Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Hearing Their Dreams
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Se Yeong hadn't recognized it properly when the sword was still sheathed.
Only when the blade hidden in the scabbard was revealed did he realize it was the sword that had sliced through his own body.
"Why does big brother have Blood Ghost Mother's sword?"
Se Yeong answered Paeng Se Gi's question as if it were nothing.
"I killed her and took it."
The moment the words left Se Yeong's mouth, a strange silence enveloped the room.
'Big brother killed that old hag who tore open my chest? This... this is fate.'
Paeng Se Gi refused to dismiss his encounter with Se Yeong as mere coincidence.
How could the meeting between himself, wounded by Blood Ghost Mother, and the man who had slain her be anything but destiny?
This was no different from a bond ordained by heaven.
Blood Ghost Mother was no ordinary master.
In the entire martial world, only about twenty experts could stand against her.
The Five Absolutes could overwhelm her, but even the Seven Mysteries were no easy opponents.
Gulp...
Yi Cheon Yeong swallowed hard and approached Se Yeong.
This man was far greater than he had imagined.
Then perhaps he could help him—no, help Mount Hua Sect?
"I have a request, Hero Han."
He dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor.
The other Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families had sent anywhere from three or four to as many as ten elites to the Elusive Squadron, but he was the only disciple from Mount Hua Sect.
Mount Hua Sect's reputation had fallen so low that no prodigies were joining anymore.
That was how desperately Yi Cheon Yeong yearned for the martial prowess to revive Mount Hua Sect.
Dang Ok Yi and Hahu Yeon, who had been standing dazed, panicked greatly.
'Why the hell is he kneeling like that!'
Dang Ok Yi and Hahu Yeon also recognized that Se Yeong was no ordinary master.
And they too had something they desired above all else.
Dang Ok Yi was from a branch family, not the direct line, so she had never been taught the truly important techniques.
Though her talent had earned her some instruction in direct-line arts from childhood, there were clear limits.
Her dream was to master the legendary Ten Thousand Flowers in the Sky passed down in her family.
"I have a request too, Hero Han."
"Me as well."
Dang Ok Yi knelt, and Hahu Yeon bowed his head.
Hahu Yeon didn't have any burning desire.
He had long given up on looking young again, and he was content with his martial skills.
If he had to name something, it was learning the world's best stealth techniques to become a better thief and staying together with his squadmates who treated him without reservation.
With all his squadmates kneeling and bowing, Paeng Se Gi didn't know what to do.
'What are you doing?'
Se Yeong silently stared at him standing awkwardly.
Paeng Se Gi, flustered, finally knelt and bowed as well.
He had been swept up in the atmosphere, but it didn't wound his pride.
Kneeling before big brother was never shameful.
"Please teach us your martial arts."
"I want to learn from you too."
The squad's pleas presented Se Yeong with an unexpected opportunity.
What desperate martial artists craved wasn't silver or power.
For those with profound skills, silver and power followed naturally.
"What are your dreams?"
Dreams.
The word always stirred the heart.
At Se Yeong's question, Paeng Se Gi, Yi Cheon Yeong, and Dang Ok Yi trembled.
Anyone in the world could dream, but those who achieved them were fewer than one in ten thousand, let alone one in a hundred.
Among the squad, Paeng Se Gi spoke first.
"I... I want to surpass my father, big brother."
His voice trembled with passion and excitement as he voiced his dream.
To surpass Heaven Dominating Blade King, one of the Five Absolutes of the Martial World—what an immense and ambitious dream.
"I want to revive Mount Hua Sect."
Yi Cheon Yeong's dream, declared in a cracked voice, was no less grand.
Reviving Mount Hua Sect required matching martial prowess and absolute masters.
His goal was truly lofty.
Dang Ok Yi glanced at Paeng Se Gi and Yi Cheon Yeong, who had spoken first.
"I... well... I want to become the Dark Queen."
At her revelation, Paeng Se Gi and Yi Cheon Yeong's expressions turned peculiar.
The Dark Queen? Sword Queen, Blade Queen, Demon Queen—those titles existed, but Dark Queen was new.
Yet her dream was staggeringly grand.
"I... I just want to stay with the Tenth Squad."
Hahu Yeon stated his dream last.
But it differed greatly from the others'.
In truth, he had a dream too.
But it was impossible, so he hadn't voiced it.
"If I help you achieve your dreams, what will you give me in return?"
Nothing in the world came free.
If Se Yeong gave them martial arts, they had to offer something equally precious in return.
"I'll offer my life."
Paeng Se Gi answered without hesitation.
The others followed suit.
"I'll offer my life too, Hero Han."
"Same here. Tell me to die, and I will."
Se Yeong didn't believe them.
"Really? Then if I ever point my sword at the Alliance Leader, which side will you take?"
The unexpected question startled them, and they raised their heads in shock.
What would they say?
Se Yeong watched them intently.
This question was a gamble.
If any ran to report to the Strategist, Murim Alliance martial artists would swarm them immediately.
'So, what will you do?'
Paeng Se Gi, eyes wide, didn't hesitate this time either.
"I'll stand by big brother's side and wield my blade."
Se Yeong smirked.
"What if I'm a Demonic Cult spy?"
Kekeke...
"No way that's possible. If big brother were a Demonic Cult spy, you wouldn't have saved me from the Evil Poison Five Swords back then."
Paeng Se Gi was straightforward and impulsive, but not stupid.
If he were dumb, he never would have followed Se Yeong into the Murim Alliance.
"I'll stand with Hero Han too."
Yi Cheon Yeong seemed spurred by his words.
"I'll stay with Hero Han."
"I'll follow Hero Han."
Dang Ok Yi and Hahu Yeon followed Yi Cheon Yeong.
Hahaha...
Se Yeong laughed heartily, pleased.
They might betray him later.
Betrayal would make them enemies, swords drawn against each other.
But he couldn't live in suspicion forever.
"From today, I'll teach you martial arts. Follow diligently."
"Thank you, big brother."
"Thank you, Hero Han. I'll never forget this grace."
Three days had passed in the Tenth Squad's quarters, but they couldn't forget that day.
Heh...
"What reckless fools."
The Strategist couldn't forget the sight of the squad trembling with wide, earnest eyes.
'I need to give them a real thrashing sometime.'
He had long erased the theft of his lunchbox from his mind.
But he couldn't forget his formation being broken.
'How far did they scout...'
Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned back to his documents.
"Strategist. I have a report."
"Come in."
The door opened cautiously, and a young martial artist entered, bowing his head.
"Heavenly Martial Squad requests rice, meat, and liquor."
"Got it. Send word to Heavenly Martial Squad... No, wait a moment..."
Mid-instruction as usual, the Strategist paused, struck by an idea.
"Summon the leader of the First Squad and the Tenth Squad leader from Elusive Squadron."
"You're assigning this to them, Strategist?"
"Yes."
"Elusive Squadron lacks rivers-and-lakes experience, so we should attach a veteran master."
The martial artist's words made sense.
Elusive Squadron gathered prodigies, but they lacked real-world experience.
Yet the Strategist didn't change his mind.
"It's close to Fierce Tiger Stronghold, so no need for extra masters. They're inexperienced, but aren't they all elites?"
"Understood, Strategist."
As the martial artist left, the Strategist flashed a cold smile.
'Let's see you suffer a bit.'
For three days, Se Yeong had them drill only the basic forms.
He had Paeng Se Gi, Yi Cheon Yeong, and Hahu Yeon practice nothing but slashes, thrusts, and swings, while Dang Ok Yi kept throwing hidden weapons.
Repeating the same motions over a thousand times left the squad exhausted and screaming.
Paeng Se Gi, especially, struggled with the heavy iron rod.
"Big brother, my arms are moving on their own."
"True masters let their sword follow their intent. But with you, your body moves first, and your mind follows. That's why your movements are larger than usual, exposing flaws immediately. So even if your body leads, you repeat the forms with minimal motion."
"Got it, big brother."
Paeng Se Gi said no more and continued training silently.
On the third day, Se Yeong gathered the entire squad.
"Weak foundations mean you can't reach higher realms. Always polish the basics before advancing."
Pausing, Se Yeong turned to Yi Cheon Yeong.
"You first. Show me your best sword art."
Whoosh...
"Thank you, Hero Han."
Yi Cheon Yeong exhaled lightly and slowly raised his sword.
Swish... whoosh... swoosh...
The blade traced elegant, brilliant lines through the air.
Finishing his sword art, Yi Cheon Yeong sheathed his blade and bowed.
"This is Mount Hua's Plum Blossom Sword."
Se Yeong, having watched, spoke up.
"How many sword arts remain in Mount Hua Sect?"
"Sword arts: Supreme Unity Sword, Mad Wind Sword, Little Green Sword, Plum Blossom Sword, and Fourteen Strokes Plum Blossom Sword. Footwork: Seven Star Step and Jade Ring Step. Palm arts: Chasing Shadow Palm and Plum Blossom Palm—that's all."
Even a beggar lasts three years after ruin, as the saying goes.
Mount Hua Sect had shrunk terribly from its heyday, but its remaining arts still outshone most mid-tier clans' heirlooms.
That wasn't the issue, though.
"Of the arts I've learned, only Little Green Sword and Plum Blossom Sword are complete. The rest lack depth compared to before."
In other words, the sword arts were incomplete.
"Anything stronger than Plum Blossom Sword with similar forms?"
"I've heard Fourteen Strokes Plum Blossom Sword, Hundred Flowers Plum Blossom Sword, and Five Elements Plum Blossom Sword are stronger variants like Plum Blossom Sword, and Falling Petal Sword is the pinnacle."
Se Yeong nodded as he listened.
He didn't know Mount Hua's arts.
But all martial arts had flows and progressions, similar across styles.
"Perform Fourteen Strokes Plum Blossom Sword."
"Yes. I'll show it as I know it."
At Se Yeong's request, Yi Cheon Yeong drew his sword again.
Swoosh... swoosh...
The blade cut through space, embroidering plum blossoms.
If Plum Blossom Sword was faithful to basics, this was a higher art.
But in Se Yeong's eyes, the sword path drawing plum blossoms was jagged and broken.
"That's all I know."
Finishing, Yi Cheon Yeong sheathed his sword.
Se Yeong rose and approached him.
"Your sword."
Yi Cheon Yeong drew and handed it over carefully.
Se Yeong, taking the sword, spoke.
"I don't know Fourteen Strokes Plum Blossom Sword. So I'll fix it my way and demonstrate the connected forms as I see them. Whether you accept it is up to you."
As Se Yeong raised the sword, not just Yi Cheon Yeong but the whole squad focused intently.
Swoosh... swoosh...
The sword wove successive brilliant plum blossoms in the air.
Yet the sound as it cleaved space was worlds apart from Yi Cheon Yeong's.
The plum blossoms felt chillingly cold, like blooming in midwinter.
This sword art was merely mimicking Yi Cheon Yeong's.
Aaah...
Yi Cheon Yeong watched the Fourteen Strokes Plum Blossom Sword in a daze.
This wasn't the Plum Blossom Sword of old.
But this Plum Blossom Sword was no weaker than the original.