Chapter 114 : Divine Thief (2)
Chapter 114: Divine Thief (2)
Namgung Jun reflected upon the many skills Heo Il had displayed until now.
‘The techniques Senior Heo learned never seemed like something one could master alone. Many of them required years of accumulated experience and time.’
Only after hearing that Heo Il had once been the Divine Thief's disciple did Namgung Jun finally understand the subtle traces of time woven into the skills Heo Il had mastered.
“My heart is pounding terribly. If you happen to hear it, please pretend you don't.”
Heo Il moved his trembling hand and picked up his gourd of liquor.
The expression of the man who always wore a relaxed smile had completely withered away.
Only after watching Heo Il's throat move several times as he drank did Namgung Jun quietly ask,
“How did you end up becoming connected to the Divine Thief?”
Perhaps recalling those days, Heo Il's gaze toward the Wudang Sect's buildings gradually grew distant.
“When I woke up, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar place.”
“Where was it?”
“The Flying Sparrow Gate. It was the sect where the Divine Thief served as Sect Master. Later, I learned that I'd been kidnapped by him and imprisoned in its dungeon.”
He had merely awakened after an ordinary night's sleep.
The shabby little house, his parents, his younger siblings, the wooden toy his father had made for him.
Everything familiar that had always been by Heo Il's side had vanished.
Everything around him was unfamiliar.
A gloomy ceiling, iron bars, and children his own age crouching down and crying.
That day, Heo Il's tiny world collapsed.
“The Divine Thief evaluated all the children he had kidnapped in his own way. In the end, ten of us, including Senior Brother Hong Jun and myself, became the Divine Thief's disciples.”
Heo Il rolled up the loose sleeve that had covered the back of his hand.
Only then were the countless scars hidden beneath his clothing revealed.
The scars, all different in shape and depth, stretched from the tips of his fingers all the way to his shoulder.
There were so many different kinds that it was impossible to imagine the suffering Heo Il had endured.
“That was when everything truly began. We learned the Flying Sparrow Gate's martial arts, along with every miscellaneous skill necessary for thievery.”
Heo Il looked down at the countless scars covering his right hand.
Whenever his training failed to meet expectations or he made a mistake, the Divine Thief punished him, adding another scar.
Though he called it punishment, it was no different from torture.
The Divine Thief especially enjoyed torturing the hands his disciples used most often.
Even when they became unable to properly use their arms or display their true abilities, he couldn't have cared less.
That was why the Divine Thief had chosen as many as ten disciples.
There were plenty of replacements.
Even if all ten collapsed and died, he could simply kidnap more children.
It was common for other disciples to lose the use of their hands entirely, or even lose an entire arm.
The reason Heo Il managed to survive in the Flying Sparrow Gate was simple.
He had merely possessed a little more talent and a little more luck than the others.
“Back then, I couldn't even tell day from night anymore. Only when one of my senior or junior brothers failed one of the Divine Thief's assignments and died did I feel the passage of time.”
Namgung Jun silently kept his mouth shut as the Azure Star Sword rested across his knees.
It was difficult to suppress his anger.
More than that, the sight of Heo Il speaking only because he relied upon alcohol looked unbearably painful.
“In the end, only Senior Brother Hong Jun and I remained. Only then did the Divine Thief stop punishing us and begin focusing on teaching us his own techniques. Two years later, I was finally freed from him.”
“What happened?”
“The Azure Sky Society attacked the Flying Sparrow Gate. It was a joint mission by the Shadow Life Hall and the Heavenly Sword Hall.”
The Flying Sparrow Gate was annihilated, but the Divine Thief escaped alone and disappeared.
During that incident, Heo Il and Hong Jun joined the Azure Sky Society.
“The Divine Thief stole my life... the lives of my fellow disciples... and the lives of those children who died without ever being chosen as disciples. Since I survived his hands, it is only right that I be the one to take revenge.”
Heo Il stopped just as he was about to raise the liquor gourd to his lips.
It was because Namgung Jun's gaze upon him burned so intensely.
With a bitter smile, Heo Il handed the gourd to Namgung Jun.
Without refusing, Namgung Jun accepted it.
“I always thought I'd tell this story someday. I just didn't expect today to be that day. It's nothing more than another sordid tale that can be heard anywhere in the Jianghu.”
“So that was why you've been trying to cast aside the skills you learned from the Divine Thief.”
“I have no intention of denying the miscellaneous skills I've learned until now. If they're needed while carrying out acts of righteousness, I'll use them without hesitation. But someday, if I stand before the Divine Thief again, I want to defeat him using only my own sword.”
Heo Il ran his fingertips along the scabbard at his waist.
“Senior Brother Hong Jun called me stubborn and foolish. He said we're weak while the Divine Thief is a master. To some extent, I admit he's right. But I simply cannot accept taking revenge using the martial arts of the man who stole my life.”
Watching Heo Il lower his head slightly, Namgung Jun carefully raised his hand.
Gently placing it on Heo Il's shoulder, he continued.
“They would never think you're merely being stubborn or foolish, Senior Heo.”
“Who are these 'they' you're talking about, Young Hero Namgung?”
“The disciples whose lives were stolen by the Divine Thief. The innocent children who died in vain.”
Namgung Jun's voice carried unwavering conviction.
“You willingly chose to bear their lives upon your shoulders. Even though the burden is unbearably heavy.”
Namgung Jun met Heo Il's eyes.
His blue eyes blazed fiercely.
“If anyone dares to mock the chivalry you carry, Senior Heo, then I will be the first to draw my sword. I'll ask them how they dare belittle the path of a true hero.”
“Haha. I merely seek personal revenge. How could that possibly be called chivalry?”
“You willingly chose to bear the lives of others, and though your path may seem foolish, you continue to pursue what is right. How could that not be the path of a true hero?”
Heo Il stared into Namgung Jun's eyes for a long while before finally throwing back his head and laughing.
Countless complicated emotions mixed within that laughter.
Namgung Jun could not possibly guess them all.
But one thing was certain.
Heo Il's expression looked far more refreshed.
“Hearing Young Hero Namgung say that gives me strength.”
Heo Il smiled.
It was the same relaxed smile that suited him best.
Seeing that familiar smile return, Namgung Jun smiled as well.
“The Divine Thief will definitely appear this time, won't he?”
“He will. Since he sent a notice, he will certainly come. Though whether I'll actually see his face is another matter.”
Thinking of the Divine Thief, Namgung Jun let his smile fade and spoke seriously.
“I've heard that the most likely targets the Divine Thief intends to steal from Wudang are the secret manuals of Laddering the Clouds and Chasing Clouds, Tracing Stars. In that case, security around the Hall of True Martial Arts, where the secret manuals are stored, will surely be strengthened.”
“The Wudang Sect's reasoning isn't without merit. The Divine Thief always claimed that his own movement technique was absolutely no inferior to Wudang's or Kunlun's. He even wanted to steal their manuals himself just to determine which was superior.”
After pondering for a moment, Heo Il continued.
“However... I'm not convinced that Laddering the Clouds and Chasing Clouds, Tracing Stars are truly Wudang's most precious manuals.”
“What do you mean?”
“Besides those two techniques, Wudang possesses many other supreme arts. Such as the Taiji Wisdom Sword, the Two Principles Divine Art, and the Ten Brocade Sections...”
As though recalling the Divine Thief, Heo Il frowned before continuing.
“Whenever the Divine Thief infiltrated somewhere, he always preferred stealing what was most valuable. Because of that, those preparing for him usually predicted what he'd target and strengthened its defenses. Yet there were also many times when he'd steal something completely unexpected instead.”
Only afterward would the true value of whatever the Divine Thief had stolen become known.
“Then, Senior Heo, what do you believe is the Divine Thief's most likely target?”
After quietly listening to Heo Il, who had once been the Divine Thief's disciple, Namgung Jun finally asked.
“I'm hesitant to say. I don't want to create unnecessary confusion or spread our forces too thin. This is merely based on memories from when I traveled alongside the Divine Thief. I have no real evidence.”
“I'd still like to hear your thoughts.”
At Namgung Jun's words, Heo Il carefully opened his mouth.
Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen were stationed throughout the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.
Since Wudang had entrusted them with guarding the main mountain, the place the Heavenly Sword Hall had to protect most was naturally the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.
In some ways, the Sword-Releasing Pavilion was even more important than Wudang's mountain gate.
Some Wudang disciples were still guarding it, but compared to the Wudang Seven Swords, they were greatly lacking.
As the cool breeze rustled the pine needles, Man Ye-won looked upward.
“Shouldn't we be guarding the Hall of True Martial Arts as well? The Divine Thief isn't going to enter openly through the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.”
Standing motionless like a stone statue at the end of the pavilion's steps, Gong Jun-am answered,
“The Hall of True Martial Arts can be left to the Wudang disciples. We only need to fulfill the duty entrusted to us.”
“Thank you for saying that. Having the Heavenly Sword Hall Daoist friends here truly gives us confidence.”
Standing beside Gong Jun-am, Hyeonsa smiled faintly.
Very few Wudang disciples currently remained at the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.
Aside from himself, all of them were second-generation disciples.
Having the Heavenly Sword Hall join them was truly reassuring.
Conversations quietly continued around them, but Yu Geun-su deliberately remained silent.
Like a proper newcomer, he simply sharpened his focus and concentrated on watching the surroundings.
“Hm?”
While staring into a patch of grass that appeared pitch-black beneath the night, Yu Geun-su suddenly sensed something strange.
The faint chirping of insects that had filled the air suddenly ceased.
“Senior Man.”
Yu Geun-su immediately turned to report to Man Ye-won beside him.
But by then, Man Ye-won was already holding her drawn sword at her side.
The other Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen were the same.
Before he realized it, every one of them had already unsheathed their swords.
Everyone in the Heavenly Sword Hall had sensed the disturbance before Yu Geun-su.
“An unexpected guest in the night.”
“Great Wall Sword. Our sect will secure the center with the Heavenly Dipper Ephemeral Cloud Formation. Please have the Heavenly Sword Hall support both flanks.”
The moment Hyeonsa finished speaking, the scattered Wudang disciples immediately gathered together.
“Attack!”
“Don't let them form their formation!”
Along with the shouts echoing from the darkness, demonic martial artists burst out from every direction.
“How dare you!”
“These bastards! A detached force aiming for Wudang's main mountain!”
The Heavenly Sword Hall swordsmen stationed throughout the Sword-Releasing Pavilion moved at once, intercepting the demonic martial artists.
In an instant, battles erupted all across the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.
“Hm.”
With both Lee Se-ha and Namgung Jun absent, the responsibility of commanding the Heavenly Sword Hall now fell to Gong Jun-am.
Rather than joining the battle immediately, Gong Jun-am calmly observed the battlefield.
‘Now that everything has become this chaotic, it'll be much easier for the Divine Thief to make his move.’
Yet Gong Jun-am was not the least bit impatient.
The absent master and disciple would deal with the Divine Thief somehow.
His own role was not to search for the Divine Thief, who could appear anywhere.
Instead, it was to stand firm and completely seal off the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.
“Heavenly Sword Hall.”
Gong Jun-am slowly drew the greatsword from his back.
“Not a single demonic martial artist shall pass through the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.”
Gripping his greatsword, Gong Jun-am became the gatekeeper of the Sword-Releasing Pavilion.