The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Chapter 199: Red Flag, White Flag (3)

Over 200 more participants were eliminated regarding the essence of Taiji.

There were over 500 participants, but in just two questions, the number was reduced to less than 300.

Then came an easy question. However, some questions were impossible to answer clearly.

“Imagine you are driving a carriage quickly and encounter a young family on the road. You try to steer to the side, but there is an old, sick beggar sleeping there…”

It was unclear whether this was a question or something to torment the candidates.

“If you can’t stop the carriage, would you run over the family, or would you swerve and kill an innocent old beggar?”

There could be no right answer to such a choice.

The decisions were split yet again. It was not possible to say that one side was more numerous.

Perhaps because it was a Taoist sect, slightly more people decided not to turn the carriage according to the natural order.

‘A quandary…’

「I don’t know what that means, but it seems the young priest thinks the same thought as me.」

Yi-gang’s decision was the same as Zhang Sanfeng’s.

“White flag eliminated, those who chose the white flag must leave.”

The number of participants was halved.

In the next question, about one-third were eliminated again.

As time passed, the expressions of the candidates hardened.

They were all slowly beginning to realize.

There was no rationality in this test that selected those who were qualified.

It wasn’t about distinguishing those with superior martial arts skills, nor was it about finding those with deep knowledge.

It wasn’t even about finding those with upright characters.

The contents of the questions gradually became more trivial.

However, a few understood the intentions of the Sword Emperor to some extent.

This included Hyun Deok of the Immortal Tao Sword School, who revered Founder Zhang Sanfeng.

“Surely, it has something to do with the Great Ancestor’s actions.”

This thought occurred to him when he heard about whether to turn the carriage and about the essence of Taiji.

The records of Founder Zhang Sanfeng, which the Immortal Tao Sword School obtained and treated like scriptures, occasionally mentioned these topics.

Thanks to this, Hyun Deok had survived so far.

The True Martial Hall Head, Myung Cho, was eliminated, and even the highly esteemed elders were eliminated.

Hyun Deok focused his mind intensely.

“Will it continue like this?”

He couldn’t believe that this playful method was intended to find the true successor of Zhang Sanfeng.

It was unbelievable that this method was devised by none other than the Taiji Sword Emperor.

Hyun Deok believed that the great Sword Emperor had surely prepared a deep arrangement.

“Next. If you are right-handed, gather under the red flag; if left-handed, under the white flag.”

Once again, people were flustered.

Is even the hand one used important?

While they were hastily moving, Hyun Deok’s eyes lit up.

Among many in the Immortal Tao Sword School, Hyun Deok, who had studied diligently, had also deeply dug into the records of Zhang Sanfeng.

Something about Zhang Sanfeng came to mind.

‘The Founder was surely… ambidextrous.’

It was a record he read in his childhood.

With a child’s heart, he had tried to emulate everything about Founder Zhang Sanfeng.

In reality, being ambidextrous was almost a blessing for a swordsman. Being proficient with both left and right hands was indeed a true skill.

Thus, Hyun Deok had successfully become ambidextrous.

Hyun Deok raised his hand with a proud expression.

“Wait, I have a question!”

Myung Won was about to ring the bell but frowned.

Asking questions wasn’t forbidden, but it wasn’t explicitly permitted either. Hyun Deok was the first to ask a question during the test.

“What’s the matter? Hurry up and speak.”

“What if one is ambidextrous?”

“…What?”

“I am ambidextrous. Just as Founder Zhang Sanfeng used to be!”

Everyone’s gaze focused on Hyun Deok.

Since Myung Won was momentarily lost for words, Hyun Deok was convinced that he had the correct answer.

“Hmm…”

Myung Won briefly turned his head to look at the Sword Emperor.

The Sword Emperor silently gestured with his hand across his neck.

Already in a bad mood, Myung Won shouted angrily, “Were you born ambidextrous? Choose based on how you were born!”

“Uh, uh… Yes.”

As Myung Won rang the bell again, Hyun Deok quickly gathered under the white flag for left-handers.

Laughter erupted from various places.

Before Hyun Deok could hide his flushed face…

“Left-handers are eliminated.”

Since there were quite a few left-handers, about 30 people, including Hyun Deok, were eliminated.

As they walked away dejectedly, swallowing their tears, Yi-gang felt relieved.

“I am ambidextrous too.”

「Ha, I was as well.」

In a distant past life, Yi-gang was definitely left-handed.

But in this life, he was born right-handed. It was a situation where body and memory clashed, but Yi-gang adapted well.

「I was born right-handed, but I felt limited by it and practiced using my left hand. So, by the age of seven, I could use both hands.」

‘…Incredible, truly impressive.’

Yi-gang was surprised by the boastful remark.

Overcoming one’s natural inclinations was not easy. If he did that at seven, he was nothing short of stubborn.

「Well, that’s good.」

By now, only about 50 people remained.

Yi-gang noticed the gazes pouring in on him.

“Founder Zhang Sanfeng enjoyed tea… ahem, if his favorite was West Lake Longjing, red flag, if it was Baihao Yinzhen, gather under the white flag.”

The questions became increasingly blatant and difficult.

Even Myung Won, who posed the questions, did not expect these turns. By his calculations, there shouldn’t have been more than ten people left by this point.

‘There’s something wrong with the questions.’

「I particularly liked West Lake Longjing. I didn’t go around flaunting it as a luxury… Not sure if I should even be telling you this. Haha.」

As Yi-gang moved under the red flag, several quickly followed him.

“When the old Founder battled the evil dragon, the dragon’s claw had…”

「Five claws… Ha, this is utterly preposterous cheating. It’s as if I’m giving away all the answers.」

Zhang Sanfeng continued to provide Yi-gang with answers even while saying this.

Eventually, everyone ended up looking at Yi-gang.

Since Yi-gang was the only one confidently finding the answers, no one was eliminated as everyone followed him.

“This way… ahem. Yes, there was this question.”

Myung Won frowned as he read the question.

It was then that Zhang Sanfeng, who had been laughing carelessly, turned serious.

“When Founder Zhang Sanfeng dueled the Heavenly Demon for the second time, he restrained himself to end the fight in a draw.”

「…」

“If during that time, the sword technique used by the Founder to suppress the young Heavenly Demon was the Selfless Azure Sky of the Taiji Wisdom Sword, go to the red flag; if it was the Cultivating True Water Immortal, gather under the white flag.”

Both the Selfless Azure Sky and the Cultivating True Water Immortal were techniques of the Taiji Wisdom Sword.

Ding—

For once, Yi-gang stood frozen, unable to find the answer immediately.

Everyone was watching Yi-gang, trying to gauge his reaction.

‘What’s the answer?’

Zhang Sanfeng, who always knew the answers first, stood frozen.

Clearly, something was off.

「…No, not these.」

‘What?’

「Neither. The last sword technique I used was…」

Zhang Sanfeng’s eyes seemed profoundly distant.

It was as if his gaze was not on the present but on a far distant past.

「…Certainly, it was neither of those.」

Should he go to the red flag or to the white flag?

Zhang Sanfeng kept his mouth tightly shut and did not speak.

Ding—

The second bell rang, and one had to choose one of the two options anyway.

Leaving it to fate, Yi-gang headed under the white flag.

About thirty people followed Yi-gang and stood under the white flag.

As Myung Won was about to ring the third bell, he froze.

A complex emotion surfaced on his face.

From the perspective of someone who knew all the answers, the situation below was clear.

The answer was the Selfless Azure Sky. One had to gather under the red flag to pass.

If things stayed this way, everyone would be eliminated.

He was contemplating whether to ring the third bell or not.

“Stop!”

The seated Sword Emperor stood up.

“It seems we have filtered down to a suitable number of participants. Let’s stop here, Sect Leader.”

“…Th-that will do.”

Myung Won lowered the hand he was about to use to ring the bell.

More people remained than expected, but there was no reason to refuse since the Sword Emperor suggested it.

Myung Won declared the end of the test.

“All 32 remaining participants have passed. There will be a further selection process later!”

There was only a quiet intake of breath.

“Maintain your discipline in body and mind until then.”

Cheers of joy erupted.

All the Taoists of the Wudang Sect were delighted to have passed.

Among them were Cheong Su and Cheong Hye.

Thanks to following Yi-gang from the middle of the test, they were able to survive.

“Young Master Immortal Divine Dragon!”

“Th-thank you!”

They ran up to Yi-gang to express their gratitude and joy.

Yi-gang gave a slight smile, but he couldn’t be completely happy.

He turned his head and quietly asked to himself.

‘Why is that?’

「It wasn’t, it wasn’t…」

Zhang Sanfeng was still mumbling dejectedly, seemingly entangled in some story.

Yi-gang turned his head again, this time looking up at the platform.

“…”

The Sword Emperor was also looking at Yi-gang.

Just moments ago, the Sword Emperor had personally stepped forward to stop the test.

Right before that, Yi-gang had made eye contact with the Sword Emperor.

The Sword Emperor, with a look suggesting he had something to say, turned away first.

Yi-gang quietly watched the Sword Emperor’s retreating figure.

No one outside knew what turmoil was happening within the Wudang Sect.

News of the sealed Wudang could not spread down the mountain.

Daojing County was, as always, extremely quiet.

The same was true for the prestigious tea house, Tea Fortune Garden.

Just a few years ago, Tea Fortune Garden’s second floor, which had a well-maintained garden, was always filled with wealthy customers drinking tea.

However, these days it was less crowded, and if the owner of Tea Fortune Garden did not have connections spread throughout the Central Plains, its revenue would have dried up long ago.

Fortunately, there were still those who came to buy rare tea leaves.

Those seeking precious tea leaves were the main source of income for Tea Fortune Garden.

Today, the manager was attending to a customer.

However, the manager was bowing and apologizing.

“I apologize, sir. I have obtained the Lu’an Melon Seed you mentioned, but I could not prepare a sufficient quantity.”

It turned out that the original customer who had ordered the Lu’an Melon Seed given to Yi-gang had appeared.

“Um.”

The person standing in front of him looked like a dignified young man. He seemed to be a servant to someone, but he did not appear lowly.

He was smiling as if embarrassed, but the manager kept apologizing without ease.

“I will return all the deposit you paid. The tea leaves we have prepared are half of the amount you ordered. Since it was our mistake, we will not charge you.”

“Oh dear…”

It was an apology befitting a high-class tavern. The attitude was completely reasonable.

However, the young man’s eyes shone coldly.

“Is that the price of an apology?”

“… Pardon?”

The manager cautiously turned his head.

And then flinched, freezing up.

The seemingly gentle young man’s eyes were as cold as ice.

Though his lips were smiling, the manager, who prided himself on reading people, sensed danger.

However, that chill passed by only momentarily.

“…I will not take the deposit you returned. However, you must ensure to properly source the newly ordered tea leaves.”

The manager quickly bowed his head.

“I-Is there any doubt about that?”

“Heh heh… It’s for someone very important.”

The young man grinned and turned around.

The manager followed him out to the entrance of the tea house, fumbling as he saw him off.

The young man, with the Lu’an Melon Seed tucked in his embrace, headed towards the outskirts of Daojing County.

There was an estate there that had recently acquired a new owner.

The young man was working for the owner of that estate.

Soon, the neglected and dilapidated estate appeared.

The young man cautiously opened the door and entered.

Creak—

The interior of the estate was as disordered as its exterior.

The stone-paved garden was overrun with weeds. Cobwebs stretched everywhere, and a centipede as thick as a finger was crawling around.

And there, in the middle of it all, sat a man in a full lotus position. He was a large middle-aged man.

“I have brought the tea leaves.”

With a respectful posture, the young man who brought the tea leaves spoke, “…Lord Heuk-am.”

Heuk-am. The sword of the Evil Cult had opened his eyes.