Chapter 53

• The Young Man in White, The Young Man in Blue

This afternoon, another absurd incident occurred where a part of the Geomhon-gwan, one of the Cheonmu Academy dormitories, was turned into ruins.
Of course, for them, it was an incident that was beneficial, if anything, not detrimental.

"It seems Jong Ri-hak and Chu Ga-yeon have made contact with them. Today is really a day where many things are happening at once."

"Is that so?"

The young man in blue looked at the young man in white with an interested gaze. The young man in the blue martial robe was wearing three swords, and the noble young master in white was holding an antique folded fan in his hand.

"Hehe, they say the atmosphere wasn't very good. It seems they made a bad first impression."

The young man in white said with a slight smile.

"Really? That's not very good news. For the relationship with a beloved junior to be strained from the start. But since we have no intention of joining hands with him anyway, it's not a big deal, is it?"

"Of course. We and he are in a relationship that cannot coexist. Not to mention coexisting..."

The young man in white lightly tapped his left hand with the folded fan in his hand, expressing his agreement with the young man in blue's words. In any case, they were in a position where they could never stand on the same side.

"How did the incident start? Weren't there no plans to contact him yet? Don't you think it was a hasty action? I don't think a person of your caliber would make such a trivial mistake..."

"Of course, we were only planning to continue observing him for now. But it seems that at the Cheonmu Restaurant, Hak and Ga-yeon went to warn their foolish junior and coincidentally ran into him. It was an unexpected and accidental event."

"A foolish junior?"

"It's a child named Yun Jun-ho who entered through the special screening this year. To borrow Hak and Ga-yeon's expression, they called him a foolish, idiotic, stupid junior. They even went so far as to call him a disgrace to the sect."

The young man in blue's right brow furrowed slightly. He had never liked their narrow-minded personalities. Because it was his usual belief that the successors of the nine great sects should always be bright and upright, befitting the pillars of the orthodox faction. Of course, the young man in white was not unaware of his usual life creed.

"I told them that too, but they went on a rampage, saying that a punk who can't even perform a single form of the Plum Blossom Sword Method is not their junior."

In that instant, a look of bewilderment appeared on the young man in blue's face. He, like the others, had to doubt his own hearing.

"A disciple of the Mount Hua Sect can't perform the Plum Blossom Sword Method?"

"Not a single form."

The young man in white said, nodding his head.

"Is that a new joke these days? You're not telling me to believe that, are you? If a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect can't perform the Plum Blossom Sword Method, which is no exaggeration to say is the Mount Hua martial arts itself, what does he learn?"

The young man in white shook his head with a faint smile.

"It's an absurd story that sounds like a joke, but it's true. I also doubted my ears when I first heard it."

"It's truly absurd. Then he can't help but be criticized. But how did he get in here with those skills? Was this place so easy and lenient?"

The question the young man in blue threw was a natural one. What kind of place was the Cheonmu Academy, that a brat who couldn't even perform a single form of the Plum Blossom Sword Method could dare to enter?

"They say there was a strong recommendation from the great hero, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, Yu. But he probably barely made it by the skin of his teeth. If three people hadn't been eliminated in the special screening exam due to an unfortunate incident, his passing would have been uncertain."

The certain incident the young man in white was talking about was the series of events where an unknown punk who had appeared out of nowhere in this year's special screening exam had rendered three participants immobile. It was an incident that the young man in blue was also well aware of.

"Oh, by the way, what happened to that punk?"

The punk the young man in blue was talking about was referring to Bi Ryu-yeon.

"Surprisingly, he was eating at the same table as Moyong Hwi. And, the junior of Hak and Ga-yeon, who was the cause of this incident, was also there. Besides them, there were two more freshmen. Those two freshmen were also with Bi Ryu-yeon during the Geomhon-gwan Ho Cheon-gang incident in the afternoon. Their names are Hyo-ryong and Jang Hong, but their exact identities have not yet been revealed. They are currently under investigation."

The fact that he was investigating meant that he would provide the most perfect and detailed results within three days. That's how close to perfect his information gathering ability was, beyond comparison. The young man in blue had never once questioned the young man in white's information analysis ability.

"The fact that they were sitting together is not so surprising. Isn't it natural for the winner of the Ascending Heaven Martial Festival and the first place of the special screening exam to share a room?"

The young man in white smiled at the young man in blue's sharp point.

"Hehe, that was an accurate point. I'm glad that your insight seems to be getting more and more excellent. In fact, although they were gathered at one table as predicted, there is no sign of collusion yet. Moreover, given his personality, which is close to mysophobia, it's almost impossible for him to join hands with someone and plot something. He's not the type of person to plan things with others. His mysophobia won't allow it."

"Like you?"

At the young man in blue's sudden words, the young man in white's eyes widened. It was an expression of being caught off guard out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you also extremely loathe planning things with people who are inferior to you? A person inferior to you can only be your limb, not a colleague. You also have mysophobia, like Moyong Hwi. Am I wrong?"

"Haha, I can't beat you anymore. Your insight is getting sharper and sharper."

The young man in white feigned a joke.

"Haha, that kind of lie is not persuasive at all. Who can escape from the spiderweb of your brilliant mind? If there is such a person, that person must be a once-in-a-millennium talent or a monster."

"Haha, that's an overpraise. If someone heard that, they would really think I'm a monster. I don't want to be called a monster at this young age. It wouldn't do for my dignity to be lost."

The young man in white responded with a laugh.

"Anyway, since there are no signs of collusion yet, I'm relieved. Then what are you going to do about that punk's case? Since they've poked us once, isn't it our turn now? I'm already having preparations made. We need to wrap up that case quickly and restore the honor of our nine sects. There's also a story that the Eight Families Association and the Heroes Association have completely joined hands, so it would be better to hurry things up."

The young man in blue asked the young man in white in a rather serious tone.

As they had wished, the small and medium-sized sects and the Murim families had failed to retaliate against Bi Ryu-yeon, and as a result, their face had been crumpled, so there was no need to give them another chance to restore their face. If this matter succeeded, the Eight Families Association and the Heroes Association would once again have their face and pride completely crumpled.

"That's a very good point. It would be much easier for us to finish the job before he and Moyong Hwi collude. I like to do things the easy way."

"That's the same for both of us. I also like to do things the easy way. Then I should also start preparing."

The young man in blue gathered himself and stood up.

"Good luck."

The young man in white said, gently fanning himself with the folded fan. His tone was filled with leisure and confidence. He was not a weak being to be shaken by such a trivial matter. Such leisure and coolness were by no means comparable to that of an ordinary person, and were enough to make one feel superior. Besides, he firmly believed in the young man in blue's ability. Even if he didn't step forward himself, he firmly believed that there was no way he would fail in a matter of this level.

• The Plum Blossom Hypersensitivity Patient

As soon as they finished their meal, Hyo-ryong, Jang Hong, and the blankly standing Bi Ryu-yeon
almost dragged Yun Jun-ho to their room.
And after forcibly seating him in a chair, they asked him directly.
Although it had been less than a day since they had met,
they had finally caught a clue to the cause of this introverted softy's frustration.

The fact that there was a cause meant that there was also a solution. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the removal of the cause is the solution. Of course, it was not an easy task, but for Bi Ryu-yeon, who had lived without knowing the impossible, he naturally chose to try. It was the same for Hyo-ryong and Jang Hong.

"Why can't you use the Plum Blossom Sword Method?"

Hyo-ryong and Jang Hong asked at the same time, their eyes shining with curiosity. But the answer to that question was enough to astonish the two.

"What?"

Such a bizarre thing was hard to accept with common sense. Then what was the problem? If it was a joke, it was so over the top that it couldn't even be praised. A disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, who had entered the Cheonmu Academy with the recommendation of a former head, could not perform the Plum Blossom Sword Method, the signboard and essence of the Mount Hua martial arts. It was a lame joke that would make a passing dog choke with laughter.

The person who had devised such a nasty joke would surely have no excuse even if he were to receive sharp glares from everyone and have his own wit and talent doubted.

Yun Jun-ho himself, as if ashamed of that fact, lowered his gaze and was restless.

"Well, that is..."

Yun Jun-ho began to confess his story one by one in a stuttering voice. He spoke in a voice overflowing with lamentation.

"What!"

Yun Jun-ho's voice was barely audible, but Bi Ryu-yeon, Hyo-ryong, and Jang Hong, who had acquired hearing dozens of times superior to others through harsh martial arts training, could not help but have their eyes widen once again.

"To astonish us twice so nonchalantly, that's something to be praised."

Jang Hong said in a tone that seemed to be mixed with a bit of complaint on his mournful face. For some reason, a sense of emptiness was even tinged in his tone. Even in his opinion, this guy was a truly audacious punk.

Hypersensitivity...
Plum blossom hypersensitivity...

What kind of thing was this that would make a passing stray dog die of crazy laughter? A disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, where it was questionable if there were any flowers left around besides plum blossoms, was a plum blossom hypersensitivity patient. Even a ghost eating rice husks would sound more realistic than this.

"They say a dog that died of laughter is not only tasteless but also has no nutritional value even if you boil it and eat it..."

Jang Hong said in a very serious tone. He seemed to have tried to be funny in his own way. Of course, the result was tragic compared to his effort.

"Mister, that kind of joke is not funny at all."

Hyo-ryong looked at Jang Hong with a gaze that clearly implied not to interrupt the story.

'Mister, mister...'

The word 'mister' was one of the words he hated the most in this world. Jang Hong was slightly offended. Moreover, he felt even more depressed as if his excellent sense of humor had been sold at a wholesale price in an instant. Of course, that was under the premise that delusion is free.

Yun Jun-ho continued his story. The more he heard his story, the more ridiculous it was. And on the other hand, it was also pathetic to the point of making one laugh. It was a truly dumbfounding story. His story contained a strange power(?) that made people shake their heads.

Yun Jun-ho, he had a very sensitive hypersensitivity to plum blossoms, especially their fragrance, and his body would break out in hives and even become paralyzed just by smelling them. At first, even the sect had tried to give up on him, who had such a strange constitution.

The Mount Hua Sect, the head of the nine great sects that boasted of tradition and history, had thrown up its hands and feet at him, who was absurd and ridiculous, and showed no signs of changing no matter how hard they tried to improve him. He had almost been recommended for expulsion, but he had managed to avoid it by crying and clinging to them. At that time, for some reason, the great-grandmaster, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, the great hero Yu Hwan-gwon, was said to have given him decisive help.

Although he had barely avoided the crisis of being expelled, thanks to his constitution, he could not even dare to approach the vicinity of the Falling Goose Peak, where the entire mountain was covered in red with plum blossoms. So, whenever the plum blossoms were in full bloom, he had to devote himself to his own training at the Sword Dance Peak next to the Falling Goose Peak, where the distribution of plum blossom trees was low.

That peak formed a spectacular view with numerous caves opened at once, and it was a popular place that was often used as a training ground for the disciples of the Mount Hua sect. Therefore, it was also a place where you could often see the traces of training of the senior disciples here and there in the caves.

He also took a training cave there and trained his sword method until the plum blossoms fell. At first, it was okay, but he got so tired of training alone in one place that he gradually began to look around various caves. Then, one day, as he was training his sword method outside the cave as usual, the sword he was swinging inadvertently caused a corner of the hill where he was training to suddenly collapse. And strangely, a small cave hole appeared behind the collapsed pile of earth. A cave whose entrance had been buried in a pile of earth for a long time had revealed itself to his sword.

That small and dark hole tempted the young him, and unable to overcome his curiosity, he pushed his body into the cave. The entrance of the cave was much narrower than other places, but when he went inside, the inside was about three times wider than the entrance. The depth of the cave also seemed to be three or four times longer than other places, and he couldn't resist his curiosity and finally decided to explore the cave. Since he had nothing else to do, it was perfect for passing the time. Thus, his cave exploration could begin.

After walking for a long time without any direction, he was finally able to reach the end point. The end of the cave formed a wide and smooth hemispherical shape that was enough to draw his admiration. No matter how poor his eye for things was, he could tell that it was not a naturally formed place, but a place where human hands had been added. That's why his surprise could not help but be even greater.

Standing in the center of the hemispherical plaza and holding up a torch to examine the smooth wall, he saw a fine line like a capillary vein covering it like a spiderweb. Since he was also a direct disciple of the prestigious sword sect, the Mount Hua Sect, he could tell at a glance that the countless lines were traces of sword ki of an amazingly high realm. Witnessing the traces of that amazing realm, he was engulfed in a shock that sent a thunderous thrill through his whole body, and he just stared blankly for a long time.

After a long time, when he looked at the floor, there were footprints made according to a certain martial principle, which seemed to be the traces left by a senior swordsman who had trained here. He could tell at a glance that the marks on the floor were traces of footwork. But at first, he couldn't understand how a human could operate such a complex and dizzying change of footwork.

The last thing he found there was the sword method incantation left by an unknown deceased person, written on a corner of the wall. The name of the sword method was the Seven Plums Sword, and it was the last relic and the most precious trace of the deceased who had not left his name in the end, and it seemed to be at least 200 years old. The deceased who had not left his name also seemed to be one of the seniors who had endured bone-crushing training and patience for a new interpretation of the Plum Blossom Sword Method and to obtain a higher realm of the sword, just like the many other Mount Hua sect seniors.