Chapter 53: The Plum Blossom Dragon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: The Plum Blossom Dragon (3)
“Are you feeling alright now?”
Yung Pung was the one who asked me that. It was… odd.
Shouldn’t I be the one asking him?
He looked strangely happy, a stark contrast to his current situation of being treated like a criminal. For some reason, he reminded me of Peng Woojin in that moment.
…I can smell the lunatic in him.
It was not a pleasant feeling.
Regardless, I needed to find out why he was in this predicament, so I moved closer.
[What a shame… such a beautiful outfit, now covered in dirt.]
I ignored the chattering of the so-called Divine Sword of Mount Hua.
“So, why are you in this situation?” I asked.
“Haha, well… something came up,” Yung Pung replied.
“Young Master!”
Muyeon, shocked to see me awake, quickly ran over. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I was just a little dizzy earlier.”
My attention shifted to the group standing opposite us, their gazes fixed intently on our exchange. They were clad in white uniforms, some bearing the same plum blossom insignia that Yung Pung wore. These were the Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Mount Hua—elite martial artists who had bloomed through relentless training, each at least a first-rate expert, if not higher.
“What’s going on?” I asked Muyeon.
He retrieved his sword and stepped closer to explain. “You fainted while speaking to that man. To prevent the situation from escalating, we captured him.”
“Captured him? That guy?”
Their actions were understandable, given that I had collapsed in his presence. But it was surprising that Yung Pung had been captured so easily. Didn’t he want to ask me something? Judging by his expression, it seemed he had allowed himself to be taken without a fight.
Yung Pung smiled, as if reading my thoughts. “I had a feeling that once you woke up, everything would be resolved neatly. There was no point in resisting.”
“Even after you forcefully stopped our carriage?” I countered.
He laughed awkwardly. “That… I apologize for that. We had our reasons.”
“We?”
Yung Pung and his companions, along with the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Mount Hua. The title was famous throughout the martial world, but only a select few ever earned it. No clan had an abundance of first-rate martial artists or higher. For so many of them to be moving together signaled that this was no ordinary matter.
“Do they also have a reason for stopping us here?” I pressed.
Yung Pung offered a bitter smile.
I turned to Muyeon. “Release him. We have no quarrel with him.” Then, I started toward the other swordsmen. But as I moved, a thought gave me pause, slowing my steps.
…Wait. If I get closer, won’t they sense the Qi inside me?
Now that I considered it, the Qi swirling within my body could be a serious problem. If Yung Pung had noticed it, wouldn’t these other highly trained swordsmen detect it as well?
At that moment, the ghost’s voice cut through my anxiety.
[Don’t worry. Just go.]
…You can read my mind now?
That was irritating.
[Barely. Your nervousness made it louder. Anyway, go. I have a solution.]
I didn’t want to trust him, but it was too late to turn back. I decided to take him at his word.
[Now that I think of it, I have a question for you, too.]
What is it?
[I’ll ask later. Aren’t you in more of a hurry than I am?]*
I reached the man who appeared to be the leader of the group.
[The fact that Mount Hua still exists in this world… is enough.]
“I am Gu Yangcheon of the Gu Clan,” I introduced myself.
“I am Shinhyun, a second-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”
“I see, Sir Shinhyun. May I ask what is happening here?”
Shinhyun’s expression grew troubled as his gaze flickered toward Yung Pung. It seemed there was an internal issue on their side as well.
Once released, Yung Pung hurried over, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of his head. “…Hehe.”
-Thwack!
“Owww!”
His chuckle was cut short as Shinhyun delivered a sharp knock to his head. I expected a dull thud, but the sound was more like a thwack. Yung Pung immediately dropped to the ground, rolling and wailing as if his skull had been shattered.
“Oooh… Master, that hurt…”
“It hurt? I’m the one who’s hurt.”
“Is it because you hit your beloved disciple?”
“Do you want another one?”
“I’m sorry!”
Shinhyun sighed as if the world had just lost its light. “Has it even been a month since I told you not to cause any trouble?”
“…Yes.”
“You remember. Then why did you act on your own like this?”
“…I apologize. But we must consider the situation.”
“We must, but our situation is ours alone. Do you think outsiders will understand that?”
Yung Pung fell silent.
Shinhyun continued, his tone unrelenting. “You are a taoist before you are a martial artist. Everyone knows of your talent, which is precisely why you were told not to be arrogant.”
“Yes…”
“Those words came from the Lord himself. You must understand that being called the ‘Sword Dragon’ does not mean the entire world is on your side.”
“I apologize.”
“…Very well.”
Shinhyun turned from his chastised disciple and approached us, bowing his head. “Our disciple has caused you great trouble.”
…I can’t really say much after you scolded him so thoroughly.
He had probably done it intentionally, so I would have no grounds for complaint afterward. Was it a case of ‘I’ll discipline him myself’?
[Not bad.]
What’s not bad?
I sighed at the awkwardness of the situation and addressed Shinhyun. “…Now that’s settled, I would appreciate an explanation.”
I had a feeling something significant was afoot, and I needed to know what it was. They had stopped our carriage abruptly; the least they could do was tell us why.
Shinhyun seemed momentarily taken aback by my directness, but after collecting his thoughts, he spoke. “…Recently, disciples of Mount Hua have been disappearing.”
“Disciples of Mount Hua?”
“Yes. Specifically, the swordsmen who operate outside the sect.”
Swordsmen of Mount Hua… disappearing? It was common for martial artists to fall in battle against the Demon Sect, but for Mount Hua to deploy its own swordsmen meant the threat was severe. The fact that they had sent their Plum Blossom Swordsmen indicated a major crisis.
“We were scouting the area for dangers, given the gravity of the situation.”
“But Mount Hua is quite far from here.”
We still had a long journey ahead to reach the mountain. Why were they searching all the way out here?
Shinhyun offered a bitter smile. “…I cannot disclose the reason to outsiders.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Something had clearly happened, but I saw no need to pry further. It probably wasn’t catastrophic, since I had no memory of it from my past life.
“…Anyway, as we were concluding our duties here, our disciple claimed he sensed something and ran off without thinking, leading to this… incident.”
Hmm…
He had sensed the Qi of Mount Hua emanating from our carriage and acted impulsively. While his desperation was understandable, his lack of foresight deserved reprimand.
“What is your opinion on this now?” I asked Shinhyun.
He answered carefully. “Now that I am closer, it was no mistake. I can definitely feel it.” He pointed toward my carriage. “With your permission, I would like to search it.”
“You sense it from that carriage?”
“Yes.”
“…Yung Pung said he felt something from me as well. Do you sense anything?”
“From you?”
Shinhyun scrutinized me intently. I felt the subtle pressure of his Qi probing my body, but I offered no resistance, as it was harmless. After a moment, he glanced at Yung Pung. It seemed he detected nothing.
“Yung Pung, what did you sense from him?”
Yung Pung looked at me, frowning. “Wha—I could have sworn I felt it earlier—”
“No excuses.”
Yung Pung flinched, then muttered, “…I apologize. It seems I was mistaken.”
“Don’t apologize to me.”
At Shinhyun’s prompting, Yung Pung stood and bowed to me. “My apologies, Young Master Gu. I acted rudely.”
“It’s fine.”
As I said it, I wondered why he could no longer sense the Qi when it had been so obvious before. The ghost provided the answer.
[I told you I had a solution.]*
So he had. Whatever he had done, the Qi that had been swirling around me was now completely concealed within my body. It was a relief that my biggest worry had been resolved so smoothly.
I let out a quiet sigh and addressed Shinhyun. “There’s no need to search the carriage.”
“…What do you mean?”
“I already know what you’re sensing. Please wait a moment.”
Muyeon, anticipating my intention, swiftly brought the box from the carriage. I took it, opened the lid, and revealed the treasure inside.
“This is…!”
Yung Pung was the first to react, followed closely by Shinhyun. A moment later, the other Mount Hua disciples behind them showed the same stunned recognition.
“The Great Plum Blossom Stone.”
As I unwrapped the cloth, the scent of plum blossoms filled the air, and the stone was revealed, glowing with a soft pink light.
Shinhyun stared, dumbfounded. “Why… why is this stone in your possession?”
He didn’t even entertain the possibility of a forgery—understandable, since replicating such a treasure perfectly was impossible. It was a treasure for a reason.
“…My clan was entrusted with its safekeeping for a time. I am on my way to return it to Mount Hua.”
“Your… clan?”
How should I explain this? I couldn’t very well say we won it in a drinking bet.
Yung Pung, however, interrupted. “This is the treasure our Lord lost in that drinking ga—”
“Shut your mouth!”
“Yes, Master.”
“…”
So they knew the whole story. That saved me the trouble of explaining.
Shinhyun’s ears turned bright red with embarrassment. It was understandable; this was the doing of the man who represented the head of Mount Hua.
…Though the same could be said for our side.
I wondered what kind of gathering our Second Elder had attended for such a thing to happen. I was curious, but now was not the time to pry.
“…Anyway, that is one of the reasons we are traveling to Mount Hua.”
“…I see.”
We both fell silent, sharing a moment of unspoken understanding. Any further discussion would only deepen the mutual embarrassment.
Shinhyun cleared his throat, likely to dispel the awkwardness. “In that case… since we’ve completed our search here, you can entrust the treasure to us, and we’ll—”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Shinhyun’s eyes widened at my swift refusal.
As much as I would have liked to hand it over and be on my way, returning the stone was only one of my objectives. My primary goal was to retrieve my younger sibling.
Moreover, “I was instructed to return this treasure directly to the Lord of Mount Hua. Even though you are from the sect, I cannot simply hand it over.”
“Hmm.”
Shinhyun groaned softly, whether from surprise or deep thought, I couldn’t tell. But he quickly composed himself.
“…I understand. However, now that we have seen the treasure, we cannot easily part from it. Please allow us to travel with your party.”
In essence, he was saying, ‘If you won’t give it to us, we’ll follow you.’
I nodded. It was a reasonable request, given the importance of their sect’s treasure.
…I’m just relieved I got away with absorbing some of its Qi.
If I had been caught, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
[Haha, I knew this would happen the moment you started devouring it like a glutton. What would you have done without me? Tsk, tsk.]
…After all that silence, these were the first words he chose to say. I really wished he would just stay quiet, but it seemed he had no such intention.
[Mount Hua, huh… If the young ones are this strong, the adults must be even more impressive.]*
He sounded almost nostalgic. It was frustrating to listen to him reminisce while I dealt with the actual headache.
“Can I ask you something?”
The interruption came from Yung Pung, who had quietly seated himself beside me. Shinhyun shot him a warning look, but Yung Pung ignored it, prompting his master’s eyes to narrow dangerously.
“You little—”
“No, Master, this is important…!”
I turned to Yung Pung. “What is it?”
“You said you’re from the Gu Clan, right?”
“Yes.”
“…The Gu Clan of Shanxi?”
“…Yes.”
Yung Pung’s expression slowly shifted into something strange. Why was he so fixated on my clan?
“…Master.”
“What…?”
Shinhyun’s voice was tense, as if expecting more trouble. But after hearing Yung Pung’s next words, his own expression morphed to match his disciple’s.
“Isn’t the Gu Clan of Shanxi the clan that Senior belongs to?”
“…!”
In an instant, Shinhyun and every other Mount Hua disciple turned to stare at me. Their gazes were far more intense than when they had looked upon the treasure.
…Why were they reacting like this?