Book 12 Chapter 19

Junho Yoon vs. Maehwa-myeon (梅花假面)

"It's been a long time since I've had the pleasure of sampling a sword in such splendor."

Binggum admired.

"Definitely!"

Yeomdo snapped back.

After their fight with the Thunderbolt Siblings, their dedication to martial arts had become even more intense. They realized that their current skills were insufficient.

"You must be a shy old man, wooing me with a mask that hides your face."

Ryu-yeon watched for a moment, then said something in a tone of incredulity.

"Well, maybe you're right, he hasn't been like that for a long time."

The skeptical old man said, as if he'd known her for years.

"Is that so?"

"That's right! "

After looking at the old man for a moment, Bi Ryuyeon made a 'mmmm…….' sound and turned her attention back to the two of them.

At first, he tried to strike with his sword, but his opponent took it lightly. Feeling that his speed was not enough to overpower his opponent, Yun Jun-ho began to attack the masked man again with his fast-paced herbivorous style. However, the mesh-like sword shield left no room for his herbivorous style to penetrate. Faced with such a thorough defense, Yun Jun-ho despaired and gave up attacking with his herbivorous style. Next, he tried to attack his opponent with strength-oriented herbs, but it was too much for him.

Seven seconds had already passed without warning. With each passing second, the masked man easily absorbed Yun Jun's sword technique. The masked man's sword technique as he shed Yun Jun's sword essence was astonishingly beautiful.

No matter how many different ways Yun Jun attacked, Tae San stood his ground and didn't even flinch. It was so natural that he had the absurd notion that he could close his eyes and still block Yun Jun's sword. Yun Junho was gritting his teeth with every slash, but it was too much.

The difference between the two was clear.

"You're at a disadvantage, aren't you?"

"I suppose."

The old man tapped the ground with his cane in response to Bi Ryuyeon's comment.

"That's so uncharacteristically aggressive of him, a man of integrity and timidity trying to win with a dirty trick…, tsk tsk!"

Yun Junho seemed to be swinging his sword quite desperately, but he was unable to break through the masked man's dense sword formation. Moreover, his attacks were too scattered, with no single focus.

"Are you sure you don't want to lose?"

This time it was the older man who asked. Bi Ryuyeon shook her head.

"Not yet, not yet, not yet, not yet."

"Ho-ho, you're not using power? "

"Right."

"But why? He doesn't look like the kind of young man who would belittle his opponent……."

As the old man said, people who look down on their opponents don't lunge at them through clenched teeth like that. At that, Bi Ryuyeon replied in a deep voice.

"I put myself down more often than my opponents, and I'm pretty much a master at devaluing myself."

"Then why? That masked man is not an opponent you can beat while conserving power. Of course, you can't really win if you use all your power, but you can win this match, so why don't you use all your power?"

To which she replied, "Of course.

"It's not that they don't use power, they just can't."

"Hey, hey, timid Junho, if you want to win, bring back your senses!"

Bi Ryuyeon, who had been watching silently until now, shouted out and advised.

'The sense of it!'

He was referring to the very day that Yun Junho himself had fought and won against the dreaded Twelve Blood Horsemen who had been tracking Yi Song.

'The sense of it, the sense of it, the sense of it…….'

That day, he swung his sword in a trance, oblivious to his fatal weakness. Yun Jun-ho spun his head with all his might, trying to recall the sensations of that life-threatening moment, but there was one fatal problem.

"But what was that feeling like?

He tried to think back, tried to recall, tried to reconstruct, but no matter how hard he squeezed the threads of his memory, not a single drop came out. His memory was still a blank, white page with no words written on it.

"Gee…, I don't remember, what should I do?"

As he cried out in his Volmen voice, Yun Junho looked back at Bi Ryuyeon with a panicked expression on his face. She immediately covered her face with her left hand and looked up at the sky. Her head was throbbing, but she decided to ignore it.

"Your stupid head may not remember, but your body does, so believe in yourself! If you don't have that much courage, what are you carrying that blue steel sword for? I'll cut it in two and fuck you right now!"

Bi Ryuyeon's healing methods were relentless enough to overcome Yoon Jun-ho's indecision.

'Your head doesn't remember, but your body does?

I didn't have time to be constantly distracted.

Bang, bang, bang!

The enemy was still attacking. Yun Junho decided to take the risk of trusting Bi Ryuyeon for now. This decision was quite reckless, but his courage was commendable. Even if he didn't know it himself.

But he couldn't recall a single time that she had ever lied to him; his problem was that she always spewed out the truth as she saw it, with no filter.

"What, you're telling me you were only good enough for this?"

The masked man scolded Yoon Jun-ho, treating him like a child. I had nothing to say in response, and I felt unbearably embarrassed.

"Was a volcanic sword really this bad?"

No matter how timid and tenderhearted Yun Junho was, he couldn't stand to hear a monk insult him.

"It is my personal responsibility to be insensitive. Do not insult the sword of the volcano. The sword of the volcano is infinite."

Yun Junho fixed his gaze on the masked man again, and gripped his longsword with a force that threatened to twist it.

"Then prove it to me, or you will die by my hand!"

A terrifying killing light exploded from the masked man's eyes, piercing his entire body.

Live pure and dense!

In an instant, Yun was sure - it was like an absolute premonition.

'I'm dying!'

Suddenly, my vision went black, as if I was surrounded by darkness. His mind went blank and he couldn't think of anything. His death was a foregone conclusion, and no amount of struggling would help.

At that moment, the most primal desire, buried firmly in the depths of his heart, opened his eyes. It was the pure struggle of life to live.

"Ha!"

At the same time, a brilliant red sword qi burst out from the tip of his blue steel sword like a firecracker, causing hundreds of red plum blossoms to burst into colorful bloom. The faint fragrance of plum blossoms filled the air.

"That…, that's the Sword Fragrance Realm! "

As an elder of the Volcano Sect, Yang Yuzhong was well aware of how amazing the cultivation that Yun Jun had just displayed in a brief vision was for someone of his age. The elders were all in awe as well.

Overwhelmed by Yun Jun's red sword energy, the masked man let his longsword fall to the ground. His faded purple robes were tattered here and there, like a rag. Just now, Yun Junho's sword had accomplished this feat. However, the fact that his skin remained unscathed after receiving such a tremendous sword Qi from the front was an eloquent testament to the high level of the masked man's swordsmanship.

And Yun Junho stared at the masked man in astonishment. The trick that he had just used to block the blow of his own conversion had been an unforgettable experience for him.

"Plum blossom net!

It was the strongest defensive formation in the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique, an unforgettable formation that he had personally taught himself dozens of times. There was no mistaking this ingenious formula.

After freezing for a moment, Yun Junho quickly retrieved his sword and prostrated himself before the masked man. He placed his hands in front of him and touched his forehead to the ground in a bowing gesture. Then, in a raspy voice, he shouted, before his opponent had a chance to stop him.

"Yun Jun-ho, a Buddhist monk of the Volcano School! I bow down to Master Samga!"

Her eyes reddened and tears fell to the ground.

Not surprisingly, the volcanic faction was in a frenzy, and there were gasps of disbelief everywhere.

'Of course!' Zhang Wenyin raised his eyebrows in disbelief, while the elders rebuked Yun Jun for his carelessness. Still, the excitement amongst the Hua Shan Sect disciples, the delegates from the Heavenly Martial Academy, the Zhong Yuan and Zhong Yang Clans, and the other onlookers was not about to subside.

Especially Yoon Joon-ho, who was now in a state of panic that he didn't care if his jaw fell off or not.

'Uh…, how did he get to…….'

The words that would follow, "You mean you have an amazing martial art? I can't believe it!" never made it to the end because of the trauma. Even though he had watched the whole thing with his own piercing eyes, he still couldn't believe it. He couldn't take his eyes off Yun Junho. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that he was staring at him like he was going to eat him.

"That crybaby jerk……."

This was Lee Yi-young, who had once called him a crybaby and an idiot at the volcano. He was the one who took the lead in bullying Yoon Joon-ho.

How nasty he was, screaming, "You're the shame of a volcano!

But he was now a delegate of the Volcanic Society, and he had returned to gold, and he was still a shooter who had failed to enter the Heavenly Academy for the third time. When he thought of that, he felt very sorry for himself.

The position had been completely reversed in an instant. Now, as the representative of the White Sword Martial Clan, there was no death penalty for anyone to disrespect him. From a crybaby and a fool, a disgrace to the Hua Shan, Yun Junho had been transformed into an object of envy.

The veins in my legs felt like they were about to explode. If he made a mistake, he could have fallen to the floor in a heap. The corners of his mouth twitched.

"Hot, ha…, hot, ha……."

A muffled chuckle escaped through his gaping teeth. The teased crybaby of the past had now reached a higher plane that he dared not transgress. No longer was he the crybaby he used to be, which meant that no one could tease or bully him anymore. No, he was now in a dangerous situation where he might have to pay the price for the many terrible things he had done in the past.

The title of head of the Volcanic Sect was heavy. So much so that even a nameless disciple of the Volcanic Sect wouldn't dare to look up…….

Moreover, Yun Jun had proven himself to be more than adequate as a representative of the Volcano Sect in front of so many eyes. Now, none of the Volcano Sect's disciples would be able to dispute his selection.

Suddenly, Yi Yun could feel the words "Shangjing Wall Sea" in his bones. He could feel his entire body's strength draining away. He felt dizzy. A feeling of emptiness and helplessness enveloped my entire body. He couldn't feel anything, just an endless void that consumed his mind and body.

I've never felt so utterly humble.

In a different sense, Suo Jing was admiring the timid little executioner. This was the frail Yun Jun-ho, who had been the object of ridicule by the other executioners, not only by the executioners but also by the priests who had come in late. At a time when everyone else was bullying him and making fun of him, she didn't treat him harshly, but rather treated him warmly and kept saying words of encouragement.

To be honest, I was very surprised when he was accepted into the Tianmu Academy (almost as an augur of the Taisabu), but that didn't compare to the wonder I feel now. All of a sudden, Yun Junho, who was once a lonely and helpless little bird, is now a majestic hawk, soaring through the sky with his huge wings.

A feeling of joy and satisfaction crossed my mind.

'Congratulations, Yun Shixing!

She congratulated him from the bottom of her heart. It was a great deal of fun for her to hear the dumbfounded faces and astonishment of the other condemned men.

'I must not neglect my training and pass this time, and then I will be able to live with the death penalty!'

She made a mental note to herself. It was a thought worthy of an 18-year-old girl at the peak of her sensitivity, and it made her feel more motivated than ever.

"Hmmm…, nope……."

The masked man was obviously very embarrassed by Yun Jun's sudden behavior. Even from a distance, the embarrassment was evident, but Bi Ryuyeon couldn't help but notice the pearly whites of the masked man's wrinkled eyes sparkling momentarily in the sunlight.

Finally, the masked man spoke, his eyes filled with compassion.

"Look up. I can't see your face."

Yun Junho looked up, his face already a mess from the constant stream of tears.

"That's a lot of growth."

"Go…, thank you. Master Taisabu!"

Yun Junho bowed deeply in emotion again. Plum Blossom's embarrassment was palpable.

"Mu…, what are you talking about? I'm just a plum blossom face, a mere mask of mystery. There is no reason for you to be called Master T'ai Chi. You are mistaken. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Master!"

Junho Yoon replied vigorously.

"You're not understanding me at all! "

The masked man pounded his chest in frustration. Nothing good would come of staying here.

"Did I do something wrong, Master Tathagata? "

It was Yoon Jun-ho, who steadfastly adds 'Tae-sa-boonim' to the end of every word.

"Uh-huh, no! I know someone who does…, and your knees are going to hurt, so get up now."

Moving closer to Yun Jun-ho, the masked man patted his shoulder affectionately with his right hand and spoke softly. However, no one noticed that at the same time, his other left hand moved into Yoon Jun-ho's embrace with such speed that the pickpocket cried. Even Yun Jun-ho himself could tell how swift it was because he felt a foreign sensation in his arms a moment later.

"This…, this is……."

Yoon Jun-ho started to say something, but Bokmyeon stopped him. He told him not to say anything and to stay quiet. A single note rang in Yun Junho's ears, and his eyes widened.

As a Huashan Sect disciple and a kendo practitioner, it was a fortuitous connection.

"That…, something so valuable……. I can't take it!"

But the masked man didn't give him a chance to say no.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Don't forget what I said earlier. Now get back to work. Goodbye!"

The shy old man, who called himself Plum Blossom Cotton, disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared. It was truly a mysterious trick. Even after Plum Blossom Face had completely disappeared, people remained for a long time with their gazes fixed on the direction he had gone. Yun Che stared in that direction for a long time before bowing deeply.

And he said quietly.

"Thank you."

"What a terrible friend. Lord Zhang, I'm off to meet an old friend for a drink. We'll have to leave those friends for another time. May your country prosper to the age of ten thousand. Farewell."

Without so much as a farewell, the old man leapt into the air and chased after the masked plum blossom, his new model soon disappearing into the shadows of dusk.

"Oops, it's gone."

Bi Ryuyeon shouted. She had lost her chance to find out who the man was.

"Gone, but I'll see you again. Maybe!"

The words of the old man with the ash-colored hair were spoken with such conviction that everyone felt as if they were about to become an unshakable fact.

There was silence again.

Yun Zun-ho still hadn't bothered to unfold it, bowing deeply at the waist in the direction the masked man had disappeared. Now he realized that no matter what he did, he could never repay Master Taisa's grace.

His shadow began to lengthen, like an earth spider.

"Hey…, is that…, is that…, is that……?"

Binggum tried to hit Luck first, but Yang Yujung stole the player.

"Well, then, Guan Nao, I have an urgent matter to attend to, so myself and the disciples of the Volcano Sect must now return. We had hoped to share a drink with Mr. Guan and discuss swords, but it seems we were not meant to meet today. It's a shame, but we'll have to wait for another time."

Yang Yuzhong's words were full of sincerity. That was why his disappointment was so great. However, Yang Yuzhong didn't have the courage to enter the room with them and look into the faces of Ice Sword and Yin Dao. He and the elders wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Of course, their restlessness was only increasing people's suspicions, but in their impatience, they didn't have time to think about it.

"That…, sure."

The strange behavior and awkward silence struck me as odd, but there was a sense of urgency that I didn't dare resist.

"I will join all the disciples of the Volcano Sect in wishing you a long and prosperous future. Then!"

Unable to finish his sentence, Yang Yuzhong turned around and hurried out of the hall like a man with a bad back. Like a criminal fleeing from the gates of Poyamun (捕盜衙門)!

It was probably because he was so afraid to sit down with Binggum Yidao and bring up the subject of the plum-cloaked man.

In the midst of all this, the confrontation between Zhongyuan and Zhongyang was completely forgotten.