Chapter 55: Plum Blossom Dragon (5)
The first night arrived after we began traveling with the members of the Mount Hua Sect.
It had certainly been an unexpected journey together, but honestly, it didn’t change much for us since they took care of their own food and lodging.
In fact, it was probably more of a disadvantage for them, having to adjust their pace to match ours.
That was the price they had to pay to ensure the precious treasure was safe.
Given the value of the treasure in their possession, it was completely understandable.
Clans without their own treasures might not know, but at least the Ten-Sect Alliance and the Four Noble Clans probably each owned at least one treasure.
After all, it was ultimately a matter of symbolism.
“It’s just ridiculous that such an important thing was wagered in a drinking game…”
That’s how much it must have upset them—considering the Ghost Elder typically would jump at any chance to complain about Mount Hua, he had stayed completely silent about this topic.
“Ahem…”
“…The bet itself might be one thing, but actually accepting the item is another matter entirely.”
Was he really going to accept such a thing offered in a bet?
I could easily imagine the Second Elder grinning widely and happily accepting the offer.
“…Thanks to him, I even ended up with this lowly ghost.”
“How dare you call me a lowly ghost!?”
“Anyways, you said you had something you wanted to ask me.”
I had used my training as an excuse to distance myself a bit from the camp during the night.
I had even managed to set up a weak sound barrier since my energy had increased.
Once I finished my preparations, the ghost—
Oh right, what should I call him?
“You may address me as Elder Divine Sword of Mount Hua.”
“I’ll stick with calling you Elder Shin for short.”
“…You really do not listen at all, do you? You could at least have called me Shincheol—what kind of person calls someone like that?”
“Then should I just refer to you as old ghost?”
“Just call me however you like…”
Elder Shin let out a sigh.
Whether he truly was a hero of the past or the Divine Sword didn’t matter to me.
I just need to figure out if he’s going to cause me any trouble.
That was the most important point.
Having to manage another mind in my head, while I had only one body, felt uncomfortable, and I didn’t want to worry about the scenario where he might take over my body completely.
If possible, I wanted out entirely, but it didn’t look like that would be the case.
“Earlier, he was even able to control my energy… This might turn out to be dangerous.”
“How can I navigate this situation?”
This was quite the headache.
While I was lost in thought, Elder Shin interjected.
“It seems like you have plenty to think about.”
“Yes, indeed a troublesome situation.”
If he could read my mind even just a little, then he probably knew what was weighing on me.
There was no point in trying to hide it.
“What can I do so you can leave my body?”
“Do you really believe I’d stick around if I had a way out? Right now, surrounded by all these children of Mount Hua, I’d rather grab one of them instead.”
Elder Shin continued, sounding rather annoyed.
“Don’t dwell on such pointless worries; I have zero interest in your body.”
“But it’s not that easy to just believe your words.”
“What will you do if you don’t believe me? Got any other solutions?”
“…Maybe we can find one if we search for it.”
“Don’t take it lightly; you seem to be worrying about how I manipulated your energy. But hiding your energy was the very limit of my abilities, so just calm down.”
“…How exactly did you make me pass out, then?”
If Elder Shin was telling the truth, how should I explain the pulse of pain I had felt when I encountered the Sword Dragon?
The sensation of my energy swirling uncontrollably around my body was horrid.
“I didn’t do that, you little brat.”
“Huh?”
“Believe it or don’t, but honestly, it’s just odd that you expect to be fine while containing that disgusting thing in you.”
Contain?
“What do you mean by contain?”
Elder Shin appeared taken aback.
“…Huh, so you didn’t even realize what you were harboring within your body.”
“What are you saying I’m harboring?”
His response suggested I really had no idea what was going on.
“…Oh? So you genuinely didn’t know you were containing something?”
“Could you kindly explain?!”
“I feel like I’ve answered enough for now, it’s my turn now. We should both benefit if we trade information.”
Ugh…
It looked like he had no intention of enlightening me about what I was ‘harboring’ in my body.
What a troublesome old man; with that kind of attitude, it was hard to believe this guy was the renowned Divine Sword of Mount Hua.
Especially given how different his character was from the stories… It was a complete mess.
“I see that you seem disinterested in hearing this.”
“…That’s not it! I’m simply saying that your vastness of mind truly embodies the clan’s symbol.”
“For cripes’ sake… Why is this old guy so narrow-minded?”
“…I can read your thoughts, you know.”
“Just get to your question already!”
In the end, our back-and-forth was yielding little progress; it was time to get to the nitty-gritty.
“I want to ask you something.”
“Sure, ask away.”
“Do you know how many generations the current Sect Leader of Mount Hua has seen?”
“The current Sect Leader would refer to the Celestial Plum Blossom, right?”
He was one of the few swordsmen comparable to the Sword Emperor.
Of course, to me, he was just a guy who sold his clan’s treasure after losing a drinking bet.
Anyway, how many generations had the Celestial Plum Blossom seen?
“I wouldn’t have a clue.”
“…?”
“Honestly, why would I be interested enough to keep track of a clan’s leader—let alone how many generations? If it comes to it, I’ll ask someone from Mount Hua later.”
“You little brat—no, forget it. I’ll ask something else.”
“Sure.”
Elder Shin adopted a more serious tone, sparking my interest.
“What happened to the Blood King?”
“Huh?”
The Blood King?
I found myself stumped by Elder Shin’s question.
The Blood King? I had to think deeply about what he meant by that inquiry.
“What are you asking about?”
“Exactly what I just asked. Are you unfamiliar with the Blood King?”
“I couldn’t fail to know; one hears about the Blood War so often it practically sticks like glue to my ears!”
“…Thank goodness the tale has survived to reach the next generation, but that’s not my concern. I want to know what happened to the Blood King in the end.”
“Isn’t it stranger that you don’t know? You are the Divine Sword, after all.”
He was the hero who had defended against the Blood King and brought light back to the world, strengthening his sect further.
Yet, he was asking about the Blood King he himself had defeated?
“Just give me an answer! What happened to the Blood King?”
“According to the records, the Blood King is dead. It was precisely you lot who managed to stop him.”
“You lot?”
I was referring to the five supreme masters involved in the Blood Demon War, including the Divine Sword himself.
As I started naming them, Elder Shin appeared relieved.
“…Luckily, I was among them as well.”
“Now I’m even more curious; why are you asking me this? Are you really the Divine Sword of Mount Hua?”
“I truly am the Divine Sword, Shincheol. However—”
Elder Shin hesitated for a moment.
“The final battle with the Blood King is something I don’t recall at all…”
“…What do you mean by that?”
He doesn’t remember?
“I can tell that a considerable amount of time must have passed, judging by the title of Shinhyun. I also see that I was indeed alive after facing the Blood King, judging by your thoughts.”
“Yes…”
“Yet, what happened after that… I just can’t remember.”
“So you don’t even know why you are trapped inside the treasure?”
“If I had known, would I still be dealing with this mess with you?”
“Given your situation, you’re not entirely dim-witted—at least you recognize it’s a bother.”
“I can’t just label you stupid, so I’m being cautious here.”
From Elder Shin’s words, it seemed he had lost some memories along the way.
Is this some side effect of him being inside the treasure?
Why is it always that since I started doing something, I keep encountering obstacles?
Could it be karma?
If it was indeed karma, then I had little ground on which to rationalize my behavior.
“It’s probably my own fault for the way I lived in my past life.”
I felt like someone was whispering this to me.
“…I don’t remember anything…”
“Regardless, isn’t it great that the Blood King is dead and Mount Hua is still standing?”
“Your simplistic viewpoint sure sounds lacking, yet I find myself envious of it right now.”
“Why so condescending?”
“…Ah, so you realized.”
“Now it’s your turn to answer my question.”
“What would you like me to answer?”
“What do you mean by what I contain?”
This was something that had been bothering me the entire time.
What on earth am I containing?
Elder Shin chuckled as my concern seemed amusing to him.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Do you think hearing from me would change anything when you don’t even believe me to start with?”
“It’s still better to at least hear it out.”
“What a shameless fellow you are.”
“You might already know the answer, so why conceal it?”
I felt relieved without having to pretend anymore.
Elder Shin spoke in a low voice while noting my tired expression.
“I really don’t know what you’ve got inside you.”
…What?
Didn’t he act like he knew everything a moment ago?
He truly is a fraud—
“Oh, just wait a moment. You’ve gotta hear me out.”
“Oh, uh, sure.”
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s already incredible you can’t even feel it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t feel a thing even with that reckless stuff lurking inside you?”
Reckless? Was he referring to the powerful flame techniques?
It was a martial art with a fiercely aggressive flow, certainly, but Elder Shin sounded like he was describing a beast rather than just martial skills.
“It didn’t like me entering your body and tried acting up, so I put it to sleep. Be grateful, you little brat.”
“…You put it to sleep?”
“Even if I let it loose now, it would rampage everywhere. Want to test it?”
The moment Elder Shin finished the sentence, the same torturous sensation hit me again.
The pain was like a spikes-inflicted Qi stabbing every part of my body.
“Guah…!?”
I couldn’t breathe properly as one knee buckled under the agony.
Just when it felt like I was about to lose consciousness—
“Now do you understand?”
As Elder Shin’s words reached my ears, the pain vanished in an instant.
Only then could I breathe again properly.
“Huff, huff… What… is going on?”
My heart rate had surged uncontrollably faster due to the sudden pain.
“From the looks of it, the energy you absorbed from the treasure must have riled up the beast inside you. That’s why I told you not to overindulge.”
“I said I didn’t do it on purpose…”
Even if my body wasn’t used to the pain, it was absurd for me to almost pass out after just a few seconds of it.
“I must’ve gotten entangled in the wrong things.”
“Is it a problem with my energy? Or could it be the dark powers? Or something else entirely? Maybe Elder Shin is just lying too.”
“Really, the road ahead is long, and now I need to contend with this.”
I began to think that maybe it was my own fault for always getting into trouble while trying to accomplish something.
“I can sense your doubt, you know. I’m honestly impressed you can still ponder it this far.”
“Please, stop reading my mind already.”
“At this point, you only have yourself to blame for being so easy to read. You should be quite aware of that.”
I dispelled the sound barrier I had set up earlier.
If I stayed here much longer, the escorts would come looking for me.
“It’s not entirely terrible that I’m in your mind; granted, I’m not particularly enjoying this either. Still, I’m enduring it, so quit your whining and see if you can resolve this predicament.”
“How?”
“Didn’t you say you were going to Mount Hua? Both the treasure and I come from there, so it’s possible you might find your answer.”
Could I really uncover the truth in Mount Hua?
I certainly hoped I could.
…Especially since I didn’t want to remain with this irksome old man for much longer.
“You little brat!”
Ignoring Elder Shin, I made my way back toward the campsite.
Both the beast stirring inside me and the old man who somehow managed to quiet it down—
Both remained questionable.
…But in the end, it was clear that I needed to head to Mount Hua to seek a resolution.
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