"Here you are."

Unam approached Cheongmyeong with a somewhat anxious expression.

"I greet you, Master."

Jogol and Cheongmyeong hurriedly bowed their heads.

"Good."

Unam lightly nodded in acknowledgment and fixed his gaze on Cheongmyeong.

"Cheongmyeong."

"Yes, Master."

"It seems you need to visit the main mountain."

"... What?" The main mountain? Huashan? Cheongmyeong's face trembled slightly. 'No way, is it that easy to say I should go to Huashan?' To say such a thing as if it were a simple errand to a crazy mountain where birds would fall? Where is the conscience in that?

"The main mountain?"

"That's right."

Cheongmyeong turned his face with a pout.

Jogol neatly averted his gaze from Cheongmyeong.

"Why me? There are many strong and lively seniors, so why must it be me...?"

"Aren't you the youngest?"

"Being the youngest means I have thin legs and weak lightness skills."

"And you do the least work."

"...."

Ah.

I never thought that the chore of cleaning the front yard I wanted to avoid would come back to stab me like this.

Life is indeed full of twists and turns.

"Hmm."

Cheongmyeong sighed deeply.

Now I even have to run errands for the kids.

How did the famed Plum Blossom Sword Master Cheongmyeong end up in such a situation?

"So, what is this errand about?"

"You just need to deliver a letter to the Zhangmunin or the Jaegyeonggak."

"A letter?" What kind of letter is it? He wanted to ask more, but it wouldn’t be polite to inquire too much from the Master.

It pains me to have to show respect to a greenhorn, but what can I do? The situation is like this.

"Yes. I will go, Master."

"Good. Normally, I would have waited and sent it with someone returning, but this is quite urgent, so it’s difficult to handle it that way. I hope you understand."

Wow.

What a nice personality.

If it were Cheongmyeong, he would have snapped back at the third disciple the moment he started babbling.

Unam took out a letter from his robe and handed it to Cheongmyeong.

"This is it."

"Yes."

And Unam kindly explained what the letter was, in case Cheongmyeong was curious.

"This letter is from the Galaxy Merchant Group, so it must be treated with care."

"What? The Galaxy Merchant Group?" Jogol muttered softly.

"That’s the merchant group of Lord Hwang."

"Huh?" Cheongmyeong stared intently at the letter.

Unam continued explaining, seemingly not noticing anything strange in Cheongmyeong's gaze.

"It’s a letter that came as an urgent report to the Zhangmunin. Fortunately, I was able to receive it in the middle of my stay in Huahum. It will take two days for those delivering goods to Huashan to go up, so you should hurry and deliver it to the Zhangmunin."

"Yes, understood."

"It’s urgent, so don’t delay and set off right away."

"Yes!" Cheongmyeong tucked the letter into his robe and dashed toward Huashan, while Jogol, watching him, unconsciously reached out his hand.

"Uh... uh!" Then he muttered with a worried look.

"We shouldn’t have sent that to him."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Oh, it’s nothing. Master."

Jogol quickly mumbled his words.

But his eyes never left Cheongmyeong's retreating figure. 'I feel uneasy about this.'

A sad premonition is never wrong.

"Hmm."

Cheongmyeong reached the halfway point of Huashan and took out the letter from his robe.

"Hmmmm."

So this is the letter from Lord Hwang of the Galaxy Merchant Group? No. Since Lord Hwang is said to be in and out of consciousness, it must be a letter sent by his subordinates.

"Sigh... what a pity."

Cheongmyeong sighed as if feeling regret.

"It may not be the way of a cultivator to open someone else's letter, but isn’t it also against the way that this letter happens to come to me? Everything depends on the way. It’s only natural for me to want to peek at the letter that has come into my hands. Isn’t that right, senior brother?"

- Speak like a horse.

You foolish brat!

...

Anyway, senior brother and I just don’t get along.

It has always been like that.

But that doesn’t mean I can ignore this.

I’ve heard that if the business is left as it is, it will become a mess, and if that Lord Hwang steps in, things might get easier.

But in this situation, an urgent report comes from the Galaxy Merchant Group? That means something has happened to Lord Hwang.

If I didn’t know, it would be one thing, but how could I not check if I know? This is a choice that anyone, not just Cheongmyeong, would make… but still, it’s tempting.

Cheongmyeong carefully examined the letter.

The words "To the Zhangmunin of the Great Huashan" written on the surface caught his eye.

In other words, it means not to open it unless you are the Zhangmunin.

"It’s okay. It’s okay. Honestly, if you all are here and the Zhangmunin is here, you would have sent the news to me. You wouldn’t have sent it to the Zhangmunin."

If others had heard this, they would have thought he was talking nonsense, but fortunately or unfortunately, there was no one around Cheongmyeong at that moment.

"Let’s see."

The letter was tightly sealed with wax.

No matter how you opened it, there would be traces left.

That is, if it were an ordinary method.

But for Cheongmyeong, it was not particularly difficult.

"Well sealed."

With a swift motion, Cheongmyeong’s fingertips emitted a gentle energy that precisely cut through the boundary of the paper and wax.

Then, it left behind a perfect envelope as if it had never been sealed with wax in the first place.

Opening the envelope, Cheongmyeong took out the letter inside and unfolded it without hesitation, beginning to read.

"Let’s see..."

Cheongmyeong crossed his legs and started reading the letter.

His face contorted in shock.

Almost crumpling the letter, he gently folded it back with trembling hands and tucked it into the envelope.

Then he let out a big sigh.

"Whooo!" After taking several deep breaths, he finally calmed down, but even then, he seemed to tremble slightly.

"This is the damned Demon Flower, isn’t it?" Demon Flower.

The flower of the devil.

Cheongmyeong gritted his teeth.

"There’s no way ordinary physicians can treat the Demon Flower!"

Because this is a symptom caused by martial arts.

On the surface, it appears as if one is severely poisoned.

Therefore, the search for a cure would naturally focus on that direction.

However, the Demon Flower is a symptom that appears when one has been attacked by a specific martial art of the Demon Sect.

The reason Cheongmyeong is unable to calm down right now is very simple. 'Those Demon Sect bastards!' They thought they had almost wiped them out, but the Demon Sect is causing trouble right in the heart of Zhongyuan.

"No, no!" Cheongmyeong slapped his cheeks hard with both hands, making a loud sound.

"What I killed was the Celestial Demon. I didn’t kill all the Demon Sect bastards."

It is only natural that remnants of the Demon Sect still exist in this era.

Didn’t they say that even after killing the Celestial Demon, those who were not wiped out had pushed into Huashan? There must be survivors from there, and those who remained in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, so it is only natural that their lineage continues.

The problem is that not only are they alive, but they are also plotting something in Zhongyuan.

Cheongmyeong’s eyes blazed with fire.

"But do these bastards have a grudge against Huashan?" Why do they cause trouble for Huashan every time? With so many people in Zhongyuan, why do they have to target Lord Hwang and create this mess?

"Ah, my temples are throbbing!" Cheongmyeong sighed deeply. 'This won’t do.' It seems I need to go see for myself.

Just from the contents of the letter, I cannot assert that it is a symptom of the Demon Flower.

I need to see it with my own eyes first.

Moreover...

"Compensation! A huge reward!" The last line of the letter made Cheongmyeong’s eyes widen.

According to Jogol, this Galaxy Merchant Group must be a wealthy merchant group.

If they used the term "huge reward," just how much are they offering?

"I can’t miss this!" Cheongmyeong’s heart raced.

Nearly a hundred years have passed, so there wouldn’t be many who know about the Demon Flower.

If there hadn’t been a war between the Demon Sect and Zhongyuan for a hundred years, there wouldn’t be anyone who could recognize the symptoms caused by a specific martial art of the Demon Sect.

And those who could recognize those symptoms were all killed by the Celestial Demon and the Demon Sect on that day at the peak of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

But in this world, one never knows. 'There might be someone among those who survived a hundred years ago who knows about the Demon Flower.' And if they are still alive, they would have become senior figures in their respective sects.

They might be too old to still be the Zhangmunin, but if one of the Zhangmunin who received this letter shows it in hopes of obtaining information?

That would be a complete disaster! No way! I can’t let that happen!

Cheongmyeong’s eyes sparked with flames.

What kind of arrogant fool dares to target Cheongmyeong’s prey...

No! Are they targeting the patient? This is a matter of money...

No, for the sake of righteousness, this is something that Cheongmyeong must resolve!

Absolutely!

"I’m in a hurry!" Cheongmyeong grasped the letter and placed his hand on the seal.

He lightly used his energy to melt the wax and immediately began to dash toward the peak of Huashan at an incredible speed.

"First, I’ll deliver it!" That way, even if the matter is resolved, those bastards will be able to grasp the situation.

"I’ll definitely take it!" Just you wait.

To the Zhangmunin of the Great Huashan, a letter from Zhangmunin Hyunjeong.

Zhangmunin.

The long winter has passed, and spring is coming with new sprouts.

By the time this letter arrives, the plum blossoms will be blooming beautifully in Huashan where the Zhangmunin resides.

The scenery of Huashan, which I visited with my father in the past, is vividly in my mind.

I am filled with the desire to visit again someday, but it is regrettable that the situation does not allow it.

I have been so distant that it feels shameful to write this letter, but I still feel the need to reach out because my father’s condition has been worsening day by day.

As you know, my father has been unwell since last year and has been bedridden.

Considering my father’s age, it is understandable, but recently, strangely, instead of the symptoms that should naturally appear due to old age, other symptoms have begun to manifest.

My father is currently in a state of almost no consciousness and is unable to move.

His body is stained red, his brow is dark, and he shows symptoms of erratic energy flow.

We, the Galaxy Merchant Group, have invited renowned physicians from Zhongyuan to examine my father’s condition, but no one has been able to provide a proper diagnosis.

In desperation, we are sending letters to those we have connections with, hoping to find a clue about his illness.

If the Zhangmunin knows anything about my father’s symptoms, I would be grateful for any way you could contact me.

For those who provide information that could improve my father’s condition, I promise a huge reward in the name of the Galaxy Merchant Group.

I look forward to a good response.

Sincerely, Hwang Jong-yi of the Galaxy Merchant Group.