The morning after the fifth day.
The murmur of voices filled the air as people gathered.
Most wore pale blue martial robes, the symbol of Wudang, encircling something on the ground as if trying to confirm what they were seeing.
Shockingly, what they surrounded was a corpse.
The body belonged to none other than Ji Cheol, the Dragon Medicine Sword, a promising disciple poised to lead Wudang in the future.
His lifeless body lay cold, with Yu Baek, the Sword of the Shining Star, silently gazing down at it.
Ji Cheol had died with a sword piercing through his throat, blood pooling beneath him and staining the ground. Beside him lay a letter that appeared to be a suicide note.
The note claimed he could no longer endure the guilt stemming from Wudangâs narrow-minded actions.
Crunch.
Yu Baek clenched his fist tightly upon reading the note.
Suddenlyâ
Whooshâ!
A powerful surge of energy erupted from Yu Baekâs frail-looking body.
Despite his aged and withered appearance, the aura of someone counted among the Hundred Great Masters of Zhongyuan was undeniable.
Even the surrounding objects trembled under the pressure of his might.
"Ughâ¦"
"Hurkâ¦!"
The Wudang disciples clutched their chests, staggering under the force. Amidst their struggle, Yu Baek opened his mouth, his gaze sharp and fierce.
"When was the boy discovered?"
"Shortly after the hour of the tiger (between 3 and 5 a.m.), Elder," someone replied.
"The hour of the tigerâ¦"
It was not long after the time Yu Baek had set things in motion.
Clench.
Yu Baek ground his teeth in frustration as he replayed the events in his mind. It wasnât Ji Cheolâs apparent suicide that angered him.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
It was the question:
"Who did this?"
Yu Baek did not believe Ji Cheol had taken his own life. It was impossible.
And the reason was clear:
"Wudangâs treasure has vanished."
The treasure entrusted to Wudang was gone.
Some among the third- and second-generation disciples believed the Ghost Thief had orchestrated this, but Yu Baek did not.
Neither did the first-generation disciples or the elders.
From the beginningâ
"The Ghost Thief doesnât exist."
The Ghost Thiefâs reappearance was a fabrication. In that context, Ji Cheolâs sudden deathâparticularly on the very night he was playing the Ghost Thiefâs roleâcould only mean one thing:
Someone was behind this.
"Who is it?"
The Ghost Thief stole the artifactâcan we really blame Wudang alone for that?