༺ Soone Who Will Tell You Better than Anyone Else (2) ༻
The “Honorary Martial Artist” title was given to an outsider as a way to express gratitude when a clan was indebted to that person.
It was basically a title that expressed “This person is the savior of our clan!”
I was basically asking the Celestial Plum Blossom to approve as Mount Hua’s official savior.
It may have been sowhat arrogant and shaless of , but it was too late to take those words back.
The Celestial Plum Blossom was shocked after hearing my request.
It seed like he hadn’t expected to ask him such a thing.
“…Well, that’s a surprise.”
“I’m sorry for my grand request being so sudden.”
I was originally going to make a different request, but I now had a reason for the title of the honorary martial artist of Mount Hua.
The Celestial Plum Blossom was probably thinking hard about it right now as it was not a very easy thing to give .
“I’m asking this just in case, but is it because of the Taoist Qi inside you?”
I nodded at the man’s words.
“That would be one of the biggest reasons.”
If I were given the Honorary Martial Artist Title, I would be entitled to learn Mount Hua’s clan art. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to use specific skills like Mount Hua’s sword art, but just the clan art was already an honor.
And this honor was significant to a person of the Orthodox Faction.
I could choose to learn it in secret, but I wouldn’t want to get caught in a storm of consequences if my deeds were to be discovered.
‘It’ll be a problem if I can’t freely use the Taoist Qi that’s inside my body.’
The Qi that I had gotten from Mount Hua’s treasure had been in my abdon the whole ti without being able to use it.
I was able to reach the fourth rank of Destructive Fla Martial Arts thanks to it and reach the peak realm with Elder Shin’s help, but I still didn’t feel that it would be right for to use it without approval.
｢Just use it secretly, why are you so careful when it cos to these kinds of things?｣
‘It’s not like I’m from the Unorthodox Faction, so why shouldn’t I follow the rules?’
｢That’s rich coming from a demonic human that burnt down and destroyed another person’s ho.｣
‘…’
Elder Shin’s words punched in the gut. I had really done that in my past life, so I couldn’t argue with him.
But even so, saying that starting now I would live as a good person was true.
At least in this life, I wanted and planned to.
Seeing Celestial Plum Blossom that had fallen silent, I spoke up first.
“I assu it’s too hard for you to give that title after all.”
“No, it’s not that. In fact, I actually wanted to offer you that title, to begin with.”
“Huh?”
“I know more than anyone how much you’ve helped Mount Hua, so how could I not even consider that?”
He was planning on giving that title? I was confused after hearing the Celestial Plum Blossom’s response. The man continued to speak, seeing my confused expression.
“The reason I didn’t ntion that was because you are from the Gu Clan. I don’t think the Gu Clan would like it all that much if you were given the Honorary Martial Artist Title of a Taoist sect…”
I felt like I could understand what the Celestial Plum Blossom was getting at.
It made sense. Gu Ryunghwa was an exception because she had essentially left Gu Clan and beco part of Mount Hua.
And in her particular case, it was not of great importance as she didn’t know much about the Gu Clan anyway.
Still, I was able to give Celestial Plum Blossom a firm response.
“I’ll be fine. The clan won’t say much either.”
It wasn’t just so wild guess of mine. I was certain of it. If my father heard the news of being deed the honorary martial artist of Mount Hua, the most he would say would be two words: “I see.”
The Sword Master who was next to , also spoke up.
“Leader, not only did this child save my life, but he also prevented potential danger from reaching the Immortal Healer. There’s more than enough reason for him to be given that title.”
I benefited from saving her by getting so demonic Qi, and the second reason was just a coincidence. I felt a little bad, but nonetheless, her words were true.
The Celestial Plum Blossom brushed his beard for a mont and nodded.
Is he giving the approval?
“It wouldn’t be that hard to give you that title. I’ll have to speak with the elders about it, but the result is pretty obvious.”
“Then…”
“However.”
He looked at intently. “I understand that you are worried about the Qi that’s inside you. Unfortunately, I can’t teach you how to use that Qi.”
He was talking about how busy he was because of all the things that had happened prior to the tournant. Furthermore, today was the day I was leaving to go back to the clan, so even if I was given that title, I wouldn’t have anyone to teach .
“There is no need for you to worry about that, Sect Leader.”
The Sword Master who was coming with to the clan might not be able to help as well since she was still in the process of recovering, but there was soone right beside who could teach better than anyone.
｢…Huh?｣
* * * *
After getting the Celestial Plum Blossom’s approval, the Sword Master and I moved to the area where the carriages were being prepared.
‘I’m honestly surprised that he approved it this easily.’
I had even asked the Sword Master to help with this matter, but the Celestial Plum Blossom’s approval was easier to get than expected.
He even told that this request of mine didn’t count as a request and that I could still ask sothing of him in the future.
‘Was this title always this easy to get?’
｢I don’t know myself. Such a title didn’t exist back in my generation.｣
I asked Elder Shin about it, but it seed that he didn’t know. Whatever it was, though, things went well.
Then, the Sword Master who was next to , spoke.
“I wonder if this much is enough.”
“What do you an?”
“The title may sound grand, but it’s still just a na in the end. Plus, if you are interested in Mount Hua sect’s martial art…”
“No, it’s nothing like that. There’s no need for you to worry.”
Mount Hua specialized in sword arts. I never planned to learn their art, let alone their techniques. They leaned too far into swords.
｢So you just want to pick out the good parts and learn how to circulate that Qi?｣
‘It’s not like I could use plum blossom sword art in just a matter of days…’
It might be possible with the help of Elder Shin, but I didn’t think I would have that much ti to learn their art’s intricacies.
‘This much is enough for now.’
Combining the destructive Qi of Gu Clan’s fla arts with Taoist Qi to reduce its wildness. I saw firsthand how big the difference was.
The Celestial Plum Blossom said that he would send the letter of approval to Gu Clan after he talked with the elders, but I was basically already approved by this point.
When I arrived at the entrance after reaching the bottom of Mount Hua, it seed like all the carriages were ready to go, covered with a wide variety of things. Upon closer inspection, I saw a bunch of muscular n.
“…What in the world?”
They were obviously the second-generation disciples of Mount Hua, as there wasn’t anyone else in Mount Hua that would wear their uniform and sport such monstrous physiques.
The Sword Master also turned her head away when she noticed them.
Is she… embarrassed?
Although I didn’t want to go closer, I had to, so I approached the carriages.
“Make sure you stay healthy! Ryunghwa…”
“Don’t skip your als, and don’t forget about us, okay?”
“You seem too skinny Ryunghwa. We should have helped you more with leg workouts.”
“Her arms are the size of my fingers… How does that even make sense?”
“…Guys, can you please leave already?”
Gu Ryunghwa said, pleading with the muscular n that were surrounding her. Despite them worrying about her so much, they still gave her so distance, understanding her feelings.
But when they moved further back, their huge group was even more eye-catching than before.
Gu Ryunghwa shouted at the n.
“People are scared of you guys…!”
“Huh? What do you an scared, they all seem touched.”
“Indeed, who could be scared when we have backs the size of mountains?”
｢That is true.｣
Elder Shin snuck in a comnt.
At this point, I felt like I would lose my mind. It seed like I wasn’t the only one that felt that way, since Shinhyun, who had been far away, suddenly hit the disciples’ heads with his fist.
– Pow! Pow! Slam!
I flinched when I heard the sound of them getting hit.
‘…Just now, I think I heard so sounds that shouldn’t be able to co from a person’s head?”
It sounded like he was breaking rocks. Along with the sound, the second-generation disciples started to roll on the floor.
“Owwww!”
“The big senior is beating up innocent people!”
“…Just shut your mouths you idiots, it’s embarrassing.”
Passing by the disciples that were suffering on the ground, Shinhyun walked toward Gu Ryunghwa.
“Ryunghwa.”
“Yes, big senior?”
I noticed Shinhyun flinch when Gu Ryunghwa responded firmly without any fear.
“…Right, I feel at ease seeing you confident.”
“Thank you for worrying about …”
“No, I didn’t do anything. You overca it all by yourself.”
Shinhyun’s hand fidgeted while looking at Gu Ryunghwa. It seed like he was wondering whether he could give her a head pat or not.
“Senior?”
Gu Ryunghwa asked, wondering what he was doing, but the man put his hand down. It seed like he decided that now was still not the ti.
Instead, with an awkward smile, he said, “It’s nothing, have a safe trip.”
After their conversation ended, he forced the disciples that were still on the ground to get up and prepared to return to Mount Hua. At that mont, our eyes t for a second.
– Please take good care of her.
He sent a ssage telepathically.
– I will.
I responded in kind. Getting my ssage, Shinhyun looked at in shock. It seed like he hadn’t expected that I could also speak telepathically.
After that, he fixed his expression, nodded, and started to walk up the stairs slowly.
After everything seed to be finished, I barely stepped toward the carriages when soone called out and stopped .
“Young Master Gu…!”
Upon looking back I found Yung Pung.
“Master Yung! How did you co down here?”
‘I thought the third-generation disciples couldn’t co down here without permission?’
Yung Pung responded to my question as if it was nothing, “I just ca here in secret!”
‘This guy really is a lunatic…’
How could he be so nonchalant about breaking his sect’s rules?
｢This warms my heart. He reminds of my younger self.｣
‘I think all problems started with you, Elder Shin.’
I couldn’t help but shake my head.
“I hurriedly ca down here because I heard that you were leaving today.”
‘Oh, I didn’t tell him anything about my departure? I guess I forgot to tell him because I was so busy.’
“Are you feeling okay? I heard that you got so beating yesterday.”
I heard that not only did he lose, but he also fainted after getting beaten up since his opponent was none other than Shinhyun. Now that I looked at him, however, he seed to look fine.
“Oh! Thanks to him being lenient, his hits were only painful, but weren’t deep enough to leave any injuries on my body.”
“…Oh, I see.”
How could he say such a scary thing so brightly? He was basically saying that he had been tortured, and he had no traces of it anywhere on his body.
‘This clan really isn’t normal.’
No matter how I looked at it, they were just maniacs. With a smile, Yung Pung took sothing out of his pocket and handed it to .
It was an object that had the symbol of a plum flower. When I was inspecting my new gift, he said,
“This is my symbol.”
“Why are you giving this?”
“I never got to use it myself… but I would like to ask you to give it back to when we et again.”
I couldn’t help but frown at his words.
‘Why is he doing sothing that only makes sense for lovers to do?’
I glanced at Yung Pung wondering if he belonged to a particular kind of group, but the young man continued to speak without a care.
“And I hope that you would accept my challenge then as well.”
“Hmm?”
I looked at him with a strange face, trying to understand what he ant by that.
I saw the light competitive spirit coming from his eyes.
After realizing what he ant, I smirked.
He was asking to be his rival.
‘I can’t believe I’m getting such treatnt from the Sword Dragon himself.’
I couldn’t explain the emotion I was feeling.
I smiled slightly, putting away the symbol Yung Pung had given .
“Yes, I look forward to our next eting.”
Yung Pung put on a bright smile, clearly satisfied with my response.
“Thank you. I was able to learn many things from you.”
Leaving behind with those words, Yung Pung went back to Mount Hua without the slightest hesitation.
‘Interesting.’
‘I feel like a lot of people are thanking lately. Still, I feel like I didn’t do much to deserve all that.’
‘Elder Shin.’
｢What?｣
‘Are you sure you are okay? I don’t know when I’ll co back to Mount Hua once I leave.’
Elder Shin had told he was okay when I had spoken to him the night before, but I felt like I should make sure one more ti…
｢It’s not like there is a way for to stay here.｣
‘That may be true…’
｢Plus,｣
He paused to take a deep breath.
｢I feel like I now know what I need to do for the world, so there’s no point in staying here. That’s why I’m okay. Don’t worry about it.｣
‘Understood.’
Even when I asked him what he ant by that, the old man just responded saying that he couldn’t tell yet.
It was frustrating, but it wouldn’t do much good to pester him; he clearly didn’t want to press.
“Master!”
Gu Ryunghwa, who was about to get on the carriage, found and the Sword Master and imdiately ran toward us.
“Did you just co?”
Gu Ryunghwa hugged the Sword Master, to which the woman responded by patting the girl’s hair. Seeing the blissful scene, I asked Gu Ryunghwa, still in the arms of the Sword Master, “Is everyone on board already?”
“Yeah.”
“What about the Immortal Healer?”
“I heard that he was inside the carriage since morning.”
According to Gu Ryunghwa, the Immortal Healer was in a carriage that had been prepared by Mount Hua, and not Gu Clan’s carriage.
I then asked Gu Ryunghwa,
“Did you bring all your clothes?”
“The other guys already asked that dozens of tis and now even you are asking that, brother?”
“All good, as long as you have them.”
After so small talk, I went inside the carriage, where Wi Seol-Ah welcod with a bright smile. Namgung Bi-ah was already asleep on the girl’s knees.
“Young Master!”
“This girl is sleeping again?”
“She said that she’s tired because she didn’t get enough sleep yesterday!”
“It seems like she’s always tired…”
Nonetheless, I tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake her up. After looking at the outside view for a bit, I heard the Sword Emperor’s voice.
“We’ll be departing now.”
“Oh, yes!”
I forgot that the Sword Emperor was on the horse leading the carriage. I imdiately beca modest after realizing that. The carriage led by one of the mighty Heavenly Venerables was really effective at making clean up my act.
When he saw what was going on, he couldn’t help but ask.
｢Why the hell is that man driving the carriage…?｣
‘I don’t know that myself.’
And I was even more curious than Elder Shin about the reason.
Along with an energetic “neigh,” the carriage started to move. I finally finished my business here at Shaanxi and was on my way back to the clan.
“Once I’m back… I shouldn’t travel for a while.”
Just this year alone, I had gone to Shaanxi and Sichuan, so I didn’t want any more of those long, long trips. As I was pondering that, Elder Shin piped up.
｢Judging by how you speak, it doesn’t seem things will go your way.｣
‘…’
I forced myself to ignore his ominous words.
* * * *
When I finally arrived back at the clan,
I was faced with a situation that I did not expect.
“…Why are you here?”
I asked, stupefied.
The girl responded with a blushed face,
“H-Hello…!”
She had dark green hair and eyes that glead with a similar shade of green.
The Poison Queen from the Tang Clan of Sichuan, Tang Soyeol, was waiting for at my clan.
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