Chapter 153 - Black Flame Dragon in the Midst of Chaos (3)

Hong Saryeon let out a long sigh as she slipped out of the banquet hall.

Her jaw ached from how much she had laughed inside.

Saryeon tried to recall how long it had been since she laughed like this, but quickly realized it was a truly meaningless endeavor.

Ever since she had shouldered the massive burden of the Taiyi Sect, Saryeon always felt like she was walking on the edge of a sharp blade.

'From the beginning, it wasn't something someone of my lacking caliber could shoulder.'

Even so, the reason she had no choice but to bear it was because she knew all too well that the moment she let go of that burden, everyone would plunge into suffering.

"Pfft..."

Suddenly, she thought of her Eldest Senior Brother, who had shown up late to the banquet and mercilessly beaten up Geumpyo.

When she tried to stop him, asking 'Why are you doing this?', he spouted incomprehensible nonsense about how 'this is all to establish the traditions of the Taiyi Sect.'

Goodness. Since when did the Taiyi Sect have traditions?

As she stood there giggling to herself, she suddenly felt sorry toward her Eldest Senior Brother.

The reason her shoulders were light,

The reason her laughter was so carefree,

Was because she knew that her Eldest Senior Brother had shouldered her burden.

"... I'm truly pathetic."

To just feel relieved without even thinking of helping the person who had taken on her burden in her stead.

Even to herself, she looked truly pathetic.

"What are you doing out here all alone?"

Turning her head at the familiar voice, she saw a man approaching, wearing black martial robes embroidered with silver threads.

Saryeon turned her head back around without answering.

"Is something frustrating you?"

"..."

He was always like this.

Shouldering the heaviest burden himself,

Doing the most agonizing tasks himself,

Yet looking at the people around him and asking.

"If anything is troubling you, tell me."

"..."

Even though he was the one shedding the most blood...

"There's nothing. Nothing like that..."

"You kid."

His rough hand landed on top of her head.

It roughly tousled her painstakingly styled hair, ruining its shape.

She had told him over and over again how much she hated having her hair touched.

However, the calluses on his hand, felt through her hair, stopped her from voicing her complaints.

As if sweeping it with a tree branch,

As if rubbing it with a rough stone,

That rough and hard sensation felt so good, and was so comforting.

She neither swatted his hand away nor dodged her head.

"Junior Sister Ryeon, you always worry about the other kids so much that you end up neglecting yourself."

Look who's talking.

"I'll try my best to take care of you, but your Eldest Senior Brother isn't exactly the most reliable, is he? So if you ever need anything, always tell me first."

"..."

Then who will take care of you, Eldest Senior Brother?

It was a question she desperately wanted to ask, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

Because the answer he would give was all too predictable.

"I am always sorry for being such an unreliable Senior Brother."

And because that answer would tear Saryeon's heart apart.

"Sob... Sob..."

And why did she always shed tears in situations like this?

How many times had she cried in front of her Eldest Senior Brother, shedding tears she hadn't even shown her father since she had grown up?

"Uh, eh? A-Are you crying? Ah, oops! I'm sorry. You said not to touch your hair. I'm sorry. I forgot."

And why was her foolish Senior Brother always so oblivious to the reason she was crying?

No matter how much time passed, she just couldn't understand it.

"There, there. Look. Your hair is back to normal. This should do it, right?"

Yet as he said that, he tousled her hair all over again.

The more he tried to fix it, the messier her hair became, and as that happened, Saryeon's overwhelmed emotions slowly found their calm.

"... Stop it."

"Just wait a second, it's almost..."

"I said stop it!"

"... Ah, I'm sorry."

Her Senior Brother, who fearlessly bared his fangs even in front of absolute experts, seemed to tense up at her shout and took a step back.

"Phew..."

"You're not mad, are you?"

"I'm not mad."

"Your voice sounds mad, though?"

"Why you...!"

When she raised her fist at him, he threw up his hands and arms to protect his face as if terrified.

At that ridiculous sight, Saryeon unwittingly burst into laughter again.

"Pfft, goodness, really."

Just like that, completely forgetting her heavy burdens, she laughed her heart out like a child.

"Don't worry too much. Everything will turn out fine."

"..."

What exactly was going to turn out fine?

Saryeon didn't exactly know what Jin Sowoon was looking toward.

"What is the future you are hoping for, Senior Brother?"

She needed to at least know what future he was envisioning so she could match his pace.

"The future I am hoping for..."

Jin Sowoon looked out over the darkly settled Dongting Lake without answering.

"In my eyes, this dark Dongting Lake looks just like the world."

"..."

"And I hope that one of those brightly shining lights out there will be the Taiyi Sect."

Jin Sowoon spoke with a gaze that seemed to trace back over many long years.

"That is the only thing I hope for."

Jin Sowoon's words were elusive, leaving her unsure if she understood him or not.

However, seeing his eyes sink deep into thought, Saryeon couldn't ask any further.

She simply resolved to do her utmost so that whatever he hoped for could be achieved.

* * *

Due to the Demonic Cult impersonation incident that shook Yueyang, all the sects and businesses affiliated with the Mount Cangshan Sect were holding their breath.

Starting with the Yuwol Sect, all affiliated sects were simultaneously subjected to investigations by the Mount Cangshan Sect, and those who had previously dominated Yueyang like tigers in the mountains were now bowing their heads on their own, afraid of being caught with a flaw.

The Changseong Sect was no exception to this.

The Changseong Sect was currently in a rather awkward situation due to the visit of unwelcome guests.

"Just a few days ago, didn't you clearly say we should join forces to protect Yueyang?!"

"The Naseong Martial Arts Hall and the Hongjuk Gang have already fallen to the Underworld's attacks."

"They surely won't stop here. Not until they have the entirety of Yueyang in their grasp."

They claimed to be the children of nearby Orthodox sects and their friends.

Had they been nothing more than that in status, they wouldn't have even been allowed inside the Changseong Sect in the first place.

'They said they were academy students, so I thought some incredible figures had flocked over...'

The Changseong Sect Leader shot a sharp glare at the Guardian Hall Leader.

While they were indeed academy students attending the Murim Academy, most of them had no ties whatsoever to the Orthodox Council, the White Path Council, or the Twelve Peaks and Castles.

Considering they might ride a wave of success within the Murim Alliance in the future, it was certainly right to lend an ear to their words.

However, considering that their sects were currently standing on the edge of a precipice, their futures weren't all that bright either.

"We are already establishing countermeasures. For now, please return to your sects and wait."

"Our sects are on the verge of falling to the Underworld's blades right this instant. Please help us."

He knew that.

It was likely that more than half of Yueyang would fall into the hands of the Underworld Murim due to this incident.

But with the intense suspicion currently surrounding the Mount Cangshan Sect, there was no justification for them to step up against the Underworld.

The Mount Cangshan Sect was likely thinking about the aftermath from the start.

When the Underworld's atrocities ran rampant and the people's condemnations grew fierce—that was when they would step in to take Yueyang back into their grasp, which was why they were turning a blind eye for now.

"Didn't I tell you? We are establishing countermeasures. Can't you see that you people interfering like this is only making things more difficult?!"

At the Changseong Sect Leader's order of eviction, Jang Ujae and the other academy students, who had been raising their voices in protest, were kicked out of the Changseong Sect.

"Sob, what should we do now...?"

Jang Ujae, the direct heir of the Yujang Sect located in Yueyang, despaired at his sect's future, which flickered like a candle in the wind.

"I'm sorry. For showing you all such a pathetic sight..."

The academy students, who had visited the Yujang Sect during this rest period at Jang Ujae's invitation, could only look at him with sympathetic faces.

It was the same for Jang Ujae, but they too had entered the academy by draining the very foundations of their sects.

From the start, they possessed no means whatsoever to help the Yujang Sect.

"Instead of being like this, how about we try asking for help elsewhere?"

"Didn't you see? Everywhere we've gone has rejected us."

"I heard that a part of the Orthodox Council is currently holding a meeting in Yueyang."

"The Orthodox Council?"

"Yeah. They say it's not just academy students, but also the adults belonging to the Alliance who have come, so wouldn't it be a good idea to ask them for help?"

"Where is that?!"

Jang Ujae sprang up from the ground with the desperation of someone grabbing onto a rotten rope.

* * *

"What are you thinking about?"

At the voice coming from behind, Ilgak snapped back to his senses.

"..."

A large ship shining the brightest in the center of Dongting Lake.

Ilgak, who had been watching the man and woman standing by the railing of that ship, averted his gaze.

"Have you arrived, Monk."

Without replying to Ilgak's greeting, Hyeseong walked to where he had been standing and looked at the large ship.

Then, he nodded as if he understood.

"You have been caught in inner turmoil."

"..."

At Hyeseong's words, Ilgak was so filled with shame that he couldn't answer.

"I hear that child defeated you? Was it truly that much of a shock?"

Seeing Ilgak's face contort, Hyeseong shook his head.

"Your training is lacking."

"... It is not because of my defeat."

"Then what is the reason?"

"Because I am curious about the origin of existence."

"Tsk. Since you mastered the Muscle-Changing Classic and engaged in wall-gazing meditation, I thought you had achieved enlightenment..."

At Hyeseong's tongue-clicking words, the brooding Ilgak asked in a low voice.

"Monk. Did I truly achieve enlightenment?"

"Does the Vajra Power you manifested not support that?"

"Monk. From my studies, I learned that Vajra Power, Taiji Power, and Three Purities Power can only be wielded by those who have endured deep training and patience, zen meditation and contemplation, and agony bordering on the end of life."

"That is correct. It is fundamentally not a power just anyone can use."

Ilgak once again looked toward the man out of the man and woman standing on the ship and asked.

"What that person manifested was unquestionably Okcheong Heavenly Star Power. How was that possible?"

"..."

Ilgak still hadn't escaped the shock of the Okcheong Heavenly Star Power that Jin Sowoon had displayed during their sparring match.

No, ever since that day, he had fallen into deep inner turmoil.

"He is a vulgar, cowardly, and dishonest person who lies easily. He resorts to any means and methods for his goals. If so, how could someone like him use the Okcheong Heavenly Star Power? Is he truly a wicked person?"

"... Tsk tsk. You have been experiencing confusion over the phenomena unfolding before your eyes."

Hyeseong slowly shook his head.

"A demon will sometimes appear before your eyes wearing the guise of a saint, and poison is always mixed into fine-smelling liquor. Why are you so easily bewildered by mere phenomena that cloud your eyes?"

"..."

Ilgak was confused.

Were the recent events, and the actions Jin Sowoon had shown, truly the deeds of a wicked person in disguise, as Hyeseong said?

If so, conversely, could his own past actions be considered deeds performed in the guise of a saint?

"Eradicate your delusions. Fifty thousand kinds of delusions only foster inner turmoil. Never forget that doing so is the first step of cultivation."

The orthodox doctrine of Buddhism.

The golden rule that he had never once doubted.

Ilgak forced his unyielding lips to part.

"... I will keep that in mind."

Hyeseong nodded briefly before speaking.

"A message has arrived from the Council Head."

"... Do you mean the Orthodox Council Head?"

He knew about the situation in Yueyang, having heard of it indirectly.

He should be busy enough handling this incident, which would act as a major detriment to the Mount Cangshan Sect. Why had he reached out?

"Yes. He says we should go investigate what happened in Sichuan."

"... You mean an external activity?"

"Indeed."

"... However, there isn't much time left before we must return to the academy."

Additionally, he swallowed the words, 'During the term, external activities for academy students require the permission of the academy representative.'

Because he knew those words would only trigger Hyeseong's inner turmoil.

"That is exactly why he wants to go. Before the academy representative can control us."

"..."

His intentions were blatantly obvious.

"It's an action with blatantly obvious intentions."

It must be a deliberate action taken with Jin Sowoon in mind.

"It must be a deliberate action taken with the incident in Yueyang in mind."

Attempting to weaken Jin Sowoon's power and extract something from him.

"We might even gain an opportunity to advance into Yueyang this time. The current Mount Cangshan Sect would likely hand Yueyang over."

"..."

Unable to offer any other reply, Ilgak brought his hands together in prayer.

"Amitabha."

"Yes, indeed. It truly is a matter that could not have been achieved without the grace of the Buddha."

Hyeseong burst into triumphant laughter.

Looking at him, Ilgak was startled by how, for a fleeting moment, Hyeseong's face resembled a demon, and he desperately tried to shake off the delusion.

'Amitabha.'