Chapter 96: Flower Battle (1)

제화전(The Flower Battle) (1)

I woke up earlier than usual and finished my morning training.

Lately, I’d been making it a habit to wake up and train every morning.

Tuduk-! Every time I moved my joints, my bones made cracking sounds.

My body felt like it had loosened up quite a bit.

As soon as training ended, I checked my physical condition.

The internal injuries I sustained from the battle had all healed, and only the demonic energy coiled in my dantian remained a problem.

‘At this rate…. It should be finished by tomorrow.’

Fortunately, the purification process within my body was steadily progressing.

Thanks to that, it had significantly decreased by now.

The amount of demonic energy the Sword Matriarch possessed was simply too much.

The remaining energy after purifying the demonic energy was being absorbed into my dantian, so I could feel my internal energy increasing compared to before.

‘In a way, I suppose this could be called a fortunate encounter.’

At this point, it felt like I had passed the stage of struggling with meager internal energy.

It wouldn’t all be absorbed, but most of it would likely be stored as power.

Which made it even more puzzling.

‘Just where did the Sword Matriarch get this much demonic energy?’

I heard from the Divine Healer that she was under a seal, unable to speak.

Hearing that sent an even more chilling sensation through me.

“…A seal on demonic energy.”

This was almost identical to the traces left by the Heavenly Demon when he created the Demon Lords.

The difference was that the demonic energy was only at a level she could ‘endure’.

Because of this, I couldn’t be sure if the Sword Matriarch had actually met the Heavenly Demon.

If the Heavenly Demon had truly bestowed demonic energy upon the Sword Matriarch, it wouldn’t have stopped at this level.

At least, not according to what I knew.

‘I need to look into the demonic energy the Black Night Palace guys had, too.’

The Mount Hua Sect must be making moves too, but I also wanted to investigate why they were capturing Plum Blossom Sword disciples and drawing their blood.

I felt a sense of unease, like something was deeply tangled up.

“Should I perhaps visit the hideout the Mount Hua disciples discovered?”

Finding the location might be an issue, but since it’s already been discovered and is likely being managed by the Mount Hua Sect, it shouldn’t be difficult.

‘I need to check it out at least once before returning to the clan.’

It was highly probable that the Mount Hua Sect had already confirmed and taken away their traces.

My reason for going anyway was to reduce any hesitation, even slightly.

‘If the Black Night Palace is truly connected to the Demonic Cult.’

Just a motley group of unorthodox sects that would be destroyed by the Martial Alliance a few years later.

That’s what I thought. But if there were such tangled facts.

‘I have to do something.’

I didn’t have the strength to wipe out the Black Night Palace with my own hands.

It wasn’t the kind of place that could just be bulldozed over recklessly.

‘Still, I might be able to buy a few years.’

I’d have to think about whether that was truly necessary, though.

But I didn’t have time to ponder that.

“Actually, I’ve already made up my mind.”

Now that I’d decided to do something, I couldn’t just keep thinking about it forever.

Dragging myself back to the lodging, Wi Seol-ah approached with a towel, a pleasant smile on her face.

She must have brought it beforehand for me to use while washing.

Seeing it, I asked.

“You woke up early today?”

As I said that, my gaze unintentionally drifted towards Wi Seol-ah’s hair.

Wi Seol-ah was securing her hair with the hairpin I gave her yesterday.

At the same time, the sensation of her cheek touching mine yesterday resurfaced, and I found myself absently rubbing my own cheek with my hand.

Wi Seol-ah, who had been watching me quietly, asked.

“Is something wrong, Young Master?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“But why is your face red…?”

“…You’re mistaken.”

I quickly passed Wi Seol-ah, washed up, and changed my clothes.

I washed my face with cold water, but the strange heat remained.

‘Is it even possible that I’m still like this over something so trivial?’

Even I found it absurd.

I even had the ridiculously stupid thought of using my internal energy to circulate the heat throughout my body, making it unnoticeable, if it was too hard to reduce the heat on my face.

However, I gave up because doing that would likely make me feel truly pathetic.

After adjusting my clothes, I opened the door and stepped out. Namgung Bi-ah was sitting on the floor, seemingly having woken up sometime earlier.

More accurately, she was dozing while sitting.

I had planned to just leave her be if she slept soundly, but it seemed she managed to wake up.

I watched her quietly for a moment, then let out a small cough and subtly tucked the hairpin between her strands of hair to secure it.

The problem was, I’d never focused on touching a woman’s hair before, so my touch was clumsy, making it seem even messier.

“…This is a disaster?”

I had intended to give it to her secretly, but how should I fix this now?

I tried my best to fix it somehow, but perhaps because my presence was too noticeable, Namgung Bi-ah rubbed her sleepy eyes and turned her head.

“Mmm…”

“…”

Her half-closed eyes met mine.

Immediately after, Namgung Bi-ah raised her slender, pale hand and waved it gently.

This was her unique way of greeting in the morning.

Meanwhile, the hairpin caught in her hair swayed noticeably with Namgung Bi-ah’s movements.

‘…Should I say something?’

How should I even bring it up?

I did it precisely because I didn’t want to make it obvious, but I couldn’t just leave it as is.

As I flustered, unsure of what to do, Namgung Bi-ah looked at me with a face that seemed to ask what was wrong.

“Um….”

“Yes?”

I was about to try and casually pull it out with my hand when Wi Seol-ah, perhaps spotting it, approached and spoke to me.

“Oh? Unni, you have the same thing as me!”

“The same thing?”

Only then did Namgung Bi-ah seem to notice the anomaly with herself, fumbling with her hair to pull out the hairpin.

“Huh?”

Seeing that, she immediately looked towards me.

Her expression seemed to ask, ‘What is this?’

I looked at Namgung Bi-ah’s blank expression and replied in a small voice.

“…I just… bought one.”

It was the one I intended to give yesterday but ended up giving only to Wi Seol-ah, unable to hand this one over.

I averted my gaze as I spoke.

It was strange how difficult it was to meet her eyes over something like this.

For the record, it wasn’t exactly the same as the one given to Wi Seol-ah.

It looked slightly different.

At first, I thought I should buy a hairpin for a different purpose, but I didn’t know what to get, so I just picked one randomly.

‘Why did I even buy this to give away?’

If I had just done nothing, I would have been at least average.

No matter how I thought about it, it felt like a pointless act.

Namgung Bi-ah quietly looked at the hairpin, then swept her hair up, styled it, and secured it with the hairpin.

Her pristine white nape was naturally revealed, highlighting its delicate curve.

It was fascinating how simply pinning up her hair could change her entire aura.

Namgung Bi-ah looked up at me and asked.

“…How is it?”

“It’s… fine.”

There were words threatening to burst from my throat, but I managed to hold them back.

I couldn’t bring myself to say the word ‘pretty’.

Fortunately, Namgung Bi-ah seemed satisfied with this answer, her lips curling into a slight smile.

She seemed to be smiling more often these days.

Just seeing this made me realize how much my life had changed compared to my previous one.

If you asked if it was the life I wanted, the direction was a bit different, but if you asked if it was a comfortable life, well, that wasn’t quite it either.

It was a comfortable life, one I wished I could maintain if possible.

‘Which is why even more….’

I have to do something.

Because only then will things change.

It was quite amusing how the guide pulling me towards a path, after much hesitation, was something as trivial as this.

Hiding my awkwardness, I tried to act nonchalant and asked.

“I’m going to see the Flower Battle opening. Want to come along?”

To my question, both Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah nodded simultaneously.

---

My original plan was to depart before the Flower Battle began and return to the clan as quickly as possible.

But Gu Ryeong-hwa said she was returning to the clan, so I decided to wait for her.

Coincidentally, I also had business in Shaanxi afterward, so I needed to postpone my plans anyway. Should I consider this fortunate, then?

‘The Sword Matriarch and the Divine Healer are the issue, though.’

The two of them wanting to go to the clan together.

I couldn’t understand why they suddenly made that choice.

From the clan’s perspective, it was a good thing.

Of course, the Sword Matriarch might be a somewhat inconvenient person to have around.

As for the Divine Healer, not just the family head, but the entire clan would likely welcome her.

‘Father….’

I wasn’t sure about Father’s side.

I planned to send a written report to the clan regarding changes in the returning members, my suspicion that the Divine Healer was being targeted by the Black Night Palace, and other related matters.

Since I didn’t know the extent of the Sword Matriarch’s recovery, the report mentioned requesting reinforcements in case of a potential ambush.

Truthfully, it was half for show.

Regardless, I had to send it due to my position.

Later, around noon.

There wasn’t even half an hour left until the Flower Battle began.

‘They said the Flower Battle lasts about two days, right?’

The difference compared to the Dragon Gathering held by the Gu family was that outsiders couldn’t participate.

It was easier to think of it as a small martial arts tournament where disciples competed amongst themselves within the sect.

It wasn’t even a collaboration with merchant guilds or anything like that; it was purely a sect festival.

During the Flower Battle, outsiders could enter and exit relatively freely.

Meaning, they could come and watch to their heart’s content.

The problem was that the Mount Hua Sect was located on an absurdly high mountain.

From my perspective, I wondered if anyone would actually climb this high just to see this…

As the saying goes, human passion is a great thing.

“It’s packed…?”

Although the sect wasn’t particularly large compared to the Mount Hua Sect’s reputation or location.

To think the central area was completely filled with people…

Considering most people were ordinary individuals without internal energy, just climbing up would have been a task in itself.

Moreover, to arrive at this time, they would have had to start climbing the mountain early in the morning.

Seeing this now, I could somewhat understand the status and affection people in Hua’um County held for the symbol that was the Mount Hua Sect.

Perhaps anticipating the arrival of outsiders from the start, the Mount Hua Sect had set up various arrangements.

While the setup might have been less sophisticated than the Dragon Gathering, which involved collaboration with merchant guilds, the atmosphere here felt better.

From within the crowd, I could faintly hear snippets of conversation.

“Will the Sword Dragon participate this time?”

Are they talking about Yeongpung?

“I don’t think he appeared last year… but he’ll probably show up this year.”

“Besides, he wasn’t even the Sword Dragon back then. Who won last year? Yeong… something.”

“Obviously Yeong, you idiot. All the third-generation disciples have names starting with Yeong, don’t they?”

“It was probably the Dao title Yeongseong.”

“Oh! Right, Yeongseong! That sounds about right…. Who’s there?”

The person who chimed into the conversation was wearing a Mount Hua robe adorned with a plum blossom pattern.

Seeing that, the man who had been chattering away seemed slightly intimidated and shrank back.

The man asked cautiously.

“Um… are you from the Mount Hua Sect?”

“Ah, yes, my name is Yeongpung.”

‘…What is he doing over there?’

The one who had casually joined the conversation was, surprisingly, Yeongpung.

Why is he there instead of preparing for the Flower Battle…?

“Yeongpung… Yeong…! Are, are you perhaps the Sword Dragon…?”

In response to the man’s question, Yeongpung awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

It was a half-admission.

Just as the man exclaimed in surprise and alerted the person next to him, Yeongpung and I made eye contact.

“Ah! Young Hero Gu!”

He saw me and immediately got up, approaching this way.

As Yeongpung moved, the gazes of the people around followed.

It seemed the surrounding people had noticed due to the slightly loud conversation just now.

I could see the eager glint in the eyes of those looking at Yeongpung.

After all, it wasn’t every day you could easily see one of the leading representatives of the younger generation from the Central Plains.

The Five Dragons and Three Peaks were names synonymous with the main figures who would lead the new generation.

‘…I’ve been treating Yeongpung rather harshly lately.’

Yeongpung’s personality, which seemed to enjoy being teased, might have played a part, but I had been overly harsh.

Seeing him like this, I was reminded anew of the significant position Yeongpung held.

As Yeongpung approached, he also greeted Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah.

I looked at Yeongpung and asked.

“Young Master Yeongpung, aren’t you participating in the Flower Battle?”

“Ah, no. Today is the day only the third-generation disciples compete.”

“Then why…. Ah.”

I recalled hearing that Yeongpung was supposed to compete among the second-generation disciples last time.

“Young Hero Gu, are you heading to see Gu Ryeong-hwa right now?”

At Yeongpung’s words, I hesitated to answer.

It was true I came to see how Gu Ryeong-hwa was doing, but… how should I put it? I didn’t feel like saying I came to see my little sister.

“Well… yes, but if it’s just the third-generation disciples competing, it seems I didn’t really need to come.”

Namgung Bi-ah and Wi Seol-ah might not know, but I had planned to just see what I needed to see and leave, so if it’s like this…

“Ah, if that’s the case, you might as well wait.”

“Huh?”

“I heard Gu Ryeong-hwa is competing in the Flower Battle today.”

I didn’t quite understand what Yeongpung was saying.

“Young Master, you clearly said it was only the third-generation disciples today…?”

“…That’s true, but…”

He seemed hesitant to say something, mumbling with his lips.

“Ah.”

Yeongpung clapped his hands as if he’d found a solution.

“There’s still time left…. Would you mind following me for a moment?”

With that, Yeongpung moved, and I followed without saying much.

Following Yeongpung led us to the back of a building.

Seeing that most of the people gathered were wearing robes, it seemed like a waiting area for disciples.

‘Is this where only the third-generation disciples gather?’

Visually, it seemed to consist of peers roughly around Yeongpung’s age, perhaps a few more or fewer.

Peers who had passed their youth or were yet to reach it.

Anyway, that’s beside the point…

“Young Master Yeongpung…”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Why are those people over there acting like that?”

Where my finger pointed, there were clusters of unknown muscular figures, and familiar faces were mixed among them.

They were clearly the second-generation disciples who had accompanied me on the way to Shaanxi.

I could see them peeking out from behind pillars.

Seriously, are those hulking figures trying to hide by doing that?

Gu Ryeong-hwa’s hiding methods seemed to be just like that too. Does the Mount Hua Sect not teach concealment techniques…?

Yeongpung looked at my reaction, hesitated slightly, and then said.

“Um, they’re probably doing that because of Gu Ryeong-hwa.”

“…What?”

Why is Gu Ryeong-hwa suddenly brought up here?

I suddenly recalled how surprised she looked when she heard I was Gu Ryeong-hwa’s relative during our journey to Hua Mountain.

‘Is she perhaps disliked?’

If that were the case, I felt like I’d get slightly annoyed.

It wasn’t because I sent her out to be disliked somewhere.

I turned my feet and started walking towards the group of muscle-bound individuals.

“Huh? Huh? Young Hero…! Wait a moment…!”

Yeongpung tried to stop me urgently, but I didn’t listen.

It wasn’t that I intended to act like a proper relative now, but seeing this with my own eyes still made my temper flare.

As I got closer, I could hear the second-generation disciples talking.

What were they so focused on that they didn’t notice me approaching?

“…Seriously, why are they trying to compete among the third-generation disciples?”

“Exactly. If they competed among us, they could at least do something.”

Are all those words directed at Gu Ryeong-hwa?

“Everyone, please be quiet. Didn’t our junior sister choose this? Then we should respect it…!”

“What? Even you, Eldest Brother? How can we trust those reckless junior brothers…?”

“In my eyes, you look like the most reckless one, so please shut your mouth.”

“No….”

What couldn’t they trust among the third-generation disciples, and what did they want to do among themselves?

I hadn’t heard anything about Gu Ryeong-hwa experiencing this situation.

‘It probably means the distance between us has grown that much.’

Since this was all my doing, I couldn’t blame Gu Ryeong-hwa.

I first composed myself, lest I show unnecessary emotion.

Repeating the thought that this wasn’t a place worth turning upside down.

Getting reasonably close, I immediately addressed the second-generation disciples.

“What exactly is this….”

“What if Gu junior sister gets hurt because of this…!”

“…nonsense…?”

My words caught in my throat, and I froze mid-action.

Whether they heard me or not, the second-generation disciples’ gazes turned towards me.

“Hm?”

“Huh? Young Hero Gu?”

A cold sweat trickled down my back.

…What did I just hear?