Chapter 314: The Best Ally |
Chapter 314
The Best Ally
Mu-jin and his party, with a child in tow, navigated through the bushes towards a hidden shelter where they had gathered the severely injured. They still had tasks to handle in the Southern Barbarians' territory.
Engaging in another battle with the demon cultists while carrying a child was not an option. Their plan was to leave the child in the shelter before moving out.
"!!!"
The expression on the face of the Red Tiger Leader changed dramatically when he spotted the crimson smoke rising in the distance. Mu-jin, sensing something amiss, asked:
"Is there a problem?"
"It's a signal from the Young Lord. It seems the Young Lord has fully recovered from his internal injuries."
"So that orange smoke means Ou-yang Pae has recovered?"
Mu-jin quickly understood the Red Tiger Leader's words. Gathering in one place after signaling, while demon cultists roamed nearby, could only mean one thing—they were preparing to engage in battle again.
"After guiding you to the shelter, I will go find the Young Lord with my subordinates," said the Red Tiger Leader. Mu-jin and the others nodded in agreement.
Perhaps to join Ou-yang Pae quickly, the Red Tiger Leader moved faster than before, guiding Mu-jin's party to the shelter. Upon arrival, he addressed the Red Tiger members tending to the severely injured from Shaolin and Wudang:
"The Young Lord has signaled. Prepare to leave immediately."
His words had an instant effect. The expressions of the Red Tiger members turned resolute as they began to move quickly. The Red Tiger Leader, too, discarded the robe he had been wearing and donned his original attire.
In the midst of preparations, he noticed something strange.
"But why is the Shaolin Dragon changing clothes?" he asked. Mu-jin, who was also changing from his Shaolin robe into Red Tiger attire, had taken the clothes from a severely injured Red Tiger member who could not move. The reason for his action was simple:
"I have something to discuss with Ou-yang Pae."
Though initially skeptical, the Red Tiger Leader realized it wasn't much different from him wearing a Shaolin robe.
"My goodness... A Shaolin disciple wearing the attire of a demon cultist... Amitabha."
The feelings of the elderly monks observing this scene were, of course, entirely different.
* * *
After burning the pre-prepared item, Ou-yang Pae confirmed the crimson smoke rising and moved immediately. The designated assembly point was not the location of the smoke itself.
Accompanied by Geum Yang-hwi and the Red Tiger members, they used their Qinggong technique to reach the predetermined assembly location.
"We greet the Young Lord."
Those who arrived before Ou-yang Pae and his group quickly paid their respects as they arrived. More people who had seen the signal continued to gather, but Ou-yang Pae's expression remained grim.
‘The numbers have clearly decreased.’
Not everyone had arrived yet, but there were noticeably fewer people than before they scattered.
‘If only I hadn't been injured...’
Had he not been injured by that mysterious man, such losses could have been avoided. Instead of blaming the mysterious man, Ou-yang Pae lamented his own lack of skill.
‘I must become stronger.’
As Ou-yang Pae resolved himself, the Red Tiger Leader appeared at the assembly point with his subordinates.
"We greet the Young Lord."
After paying his respects to Ou-yang Pae, the Red Tiger Leader glanced at the person beside him with a peculiar expression.
"Since when did you switch sides?"
There stood Mu-jin, clad in Red Tiger attire. It suited him better than the Shaolin robe, prompting Ou-yang Pae to chuckle.
"Just in case," Mu-jin replied, clicking his tongue lightly. He then began to explain briefly what had happened while Ou-yang Pae was incapacitated.
He reported the number of demon cultists they had dealt with, the current situation, and the identity of the mysterious man interrogated by the Red Flame King.
"We owe a great debt to Shaolin, Wudang, and yourself."
On the first day of the battle, they had defeated about eighty demon cultists. Yet, fifty Shaolin and Wudang warriors had managed to take down one hundred fifty demon cultists.
Although the cultists had dispersed to search for them, it was still an impressive achievement. Originally, there had been around five hundred enemies; now, nearly half had been eliminated.
‘And on top of that, they had dealt with the Red Flame King and identified that mysterious man as the So-cheon-ju of Shinchun.’
Even though some high-level warriors, including Ilgongja and Igongja and their followers, remained, the war had decisively turned in their favor. Thanks to Shaolin Dragon's leadership, various strategies naturally formed in Ou-yang Pae's mind.
"At this point, it would be hard not to be overwhelmed."
As Ou-yang Pae pondered how to handle the remaining demon cultists, Mu-jin spoke up.
"Winning is a given, but we must minimize losses. We need to think ahead."
Ou-yang Pae nodded in agreement. What mattered wasn't just winning the current battle but eventually ascending to the position of the Heavenly Demon.
"In that sense, how about using Ilgongja this time?"
"Ilgongja?"
"Yes. If we use that brute wisely, things could go much more smoothly."
After Mu-jin outlined his plan, Ou-yang Pae nodded in approval.
"It seems like a solid plan. It should work well on someone like Ilgongja."
Ou-yang Pae, who had decided to follow Mu-jin's strategy, worked with Mu-jin to refine the plan in detail.
Immediately after they finalized the plan.
Ou-yang Pae, who had been listening to the entire conversation with Red Tiger Leader nearby, asked a question.
It was a question he had been curious about since discovering Red Tiger Leader but had not asked due to his discussion with Mu-jin.
"By the way, how did your head end up like that, Leader?"
In response to Ou-yang Pae's question, Red Tiger Leader's head reflected light, glinting.
* * *
At the time Mu-jin and his companions were leading the child out of the village.
The demon cultists were investigating the area where Mu-jin's group had clashed with the Red Flame King’s forces.
Although Mu-jin's group had erased their traces while moving, they had only erased the ‘traces of their movement.’
There was not enough time to erase the traces of the battle, where more than thirty demon cultists had been killed.
Analyzing the vividly remaining battlefield, the Second Young Master frowned.
‘Something’s strange.’
Although more than thirty demon cultists were wiped out in an instant, analyzing the site revealed it was not due to ‘battle.’
The cultists, who had been fighting all mixed together, at some point started to gather in one place.
‘As if they were trying to protect someone.’
To the Second Young Master, the battle scene was very familiar.
It was similar to the traces left when his bodyguards had thrown themselves to protect him during an ambush in the main headquarters.
So, who could the thirty-plus cultists have been risking their lives to protect?
‘It's logical to think they were trying to protect the Red Flame King, but there are traces of ice techniques.’
The martial arts traces of the one the cultists tried to protect had nothing to do with the Red Flame King.
Naturally, the Second Young Master recalled a battle from a few hours ago.
The battle where he lost most of his subordinates to the disciples of Shaolin and Wudang.
He had clearly seen it during that battle.
A mysterious man who used a combination of fire and ice techniques, single-handedly tying up the Shaolin Dragon and two Shaolin monks.
And that man, absurdly enough, was dressed in the same outfit as the cultists.
If there were such a skilled cultist who had learned such unique martial arts, he would definitely know about him, given he was competing for the position of Heavenly Demon.
‘Something is happening within the demon cult that I don't know about.’
Naturally, his reasoning began to outline a grand scheme.
The ones capable of such a feat were limited.
Especially in this trip to Nanzhao.
‘The Left and Right Protectors.’
The organization of this Nanzhao trip had initially been decided by the Hwan family, the Do family, and the Left and Right Protectors.
The subordinates and elders on the Second Young Master's side came from the Hwan family, while those on the First Young Master's side came from the Do family.
And the rest of the martial artists, including the Red Flame King, were selected by the Left and Right Protectors.
‘The Left and Right Protectors are secretly up to something in Nanzhao. But the orthodox sects caught on to them?’
Though he didn't know what they were up to, one thing was certain.
‘This is not something I can handle alone.’
To be precise, it was too big a problem to handle with just the power of the Hwan family.
More than a decade had passed since the Heavenly Demon had been secluded.
Currently, the influence of the Left and Right Protectors in the demon cult was so great that even the Four Great Demonic Families had to join forces to challenge them.
And unfortunately, the Four Great Demonic Families were nearly impossible to unite due to the issue of selecting the Heavenly Demon candidate.
‘It might be better to use this incident as an excuse to push out those two and compete with the First Young Master.’
Having thought that far, the Second Young Master approached his half-brother, the First Young Master.
While the Second Young Master was diligently analyzing the scene with his subordinates, the First Young Master was leisurely resting in the shade.
The First Young Master, who had no interest in using his brain, turned his head towards the newly cast shadow and asked.
"Did you find traces of the orthodox sects?"
Despite his half-brother acting as if he were in charge, the Second Young Master cursed inwardly but smiled outwardly.
"Though we did not find their traces, there are suspicious signs…."
"You're trying to use your brain for useless things again. What matters now is catching those damned orthodox sect members!"
Despite his half-brother interrupting and giving orders, the Second Young Master tried to calm his mind.
He recalled the saying that a gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years, thinking it would be sufficient to consider killing his half-brother after dealing with the Left and Right Protectors.
"Hehehe. Or are you trying to change the subject because you're scared to meet those orthodox members again?"
With the continued provocation, the Second Young Master's facade finally cracked.
"What did you just say?"
As the Second Young Master flared up, the First Young Master burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! For all your boasting, didn't you run away with your tail between your legs, abandoning your subordinates? Incompetent fool. You are indeed unfit for the position of Heavenly Demon."
With the repeated provocations, the Second Young Master's fists trembled with rage.
‘Do I really have to join hands with this idiot?’
Thinking that nothing would succeed if he allied with such a fool, the Second Young Master spoke.
"If you're so great, why don't you take care of them yourself?"
"Hehehe. I was planning to do that. Since your skills are of no help, just find their traces. I'll personally avenge my 'poor little brother.'"
After briefly glaring at each other, with the First Young Master smirking and the Second Young Master wearing a cold expression.
“!!!”
Suddenly, crimson smoke began to billow from a distance.
"Form ranks immediately and move to that location!"
As the First Young Master urgently rose and shouted, the Second Young Master frowned.
"It could be a trap."
"And that's why you're unfit to be the Heavenly Demon. If it's a trap, you should be able to overcome it with your power to truly be called the Heavenly Demon. Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, the First Young Master started moving with his subordinates toward the source of the crimson smoke. Grinding his teeth, the Second Young Master asked one last question.
"Are you really going separately?"
"Hehehe. You coward, just watch from a distance."
With that, the First Young Master sneered at the Second Young Master and moved towards the source of the crimson smoke.
Comments 1