CLS-Chapter 131

Chapter 131

“You mean the incident that occurred at Nashan?”

At the Historian’s words, Guangqushen nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, you know about it, don’t you?”

“Was that the struggle for the Sword Emperor’s legacy?”

“You didn’t know?”

“I knew there was a bloodbath at Nashan, but I didn’t know it was because of the Sword Emperor’s legacy.”

“What exactly do you know?”

“……”

The Historian wore a very wronged expression.

If nothing else, when it came to martial history, he could confidently say there was no one more knowledgeable than him in the current martial world. Of course, he couldn’t compare to those who had lived through those times, but in return, didn’t he have information about worlds they had never experienced?

And yet to be treated like a fraud.

“History isn’t passed down that accurately.”

Guangqushen spoke as if he understood.

“Then the things we’ve known until now might not actually be facts either.”

“I’ve actually seen such cases several times.”

“Hmm……”

Guangqushen’s face became somewhat cautious.

“That would make sense. Listening to what people say about the Demon Cult these days, they talk about it as if it were a place where only monsters lived.”

At those words, the Historian’s head snapped up.

“Wasn’t it?”

“Hm?”

When Guangqushen’s eyes narrowed, the Historian squeezed his eyes shut. He had only said one word, yet once again he was being looked at as if he were some fraud.

How could he dare say anything when he was this scared?

“Listen here.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how many people lived in the Demon Cult?”

“……”

“People tend to think of the Demon Cult as a group of warriors where demons gathered, but its essence can be said to be a religious organization. If that place was truly an evil cult where only wicked demons lived, why would those people have continued to live under its protection?”

“But in history……”

“History belongs to the victors.”

Guangqushen shook his head.

“That’s why it’s all that bastard’s fault.”

“What?”

“If that bastard had just done a little organizing from the beginning, things wouldn’t have gotten so twisted, but he just lay down saying it was all bothersome, so what could have gone right?”

“Are you referring to Gwanghui Mujeon?”

“Of course.”

Guangqushen nodded repeatedly.

“Anyway, he’s someone who never does anything properly. Doesn’t he cause trouble everywhere he goes?”

“But at least this bloodbath at Nashan wasn’t something he was involved in.”

“You think not?”

“……What?”

“Think about it carefully. If Wei Yan-ho had just known who the Sword Emperor was, the bloodbath wouldn’t have happened.”

“Ah!”

Come to think of it, that was true.

If Wei Yan-ho had known that the Sword Emperor referred to his master Baek Mu-han, he might have been able to inform them through Gong Mu-jin that there was no Sword Emperor’s legacy at that place.

“You can’t really say that was wrong though……”

The Historian’s expression became subtle. Certainly it wasn’t wrong, but he couldn’t shake off a certain uneasiness.

“It would be fortunate if that were all.”

“……What?”

The Historian’s face began to contort slightly.

He had now come to know Wei Yan-ho well enough to predict what words would come next.

***

You see, that’s what misfortune is like.

Misfortune doesn’t come when people think about it, but when people don’t think about misfortune, it quietly sidles up next to them.

Don’t you think so?

The problem is that around that person, that misfortune is always in residence.

What makes it even more unbearable for people is that he himself isn’t affected by that misfortune.

How would you feel watching someone who brings misfortune just by moving, turning everything around him into a nightmare, while he himself slips away without any harm?

Hm?

Why are you cursing?

You’re not cursing? You’re just answering?

I just heard you curse, and you’re saying you didn’t?

Do you want to get hit?

Kids these days, tsk tsk.

***

Wei Yan-ho was wrapped in subtle feelings.

Being able to travel on a comfortable bed instead of having to walk dusty roads under the blazing afternoon sun like others was certainly a very pleasant thing.

Especially for a lazy person like Wei Yan-ho, it was an incomparably good situation.

But Wei Yan-ho couldn’t smile in this enjoyable situation.

“With such fine weather, if you just stay cooped up in the carriage like this, you won’t be able to feel the great spirit of nature. So why don’t you come out now and breathe the fresh air while pondering the true Way of Martial Arts? For a young warrior like you to waste time like this is not only a loss to the martial world, but a great loss to these Central Plains……”

Wei Yan-ho grabbed his blanket and stuffed it into his ears.

Plum Blossom Sword Ghost?

Just who was it that created the title Plum Blossom Sword Ghost?

That wasn’t a Plum Blossom Sword Ghost but a Plum Blossom Mouth Ghost. He had never heard of there being a Mouth Ghost Technique at Mount Hua, but at this point, he wondered if it might be a new martial art developed to deal with demons, surpassing even the Purple Glow Divine Technique.

“Kaaack!”

Wei Yan-ho yelled toward the outside.

“Don’t you ever sleep, old man?”

“Oh, well said. A true warrior should sleep little. Humans can only use a mere twelve shijin in a day. Yet there are people who sleep for as many as four shijin out of those twelve. What a pity. If a person sleeps for four shijin out of twelve, they only have eight shijin available for use. If you subtract the time for eating and handling necessary physiological needs from those eight shijin, the time a person can actually use is……”

Wei Yan-ho pulled the blanket over his head.

It would be better not to speak at all.

“This is why I said I didn’t want to travel together.”

He couldn’t stop someone who insisted on coming along. How could he stop someone who stubbornly insisted on traveling together?

If the other person were a demon, he could just beat them up and be done with it, but this was Gong Mu-jin, who was quite a renowned figure of Mount Hua and who kept mentioning the Righteous Hero Wei Jeong-han to pressure him.

‘I’ll get beaten to death.’

There are one-sided relationships in this world.

No matter how strong he had become, there was such a thing as natural order.

If Wei Jeong-han came charging at him saying he would beat him to death, the only response he could make was to run away.

The problem was that his father Wei Jeong-han had spent half his life catching and beating up demons who tried to flee.

If he could catch demons who fled for their lives, a lazy person running away because he didn’t want to get hit was hardly a challenge – it would be like having him in the palm of his hand.

‘Should I just run away?’

The only way to escape this discomfort was to run away. But obviously, that leech-like Gong Mu-jin would never let go of him.

And then he would request sparring matches in the morning and evening.

No matter how much Wei Yan-ho tried to ignore him, Gong Mu-jin’s nagging technique had already reached the tenth level and entered the realm of perfection. After realizing that rather than enduring that nagging, it would be more comfortable to just beat him up, he had been forced to spar morning and evening.

So he was bound to be exhausted.

‘I need a drastic measure.’

But it was bothersome.

Although he felt he should come up with some plan, Wei Yan-ho knew very well that it was impossible for him to worry about that plan or put it into action.

With the sunlight streaming through the window so warm and the blanket so cozy, what was the point of thinking? He could just sleep.

Tomorrow’s problems would be taken care of tomorrow.

Just as Wei Yan-ho was slowly falling asleep, the carriage suddenly jolted and stopped.

“Huh?”

It should still be the middle of their journey, so he didn’t know why the carriage had stopped.

“May I ask you something?”

Seomun Da-yeon looked at those standing in front of the carriage and nodded. Although she could have ignored them and passed by, the reason she had stopped the carriage was that the martial uniforms worn by those who had stopped them looked very familiar to her.

Pure white practical martial uniforms.

And dragon embroidery on the shoulders.

Just from that, she could guess where these people had come from. She had been from the same place until recently, which made it even more obvious.

These were Dormant Dragon Martial Hall officials from the Heavenly Orthodox Martial Alliance.

“What brings officials here?”

At Seomun Da-yeon’s question, those who had stopped the carriage focused their attention on her.

“Are you perhaps affiliated with the Alliance?”

“Flying Swallow Pavilion.”

“Ah, I see.”

The one standing at the front stepped forward and cupped his hands.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Shangguan Hong from the Dormant Dragon Martial Hall.”

Interest flickered in Seomun Da-yeon’s eyes.

“I’ve heard the rumors, junior. So you’re that Sword Dragon.”

“It’s just an empty name.”

“So what did you want to ask?”

Shangguan Hong looked back with a troubled expression. When those following behind gave him a look, Shangguan Hong sighed as if he had no choice and continued.

“It’s embarrassing, but we seem to have lost our way. We’re heading to Nashan, and I wonder if you could tell us whether we’re going in the right direction?”

Seomun Da-yeon’s eyes narrowed.

“Lost your way?”

“It seems we’re inexperienced at traveling……”

“That’s strange.”

Seomun Da-yeon spoke quietly.

“Why are Martial Hall graduates heading to Nashan? And Martial Hall graduates are prohibited from leaving the hall except at designated times. If you don’t give a clear answer, I’ll assume you’ve violated regulations and deserted without permission.”

Shangguan Hong shook his head as if troubled.

“No, that’s not it. We’re currently on our way to Nashan to provide support under orders from the Orthodox Alliance.”

“Support?”

“Yes. The situation at Nashan is so bad that they want to borrow even a cat’s paws. The main Alliance sent support, but since assistance from various factions had been delayed, it was decided to urgently send a small number from the Martial Hall as well. We received that order and are now heading to Nashan.”

“……I see.”

Seomun Da-yeon looked around at the three men and two women before her.

‘Then these are?’

The Martial Hall accepted entrants irregularly, but generally had about four years between classes. This determined the graduating class, and there was a tradition of calling the five most outstanding among those about to graduate the Dragons and Phoenix.

Although the parties involved often disliked it, since it was tradition, it had been maintained until now. Since the Martial Hall was called the Dormant Dragon Martial Hall, it was natural for the title of Dragon to be attached.

“Then you must be the Three Dragons and Two Phoenix.”

Those who heard Seomun Da-yeon’s words nodded.

If the Martial Hall was sending external support, it was natural to send these people.

“That’s right.”

Just as Seomun Da-yeon was about to speak, Gong Mu-jin on the carriage spoke up.

“So you’re that Sword Dragon?”

“……Senior, you are?”

“You have quite a lively spirit. I’m called Gong Mu-jin.”

Instantly, Shangguan Hong’s eyes wavered.

“The Plum Blossom Sword Ghost Gong Mu-jin?”

Before him was a master swordsman representing Mount Hua.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

As Shangguan Hong quickly cupped his hands, Gong Mu-jin laughed heartily and jumped down from the carriage.