Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 156

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 156
“You must swing the sword more forcefully from top to bottom.”
“Ah, understood!”
Jeok Geom nodded as he watched the Ilwol Moon disciples follow his instruction without a word of complaint.
By now, the Ilwol Moon disciples had not only mastered the footwork of the Seven Star Step, but had grown adept at the Samseon Geom stance as well.
‘The basic posture is solid, at least.’
A thin line of satisfaction crossed Jeok Geom’s lips as he recalled the Ilwol Moon disciples who, not long ago, had grown weary practicing the Seven Star Step.
If they continued their training at this pace, their skill would improve by leaps and bounds.
‘Physical conditioning truly is everything.’
As Jeok Geom gazed contentedly at them—
Thump. Thump.
Footsteps echoed across the courtyard.
As the sound drew closer, Jeok Geom turned his head and spotted Cheon Hui.
“Master, you’ve arrived early today—”
“Pack your things.”
“I… beg your pardon?”
For a moment, Jeok Geom’s face fell, a deflated sound escaping his lips.
But Cheon Hui paid him no mind and continued without so much as a glance.
“We’re leaving now.”
Shortly after, at the gates of Ilwol Moon, the sect leader Ju Song and the second-in-command Ju Go Ryul, along with the disciples, offered their farewells.
“The sweat you shed will become blood and flesh. So never stop training.”
At Seol Ran’s parting words, Ju Go Ryul nodded solemnly, committing them to heart.
“I will never forget your words.”
Seol Ran offered a faint smile at the sight of Ju Go Ryul clenching his fists with determination.
“Then that’s all I need.”
Ju Go Ryul stood mesmerized, seeing Seol Ran smile for the first time.
“Not a single day must be skipped.”
Jeok Geom, too, was earnestly instructing the Ilwol Moon disciples he had trained.
“Understood!”
“We won’t skip a single day!”
Jeok Geom’s eyes narrowed to slits as he watched them respond with such vigor.
“You were thinking about taking just one day off, weren’t you?”
The disciples felt the sting of his words.
“Well, that is—”
“I understand the desire to rest after such grueling training.”
Jeok Geom spoke as though he sympathized.
“But know this: while you rest for a single day, others are training in that very time. To catch up after such negligence requires—”
Since these disciples were no different from first-time students, Jeok Geom continued explaining the importance of consistent training.
‘Ah, listen to that flow.’
Cheon Hui observed Jeok Geom with quiet intensity.
The way he spoke now made it clear his words came from hard-won experience.
There was no other way he could speak with such certainty.
‘Next time, I’ll make sure he doesn’t even think such things. I’ll train him properly.’
As Cheon Hui considered how best to handle Jeok Geom, the sect leader of Ilwol Moon approached.
“If our sect had been in better circumstances, we would have given you a grand farewell banquet.”
“Then do so next time.”
Cheon Hui spoke casually, and the sect leader’s eyes widened before he broke into laughter.
“Haha, don’t worry about that. If you visit our sect again, I’ll prepare a festival like no other.”
Cheon Hui nodded at his hearty words.
“I look forward to it.”
After finishing his conversation with the sect leader, Cheon Hui turned to Jeok Geom and Seol Ran, who were still talking.
“Let’s go.”
Jeok Geom and Seol Ran nodded.
They took their places at either side of Cheon Hui and bowed respectfully toward the sect leader.
“Should any similar matters arise, please send word to our sect.”
“Safe travels.”
As the two offered their courteous farewells with a smile—
“Much obliged. Travel safely, now.”
The sect leader of Ilwol Moon returned their bow.
After that, the three departed from Ilwol Moon.
“Travel safely!”
“Thank you so much!”
The disciples of Ilwol Moon bowed in unison.
“Take care of yourselves!”
As Ju Go Ryul’s voice rang out one last time, Jeok Geom and Seol Ran waved their hands in farewell.
Soon after, the three of them had traveled far enough that Ilwol Moon disappeared from view.
“But Master, why are you in such a hurry?”
Jeok Geom ventured the question he hadn’t dared ask back at Ilwol Moon.
“Someone’s waiting for us.”
“Someone, Master? Who?”
Cheon Hui raised a finger, and both Jeok Geom and Seol Ran turned to look, their expressions hardening.
“There they are.”
In the direction Cheon Hui pointed, a group became visible.
“Jongnam Faction……?”
“Why are Jongnam Daoists here?”
“They said they wanted to go to Huashan.”
Before he’d finished speaking, Bo Seong approached them with clasped hands and nodded respectfully.
“Infinite compassion. So you’re the Maehwa Sword Masters who’ve come down from Huashan.”
Bo Seong’s gaze swept over them quickly.
Though Cheon Hui had mentioned it, Bo Seong was genuinely startled to see that the Maehwa Sword Masters numbered only two.
‘So the three of them cleared out the Sapa faction?’
The thought made him part his lips slightly.
“This humble Daoist is called Bo Seong.”
“Cough, cough! The Thunderbolt Sword Master?!”
Jeok Geom choked on the words.
He’d been told they weren’t ordinary, but he’d never imagined it would be the legendary Thunderbolt Sword Master himself.
Jeok Geom hastily clasped his hands and bowed.
“I am Jeok Geom of Huashan.”
“I am Seol Ran.”
Seol Ran also offered her greeting.
“Heh heh, it’s good to meet you.”
Bo Seong smiled warmly.
“By fortunate chance we’ll be traveling together. I’d be grateful for your guidance to Huashan.”
Jeok Geom and Seol Ran exchanged awkward smiles.
This was something they hadn’t known moments before.
But what could they do?
All decisions rested with Cheon Hui, and their opinions held no weight.
There was only one thing either of them could say in this situation.
“We’d be honored to help.”
“We’d be honored to help.”
The remaining Jongnam Daoists soon joined their ranks naturally enough, but…….
An awkward silence settled over the group.
Though they’d exchanged names, the gap between Jongnam and Huashan proved impossible to bridge, and they kept their distance from one another.
Which was only natural.
Relations between the two sects had been strained for a long time.
Yet even in such circumstances, there was one exception.
“Brother! What kind of mountain is Huashan?”
Jong Hyeon, who’d stuck to Cheon Hui’s side, asked with sparkling eyes.
“Just a rocky mountain.”
“Oh come now, brother. I know a little about it too. My master said Huashan is a place one should see at least once in their lifetime.”
Despite Cheon Hui’s casual response, Jong Hyeon was brimming with anticipation.
‘It must be an extraordinary place!’
Meanwhile, Jeok Geom and Seol Ran, who’d been listening to their exchange, were practically dying of curiosity.
“So the Master has a junior disciple.”
“……Though I suppose he is a junior disciple?”
“Probably.”
Unable to contain their curiosity, they quietly approached Jong Hyeon and spoke to him.
“Tell me, how do you know the Master…….”
Cheon Hui observed the three of them beginning to converse, then stepped aside, satisfied.
‘That should free me from some of the annoyance.’
And so, with the beginning of this conversation between the three, the atmosphere started to shift.
The two began to converse with the Jongnam Faction’s Daoists as well, and before long the awkwardness that had lingered dissolved rapidly.
Cheon Hui watched them.
“It’s pleasant to see, isn’t it?”
Bo Seong, who had been standing apart, approached.
“It’s only temporary, anyway.”
Cheon Hui spoke without emotion.
When he considered the relationship between Jongnam and Huashan, he knew this would end quickly.
‘It’s not a bond that will last.’
Once Cheon Hui withdrew his attention from them, Bo Seong smiled and opened his mouth.
“Heh, who’s to say. There’s a saying about enemies in the same boat, isn’t there?”
He spoke those meaningful words while gazing up at the sky, murmuring softly.
“Yesterday’s foe may become today’s friend—such is the way of the world.”
* * *
Four days later, the group arrived at Huashan.
“Is this… Huashan?”
“It looks even more treacherous than Jongnam Mountain.”
The eyes of the Jongnam Faction’s Daoists widened at the sight of Huashan, which they had only heard of before.
Sheer cliffs of strange rock, jagged as if carved by a blade.
And between them, a towering peak visible in the distance.
“That peak looks just like a flower.”
“So that’s why it’s called Huashan.”
Though it appeared similar to Jongnam Mountain at first glance, the landscape possessed something distinctly different, and the Jongnam Faction’s Daoists were too busy admiring it to speak.
“Wow!”
Jong Hyeon in particular bounced about with excitement.
Just as his master had said, Huashan’s scenery dazzled his eyes.
“It’s even more magnificent than I imagined!”
Bo Seong also murmured while taking in the view of Huashan.
“Beautiful now, just as it was before.”
The landscape was every bit as splendid as when he had visited decades ago.
Jeok Geom and Seol Ran, delighted by their expressions of wonder, added their own explanation.
“It’s beautiful even now, but when the plum blossoms bloom, it becomes even more breathtaking.”
“That’s when you can truly appreciate Huashan’s full splendor.”
The Jongnam Faction’s Daoists let their imaginations take flight at the pair’s timely description.
Such a beautiful vista of Huashan, and plum blossoms blooming on top of that.
Just as their eyes grew dreamy with the thought—
“Shall we make our way up?”
A voice cut through the enchantment.
Cheon Hui, who had seen Huashan hundreds of times before and felt no particular wonder at it, spoke dryly.
“You mentioned there was urgent correspondence to deliver?”
After Cheon Hui set off at the lead, a short time passed.
Tap.
They arrived at the mountain gate of the Huashan Sect.
“Young Master! You’ve returned!”
Jeok Un, who had been guarding the mountain gate, rushed forward but froze upon belatedly noticing the Jongnam Faction Daoists behind Cheon Hui.
“Who are these people…?”
“Can’t you tell? They’re from Jongnam Faction.”
“Right, I see that, but… why would they be visiting the Huashan Sect?”
As Jeok Un flustered and shifted his gaze about, Bo Seong stepped forward and clasped his hands in salute.
“Infinite Buddha. This humble Daoist is Bo Seong of the Jongnam Faction.”
Jeok Un widened his eyes and returned the salute.
“Forgive my tardy greeting. I am Jeok Un of Huashan.”
Then he asked carefully.
“Might I inquire what brings the great Sword Master of Violet Thunder to our sect?”
His throat had gone dry with tension.
A Jongnam Faction elder—and one known as the Sword Master of Violet Thunder—visiting Huashan?
It was no ordinary matter.
‘Is it because of what happened at the Murim Alliance?’
Jeok Un swallowed hard, recalling the recent falling out with the Jongnam Faction.
Bo Seong, observing Jeok Un’s tension, replied with a gentle smile.
“I’ve come to see the Sect Master.”
“One moment, please. I’ll inform the Sect Master of your business…….”
“Shall I deliver the message instead?”
Cheon Hui cut in between them.
“P-pardon? Did you just say that, Uncle?”
“What’s wrong? Can’t I?”
“No, not at all!”
Jeok Un cried out in alarm, waving his hand emphatically.
“It’s just that burdening you with such troublesome business seems…….”
“Either way, I need to report that the mission’s complete. I can pass along the message while I’m at it.”
“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”
Upon hearing the reply, Cheon Hui pushed off the ground.
Unfurling the Cheongun Body Method—a technique second to none in sheer speed—he shot up the treacherous mountain path like an arrow.
“Whoa!”
“Such a fast Sinbeop…….”
“That’s not even…….”
“As expected of you……!”
The Daoists of Jongnam Faction marveled aloud.
It was a remarkably swift technique.
He seemed to shrink to a dot before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
“I suspected he wouldn’t be ordinary……. But this much?”
Bo Seong, too, let out a gasp of admiration.
He’d assumed that anyone who could clean up three Sapa members wouldn’t be of common skill.
Yet this Sinbeop he’d just witnessed…….
‘He far exceeded what I imagined.’
His eyes narrowed slightly.
‘They say the Huashan Sect has risen once more.’
Only a few years ago, the Huashan Sect had been all but ruined.
And now they’d not only produced the Huashan Divine Sword, but also cultivated such a brilliant junior disciple as this.
‘Their hidden strength cannot be ignored.’
It was around the time Bo Seong gazed up toward Huashan.
Tap.
Cheon Hui arrived at Ja Ha Pavilion.
“May I enter?”
“Yes, come in.”
As Cheon Hui opened the door and stepped inside,
“You’ve worked hard.”
the Sect Master welcomed him, closing his book.
“I’ve received and reviewed all the letters regarding what was accomplished at Ilwol Moon.”
“That was wise. No need to tire your voice repeating it all.”
Cheon Hui smiled, satisfied at having spared himself the tedium.
“But there is one more thing I need to tell you.”
“Has something happened at Ilwol Moon?”
“No.”
“Then what…….”
“The Jongnam Faction has come calling.”
“The Jongnam Faction……?”
The Sect Master’s brow furrowed.
“Do you know what business brought them?”
“They said they had a letter to deliver…….”
Cheon Hui trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.
“The rest, I’m not sure of.”
“Hmm, a letter, you say…….”
The Sect Master stroked his beard thoughtfully.
After a moment of deep consideration, he nodded slowly and spoke in a low voice.
“Very well. Summon him here.”
“I’ll relay that message.”
With those words, Cheon Hui departed.
And shortly after, the Sect Master and Bo Seong sat facing each other, regarding one another.
“It’s been some time. Sect Master.”
“It’s been quite some time.”
After a brief exchange of greetings between two people who clearly knew each other already, the Sect Master spoke first, his gaze settling on Bo Seong.
“I hear you’ve brought word of something.”
In response to the question, Bo Seong withdrew a scroll from his robe and placed it before the Sect Master.
“This is it.”
The Sect Master unrolled the scroll.
As he read through the written words, his eyes narrowed to thin lines.
The letter contained contents that would have shocked anyone who laid eyes upon them.
“……Is this truly the case?”
Bo Seong nodded firmly.
“It is, sir.”
“Hmm, this is hard to believe indeed.”
The Sect Master shook his head slowly, repeatedly.
“A joint operation, no less — I never thought they would propose such a thing.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————