Chapter 244
Chapter 244
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: 7th Chapter. Mount Hua Drowns in Blood, and the Fist Demon Walks the Bloody Path (1)
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Ziiing!
A sudden ringing in his ears made Cho Yeon-un blink for a moment.
“What’s wrong? Is the pain still bad?”
Dan Hwa-ran, who was nearby, asked with a worried look.
“I’m fine! It was just a brief headache.”
“You still shouldn’t be moving. You need absolute rest until your internal injuries heal. You know that, right?”
“Yeah! I know.”
Cho Yeon-un gave a wry smile at Dan Hwa-ran’s urging.
His chest was wrapped tightly in white bandages. Red flowers were blooming in spots on the snow-white bandages—blood seeping from Cho Yeon-un’s wounds, staining them crimson.
Cho Yeon-un thought of the man who had inflicted that wound on his chest.
‘Jo Ja-kyeong.’
The man who called himself the Burning Heaven Division Leader.
His Complete Sword Flow had been truly terrifying, carving a deep gash into Cho Yeon-un’s chest. If the wound had been just an inch deeper, he would already be dead.
He had saved his life by the barest margin, but the injury was so severe that he hadn’t been able to move at all until now. The one who had nursed him so diligently during that time was none other than Dan Hwa-ran.
“Will you help me up?”
“You still can’t move. Don’t you remember what the physician said? Absolute rest.”
“I’m fine! I’m only saying this because I can manage to move.”
“You’re so stubborn. Fine. But no overdoing it.”
“Got it.”
Dan Hwa-ran shook her head as she supported Cho Yeon-un. In that moment, his face flushed slightly. The fragrant scent of her body wafting from her embrace was stimulating his senses.
Cho Yeon-un forced a calm expression and stepped out of the building. The first thing he sensed outside was the faint plum blossom fragrance carried on the wind.
“Wow!”
Dan Hwa-ran, supporting him, let out an involuntary gasp of admiration. Beyond the walls stretched a sea of white waves. It was all plum blossoms. The plum forest was in full bloom.
“Mount Hua lives up to its name, huh?”
Cho Yeon-un murmured softly.
No other sect in the world probably possessed as many martial arts named after plum blossoms as Mount Hua.
Plum blossoms were, in a way, the symbol of Mount Hua.
“This is where my friend spent his childhood?”
Cho Yeon-un looked around the grounds with renewed wonder.
The place he was in right now was none other than the heart of the Mount Hua Sect.
He didn’t know how he had escaped from Sakju. Surrounded by Dan Hwa-ran and his fellow disciples, he had arrived to find himself at Mount Hua.
Once there, he had focused on treatment. Fortunately, his internal injuries had improved somewhat, but the external wound from Jo Ja-kyeong wasn’t healing easily, hindering his movements.
The sight of Mount Hua, filled with plum fragrance, stirred strange emotions in Cho Yeon-un. Knowing that Dam Ho had spent his youth here made it all the more poignant.
Supported by Dan Hwa-ran, Cho Yeon-un toured the Mount Hua Sect grounds.
“You okay?”
“Senior Brother!”
Mount Hua disciples from the Baekjeon Sect approached upon spotting him.
Though he had ended up staying at Mount Hua against his will, their faces were brighter than expected.
“Where’s Master?”
“He went to the Zhongnan Sect. It seems Elder Yeom passed away, and their forces have been greatly weakened.”
“I see. That sounds just like Master.”
Cho Yeon-un nodded in understanding.
His master, Jang Il-san, was always burning with a sense of justice. Such a decision was no surprise. Yet, for some reason, an unease gnawed at him. Cho Yeon-un chalked it up to his own injury.
It was then.
“How’s your body holding up?”
A unfamiliar voice rang out suddenly. Cold yet weighty, it made Cho Yeon-un turn his head. There stood a group of people. Among them, one middle-aged man stood out, exuding a majestic aura like a finely forged famous sword.
“Ah! Sword Immortal Hyungeom.”
Cho Yeon-un hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting. Pain shot through his chest, but he didn’t show it.
Sword Immortal Hyungeom introduced the elderly Taoist beside him.
“Pay your respects. This is our sect leader, Immortal Hyeoncheon.”
“Ah! This lowly junior, Cho Yeon-un of the Baekjeon Sect, greets the Mount Hua Sect Leader.”
“Hoho! Pleased to meet you, Young Hero Cho.”
Immortal Hyeoncheon smiled warmly upon receiving the greeting.
Behind Immortal Hyeoncheon stood middle-aged Taoists: Mu Gyeong, Un Gyeong, Han So-yu, and others—the first-generation disciples of Mount Hua.
Un Gyeong gave a slight bow to Cho Yeon-un in acknowledgment. Cho Yeon-un exchanged a glance with him.
Immortal Hyeoncheon asked,
“How’s your condition?”
“Thanks to your care, it’s much better.”
“That’s a relief. Focus on recovery.”
“Thank you.”
Immortal Hyeoncheon showed a gentle smile. It was a smile rarely seen directed at Mount Hua disciples.
Immortal Hyeoncheon turned to those behind him. His disciples stood there.
“Un Gyeong, stay and guide Young Hero Cho around the Mount Hua Sect. He’s been confined to his room for recovery, so the paths must feel unfamiliar.”
“Understood.”
Un Gyeong bowed his head in response.
An air of authority befitting a sect leader naturally emanated from Immortal Hyeoncheon.
He had devoted his life to Mount Hua’s glory. Though the murim world’s situation wasn’t favorable, his and Mount Hua’s reputation grew day by day.
Especially since Sword Immortal Hyungeom had rejoined Mount Hua, Immortal Hyeoncheon’s smile never left his face.
Busy as the sect leader, he had neglected his martial arts, but he was still a master who had reached a profound realm.
Sword Immortal Hyungeom’s achievements upon returning to Mount Hua had reached heights even Immortal Hyeoncheon struggled to comprehend.
‘Yes! This is it. With the wall blocking Hyungeom shattered, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes the murim’s greatest swordsman. The moment Hyungeom stands tall in the world, Mount Hua will stand at the pinnacle of the murim.’
Immortal Hyeoncheon equated Sword Immortal Hyungeom’s achievements with Mount Hua’s glory.
Many warriors who had fled Sakju had taken refuge at Mount Hua, but Immortal Hyeoncheon wasn’t worried. He had confidence that Mount Hua’s current strength could protect itself in any crisis.
“Then……”
It was as Immortal Hyeoncheon brushed past Cho Yeon-un.
“……”
Suddenly, Sword Immortal Hyungeom halted. His face had visibly stiffened.
“What is it?”
“……”
“Junior brother?”
As Immortal Hyeoncheon’s voice rose slightly, Sword Immortal Hyungeom looked at him.
“Sect Leader.”
“Speak.”
“We need to prepare.”
“Prepare for what?”
“The enemy.”
“Enemy?”
Ding ding ding!
At that moment, as Immortal Hyeoncheon frowned in confusion, urgent bell tolls echoed from the foot of the mountain. It was the emergency bell rung only in times of crisis for Mount Hua.
Immortal Hyeoncheon’s expression hardened like Sword Immortal Hyungeom’s.
“What in the world?”
“A powerhouse.”
Sword Immortal Hyungeom’s gaze turned downward.
A tremendous presence from the base of Mount Hua was prickling his nerves.
‘An unimaginable master.’
His cold eyes already glinted with icy frost.
From Sword Immortal Hyungeom’s reaction, Immortal Hyeoncheon sensed an unusual crisis. As far as he knew, Sword Immortal Hyungeom had never reacted this way before.
Moreover, the atmosphere from below was ominous. The frantic bell tolls had already ceased.
That fact meant only one thing.
‘The children guarding the entrance have been wiped out? That quickly?’
The situation was turning graver than expected.
Immortal Hyeoncheon looked at Han So-yu.
“So-yu!”
“Yes! Sect Leader.”
“Go to Myeong-gyeong right now.”
“Yes?”
“Evacuate the second-generation disciples with weaker martial arts and all third-generation disciples. Stay with Myeong-gyeong.”
“But……”
“That’s an order.”
“Understood.”
Though she didn’t fully understand, with the sect leader’s command given, Han So-yu responded.
Immortal Hyeoncheon’s gaze turned to his direct disciple, Mu Gyeong.
“Summon all disciples immediately.”
“Understood.”
Mu Gyeong replied urgently.
He wasn’t oblivious. If both Immortal Hyeoncheon, whom he revered like the heavens, and Sword Immortal Hyungeom reacted this way, he could guess how dire the situation was.
Immortal Hyeoncheon looked at Cho Yeon-un.
“Young Hero Cho isn’t well, so retreat depending on the situation. No need to take risks.”
“No. No matter how unwell I am, I am still a warrior. If a Baekjeon Sect disciple flees in fear of the enemy, Master won’t forgive me.”
Cho Yeon-un straightened his back. The chest pain still pressed on him, but he ignored it.
“Very well. Be careful, then. You and the Baekjeon Sect disciples must look after your own safety. We won’t have the mind to do it for you.”
With that, Immortal Hyeoncheon hurried down the mountain. Mount Hua disciples who had rushed out at the bell tolls joined behind him.
Cho Yeon-un said to a nearby fellow disciple.
“Summon all Baekjeon Sect disciples immediately.”
“Fighting in that condition is reckless.”
“We can’t just sit and wait to be slaughtered. No more talk—summon the others.”
“But……”
“I’m a Baekjeon Sect disciple. And the current bearer of the Hundred Battles Legacy Flag. I can’t bring shame to it.”
Cho Yeon-un smiled. The fellow disciple shook his head helplessly at the sight.
“Did you hear? Stupid senior brother says summon everyone.”
“Yes!”
“Hahaha!”
The Baekjeon Sect disciples laughed.
Seeing this, Dan Hwa-ran shook her head in exasperation.
Back in the room, Dan Hwa-ran handed Cho Yeon-un neatly folded clothes.
“What’s this?”
“What else? Clothes. You can’t go fight looking like that.”
“I guess not.”
Cho Yeon-un gave an awkward smile. But he soon took the clothes from Dan Hwa-ran with a resolute face.
What Dan Hwa-ran gave him was a blue robe. The well-ironed blue robe suited Cho Yeon-un perfectly.
“Thanks!”
“If you’re grateful, don’t push yourself.”
“Can’t promise that.”
“Men are all the same……”
Cho Yeon-un placed a hand on Dan Hwa-ran’s head as she shook hers. Startled, she looked up, and Cho Yeon-un smiled gently.
“Don’t worry. I’m Cho Yeon-un. And……”
“You’re the current bearer of the Hundred Battles Legacy Flag. I know.”
“Then we’re good.”
“Really……”
“Let’s date.”
“Huh?”
Dan Hwa-ran’s eyes widened at the unexpected words. Cho Yeon-un smiled softly.
“If we win this war……”
“What?”
“I’ve liked you for a long time. Too embarrassed to say it.”
“Y-You……”
Dan Hwa-ran’s face flushed red as a persimmon. Cho Yeon-un stroked her head, then turned his back.
“You don’t have to answer now. I’ll hear it later.”
His face was as red as hers.
He couldn’t understand why he’d said it at a time like this.
‘Damn! Is getting injured making my heart weak too?’
Contrary to his embarrassment, a smile gradually returned to his face.
He saw a large flag leaning against the wall.
The Hundred Battles Legacy Flag.
His pride and the symbol of the Baekjeon Sect.
Cho Yeon-un took the Hundred Battles Legacy Flag and stepped outside.
Flutter!
The blowing wind unfurled the Hundred Battles Legacy Flag wide. Baekjeon Sect disciples gathered one by one beneath it.
Cho Yeon-un said to them,
“Let’s go, you damn bastards.”
“Wahaha!”