Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 20

—–CROW—– 

Inside the hut, illuminated by the flickering lamplight, Hyeon-cheong and Cheon-hwi sat on the floor, some distance apart.

Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue as he looked at Hyeon-cheong.

‘Looks like I won’t be eating meat tonight.’

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran had tactfully withdrawn after Hyeon-cheong’s sudden appearance.

As he was feeling disappointed, thinking about the steaming meat,

‘But why did he come here?’

He suddenly felt puzzled.

The Hyeon-cheong he knew lived in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion and never stepped foot outside.

Yet, he had not only left the pavilion but had also come all the way here.

As Cheon-hwi was pondering, Hyeon-cheong, after much deliberation, spoke,

“…Are you directly teaching Jeok-geom and Seol-ran?”

“It just happened that way.”

Cheon-hwi replied indifferently.

His question wasn’t what Hyeon-cheong had been anticipating after waiting so long.

‘What does he want to ask that he’s beating around the bush like this?’

Meanwhile, Hyeon-cheong muttered quietly, his face full of disbelief,

“Huh, it just happened that way.”

He looked at Cheon-hwi and said,

“It’s truly amazing.  To think that you, who couldn’t even move properly just a while ago, are now teaching second-generation disciples.”

Hyeon-cheong’s eyes deepened as he spoke with feigned admiration.

He had heard that just four months ago, Cheon-hwi had been hovering between life and death.

He had even considered offering to teach him martial arts when they first met…

‘That was unnecessary meddling.’

Hyeon-cheong shook his head.

‘Just get to the point.’

Cheon-hwi showed his annoyance.

It was agonizing to watch Hyeon-cheong beat around the bush and then fall into deep thought.

He stared at Hyeon-cheong and asked,

“So, what brings you all the way here?”

Sensing the urgency in Cheon-hwi’s tone, Hyeon-cheong’s demeanor changed.

His raised eyebrows and the corners of his mouth gradually lowered until they formed a straight line and hardened.

In the blink of an eye, Hyeon-cheong’s expression became serious, unlike his usual self.

“I heard rumors about you circulating within the sect.”

“Rumors?”

Cheon-hwi’s eyebrows twitched.

Rumors? What rumors?

Unlike his usual nonchalant demeanor, he reacted sensitively to the word “rumors.”

He had experienced countless troubles due to strange rumors about him in the past.

He had even personally visited and destroyed several sects that had bothered him with those rumors.

‘What nonsense is spreading now?’

Cheon-hwi’s face crumpled slightly, as he hadn’t even considered the possibility of rumors about himself since becoming Cheon-hwi.

Hyeon-cheong, flustered by the rapid change in Cheon-hwi’s expression, hurriedly added,

“The number of disciples in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion has increased recently, and I heard about you while investigating the reason.”

He quickly added an explanation, thinking Cheon-hwi might be offended, but

‘What’s he talking about?’

Cheon-hwi’s furrowed brow didn’t relax.

He wanted to know what the rumors were, not how Hyeon-cheong had heard them.

Cheon-hwi voiced his question,

“So, what are the rumors?”

Hyeon-cheong, realizing he had missed the point, chuckled awkwardly and replied,

“I heard you displayed exceptional skill at the Five Mountains Gathering.”

Cheon-hwi’s furrowed brow relaxed.

‘Is that it?’

Cheon-hwi felt indifferent, recalling the Five Mountains Gathering, which was more like child’s play despite its grand name.

But did Cheon-hwi realize?

That his attitude made it seem to Hyeon-cheong as if such a feat was only natural for him.

“…So the rumors are true.”

“They are.”

Cheon-hwi affirmed indifferently.

“You came all the way here just to confirm such a trivial rumor?”

“Haha, that’s part of the reason.”

Hyeon-cheong’s expression softened as he replied in a low voice.

‘Has there ever been anyone who has shown such growth as Cheon-hwi?’

Hyeon-cheong’s gaze towards Cheon-hwi, who had shown remarkable growth, like something out of a legend or myth, became warmer.

‘This is a great blessing for our sect.’

As he was thinking, he muttered,

“Hyeon-gang had a keen eye…”

Hyeon-cheong nodded, muttering to himself.

Then he smiled gently, seeing Hyeon-gang in Cheon-hwi.

“Do you know why I’ve been staying in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion all this time?”

Cheon-hwi sensed something ominous as soon as he heard Hyeon-cheong’s words.

‘That tone… it’s the tone the old geezers used when they wanted to tell the kids about their past…’

They say that a bad feeling is never wrong.

Hyeon-cheong, lost in thought, began his story,

“Although I spend every day in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion now, I used to avoid books. I preferred swords to books and loved to move around.”

“…”

Cheon-hwi narrowed his eyes.

‘Damn it, I can’t even interrupt him.’

In the past, he would have kicked him and ignored him, telling him to shut up.

But he couldn’t do that now.

The loud-mouthed Taoist giving a long speech in front of him was now his senior disciple.

“…While I was training with Hyeon-do, Master brought a child and took him as his disciple.”

Hyeon-cheong paused mid-sentence, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening.

His eyes held a mixture of joy and sadness as he blinked and looked at Cheon-hwi.

“That child was your master, Hyeon-gang.”

“I see.”

Cheon-hwi replied reflexively.

He hadn’t been listening properly and wasn’t interested in the story.

But Hyeon-cheong, oblivious to Cheon-hwi’s reaction, continued,

“…Eight years ago, Hyeon-gang left the sect with the Plum Blossom Swordsmen and met with a great misfortune. He encountered the Annihilation Sword Demon and his Annihilation Squad.”

Hyeon-cheong bit his lip.

His face contorted in pain as he recalled the bitter past.

Unlike him, Cheon-hwi finally showed interest and opened his ears.

‘This body’s master, huh?’

He felt a slight flicker of interest.

“To this day, I don’t know why they clashed.  But they did, and they perished together.  Not a single survivor remained.”

Hyeon-cheong shook his head.

It was still a mystery.

Why the Plum Blossom Swordsmen and the Annihilation Squad clashed, why they fought to the death.

He didn’t know the cause or the process.

Only the result was clear.

Mount Hua Sect lost Hyeon-gang, its future, and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, while the Hundred Ghosts Castle lost the Annihilation Sword Demon and his Annihilation Squad.

And as a result, the power of both sects weakened considerably.

Mount Hua Sect, once at the top of the Nine Great Sects, fell behind, and the Hundred Ghosts Castle, once considered close to the top among the Six Great Clans, was relegated to the bottom.

“Our sect wanted revenge against the Hundred Ghosts Castle. But reality was harsh.  We thought the Martial Alliance would help us… but they signed a treaty, saying they couldn’t wage war against the Black Serpent Union while the Heavenly Cult was still active.”

The corners of Cheon-hwi’s mouth twitched.

‘So much for righteousness.’

He scoffed, recalling how the Orthodox Sects, claiming to be righteous, had persecuted the Heavenly Demon Cult.

‘They’re no different from my cult.’

No, they were even more despicable than the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Even his cult, which they called demons in human skin, would seek revenge if one of their sects was attacked.

No matter how dire their situation or how powerful their enemy, they wouldn’t tuck their tails between their legs like those hypocrites.

“Most of us opposed the decision, but we had to accept it.  They said it was a choice for the greater good.”

Hyeon-cheong gritted his teeth.

Blood vessels seemed to burst in his eyes as they became bloodshot.

‘This is his true self.’

As he looked at Hyeon-cheong, who was exuding a sharp aura, completely different from his usual self.

“But do you think that makes any sense? Do you think the Martial Alliance would have remained silent if it had been a successor of Shaolin or Wudang who died?  They swept it under the rug because it was our sect!”

He vented his pent-up anger.

His bloodshot eyes glared at Cheon-hwi.

“You’re right.”

Cheon-hwi agreed indifferently.

Hyeon-cheong came to his senses.

If he, as a senior disciple, felt this much pain, how must Cheon-hwi feel, who considered Hyeon-gang not only his master but also a father figure?

‘He must be hurting even more.’

As their eyes met, Hyeon-cheong felt a deep sense of empathy for Cheon-hwi, who seemed to be staring silently on purpose.

But did he know?

Cheon-hwi wasn’t feeling empathy or sadness, but simply replying to end the conversation.

He wasn’t suppressing grief, but annoyance.

‘When will he finish talking?’

Just as he was getting tired of waiting, Hyeon-cheong spoke,

“After that decision, I entered the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion. To restore the lost or scattered martial arts of Mount Hua Sect and raise absolute masters that even Shaolin and Wudang… no, the Martial Alliance wouldn’t dare underestimate.”

Hyeon-cheong spoke through gritted teeth.

For eight years, he had not only endured the company of books, which he hated, to restore martial arts but had also confined himself to the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion.

But he had only managed to restore a few dozen manuals.

At this rate, even if he dedicated his life to it, he wasn’t sure if he could restore even a tenth of the pavilion’s collection.

Then he heard the rumors.

He had visited his fellow disciples to confirm the rumors and learned even more shocking things.

Hyeon-cheong looked at Cheon-hwi.

“I heard from my fellow disciples that you recreated the Plum Blossom Sword Technique. Is that true?”

“It is.”

“…!”

Hyeon-cheong clenched his fists.

To recreate the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, a transcendent sword technique.

And to make it even more transcendent.

Even though he had heard it from the Sect Leader and Hyeon-do, it was hard to believe.

But after arriving at Nakan Peak and witnessing Cheon-hwi teaching Jeok-geom and Seol-ran, he had dispelled his doubts and accepted it all.

It was that amazing.

It was enough to make him believe not only the unbelievable rumors but also his fellow disciples’ exaggerated claims.

Hyeon-cheong looked at Cheon-hwi and spoke,

“Then would it be possible to restore the other martial arts manuals in the Ten Thousand Classics Pavilion, just like the Plum Blossom Sword Technique?”

As Hyeon-cheong held his breath, waiting for his answer, Cheon-hwi’s lips moved.

“Restore them?”

“Yes.”

As Hyeon-cheong nodded expectantly,

“I’ve already restored most of them.”

“…W-What!”

Hyeon-cheong’s eyes nearly popped out of his head at the unexpected answer.

—–CROW—– 

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