Heavenly Demon of Mount Hua

Chapter 32

—–CROW—– 

The annihilation of the Hegemon Clan the previous night.

Its repercussions were substantial.

It was an inevitable consequence, in a way.

A clan wielding absolute power in Xianyang County had been annihilated overnight.

However, the Hegemon Clan’s annihilation had a greater impact on the martial world than anticipated.

First, the clans that had been suppressed by the Hegemon Clan’s influence began to emerge.

Not only did they emerge, but they also fought amongst themselves to seize the Hegemon Clan’s former territories and businesses.

Like wolves rampaging after the death of the tiger that ruled the mountain.

Furthermore, clans and trading companies near Xianyang County also began to covet the Hegemon Clan’s former holdings.

Small and medium-sized clans belonging to the Heavenly Might Alliance.

Clans and bandits under the Hegemon Clan.

Even clans belonging to the Martial Alliance.

Xianyang County became a chaotic mess as they flocked to the area and fought for dominance.

And the one responsible for this chaotic situation was relaxing peacefully at the Swift Wind Trading Company.

“Yawn.”

Cheon-hwi was lazing around on a bed in a separate annex that Go Gye-yeong had prepared for him, like a carefree idler.

Burying himself in the soft bedding, a stark contrast to the hard floor of his hut, he muttered with a languid expression,

“I’m bored.”

It had already been ten days since he arrived at the Swift Wind Trading Company.

During that time, he had simply been eating, sleeping, and cultivating his internal energy twice a day.

Of course, it had been great at first.

He could eat to his heart’s content and lie down on a soft bed.

But that novelty wore off after a few days.

After ten days, he was starting to get tired of it.

Whoosh—

Unable to bear the boredom any longer, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his robes.

“I need some fresh air.”

He left his room for the first time outside of meal times and strolled down the long corridor.

“Oh dear.”

He bumped into Go Gye-yeong and Yeon Su-ran, who were hurrying somewhere.

Startled by the sudden encounter, they greeted him.

“It’s been a while, benefactor.”

“It’s good to see you, benefactor.”

Cheon-hwi looked at them.

Go Gye-yeong was beaming, seemingly happy to see him.

On the other hand, Yeon Su-ran was forcing a smile, which looked stiff and uncomfortable.

As if she were frightened.

Cheon-hwi, seemingly accustomed to their contrasting reactions, casually greeted them,

“It’s been a while.”

Go Gye-yeong’s eyes widened at Cheon-hwi’s greeting, and he smiled even wider.

“Hahaha, to see you outside during non-meal hours… Did something happen?”

Go Gye-yeong asked cautiously in a low voice, as if afraid someone might overhear, and Cheon-hwi replied indifferently,

“I’m just bored.”

“Hahaha, then I’ll have a servant accompany…”

“No, it’s fine.”

Cheon-hwi firmly declined and looked at Go Gye-yeong’s face.

He had changed again in the past two days.

‘He was friendly before, but not to this extent.’

He had started changing after the news of the Hegemon Clan’s annihilation.

Back then, he had been wary of Cheon-hwi, like Yeon Su-ran, but after a certain point, he had become overly friendly and hospitable.

“Father.”

Yeon Su-ran called out to Go Gye-yeong.

“We don’t have time.”

“Ah! That’s right!”

Go Gye-yeong, remembering why they were in a hurry, bowed to Cheon-hwi again.

“I apologize, but I have a prior engagement.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Cheon-hwi replied indifferently, but Go Gye-yeong maintained his smile and spoke,

“If you need any assistance or funds from our trading company, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

Go Gye-yeong said his final words and left, Yeon Su-ran following close behind.

Bow—

Cheon-hwi watched Yeon Su-ran, who had been nervously greeting him, disappear, and stroked his chin.

‘Assistance or funds… Hmm. Might be useful later.’

He pondered the distant future and resumed walking.

Hah! Hah!

Faint shouts mixed with small voices reached his ears.

‘Those voices…’

As if possessed, he turned towards the source of the sound.

After walking for a while.

He saw Jeok-geom and Seol-ran shouting at the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen while teaching them sword techniques.

“Focus! How can you counterattack if you lose sight of your opponent’s sword tip?!”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“Yes!”

Jeok-geom was teaching Jeok-un and Jeok-jae, while Seol-ran, watching Jeok-bi swing his sword, shouted,

“Senior Brother Jeok-bi! I told you to pay attention to your footwork before swinging your sword!”

“Hahaha, it sounded easy when you said it… but it’s quite confusing when I actually try it.”

Seol-ran sighed and covered her face with her hand at Jeok-bi’s embarrassed expression.

“Sigh, that’s why I…”

Cheon-hwi approached them, watching Seol-ran scold Jeok-bi.

“What are you doing?”

“…!”

The five Plum Blossom Swordsmen flinched.

“Senior Disciple?”

“What brings Senior Disciple here…?”

As Seol-ran and Jeok-geom were about to ask in surprise, Cheon-hwi repeated his question,

“What are you doing?”

Sensing the chilling atmosphere, they quickly straightened their postures, their hands at their sides.  Standing as stiff as boards, they replied quickly,

“We were teaching martial arts!”

“We were instructing them in martial arts.”

Cheon-hwi narrowed his eyes, staring at the two sweating profusely.

“What? Teaching martial arts?”

Cheon-hwi looked at Jeok-geom and Seol-ran with a dumbfounded expression and said,

“You’re.”

He paused and shifted his gaze to the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen, then continued,

“Teaching them?”

“Yes, but…”

“My fellow disciples asked me to teach them…”

Their voices trailed off, their expressions dejected, at Cheon-hwi’s incredulous reaction.

Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue.

“The world is ending. You guys are teaching someone…”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran’s faces darkened, as if they had been stabbed in the heart.

“Junior Sister and Senior Brother’s help was immense.”

“It was very helpful.”

“I’m so foolish that I couldn’t even comprehend Junior Sister’s teachings.”

The other Plum Blossom Swordsmen spoke hurriedly, seeing their dejected expressions.

“Everyone…”

“Senior Brothers…”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran’s faces brightened at their comforting words, and the gloomy atmosphere surrounding them gradually dissipated.

A heartwarming scene.

But only for them.

‘What are they doing?’

Cheon-hwi felt nothing.

He simply looked at them with a condescending gaze, then a mischievous thought crossed his mind.

‘I’m bored anyway. This is perfect.’

He immediately put his thought into action.

“How about I teach them instead?”

“…!”

“Gasp!”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran froze.

“Really?”

“Please!”

“You’ll teach us, Senior Disciple?”

On the other hand, the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen’s eyes sparkled.

“Why?  Don’t you want me to?”

The three shook their heads vigorously.

“No!”

“Of course not.”

“We’d be grateful.”

The three Plum Blossom Swordsmen, speaking energetically, looked ecstatic.

They had previously dismissed Cheon-hwi as just a young senior disciple, but not anymore.

The divine power he displayed while saving the Swift Wind Trading Company.

And the annihilation of the Hegemon Clan.

To them, Cheon-hwi was not only their senior disciple but also someone they deeply respected.

And he was offering to teach them personally?

It was an opportunity they couldn’t miss.

Overjoyed, they bowed to Cheon-hwi simultaneously and exclaimed,

“Thank you!”

Cheon-hwi ignored their gratitude and lifted his sheathed sword.

“Good. Then let’s start with you.”

He pointed the sheath at Jeok-un.

“Come here.”

“Yes!”

“Attack me with all your might.  I’ll be your opponent.”

Jeok-un looked perplexed.

“Weren’t you going to teach us martial arts?”

“I need to know what you’ve learned before I can do anything.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Cheon-hwi glared at Jeok-un, who was weakly emitting internal energy, and added,

“I said with all your might.”

“With all my might? Are you sure?”

Cheon-hwi chuckled, sensing Jeok-un’s hesitation.

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll be defeated by your martial arts?”

“W-Well…”

Jeok-un flinched and trailed off, seemingly hit a nerve, and Cheon-hwi said firmly,

“That will never happen, so stop talking nonsense and focus your internal energy.”

“A-Alright.”

Jeok-un, with a tense expression, raised his sword and focused his internal energy.

Emitting a completely different aura from before, he executed the Nine Palaces Steps and the Thousand Rivers Sword Technique, his strongest techniques.

Whoosh— Whoosh—

His Nine Palaces Steps were flawless, controlling the space around him.

Then, he executed the Thousand Rivers Sword Technique.

Form, power, internal energy control, everything was perfect, unlike when he fought the Hegemon Clan disciples.

“What? You can actually use martial arts properly?”

Cheon-hwi took half a step back as Jeok-un approached and executed a swift kick.

Thump!

The sheath, seemingly moving on its own, struck Jeok-un’s left flank.

Crack!

“Aaagh!”

Jeok-un screamed as something cracked, and his waist buckled.

Slide—

Dropping his sword in pain, Jeok-un clutched his side and fell to his knees.

“My b-bones…”

Cheon-hwi looked down at Jeok-un, writhing in pain, and spoke,

“And yet, you couldn’t even execute this properly in actual combat, struggling against those weaklings?”

Jeok-un’s shoulders trembled.

“You’re pathetic.”

Cheon-hwi averted his gaze and turned to Jeok-jae and Jeok-bi, who were still in shock.

“Both of you, come at me at once.”

Jeok-jae and Jeok-bi flinched.

But they soon took deep breaths, calmed themselves, and charged at Cheon-hwi.

A moment later.

“…”

The three Plum Blossom Swordsmen lay sprawled on the ground, defeated with a single blow.

Cheon-hwi, standing before them, spoke,

“Next.”

When he received no answer, Cheon-hwi frowned and raised his head.  He glared at Jeok-geom and Seol-ran.

“What are you waiting for?”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran, sensing his gaze, flinched and pointed at themselves with trembling fingers.

“…Us?”

“Y-You mean us too?”

Cheon-hwi’s gaze grew colder.

“You don’t want to?”

They shook their heads vigorously.

“N-No.”

“No!”

Cheon-hwi slung the sheath over his shoulder and spoke, watching their frantic headshakes.

“At least you two were better than those three.  You managed to maintain your composure in actual combat.”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran’s faces brightened at Cheon-hwi’s unexpected praise.

But their joy was shattered by his next words.

“But isn’t that pathetic for someone who’s been learning from me for five years?”

Although he didn’t show it, Cheon-hwi was slightly annoyed.

How many times had he taught them martial arts while they were serving him?

And yet, they were struggling against those weaklings?

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran broke out in a cold sweat.

“W-Well…”

“It was our first real combat experience…”

“Nonsense. Do you think such excuses will work in a life-or-death battle? Your head would be rolling on the ground before you could even finish your sentence.”

They felt their breath catch in their throats and swallowed their words at his sharp rebuke.

Cheon-hwi then drove the point home,

“Have I been going easy on you lately?”

Jeok-geom and Seol-ran’s faces paled.

Their minds went blank as they recalled Cheon-hwi’s teachings, which they had momentarily forgotten.

“N-No!”

“That’s not…”

“No, you must have been comfortable. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have struggled against them after I taught you…”

Cheon-hwi’s aura suddenly shifted.

The two turned pale, facing an overwhelming presence, completely different from when he was teaching the other three.

“So, I’ll teach you properly this time so that this doesn’t happen again.”

Cheon-hwi emphasized the word “properly,” and a powerful energy exploded from him.

“Block this.”

Realizing it was too late to talk, Jeok-geom and Seol-ran hurriedly focused their internal energy and raised their swords.

But despite their resistance, only the sounds of beating and screaming filled the air.

Thwack! Thwack!

“Aaagh!”

“Tsk, you can’t even dodge this?”

“Please be gentle…”

“What? Gentle? Why don’t you ask your enemies to be gentle next time?”

“B-But it’s too fast!”

“Too fast? You’re too slow.”

Cheon-hwi retorted and relentlessly swung his sheath, venting his frustration.

And his sheath wasn’t only directed at the two of them.

“Ugh!”

“S-Senior Disciple! We…”

“Get up if you’re awake.”

Cheon-hwi pressed his sheath against the pressure points of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen who were pretending to be unconscious.

“Aaagh!”

“S-Spare me…”

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you.”

Half an hour after Cheon-hwi’s beating disguised as martial arts training began.

“Groan—”

“Please stop…”

“Senior… Disciple.”

“…”

“Please…”

Cheon-hwi looked at the five trembling on the ground and lowered his sheath.

“Whining after just this much. I should tell the Sect Leader to choose new Plum Blossom Swordsmen.”

He muttered words that would have enraged them if they were fully conscious, then dusted off his hands and nudged them with his sheath.

“If you don’t get up by the count of three…”

Instantly sensing a life-threatening aura, the five jumped up convulsively.

“W-We’re up!”

He smirked at them.

“Seeing you get up so quickly, I guess you’re still fine. Then I’ll go harder.”

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen, regaining their senses, turned pale as they looked at Cheon-hwi.

But Cheon-hwi, ignoring their terrified expressions, added,

“So, let’s get beaten… I mean, let’s train some more. Shall we?”

“N-No.”

“We’ve had enough…”

“No, not yet.”

As Cheon-hwi, looking slightly relieved, raised his sheath again, the Plum Blossom Swordsmen waved their hands in protest, but…

The sheath was already swinging.

Thwack! Thwack!

“Aaagh!”

Cheon-hwi’s beating, disguised as training, resumed, and the sounds of impacts and screams filled the Swift Wind Trading Company.

Sweep—

And in the distance, someone was secretly watching them.

—–CROW—– 

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