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It was such a charming smile that a waiter passing by his side became so mesmerized that he nearly dropped a bottle of Jukyeopcheong liquor.
The people at the other tables were the same. They all glanced his way, calling him the "Handsome Young Master."
Jegal Haesu, indifferent to the attention, focused solely on the boy.
“Child, do you know how to write?”
The boy nodded.
“Waiter, could you bring us some paper, a brush, and ink? My apologies for the trouble.”
“I-I’ll bring them right away!”
His charm even worked on the male waiter, who blushed and quickly presented the writing materials.
“Child, it feels strange to keep calling you that. Won’t you tell me your name?”
Of course, it was unlikely that this young child had already received a Taoist name.
Even if one was registered in the Wudang Sect's records, many never received a Taoist name signifying they were a direct disciple.
But if he could learn the boy's name, it would be easier to guess his identity.
Jegal Haesu watched the boy, who held the brush quite skillfully in his small hand.
Elegant calligraphy flowed onto the white paper.
It was a fluency unbefitting a child.
It looked as if he had been well-educated from a young age.
「My name is Myeong (無明).」
The boy's name was Myeong (無明). It meant 'no light'.
What a cruel name.
To be named Myeong (無明) because he was blind and could not perceive light.
“Do you have a Wudang Taoist name?”
The boy put the brush down completely and shook his head.
It seemed he hadn't been accepted as a disciple after all.
Jegal Haesu asked again the questions others had asked before.
Where were his parents, why was he in that forest, and what was his destination.
Myeong's answers were consistently vague.
He had no parents, he was simply lost in the forest, and as for his destination…
「I was trying to go anywhere, as long as it wasn't the Wudang Sect.」
“What history do you have with the Wudang Sect?”
「Sir, I apologize. I cannot speak carelessly about what happened with the sect.」
Jegal Haesu asked his final question.
“Did you approach us intentionally?”
「I have no intention of causing harm. If you find me unsettling, I will leave right now.」
Jegal Haesu was lost in thought.
A child connected to the Wudang Sect, but who couldn't speak of his history.
Had he been excommunicated?
He couldn't gauge whether keeping this child with them was the right choice.
“Let's stop the questioning there. Even if we were to send the child away, I don't think we should do it in the middle of the night.”
Jegal Haesu nodded at Namgung Jin's words.
He hadn't gotten a clear answer and still didn't trust the boy, but he couldn't just kick a child out in the dead of night. It was better to keep him close and watch him.
“Can I call you Myeong?”
At Soso's question, the boy's face suddenly brightened.
The way he nodded his head over and over suggested he really liked Soso.
“Myeong only likes Sami. I'm the one who bought him food.”
“I'm the one who saved him.”
Namgung Jin added his own complaint.
“Myeong, the name of the person who just grumbled is Jegal Haesu, and the one who saved you is Namgung Jin. And I'm Baek Sam.”
Soso introduced the group, a little late.
Myeong nodded again, acting as if he had memorized their names.
Then, he picked up the brush he had set down for a moment.
「Sister Sam, I'm so happy to meet you.」
Having written this confession, Myeong beamed a wide smile in Soso's direction.
Charmed by the boy's cuteness, Soso hugged Myeong tightly without thinking.
“I think I'm starting to like you too. Why are you so cute and lovable?”
Jegal Haesu and Namgung Jin watched Myeong, who was smiling like a victor, with envy.
Both harbored the same wish: to be hugged by Soso too.
* * *
The leaders of the Murim Alliance gathered in the Alliance Leader's Hall, located in Wuhan, Hubei.
It was to hold a meeting about the recent tragic events.
The first to speak was the man seated at the head of the table: the Leader of the Murim Alliance and Abbot of the Shaolin Temple, the Divine Monk of Shaolin, Great Monk Beop-eum.
Great Monk Beop-eum was one of the Seven Emperors Under Heaven, and was known to be the strongest among the seven masters.
“Namo Amitabha Buddha. The matter of the Hebei Peng Clan is truly unbelievable.”
The one who answered was Dokgo Ran, the Brigade Leader of the Heavenly Wind Brigade, the main armed force of the Murim Alliance.
“Even if the Saber Emperor had grown weaker, to fall so easily to the Demonic Cult! We cannot stand by and do nothing. The next one could be one of us.”
An indignant Dokgo Ran made eye contact with each person gathered in the Alliance Leader's Hall.
His gaze lingered longest on Namgung Seonyul, who had, this time, truly visited the Murim Alliance.
“Aren't you the one who would agree with me most, Clan Head?”
Upon arriving at the Murim Alliance, Namgung Seonyul had immediately reported what had happened at his clan.
Of course, he had omitted any mention of Namgung Hyuk, framing it simply as a 'treacherous invasion by the Demonic Cult'.
“That is correct. Madmen invaded our clan as well... And we also encountered Paeng Seo-jin, who had become one of them. We recovered Paeng Seo-jin's body, and it was only today that we intended to deliver the sad news to the Saber Emperor, but…”
Namgung Seonyul trailed off grimly.
He too had not expected the Saber Emperor and the Hebei Peng Clan to fall so futilely.
‘I urged him not to wallow in grief and to treat his internal injuries as soon as possible.’
Ever since losing Paeng Seo-jin, whom he had treasured like gold and jade, the Saber Emperor had not taken proper care of his own body.
It seemed he had fallen into an even greater state of lethargy after failing to find Paeng Seo-jin, even after annihilating the Demonic Cult's Second Demonic Pavilion.
Namgung Seonyul understood the Saber Emperor's feelings. He didn't want to blame the Saber Emperor for falling so helplessly to the Demonic Cult.
After all, if he were to lose Namgung Jin, he would surely crumble as well.
Apart from that, the attack on the Hebei Peng Clan was different from the one on the Namgung Clan; it wasn't just madmen who had invaded.
It was said that the new Heavenly Demon, the Left Protector Somagi, and even the Right Protector, whose identity was still unknown, had appeared.
‘They went all out, intending to annihilate the Hebei Peng Clan.’
What would have happened if they had directed all that force at the Namgung Clan?
Would the Namgung Clan have been annihilated too?
Namgung Seonyul was suddenly seized by a secret impulse to cross swords with the Heavenly Demon.
Of course, it wasn't that he wasn't afraid.
He had, after all, witnessed the heaven-shaking, earth-shattering martial prowess of the previous Heavenly Demon with his own eyes 50 years ago.
The Heavenly Demon's fiercely glowing red eyes, the form of the Demon God Asura looming behind his back.
In particular, those six wicked arms were bizarre and utterly horrifying.
Nearly every martial artist who saw those arms trembled before the Heavenly Demon.
But the current Heavenly Demon was one who had 'not yet mastered' the Asura's Blood Heavenly Sword.
Wasn't that why he hadn't led the charge himself and had resorted to a night raid when attacking the Hebei Peng Clan?
He had a feeling that this one wouldn't be as strong as the previous Heavenly Demon.
‘Perhaps I could be the one to take the Heavenly Demon's head.’
50 years ago, he had been nothing more than a mayfly, but now he too was a powerful martial artist who had reached the state of Hwagyeong.
Just then, amidst the people lamenting the Saber Emperor Paeng Ji-ryang, a sharp voice cut through.
“Wasn't it that the Saber Emperor was weak, not that the Heavenly Demon was strong? Our clan will not fall like the Saber Emperor did.”
The man, as large in stature as Paeng Ji-ryang, was named Hwangbo Do-ung.
He was the Clan Head of the Hwangbo Clan, one of the Seven Emperors Under Heaven, who went by the title 'Invincible Divine Fist'.
Hwangbo Do-ung was so renowned for his fist techniques that many debated whether his fist was stronger than that of the Fist King, Myeong-heo.
Dokgo Ran retorted to Hwangbo Do-ung's words.
“That remains to be seen. The Hebei Peng Clan may have been in decline, but they were still one of the Five Great Clans. Please remember that they were defeated so miserably that even their clan's armed forces were powerless.”
“I appreciate your concern, but do not underestimate the power of the Hwangbo Clan.”
“I am not underestimating you! It's just that…”
Provoked by Hwangbo Do-ung, Dokgo Ran flared up.
It was Great Monk Beop-eum who mediated the volatile atmosphere, which seemed ready to ignite at any moment.
“That is enough. This is not the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves.”
“…”
“In my opinion, the most important task right now is to ascertain the extent of the Demonic Cult's resurgence. We need to know the Heavenly Demon's martial prowess, and the identity of his Right Protector, who is also the Pavilion Master of the Ultimate Demonic Pavilion…”
Great Monk Beop-eum paused for a moment before continuing.
“And whether this new Heavenly Demon has succeeded in controlling the Madness that comes with the Asura's Blood Heavenly Sword…”
Great Monk Beop-eum's gaze suddenly fell upon Namgung Seonyul.
“Speaking of which, I heard a rumor that the Golden Divine Healer appeared at the Namgung Clan.”
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