A Drunken Mistake
What was the Mount Hua Sect?
It was one of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, the nine pillars of the Martial Alliance, and a prestigious clan renowned as the Sword of Shaanxi.
Its sect leader was the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor, who, like the Alliance Leader Sinchang, was one of the absolute masters of the Heavens Beyond Heaven.
Alongside Sinchang, he had once been considered a prime candidate for the position of Martial Alliance Leader.
In fact, it was said that many had preferred him to take the seat.
'Didn't he say he wouldn't step forward because Mount Hua was more important to him?'
I didn't know the details, but I recalled hearing something along those lines.
And so, Sinchang had ultimately ascended to the position of Alliance Leader.
'That alone is enough to prove Mount Hua's prestige.'
Even without the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor, Mount Hua's reputation was sky-high. When it came to sheer collective military strength, they were no different from Cheongwol Gate's Sowol Squadron.
'Because that's where the famous Plum Blossom Sword Shield resides.'
People often compared Cheongwol Gate's Sowol Squadron, the Wudang Sect's Taiji Sword Force, and the Mount Hua Sect's Plum Blossom Sword Shield.
This comparison alone proved the formidable power of the Plum Blossom Sword Shield.
Considering the sect leader's status and reputation, the power of the Plum Blossom Sword Shield, and various other factors, the Mount Hua Sect was undoubtedly one of the most prominent among the Nine Great Sects.
'…Right, I get that they're amazing.'
Everyone knew Mount Hua was incredible, so I could accept that.
"But why on earth is this here?"
I stared at the robe before me, completely baffled.
It was a black robe lined with thick black fur.
One glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary garment; it radiated an undeniable aura of nobility.
There was no way to mistake its value and prestige, but…
"…No matter how I look at it, this isn't what we were looking for."
I frowned, staring at the flower embroidery—large on the back, smaller on the front.
I had no choice but to react that way.
'There's only one place in the Central Plains that uses this flower motif.'
The plum blossom of Mount Hua. Mount Hua was the plum blossom. Only the Mount Hua Sect used such a vivid plum blossom design…
'So why is this here?'
Why was a robe bearing the insignia of the Mount Hua Sect showing up in this vault?
"You said it was the Baegamukpo."
Where was the white? I could wash my eyes and look again, but there wasn't a single speck of white on it.
I turned to Yoo Chun-gil, whose expression was equally priceless.
[No… Why is… Why is this…?]
"…Do you not know either, old man?"
[Why is the Heogyapo here?]
The Heogyapo. Even if it wasn't what we were looking for, Yoo Chun-gil clearly recognized the robe.
"Do you know what it is?"
[…It is the robe that Plum Blossom fellow used to wear.]
"By 'Plum Blossom fellow'… you mean the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor?"
[Indeed.]
"…Tsk."
Of all things, it was the robe worn by the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor himself.
Instead of Yoo Chun-gil's own robe, this had randomly popped out.
What on earth happened? Did the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor sneak into the Secret Vault and swap them?
'What kind of nonsense is that?'
Even to me, that sounded utterly ridiculous.
If that wasn't it, then what? Just as my mind was filling with questions…
[…Ah?]
Yoo Chun-gil reacted.
"Old man?"
[Ah…! That's it!]
"What's 'it'?"
[I remember now.]
He clapped his hands repeatedly, looking delighted as the memory returned.
[We were drinking ourselves to death, decided to swap robes to try them on, and I just brought it back with me.]
"…What?"
My face immediately contorted at his explanation.
"…You did… what?"
[Ah… I died before I could swap them back. Hahaha! Well, how about that!]
"How about that, my foot. Are you insane?"
They swapped their signature robes while drinking and just went their separate ways?
'Does it make any sense for the greatest Taoist and the Alliance Leader to behave like that?'
How was I supposed to process this? It defied all common sense.
[Hahaha. This is quite a predicament.]
"…Seriously… damn it…"
I barely managed to swallow the curse rising in my throat. It was thanks to my growing sense of resignation. No matter what this old man had done in the past, nothing could surprise me anymore.
'Dealing with Sinchang's fiancée and the eyeball story was already exhausting enough.'
And now, a drunken mishap with the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor.
'How is it…'
That no matter how deep I dig, there's always more?
"…So what do we do with this?"
Since the Baegamukpo isn't here and we only have the Heogyapo.
"I can't exactly wear this, can I?"
[Of course you can't, you brat. If you walked around wearing that, what would the world think?]
"They'd at least think I'm a lunatic."
The successor of the Sword Saint walking around in Mount Hua's symbolic robe. The mere thought was absurd.
'And my sword is the Heavenly Demon's divine sword.'
Hahaha. What a bizarre hybrid I would be.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
[What else? We must get it back. And return that one while we're at it.]
"…Which means."
Surely not.
"You're not telling me to go to Shaanxi, are you?"
[Oh, come now. Of course not.]
"Hahaha. I thought so. Even crazy talk has its limits."
[Hahaha. Indeed, indeed.]
"Hahahahaha…"
[Hohohoho.]
"…"
[…Is there really no way?]
"Of course not, you old geezer."
Why was he trying to slip that in?
'It hasn't even been that long since I got back from Sichuan, and you want me to go to Shaanxi?'
There was a limit to his nonsense.
Sichuan had been for a mission, but this was out of the question.
Moreover…
'I can't even travel because of the Yongbong Association.'
Wolseongeom had made it absolutely clear that I couldn't go anywhere.
[Hmm…]
Knowing this, Yoo Chun-gil seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking.
[Ah, then we can just do this.]
"Do what?"
[Send a letter to Mount Hua. Tell them to bring the Baegamukpo.]
"…Excuse me?"
[There's no way they threw it away. Besides, if the Yongbong Association is being held, their people will come anyway. We can just exchange them then.]
"…Ah."
Send a letter and tell them to bring it?
"…Me?"
[Well, child, who else is there but you?]
"Right. It's always me cleaning up your mess, old man."
[Mess? What a vulgar way to put it.]
"Then what should I call it?"
[A cute mistake?]
"…"
[Your expression is rather frightening.]
"My apologies. I can't control my face right now. Damn it."
[…It seems you can't control your mouth either…]
"Would you be able to if you were in my shoes?"
[…Ahem…]
I had sneaked all the way to the Secret Vault because he said there was something to get, only to find nothing of use and end up tangled with the Mount Hua Sect.
How could I possibly be in a good mood?
"Haaaa…"
I let out a deep sigh. Should I just throw in the towel? The thought crossed my mind.
'First the Namgung Clan, then the Tang Clan… and now the Mount Hua Sect?'
I was getting tangled up with all sorts of groups.
These were factions I never expected to deal with in my life, and ones I would have preferred to avoid if possible.
No, getting involved was fine. It was fine, but…
'I didn't want to get involved in such a ridiculous way.'
If I had to interact with them, I wanted it to be under normal circumstances.
[Ah, but… well, there is one good thing about this.]
"I'm sure there is. Why? Did you steal the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor's sword this time too…?"
[…How did you know that?]
"You're actually insane…"
[I tried, but failed. And that's not what I was going to talk about.]
"…Then what is it?"
[While we're demanding the exchange of the Heogyapo and the Baegamukpo, there is one more thing we should demand from Mount Hua.]
"…A demand?"
I leaned in, wondering what else he was going to say.
[The Jasodan.]
"…!"
[We were supposed to receive the Jasodan as agreed upon in a letter, so tell them to bring that along as well.]
"The Jasodan…?"
The Jasodan was a legendary elixir said to rival the Shaolin Temple's Great Pill.
And he was supposed to receive… the Jasodan?
[Yes, I had a few things to squeeze out of those fellows…]
"Old man, why are you only telling me such crucial information now?!"
[…I was… uh…]
"Should I go back right now and send a letter to those Mount Hua bastards?"
[….]
Watching my sudden shift, Yoo Chun-gil's face gradually soured.
His disgust and contempt were palpable.
[Child.]
"Yes, Master. Just say the word."
[…You are truly consistent.]
"Thank you for the compliment. Shall I get moving right away?"
"…"
Yoo Chun-gil was left utterly speechless.
I might have lost my conscience, but I didn't care.
'Does a conscience put food on the table?'
Well, maybe it could. But it certainly wouldn't feed me a Jasodan.
So, I decided to put on a shameless front. A very thick, smooth one at that.
Afterward, I slipped out of the Secret Vault and returned to my quarters.
There was nothing more to gain by staying there, and since people would notice my absence once the sun rose, I had to get back as quickly as possible.
The only difference from when I entered was that while I had gone in empty-handed, I returned with a few things in my grasp.
In one hand, I carried the Heogyapo, the Plum Blossom Sword Emperor's robe. In the other, I held a purple jade ring.
Following Yoo Chun-gil's instructions, I brought the robe back and stashed it in a corner.
As for the jade ring, I placed it inside a small pouch and tucked it into my shirt.
Then, I immediately went to sleep.
It had been a while since I lay in a warm, soft bed. Even if I tried to stay awake, sleep would have claimed me.
I fell into a deep, dead sleep.
However…
'Hmm?'
When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in a strange space.
'Ah.'
Realizing the situation, I let out a groan.
'Again?'
Was it another Spiritual Dream?
'Does this old man have no conscience?'
He had just run me ragged in the Secret Vault, and now he was pulling this stunt again?
'…He really couldn't be any meaner.'
I ground my teeth and spoke aloud.
"…Stop hiding and come out."
My voice echoed through the space.
Unlike the usual white void I experienced, this place was pitch-black.
"Look, I know you're there, so just show yourself. What is it this time?"
What was he trying to make me do now?
"You could at least let me rest for a day. How can you do this the moment I get back?"
I complained in a resentful tone, but only my own voice echoed back. There was no reply.
'What?'
Where did the old man go?
'Where else? He's obviously hiding.'
He was probably watching me from some hidden corner.
"What a nasty temper."
It wasn't just his ghostly appearance; his personality was rotten to the core.
His character felt like it had hit rock bottom.
'How did a man like that ever get called the greatest hero of the Orthodox faction?'
Either the rest of the world was blind, or the old man had been a master actor his entire life.
"Forget it…"
Since he wouldn't show himself no matter how much I called, I finally took a step forward.
At that moment—
Splash!
"Huh?"
I felt wetness at my feet.
'What is this?'
Looking down, I saw that water had risen to my ankles.
It was dark, murky water.
"What on earth is—!"
Plunge!
"Urgh!"
The moment the words left my mouth, my body was violently dragged downward.
I had been standing perfectly fine just a second ago, but now I was trapped underwater.
Glub… glub!
No sound came out. I couldn't breathe.
Bubbles of precious oxygen escaped my mouth.
I rolled my eyes in agony, but all I could see was the same pitch-black world.
'Damn it…!'
I thought I had experienced every kind of torment, but now I was drowning?
Gurgle!
It was painful. As always, the Spiritual Dream inflicted pain that felt entirely real.
'…You son of a…'
I clutched my throat, cursing inwardly.
'Ugh…?'
Through my flailing vision, I began to see something in the dark water.
'What is that… a person?'
It was a human figure.
In the distance, I could see someone's back.
Was it Yoo Chun-gil? No, it didn't look like him.
"Ack…"
I tried to call out, but the water muffled my voice.
Just as my consciousness was beginning to fade…
The distant figure slowly turned around.
His clothes were black, and the water was black, making it hard to see his face.
But the moment his gaze locked onto me—
"…!!!"
A sudden jolt of electricity surged through my body.
The figure's face remained hidden.
Shrouded in a dark haze, nothing was visible.
Yet, I knew instinctively that he was staring directly at me.
What was it? What was that thing?
'Why does it terrify me so much?'
It felt as if someone had gripped my heart in their fist.
A sensation that it would burst with just a tiny squeeze.
It felt as though the water surrounding me was death itself.
It was vast and terrifying. My only instinct was to escape this place immediately.
Then…
The figure moved his hand.
He slowly raised his index finger to his lips.
"Shh."
Along with that softly uttered sound—
"Gasp—!!!"
My body bolted upright as I woke up.
"Pant… pant…"
I stared down at my hands with wide eyes. They were trembling violently, and my palms were slick with sweat.
"What…"
I wiped my palms against my clothes, my mind racing.
"What was that…?"
What kind of dream did I just have?
Strangely, I couldn't remember.
"…I'm sure I saw something."
It felt like I had just woken from a terrible nightmare.
"Fuuuu…"
I let out a long, heavy sigh. Having a nightmare wasn't unusual, but this one had left a particularly strong aftereffect.
And to not even remember it…
"…Whatever it was."
It must have been a truly chilling dream.
"Whew…"
Well, at least I was awake now. I thought to myself as I prepared to get out of bed.
"…A mere thing like that…"
"…completely…"
"…Huh?"
I heard voices again. They were coming from just outside my door.
'…What is it? Am I still half-asleep?'
Was I hearing things because I hadn't fully woken up yet?
Otherwise, this made no sense.
'Those are women's voices.'
Why would there be female voices outside my room?
And not just one, but two. Wondering if it was an auditory hallucination, I shook my head and lightly slapped my cheek, but the voices only grew clearer.
"…even if you try—"
"…than someone like you…"
The closer I got to the door, the clearer they became.
So, to check, I grabbed the handle and slid the door open.
Slide!
As the door slid open…
"…What the?"
I stared blankly at the scene unfolding before me.
"What are you two doing here?"
Sitting on the wooden porch outside my room…
Were the owners of the voices I had been hearing: Cheon Hye-in of Cheongwol Gate and Moyong Yeong-sun of the Moyong Family.
And they were glaring at each other with absolute, murderous intensity.