, at least Elder Jin Jeong…!”
Elder Jin Jeong, suddenly aware of the danger he’d been in, clicked his tongue in disgust.
“A surprise attack! How far you’ve fallen!”
Then he advised me calmly.
“Let the sword flow naturally, and leave the rest to me.”
At his words, I gasped for breath and allowed my sword to flow as Elder Jin Jeong had instructed. Simultaneously, Elder Jin Jeong’s blade flew toward Elder Jin Gu.
Kaang!
The two elders’ swords clashed and intertwined repeatedly. Meanwhile, I cautiously retreated to safety.
Escort Guard Seo Wu approached, his face etched with concern.
“That was dangerous.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me…”
I began apologizing to Escort Guard Seo Wu. It had been reckless of me to leap into action like that. But I couldn’t finish my apology.
“Ugh!”
My stomach churned violently, and I ended up coughing blood.
‘Damn it, now I understand why Master didn’t recommend this technique.’
I had overexerted my internal energy to such an extent that my body, which normally didn’t feel the cold, was now trembling uncontrollably. Still, if I could save Elder Jin Jeong with just this internal injury, it was a small price to pay.
If he died, only the Murim Alliance would benefit from it. I didn’t want to see that happen. And I also couldn’t bear to watch a man revered by the Wudang Daoists perish.
Seeing my condition, Escort Guard Seo Wu retrieved a pill from his robes and offered it to me.
“It’s medicine for internal injuries.”
“Thank you.”
As I swallowed it, I suddenly remembered the gift my Master had given me when I became Deputy Merchant Lord.
‘Should I have taken that and increased my internal energy?’
But he had said it was extremely precious, so it was probably wise to save it for a more perilous time.
While I was taking the internal injury medicine and regulating my energy, the duel between the two elders was reaching its conclusion.
Swish!
“Ugh!”
Elder Jin Jeong’s sword soared skyward, and simultaneously, Elder Jin Gu’s severed arm fell to the ground. The hand of that arm still gripped his sword tightly.
“Ugh, ugh-euk.”
To Elder Jin Gu, who was groaning in agony, Elder Jin Jeong spoke with cold, unforgiving eyes.
“Don’t consider my actions cruel. This is something you brought upon yourself.”
“…”
The duel between the two masters ended with Elder Jin Jeong’s decisive victory. In the meantime, all the Blood Cultists had been subdued.
The Sect Leader surveyed the scene and called out.
“Crane Esteem Division, hear me!”
“Yes!”
“These are the wicked ones who have invaded and defiled this sacred Wudang Sect! Imprison them in the thunder prison!”
The injured and surviving Blood Cultists were bound by members of the Crane Esteem Division and dragged away to the Wudang Sect’s thunder prison.
The Sect Leader approached Elder Jin Gu, who was clutching his severed arm and moaning in pain.
“Do you have anything more to say?”
“…I should have been the Sect Leader.”
“I also don’t believe I’m particularly suited for the position of Sect Leader. But!”
He continued with icy coldness.
“Among those I wished would become Sect Leader instead of me, you were never one of them. The previous Sect Leader’s decision not to make you his successor was absolutely correct.”
The Sect Leader made his declaration.
“Elder Jin Gu is hereby stripped of his position as an elder!”
“I will accept the order.”
“And…”
The Sect Leader moved with such speed he became invisible, striking Elder Jin Gu’s pressure points with precision.
Thwack! Thwack thwack! Thwack thwack!
Unlike the usual sound of striking pressure points, these strikes produced a dull yet sharp noise. Elder Jin Gu coughed up blood in response.
“Keol-leok!”
Watching this unfold, Escort Guard Jin Yu whispered to me.
“He’s crippled his martial arts permanently. He’ll never be able to use them again.”
“…”
Elder Jin Gu’s appearance, having lost his martial prowess, seemed utterly pathetic.
“Drag him to the Repentance Cave. Let him cultivate the Dao, confined there until he draws his last breath.”
And so, Elder Jin Gu was dragged away to the Repentance Cave. The Sect Leader then gazed bitterly at the pavilion where the Blood Cult Leader had been sealed and spoke.
“That pavilion is no longer needed. Burn it down.”
As they watched the pavilion burst into flames, he added another command.
“Put the Blood Cult Leader’s corpse inside.”
“Yes.”
And so, the Blood Cult Leader, who had been a persistent threat and burden to the Wudang Sect for more than twenty years, was reduced to nothing more than a handful of ashes.
Watching the flames, I felt a measure of relief wash over me. The Blood Cult Leader must have clung to life for over twenty years, dreaming of his revenge. And indeed, in my previous life, he had exacted that revenge mercilessly.
But in this life, he couldn’t—and had vanished futilely instead.
I felt no sympathy for the Blood Cult Leader’s death. I knew that in my past life, countless innocent people had perished because of him. For the peace of the world, it was far better that he die now.
But why, watching those flames, did I suddenly think of my own death? Had my corpse been burned like that as well?
Regardless, I had successfully thwarted the Murim Alliance’s scheme. The Blood Cult Leader was dead and turned to ash, the Blood Cultists were all imprisoned in the thunder prison, and their collaborator, Elder Jin Gu, was also confined in the Repentance Cave with his martial arts destroyed.
“Young Master Eun Seo-ho.”
Elder Jin Jeong approached me and cupped his fist respectfully.
“Are you recovering well internally? I was caught up in the chaos and am only now properly greeting you. Thank you for risking your life to save me.”
“Not at all. I only did what needed to be done.”
“You possess the virtue of humility as well.”
I felt somewhat embarrassed and scratched my cheek self-consciously. The Sect Leader approached me then.
“Young Master, could you remain at our sect a little longer?”
“Pardon?”
“After matters are settled, I would like to have a conversation with you.”
“Understood.”
I returned to the guest hall once more, where I had to endure lying in bed while listening to Palgap’s relentless nagging.
Sect Leader Jin Seon released a heavy sigh. On his way to the Mount Zhongnan Sect in his carriage, he had discovered a small pig sitting on his lap. He’d been startled by the pig’s sudden appearance, having detected no presence whatsoever.
The pig wagged its tail, and upon closer inspection, he noticed a piece of paper tied to it. He untied the paper and read its contents—a letter stating that someone had attacked the Wudang Sect.
Under any other circumstances, he would have dismissed it as a prank or a trap. But the mysterious pig and the name Eun Seo-ho written on the letter had compelled him to act immediately.
He had employed his lightness skill at maximum speed and arrived at the Wudang Sect to find not just an attack, but a major catastrophe unfolding.
He watched the blazing fire and reflected on what had transpired.
‘He harbored great ambitions from long ago, but…’
Jin Gu belonged to the same generation as himself, so he knew the man well. His ambitions had always been vast, but he wasn’t the type to act on them independently.
This meant someone had been pulling the strings behind Jin Gu. Whoever that person was, he had no intention of letting them escape. They would pay the price for their machinations.
He was a Daoist who embraced all things and sought truth, but he was also the Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect—and he would protect it.
‘It’s thanks to Young Master Eun Seo-ho that this incident concluded at this level.’
Not only had the young man warned him of the crisis, but he had also saved his dearest friend! In that case, he deserved appropriate compensation.
He contemplated this while gazing at the completely incinerated remains of the Blood Cult Leader, then recited a Daoist phrase.
“Amitabha Buddha… I don’t believe you’ll be reborn in paradise, but nonetheless, go in peace.”
Two days later, I followed Baek Mun’s guidance and arrived at a pavilion.
“You’ve come?”
“Greetings, Sect Leader.”
The Sect Leader was waiting there. He had requested to see me later, so I had been expecting his summons, but I hadn’t anticipated he would call me to a place like this.
“Come closer.”
“Yes.”
I approached the Sect Leader respectfully.
“I heard you suffered an internal injury. Is your body feeling better?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
The Sect Leader extended his hand, pointing forward.
“How do you find the scenery?”
“It’s magnificent.”
These weren’t empty words of flattery. The experience of gazing down at the entire expanse of the Wudang Sect in a single glance was breathtaking enough to be permanently etched in memory.
“That little creature—is it one you’re raising, Young Master?”
I knew exactly what the Sect Leader was referring to. I withdrew Geumryeong from my sleeve and showed it to him.
“This little one, you mean?”
“Yes, that one.”
The Sect Leader nodded approvingly.
“I was quite surprised when that little fellow delivered your letter to me.”
“I apologize for startling you.”
“Don’t say such things. If you hadn’t delivered that letter so swiftly, something far worse could have occurred.”
He released a small sigh and asked again.
“But why were you at that location in the first place?”
“That is…”
I fabricated a reasonable excuse.
“I heard the fierce clash of weapons from within and wondered what was happening. Since I happened to have the permission pass you granted me, Sect Leader, I rushed there in haste.”
I smiled slightly and continued.
“The Wudang Sect has shown me tremendous consideration. If even someone as humble as myself could be of assistance, shouldn’t I rush to help?”
“To think that was your motivation! I am truly grateful.”
“Not at all.”
“You not only saved the lives of many of our sect’s disciples, but you also rescued a cherished friend. I wish to express my gratitude for that.”
He withdrew a plaque from his robes and offered it to me.
“What is this?”
“It is our sect’s special permission pass. You may visit this Wudang Sect at any time, and you are also authorized to carry weapons within Wudang territory.”
I was genuinely surprised. This plaque was qualitatively different from the permission pass I currently wore around my neck.
“And that plaque carries one additional meaning. It signifies that this Wudang Sect stands behind you.”
“…!”
This revelation was even more astonishing than his previous words. It meant that Wudang—one of the two great pillars of the Orthodox Murim—would serve as my backer.
–TL Notes–
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