The Sect Leader looked startled by my question.
“Huh! Are you saying that Golden Buddha Statue is fake? Hahaha! How could something like this happen!”
“Sect Leader, you really shouldn’t try acting in front of anyone.”
“…Thank you for the advice.”
The Sect Leader accepted my words without protest, glanced back over his shoulder, then asked in a whisper.
“By any chance, those symptoms your companions are showing… was that your doing?”
“Yes. They’re just asleep.”
I answered without trying to hide it, and he let out a sigh.
“I see. Then I suppose you want to hear why I did what I did?”
“You could say that.”
“Let’s talk for a moment. Follow me.”
I followed the Sect Leader.
The place he led me to was not inside the sect, but the mountain beside it.
The Sect Leader was moving along the rather rugged mountain path without the slightest hesitation when he seemed to realize something and looked back.
Then he looked faintly surprised.
“Is something wrong?”
“You climb mountains better than I expected.”
“I suppose I must have a talent for climbing mountains.”
“I see. Let’s keep going.”
The place we arrived at was a peak behind the Nine Rocks Sect.
The whole Nine Rocks Sect came into view at once.
“This truly is a magnificent sight.”
It was a far more impressive sight than the one I had seen last night.
— Kui!
Hm? You like this place too?
“Whenever something troubles me, I come here and look down at that view.”
At the Sect Leader’s words, I quickly focused my attention on him.
“And does that solve your troubles?”
“It helps me reach a decision, more or less.”
“And I assume those decisions tend to be ones that benefit the Nine Rocks Sect.”
“Well, yes. What does a Sect Leader do, after all? Is he not the one who makes decisions for the good of his sect?”
Then the Sect Leader gave a hearty laugh.
“By the way, you really have no fear. For all you know, I could try to silence you over the matter of the fake Golden Buddha Statue. What were you thinking, following me all the way here?”
“You didn’t seem like that kind of person.”
The Qi I sensed from him was exceptionally clear and pure.
Of course, the Sect Leader was right.
In this kind of situation, following the culprit alone was not exactly a wise choice.
But Lady Seohyang’s advice had played a part here.
The advice I had not fully understood at first had been this: “Trust the Sect Leader, and you need to face him sincerely too, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
So, following her advice, I decided to trust the Sect Leader.
The clear Qi I had sensed from him the entire time also suggested he had no malicious intentions.
That was why I had made sure no one followed me.
Otherwise, I would have secretly ordered Escort Guard Jin Yu or Escort Guard Seo Wu to trail me from a distance.
The Sect Leader knew that too, which was why he said I had no fear.
I got to the point.
“So, what’s the reason?”
“…”
The Sect Leader sighed, then opened his mouth.
“A very long time ago, before I became Sect Leader, the Nine Rocks Sect was in an extremely difficult position.”
I found it strange that he had suddenly begun talking about events from decades ago, but I quietly listened.
“Forest Bandits who had lost a power struggle nearby attacked the Nine Rocks Sect in order to make this place their new base. That was when the Alliance Leader helped us.”
Now that I thought about it, Team Leader Won had said something on our way here.
He said the Sect Leader had received a favor from the Alliance Leader and had been entrusted with safeguarding the Golden Buddha Statue because of it.
It seemed this was the story behind that.
“At the time, the Alliance Leader had not yet become the Alliance Leader. He was one of the rising talents of the Namgoong Clan and led one of the Murim Alliance’s armed divisions. Back then, he was returning from a mission in Shandong.”
“…”
“The Sect Leader at the time sent me out and told me to ask anyone I could find for help. I had just come down from Mount Tai when I met the Alliance Leader, who was then a Commander. I begged him in tears. The Alliance Leader stepped forward without hesitation and saved the Nine Rocks Sect.”
The sound of leaves brushing in the wind reached my ears.
“The previous Sect Leader, who had suffered grave injuries at the time, passed away, and I succeeded him as Sect Leader. Not long after that, before he became Alliance Leader, he came to me and entrusted the Golden Buddha Statue to my care.”
“Then it has been quite a long time since you took charge of it.”
“More than ten years.”
Then why did you hand over a fake Golden Buddha Statue?
“What do you know about why the Murim Alliance wants that Golden Buddha Statue?”
“I was told it would be used during this Murim Grand Assembly. To amplify the power of the Trap Formation protecting the spectators.”
The Sect Leader nodded as he spoke.
“That is what they said. But in truth, the Golden Buddha Statue’s power is not limited to that.”
“Pardon?”
“When the Alliance Leader gave me the Golden Buddha Statue, he told me this. It was an artifact he had obtained by chance, and it possessed the ability to amplify all power.”
“When you say all power…?”
“I mean exactly that. All power.”
Hold on. If it’s all power… then that thing is even more absurd than I thought, isn’t it?
And power does not only mean good power.
There is bad power too.
“If this Golden Buddha Statue were to fall into the hands of a Buddhist disciple, it could amplify Buddhist power. If it fell into a Daoist’s hands, it could amplify Daoist power. Likewise, if it fell into the hands of someone from the Demonic Cult…”
“It could amplify demonic Qi.”
“Indeed.”
He nodded.
“It changes depending on how it is used. And at the time, the Alliance Leader told me this. He said it was an evil object that had to be sealed away forever.”
I had no choice but to voice my doubt.
“Then are you saying the Alliance Leader entrusted the Golden Buddha Statue to you because he wanted you to seal it away?”
“That is correct.”
“Then why go through the trouble of keeping it? Wouldn’t it have been better to simply destroy it?”
“If it could have been destroyed, we would have done so long ago. But no method could damage it.”
“…”
“In any case, for someone like that to suddenly demand that I hand over the Golden Buddha Statue… how could I not become suspicious?”
“That is certainly strange.”
The Golden Buddha Statue was dangerous.
And he wanted to use something that dangerous in a place where countless people would gather…
On top of that, if it were stolen, the matter would become even more serious.
There was no telling what kind of dangerous people it might fall into the hands of.
No matter how thoroughly the Murim Alliance guarded it, it was still difficult for ten constables to stop one thief.
“I do not know why the Alliance Leader gave such an order, but I could not bear to watch the martial world fall into chaos because of it. If the Alliance Leader’s words were true, then all the more reason it must never be released into the world!”
Ah…
A thought suddenly came to me, and I bit my lip.
“Don’t tell me… once we took the fake down the mountain, you were planning to take your own life?”
If the fake Golden Buddha Statue was delivered, there was no way the Alliance Leader would fail to realize it.
And only the Sect Leader knew where the real Golden Buddha Statue was.
“…”
Seeing as he could not answer, it seemed I was right.
Hoo…
This really is the Alliance Leader’s test.
The Alliance Leader predicted that I would begin suspecting whether the Golden Buddha Statue was truly an artifact, then press the Sect Leader and learn the truth.
If I obediently left the real one behind and took the fake, the Alliance Leader would become certain that I had realized his hidden intentions.
Then he would use the fact that I had brought back a fake Golden Buddha Statue as a pretext to eliminate me.
I absolutely had to bring the real one.
The problem was that if I brought the real one, it would clearly be used for something terrible.
I’m trapped between a rock and a hard place. Damn it.
This matter was not only a test for me, but also a test for the Nine Rocks Sect’s Sect Leader.
He was probably wondering whether the Sect Leader had noticed something suspicious about him.
If I took the fake, the Nine Rocks Sect would disappear too.
In my previous life, the Nine Rocks Sect had been an unfortunate sect destroyed by Forest Bandits.
I hadn’t thought much of it back then, but now that I saw the situation, it was obvious the Murim Alliance had intervened.
There were no Forest Bandits on Mount Tai capable of taking on the Nine Rocks Sect, and even if there were, they would have had to pay a heavy price in blood.
Still, what in the world is he plotting that he’s going so far as to identify and eliminate anyone suspicious?
This is seriously difficult.
And then there is the fact that he is demanding the Golden Buddha Statue he personally said should be sealed away.
Could it be that the Alliance Leader isn’t actually the Alliance Leader himself?
That thought suddenly occurred to me, but I soon dismissed it.
No. People simply change.
People do not change easily, but if something happens to them, then changing can also be terribly easy.
“Sect Leader. Please give me the real Golden Buddha Statue.”
“What makes you think I can trust you?”
“You told me the truth because you trusted me, didn’t you?”
“And you believe what I told you was the truth?”
“Yes. Sect Leader, you deliberately brought me all the way here to tell me that story. Why would you go through so much trouble just to lie?”
“…”
“Since you have told me the truth, I will tell you the truth as well.”
I turned my head to look at the Sect Leader and spoke.
“I dislike the Murim Alliance.”
“But you came here with a team leader from the Murim Alliance…”
“Because the Alliance Leader ordered it. If I do not obey that order, I feel as though I will die. That is the only reason I am complying.”
At my words, the Sect Leader’s face darkened.
“Are you being threatened?”
“It is less of a threat and more of a test. While traveling from place to place, I learned about things the Alliance Leader has done. They were not good things.”
I continued.
“And the Alliance Leader ordered me to handle this matter in order to determine whether I had noticed.”
“…”
“If I do not bring back the real one, that will mean I have seen through the Alliance Leader’s schemes. Then I will find myself in a great deal of trouble.”
The Sect Leader bit his lip at my words.
“And the Nine Rocks Sect will end up in the same situation as me.”
The Sect Leader spoke with a grave expression.
“I have prepared myself for death.”
“Have your disciples done the same?”
“…”
The Sect Leader’s eyes wavered.
Of course they hadn’t.
“They haven’t, have they?”
“…”
“You may have prepared yourself for death, Sect Leader, but you still need to protect the disciples whose futures are still ahead of them, don’t you?”
“But how can I hand over that Golden Buddha Statue when I do not know where or how it will be used?”
“Sect Leader. I’m not doing this recklessly. I have a plan.”
“You have a plan?”
“Yes.”
I spoke with certainty.
“I intend to make sure that Golden Buddha Statue is never used for anything evil. So please trust me and hand over the real Golden Buddha Statue.”
“…”
“You said that you came here to make decisions for the sake of the Nine Rocks Sect. Then please, make this decision for your sect.”
I bowed my head and cupped my fist.
I could feel the Sect Leader staring at the back of my head.
Time passed like that, and after a long silence, the Sect Leader spoke to me.
“Your Qi is truly clear.”
“…”
“I will place my trust in that Qi.”
Good!
I raised my head and asked.
“Where is the real Golden Buddha Statue?”
At my words, the Sect Leader pointed at the ground with his finger.
“Pardon?”
“It is here.”
“What do you mean, here?”
“It is beneath your feet. You will likely need to dig about two feet.”
He really did seal it away.
This was why Geumryeong said it liked this place earlier.
“Then I will call the Escort Guards and have them dig it up.”
“No. Who can be trusted with this? You dig it up yourself.”
“M-Me?”
“Then should I dig it? You would make this old man shovel dirt? Tsk, tsk…”
“I’ll dig.”
I let out a sigh and diligently dug into the ground, and in the end, I succeeded in retrieving the Golden Buddha Statue.
Ah, my miserable fate.
.
.
.
Several days passed.
The people I had put to sleep opened their eyes looking refreshed.
“Fortunately, it does not seem to have been an epidemic. Did any of you happen to go outside during the night?”
“Ah, yes.”
“I think I may have taken a short walk.”
“Then you likely fell asleep because of pollen from a medicinal herb that grows only on Mount Tai.”
At my words, Team Leader Won nodded.
“If that is the case, then that is fortunate. We should depart in haste, then. We have already lost considerable time.”
“Let’s do that.”
We immediately paid our respects to the Sect Leader and began descending the mountain.
A bundle was tied to Team Leader Won’s horse.
The fake Golden Buddha Statue was inside.
If the Golden Buddha Statue was stolen on the way, my plan would fall apart.
So I stored the real Golden Buddha Statue inside my Hidden Vault.
That one was irreplaceable.
Of course, the fake Golden Buddha Statue was also part of my plan, so we had to guard it carefully too.
“Travel safely.”
“Yes, thank you for your hospitality.”
“Please remain in good health.”
The Sect Leader sent me a Voice Transmission.
— I leave this in your hands.
— Yes. I will make sure you have nothing to worry about.
With that, we descended Mount Tai again and arrived in Jinan.
The plan was to take a boat from Jinan to Luoyang.
If we went upstream along the Yellow River, it would be far faster than traveling by land.
“We should rest at an inn before moving on.”
“No.”
At Team Leader Won’s words, I answered firmly.
“The longer we remain here, the more insects will be drawn to us. We need to board a boat immediately.”
“But it isn’t as though we can find a boat that quickly, can we?”
“I arranged one in advance.”
“Pardon?”
“It should be waiting for us now. Let’s go.”
We arrived at the ferry dock and headed to the place in charge of transporting the Baekyeom Merchant Group’s goods.
“Ah! Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho!”
The Supervisor there recognized me immediately.
“We have been waiting for you. This way, please.”
What I had asked Young Lord Ho Gyeong to prepare last time was a boat to Luoyang.
Thanks to that, as soon as we arrived in Jinan, we were able to board a boat and depart for Luoyang.
“Huh…”
Team Leader Won looked bewildered.
“So… something like this is possible too.”
“This is what preparation looks like. And I happen to be very busy.”
I let out a sigh and looked ahead.
At last, I would meet the Alliance Leader.
Thinking about striking the Alliance Leader from behind makes me a little nervous.
–TL Notes–
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