Chapter 213: The Nanny of the Wolf Fang Squad (3)
It took only two days to reach their destination.
At a small temple atop Mount Guanxian.
So-mu was discussing the strategy with the elders of the Murim Alliance.
“Since the border patrol of the State of Hui has likely detected our movements, news will reach the army of Wanyan Hui stationed in Luoyang in two days.”
So-mu’s words meant they had to wrap everything up and withdraw within two days.
It was impossible for a force of over three hundred to cross the border while evading the enemy’s eyes. Unless every single one of them possessed the movement techniques of the Realm of Transformed Qi, it was an expected challenge.
“We must hurry. In two days, a dragnet of heaven and earth will be cast over this place.”
The speaker was Abbess Jin-jeong, the sect leader of Emei and the foremost female master of the orthodox path.
At that moment, Abbot Jeong-myeong clasped his hands and replied,
“Amitabha. The disciples sent for scouting should return shortly. Let us wait a little longer.”
They had sent Shaolin disciples who were familiar with the local geography to scout the area.
After about fifteen minutes of tense silence, Gwang-hye, a first-generation disciple of Shaolin, entered the temple to report. His expression was grim.
Abbot Jeong-myeong asked urgently,
“What is the situation?”
Gwang-hye replied with a trembling voice,
“All the areas, from the nearby villages to Yeongtae Temple, have been utterly devastated. Not a single person, young or old, was left alive.”
In the vicinity of Shaolin Temple, there were over a hundred martial arts schools. Although most of them were mediocre schools that couldn’t even be considered third-class, Shaolin would select talented children from them each year to formally induct them into the sect.
Abbot Jeong-myeong was too shocked to speak.
So-mu, who had been watching quietly, asked,
“How far did you scout?”
“Yeongtae Temple was the limit. The cultists were deployed at the entrance of Mount Song, so we couldn’t get any closer. Just from what we could see, their numbers easily exceeded three thousand.”
Yeongtae Temple was a temple located about a fifteen-minute lightfoot dash from the entrance of Shaolin Temple.
The fact that they were still surrounding the entrance meant the reinforcements were not too late.
It was just as expected.
So-mu’s expression grew slightly darker.
“It seems they are determined.”
Elder Mu-jin, the number one sword of the Wudang Sect, said with a solemn look,
“Although the enemy is numerous, we are elites. If we coordinate with the monks inside the temple and attack the cultists from both inside and outside simultaneously, we might have a chance of victory.”
So-mu immediately shook his head.
It would be difficult to coordinate with the inside of Shaolin, and the proposal was simply unrealistic.
Unlike the government soldiers, the martial artists of the Murim Alliance had almost no experience in large-scale battles. Perhaps because of this, they lacked understanding of group tactics.
“Using the Shaolin monks as bait to lure us in means they are confident. It won’t be easy.”
“Then what other way is there?”
After a brief pause, So-mu asked Abbot Jeong-myeong,
“Is there no other way to enter Shaolin Temple?”
He asked just in case. It was widely known that there was only one path leading up to Shaolin Temple.
Jeong-myeong nodded without hesitation.
“There is indeed only one path. However…”
“However?”
“There is one way to enter through a pathless area.”
So-mu’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Please tell me in detail.”
Judging by his hesitation, it seemed to be a difficult path. But they were in no position to be picky.
“There is a way to enter by going through the Southern Heavenly Gate of Mount Song and passing through the Samhwang Lodge. To do so, one must climb a sheer, vertical cliff.”
“How high is it?”
“I cannot measure it precisely, but the peak reaches the clouds.”
Everyone thought it was unrealistic.
Even for first-class masters, it would be no easy feat. But So-mu nodded immediately.
“Not everyone needs to climb it.”
“What method are you thinking of?”
“We cannot win this fight by force. Therefore, our government forces will climb up there, contact the monks, lower ropes down the cliff, and help everyone descend.”
“Evacuating everyone will take a considerable amount of time. If the Neo-Demonic Cult notices in the meantime, a catastrophe will be unavoidable.”
So-mu was well aware of that.
“The Murim Alliance will have to attack the Neo-Demonic Cult to buy time.”
“With just us… you mean?”
The elders of the Murim Alliance looked dumbfounded.
To summarize, while the government forces helped the monks escape, the three hundred martial artists would act as a death squad to buy time.
If things went wrong, they could lose all the promising young disciples selected from each sect.
However, their anxiety was immediately eased by So-mu’s next words.
“I will move together with you.”
Although he was currently the Great General of the State of So, the Murim elders knew that he was a legendary master in the past. If he was joining them, they had no complaints.
“Amitabha. May the blessings and mercy of the Buddha be with us.”
Mu-jin and Abbess Jin-jeong also nodded in agreement.
“Though the cultists are many, we will hold out as long as possible.”
“Let us do so.”
It seemed like a plausible plan, but the situation was far from easy. What they could see was not everything.
At that moment, someone entered the temple.
A woman walked in with a graceful, alluring stride.
As Yeon Seo-hwa appeared, the air in the room froze once again.
Paying no mind to the members of the Murim Alliance, she spoke directly to So-mu.
“It was just as expected.”
Only So-mu could understand her meaning, as she had gone to scout a distant area at his request.
“So the military of the State of Hui was indeed deployed?”
Instead of answering, Seo-hwa opened her right hand. The map she had been holding flew across the room and landed neatly on the table.
“Roughly five thousand soldiers per dot.”
A picture was worth a thousand words. Checking the map, So-mu and the Murim elders could not hide their shock.
Dozens of black dots were marked on the map. They indicated the positions where the Hui troops were stationed. They had completely surrounded Mount Song within a fifty-li radius.
Elder Mu-jin muttered with a dazed face,
“The situation is far more difficult than we thought.”
Not only did they have to hold out against the Neo-Demonic Cult, but they also had to evade tens of thousands of government troops while moving to the ferry.
Even so, they couldn’t just back down now. Abbot Jeong-myeong concluded the meeting.
“We won’t know until we try. There is no need to hesitate any longer.”
So-mu nodded in agreement.
“Time is not on our side, so it is best to move as quickly as possible.”
After discussing a few more details, the meeting was adjourned.
Leaving the temple, So-mu walked toward the Wolf Fang Squad with Seo-hwa.
After explaining the operation details, he asked quietly,
“Will you be okay?”
“Hmph. You’re asking your wife to climb a sheer cliff, and you ask if I’ll be okay?”
“Still, it’s better than clashing swords with the cultists at the entrance, isn’t it?”
“I’d rather do that.”
So-mu smiled and said affectionately,
“I’m asking because I don’t know what variables might arise inside the temple. I’d be anxious just sending the squad members. The only person I can truly trust is my dear Seo-hwa.”
“You certainly have a silver tongue.”
“Haha, at least my words are good.”
While they shared a warm conversation, they reached their destination.
The twenty members of the Wolf Fang Squad were resting, leaning against trees or sitting on rocks.
“All right, gather up.”
At So-mu’s single command, the squad members stood up and gathered in an instant.
For about seven minutes, he explained the details of the operation, instructing them to enter Shaolin Temple under Seo-hwa’s command.
After finishing the explanation, he bid farewell to his wife.
“I will begin the diversionary attack with the Murim Alliance when it gets dark. We won’t be able to hold out for more than four hours at most, so you must get everyone out before then.”
Nodding, Seo-hwa leaned in and whispered in So-mu’s ear,
“If you come back hurt, you’re dead.”
“Yes. You be careful too, my dear…”
With those words, So-mu turned and vanished. Since he had a lot to prepare, he had no time to spare.
Seo-hwa had no reason to linger either. She narrowed her eyes, swept her gaze over the squad members, and asked,
“Shall we depart?”
At her words, the squad members stood straight and shouted in unison,
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Understood, sister-in-law!”
“Let’s go, elder sister!”
Their titles for her were all over the place. Since they hadn’t agreed on what to call her, it was only natural.
Embarrassed, the squad members looked at one another. No matter what they called her, it felt awkward.
One of the squad members asked with a red face,
“Uh… what should we call you?”
The title didn’t matter to her. She stepped forward and muttered,
“Call me whatever you want. But if anyone tries to act equal to me, I’ll snap your neck.”
The squad members shut their mouths tightly. Seeing her expressionless face as she said this, they realized she might actually do it.
Seo-hwa and the Wolf Fang Squad took a detour and dashed toward the Southern Heavenly Gate of Mount Song.
They chose a rugged path to avoid the enemy’s surveillance, but the dense trees and steep mountain paths were no obstacle to them.
After running for about fifteen minutes using lightfoot techniques, the members of the Wolf Fang Squad gasped in shock.
A sheer cliff towered vertically before them, stretching endlessly into the sky. It was so high that it gave the illusion of reaching the heavens.
Cheol-du of the Wolf Fang Squad asked with a dumbfounded look,
“Surely you don’t mean we have to climb up there?”
Seo-hwa gestured toward the cliff as if it were obvious.
“Yes, that’s right. So get climbing. We don’t have time.”
Stunned, the squad members flinched in unison.
It was a height where a fall would mean certain death, even for them.
Just then, two squad members stepped forward. They were Hyeon-jeong and Cheong-hae, who were originally from the Mount Hua Sect. Both held the rank of centurion and were the most skilled members of the Wolf Fang Squad.
“We will go up first.”
“Follow us closely, everyone.”
After taking a moment to catch their breath, the two began to scale the cliff face.
Since they utilized their internal energy, clinging to the cliff was not a problem as long as there was even a tiny crevice for their fingers.
Gaining courage from their actions, the other squad members began to cling to the cliff face one by one.
Watching them with a bored expression, Seo-hwa was the last to climb.
‘Sigh. To think I have to do this.’
She sighed, but she had no choice since it was for her husband.
Including her, there were twenty-one people scaling the cliff.
Though it looked daunting from below, once they started climbing, none of the squad members struggled.
The problem arose when they began to lose their strength.
Past the halfway point, some of the squad members started to run out of stamina.
“Brothers, what do I do? I can’t hold on any longer…”
It was Song-hwa, the youngest of the squad.
Someone next to him shouted through gritted teeth,
“We’re almost there, so grit your teeth and hang on!”
Just as Song-hwa was about to reply, the crevice he was gripping crumbled.
“Aaaah!”
The squad members clinging to the cliff watched in horror as Song-hwa fell.
His face pale, he flailed his arms in the air.
Just as everyone despaired, imagining his death, a slender hand reached out like a flash of lightning and grabbed his wrist.
Grab!
“Stop flailing around and climb up. You’re being noisy.”
The person who had grabbed Song-hwa’s wrist was Yeon Seo-hwa.
Having his life saved by her, Song-hwa’s eyes welled with tears of gratitude.
“T-Thank you, sister…”
His gratitude was short-lived. Song-hwa suddenly felt an ominous sensation. Before he could speak, Seo-hwa’s movement was a step faster.
She swung his wrist two or three times and flung him high into the air.
Tossed like a spring by her immense internal energy, Song-hwa soared upward, looking down at the distant ground. The dizzying sight made him scream instinctively.
“Aaaaack!”
After flailing for a while, Song-hwa stopped ascending as his momentum died. At that moment, he instinctively drew his sword from his back and stabbed it into the cliff.
Thud!
It was a position not far from the top. Somehow, he had ended up at the very front of the Wolf Fang Squad.
While he was smiling in relief, another squad member screamed from somewhere.
“Aaaaack!”
Someone else had fallen. Since he was on the far left of the column, there was no one nearby to help him.
Except for one person.
Seo-hwa, who was climbing at the very bottom, sighed and reached out her left hand. Two strands of Thousand-Silk Thread shot out from her sleeve like spiderwebs.
Whoosh!
The Thousand-Silk Thread infused with her internal energy wrapped around the falling squad member like a cocoon. She swung him back and forth like a swing a few times before flinging him high into the sky.
“Aaaaack!”
Watching the retreating back of the squad member soaring upward like an exploding volcano, Seo-hwa let out a deep sigh. She now understood the hidden motive behind So-mu sending her here.
‘Damn it. In the end, I was just the nanny.’