Chapter 1930 - Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1930. So a Day Like This Really Does Come. (5)

“This is a gift prepared by our Songhe Sect. It is a modest offering, but please accept it.”

[Songhwamun. 송화문(松和門). Song (松): pine; hwa (和): harmony; mun (門): gate or sect. A martial sect name meaning roughly “Gate of Pine and Harmony.”]

 “Ah, n-no, the invitation clearly stated that gifts would be declined in the invitation letter—”

“Ahahaha. Indeed, indeed. But when visiting another sect, coming empty-handed is both uncomfortable and discourteous, is it not? We have already brought it all the way here, so please do not refuse and accept it.”

“Hmm. If you insist like this....”

Un Am hesitated awkwardly. Meanwhile, sparks practically flew from the eyes of the other sect leaders surrounding them.

‘That bastard did this on his own without saying a word?’

‘I definitely didn’t see it earlier. Did he hide it and bring it up?’

‘What a vicious fellow. If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve prepared a gift too.’

Flustered, Un Am repeatedly waved his hands.

“Even so, we cannot accept gifts—”

“Aigoo. Please hand it over this way, this way.”

But before anyone knew it, Cheong Myeong had darted over like an arrow. Grinning from ear to ear, he snatched the gift from the hand of the Songhe Sect Leader.

“You said Songhe Sect, correct? The Songhe Sect from Henan?”

“Yes, that is correct. So you know of us.”

“Of course, of course. We are already grateful that you came so quickly from such a distant place, and now you’ve even brought a gift. We shall remember the name Songhe Sect well.”

“Aigo, what are you saying? Hahaha. It is merely a modest gift.”

The Songhe Sect Leader inwardly rejoiced.

‘To think that my business trip nearby would work out like this.’

In any case, we have etched the three characters Songhe Sect into Mount Hua’s memory. The cost of the gift wasn’t wasted.

The other sect leaders watching this, however, felt their insides burning to a crisp. Just from the delighted expression on Cheong Myeong’s face, it was obvious that these people did not merely like gifts—they liked them an extraordinary amount.

‘Damn it. I should’ve prepared something in advance.’

‘Come to think of it, Shaolin also said they didn’t accept gifts. But they always accepted them anyway. I should’ve remembered that.’

‘What kind of fool hears a summons and rushes over empty-handed? Arriving quickly isn’t what gets you remembered....’

The sect leaders smacked their lips in regret. Yet whenever many people gather together, there is always at least one person armed with an excess of initiative.

“Now then, now then. Here is a gift we prepared.”

“Huh?”

Cheong Myeong tilted his head as he looked at the short blade being held out before him. There was no wrapping, and it even showed a strangely obvious amount of wear. It did not look like a prepared gift at all. But...

‘It’s expensive.’

Its gleaming appearance neatly canceled out every other concern.

“Aigo, you really didn’t have to give something like this.”

“Hahaha. It is a treasured blade that was obtained with great difficulty. It once served as the sacred heirloom of our Bakryong House. If one had to give it a name, perhaps it would be called the Bakryong Blade.”

[Bodo. 보도(寶刀). Literally “precious blade” or “treasured saber.” A term for a famous or highly valuable blade.]

[Bakryongbang. 박룡방(拍龍房). Bak (拍): “to strike” or “to clap”; ryong (龍): dragon; bang (房): house.]

“Then is it really alright to give away something so precious?”

“No matter how valuable an object may be, can it compare to the bond between us? Though insufficient, it should serve adequately as a symbol of the relationship between our two sects. Please accept it.”

“Keuuuh. How magnanimous and broad-minded you are. This ‘Bigryong’ Blade seems like exactly the sort of item a sect leader ought to carry personally.”

[tl note: the blade is called the Bakryong Blade (박룡도), but Cheong Myeong mistakenly calls it the Bigryong Blade (빅룡도).]

“Ah, certainly! Hahahaha!”

“Hahahahaha!”

Lightning struck the eyes of the watching sect leaders.

‘That lunatic. He actually brought out his sect heirloom in the end.’

‘Damn it. Don’t I have anything I can offer?’

“Hahaha. Exactly. If one’s sincerity is contained within it, then it is a gift. Therefore, please accept this as well. We are from Shaanxi—”

“Ah! Please look at mine first. This is a family heirloom passed down in our family—”

“Move aside. This is my cherished weapon—”

Cheong Myeong beamed as he accepted the gifts being thrust at him.

“Uhehehe. Ah, you really shouldn’t have. Yes, yes. I’ll be sure to remember every single one of yo—”

Pak!

Hyeon Jong’s fist descended onto Cheong Myeong’s head.

With overwhelming internal qi, Hyeon Jong nearly drove Cheong Myeong straight into the ground before shouting furiously, his face twisted.

“You wretched brat! You couldn’t endure even this much? Return every one of them at once!”

“But... they’re offering them voluntarily...”

“Your mouth!”

“Tch.”

With his lips sticking out a full three feet, Cheong Myeong sulkily handed over the gifts he had been clutching in his arms.

“He says he won’t accept them. Take them back.”

“Ahem. Ahem. Grand Sect Leader, these are merely tokens of sincerity.”

Hyeon Jong smiled gently and bowed his head.

“We have certainly received your goodwill. However, if we accept such valuable items, those who arrive later may begin to doubt our true intentions. Therefore, I ask that you please cooperate with us.”

“Hmm. If that is the case, then...”

The sect leaders smacked their lips in disappointment, but each carefully reclaimed the item they had brought. In any case, thanks to the commotion, it seemed they had at least succeeded in firmly engraving the name of their sect into Mount Hua’s memory, so it was not a complete loss.

“Thank you for inviting us, Grand Sect Leader.”

“I should be the one offering thanks—”

“Come to think of it, our ancestor ten generations removed had deep ties with Mount Hua.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Aigoo, now that I think about it, I too have quite a deep connection with Mount Hua. My great-great-grandfather was originally from Shaanxi...”

Having completely lost his words, Hyeon Jong shuddered as he watched the sect leaders cling to him.

No, why are they pretending we’re this close?

Meanwhile, additional sect leaders continued arriving one after another and, sensing the atmosphere, joined in as well. This was nothing less than a living hell.

“U-Un Am. Could you perhaps handle these people a little... Un Am?”

Feeling a sense of crisis, Hyeon Jong desperately searched for the current sect leader. But unfortunately, Un Am had already been surrounded by sect leaders himself and was being pushed farther and farther away.

Watching this bizarre scene unfold, Baek Cheon blinked unconsciously.

“...Did people usually express gratitude to this extent?”

“As if that could be the case. The atmosphere is completely different from the opening ceremony of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.”

“Isn’t it?”

Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong turned toward Tang Soso as though demanding an explanation. Tang Soso let out a deep sigh before speaking.

“At that time, the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was, at most, a force influential in remote regions like Shaanxi and Sichuan. Things are different now.”

“No, even so, isn’t this too different?”

“It can’t be helped. At this point, Mount Hua’s standing has surpassed even Shaolin’s from not so long ago.”

“...Eh? To that extent?”

“Relatively speaking, yes. We don’t possess the same level of dominance Shaolin once had, but at the same time, there isn’t any force capable of openly opposing us either. Even if someone harbors dissatisfaction, there’s no central force around which they can rally. And most sects that are considered influential throughout the world already have good relations with Mount Hua.”

Baek Cheon considered it for a moment before nodding.

“That is true.”

“So naturally, they’re trying to establish connections first. Besides, doesn’t building ties with us look a lot easier than building ties with Shaolin?”

“So it’s a combination of high status and being just approachable enough?”

“Yes. That’s how I see it.”

“That strangely sounds like something Cheong Myeong would say.”

Come to think of it, that bastard had always been popular.

Especially among the leaders of various sects—it often felt as though they practically threw themselves at him.

However, Baek Cheon would soon realize that this was not a situation he could leisurely observe from the sidelines.

“Excuse me, might you be Baek Cheon Dojang?”

“Huh? Ah, yes, I am, but what brings you—”

The person who had approached him brightened immediately.

“So it is you! Baek Cheon Dojang, the one known throughout the jianghu as the Righteous Sword Plum Blossom!”

At those utterly unexpected words, Baek Cheon’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“Huh? The... the Righteous Sword what?”

“Were you unaware?”

The sect leader tilted his head in confusion.

“From what I’ve heard, a high-ranking figure from Wudang commented on this war, saying that Mount Hua possessed righteousness and that plum blossoms dwelled within its sword. It is because of those words that such an epithet became attached to you.”

“B-But why?!”

Baek Cheon’s face instantly turned bright red.

“Huhuhu. The Righteous Sword Plum Blossom.”

[Uigeom Maehwa. 의검매화(義劍梅花). Ui (義): righteousness; geom (劍): sword; maehwa (梅花): plum blossom. Literally “Righteous Sword Plum Blossom.”]

“An epithet perfectly suited for kicking your blankets in embarrassment before going to sleep.”

[tl note: Kicking the blanket is a Korean expression referring to cringing from embarrassment while recalling something awkward, often late at night.]

“Keuuh. It can’t compare to my One Sword Splitting Light, but it suits you fairly well.”

“Heuuaaaagh!”

Baek Cheon grabbed fistfuls of his neatly groomed hair and began yanking at it.

Of all the impressive epithets available, why did this mortifying one have to latch onto him? At the very least, there were ordinary epithets like Mount Hua Sword Hero or Plum Blossom Sword.

[Hwasan geomho. 화산검호(華山劍豪). Literally “Mount Hua Sword Hero.”]

[Maehwa geom. 매화검(梅花劍). Literally “Plum Blossom Sword.”]

“Do you dislike it?”

“Whether I like it or not isn’t the issue...!”

“Please don’t worry. It seems several other epithets are currently spreading as well.”

“Huh? Other epithets?”

“In some regions, people refer to Dojang as the Plum Blossom Great Hero—”

[Maehwa daehyeop. 매화대협(梅花大俠). Daehyeop (大俠) means “Great Hero” a highly honorable martial-world title for a righteous martial artist.]

“KYAAAAAAAGH!”

“...And there are places that call you the Mount Hua Great Hero.”

[Hwasan daehyeop. 화산대협(華山大俠). Literally “Mount Hua Great Hero.”]

“Let’s go with Righteous Sword Plum Blossom. Please. Let’s absolutely go with that one. I beg you.”

“But that isn’t something I get to decide—”

“Ah, I said make it that one!”

Baek Cheon was beginning to grow genuinely desperate.

What, Plum Blossom Great Hero? The moment an epithet like that attached itself to him, he would never be able to leave the sect grounds. No, he would not even be able to walk around inside the sect grounds. Just imagining those lunatics rolling on the floor laughing was already enough to make his stomach churn.

“I already had another epithet! That Mount Hua Orthodox Sword or whatever! Why do people keep changing my epithet instead of leaving it alone?!”

[Hwasan jeonggeom. 화산정검(華山正劍). Jeong (正) means “upright”, “righteous”, or “orthodox.” Literally “Mount Hua Orthodox Sword”. Usually, people generally translate BC old ephitet as “MH righteous sword”, but actually “jeong” is more “orthodox” than “righteous“. The “ui“ that BC gets now on this ch is “righteous”.]

“It’s only natural. A martial artist’s epithet changes whenever their fame rises.”

“Then why do I only get these insane epithets...?”

“Because the more famous you become, the grander your epithet tends to be?”

“Uheuk...”

Watching Baek Cheon wipe away tears, the sect leader who had delivered the news wore an awkward smile.

“Anyway... that means you really are Baek Cheon Dojang, then.”

“Eh? Ah, yes. That is correct.”

“I’ve heard the stories. That you are the person destined to become Mount Hua’s next sect leader, and that talk of succession has already begun.”

Baek Cheon blinked. How does this man I’ve never met know something that even within Mount Hua only a handful of people would know?

“Hahaha. Then does that not mean that Baek Cheon Dojang is a pillar who will guide the future of the jianghu?”

“N-No, wait. Just a moment. How does that lead to such a conclusion...?”

“Indeed, an epithet like Righteous Sword truly suits—”

“It doesn’t!”

“Then perhaps Mount Hua Great Hero—”

“KYAAAAAAAGH!”

As Baek Cheon trembled in agony, people gradually began gathering around him as well.

“Oho, so this is the one we’ve heard so much about.”

“The Righteous Sword—”

“I SAID NOOOO!”

Baek Cheon squeezed tears from his eyes.

“Why only me! And in the first place, isn’t this way too similar to Samae’s epithet? That, what was it again? Ice Sword...”

“I believe that is a misunderstanding. As far as I know, Yoo Iseol Dojang has received a new epithet as well.”

“Eh? Samae too?”

Baek Cheon whipped his head around. Standing off to the side like a shadow, merely observing everything, Yoo Iseol pointed at herself with her index finger while wearing an uneasy expression (she actually had an expression). It looked as though she was asking whether the epithet had truly been attached to her.

“Huhu. Well then, what epithet is it? How childish could it possibly be?”

“Apparently, after witnessing Yoo Iseol Dojang fight, someone described her with these words: wolha bigeom ryu maehyang.”

[wolha bigeom ryu maehyang. 월하비검류매향(月下飛劍留梅香). wolha 월하(月下): “beneath the moon” or “under the moonlight”; bigeom 비검(飛劍,): “flying sword”; ryu 류(留): “to leave behind.” maehyang 매향(梅香): “plum fragrance”. really long hahahaha.]

“Beneath the moon, a flying sword leaves behind the fragrance of plum?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

Baek Cheon blinked.

“And now there is apparently fierce debate over whether Yoo Iseol Dojang’s epithet should be Flying Sword Beneath the Moon or The Sword Leaves Plum Fragrance. There is even a sizable minority supporting The Flying Sword Plum Fragrance.

[wolha bigeom or geom ryu maehyang. or bigeom maehyang.]

“Who exactly wastes their time arguing over things like this?”

“Who else? Commentators and storytellers. Truthfully, these matters are usually decided by whichever epithet receives the best reaction in the inns.”

“......”

“Ah, of course, among the minorities of minorities there are also those pushing The Lingering Plum Fragrance, focusing on the concept of lingering fragrance rather than the word ‘ryu’ itself.”

[Janmaehyang. 잔매향(殘梅香). 잔(殘): “remaining”, “lingering”, “left behind”; 매향(梅香): “plum fragrance”]

“S-Stop.”

His head felt as though it was about to break.

“No, but the more I hear, the stranger this gets. The treatment is completely different. Why does Samae get an epithet like that, while I get...?”

“You should probably take that up with Wudang. Once a famous person bestows an epithet, it rarely changes afterward.”

“Euugh!”

It had to be Heo Do. No, it was definitely Heo Do. In the first place, among Wudang’s high-ranking figures, who besides Heo Do even knew him personally?

“Why are you doing this to me?! Why exactly?!”

Baek Cheon’s eyes became moist at the gift sent by a distant acquaintance.

[tl note: The “gift” is sarcastic. He is referring to the humiliating epithet that Heo Do’s remarks indirectly caused to spread throughout the martial world.]

✿ ✿ ✿

One man climbing the steep and treacherous paths of Mount Hua raised his head toward the summit. For a long while, he stared at the peak in silence before finally furrowing his brow and muttering,

“It’s noisy. Not at all befitting a taoist sect.”

“...You can hear sounds from the summit all the way from here?”

“Isn’t it only this much distance? It would be stranger not to hear them.”

“Indeed...”

The man accompanying him nodded in admiration.

He himself could hear nothing. In truth, at a distance like this, it would be normal for no one to know what was happening atop the mountain.

However, this person could hear it. Naturally he could. The realm he had reached lay beyond what ordinary people could even imagine.

“They seem to be having quite a pleasant time.”

The man in front smiled faintly.

“Let’s see how that enjoyment changes.”

Then he resumed climbing the mountain with firm, unhesitating steps.

❀ ❀ ❀

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