Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 12

—–CROW—– 

Jin-shi (3-5 a.m.), as the sun began to rise.

Cheon-hwi was strolling along a long, winding path.

Usually, he would be at the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion at this hour, but he was headed somewhere else.

Wow!

Cheers echoed from afar.

Cheon-hwi’s eyes gleamed.

His destination today, instead of the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion, was the source of those cheers.

The Do-rim Plain, where the Five Mountains Gathering was being held.

‘What are the martial arts of the other sword sects like? Are they similar to Mount Hua?’

Anticipation swelled within him as he imagined the martial arts he would witness at the Five Mountains Gathering.

After walking for a while with excited steps, he spotted a large gate.

‘This is it.’

Looking at the signboard above, which read “Do-rim Plain,” Cheon-hwi reached out his hand.

The tightly closed gate slowly opened.

Creak—

He instinctively frowned.

‘There are so many people.’

The sight that greeted him wasn’t pleasing.

Taoists filled the area surrounding the vast training ground right in front of him.

He quickly scanned the crowd, well over a hundred Taoists.

‘Huh? There are other robes too.’

Although more than half of them wore the red robes of Mount Hua Sect, they weren’t the only ones.

Blue, white, black, green.

Around the training ground, people wearing robes of four other colors besides red stood in separate groups.

As if there were walls between them.

‘Each sect has its own camp.’

Perhaps because this was Mount Hua.

Even though it was a gathering of the Five Mountains Sword Sects, they were still different sects.

Moreover, they were competing sects, so it was only natural.

‘Should I go over there?’

As Cheon-hwi, scanning the groups wearing different colored robes, was about to head towards the Mount Hua disciples.

Wow!

Excited cheers erupted from the front, and the crowd stirred.

‘It seems to have already started.’

Cheon-hwi quickened his pace.

As he arrived behind the Mount Hua disciples and looked up to see what was happening on the training ground.

‘Damn it.’

He cursed under his breath.

All he could see were people’s backs.

His view of the training ground was blocked by the crowd.

Having avoided crowds, he had overlooked this.

He was now a fourteen-year-old boy.

Moreover, perhaps due to his past illness, he was less than five feet tall and couldn’t see over the crowd.

‘I need to get to the front.’

He quickly surveyed his surroundings.

He spotted a small gap.

Sweep—

He squeezed through the gap.

“Huh?”

The Mount Hua disciples, who were standing at the back, watching the training ground and cheering, turned their heads at the sudden intrusion and widened their eyes.

A small child was standing there.

Large eyes, a high-bridged nose.

And cherry-red lips.

Although he was a young boy with baby fat still on his cheeks, they were certain he would break many hearts when he grew up.

The female disciples were the first to react.

They looked at Cheon-hwi with sparkling eyes.

“Oh my!”

“Who are you?”

Hearing the female disciples murmuring, the male disciples nearby also turned their attention to Cheon-hwi.

They too admired his appearance, but then they tilted their heads in confusion.

“Who is he?”

“Was there a child like that among our disciples?”

Many people stared at Cheon-hwi, but no one recognized him.

It was inevitable.

Since Cheon-hwi had been confined to his quarters due to his illness, only a handful of people in Mount Hua Sect knew his face.

It was even worse after he recovered.

He only went back and forth between his quarters and the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion, so how could anyone recognize him?

Cheon-hwi frowned, uncomfortable with the attention.

He had just tried to squeeze through to see the training ground, but the number of stares kept increasing.

‘Why are they staring at me like this?’

But Cheon-hwi didn’t know.

That his frown was attracting even more attention.

“Oh my! Did he just frown?”

“He’s so cute!”

As the female disciples exclaimed at the change in Cheon-hwi’s expression.

“Huh? Isn’t that my disciple?”

A large shadow enveloped Cheon-hwi and the surrounding female disciples.

“Medicine Hall Master?”

The female disciples surrounding Cheon-hwi flinched at the appearance of Cheon-go, the Medicine Hall Master.

Then, recalling his words, they widened their eyes.

“But…”

“He called that child his disciple…”

They seemed to realize Cheon-hwi’s identity and their eyes widened further.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Junior Uncle Cheon-hwi?”

As they were surprised by the appearance of Cheon-hwi, whom they had only heard rumors about.

‘That pervert?’

Cheon-hwi’s eyes hardened as he saw Cheon-go.

“Hahaha! You look much healthier, disciple. It’s been a while.”

But Cheon-go, oblivious to Cheon-hwi’s thoughts, greeted him with a smile and asked,

“Did you come to observe the Five Mountains Gathering?”

“Yes.”

Cheon-hwi replied curtly.

Hearing his reply, Cheon-go quickly scanned Cheon-hwi and the surrounding people who were looking at him with interest, and then said,

“You won’t be able to see well from here, so follow me.”

He started walking.

As his large, muscular frame, well over six feet tall, moved, the huddled crowd parted, creating a path.

‘Finally, I can get to the front.’

After following Cheon-go for a few steps.

Thud.

Cheon-go stopped.

He stepped aside.

Oh!

Cheon-hwi’s eyes sparkled.

The training ground was clearly visible right in front of him.

“Isn’t this a good spot?”

“I can see much better now.”

Cheon-hwi nodded and looked around, shifting his gaze from the training ground.

‘Huh?’

He turned his head, feeling a gaze on the back of his head.

Just a short distance behind him, he saw the Sect Leader, Hyeon-sang, and the elders of the other sword sects sitting.

He made eye contact with the Sect Leader.

As he met the Sect Leader’s welcoming smile.

“Hahaha, I’m glad you like it, disciple.  But I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to come to observe…”

Cheon-go said in his deep voice.

“I just wanted to see some martial arts.”

“…Martial arts?”

Cheon-go stroked his dark beard at Cheon-hwi’s reply.

He clapped his hands and added,

“Then you must be disappointed.  The Heavenly Flow Sword Technique that Jeok-un used to defeat the Mount Song disciple in the first match was truly exceptional…”

Cheon-go said with a proud expression.

His explanation continued, but.

‘What?’

Cheon-hwi, who should have been listening to the explanation, frowned, staring at the training ground, ignoring Cheon-go’s chatter.

‘They’re children?’

On the training ground, a boy who looked to be around twenty and a girl who looked slightly younger were competing.

The moment he saw them, his interest waned.

As Cheon-hwi was losing interest.

Clang!

The girl, on the defensive, stumbled.

“…Seol-ran is being pushed back.”

Cheon-go groaned.

Even though Seol-ran was the weakest among the participating disciples, he hadn’t expected her to be at such a disadvantage.

“That Mount Tai disciple is quite skilled.  To wield the Mount Tai Sword Art so proficiently…”

The Mount Tai Sword Art was one of the top advanced sword techniques of Mount Tai Sect, and it was said to take at least ten years to master.

But a boy who had just reached twenty was wielding it.

And proficiently at that.

“Perhaps Seol-ran might lose.”

As Cheon-go spoke with difficulty.

“Yawn.”

Cheon-hwi yawned in boredom.

The match was so peaceful that it was tedious.

Despite wielding real swords, they weren’t aiming for bloodshed or injuries.

They were simply displaying their martial arts in a fair and square manner.

‘There’s a reason why the righteous sect members lost to those weaker than them.’

He couldn’t even bring himself to laugh.

Even for a match, it was too much.

Matches were meant to prepare for life-or-death battles.

But what was this?

There were no variables, no sharpness.

The current match was a prime example.

‘Sigh, she withdrew her sword there?’

Seol-ran had swung her sword first.

But to block her opponent’s sword, which was aiming for her shoulder, she withdrew the sword she had already swung.

‘Tsk tsk, if she had just followed through, her opponent would have been fatally injured, but she withdrew and put herself at a disadvantage.’

He watched their match with a disappointed look.

‘These kids lack spirit.  In my time, we would have stabbed with the intention of piercing their bellies, even if it meant getting injured.  To be afraid of a mere cut.’

The little bit of anticipation he had left completely vanished.

It looked intense on the surface.

Sparks flew every time their swords clashed, and the crowd held their breath.

But that was only from their perspective.

Cheon-hwi, who had witnessed countless bloody matches in the Heavenly Demon Cult, wasn’t impressed.

It was child’s play.

‘The next match will be different, right?’

As Cheon-hwi was thinking this.

Clang!

Seol-ran was thrown back.

Roll—

Losing the clash of internal energy, she stumbled back a few steps.

Her neatly tied hair came loose, and she gasped for breath.

“Huff, huff.”

After catching her breath, Seol-ran raised her sword.

Her hand trembled from the impact, and her internal energy was faint.

But her eyes burned with intensity.

Crack—

A chill spread around her.

Drawing out the last of her Jade Maiden Heart Art’s internal energy, she gritted her teeth and swung her sword with all her might.

Her most confident move.

The Lady Sword.

Swish!

Her opponent, Do-mu of Mount Tai Sect, also swung his sword, watching her.

Clang!

A sharp sound rang out.

“It was a good match.”

Do-mu held his sword in reverse grip and bowed respectfully to Seol-ran, who was kneeling on one knee.

“…”

Seol-ran gritted her teeth and stood up straight.

She clasped her trembling hands and bowed in return.

“…It was a good match.”

At that moment.

“Well done!”

“Junior Sister, you were amazing!”

Words of comfort poured out from the Mount Hua camp.

Everyone had sensed Seol-ran’s impending defeat from the middle of the match.

But they were impressed by her tenacity and how she fought until the very end.

“Hmm, good.”

Cheon-go, standing next to Cheon-hwi, also smiled with satisfaction.

Seol-ran was a nominal disciple without a title, but her opponent was the chief disciple of Mount Tai Sect.

The moment he stepped onto the training ground, Seol-ran’s defeat was a foregone conclusion.

But Seol-ran didn’t give up easily.

She persevered until the end and even managed to push her opponent back a few times.

“…Our sect’s future is bright.”

Cheon-hwi looked at Cheon-go and the Mount Hua disciples with a dumbfounded expression.

‘What? A bright future?  As if.’

As if to prove Cheon-hwi right.

Their smiles didn’t last long.

In the very next match.

“…I lost.”

Jeok-jae, considered one of the most talented among the second-generation disciples, along with his Red Sword, was defeated by a Mount Hengshan disciple.

—–CROW—–