Chapter 164
**
Plum Blossom Divine Hyunseong.
He opened his eyes.
After drinking cold water, he exhaled loudly as if trying to wake himself up. He looked over his stiff body and forced a bitter smile.
“My body is ruined. More than I thought.”
“Master…”
“It’s alright. It’s what I deserved. I couldn’t even keep my mind together and ended up collapsing. I should rather be grateful to be alive. After all, the opponent I faced was like that.”
Plum Blossom Divine loosened his clothes. He looked at me with a steady gaze.
“…Who is your benefactor?”
“He is the Martial Alliance Inspector.”
“Martial Alliance? How much time has passed?”
“A little over a year, Master.”
“A year…? I was out of it for quite a long time. How dreadful. But… if it’s just a year, the Martial Alliance Leader wouldn’t have changed, right? That guy, Geomjon, must still be in the position of the Martial Alliance Leader, isn’t he?”
“That’s correct.”
“He sent you…? Why? He wouldn’t do it for my sake…? ”
Plum Blossom Divine looked back at Gu Hwa-rin.
“Hwa-rin. What happened at Huashan?”
“…Well…”
The conversation turned to the issues regarding Huashan and the three elders. Plum Blossom Divine frowned.
“They’re practicing without qualification… learning only the facade of secret techniques? When will they ever come to their senses? Not to mention, looking into what happened… there’s something behind it all.”
“They’re the ones calling themselves the New Martial Alliance.”
“Are they standing against the Martial Alliance Leader? Who’s leading them?”
“I believe Elder Dan Ri Jin Su is at the center of it.”
“Dan Ri Jin Su, the Heavenly Sword Master…? Indeed. That makes sense. He came to visit me once.”
Plum Blossom Divine stood up unsteadily.
“But I still don’t understand. I know the one who would be the current master of Huashan has dealt with the New Martial Alliance, but why… did they heal me? If I were to start acting as the master again, I wouldn’t support either side.”
“I thought I could fix you, so I did.”
“…What?”
“That’s all there is to it.”
Plum Blossom Divine blinked. After a beat, he erupted into laughter.
“Hwa-rin. What kind of friend have you made?”
“F-friend?”
“You seem to be of a similar age… Aren’t they a friend?”
“Well…”
Gu Hwa-rin glanced at me. She fidgeted with her fingers.
“It might be closer to a benefactor… but, still, I personally want to have a connection…”
“That’s a friend, isn’t it? If you’ve shared your sword, it wouldn’t be an issue to call them a friend.”
“Is that so?! Ahahaha. I see… yes… that’s how it is…”
Gu Hwa-rin chuckled. Plum Blossom Divine’s gaze narrowed.
“That’s not the reaction I’d expect from someone… well, it can’t be helped. You’ve opened the path for Hwa-rin.”
“Lady Gu opened her own path. I merely gave her a gentle push.”
“If you say you just pushed her, the whole world will laugh at you. They would say Plum Blossom Divine has no shame. Look… I must repay you somehow. You’ve allowed my dear disciple, who was always blocked by walls, to bloom her flower… is there anything you desire?”
“Nothing.”
“Huh? I am Plum Blossom Divine. A person called the Divine Master. If there’s anything you want at Huashan, I can grant it.”
“…Then tell me a story.”
“A story?”
“Did you encounter the Reverse Heaven group?”
Plum Blossom Divine blinked.
Suddenly, his voice grew cold.
“How do you know about them?”
“I encountered one called Ak-bi. In Shaolin.”
“Shaolin? Who is this Ak-bi?”
“It’s a long story…”
I roughly summarized the events, excluding the fact that I was a part of the Demon Cult.
Plum Blossom Divine groaned.
“I see. So what that person said was true…”
“That person…?”
“Did you meet Bul-jun?”
“Yes.”
“Let me see… come closer.”
I stood before Plum Blossom Divine. He scrutinized my body.
“You are without any history. However, I clearly saw you manipulating both Yin and Yang energies.”
“…….”
“Did you intentionally hide something? Talk to me.”
“That’s correct.”
“I see. Does the Martial Alliance Leader also know about this?”
“There are very few who know that I hide my energy. And the Martial Alliance Leader doesn’t know that either.”
“You’re certainly not part of that person’s group. Well, if what you said was true, there’s no reason for you to be with someone who’s rotten to the core.”
Plum Blossom Divine cleared his throat.
“I’ve shared my story, so now it’s time for you to share yours. Frankly, it’s not a long tale.”
“…….”
“One day, I received a letter. It was from someone who introduced himself as a ‘Military Officer’ from the Reverse Heaven. I spoke with him. And I could hardly believe it.”
Plum Blossom Divine shuddered.
“I don’t know exactly what Reverse Heaven is, but one thing I learned is that they are a group of madmen. Do you know what proposal they made to me? They wanted me to become one of them and wage war.”
“…A war?”
“Yes. A war. They want a war. I don’t know their exact purpose. But they said if I assisted them, they would allow me to protect what I have. Isn’t that absurd? To a Divine Master like me… what? You’ll leave what you have and help yourself?!”
Plum Blossom Divine wiped his face.
“It was an outrageous proposal, and I couldn’t understand it, so I lost my temper. And to pay for the arrogant words, I drew my sword. But… but… behind that Military Officer… that person showed up.”
“That being…?”
“I don’t know. He was young. Very young. I only knew him as Yuseong. He drew his sword and faced me. And at that moment, even with everything I had, I couldn’t surpass him.”
“…….”
“Can you understand? My sword, honed for a lifetime, was utterly crushed by a young person who couldn’t even be older than twenty. If he hadn’t revealed his age… I think I wouldn’t have felt so defeated. No. No, that’s not it…? From the moment I clashed swords, my defeat was already decided. He dismantled my techniques piece by piece. He spoke as if it was easy, mimicking my moves right in front of my eyes. It was the most beautiful plum blossom I had ever seen! After dedicating my life to the sword… the sword that I had dreamt of so long…?! Just by seeing it once, he was able to steal it?!”
Blood flowed from Plum Blossom Divine’s lips. Gu Hwa-rin jumped in shock.
“Master!”
“…It’s fine. Hwa-rin. It’s alright. The madness has already receded. All that’s left are painful memories. I just have to try to improve… that’s the whole story, Inspector. That’s all that happened.”
Yuseong.
Another name emerged. Was it a name, or did it signify a title?
I still felt a chill, not knowing exactly what organization it belonged to.
An unfathomable master, putting pressure on the stage of Hyun-kyung.
If the person I was looking for, Chilma, also… then?
To surpass this uncertainty, there was only one way.
To grow even stronger.
“…First, I need to organize Huashan. Hwa-rin, follow me.”
“Yes, Master.”
“And you, Inspector, come along as well. Regardless of what we’ve discussed, I see that you need something.”
“Yes?”
“You are in perfect health, aren’t you? However, your mind isn’t catching up. When I saw your frozen expression at the mention of Yuseong, you need the strength to chase him down.”
Plum Blossom Divine smiled bitterly.
“You are the benefactor of my daughter-like disciple. Is that all? You’re also the one who has brought me back to my senses… I cannot take that lightly. I’ll teach you myself. That imperfect body of yours will take another step forward.”
“…I apologize, but I have received separate teachings from Bul-jun as well.”
“How can a disciple teach a master? And more than that…”
Plum Blossom Divine spoke firmly.
“Even among the same Hyun-kyung, there are ranks. One thing is clear: I stand in a different position than a recently entered Bul-jun.”
…
Huashan shook.
Naturally, it was fitting since the loony who had supposedly ‘hidden away’ for over a year showed his face.
The faces of the elders soured. However, Plum Blossom Divine shook his head.
“Having hidden for over a year, I have no qualifications to be the master of Huashan. So I will proceed with the Huashan competition as planned. Regardless of status or background, if you can make me understand through martial arts, I’ll give you the position of master of Huashan.”
At those unexpected words, everyone exchanged glances.
However, eventually, they nodded their heads due to the glistening thirst for power.
The Huashan competition to decide the new master unfolded.
Three qualified individuals stood.
Elders of Huashan, each a renowned martial artist.
The swords laid out before them to show their qualifications. All the martial artists of Huashan gasped in admiration at the beautiful swordplay.
“What a depth of learning…!”
“This is indeed the proper Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique!”
A flamboyant flower bloomed. The elder who wielded it gasped as he brought the flower to his sword tip.
As applause followed, Plum Blossom Divine clicked his tongue.
“That arrogance is evident in the sword’s tip. Unfortunate.”
“…….”
“You should know. Your flower is dazzling, but lacks substance. Its meaning is wobbly. Do you have anything to say?”
“…No.”
The elder stepped down from the stage with a somewhat relieved expression.
Another took the stage. This time, a flower of heavier weight blossomed. If anything, it was a sword similar to mine.
But the weight was too much, making the flower rather ambiguous. It was crumpled to the point of not even being able to be called a flower.
Yet it was still beautiful, but Plum Blossom Divine wouldn’t acknowledge what didn’t satisfy my gaze.
“I told you to temper your overflowing heart. It’s been over a year, and nothing has changed.”
“…….”
“However, I witnessed that you have tried to bring about change. Therefore, we can say it was a fruitful harvest, wouldn’t you agree? Unbak?”
“Yes, Master.”
He too stepped down from the stage with a somewhat relieved heart.
Finally, the last elder, Un-gong, the master of None, wielded the strongest martial arts of Huashan.
He drew his sword, looking up at Plum Blossom Divine with an imposing stance.
No words were exchanged. He simply began to dance with the sword tip raised.
“…Ah.”
Gasps erupted, no one sure who started it. Eyes from all around became fixated on one point.
A flower blooms. I too quietly observed from within the crowd.
Plum Blossom.
Brighter than any sword.
At the end of the movement, petals descend. Yi-hyeong Ki and sword commingled, painting the surroundings like a field of flowers.
It felt as if rain was falling from the heavens. That sight at that moment.
Similar to when Gu Hwa-rin realized what her true flower was.
…However.
I couldn’t simply be amazed by the ongoing admiration. Within it, I noticed a clear discord.
Though it masked itself with the beautiful petals, it could not deceive even itself—a fake sword.
It was merely borrowing someone else’s…
Just a sword that was beautiful.
“…….”
Plum Blossom Divine stood up after keeping silent until the end of the dance.
“You’ve grown substantially in the time I’ve been away, Un-gong.”
“I was lucky.”
“Is it truly fair to say you’ve only been lucky? You were the one who stole the secret techniques. You learned the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique as a book.”
“……”
Un-gong sheathed his sword. The elder of Huashan gazed at the current master.
“Is it wrong to learn what you were instructed to? Did you not see? I properly learned the final sword move, ‘Plum Blossom in the Distance.'”
“…….”
“The way I acquired it might have been wrong, but I don’t believe the act itself was wrong. When the master was tormented by madness, someone needed to lead Huashan. Although you called it fake…”
Un-gong turned back.
As if representing all the martial artists gathered in Huashan, he spoke.
“Who can call it fake? Look at the plum fragrance spread throughout the world. I am qualified. I’ve mastered the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique and, before everyone, I’ve blooming a genuine flower.”
“…….”
“I am the main character of Huashan. Even if you don’t acknowledge me, all the martial artists of Huashan will recognize me. I have proven myself and am more than enough to represent Huashan.”
“Do you sincerely think that?”
“Of course, I might lack a bit to chase after the Master…”
Un-gong spoke softly.
“Even so, I believe I have built enough martial skills to become the cornerstone of all Huashan.”
“…Is that what you think?”
Plum Blossom Divine glanced around the hall. Amidst the murmurs, he asked.
“Does everyone here agree with what he said?”
“…….”
In the silent hall, a few voices rang out.
“It was a… truly beautiful plum blossom, wasn’t it?”
“I think he has enough qualifications…!”
“Surely it was a sword dance that represented Huashan, wasn’t it?”
“I, I’m not so sure…”
Plum Blossom Divine turned his head.
His gaze fell squarely on me.
“What do you think?”
“It’s the Huashan competition. How could an outsider…”
“Un-gong. I still hold the title of master. And as the Master, I can hear the opinion of the Martial Alliance Inspector.”
“……”
“What do you think?”
Everyone at Huashan stared at me. I pondered what to say.
It was beautiful. But it was not his sword.
A nuance. The flower he possessed differed from his spirit.
How beautiful that alignment was…
Only those who have seen a proper plum blossom would know.
And I know. I saw it firsthand. Right before my eyes.
“…….”
…I see.
Plum Blossom Divine. Are you trying to use me?
I glanced at Gu Hwa-rin, standing there like a screen. It was an impromptu play, but it didn’t make me feel bad.
I too wanted to show. When you see something beautiful, it’s only natural to want to share that same feeling with others…
“That was a beautiful sword.”
Un-gong’s forehead relaxed. He smiled as if it was what he expected.
But I didn’t stop there.
“If I hadn’t seen a truly beautiful plum blossom before.”
Plum Blossom Divine grinned. I gazed at Gu Hwa-rin, his only disciple, who was not accepted by everyone.
“Lady Gu showed it to me.”
Gu Hwa-rin’s eyes widened. I nudged her forward with words.
“What the true flower of Huashan truly is.”
Go on.
Show everyone…
What flower descended upon the sword of the one they treated as an outsider.
