Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Shandong in Turmoil
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Shandong was in quite a commotion.
Considering only the one person who caused it, the situation was utterly unprecedented.
"He's not in the clan?"
Once renowned as Shandong's foremost scoundrel in name and deed.
The Seo Mun Clan's Third Young Master.
Seo Mun-ha's recent exploits had been more than enough to pique the interest of the bored masses, and those directly involved needed no further explanation.
"He ran away?!"
Seo Mun-ha had far exceeded the Plum Sword Gang Leader's predictions.
"He left?!"
Even Ha Eun-ye's imagination had been easily defied. It was right after he'd started being called Ghost Flash during the escort mission that he became the talk of everyone's lips.
"Is that really true?"
"They say he crushed the Qingcheng Five Swords in Sichuan!"
"All his actions so far were just a smokescreen! Even so, do you think it's easy to fool the eyes of hundreds of thousands?"
The rumors snowballed.
There was no rising star of the era who sparked more conversation than him.
Just when people thought he was up to his usual mischief, he left Shandong for the first time in his life. And the news of the Plum Sword Gang Leader getting outmaneuvered spread like wildfire from one day to the next.
They said his face had turned so pale even his subordinates barely recognized him.
Combined with the story of him being ambushed by an unknown master, the bad news delighted someone.
There were plenty who rooted for Seo Mun-ha as the enemy of their enemy against the Plum Sword Gang Leader.
Yet many still chalked it up to the scoundrel's dumb luck.
Meanwhile, at the emergence of a new expert threatening the Nine Dragons and Seven Peaks, some in Shandong—proud of him as the clan's glory—believed half and doubted half.
The buzz grew louder.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say all of Shandong's attention was fixed on him.
"That scoundrel bastard is back?!"
It wasn't just the Plum Sword Gang Leader.
There was nothing strange about news of Seo Mun-ha's homecoming spreading rapidly across Shandong.
To verify the rumors, to catch a glimpse of the much-talked-about new expert.
Countless people flocked from inside and outside Shandong toward the clan.
'The fire, water, and wood sections of the Mountain Shattering Heavenly Spirit Sword are decent enough, but the rest...'.
Yet Seo Mun-ha unwittingly mocked the masses by dashing their expectations with ease.
Shwick!
Behind Yeonha Inn lay the training ground.
More precisely, an empty lot used as one. There, he was inspecting his weapons.
The Flowing Cloud Sword, Flowing Cloud Step, and Five Inscriptions Twelve Divine Arts needed no major review, but the intricate forms of the Mountain Shattering Heavenly Spirit Sword were still far from fully mastered.
Even for him, who had startled the Tang Poison Bee King.
Swoosh.
The contemporary Sichuan region was collectively called the Sichuan Prefecture, encompassing various sub-regions.
Stretching to the southwest of Shandong, bordering Henan and South Zhili, Changup was bustling with travelers, proving true the saying that a person can hide in a crowd.
Though he had no intention of hiding.
"Hoo."
Seo Mun-ha, who had unfolded the Mountain Shattering Heavenly Spirit Sword, caught his breath.
Up early at dawn, around the hour of the tiger, he had practiced the forms without circulating his qi.
Fire section, water section, wood section, metal section, earth section.
He had acknowledged that the swordsmanship, founded on the energies of the five elements, was no less profound than the Northern Guard Divine Cavalry Art.
Recalling his spar with the Tang Poison Bee King, Seo Mun-ha had diligently trained without slacking on the way back to Shandong.
'Even if I regain my past life's power...'.
Surpassing the Tang Poison Bee King remained uncertain.
'I could at least reach his level.'.
Unless he achieved great success in the Northern Guard Divine Cavalry Art, the fledgling expert he was now eyed the soaring heights without satisfaction.
His cultivation chased the experiences and insights of his previous life.
And his growing body, refined qi, and solid physique improved day by day.
Finishing his meditation, Seo Mun-ha's eyes flashed as he gathered his qi anew.
His internal energy was still woefully inadequate compared to his past life.
It hadn't surged dramatically since consuming the Millennium Snow Ginseng, but the qi enveloping his body felt utterly full.
Compared to his eighteen-year-old self in his previous life, it was more than ample.
"Young Master!"
Two days after arriving in Changup.
His subordinates—now three instead of two—announced the new day in unison.
"Big trouble!"
Not entirely the same.
"Big trouble?"
Gu Chil, still unaccustomed, reported the crisis from street gossip he'd overheard, while Yang Jeong and A-so chuckled, seeing echoes of their former selves in him.
As Seo Mun-ha, fresh from his bath, tilted his teacup, two shadows trailed by Gu Chil stepped forward.
"Big brother!"
It was his noticeably more mature little sister.
"Long time no see. You've gotten prettier."
"Really?"
Seo Mun Young-ryeong, who had spoken first, hurriedly shook her head.
"No, that's not it!"
Having come unannounced, there must be something urgent.
"No matter what it is, can't you at least have a cup of tea?"
"......"
"It's been over half a year since siblings saw each other. Aren't you being too cold?"
Young-ryeong, glancing around, sighed and sat before him.
She had more she wanted to say, more questions to ask.
"This is Qiongzhou tea from Sichuan. You'll know its effects once you drink it."
"Uh... I'll enjoy it."
"Would the deputy leader like some too?"
Seo Mun-ha pointed to the warrior guarding Seo Mun Young-ryeong's back.
"I am Mak Seong-hu, leader of the Black Wind Unit. Greetings to the Third Young Master."
The man, over thirty, bowed politely.
"I see. Looks like the leader and deputy positions have swapped."
"This isn't an official capacity right now."
Nothing calms the nerves and steadies the emotions quite like tea.
"Not too hot?"
Seo Mun Young-ryeong gulped it down hastily, tears welling from the heat.
"Ha, big brother, how have you been?"
She quickly asked after his well-being, which she'd skipped.
"I've heard the rumors, but it's all true?"
"Some aren't."
"What about wiping out two bandit strongholds?! And winning against the Qingcheng Five Swords!"
Seo Mun-ha refilled her empty cup.
"All lies."
Rumors were like that by nature.
Part true, part false—hard to know where to start correcting.
"Huh?!"
"Just kidding. Seeing you after so long made me happy."
To Seo Mun-ha, his sister was still just a child.
"Though it's odd hearing it from me, just cut it in half and you'll have the truth."
Stroking the now more ladylike Seo Mun Young-ryeong, he rose.
"I just need to head to the main house, right?"
The big trouble Gu Chil had brought ahead matched her intent that dawdling wasn't an option—no need to deliberate.
"Were you waiting for this?"
Mak Seong-hu noted Seo Mun-ha's composed demeanor.
Too quick to accept.
He hadn't even heard the full story, yet his expression hadn't flickered once.
"Not exactly."
"......Big brother?"
"Perfect timing, really. I was just thinking it'd be a hassle to deal with them one by one."
Flashing a leisurely smile, Seo Mun-ha stood.
All the key figures had gathered before the Seo Mun Clan gates.
No situation fit " besieging the gates" better.
The onlookers strained their eyes and ears from a short distance away, but after enduring through the changing seasons, the Plum Sword Gang Leader had personally led his warriors here.
"Who's the Plum Sword Gang Leader?"
Seo Mun-ha feigned ignorance, asking Seo Mun Young-ryeong.
"That guy's him."
"Then where's the Golden Tiger Merchant Group Leader?"
She shook her head. Golden Tiger warriors were scattered about, but with no sign of the leader, it seemed the Thunderbolt Heaven-Shaking Bomb he'd requested from Man Won-sip had been safely delivered.
"Let's go."
"Pardon?"
He pushed through the crowd.
The grand gates and plaque of the Seo Mun Clan.
"Begone! The one you seek is not in the clan!"
The warriors suffering there.
"Hmph! Where could that punk hide in all of Shandong? He'll come back eventually!"
"Do you intend to keep causing a ruckus? If you don't withdraw now, we'll take it as an insult to the clan! We will no longer stand by!"
Among them, one warrior spotted Seo Mun-ha and lit up first.
"Third Young Master!"
He hadn't planned to hide anyway.
But Seo Mun-ha made a mental note of the warrior's face, who had deliberately overlooked the spark.
"Who?"
"The Third Young Master... Ghost Flash!"
"Isn't he the one we've been waiting for?!"
Murmurs spread as all eyes converged.
"What's all this commotion?"
Seo Mun-ha asked calmly.
The path cleared naturally, and the Plum Sword Gang and Golden Tiger members who'd been blocked from entering eyed him openly.
"Greetings, Third Young Master. It's been..."
"Skip the empty words. I asked what's the commotion."
The embarrassed warrior struggled to compose himself before answering.
"Guests here for you, Third Young Master."
Beating around the bush.
No one was ignorant of the bad blood between him and them; a fine warrior glossing over coming to collect a blood debt.
"Guests."
He had no intent to shield Seo Mun-ha, but the unspoken pressure made him mind his manners.
"Then why leave valuable guests waiting outside?"
"It's beyond our authority."
"I'll take responsibility."
You couldn't keep esteemed guests at the gate forever.
"Halt."
From the Plum Sword Gang Leader's standpoint, he had no desire to meekly enter the tiger's den.
He'd brought every available warrior.
"I am Geon Horak, leader of the Plum Sword Gang."
Staking his life, he raised his voice, borrowing the crowd's power.
"Our gang may not tread the righteous path, but we didn't come just to chat idly!"
"So, what's your conclusion?"
Geon Horak and Seo Mun-ha faced off for the second time.
The others thought it their first encounter, but to Seo Mun-ha, who had already met him, Geon Horak was beneath notice.
"I've come to collect the blood debt! The innocent warriors of our gang brutally slain by Young Master Seo still can't close their eyes even as seasons change—how could I, their leader, stand by?"
Words flowed smoothly from Geon Horak.
"Innocent warriors."
Seo Mun-ha couldn't help but laugh.
"The clan's training ground will do for the venue, then?"
They'd had plenty of time to think, so facing such a straightforward foe spared Seo Mun-ha tedious calculations.
"If you acknowledge us all as witnesses! Then yes!"
The crowd consisted of those handpicked by the Plum Sword Gang Leader.
'Those self-righteous upright sects can't pressure the common folk in front of everyone!'
It was a seemingly flawless plan to anyone watching.
Until the leader's vaunted warriors, each boasting superhuman prowess, fell one by one.
"Next."