Chapter 229
Chapter 229. The Mobilization of the Hubei Branch
The atmosphere at the Hubei Branch was grim. With two sects that fought like cats and dogs living together, there had never really been good days to begin with, but ever since the Martial Arts Tournament, the mood had frozen even further.
In particular, once it became known that the Five Minerals Powder recovered from the Hubei Branch could brainwash memories, the branch members began to hold their breath even more.
Both the Eastern Hall and the Western Hall were spending their days cautiously when, all of a sudden, someone arrived from the headquarters. As a result, the Western and Eastern Halls convened a meeting for the first time in a while.
When the martial artists of the Zhuge Clan and the Wudang Sect, who were in charge of the Eastern and Western Halls, respectively, gathered in one place, the Western Hall's branch leader spoke.
"As you all know from hearing it already, someone from the headquarters has come. They brought news that individuals presumed to be from the Demonic Sect have appeared in Sichuan."
Since both the Eastern and Western Halls had already held their own meetings over this news, no one was surprised.
The Wudang branch leader continued,
"The Emei Sect reportedly faced a group of around four hundred, suffered a major defeat, and has now closed its gates to guard its main sect. The one saving grace is that the bastards did not annihilate the Emei Sect, and most of them descended the mountain."
The branch leader let out a low hum.
"However, another piece of bad news is that their objective appears to be the Tang Clan. As such, the headquarters has asked those who answered the mobilization order to head to Sichuan. If circumstances make that difficult, they requested that people return to the headquarters and discuss sending a follow-up force together. As for us, Wudang has decided to send support to Sichuan, and the Sect Leader has instructed us to mobilize personnel from the branch to accompany us."
After looking around those attending the meeting, the branch leader came to the point.
"Therefore, Wudang plans to send ten martial artists, including the Tai Chi Sword Saint. Will the Zhuge Clan also be accompanying us?"
When the branch leader finished speaking, Zhuge Hyang replied,
"Although the situation in Sichuan is most regrettable, it will be difficult for us to send branch personnel there."
Zhuge Hyang sighed, habitually covering the scar on his face.
"Not long ago, dozens of corpses were discovered near the Yangtze River, and this could be a ploy to draw the headquarters' attention toward Sichuan. Rather than dispatching forces, the Hubei Branch should heighten its vigilance. In truth, we are in a position where we should be receiving reinforcements, not sending them out."
"...... It's only ten people being mobilized. Is there really a need to be so stingy?"
When the Tai Chi Sword Saint voiced his displeasure, Zhuge Hyang narrowed his eyes.
"With the Tai Chi Sword Saint alone accounting for the worth of several hundred men, can this truly be called 'only ten'? In practical terms, it is no different from sending several hundred of the branch's manpower outside."
At those words, the Wudang martial artists of the Western Hall found themselves at a loss for words.
Worried that the discussion might escalate, the Western Hall branch leader cautiously added,
"Although the Tai Chi Sword Saint will be accompanying us, most of the Western Hall's strength will remain at the branch. Moreover, five of the ten are disciples from Wudang's main mountain who came down on errands, so the Western Hall's manpower will not be significantly depleted."
At that reply, the Eastern Hall branch leader frowned and interjected,
"Hmm, if they are main mountain disciples, wouldn't they be far too young to accompany something like this?"
The Tai Chi Sword Saint answered at once.
"When a conflict like this breaks out, it's not as though every martial artist draws a blade and fights, is it?"
"Well, that's true, but......."
"There must also be people to evacuate Tang Clan members and to send dispatches to inform others of the situation. We can't pull important martial artists away just to have them send messages, so we need personnel to support things from the rear as well."
The Tai Chi Sword Saint was concerned that Zhuge Hyang might interfere with Wudang's mobilization.
He very much wanted to bring along Wudang's disciples.
When they had previously gone to the Blood Sect's stronghold to rescue Young Lady Tang, he had seen how the young martial artists had grown.
Needless to mention the Young Lord Hak, but even the five children sent from the Zhuge Clan, supposedly to size each other up, had shown growth.
It was astonishing that those once-arrogant children had learned to read the room. The Zhuge Clan's martial artists completely corrected their dismissive attitude toward the Tang Clan's Young Lord, and whenever they spotted Tang Hak on the streets of Wuhan, they would panic and flee.
The Sword Saint envied that. The younger the martial artist, the more they needed to learn that there were things more important than pride.
In particular, Yeon-ah had won the Martial Arts Tournament, so she needed to guard against arrogance going forward.
If she caused trouble within the sect, he could teach her a lesson physically or mentally, but if she displayed the wrong attitude outside, her head could roll.
Within ten years, Yeon-ah would also be descending from the main mountain frequently, so he wanted to give her experience while he could.
The Tai Chi Sword Saint had no doubt that Yeon-ah would become one of the foremost masters under heaven. She was a talent whose potential had been recognized by more than one person, and as more people began to praise her, there was a strong possibility that Yeon-ah's disposition would change.
They were said to be enemies so strong that they forced the Emei Sect to close its gates, but the martial artists accompanying the expedition to Sichuan were the heads and elders of various clans and sects. With himself there as well, it would not be particularly dangerous for Yeon-ah.
Watching truly great masters fight from the rear would naturally allow her to gauge her own level and learn humility.
Yeon-ah herself had been so eager to go to Sichuan that she raised no objections to the Sword Saint's decision.
On the contrary, having been born and raised on Emei Mountain, she pleaded to be taken along, saying she knew the roads well and could be of help. At the mention that the Tang Clan might be in danger, she seemed to have gone wide-eyed with concern for righteousness.
The Sword Saint understood Yeon-ah's attitude in his heart, but he was also deeply worried.
The fact that she would rush headlong into such a place without regard for danger was troubling. She needed to understand that if she were swept into a major battle, she could die, and the paradox that if she survived by luck, it would mean she had taken someone else's life. It was time for her to understand that killing was never something light.
As the Sword Saint sank into thought, killing intent scattered around him. Sensing this, the Eastern Hall branch leader cleared his throat.
"In truth, since this is the Western Hall's decision, it's not for us to nitpick. We Understood."
"Will the Eastern Hall not be accompanying us?"
At the Western Hall branch leader's question, Zhuge Hyang answered instead.
"We have received no instructions whatsoever from the headquarters, so it is difficult for us to broach the matter. And the opinion expressed thus far by the Eastern Hall is that rather than sending support to Sichuan, we should further reinforce the Hubei Branch's strength."
"I understand. Please do so. The Western Hall will send the Sword Saint and nine martial artists to the headquarters within the day."
"Yes. Should a request for support come from the headquarters to us as well, we will let you know."
"Understood."
The Western Hall branch leader quickly brought the conversation to a close.
The meeting had been convened in name only, in case there were objections to Wudang's decision later, so a response of noninvolvement was sufficient. With tired eyes, the Wudang branch leader watched the Eastern Hall branch members leave. Despite Five Minerals Powder having been found in the Eastern Hall's medical hall, they appeared more composed than the Western Hall.
Something felt off, but instead of voicing it, he turned his steps toward the Western Hall.
* * *
While waiting for the Four Directions Hall Lord, sects other than Wudang also began preparing to depart. If that bizarre formation truly existed, they could reach Sichuan within two days; but if such a path did not exist, they would have to run for at least seven days and nights, which meant there were many other things to prepare for in a different sense. Running while carrying food and other baggage posed a high risk of exhausting one's stamina. Thus, they identified places along the route where they could procure food and rest.
In a way, these were trivial matters that the clan heads did not need to know. Accordingly, elder-level figures within each clan received the information at the Four Seasons Hall. In Namgung's case, elder Namgung Mun-seon and the Young Lord Namgung Jin spent time there.
As Namgung Mun-seon exited the Four Seasons Hall, he let out a hollow laugh.
"To think the Four Seasons Hall could be this cooperative, one really does learn all kinds of things."
Within the Murim Alliance, there was no branch that had good relations with the Four Seasons Hall.
Seeing the Four Seasons Hall readily disclose information they usually kept to themselves left Namgung Mun-seon feeling drained. At the same time, it sent chills down his spine. The Four Seasons Hall even knew the locations of small taverns and private homes hidden in the mountain ranges.
Namgung Jin, on the other hand, was not particularly surprised.
Rather, the Young Lord bantered lightly, indulging Namgung Mun-seon's complaints.
"If only the Four Seasons Hall had shared a list of inns with good food, they might've earned some goodwill from the branch members. What a shame."
"What kind of joke is that?"
Namgung Mun-seon frowned, as if telling him not to make light of the situation.
Namgung Jin merely offered a faint smile and did not answer.
The atmosphere within Namgung was not good. It was because they would be passing through Emei Mountain. A few years ago, it was the very mountain where the resurgence of the Blood Sect had been revealed.
Knowing what Namgung had gone through because of that incident, the clan members' attitude toward this matter was anything but ordinary.
There was the fighting spirit of wanting to eliminate an evil sect force that had attacked an allied sect, but there was also a strong desire to prove their innocence.
Though long forgotten now, there had once been suspicions that the Namgung Clan had turned a blind eye to the Blood Sect's activities.
As a result, everyone was serious, and their stamina seemed to deplete that much faster.
Namgung Jin cracked jokes out of concern for the clan members' state, but instead, he ended up irritating Namgung Mun-seon's already sensitive mood.
Just then, as Namgung Jin entered the Namgung pavilion, he halted his steps. He had run into Namgung Hyun, who was just coming out.
Namgung Hyun silently clasped his hands first in greeting to the Young Lord and the elder. However, as if he were pressed for time, he tried to pass them by at once.
"Where are you going?"
Namgung Jin asked. Forced to stop, Namgung Hyun turned back.
"I was going to get some fresh air for a moment."
"At a time like this?"
Namgung Mun-seon sharply furrowed his brow.
He seemed to think Namgung Hyun was shirking his duties.
Already irritated by Namgung Jin's flippant attitude toward the situation, he lashed out at Namgung Hyun with needless sharpness.
"This is an urgent and dangerous situation. Shouldn't you be honing your internal energy and conserving your strength even for a single extra day? Do you think this is the time to go enjoy the breeze? Even the Clan Head is tirelessly organizing his internal energy. Yet you, a young master, can't even set an example and instead behave so frivolously!"
Namgung Hyun looked as though he had something to say, but he swallowed his words. His pale face flushed slightly.
"Go back in at once and cultivate both body and mind."
At Namgung Mun-seon's words, Namgung Hyun returned inside the pavilion.
When Namgung Mun-seon went up to the floor where his own room was, the Young Lord turned his head. Namgung Hyun, who had been following behind, flinched.
"I have something to say. May I go to your room?"
"...... Yes, please do."
Instead of following Namgung Mun-seon upstairs to his own room, the Young Lord entered Namgung Hyun's room. When Namgung Hyun closed the door, the Young Lord sat down and spoke.
"Your room doesn't let sound escape. Can you make it so that no sound escapes now as well?"
"......."
Namgung Hyun's gaze, which had been lowering to sit, lifted upward. There was something strange in his eyes. However, the Young Lord paid it no mind and added,
"If sound leaks, it won't be good for you, so I'm saying this in advance."
Namgung Hyun reached out toward the window. He turned the torso of the wooden doll placed on the windowsill. Strangely enough, all sound within the room vanished.
"What kind of conversation do you wish to have?"
"Where were you trying to go just now?"
"Didn't I tell you? I wanted to get some fresh air."
"You've heard that Young Lady Tang was imprisoned in the dungeon as well, haven't you?"
"......."
Namgung Jin stared at his younger brother with an expressionless face. It was the face of someone who already knew everything. Yet the atmosphere was different from usual.
"There's no need to hide why you wanted to meet me, but people are saying quite a lot. That she disobeyed the Clan Head's command to the point of being thrown into the dungeon. The elders of other sects don't say it outright, but they seem to think she's trying to hide her collusion with you."
"It is not like that."
"I know."
When Namgung Hyun refuted him quickly, Namgung Jin readily agreed.
"I also know that you can draw formations, so I can roughly guess why Young Lady Tang came looking for you."
Namgung Hyun pressed his lips together and did not answer. He disliked the attitude of someone who seemed to know everything about him and Tang So-hwa.
But as always, Namgung Jin paid no heed to Namgung Hyun's feelings. Without hesitation, he continued.
"Did she ask you to make a passage for her?"