For the past two days, I had washed well, eaten well, and slept well.
Tang So-wol said she had sent a letter to the Tang Clan, but considering the distance from here, it would take at least a few more days no matter how fast it traveled.
So I had gotten up early, planning to look around the Zhongnan Sect and take care of the friendly sparring match I'd been offered the other day.
"Young hero, you're awake?"
"?"
She definitely had her own room, yet Tang So-wol had come into mine as naturally as if it were her own.
No matter how much we were engaged, I couldn't help but wonder if it was really okay for her to just waltz in like that when this was still an outsider man's room.
"What are your plans for today? If you intend to laze about like you did the past two days, I brought along something fun…"
"No. Today I plan to look around the area and stop by the training ground. I have an agreement with the Flowing Cloud Sword Immortal."
"…"
Tang So-wol, who had been about to pull out a set of Golpae tiles from her bosom, quietly tucked them back in. I couldn't help but chuckle at her sullen expression.
"But I should have some free time tonight. Would you like to play a round then?"
"Yes! I'd be happy to join you."
Tang So-wol's face lit up, and she began humming a faint tune. She really was an easy person to read.
I stretched my arms out wide, loosening my body that had stiffened overnight, and rose from my seat.
Tang So-wol stared at me blankly with a still-cheerful expression. When I tilted my head as if to ask why she was looking at me, I went ahead and loosened the front of my robes halfway.
"I'm about to change clothes now… are you planning to stay there?"
"Eep! I-I was just about to leave!"
Tang So-wol's face flushed red as she scurried out hastily. Chuckling at her urgent retreating figure, I changed into clean clothes.
Only after I'd tidied up the bedding did I step outside, where the Vice-Captain of the Poison Blood Squad stood silently as always, with Tang So-wol hiding behind her.
No matter how slender Tang So-wol was, how could a grown adult possibly hide behind someone else?
Pretending not to notice the hair sticking out from behind the Vice-Captain or the martial robes that bulged conspicuously, I spoke.
"Good morning, Vice-Captain. Anything unusual happen last night?"
"Yes. The young lady stayed up late practicing how to cheat at Golpae all day, but aside from that, nothing unusual happened."
"What?"
Good heavens. When she said it was something fun, I thought she meant we'd all play Golpae together. I never imagined it was fun for her alone.
When I narrowed my eyes and glared at her, Tang So-wol flinched and started patting the Vice-Captain's back.
"Why would you tell the young hero Cheon that! And how would you know, since we're in different rooms?!"
"Aren't you in the room right next door? I could hear you muttering to yourself all alone."
"…Did I really talk to myself that much?"
"Not usually, but last night you did more than usual. You must have been a little excited. I never imagined you'd already be practicing ways to taunt people after winning the bet."
"Eek! You don't have to answer that far!"
By now, Tang So-wol was patting the vice-captain's shoulder repeatedly, trying to quiet him down, but at this point, with her blushing this hard, it was practically a confession already.
He shrugged his shoulders and asked.
"Did you want to beat me that badly?"
"…Well, I suppose so."
"Good. If the field doesn't matter, then there's one thing I'll never lose to you, Tang So-wol."
"And what would that be?"
He extended one hand to Tang So-wol, who was peeking out from behind the vice-captain's back.
"Do you know that I actually can't stand the embarrassment of holding hands?"
"Pardon?"
"I plan to look around the Zhongnan Sect's grounds from now on, and I'm quite worried about what might happen if someone grabs my hand."
"…"
Tang So-wol, who had been alternating her gaze between my hand and my face, broke into a gentle smile and placed her hand on top of mine. Then she even laced her fingers through mine so I couldn't pull away.
"Wait. Thinking about walking around like this is actually a bit embarrassing."
"That's exactly what I intended. So, do you feel a bit of the dignity of an older woman now?"
"…A little."
I nodded, and Tang So-wol, looking immensely proud, took the lead and pulled me along.
"Then let's set off now. I've met a few martial artists from the Zhongnan Sect when I was young, but this is my first time coming this deep into their grounds, so I'm a bit excited."
"I was thinking of following the route the pilgrims take first. What do you think?"
"Hmm. That sounds safe and fine."
Mount Zhongnan had been a sacred site of Taoism for a long time, so there were many famous places there, and the Zhongnan Sect had absorbed them all and used them as a source of income.
Thanks to that, I could see many things that were hard to see outside, and the most eye-catching among them was, of course, the ancestral rites.
Lighting candles and burning talismans on them. A sight reminiscent of the art of talisman incantations, which had now almost faded into obscurity.
If it had been done by an ordinary Taoist, I would have just passed it off as a quack trying to make some money with a scam… but this was a rite hosted by none other than the Zhongnan Sect.
It is an orthodox Taoist sect that, along with Huashan, carries on the legacy of the Quanzhen Sect, and it is famous for keeping its distance from the Jwa Do Bang — so perhaps the rite really does have some effect.
But.
"It seems there's no effect at all."
"Yes. That's how it looks to my eyes as well."
The flow of qi, or so they said. Even if not that, there was no noticeable change whatsoever.
Of course, it might just be that only our eyes saw it that way — perhaps there was some profound principle at work, and the rite truly did bring fortune and ward off misfortune.
But judging by what we saw now, I couldn't tell what kind of change it was supposed to bring.
As we tilted our heads side by side, a familiar voice came from behind us.
"It can't be helped. The Zhongnan Sect — no, countless Taoist sects — have tried to carry on the true lineage of Taoism, but in the end, all that remains is martial arts. There's a reason for that."
"…Elder Sam?"
"I'm here too, you brat."
Turning around, I saw Third Elder shaking his head, and Gwiyeong Sin-tu, who was now leaning on a proper cane this time.
"You two seem to get along well."
"Get along? I still have plenty of grievances with this thief."
"This guy, really. Who was it that said he had so many grievances he couldn't resolve them all before his lifespan ran out, so he'd just let some go? And now you talk like that."
"Hmph! I don't recall that."
These two would rank within the top five if everyone gathered at the Zhongnan Sect were lined up by age, yet here they were bickering like ten-year-old children.
Well. Whatever the case, it seemed they had made up, so that was a good thing.
I let out a dry laugh that came on its own and asked.
"By the way, Elder Sam. What did you mean when you said the Daoist branch has nothing left but martial arts?"
"Exactly what I said. Do you happen to know anything about the Maoshan Sect?"
"I've heard of it. Isn't it the sect that primarily used the art of commanding puppets?"
"Then do you know why the Maoshan Sect was exterminated?"
"It's because their puppet arts were weaker than martial arts, I suppose."
"No, it's not that the puppet arts were weak—it's that no one remained who knew how to use them well."
For a similar reason, the Jinzhou Eon Clan lost their Corpse Puppetry Arts and now survive as a martial family with only their fist techniques, Elder Sam explained.
According to his account, among the Maoshan Sect's past masters there had been Taoists who could overturn the earth with a single talisman, summon rain, and raise great flames.
But the number of such Taoists steadily dwindled, and at some point, no one worthy of being called a master emerged anymore.
And so, despite possessing such remarkable sorcery, with no one left who could wield it, the sect slowly withered and died.
"At one time, the Maoshan Sect's name was even listed among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang. I only heard this from my own master, so I didn't experience that era firsthand… but what matters here is that this phenomenon wasn't limited to the Maoshan Sect alone."
The Maoshan Sect was merely the last to survive; before it, many other sorcery-focused sects had declined and vanished into history, Elder Sam said.
In other words, in the past, puppet arts and sorcery—not martial arts—were likely the mainstream of the Taoist sects.
"That is precisely why the Quanzhen Sect was founded. Even though the divine powers that the Taoist masters of old tales wielded had degenerated into sorcery and formations, there were those who could not give up on the pursuit of becoming an immortal."
What they focused on was Lü Dongbin, the last one to ascend.
He had built his Dao with a single sword, rising to the realm of the Sword Immortal, and they decided to follow in his footsteps.
Thus, the Quanzhen Sect discarded the talisman arts and incantations that the old Taoists had clung to. Except for a few that remained as tradition, they chose to focus on martial arts.
Of course, judging by the fact that Lü Dongbin was still the last to ascend, it seemed they had all failed.
"That is also why most of the Taoist sects' martial arts originated from the Quanzhen Sect. They were the first to try to embody the Dao through martial arts, so it was only natural that they would be influenced by them."
"What I find hard to believe is the part about ascending to immortality and actually becoming a god. I had always thought it was just a euphemism for dying of old age…"
"Heh heh. I won't deny that. After all, this story goes back to a distant past that even my master's master's master would not have reached. Whether it is true or not is something no one in this era can know. Perhaps that is why many Taoist sects have grown closer to the secular world."
Elder Jeon Il-bi, who had spoken up to that point, looked up at the sky through narrowed eyes.
"…Still, I want to believe it is true. If not, the life I have lived bearing the name of a Taoist until now would be far too hollow."
Perhaps it was because he was one of the oldest Taoists alive at this point. A certain gravity could be felt in his final words.
"Well, look at me, I've gone on for too long. This is why old age is troublesome. When I get the chance to converse with the young, I get excited and end up rambling about useless things. Now, where were we?"
"We were discussing whether such ancestral rites actually hold any effect."
"Ah, right. What I meant to say is this. In the past, they may have truly been effective, but in this era, they may have lost their power. However, that does not mean they are entirely without meaning."
"Why is that?"
"Because the fact that they bring comfort to those who earnestly seek it does not change."
With that, he gave a playful shrug of his shoulders and added.
"Above all, it's a great help in running the Zhongnan Sect."
"…"
I suppose he's referring to the donations they give. No matter how secular their tendencies, a Taoist is still a Taoist.
Just as the great clans do, they can't run a full-fledged merchant caravan, nor can they openly extort protection money like those Unorthodox Sects, so the sacrificial fees under the name of donations must be important to them.
The Zhongnan Sect, which prides itself on being a sword sect, must have financial reasons occupying a considerable share of why they still maintain these ancestral rites.
Afterwards, guided by the Third Elder, who was bored, I was able to look around the facilities where the Zhongnan disciples, not the visitors, live.
However, one question filled my mind so completely that I couldn't concentrate at all.
If truly powerful sorcery had existed in the distant past, and those who reached that level could become immortals.
Then perhaps turning back time was not entirely impossible either.
Maybe my regression was not a random accident, but someone's design.
How many times did I wander here and there, carrying a question with no answer?
The last place we headed to was the training ground.
"Ah."
The moment I thought of a sparring match, the tangled mess in my head cleared.
Whatever the principle behind my regression, in the end, the only thing I could do was wield my blade.
And here, there were plenty of people wielding swords I had never seen before.