The Heavenly Demon Goes to See the Plum Blossoms (15)

As the message faded, a book dropped into my palm with a soft thud. So this was the manual containing the Plum Blossom Sword Art. I needed to read it as soon as possible and see exactly what kind of sword technique it held.

I was skimming through the messages when the one about my name becoming known in the Murim made me freeze. They probably only knew me as the martial artist who stopped the disaster at Mount Hua, right? There was no way the name Mint Choco Pineapple Pizza would spread across the entire Murim world… right? Please, someone tell me it won’t.

Since none of them particularly caught my interest, I turned my eyes away from the messages and checked the chat window instead. As expected, the chat was in complete chaos.

Even when the chat was on fire earlier today, once these people catch a mood they never know when to come down. “Could you all slow down a little? I can’t possibly answer you like this.”

When Enri taught me about broadcasting, she said I had to show sincerity to those who kindly gifted me things. At this rate, there was no way I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could respond to everyone. Come to think of it, there must have been people sending gifts even while I was fighting the Mount Hua Sect Leader. I pulled up the donation log to see how many people had gifted me. The list was so long it felt excessive. Just answering each one individually would take an entire day.

What surprised me even more was that the scroll bar kept growing longer even as I watched. Donations were still pouring in.

It was hard to understand the mindset of people who threw money just to watch me struggle. Weren’t they the ones who would get angry if I didn’t answer properly? Wouldn’t it be better to donate when things were calm instead of riding this wave? Even while I grumbled inwardly, the donations kept coming.

“Enri! Enri, are you there?! Turn off the donation function!”

It was already that time. Since I had started streaming the moment I returned home, nearly half a day had passed. It made sense that it was Enri’s streaming slot now.

“Then I have no choice. I’ll just have to try it myself.”

I hadn’t learned the specifics from Enri, but unlike before, I had grown used to broadcasting. Even though it was my first attempt, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

I ignored the fiercely rising chat and examined the broadcast functions. There had to be one related to donations somewhere.

There were way too many characters, and why was English ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mixed in the middle? While I struggled with the broadcast settings, a voice came from behind me.

“The scent is pleasant.”

Baru was standing there.

“You caused quite the spectacle. I watched from afar and truly thought I might die.”

“Did you now?”

“Thanks to you I rolled around in all sorts of ways, yet here you are looking perfectly fine. It’s infuriating.”

When I looked at Baru’s clothes, they were covered in traces of her struggles. She seemed to have gone through a lot, but it was difficult for her to complain to me. After all, the one who had scattered that reckless fraudulent energy everywhere was the Mount Hua Sect Leader.

The moment Baru appeared and I took my hands off the settings, cheers exploded across the chat. Just you wait, you lot. There would be countless days ahead where I turned on the broadcast. Don’t think my attempt ends here today. The day would surely come when you all had no choice but to acknowledge my skill.

While I made that resolution while staring at the chat, Baru rummaged through her robes and pulled out a scroll.

“This is the item I promised. A scroll that finds what one desires. The usage is simple. Unfurl it and think of what you want. Its location will then appear on the scroll. Be warned that it can only be used three ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠times. Choose your moments wisely.”

What I desired… Nothing came to mind right away. After all, I had already turned this era of the Murim upside down once before. I roughly knew where most things were. And even if I became confused, didn’t I have the excellent guides known as my viewers? I would accept it since it was a reward, but it would probably stay buried in storage for a while.

When I took the scroll, Baru smiled.

“You worked hard to accommodate my unreasonable request.”

“It can hardly be called work when I didn’t accomplish anything.”

The first request had been to save Mount Hua, yet I had destroyed that very mountain with my own hands. I had come to help the mountain’s spirit, yet instead of saving her I had ended her life. It felt awkward to receive gratitude.

“What is it? Are you perhaps taking to heart that you failed to save the spirit of Mount Hua?”

Baru’s tone was strange. Speaking like that made it sound as if she didn’t care that the spirit had fallen. She must have been the one most furious when the spirit was toyed with by the Blood Cult Leader.

“I see. So there are things even you do not know.”

“Stop speaking in circles and get to the point.”

“Very well. I shall do so, so please relax your expression. It is frightening when you frown.”

What exactly was wrong with my face? The moment I furrowed my brows, the corners of Baru’s mouth lifted.

“A spirit is more of a conceptual existence than a living being. That is why. As long as the mountain does not disappear, we do not die. Even if we lose our physical form, given enough time we can regain shape again. It will take time to revive since the entire mountain has been devastated, but Na-yul will return one day.”

I hadn’t known that. I had destroyed a spirit once before, but I had never returned afterward to check.

“So do not worry. You succeeded in removing the disaster from Mount Hua, just as I first requested.”

Looking only at the result, that was true. The Hwasan Sect had been destroyed, but that was not something the mountain spirit would concern herself with, and the devastated nature would recover naturally over time. Only the fact that the disaster had been eliminated remained.

“So I have properly finished the task.”

“Indeed.”

“Hmm. Then our short companionship ends here.”

Baru was a spirit who originally had to remain on her mountain. She had only left Hwasan temporarily for this matter, but the place she belonged was the rocky mountain. She could not stay by my side forever. It was a shame that I had to part ways with an animal I could finally pet freely, but I could not force her to follow me.

“Min-ga. About that… would it be acceptable if I continued to follow you?”

“…Huh?”

“No, it is not as if some calamity would befall the rocky mountain simply because I am gone for a while. Since I have already come out, I thought it would be fine to travel a little more.”

Baru fidgeted as she looked up at me.

“If it would not be a burden, I would like to accompany you on your journey. Is that acceptable?”

I had never expected such a request, so I was momentarily speechless, but my answer was already decided.

“Actually, that is something I wanted to ask of you.”

“I knew you would answer that way!”

The moment Baru smiled brightly and leaped toward me, a message appeared before my eyes.

While I stroked Baru, who was rubbing her ears against my martial robes, I checked the messages. Among them was something that solved the exact worry I had been having.

With this, there was nothing to worry about. She could stay at the rocky mountain when I was away, and travel with me whenever I logged into the game. When I explained it to her, Baru’s face lit up. She seemed delighted that she could travel while still fulfilling her duties as a spirit.

“First, I should send you back to the rocky mountain.”

Only by returning her to her original place could I make proper use of this function. The moment I spoke, Baru transformed into her fox form without being asked and climbed onto my shoulder. She had disliked being carried like this at first, but it seemed comfortable for her now.

“What are you doing? Let us go quickly.”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

It would take quite a while to walk back to Hwaeum. I might as well spend that time thanking everyone who had sent donations.

*

The Blood Cult Leader silently watched the female martial artist chatting with the spirit on the ruins of the Hwasan Sect grounds.

Just what kind of person are you?

How can someone who has only just surpassed the first-class realm accomplish such a feat?

Could an absolute expert from the old Murim have reincarnated?

Seeing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her wield the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it was possible that the Heavenly Demon of the past had obtained a new body. There was only one thing that was certain.

The view she saw was at an incomprehensibly lofty height.

The Blood Cult Leader recalled the moment he had exchanged fists with that female martial artist. The Heavenly Demon Divine Fist that had casually crushed his Asura Dual Extremes, which he had unleashed through a jiangshi body. The eerily dense and sticky internal energy that had wrapped that fist.

To already display such power after only reaching first-class… If that person surpassed the peak realm, attained transcendence, and went even further beyond, just what kind of events would unfold?

If the person who had already covered Mount Hua in the fragrance of plum blossoms obtained a body worthy of the realm she had reached, what astonishing feats might she accomplish?

“It would be quite entertaining to see her fight the current Heavenly Demon of the Murim.”

Since she would surely regain her realm on her own, he would need to think of a way to drag the Heavenly Demon out of the Divine Cult, where he was hiding like a turtle.