Mount Hua's Warm Welcome
On the lonely path of a solitary wanderer, gazing at the tip of a sword—Mount Hua! People never hesitated to call Mount Hua the greatest sword sect. Of course, whenever that was said, someone would always champion the Wudang Sect instead. From there, neither side would back down from an argument. A fierce battle of words would begin.
“Mount Hua’s Purple Sunset Sword Art is the ultimate divine technique!”
“Are you ignoring the Purple Sunset Sword Qi now?”
“But don’t you know the profound principles of Wudang’s Taiji?”
“Yeah, Taiji Wisdom Sword, reflected right back at you.”
When emotions ran high, complete strangers would even appoint themselves as proxies for major Murim sects and wage proxy wars on their behalf. Those were the moments the spectators cheered the loudest. In primitive ancient China, entertainment options had been exactly that limited.
Still, whenever anyone asked which of the countless factions in Murim possessed the finest swordsmanship, both the Mount Hua Sect and the Wudang Sect would naturally raise their heads. That was the position Mount Hua held in Murim.
To Cheong, however, whether the Mount Hua Sect ranked above or below anyone else did not matter in the slightest. What mattered was that she had been deceived.
“The mountain is pretty, so where’s the volcano?”
One of the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, its rugged terrain inspired reverence in all who beheld it. Mount Hua had no gentle slopes. Only sheer cliffs existed. White were the cliffs, red the trees—that was how one described the autumn scenery of Mount Hua.
The journey to the Mount Hua Sect would take a full month. In Cheong’s opinion, a great change had occurred during that time. Changbin had finally stopped babbling and begun speaking proper words! Of course, he still had no idea who his mother was, nor did he understand how to use honorifics correctly. He did not even know the basic courtesy of looking at someone’s face when speaking to them—something even Cheong understood. Still, he had broken free of the curse of muteness through his own efforts, so she could forgive him. Changbin would surely grow further. As the eldest of the group, she ought to watch over him with warm eyes and care…
“The Mount Hua Sect is on Jaso Peak, so if we go a little farther—”
“Forget the sect. Where’s the actual volcano? I don’t see any smoke. Is this a dormant volcano?”
Changbin smiled gently. It was the smile of a proper Taoist. He seemed to be showing off that this was his home.
“Lady Seomun, even you make such obvious jokes. Every first-time visitor to Mount Hua says the same thing. This humble Taoist has already heard it dozens of—”
Changbin trailed off upon seeing Cheong’s utterly serious expression.
“…Was that truly a joke?”
Cheong maintained her solemn face. It was an excellent answer. Then she exploded.
“This is too much, seriously! My volcano! My lava!”
“Lady Seomun, if you shout so loudly—”
“Since when is Mount Hua your volcano?”
Paeng Daesan scolded her.
“It could happen. This is a total scam! My volcano! I wanted to see the lava! Molten flames flowing! Scorching heat! But what’s good here? What’s this place famous for?”
“……?”
The way she smoothly changed the subject was almost like the mysterious harmony of yin-yang and Taiji. Paeng Daesan was momentarily stunned by its profundity.
“Haha, Sword Brother, Mount Hua is not a restaurant. Besides, Taoist temple food was never meant to be gourmet. You’ll only disappoint yourself if you expect otherwise.”
“Huh? The Goddess Sect’s food is delicious. That’s all prejudice, pure prejudice.”
In truth, the food at the Goddess Sect was excellent. Even ordinary mountain vegetables carried a subtle yet profound flavor and aroma. Most women’s sects were like that. Unlike men, who would wolf down meat and weep with emotion, women treated meals as a serious matter.
Regardless, none of the group held any real grudge against Cheong’s attitude. Though she grumbled, she was clearly enjoying the scenery of Mount Hua. Her gaze constantly swept the surroundings. Whenever she encountered a particularly majestic or beautiful vista, she would stop and look around like a country girl on an outing.
In reality, Mount Hua was an extremely treacherous mountain. It was no place for leisurely sightseeing. Yet every member of their party was a master. At last they reached Yeonhwa Peak, and the main gate of the Mount Hua Sect came into view.
Mount Hua was unusually close to the secular world for a Taoist sect—embarrassingly so. When one joined a Taoist or Buddhist sect, their name was entered into the register. This was called “entering the records,” a ritual in which one discarded their secular name and received a new Taoist or Buddhist name. However, some disciples kept their secular names even after entering the register. They were called lay disciples.
Each sect had different standards for accepting lay disciples. The Goddess Sect, for example, accepted none. Instead, if a woman fell in love with a man and wished to leave, or could no longer live without one, they would simply destroy her dantian and return her name—an act of surprising generosity. Other sects would sever the meridians in all four limbs before generously stamping a Taoist seal as an extra “favor.”
Aside from that, Taoist and Buddhist sects carefully examined a person’s character and talent before accepting lay disciples. There was a rumor that large donations could greatly improve one’s character score, though no official statement existed on the matter.
In this regard, Mount Hua was famous for being so lenient in its evaluations that it drew criticism from other Taoist sects. Decent talent and not a bad person? Pass. Exceptionally good talent? Pass. And the family is extremely wealthy? Pass.
Mount Hua had its own excuses. With a neighbor that had swallowed up all of Shaanxi Province, they needed to earn money somehow, even through lay disciples. The neighboring Zhongnan Sect had taken all the land, and being a legitimate Taoist sect, they performed ancestral rites year-round without interruption.
Because of this, Mount Hua disciples were scattered throughout the Central Plains, which made the sect quite wealthy. Their main mountain was always bustling with people. The result was the grand complex of buildings that now filled Yeonhwa Peak.
Cheong stared in astonishment at the sight.
Wow. How could one sect be this huge? The Goddess Sect was basically a hole-in-the-wall shop by comparison.
Changbin looked at Cheong with a pleased smile. The sect leader and the Mount Hua disciples guarding the main gate welcomed Changbin warmly.
“Eldest Senior Brother, you’ve returned?”
“Young Hero Paeng and Young Hero Namgung. We met before, didn’t we? Ah, but the young lady beside you… Could it be?”
“As expected of Eldest Senior Brother! We believed in you!”
“A man of such demonic charm that he can win over any woman in an instant! How could the world create women and then create Changbin? They call him Mount Hua’s Changbin!”
This was because Changbin’s usual behavior had been frivolous. To his junior brothers, Changbin was the kind of man who never drank alone; the moment he said “Drink,” beauties from across the Central Plains would line up with numbered tickets and follow him obediently.
Changbin’s face flushed bright red.
“T-that’s not it. This is Lady Seomun. She’s an important guest, so I was going to greet the Sect Leader—”
“Greet the Sect Leader! Are we getting candy?”
“Whoa! Everyone! Eldest Senior Brother is handing out candy!”
“Wait, junior brothers, wait a moment—”
Before Changbin could stop them, they shouted “Candy! Candy!” and dashed inside. Changbin’s high-level Amhyangpyo movement technique slipped smoothly between the Mount Hua disciples. Receiving candy was the ancient Chinese equivalent of a modern Korean saying “eating galbitang”—a celebratory treat given to guests at weddings.
Of all people, why did that loose-lipped Changyeon have to be at the main gate? The rumor would spread throughout the mountain before the day was over.
Changbin awkwardly withdrew his outstretched hand and glanced around nervously.
“Well. Ahem. Young Hero Paeng? It wasn’t intentional, so please don’t look at me with such a fierce expression. I’m still your senior brother, after all…”
After sending word to the Sect Leader’s hall and sitting in a side room drinking half a cup of tea, a message came ordering them to come up immediately. It was an extremely rare occurrence. Normally, a Sect Leader carried enough dignity that they would not come running just because a guest wished to see them. Moreover, in the face-saving culture of primitive ancient China, guests waited in order of rank. Changing the order arbitrarily could be a grave insult to the other guests.
Yet the Sect Leader had summoned his future successor with the highest priority. The reason was simple. Changbin was twenty-nine this year. Autumn was in full bloom. In just a few months, he would become a late bachelor. A man needed a family. Having a wife and enjoying the warmth of blood relations was beneficial both for establishing one’s center and for reaching the Transcendent realm. How could he not meet a disciple who had brought a woman home at such a time?
Thus, the Mount Hua Sect Leader, Jeong Cheolmae, the True Man Yuha, hurried to receive his guests.
“So. You are that child.”
“You know me?”
“I only just heard. Your eyes are filled with profound energy. Clearly a Taoist… profound energy… Hmm. There is profound energy, but… Hmm. It’s not just profound energy…”
True Man Yuha thought to himself. What is this child? The distinctive Taoist light in her eyes was deep and her level was extraordinary. Yet what was that sinister madness flickering between them? Something about her was utterly abnormal. There was an indescribable sense of unease.
“Uh…”
While True Man Yuha searched for words, Changbin quickly added an explanation.
“Grandmaster, this is Lady Seomun. She is the personally named disciple of the Great Matriarch, Seomun Su-rin.”
“Ah! Senior Seomun’s!”
Thunder boomed in True Man Yuha’s mind. Senior Seomun’s personally named disciple! Then of course there would be some madness in her eyes. Yes, that made sense. True Man Yuha immediately understood. Seomun Su-rin’s extreme feminism had mellowed considerably with age. Only the previous generation’s masters knew just how tyrannical the foremost woman of her era had been when she once cried out for women’s rights and female supremacy.
At the same time, he realized another fact. So this was the youngest junior sister who had suddenly appeared in the generation ranking! And unlike the Seomun clan, her face was bright with a cheerful smile, looking thoroughly amiable. True Man Yuha, who had suddenly gained a junior sister more than fifty years his junior, let out a hearty, good-natured laugh.
“Haha. I never expected to gain a youngest sister at my age. Is Senior Seomun well?”
“Yes. She was well the last time I saw her.”
“Good. By the way, your achievements seem quite high for your age. Could you tell me?”
“I’m only at the late stage of Peak.”
“Oh! The righteous sects have received a great blessing!”
True Man Yuha did not hold back his admiration. A girl of only twenty at the late stage of Peak. Senior Seomun had been raising a monster. Even the great Mucheon Daeje had only reached the mid stage of Peak at that age. True Man Yuha’s gaze grew even gentler.