Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet (2)
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Do you know of the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet?
Ouyang Jue couldn't help but laugh inwardly. It was a vicious smile he couldn't show.
It was a remnant of the malice from his past life, from when he had tried to annihilate the Mount Hua Sect.
*Yes, I know.*
Ouyang Jue knew of the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet's existence.
*'Though, I never managed to find it in the end.'*
Ouyang Jue replied nonchalantly.
"I do not."
"Is that so?"
After this brief exchange, Bai Duanxian muttered, "That's understandable."
As far as Ouyang Jue knew, the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet was merely a legend passed down through generations.
An ambiguous legend, said to be everything to the Mount Hua Sect, yet no one knew its true nature for certain.
Ouyang Jue had kept an ear out for any news of the tablet, just in case, right up until the day he confronted the Heaven-Bearing Asura.
But the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet proved as elusive as its legend.
Because of this, the Ouyang Jue of that time had concluded it didn't exist at all.
*'I spread rumors about it all over the martial world and still couldn't find it.'*
So he had shaken his head in disappointment, believing it to be nothing more than a fabrication.
But why would Bai Duanxian bring up the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet to him, a mere troublemaker?
His mind grew complicated.
Ouyang Jue bit the inside of his lip with his canine.
The pain cleared his head.
"Sect Leader, why are you asking me about this Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet?"
At his words, Bai Duanxian hesitated for a moment, fiddling with the tablet in his hand.
"I know how you must feel... but there is a place you must go now."
*'A place I must go?'*
Ouyang Jue repeated Bai Duanxian's words, tilting his head in confusion.
Then, his brows twitched for an instant, and a quiet ripple spread through his eyes.
"From what you're saying, Sect Leader, it sounds as if some insolent person has given an order here on Mount Hua?"
"......!"
At those words, Bai Duanxian realized he had misspoken.
*'I was too shaken by Ha Jin-ak's situation. To make such a mistake...!'*
At the same time, he was amazed by Ouyang Jue's insight.
Quick and accurate.
His wit, which pierced right to the heart of the matter, was remarkably sharp.
However, the disciple before him couldn't possibly know about something that only a handful of people in Mount Hua were aware of. This had to be a mere guess.
Just as Bai Duanxian opened his mouth to deny Ouyang Jue's words.
Ouyang Jue's lips quivered intensely.
"Whoever it is."
Ouyang Jue had memories of his past life.
While he had been growing stronger, enjoying a string of victories and looking toward a bright future.
Liu Zhangming had fought with a wretched, withered body until he died.
Mount Hua, which had stood for hundreds of years, scattered and vanished.
Justice in the martial world was dead.
He had loathed a world where righteousness and duty were meaningless, a world where only the strong could prove their worth.
By the time he had rebelled with that thought, everyone he wanted to trust, everyone trustworthy, was already dead.
*'By chance, or perhaps, by fate.'*
Ouyang Jue had returned to the past with the power of the talisman given to him by the Omniscient One.
And just as he was about to divert the river of history and dream of change, Ha Jin-ak had ended up in this state.
His past arrogance was so laughable he wanted to roar with laughter. He wanted to laugh at the heavens until one of his lungs ached and he was gasping for air.
But he couldn't laugh.
Ouyang Jue, who knew what was to come, was not afforded the luxury of laughter.
Even now, there was no time to delay.
There were no regrets. That was a hopelessly useless emotion.
Instead, he armed himself with prudence and composure.
But, what?
A faint anger appeared in Ouyang Jue's eyes.
"Here on Mount Hua, at least, there shouldn't be anyone above the Sect Leader, should there?"
Countless afterimages flickered past Ouyang Jue's eyes.
His own hands, casually stained with blood; screams; wails; Jo Hun's anguish.
"Senior Brother Ouyang, I never thought you would do this!"
Jo Hun's eyes had shone with a chilling venom.
"I will curse you even after death!"
More screams, fire, Liu Zhangming's withered body, and the great blaze that had spread to engulf all of Mount Hua.
The sight that greeted Ouyang Jue, arriving late with his subordinate's head in hand, was the Mount Hua Sect, burned to the ground and covered in soot.
But Bai Duanxian, standing before him, had no idea what afterimages Ouyang Jue was seeing.
He simply thought the quick-witted junior was erupting in anger, true to his nature.
That was normal.
It was just that the deep-seated emotions Ouyang Jue harbored were anything but normal.
"If there is someone above the Sect Leader, and if he is shamelessly planting his fat ass down here on Mount Hua..."
"Jue, no more of this crude talk..."
Despite Bai Duanxian's attempt to stop him, Ouyang Jue smiled faintly and said.
"This disciple will kick that ass for you."
As soon as those words were out.
Ouyang Jue felt an unexpected energy invade his surroundings and placed his right hand on the Severing Manifestation.
His next words were a declaration of resolve.
"Because I am a disciple of Mount Hua."
To those words.
'Something' answered.
"...Hoh."
*Crack, grumble.*
A Six Harmonies Voice Transmission? No, it's more like a roar, akin to a Lion's Roar.
Ouyang Jue frowned deeply at the true energy the unidentified eccentric began to emanate.
At the same time, he felt something strange.
*'Why is no one reacting?'*
He felt no particular reaction from the Plum Blossom Clinic, which should be right behind him.
Someone of Cheong Ho-won's caliber should have been able to sense such a bizarre phenomenon.
Even Bai Duanxian seemed to vaguely sense something was off, looking around in confusion. There was only one answer.
An unknown individual was directing their pressure solely at Ouyang Jue.
*'An old monster has been nesting in Mount Hua?'*
A sense of displeasure crawled unhesitatingly up Ouyang Jue's spine to the crown of his head.
*Grit.*
Ouyang Jue clenched his teeth. Following Ha Jin-ak, the appearance of another unexpected master was now holding him back.
Was this an absurdity imposed by the heavens because he knew the future?
He couldn't know.
All that mattered was that a handful of sorrow had become fuel for his anger.
"Who are you to dare trifle with another here on Mount Hua!"
"Kuhahaha!"
The laughter that 'something' let out seemed to make the very sky explode.
The pressure contained within it was almost like a projectile, forcing Ouyang Jue to remain on high alert.
Just then, Bai Duanxian quickly grabbed Ouyang Jue's shoulder.
"That's enough. Ignorance may be an excuse, but it will not help you avoid disaster."
"Just who is that person that you fear confronting them so!"
"...Jue, you know of the Plum Blossom Grotto, don't you?"
Bai Duanxian felt like he was losing a handful of hair just thinking about how to clean up the mess his disciple had made.
Letting out a small sigh, Bai Duanxian began to speak.
"That person is the Celestial Being who guards the Plum Blossom Grotto."
At those words, Ouyang Jue's eyes widened.
* * *
The Plum Blossom Grotto was a kind of sacred ground that had existed even before the Mount Hua Sect first appeared in the martial world.
In a way, it could be called the very origin of Mount Hua's martial arts.
The Plum Blossom Sword Arts themselves were created by cutting a branch from a plum tree that stood beside the grotto's entrance.
The Three Peaks Sword Arts were an arrogant creation by a disciple who, having seen the Plum Blossom Sword Arts, sought to surpass the founder.
The history of the Plum Blossom, the sword arts of the Mount Hua Sect, began at the Plum Blossom Grotto, shook the world, and returned here again.
The sword of the Plum Blossom must be surpassed by the sword of the Plum Blossom.
This was the first phrase inscribed at the entrance of the Plum Blossom Grotto, and a source of their pride.
It was unimaginable that someone would be living in such a grotto.
Besides, there was nothing of particular value inside the Plum Blossom Grotto to begin with.
Even those who had ordered the annihilation of the Mount Hua Sect had inspected the grotto once and decided not to destroy it.
*'There was... a secret there?'*
Ouyang Jue couldn't shake his suspicious gaze.
If the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet was a sacred object related to the grotto, it would neatly explain the mystery that had never been solved.
Moreover, the tablet Bai Duanxian was holding was extremely worn.
If it was plain enough to make even a child lose interest within moments, anyone could guess what the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet looked like.
Ouyang Jue asked Bai Duanxian again.
"A Celestial Being?"
"Yes."
Bai Duanxian spoke as if gently placating his suspicious disciple.
"Due to personal circumstances, I cannot tell you the title or name he used in the secular world, but he currently resides in the Plum Blossom Grotto as the Plum Blossom Cave Dweller and Mount Hua's Celestial Being."
"......"
At those words, Ouyang Jue turned his gaze to where he had felt the eccentric's presence.
At the same time, his lips trembled wryly.
He still didn't understand why someone with such power, with martial arts that could shake the world, had never appeared in his past life.
It must have something to do with the 'personal circumstances' Bai Duanxian mentioned.
Having surmised this, Ouyang Jue glanced back at the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet with an annoyed look.
"So, you're saying that person is interested in me and wants to see me?"
"That's about right."
Ouyang Jue refused with a simple word.
"No. I refuse."
Bai Duanxian's brow furrowed at Ouyang Jue's words.
*'He didn't say that for my ears!'*
Having watched the changed Ouyang Jue until now, Bai Duanxian was certain of one thing.
His actions might be frivolous, but his words held no lies, and his mind was deep.
All his explanations about the Plum Blossom Grotto Tablet and the Celestial Being had been to dispel Ouyang Jue's suspicions.
And yet, Ouyang Jue had still said no.
Moreover, he had dismissed the entire matter of meeting the Plum Blossom Cave Dweller as 'that'.
*'Ouyang Jue, this brat...'*
He must have said it for the Celestial Being, who was surely still listening.
Ouyang Jue, noticing the deepening of Bai Duanxian's gaze, subtly modulated his vocal arts to limit who could hear, ensuring no harm came to the Plum Blossom Clinic.
Within the space where Ouyang Jue's feet touched the ground.
It was a vocal technique that converted the sound resonating in his head into vibrations and sent them through the ground.
Ouyang Jue was confident that Bai Duanxian beside him and the eccentric beyond the trees could hear it.
"I have no interest in someone who can't even properly reveal who they are."
"...This brat."
"No, whatever you say, you won't be able to persuade me. I apologize to you, Sect Leader, but I feel a certain displeasure regarding this matter."
Though Bai Duanxian's face turned pale, Ouyang Jue continued to speak.
"As far as I know, there is no one on the current roster of the Mount Hua Sect who ranks higher than the Sect Leader. So is that person a ghost? Since when did Mount Hua start serving ghosts?"
"......"
Bai Duanxian couldn't bring himself to tell the young disciple Ouyang Jue the secret history of the Mount Hua Sect, so he remained silent.
Thus, the frustration Ouyang Jue felt only continued to fester.
"If that person—no, if that *thing*—is a grand elder of the sect, then why did he remain silent while my Senior-most Brother was groaning on the verge of death?"
"Stop it."
Even when Bai Duanxian finally cut him off firmly, Ouyang Jue didn't stop.
His words pierced through the decades of his past life as well.
"Is that person trying to protect the Mount Hua Sect, or... something else?"
"...?!"
At those words, Bai Duanxian couldn't hide his stiffened expression for an instant.
Just then, Ouyang Jue's eyes turned to Bai Duanxian, and a voice drifted from beyond the trees.
"Enough. Fate may bring us together again another time. For now, it is sufficient to have made an acquaintance."
"I haven't made any acquaintance."
Despite Ouyang Jue's audacious remark, the eccentric just chuckled heartily.
"Give that crazy bastard a Small Purple Spirit Elixir, and have a guardian assist him so he can properly absorb its energy."
At those words, Ouyang Jue wiped the displeased look from his face.
A beaming smile had already appeared on his face.
"Thank you!"
"...?"
Only Bai Duanxian, unable to adapt to the sudden change in attitude, let out a hollow laugh.