Chapter 182

Step. Step.

Under the eyes of countless people, two men walked toward each other. When they finally came face-to-face, they performed a cupped-fist salute.

“I am Jin Wikyung of the Jin Family of Taiyuan.”

“I’m Baek Museong of Huashan.”

Huashan.

And Baek Museong.

The impact carried by those two words was enormous.

Exclamations erupted from every direction, instantly sweeping away the silence.

“Huashan!”

“Baek Museong—the Huashan’s Lone Crane, Baek Museong!”

Though ordinary people were mixed in among them, a considerable number of those gathered here today were martial artists.

The weight carried by the Huashan name and the epithet Huashan’s Lone Crane was immense.

“My heavens, why did Huashan’s Lone Crane come here?”

“Was the Jin Family of Taiyuan really this influential?”

“W-Wait. If Huashan’s Lone Crane came here, then…”

The people who had been talking over one another began scanning their surroundings. Before long, they spotted the man and woman beside Baek Museong, and another round of exclamations escaped them.

“That young man must be the Defeated Flower Fist. He’s enormous, just as I heard.”

“The Flower Sword Phoenix is here too! She’s even beautiful!”

“Whoa! It’s the Three Plum Blossom Elites!”

Chulwoo and Eunhyang wore bewildered expressions at the unexpectedly intense attention.

Both of them had accompanied their Master, the Heavenly Sword True Person, into the martial world a few times, but this was the first time they had ever received such a cheer.

“What the hell? Am I really this famous? They even know my epithet?”

“Senior Brother Chul, did you hear that? Someone just called me beautiful.”

Chulwoo answered with a stern expression.

“You heard wrong, so don’t pay it any mind.”

“…You’re seriously annoying.”

The two had grown up studying under the same Master since childhood, and had been raised like biological siblings. Seeing them snarl at each other with their eyes, Jin Wikyung smiled faintly.

“You two seem close.”

“They’re still immature and constantly causing trouble. They have a long way to go.”

“Ha-ha. The Defeated Flower Fist and the Flower Sword Phoenix are both outstanding young prodigies. Surely that can’t be true.”

“You flatter us.”

A faint smile also appeared at the corners of Baek Museong’s mouth as he answered. Though this was their first meeting, he liked Jin Wikyung.

Perhaps it was because of the man’s distinctive air that put people at ease. Or perhaps it was his familiar bulk, which reminded Baek Museong of Chulwoo.

“Let us go inside. This is hardly an appropriate place for an important conversation.”

“I agree.”

They had already drawn attention unintentionally.

If even a single word about the Sword Saint came up while so many eyes were watching them, an uproar was sure to follow.

“Well, then.”

Jin Wikyung gave a light nod and began walking ahead.

Baek Museong followed him through the pouring gazes and cheers, but then stopped short.

He could no longer sense his junior disciples behind him.

What is it?

Baek Museong glanced back and saw Chulwoo standing tall like an iron tower. He was staring intently at something.

“Second.”

At Baek Museong’s call, Chulwoo slowly turned his head.

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. Nothing.”

Eunhyang, who was standing beside Chulwoo, abruptly cut in.

“That’s not true. Senior Brother Chul was staring at someone just now.”

“Do you know that person?”

Chulwoo immediately shook his head. His thick body subtly blocked Eunhyang from view.

“As if. Other than going out a couple of times with our Master, I’ve been cooped up at headquarters the whole time.”

“That is… true.”

“I was just looking for a privy because my stomach suddenly started hurting.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Which is why I was wondering if I could stop by the privy before we go.”

“How long has it been since you last took a piss?”

Chulwoo deliberately hardened his expression.

“If you take care of the big business first, you can take care of the small business at the same time. But you can’t take care of the big business while taking care of the small business.”

“…Uh, sure.”

Baek Museong felt uneasy.

Perhaps it was because his Second Junior Brother, who usually rambled on with statements that made no sense, had given such a smooth answer.

“Second, are you thinking about something else—”

He could not finish.

Jin Wikyung had stopped walking and was looking back at them with a puzzled expression.

“Young Hero Baek, is something the matter?”

“Oh, no. My junior disciple said he had an urgent matter.”

“What sort of matter?”

“Well… bodily functions.”

“Oh.”

The people who had been listening closely to their conversation let out quiet snickers. Chulwoo scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“I apologize.”

“Not at all. You must be exhausted from traveling all the way to our family. Please get some proper rest.”

Baek Museong pondered for a moment, then nodded. The important conversation was between him and Jin Wikyung anyway. There was no point leaving his junior disciples beside him to yawn loudly. It would be better to let them rest.

“Since Great Hero Jin has given you permission, go ahead.”

“Big Bro—no, Senior Brother. Can I go too?”

“Yes. Do you dislike it?”

“Yes. I just want to stay beside Senior Brother.”

Eunhyang nodded vigorously, and Jin Wikyung smiled.

“Then that settles it. Young Hero Baek?”

“Ah, yes. Let us go.”

Baek Museong continued walking with an unconvinced expression. But before long, he shook off his doubts.

Surely nothing could have happened during that brief moment?

As Chulwoo watched the group recede into the distance, a martial artist from the Jin Family of Taiyuan approached him.

“I’ll guide you to the privy.”

“What do we need a privy for?”

“Pardon me?”

“It’s all mountains around here. I can just take a dump by the side of the road. Don’t you agree?”

The people surrounding them burst into loud laughter.

There was a common prejudice that members of the Nine Sects and One Gang would be arrogant and rude. But Chulwoo’s refreshing banter made everyone feel as if a weight had been lifted from their chests.

“Of course. That’s right.”

“Though this is the frontier, the mountain scenery around here is beautiful. Go take care of your business while enjoying the view!”

“Hey, Defeated Flower Fist! Since we’ve met by fate, would you like me to recommend a scenic spot?”

Chulwoo threw back his head and roared with laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha! A scenic spot? Sounds good. But I don’t want to go to the place where you took a dump. Let’s see…”

Chulwoo casually swept his gaze over the crowd, then raised a finger and pointed at one man.

“How about that Brother over there guides me?”

The middle-aged man who had been staring at Chulwoo with a blank expression since earlier jolted in surprise.

“M-Me?”

“That’s right. You.”

The middle-aged man was Woo Hwangtae, and his complexion turned the color of shit.

“Slow down a little. Let’s take it easy from here.”

“Why?”

“Can’t you see the horse is foaming at the mouth? And if we arrive panting and out of breath, everyone will look at us and think, Ah, that bastard was late.”

“That actually makes a strange amount of sense.”

We gradually eased up on the reins. The view of the Jin Family of Taiyuan was beginning to appear below us as we descended the hill.

“By the way, there are a lot of people gathered.”

“Seriously. From what I heard, they weren’t supposed to invite anywhere near that many.”

Even a rough count put the crowd camped out before the main gate of the Jin Family of Taiyuan well over several hundred.

Though we were still quite far away, we could even hear faint cheers.

Did an idol come?

I circulated my internal energy and focused it on my ears. My hearing, now several times sharper than usual, picked up every bit of the people’s cheering.

Hyuk Mujin, who had been quietly watching me, asked,

“What’s going on? Did they say an important guest arrived?”

“Huashan’s Last Crane and the Plum Blossom Cutoff, apparently.”

“…Those are epithets?”

“Don’t ask me. That’s what I heard.”

The distance was considerable, so there was a limit to how much I could make out.

But still. What kind of epithets were those? Did the Plum Blossom Cutoff have some grudge against Huashan?

At that moment, Cheongpung, who had been lying facedown across his horse’s neck, opened his mouth.

“Benefactor. They said Huashan’s Lone Crane and the Three Plum Blossom Elites.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes. I heard it clearly.”

He could hear that from this distance?

Cheongpung was the most powerful martial artist among us, so it was probably true.

“I see.”

Unlike me, who merely nodded without much interest, Hyuk Mujin was so shocked that he fell off his horse.

“H-Huashan’s Lone Crane! The Three Plum Blossom Elites!”

“Are they famous?”

“Famous? That’s putting it mildly! They’re the direct disciples of the Heavenly Sword True Person, the Sect Leader of Huashan!”

“Is it the kind of thing where you’re an idiot if you don’t know them?”

“No martial artist could not know them!”

“Oh, really?”

I casually pointed over my shoulder. Cheongpung had his eyes wide open and was clapping.

“Wow, those are cool epithets. But where did they say they were from?”

“…”

“…”

“Shaolin Temple, maybe?”

Was he insane?

These were the words of the youngest Junior Brother of Huashan’s Sect Leader, no less.

After remaining silent for a long while, Hyuk Mujin finally spoke.

“Huashan’s Lone Crane, the Three Plum Blossom Elites. You really haven’t heard of them?”

“I like Huashan! I like plum blossoms even more!”

“…Right.”

Style was temporary, but class was forever.

It wasn’t even “I like Dad, but I like Mom more.” What the hell was this?

Was Huashan stored in his head as Dad and plum blossoms as Mom?

While I was contemplating the structure of Cheongpung’s brain, Hyuk Mujin finally came to a conclusion.

“Anyway, they’re insanely famous.”

“I see.”

“I see.”

“…Is that really the end of your reaction?”

“What reaction were you expecting?”

“Normally, people react like I did.”

“Are you supposed to be shocked enough to fall off your horse?”

Hyuk Mujin climbed back into his saddle and launched into an impassioned speech.

“I’m telling you, that’s how shocked you’re supposed to be. The Heavenly Sword True Person’s disciples! The future of Huashan!”

“I see. They’re no joke.”

I turned toward Cheongpung.

“May I ask your grandfather’s full name?”

“His surname is Mae, and his given name uses the characters Jong and Hak. Mae Jonghak.”

“And his epithet?”

“The Sword Saint.”

“Did you hear that, Mujin?”

“Yes.”

Hyuk Mujin nodded with a blank expression, then came to his senses. His eagerness to make us understand how extraordinary Huashan’s Lone Crane and the Three Plum Blossom Elites were was almost palpable.

“Great Hero Mae Jonghak, the Sword Saint, doesn’t count. Honestly, that would be like an adult joining a children’s fight.”

“So what’s your conclusion?”

“Huashan’s Lone Crane is already a master who has surpassed the level of a young prodigy. At this rate, becoming the next Sect Leader won’t be a problem. The other two members of the Three Plum Blossom Elites are also objects of admiration among young martial artists.”

They really were impressive. From the way he talked about young prodigies, they still seemed to be quite young, yet the public considered them at least world-class.

“Then why am I not particularly impressed?”

“That… I’m not sure.”

Hyuk Mujin thought about it carefully, then his expression suddenly went flat.

“Now that I think about it, I’m not exactly bursting with excitement either.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Huashan’s Lone Crane used to be my idol.”

Cheongpung abruptly cut in.

“Isn’t it because of Grandpa Jeok?”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“He’s incredibly strong. And he’s trying to take you as his Disciple.”

The latter part was complete bullshit, but the first part was right.

If the Sword Saint, Mae Jonghak, was something above the clouds that I could not even properly picture in my mind, the Fire King, Jeok Cheongang, was a monster that had revealed itself in the flesh.

After experiencing a monster larger than a hundred-story building, it was only natural that a monster the size of a four-story commercial building would make less of an impression.

“And…”

Cheongpung looked straight at me and continued slowly.

“You’re plenty strong, Benefactor.”

“…What?”

“I mean it.”

Something tickled in one corner of my chest, but that statement was also undeniably true.

It was not confidence that I could go up against Huashan’s Lone Crane right now without falling behind.

It was the certainty that I could catch up to him before long.

It had taken only a few months to go from a Third Rate martial artist who did not even know martial arts to a Peak master.

I could not even begin to imagine how much I would grow in another year or two.

To me, Huashan’s Lone Crane was a milestone along the road—not an impassable wall.

“Thanks for saying that.”

Cheongpung answered with a sunny smile.

“You’re welcome. Grandpa said weak martial artists without firm resolve need constant attention.”

“…”

Fuck me. It had just been a pep talk.

It was at that moment, while I was caught in an inner struggle over whether to split open the crown of Cheongpung’s head, that—

“H-Hey, Young Hero Chul!”

“Hah, listen to this old coot calling me Young Hero Chul. Didn’t you call me a cow’s head earlier?”

“N-No, Great Hero Chul! I committed a grave discourtesy, so!”

“Committed-so? -so? Cow? You just called me a cow again, didn’t you?”¹

“Eeeeeek! Isn’t that taking it too far? Do you even know how old I am?”

“Yes, Elder. Let’s go up there and have a little talk.”

A young man with a massive build reminiscent of Jin Wikyung, and a middle-aged man being dragged along by him, were just about to enter the mountainside beside the hill.

The young man saw us and stopped.

“Brother over there, do you need something?”

He means me, right?