‘Setting out to find a dragon.’

It was a heart-pounding matter.

And it was understandable.

What exactly was a dragon? It was the greatest among all spiritual beasts.

It was not merely a mystical creature.

When you look up at the night sky, there is the bright and distinct North Star.

Surrounding it are constellations and star clusters scattered across the heavens.

These constellations are divided into twenty-eight sections, known as the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

These heavenly sections are further divided into four groups of seven, and among them, one palace was occupied by the Azure Dragon.

The being capable of holding such a celestial position was precisely the dragon.

And what of its standing in the heavenly realm?

The dragon was a spiritual entity believed to originate from water.

It possessed the ability to control water, shaking rivers and summoning rain.

The Jade Emperor even entrusted the four most spiritual dragons with the seas of the east, west, south, and north.

These dragons were known as the Four Sea Dragon Kings.

The path Bodhidharma and Yi-gang’s group set out on was precisely to find these dragons.

Yi-gang, too, held quiet anticipation in his heart.

Could this not be a journey to escape this filthy and chaotic world and return to nature?

Perhaps a quest to find an ancient forest where yokai and spiritual beasts breathed, or a hidden paradise like the Peach Blossom Spring.

However, about fifteen days after setting out from Shaolin, the place where Yi-gang stood alone, separated from his group, was a gloomy graveyard.

An old village nestled in the mountains, where people lived through slash-and-burn farming.

Yi-gang stood among overgrown mounds, untended and covered with wild grass.

He stood still, surveying his surroundings.

Torches burned in all directions.

He was already surrounded.

The faces of the slash-and-burn farmers holding the torches glowed orange in the firelight.

Yi-gang placed his hand on his sword.

Most of them were elderly men.

「What will you do?」

Even when Bodhidharma asked, Yi-gang could not immediately answer.

The old men, with toothless mouths sunken in, muttered angrily, “You don’t even know the Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues?!”

“Don’t you have parents, you brat?! What are you waiting for?! Let’s catch him now!”

Despite their creaking bodies, they rushed forward with fury.

Yi-gang gritted his teeth as he looked around at the dozen or so elderly men charging toward him.

“Ah, damn it!”

Then, he started to run away.

“He’s running away!”

“Stop right there!”

The old men chased after Yi-gang with fierce determination.

Just fifteen days ago, he would never have imagined he would end up in such a situation.

It all started when they departed from Shaolin.

The journey had been smoother than expected.

This was mainly because they had rented a carriage.

The real problem was the Divine Monk.

Now no different from an ordinary old monk, the Divine Monk couldn’t ride a horse for such a long journey.

The group ended up renting a large four-horse carriage.

Surprisingly, the one who took on the role of coachman was Gal Dong-tak.

Driving a four-horse carriage was no easy task. When asked if he could manage, Gal Dong-tak skillfully handled the reins.

His skills were so impressive that the Divine Monk entrusted him with the role of coachman.

Among the group were two monks, Hyun Cheok and Hyun Mu, who were part of the Four Great Vajra.

They neither rode in the carriage nor rode horses.

Instead, they insisted on following the journey by displaying their light footwork.

There was no need to worry that the Four Great Vajra’s light footwork would be slow or that they would tire and fail their duties.

Having elevated the Immovable Vajra Movement Technique, they kept pace with the carriage with calm expressions.

Thus, there were only three people inside the carriage.

The Divine Monk, Yi-gang, and Bodhidharma.

Yi-gang sat opposite the Divine Monk.

Bodhidharma was on the floor of the carriage.

Naturally, it wasn’t that a young and exotic-looking man was lying on the floor.

Bodhidharma’s appearance was that of a black snake.

The snake, which only Yi-gang could see, coiled itself comfortably.

Hissing softly while flicking its tongue, Bodhidharma asked, 「What are you staring at?」

“Hmm…”

After all, the other party was none other than the First Founder, Bodhidharma.

As a junior disciple, Yi-gang had no choice but to remain cautious before the Great Ancestor.

“Will you stay on the floor the entire time? Please, come up.”

「I will stay here. The floor is nice—dark and damp.」

However, Bodhidharma simply retreated further into the shadows beneath the seat.

It didn’t look dignified at all for him to speak with only his face poking out from there.

‘Makes sense. He is an imoogi who has been in seclusion for a thousand years.’

No one knew how many years Bodhidharma had lived, but he had spent a millennium as a hermit.

Living that way for so long would surely cause anyone to lose some part of their humanity. Even a monk with deep cultivation would not be immune.

「The first place is Sichuan, and the second is the border between Qinghai and Tibet.」

Bodhidharma was speaking of places where dragons were said to exist.

Despite being secluded in a cave, he claimed to have observed the world through the Six Divine Powers.

He had identified three locations in the Central Plains where dragons might exist, and two of them seemed to be around Sichuan and Tibet.

Since these locations were along the way, the group decided to head toward Sichuan first.

「The last place is at the southernmost tip of Yunnan… but I suppose visiting there would be too much, wouldn’t it?」 Bodhidharma said while hissing and flicking his tongue.

Hearing this, the Divine Monk showed a troubled expression once again.

Considering the Divine Monk’s predicament, Yi-gang answered on his behalf, “No, we cannot. We don’t have enough time.”

If they detoured to Nánmán, they would not be able to meet the deadline requested by the Dalai Lama.

Not only that, but the Divine Monk’s lifespan might run out before they returned.

Bodhidharma lowered his head as if disappointed.

「Well, it can’t be helped then.」

“Is there no way to get more precise information about the location in Sichuan?”

「…The Six Divine Powers aren’t that omnipotent. Besides, I can’t use it right now.」

Looking at Bodhidharma’s current appearance, it was hard to imagine the figure who once toyed with Absolute masters.

He appeared far more human and somewhat careless.

「I didn’t locate the dragon by directly seeing it with Thousand Li Sight. I pieced together fragments of conversations among living beings using the Divine Ear…」

“So, in the end, you can’t pinpoint the exact location.”

「Exactly. How many times must I say it?」 Bodhidharma replied irritably.

It was something Yi-gang had expected.

Even Zhang Sanfeng, a Taoist immortal, wasn’t omniscient.

In fact, he recalled that Zhang Sanfeng had often shown quite human traits.

Though Bodhidharma’s cultivation was profound, it was unlikely that he knew everything.

‘Honestly, I doubt dragons are that extraordinary. Didn’t Sage Zhang say he subdued an evil dragon as well?’

How could anyone know what Yi-gang was thinking?

Bodhidharma spun his head around and shouted in frustration, 「The evil dragon that the Taoist immortal Zhang Sanfeng subdued cannot be considered a true dragon. It was merely an imoogi that transformed after realizing evil power. A true dragon is, by nature, an infinitely benevolent being!」

“I see.”

However, that was merely Bodhidharma’s claim.

Zhang Sanfeng had testified that what he subdued was undoubtedly a dragon.

Bodhidharma glared at Yi-gang, displeased.

「You won’t believe it unless you see it for yourself, huh?」

“That’s not necessarily true.”

Even the supreme masters of the martial world had been overwhelmed by Bodhidharma’s aura, yet Yi-gang remained unfazed.

「Well, you’ll see when we get there… I’m terribly exhausted.」

Bodhidharma lay down as if drained.

The reason for his fatigue, despite having done so little, was clear.

「The outside world is truly exhausting… There’s no mist, it’s dry, and the sun is far too strong.」

Yi-gang lowered his foot from the carriage window.

Bodhidharma seemed utterly worn out from his first outing in a thousand years.

Yet, it wasn’t just the long absence that made the transcendent being so weary. There was another reason.

Since departing from Shaolin, Bodhidharma had been continuously deploying large-scale spells.

His true form was that of a massive imoogi, large enough to coil around a mountain peak.

If he dragged that massive body all the way to Tibet, countless villages in the Central Plains would be utterly destroyed.

To prevent that, Bodhidharma used a spell to shrink his body—to the size of a small snake.

「My whole body feels stiff.」

In fact, shrinking one’s body is a far more advanced form of sorcery than enlarging it.

Moreover, the extent of this reduction was so tremendous that it was nothing short of a transcendent spell.

Because of this, Bodhidharma appeared no different from an ordinary talking snake most of the time.

At that moment, the window leading to the coachman’s seat suddenly burst open.

Gal Dong-tak’s clear, ox-like eyes appeared through the small window.

“We’re almost there.”

This was Sichuan Province.

Specifically, its most bustling city—Chengdu.

“And it seems the martial artists of the Tang Clan have come to greet us.”

“All right, understood.”

When the Divine Monk replied, the window closed again.

It would be impossible to directly search for the dragon’s whereabouts in the vast Sichuan Province.

The plan was to stop by the Tang Clan, the ruling power in Sichuan, to resupply and gather information.

「Yi-gang.」

Bodhidharma called Yi-gang’s name.

Yi-gang extended his hand with a slightly reluctant expression.

Bodhidharma said he found it difficult to move on his own.

Moreover, if a black snake were to roam around openly, it would surely alarm people.

Thus, the chosen solution was for Yi-gang to assist him.

「Thank you.」

Bodhidharma climbed onto Yi-gang’s hand.

At the same time, his body became thinner and thinner, looking almost like a black ribbon wrapped around a pale forearm.

At a glance, it resembled a unique accessory.

Yi-gang and his group stepped out of the carriage.

As expected, the martial artists of the Tang Clan, dressed in light green armor, were waiting for the guests from Shaolin.

These were the ones who had become the rulers of Chengdu through poison and hidden weapons.

Their green armor and dark red bamboo hats gave off an imposing aura.

“Oh my.”

And the one who greeted the group as their leader—

“It’s been a while.”

The unusually slow speech and the familiar jingling ornaments with each step were unmistakable.

Poison Beauty Tang Eun-seol greeted Yi-gang and his group.

“Immortal Sword Immortal Young Master.”

Tilting her head slightly, Tang Eun-seol spoke again.

“Or was it the Blue-Eyed Divine Dragon?”

“Let’s go inside first.”

“Yes, please come in.”

They entered the Tang Clan residence in Sichuan.

The Tang Clan, too, was preparing for war.

Moreover, Tang Eun-seol, who was training to become a poison master, had returned to her family earlier than anyone else.

It seemed that the Tang Clan valued her highly.

The fact that she was the one greeting the group, which included the Divine Monk, despite having recently completed the Golden Basin Ritual, made that clear.

For some reason, Yi-gang seemed to have become the leader of their group.

With Bodhidharma coiled around one arm, Yi-gang conversed with Tang Eun-seol.

She listened to Yi-gang’s words calmly.

“You’re looking for a dragon?” she repeated slowly.

Yi-gang felt secretly relieved by her reaction.

“Yes, well… are there any rumors about a dragon’s presence or sightings? To the west of Chengdu, perhaps.”

“Hmm.”

Tang Eun-seol neither seemed surprised nor mocked him.

That composure was undoubtedly her greatest strength.

Yi-gang expected Tang Eun-seol to summon someone and instruct them to investigate.

However, her response was unexpected.

“That’s interesting. I actually heard a strange story recently.”

“A strange story?”

“Yes, it came from the herbalists.”

A significant portion of the Tang Clan’s information network consisted of herbalists.

They interacted with merchants and personally roamed the mountains to gather information.

“If you head straight west from Chengdu, you’ll reach a mountain range. After all, Chengdu is a basin. From the Qingzang Plateau to the Hengduan Mountains. In fact, beyond the mountains to the west, it’s no longer considered the Central Plains.”

Yi-gang listened patiently.

Although Tang Eun-seol spoke slowly, she wasn’t the type to say unnecessary things.

“The imperial court has set up a military camp to the west of Chengdu. It’s to subjugate the outer regions and expand the border.”

“It’s not that large in scale, is it?”

“That’s right. The truth is, it’s not. There are no remnants of the Northern Plains or the Wokou. There’s just a thousand soldiers stationed there.”

An army fights people, not mountains.

A military camp in Chengdu like this wouldn’t have many soldiers, and the commander likely wouldn’t be of great significance either.

“The herbalists said they heard that some soldiers claimed to have seen a dragon deep in the mountains.”

「That’s it!」

Bodhidharma’s shout was so loud that Yi-gang frowned for a moment.

Thinking she was the cause of his reaction, Tang Eun-seol tilted her head in confusion.

Yi-gang shook his head.

“That’s a fascinating rumor.”

“Yes, but it seems an order for silence was given. At some point, they stopped talking about it.”

“I’d like to pull some strings with the military officials and ask about it.”

Since the Tang Clan ruled over Sichuan, they likely had connections with the military camp stationed there.

“It must be something important then. Hmm…”

However, Tang Eun-seol brought her hand to her chin, pondering.

“But… there’s a problem.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep