Chapter 89
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Falling Plum Blossoms Like Rain
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“My master once told me that if your sword ever loses its way, you should first set it down and ask your heart. He said you only earn the right to hold the sword again when your heart becomes the blade, pointing toward a single purpose.”
Pung-hyeonja smiled quietly at the sight of his disciple standing there, mulling over his words.
“You miserly one.”
“Sir?”
Pung-hyeonja jested at Myeong-geom, who looked utterly perplexed.
“Shouldn't you show me you're struggling and worrying like this once in a while? It gives this old master some joy in teaching, you know.”
Pung-hyeonja continued.
“To be honest, it hasn't been much fun for me until now. You always walked the path you were meant to, without me needing to say a thing.”
With a benevolent smile and a gentle voice, Pung-hyeonja soothed Myeong-geom.
“Now you finally seem a bit more human.”
It was a joke, but his words were half-sincere.
Myeong-geom's talent for martial arts was that extraordinary.
It was to the point where one might wonder if, in terms of talent alone, he didn't surpass Beop-ryo of Shaolin, one of the Five Absolutes Under Heaven.
On top of that, his innate patience and diligence perfectly supported his outstanding comprehension.
“Don't overthink it. You are wavering because it is time to waver. When it's time to move forward again, you will.”
“…”
“The time has come to put down your sword for a while and simply feel.”
“Feel what, Master?”
“The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao.”
It meant that the moment the Way is put into words, it is no longer the Way. Gaining true insight was just that distant a goal.
“You will naturally come to understand that as well, when the time is right.”
Myeong-geom let out a soft sigh.
The more he engaged in these Zen-like dialogues with his master, the heavier his heart became.
“You will do well.”
Pung-hyeonja offered a smile.
“If I were to pick the best thing I've done since adding my name to the registers of Huashan, it would undoubtedly be inducting you as a disciple.”
“Master…”
“A great whale that roams the vast ocean does not envy the bird in the sky.”
“Pardon?”
Myeong-geom was puzzled for a moment by his master's sudden remark.
“Is it because of the Ice Jade Fairy?”
Myeong-geom flinched at Pung-hyeonja's follow-up question. It had hit the mark.
As if he had expected it, Pung-hyeonja nodded.
It was right around that time that Myeong-geom's face had darkened, his mind had become unsettled, and his swordsmanship had lost its form.
“I heard you were defeated without even being able to put up a proper fight.”
Pung-hyeonja continued speaking to his disciple, who had lowered his head in silence.
“She surpassed the common sense of the mortal world long ago. She is, in a sense, an exception to the rule.”
“Does that mean…”
Myeong-geom carefully posed his question.
“Can the sword of Huashan never surpass her?”
“Well…”
Pung-hyeonja trailed off ambiguously, a mysterious smile on his lips.
“Why don't you find out for yourself?”
“...!”
Pung-hyeonja laughed, seemingly amused by his disciple's flustered expression.
“It is said that a great teacher shows the disciple the path they must walk, and a great disciple shows the teacher the path they could not. I have taught you the path you must walk, so now you must show me. Show me how high the sword of Huashan can climb.”
Myeong-geom could only cast a troubled gaze.
Then, he spoke with difficulty.
“The Sect Leader… no, the Grandmaster… intended to abandon Huashan… Is that truly the truth?”
A look of confusion appeared on Pung-hyeonja's face.
He couldn't understand why Myeong-geom was asking again about something he had already heard on that occasion.
“Why do you ask that?”
“This disciple still cannot believe it. The fact that the Grandmaster, the greatest sword under heaven, was swayed by mere beauty and intended to leave Huashan…”
For Myeong-geom, who had always looked up to him and trained with him as his goal, the shock was immense.
Pung-hyeonja chuckled and began to speak.
“Don't tell me your worries were because of resentment towards my master?”
“Th-that's…”
“Just because he was my master, do you think he never had a time when his blood boiled with youth?”
“But…”
“Do you think he just fell from the sky fully formed? He reached where he is now by going through a process of wavering back and forth, just like you, and becoming stronger for it.”
“…”
“And you are mistaken.”
“Pardon? But according to the conversation between you and the Fairy that day…”
Pung-hyeonja cut Myeong-geom off, shaking his head.
“It is true that she is incomparably beautiful, but that is not the only reason my master was swayed.”
Pung-hyeonja said to the bewildered Myeong-geom.
“There are realms that cannot be understood without experiencing them. Even if I explained it for a hundred days, you would not understand. Because I have seen it, and you have not.”
“What is it that I have not seen?”
“Hmm…”
While Pung-hyeonja was debating whether to explain or not…
A third-generation disciple came running hurriedly from a distance.
“We have visitors to the sect.”
“Visitors?”
In response to Myeong-geom's question, the young disciple, whose Taoist name was Myeong-jeong, hastily nodded.
“The Ice Jade Fairy and the Divine Physician's son are requesting to see the Sect Leader.”
Pung-hyeonja and Myeong-geom were startled.
‘Of all people…’
Pung-hyeonja studied Myeong-geom's face, which couldn't hide its agitation, with a worried look.
‘Perhaps this could be a good opportunity.’
If a small fire could be set to prevent a larger one, this could be a solution. For the fire in one's heart only grows uncontrollably as frustration builds.
Finally, Pung-hyeonja nodded.
“I will greet the guests myself. Myeong-geom, you will inform the Sect Leader of this news.”
Then he smiled brightly.
“Perhaps the heavens are helping you.”
“Sir?”
Leaving the puzzled Myeong-geom behind, Pung-hyeonja shot off towards the mountain gate.
***
Guided by a third-generation disciple of the Huashan Sect, Dan Ak-seon and Han Seol-hwa ascended the mountain path leading to the gate.
The four peaks approached, their grandeur surpassing mere splendor.
A faint smile formed on Han Seol-hwa's lips as she took in the sight.
Noticing this, Dan Ak-seon smiled and spoke.
“It seems like a place with many memories for you.”
“Memories? You call them memories…”
Han Seol-hwa trailed off strangely, shaking her head slightly with a light smile.
“Let's just call them fragments of memory.”
Curious about the meaning behind her words, Dan Ak-seon tilted his head.
Just then, a person who had rushed from the mountain gate as if flying bowed politely to Han Seol-hwa.
“Pung-hyeon, a second-generation disciple of Huashan, greets the Fairy.”
Han Seol-hwa nodded silently. Pung-hyeonja turned his head and greeted Dan Ak-seon.
“A pleasure to meet you, Young Master Dan.”
A look of confusion appeared in Dan Ak-seon's eyes.
“Do you know me?”
“I heard about you from Myeong-geom.”
Pung-hyeonja added an explanation.
“Myeong-geom, that child is my disciple.”
“Ah!”
Belatedly, Dan Ak-seon bowed his head to Pung-hyeonja.
“It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time. My name is Dan Ak-seon.”
Suddenly, Dan Ak-seon felt something was odd and looked up. Pung-hyeonja was staring at him with a somewhat surprised expression.
“Is something wrong?”
At Dan Ak-seon's question, Pung-hyeonja let out a soft, dry cough.
“It is nothing.”
But contrary to his words, Pung-hyeonja couldn't hide his surprise. The Dan Ak-seon he was meeting in person was so different from what he had heard.
An unwavering, upright posture and clear eyes.
Beyond that, he could sense a well-refined internal energy.
‘I was certain I heard he hadn't learned any martial arts.’
Despite his young age, Myeong-geom possessed outstanding skills, enough to lead the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
Naturally, his eye for talent was incomparable to that of ordinary masters.
And yet, Myeong-geom had reported that Dan Ak-seon had not learned martial arts.
‘Moreover…’
The person in charge of the escort party to Hubei at that time was Jin-hyeon Jin-in. To him, he was a martial uncle and the Sect Leader's martial brother.
A master ranked among the top three in Huashan.
Even if Myeong-geom could be fooled, Jin-hyeon Jin-in's eyes could not.
But Jin-hyeon had also said the same thing about Dan Ak-seon as Myeong-geom.
‘What in the world…?’
It was bewildering.
If what they said was true, then the boy before him had only started learning martial arts a little over half a year ago. By what means could he have achieved so much in such a short period?
It was difficult to comprehend with his common sense.
“Have the customs of Huashan changed in my absence?”
Snapped back to his senses by the cold voice, Pung-hyeonja turned his gaze to Han Seol-hwa.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I'm asking how long you intend to keep us standing here.”
“Oh! My apologies.”
After offering a polite apology, Pung-hyeonja met Han Seol-hwa's gaze.
“It is just that unexpected. I never imagined the Fairy would visit our sect.”
Pung-hyeonja stepped to one side.
“Please, come inside. I will escort you.”
At Pung-hyeonja's words, the third-generation disciple who had guided them earlier bowed and withdrew.
“This way, please.”
Pung-hyeonja took a few steps ahead to guide Han Seol-hwa and Dan Ak-seon.
After walking for about fifteen minutes…
An old stone building with an elegant feel came into view.
It was the Jade Spring Temple, a relic of the now-vanished Quanzhen Sect.
A plaque was engraved with only two characters, "Huashan," written in an incomparably powerful script.
Han Seol-hwa's gaze grew distant for a moment.
Passing through the wide-open Jade Spring Temple and walking for another fifteen minutes, they reached the main gate of the Huashan Sect.
As they stepped inside, numerous disciples of Huashan were already lined up in formation.
And at their head stood a single person.
His hair was neatly tied up beneath a Taoist's cap.
He was an old Taoist master with the air of an immortal, his white beard, which reached his chest, as pristine as his hair.
The current Sect Leader of the Huashan Sect, known as the Divine Sword of Huashan.
Jinmyeong Jin-in had come to greet Han Seol-hwa personally.
As the distance between them closed, Jinmyeong Jin-in offered a gentle smile.
“It has been a long time.”
Han Seol-hwa, who had been gazing intently at Jinmyeong Jin-in, smiled faintly.
“A great deal of time has passed indeed.”
At her words, Jinmyeong Jin-in slowly nodded.
Han Seol-hwa silently gazed at the old Taoist master before her.
The young Taoist who had forged himself with the spirit of fierce devotion, relying on a single sword. The moment his gallant image overlapped with the old master before her, she couldn't help but feel the transience of time anew.
And so, the two of them simply looked at each other without a word.
A silence quietly enveloped the surroundings.
It was Han Seol-hwa who broke the stillness after a long while.
“You seem to have much to say.”
“So much that I do not know where to begin.”
“Then how about you show me instead of telling me?”
At those words, Jinmyeong Jin-in smiled faintly.
It was then that a peculiar light appeared in Han Seol-hwa's eyes.
‘Come to think of it…’
There was one thing about him that time had not touched.
It was his gaze.
For a moment, Han Seol-hwa felt as if she were facing him in his youth.
“Give me a sword.”
At Jinmyeong Jin-in's words, Myeong-geom presented his own sword with both hands. Unlike the Wudang Sect, the Huashan Sect did not have a separate sacred object like the Pine Gate Ancient Sword to symbolize the Sect Leader's authority.
Their unique internal art, the Purple Mist Divine Energy, and the Plum Blossom Sword Style were sufficient on their own.
Han Seol-hwa had Dan Ak-seon move a good distance away.
—Engrave this into your memory. It will be of great help to you as well.
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Han Seol-hwa's telepathic message.
Han Seol-hwa and Jinmyeong Jin-in.
The two stood facing each other, a distance of thirty feet between them.
But only for a moment.
Without a clear initiator, they shot towards each other.
*Clang!*
The Huashan disciples' expressions changed at the ear-splitting impact.
A red sunset filled the empty air.
Realizing this was the divine majesty displayed by the Purple Mist Divine Energy pushed beyond its limits, the Huashan disciples could not contain their immense shock.
They knew their Sect Leader was called the greatest sword under heaven, but this was the first time they had witnessed his true martial prowess firsthand.
And among them was Myeong-geom.
‘To think the Sect Leader's power was this great!’
Myeong-geom's gaze was fixed on the two, unable to look away.
In that instant.
From amidst the shimmering purple auspicious energy that filled the area, an even more vivid sword-blossom appeared.
The red plum blossom that could only be seen when the Plum Blossom Sword Style reached its peak.
And it wasn't just one or two blossoms.
“Impossible!”
One of the Huashan disciples stared at the sky with a horrified expression. An uncountable number of red plum blossoms were pouring down before their eyes like stars.
The sixteenth stance of the Twenty-Four Movements of the Plum Blossom Sword Style.
It was Falling Plum Blossoms Like Rain.