Book 25 Chapter 15

Mo's Worries

-Unresolved issues and scars that have yet to be paid off.

At this point, Bi Ryuyeon was eagerly running toward the Thirteenth Dormitory. They wanted to secure a stronghold and unite the remaining people. Being separated and isolated in such a remote location tended to create more bonds than usual. Some might have worried that the entire Heavenly Martial Academy delegation might be involved, but it was too late. Everyone was already involved, willingly or unwillingly. Jang Hong had a premonition that this was not going to be a simple matter.

"So the captain of the Sixth isn't the killer?"

Bi Ryuyeon asked, not stopping her pacing. They were now running past the pavilions toward their own quarters, the Thirteenth Dormitory. Jang Hong and Hyorong had said they needed to get something from there first. And Bi Ryuyeon also had something to fetch.

"No, it can't be, because he, Captain Nameless, is too old. He's almost one of the Seven Immortals of the Temple of Heaven, but he looks young. No one knows how old he really is. He's been here since the founding of the Temple of Heaven, and he's still here, so you can see how great he is. There's probably only one master who's been here longer than him, and we jokingly say that he's the invited guest and the last word. He's one of the 'Two Immortals' of the Temple of Heaven, also known as the Time Stoppers, the Ageless Monster, the Rippling Warrior, or the Taut Skin, and he's very popular with the girls because of his painstaking skin care and anti-aging regimen."

"Hmm, I guess we'll have to take him off the list of suspects then, so how many are left, Jang Hong?"

"There are only a few people left. I've eliminated the Four Heavenly Kings because they're all students, and I've eliminated the Seventh because she's a woman."

"Are there five suspicious people: one, two, three, four, and five?"

"No, I think we can leave Gwang Rang out, he's definitely not a one-armed man."

"How do you know that, Hyo-ryong, even if you're hot for me……."

"Absolutely not, not with a raging lone wolf, and he's a man, and I only know that because he's a dude whose hobby is showing off the myriad scars he's got on his body, which he does without even trying."

At Hyorong's words, Jang Hong narrowed his eyes and handed over the nong.

"Hmmm, something fishy?"

"Am I angry?"

"Okay, okay. I was kidding, I was kidding. Honestly."

Jang Hong raised his hands in abandon.

"But let's not forget, the rest of the captains may not be the culprits, but that doesn't mean they're not our enemies."

"Makes sense."

"We shouldn't let our guard down because it's possible that we've been compromised enough over the years. It wouldn't surprise me if someone turned against us."

The masked Captain Twelve is also very suspicious. The mysterious Thirteenth Captain is also on the dragon's list, but he's been vacant for a hundred years, so we set him aside for now. In short, the older man who became the new captain within nine years is the suspect. There are many ways to change your face. Even the shape of your body is not that difficult to change. You can also change your voice.

"Now what?"

"I'm going to go find Whip first."

"Why him?"

"Let's get him on the rescue squad, he's got the dyslexia but he's got the skills."

"You seem to have gotten better lately, which I try to hide, but a honed example of an untrained person is not easily hidden."

"Well, he must be on some kind of secret training program, and it's got to pay off, or I'll be in trouble, too."

* * *

Ding, ding, ding, ding!

Mo Yonghui broke out of his meditation and gently opened his eyes at the sound of distant bells. The whole pavilion seemed to be shaking.

"What's the fuss?"

It felt like a huge rock had been thrown into a still lake. But he soon forgot about it. There were more important tasks ahead of him.

A dry-arid landscape (乾坤造化鏡).

The treasure was said to contain the last wishes of the godless Taekwondo soldier Heng Yue Lin. The treasure was now divided into two pieces and kept by a certain person.

Mo Yongyu still didn't know why these two people possessed such powerful treasures. He could only speculate that they might be the hidden disciples of Xue Yue Lin of the Taiyang Divine Army. However, neither Yeomdo nor Ice Sword were willing to confirm that fact.

The mirrors had never been reunited since they were split, for the two of them, Salt and Iceblade, were at odds, to say the least. They fought whenever they saw each other, and couldn't seem to stand each other without getting on each other's nerves. It was for this reason that I began to wonder if these two were alumni, or if they were even related. It was also suspicious that even though they were alumni, one of them cultivated the fire element, while the other cultivated the ice element.

Now Mo Yonghui was being secretly taught by these two whenever he had time. Even these two temperamental people couldn't resist the old man's words.

"Teach!

That one word was enough for me, because when I asked why, the answer was this.

"Maybe he's the one.

Mo Yonghui didn't like this expression at all, but he was willing to go along with the old man's assurances. However, the two of them, who had been clueless all this time, were willing to give it a try with the old man's assurance, but they defied the old man on only one point.

"I can't show you the dry landscape yet."

"You're right, this won't do."

"So how are you going to show me?"

"If he takes us down, I'll show you then."

"Really?"

"I promise."

The old man didn't push any further. However, to defeat the famous Ice Sword Kwan Chul-su, the first rank of the Heavenly Five Swordsman, and Kwak Young-hee, the first rank of the Heavenly Five Great Daoist, was an outrageous and unreasonable request.

Mo Yonghui, no matter how much he was praised as a genius and labeled as the Seven Festivals Divine Sword, he was still a mere child compared to Yeomdo and the Ice Sword. He was aware of that himself. However, the old man seemed to have a different opinion.

"If you can't even beat those two, how can you hope to surpass them? Do you want to live in your grandfather's shadow for the rest of your life? What happened to your determination to kill them? If you're not willing to become a myth, give up now."

I couldn't just sit back and listen to that.

"I will."

"Will you, nay, can you?"

"Yes, I can do it, and I will do it!"

However, Mo Yonghui soon regretted his answer. From that day forward, Mo Yonghui was constantly tested to see if he was qualified to fulfill his words, but after dozens of tests, Mo Yonghui was still unable to fulfill his promise. After all, the world is not a place where you can overcome the obstacles of this world with just a few words and a will.

And so it was that I came to the Great Hall of Heaven in such a sluggish state. Of course, Yeomdo and Binggong Nao came with him, so there were still plenty of opportunities. He could always test his qualifications. But just when he was thinking that it would be impossible to do so in this state, even after a hundred years, the old man appeared.

All he had to say was.

"Realize the reasoning of the three talents."

It was a topic of conversation that was brought up by the elderly Hyeokjoong, who had appeared unexpectedly to Eunseol-ran at the well, when he was panicking after hearing her yell "Idiot!" at him.

The old man pointed to it and said that it was the secret to defeating the two men, the salt and ice sword. It was said to be an enlightenment left by the godless Taekwondo God Army, which meant that it was not just a sentence, but a thought process as wide as the universe behind the words. It also meant that there was a hidden story behind the words.

It was the end point reached by the spirit of the godless T'ai Chi after an indescribable journey. In order to savor its meaning and interpret it, one must know the process. The process of how this topic came to be, the process, is where the essence of this enlightenment is hidden. After that, Mo Yonghui began to devote himself to this topic of the "Reason of the Three Realms" day and night, but it was not easy to follow the breadth of his thoughts, because to follow the enlightenment of Mu Xin is to follow the breadth of his thoughts. However, there was also a vague realization along the way, that the process of pursuing it had meaning in itself.

The three substances are not the three substances of the Three Substances Test, and heaven, earth, and phosphorus are analogies for something else. No, it's a metaphor for a phenomenon rather than a thing. The meaning of heaven is not simply the sky. I didn't even go to the Five Hundred Thousand Niang competition to think about it. Unaware of the commotion, Mo Yonghui remained in the Heavenly Pavilion and continued to cultivate. And now, finally!

"Hah, should I just give up?"

I had a feeling.

No matter how much I thought about it, it was just a fog, and nothing clicked. The light bulb moment, the one that puts the scattered beads together, never comes. The more I tried to find the answer, the more I clung to the right answer, the more I felt like I was getting further and further away from it.

"It wasn't a nasty riddle……. I barely had time to talk to Silver Sojae properly, and my friends were nowhere to be found……."

It was like bullying. I felt like I was alone and isolated on a remote island. I felt like I was on a deserted island, alone. I needed to take the time to explain, in detail, what had happened at the well. I wasn't sure what I would say or how I would say it to undo being called an idiot, but I knew I had to have the conversation again.

I had heard it before in stories. When explaining an important martial art element or concept, sometimes the teaching is presented in the form of a riddle or topic, as in this case.

"No way, I never thought I'd be one of them."

The reason for this complicated process was to maintain the secrecy of the ritual, but also as a touchstone to test the talent of the transmitters.

The judgment behind this was that if one could not realize such a topic, it would be impossible to acquire the entirety of the Five Elements through teaching. This meant that it was better to stop teaching midway than to never teach at all.

"Am I being tested again……."

Failure to pass this test would mean that he was not worthy to continue Mu Xin's progression. This meant that this was his last chance to surpass his grandfather's test. But he also realized that he could only go so far on his own.

"Haha, I wish I had a friend to talk to at times like this……. I don't understand why Ryuyeon's face comes to mind. Even if we discussed it, I'm sure he'd ask me to pay upfront…… Huh? Ryuyeon?"

For some reason, the image of Bi Ryuyeon in front of him was very clear. No matter how you look at it, it wasn't an illusion.

"The real Ryuyeon?"

The figure of Bi Ryuyeon appeared in front of him and spoke.

"No, you're hallucinating, you've been thinking too much lately and you're seeing things."

"Fake?"

"Fake, I don't like the sound of that. Tell me it's a kind of dependent hallucination caused by mind-body disengagement. Why, you know, when you want something badly enough, it feels like it's there when it's not."

"What am I desperate for? I'm not really desperate for you……."

Then Bi Ryuyeon's figure said.

"It's all about the desire to pay off the debt, of course."

At that, Mo Yonghui was silent for a moment, then spoke up.

"You're real, you're really Ryuyeon."

After all, there was no other human being in the world who was so money-obsessed and shameless.

"What are you talking about, Whee? Of course it's real."

He had already forgotten that he had said earlier that it was an illusion. After all, that brazenness and the unrivaled thickness of his hide were unmistakable.

"What about here?"

Mo Yonghui, who had asked the question, stiffened before he heard the answer.

"What is this energy?

Mo Yonghui was frightened inside. There was a cold chill that sent goosebumps all over his body, freezing him to the bottom of his consciousness.

"No way, this is Ryuyeon's energy?

When had he ever given off such a strange aura before? Glancing over, Bi Ryuyeon's expression was devoid of any emotion. No anger, no regret, no joy, no sadness, none of it could be felt in him now. It was as if all emotion had been drained out of him.

"It's like an empty shell.

But what does this mean? Is this really her? Is this the same person who has such a stunned look on her face? Is it okay to admit that this is her? Where is the friend who was joking with herself a moment ago? What is this person who seems to have been wearing a mask forcibly? This is not her at all.

"What happened?"

After a long moment of silence, Bi Ryuyeon's mouth opened heavily.

"It's time to pay off the debt, my friend."

"What do you mean, out of the blue? You're always out of the blue……."

"Yerin has been kidnapped."

Mo Yonghui was left speechless, but what came next surprised him even more.

"I need help, Whee."