EP.51 Plum Blossom Sword Dragon (梅花劍龍). (1)
The Nangong Clan, called the greatest pillar of the orthodox faction, is a renowned sword clan.
True to its name, it was a place that had reached the ultimate in the use of the sword.
Endlessly refining mind, qi, and body, containing all enlightenment in a single sword.
A place that ceaselessly trains to reach the supreme realm attainable as a swordsman.
That was the meaning of a Sword Family.
The ultimate techniques used by the Nangong bloodline, such as the Emperor Sword Form and the representative sword technique, the Boundless Sky Sword, were proof of this.
It was a clan that always held the name of the Number One Sword Under Heaven until the Sword Venerable appeared.
However, by the present day, their position had somewhat shaken.
The name of the Number One Sword Under Heaven belonged to Sword Venerable Wei Xiaojun.
Conversely, one of the Three Venerables, Heaven Venerable Nangong Juetian, had acquired the arrogant name "Heaven," but that was not the name he desired.
He wished to walk the heavens as a swordsman, but Wei Xiaojun had taken that name, so the meaning of Heaven Venerable must have faded.
Beyond that, there was also the fact that Nangong Tianjun, said to represent the current generation's rising stars, received the alias "Thunder Dragon."
Nangong Tianjun was indeed an outstanding rising star, but he was not the First.
The First was unequivocally Sword Peak Gu Xibi.
Let alone Gu Xibi being second, Nangong Tianjun didn't even possess the name "Sword Dragon."
He was called Thunder Dragon because he used lightning qi and swift sword, but despite being a son of the Sword Family, he ultimately couldn't claim the name Sword Dragon.
Because of this, Nangong Tianjun shed tears of blood and screamed in fury, but the result was no different.
This generation's Sword Dragon belonged not to Nangong, but to Huashan.
Huashan's Plum Blossom Sword Dragon.
A young man who was Huashan's youngest Plum Blossom Swordsman, and who would later be called the Plum Blossom Absolute Sword.
A man whose talent for the sword was considered infinite.
An absolute genius who bloomed plum blossoms at the tip of his sword at a very early age and firmly established his position as a swordsman.
Such a man stood before me.
His appearance looked about two or three years older than me, with hair tied back neatly, giving a clean impression.
He was a handsome man with somewhat gentle eyes, yet with a subtle firmness mixed within them.
"Young Hero."
The Sword Dragon asks me.
"How is it that this one senses Huashan's qi from Young Hero?"
I realized from his question that things had gone wrong.
******************
The incident traces back to a while ago.
It had been seven days since my cultivation technique reached the 4th star, and it was well over half a month since I set out on the road to Huashan.
I remember when I appeared in the morning having reached the 4th star, Muyeon's eyes shook wildly upon seeing me.
Comparing to before, I felt I could win against that bastard Nangong Tianjun without much difficulty.
Of course, if that Nangong bastard had also grown in the meantime, that would be another matter.
Counting now, I felt I had risen to the position of a rising star with outstanding talent, just that much.
Considering my current age, from Muyeon's perspective, it would seem like an enormous achievement.
The reality was that of a hybrid surrounded by sudden fortuitous encounters and unconventional methods...
But regardless of how it came to be, the fact that I had reached the 4th star remained unchanged.
The Gu Family's ultimate technique of embracing the heat within the body rather than outside to dramatically increase physical abilities too.
I could now use it without major physical strain.
Of course, since it voraciously consumed inner qi, I still couldn't use it for long.
Heeh-heeh-hing-!
Thud-!
The demonic beast shrieked as it collapsed.
As its heavy body dropped to the ground at once, dust flew up with a poof.
Looking at the fallen creature, it was a demonic beast with the form of a horse.
I think it was called Noktu Horse or something like that.
"Jumping out suddenly, giving people a start."
Whirl!
As soon as the battle ended, I recalled the qi wrapped around my body.
The reason I suddenly caught a demonic beast was because of a Demonic Realm Gate that opened right before my eyes while continuing the mountain journey.
Since I'd reached the 4th star anyway, I jumped out directly among the guards to stretch my body.
Muyeon was also experiencing my martial prowess, so he didn't seem to bring himself to tell me not to.
Recapping the battle just now, there was definitely a difference from before.
The physical overload from the heat I'd been constantly feeling had lessened, and with the increase in inner qi, destructive power and speed had risen.
I had now barely stepped into the first-rate level, hadn't I?
Considering the age of my current life, it was quite early.
For comparison, I could cite Gu Xibi reaching the 4th star at seventeen.
Gu Xibi, said to be the highest level in the Gu Family's history, was at that level, so the gaze I would receive upon returning to the clan would be quite sharp.
'The Second Elder's gaze will be quite burdensome.'
He'd probably come rushing with a howl-like laugh.
And the First Elder might also find me quite troublesome.
He hadn't shown other movements since the friction with Gu Jieye, but he was probably thinking of other methods.
Though those wouldn't be good directions.
'If possible, I wish he'd just stay still.'
I hoped he wouldn't needlessly reveal ambition and would try to quietly maintain his position.
If an old wolf needlessly bared its fangs, it would be annoying to deal with.
"Even so, if he tries to bare them, I'll have to pull them all out."
"What did you say, Young Master?"
"Nothing much, I have a cavity in my mouth that doesn't hurt yet so I'm leaving it alone."
"A cavity?"
"Yeah, I hope it continues not to hurt. If it's bothersome, you have to pull it out, right?"
If left in a painful state, it would all rot, so it would have to be pulled out.
"Cleanup is finished!"
One of the guards shouted.
With a listless face, I asked Muyeon.
"What about the bones and leather?"
"Probably some of it will be taken, but most will have to be discarded."
"That's a shame."
The leather and bones of demonic beasts were money.
The leather was much tougher and stronger than ordinary beasts, so it had various uses, and in the case of some special demonic beasts, they were even used as ingredients for spirit pills.
It was the lowest green-grade demonic beast, but since it was still money, it was a bit regrettable.
"We haven't even gone halfway yet..."
It felt like I'd been traveling for so long, but I still had much farther to go.
Coming this far, I felt like an idiot for being hooked by the Taeseondan and insisting on going.
'No, for Taeseondan... yeah, for Taeseondan it was worth it.'
I kept repeating that to myself as I spent each day.
I really didn't seem suited for long-distance travel.
As I leaned my body against the carriage to set off again, Wi Seol-a came over and started sniffing at me.
What is this, has she become a puppy now...?
She was doing such strange things that I instinctively flicked her forehead.
"Eek!"
Wi Seol-a let out a short yelp and stepped back.
Only then did I recall that the Sword Venerable was driving the carriage in front.
I had openly flicked his granddaughter's forehead right in front of the Sword Venerable—it was instinctive, but cold sweat flowed from the creepiness I felt after doing it.
Stealing a glance, the Sword Venerable seemed to not particularly care as he drove the carriage.
"...What's with you suddenly, why are you sniffing."
I couldn't bring myself to say why she was sniffing like a dog, so I softened it somewhat.
Wi Seol-a rubbed her forehead and said.
"You smell like flowers, Young Master."
"What flower scent?"
"I don't know... anyway, there's a flower scent coming from you."
At Wi Seol-a's words, I pointed to the corner of the carriage.
"It's not me, it's probably coming from there."
In the corner seat of the carriage sat a small box, which contained the precious artifact I'd been carrying around.
Since holding it close made the plum blossom scent resonate intensely, I had even found a box to store it in.
Thanks to that, storage became easier, and there was no spreading of scent or light.
I ended up frequently watching over the box with an uneasy feeling, but that much was fine.
It was better than accidentally absorbing the precious artifact's qi...
"...No, it's definitely coming from Young Master."
I ignored Wi Seol-a's grumbling.
She had also been holding the box containing the precious artifact and muttering to herself earlier, so I was leaving her be thinking her condition today was a bit strange.
What did she say? 'Hello Grandfather, who are you?' or something like that?
She seemed quite tired today, so it was awkward to talk to her.
It definitely wasn't because her talking to herself was scary.
'Where in the world would ghosts exist?'
Even though I had regressed by reversing time, I didn't believe in ghosts.
...Again, it's not because I was scared...
A demonic sect descendant wouldn't be scared of ghosts.
Ignoring the cold sweat flowing for an unknown reason, I closed my eyes.
I was only thinking about arriving at Huashan as quickly as possible.
'Damn long-distance travel, I'll never do this again.'
I vowed that once I returned from this one, I'd hole up in the clan for at least a year and only do what I needed to do.
The carriage ran for quite a while after that.
I was also half-dozing.
It ran ceaselessly to go as far as possible before night fell.
How long did we go only forward like that when suddenly the carriage rattled and came to an abrupt stop.
From the sudden braking, my body was flung forward.
"Uwaaah!"
Wi Seol-a staggered, about to fall over.
Without even time to collect myself, I wrapped qi around me and blocked Wi Seol-a with my arm so she wouldn't get hurt.
It wasn't a big impact, but one never knew.
Fortunately, it seemed Wi Seol-a only had her hair messed up from the staggering and had no injuries.
I immediately opened the carriage door and went outside.
"What's going on."
My voice unconsciously contained anger.
It was because I had been forcibly woken from a good sleep.
As I stepped outside with a scowling face, someone was standing before the guards.
"...What the."
My mouth, about to ask what the situation was, closed on its own. It was because the attire of the person blocking the carriage was familiar.
Pure white martial robes with red petal embroidery.
The plum blossom pattern inlaid in the sword worn at the waist.
There was only one place where martial artists wearing such eye-catching robes traveled.
The place I personally annihilated alongside the Heavenly Demon in my past life.
"I had something I wished to ask, so I committed such rudeness."
A gentle voice flowed from the young man's mouth.
It was a warm voice that matched his impression well.
A familiar appearance and a familiar voice.
No one else but the one whose neck I personally snapped to finish off...
The last Taoist of Huashan.
"I am Yingfeng of the Huashan Sect."
It was the man called the Plum Blossom Absolute Sword—no, currently called the Plum Blossom Sword Dragon.
"If you are a martial artist of Huashan, is it acceptable to do such dangerous things?"
Muyeon asked Yingfeng as if reprimanding him.
From the feel of it, it seemed he had suddenly appeared and blocked the way.
Originally, reprimanding was something I, as the person in charge, should have done, but as I stood dazed, Muyeon stepped forward.
At Muyeon's words, Yingfeng repeatedly apologized with a troubled expression.
"I apologize. I had no intention of blocking the road like this, but there was something I had to confirm, so I had no choice but to step forward."
"What did you want to confirm?"
"I wanted to confirm whether a disciple of our sect was inside that carriage."
The direction Yingfeng pointed was the carriage I had been in.
What did this mean? A disciple of Huashan?
At the sudden, out-of-the-blue remark, everyone couldn't understand what he meant.
"I sensed a familiar qi from afar and came to confirm, but fortunately, it seems there's no problem."
As if it was truly fortunate, Yingfeng let out a sigh of relief.
"However, I still have something I'm curious about. If there is no disciple of Huashan inside."
Along with Yingfeng's words, a familiar scent brushed the tip of my nose.
It was the plum blossom scent I had smelled to the point of being sick of it over the past ten-odd days.
The scent was close.
It was because Yingfeng had arrived before me in an instant from where he had been far away.
"Young Hero."
Yingfeng's voice—warm, yet low and firm.
Such a voice overlapped in my ears with the voice that had screamed beneath the annihilation of Huashan.
[What did we do wrong...!! Why do you do this to us!!]
"How is it that this one senses Huashan's qi from Young Hero?"
At Yingfeng's question, I caught my breath.
And I thought.
Ah, this is really...
[I'm screwed.]
It seems I'm screwed...
"Huh...?"