17 - Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect

Chapter 17 It was still dark, in the early hours before dawn. A young man was walking up the steep, narrow mountain path leading to the peak of Nagan Peak, shrouded in thick darkness. The young man, a Taoist with neat and clean features, was none other than Jeok Geom. “Huff, huff.” Jeok Geom exhaled the breath that filled his lungs, shaking his head. As he had noticed while climbing yesterday, the path to Nagan Peak was quite rugged and challenging. After a while, reaching his destination at a small, old hut, Jeok Geom spread his arms wide open. “Phew...” Taking a deep breath, he looked up. Inside the dilapidated hut, seemingly on the verge of collapse, was the person he sought. Cheon Hwi. Though just fourteen, he was Jeok Geom's senior. In the past, he wouldn't have paid attention to who Cheon Hwi was, but now things were different. Captivated by Cheon Hwi’s divine presence at the O-akji meet, Jeok Geom had come to seek knowledge from someone younger than himself. ‘Today, for sure.’ Steadying his breath, Jeok Geom carefully and reverently knelt down slowly. ‘The skill Cheon Hwi showed that day was overwhelming. Even though he’s younger than me, that skill is beyond measure...’ “Jeok Geom sa-hyung?” His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling him, causing Jeok Geom to flinch and turn his head urgently. There stood a familiar woman. “Seol Ran sa-mae? Why are you here?” Both were taken aback by the unexpected encounter, staring at each other in surprise. Suddenly, the door burst open with a bang. Cheon Hwi appeared, his martial robes carelessly draped around him and his hair in disarray. Jeok Geom and Seol Ran quickly bowed their heads and exclaimed. “Sah-suk-nim!” “Sah-suk-nim!” Cheon Hwi glared at the two calling him, then, with a frown, he spoke. “It's noisy, so be quiet.” * * * In the late afternoon, Hyeon Do, arriving at the hut as usual, glanced at the two kneeling and then asked Cheon Hwi standing before him. “I came to learn about the plum blossom sword technique I saw that day... Why are those two here?” “I don’t know. They've been like that since morning.” Cheon Hwi's answer, dripping with annoyance, caused Jeok Geom and Seol Ran, still kneeling, to speak up quickly, startled. “It's, it's because we came to learn from Cheon Hwi sah-suk-nim, sa-jo-nim.” “I, I also came to receive teaching from sah-suk-nim, sa-jo-nim.” “You want to be taught?” Hyeon Do folded his arms, deeply pondering the answers from both of them. As time passed and the furrow in his brow grew deeper, Jeok Geom and Seol Ran shrank back. Seol Ran, in particular, turned pale. She was an uninitiated disciple, lacking even a Taoist title. Though her circumstances prevented the sect from granting her a title, making her no less than a properly initiated disciple, she remained an uninitiated disciple nonetheless. Then Hyeon Do met their eyes. He gazed at the trembling duo, fearing reprimand, before turning his attention to Cheon Hwi. ‘Being taught by Cheon Hwi, huh...’ Initially, he intended to scold Jeok Geom and Seol Ran for seeking instruction. However, upon deeper reflection, it struck him as a potentially good thing. He had witnessed their remarkable talents during the sparring at the O-akji meet. Add to that the teaching from Cheon Hwi, the greatest genius in ages... He gulped. ‘But how to persuade Cheon Hwi to teach them...’ “Hmmm.” Lost in deep thought, as Hyeon Do lowered his head, Cheon Hwi spoke. “If you have nothing else to do, can I go inside?” Watching Cheon Hwi about to turn away, Hyeon Do hastily unfolded his arms, startled. “A, no, you can't.” Hyeon Do quickly restrained Cheon Hwi. For when the training concluded, it wasn't Cheon Hwi who would regret it, but himself. “Sah, sa-jo-nim?” “Sah-jo-nim...?” Jeok Geom and Seol Ran, observing Hyeon Do's urgent demeanor, struggled to contain their bewilderment. Cheon Hwi was outstanding but merely a first-tier disciple. Yet Hyeon Do was the top martial artist of the Hwasan Sect. The sight of Hyeon Do seemingly clinging to Cheon Hwi? Their eyes shifted back and forth between Hyeon Do and Cheon Hwi with confusion, but Hyeon Do had no time to care about their reactions. “You want to know about the plum blossom sword technique shown back then?” “The plum blossom sword technique? Ah, the Chiched Plum Blossom Sword?” “Chiched Plum Blossom Sword...?” A wrinkle formed on Hyeon Do’s forehead. In his mind, no such sword technique existed in the Hwasan Sect. “...Is that a technique of our sect?” His voice, reduced by concern from much deliberation, lingered in the air. Cheon Hwi answered lightly. “I reinvented it.” “...!” Hyeon Do's eyes grew impossibly wide. Likewise, Jeok Geom and Seol Ran, secretly listening, shared his shock. ‘Reinvented it?’ ‘The plum blossom sword technique, reinvented?’ Ignoring their astonishment, Cheon Hwi continued speaking. “It’s a newly established technique, filling in the gaps of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.” Hyeon Do, who had been in a daze, was taken aback. “Is, is that true?” “What would I gain from lying?” Cheon Hwi replied matter-of-factly, then addressed Hyeon Do directly. “So you want to know about the Chiched Plum Blossom Sword?” In an instant, Hyeon Do’s eyes burned with intensity. Eyes blazing, he clenched his fists tightly. “That’s right.” Cheon Hwi chuckled slightly at him. He’s changed. In the past, he would have ranted about sect betrayal or something similar, but now he naturally didn't care. ‘Well, we've been discussing martial theories rather than just teaching martial arts.’ Surely, he was obsessed with martial arts. Engaging in debates about martial theories with someone as young as him ought to have hurt one's ego, yet he showed no such signs. He welcomed it instead. ‘That's why I teach him this much.’ If it had been anyone other than Hyeon Do, he wouldn’t have taught them. “How to execute it?” Knowing he could learn it, Hyeon Do’s eyes filled with excitement, turning a fiery red. “You know how to execute the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, right?” “Of course, I know how to use it.” “Then that’s enough.” Cheon Hwi immediately recited the formula. Listening to the formula for about fifteen minutes, Hyeon Do nodded, scribbling on the ground. “Amazing. To interpret the formula so easily.” "There were just too many unnecessary formulas in the Plum Blossom Sword Technique.” “Hah!” “Gasp!” Jeok Geom and Seol Ran were taken aback by Cheon Hwi’s audacious remark. However, their fears were unfounded. “Haha, it was a bit complicated, indeed.” Hyeon Do agreed in a low voice. The Plum Blossom Sword Technique was entangled with a variety of Taoist formulas, making it difficult to learn initially. In contrast, how did the Chiched Plum Blossom Sword Technique fare? Taoist formulas? None. Complex formulas? None. It contained only simple formulas. Yet, there was something hard to grasp. Hyeon Do picked up a small twig from the ground and swung it roughly like a sword. “According to the formula, the sword's aura should spread here. But how do you gather that aura in one place and move it?” The formula was easy, but its scope was vast. It was as if it combined tens or hundreds of martial arts. “When you concentrate your internal energy instead of dispersing it here, and release it explosively, you can execute the first three forms.” Hyeon Do swung the twig in the air as he asked, following the explanation. Swish—Swish— “Is this how you execute it?” “No, it’s not just about emitting the sword’s aura. More importantly, you have to merge your inner strength into one. So, think of it like watering the ground with your energy...” While the two conversed like this— Sly glance— Jeok Geom and Seol Ran exchanged bright-eyed glances. ‘Sa-hyung...?’ ‘Sa-mae too?’ In an instant, they realized that they were having the same thoughts, and simultaneously nodded to each other. ‘I have no idea what they’re saying.’ ‘It’s completely incomprehensible.’ Despite their bright-eyed gaze, they understood nothing at all. And Cheon Hwi was similarly baffled. But unlike them, he was perplexed by Hyeon Do’s inability to grasp the Chiched Plum Blossom Sword Technique. ‘How can someone reputed as the greatest master of Hwasan not understand such a simple formula?’ Cheon Hwi felt stifled but was unaware. Though the formulas had become easier, the martial logic embedded within the Chiched Plum Blossom Sword was exceedingly profound. To him, it seemed easy, but even a master of his level couldn't execute it perfectly within a single day. “Don’t you know 'yu gyo mu gyo'?” “Yu gyo mu gyo?” “There are no fixed rules in the Chiched Plum Blossom Sword. Though it looks like a sword dance, it’s a complete sword form solely on that basis.” Hyeon Do was equally frustrated. How could something be both a sword dance and a sword form? A sword dance is a sword dance, and a sword form is a sword form. They are separate entities, are they not? Yet it was being said they are the same, which defied his understanding of martial arts. But what could he do? Cheon Hwi had achieved it. “Hmm, 'yu gyo mu gyo'...” He, squeezing out all the martial arts knowledge in his head, cautiously asked. “Is it truly a form with no set rules?” Cheon Hwi sighed, looking at Hyeon Do, who understood nothing of the explanation. Then a phrase suddenly floated in his mind, and he voiced it aloud. “Oh! Then you know ‘suchang'...?” Recognizing something familiar for the first time in a while, Hyeon Do beamed brightly and nodded. “Hahaha! Of course, I know. Isn’t it about the immutable responding to the myriad changes?” “That’s it.” “...?” Seeing the question mark on Hyeon Do’s face, Cheon Hwi felt even more stuck. ‘How can he not know something this simple?’ Feeling like he was about to burst from frustration, Cheon Hwi eventually picked up a wooden sword. “Here, take a look.” With that, he drew upon his inner strength. “Oh!” “What a display of internal energy control!” Jeok Geom and Seol Ran watched with bright eyes. Having struggled to comprehend anything thus far, they now observed Cheon Hwi with admiration as the sight unfolded before them. “I’ll show you once.” As he spoke, Cheon Hwi's sword moved broadly, and crimson plum blossoms bloomed throughout the volcanic landscape. “Wow...” “Such a sword form...” “Beautiful.” The trio, who had been voicing their admiration, gazed in awe at Cheon Hwi, who enveloped heaven and earth in a beautiful sword dance. As an hour passed like this. “...Executing it today is beyond me.” Having focused meticulously on the Chiched Plum Blossom Sword technique Cheon Hwi demonstrated earlier, Hyeon Do murmured in a low voice, feeling defeated. Even at his level, it was still overwhelming. ‘Even though I’ve reached the celestial boundary, a sword technique this daunting to mimic...’ A hollow laugh hovered around his lips. Moreover, he couldn’t help but be more than impressed by Cheon Hwi’s talent. “If you just understand the formula, it should work out.” As Cheon Hwi was murmuring to himself— Sly glance— Hyeon Do looked at the two, still dazed and immersed in the lingering afterglow of Cheon Hwi’s demonstration, and asked. “And how about you two?” “They’ll just leave when they’re ready.” Hearing Cheon Hwi’s indifferent answer, Hyeon Do promptly seized the opportunity and suggested. “Instead of that, how about letting them assist you?” “Assist me?” That idea intrigued Cheon Hwi. Assist? It would indeed be convenient. As he pondered, memories of his past acolytes inevitably came to mind. ‘Hmm, Guima and Bima were indeed swift and efficient.’ The thought would shock the people of the martial world at the time. Who were Guima and Bima? They were notorious demons who turned the martial world into chaos and forced the sect of Songshan into closure in merely two years. Yet, they were merely his aides? Cheon Hwi now looked at Jeok Geom and Seol Ran. They stood like statues, frozen by his gaze. ‘Compared to those guys, they’re truly...’ The comparison might have bruised Guima and Bima’s pride had they heard it, but to Cheon Hwi, it seemed only natural. After all, to him, Guima, Bima, the second disciples of the Hwasan Sect—all were more or less the same. ‘Still, having them around would be convenient, wouldn’t it?’ While Cheon Hwi was momentarily lost in thought, Hyeon Do’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. ‘If they receive instruction from Cheon Hwi, their growth will be exponential.’ It was more a certainty than a speculation. The instruction from Cheon Hwi was extraordinary. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, he asked Jeok Geom and Seol Ran, who were swallowing their apprehension. “What do you think?” “We’d love to!” “We’d love to!” Grasping the intent behind Hyeon Do's question, both Jeok Geom and Seol Ran's eyes lit up, and they responded in unison. "Is there anything we wouldn't do as assistants?" Cheon Hwi quietly asked. Hyeon Do felt a brief twinge of unease, but he shook it off and replied. "Of course. Isn't that right?" "Indeed!" "We'll do anything." Cheon Hwi looked at the two who answered so eagerly as if they had been waiting all along. As he gazed into their starry, bright eyes, he nodded. "Very well, let’s do it that way." "Thank you!" "Thank you!" The moment they heard his decision, the two happily bowed deeply in gratitude. Because of this, they did not see it—the upward curl of Cheon Hwi's lips. Nor did they foresee the impending ominous future that was about to unfold before them.