Chapter v13v13

**A Grand Welcome**

When they finally reached the summit of Mount Hua’s Heavenly Martial Peak, having passed the three trials, the feeling that dominated their hearts wasn’t victory, but a profound sense of defeat and despair.

They had been confident in their martial arts skills, but they had realized that they were nothing more than pebbles to “him,” a man with overwhelming power. They had been defeated, utterly and completely, and the humiliation, along with the scars, was etched into their hearts.

“So that’s the monster we have to face?”

They shivered, despite their cold-resistant bodies.

They hated the people who had shown them that terrifying truth.

“Was he even human? Are they exaggerating?”

Hyun-woon asked Namgung Sang, his friend. He was usually cheerful, but his face was pale. He wasn’t the only one. Most of the people walking with them, including Jin-ryeong, looked grim. A gloomy atmosphere had settled over the group.

“I don’t think so… fortunately.”

Namgung Sang shook his head. The hidden stories, the concealed truths! He wanted to deny everything he had experienced and heard that day. But judging from the circumstances, it was highly unlikely.

“We’re not fighting him here, anyway. There’s no need to tremble at the shadow of the past. Didn’t history say that he fled after sustaining irreversible injuries? I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

He was trying to convince himself as well.

“I hope so…”

He tried to sound cheerful, but it wasn’t very effective.

“Let’s focus on the task at hand. Don’t dwell on something that might not even happen. It’s just a worry.”

“A worry…”

They had reached the entrance to Red Plum Valley while they were talking.

The Cheonmu Academy delegation had finally arrived at their destination, the venue for the Mount Hua Convention.

It was a vast basin, shaped like a gourd. But it wasn’t cramped. There were fifteen grand buildings surrounding the basin, but it didn’t feel crowded. Small waterfalls cascaded down the surrounding cliffs, their white spray creating a misty veil. The water flowed along the edges of the cliffs, forming streams that flowed into another valley. The sound of the waterfalls echoed through the valley.

And what was even more mystical was that red plum blossoms were in full bloom, even though it was still autumn. The branches, gracefully reaching towards the sky, were covered in pink blossoms, like snowflakes. They looked like they were sprinkled with sparkling ruby dust.

The plum blossoms, blooming in defiance of the season, their fragrance intoxicating… It was a mystical and awe-inspiring sight, so beautiful that some of the innkeepers even wiped tears from their eyes. But to Yoon Jun-ho, it was a nightmare.

The fragrance was faint because the blossoms were out of season, so he hadn’t fainted yet, but he felt dizzy. Strangely, he didn’t have any hives. It had never happened before… He was surprised. But he was still dizzy.

He quickly sealed his acupoints to block his sense of smell. It was a secret technique his grandmaster had taught him. But he couldn’t prevent his body from tensing up, his mind overwhelmed by the sight of the plum blossoms in full bloom.

He had never seen such a place before.

* * *

“Hmm?”

Mo Yong-hwi stopped walking and looked around. So did the rest of the delegation. They all stopped, their hands gripping their weapons, their eyes scanning the surroundings.

‘Killing intent?’

They all felt it.

Namgung Sang and Hyun-woon exchanged glances.

‘One, two, three, four…’

They counted silently.

‘Fourteen?’

Namgung Sang shook his head.

‘Fifteen!’

They were all emitting their energy, as if on cue, but he had detected another presence, someone hiding their aura, blending into the surroundings. It was dangerous, a sign of considerable skill. But Namgung Sang didn’t miss it.

His senses had been sharpened by Bi Ryu-yeon and Yeomdo’s rigorous training.

“How rude!”

Binggeom said, his face expressionless. Yeomdo’s lips twitched.

“What a grand welcome!”

They knew the source of the killing intent, the spiderweb that was closing in on them from all sides.

It was a test of strength, a battle of wills. The loser would be the one with their tail between their legs. It was a matter of pride. They couldn’t back down from a fight that had been thrust upon them.

“Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion…”

Jang Hong muttered in a low voice.

“What a thrilling welcome! Is this their hospitality…?”

A grand welcome indeed! They had put a lot of effort into it! Their arrival at Red Plum Valley was met with a rather ominous greeting.

“This is going to be fun.”

Bi Ryu-yeon grinned.

**Reunion with the Sword Demon**

The wave of killing intent receded like the tide, pulled away by the moon.

The fifteen hidden shadows didn’t reveal themselves.

“Is the greeting over? Or is this just the end of Act One? Are they inviting us in?”

Bi Ryu-yeon muttered. They couldn’t refuse an invitation.

“Let’s go!”

They started walking at his signal.

The boy looked very small, with a cute face. His skin was soft as down, and his two black eyes, set in his adorable face, were large and clear. He was wearing a blue robe, adorned with gold and silver ornaments. Of course, there were no weapons on him, no swords or sabers. He looked like he should be playing with a colorful silk ball.

He was standing near the entrance to Red Plum Valley, staring intently at a large plum blossom tree.

“Oh my, he’s so cute!”

Jin-ryeong squealed. Hwa Seol-ok agreed, “He really is!” Namgung Sansan exclaimed, “I want him as my little brother!” She would trade ten Namgung Sangs for him. Of course, Namgung Sang wasn’t happy about that.

They didn’t even think to ask, “Why is there a boy here?” Namgung Sang approached the boy and asked,

“Little boy, do you know where the head administrator’s office is?”

The boy finally turned around. He was even cuter up close.

‘Damn, he’s adorable!’

He could understand the women’s reaction. Namgung Sang asked again, thinking the boy might have misheard him.

“Little boy, so…”

Flash!

Namgung Sang couldn’t finish his sentence. He had to dodge a cold, sharp light that was aimed at his heart. It was a sudden attack.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Namgung Sang shouted, leaping back a zhang. His chest was slashed open. If he had been a moment slower, he might have been killed. The boy, who had been empty-handed a moment ago, was now holding a silver object. It was thin as wire, flexible as a willow branch, but its sharp light and energy were extraordinary. It seemed to be a specially made sword. And it was as fast as it was thin and sharp.

The boy, his face puffed up in a pout, shouted,

“I’m not a little boy!”

His cheeks were flushed red, like ripe apples. He seemed to hate being called a little boy.

“Kyaaa! He’s so cute!”

The women’s chorus echoed from behind. They didn’t seem to care that Namgung Sang had almost been killed. And the fact that Jin-ryeong’s voice was among them annoyed him even more.

“Sigh…”

As Namgung Sang sighed in despair,

“So-yu! What happened?”

A group of martial artists appeared behind the boy. Men and women, all with extraordinary auras. Most of them had the same energy as the one he had felt earlier. They didn’t seem to be there to make friends.

‘Are they looking for a fight?’

That was a reasonable assumption.

“Second Senior Brother!”

The boy, called So-yu, beamed at the young man who was leading the group.

The man, called Second Senior Brother, and Namgung Sang faced each other. The man had sharp, hawk-like eyes, and a long, diagonal scar on his left cheek. He seemed to be wielding a strange, curved saber. He spoke first.

“Where are you from?”

His tone was arrogant. Namgung Sang’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance.

He was asking even though he knew? It was a deliberate provocation.

“Isn’t it polite to introduce yourself first? Are all Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion people this rude?”

Namgung Sang retorted.

“You’ll know if you’re worthy.”

The man replied calmly. Namgung Sang wasn’t backing down.

“No wonder your junior brother is so rude, with a senior brother like you. You should teach him some manners.”

“What happened?”

The man with the curved saber asked. The boy explained what had happened. The man clenched his fist and flicked the boy’s forehead.

“You idiot!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Namgung Sang’s face finally relaxed a little. But then the man’s next words made his face crumple again.

“How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t be timid! Be ruthless! Show no mercy! Why did you aim for his chest instead of his throat? And you even hesitated, missing your target!”

“I’m sorry, Second Senior Brother!”

Namgung Sang was furious. The man was scolding his junior brother for failing to kill him! He felt like a volcano about to erupt. Even the man and his companions seemed to sense his anger, their expressions wary.

“Tsk, tsk, he fell for such a simple provocation!”

Bi Ryu-yeon clicked his tongue, his expression one of pity. Yeomdo chuckled menacingly beside him. They had been deliberately ignoring Yeomdo and Binggeom, the leaders of the delegation, from the moment they appeared. Binggeom was observing the situation with cold eyes, but Yeomdo couldn’t hold back.

“Heh, heh, you little brats! You’re asking for it!”

Yeomdo gritted his teeth. Namgung Sang wasn’t the only one who had been provoked.

“Sigh!”

Bi Ryu-yeon sighed.

“Stop!”

As the Cheonmu Academy delegation and the Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion delegation faced each other, their nerves on edge, a shout echoed from afar, and an old swordsman, accompanied by a man who seemed to be his attendant, rushed towards them.

“Stop this at once! I told you to behave!”

The old swordsman’s voice was filled with authority. An extraordinary aura, an overwhelming energy, emanated from him.

His words seemed to carry weight, as some of the younger men lowered their guard. They knew it was unwise to defy this old man.

And the old swordsman looked familiar.

“Oh, Grandfather!”

Bi Ryu-yeon was the first to recognize him. He had met the old man once before. He was the one who had called himself the Sword Demon, Cho Wol.

The old swordsman’s face crumpled like a discarded love letter.

“Y-You!”

His face flushed red, as if he had been heated by a thousand bellows. Anger, boiling inside him, had nowhere to escape.

“Master? Do you know him?”

One of the young men who had approached Cho Wol asked in a low voice. Cho Wol shouted,

“I don’t know that bastard!”

“???”

They were all confused by his unexpected outburst.

And Bi Ryu-yeon recognized another face. It was strange, considering he was known for his limited social circle.

His gaze shifted to a middle-aged man who had accompanied Cho Wol. He remembered him clearly. He had made quite an impression.

And Bi Ryu-yeon wasn’t the only one who remembered him.

At first, they hadn’t recognized him because he was dressed simply, like a servant, and his face was half-hidden by a large bamboo hat. Even though they had only seen him from afar, except for Bi Ryu-yeon, his appearance was too striking to forget.

He had joined this journey at the request of someone he respected greatly.

“Haven’t we met before?”

Mo Yong-hwi asked. The man waved his hand dismissively.

“Hahaha! Of course not. You must be mistaken.”

He had never met Mo Yong-hwi before. It was Bi Ryu-yeon’s turn to ask.

“Wait, haven’t we met somewhere before?”

“Hahaha! I don’t think…”

The man turned to face Bi Ryu-yeon, and his eyes widened in shock. The man who had made such an unforgettable impression, the man he had vowed to see again with his own eyes, was standing there, smiling that same chilling smile.

It took him a while to regain his composure.

‘It’s alright, it’s alright. I was expecting this. It’s only natural for someone with his skills to appear here…’

He suddenly felt anxious. He had a mission to accomplish here. And he couldn’t reveal his identity yet. None of the Heavenly Demon’s Pavilion disciples knew who he was. He regretted not disguising himself better.

“It’s strange. I’m sure I’ve seen you somewhere before…”

Bi Ryu-yeon didn’t press the matter, even though he was suspicious. He quickly forgot about it. But Mo Yong-hwi was still watching him with a wary gaze, as if trying to see through his disguise.

“Whew…”

The man sighed in relief. The Cheonmu Academy delegation, who had been eyeing him suspiciously, had already entered their lodgings.

‘That was close…!’

His heart was still pounding.

‘I hope they didn’t recognize me…’

He couldn’t reveal his identity yet. He had been instructed to remain hidden. He was just an observer, watching from the shadows. His identity would only hinder his mission, not help it.

“I have to be more careful!”

He muttered to himself. The setting sun cast a long shadow over him.

* * *

The sunset, a blaze of golden flames, was beautiful against the backdrop of the sharp, jagged peaks of the mountains, which stood tall like the spears and swords of an army.

“Beautiful!”

The man, his face cold and impassive, looked down at the valley below. A frosty smile touched his lips. But his cold eyes remained silent, as if they didn’t know how to smile.

The twilight sky was a beautiful shade of red, like blood, he thought.

“The phoenix throws itself into the flames every three hundred years, reborn from the ashes, they say?”

Rebirth and resurrection!

“The immortal phoenix, the firebird, does so… But the current martial world is too old!”

The old must be replaced with the new. A fierce light flashed in his eyes.

“I will make you reborn from the flames of regeneration.”

His voice was filled with determination. He continued,

“The old past will crumble in these gray ashes, and a new history will be born in the dawn’s light. The stories of the past will end here, and new stories will begin!”

With a flap of wings, a large hawk landed on his shoulder, its posture proud and majestic. Its feathers were red, like the setting sun reflected in the man’s eyes.

A red hawk… Its name was Red Thunder.