The Plum Blossoms of Mount Hua

I’ve always thought the game’s system must be reading my mind. Otherwise, how could it appear at such perfectly timed moments? It feels as though someone is trying to move me according to their will, which I don’t particularly like, but this time I’ll play along. After all, I’m interested in the plum-blossom sword you’ve offered.

“Hwa-ryeong-nim.”

Just as I finished reading the quest, Park Yeon spoke to me.

“What on earth is going on here?”

From his perspective, the situation must be truly bewildering. He had brought a guest after hearing of trouble at Mount Hua, only for that guest to defeat an elder, clash with the sect leader, and be driven out. I suppose I owe him an apology for the trouble, given that he was the one who asked for help.

“It seems I’ve made myself unwelcome. I should take my leave.”

“Then what about the quest?”

“You needn’t worry about that. I’ll find a way to resolve it somehow.”

Though whether seeing the quest through to the end will benefit you is another matter. I may end up taking away the very home you have here at Mount Hua.

“I can’t explain the details right now, so watch the stream later.”

“Is the situation that bad?”

“Yes.”

When I answered so plainly, Park Yeon stared at me in silence before finally nodding. He must have some idea. I had mentioned needing to meet the sect leader before entering. Still, he wouldn’t know the full picture. Neither would the viewers watching my stream. I’ll have to explain it properly later.

After finishing my conversation with Yeon, I stepped outside Mount Hua with Baru. She looked deep in thought. Discovering that the place she had come to for salvation was already rotting away must have stirred all sorts of reflections. For now, I’ll chat with the viewers while she sorts through her thoughts.

“If you have questions, ask now. I might not be able to check the chat for a while.”

“To put it simply, everyone in Mount Hua except the players has fallen to corruption. From the sect leader down, not a single person is free of demonic energy. What’s called a righteous sect is now no different from a subordinate branch of the Blood Sect.”

“Exactly. I suspect the quest changed because saving Mount Hua is no longer possible.”

With everyone currently residing at Mount Hua corrupted, no one remains who can carry on its true will. Even if we slaughtered every fallen member, Mount Hua could never be revived.

“Are you a Mount Hua disciple? If I may offer sincere advice, I recommend finding a new sect.”

Staying here any longer will only bring you misfortune.

The impact of my words was considerable. The chat speed surged as though the viewers were about to denounce me. Shock at Mount Hua’s impending disappearance. Laments about quitting the game. Resigned questions about which sect to join next. Amid the chaos, one person sent a donation.

Watching them bicker among themselves, I figured I wouldn’t need to pay them any mind for a while.

“Baru, do you know where the mountain deity of Mount Hua is?”

“I can find out. I only need to trace the energy.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Then let’s check on the deity’s safety first.”

The Mount Hua Sect, which should have protected the mountain, has come to this state. The deity would never have remained idle. Yet the Blood Sect remains powerful and no trace of the deity can be found anywhere. The only reasonable conclusion is that the deity has been defeated by the Blood Sect. Personally, I even have to consider the possibility that the deity has lost its life.

Perhaps sensing my intent, Baru immediately took out her staff, closed her eyes, and began murmuring something. Before long, her complexion turned ashen.

“What is this…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I can feel something similar to the energy of the Mount Hua Sect throughout the entire mountain.”

So the Blood Sect has seized the whole mountain. Understandable, really. When the very sect meant to stop the Blood Sect’s schemes is cooperating with them, why would their reach ever stop? If anything, it would have been stranger if the Blood Sect’s influence had remained small.

“And the deity’s energy?”

“…There is a place where it can be felt.”

Baru’s expression was far from bright as she spoke of her fellow spirit still being alive.

“But that place is where the demonic energy is thickest.”

“So it’s not that they’re keeping the deity alive, but deliberately keeping it alive.”

The reason? Obvious. To lure people like us in.

“What should we do?”

Baru’s voice trembled. It was clear that heading to the deity’s location would bring hardship. Countless trials awaited us. Even if we overcame them all, there was no guarantee we could save the deity. Therefore, not going would be the wiser choice. Baru surely understood that much. The only reason she still hesitated was that she could not abandon the desire to rescue the deity.

What a foolish child. Why even agonize over it?

“Baru, do you know the best way to break through a trap?”

“…What is it?”

“Destroy the trap along with everything else.”

I had no idea what scheme Hyeolgyoju had prepared this time. His actions had always exceeded my expectations when it came to being underhanded. Still, I was certain his preparations would not be particularly thorough. At this point, he had something else he was pouring his full effort into. Therefore, we could smash through it. Easily.

“You’re saying you’ll go there?”

After hearing my words, Baru stared at me blankly before furrowing her brow.

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that too reckless?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you just what kind of absurd monster the person you asked for help truly is. From now on, all you need to do is watch me and be amazed.”

At my declaration, Baru’s expression softened, and soon laughter burst from her lips.

“Will it be enough if I just guide you?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

*

In his office, the current Mount Hua sect leader, Pung Sa-yul, sat holding a brush, his expression far from bright. What troubled his mind was the female martial artist who had visited Mount Hua today.

New visitors arriving at Mount Hua was an everyday occurrence. Unlike in the past, the current Mount Hua maintained itself by constantly accepting new people. Outsiders coming by was practically routine. Under normal circumstances, Pung Sa-yul would not have cared whether someone visited or not. That was not his responsibility.

What had drawn him out of his office while he was working was one of his old colleagues. The man, holding the position of elder, had come to Pung Sa-yul and shouted that he needed to go outside immediately. Since his colleague’s fussing was nothing new, Pung Sa-yul had inwardly wondered why he was causing another scene. But when his colleague spoke his next words, Pung Sa-yul dropped the brush in his hand and shot to his feet.

‘Someone using the Golden Dragon Swordplay has appeared!’

The Golden Dragon Swordplay. The sword art once wielded by the sect leader who had led Mount Hua in the past. His colleague’s words were no lie. The sword art the female martial artist was using while fighting the Seventh Elder was unmistakably the Golden Dragon Swordplay. There could be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠no mistake. How could he mistake the sword art of the martial artist who had been both his master and his idol?

When the Seventh Elder fell helplessly before the female martial artist, Pung Sa-yul found himself moving toward her without realizing it.

‘Who are you, that you can use the Golden Dragon Swordplay?’

The question that left his mouth carried no hidden meaning. He had simply been genuinely curious. After the Golden Dragon Tae Hang-un, the only user, had died, and the manual itself had been burned by the Heavenly Demon and lost to time, how could anyone still wield that art?

The female martial artist remained composed even under the pressure radiating from Pung Sa-yul. Smiling as though she had been waiting for him, she answered.

‘Are you curious?’

‘Then find out for yourself.’

Watching her, Pung Sa-yul could not help but think that this woman resembled the Heavenly Demon. The confidence ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that did not consider the possibility of defeat. The somewhat arrogant gestures. Above all, those indifferent yet sharp eyes reminded him of the Heavenly Demon.

It was a strange feeling. The woman before him differed from the Heavenly Demon in countless ways. Her realm was far lower than the Heavenly Demon, who had contended for the title of the greatest under heaven. Unlike the Heavenly Demon, who had shown no interest in appearance, she was impeccably groomed. She traveled with companions, the opposite of the Heavenly Demon who had lived in solitude. There were more differences than similarities, yet Pung Sa-yul saw the Heavenly Demon behind her.

So he accepted the provocation. He resolved to cross swords with her. If she was connected to the Demonic Cult, he believed it would reveal itself in her sword.

The female martial artist was strong. Though her physical realm was only second-class, what she possessed within was by no means second-class. The way she received his sword strikes was endlessly similar to the Golden Dragon. From the moment he realized this, Pung Sa-yul could no longer see anything in her sword except traces of Tae Hang-un. In every single movement of the female martial artist, he saw his master’s form. It felt as though his master was rebuking him for having taken the Blood Sect’s hand.

Pung Sa-yul hurriedly withdrew his sword and drove the female martial artist away. Even after a considerable amount of time had passed since then, Pung Sa-yul still could not free himself from the aftermath she had left behind.

Tae Hang-un, the former sect leader, was someone who had become a burden in Pung Sa-yul’s heart. It was Tae Hang-un who had guided the reckless young Pung Sa-yul onto the path of a martial artist. It was Tae Hang-un who had believed in him until the end despite his lack of talent. And it was Tae Hang-un who had stood at the very front when the calamity known as the Heavenly Demon arrived. How could Pung Sa-yul ever forget him?

Even now, whenever Pung Sa-yul closed his eyes to sleep, he dreamed of the day Tae Hang-un died. He saw his master’s corpse sprawled on the ground like trash, and the Heavenly Demon staring at him while trampling on that body.

The Heavenly Demon he remembered was a living calamity. An unbeatable nightmare and judgment. Mount Hua had not faced the Heavenly Demon without any preparation. Ever since they had failed to kill her back when she was still called the Little Heavenly Demon, Mount Hua had anticipated her revenge and prepared for it. Yet everything had been in vain. Even though every member of Mount Hua had thrown themselves at her, the only mark they had left on her solitary figure was a single wound. Looking back, Mount Hua’s defeat had been all too natural.