MTL NOVEL Chapter 50
Heavenly Lord 天尊 of Wudang’s righteous blade 巫堂正劍.
High Lord 高尊 Dokgo Gupae 獨孤九覇.
“I sincerely apologize for visiting at such a late hour.”
The leader of Wudang, who bears the name ‘Southern Wudang’ and rivals Shaolin for the title of the first sect of the Central Plains (中原第一派).
“Heavenly Lord, may I ask why you’ve come here, and… why… is she… Xuelian…?”
The peerless master of the Dokgo Gubyeom 獨孤九劍, one of the Three Great Swords of the Central Plains (中原三劍), alongside Wudang’s Taiji Hyegeom 太極慧劍.
“There’s something urgent that I must consult you about.”
Ah, and on the night when there are only two days left until the Seven Flowers Tournament (七花戰), the conversation commenced.
“Hmm… Could it be that you’re challenging me to a discussion on swordsmanship (論劍)? Are you seeking revenge for the Hua Mountain Sword Talk five years ago?”
“As much as I’d like to, the current situation doesn’t allow for that.”
The Heavenly Lord laid down a young girl he had carried from his quarters in front of the High Lord.
The girl with a large lump on her head was Baek-hwa 白花.
“May I inquire as to why Heavenly Lord has brought my disciple here?”
“Speaking of which, I also have a question for you, Lord Doo. Were you aware of this young lady Baek-hwa’s usual conduct?”
“…? What do you mean? Are you saying that there’s something wrong with Xuelian?”
“Judging by your reaction, it seems you had no knowledge of this matter. Fortunately, it seems that even you, Lord Doo, have not gotten your hands dirty.”
“I, Dokgo Gupae, have been in seclusion for the past while, only emerging now due to the Seven Flowers Tournament. I might not be well-versed in worldly matters yet… but is it true that our Xuelian has caused some trouble without my knowledge?”
“Let me first recount the behavior of Young Lady Baek-hwa when she approached me a while ago.”
Afterward, the Heavenly Lord relayed a rather long account of Baek-hwa’s actions when she had approached him.
Noting that her skills didn’t seem to be something practiced once or twice, he left out no detail in his retelling.
The High Lord, who listened carefully without missing a single word of this long story, said:
“Hard to believe… It’s indeed a hard story to swallow.”
He answered somberly, sighing deeply as his face turned grim.
“I understand; naturally, it’s hard for you to believe. However, I swear upon the honor of our sect that I speak only the truth.”
“I am aware of this. Heavenly Lord isn’t one to speak frivolously. But… it’s still hard to believe.”
“In that case, I’m relieved.”
For High Lord Dokgo Gupae, it was as if a thunderclap had echoed through the clear blue sky.
After spending years in seclusion to reach the realm of Hwakyung 火境, a state surpassing the earthly boundaries, he had emerged only to discover with genuine joy that two of his disciples had made it into the ‘Nine Dragons and Seven Flowers’ (구룡칠화).
And now, it came to light that one of them, Baek-hwa, had been tarnishing her reputation through dishonorable acts involving her body and money.
He would have questioned her right away, but she was unconscious after being struck by Heavenly Lord.
“This matter… I will handle it at my discretion. I deeply apologize for troubling you.”
“Ho ho, it’s no trouble. It’s rather fortunate that we’ve managed to root out the wrongshoots now.”
“Concerning Xuelian… I will investigate her affairs along with those related to her. Until then, trust me even if it’s uncomfortable.”
“Very well. After all, this isn’t Huashan’s matter. This old Taoist barely manages my sect too, so I trust that High Lord will resolve the issue properly.”
“Master Yushi Heavenly Lord… I thank you for coming to me first without informing others.”
“In that case, I shall take my leave now. I deeply appreciate your understanding despite the late hour.”
Ultimately, the two great lords exchanged polite bows and, after the Heavenly Lord departed from Huashan’s quarters,
“…”
High Lord Dokgo Gupae stared quietly at Baek-hwa who was sound asleep.
Within him, the fierce rage of Dokgo Gupae boiled uncontrollably.
*
Wudang Sect.
Kunlun’s quarters.
“…”
A woman with snow-white hair hanging down gazed into empty space with her hollow, milky eyes.
She was none other than Yuhwa 玉花, the leader of Kunlun, one of the ‘Three Heroes of Wulin 武林三雄’ and the ‘First Female of the Wulin 武林第一女’.
As if troubled by something, she constantly bit her lips.
“Am I… doing the right thing…?”
A small demon of the mind (心魔) had settled within Yuhwa’s heart.
The heart’s demon that arose out of fear that once her object of resentment and scolding disappeared, she would lose it, driving her to portray Seong-seong 檢聖 as an evil person.
To be precise, it had existed beforehand but was amplified by the events surrounding Seong-seong.
“Evil must be exterminated…”
Extinguishing evil and killing demons, known as ‘Myeol-aeksahma 密惡殺魔’, was her sole value and belief, and it was what had shaped her into who she was today.
However, when the evil and demons disappeared, she had felt a great fear about the purpose of her existence that she had never before experienced.
In the end, even though she vaguely sensed that Seong-seong was innocent, she unconsciously labeled him as an evil person.
At first, it was good. It allowed her to proceed with her secluded training purposefully and without hesitation.
Using the excuse of building strength to oppose Seong-seong, she had remained in seclusion, ignoring other evils across the land.
After all, the disappearance of evil across the land, like the end of the ‘Bloody Great War’, was terrifying.
But as time went on, the more the fear receded and faded,
“Master… Shinseong…”
Her own ugly side emerged more and more clearly, just as it does now.
The动摇 of her beliefs and values.
Furthermore, her distrust in her own life, martial arts, and reason for existence.
“If only I could realize it later that your words always turned out to be right…”
Suddenly, Yuhwa recalled an incident from the ‘Bloody Great War’.
In her mind, a scene began to play out again.
– Kill them all! Capture the ones who can be enslaved! Kill all the old ones!
– Let the children be left alone since they will be used as sacrifices! Especially the girls, since the Patriarch likes them – capture them alive!
It was amidst such exchanges, where swords and blades clashed, and blood splattered everywhere.
The battlefield.
Yuhwa, who had spent half of her life on such battlefields.
A person more accustomed to violence than peace, and killing people than conversing warmly with them.
There was no one to judge such a person. It was what everyone called the ‘post-war syndrome’. Some glorified it as a badge of honor earned while protecting others.
– Those foul creatures…! I’ll show them…
– Yu Hwa! Snap out of it! Losing yourself leads to failure in accomplishing what needs to be done!
One of those ordinary war-filled days in which Blood Cult’s followers had raided a minor sect, and she, alongside Master Shinseong, had set out to capture them.
Mountains of corpses sprawled across the battlefield. Carrying their swords high, the Blood Cult’s followers moved with barbaric, sluggish steps.
The moment Yuhwa saw them, her mind froze with rage while she counted their numbers.
Overwhelmed with the urge to rip apart the vile Blood Cult members immediately.
Shinseong tried to stop her, but ignoring his advice, Yuhwa plunged ahead and initiated a massacre.
Watching her retreating back, Shinseong sighed, muttered a Buddhist scripture, and raced towards another sect that required assistance.
At the end of the battle,
Yuhwa successfully wiped out all Blood Cult members without a single survivor, but among those she had defended, fewer than five remained alive.
Moreover, some of the victims of the sect had fallen under Yuhwa’s aggressive and expansive sword strikes.
On the contrary, Shinseong, despite letting thirty Blood Cult members escape, managed to protect the sect he went to without losing a single life.
That day, differently from Yuhwa whose body was soaked in blood of others, Shinseong, carrying many wounds, made a comment that penetrated deeply into her heart’s demon.
– …Yuhwa.
– The Blood Cult members you let escape will make new victims. What do you plan to do about that?
– At least as the righteous path…
– How do you answer to that, Yuhwa? How do you take responsibility?
– In future battles, I hope you count allies who need protection first before counting the enemies to be annihilated.
– …
– …We are not Sword Saints.
– What does a Sword Saint have to do with my words! Please answer my question!
– There is no miraculous prowess that can protect everyone while exterminating all Blood Cult members.
– …
– As for me, in cases like today, I can solve problems without anyone getting hurt. It’s only that the process might leave a few more scars to carry.
Shinseong opened his robe.
Within were well-developed muscles uncommon among monks who studied Buddhist scriptures, etched with countless scars and wounds, injuries that an average person could never endure.
Yuhwa, experienced in battles, recognized those as wounds received while ‘protecting’ something.
Unlike her own unblemished and smooth skin.
“…”
Back then, these words didn’t stir much thought within her.
However, now that her distrust towards herself and the subconscious guilt she bore towards the Sword Sage, growing with each passing day,
“Is the path I walk truly the righteous way…”
Each of Master Shinseong’s sayings kept pricking her consciousness.
“Wasn’t it something like… what Sword Sage said?”
In the past, there was a time when Sword Sage debated with Master Shinseong.
What she had firmly advocated for was naturally ‘Chilmamaeul’ (斥魔滅惡).
Shinseong described justice as something abstract, difficult to define easily, but if pressed, “guiding the world through righteousness and justice, like a light in the foggy darkness” was his stance.
Finally, what Sword Sage had argued was:
– … Protection.
– Hm? What did you say, esteemed one?
– Could you please speak more loudly, Sword Sage?
– Protecting light, never letting go, never weakening.
– …
– …
– Acting in accordance with propriety, progressing on the righteous path, protecting the weak and preventing injustice, refraining from actions that violate righteous laws, avoiding becoming the evil one labels as justice, never blindly trusting oneself, always bearing in mind that heaven and earth are watching and acting accordingly, not letting personal emotions jeopardize greater causes, willingly becoming a tool for the sake of what is just, that… is justice.
She couldn’t comprehend those words back then. Neither could she now, even after nearly a decade had passed.
“Nevertheless, it’s all hypocrisy, isn’t it?”
Yet, a slight sense of empathy could be felt.
Which made her even more fearful of losing her own way.
“Even he was a pretender.”
No matter how much she whispered to herself, a seeded demon of mind doesn’t vanish easily.
Until she accepts it and overcomes it.