Heaven’s Net
The moment the meteor shower and sword clashed.
Surprisingly, no explosion occurred.
The Songmun Antique Sword drew a gentle circle, deflecting the countless meteors into nullity.
Immediately afterward, a voice, all too familiar to Mu-jin and the Shaolin disciples, echoed across the battlefield.
“You wretches!! How dare you persecute the disciples of Shaolin!!”
Where the voice came from, Master Hyun-Cheon, the abbot of Shaolin, stood with countless Shaolin monks.
Unlike his usual benevolent appearance, his face was filled with anger.
Master Hyun-Cheon, along with the furious Shaolin monks, unleashed a wave of energy that swept across the area.
Naturally, the battlefield fell into a lull.However, the Martial Alliance leader attacking Mu-jin did not look at Master Hyun-Cheon.
“Why has the Taegeuk Sword Saint of Wudang come here?”
He was staring at the person who had blocked his last attack. Yunheo Zhenren.
“And with so many disciples.”
Yunheo Zhenren, standing alongside many Wudang swordsmen, replied.
“Hahaha. Hearing that the only successor of my friend was being unjustly pursued, how could I ignore it?”
“What do you mean unjustly pursued? We only suggested he come to the Martial Alliance to verify the accusation of colluding with the Demonic Sect. It’s just that the Shaolin Dragon’s stubborn refusal deepened our suspicion.”
Yunheo Zhenren stroked his beard, laughing lightly at Wi Ji-hak’s response.
“So you intended to capture him alive?”
“Indeed.”
“Hahaha. From my perspective, it looked like you were trying to kill him.”
“Shaolin Dragon’s skills were beyond my expectations, so I had to use more force.”
“Hahaha.”
“Hahaha.”
Though Yunheo Zhenren and Wi Ji-hak were laughing softly, everyone around could sense the intense confrontation behind their gentle demeanor.
“I’m afraid we will be taking the Shaolin Dragon with us.”
“Perhaps the Taegeuk Sword Saint hasn’t heard the news. The Shaolin Dragon is suspected of colluding with the Demonic Sect.”
“It seems you haven’t heard either. The rumor I heard was that the Alliance conspired with the Demonic Sect to kill the young talents.”
“That’s just a malicious rumor spread by the Shaolin Dragon.”
“Hahaha. To me, it seems like you are the ones spreading malicious rumors.”
As Yunheo Zhenren laughed, exuding energy, Wi Ji-hak’s face changed dramatically.
“Are you really intending to take the Shaolin Dragon?”
“Indeed.”
“If you persist with this decision, it will cause a civil war within the righteous factions. The entire martial world will be drenched in blood. Is that truly Wudang’s will?”
Wi Ji-hak’s subtle threat made Yunheo Zhenren’s expression change as well.
“Are you trying to intimidate Wudang?”
As soon as Yunheo Zhenren finished speaking, the Wudang swordsmen behind him began to release their energy, just like the Shaolin monks.
“Shall we start spilling blood here with yours?”
With both Shaolin and Wudang applying pressure, Wi Ji-hak, after a moment of contemplation, sighed.
“We will withdraw for now.”
Upon Wi Ji-hak’s order, the Martial Alliance warriors surrounding Mu-jin and his companions began to retreat, tending to their injured comrades.
Though Wi Ji-hak retreated with dignity, the expressions and demeanor of the Martial Alliance warriors resembled defeated soldiers.
“Phew.”
Seeing Wi Ji-hak retreat, Mu-jin let out a sigh of relief and sat down on the ground.
Had Yunheo Zhenren’s arrival been slightly delayed, he would have been dead.
Whether it was by falling to Wi Ji-hak’s martial arts or by exhausting his vital energy and drying up like a mummy.
As Mu-jin regained his composure, he realized something peculiar.
‘Could it be that asking to stall for time was aimed at this?’
Curious, he turned his head and saw Jegal Muhwan, disheveled and looking nothing like the strategist he usually was.
“Did you foresee this outcome from the start?”
“More accurately, I prepared for this eventuality.”
Jegal Muhwan, despite his ragged appearance, fanned himself nonchalantly.
“But we were heading towards Shaolin. How did Wudang join us so quickly?”
“Hahaha. That’s because we are near Nanyang County in Henan Province.”
“?????”
“Oh, I didn’t mention it. Actually, while breaking through Heaven’s Net, I deliberately steered us this way.”
Mu-jin nearly cursed out loud.
Following Jegal Muhwan’s direction, they had continuously broken through weaker points of Heaven’s Net, changing direction endlessly.
Without a compass, they had lost their sense of direction long ago and just followed Jegal Muhwan’s lead.
Little did they know, they were heading towards a different mountain, not Song Mountain.
Nanyang County is in southern Henan Province, far from Dengfeng County in central Henan Province where Shaolin is located.
But conversely, being in southern Henan meant they were roughly midway between Hubei’s Wudang and Henan’s Shaolin.
“Are you saying you deliberately came here to get help from both Wudang and Shaolin?”
“Exactly.”
“How did you know they would move this way?”
“I had already sent messages while moving covertly to meet us here in Nanyang County.”
“…You mean you sent those messages even before we got trapped in Heaven’s Net?”
“Of course.”
“If we had returned safely to Shaolin, what would you have done?”
“I would have apologized and explained it was a precaution. Hahaha.”
Mu-jin felt a mix of admiration and irritation at the meticulous and audacious strategist.
But there was still one more question.
“Why didn’t you tell us beforehand if it was all prepared?”
“To deceive the enemy, you must first deceive your allies.”
Jegal Muhwan, despite his ragged appearance, fanned himself with an air of leisure.
“If we had openly moved towards Nanyang County, the Alliance leader would have suspected something. So I subtly led us here while pretending to be desperate, giving the impression we were being chased and had no choice but to change direction.”
“So, you kept it a secret from us to make it seem like we were genuinely out of options and to mislead the enemy?”
“Exactly.”
It all made sense, but Mu-jin still felt a bit disgruntled at being played by Jegal Muhwan.
“Was it really necessary? Even if we had gone straight to Song Mountain, they would have come to help as planned.”
“If we had moved straight towards Song Mountain, Heaven’s Net would have thickened. And more importantly, relying only on Shaolin would have been risky.”
Feeling he had finally caught Jegal Muhwan in a contradiction, Mu-jin was about to retort with, ‘Are you belittling our Shaolin?’
However, Yunheo Zhenren and Master Hyun-Cheon, who had approached, surprisingly supported Jegal Muhwan.
“In this matter, the former strategist is correct.”
“Wi Ji-hak, until the very end, pretended to be indifferent while assessing the strength. If the martial artists of the alliance and our forces were evenly matched, he was prepared to go to war even at the risk of mass casualties.”
“Yes. As you both mentioned, Wi Ji-hak’s goal was internal conflict within the orthodox sects. If only Shaolin had come, he would have considered it an opportunity.”
This meant that if everyone was going to end up dead anyway, he wouldn’t have avoided the fight.
But because Wudang was also involved this time, Wi Ji-hak avoided the battle, realizing he might die without causing significant damage.
Mu-jin, realizing this, asked Yunheo Zhenren with a puzzled expression.
“Then why did the Taegeuk Sword Saint avoid the fight? It was a chance to capture Wi Ji-hak without much damage.”
Yunheo Zhenren’s expression turned incredulous at this question.
“It was because of you. You, who looked completely drained of strength and internal energy, were right in front of the alliance leader. If Wi Ji-hak had decided to sacrifice his life, even I wouldn’t have been able to save you.”
“Ah…”
Mu-jin finally understood the situation.
He had been a kind of hostage.
‘That bastard Wi Ji-hak.’
Mu-jin found the situation incredibly frustrating.
‘Next time I meet him, I’ll tear him apart with my own hands.’
He realized that Wi Ji-hak’s martial prowess was superior to that of the Plum Blossom Swordsman, Hwang Gon, and the Wolf King he had faced before.
But Mu-jin had also fought in unfavorable conditions while being chased by the Tianluo Network.
As he reviewed the day’s battle, he thought of ways to counter Wi Ji-hak’s Falling Star Fist.
For now, there was something more urgent.
“Now that the situation seems to be settled, we’ll take some rest.”
Mu-jin, along with Ban-jang, bid farewell to Yunheo Zhenren and Master Hyun-cheon, then lay down on the mountain path and fell asleep.
After staying up all night and exhausting his strength and internal energy, Mu-jin was at his limit, although he hadn’t shown it.
“……”
“……”
Mu-jin suddenly said he would rest, then collapsed on the dirt. People might have been alarmed, thinking he had fainted.
But those nearby simply looked at him with astonishment.
“Snore… Puuuuu… Snore.”
His snoring was so loud that it was obvious he wasn’t unconscious but in a deep sleep.
“He’s quite a character. To sleep so soundly after all that chaos.”
As Yunheo Zhenren mumbled while watching Mu-jin, Jegal Muhwan chuckled.
“Resting well is a talent too, isn’t it?”
Master Hyun-cheon, trying to hide his embarrassment, agreed.
“Uh-huh. It seems the former strategist is right.”
“Hahaha. The term ‘former strategist’ feels strange. You can just call me Jegal Muhwan, Master.”
“Very well. Jegal Muhwan… strategist.”
Though no longer a strategist, it still felt fitting to call him that, so Master Hyun-cheon did.
Jegal Muhwan, with his trademark fake smile, replied.
“Oh, and we’re at our limit too. I’ll follow the example of the Shaolin Dragon and rest.”
Then, like Mu-jin, he lay down on the ground.
“Ah, this is nice.”
Using his fan to shield from the sun, Jegal Muhwan soon fell asleep, snoring lightly compared to Mu-jin.
With their hair in disarray and clothes tattered, the two looked like beggars or naturalists sleeping on the mountain.
“Mu-jin has quite a knack. Where does he find such odd people?”
As Master Hyun-cheon mumbled in astonishment, Yunheo Zhenren chuckled.
“He’s not finding odd people; he’s making them odd. Jegal Muhwan wasn’t like this when I saw him at the alliance before.”
After all, many had changed after being with Mu-jin. Even his disciple Cheongsu had awakened to the killing sword.
* * *
“Ugh…”
Awakening from a deep sleep, Mu-jin groaned as he opened his eyes.
Though he had avoided serious injury, he had been hit countless times by Wi Ji-hak’s fists.
The impact was evident on his body.
“Damn alliance leader.”
Muttering words more fitting for a demonic or unorthodox martial artist, Mu-jin looked around.
“A carriage?”
It seemed he had been sleeping in a carriage.
Peeking outside, Mu-jin saw numerous Shaolin monks walking in a line, as if on a pilgrimage.
“Awake?”
A voice spoke from beside him. Turning his head, Mu-jin quickly bowed.
“Third disciple Mu-jin greets the abbot.”
“Hohoho. No need to strain yourself. You’re not fully recovered.”
“I still have the strength to show respect. Haha. But abbot, where are we?”
“We’re on our way to Songshan.”
Looking in the direction Master Hyun-cheon pointed, Mu-jin saw a familiar mountain in the distance.
Knowing Mu-jin’s next question, Master Hyun-cheon explained.
“After you fell asleep, we descended the mountain and acquired several carriages. Everyone, including you and Jegal Muhwan, was exhausted, so we decided to travel comfortably. The Wudang sect returned to Nanyang County.”
“Ah…”
As Mu-jin nodded in understanding.
“Ugh…”
From inside the carriage, someone groaned and raised their large body.
“Awake?”
Mu-jin greeted the now awake Mu-gung, who also looked around bewilderedly.
After making eye contact with Mu-jin, Mu-gung suddenly burst out laughing.
“????”
Mu-jin, confused, stared at him.
“The Divine Units said you look like Chiwoo when you fight. Now you really look like Chiwoo.”
Mu-jin continued to look at him, puzzled.
“Look at yourself.”
“Myself?”
Mu-gung, barely containing his laughter, pointed at Mu-jin’s body.
He was blue all over.
His entire body was bruised as if massaged by Qi energy.
“Damn alliance leader.”
Once again, Mu-jin vowed revenge on the alliance leader.
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