Chapter 28
Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Black-Haired Writer - 2
For Cheong-un, one of the three great disciples of the Mount Hua Sect, visiting the bookstore was a common part of his routine.
Of course, he wasn't like the younger disciples who came to secretly look at erotic paintings or lewd novels.
"Senior Brother Cheong-un, you look at erotic paintings too? What the... Why are you looking at something like this?"
Seeing the famously earnest Cheong-un reading a book, the younger disciples would sometimes sneak up on him, wondering if even their senior brother secretly looked at erotic paintings like they did. But they would always check the title, recoil in disgust, and step back.
After all, what Cheong-un was reading were Daoist texts, famous Central Plains customs, or moralistic tales.
"This is more interesting than I thought."
"You really are reading something befitting a senior brother. Instead of that, why don't you try reading some fun storybooks for a change?"
Shaking his head, the disciple disappeared.
Had the disciple's master seen this, he would have scolded him for his lack of manners toward his senior brother, but he wasn't here right now. Cheong-un had taken the disciples out for a brief excursion.
"That kid... I read fun things sometimes too."
Cheong-un put down the book he was reading and walked over to the area where the newly arrived novels were placed.
Cheong-un didn't only like stuffy, boring books. Of course, that didn't mean he sought out erotic paintings or bawdy tales that would interfere with his training.
He was more inclined to look for ancient folktales of unknown origin or stories about famous generals.
"'The Tale of Guo Ziyi'... read it. 'The Chronicle of Yue Fei'... read that too. 'The Tale of the Conqueror of Western Chu'... read that as well. Hah, all the new arrivals are things I've already read."
To think all the items that came in as new stock were things he'd already read. Cheong-un was slightly disappointed. While the erotic paintings the disciples secretly looked at had many new releases, the type of novels he liked were rare among new arrivals.
Was there nothing worthwhile to read?
Cheong-un passed by the shelf where the newly arrived books were neatly arranged and looked at the haphazard pile of books next to it. Books that no one looked for or old books were stacked in piles like this instead of being placed on shelves.
Maybe he could discover a treasure here.
Holding onto a small hope, Cheong-un began his book exploration.
"This is a title I've never seen before. 'The Tale of the Chivalrous Heroes of Wind and Cloud'?"
A book written on rough paper with poor-quality ink. The contents might be fine, but the characters on the cover were already quite faded.
Anyone else would have passed it by, but Cheong-un, thirsty for new writing, opened 'The Tale of the Chivalrous Heroes of Wind and Cloud'.
"The protagonist is a member of the Mount Hua Sect."
Who dares to impersonate a disciple of the great Mount Hua Sect? Cheong-un almost closed the book immediately, but curiosity made him keep reading.
The beginning was about how the happy daily life of the young protagonist came to an end.
The protagonist, Yun-hyeon, known as a brilliant child. One day, he loses his parents to bandits. On the verge of death himself, he is saved by a passing Mount Hua Sect Taoist priest.
Recognizing his talent, the Mount Hua Sect priest urges him to become his disciple. Yun-hyeon performs the Nine Bows of Ceremony to his master and forms a master-disciple bond.
Before leaving the village, he makes a vow before his parents' graves.
[Father, Mother. I will learn the sword so that people like me will never be born again.]
"..."
The misfortune of the young protagonist and his brilliant mind led Cheong-un to continue to the next page.
Although the Mount Hua Sect was a Daoist school, not all its disciples were men of nature. They were children from wealthy families, families in government office, or at the very least, children whose parents could secretly support them during their time at Mount Hua.
Thus, Yun-hyeon, an orphan with nothing, became a target of bullying.
The children's unreasonable malice tormented Yun-hyeon incessantly.
'His situation is similar to my past.'
Seeing Yun-hyeon, Cheong-un felt a sense of shared hardship. Cheong-un was also an orphan who lost his parents to bandits. Even the bullying he suffered was the same.
A situation where an ordinary child would have cried and given up. Yun-hyeon always remembered his vow to his parents and trained relentlessly. Was it because of his outstanding talent? Or was it thanks to his vow to his parents? Yun-hyeon's martial prowess improved day by day.
On the day of the regular training sparring matches at Mount Hua.
Yun-hyeon points out the child who was the leader of the kids who bullied him.
There was a gap of several years between the leader and Yun-hyeon. Under normal circumstances, it was a hopeless situation where Yun-hyeon could never win.
'How on earth does he plan to win?'
Yun-hyeon was busy dodging and blocking the opponent's attacks. If this continued, he would lose. Cheong-un thought so as he read the book.
Yun-hyeon did not act rashly. He calmly waited for his moment.
Unaware of this, the opponent child grew impatient as his attacks failed to connect. Impatience made his movements large and hasty. It was the moment Yun-hyeon had been waiting for.
Yun-hyeon's talent blossomed.
Strike Second to Gain the Upper Hand.
Overcoming speed with slowness.
Yun-hyeon aimed for the opening created by the child's larger, hastier movements and succeeded in perfectly subduing him. Everyone was astonished. For the martial principles of the great Mount Hua Sect had unfolded from Yun-hyeon's hands. At such a young age.
"Yes. Well done!"
Seeing that scene, Cheong-un let out a shout without realizing it.
"Ahem."
"Ah, my apologies."
When the bookstore owner gave him a look, Cheong-un felt a little embarrassed. But he couldn't put the book down because of that. He was too curious about what came next.
After Yun-hyeon defeated the children's leader, the gazes around him began to change. News of Yun-hyeon's talent, effort, and character began to spread daily throughout Mount Hua.
Seeing this, the elders of Mount Hua began discussing whether to personally teach Yun-hyeon the sect's Supreme Ultimate Sword Technique.
"Someone like Yun-hyeon should naturally receive personal instruction in the Supreme Ultimate Sword Technique."
Yun-hyeon was, after all, a pillar of talent capable of inheriting the true teachings of Mount Hua.
Before he knew it, the character Yun-hyeon, who was impersonating a Mount Hua disciple, no longer existed in Cheong-un's mind. Instead, there was only Yun-hyeon, the successor of the Supreme Ultimate Sword Technique who would lead Mount Hua.
[I wish to walk the path of a chivalrous hero.]
One day, after learning the Supreme Ultimate Sword Technique, Yun-hyeon seeks out his master and reveals the resolution he had been hiding.
[No. In the past, disciples of Mount Hua often went out saying they would walk the path of chivalry. But because of such chivalrous acts, countless grudges accumulated, and great blood once flowed for Mount Hua. It is absolutely not allowed.]
[I learned the sword of Mount Hua to become a chivalrous hero.]
[If you wish to help people, then lend your sword to those who donate to Mount Hua. Coincidentally, a high-ranking official is said to be suffering from the threat of assassination. Would you like to go as a guard for a while?]
[The chivalrous hero I want to become is not like that!!]
[How dare you raise your voice! If you desire to walk the path of chivalry, then surrender everything of Mount Hua that you possess. I will never forgive you for going out into the martial world wielding the sword of Mount Hua and creating personal grudges!!]
[Master!!]
To surrender everything of Mount Hua meant not to use Mount Hua's internal energy and sword techniques. Yun-hyeon, who had already become Mount Hua itself, could not lay that down.
"The master's words are right. But Yun-hyeon's righteous spirit is also right."
If someone told Cheong-un they wanted to walk the path of chivalry, he would have dissuaded them like Yun-hyeon's master. But Cheong-un, who was already immersed in Yun-hyeon's story, empathized with Yun-hyeon's feelings.
[I learned the sword to become a chivalrous hero. If I cannot become one, then what was the point of all my effort until now? But the master's words are also right. The blood of my senior and junior brothers could flow because of grudges born from my blade.]
Just as Cheong-un was agonizing over Yun-hyeon, Yun-hyeon also agonized after hearing his master's words.
Yun-hyeon wanders Mount Hua in anguish and stands before a cliff. But by chance, he encounters a demonic practitioner who has invaded Mount Hua. He succeeds in defeating the demonic practitioner, but in the end, Yun-hyeon is also struck by a sword and falls off the cliff.
The master and disciples arrive belatedly, but Yun-hyeon's body cannot even be found.
"Huh?"
What is this?
Yun-hyeon, who wiped away tears and made a vow before his parents. The admirable child who never complained once despite backbreaking training. Yun-hyeon, who wanted to become a chivalrous hero just when he could comfortably enjoy his rights as the successor to the Supreme Ultimate Sword Technique.
Yun-hyeon, the pillar of talent of the great Mount Hua.
Yun-hyeon dies like this?
Cheong-un had learned the methods of governing the mind at Mount Hua, but at this moment, it was hard to endure.
Cheong-un felt like drawing his sword if the person who wrote this was before his eyes right now. To kill a child with such a bright future ahead. What kind of act is this?
Fortunately, the reason he didn't fly into a rage was that there were pages left in the book. There was no way he died like this. Cheong-un turned the page.
[Where on earth is this...]
Fortunately, Yun-hyeon was alive. There had been a cave in a narrow crevice between the cliffs. It was amazing enough that he survived by falling into the cave, but what was even more astonishing came next.
Before Yun-hyeon, who entered the cave, lay the corpse of the Fifth Generation Sect Leader! Why on earth would the remains of the Fifth Generation Sect Leader be in such a cave?
Cheong-un, who was reading the book, and Yun-hyeon, who discovered the remains, both began reading the letter left by the Sect Leader with astonished hearts.
[Dear reader. If you are not a person of Mount Hua, read no further and inform Mount Hua that you have found my remains. Mount Hua does not forget its benefactors. However, if the reader is a person of Mount Hua, please read this letter to the end.]
What on earth is this? Yun-hyeon, who entered the cliff crevice cave, began to continue reading the letter.
[Dear reader. What is the Way?]
[Why do you, in pursuit of the Way, hold a sword instead of a book? Why do you learn martial arts instead of embracing non-action and naturalness as your companion?]
[Dear reader, is that truly the path that leads to the Way?]
[To become an immortal by transforming and ascending, why do you hold such a heavy piece of iron?]
[Dear reader. I lived with the sky as my blanket and the mountains as my companion, devoting my entire life to training.]
[Today, I was barely able to glimpse the edge of the immortal realm. However, the good karma I have accumulated is insufficient, so I could only go to see the edge and return.]
[In the end, I could not transform and ascend, and I did not become an immortal.]
[As I fell back to earth, I had no wings on my back, and in my hand was only the sword that had been with me all my life.]
[Dear reader. Accumulate good karma with the sword. That will become wings for you.]
[My lifespan has ended, so I can no longer accumulate good karma, but I will leave behind martial arts that can become wings for you.]
[Please, use the sword to practice the Way and accumulate good karma.]
"Senior Brother Cheong-un, what book are you reading so intently? Let's go quickly."
Cheong-un's disciple complained toward Cheong-un, who hadn't moved from the bookstore for over two hours.
"This book, just what on earth..."
Cheong-un had goosebumps and couldn't move.
This is no ordinary book.
"Shopkeeper!!"
Cheong-un urgently called the bookstore owner.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Senior Brother, what's wrong? You look scary."
Seeing Cheong-un's serious expression, both the disciple and the bookstore owner were surprised.
"This book. Where on earth did this book come from?"
Cheong-un pointed repeatedly at 'The Tale of the Chivalrous Heroes of Wind and Cloud' and asked.
"'The Tale of the Chivalrous Heroes of Wind and Cloud'? What was that again... Ah! That book."
"That book?"
"The peddler who sold that book said a Joseon Taoist priest from Changbai Mountain had a story to tell the Mount Hua Sect and sold it."
"A Joseon Taoist priest from Changbai Mountain?"
"Yes. He brought it here saying a Mount Hua person would like it. But since no one read it, I was just going to put it in the warehouse."
"Changbai Mountain, a Joseon person from Changbai Mountain."
What relationship does a Joseon person from Changbai Mountain have with Mount Hua? The more Cheong-un heard, the more confused he felt.
In truth, what the bookstore owner in Chilgok County had said had been passed through several people, gaining embellishments until it reached this state, but Cheong-un had no way of knowing that.
"By the way, is that really true? Since you're a Taoist who frequents the bookstore, I've let you keep reading it, but at this point, it seems you should buy it."
"I will definitely buy it. How much is it?"
"Just give me 5 silver coins."
"5 silver coins? You're selling this book for 5 silver coins?"
Cheong-un asked back in a tone of disbelief.
"Is it because the quality is poor? Even so, that should be sold for 5 silver..."
"Poor quality?! How can you say such a thing?!"
Cheong-un roared with anger.
"Huh?"
"S-Senior Brother?"
For the earnest senior brother who never got angry at others to be this furious... Cheong-un's disciple couldn't understand this situation.
"This... this is a book that cannot be measured by 5 silver coins. The money in my purse right now... Darn it, only 50 silver coins?!"
"Th-that book is fine for 5 silver coins."
"I'll give you all of this. And I'm buying this book."
"Th-thank you."
The bookstore owner, who received Cheong-un's entire purse, was flustered, his jaw dropping.
"No. I am thankful."
Cheong-un took 'The Tale of the Chivalrous Heroes of Wind and Cloud' and left without looking back.
"Senior Brother! Let's go together!"
"What on earth is going on?"
The bookstore owner put the purse into his embrace but still couldn't understand what had happened at all.
The bookstore owner could not predict what events 'The Tale of the Chivalrous Heroes of Wind and Cloud' would cause for Mount Hua.