“Young Master?”
Yung Pung called me again.
However, I wasn’t really in the situation to respond to him at the moment.
‘What was that just now…?’
Did I hear that correctly?
I must be hallucinating.
It had to be that.
If it wasn’t, I’d feel like biting my tongue right here, right now, and dying!
‘I must be hallucinating since I haven’t been awake for long, right?’
Yes, I had probably not fully woken up from my dream.
After organizing my thoughts, I realized I needed to respond to Yung Pung quickly.
“…It’s nothing—”
｢Oh, what’s this? Can you hear me, kid?｣
“Oh for crying out loud!”
I screamed after getting startled by the sudden voice I heard for the second time.
That made Yung Pung, who was right in front of me, look absolutely shocked as his eyes widened.
Not even bothering to look at Yung Pung’s reaction, I quickly ducked behind him.
Yung Pung, panicked, exclaimed, “Y-Young Master! What are you doing!?”
“I-Did you not just hear that!?”
“Hear what…? That you just cursed out loud?”
“No… Not that! The voice of some annoying old man!”
“What are you saying right now…”
｢You little brat! Who are you calling annoying!?｣
“See…!! You really can’t hear anything!?”
I interrogated Yung Pung again, but he just looked at me as though I were a lunatic.
Considering I had suddenly hidden behind him while he was simply trying to talk to me, it was understandable.
But what the hell, how can he not hear such a loud voice?
Telepathy? No, this was different.
It was as if the voice was hitting me straight in the brain…
｢You little brat, how can I hear such insults from a kid that would wet his pants if I stared at him back when I was alive?｣
‘When I was alive? So this really is a ghost…!?’
｢Shut it kid! What are you getting scared of over such trivial matters when you’ve got a weenie!?｣
…When did this become a thing?
I hadn’t passed through any graveyards or haunted places. Why was this suddenly happening…!
｢When did it catch on my end? You are the one responsible for this.｣
Upon hearing the evil spirit’s words—
｢Evil spirit!? Oh, oh my god, an evil spirit!?｣
…Upon realizing the ghost was making these claims, my thoughts came to a halt.
What does it mean I’m responsible for this?
｢You were the one who secretly devoured that thing, and now you act like you did nothing wrong! Don’t you have an ounce of shame at all!?｣
“Huh!? What do you mean by me eating that thing?!”
“Y-Young Master?”
I ignored Yung Pung, who looked at me in fear.
Compared to him, I was in much more of a hurry, so I didn’t care about appearances.
To my words, the ghost replied, sounding utterly incredulous.
｢You little brat, you really didn’t know? After sucking all of it until you were stuffed?｣
What was he going on about?
What did I eat?
｢You can’t even remember? How absurd. Do you truly not know why you could break that wall?｣
Wall?
Upon hearing the ghost’s words, one thought flashed through my mind.
The day my flame art reached the 4th level.
And the thick plum scent I had smelled the night before.
And the fact that the glow from the treasure had strangely dimmed the next day.
That thought crawled up my spine.
Please tell me that isn’t what it sounds like…
｢Hahaha! Thank God you aren’t completely brainless.｣
Oh, lord save me…
｢How dare you treat me like an evil spirit when you were able to break that wall so easily because of me… You really are a spoiled little brat.｣
I had no clue that the treasure of Mount Hua had such capabilities.
I mean, who wouldn’t treat something possessed by a ghost as a treasure? What kind of “treasure” is this? It’s just an object possessed by a spirit…!
｢You’re still babbling away even after all this… You impress me in other ways.｣
Who are you?
Is this really a ghost that possesses this treasure…?
｢Ghost? Don’t you dare compare me to some lowly ghost.｣
My chest tingled in response to the ghost’s words.
Was it heat? Though it felt too cool and calm for that.
My Qi was moving autonomously without my control.
It was a disgusting sensation, like hundreds of insects crawling across my skin.
“I feel like I’m going to vomit…!”
Though it felt calm, the sensation still enveloped my entire body, causing discomfort.
I grit my teeth, trying to endure it, but it was quite the challenge.
And even in this turmoil, the ghost didn’t relent.
｢I am the 8th generation Lord of Mount Hua.｣
While the ghost continued to talk, my chest felt like it was churning.
The revolting sensation infiltrated my abdomen as well…
While Yung Pung tried to support me, appearing utterly confused, I felt my consciousness fading farther and farther away, with absolutely no intent to return.
My vision was slowly turning white.
Finally,
｢I am the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, Shincheol.｣
I lost consciousness after hearing the ghost’s final statement.
The Blood Demon War.
This refers to the war initiated by the Blood Demon many centuries ago.
Before the Heavenly Demon emerged, this war was said to be the greatest catastrophe in martial world history.
Yet, strangely, not much was conveyed about the Blood Demon in tales recorded over the years.
Most said it was a brutal and ruthless affair, and that the heroes of the time had boldly resisted the Blood Demon, who threatened to flood the world with blood, but that’s basically where the history ends.
I couldn’t tell if this was because I didn’t care for history, or if there simply weren’t many records, or if someone deliberately tried to wipe it from existence altogether.
Nonetheless, what was clear was that information regarding the Blood Demon was quite scarce.
The Iron Fist, Yeon Il-Cheon.
The Brilliance of Might, Cheolyoung.
The Divine Sword of Mount Hua, Shincheol.
The Thunderous Sword, Namgung Myung.
The Heavenly Poison, Tang Jaemoon.
No matter how much time passes, the five masters who thwarted the Blood Demon catastrophe would undoubtedly remain forever immortalized in the history of the martial world.
At one point, Yeon Il-cheon died, and the formidable Golden Nature Clan extinguished without leaving behind a trace.
Furthermore, Tang Jaemoon of the Tang Clan also perished in that war, leading to great upheaval within their clan.
But in the grand scheme, they ultimately managed to avert the blood disaster and succeeded in slaying the Blood Demon, so, thankfully, it wasn’t all for naught.
It was said countless times that because of them, the present realm exists; I’d heard it so many times my ears nearly bled.
And when the Heavenly Demon later stretched its sinister influence across the world, it was repelled by Wi Seol-ah and other heroes; I imagined it was something very similar.
That was precisely why it was so challenging to believe.
Cradling my throbbing head, I asked, “…Who are you again?”
｢I told you, I am Shincheol, you little brat.｣
“…So, you are the Divine Sword of Mount Hua…”
｢Do you know how many times you’ve asked that same question?｣
“Yeah, probably more than ten times by now.”
When I regained my senses, I found myself inside a carriage instead of outside.
I wished that the voice I had been hearing was merely a dream, but alas, the irritating voice greeted me anew as soon as I opened my eyes, dashing my hopes.
｢Irritating? You little brat! You’re still as disrespectful as ever!｣
bitter chuckle It was the voice of an elderly man who sounded both irritating and harsh. And you’re telling me this is the Divine Sword of Mount Hua…?
There’s no way someone wouldn’t know the title “Sword of Mount Hua” if they belonged to a martial artist clan.
If you were to ask who the most respected figure from Mount Hua was, the first name that would pop up—aside from the current leader of Mount Hua—would undoubtedly be the Sword of Mount Hua.
His benevolence and reputation were said to have spread far beyond Mount Hua, potentially reaching the entirety of the realm.
｢Kids nowadays… Tsk tsk. Back in my day, if a senior spoke, you listened without arguing.｣
It was told that the man who earned the title of the Divine Sword of Mount Hua would make a withered old tree bloom with plum blossoms whenever he passed by.
｢Besides, it’s an elder speaking; you should treat me with respect rather than cowering in fear…｣
“…”
And you want me to believe that you’re the Divine Sword of Mount Hua?
Benevolence, my rear; I feel a nasty heart in you. Dignity?
‘It would be more believable if you claimed to be an evil spirit.’
That’s how I felt.
Yeah, it’s definitely an evil spirit.
I must have been possessed by an evil spirit without realizing it.
‘…Damn it, should I really go through exorcism?’
｢You filthy little…! How dare you act like that in front of a Taoist!｣
Once again, I clasped my head, which was aching anew.
How on earth am I supposed to find anything remotely resembling Mount Hua in his garbage talk?
There was no way I could believe he was who he claimed to be.
I mean, why would a hero of Mount Hua become an evil spirit for whatever reason? I wouldn’t buy it.
｢You devoured all that up before and now you’re contradicting yourself.｣
“What do you mean by me eating something up?”
｢You keep acting like you don’t understand a single thing; I’m even more curious now, child. How can you absorb the Qi of Mount Hua when you aren’t even from the clan in the first place?｣
The ghost’s question left me momentarily speechless.
It was genuinely odd that I couldn’t recall what happened leading up to that.
The voice I’d heard and the fragrance of plum blossoms I’d smelled that night were certainly not mere dreams, but vivid reality.
This realization hinted at the idea that reaching the 4th level in flame arts was thanks to the effect of Demonic Absorption, allowing me to glean the energy from the treasure.
What on earth happened…
This only deepened my curiosity. If this had all occurred due to Demonic Absorption…
That meant I had absorbed Qi out of pure will without even coming into contact!
I always believed I could only absorb Qi from demonic stones, but now I could absorb from treasures too? How crazy is that?! Even without touching it?
‘…Things have just become very complicated.’
The state of the treasure hadn’t changed significantly, so I lacked any assurance regarding it.
Yet, here I was feeling like my escape routes were dwindling.
｢Your body indeed seems to contain an entirely different type of Qi. How in the world is this possible…｣
“…Before that, if you truly are the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, how come you’re speaking to me right now?”
｢As I mentioned earlier, it’s due to you, kid, absorbing the stone’s Qi.｣
“So, are you saying you were stuck in the treasure all this time?”
It was said that this stone existed for several hundred years, meaning he was trapped inside there for such an extended period?
Is that even possible…?
｢Not exactly. I just recently opened my eyes.｣
“It hasn’t been long, you say…?”
What on earth does that mean?
｢Yes, the moment you first picked up the treasure, that’s when I regained my consciousness.｣
When the Second Elder handed me the treasure? If that’s true, it doesn’t even make sense…
If that were indeed the case, how could I…?
Was this merely a side effect from absorbing too much Qi from the treasure, creating this hallucination…?
I entertained thoughts like those.
And whether it was truly the Divine Sword of Mount Hua or some trivial ghost attempting to trick me into believing he was the hero of Mount Hua,
Either way, all this nonsense was proving to be a nuisance for me.
｢How ridiculous! I helped you just in case you might lose your life due to your reckless effort in breaking that wall, and yet I’m still being treated like an evil spirit!｣
The ghost spoke.
He was probably right.
I could barely break through the wall because my body couldn’t withstand the Qi’s stress, but absorbing the Qi from the treasure allowed me to surpass it with ease.
The ordeal was one I’d tried desperately to ignore, but the ghost’s assertion lent me certainty.
The Qi that had intertwined with my being.
The subtle scent of plums that clung to me despite my attempts to hide it.
And how I, completely unrelated to Mount Hua’s martial artists, seemed to attain a level they could only dream of through strict training.
“…What am I going to do?”
Something like, ‘Hehe! I accidentally absorbed the Qi from the treasure. My bad’ wouldn’t cut it.
It was a problem that I possessed the Qi of Mount Hua, especially considering I hadn’t even been recognized by the sect.
But the biggest issue was that I had no concrete explanation for how I possessed this Qi to begin with.
While I was lost in thought, the ghost burst into laughter.
｢Whose fault was it for devouring all of that up anyway?｣
“You think I wanted to do that…?”
｢You devoured that Qi like a famished beast that night, and now you try to contradict yourself.｣
That’s true… How heavy was I consuming to make it this evident?
This stressed me out even more since it wasn’t part of my plan to begin with.
This damned demonic ability… It’s messing up this life as well, while I’m trying to live normally.
Shoving down my irritation, I asked, “…Let me ask something. Why were you even in there in the first place?”
If he really was the Divine Sword of Mount Hua, then I needed to uncover the reasoning behind his presence in the treasure.
And even if he wasn’t, I needed to know his true identity.
Hearing my question, the ghost fell silent for a brief moment.
｢…Hmm.｣
Was it difficult for him to answer, or was he choosing his words with care since it was important?
After a short pause, the ghost finally began to speak.
Unlike before, his voice was now quite subdued.
｢…I don’t exactly know. Why was I even here?｣
Upon hearing the ghost’s words, I sighed and opened the door of the carriage.
Ultimately, it was an answer indicating he knew nothing.
Maybe he was pretending not to recall it.
If that were the case, then it clearly meant he didn’t want to reveal it. Therefore, in either scenario, it ultimately didn’t provide any help to me.
Forget the Divine Sword of Mount Hua; this was absolutely an evil spirit.
I decided to exit rather than persist with this pointless chatter.
I needed to quickly check what was happening outside since I’d missed so much while unconscious.
｢You little brat…! I told you it’s not—!｣
“Not what—”
“Oh! Young Master!”
At the sound of the cheery voice, both I and the ghost froze mid-discourse.
It was Yung Pung calling me.
But something felt off.
Yung Pung’s appearance had taken quite a turn for the worse compared to his previously polished self.
He was tied up tightly with ropes, kneeling on the floor, and was currently being threatened by Muyeon’s sword.
And right behind him was…
“Mount Hua…?”
Martial artists clad in the same white garb as Yung Pung were confronting my crew.
No matter how I looked at it, this didn’t seem like a welcoming atmosphere, so I gazed over at Yung Pung.
Yung Pung put on a bright smile as he looked at me.
“Haha! Young Master! Can you lend me a helping hand with this mess?”
“…What?”
His voice was far too cheerful, contradicting the situation, leaving me bewildered.
｢…Why is he acting like that?｣
Something bizarre seemed to have transpired again.
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