In all the Central Plains, perhaps only Mujin and the Poison Emperor would be so stirred by the name ‘Sword Tomb of the Dugu Sword Sect’.
Countless tombs of famous masters and hidden formations containing secret manuals had appeared in the martial world over the years.
Some were fakes created with sinister intentions, while others were occasionally real.
But whenever such things, designed to stir the greed of martial artists, emerged, a storm of blood would invariably follow.
“The Dugu Sword Sect. I’ve never heard of such a sect.”
Great Monk Hyeon-u nodded at Abbess Jinhwa’s words.
“Indeed. It must not have been an orthodox sword art. I can only hope that foolish men do not flock to it and cause needless bloodshed.”
“…”
The Poison Emperor silently watched Mujin.
The reactions of Abbess Jinhwa and Great Monk Hyeon-u were only natural.
Aside from Mujin and the Poison Emperor, there was likely no one left in the Central Plains who knew the name ‘Dugu Sword Sect’ or the ‘Nine Swords of Dugu’.
But Mujin and the Poison Emperor knew that obscure name.
And because of that, they could sense that this Sword Tomb was real.
If it were a fake with some hidden agenda, there would be no reason to use the unknown name of Dugu instead of a famous master or a legendary lost art.
-Could it be a coincidence? It’s not explicitly called the ‘Nine Swords of Dugu’.
-Perhaps. The surname Dugu isn’t unheard of. But it’s too much of a coincidence to be just that.
-Did you hear anything from that friend of your master?
-Not really. I don’t think he ever spoke in depth about his own sect. My master never told me anything either.
-So it’s certain he didn’t create it?
-I suppose so. It must be the work of his master, or someone from an even older generation… Still, a ‘Sword Tomb’ of all things. What a morbid sense of humor.
The Poison Emperor nodded in response to Mujin’s telepathic message.
He, too, had rarely heard of a ‘Sword Tomb’ rather than the hidden grave of a famous master.
“For now, you two should go inside. It seems Soyeon and Dojin have been eagerly waiting for you.”
At the mention of the two eagerly waiting children, the pair clasped their fists to the Poison Emperor and quickened their pace toward the children’s quarters.
The Righteous Heart Assembly’s matters had dragged on, and they hadn’t seen them for over a month, making them anxious.
Watching the two Buddhist disciples subtly use their movement techniques while chatting about how much the children must have grown, Mujin spoke.
“What kind of legendary sword must be buried there for it to be called a ‘Sword Tomb’?”
“Who knows. Wouldn’t such a remarkable sword typically be passed down as a sect’s sacred treasure?”
“…That’s usually the case, isn’t it?”
Even Mujin’s former sect, the Demonic Spirit Sect, had passed down a sword as its sacred treasure to the next generation, so that was indeed the norm.
“Are you going to go?”
“I’m not sure. I feel uneasy about leaving the family.”
“Why does it matter? You’ve reduced the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect to ashes, so who’s left to challenge you? With their sect leader’s head displayed like that, who would dare attack the Yeomhwa Family, fearing retaliation from the Yeomhwa Fortress?”
“…But why are you trying so hard to convince me? You rushed all the way here, and you look excited.”
“Ahem…”
Mujin silently studied the Poison Emperor.
Under his gaze, the Poison Emperor began to speak.
“Well… what am I but a retired old man, cooped up in the family estate? The young ones who visit me only do so out of courtesy. Do you think they enjoy talking to an old man like me? I don’t enjoy it either. Traveling the martial world with you is the only thing that gives me energy and makes me feel young again. At my age, I can’t exactly go roaming the world with the kids from my clan, can I?”
Shaking his head at the Poison Emperor’s words, Mujin walked toward the guest pavilion.
“Are you really not going? There might be some hidden technique there.”
“There are no secrets of the Nine Swords of Dugu that I don’t know.”
“Then the sword! Who knows, a legendary sword might be waiting for you! If it belonged to a master of the Nine Swords of Dugu, then he must be connected to your current master’s lineage, right? Are you going to let such a person’s sword fall into the hands of another?”
“A sword…”
Mujin leaped up to the pavilion in front of the guest house. As he spoke, the Poison Emperor sat down before him and said,
“Yes! A warrior’s soul is his weapon, is it not? Everyone is drawn to a divine weapon!”
“Perhaps… but this sword is enough for me.”
Mujin glanced at the iron sword propped up beside him.
Seeing this, the Poison Emperor slapped his chest in frustration.
“Isn’t that just a sword made of iron? It doesn’t look like it’s worth more than a few gold coins. If you face an enemy who uses energy blades, it’ll be sliced like tofu in a single clash.”
“Well, that’s true… Wait, no! Where on earth am I going to run into an enemy who uses energy blades?”
The Poison Emperor replied to Mujin’s retort without skipping a beat.
“The Deviant Emperor. And besides him, who knows if there are other masters in Samu-cheon who can use energy blades? After what happened with the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect, you’ve definitely made an enemy of Samu-cheon.”
“Didn’t you just say no one would dare challenge me because of the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect incident?”
“Doesn’t everything in this world have two sides, light and dark? That is the principle of yin, yang, and the five elements.”
“Anyone hearing you would think you’re a Wudang Daoist. Stop trying to persuade me. I admit I’m curious, but I’m worried about Soyeon and Dojin, and there are people in the family who are still recovering from serious injuries. How can I, as the Family Head, just leave them behind to go on an excursion?”
The Poison Emperor sighed at Mujin’s words but nodded nonetheless.
How could he not understand the heavy burden of one who leads a family?
But he couldn’t help feeling disappointed at the thought of not being able to relive the excitement he’d felt while chasing the demonic beings with Mujin.
“Wait, is the Tang Clan not busy these days?”
“Well, they seemed to have quite a lot of busywork to do.”
“And?”
“What is there for a retired old man like me to do? I just occupy a seat and pass the time. The younger generation handles all the practical matters. They consult me on important issues because I’m the Grand Patriarch, but that’s just a formality. Nowadays, my son doesn’t even listen to a word I say.”
Looking at the dejected old man, Mujin felt an inexplicable sense of pity.
“Hold on. I’ll sound out Dojin and Soyeon. In return, I need you to position some Tang Clan warriors in Xichang. Just in case.”
At Mujin’s words, the Poison Emperor’s face lit up, and he nodded.
“Don’t you worry. I’ll have the kids from the Black Poison Unit spread all over Xichang.”
The Black Poison Unit was the elite of the elite among the Tang Clan’s martial forces.
Only warriors from the direct lineage—collateral branches were not even considered—could join the Black Poison Unit after passing a grueling selection process.
Mujin nodded at the promise of deploying such warriors.
Mujin went to his siblings’ quarters, where they were happily chatting with their masters after a long time apart, and announced his presence.
“May I come in?”
-Please, come in.
At Great Monk Hyeon-u’s voice, Mujin opened the door and saw the two children sitting on the wooden veranda, chattering away.
Seeing the two children talking excitedly with bright smiles, Mujin spoke.
“It seems you can’t even see me.”
“Brother. You’re here.”
“Big Brother, this is the important part! So, when I used the Shadow Kick, do you know what Jomu did?”
“Hmm? Did he block it with the Soaring Defense?”
“That’s right! The fool used the Soaring Defense. Hmph. He must have forgotten about my Snowdrift Heavenly Cloud Palm!”
Abbess Jinhwa chimed in at Soyeon’s words.
“That’s right. The Soaring Defense is powerless against the Ten Spirits Swiftness of the Snowdrift Heavenly Cloud Palm.”
“Hehe. But instead of the Ten Spirits Swiftness, I mixed half a move from the Lower Lotus Palm and half a move from the Nine Lotuses Swiftness to teach him a lesson!”
Hearing that she had split and combined moves, Abbess Jinhwa, who had been playing along, froze, her eyes widening.
“Y-You can do that?”
“Of course! Should I show you? Big Brother! Come here, quick! Use the Soaring Defense!”
“The Soaring Defense?”
“It’s a move where you thrust, then drop the sword tip to strike the ankle while kicking high.”
Soyeon threw a wooden sword that was lying nearby and urged Mujin on.
“…”
Mujin did as Soyeon asked, relaxing his strength and executing the move.
As the sword aimed for her chest, Soyeon swung her hand wide, turning her body to push the flat of the blade away. The moment Mujin’s sword tip dropped toward her ankle, she rotated forward.
Naturally, Mujin’s high kick sliced through empty air, and Soyeon’s heel flew toward his face.
-Thud!
Mujin raised his arm to block Soyeon’s heel lightly, intending to catch her so she wouldn’t get hurt, but her palm strike flew at him swiftly.
In that instant, Mujin’s eyes sparkled, and a smile touched his lips.
To be able to extend a swift palm strike while her heel was caught on his arm—how flexible must she be?
Her body was airborne, and with her leg caught on her opponent, it would be difficult to even maintain balance and land properly.
It wouldn’t have been strange for her to flail in fear of crashing to the ground, yet there she was, launching a swift palm. Mujin couldn’t help but be proud.
-Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
But Mujin simply shook his head slightly, dodging all of her strikes.
-Tap! Thud.
From that position, Soyeon kicked off Mujin’s arm that was blocking her heel, flipped in mid-air to create distance, and landed on the floor.
“Hmph! It all worked on Jomu.”
She grumbled in disappointment.
But Abbess Jinhwa shot to her feet, staring at Soyeon.
It had been less than half a year since she had begun learning the Snowdrift Heavenly Cloud Palm.
Seeing such a young child deconstruct and use the sect’s martial arts, she was at a loss for words.
She had watched countless children learn martial arts, but there had never, ever been one like Soyeon.
‘Even a first-rate master would struggle with that. How can a mere child…?’
Looking at the astonished Abbess Jinhwa, Mujin knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Is there anyone with an imagination as free as a child’s? You needn’t take it so seriously. The connections are still clumsy to be called a true deconstruction of the forms. It’s merely the result of a free-spirited child who isn’t bound by convention.”
“Even so… it’s incredibly practical for combat.”
“Perhaps. She still seems to have a long way to go. I leave her in your capable hands.”
“Yes…”
Leaving the still-dazed Abbess Jinhwa, Mujin turned to Soyeon and Dojin and spoke.
“Something has come up, and I’ll have to be away for a while.”
At Mujin’s words, the smiles on his siblings’ faces began to fade.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Where are you going this time?”
“It’s a place nearby. It won’t take long.”
“Are you going to punish more bad guys?”
Mujin smiled at Soyeon’s question and stroked her hair.
“Yes. While I’m gone, who will be in charge of leading the family?”
“I will, Brother.”
“Good. You can handle it, right?”
“Yes!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Both of you, don’t skip your movement technique training, and behave yourselves. I’ll check on your progress when I get back.”
“Okay!”
“Yes!”
After watching the two children for a moment, Mujin turned to Great Monk Hyeon-u and Abbess Jinhwa.
“I’ll be counting on you while I’m away.”
“Don’t worry, just go and do what you must.”
“You don’t need to worry about the children.”
Nodding at their words, Mujin stroked the children’s heads one more time and turned to leave.
“Be safe, Big Brother!”
“Brother! Have a safe trip!”
“I will.”
As Mujin stepped out of the children’s quarters, the Poison Emperor popped up beside him and spoke.
“Are we leaving right away?”
“…I need to inform the steward and the elder.”
“Ah! Right. Go on, tell them quickly.”
Mujin shook his head at the impatient Poison Emperor, informed the still-recovering steward and Elder Jo of his departure, and then brought out his black horse, riding out of the family estate.
Outside the estate, the brown horse the Poison Emperor had ridden was waiting.
“Let’s go! Hyah!”
The Poison Emperor vaulted onto his horse and spurred it into a gallop.
Following closely behind, Mujin shook his head at the sight of the Poison Emperor’s excited back.
* * *
“I hear the Moon-Slaying Sword Sect has been wiped out.”
In a pitch-black space devoid of a single point of light, a man holding a hot teacup spoke, but received no answer.
-Swish! Shing!
Hearing the sharp sound of a sword cutting through the darkness, the man continued.
“They call him the Hidden Dragon of Sichuan. Apparently, he’s the precious young master of the failing Yeomhwa Family. You know the one, right? The one who supposedly went mad and had fits after taking a Seven Injuries Fist to the head.”
-Shing!
The man clicked his tongue as the sound of the sword passed right in front of his nose.
“Tsk, tsk. You’ve erased the sword wind, but you still can’t erase the sound?”
Just as the man finished speaking.
-Crack. Thump!
The ebony table where he had intended to place his teacup split in two and toppled over.
“I just wasn’t in the mood. I mastered the silent sword long ago.”
“Is that so? And here I thought you were still struggling with it.”
“Stop provoking me. What’s your point? The Moon-Slaying Sword Sect? What does it have to do with me whether some no-name sect gets wiped out or not?”
His cold voice was laced with a strange sharpness.
“What do you mean, ‘what does it have to do with you’? Aren’t we all families of Samu-cheon?”
“The same? Hehehe. You haven’t changed a bit, still spouting words you don’t mean. Have you ever once considered those beneath the Eight Families of Samu-cheon to be ‘the same’? Besides us Eight Families, the rest are just for show. For the past fifteen years, they’ve been constantly changing. A cycle of ruin and replacement. Since when did you care about the underlings? Stop with the nonsense and get to the point.”
The man smiled at the other’s sharp retort, finished his hot tea, and then spoke.
“Didn’t you hear me? The Hidden Dragon of Sichuan. I’m telling you, he’s from the Yeomhwa Family.”
“So what does that have to do with—”
“The Flame Emperor. Or should I say Hwa Ju-tae, will that ring a bell? That foul-tempered bastard. Weren’t you the one who sent him to the afterlife?”
At the mention of the Flame Emperor, the sharp aura that had enveloped the darkness vanished.
“Turn on the light.”
At his command, light began to fill the dark space.
