Chapter: 88
After being holed up in my room for about an hour, I finally stepped outside.
I was tired, but I also had a few matters to contemplate.
Once I finished organizing my thoughts and stepped out, I found Wi Seol-Ah outside.
She was oddly just sitting quietly on the floor, so I sat down next to her.
“What are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”
As I tried to strike up a conversation, I noticed her expression was rather unusual.
Her eyes looked a bit puffy, as if she had been crying, and her face seemed generally gloomy.
“Did something happen?”
“Nothing happened…”
“Wouldn’t it be more convincing if you spoke with a more normal expression?”
“…”
She already had droopy eyes that made her look sad, and her poker face now looked like it was burdened by the weight of the world.
As Wi Seol-Ah hesitated, she finally spoke softly.
“…I had a fight with grandpa.”
“…With Elder Wi?”
Wi Seol-Ah had an argument with the Sword Emperor? This was unexpected.
From what I could see, the Sword Emperor usually spoiled her, no matter what she did, often showering her with affection. So hearing that he had scolded her to the point of tears was surprising indeed.
‘I don’t think I’ve seen Wi Seol-Ah get scolded except for that time when she secretly followed me to Sichuan.’
For her to have cried after getting scolded—what on earth could have happened?
I asked as casually as possible, “Are you okay?”
“…Yeah.”
You really don’t look okay.
Wi Seol-Ah gazed at me with her teary eyes.
It seemed she wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn’t.
Instead, she quietly got up, mentioning she had work to do that Hongwa asked of her.
“Young Master.”
“Hmm…?”
“I’ll work super hard.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah… work hard.”
I didn’t quite understand what she meant, but I cheered her on anyway.
Saying that, Wi Seol-Ah hurried off.
What did she mean by saying she would work hard?
Since she was heading to meet Hongwa, was it about work?
Whatever the case, her gloomy face bothered me, so I’d have to buy her some yakgwa later for sure.
I stepped outside the lodge.
I still felt a nagging pain, but I thought I could manage to move around.
And so, I walked around the familiar terrain of Mount Hua I had recently gotten used to.
I tried to find the training area but didn’t run into anyone.
Eventually…
‘Found him!’
Not long after wandering around the mountain, I spotted someone climbing up a cliff in the distance.
“Master Yung Pung!”
At my call, Yung Pung turned around and leaped down the cliff, coming towards me without hesitation.
“Young Master Gu.”
This guy’s expression is also down.
Looking at Yung Pung, it was clear he wasn’t exactly in high spirits either.
Yung Pung, who usually looked perfectly fine even after training all day, was drenched in sweat, even though the sun hadn’t gone down yet.
This meant he was pushing himself a lot harder than usual.
To make it worse, the sandbags tied to his arms and legs looked significantly heavier than usual.
“Did something happen?”
Yung Pung smiled bitterly at my question.
Ever since I woke up, I had noticed that the mountain practitioners always seemed to wear similar expressions.
Usually, I wouldn’t want to get caught up in their moods and would ignore it, but I held back and asked again this time.
“I was going to ask the Celestial Plum Blossom about it, but given how gloomy he seems, I didn’t want to pry.”
“…”
“If it’s something you can’t share with outsiders, I won’t push further.”
If the tournament got delayed, it would inevitably mean something pretty serious was going on,
And seeing the collective glumness of all the martial artists only made it clearer that it wasn’t good news.
After some contemplation, Yung Pung cautiously opened his mouth.
“…Do you remember me mentioning that some of our people have been going missing lately?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“…We found those who disappeared a few days ago.”
‘As expected…’
My pessimistic theorizing had proven correct.
I’d been wondering if they had finally made progress in their search efforts.
They didn’t find anything even when the swordsmen of Mount Hua joined the search before, so getting a lead now was promising.
Still, while it was good they found them, the expressions they wore suggested the situation wasn’t so rosy.
The growing sadness on Yung Pung’s face confirmed my thoughts.
“…When we found them, the seniors were already dead.”
“Were you with them when they found them?”
“Yes, since very few swordsmen of Mount Hua are left.”
For them to bring along someone as young as Yung Pung, it seemed they were feeling quite desperate.
But they found them dead, which was unfortunate.
It could mean that there was a grudge against Mount Hua, or that they were only capturing the swordsmen to weaken the clan’s power.
‘Whatever the reason… it feels like a troubling reality.’
“And one more thing…”
Yung Pung seemed hesitant to say something more, but after a while, he decided to take a deep breath and continued.
“…When we found the bodies, all their blood had been drained out. Not a single drop remained.”
“…!”
My eyes widened at Yung Pung’s revelation.
The corpses had no blood in them?
All of them?!
Just imagining it created a horrific mental image.
Considering the poor condition of the students they’d been searching for so fervently, it was easy to understand the melancholy that enveloped everyone.
However, one question kept nagging at me:
Why did all the bodies of Mount Hua’s swordsmen have their blood completely drained…?
“Master Yung Pung…”
“Yes?”
I asked out of curiosity, “Was the place you found them in managed by the Black Palace?”
Yung Pung gasped at my query.
“How do you know that…?”
Yung Pung’s reaction confirmed my suspicions—it was indeed the handiwork of the Black Palace.
I had asked out of a hunch, as I’d run into them often recently.
“I asked because the guy from the Unorthodox Faction I fought earlier turned out to be connected to the Black Palace.”
“Oh.”
Yung Pung seemed aware of my encounter with Ya Hyeoljeok.
It looked like many unsettling things were happening behind the scenes.
‘…What is the Black Palace planning?’
I had only thought of them as a fleeting group that would dissolve in a few years when the Murim Alliance caught up with them.
But, come to think of it, the Ya Hyeoljeok from the Black Palace was meant to transform into a demonic being in the future.
And these guys were already wielding demonic qi…
‘Is there a link between the Black Palace and the Demon Cult? If so, how?’
The main aim of Ya Hyeoljeok was said to be the hut where the Immortal Healer was residing.
Plus, it appeared that the Black Palace captured the Mount Hua swordsmen, drained their blood, and killed them.
This meant there was no way they intended to use them as hostages.
‘What kind of scheme is this?’
It was evident that whatever was afoot was complicated and had likely disastrous consequences.
Looking over the situation, my instincts told me it would be better to step back and let things unfold…
But I had now realized that I couldn’t ignore it and run away from my fears, lost in this peace.
‘Don’t run.’
I felt as if I needed to take action.
“Was that why you’ve increased your training load so drastically?”
I glanced at Yung Pung’s sandbags.
“…Oh.”
Yung Pung, sensing where I was coming from, answered in a weak voice.
“…I can’t sleep well anymore after seeing the usually strong seniors in such a state.”
He looked utterly exhausted and soaked in sweat, yet he continued stretching, as if he was determined to train even harder.
“All my life, I thought I was special because of all the compliments I received, but now, I see that I was naive.”
“…”
“I’ve been too careless. If I had just worked on becoming a stronger martial artist, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
Listening to Yung Pung speak so seriously yet calmly, I merely observed him in silence.
Inside, I thought his perspective was utterly misguided.
In my past life, Wi Seol-Ah had slain the Heavenly Demon and rescued the world, but even she had been unable to save everyone.
While Yung Pung was indeed a prodigy of Mount Hua, in just a few years when the Heavenly Demon appeared, he would inevitably end up losing more people than he could save.
But… I can’t say that to him.
I wasn’t in a position to tell him those words.
I hadn’t walked the path he was now on.
I wonder what Elder Shin would have said to Yung Pung if he were here right now…
Would he scold him for having such morose thoughts?
Or would he praise him, saying it’s a good mindset to possess?
To me, it didn’t seem like he would have done either.
He would have remained silent.
He… would probably just have let out a bitter sigh.
That was my thought.
Yung Pung, after glancing at my face, gave me an awkward smile.
Was I making a weird expression again?
“This year has been full of realizations for me.”
As he said those words, Yung Pung tried to hide his emotions, stating he would train more, so I wished him well and continued on my way.
After the chat, I set my course for the top of the Lotus Peak.
I couldn’t believe I’d have to climb such a towering mountain… as if that wasn’t enough of a pain!
‘…Honestly, a trip to the hut outside the clan would be better than this.’
Muttering complaints under my breath, I pressed onwards.
I was on my way to see the Celestial Plum Blossom.
According to what I heard, she wasn’t in the previous hut but was getting treatment in the place where she originally stayed.
‘Why build it at such a high altitude…?’
Since it required treatment, surely the Immortal Healer would have to make his way up and down as well.
I wondered how he managed the climb; being an old man and not a martial arts practitioner…it seemed tiring.
‘Maybe the Immortal Healer learned martial arts after all?’
Though it didn’t seem like it, who knew?
Finally reaching my destination, I was relieved to see a house larger than the last hut.
I cautiously approached the door and knocked.
Creek…
As the door creaked open, I was greeted by the face of the Immortal Healer’s grandson, Zhuge Hyuk.
As soon as he spotted me, he lowered his head slightly.
It looked like he was trying to greet me.
Uncertain of how to respond, I decided to get straight to the point.
“I came to see the Celestial Plum Blossom… but where is the Immortal Healer?”
Zhuge Hyuk gestured with his hands in response, appearing to indicate that the Immortal Healer wasn’t around at the moment.
He then pointed back inside the house. Was he inviting me in?
As I entered the room, I noticed the Plum Blossom Sword lying down, seemingly asleep.
I was about to step in more carefully when suddenly…
‘…Huh?’
I noticed something emanating from the Plum Blossom Sword’s body.
I definitely didn’t see that last time; why is it so visible now?
Upon recognizing what it was, my eyes widened.
Demonic qi.
The Plum Blossom’s body was teeming with demonic qi.
Not the murky, vile qi from those from the Black Palace…
But the pure demonic qi akin to what the Heavenly Demon possessed.
At the same time, Gu Yangcheon was caught off guard by the sight of the Plum Blossom Sword.
The Immortal Healer was lost in thought, staring at the giant tree on Mount Hua.
Had there always been a tree this tall on Mount Hua?
Lost in trivial thoughts, he stood with his hands behind his back, awaiting someone.
“Immortal Healer.”
Eventually, he heard a voice from behind and turned to see the speaker.
“…I’ve been searching for you for a long time, Immortal Healer.”
“Indeed, you have. I’ve been doing my best to avoid you. Why are you so persistent?”
The visitor was none other than the Sword Emperor.
Upon seeing him, the Immortal Healer’s expression changed slightly, furrowing his brows.
“It’s been a while, Alliance Leader.”
The Sword Emperor shook his head in response.
“I… am no longer the leader of the Murim Alliance.”
It had been quite some time since the Sword Emperor had renounced his position and left the Murim Alliance.
However, the Immortal Healer replied firmly.
“To me, you are still the same person as before. This means I won’t forget the things you did while you were the leader of the Murim Alliance.”
The Sword Emperor was left speechless at the Immortal Healer’s words.
“I wished that you’d be the last person to search for me.”
At this moment, the Sword Emperor opened his mouth, attempting to respond to the Immortal Healer’s statement… but ultimately fell silent.
He had nothing to counter with.
The Immortal Healer, observing the Sword Emperor avoiding eye contact, sighed.
He wasn’t even sure if this man was the same Sword Emperor he once knew.
The same figure who stood as the pinnacle of the Orthodox Faction now seemed adrift and disoriented.
‘…Dohwa was right.’
After the visit from Dohwa the night before, the Immortal Healer cursed under his breath about who he was meant to meet.
Even after enduring his harsh words, the Celestial Plum Blossom had stubbornly pleaded for the Immortal Healer to see the Sword Emperor.
Saying that even someone like him deserved a chance for atonement.
But the Immortal Healer felt too much time had passed for that to happen.
The hatred and resentment he had felt had long since faded into the past.
Forgiveness felt impossible.
And holding onto his grudge was equally difficult, as he had developed some understanding of the Sword Emperor.
But as he looked at the crumbling sky, the Immortal Healer did not derive any joy from it.
Even though he had once wished for it so fervently to be destroyed.
The Immortal Healer stared at the Sword Emperor and let out a deep sigh, “Why have you come here?”
The Sword Emperor looked visibly surprised by the Immortal Healer’s question.
It seemed he hadn’t expected such a straightforward inquiry.
Frowning in response to the Sword Emperor’s astonishment, the Immortal Healer added, “…Don’t think there’s significant meaning behind it. I only asked out of curiosity.”
“…Thank you…”
Grateful for the Immortal Healer’s demeanor, the Sword Emperor began to slowly unpack the thoughts he had long kept to himself.
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