Chapter 97. The Taiyi Secret Scroll (8)

In the end, Jin-ho and I ended up going as hostages together. Mr. Gung's proposal was one we couldn't refuse.

"Brother, will it be okay?"

"Just wait. They won't kill us."

When Jin-ho asked cautiously, trembling, I answered to reassure him while thinking.

'They wouldn't trade us for a first-rate warrior, would they?'

Currently, one of the Nine Dragon Gang's first-rate warriors was being held hostage in place of us by the Lord of Thousand Springs.

I couldn't know what Mr. Gung was thinking, but a first-rate warrior wasn't something to be discarded carelessly. It took at least a few years to cultivate a first-rate warrior.

'At least we're worth more than our corpses.'

While the evil sects tend to treat people lightly, I didn't think they would waste a first-rate warrior so pointlessly.

I unsheathed my sword and handed over all my miscellaneous weapons, including the Blood Shadow Blade, to Lord Thousand Springs, then extended my hand to the Nine Dragon Gang warrior.

One of the Nine Dragon Gang warriors tied my wrists with a rope. They didn't press any pressure points, probably because they didn't think it was necessary given our skills.

'It hurts my pride a bit.'

Additionally, Jin-ho wasn't tied at all. They needed him to deactivate the formation, and he seemed to be a harmless child to them.

As we were led to the cave entrance shrouded in mist, Mr. Gung suddenly spoke to me.

"Hey, young man."

"Why are you calling me?"

"Where are you from? I didn't know you were traveling with Lord Thousand Springs."

Mr. Gung's voice was somewhat relaxed, as if he was just making small talk. I shrugged, but the ropes on my wrists made it look a bit awkward.

"Just a personal commission."

I didn't reveal that I was from the White Cloud Escort Agency. I didn't know how things would turn out later. Mr. Gung tilted his head and asked.

"Commission? Hmm, something like the Haowen?"

"Something like that."

As I vaguely answered, I decided to ask something I was curious about.

"But Mr. Gung, how did you find us?"

"Hmm? Oh, that. Were you curious about that?"

"Yes, I was quite curious."

Mr. Gung nodded and said to me.

"It's not difficult. You just need money."

"Money?"

"Yes. I used a lot of money to hire the Haowen."

Of course, the Haowen.

I had guessed that the Haowen was involved since I suspected Jianshao was the culprit.

What I didn't understand was not this part.

"Did the Haowen find us so quickly?"

Even if they knew where we were going from Wushan Village, there were many inns in Akshan County. The Haowen wasn't the CIA or anything.

Previously, the Duan family had used the Haowen to spread flyers to catch Duan Yingqian, but they failed. Finding someone wasn't that easy.

When I asked, Mr. Gung smiled and said.

"I used a lot of money."

"How much?"

"A lot, a lot."

"..."

Judging by the emphasis, it seemed he had spent a tremendous amount.

'They must have high hopes for this project.'

I hoped that the Taiyi Sword Sage had left something valuable. If the Taiyi Secret Scroll wasn't inside, it would be a real problem.

"Hmm. The mist is clearing."

Mr. Gung looked at the cave entrance with curiosity. Indeed, it was a strange sight.

As Jin-ho trembled and moved the stones to deactivate the formation, the thick mist began to clear.

Not only Mr. Gung, but also the disciples of Yan Yingfang and Sihai Gate watched the scene with amazement.

"Wow... impressive."

"Amazing..."

The thick mist slowly dissipating felt like magic. Everyone was captivated by the scene when Mr. Gung spoke.

"Hmm. It's almost all gone."

"Uh, yes, it is."

Suddenly speaking, Mr. Gung stroked his chin and said.

"Thanks to you, things have become quite troublesome. I didn't need to get my hands dirty originally."

"..."

What did he mean by 'getting his hands dirty'?

Mr. Gung placed a warrior to watch me and started walking forward alone.

I watched his figure, wondering what he was planning to do.

Just as the last formation was dismantled and the mist was about to completely clear, Mr. Gung snapped his fingers.

Snap!

*Clang!*

At the sound, the Nine Dragon Gang warriors suddenly drew their swords and started slashing at the nearby Sihai Gate and Yan Yingfang disciples.

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

Terrifying screams echoed through the valley. The Sihai Gate and Yan Yingfang warriors, caught off guard, were cut down without much resistance.

'Treason?'

Was this planned from the beginning?

Seeing this, Sima Xun of Sihai Gate shouted in anger.

"Gong Liang! You traitor!"

Holding a sword, Gong Liang, who had just beheaded a Sihai Gate disciple, sneered at Sima Xun.

"You were planning to betray us anyway, weren't you? Haha. Did you think we wouldn't know you two were secretly colluding?"

"Damn you!"

They were truly exemplary evil sects.

The Sihai Gate and Yan Yingfang quickly joined forces against the Nine Dragon Gang's ambush, but they were gradually overwhelmed due to the sudden attack and the presence of the Nine Dragon Gang's top expert, Yu Weihuang.

Yan Liang and Sima Xun were trying to hold off Yu Weihuang, but it wasn't easy.

I thought to myself.

'I need to escape now!'

This might be my only chance to run.

However, a Nine Dragon Gang warrior was standing guard in front of me. There was no way to escape with my hands tied. I would just get killed. And I needed to save Jin-ho too.

'If I can at least free my hands...'

I tried twisting my wrists to loosen the ropes, thinking of any way to shrink them. Suddenly, an idea came to me.

'The Bone Shrinking Technique!'

I mentally slapped my knee. The Bone Shrinking Technique could reduce the thickness of my wrists.

I carefully adjusted my posture to avoid being noticed by the Nine Dragon Gang warriors and started regulating my breathing. The posture for the Bone Shrinking Technique was quite peculiar, so I had to be cautious.

*Inhale... exhale...*

As I slowly regulated my breathing and channeled my inner energy, I felt my wrist muscles shrinking, making the ropes slightly looser.

'A little more...'

The ropes became noticeably loose. Feeling confident, I twisted my wrists, and the loose ropes slipped off.

'Yes!'

Immediately after freeing my hands, I approached the guard from behind and kicked him in the groin. I then grabbed the stunned guard from behind and applied a rear naked choke.

"Gasp..."

He struggled, but the technique was perfectly executed, leaving him helpless.

"Be quiet. Be quiet."

When the carotid artery is compressed, one loses consciousness in about ten seconds. After what seemed like an eternity, his struggling stopped. He wasn't dead, just unconscious.

As he fell, I picked up his sword and ran to Jin-ho, who was trembling and crouching in the middle of the chaos.

"Brother, Brother?!"

He was still in shock, staring blankly. I grabbed his head and pulled him by the back of his neck.

"What are you doing, kid? Get up quickly!"

Initially, I wanted to retreat, but the escape route was blocked by the ongoing fight. In this situation, it was better to run into the cave.

"Run!"

"Yes, yes!"

I dragged Jin-ho into the cave.

***

We ran deep into the cave. At first, it was too dark to run easily, but as we went deeper, natural light from holes in the ceiling made it easier to move.

'We need to get out of the cave before they notice we're gone.'

Thinking this, I ran until I was out of breath. Jin-ho, already tense, looked like he was about to die from exhaustion.

As we reached the center of the cave, we saw a small stone chamber with passages leading in both directions. Jin-ho, panting heavily, asked me.

"Huff, huff... Brother, where are we?"

"Um... it seems to be where your ancestor lived."

Looking up at the entrance of the passage, I saw a word carved as if with a sword.

[Taiyi Hall (太乙齋)]

Seeing the hall name, I was certain. The stone chamber was crudely carved, as if with a sword.

"Let's go in and take a look."

"Yes, yes..."

Inside the stone chamber, there were old, weathered ceramics and a stone bed that seemed to have been used as a bed, covered in dust.

From the context, it was clear that this was where the Taiyi Sword Sage had stayed.

"R-Really, the Six Great Ancestors were here..."

Jin-ho's voice trembled as he looked around. I said with a glimmer of hope.

"Look around quickly. The Taiyi Secret Scroll might be here!"

"Yes, yes!"

Although we didn't know when the pursuers might catch up, if we could escape with the Taiyi Secret Scroll, it would be worth the risk.

Jin-ho and I quickly searched the area.

However, something was strange. There were clear signs that someone had lived here, but there was no sign of the sword, treasures, or secret scrolls that the Taiyi Sword Sage was said to have used in life.

It was as if someone had swept everything away.

'Why is there nothing here?'

Even if the Taiyi Sword Sage didn't wear clothes, there should at least be some clothes or utensils, right?

But there was nothing. The place was like an empty, skeletal stone chamber.

The only thing present was a pile of white beads in the center of the room.

'What are these?'

Thinking they might be a clue, I approached them.

The beads were of various sizes, some as small as a pea and others as large as a child's fist. In front of them was a small wooden tablet, like a tombstone.

I hurriedly picked it up, brushed off the accumulated dust, and read the inscription.

[The Tomb of Taiyi Sword Sage (太乙劍尊) Li Zhengyi (李正一之墓)]

The wooden tablet was a tombstone.

I felt a strong shock, as if I had been hit on the back of the head. The presence of a tombstone meant that someone had broken through the formation and recovered the remains of the Taiyi Sword Sage.

"Damn..."

After all this effort, to find nothing?

Suppressing the urge to swear, I flipped the wooden tablet over. There, I found an even more shocking message.

[In memory of the greatest man of his time, his remains are preserved here.]

And below that, the name of the person who wrote it.

-Mu Lun (木輪) Pei Shang

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

'Mu Lun?'

The Mu Lun who destroyed the Wei family?

Why was he here?

In a state of shock, I looked at Jin-ho. Seeing my wide eyes, he tilted his head in confusion, so I handed him the wooden tablet.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Read it."

Reading it, Jin-ho realized that his ancestor's remains had been recovered long ago and dropped the tablet in shock.

His eyes trembled as he looked at the pile of beads.

"Then, these are..."

"Um... they seem to be your ancestor's."

These weren't beads; they were the relics of the Taiyi Sword Sage. The relics that appear when high monks are cremated.

I felt a significant shock and a sense of futility.

'So, what was all this for?'

We, the Nine Dragon Gang, Sihai Gate, and Yan Yingfang had all been chasing a phantom. Mu Lun had already taken everything.

"Damn..."

As I and Jin-ho stood there in shock, Mr. Gung, panting, ran in from behind.

"You managed to escape here! Hand over the Taiyi Secret Scroll if you don't want to die!"

Mr. Gung, abandoning his usual scholar persona, looked like a madman, his eyes burning with anger and greed.

Seeing this, I picked up the wooden tablet Jin-ho had dropped and threw it at him.

"It's too late."

"What?"

"Someone has already taken everything. Read it."

Mr. Gung, who had been holding the tablet, read it in shock.

"Nothing? Nothing at all?"

Mr. Gung seemed to have completely lost his composure. He read the tablet several times, flipping it over and over.

At that moment, I bent down, picked up the largest relic, and threw it at Mr. Gung, filled with inner energy.

*Whoosh!*

Mr. Gung, still in shock, stared blankly at the tablet. The relic, drawing a beautiful arc, hit his groin.

*Thud!*

"Ah! Ah! Ah!"

Hitting his groin, Mr. Gung let out a high-pitched scream, as if his testicles had exploded, and fell forward.

Hearing his scream, I shouted to Jin-ho.

"Run that way!"

"Yes, yes!"

Feeling guilty for throwing his ancestor, but having picked up a few more relics earlier, I thought we could still perform the memorial rites.

'This should be enough.'

The relics in my pocket rattled as we ran.

Exiting the stone chamber and running deeper into the cave, we soon saw the exit. The cave was in a slightly twisted U-shape, with the entrance and exit not far apart.

"Huff, huff..."

Jin-ho, half-exhausted, was struggling to run. Just then, we heard the voices of the pursuers behind us.

"Stop there!"

"Come on!"

We were almost there, so I dragged Jin-ho, shouting with inner energy to be heard outside.

"Mr. Bai! Mr. Bai!!"

The entrance and exit weren't far apart, so I hoped Mr. Bai would hear me. Fortunately, he did and ran over.

Seeing us, Mr. Bai, who had been running with a hostage, was surprised and asked me.

"Uh? How did you escape?"

"It's a long story! They're chasing us!"

"Uh..."

Mr. Bai turned around and picked up the Nine Dragon Gang warrior he had been holding hostage. The warrior, immobilized by pressure points, couldn't move. Mr. Bai, displaying incredible strength, threw him over our heads.

*Whoosh!*

"Ah!"

"Ouch!"

The flying warrior collided with the pursuing Nine Dragon Gang warriors.

*Crash!*

They tumbled like bowling pins. Mr. Bai, ignoring them, picked up Jin-ho and handed me the Blood Shadow Blade and other swords I had given him earlier.

"Run quickly!"

"Yes!"

That's how we managed to escape from the Nine Dragon Gang.

***

To avoid pursuit, we ran almost the entire day. It was a grueling journey, passing through several villages. We were extremely exhausted and finally reached a small village.

"Huff... huff..."

"Phew..."

I was almost on the verge of collapse, having used all my inner energy and physical strength. Mr. Bai was also extremely exhausted.

Jin-ho, who had repeatedly fainted and been carried, was in a half-dead state.

Holding onto my trembling legs, I asked Mr. Bai, who was carrying Jin-ho.

"Can we say we've escaped from the Nine Dragon Gang's pursuit?"

"Uh... I think so."

Mr. Bai, unsure, hesitated, but I thought the Nine Dragon Gang wouldn't be able to follow us here even if they had the skills.

'And it's meaningless now anyway.'

We were all victims of Mu Lun's deception.

There was nothing for them to gain by finding and killing us. They wouldn't pursue us unless there was something to gain.

"Then let's go in and rest. We'll really die if we keep this up."

"Uh... let's do that."

Mr. Bai weakly nodded.

We searched the village and found a small inn. After calling the owner and making a few requests, we entered a room.

'Ugh...'

I was so exhausted that I collapsed on the bed as soon as I saw it. The relics of the Taiyi Sword Sage, which I had kept in my pocket, pressed against my chest.

'Ah, these...'

Thinking of giving them to Jin-ho immediately, I turned my head to look at him, but we were both in a state of near paralysis, unable to move a finger.

'I'll give them to him tomorrow.'

Turning my body with great effort, I closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a strange place.

***

"Huh?"

I had just closed my eyes, but the scenery around me had changed.

I was clearly in the inn room a moment ago, but when I opened my eyes, I saw a clear blue sky. A cool, sweet breeze was blowing from the sky.

'What is this?'

I shook my head a few times and looked around.

It was some kind of orchard.

In the distance, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands,