Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Plea from the Ilhwa Sect
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A guest had come to Purple霞 Pavilion after a long time.
The Sect Leader gazed intently at the young man before him before handing him a cup of tea.
"Th-thank you."
"Hoho, you must have had a hard time climbing up."
"No, not at all!"
The Sect Leader sipped lightly from his teacup as he looked at Jugo Yul, who was stiff with tension.
"There's no need to be so tense."
"Ah... Understood."
The Sect Leader watched Jugo Yul with a pleased expression.
'Has that child grown this much already?'
He had become a fine young man, but traces of his former self still lingered on his face.
"Then..."
The smile faded from his face as he spoke.
"Can you now tell me the details?"
Jugo Yul straightened his back rigidly.
"...Lately, evil sects have been springing up like bamboo shoots around our sect."
"In Yanan?"
The Sect Leader's eyes narrowed.
Aside from the Ilhwa Sect, Yanan wasn't home to any notable factions.
And now, evil sects all of a sudden.
"Why have evil sects suddenly appeared in Yanan?"
Jugo Yul bit his lip and said,
"Ever since White Ghost Castle fell, evil sect members have been coming and establishing their own factions."
"...!"
The Sect Leader's eyes widened in shock.
He could picture exactly what was happening.
"So, with White Ghost Castle, which dominated Shaanxi, now gone, the other evil sects have set their sights on it."
He let out an involuntary sigh.
He had been so focused on Mount Hua Sect that he hadn't properly checked the outside situation.
"...This is our sect's failing."
The Sect Leader gave a bitter smile.
They had toppled White Ghost Castle but hadn't taken responsibility for what came after.
How could this not be a grave mistake?
"How dangerous is the situation for the Ilhwa Sect?"
"It's quite perilous. They attack our sect mercilessly and issue threats. Most of our disciples are either badly injured or have left the sect after yielding to the intimidation."
Jugo Yul's hand trembled as he gripped his teacup.
"Now, including my father and me, there are only about ten of us left. If this continues, our sect will..."
Imagining the worst, his voice grew choked with emotion.
"Please help us."
At that moment.
"I'm sorry."
The Sect Leader took hold of Jugo Yul's hand.
Startled by the sudden sensation, Jugo Yul looked at the Sect Leader.
He was grieving alongside him.
"Even when our sect was struggling, the Ilhwa Sect stood with us to the end, yet I didn't even know this was happening. It's all my responsibility."
As he bowed his head with those words.
"S-Sect Leader. Please lift your head."
Jugo Yul jumped in surprise.
For the Mount Hua Sect Leader to bow his head to the young leader of a mere affiliated secular sect.
"How can I just lift my head? I'm ashamed to even face the heavens."
The Sect Leader's words were laced with bitterness.
At the same time, anger surged within him.
Directed at no one but himself.
'Hyeonsang, have you forgotten the Dao...?'
The Ilhwa Sect was an affiliated secular sect that had supported Mount Hua even when it was on the brink.
Its leader visited every year, showing such care for their sect.
Yet what had he, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, been doing?
Had he even thought of the Ilhwa Sect?
No.
And had he paid any mind to Shaanxi after White Ghost Castle fell?
No, that wasn't it either.
He had simply stayed within Mount Hua, accepting tributes without refusal and acting only to elevate Mount Hua's prestige.
How shameful.
If there were a rat hole nearby, he would crawl into it right then and there.
"Still..."
Hearing Jugo Yul's anxious voice, the Sect Leader raised his head.
As Jugo Yul sighed in relief and patted his chest.
"Please wait just a moment. I'll prepare personnel to send to the Ilhwa Sect."
"R-Really?"
Jugo Yul's expression brightened.
"Thank you!"
"If anything, I'm sorry it's so late."
"N-No, it's not."
Jugo Yul hurriedly waved his hands.
The Sect Leader's repeated apologies were overwhelming.
"However, it seems the sect leader couldn't come because the situation is so dire."
Jugo Yul flinched for a moment.
But it was so brief that the Sect Leader didn't notice.
"Y-Yes."
"We'll hurry. Still, it will take some time, so rest here at our sect in the meantime."
A short while later, Jugo Yul emerged from Purple霞 Pavilion, letting out a deep sigh as he clenched his fist.
"It's done!"
At that moment, a Taoist approached from outside.
"You've come out."
Jeokun smiled warmly at Jugo Yul.
"Please follow me."
"Ah, yes."
Jugo Yul hurriedly unclenched his fist.
Soon, he followed Jeokun down the mountain path, looking around curiously.
'So this is Mount Hua.'
Perhaps because he hadn't been to Mount Hua Sect since he was very young.
Everything felt fresh and unfamiliar, as if it were his first time.
'But it's different from what I imagined.'
Mount Hua evoked plum blossoms.
Yet the actual Mount Hua had fewer plum blossoms than expected and was full of massive boulders instead.
'And the paths are so steep.'
His gaze turned downward.
A cliff-like, narrow mountain path.
It looked even more dizzying from above.
'If I hadn't learned lightness skill, it would have taken forever to climb up.'
He had heard that Mount Hua Taoists and Kunlun Taoists had the best lightness skills, and now he understood why.
As he was taking in the sights for a while.
"Aaaah! S-Save me!"
"I'm gonna die!"
Screams suddenly rang out.
The startled Jugo Yul looked at Jeokun's back, but Jeokun continued walking as if he hadn't heard them.
"Th-that young Taoist..."
As Jugo Yul hurriedly called out to him.
"What's the matter?"
Jeokun turned back with a smile.
"There's screaming coming from over there..."
Pointing east, Jugo Yul asked, and Jeokun realized with an 'oh' and spoke.
"Ah! No need to worry about that."
"P-Pardon...?"
Jugo Yul was momentarily dumbfounded.
No need to worry?
"P-Please stop!"
"Ugh!"
Screams were still echoing like that—how could he not worry?
Jeokun smiled awkwardly and said,
"They're in the middle of training."
"Training?"
Jugo Yul's eyes changed.
His bewilderment turned to astonishment.
'As expected of Mount Hua Sect! Training so harshly that they scream like that.'
Having never heard about Mount Hua's training his whole life, he nodded in understanding.
'Oops, I've gotten too used to it.'
Jeokun scratched the back of his head.
Hearing screams every day, he had passed by as usual.
At that moment, a black figure appeared out of nowhere.
The suddenly appearing figure was a young man—a strikingly handsome youth with a unique charm that drew the eye.
Jeokun jumped in surprise and said,
"M-Martial Uncle?"
'M-Martial Uncle?'
Jugo Yul's eyes widened as he saw him call a youth who looked about the same age 'Martial Uncle'.
The youth, Cheonhwi, glanced at Jugo Yul before meeting Jeokun's eyes and asking,
"Skipping training to fool around here?"
Jeokun flinched.
"I-I was escorting a guest."
"A guest?"
Cheonhwi's gaze pierced through Jugo Yul.
In that instant, Jugo Yul felt his breath catch.
'Such eyes exist in the world...'
The clearly divided black-and-white pupils seemed not just to pierce but to stir his very heart.
"Who is he?"
"The young leader of the Ilhwa Sect."
"Ilhwa Sect?"
Cheonhwi tilted his head.
Where was that?
As he recalled the unfamiliar sect name, Jeokun added,
"One of our sect's affiliated secular sects."
"Huh? Affiliated secular sect?"
Jeokun panicked at Cheonhwi's question and hurriedly glanced at Jugo Yul, but fortunately, he was still dazed and standing blankly.
Jeokun approached Cheonhwi and whispered in his ear.
"It's one that's been offering tributes to our sect every year for a very long time."
"Really?"
Cheonhwi's eyes sparkled.
Even as it walked the path to ruin, it continued to offer tributes?
Normally, they would cut ties.
This one had loyalty.
"So he came for tributes this time too, I suppose."
"W-Well..."
As Jeokun trailed off.
"I came to request assistance."
The recovered Jugo Yul bowed politely and spoke.
Interest flickered in Cheonhwi's eyes.
"What kind of assistance?"
"Our sect has recently fallen under threat from evil sects..."
"Threats, huh..."
One corner of Cheonhwi's mouth twisted up.
'Sounds fun.'
Even after returning to Mount Hua Sect, he had nothing to do.
"Where is the Ilhwa Sect?"
"In Yanan."
"Hmm, perfect."
Cheonhwi's smile deepened.
"Has the group going been decided?"
"The Sect Leader said he would decide..."
"Great."
In that instant.
Whoosh—
Cheonhwi vanished like the wind.
Like a bolt from the blue.
As Jugo Yul stared blankly in the direction Cheonhwi had disappeared.
"...You're in for some trouble."
Jeokun said pityingly.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
Jeokun shook his head as if it were nothing in response to Jugo Yul's question.
Then he met his eyes.
"If Martial Uncle is going, the Ilhwa Sect will be safe."
Seeing Jeokun speak with such conviction, Jugo Yul's eyes widened.
"What kind of person is he...?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "You're going to the Ilhwa Sect?"
The Sect Leader looked at Cheonhwi, who had appeared out of nowhere, with surprised eyes.
"Yes."
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"There's nothing for me to do here in Mount Hua Sect anyway."
"That's true, but..."
"Or have you already decided who to send?"
"I was thinking of assigning the Martial Training Pavilion Lord and the Plum Blossom Sword Guards."
The Sect Leader put strength into his eyes.
It might be overkill, but for the Ilhwa Sect's loyalty all this time, it was necessary to deploy that level of force.
"Is that okay? Without the Martial Training Pavilion Lord, you can't open the Seven Plum Blossom Halls."
The only ones who knew how to operate the control room and mechanisms of the Seven Plum Blossom Halls in Mount Hua Sect were Cheonhwi and the Martial Training Pavilion Lord.
"You..."
"Even if I do it, if the Plum Blossom Sword Guards go out, what's the point?"
That was true.
The personnel assigned for the first opening of the Seven Plum Blossom Halls were the Plum Blossom Sword Guards.
"Then we can postpone it."
"The openings are already few and far between—why waste one?"
"But it's only been a short while since your last mission... Are you sure?"
"No problem. It's close anyway."
Cheonhwi grinned.
"I had nothing to do, so it's good to get out and see the world."
"...Alright."
The Sect Leader spoke apologetically.
"I'm assigning you another mission."
"The previous one was a bit much."
Cheonhwi recalled the mission to escort the Little Sovereign Sohee and smacked his lips.
"This one's fine."
"That's a relief."
The Sect Leader smiled softly.
"Do you have anyone in mind to go with you?"
Cheonhwi grinned and replied,
"Of course."