Chapter 251
Chapter 251
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 251
Chapter Title: Whispers of Defeat
-----------------------------------------------------------------
They say a word without feet travels a thousand miles.
The news that the Green Forest Bandits had raided the Mount Hua Sect struck the world with astonishing speed.
It was perhaps inevitable.
After all, those two factions were the hottest topics in the current jianghu, more than anywhere else.
The Mount Hua Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects.
It had been on the path of decline, but lately, its momentum had been tremendous.
Hadn't they toppled White Ghost Castle and reclaimed dominance in Shaanxi for the orthodox sects?
On top of that, with all their heroic deeds—the feats of the Mount Hua Divine Sword, the Plum Blossom Divine Hero, and the Seven Plum Blossom Swords—it no longer suited them to be called declining.
In fact, some busybodies were even saying that the current Mount Hua Sect could stand at the top of the Nine Great Sects.
And what of the Green Forest Bandits?
The current Green Forest was no pushover.
For decades—no, centuries—it had been dismissed as mere bandit rabble, but ever since the appearance of the unparalleled master known as the Bandit Sovereign, its power had grown at a frightening pace.
Moreover, by recently joining the Evil-Black Alliance, hadn't it risen to become a massive faction on par with the Five Kings Gate?
Everyone watched with bated breath as the clash unfolded between these emerging titans of the orthodox and unorthodox worlds.
And before long, a follow-up rumor left them all stunned.
—The Green Forest Bandits were repelled!
It was a raid led by the Bandit Sovereign himself, with all Four Bandit Kings joining in.
The assault force, made up of over a hundred elites, represented more than half of the Green Forest's total strength.
And that was not all.
Their meticulously planned ambush had been so flawless that even the Beggar Clan, who had eyes everywhere, failed to detect it until they reached Shaanxi Province.
In contrast, what of Mount Hua?
The Mount Hua Sect's top powerhouses—the Mount Hua Divine Sword and the Seven Plum Blossom Swords—were still at the Murim Alliance and couldn't prepare for the raid.
The late discovery of the situation delayed any support from the Murim Alliance as well.
In the end, only the remaining Mount Hua disciples were left to fend off the surprise attack.
Even from a defensive position, the gap in power was glaringly obvious.
That was why everyone had been all but certain that the Green Forest Bandits would win.
Yet the result was the complete opposite.
"Th-then... does that mean even the Bandit Sovereign was defeated?"
"Defeated? They say the Bandit Sovereign abandoned his subordinates and fled with his tail between his legs."
"Hah, hard to believe. The Bandit Sovereign abandoning his men and running away?"
"Life comes first, doesn't it?"
"More curiously, how exactly did they take down the Bandit Sovereign? I heard the Mount Hua Divine Sword was at the Murim Alliance. Even if they ganged up on him, the Four Bandit Kings and the bandit elites wouldn't have stood idly by."
Everyone focused intently on the answer to come.
The Bandit Sovereign was an absolute master whose prowess was acknowledged across the jianghu.
Unless it was the Mount Hua Divine Sword, who had felled the White Four Gods, no other Mount Hua Daoist could match him—his level was simply different.
And yet.
"They say he fell to a single person."
The shocking words continued.
"A single person?"
"Who on earth..."
As everyone struggled to believe it, the answer spilled out one after another.
"The Plum Blossom Divine Hero."
"Plum Blossom Divine Hero!"
"The Plum Blossom Divine Hero..."
Thus, the moniker "Plum Blossom Divine Hero" began dancing on the lips of many across the jianghu.
"I-it's done now."
Gwak Cheol-ho, the longstanding fixture of the herbal clinics in Shanyang, Shaanxi, finished speaking to the hulking man whose right eye and entire body were wrapped tightly in bandages. He swallowed hard.
This was no ordinary man.
His wounds were hidden now that treatment was complete, but when he first arrived, he had been a gruesome sight.
His right eye socket was a gaping hole, and metal shards were embedded all over his body.
For a mere mortal, it would have been an injury severe enough to prevent movement, let alone scream before passing out.
Yet he had calmly entered the clinic and entrusted his treatment to Gwak Cheol-ho.
'This must be what they call a master in the martial world.'
Gwak Cheol-ho recalled the treatment as he muttered inwardly.
The muscles honed to the point saliva barely penetrated, the fiercely surging energies.
They were things he'd never felt in his long life.
It was then.
"...It hurts."
With those words, the man opened his one good eye.
'Gasp!'
Gwak Cheol-ho instinctively shrank back.
'To think such deep green eyes exist.'
As Gwak Cheol-ho trembled before those chilling eyes, the man slowly rose from his seat.
He roughly donned his tattered martial robes and moved to leave the clinic.
"The treatment fee..."
Gwak Cheol-ho blurted out without thinking.
Realizing his mistake too late, his face drained of color.
"Treatment fee."
The man halted and fixed Gwak Cheol-ho with a steady gaze.
As terror filled Gwak Cheol-ho's eyes under that icy green stare—
"I'd forgotten about it for a moment."
The man murmured lowly.
Gwak Cheol-ho's expression brightened.
"Haha, of cour—urk!"
In that moment of relief, the man seized his throat.
And soon.
Crack!
With his neck bones snapping, Gwak Cheol-ho met his end.
The man—the Bandit Sovereign—stuck out his tongue in distaste and casually tossed the corpse aside.
As he turned to leave—
Throb—
Sudden waves of intense pain made him clutch his right eye.
But all he felt was bandage.
"Because of that bastard, I've lost so much."
His face twisted like a ferocious demon as he hissed through gritted teeth.
It had been a grand scheme prepared to perfection.
Yet one man had ruined it all.
And through sheer superiority in martial prowess, no less.
"I'll have to lay low for a while."
Killing intent dripped from the Bandit Sovereign's sole remaining green eye.
Icy cold.
"Until I gain the strength to kill him..."
Muttering to himself, the Bandit Sovereign exited the clinic.
Soon, he trudged slowly into the mountains as the sun began to rise dimly.
Like a wounded beast.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Three days had passed since Hyeondo, Hyeonjin, and the first-generation disciples returned to Mount Hua.
In that time, the sect, which had been in utter chaos, gradually regained its former appearance.
The aid from the Beggar Clan branches and Murim Alliance outposts played a big role, as did help from the secular affiliate clans and those from Little Prosperity Fortress.
But the biggest reason was something else.
Cheonhwi roamed everywhere with his sharp eyes, swooping down on anyone slacking even a little and relentlessly driving them on.
"Oh? What's this? Hands idle?"
The Little Prosperity Fortress Lord bristled for a moment but bowed his head at Cheonhwi's next words and hurriedly got back to work.
"Want to end up like them?"
His gaze slyly shifted to those filling the earthworks—Cheonyu and the first-generation disciples.
They looked half-dead.
It was only natural.
Heavy iron weights were shackled to their hands and feet. On top of that, the occasional poison from the Dark Fragrance Pills tormented them.
As Cheonhwi kept watch over the surroundings—
"Brother!"
Jonghyeon came dashing from afar.
As he sped up to dive into Cheonhwi's arms—
"Don't run too hard."
Flying Sword General Ha Woojin blocked Jonghyeon's path, grabbing his shoulder.
Then he approached Cheonhwi.
"Sorry for being late."
Cheonhwi shrugged at the apology that came before greetings.
"Not something to say to me."
Ha Woojin nodded.
Any apologies or comforts were for the Mount Hua Sect Leader, not Cheonhwi.
"But the turnout's small."
Cheonhwi chided lightly at the sight of just Ha Woojin and Jonghyeon.
"...Something came up at the sect, so only Jonghyeon and I could come."
Ha Woojin gave a wry smile as he explained.
"Something?"
Cheonhwi asked curiously.
Ha Woojin shook his head, signaling he couldn't say more.
Some circumstances he can't discuss, huh.
Cheonhwi thought it no big deal.
"Brother took down the Bandit Sovereign, right?!"
Jonghyeon asked, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"As expected of my brother!"
Jonghyeon clasped his hands and hopped in excitement.
"The Bandit Sovereign is a figure of great renown in the current jianghu..."
Ha Woojin added in admiration.
"...Impressive."
In truth, when Ha Woojin first heard the rumor that Cheonhwi had defeated the Bandit Sovereign, he had accepted it without question.
He had a rough idea of the heights Cheonhwi's martial arts had reached.
At that moment, Cheonyu and the first-generation disciples came swarming over.
"We greet the Flying Sword General."
Cheonyu offered a formal cupped-fist salute, and Ha Woojin looked at him in surprise.
"It's been a while."
"You remember."
Cheonyu scratched his head sheepishly.
"Haha, how could I forget the great disciple of Mount Hua?"
Ha Woojin laughed in reply, then scanned Cheonyu and frowned with concern.
"But your complexion looks poor. Did you get hurt in the bandit raid?"
Cheonyu smiled awkwardly.
"Not at all."
"Then why..."
Cheonhwi cut in.
"Training. It's training."
"Training...?"
Cheonhwi looked at the puzzled Ha Woojin, then irritably undid the iron weight from his wrist and tossed it lightly.
"Hm?"
Ha Woojin's eyes widened as he caught it, only for his hand to drop downward.
"...This!"
"That's why. He makes us wear them all the time."
"Hmmm."
Ha Woojin let out a low hum.
It was quite heavy.
About thirty catties, by the look.
'No wonder it'd be exhausting to live with these on. But...'
Ha Woojin asked Cheonhwi.
"...Does this count as training?"
"Can't you tell just by looking?"
Cheonhwi replied, glancing at Cheonyu.
Ha Woojin understood immediately.
Compared to before, Cheonyu's body was more solid, and though he looked drained, there was also a spark of vitality.
"Hmmm, I've heard physical training is important, but in this manner..."
Ha Woojin muttered, fiddling with the weight.
A moment later.
"Here, take it back."
He handed it over.
Cheonhwi caught it effortlessly and fastened it to his left wrist.
'Tried wearing it to temper my external arts, but it's too light. Should I ask for heavier ones?'
As Cheonhwi pondered—
"I'll go see the Sect Leader."
Ha Woojin turned to leave.
He wanted to chat more with Cheonhwi, but his purpose here was clear.
"Sure."
As Ha Woojin stepped away after Cheonhwi's reply, Jonghyeon waved and followed.
"Brother! See you later!"
Meanwhile, Hyeonsang, Hyeondo, and Hyeonjin were gazing down at Mount Hua through the windows of Purple Cloud Pavilion.
"...It's changed a lot."
Hyeondo said with a complicated expression.
While he had been at the Murim Alliance, Mount Hua had undergone many transformations.
The creation of three martial units.
Hyeoncheong leading the third-generation disciples.
Everything felt alien.
"It's moving forward."
Hyeonsang murmured quietly from beside him.
He patted the equally uneasy Hyeonjin's shoulder and continued.
"And it's thanks to you two that the sect has advanced this far."
"No."
"What have we done?"
Hyeondo and Hyeonjin shook their heads.
"Nonsense! Don't say that!"
Hyeonsang fixed them with a stern gaze, his voice firm against their bitter tones.
"Without you, there'd be no current Mount Hua Sect. Hyeondo, do you know how much power your reputation has lent us?"
Only then did Hyeondo's expression soften slightly.
Noting it, Hyeonsang smiled gently, locked eyes with Hyeonjin, and pressed on.
"And Hyeonjin, words of thanks fall short for you. If you hadn't shone at the Murim Alliance while Mount Hua walked the path of decline, there'd be no sect now—nothing at all."
"Sect Leader Brother..."
Hyeonjin couldn't hold back his surging emotions.
He hadn't spoken of it, but staying at the Murim Alliance had been excruciating.
The constant scorn from all sides.
And the reality of sinking ever lower—it sometimes haunted his nightmares.
Seeing Hyeonjin's state, Hyeonsang signaled Hyeondo with his eyes.
Hyeondo was startled by Hyeonjin's vulnerability but soon smiled faintly.
The two patted his back.
"Look. It's grown this much thanks to you."
"You did well."
At their words, Hyeonjin composed himself and smiled.
Revealing a beautiful smile after venting all his pent-up feelings.
As the three looked down on the sect—
"...Those martial robes?"
Hyeondo spotted a group ascending the sect gates and widened his eyes in slight surprise.
"Know them?"
Hyeondo nodded, puzzled.
"They're the Murim Alliance's Justice Corps."