"What is that?"
"The sect is dissolved."
As if bewitched by a demon, Sister Soso's face went blank. The other disciples were also completely stunned, their mouths agape. It was understandable.
Though they could hear the brutal clang of steel as sword met sword, all their eyes could see were flashing sword lights and blurry afterimages. Still, there were some who understood the situation.
"Hah, so this is the realm of an inner energy master, something I've only heard of in tales..."
As Song Chu-gi spoke as if in lament, Lee Ho clicked his tongue.
"Is this inner energy? It's incredible. Fellows like us would have our heads lopped off without even knowing how we died."
"I wondered how he managed to squander such a vast fortune, but it seems there was this kind of story behind it, huh...?"
Wang Se-won, who was listening, tilted his head.
"I can understand the sect leader, but was the young master also an inner energy master?"
"Can't you tell just by looking?"
"Now I understand why he sent the disciples away. Even with hundreds of us, could we have even been a match for a single strike from that assassin?"
"It would only have increased the number of corpses."
Everyone watched the battle, a clash of a far-off realm that transcended human limits, with eyes full of bitterness and fear. In an actual fight, it probably wouldn't be like that. No matter how outstanding an inner energy master is, the inner energy they possess is not infinite.
They must conserve their inner energy as much as possible, so they would bypass the disciples and aim straight for the sect leader in a single breath. In fact, the former sect leader was killed in such an ambush.
When he learned that the assassin who murdered his father and was targeting his family was Hong Yeong-chi, Baek Cha-hyeon must have had no choice but to pursue inner energy training. Having entered the Mount Hua Sect as a true disciple, Hong Yeong-chi would surely have learned an inner cultivation method.
Thanks to enhancing my vision by raising my inner energy, I was able to see every detail of the fierce exchange. The sword techniques of Baek Cha-hyeon and Baek Seok-hun were sharp and dazzling, but their control of inner energy was inferior to mine. The movements of the sword wielded by Hong Yeong-chi also came into view clearly.
His use of inner energy was not that impressive either. Even if he lived as an assassin for the Murim Alliance, acquiring spiritual herbs would not have been easy, so his progress in inner energy training was likely very slow.
Baek Cha-hyeon's martial ability was clearly a notch below Hong Yeong-chi's. However, thanks to the massive amount of inner energy he had obtained by pouring his school's resources into it and the coordinated attack with the young master, the fight was a breathtakingly close match.
The Plum Blossom Swordsman, Hu Il-hyeong, stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the carriage, calmly observing the bloody battle. The other Mount Hua Sect martial artists whispered among themselves with interested looks, exchanging something. It seemed they were betting on who would win.
To them, the desperate life-or-death struggle of two fallen families seemed to be nothing more than a spectacle in a dogfighting pit. As if sensing the unwelcome gazes, Hu Il-hyeong turned his head. Our eyes met, but he didn't seem to recognize me and focused back on the bloody duel.
The nerve-wracking fight slowly began to tip to one side. Having grown accustomed to the sect leader and young master's coordinated attacks, Hong Yeong-chi's sword was gradually gaining the upper hand. Baek Seok-hun's and Baek Cha-hyeon's coordination faltered, and the number of wounds on their bodies increased.
As Baek Cha-hyeon's sword dipped slightly after his forearm was cut, his upper body was exposed at an angle. Hong Yeong-chi did not miss the opening and lunged forward, thrusting his sword. With no time to dodge, the fierce sword strike slammed into the sect leader's chest.
As if sensing his end, Baek Cha-hyeon dropped his sword. With wide eyes, he tightly gripped the blade embedded in his chest with both hands. In the moment Hong Yeong-chi hesitated at the suicidal move, Baek Seok-hun's sword from behind severed his left arm.
"Kuaaaargh!"
Hong Yeong-chi screamed and turned, unleashing a killing move. Freed from the sword, Baek Cha-hyeon collapsed with a thud. Baek Seok-hun, gritting his teeth like a demon, charged at his one-armed biological father.
The fighting was too close for the disciples to dare approach the sect leader. Bloody foam frothed at the sect leader's mouth. I drew my long blade and stealthily approached, dragging Baek Cha-hyeon to a safe place.
The sword had missed his heart, so he did not die instantly, but it seemed unlikely he would survive. Baek Cha-hyeon kept muttering something to himself, spitting blood with his head turned to the side. Thinking he might be trying to leave his last words, I put my ear to his mouth to listen.
Staring intently at the scene of the son, who shared not a drop of his blood, standing by his side and attacking his own biological father, the sect leader muttered thus.
"I won... cough, cough, I... won."
His pale face twisted into a smile filled with ecstasy. In his eyes, where death was spreading, something like an unresolved madness glittered. Without even a moment to try and stop the bleeding, Baek Cha-hyeon coughed up a heavy mass of clotted blood and died.
His eyes were fiercely wide open, as if he intended to take his victory with him to the afterlife. A moment later, Hong Yeong-chi's head flew into the sky. Having mercilessly cut down his own father, Baek Seok-hun ran over, holding his blood-stained sword.
Seeing the breathless sect leader, he dropped to his knees with a thud. He closed his eyes, his body trembling with pain and regret, and then asked with difficulty.
"... Did he leave any last words?"
I couldn't bring myself to relay the ramblings of the foolish sect leader who had ruined his sect in his own generation. I thought I knew what the best last words for this situation would be.
"He said that once your revenge is over, you should live freely like a bird. And... he said he was sorry."
Baek Seok-hun's eyes welled up with tears. It must have been a last testament completely different from his usual self, but the young master did not doubt it. It was likely because those were the words he had wanted to hear his entire life.
With a trembling hand, Baek Seok-hun closed the sect leader's eyes. Sister Soso staggered over and plunged her sword into the body of the enemy who had killed her husband. Song Chu-gi and the other disciples also rushed in.
After a bout of frenzied slashing, Song Chu-gi collected Hong Yeong-chi's severed head. Once the situation was somewhat under control, the Plum Blossom Swordsman approached.
"With this, the long-standing grudge between the two lay disciple sects is concluded. Do you agree?"
Baek Seok-hun bit his lip hard and turned his head to look up at Hu Il-hyeong. His tear-soaked eyes, perhaps due to the ordeal he had just endured, looked a little stronger than before.
"I agree."
"Take down the signboard."
Baek Seok-hun rose from his spot and sheathed his sword. Leaving the sect leader's body behind, he stood before Hu Il-hyeong.
"Please spare the disciples."
Hu Il-hyeong's eyes grew cold as he scrutinized Baek Seok-hun.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"Married?"
"Not yet."
"How long have you been training in inner energy?"
"A little over a year."
"Is it the Six Harmonies Art?"
"Yes, it is."
Hu Il-hyeong nodded slightly, as if he finally understood.
"I wondered why the efficiency of your control was low for the amount of inner energy you have. No matter how you sweet-talked the elders, it would have been difficult to get a heart method beyond the basic arts."
Hu Il-hyeong once again carefully examined Baek Seok-hun's aura.
"Your achievement is quite remarkable for your age. According to the rules, the martial arts bestowed by Mount Hua must be reclaimed. Do you know what that means?"
It meant they would shatter his energy core and sever the tendons in his limbs. Baek Seok-hun trembled and gripped the scabbard at his waist with his left hand. I could feel his firm resolve to die fighting cleanly rather than become a wretched cripple.
I probably would have done the same. Before his hand could reach the hilt of his sword, Hu Il-hyeong casually opened a path for him to live.
"It would be a waste to cripple you like this. Will you follow me?"
Baek Seok-hun flinched at the unexpected offer.
"My skills are too meager to walk the path of a Plum Blossom Swordsman."
A cold, mirthless sneer formed on Hu Il-hyeong's lips.
"You have big dreams. Do you think just anyone can become a Plum Blossom Swordsman? Following me does not mean you will walk that path."
"If I follow you, will you spare the disciples?"
Hu Il-hyeong looked over at us with an indifferent gaze.
"Did you teach the martial arts of Mount Hua to the disciples?"
"No. For generations, only the sect leader and his direct descendants have been taught."
"Then there is no reason to kill them. This is not the extermination of a sect, but its dissolution. The sword school will be closed, and the disciples will be disbanded."
Once the disciples' safety was guaranteed, Baek Seok-hun clasped his blood-stained hands and bowed deeply from the waist.
"I will follow the Plum Blossom Swordsman."
There was no other choice. It was better to live under the shadow of the Mount Hua Sect than to become a cripple who couldn't even walk. With the Mount Hua martial artists and the disciples watching, the young master himself climbed a ladder and took down the signboard hanging over the main gate.
It was the moment the history of a sect that had stood in one place for over a hundred years came to an end. The disciples could not hold back their tears. Though they were all born in different places, they had all lived considering the Western Shadow Sword Sect their home.
Even Sister Soso, who had only been with them for a mere seven years, buried her face in her sleeve and wept quietly. After being cast out of the Western Village, she had found a husband and a son here. And here, she lost her parents and her husband.
She had avenged her grudge by killing the assassin, but the dead do not return. I quietly approached and hugged Sister Soso. One side of my chest became soaked with sorrowful, hot tears.
Just as she had done for me on my first day in Red Wave Village, I gently patted her back. Baek Seok-hun handed the removed signboard to Hu Il-hyeong.
"In two years, come to Mount Hua and find me."
Seeing Baek Seok-hun's dumbfounded expression, Hu Il-hyeong calmly shook his head.
"Your sword and your eyes lack experience. Wander the Central Plains and build your experience and schemes."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Deeply moved, Baek Seok-hun cupped his fists and bowed low. Hu Il-hyeong and the Mount Hua Sect martial artists loaded the signboard onto their carriage and leisurely passed through the main gate. They completely disappeared into the winter night's darkness, which was much deeper than before.
* We moved the sect leader's body into a pavilion and covered it with a blanket. Baek Seok-hun sat before it, burning incense and spirit money in a brazier until dawn. Sister Soso brought Ju-gyeong, fed him, and laid him on her lap to sleep.
I mingled with the disciples and heard various stories and memories about the head instructor. The only person who truly mourned the sect leader's death was the young master. Early in the morning, we took a carriage out, purchased coffins, and placed the bodies of Baek Cha-hyeon, Hong Yeong-chi, and his seven subordinates inside.
The burial site was the ancestral tomb on the mountain where their ancestors were enshrined. Baek Seok-hun offered the assassin Hong Yeong-chi's head to the former sect leader and held a simple memorial service. We thawed the frozen ground with a bonfire and diligently worked the pickaxes and shovels.
Baek Cha-hyeon was buried right below the former sect leader. Hong Yeong-chi and his men were buried nearby. After finishing the arduous mid-winter labor, we returned to the sword school and sat around a table one last time.
Baek Seok-hun brewed tea himself, serving a cup to each of us as he asked.
"What do you all plan to do now?"
"I plan to return to my hometown with my child."
Baek Seok-hun looked back and forth between Sister Soso, me, and Ju-gyeong, then politely cupped his fists.
"You have suffered much. I pray for your safe journey home."
Baek Seok-hun's gaze shifted to the person opposite him. Song Chu-gi silently watched for a moment before speaking.
"Where will you be going, Young Master?"
"I am no longer the young master."
"Still..."
Baek Seok-hun stroked his teacup and turned his eyes to the window.
"I intend to go wherever my feet take me. I'd like to visit the Imperial Capital and also take a look around Hubei Province and Sichuan."
Baek Seok-hun's tone and expression as he spoke of an unknown world he had never visited were strangely excited.
"We will serve you."
When Song Chu-gi asked to accompany him, Lee Ho, Wang Se-won, and Jeon Hyeon all bowed their heads in unison.
"You're not going back to your hometowns?"
"We have lived at the sword school since we were young. If we go back, we know no one and have no foundation. What would we become but ruffians?"
"It's the same for us. Please think of it as saving a few ruffians and take us in."
With the martial ability of Song Chu-gi and the disciples, they were more than capable of making a living as wandering swordsmen. With Baek Seok-hun, who knew how to use inner energy, by their side, they would have nothing to fear.
Baek Seok-hun too would feel secure wherever he went, with these loyal men by his side, whom he had known since childhood and who had protected the fallen sect to the very end.
"Thank you, everyone."
Now that their paths were decided, there was no reason to hesitate. As they were hurrying to pack up the remaining belongings, debt collectors who had heard the news that the signboard had been taken down came flooding in.
They had brought dozens of swordsmen with them, but to Baek Seok-hun, they were small fry not even worthy of a single strike. Baek Seok-hun obediently handed over the documents for the pavilion.
He watched with a sense of relief as the sword school where he was born and raised was handed over to others right before his eyes, then he sought me out.
"It seems we'll have to postpone our sparring session. May I visit the Western Village someday?"
"You are welcome anytime. When you come to the Western Village, please stop by the Deep Fragrance Pavilion and ask for me."
"Let's do that. I will not forget."
Baek Seok-hun smiled brightly as we exchanged farewells. Hong Yeong-chi's words, that a tiger's cub was born from a dog's body, were true. Both his biological father and his adoptive father were merely common men, born into good families but with natures no different from those of the dark path.
I don't know how an upright and handsome man like Baek Seok-hun came to be. Perhaps he took after his mother in personality. Finally, we all visited the grave of the deceased head instructor together.
"Although the sword school has closed its doors, I will never forget the loyalty and righteousness shown by the head instructor for the rest of my life."
Baek Seok-hun clasped his hands and bowed deeply, expressing his gratitude to the deceased. The disciples also wiped away tears, each bidding farewell to their big brother, the head instructor, in their own way. After dwelling on memories and regrets for a long while, we turned and descended the mountain.
Baek Seok-hun, Song Chu-gi, Lee Ho, Wang Se-won, and Jeon Hyeon immediately got into a carriage and set off on the road south. After seeing them off, Sister Soso, Ju-gyeong, and I headed to the largest inn in Red Wave Village. Without needing to look around, I rented an entire detached house with a rear garden.
Seeing me take out a banknote, Sister Soso nudged me in the side.
"Aren't you overdoing it?"
"It's fine. We have to stay for over half a month, and it's no good bumping into other guests coming and going. I have enough money."
There was another reason. Since leaving the Western Village, my circumstances had not allowed me to properly circulate my energy or practice my saber technique. The martial ability of the Plum Blossom Swordsman I saw at the inn was still vivid in my mind.
I wanted to calmly review it before it faded and gain something from it. I didn't know when I would ever get another chance to see the martial arts of such an absolute master again. After unpacking our things in the detached house, while Sister Soso was taking care of Ju-gyeong, I drew my long blade in the rear garden.
Swaaak!
Recalling the plum blossoms the Plum Blossom Swordsman had bloomed with his sword, I slashed at the sunset with a secret art of the Heavenly Steel Saber Technique.