Chapter 98
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Plum Shadow Swordsman Tanghwa
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“If you’re the Chief Patrol of the Green Forest, your martial arts must be pretty decent, right?”
“Keuk... What are you talking about? Even among the Green Forest folk, I’m one of the better ones.”
“No, isn’t the Green Forest part of the martial world? Who’s to say how good someone’s skills have to be?”
“Hey, come on. How could the Green Forest be part of the martial world? They’re just thieves and bandits.”
Bangchung’s face was now twisted in utter disgust.
Even Dogwang looked flustered as the situation spiraled beyond his initial playful intent.
And I Taejeong pretended to have no connection to Bangchung, stepping back.
“What’s the reason for tormenting this old man like this? They say all under heaven are brothers.”
As Bangchung finally interjected after holding back, the middle-aged master chuckled and replied.
“All under heaven are brothers? I’ve heard the saying, but how could we be brothers to the Green Forest rats?”
Bangchung was already seething with rage from head to toe, no longer hiding it.
“Heh heh... If you push a man this far, there’s no more talking. I, Bangchung, challenge you to a bout.”
At Bangchung’s words, the middle-aged master smirked in response.
“A bout? Sounds good. I need to see if that loose tongue of yours matches your skill.”
“I’ve heard Mount Hua’s lot are arrogant beyond measure, but you’ve crossed the line. Who the hell are you from Mount Hua?”
Bangchung finally erupted in fury.
“Hmph. If you’re asking my name, I suppose I should tell you. You need to know who’s teaching you a lesson—one you’ll cherish for the rest of your miserable days. Haha...”
Bangchung let his hands hang loose, ready to strike, and growled through gritted teeth.
“Now I couldn’t care less about a worm like you. In the name of the Green Forest, I’ll flatten that nose of yours.”
“Haha... Old timer. Remember this: Mount Hua has a certain Plum Shadow Swordsman Tanghwa.”
That middle-aged master was none other than Tanghwa, the leader among Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Swordsmen and representative of the sect.
Not long ago, Sacheongbo the Supreme Purity Sword Immortal had arrived at Mount Mingsha, and Tanghwa had followed to serve as his attendant.
Of course, this Plum Shadow Swordsman Tanghwa was the very same who had been harshly schooled by the Wide-Eyed Layman Baek Musang while guarding Shaolin’s vegetable patch alongside Jin Ichang and Paeng Joyun.
His stubborn, overbearing nature had only worsened with age, to the point where his ill repute was still spreading.
Upon hearing the title Plum Shadow Swordsman Tanghwa, Bangchung felt a cold sweat run down his back.
To the Green Forest bandits and Yangtze brothers, Tanghwa was no different from the grim reaper.
While Jin Ichang had grown more flexible with a merchant’s demeanor, Tanghwa—having tasted bloodlust—had volunteered for bandit extermination duties, infamous for his brutally merciless hands.
“Fine. So you’re that Tanghwa. I was thinking of tracking you down for a blood debt, but fate’s been kind meeting you here.”
Bangchung ground his teeth slightly and raised both hands.
“You know my name? That pleases me, old man. Now, where should I start cutting?”
Without hesitation, Tanghwa drew his sword.
“With all the brothers who’ve lost their heads to you, take mine if you’ve got the skill. This old head’s ugly, but it’d make a fine trophy once severed. Keuk...”
“Hmm. Old man, nice stance. Once I lop it off, I’ll salt it heavy and hand it to the magistrates. Hung at the city gate for a couple months, it won’t rot easy.”
But Bangchung didn’t react to Tanghwa’s taunts.
Instead, he relaxed his tense body and began gathering the inner power he’d amassed over a lifetime.
Against Tanghwa, this was now a life-or-death duel with an uncertain outcome.
Having endured countless battles over a century-plus, Bangchung knew well how overflowing rage and hatred could ruin such a fight.
“Hey, hold on. No need to go this far. Why not just spar?”
At that moment, Dogwang stepped in to stop the fight.
His gaze particularly lingered on Bangchung.
Full of apology, it clearly signaled he’d step in if needed.
But Bangchung firmly ignored Dogwang’s look.
Having endured the hypocrisy of the orthodox sects his whole life, he now saw even that gaze as false piety.
“Hey, Dogwang. Stay out. This is my fight.”
Bangchung spat coldly at Dogwang.
Dogwang retreated upon seeing not the voice, but the resolute eyes.
Bangchung’s battle had already begun; there was no room for interference.
Tanghwa’s assault came immediately.
It was Mount Hua’s signature technique, the symbol of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen: the Seven Plum Blossom Cuts Sword.
Skipping early forms like Plum Blossoms in Full Bloom or Plum Mountain Pierces the Clouds, he thrust straight into the killing move Blood Plum Slices Shadow.
He’d started the same way against Baek Musang before and suffered greatly, but not this time.
His opponent was just a Green Forest thug, and Tanghwa was no longer the Tanghwa of old.
Judging he couldn’t block Tanghwa’s murderously charged attack head-on, Bangchung chose evasion.
Dropping into a near crouch like a beast on the prowl, he dodged the sword tip, then sprang up like a dragon from the water, launching a fist at Tanghwa’s face.
Bangchung’s style was far from refined orthodox arts—rough and crude to behold.
Yet true to his nickname, he unleashed peerless lightness and footwork unmatched in the martial world, his battle-honed punches perfectly timed.
Even Tanghwa had no choice but to dodge the fist closing on his face, making the early clash an intense stalemate.
To experts’ eyes, however, Bangchung held the edge—successfully closing distance in the opening exchange.
When a swordsman met a fist master, distance was key.
Closer range favored the fist user; farther, the sword.
Now the two were locked in close-quarters brawl.
If Plum Shadow Swordsman Tanghwa weren’t a peak swordsman with solid fist fundamentals, he’d have been sent flying by Bangchung’s punches already.
But Tanghwa was a battle-hardened veteran, decades deep in Mount Hua’s fist arts.
Independent of his right hand’s longsword, his left unleashed Jade-Breaking Fist strikes with exquisite timing, deftly blocking Bangchung’s blows.
This was no mere spar; a determined fight to the death. Sweat beaded on the onlookers’ palms.
Yet Dogwang—the instigator—watched with cold detachment.
Focused on the duel, he still scanned the surroundings intermittently.
Tanghwa now resolved to turn the tide.
Unleashing the Seven Plum Blossom Cuts’ introductory form Plum Mountain Pierces the Clouds for distance, he followed with Nine Palaces Steps to pull back.
He’d secured ideal range for swordplay.
Suddenly, a faint plum blossom scent wafted from somewhere.
At last, the Seven Plum Blossom Cuts’ final technique: Dark Fragrance Unfreezing Flower.
Among Mount Hua’s myriad sword arts, the Seven Plum Blossom Cuts was famously the Plum Blossom Swordsmen’s emblem, the sect’s sword essence.
Yet its finale, Dark Fragrance Unfreezing Flower, rarely appeared before the world.
Only those who’d refined Supreme Purity Heart Art for over a century, grasping the pinnacle of Plum Blossom Sword Intent, could emit that rich plum aroma.
From Tanghwa’s sword tip bloomed vivid pink energy like flower branches.
The strike flashed like lightning, dizzying as a bloom.
And at the branch’s end lay Bangchung’s heart.
But Bangchung already knew.
He knew the Seven Plum Blossom Cuts ended with Dark Fragrance Unfreezing Flower—and what to do when the plum scent arose.
Bangchung countered by inverting Ghostly Flash Shadow Step.
His upper body arched back as he catapulted away.
A movement worthy of the Six Immortals indeed.
Tanghwa’s pink energy sliced through Bangchung’s open robe front as he evaded.
By a hair’s breadth, he’d dodged Dark Fragrance Unfreezing Flower.
Tanghwa gaped in shock, missing the follow-up chance.
That was the fatal mistake.
Bangchung, flung backward, spun a full rotation midair and leaped, crashing down on Tanghwa.
Now it was Bangchung’s turn.
His ultimate hidden technique, never before revealed: Shadowless Kick.
“Take this kick! Haha.”
Shadowless Kick was the pinnacle of northern kicking arts—possible only at the acme, with speed leaving no shadow.
Caught off-guard, Tanghwa’s face took Bangchung’s instep full force.
Thud! Thwack!
Shadowless Kick didn’t end in one.
Three more kicks hammered Tanghwa’s crumbling face and chest before Bangchung landed.
Tanghwa collapsed, face a bloody mess.
“I won’t kill you. But that face won’t be returning to normal.”
Bangchung muttered, face flushed, steadying his inner energy.
Dogwang watched with an intrigued smile.
Even so, dodging that single Dark Fragrance Unfreezing Flower wasn’t easy.
It meant Bangchung knew the Seven Plum Blossom Cuts’ finale in advance.
But the situation didn’t end there.
Two Mount Hua masters who’d watched stepped forward after checking the fallen Tanghwa and moving him back.
“Old man. This won’t end here. You’ve harmed a Plum Blossom Swordsman before our eyes.”
One of the two, Tanghwa’s peer, declared this and waved his left hand. Several blue-robed swordsmen emerged from the crowd.
Red plum blossoms adorned their sleeves.
Seven Mount Hua swordsmen in total now drew blades, surrounding Bangchung.
“Heh heh... So now you’re resorting to wheel fighting?”
Bangchung growled through gritted teeth, but the frontmost middle-aged man shook his head.
“Who’s wheel fighting an old man? Green Forest scum. Now, hand over your neck.”
As the middle-aged man raised his longsword in signal, the other six took positions at key points, each raising distinct sword auras.
‘Gasp. Isn’t that the Plum Blossom Sword Formation? They’ve lost their minds.’