Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 75

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 75
The group had arrived at the Murim Alliance before they knew it.
“Ugh.”
“Hnngh!”
The Plum Blossom Sword Dancers, who would normally have hurried straight to their quarters, were descending from the carriage with great care, still suffering from the aftereffects of the Mabo.
“What are you doing? Get down already.”
Cheon Hui, who had been the first to step out, urged them on.
‘Making such a fuss over doing Mabo for just the duration of the carriage ride.’ he thought.
He clicked his tongue with a soft ‘tsk’ and spoke.
“Whoever is last will do an additional hour of the Mabo technique I demonstrated to you all in the courtyard a few days ago.”
The Plum Blossom Sword Dancers cried out in alarm.
“M-Master! Anything but that!”
“I—I can’t do any more!”
“Why not? You all said you’d follow my instructions. Surely you’re not backing out? Where was this resolve when you were begging me to make you stronger?”
Hnngh! Hnngh!
Cheon Hui’s matter-of-fact words pierced through their chests like a blade through silk.
Less than ten days had passed since they had pushed through their shame and desperately sought his guidance.
And already they wanted to quit.
It was something that should make them hang their heads in embarrassment.
“Tsk! I’ll go first anyway.”
“Senior brother! Please give way!”
“I already did it twice yesterday. This time, let Master Cheon Geuk take the turn.”
“I already did mine this morning!”
Without anyone yielding, they all forced their trembling legs to move forward.
“Hehehehe.”
Hyeon Jin, watching the Plum Blossom Sword Dancers pressing forward desperately, let out an awkward laugh.
“Aren’t you doing it, Senior Hyeon Jin?”
As Cheon Hui looked at him and asked, cold sweat suddenly streamed down his forehead.
“W-Well, shouldn’t I go make a report?”
“A report?”
“Heh. Right then, I’ll be on my way.”
Hyeon Jin fled as if running away.
Cheon Hui, watching him go, opened his mouth.
“Can I go out for a bit too?”
In that instant, the Plum Blossom Sword Dancers raised both hands in welcome.
“Of course you can.”
“By all means, take your time and enjoy yourself.”
“Hmm.”
Cheon Hui scanned each of them, seeing through their tricks, then let out a soft laugh.
“If there’s no trace of training by the time I return, I won’t teach you any new martial arts. Remember that.”
The faces of the Plum Blossom Sword Dancers shifted to an expression of grim resignation.
“So you were planning not to train at all the moment I left?”
All of them forced out strained laughter.
“H-Haha. What are you talking about?”
“Shouldn’t we continue training even without the master?”
“Well, I’ll take that as your word, then.”
The moment Cheon Hui left, the Plum Blossom Sword Dancers immediately collapsed onto the ground in unison.
“Huff, huff. Who knew the master was such a demon.”
“But haven’t we gotten stronger because of him?”
“True, the training is hard, but every time I use the martial arts it feels different.”
“And the techniques he taught us are excellent too.”
Then Cheon Yu, who had been lying down, got up.
“Let’s move again now.”
One by one, they lifted themselves up.
Though their muscles still screamed throughout their entire bodies, their eyes held a fierce light.
Just as they were about to drag their exhausted bodies inside, Cheon Geuk asked a question.
“But is it all right to let Cheon Hui wander the Murim Alliance alone?”
Gu Gyeom Wee let out a soft laugh.
“What trouble could our youngest master possibly get into?”
In the past—no, even just a few days ago, they would have panicked and searched frantically if Cheon Hui had disappeared, but now things were different.
‘Cheon Hui will be fine.’
‘Who’s worrying about whom?’
Meanwhile, Cheon Hui wandered the halls of the Murim Alliance alone, taking in the sights around him.
“Was there such a beautiful young swordsman among Huashan Sect’s adepts?”
“Isn’t he the adept who came with the Huashan Heavenly Sword?”
In that instant, the attention of passersby fixed upon Cheon Hui.
“But that red and black sect robe — what a striking ensemble.”
Cheon Hui paid no mind to their whispered murmurings and surveyed the surrounding architecture.
‘Everything else is splendid.’
Most of the halls visible as he turned his head boasted excellent locations and possessed a charmingly antiquated air.
‘Except for our quarters.’
As Cheon Hui walked, examining each hall in turn, he soon nodded to himself.
“I’ll need to have words about this.”
* * *
“Here it is.”
After receiving the letter that Hyeon Jin had handed him, Seol Geom’s expression bloomed into a satisfied smile.
“You’ve done well.”
His eyes shone with warmth.
‘Joining hands with Huashan Sect was the right move.’
Jongnam and Huashan.
He had chosen to ally with Huashan.
Strictly speaking, it had been an inevitable choice—after all, the commander had already committed to Jongnam.
But could this be a blessing in disguise?
In the past, he might have written off such a sect as declining, but circumstances had shifted.
A sect preparing for its ascent.
Above all, the reputation of the Huashan Heavenly Sword climbed higher with each passing day, and word among his inner circle suggested he was conducting some manner of transaction with the alliance leader itself.
‘And every one of them excels.’
By disposing of the Heuk Hyo Salma, Il Hong Mae and the other Plum Blossom Sword Dancers had earned epithets of their own.
The Plum Blossom Seven Swords.
‘No doubt the Huashan Heavenly Sword’s glory plays a part, but the other Plum Blossom Sword Dancers should now gain recognition in their own right.’
Of course, their epithets hadn’t been earned by reputation alone, but even so, it was enough.
At that moment, Hyeon Jin exhaled a long breath.
“Well then, I take it the mission is concluded.”
“Ordinarily I’d have taken my rest, but I’m grateful you entrusted me with this task.”
“It’s settled. Had I assigned it to anyone else, I’d have been uneasy about it.”
Seeing Seol Geom bow respectfully, Hyeon Jin waved a dismissive hand.
He could have refused the mission, but having struck down the Heuk Hyo Salma, he felt obligated to see it through.
“Just don’t forget the promise we made.”
“Haha. Have no fear. Of late, everyone’s taken notice of Huashan Sect thanks to the exploits of the Heavenly Sword Great Hero and the Plum Blossom Seven Swords. If things continue as they are, the sect’s standing within the alliance will grow all the stronger.”
“That’s fortunate news indeed.”
Hyeon Jin nodded.
Then, quite suddenly, he caught something odd in Seol Geom’s words—an unfamiliar epithet.
“What exactly is this Plum Blossom Seven Swords?”
“Ah! You’ve been with the Namgung Clan all this while, so you wouldn’t know of it.”
Seol Geom snapped his fan shut with a sharp gesture.
“It’s an epithet bestowed separately upon the Great Hero and the Plum Blossom Sword Dancers who dealt with the Heuk Hyo Salma.”
“Seven swords—do you mean the epithet refers to myself and my disciples together?”
Hyeon Jin asked, bewildered.
An epithet conferred upon a martial artist was a mark of earned fame.
Yet to gain such renown in mere days was no small feat.
“The slaying of the Heuk Hyo Salma served as a catalyst, and word of your past deeds and those of your disciples spread swiftly, earning you the epithet with remarkable speed.”
Hyeon Jin’s expression brightened noticeably.
Until now, his time within the Murim Alliance had left him skeptical.
No matter how many missions he undertook, the fame he gained was so meager that exhaustion was setting in.
But now, change had come.
And in the most welcome direction.
“The Plum Blossom Seven Swords—a truly excellent epithet.”
His chest swelled with pride now that his long-nurtured disciples had finally earned their names.
Seol Geom unfurled his fan and spoke softly.
“I’m glad it pleases you.”
Hyeon Jin’s eyes widened.
“Did the strategic commander create this?”
Seol Geom answered not with words but with a slight lift of his eyes.
It was enough.
“Thank you.”
“It is nothing. This is merely the fruit of the missions the Great Hero and the Plum Blossom Sword Dancers have resolved on behalf of the Alliance. Hardly worthy of mention.”
“But might I ask what trade you requested from the Namgung Clan?”
Seol Geom’s pupils flickered.
“My apologies. That matter was sent separately by the Alliance Lord.”
“I see.”
Hyeon Jin smacked his lips with an air of disappointment.
“Then I shall call upon you again in time.”
“Hah. When that day comes, I shall summon you with good news.”
“I shall await it.”
Soon after, Hyeon Jin departed.
Tap.
Seol Geom set down the fan.
The smile that had graced his face moments before had vanished, his expression now rigid as stone.
“Heuk Oh.”
“Goodness. Why would the distinguished strategic commander summon this filthy raven?”
A gruff voice drifted down from above.
“You talk too much.”
“Tsk tsk. Fine, fine. Why did you call?”
“What do you make of him?”
“Nothing particularly remarkable, I’d say.”
At this answer, Seol Geom nodded.
“Nor do I.”
“Yet that’s what troubles me. How did that fellow bring down Heuk Hyo Salma?”
“……Is the martial skill of Heuk Hyo Salma as the world knows it true?”
“It’s understated, if anything. His martial art belongs to the Blood Sect.”
“The Blood Sect?!”
Seol Geom’s head snapped up.
“How did you know that?”
As he glared toward the ceiling with his question, a voice brimming with amusement answered—this time not from above, but from the left.
“There are ways to know such things.”
……
Seol Geom bit his lip.
Though they were bound by a temporary alliance for the same goal, this Heuk Oh remained utterly inscrutable to him.
“You have no intention of revealing yourself, I see.”
“Were we ever intimate enough for such disclosure?”
At the voice laced with laughter, Seol Geom lowered his head again, speaking calmly.
“And what of the military strategist?”
“Still as he’s always been.”
“……Has he still not left?”
“That would be the case. If he had gone outside, the Alliance would have stirred. You know well how much the Alliance Lord cherishes the military strategist.”
“……And the nameless and soundless ones?”
“Also as they’ve always been.”
“Nothing has changed, then.”
“Nothing.”
“Then the Opening Master will remain still as well.”
“He, I cannot say.”
Heuk Oh spoke with finality.
“If we involve him, we court danger instead.”
Seol Geom gnawed at his thumbnail.
For the sake of what was to come, upheaval was necessary. A vast upheaval great enough to shake the placid Murim Alliance.
Then suddenly, a transmission of sound rang out.
『Keep silent.』
In his alarm at Heuk Oh’s urgent transmission, a familiar figure appeared.
Bang!
The door swung open.
“Why is the path so confusing?”
The Dosa Cheon Hui, having opened the door, swept his gaze across the surroundings before speaking with a face full of complaint.
“You’re here.”
“Cheon Hui?”
Seol Geom broke into a cold sweat.
“What brings you here?”
“I wanted to discuss something with you.”
“Discuss something?”
“But there’s a mouse running around.”
Cheon Hui was looking toward the back of Seol Geom.
Seol Geom suddenly turned his head in that direction, wondering what he meant, and upon discovering a mouse hole, he laughed awkwardly.
“Ha ha. It seems the building is rather old, so mice wander about quite a bit.”
“…Let’s just talk first.”
A moment later, Cheon Hui drained the tea before him in one gulp and spoke to Seol Geom.
“I’ll be direct with you.”
Just as Seol Geom was tensing up.
“Change our lodging, will you?”
“I… beg your pardon?”
Seol Geom, who had been bracing himself for some difficult request, let out a deflated reply.
“You mean the lodging?”
“Yes. After walking around the Murim Alliance earlier, I noticed our quarters were the most decrepit.”
“Well, ah, I suppose that’s true.”
Seol Geom looked uncomfortable.
The Huashan Sect’s quarters had been moved to that location as one of the demands the Jongnam Sect had forcibly imposed years before.
“So change it for us, will you?”
“But that’s not a matter to be taken lightly, you see…”
“So you’re saying no?”
“We must follow proper procedure…”
“In other words, you want us to keep living in those wretched quarters.”
Seol Geom felt a flicker of irritation at Cheon Hui’s relentless pressure, but he forced a smile.
“That’s not quite it.”
Cheon Hui stared at him.
“Hmm. I think Hyeon Jin would be pleased to hear about these lodgings.”
Seol Geom’s smile cracked.
“…Are you threatening me right now?”
“I’m simply stating a fact.”
“This would require some justification to move up in priority.”
Seol Geom pressed his throbbing forehead.
“Think about it. If we suddenly change your quarters because your reputation has risen, what will the other sects think?”
He continued with measured reasoning.
“Now that your fame has spread, if the Murim Alliance starts favoring the Huashan Sect, the other schools will grow envious.”
He was right.
“So if you could just wait a little… Ah!”
Clap!
Seol Geom clapped his hands mid-sentence.
“What if you were to undertake a mission for us?”
“A mission?”
Cheon Hui’s brow furrowed.
A mission, out of nowhere.
Yet Seol Geom was earnest.
“It’s a major headache we’ve been dealing with. If you succeed, no one could object to changing your quarters.”
“What sort of mission?”
“Are you aware that the Water Dragon Lair, one of the bandit dens along the Yangtze River, has been growing bold?”
“No.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Seol Geom laughed sheepishly.
“The Water Dragon Lair continues to attack those related to our Alliance, and it’s become a problem.”
What? Isn’t that natural?
Water bandits attacking was only to be expected.
But his next words made it clear what the actual problem was.
“In the past, money could at least solve the problem. But recently, they ignore payment even when offered.”
It was a peculiar situation.
Water bandits refusing money?
“That’s what I wanted to ask—could the Great Hero remain on the Yangtze River and protect them from the Water Dragon Lair’s tyranny?”
Cheon Hui’s brow furrowed.
“You want me to stay there indefinitely?”
“Ha, no. We’re already dispatching personnel from the Alliance to handle their attacks. It’s just…….”
Seol Geom let out a low chuckle.
“Since we’re assembling the forces now, it will take a little time.”
“How long?”
“About a month, I’d estimate.”
“A month?”
Cheon Hui’s eyes narrowed.
That was longer than he’d expected.
But still.
“If I resolve the situation myself, I could return sooner, couldn’t I?”
‘Resolve it himself?’
Seol Geom blinked at the suggestion, but answered.
“That would be true.”
Cheon Hui rose at once.
“Are you leaving right now?”
Seol Geom was the one taken aback.
“Yes, I am.”
“You won’t hear the details first?”
“I’ll learn them on the way.”
“But the Plum Blossom Sword Dancers will need time to prepare a carriage…….”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ll go alone.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s more convenient that way.”
With that, Cheon Hui departed.
After confirming Cheon Hui’s departure, Seol Geom smiled faintly to himself.
“Well, well. I was planning to arrange different lodgings for him anyway—fortune smiles on me.”
He had already prepared separate accommodations long ago, from an earlier arrangement with Hyeon Jin.
Now that the young man was undertaking the task of his own accord, it worked perfectly in Seol Geom’s favor.
But then.
“That man…….”
A trembling voice came from Heuk Oh.
The crow’s face had gone rigid, fixed on the spot where Cheon Hui had vanished.
“Who is he?”

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