Chapter 52

"The Plum Blossom Sword Method, you see, is a unique sword method of the Mount Hua Sect, said to have been created by modeling the shape of plum blossoms scattering in the wind. The history of the Plum Blossom Sword Method is so famous and old that it is said to be no different from the history of the Mount Hua Sect. It consists of a total of 36 sections, 72 forms, and 864 variations, and from it, numerous branches of derivative sword methods have been created and researched. But there is still no story of anyone having seen the end of this Plum Blossom Sword Method. Throughout the history of the Mount Hua Sect, numerous sword masters have been continuously produced, but no one has ever proudly said that they have seen the end of the Plum Blossom Sword. That's how abstruse and profound a sword method it is.

This is my speculation, but I suspect that the Mount Hua Sect has another Plum Blossom Sword that is secretly passed down only to them, in addition to the generally known Plum Blossom Sword Method known to the Jianghu Murim. With only the currently known Plum Blossom Sword Method, it is far too insufficient to break the pride of the past swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect. There are many advanced and improved sword and palm methods that have inherited and developed this Plum Blossom Sword Method in the Mount Hua Sect.

Those are now the strength, pillar, and foundation that support the Mount Hua Sect. For example, things like Plum Blossom Mountain Water or Falling Flower Palm. All of these are techniques and palm methods created based on the martial principles of the Plum Blossom Sword Method. That's why everyone usually thinks of the Plum Blossom Sword Method when they think of the Mount Hua Sect. It's no exaggeration to say that it's the mother of the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts ultimate techniques. You have a truly amazing talent for astonishing people in many ways, not knowing the Plum Blossom Sword Method of the Mount Hua Sect that even a three-year-old snot-nosed kid knows. It's just amazing and strange. Truly amazing!"

"Haha, what's there to be so strange about? It's just because this body is so outstanding. By the way, you really know a lot, so it's very convenient. It's sometimes strange how much you know, though."

"Well, what's there to be so strange about? It's all because I'm so great, hahaha!"

At Bi Ryu-yeon's words, Hyo-ryong scratched the back of his head and mumbled vaguely. Hyo-ryong really knew a lot. Sometimes he looked like some seasoned Jianghu person, or like someone who had lived in the Cheonmu Academy for at least a few years. That's how well he knew the academy's affairs and the Jianghu situation.

In any case, what on earth did the development of a sect that claimed to be quite famous, named the Mount Hua Sect, have to do with Bi Ryu-yeon? Did they make him rice cakes, or did they make him rice? Did they at least serve him? Wasn't he in a position where he had nothing to be sorry for, as they had done nothing for him?

But things that had no connection to him were daring to disturb his sacred mealtime, and on top of that, they were committing an outrageous act that significantly lowered his appetite. A strong sense of displeasure began to well up in a corner of Bi Ryu-yeon's heart. His heart and mind were telling him.

'Displeasure index rapidly rising. A decrease in taste sensitivity is feared. Urgent emergency measures are required to lower the displeasure index.'

The self that existed within Bi Ryu-yeon readily nodded its head at this request from his heart. Jong Ri-hak's words seemed to have dealt a decisive psychological blow to Yun Jun-ho. It was a poison that touched his most painful part. Yun Jun-ho could feel with his whole body that his spirit was completely crushed and his motivation was disappearing. It began to sting from the depths of his heart.

'These ill-mannered things...'

Sparks flew from Jang Hong's eyes as he looked at the endlessly shrinking Yun Jun-ho. Jang Hong knew this kind of people well. Those arrogant and worthless punks who only considered those with inferior skills and positions as objects of ridicule. They were clearly beings who deserved to be despised.

People are born with different talents and personalities, so isn't it possible for some to have slightly inferior skills and less talent than others? If everyone were a genius, how monotonous and brutal this world would be. But just with the single arbitrary evaluation that his skills were humble, how could they corner their fellow disciple and junior brother as if he were trash... Jang Hong felt a great anger at their heartless attitude.

Meanwhile, unlike Jang Hong, who was gradually being seized by anger, Bi Ryu-yeon began to seriously contemplate how to deal with those punks who were making a great contribution to the rapid decline of his appetite, so that his appetite would return. Was there no hot-blooded way to lower his displeasure index? As he was rolling his thoughts around, his own food tray, which was resting during his meal, suddenly came into Bi Ryu-yeon's sight. In that instant, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

'Should I just smash them with the corner of the food tray?'

Bi Ryu-yeon thought of it as no big deal. Of course, there was no change in his expression. Since hitting them with the flat side would have little impact, how about smashing the top of their heads with the thin and sharp corner? Bi Ryu-yeon decided to seriously consider it.

Certainly, the corner of the food tray would inflict a much greater blow on the target than the flat side. Because the concentration of force was different. Thinking about it again, he praised himself that it seemed to be a very appropriate and excellent idea, and Bi Ryu-yeon quietly stroked the corner of his food tray.

He was very honest and serious right now. Also, he had more than enough ability and intention to do so. If he just had the request of those around him and a single indulgence from the academy—a simple(?) permission not to question this murder—he could have drilled a kind and cool ventilation hole in the foreheads of the two with just the pair of wooden chopsticks he was holding in his hand, to cool their low-capacity, defective brains. So, a steel food tray was out of the question.

Tapping the food tray lightly with his middle finger and hearing the clear ringing sound, it seemed there was no problem in terms of hardness (the degree of resistance of a metallic substance to breaking, not its strength). Bi Ryu-yeon, a skilled blacksmith who had been overworked in a smithy for nearly six years, had recognized at a glance that this food tray was a work of an excellent artisan, with little wear and very high hardness.

In the sense of preventing some kind of potential danger(?), the corners had been made slightly rounded, but that much was no obstacle for Bi Ryu-yeon. The maker might have had the foresight to predict a situation like the present. The prediction that his food tray might turn into a weapon anytime, anywhere, and how.

After confirming that the contents of the food tray had successfully entered his stomach and supplied him with nutrients, Bi Ryu-yeon decided to throw the food tray without hesitation. There was nothing to be sorry for or to hesitate about. With the feeling of 'I just have to not kill them, right!', Bi Ryu-yeon's hand had already grabbed his food tray. Just before the hard food tray was about to fly and split the tops of the two people's heads, his hand stopped, and something happened that made him have to stop for now.

"Stop it!"

It was a low but clear and powerful voice. The gazes of the two, who had been raising their voices, making Yun Jun-ho the object of their criticism and ridicule for a long time, turned to where the owner of the voice they had just heard was standing. The owner of the voice was, unexpectedly, Moyong Hwi. Unable to bear the vulgar speech and insolent behavior of the two any longer, Moyong Hwi had finally stepped forward.

Moyong Hwi loathed people who, despite their own insignificant skills, overconfidently acted without any sense of shame. He was the incarnation of honesty, morality, and rule-following. As mentioned before, he was a seriously ill patient suffering from the incurable disease of mysophobia. That meant he had a personality that hated evil and wrong things to an extreme. Because his mysophobia demanded extreme cleanliness both materially and mentally.

There was no way that the sharp but delicate nerves of Moyong Hwi, the incarnation of law and rules and a mysophobia patient, would tolerate such delinquent punks.

"Who are you?"

The gazes of the two turned to a man with a reproachful look, as if asking what ill-mannered punk dared to interrupt a senior's conversation. A handsome face sufficient to make the hearts of many women pound, a refined aura reminiscent of a peak master, and the seven peony flowers embroidered on the right chest of his snow-white long robe.

But the peony flower was more famous as a symbol of a certain family than for its fragrance or appearance. Since they were also Jianghu people, they knew that fact well. Among this year's freshmen, there was only one person they remembered who could emit that much aura as the owner of the seven peony flowers. In that instant, Jong Ri-hak's complexion changed subtly.

"Are you that famous Seven Absolutes Divine Sword, Moyong Hwi?"

Jong Ri-hak asked for confirmation, even though he already knew.

"That's right. This humble one is the insignificant person named Moyong Hwi."

After receiving the confirmation from the person himself on the appraisal document, Jong Ri-hak soon made a troubled expression. He was not an easy opponent to deal with without any countermeasures. He was a big shot that his and her Nine Orthodoxies Association had been paying the most sensitive attention and care to this time. He was not a person he could judge and deal with carelessly with his authority. Jong Ri-hak began to ponder how to overcome this situation. The sudden appearance and abrupt intervention of the Seven Absolutes Divine Sword, Moyong Hwi, was a completely unexpected event.

"As a senior, you should be protecting your junior, but to look down on and ridicule him like that, aren't you ashamed?"

Moyong Hwi did not hesitate. Because he had both the skill and the qualification to clearly state his intentions anytime, anywhere. Therefore, not a trace of hesitation could be found in his words and actions.

"That's right, that's right!"

Jang Hong and Hyo-ryong also nodded their heads in unison, as if they fully agreed with his words. Their attitude did not contain a speck of courtesy towards a senior. And Bi Ryu-yeon, due to the unexpected appearance of Moyong Hwi, submitted a request to postpone his food tray smashing plan and decided to watch the situation for a while. But he couldn't stop the unconscious action of smacking his lips, as if something were regrettable.

Now the confrontation was being compressed into a confrontation between the Mount Hua pair and Moyong Hwi. A clear poison could be felt in the eyes of Jong Ri-hak and Chu Ga-yeon as they glared fiercely at the opponent. It seemed they thought they had been insulted.

"This is a matter within our sect, so it's none of your business."

Jong Ri-hak said, standing next to Chu Ga-yeon, who was glaring at them with a poisonous gaze. Originally, in the Jianghu, it was customary not to interfere in the family affairs of other sects according to the tacit agreement of the Murim. They were now reprimanding Moyong Hwi's act of interference as an act of overstepping his authority by getting involved in the family affairs of another sect. But Moyong Hwi did not bat an eye, not even his beautifully extending eyebrow.

"But he is my classmate, no matter what. And as a senior, you just persecute your junior. If others knew, wouldn't they laugh at your narrow-mindedness for a long time?"

Jong Ri-hak's face turned red again. It was clear that he couldn't believe how a mere junior could be so arrogant and insolent, what was he relying on? For them, who had walked the smooth path of life without any obstacles, this was the first time they had experienced such a rough situation. The soft-hearted Yun Jun-ho could only be restless and anxious in the hostile atmosphere of the place. Because it was almost impossible from the beginning for the weak-hearted him to refresh this hostile atmosphere.

"I don't like it when someone disturbs me during my meal. Even if you are a senior of the academy, I don't think you have the right to commit such rudeness. How about you leave now? I would like to finish the meal I couldn't finish due to someone's rudeness."

The words sounded polite, but if you thought about it, it meant that they were less important than Moyong Hwi's own unfinished meal. At the present moment, Moyong Hwi was frowning and speaking, meaning that his mood was very unpleasant, but as expected, a handsome person looked cool even when frowning.

Chu Ga-yeon thought foolishly that it was so unfair compared to how an ugly person looks twice as ugly when they frown. Her level was just this much. If you looked at her, she was just an ordinary woman with a bad temper. Her instinct had failed to deny the fact that Moyong Hwi was a handsome man. As it turned out, Chu Ga-yeon could not develop any bad feelings towards Moyong Hwi. But Jong Ri-hak, who did not know about Chu Ga-yeon's change of heart, uttered words in a threatening tone.

"We'll see about that in the future. I'll be watching how great you are. You'd better be careful."

The two turned their bodies and disappeared outside the restaurant. Then, the others around who had been watching their confrontation with great interest also turned their heads back to their food trays and resumed the meal they had not been able to proceed with. Naturally, all their food was cold.

One side was a famous once-in-a-millennium talent who had shaken the Jianghu even before entering the Cheonmu Academy, and the other two were second-year students of the Cheonmu Academy and members of the powerful Nine Orthodoxies Association. It would be strange if one's interest was not piqued by the confrontation of the three. Of course, even at this time, Bi Ryu-yeon and his party (Hyo-ryong, Jang Hong, Yun Jun-ho) did not enter the gazes of those around them. The interest of the crowd was focused only on Moyong Hwi.

"Senior brother, senior sister, Have a good meal."

Even after receiving such an insult, Yun Jun-ho politely saw them off, being a good-natured person.

"Hey, Jun-ho. I don't think you need to be polite to such sub-par, rude people. Politeness is a two-way street, not a one-way street."

Jang Hong, who could no longer watch Yun Jun-ho's naive behavior, said. A sigh naturally escaped him as he thought that such punks had managed to enter the Cheonmu Academy and were muddying the waters of this sacred ground of martial arts.

"We'll meet again soon."

"I don't feel like seeing them again at all."

"What's the point of seeing those punks? It's better not to see them. If we happen to meet them next time, I guarantee there will be no more meetings. There will never be a third meeting. You can rest assured about that."

Bi Ryu-yeon did not want to see those worthless, unlucky punks—or should I say, that pair?—ever again. No, if they happened to clash even by chance one more time, he was planning to put them in a certain state where a reunion would be completely impossible. Bi Ryu-yeon's heart was not so generous as to allow a third meeting with them.

His friends also thought the same. As the unlucky faces disappeared from in front of them, Bi Ryu-yeon could only soothe his regret by stroking the sharp corner of the food tray in front of him.

'Tsk, what a waste...'

As if regretting that he couldn't get blood on the corner of his food tray in the end, Bi Ryu-yeon smacked his lips. The food tray also clearly showed a sign of regret for missing the golden opportunity to change its clothes from a colorless one to a red, colorful one and to be newly decorated.

Since Moyong Hwi had suddenly intervened, there was no room for him to intervene until the very end. Moreover, they had retreated much more easily than he had thought, so in terms of results, it was no different from a godsend for Jong Ri-hak and Chu Ga-yeon. It wouldn't be enough even if they bowed a thousand times to Moyong Hwi. What was a thousand bows to a savior of life?

Thus, fortunately, the tragedy of a dormitory restaurant food tray almost being stained red did not happen, but if there had been even a slight gap in their conversation, Bi Ryu-yeon's food tray would have gone straight to the top of their heads using the shortest distance without any mercy.

The boy with the corner, the girl with the flat side, since she was a woman...

'Should I have just smashed them without any mercy...'

As if regretting that his food tray had not seen blood in the end, Bi Ryu-yeon smacked his lips again. Because he had to postpone the satisfaction of his curiosity, not having completed the verification of the efficiency and effect of the two methods of striking. Bi Ryu-yeon promised himself that he would definitely experiment next time if he had the chance.

After finishing their meal at the Cheonmu Restaurant and returning to their room, Bi Ryu-yeon and his party, Jang Hong and Hyo-ryong, almost dragged Yun Jun-ho to their room and began to talk almost forcibly.

Moyong Hwi did not join their conversation. He just returned to his room silently. But since he had shown a side of protecting Yun Jun-ho at the restaurant a while ago, they did not pour out curses like 'arrogant' or 'pretentious'.

"A boring guy with no social skills!"

The evaluation of Moyong Hwi ended with this, but Bi Ryu-yeon had not a speck of intention to forgive the punks who had made a narrow escape(?) from his food tray. So Bi Ryu-yeon decided that he had to make another plan to frustrate and despair them.