Chapter 56

Hwasan Sect!

People didn’t hesitate to call Hwasan the great sword sect.

Of course, as soon as that was mentioned, there would be someone pushing for the Wudang Sect.

From that point on, there would be no hesitation in throwing punches.

The fierce debate of martial arts had begun.

‘The Zaha Sword of Hwasan is truly an unparalleled divine skill.’

Are you ignoring the Zaha Sword Technique now?

‘But don’t you understand the principles of Wudang’s Taiji?’

Yeah, Taiji and reflection.

When emotions ran high, even a representative of the legendary martial arts sects would step in for a duel.

That was the moment when spectators cheered the loudest.

This was about as entertaining as it got in the remnants of primitive ancient China.

Anyway, if you had to pick the top sword sects among the many factions of the Martial World, Hwasan and Wudang would naturally come to mind.

That’s the position Hwasan holds in the Martial World.

However, for Qing, it didn’t matter whether Hwasan was above or below.

What mattered was feeling betrayed.

“The mountain is pretty, but what about Hwasan?”

Among the five mountains of the Central Plain, the steep terrain prompted a sense of humility in people.

Hwasan had no slopes at all.

Only sheer cliffs, that’s all.

White is for the cliffs, red is for the trees.

That was a way to describe the autumn scenery of Hwasan.

It was a month-long journey to Hwasan.

In Qing’s view, there had been significant changes during that time.

Chang-bin had finally stopped babbling and started talking!

Of course, he still didn’t fully grasp what it meant to use honorifics or how to recognize his mother.

He didn’t even know the common sense that when talking to someone, he at least had to pretend to look at their face, even if not directly into their eyes.

Still, having broken free from the curse of muteness through his own effort was enough for me to understand.

Chang-bin still had plenty of room to grow.

As the elder of the group, it was my job to embrace him with warmth and interest…

“Hwasan Sect is at Jaso Peak, so a little further…”

“No, not Hwasan, where is Hwasan? I can’t see any smoke! Is it a lazy mountain?”

Chang-bin smiled brightly.

A little Daoist-like smile.

It seemed he was already acting like it was his home.

“Lady Seomun, you’re just making a typical joke. It’s common for first-timers to mention this, and this Daoist has heard it dozens of times already…”

Chang-bin trailed off as he noticed Qing’s serious expression.

“Was that a joke…?”

Qing maintained his serious face.

That was a splendid response.

Qing burst out with frustration.

“That’s too much, really! My Hwasan! My lava!”

“Lady Seomun, if you shout like that…”

“Since when did Hwasan become yours?”

Pang Dae-san chimed in with a snicker.

“That could be possible. This is pure fishing! My mountain! I wanted to see the flowing flames! The searing heat! But what’s tasty here? What’s your specialty?”

“…?”

The smoothness with which the topic changed flowed like water, like the interplay of yin and yang.

Pang Dae-san was momentarily taken aback by that cleverness.

“Haha, Swordmaster, Hwasan is not a restaurant. And normally, the meals in the sect aren’t gourmet either. You’ll just end up with empty taste buds.”

“Huh? The Divine Maiden Sect’s food is super delicious. That’s just bias, bias!”

In truth, the food from the Divine Maiden Sect was quite good.

Even if it was just ordinary mountain cuisine, it had a subtle yet deep flavor to it.

Such was the case with most female sects.

Unlike men, who would barely shed a tear while wolfing down dishes with only meat, for women, food was a big deal.

Anyway, no one in the group particularly disapproved of Qing’s attitude.

Even if they grumbled, Qing was genuinely enjoying the scenic views of Hwasan.

He kept glancing around.

Whenever he reached a spot with majestic and beautiful mountains, he would pause to look around, just like a rustic tourist on a trip.

Honestly, Hwasan was quite a treacherous mountain.

It was not somewhere you’d casually wander around.

But amongst the group, there were no ordinary masters.

Finally, they reached Yeonhwa Peak, and the entrance of Hwasan Sect came into view.

Hwasan was strikingly close to the mundane world for a sect.

Far too close, in fact.

When you join a sect, your name is recorded in a register.

This is called being registered, where you abandon your worldly name and receive a new name, a Dao name or a Dharma name.

However, there were some disciples who kept their worldly names even after registration.

Those were worldly disciples.

Every sect had different standards for accepting worldly disciples.

For instance, the Divine Maiden Sect does not accept them.

Instead, if someone falls in love with a man or decides they can no longer live without a man, they simply break the Dantian and return their name, showing a remarkably generous attitude.

What a surprisingly benevolent attitude.

Other sects would cut ties with their families entirely and then generously stamp their approval with a seal.

Besides that, each sect rigorously examined a person’s character and qualifications before accepting worldly disciples.

There are rumors that the amount of contributions can greatly influence your character score.

There’s no official response to that.

In this regard, Hwasan was infamous for its leniency, even drawing criticism from other sects.

Got decent qualifications, huh? Accepted.

Got outstanding qualifications? Accepted.

And if they were from a wealthy family? You’re in too.

Hwasan might have its reasons.

With a neighbor that had taken all of Shaanxi, they might need some worldly disciples for extra funds.

Their neighboring Jongnam had taken all the land, and they say the proper sect is busy with rituals all year round.

Anyway, for this reason, Hwasan disciples were spread all across the Central Plain, and thanks to that, Hwasan Sect was considered quite wealthy, with people overflowing even in the main hall.

The result was the sight of buildings sprawling across Yeonhwa Peak.

Qing stared at the scene in surprise.

Wow. How can a sect be this big?

The Divine Maiden Sect was practically a hole in the wall.

Chang-bin looked at Qing with a satisfied smile.

The sect leader and the disciples guarding the plaque welcomed Chang-bin warmly.

“Elder Brother, you’ve returned?”

“You’re Pang and Namgung, right? We met last time, didn’t we? Oh, but who’s this lady with you…? No way?”

“As expected, Elder Brother! I was counting on it!”

“A man of charm who can enthrall any woman in an instant! How did the world create women and also give birth to Chang-bin! That’s the one and only Chang-bin of Hwasan!”

It was probably due to Chang-bin’s usual lighthearted behavior.

To his disciples, Chang-bin was a guy who didn’t know how to drink alone, and just saying ‘drink’ would have the beauties of the world lining up to get his number.

Chang-bin’s face turned beet red.

“N-Not like that. This is Lady Seomun, a distinguished guest, here to pay her respects to the Sect Leader…”

“Pay respects to the Sect Leader! Are we handing out candy?”

“Whoa, candy! Everyone! Elder Brother is handing out candy!”

“Wait, wait a sec…”

Before Chang-bin could stop them, they all rushed inside, chanting candy, candy.

The statement about receiving candy was akin to saying “we’re having ribs” in modern Korean.

In ancient primitive China, guests were supposed to hand out candy at wedding banquets.

Why does that kid Chang-bin have to be at the main gate of all places?

Word was bound to spread inside today.

Chang-bin awkwardly retracted his extended hand and looked around nervously.

“Uh, ahem. Pang, my brother? I didn’t mean it, so don’t look at me with such vicious eyes. Remember, I’m still your elder brother…”

—-

It was when the message was sent to the Sect Leader and I had finished almost half a cup of tea in the guest hall that I received the summons to come up.

It was a rather rare occurrence.

Generally, a Sect Leader wouldn’t come running just because a guest wanted to see them; they had a certain weight about them.

Moreover, in the ancient cultural traditions of primitive China, such a waiting situation had guests lined up based on their ranks.

Changing the order indiscriminately could be a tremendous insult to the guest.

Yet, the Sect Leader had summoned the Major Grant to meet the next Grand Master.

The reason was simple.

Chang-bin was twenty-nine this year.

It was already late autumn.

In just a few months, he would turn into a late bloomer.

A man needs to have a family.

Being the head of a household and nurturing a bloodline would also aid in reaching the peak of mastery.

So, when the late-blooming disciple brought back a woman, how could he not want to meet her?

Thus, the leader of Hwasan Sect, the Great Master Yuha, hurried to welcome a guest.

“Ah, so you’re the one?”

“Do you know me?”

“I just heard about you a moment ago. Yes, you have a gaze overflowing with qi, certainly the disciple of a sect… Never mind. It’s not just overflowing with qi…”

As Great Master Yuha pondered inwardly,

What is this kid?

The unusual brilliance in his eyes, characteristic of the sect, indicated a level that was definitely not ordinary.

But what was that bizarre aura mixed in?

There was undoubtedly something unsettling that was absolutely not normal.

There was a sort of discomfort that could not be described with words.

“Uh…”

While Great Master Yuha was struggling to find words, Chang-bin quickly interjected.

“Elder Master, this here is Lady Seomun, the named disciple of Great Teacher Seomun Sulin.”

“Ah! The named disciple of Senior Seomun!”

The thunder struck in Great Master Yuha’s mind.

The named disciple of Senior Seomun! Well, it’s no surprise she has a glint of madness in her eyes.

Of course, it made sense.

Great Master Yuha accepted it right away.

Senior Seomun’s emphasis on female-centered philosophy has calmed considerably with age, but only the veteran martial artists know how chaotic the wild past of the greatest female martial artist was when she rallied for women’s rights.

At the same time, he realized something else.

She is the suddenly appearing younger sister!

Moreover, unlike that Seomun, she had a face that is all smiles, brimming with liveliness.

Great Master Yuha, now with a suddenly younger sister that he didn’t know about, cracked a good-natured smile.

“Haha, never thought I’d see a younger sister at my age. How is Senior Seomun doing?”

“Yes, the last time I saw her, she was well.”

“Good. But this younger sister’s accomplishment doesn’t look low at all. Can you share?”

“I’m only at the peak advanced stage.”

“Oh! This is a significant blessing for the Zheng sect!”

Great Master Yuha couldn’t help but admire it.

A girl who is barely twenty, and already at the peak advanced stage?

Senior Seomun must be raising a monster.

Even the Great Master Mucheondae did not reach the peak middle stage until he was much older.

Great Master Yuha’s gaze grew even warmer.

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