Hwasan Sect’s Genius Swordsman Chapter 12

Chapter 12

“I want to smash everything completely.”

Watching Mu-hwa speak while clenching her fist, Mujin let out a sigh.

“Mu-hwa… How about toning down your words a bit.”

At that, Mu-hwa pouted her lips and rolled her head.

“I think we need to defeat the darkness of this place.”

When Mu-hwa, who had been contemplating the nagging, answered confidently again, Mujin and Mu-cheol also responded in turn.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just collect information and report to headquarters first?”

“I will follow the Senior Disciple’s words.”

Different answers from each person. At a glance, their individual tendencies could be glimpsed.

Mu Hwi looked at Mu-hwa and Mujin in turn and asked.

“Tell me each of your reasons.”

“The Black Sword lives off money taken from innocent people without doing anything, right? As disciples of the Hwasan Sect, we should naturally step up when we see injustice.”

“We don’t know anything about Pocheng’s Black Sword, and no matter what, I think it’s dangerous having just four second-generation disciples deal with them.”

“Is that so?”

Mu Hwi, with arms crossed, nodded while looking at his disciples.

“You three gather information about Pocheng’s Black Sword tomorrow. How much do they affect people’s lives, their numbers, and their military power? Everything down to the smallest detail.”

To this, Mu-hwa tilted her head.

“Then what about you, Senior Disciple?”

“I’ll move separately. I was thinking of dispersing you three as well, but seeing how you acted today, that won’t work.”

Mu Hwi added as he got up from his seat.

“You can reconsider your opinions again as you gather information about the Black Sword. I’ll hear your answers tomorrow evening.”

* * *

Mu Hwi, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

“Whew…”

Even after combining martial arts techniques to his taste once, it wasn’t the end. He needed to go through the process of refining the circulation paths and verbal formulas while circulating energy several times with the improved Nine Skies Mind Method.

After gathering the inner power that had been circulating through all his meridians and finishing the energy circulation, Mu Hwi checked outside the window.

“It’s a good time.”

Seeing the tilted moon in the night sky, Mu Hwi decided to check on his disciples who were each in their rooms, and quietly left his room.

When he came down to the first floor, the dozing attendant at the table sensed Mu Hwi’s presence like a ghost and opened his eyes.

Though he hadn’t learned martial arts, the attendant’s instincts were as sharp as a martial artist’s in some ways.

“Oh, Master. What brings you here?”

“Can I order something now? It seems the cook is still in the kitchen.”

The attendant, wiping his drool, naturally rubbed his palms together and smiled.

“Of course, Master. It’s about time to feel peckish. Shall I prepare some light noodles for you?”

“No, from here to there. Everything across the board.”

When Mu Hwi pointed to about ten menu boards hanging on the wall one by one, the attendant’s eyes widened and he smiled broadly.

“Ah, and please include two or three bottles of wine as well.”

When Mu Hwi handed over a small money pouch containing iron coins, the attendant received it respectfully while bowing at the waist.

‘Ooh.’

From the attendant’s long experience, the weight of the money pouch felt in his palm seemed like it would be slightly more than the cost of the food.

“I’ve included extra money, so please make the portions generous.”

“Haha, of course, Master.”

Mu Hwi walked through the night streets of Pocheng carrying bundles containing food and wine bottles in both hands.

Eerie colored lights illuminated the darkness, and occasionally the loud voices of drunk people could be heard.

“Oh my, handsome monk. Come play with me.”

“Come to our wine house, we’ll treat you well.”

“What’s that in your hands? Let’s eat together!”

Women with elaborate makeup waved colorful fabrics and flirted, but Mu Hwi didn’t even give them a glance.

After passing through the streets of the glamorous night, the lights and women gradually disappeared, and dark gloom settled around.

Nevertheless, Mu Hwi continued walking without stopping, looking around as if searching for something.

Mu Hwi’s gaze, which had been piercing through the darkness here and there, stopped at one point.

‘Found it.’

Something was wriggling in the shadows under the bridge.

“Ah, I’m hungry.”

“Maybe because begging didn’t go well today. My stomach is giving me more trouble than usual today.”

As the distance grew closer, murmuring voices could be heard from the shadows under the bridge, and a musty smell began to emerge little by little.

“Hmph.”

Mu Hwi, who frowned at the smell irritating his nose, let out a long breath and entered the shadows under the bridge.

Growl

“My stomach is literally screaming.”

The ones gathered under the bridge were beggars.

However, they weren’t ordinary beggars but disciples of the Beggar Sect who had learned martial arts. As if to prove this, each beggar had knots tied on their belts.

“Hm?”

The beggars of the Beggar Sect merely raised their heads to look at Mu Hwi despite the sudden approach of an outsider.

And that was not because of Mu Hwi but because of the faint food smell coming from the bundles he was carrying.

If he had come empty-handed, these beggars wouldn’t have paid any attention to him.

“Ooh, a smell that makes you drool.”

“This spicy aroma seems like the beef noodles from Muksugaekjan inn?”

The ability of Beggar Sect beggars to identify the inn that made the food just by smell was amazing.

As the beggars began to rise one by one, Mu Hwi sat down in front of them and unwrapped his bundles.

Various kinds of food and three bottles of alcohol.

The Beggar Sect beggars’ eyes shone brilliantly.

“Delicious. It’s still warm.”

Mu Hwi took out dumplings and deliberately took a big bite in front of the beggars’ eyes.

“Ooh!”

“Food!”

When the beggars jumped up and rushed toward the bundles, a flash of light gleamed.

Mu Hwi’s sword, which had somehow left its scabbard, drew a line in front of the bundles.

“You beggar bastards, did you think I came here to do you guys a favor?”

Only then did the beggars start paying attention to Mu Hwi who had brought the food. A middle-aged beggar carefully examined the line Mu Hwi had drawn with his sword.

“Hooh… You look young but you’re quite skilled.”

Although they were distracted by the food, they were still disciples of the Beggar Sect.

It was surprising they hadn’t properly seen the sword draw of a young newcomer, especially performed from an unstable sitting position.

‘Drawing the sword from the waist like flowing water in such a position.’

The surprised beggars noticed the two red plum blossoms embroidered on Mu Hwi’s sleeve.

“My… No wonder the swordsmanship seemed extraordinary, you’re a master from the Hwasan Sect. We apologize for our rudeness.”

Starting with the middle-aged beggar, all the gathered beggars made a respectful gesture toward Mu Hwi. When the Beggar Sect beggars showed courtesy, Mu Hwi responded by folding his hands.

“Second-generation disciple of Hwasan Sect, Mu Hwi.”

“Mu Hwi? So you’re a disciple of the Hwasan Sword Saint. I am So Jin-gae of the Beggar Sect.”

As expected of the Beggar Sect which deals with information, the beggars knew even things that weren’t well-known in the martial arts world.

So Jin-gae bowed his head toward Mu Hwi while maintaining the respectful gesture.

“The Beggar Sect also regrets what happened to the Hwasan Sword Saint. Even our Sect Leader lamented not being able to provide much help regarding the Shaanxi  Bloodshed Incident.”

“It’s alright. Your Sect Leader would have had difficulty leaving his position carelessly because of polar astronomy.”

“You are well-informed.”

So Jin-gae and the other beggars each nodded their heads when they saw that the young newcomer was quite knowledgeable about the state of affairs in the martial arts world.

“By the way, what brings you here?”

“I came looking for the Pocheng branch of the Beggar Sect because I wanted to hear information about the Black Sword that has settled in Pocheng.”

Mu Hwi spoke while looking at the old shack behind the beggars that looked like it would collapse at any moment.

Although the Beggar Sect was spread widely throughout the world, except for major cities, there were no proper buildings for their branches.

If there were Beggar Sect beggars gathered and a shabby shack nearby, that shabby shack is the Beggar Sect branch.

“You mean the Bloodshed Clan that took over the empty spot left by the destroyed Flower Stream Gate Sect. I can tell you, but…”

So Jin-gae’s words trailed off as he looked at the food Mu Hwi had brought. Understanding his meaning, Mu Hwi raised the corner of his mouth.

“Food doesn’t taste good when it gets cold, so eat while you talk.”

“Haha, thank you very much.”

When Mu Hwi gave permission, the beggars rushed toward the bundles without hesitation, and So Jin-gae was no exception.

Even while stuffing a large piece of five-spice beef into his mouth, So Jin-gae didn’t forget his duty.

“Chomp chomp… So these Bloodshed Clan gangs are quite substantial, unlike ordinary Black Sword groups.”

The beggars each took a piece of food while sharing what information they knew.

Mu Hwi, who had been quietly listening to this, smiled slightly and poured a drink for each of the beggars.

“But you know what? It seems the important story hasn’t come out yet?”

“What do you mean?”

So Jin-gae asked while sucking on a duck leg.

“For example, who might be backing the Bloodshed Clan? That kind of story.”

Looking at Mu Hwi with interested eyes, So Jin-gae licked the oil from his lips and asked.

“May I ask why you suspect there’s a backer?”

“Pocheng isn’t such a small region, and Flower Stream Gate Sect was quite sizeable for a medium-small sect. Yet a single Black Sword group monopolizes Pocheng’s privileges?”

It would be natural for others to try to claim the vacant privileges, and Pocheng’s privileges weren’t small enough for just one Black Sword group to handle.

Originally, it wouldn’t have been strange at all to see two or three Black Sword groups tearing apart and sharing Pocheng’s privileges while competing with each other.

The beggars looked at Mu Hwi with surprised eyes after hearing his explanation.

“Master Mu Hwi’s insight is sharp. Hard to believe you’re a newcomer who just entered the martial arts world.”

So Jin-gae crossed his arms, thought for a moment, then continued.

“We have suspicions, but nothing certain.”

“Who is the suspected backer?”

“A martial artist from the Guyu Sect named Red Wolf Sword frequently contacts Bloodshed Clan.”

“Red Wolf Sword…”

It wasn’t a nickname in Mu Hwi’s memory. Which meant it wasn’t a very famous figure.

“However, we can’t be certain that Guyu Sect is behind them. Because…”

Mu Hwi picked up So Jin-gae’s words.

“If Guyu Sect was behind them, they would have openly established a branch without being cautious. That’s how those guys are.”

The major sects in Shaanxi are the Hwasan Sect, Jongnam Sect, and Guyu Sect.

While Hwasan Sect and Jongnam Sect has influence in the south of Shaanxi centered around Xi’an, the north is completely dominated by Guyu Sect.

Although they bordered two sects of the Nine Major Sects, Guyu Sect had never been cautious of Hwasan and Jongnam.

Guyu Sect had strong tyrannical tendencies, so if they wanted to do something in Pocheng, they would have openly shown their ambitions.

That’s how Guyu Sect had always acted in Shaanxi.

‘Besides, they probably don’t have the luxury to care about a place like this.’

Recalling Guyu Sect’s situation, Mu Hwi nodded slightly.

As So Jin-gae said, while there was no concrete evidence, it seemed unlikely that Guyu Sect was involved in this matter.

“Indeed, you know well. You must have heard a lot from the Sword Saint.”

So Jin-gae continued to express admiration, apparently thinking Mu Hwi had been well taught by the Hwasan Sword Saint.

“Master Mu Hwi, did you come out to the martial world to gain experience?”

“No. I came out briefly to look around, so I can’t wander the martial world for long.”

“I see.”

Thanks to being from the evil sect in his previous life, Mu Hwi was well-versed in the affairs of evil sects.

‘I’ve heard pretty much everything I needed to hear.’

Having obtained information from the Beggar Sect and finished his calculations, Mu Hwi picked up an empty wine cup.

“Pour me a drink too.”

“Oh, is that alright?”

“What does it matter if I’m drinking grain wine rather than alcohol?”

“Haha, you’re an interesting master.”

Soon, Mu Hwi began drinking with the beggars.

Though it felt somewhat odd that his first drinking session was with beggars, once the wine moistened his throat, such thoughts were instantly washed away.

“Whew, this is the taste.”

“Ooh, Master. The alcohol, no, the grain wine seems to suit your taste quite well.”

“Of course. Now tell me about this fellow called Red Wolf Sword as a snack.”

At Mu Hwi’s request, information about Red Wolf Sword began pouring from the Beggar Sect beggars’ mouths.

“Hmm, I understand roughly what kind of person he is.”

Mu Hwi sipped his drink while engraving every piece of information into his memory without missing anything.

After acquiring all the information about Bloodshed Clan and Red Wolf Sword, Mu Hwi made his decision.

‘I wonder what choice they’ll make.’

Though he had already decided, he was curious about what judgment his disciples would make.

Would they push forward, or would they yield?

It would probably depend on what information his disciples obtained.

He would have to wait until tomorrow evening to hear their answer.

‘There’s time until tomorrow evening, so I should refine my sword technique.’

Mu Hwi recalled that sword technique from his previous life.

< Do you think I came here to do you guys a favor> End

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