The Snow Moon Flower
On the fifth day after his duel with Wol-ak, Cheonhwa regained consciousness.
Surprisingly, the aftermath of the battle had left almost no lingering effects. If anything, he felt as refreshed as if he had simply woken from a long, deep sleep. Over those five days, every external wound and internal injury sustained in the bout with Wol-ak had fully healed.
But while Cheonhwa had recovered completely, the same could not be said—even charitably—for Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa.
Yeonhwa had spent days at his side, treating and nursing him, barely managing to sleep. As for Jeokhwa, she had been scrambling to handle the shocking truth they had uncovered.
"From the records discovered underground, we confirmed information related to the false Wol-ak," she said.
Experiments that applied soul-seizing arts to inscribe demonic techniques so they could be activated at will. Experiments that tested how far a controlled mind could be driven to execute complex commands. The false Wol-ak group had been one of the results of that jiangshi research.
"That's why their movements were all identical, and why they behaved so strangely."
Within a fixed range, only a single figure would ever appear. It had been a trial to see whether multiple people could move as one—and at the same time, an unfinished error that kept them from separating beyond a certain distance. The thought of what might have happened if those killers had deployed a formation without that flaw sent a chill down their spines.
"On top of that, once we learned that the merchant we'd been hunting and the false Wol-ak group the Kongtong Sect was pursuing were connected, everything got a lot more complicated."
Jeokhwa let out a heavy sigh. She had already made them swear to keep quiet for the time being, but she had judged the matter far beyond what their party could handle alone. She had rushed a report to the main mountain and was still waiting for a reply.
"I expect the main mountain will hold talks with the Kongtong Sect, then decide not to publicize this affair too widely."
What the ones spreading the demonic arts had intended by all this was still a complete mystery. One thing, however, was certain: it would not end within Shaanxi Province. From here on, they would need more than field investigations—they would have to plan for cooperation between sects.
"I worked myself half to death persuading the Kongtong Taoists and explaining the situation to Magistrate Kang Yu-seung for that very reason."
When Kang Yu-seung received the report that, while the killers had been sowing chaos, vile experiments that spat on every principle of humanity had been conducted on the outskirts, he had erupted in fury. He was an incorruptible official who would not hesitate to abandon his post or set aside his pride to protect Nong County. Leaving a problem like this alone was never an option for him.
"It looks as if he means to report the matter further up the chain."
"If he does, the news will reach not only the Zhongnan Sect but the Huashan Sect as well."
In many ways, the incident was too tangled to resolve within the murim alone.
Still, it isn't entirely bad.
Why had the Zhongnan Sect never brought the demonic-arts problem into the open before? Precisely because they had lacked clear evidence that would prove the existence of the mysterious faction.
But this incident has made that faction's existence known.
The one who had posed as a merchant to spread demonic arts and the one who had controlled the false Wol-ak group to gather corpses were the same person—and a scheme of this scale was nearly impossible for a lone operator. The only reasonable conclusion was that some power was deliberately sowing chaos.
And if we reveal everything we've gathered so far on the demonic arts, along with the evidence the mysterious faction left behind—including Seo Mun-il of the Muksang Sect?
They could warn the entire orthodox and unorthodox worlds of the threat. They might even have the mysterious faction branded a Public Enemy of the Martial World. Countless hurdles still stood in the way, of course—but the possibility was real.
"I'm going to take Junior Sister Yeonhwa and get some rest," Jeokhwa said. "Unless something urgent comes up, please don't call for us."
With that, she made to leave, guiding Yeonhwa—who was nodding off beside her—toward the door. At the threshold she paused, as if something had only just occurred to her.
"If you step outside, you might get quite a shock. Brace yourself."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's faster to experience it yourself than to explain it in words."
Leaving that cryptic remark behind, Jeokhwa finally left the room.
Alone, Cheonhwa looked at the spool of thread and the wooden sword set carefully beside the bed. The thread was the thousand-year silkworm silk that had been woven into his robe. He had barely managed to repair the robe after the fight with the Dual Flower Gate Master—only for the duel with Wol-ak to leave it so shredded that its original form was almost unrecognizable. All he had recovered was the intact silk.
The silk side is manageable enough. I can just have a new robe made in Xi'an.
The problem was the wooden sword—Okgyeong.
Traces of black scorching left by the Dual Flower Gate Master's blazing yang energy had already covered it; now the sword scars from the bout with Wol-ak had reduced it to a wreck.
Thank you. For staying with me to the end.
Cheonhwa gently ran his fingers along Okgyeong's battered blade. The duel with Wol-ak had been a ferocious clash that ordinary iron swords could scarcely have endured. Had Okgyeong not been forged from part of a spiritual creature, it would never have held its shape at all.
Repairing it will be difficult, I imagine.
It was no longer something a blacksmith's forge could fix. Seeking out the Sinking Heavy Water Tree in the Sinking Heavy Water training ground might offer a chance—but even that was uncertain.
Still, I'll search for a way until the very end.
For years he had carried Okgyeong as if it were part of his own body. Losing it like this would cut deep. Giving up was something he could do only after he had tried everything possible.
Cheonhwa set Okgyeong back in its place and rose. Contemplation of his inner state told him his body was in perfect condition—but sitting quietly did not suit his nature.
He dressed and stepped outside. Officials were hard at work, clearly harried by the cleanup from the false Wol-ak incident and the corpses found in the civilian homes.
They're working themselves hard.
As Cheonhwa watched them, one of the officials spotted him and hurried over, his face lighting up.
"Are you the Jade Light Sword, the great hero?"
"Pardon? Ah—yes."
"Thank you. For stopping those killers."
The official bowed his head on the spot, leaving Cheonhwa thoroughly flustered.
"I only did what needed to be done. Please raise your head."
"No. Even bowing a hundred times would not be enough for the grace we've received."
"Grace?"
"Those killers murdered my younger brother."
"…"
"From the bottom of my heart… thank you for avenging him."
Cheonhwa understood their feelings. Before he had entered the Zhongnan Sect, he had been no different from them. The strong trampled the weak, and the weak were never even granted a chance at revenge. Resistance itself meant staking one's life. In that world, the gratitude owed to someone who took revenge in one's place was beyond words.
"I didn't do it alone. My sect brothers and sisters and the Kongtong Taoists fought with me."
"Yes—I've already thanked them as well. And every one of them said the same thing you did, Jade Light Sword. That they only did what was natural."
The official laughed, remarking that they were far too modest for Taoists.
"Those killers were a living nightmare to us. And all of you ended that nightmare. I wish I could offer some proper reward, but that's beyond our means. At the very least, I wanted to give you my thanks."
He insisted that the rest of Nong County felt the same, and bowed again and again. A loose smile touched Cheonhwa's face. People's gratitude was burdensome—but at the same time it filled a hollow place in his chest. Their thanks were proof that the path he had walked had not been wrong.
"Others will likely come to thank you as well, Jade Light Sword. When they do, please accept it kindly."
"I understand."
Not long after the official left, others began approaching Cheonhwa with their gratitude. By the end of the day, he found himself receiving thanks from a great many people. As the crowd grew, so did his awkwardness.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you!"
"Goodness, Master Taoist—please try this. It's sweet, perfect for clearing the palate."
"My granddaughter is of marrying age. If it wouldn't be too much, would you meet her once?"
"Grandmother! You can't propose marriage to a Taoist!"
"If you don't know, keep quiet. The Zhongnan Sect allows marriage!"
People offering thanks like the officials. People pressing food into his hands. People trying to arrange marriages. Every sort of person crowded in until his head spun. Only then did Cheonhwa understand why Jeokhwa had told him to prepare himself for a shock. She and Yeonhwa must have endured the same deluge of gratitude.
She didn't warn me about all of it on purpose… so I'd get a taste of it myself?
For some reason, he could almost hear Jeokhwa's teasing laughter at his ear.
Five days after Cheonhwa had regained consciousness, a letter arrived from the main mountain.
It instructed them to return: the main mountain would handle cooperation with the Kongtong Sect and the authorities. With the order given, the party immediately began preparing for the journey back. By coincidence, the Kongtong Taoists also received word to return to their own sect.
"We'll take our leave here. May you all fare well."
Speaking for his fellow disciples, Iryeop offered his farewells to Cheonhwa's party and set out for Gansu Province. To the very last moment he made a point of saying he would never forget the life-saving grace he had received from Cheonhwa. Somehow, he had formed a deep bond with a disciple of a great sect.
Once the Kongtong group had gone, Cheonhwa's party left the government office as well. Magistrate Kang Yu-seung came out in person to see them off and pressed a leather pouch into their hands.
"Lord Kang, this is…"
"The bounty that was on the false Wol-ak. I added some of my own funds so you'd have plenty. Use it for travel expenses."
Kang Yu-seung spoke with the firmness of a man who would not accept refusal.
"I'd like to reward you more grandly, but all my authority allows is to submit a memorial praising your deeds."
The magistrate looked truly regretful. Chivalrous heroes might not seek payment—but that, in his view, was all the more reason they deserved to be looked after.
"I will not forget the help you gave us."
"We've already received more than enough."
Cheonhwa's answer was no empty courtesy. When they had asked for help against the killers, the magistrate had promised to spread word of their chivalry far and wide—and he had meant it. Their names had become known throughout Nong County; they had become local celebrities. For days they had done little but receive the townspeople's thanks.
And so, showered in the gratitude of all Nong County, Cheonhwa's party departed.
The road back to the main mountain was far more leisurely than the chase after the demonic arts had been. With no need to hurry, their steps carried an easy ease. Originally they had planned to stop at Baoji and return to Xi'an by boat—but Cheonhwa made a suggestion.
"If it's all right, could we go on foot instead of by water?"
"Is there a reason we have to walk the whole way?"
"Yes. There's a place I absolutely want to stop."
Cheonhwa told them about the spiritual medicine Wol-ak had revealed to him through mind-speech.
"The place where that medicine is happens to lie along the road."
"Where is it?"
"Mount Taebaek, in Mei County."
Mount Taebaek lived up to its name: the peaks nearby were blanketed in white snow, and the snow never melted through all four seasons, so the summits were said to glitter with a pale light. The scenery was so magnificent that famous poets of ages past had visited and left celebrated verses behind. It was not unrelated to Mount Zhongnan either—Mount Taebaek also belonged to the Qinling range.
"Near the summit of Mount Taebaek, the Snow Moon Flower is hidden."
At Cheonhwa's words, Yeonhwa and Jeokhwa's eyes went round with surprise.
The Snow Moon Flower. Just as its name suggested, it was a rare blossom that grew under moonlight in regions cold enough for snow to fall. For those who cultivated ice arts, it was a spiritual medicine of immense benefit to their progress—and even an ordinary person who consumed it would not suffer harm; instead, it would bestow skin as pure as white jade.
"Are you sure that Wol-ak told you the truth? Mount Taebaek sees a fair number of travelers. For the Snow Moon Flower to be hidden there…"
Jeokhwa suspected Wol-ak might have fed them nonsense. That the flower would be on nearby Mount Taebaek, of all places, felt far too convenient.
"I think it's real."
Yeonhwa, on the other hand, believed Wol-ak had spoken the truth. Her reasoning rested on the attitude he had shown Cheonhwa. He was a madman who looked forward to crossing blades with Cheonhwa again once he had grown stronger. Even if only to fatten his prey for the slaughter, he would have pointed out the location of a spiritual medicine.
"Let's go and check whether it's true or not."
"And if it isn't?"
"Then we can simply say we came to see Mount Taebaek."
They would only be making a short detour along the way—nothing to lose either way. With two of the three in favor, the party set out on foot toward Mei County.
By the time they reached Mei County, the sun was already beginning to sink. They decided to spend the night at a suitable inn. But as they sat over their meal, they became aware that every gaze in the room was fixed on one place.
"Hair white as snow, and eyes that blue… is that even a person?"
"Don't be so ignorant. Anyone can see they're from the North Sea region."
"The North Sea? You mean the North Sea Ice Palace, famous in the Outer Regions Martial World?"
"I don't know if they belong to the North Sea Ice Palace, but looking at them, they're definitely from the north."
At the casually overheard words "North Sea Ice Palace," the party naturally turned their eyes toward the focus of the room's attention.