Book 6 Chapter 28

Chasing a Fate for Thirty Thousand Li

'What could possibly be down here?'

Bilyeon muttered to himself, gazing at the bottom of the sheer, cliff-like rocks shrouded in thick fog.

'Could a fate truly exist in a place like this?'

For a sect as colossal and steeped in history as the Wudang Sect, one of the two major pillars of the Nine Great Sects, it was natural for tales of hidden treasures and secret martial arts manuals, passed down through generations, to number more than ten. Though he hadn't counted, he suspected there were at least forty.

Even focusing solely on the Shaolin Temple, there were over thirty transmissions concerning how one could gain a fortune and even become a master if fate allowed. And if you added the minor transmissions, the number reached into the hundreds.

In truth, for these sects rich in history, stories of secret arts, legendary swords, or martial arts manuals secretly hidden away by some eccentric old masters were not particularly extraordinary.

Of course, none of it had been confirmed. However, due to past precedents, they couldn't be dismissed as pure fabrications. Strangely, about once every fifty years, someone would emerge who had stumbled upon a predecessor's fate.

Therefore, it was a situation where they couldn't say it didn't exist, nor could they say it was commonplace. It seemed that fate truly only reached those destined for it. After all, didn't Junho Yun inadvertently stumble upon a fate? Though, admittedly, he couldn't properly utilize it.

"If Junho found one, there's no reason I can't!"

After all, meat is best when chewed, and treasures are best when found. On his way to Mount Wudang, Bilyeon had been thoroughly briefed by Hyunyun about the legends surrounding treasures on Mount Wudang. He could say he had come with the intention of finding a treasure. It was a rather absurd, and perhaps even reckless, endeavor.

'If I could sell even one martial arts manual, it would fetch a fortune!'

Bilyeon had only one reason for seeking a fate. He didn't need the profound insights of a past master to become a peak expert. What he wanted was a treasure he could sell for money. Of course, martial arts manuals could also be traded for astronomical sums, making them worth seeking.

It was a thought characteristic of Bilyeon, who had no interest in the contents of martial arts manuals left by others. His heart burned with a sense of duty, believing that treasures and martial arts manuals that incited greed should be disposed of, even at the cost of one's life.

Indeed, if one were to pick the most famous places in the Wudang Sect today, it would be the legends, or near-legends, surrounding the Tai Chi Cave of Zisobong and the Tai Chi Cliff of Yundaebong. The reason was simple: they had an aura that suggested something might be hidden there.

The very place Bilyeon was standing was the edge of the cliff called Tai Chi Cliff.

It was a sheer cliff located on Yundaebong, one of the five peaks surrounding Zisobong. Its grand and rugged appearance, coupled with the sense that something was hidden within, stirred everyone's curiosity. It was also the perfect place to hide something.

However, it was not a place easily accessible to outsiders.

"Shall I go then?"

With firm resolve, Bilyeon flung himself towards the sheer cliff. Immediately, Bilyeon's figure vanished into the clouds and mist.

Bilyeon was a man who always lacked fear.

Bilyeon was the kind of person who would achieve anything he set his mind to, by any means necessary. And once he decided on something, he never looked back or regretted it.

He was always confident.

"Gasp! Has that guy lost the will to live? Suddenly jumping to his death? This is too sudden!"

Heisang, the leader of squad 3 of the Assassin Corps belonging to the Dark Soul Flying Shadow Squad, who was watching Bilyeon from afar, exclaimed in shock.

"He doesn't look like someone who'd commit suicide," replied one of his subordinates.

"Right?"

His actions were too confident for someone intending to commit suicide.

"Let's follow him!"

"How?"

His subordinate countered.

"Damn it!"

*Clack!*

Heisang smacked the head of the subordinate who asked him an unpleasant question. Asking a superior a question that they couldn't readily answer was a grave act of disloyalty. Such a fellow deserved a beating…

"Stop talking and follow me!"

Heisang began to earnestly ponder how to descend the sheer cliff.

"Huh? What is this?"

Unexpectedly, below Tai Chi Cliff was not a gorge, but a seemingly ordinary plain. Trees grew densely everywhere, but this did not change the fact that it was flat ground.

'A wild goose chase?'

He looked around as he descended the cliff, but he couldn't find any holes or caves, even if he scoured the place with a magnifying glass. In fact, expecting to find a fate with just one search was rather shameless.

The world wasn't so easy that one could gain a fate simply by jumping off a cliff once.

Just then, for no apparent reason, a fragrant scent of unknown origin wafted into Bilyeon's nostrils. It stimulated his appetite, and it was clearly the smell of human cooking.

"Huh? What's that smell?"

Bilyeon's sense of smell began to track the savory aroma.

Even in this seemingly deserted place, there were people.

It was a grandfather with a powerful beard, roasting an entire piece of meat over a crackling bonfire.

The venison sizzling and rotating in the flames was the source of the savory scent that had been fiercely stimulating Bilyeon's sense of smell.

'Hmm? A Taoist?'

However, there was something strange. The old man's attire, from top to bottom, left to right, was unmistakably that of a Taoist robe.

A Taoist roasting an entire animal… what a peculiar sight.

But Bilyeon paid no mind to such things and approached the old man. He was generally of the mind that as long as it didn't benefit him, he wouldn't interfere with a Taoist roasting meat or a monk engaging in illicit affairs.

In front of the old Taoist, a pile of smoked bones from an animal presumed to have once been classified as a deer was stacked high. However, the wild boar sizzling and cooking over the furiously burning flames had all its limbs intact and no missing flesh.

How could this be?

Bilyeon soon realized that the old Taoist (though it was highly questionable whether he could be called a Taoist) was on his second round of feasting.

"Ack."

As Bilyeon approached the old Taoist, he suddenly clutched his chest and groaned.

"Are you unwell?"

The old Taoist, who had been engrossed in his cooking and seemed uninterested in worldly matters, looked up at Bilyeon.

"Yes…! My stomach is suddenly crying out for food."

"Is it your stomach, not your heart? You're an unusual young man."

"I'm an extremely normal young man."

Before Bilyeon even finished speaking, he subtly settled himself by the bonfire. The fragrant scent wafted into his nostrils, bringing a sense of happiness from the depths of his heart.

"Wow! Your skills are quite remarkable! It can't be easy to control the heat to this degree. Especially with venison, which can have a strong gamey smell when grilled, requiring careful attention. Judging by the aroma, the seasoning is also precise! You're excellent."

The old Taoist looked at Bilyeon with surprise, as if seeing him anew.

"You have a good eye!"

It was a sincere compliment from the old Taoist. Bilyeon glanced at the pile of bones beside the old Taoist and remarked,

"Wow! Old man, you have a big stomach. Not one, but two! I'm worried you might get indigestion."

His tone was subtly filled with concern. It was a remark implying that he should stop eating and pass the food to a healthy young man.

"Hohoho! Do you know what it's called when you worry about pointless things? You are thoughtful towards this old Taoist, but there is no need for your concern!"

The old Taoist, understanding Bilyeon's intention, chuckled and said,

"Would you like to try some? Meat is best eaten whole and hot!"

As he was hungry, there was no reason to refuse. Besides, it was free, so why decline! Bilyeon quickly scooted closer to the fire.

"Wow! Grandpa, you really know what you're doing. I can tell at a glance that this isn't your first time. You're clearly a repeat offender, aren't you?"

The old Taoist burst into hearty laughter. It was the kind of laughter only someone genuinely enjoying themselves could produce.

"Hohoho! Yes, that's right. This old Taoist is known as the 'Gourmet Taoist' in the sect! Is that strange?"

Bilyeon shook his head.

"No! It's an excellent hobby. But it's a shame there's no alcohol. Did you forget to prepare it?"

The old Taoist smiled faintly at Bilyeon's sharp observation.

"Hohoho! To feast on meat without wine by one's side would be a sin! Are you accusing this old man of committing such a grave offense?"

He meant that wine was of course prepared, so there was no need for unnecessary worry. He was a Taoist with a strong spirit of preparedness.

"Ah, and what about the hide, the antlers, and the liver? What did you do with them? I doubt you would do something foolish like throw them away or discard them."

The old Taoist, Zhenchenzi, exclaimed in admiration at Bilyeon's incisive question.

"You're thorough, aren't you? Excellent, truly excellent!"

Though Bilyeon wasn't sure what was so excellent, the old Taoist, repeating the word "excellent," pointed to a wine bottle placed to the side with his finger.

"Do you think that wine bottle fell from the sky?"

"Hmm…, so you brought that as payment for selling the hide and other items?"

Bilyeon, being shrewd, quickly understood.

"Yes, yes! At my age, I can't ask the younger ones to buy me alcohol. I have my dignity as a senior figure… If the younger ones knew, they'd be appalled!"

The old Taoist said with a tone of great regret. It was an unthinkable matter for a senior figure of the Grand Wudang Sect to spend public funds on alcohol. Therefore, the old Taoist must have mastered this method of self-sufficiency decades ago.

"And you're a Taoist! But your skills are quite remarkable. It's evident that this isn't your first time doing this."

"Hohoho! You noticed? Even thievery improves with practice. I've peeled the hide and stored it neatly over there."

The old Taoist showed no signs of shame; instead, he puffed out his chest as if proud. Facing him, Bilyeon found it utterly absurd.

It was only because Bilyeon was Bilyeon that he could remain indifferent to such matters.

Bilyeon never rashly judged anything as good or evil. He simply eliminated whatever stood in his way, regardless of whether it was good or evil.