Jeok Wigang grinned at the heartfelt thanks.
“It was nothing. Thanks to your help, Abbess, I was able to deal with everything before it was too late. The peace of the martial world has been preserved because of you, so I should be the one thanking you.”
Abbess Unjeong marveled at Jeok Wigang’s character.
To think they had accused a man like this of being a lecher.
She was so ashamed and remorseful that she could hardly lift her head.
Even so, she had to apologize.
“As for my disciples calling their benefactor a lecher...”
“It’s fine. I hit them too, so let’s call it even.”
“Would you stop by the Emei Sect before you leave? I would like to offer you a cup of tea.”
“No, thank you. If I go there, it will probably cause another uproar.”
“Even so, I cannot simply let our benefactor leave like this. I will not tolerate anyone treating you disrespectfully. Please stay for at least a cup of tea before you go. I am simply so grateful that I wish to offer you something.”
Jeok Wigang scratched his chin at Abbess Unjeong’s earnest plea.
“Very well. Then I’ll impose on you for a while.”
“Impose? Please do not say such a thing. The Emei Sect will always welcome its benefactor.”
“Will the other disciples really feel the same way?”
“I will make certain they do.”
Abbess Unjeong had her reasons for insisting that Jeok Wigang accompany her.
She wanted them to know.
She wanted them to see what he had done for the Emei Sect.
And she wanted every one of them to offer Jeok Wigang a sincere apology.
She hoped the wounds they had inflicted on him might heal, even if only a little.
Should any disciple dare treat Jeok Wigang with disrespect again, she would expel them from the sect.
*****
KWA-KWA-KWAAANG—!
An explosion rang out as they descended the mountain, and Abbess Unjeong immediately tensed again.
“It seems something still remains.”
Jeok Wigang already knew what had caused the blast, so he merely smiled.
They continued down the mountain with Abbess Unjeong on full alert until the source of the noise came into view in the distance.
Two men were darting around, cutting down something in their path.
Their faces were filled with delight, and one glance was enough to tell that neither looked remotely respectable.
Mount Emei’s vital energy must truly have suffered severe damage.
To think even ruffians like those had barged in and begun running wild.
What in the world were they cutting down?
She looked more closely.
“A-Aren’t those reanimated corpses?”
There were still reanimated corpses left.
A great many of them, at that.
Where had so many come from?
Yet the two men were cutting them down as casually as if they were harvesting bundles of straw.
“Bwahahaha! I’ve already killed twenty! Get ready to call me Elder Brother!”
“It isn’t over yet! Hah! Raging Wind Wave-Thunder!”
CRAAACK—
A wave of lightning swept over the reanimated corpses and reduced them to charred husks.
“Heh heh heh. I’ve killed twenty-two.”
“You bastard! Who said you could use an area attack? If that’s allowed, I could wipe out every reanimated corpse on this mountain in one blow!”
“No one said we had to cut them down one at a time.”
“Wasn’t that obvious?”
“Fine, fine. From now on, one at a time.”
“Hmph! I’ll let it slide this once!”
“Heh heh. Much appreciated. Let’s start again!”
They behaved like villains, yet the sight of them clearing away the reanimated corpses made that judgment difficult to maintain.
Even more astonishing was how effortlessly they destroyed them.
Every time they swung their swords, the energy rolling off them made Abbess Unjeong tremble.
Where had monsters like these come from?
She had heard that the martial world was filled with hidden eccentrics and reclusive experts. Apparently, it was true.
The problem was that the energy surrounding them was far from wholesome.
Once they finished cutting down all the reanimated corpses, what would come next?
The Emei Sect might be their next target.
She felt reassured with Jeok Wigang beside her, but what if he were not here?
Her breath caught in her throat.
Only now did she realize just how complacently she had lived until this day.
“Hey! Stop fooling around and finish up already!”
Abbess Unjeong flinched at Jeok Wigang’s shout.
She had hoped to slip past unnoticed, yet Jeok Wigang had gone and provoked them.
“B-Benefactor...”
Now he is going to fight them.
That was what she thought.
“Yes! We’ll finish immediately!”
The terrifying men obeyed without hesitation and eliminated the remaining reanimated corpses in an instant.
They had possessed the power to finish long ago.
They had merely been playing with the corpses.
Would anyone believe her if she told them?
That there were supreme experts who played with reanimated corpses—and someone whom even those experts obeyed?
Abbess Unjeong found herself awed by Jeok Wigang all over again.
And once more, she realized just how much mercy he had shown the Emei Sect.
“Did everything go well?”
“Yeah. I come back after working myself to the bone, and you two are here playing around?”
“My apologies. We dealt with everything elsewhere, then met this bastard here. He provoked me first...”
“No, I only thought... since this was the last place left... we might as well enjoy ourselves a little...”
“You made sure everything else was handled properly, right?”
“Yes!”
“We cleaned it up completely.”
“Good work.”
The two men smiled, clearly pleased by Jeok Wigang’s praise.
They were Ye Yahyeon and Jin Muryang.
“Where are we going now?”
“I was planning to head straight down, but the Abbess offered me tea. Looks like I’ll have to stop by the Emei Sect before leaving.”
Ye Yahyeon and Jin Muryang shook their heads.
“Tea? Not even wine? Ugh. We’ll just stay here.”
Jeok Wigang snorted at their obvious revulsion.
“I figured as much. Go back ahead of me and tell everyone to prepare to leave.”
“Understood.”
The instant he finished speaking, the two vanished.
Abbess Unjeong had not sensed even the slightest trace of their departure.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked,
“How strong are those two?”
“Hmm... Hard to say. They’re both in the Divine Transformation Realm, so I suppose they’re fairly strong.”
“What? Th-The Divine Transformation Realm?”
Jeok Wigang nodded as casually as ever, leaving her in awe.
A man who handled two Divine Transformation Realm martial artists as though they were children.
How fortunate.
How fortunate that such an extraordinary man was not evil.
How fortunate that he was someone who desired peace in the martial world.
*****
As expected, chaos erupted the moment they returned to the parent sect.
The nuns who had awakened after being knocked unconscious glared at Jeok Wigang as though he were their sworn enemy.
Abbess Unjeong thundered at them.
“What do you think you are doing? How dare you look at the benefactor who saved Emei from darkness with such eyes? Stop this instant!”
Everyone stared at her in shock.
“What do you mean? He saved Emei?”
“He was our enemy! Did you not see what he did to the Emei Sect?”
“That happened because you attacked him first. Even after suffering such discourtesy, our benefactor endured it in silence and spared you.”
“That is impossible! Abbess, you have been deceived by that man—”
“Silence!”
RUMBLE— RUMBLE—
HUMMMMM—
Her shout, infused with inner power, forced countless Emei disciples to cover their ears in pain.
It was a display of just how profound Abbess Unjeong’s cultivation truly was.
Even while suffering, the disciples marveled at her tremendous inner power.
Yet they could not understand.
If she was so powerful, why was she defending that man?
Why was he their benefactor?
Abbess Unjeong told them everything that had happened.
The Emei disciples listened with disbelief written across their faces.
“You are all standing here alive and unharmed only because our benefactor restrained himself. Had he truly borne malicious intent, the Emei Sect would have been annihilated today.”
“H-He is truly that strong? I cannot believe it.”
“You cannot believe it? He subdued every one of you without killing a single person. Not one member of the Emei Sect could stop his advance. And you still claim you cannot believe it?”
Now that she mentioned it, that was true.
At the time, they had been too enraged to understand the situation clearly.
But Jeok Wigang had marched straight into the Emei Sect and carried out his purpose without the slightest hesitation.
“What are you all waiting for? Now that you know the truth, apologize to our benefactor at once!”
The disciples hesitantly began to move, but one of them stepped forward.
“I cannot! This is ground forbidden to men! That man undeniably committed the first offense! I will never apologize!”
“Is that so? You will never apologize?”
“Yes!”
“Very well. As of today, you are no longer a disciple of Emei. Pack your belongings and descend the mountain immediately.”
“What?”
“That is an order! What are you waiting for? Someone who is no longer a disciple of Emei is wearing Emei’s robes. Strip them from her and cast her beyond the mountain gate!”
“A-Abbess!”
The nun stared in panic.
“Did you not hear me?”
At that, the other nuns began to move.
Only then did she burst into tears and beg forgiveness, but it was too late.
Abbess Unjeong refused to withdraw her command.
One punishment to warn a hundred.
“If any other disciple still refuses to apologize, step forward.”
No one moved.
“Then apologize to our benefactor with complete sincerity.”
Hundreds of Emei nuns bowed in unison and apologized to Jeok Wigang.
The Emei elders had already been told the truth, so they followed the other disciples without the slightest complaint and offered their apologies as well.
Only when the disciples had properly apologized did a smile appear on Abbess Unjeong’s lips.
Now, even if their benefactor left, she felt she could set down at least part of the burden in her heart.
The debt they owed him was still as vast as a mountain, but she resolved to repay it little by little in the future.
*****
“What are these?”
Several swords lay before Abbess Unjeong and the elders of the Emei Sect.
Jeok Wigang had said he needed to go somewhere for a moment, only to return carrying them.
“I noticed your swords were worn, so I made these as a gift.”
“What? N-No! We already owe you a mountain of gratitude. We cannot accept another favor!”
Abbess Unjeong recoiled and waved her hands frantically.
Jeok Wigang smiled.
“I took special care to ensure that corrupted energy cannot penetrate them. No sinister force should be able to overcome the energy within these swords.”
From that explanation alone, they clearly were no ordinary weapons.
“Try holding one.”
At Jeok Wigang’s urging, Abbess Unjeong hesitated before picking up a sword.
SHIIING—
The blade slid free with a pure, ringing note, gleaming so brightly that it almost hurt to look at.
More than anything, the grip settled so perfectly into her hand that the sword felt like an extension of her own body.
The moment she held it, strength seemed to surge through her entire body.
A sudden urge welled up within her to rush outside and swing the sword to her heart’s content, but she suppressed it through superhuman patience.
Then realization struck her.
He intended to give away a sword of this quality?
Just like that?
The very idea was absurd.
She sheathed the blade and returned it to Jeok Wigang.
She wanted it desperately, but as a Buddhist nun, she could not permit herself such greed.
Abbess Unjeong resolved to perform three thousand prostrations that night to rid herself of the desire.
Wait.
Had he not said that he had made these swords?
No.
Surely not.
She must have misheard.
Abbess Unjeong asked,
“Surely... you did not make this yourself, Benefactor?”
“I did. It’s a modest hobby of mine.”
“What? A hobby? Y-You made a masterwork sword like this as a hobby?”
“It’s nothing remarkable.”
Nothing remarkable?
This sword was so extraordinary that even she, who had lived her entire life without greed, found herself consumed by desire for it.
Just what was this man incapable of?
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