Book 12 Chapter 15

The area of the volcanic wave

- Plum Blade Warrants

"Big brother!"

Zhou Tianwu, a member of the main troupe and one of Huashan Sect's greatest disciples, sang Bi Ryuyeon.

"?"

Slowly, almost too slowly, Bi Ryuyeon's gaze returned to the man. She remained silent for a moment, staring at Zhao Tianwu.

"……."

Zhao Tianwu's face frowned slightly. He inwardly resented the big brother's gaze as if he were looking at a stranger. What was this cold demeanor, treating him as if he were meeting him for the first time today?

A long moment of silence dragged on.

"…, who are you?"

Finally, Bi Ryuyeon's mouth opened. But what fell out was the Qing Tian Wall Force.

"Niet? "

Cao Tianwu's eyes widened like eggs in surprise and shock. Bi Ryuyeon shook her head at the sight.

"……."

Wheeeeeeee!

There was another long silence. Having had his presence ignored, Cao Tianwu remained stuck in his seat like a stake, staring blankly at Bi Ryuyeon. It wasn't until a long time later that a thin smile tugged at the corners of her expressionless mouth.

"Hahahaha, I'm kidding, I'm kidding, yes, it's Cao Tianwu, disciple of the Volcano Sect, member of the Zhu Jia Clan, and my priest, what's going on?"

He sounded like he was explaining himself to an invisible third party, and although he wasn't convinced, Cho decided to be patient.

Cho, who soon composed himself, said.

"This is volcanic wave territory."

"Hmm, I see."

"That's right."

"Yeah."

That was the end of their conversation.

Wheeeeeeee!

A light breeze rustled between them.

Huashan Sect 3rd Training Ground at the foot of Yanhua Peak

"Phew-."

Yi Yun, a disciple of the Huashan Sect, swung his sword nonstop from the first to the last twenty-four seconds of the Huashan Sect's twenty-four plum blossom sword techniques, and then sheathed it. It was a method he had practiced for seven years without a day's rest, ever since he first learned the twenty-four plum blossom sword techniques during his basic training. But he still hadn't gotten the last one right.

'Does it have to be all the time in order to be scenic?'

He couldn't figure out what was wrong, even after a hundred swings, and his teachers and masters kept pointing it out. But he couldn't fix what he didn't understand.

This was Lee's third time losing. This was the fourth time. If he failed again, he might have to give up on his dream of becoming a celestial academician.

How surprised he was two years ago when he saw that Yoon Junho, a priest, had been chosen instead of him. That day he thought he was going mad with a flame of jealousy that burned white inside his head, and so he raged.

He could never admit that such a crybaby and coward would be his replacement. If it weren't for Master T'ai's generosity, such a lie would never have happened. That thought hadn't changed even now.

Afterward, he took another round of entrance exams, but the results were as expected: he failed again, and now he's here, frantically swinging his sword around the training grounds. He still didn't understand why Yoon Jun-ho was chosen over him. He suddenly felt a surge of anger as his pent-up emotions resurfaced along with the bitter memories of the past.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

The words that I would not normally utter as a disciple of a prestigious master were not harsh under these circumstances. The road to kendo was long.

"This death penalty, this death penalty! "

At that moment, a voice as fresh as a spring breeze sounded in the distance. It was a voice like a spring breeze that instantly brightened his gloomy heart. The voice got closer and closer. It was a very cute and cheerful-looking girl, full of life. She was like a bud on the verge of bursting open, and it was clear that soon she would burst open, sending the fragrance of beauty everywhere. The girl was his sister-in-law, named Soo Kyung, and she was currently monopolizing the cuteness of the adults in the temple because of her cuteness.

She was currently preparing for this year's entrance exam for the Heavenly Martial Academy. However, none of the elders expected her to fail, as she had the best understanding of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique among her peers. As a fourth-year student, she was treated differently.

Before he knew it, the girl was at his side.

"The death penalty! Have you heard the news? "

"What news?"

"The delegation of the Volcano Covenant Branch of the Tianmu Academy has been selected!"

"Of course, if he doesn't get elected, who will!"

Yi Yun nodded happily. Cao Tianwu, also known as the Volcanic One, was Yi Yun's idol. He possessed the kind of willpower that would make any man fall in love with him, and his sword skills were unparalleled.

"And I heard that another Volcano Sect disciple was chosen……."

"Ho, are you buying chung?"

His eyes quickly filled with eagerness as he asked the question. He was referring to the volcano maiden Zheng Haiqing, who was also the object of his admiration in a different sense than Zhao Tianwu.

"No, I'm pretty sure I heard it was a man……."

Immediately, Lee's shoulders sagged. The disappointment on his face was blatant. If it had been the Zheng residence, he would have harbored the shallow hope that this time he might have gotten a glimpse of his face.

"But who?"

"I don't know, soon, we'll see."

But the enthusiasm and curiosity in his voice had long since faded. That's when I heard that the other candidate was a man, and that's when I realized that…….

But neither Lee Yong-man nor Soo-kyung could have imagined that the head of the other group would be Yoon Joon-ho, who had a reputation as a crybaby and a coward.

Huashan Lianhua Peak

Huashan Sect Great Hall of the Summer Palace (葉梅殿)

The twelve elders of the Volcanic Sect were now gathered in a meeting. The topic of the meeting was how to welcome a delegation from the Volcanic Society, who had just been informed that they would soon be entering Volcanic territory.

For the past hundred years, it has been firmly established that it is the job of the Volcanoes. The Volcanoes have always considered it an honor and have always performed it diligently, which is why they dare not neglect it this year.

The story of welcoming the delegation had already been told. What remained was a trivial matter that could have been dismissed as an old man's joke, but apparently they were more interested in it.

"But…, I'd like to see it."

He said, as if he were talking about something of no consequence.

"Sure. I'd love to see it."

As if in agreement, the swordmaster nodded. He was in the position of teaching swordsmanship to his students, and he was particularly interested in Taryu's methods. He was the one who was the most anxious about this, if not the least.

"umm……."

The emotions were spreading like paint on a calm lake. The composition of the delegation was piquing the interest of the elders.

A development in the case was that it was known that Binggong, one of the top swordsmen of the Heavenly Five Swords, was leading the delegation. As fellow travelers on the path of the sword, they were eager to sample his skills. The thought stuck in the back of their minds and refused to go away. It would be a lie to say that they had no such desire.

Once you were an elder of a sect, it was extremely rare for you to leave your temple unless there was a major event, which meant that you would be far removed from the news of the world. Even if a rumor of a powerful swordsman's arrival spreads throughout the country, the chance to see him with one's own eyes is a rare occurrence. Of course, since one of the old schools was famous for its sword gates, there were always a lot of people who wanted to show off their skills. However, most of them were just a bunch of fools, and only about one in a hundred of them had the right skills, which meant that the real thing was hard to find.

When you live long enough, the world becomes more and more boring and tedious than interesting. Moreover, after decades of living the same routine over and over again, no matter how dedicated you are to your practice, you are drowning in yawns and tears.

It's easy to get distracted by other things, and like a child, you start looking for excitement.

But it was the icing on the cake when that excitement was a sword master, the first ranked swordsman of the Five Great Swords.

Some of them had actually crossed swords with the ice sword once before, but none had managed to snatch victory from him. A disappointing defeat was the result.

You want to sample his sword skills, which are sure to be even more advanced. If you have the chance, you might as well take advantage of it. It was a lucrative business. Everyone in the room closed their eyes and nodded thoughtfully. They couldn't deny that it was tempting.

"Then, if there's no objection, I'll ask Ice Swordsmith Nosa to give us all a demonstration, so that we can improve our Volcano Sect's swordsmanship."

Despite his words, Zhang Mingyin's desire is purely for the ice sword. The elders nodded, as if they were in strong agreement with him.

"Well, I guess that settles it, then. And as for this delegation to the Volcano Covenant, I can't believe that Junho, that child, was chosen. It is considered a miracle that could not have happened without the care of the investigators."

Then one of the other elders said

"Yes, it's quite a feat for such a fragile child to accomplish such a great thing."

A sympathetic nod was returned. Zhang Ming's gaze drifted to one side. An old man was there, sleeping soundly with his eyes closed, but there was no anger in Zhang Ming's eyes. There was not a single person on this volcano who had a higher allotment than the old man sitting there sleeping soundly. Even if he looked like that, he was the highest-ranking member of the current Volcano Sect.

Of course, personally, I would have preferred him to take his nap at home, not in the conference room, but I couldn't force him to do so. In front of the old man, the long-winded man himself was just a cute child.

This old man was the highest peak of the Volcano Sword Sect, and the head of the Heavenly Five Sword Sect, the Plum Blossom Sword Sect.

That fact alone was enough to convince me.

It was in the midday sun that the old man, who seemed to be drifting off into dreamland, woke up.

"Now, are we done?"

The old man said in a quiet voice, as if he were still awake.

"It's done!"

One of the Twelve Elders replied.

'A most grateful luxury for a helpless old man like me. Don't you think so?"'

No one here was foolish enough to answer the question. The wise course of action was to pretend not to hear. He looked as if he was here to take a nap rather than to attend a meeting, but no one spoke up or challenged the old man. Everyone had gotten used to the old man's ramblings and antics.

"Well, I guess that brings us to the end of the story, so I'll let this old man go!"

There was no one here to stop the old man from going where he wanted to go, just as there was no one here to stop him from sleeping soundly. But that didn't mean that the old man was going to let his position and authority get the better of him. If he did, he would never have gotten to where he is today.

The only other time the old man had asked for a favor (almost an order) was two years ago, when he admitted Yun Junho to the Heavenly Martial Academy.

"Tae-sa-sook, where are you going? "

The sword elder stood up and asked, a gray-haired man with a seemingly insurmountable age gap who was called Taisasuk by the saintly sword elder.

"I'm going to go for a walk. I might be gone for a few days, so don't look for me."

It was unusual for him to be gone for days at a time, but Yuhuan's eyes didn't allow him to pry.

"Good luck with that!"

As good as the midday meeting room with its languid sunlight was, it was just as good to be outside the door with a panoramic view of the volcano. The cool breeze revitalized the old man's languid body. A smile tugged at the corners of the old man's mouth as he let himself be carried by the autumnal southerly breeze.

"I can't believe he made it this far."

Although he had been sleeping with his eyelids closed during the meeting, he had heard all that needed to be said, and when Yun Junho's story came up, the old man forgot his dignity and almost stood up to cheer. The work of Yoon Jun-ho, whom he adored, came as a surprise not only to Zhang Wen and the elders, but also to the old man himself.

When she left the volcano two years ago to go to the Astronomical Academy, she was a weak and timid child, and her personality probably caused her to be bullied a lot. I had long noticed that she had a natural talent, but her natural (?) weakness of being hypersensitive to plum blossoms was making her gem of a talent useless. Of course, her tender heart was also a major obstacle.

Imagine his surprise when, two years ago, he suddenly found himself in the Sword Fragrance Realm while swinging his sword. The old man doubted his eyes and nose, but the unique scent was unmistakable. It was on that day that Liu Huanqing decided to send Yun Jun to the Heavenly Martial Academy, even if it meant using force. He had been accused of unreasonable favoritism toward one child over another, and though he hadn't pointed a finger in front of him because of his position, he was familiar with the elders' complaints. But the old man was unyielding in his will and carried it through to the end. The elders had no choice but to comply.

It was thought that he would have a hard time at the Astronomical Academy due to his fragile nature, but somehow he managed to pass the difficult selection test for the Volcano Covenant Branch. It cleared the air of the suspicions that had been lingering under the surface (though not completely).

Despite the stares, the old man, who was fond of Yoon Jun-ho as if he were his own grandson, couldn't help but be impressed. The child had grown up to be a dignified (?) person and had handled all those suspicious glances.

"Maybe there's someone who wants to play with my toys.

A year ago today, his training had paid off, and he had realized an epiphany in his meditation with the sword. The past year had been spent organizing and refining that realization.

A year later, a book was written.

If the original transmission of martial arts is ranked 2, the master's teaching is ranked 8. Not only silk techniques, but also the core of techniques called the Five Elements, are mostly transmitted orally. If they were to be transcribed into books, even if there were ten books, it would be impossible to contain them all.

So why is there a need for scaling?

Humans are often good at forgetting things. Memorization is a tool for pulling skills and memories out of your head. Humans are animals of forgetfulness, so sometimes we have to go through the hassle of memorization, and just because we know something doesn't mean that others know it, so we create memorization to bridge the gap.

In other words, most martial arts cannot be taught by the untrained eye alone, even if they are called the most advanced martial arts. The best that can be conveyed in a non-ranked form is the Inner Gong Shen method. Otherwise, it was written by a genius who could put enlightenment into a sentence.

However, there are many useful things to be said for non-graders. Especially if you already have some sort of organizational foundation, a theory book that is an extension of the teachings can help you immeasurably. After all, it's a lifetime of realizations. You can't just pass it on to anyone. You have to be a vessel first.

But when I wrote the word "secretary" and looked around, there was no one to pass it on to. The master was too old. So were the elders of his class. He wanted to pass it on to the younger ones, but not just anyone could see it and be enlightened, and it was impossible for him to pass it on by himself. So he had a pure desire to have a successor of his own, not just a master's successor. Raising his head and looking up, he saw that the autumn sky was still high and blue, the clouds were white, the sun was warm, and the wind was free.

"Let's see how far we've come, shall we?"

The old man, who was well over a hundred and twenty years old, suddenly felt like an adolescent boy in his first love. He felt very cheerful and his heart was pounding with anticipation. Smiling from the bottom of his heart, the old man walked to where he needed to go and where he wanted to go. As if he were practicing voodoo, the old man's body instantly moved away from the upper palace and descended steadily downward. He seemed to be in a hurry.

Hua'yin County, Shaanxi Province.

It is the location of the Huashan Mountain, one of the Zhongyuan Five Mountains.

The great city of Shijin, which actually cast the shadow of the volcano morning and evening, was the largest town before it reached the volcano. It had no walls, but it grew in the shadow of the volcanic waves and was as big as a castle.

After the big fight in Lightning Valley, they were able to make it here without much hindrance. The wounded slowed them down a bit, but not enough to disrupt their schedule. From here on out, the Volcanic Faction's attention was all over the place, and not even the Tendrils or the Black Islanders would be able to find them without a second glance.

The delegation from the Tianmu Academy, led by Zhao Tianwu, stood in front of the town's largest drinking vessel, labeled the Plum Blossom Drinking Cup.

"This is it."

"Mmm, good job."

Binggum nodded in satisfaction. The place where they were supposed to stay had been found by Zhao Tianwu, who knew the geography like the back of his hand.

Who owns the biggest batting cage in the city, right in front of the Volcanic Sect? Probably a hundred of them, all belonging to disciples of the Volcano Sect. Or had a direct relationship with them.

This was not the only place. Wherever the other great schools were located, the same was true: the largest interest groups in the villages closest to the schools had ties to them. In some cases, it was not only the guest houses, but also the fiefdoms, jurisdictions, and even the guilty parties.

They are favored by the priests, and their power and might grow. How dare the backstreet torpedo boats poke fun at them and demand payment, unless they had three or four lives to spare, which was absurd.

In the corner of the old-fashioned sign, I saw a small plum blossom, the symbol of the Volcano Sect. It was a symbol that meant the place was under the protection of the Volcano Sect. Of course, with a name like Plum Blossom, it's easy to see how they could be advertising their ties to the Volcano Sect.

The owner was, as it turned out, a favored disciple of the Volcano Sect. It was a direct example of the importance of connections and background in getting ahead in the world.

"Let's go in! "

Binggum said. They were going to stay here for a few days.

"Welcome. Welcome to the best place on the volcano, and we're always working hard to make your stay as comfortable as possible."

They are just about to step inside when the governor, realizing they are an unusual group, rushes out to greet them. I realized that my introduction was a bit long because of my professionalism.

"Where are you from?"

After a long introduction, he seemed to remember that he had left his guests outside all this time.

"From the place where swords and dragons dance!"

The sword dragon was the symbol of the Heavenly Martial Academy. The Chancellor's eyes widened to the size of lanterns at Bing'er's answer. Then, in a trembling voice, he asked again.

"Where do you want to go now? "

Without hesitation, Binggum replied again.

"Where the plum blossom never fades! "

"Now, wait a moment, I'll be right back with my master, but please go inside."

When the question was answered, the governor turned and ran back inside, shouting loudly enough to be heard outside. It was clear that the message from the volcanic faction had already gotten through.

"We're closed for the day. Please send all remaining customers home!"

And then he dashed up the stairs to the second floor, shouting, "I'm sorry.

"Light your lanterns in unison. The guest of honor has arrived. Come, all of you, and receive him with open arms!"

The ice-blade-wielding delegation was ushered inside with unenviable fanfare. The diners, many of whom didn't even understand English, were forced to leave their seats after being politely apologized to. Here and there, grumblings erupted, but they were soon silenced when they were told that they would not have to pay for their food as an apology. The same was true of the guests chained to their respective rooms; soon the nearest one was found, and their luggage was carried in unison to it. But they, too, swallowed their grumbles when they were told they would not have to pay for their stay.

Soon the doors were closed and a "closed for business" sign was put up. Passersby looked at the sign and scratched their heads. At 12 o'clock, day and night were forgotten, and it was strange to see a 'closed' sign on the plum blossom cup, which was open on holidays along with the sun and moon.

A few curious people approached the plum goblet, but were politely shooed away without hearing a word about its contents.

The other representatives of the Heavenly Martial Academy all headed for the dining hall, but Mo Yonghui's first stop was the bathhouse. Perhaps he couldn't stand the dirt that had accumulated on his body over the years, but he was so neat and clean that even the casual observer would wonder if this was the same man who had been traveling for so long. His favorite white robe was not even worn, no matter how much harmony it contained. It was a mystery, but no one wanted to know about it.

Soon, rows and rows of wild seafood were brought to their table. Alcohol was served. Binggum and Yindo had allowed themselves to drink, at least for today. Yin's eyes lit up as he looked at the row upon row of liquor. It was clear that the alcohol bug he had been starving for was stirring in his stomach.

The celebration of the volcano's arrival lasted long into the night.

After filling their stomachs with fatty food and washing off the grime in a warm bath, the delegates, including Bi Ryuyeon, were able to sleep on plush beds. As the night wore on and the moon waxed fuller and fuller, the fatigue melted away into the fluffy blankets.

The next day!

Bi Ryuyeon decided to go on an outing. When she heard the plan, she realized that they weren't scheduled to leave until tomorrow, so she decided to explore the town. Her first priority was to attract Na Yerin. Perhaps because she felt that she owed him a favor, she readily accepted his proposal. It was the envy of all the male guandao. When Na Yerin announced that she was going, Dokgo Ling, who had heard of her unexpected decision, stepped in as her chaperone. Intrigued, Eunseulan joined them. When the three of them gathered, their beauty brightened the surroundings like a golden haze.

Jang Hong, Mo Yonghui, Nam Gung Sang, and Yun Junho joined us on this lucky outing, and Hyo-ryong was also there. However, he hasn't spoken much since that day. It doesn't seem to affect his daily life, but he's completely unfit to be a conversationalist. His hair was still unruly and untied, and his beard had grown unkempt, but he hadn't bothered to trim it, and it was very unkempt indeed. It was a shame, because the vigor of his former self was nowhere to be found. The only thing that stood out was the sharp, thunderbolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

And there was always a binary theory attached to it. Of course, it was the same now. It was the height of sincerity.

I wasn't the only one worried about Eunsulan, but I didn't let it show. Today, I decided to forget about it and have fun. It would be a nice change of pace for Hyo-ryong, too. It had been a long time since they'd seen such a bustling city after their journey to the volcano.

Eunsulan and Na Yerin covered half their faces with cotton thread to avoid the expected uproar. But there was no way their innately radiant grace could be concealed by such a thin strip of fabric. Still, they had no choice, as the worst could be avoided.

In addition, although they didn't realize it, Dokgo-ryong and Lee Jin-sul were also very beautiful, and their unadorned beauty was enough to attract people's attention. Therefore, it was inevitable that they would attract attention whenever they walked down the street. It seemed to be their destiny to be followed.

Many turned back and chased after them, stealing glances at them again and again, but none dared to be distracted by the terrifying frosty fury of one of them, the One-Eyed Fairy.