Cheon Mubaeck went to find Yusu.

Yusu calmly welcomed Cheon Mubaeck’s sudden visit.

“Immeasurable Buddha, Young Master Cheon. Has a decision been made, by any chance?”

“I have one thing to ask, young Taoist.”

“Yes.”

“Who is the person who became a Bidara?”

“…”

Yusu’s pupils trembled violently.

From his stiffly hardened face, he felt that he had been hit where it hurts. Cheon Mubaeck drove him into a corner without giving him a chance.

“If you don’t tell me for sure which person from Wudang became a Bidara, I will not get involved in this matter. Even if you mention the moniker Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero and talk about the righteousness and chivalry of the martial world, I have no intention of going unless trust is the foundation.”

It was a firm tone from which coldness dripped.

Frost settled on Cheon Mubaeck’s eyebrows. A north wind howled. The supreme yin energy flowing from his lower dantian rapidly cooled the surroundings.

Then, the Heaven-Shaking Soul Art was operated, pressing down on the surrounding external qi and pressuring Yusu.

Yusu was not a very great martial artist.

Of course, he was at the level of looking at the end of the first-rate, but he could not overcome the momentum that Cheon Mubaeck was intentionally pushing.

All sorts of worries flashed across his pale face.

Cheon Mubaeck pressed even further.

“The Wudang Sect Leader has not shown himself to the public recently.”

“…!”

“Is it him?”

Yusu made a face as if he was about to stop breathing, and then barely spat out.

A light of resignation appeared on his face.

Seeing that expression, Cheon Mubaeck thought his prediction was correct.

But, the following answer was far beyond his expectations.

“The former sect leader has met with a misfortune.”

* * *

‘I have to go to Wudang.’

When Cheon Mubaeck had made that decision.

Neung-heo came to the escort agency and delivered the news.

“The date and place of the Black Assembly hosted by the Great Dragon Gang have been set.”

“When is it?”

It was the most important problem.

Both going to Wudang and participating in the Black Assembly were important.

If the times overlapped, he planned to go to Wudang and send only Neung-heo to the Black Assembly.

Cheon Mubaeck had to go to Wudang himself. On the other hand, the Black Assembly was for the purpose of checking the movements of the Great Dragon Gang for now. Even if Neung-heo was a little unreliable, he could be entrusted with it.

But fortunately, there was no need for that.

“It will be held in Fujian Province four months from now.”

“Four months from now, in Fujian.”

“It will take at least a month and a half just to get there, so we can say we have a little less than three months.”

Fujian Province was not a place where a particularly powerful martial arts sect stood out.

Although Chongqing also had no Nine Great Sects or Five Great Clans, wasn’t it tightly held by the outstanding Flying Sword Sect and the Red Dragon Faction of the unorthodox faction?

On the other hand, Fujian Province was literally a chaotic place that could be described as the Warring States period of the martial world.

The unorthodox faction was rampant, and the heretical faction was also rampant.

The Orthodox Faction was also divided.

No single force had been able to unify it. It might be because it was relatively on the outskirts of the Central Plains.

Because it was such a place, the Great Dragon Gang must have chosen it as the place to hold the Black Assembly.

They might be thinking of establishing the Black Path Lotus based on that place.

Cheon Mubaeck made a decision.

“Then I’ll go to Hubei.”

At that, Neung-heo tilted his head.

“Wouldn’t it be faster to go through Jiangsu Province, take a boat, and go down the coastline? If you do that, you’ll arrive in a month, not a month and a half.”

“I’ll stop by Hubei and take care of one thing first.”

Cheon Mubaeck explained about Wudang’s request. Neung-heo’s expression contorted.

“What other trouble are you making?”

“It’s something that has to be done anyway.”

“Hoo! Then when are we going?”

“We have to go after seeing some progress with the Guardian Array of Wondrous Questions, and after Jang No returns, so it seems we can move in about five days.”

“I will prepare.”

At Neung-heo’s unusually compliant attitude, Cheon Mubaeck’s eyes widened.

“Why are you so quick to agree?”

“Lord. Let me ask you one thing.”

At Neung-heo’s very serious attitude, Cheon Mubaeck also tilted his head and straightened his posture.

Could he just laugh off a serious attitude like before?

In particular, Cheon Mubaeck could read the determination engraved on Neung-heo’s face.

A somehow not unfamiliar expression.

‘It’s the face of someone who has something to protect.’

He had seen countless martial artists with such expressions.

But he had never dreamed of seeing such a face on Neung-heo. What kind of change of heart had he had?

“The fact that the Lord is going to Wudang now, and participating in the Black Assembly in Fujian, is all for the purpose of rooting out those Blood Demon Valley guys, right?”

“Yes.”

“The Blood Demon Valley are surely villains who will be a threat to the martial world.”

“You’ve seen it yourself, haven’t you? The things those guys have done so far.”

“Right. Right. If those guys take over about half of the martial world, it will be a mess, right?”

“If you just think about the Righteous-Demonic War, it won’t be a problem of a mess. It was a disaster.”

“Then… won’t I be at peace if I get rid of the Blood Demon Valley?”

Cheon Mubaeck stared at Neung-heo.

“The work the Lord is taking the lead in now, to be honest, is not for the peace of the martial world, is it?”

Ha, this bastard. He’s damn quick-witted.

Cheon Mubaeck swallowed a laugh.

Cheonghyeonjin, Shaolin, the Flying Sword Sect, and the Zhuge Clan.

Even Zhongnan had evaluated Cheon Mubaeck’s current actions as a heroic deed for the peace of the martial world.

Everyone considered Cheon Mubaeck a hero.

They thought he was disregarding his own interests and walking on a knife’s edge with a single sword for the sake of the chivalry and righteousness of the martial world.

No. As Neung-heo said, it was not for such a grand reason.

“The Lord I’ve seen, to be honest, doesn’t seem to be so devoted to justice or to have a great cause for the martial world in his heart.”

“Did you learn physiognomy or something?”

“Catching the Blood Demon Valley, isn’t it all for yourself? To protect the Lord, the Lord’s things, and the Lord’s people.”

To be honest, Cheon Mubaeck was impressed by Neung-heo at that point.

Of course, since he was the person who had been with Cheon Mubaeck the longest after his awakening, he was the person who understood him the best. But he was impressed by Neung-heo’s attitude, as if he had looked into his heart.

“You’re right. It’s only to protect my things.”

Cheon Mubaeck’s voice also became serious.

That was right.

In fact, the first start was the Blood Demon Sect.

Cheon Mubaeck had crushed the Blood Demon Sect to protect his own space where he could rest at any time, and after that, the huge hidden force called the Blood Demon Valley had revealed itself.

Cheon Mubaeck felt it was inevitable with his countless martial world experiences.

That unless he got rid of them, his path to the sword’s peak would be in jeopardy.

That he could only head towards the sword’s peak by fighting.

This was not for the sake of the chivalry and righteousness of the martial world as the people of the world thought.

It was to protect the people within the fence that Cheon Mubaeck had built, and because he had a hunch that it was something he had to do inevitably in the process of advancing towards the sword’s peak.

Neung-heo had seen through that.

Was Neung-heo’s intuition great? No.

“I now know what that feeling is.”

Neung-heo let out a deep sigh.

“I guess it’s because I have something to protect.”

“…”

Cheon Mubaeck crossed his arms.

“Gaining fame means gaining enemies.”

Neung-heo smiled bitterly.

“One-Eyed Snake Neung-heo. Ugh. A hero, One-Eyed Snake. Isn’t that a funny story.”

Unintentionally, Neung-heo’s name also became known in the martial world.

As a hero who accompanied the Heavenly Dragon Sword Hero.

He had gained fame. A new fame inevitably created enemies. Neung-heo had become an enemy of the Blood Demon Valley. So he was also faced with a situation where he had to get rid of the Blood Demon Valley to protect his own things.

“So let’s do it quickly. Whether it’s the Blood Demon Valley or whatever, let’s kill all these bastards.”

Cheon Mubaeck grinned.

Their purpose was the same.

Then they could move forward together.

“Alright. Prepare thoroughly. This journey through the martial world will be busier and more dangerous than before.”

Cheon Mubaeck had a rough idea of who the person Neung-heo had to protect was.

‘It must be Seolyeong.’

Anyway, the love that came late was truly scary. To make that slick Neung-heo so motivated.

That’s what love is.

* * *

“I’ll go to Wudang too.”

The one who was surprised by Zhuge Seola’s sudden declaration was not Cheon Mubaeck, but her handmaiden, Yua, who had followed her.

“Eh? My lady! What are you talking about?”

Cheon Mubaeck, seeing the reaction of the Zhuge Clan people, guessed that it was Zhuge Seola’s own decision.

“Why are you heading to Wudang? This matter was requested by the Wudang Sect to the Azure Star Escort Agency, so you are not related, young lady.”

But Zhuge Seola said confidently.

“I heard from my brother that the Zhuge Clan will also be involved in matters related to the Blood Demon Valley. So I will also track the Blood Demon Valley as a representative of the Zhuge Clan. I will start by taking it step by step from Wudang.”

“Hmm.”

When Cheon Mubaeck narrowed his eyes, Zhuge Seola flinched, but she did not relax her confident expression.

It wasn’t exactly wrong. Even if he told her not to follow, if Zhuge Seola headed to the Wudang Sect under the will of the Zhuge Clan, he couldn’t stop her, nor did he have a reason to.

Moreover, it was a good thing for Cheon Mubaeck if the Zhuge Clan started to act.

The situation where Zhuge Seohu, who had firmly promised, had been put on probation and could not properly express his opinion.

But if Zhuge Seola moved, and if the granddaughter that the grand clan head cherished so dearly moved in person, things would flow differently.

Rather, for Cheon Mubaeck, it was a welcome request. Wasn’t it what he had been hoping for?

“Do as you wish.”

Zhuge Seola’s face brightened. But the one who raised an objection was none other than her handmaiden, Yua.

“My lady. Don’t you have to get the clan head’s permission?”

“…!”

Even the great Zhuge Seola’s face hardened, as if she was afraid of her father.

“Umm. I’ll just stop by on the way and get permission!”

“Will he give it to you?”

“…”

Zhuge Seola’s mouth was tightly shut. Normally, she would be confident in getting permission.

The problem was that there had been an unprecedented incident of being kidnapped by the Lacquer-Faced Yama just a short while ago.

Would he allow her to go out even after experiencing such an incident?

The installation of the Guardian Array of Wondrous Questions was something that had been stamped on the contract, and there was also the issue of trust, so it was something that had to be kept. Moreover, since she herself was the most knowledgeable about mechanism formations in the clan after the grand clan head, coming to the Azure Star Escort Agency was not much of a problem.

But going to Wudang to dig into the Blood Demon Valley in detail was probably…

‘No, wait a minute!’

If she couldn’t get her father’s permission, couldn’t she just get her grandfather’s permission?

Of course, although he cherished his granddaughter dearly, Zhuge Seon was not so soft as to easily send her to a dangerous place. It was not something that could be achieved by nagging.

So…

Zhuge Seola looked at Cheon Mubaeck. Her grandfather had shown a particular interest in Cheon Mubaeck. He was not just interested, but fascinated. So if Cheon Mubaeck helped a little…

‘He’s not unobservant.’

Rather, he was a very quick-witted person.

But even if he noticed the situation in advance, if he thought it wasn’t helpful or didn’t fit his standards, he would just stand there blankly. That was Cheon Mubaeck. Slyly.

So Zhuge Seola quickly turned her gaze.

Cheon Mungyeong and Cheon Yuhwa, who were watching from outside.

Especially when her gaze met Cheon Yuhwa’s, Cheon Yuhwa’s eyes curved into a warm arc as if she understood.

“Mubaeck.”

“Yes, sister.”

“How about stopping by the Zhuge Clan on the way to Wudang?”

“…”

“Jang No will be going with you on this trip to Wudang. Although you will be the center of Wudang’s request, Mubaeck, Jang No and the people of the escort agency will be preparing to open a branch in Hubei. Then, since it’s on the way, it would be good to stop by the Zhuge Clan and say hello. Although it was a contract, since they installed the Guardian Array of Wondrous Questions, we should express our gratitude accordingly.”

Cheon Yuhwa’s words were not wrong.

Since the Zhuge Clan was on the way to Mount Wudang anyway, it was not a difficult task to stop by. Since the escort agency was preparing to open a branch in Hubei, it also meant that they would establish a branch under the protection of the Zhuge Clan on this occasion.

Jang No, who would be going with them, would play that role, but Cheon Mubaeck’s role had also become important.

“Yes, I understand.”

“The design of the Guardian Array of Wondrous Questions is all finished, and now only the construction work by the craftsmen remains, so Young Lady Zhuge will also be free, so wouldn’t it be helpful to us if she went with us?”

When Cheon Yuhwa smiled brightly, Zhuge Seola’s face brightened.

At that moment, Cheon Mubaeck saw Zhuge Seola’s mouth shape. Cheon Mubaeck had even learned lip-reading.

‘Thank you, sister.’

Cheon Mubaeck let out a hollow laugh for a moment.

‘When did they get so close?’

Cheon Mubaeck shook his head as he saw Cheon Yuhwa clenching her small fists and muttering, ‘Good luck!’.

(End of Chapter)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep