152
152
The Wudang Sect found itself in a slightly awkward situation, thanks to a guest who had arrived without any prior notice.
But they could hardly treat an uninvited visitor coldly. Turning someone away who came seeking help in urgent circumstances would earn Wudang harsh looks from the world.
"It truly has been a long time. The days we carried out joint operations together feel like only yesterday, yet seeing you become Sect Leader fills me with boundless emotion. Though late, congratulations, Sect Leader."
"Heh heh, Brother Seol. Is it not too cold of you to act so distant after all this time? Between us?"
"...How could I dare to be disrespectful to the Sect Leader?"
Hyeon-cheol the Taoist laughed inwardly, feeling smug toward the Mount Hua Sect elder standing before him.
The uninvited guest was none other than a Mount Hua elder, a master who had been deeply acquainted with Hyeon-cheol in their youth. Their martial prowess had been comparable, and the world had often measured their swordsmanship side by side.
- Wudang's Hyeon-cheol? Hah, even so, he cannot compare to Mount Hua's Seven Plum Dragon. Did he not fail to even enter the Nine Dragons?
This man had once been called the Seven Plum Dragon (七梅龍). Now, he was an elder of the Mount Hua Sect.
In his youth, he had been endlessly compared and humiliated as a 'lesser substitute,' but now past forty, the man had fallen a step below him in both social standing and martial arts.
"Haha. In any case, it is good to see you, Ranhwa Sword (亂花劍) Seol Jungmae, Elder."
In the past, Hyeon-cheol had respectfully served the Ranhwa Sword as a senior brother. But now the positions of Sect Leader and sect elder had reversed their standing.
"Thank you for forgiving my sudden and rude intrusion, Sect Leader."
In a private setting it would have been different, but he could not simply speak casually in an official one. Moreover, here, in the very heart of Wudang, with other Wudang elders at his side, someone who came to make a 'request' could not afford to act discourteously.
"......."
Hyeon-ta the Taoist was displeased by Hyeon-cheol's smugness, but he did not think it right for the Wudang Sect Leader to adopt a humble stance before a Mount Hua elder.
Age aside, when their generation was comparable, what determined their hierarchy was status or martial ability. Even by the measure of martial arts alone, Hyeon-cheol stood above the Ranhwa Sword.
"I have heard you have mastered the Taiji Wisdom Sword. For a lost ancient martial art to return, the future of Wudang is truly bright."
"Haha. It was a stroke of heavenly luck."
Hyeon-cheol's pride soared to the heavens. Finding it utterly galling, Hyeon-ta eventually scratched the table with his hand, drawing their gazes.
"For what reason has the Mount Hua elder come looking for the Taiji Flower?"
"...Hyeon-ta!"
Hyeon-cheol flared up at Hyeon-ta for diving straight into the matter, but the Wudang elders seized on Hyeon-ta's lead and ignored their Sect Leader's roar.
"I want to know the reason. The reason you specifically invited the Taiji Flower to Mount Hua at this chaotic time, with a Sex Demon running wild. Since the Sect Leader knows but refuses to tell us, how can we not be dying of curiosity?"
Hyeon-ta was fully aware of the truth. The letter may have been addressed to the Sect Leader, but the one who read it had pushed it off to Hyeon-ta to handle—no, had asked him to—so he knew it well.
"A senior of the Ranhwa Sword's caliber, the finest swordsman of Mount Hua, must surely have a reason for coming all the way to Wudang, does he not?"
"...Did you not hear from the Sect Leader?"
"Not a word."
"...Ahem."
Hyeon-cheol's discomfort showed. The Ranhwa Sword quickly sensed the subtle undercurrent flowing between the Sect Leader and the elders and looked toward the Sect Leader.
"The content is rather shameful for Mount Hua, but since the elders will not be convinced unless they hear it, I shall speak. One of our sect's Plum Blossom Sword disciples has fallen ill. That is why I seek the Taiji Flower."
"But the Taiji Flower is no physician. How can she help?"
"That child is currently bedridden in the clinic with a grave illness. Her fever runs so high she cannot even control her own body. The illness is lovesickness."
"Hmm...."
The elders each showed various reactions. Some were sympathetic, others baffled.
"She is so sick she cannot rise, so I have no choice but to journey to Wudang personally and make a request. Should a Sex Demon disturb the Taiji Flower, I, Ranhwa Sword, will lay down my life to ensure she escapes safely."
"Hmm...."
"If you require a guarantee, I offer my sword and the Plum Blossom Pills—"
"The Taiji Flower is not here right now."
Everyone's faces hardened at Hyeon-ta's words. The Ranhwa Sword's expression, especially, contorted beyond his ability to hide it.
"What do you mean?"
"This morning, when I went to fetch the child, a single letter had been left behind."
Hyeon-ta produced a neatly penned letter.
"'I am off to visit Mount Hua with the new disciple I recently took in. As traveling in numbers may worsen the commotion, we will go quietly, just the two of us.'"
"What— what!"
A startled Hyeon-cheol slammed the table and shot to his feet. Hyeon-ta calmly set the letter down and continued.
"The child has already departed for Mount Hua. You have crossed paths, Ranhwa Sword."
* * *
The inn overflowed with people, as it always did. The inn waiter and Hwa-aeng were overwhelmed by more guests than usual.
"Huhaha, it looks like a little duckling is waddling around!"
"Kyaa! Sir!!"
"Huhaha, can that little kid have grown up this much!"
Hwa-aeng glared at the men around her whose hands were growing playful, but a glance at the coins they subtly offered prompted her to refocus on the work.
Since there was no one among the nearby village inns who could rival her face, Hwa-aeng was reaping a tidy profit using her beauty as a weapon.
Jingle jingle.
The bell at the entrance rang as a new guest entered. Hwa-aeng sighed, bracing for yet another fool—until her breath caught.
"Excuse me."
She was stunned by the sight of a polite and courteous young boy. He was a beautiful youth the likes of which she rarely saw in the surrounding mountain villages, and for a moment, Hwa-aeng even forgot she was supposed to show him to a seat.
"A table for two?"
"Yes, yes. We have one in the back."
"Ah, good. One moment."
As the boy stepped back out, Hwa-aeng struggled to calm her pounding heart.
"Haha! Aeng, don't tell me you fell for a little kid like that?!"
"Stop it. If you do that, it's a crime. Kha-ha-ha!"
"What are you saying? As if your own eyes don't roll when you see a pretty woman like this—"
Every single guest in the inn had their eyes roll. The woman who entered cautiously, led by the boy's hand, commanded an overwhelming presence.
"Whoa...."
Hwa-aeng lowered her head. She could not raise it against a difference in confidence she could not even begin to match.
"Excuse me."
The woman, whose voice flowed like gemstones, settled into a chair with the boy. Though she merely sat down, the sound of people gulping filled the inn.
"W-Would you like to order?"
"Yes. Master, what would you like to eat?"
The boy called the woman 'Master.' At this, the woman offered a benevolent smile and stroked the boy's head.
"Let's have what you want to eat."
"What? And you, Master?"
"I am full just watching you eat."
The people around them nodded at the woman's sincere manner. The boy thought for a moment, then pointed to the menu board for Hwa-aeng.
"Then give us two noodle soups and some dumplings."
A simple order. As she scolded herself for being distracted by their faces, Hwa-aeng examined their appearance.
'Murim warriors!'
These were martial artists. Even before their looks, their attire was not that of ordinary travelers.
The fact that the boy called the woman 'Master' was odd from the start. The woman he called 'Master' had three swords fastened at her waist.
"Got your order. I'll bring it right out."
"Do you mind if I ask you something?"
The woman caught Hwa-aeng. Hwa-aeng glanced at the other guests, but they nodded at her, their eyes urging her to answer quickly.
"Elder brother, our noodle soup from earlier still hasn't come out...?"
"Shut your mouth, you bastard."
As the woman's voice echoed through the room, Hwa-aeng's duty became being her conversation partner. Hwa-aeng steeled herself, eyeing the two silver coins placed on the table.
"What is it?"
"We are on our way to the Mount Hua Sect, and we hoped to learn about the Plum Blossom Sword disciples."
"Ah...."
Hwa-aeng nodded. She felt she could sense the heart of a master who wanted to give her boy disciple, seemingly new to the Murim world, various experiences.
And information about the Mount Hua Sect was essential common knowledge for any Shaanxi inn waiter. Nine out of ten Murim warriors who came to Shaanxi had business with Mount Hua.
"There are three people currently making a name as Plum Blossom Sword disciples. The Sect Leader's direct disciple, Ja Woo-yang; the Ranhwa Sword's disciple, Seon Ju-hee; and Ja Cheong-ha, the last disciple accepted by the previous Sect Leader."
"And their genders?"
"Ja Woo-yang is a man, Seon Ju-hee is a woman, and Ja Cheong-ha is a man. All three are Plum Blossom Sword disciples and are already acknowledged as first-rate experts and sword prodigies despite their young age."
"Wow! That's impressive. First-rate at their age."
Oddly, Hwa-aeng detected something soulless in the boy's voice.
"How do they compare to my master?"
"A-bung, that is rude to them. Still, I am a little curious myself. I know that only Miss Seon Ju-hee participated in the Yongbong Assembly. Were there not supposed to be two Mount Hua warriors who challenged the Nine Dragons Struggle for Supremacy?"
"Ah... well, about that."
Hwa-aeng smiled bitterly.
"Ja Woo-yang and Ja Cheong-ha, the two Plum Blossom Sword disciples, held a duel for the Mount Hua representative spot and injured each other. So another disciple had to participate, unfortunately."
"Then what would have happened if they had competed?"
"Though I am not from Mount Hua, and it is a bit awkward to say this as someone who lives in Shaanxi."
Hwa-aeng spoke with a voice full of pride.
"The title of Greatest Dragon in the World might well have belonged to Ja Woo-yang or Ja Cheong-ha."
The guests nodded vigorously. Living in the region where Mount Hua's influence held sway, they felt pride in the sect, but the superior skills of the two Mount Hua Plum Blossom Sword disciples were an undeniable fact.
"Hmm... I would like to cross swords with them. To see what kind of people they are."
"Master?"
"Hoo-hoot, do not worry. Do you think I would lose?"
The woman gestured to the three swords at her waist. Hwa-aeng could not even begin to guess the identity of a woman who carried three swords. Did she wield two swords and carry the third in her mouth? Or did she wedge it against her chest?
"Hwa-aeng, the noodles are getting cold."
"Ah, yes, yes!"
Hwa-aeng hurriedly set the noodle soups and dumplings on the table. The master and disciple ate quietly, bought a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Wine, and left the inn.
"A beauty like that, it's a lucky break for today."
"Hwa-aeng, you didn't lose. That warrior lady was simply too beautiful."
"...Could such a person truly exist?"
Hwa-aeng thought for a long while, then flipped open a booklet. The worn cover of the old booklet, marked with people's handprints, bore the stamp 'Flower Directory - Post-Yongbong Assembly Special.'
"Hwa-aeng, what do you expect to find looking at that? The people in there are all either Six Phoenixes or women considered the next Six Phoenixes. They are so busy hiding from the Sex Demon these days; would one of them come to a place like this with a boy in tow?"
"Right. A face of upper-middle or upper-lower tier, but the possessor of an unmatched gentle heart. A person who handles multiple swords. If such a person exists—"
Everyone inside the inn froze.
"...The Taiji Flower?"
* * *
"Now that I have cast the bait, it is time to head slowly toward Mount Hua."
I walked along a mountain path with a bottle of Bamboo Leaf Wine at my lips. Behind me, Sagong Hee followed silently, step after step.
"Hee, what are you thinking about?"
"About you, my lord."
"...I appreciate that, but your expression is a little frightening."
As expected of the Lust Demon's wife, the sensuality in her gaze toward me was overflowing. More precisely, it was the look of a woman who wanted to devour me.
"Was that appearance yours when you were young, my lord?"
"It was. What do you think? As the Taiji Flower's disciple and servant, I pulled off the disguise well enough, no? Heh heh."
I had already set the plot in motion with Sa Jeong-hu. Sa Jeong-hu would fabricate a 'Taiji Flower's disciple' on his own, and through this, I could now stay with Sagong Hee even within Wudang.
"You, when I am in this form, you are my master who teaches me the Taiji Sword—"
"Suuup, haah."
Sagong Hee kept looking at me and licking her lips.
"...Calm down. Do you look like a master right now? Passing guards will try to arrest you."
"Since you raised me and then devoured me, my lord, I also wish to fulfill my duty as your master."
"......."
I was at a loss for words.
'Come quickly.'
Before I was devoured by Sagong Hee, the fish needed to take the bait and appear fast.
"My Lord, before we enter Mount Hua, could we do it just once while you look like that? Please?"
"Let us save that for the return trip—"
"Halt----!!"
With a joyful heart, I welcomed the warriors in crimson martial robes who blocked our path.
"What business do our seniors from Mount Hua have?"
"Young hero, I am Ja Woo-yang, a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. Might the person behind you be..."
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
With a voice both benevolent and cold, Sagong Hee grasped my shoulder from behind and spoke.
"I am Sagong Hee, the Taiji Flower. This child is my disciple."
"I am A-bung."
"A disciple... Well, come to think of it, you are of elder rank already."
Ja Woo-yang laughed bitterly, shook his head, and then assumed a bright smile along with a hand-clasped bow.
"Welcome to Mount Hua. Both of you."
After a short journey, we arrived at Mount Hua.