Chapter 400. A Link in the Jianghu.

The thirteen forms had originally belonged to the Manor Lord, so I added plum blossoms to them and returned them. Whether it suited the Plum Blossom Manor Lord’s tastes, I could not know right away.

“Manor Lord, did you see it well?”

The Plum Blossom Manor Lord looked at me with a startled expression.

“Yes.”

As I sheathed the Demon-Subduing Sword, I said,

“How did it feel? Your impressions of the sword art, so to speak.”

After pondering for a moment, the Plum Blossom Manor Lord answered in a solemn voice.

“Everything was connected.”

“Everything?”

“Yes. I received so much that it is difficult to convey my thoughts in words.”

It was the answer of a man with an earnest nature.

It seemed he had confirmed that the process of linkage continued. In other words, the Manor Lord’s topic had been that his sword art did not flow naturally. He had interpreted the sword art I displayed according to his own topic. But linkage was not everything in sword art, so I added words that might help.

“Of course the linkage continued. But there was also a beginning. And there was an end.”

“That is true.”

“If you grasp the sword intent, it means you may add more here, or strip it away and compress it into three techniques. Depending on the situation, you may reduce it to a single sword strike. Why do you think that is?”

“Because, in the end, there are matches that are decided by a single sword strike……”

“Then that single sword strike would contain all of these meanings, wouldn’t it? Let’s call that sword intent. Do you understand sword intent now?”

“Ah.”

Judging by his expression, the Plum Blossom Manor Lord seemed to have understood as well.

In truth, sword intent is difficult even when explained briefly. I did not add unnecessary words and make it even harder. This much was appropriate. The Plum Blossom Manor Lord needed time to think on his own and organize it.

The Lecherous Demon, who had been standing quietly, asked me a question.

“If you grasp the sword intent, it doesn’t matter whether you strip things away or add to it. It also means it’s fine to alter it, right?”

Was it the Lecherous Demon’s turn this time?

“That’s right.”

As though changing places with me, the Lecherous Demon walked out into the open space, turned around, and looked at us.

He wore an expression that said he was contemplating the insight he had gained from the Plum Blossom Thirteen Forms I had displayed.

The Lecherous Demon said to us,

“To have gained the sword intent means……”

Then the Lecherous Demon executed the Plum Blossom Thirteen Forms as a palm art. He must truly have been a martial arts genius, for he performed them identically, without the slightest deviation.

In other words, just as the Plum Blossom Manor Lord had said, it was a palm art in which everything was connected.

I had the thought that the Lecherous Demon was deliberately performing it exactly the same. Sure enough, from the start of the second repetition, the plum blossoms blooming from his hands changed like the seasons.

His footwork was the first to change distinctly……

As though he were refining his insight, the palm art grew longer. Yet every altered movement was similar, as if it remained within the sword intent. After the seemingly disorderly second demonstration stopped, the Lecherous Demon stood there blankly and wrapped both hands in cold energy.

Then a palm art none had ever seen before appeared in the world.

It was my first time watching the Lecherous Demon formally unfold his footwork, and as he moved as though sliding across the ground, there were rules and discipline to it.

The palm art changed upon that footwork.

Just watching it made me think that blocking that palm art would be troublesome.

It must indeed have been an impressive palm art.

‘Excellent.’

The linkage of the thirteen forms had adapted to his footwork, and the palm art connected through that footwork sometimes turned heavy and fierce, sometimes light yet sinister.

Because the footwork was peculiar, as though he were sliding, one could not predict the points of impact. And because cold energy scattered from time to time, it seemed like a palm art that would be difficult to face even in a prolonged battle.

If I had scattered purple flowers of qi with my sword,

the Lecherous Demon filled all directions with white flowers of cold energy.

It seemed like a rather historic moment for the crapper himself as well. A person’s fixed notions do not change easily, so as I watched those white petals fluttering about, I wanted to plug my nose, but I endured it to the end.

The other party was completely serious, so I could not attack him with shit even at a moment like this.

In any case, the bastard Lecherous Demon, having become a genius crapper, devised a new palm art, demonstrated it, and then looked at us. His expression, too, was filled with a mixture of surprise, admiration, and a kind of relief.

Eldest Brother asked,

“You created it anew. Have you decided on a name?”

The Lecherous Demon answered,

“……I obtained it at Mount Hua, so I will call it the Baihua Palm Art (白華掌法).”

It was a name combining the white that symbolized ice arts with Mount Hua.

The Lecherous Demon continued.

“If I am to teach it to Yoran, I must refine it a little more. I will pass it on as a palm art not created by me alone, but by the masters together.”

Eldest Brother nodded.

“Good.”

Eldest Brother did not particularly state his impressions or thoughts regarding the thirteen forms. I had no idea how he had trained while I was out of my senses.

Eldest Brother looked simply at ease these days.

He would gaze for a long time at the flowers in the manor, and after answering the Manor Lord’s questions, he would fall silent again. I could not know his thoughts on martial arts, but if I had to pick the person who had undergone the greatest change lately, it was undoubtedly Eldest Brother.

Before I knew it, Eldest Brother had become a man capable of saying such things.

“My disciple has created a new martial art, and Third has also descended the mountain, so let us have a drink today.”

“Let’s do that.”

When a man who does not enjoy liquor says to drink, it is only natural to agree.

A short while later, we laid out liquor on the table in the manor.

The Manor Lord was a man who lived leisurely with a small household, so his life outside of training was centered around modest hobbies. Brewing liquor was among those hobbies, and the liquor placed on the table was a peculiar drink one could not taste at an inn.

It was liquor buried in the ground and named according to its age, such as First Plum or Second Plum, and what we were drinking was Eighth Plum.

Just as the Eighth Plum Wine was nearly gone and he was about to bring out the Seventh Plum Wine……

We set down our cups and looked toward the entrance.

A man covered in blood was walking in, and his face was one we knew well. It was an utterly absurd appearance.

Why this bastard had appeared, and why he was covered in blood, I could not know.

The former Gwangmyeong Right Envoy, the Blood Cult Leader, came to the table looking so exhausted it seemed he had not slept for days, and said to me,

“Give me a cup.”

Who had driven this man so hard?

I poured the last of the Eighth Plum into a cup and handed it to the Blood Cult Leader. The Blood Cult Leader drank the liquor like water, then let out a long breath as if his thirst had been quenched.

“……Tell the Cult Leader, that is, the Demon Cult Leader, that I arrived as promised. And was this your doing?”

The Blood Cult Leader glared at me. Bewildered, I answered,

“Blood Cult Leader, what the hell are you talking about? You barge in and don’t even explain.”

The Blood Cult Leader looked at me and laughed like a madman.

“You may speak honestly. I will not blame you.”

“Blood Cult Leader, is this qi deviation?”

Eldest Brother stepped forward.

“Tell me what happened. The Munju has only been focusing on his training at Mount Hua recently.”

The Blood Cult Lord glared at Eldest Brother and spoke.

“So I had set out for Mount Hua after receiving this damned Demonic Cult Lord’s summons.”

“And?”

The Blood Cult Lord crumpled the wine cup he had been holding like a piece of paper and said,

“They obstructed my journey to Mount Hua at every turn.”

“Hmm.”

“At first, old beggars were lurking about, then suddenly an expert who had once served in the Martial Alliance appears out of nowhere. In the end, even Black Path and scholar bastards latched on. Is there anyone besides the Munju who can call upon all these countless forces at once?”

Now everyone looked at me. I shook my head because I had never called them.

The Blood Cult Lord’s words continued.

“It was as if the entire martial world knew of my journey to Mount Hua.”

I explained the reason.

“It’s probably because of the trouble I caused at Tongcheonbang last time. The men of the Black Path, including the Jecheonmaeng Lord, do not forget such grudges.”

“Is that so? I understand Jecheonmaeng. How did the others know?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Why are all of them targeting me?”

I roughly understood the situation through the Blood Cult Lord’s words. The Blood Cult Lord glared at me as if searching for the culprit. Since a madman was staring, I felt slightly unnerved, but in the end, a laugh burst out.

“Hahahaha….”

“You find this funny?”

In other words, the Blood Cult Lord’s portrait and description had likely already been spread by Tongcheonbang. If Tongcheonbang knew, it meant Jecheonmaeng knew as well. Then the Beggars’ Sect would naturally have received the news too. Through the Beggars’ Sect, the Martial Alliance would have put him on the public enemy list as well. Those of the martial world do not forget vengeance. It was only surprising that the White Path, Black Path, beggars, and scholars had united this time.

Immediately after grasping the situation, Saekma also burst into laughter for no reason.

“Hahaha.”

In the end, even Eldest Brother threw his head back and laughed. The Blood Cult Lord glared at the three of us with an expression mixed with anger and bewilderment.

I explained the reason.

“It’s not our fault. The martial world simply blocked a demonic path expert heading for Mount Hua. That is all.”

In other words, this was the opposite situation of what had occurred at the new Jaha Guesthouse. This time, it was a situation where the orthodox path was crushing the demonic path experts gathered by the Cult Lord one by one.

Those of the martial world do not forget vengeance.

It was ambiguous to even call it the White Path. After all, the Jecheonmaeng, which was closer to the Black Path, and even the scholars had joined together to interfere.

The Blood Cult Lord’s sudden visit was in fact absurd, but the news this man brought was truly as welcome as hearing tidings of friends.

At that moment, an old master wearing shabby gray clothes lightly landed at the entrance of the manor and approached with his hands behind his back.

“…I’ve finally caught up. Blood Cult Lord. Stop fleeing.”

The Blood Cult Lord let out a deep sigh.

“Can’t you stop chasing me?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Or shall we rest for a moment first? This place is the final battleground. How about a truce?”

The old master answered.

“What nonsense of a final battleground when it is merely a contest between you and me? Let us continue. By the way, the others seeking you do not seem to wish for a martial contest; what do you think of that?”

The Blood Cult Lord spat out a curse and then performed lightness skill, disappearing instantly. The old master glanced at me once and then chased after the Blood Cult Lord. Though the old master disappeared, his voice remained in my ears like a lingering trace.

“…Munju. It’s been a while. I’m busy today, so I cannot join you for drinks.”

I replied to the departing old master’s words with a voice infused with internal energy.

“You have worked hard. Let us meet again.”

I deliberately did not bring up the title, the Lord of Swift Steps.

I too was puzzled as to why former Chief Strategist Gongsonsim was chasing the former Gwangmyeong Usa. Because it was not the combination I had expected. To roughly summarize, the Demonic Cult Lord had summoned the Blood Cult Lord for the decisive battle at Mount Hua, and his whereabouts had been exposed along the way, so it seemed he was being chased by Gongsonsim as well.

The reason I felt like laughing was….

It was because Gongsonsim was a man with fast lightness skill. Though he was quite old, making his level of martial arts unknown, there were likely no more than five experts in the martial world who could shake off the pursuit of the Lord of Swift Steps, even at the most generous estimate.

“…I thought the former Chief Strategist had retired, yet he has returned.”

A villain being chased by the Lord of Swift Steps….

Once you know the full story, it is not such a strange thing. Because the Lord of Swift Steps was originally that kind of man. Thus, it seemed he had only returned to his original duty after retiring from the Martial Alliance.

A whirlwind of dust had passed through, but the taste of the alcohol was all the better for it.

Eldest Brother said.

“So Usa ultimately couldn’t escape the Cult Lord’s shadow, huh.”

“Indeed.”

The madman had left, and the swift-footed old master had left; at the entrance where they had departed, a man of unknown identity now stood.

He seemed to be of a similar age to Eldest Brother.

He was a middle-aged man with a unique impression, having white hair only beneath both ears, and he opened his mouth the moment he looked our way.

“Left Emissary, may I enter?”

Eldest Brother extended his hand.

“Come in. What of your subordinates; have you come alone?”

“It’s chaotic, so I ordered them to wait nearby.”

He was a blunt man whose expression could not be read, as was common with many demonic path experts. But since he knew Eldest Brother, I roughly got a sense of who he was.

The unfamiliar guest came up to the table, sat in an empty seat, and looked at us.

“Would you introduce me?”

Eldest Brother pointed to me and Saekma.

“The Hao Munju; this one is my disciple.”

This time, Eldest Brother introduced the guest who had arrived to us.

“A man called the Il Daegong and the Ilmajo. I do not even know his real name.”

The Ilmajo, who was the Great Lord’s maternal uncle, had arrived.

The Ilmajo swept his eyes up and down me and spoke.

“Pleased to meet you. Hao Munju.”

I felt as if a large bird was perched there, glaring at me. In other words, he was a demonic path expert with quite a frightening atmosphere, spirit, tone, and gaze. Since he had even obtained the title of Il Daegong in the Demonic Cult, he was likely no ordinary man.

At any rate, since he spoke to me informally the moment he saw me, I nodded and responded appropriately.

“…I am pleased as well.”

Do demonic path experts also value courtesy? He abruptly narrowed his brow and glared at me.

At this, Saekma, who had been completely ignored during the greeting process, cut in with a cheeky tone.

“Glad to meet you too. I’m called the Saekma of Baek’eungji.”

Eldest Brother and I hastily looked at Saekma. We were pitiful fellows who could fall into qi deviation at any moment the instant we let our guard down, so we hastily checked Saekma’s condition.

Since Saekma was originally a madman, I couldn’t tell whether he was in qi deviation or not.

Unexpectedly, the master of the Maehwajang introduced herself as well.

“Pleased to meet you. I am the proprietor of the Maehwajang. Have you eaten? If not, I shall prepare a meal.”

“….”

Ilmajo said nothing. After all, it takes time to adjust to an atmosphere like this. With normal and abnormal remarks tangled together, I was feeling somewhat dazed myself.