I Became the Hidden Chapter 35

'What is strength?'

Although Tang Yuhwa's realm was incomparable to Baek Yoonjun's, he had no choice but to spend the night awake in an unknown fear, as if he were wrapped in a snake.

Last night, even Baek Yoonjun had to run away with a chill down his spine.

'What on earth was that?'

In any case, since Tang Yuhwa had left the mountain a few days ago, he wouldn't have to run into her for a while.

"Let's just train."

Baek Yoonjun went out of the house to train to shake off his stray thoughts.

'Come to think of it, I haven't trained much recently.'

Recently, he had been dragged around by Tang Yuhwa to treat people, so he had completely let go of his training.

Even before that, it was true that he had been negligent in his training because he was raising a disciple and had been caught up in various things.

'What are you thinking, you who haven't even reached second-rate?! Are you planning to get beaten to death if you meet a second-rate martial artist right now?!'

Baek Yoonjun scolded himself and swung his sword in the open space of his house.

"Damn martial world!"

He swung his sword, voicing his complaints very small and timidly.

"Women are scary!"

Sometimes, something similar to his true feelings popped out without him realizing it, but fortunately, there was no one around to hear.

And so, he swung his sword continuously for a long time in a state of self-forgetfulness.

And there was someone who was watching that.

"To think that such a sword can exist in the world."

A short-haired girl in a monk's robe was watching Baek Yoonjun swing his sword, completely captivated.

* * *

The great disciple of the Emei Sect, Su Yeohyang, had climbed Cheongseong Mountain, where the main headquarters of the Cheongseong Sect was said to be, for the alliance with the Cheongseong Sect.

Arriving at the main headquarters of the Cheongseong Sect, Su Yeohyang was surprised at its appearance.

'Isn't this more of a village than a sect?'

Although it looked like a village on the outside, she was surprised again at the appearance of the people inside.

'To think that even a child in the village is aiming for first-rate! Their numbers are small, but their level is high.'

And following the appearance of the village, she was surprised at their system.

"Are you saying that Great Hero Gu is not the sect leader?"

"Yes, the great disciple is here, so what am I..."

"The great disciple? Then is his master the sect leader?"

"It's hard for us to even call him anything, so it's not exactly like that."

The system of the Cheongseong Sect was, to put it nicely, free, and to put it badly, a mess.

The Cheongseong Sect, which served an immortal on the mountain.

Although Su Yeohyang was dumbfounded by that, a thought came to her mind.

'Isn't this more of a religious group than a sect?'

Recalling that question, Su Yeohyang looked up at the mountain where the immortal was said to reside.

Although the mountain certainly exuded a mysterious atmosphere as if an immortal would reside there.

'Does an immortal really exist?'

For Su Yeohyang, who was from a Buddhist school, not a Taoist school, it didn't particularly resonate with her.

Although she had heard the story of the White-Robed Sword Immortal, who was called an immortal on earth in the past, Su Yeohyang thought of him as a strong martial artist rather than an immortal.

'Still, it means there is someone who has reached a realm to the point of being seen as an immortal, right?'

Su Yeohyang climbed the mountain out of curiosity.

Although Cheongseong Mountain was also rugged, the mountain above it was particularly more rugged.

Still, for Su Yeohyang, who had reached the realm of first-rate, the rugged mountain terrain was not much of a problem.

And so, a man came into the sight of Su Yeohyang, who had climbed the mountain.

White clothes and white hair.

The man's attire was like that of the White-Robed Sword Immortal from the stories of the past.

But the man's appearance was not important.

The sword he swung.

It was a slow movement of the sword, as if a gentle breeze were blowing.

But the air in all directions was blowing around that place.

A wind like a gentle breeze, but the movement of the sword seemed as if it would cut anything.

At the sight of the sword that seemed as if it would cut even an intangible existence, Su Yeohyang couldn't even blink and stared blankly at that sight.

'It feels like it would even cut my heart.'

The man in white swung his sword for a long time, then stopped his movement.

"Who are you?"

He looked exactly at the place where Su Yeohyang was and asked.

As his voice reached her ears, only then did Su Yeohyang come to her senses.

'Watching a martial artist's training without permission is a taboo among taboos, isn't it?'

Realizing her great mistake, Su Yeohyang was flustered and stepped back.

"Th-that... I-I'm sorry!! I had no intention of..."

And so, as she was stepping back, Su Yeohyang missed her footing and fell backward.

The problem was that the mountain where Baek Yoonjun resided was rugged.

As Su Yeohyang fell, she fell straight down the cliff.

"Kyaaaaaaak!!"

Baek Yoonjun blinked his eyes at the scene that had unfolded before him.

'What kind of slapstick comedy is this?'

But dumbfoundedness was dumbfoundedness, and a person was a person, so he moved his feet.

"Hyaaaaaaaak!!"

Su Yeohyang, who was falling from the cliff, couldn't come to her senses and screamed continuously.

'I'm going like this. I'm sorry, Master.'

Su Yeohyang recalled the image of her master, Divine Nun Jihwa.

Although it seemed as if Divine Nun Jihwa was looking down on her pathetically, Su Yeohyang was satisfied that she could recall her master's image at the end of her life.

'This unworthy disciple is going like this.'

Su Yeohyang steeled her heart and squeezed her eyes shut.

And so, a long time passed.

Su Yeohyang felt a great sense of incongruity.

Although enough time had passed for her to have fallen, there was no feeling of hitting the ground at all.

No, it felt as if her body had stopped in mid-air.

And so, as she couldn't open her eyes at the strong sense of incongruity, she felt another person's body heat on her back.

"Heeik!!"

At that feeling, Su Yeohyang was startled and opened her eyes.

As a nun of the Emei Sect, that is, a Buddhist nun, she was not used to things like a person's body heat, so she was even more surprised.

And so, in front of Su Yeohyang, who had opened her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

The face of the white-haired man from before was visible right in front of her.

When he was swinging his sword earlier, she couldn't see him clearly because of the distance, but up close, he was a man with a face that would be called handsome anywhere in the world, with delicate features and a cool gaze.

Su Yeohyang's face, who had come face to face with that, immediately turned red.

"I-I-I'm fine!! Please put me down!"

Since Su Yeohyang, who was from a Buddhist school, had little contact with others, that appearance came on strongly, and Su Yeohyang frantically demanded to be put down.

Hearing those words, Baek Yoonjun looked around.

"Here?"

At Baek Yoonjun's words, Su Yeohyang also looked around.

The surroundings were empty air.

It was an empty air with no room to set foot.

No, there was a very small room to set foot.

A single branch the size of a palm sticking out of the wall that Baek Yoonjun was stepping on.

"Heeik!"

Realizing that she was still in the air, Su Yeohyang hastily corrected her words.

"N-no! Down! On the ground! On the floor! Please put me down! Please."

"Yes, I was planning to do so anyway."

Baek Yoonjun slowly landed on the ground and then put Su Yeohyang down.

"I've put you down."

"Th-thank you?"

As if she were still not in her right mind, as soon as she touched the ground, Su Yeohyang fell over, put her hands on the ground, and crawled like a four-legged beast.

Baek Yoonjun felt a sense of ease as he looked at that.

'What a clumsy woman.'

Although Baek Yoonjun, who had felt fear from Tang Yuhwa against his will, had his guard against women at its peak.

'What? This easy creature?'

That guard did not work at all on the clumsy woman in front of him.

Su Yeohyang wandered on the floor for a while and then barely got up.

Having gotten up, Su Yeohyang only then came to her senses and joined her palms towards Baek Yoonjun.

"Great hero, thank you for saving my life!"

"No, well, it was something I had to do..."

"Furthermore, I apologize for unintentionally watching you train!"

"Well, I was swinging my sword out in the open, so you could have seen it."

Since Baek Yoonjun was not equipped with the common sense that it was a taboo to watch a martial artist's training without permission, he spoke as if it were no big deal.

"Thank you for your kindness, great hero! I am a young girl who has not even come of age, so please speak informally!"

"That's... what?"

At Su Yeohyang's words, Baek Yoonjun slowly scanned the woman in front of him.

Although she was wearing a monk's robe, she had the body of a mature woman, and although her hair was short, she had the face of a mature woman.

Baek Yoonjun recalled Tang Yuhwa without realizing it.

'My Yuhwa is over the age of maturity, but she's still so small.'

Baek Yoonjun unconsciously looked towards Sichuan and joined his palms.

Having quickly finished joining his palms, Baek Yoonjun scanned the woman in front of him with his eyes again.

Although he had been distracted by the word 'come of age' earlier and hadn't caught it, there was something that was very bothersome.

"Why are you wearing a monk's robe... are you?"

Baek Yoonjun unconsciously tried to speak formally, but recalling the words to speak comfortably earlier, he immediately asked informally.

At that question, Su Yeohyang tilted her head.

"Isn't it because I'm a monk?"

"Don't lie!"

"What?"

"If you're a monk, why do you have hair?"

Baek Yoonjun was very bothered by the fact that she had not shaved her head despite wearing a monk's robe.

Originally, the species called homebody introverts had a tendency to obsess over such trivial things, so it was not a particularly strange sight.

"Ah, great hero, you must find it strange that I have not shaved my head. You certainly have a reason to feel a question."

Su Yeohyang accepted Baek Yoonjun's question naturally, as if it were no big deal.

"In Emei, we only shave our heads when we first become a nun. And perhaps because it is a Buddhist school created by the gathering of women with various circumstances in a chaotic era, there is no particular teaching about the 'grass of ignorance'."

"Is that okay?"

"The Putuo Sect, a Buddhist school of women similar to us, is not a men-prohibited area, and they don't shave their heads either."

Although Baek Yoonjun was bewildered by Su Yeohyang's answer, he didn't particularly press her.

'I guess female monks in the martial arts world don't shave their heads.'

Since he knew almost nothing about Buddhism in both his past and present lives, he just accepted it as it was.

"Ah, this! I haven't even introduced myself to my benefactor. I am Su Yeohyang, the great disciple of the Emei Sect."

"I am Baek Yoonjun."

Hearing Su Yeohyang's name, Baek Yoonjun pondered whether her surname was Su or Suyeo, but he didn't particularly ask.

Su Yeohyang looked at Baek Yoonjun quietly.

'No matter how I look at it, it seems this person is the immortal that Great Hero Gu told me about, right?'

Although Baek Yoonjun was just pondering whether her surname was Su or Suyeo, on the outside, he looked like a cool and mysterious man with a sharp gaze.

Su Yeohyang, glancing at Baek Yoonjun, carefully asked.

"Great Hero Baek, you are the immortal that the Cheongseong Sect talks about, right?"

"What immortal, I'm just a third-rate martial artist."

"What? Third-rate?"

Su Yeohyang was flustered by Baek Yoonjun's words of 'third-rate'.

'For such a person to call himself third-rate, I, who was conceited for having reached first-rate at a young age, am ashamed of myself...'

Ashamed by Baek Yoonjun's humility, another problem came to Su Yeohyang's mind.

'If it's this person, he might be able to solve Emei's current problem.'

The Emei Sect had a long-standing wish.

The secret cave left by the first sect leader.

The problem was that no one had been able to pass through the secret cave.

No one knew what was inside it until now.

For a long time, the Emei Sect had tried to challenge the secret cave and had even invited outside masters, but the matter of passing through the secret cave was still unclear.

It was to the point where they were even questioning the meaning of the sect leader who had left that secret cave.

'Although it's a men-prohibited area, since there is a precedent of inviting outside people, it should be okay.'

Su Yeohyang, glancing at Baek Yoonjun, slowly scanned him.

Leaving aside his wondrous appearance that made her face flush just by looking at him, his sharp and mature appearance did not seem like it would harm Emei at all.

Above all.

'To have such martial prowess and yet live cooped up in the mountains without greed, he is a reclusive master.'

The wondrous sword art that Baek Yoonjun had shown earlier, and the wondrous movement technique he had shown when he saved her.

Seeing him possess such a distant realm of martial prowess and yet have a residence in such mountains and be engrossed in training, her trust in him grew even more.

"Great hero."

Having made up her mind, Su Yeohyang lowered her posture and looked at Baek Yoonjun.

"I have one request, would you listen to it?"

"Speak."

"Our Emei has a long-standing wish. Would you not help us solve that wish?"

Hearing Su Yeohyang's words, Baek Yoonjun fell into deep thought.

'A wish? So something has happened, and she wants my help?'

Normally, words of refusal would have popped out immediately, but at the easy-going appearance of Su Yeohyang, Baek Yoonjun, whose heart had softened a little, nodded his head.

"Alright."

"Thank you, great hero! Then I will escort you to Mount Emei."

"I refuse."

At the words of escorting him to Mount Emei, Baek Yoonjun's answer popped out reflexively.

"What?"

Looking at the dazed appearance of Su Yeohyang, Baek Yoonjun thought.

'You want me to go to Mount Emei, which is probably crawling with female monks?'

Wish or not, people were burdensome, and women were even more burdensome for Baek Yoonjun.

(End of Chapter)