Hwasan Sect’s Genius Swordsman Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Only a heavy silence flowed through the main hall of Bloodshed Clan Chamber. When no one could give an answer, Mu Hwi smiled faintly.

“Can’t think of a reason? Then you should die. Or since I’m alone now, you could at least try making your last struggle.”

No one was fooled by Mu Hwi’s subtle words. He was the advanced martial artist who had easily cut down Red Wolf Sword who seemed to live in a completely different world.

They all knew well that even if everyone here rushed at him together, they would follow Red Wolf Sword’s fate in an instant.

After long deliberation, the Vice Leader barely managed to speak in a suppressed voice.

“We will follow whatever the Master commands.”

“We will follow!”

As if they had been waiting, the Bloodshed Clan members behind loudly repeated in unison.

Clang!

When Mu Hwi roughly sheathed his sword, the Bloodshed Clan members including the Vice Leader all flinched simultaneously.

“It won’t end well if you say something different later.”

Rising from his seat, Mu Hwi lightly tapped the prostrating Vice Leader’s shoulder with his scabbard.

“Guide me. To where Bloodshed Clan wealth is hidden.”

“Please follow me.”

Leaving the main hall, the Vice Leader guided Mu Hwi to the Leader’s office.

“Please wait a moment.”

The Vice Leader fiddled with the bottom and legs of the tea table in the office.

Creeak!

Then a mechanical sound was heard from the floor, and the center of the office floor opened up.

Where the floor was revealed, the entrance of a safe appeared facing the ceiling.

Looking down at the large safe, Mu Hwi let out a hollow laugh and crossed his arms.

“For mere Black Sword members, you even installed mechanisms in the office.”

“This was prepared by Red Wolf Sword, while the Red Wolf Sword was alive.”

The Vice Leader opened the safe and stepped aside so Mu Hwi could see.

The safe was divided into three compartments.

The first compartment had several thick volumes of books stacked up, which at a glance were ledgers recording the flow of money.

Protection fees extorted from merchants, gambling den profits, and names and amounts of people who borrowed money.

Like most Black Swords, it was clear that Bloodshed Clan was making money through various channels.

In the second compartment were two boxes, one filled with gold coins and the other with silver coins.

“Red Wolf Sword would collect the gold coins every month, and the silver coins are used for Bloodshed Clan’s events.”

From the Vice Leader’s words, it seemed they had been steadily sending profits from Pocheng to Guyu Sect.

“Oh?”

Mu Hwi, who lightly passed over the money, opened the large container in the third compartment and showed an unusually bright smile.

“Wild ginseng?”

Mu Hwi brought his nose close to smell the sharp earthy scent coming from the wild ginseng.

“You have a good eye indeed. We obtained it by chance and were keeping it, they say it’s 200-year-old wild ginseng.”

“200 years?”

Nonsensical words.

Even the 300-year-old wild ginseng he had bought from the black market in his previous life wasn’t this size.

Looking at the size and thickness of the wild ginseng in the container, it seemed to be at least 400 years old at a rough estimate.

This is a precious spiritual medicine that couldn’t be easily obtained.

“To think such an item would be in a place like this.”

“Red Wolf Sword was planning to take this too. Originally he should have come nine days later, but he urgently visited Bloodshed Clan because of this item.”

At the Vice Leader’s kind explanation, Mu Hwi raised the corners of his mouth showing his white molars.

If the timing hadn’t matched, even after dealing with Red Wolf Sword, he wouldn’t have obtained this 400-year-old wild ginseng.

“How fortunate.”

In his previous life, no matter what he did, he never experienced such a fortuitous encounter.

Since there was no sect to support the Sword Devil, he had to spend huge sums of money in the black market to get spiritual medicines.

But now spiritual medicine was popping up just from beating up some Black Sword members appropriately, so he couldn’t help but be excited.

‘Perhaps there really is such a thing as innate luck.’

Mu Hwi hoisted the container with the wild ginseng to his waist.

“Considering the Leader’s martial arts, there should be a training room.”

Usually, Black Sword leaders who practiced martial arts would always prepare a space where they could safely circulate qi.

After all, since there were many untrustworthy ones even among subordinates, attacks during qi circulation were quite common.

At Mu Hwi’s question, the Vice Leader politely bowed his waist.

“It’s underground. I will guide you.”

Coming down underground, the Vice Leader stopped in front of a thick iron door.

When Mu Hwi opened the iron door and went in, he saw that the door could be locked from the inside and the stone walls on all sides were quite thick.

After carefully examining the interior of the training room for any hidden mechanisms, Mu Hwi nodded after confirming its safety. At this level, there would be no risk of ambush during qi circulation.

“Vice Leader, go up and wait.”

“Yes, Master.”

Entering the training room, Mu Hwi locked the iron door and sat cross-legged.

Taking out the wild ginseng from the container, Mu Hwi took a big bite.

The bitter taste that made his eyes pop open was followed by a thick earthy smell filling his nose.

Mu Hwi kept chewing and swallowing while deeply furrowing his brow. After consuming the entire wild ginseng, which was as thick as a grown man’s forearm, right where he sat, his stomach felt full.

At the intense bitter taste that stung his tongue, Mu Hwi stuck out his tongue.

“Ahem. It would have been nice to have some sweet bamboo leaf tea.”

The energy of the wild ginseng surged through all the blood vessels in his body.

After savoring the taste, Mu Hwi felt hot energy rising from his stomach and immediately began circulating qi. The internal energy of the modified Nine Skies Mind Method burst out from his dantian and chased after the wild ginseng’s energy while racing through his blood vessels.

As if confirming Mu Hwi’s estimate that it was about 400 years old, the wild ginseng’s energy was quite fierce in resisting his internal energy.

The higher grade the spiritual medicine, the deeper the spiritual energy contained in its force, making it reject fusion with other energies.

This was why one couldn’t absorb all the energy at once just by eating spiritual medicine.

This was why it was important to eat spiritual medicine that one could digest with their heart method, not to mention understanding of qi and mastery of its operation.

‘400-year-old wild ginseng? Easy.’

With his previous life’s experience, his enlightenment regarding qi was more than sufficient, and the modified Nine Skies Mind Method was not lacking in gathering the wild ginseng’s energy.

Mu Hwi didn’t just stop at gathering the wild ginseng’s energy. He pushed the wild ginseng’s energy into the circulation path of the Nine Skies Mind Method.

It burned away waste matter stuck to the blood vessels and forcibly widened them.

In this process, as the blood vessels were torn and repaired by the wild ginseng’s energy repeatedly, they became even stronger.

Accordingly, pain also assailed Mu Hwi as he circulated qi, but this level was nothing.

Rather, he repeated the circulation even more vigorously.

When more than half of the wild ginseng’s energy was consumed, Mu Hwi’s blood vessels, which had been as narrow as mountain trails, were now cleared wide open like plains highways.

Just with this alone, not only would his circulation speed increase, but the amount of qi he could store would also increase.

‘This level is good enough.’

Although there was still room for development, Mu Hwi didn’t get greedy and cleanly gathered the remaining energy.

Mu Hwi had used the wild ginseng’s energy frugally without any waste.

Finally, he concluded the circulation by performing a small circulation of internal energy along the Nine Skies Mind Method’s circulation technique.

When Mu Hwi opened his eyes after finishing circulation, a clearer light flashed once in his eyes before disappearing.

“That was a good meal.”

Wider and cleaner blood vessels and a more stable dantian.

Even though it was 400-year-old wild ginseng, it wasn’t a spiritual medicine that could bring about so many changes at once.

Even if martial artists from other major sects consumed it, they couldn’t achieve the same effect.

This was only possible because it was Mu Hwi.

But Mu Hwi wasn’t satisfied with this.

He had only just laid the foundation.

“I need to get stronger quickly.”

Although Mu Hwi was growing at an unprecedented rate, he was still only at the level of an advanced martial artist.

Mu-hwa had said that advanced martial artists of their age aspired to and aimed for the Six Dragons.

Six Dragons (六龍)

Six of the most renowned advanced martial artists in the entire martial world across both righteous and evil sects.

Whether they were dragons or snakes, he’d have to see for himself, but Mu Hwi didn’t care about the likes of the Six Dragons.

The absolute masters who reached the end of that sky and reigned at the peak of the martial world.

Absolute martial arts that nothing could challenge.

This was what Mu Hwi was pursuing.

Since his destination was so far away, Mu Hwi had no choice but to take equally wide strides.

“Just wait.”

Mu Hwi kicked open the iron door of the training room and strode out.

* * *

A small drinking table was set up in the main hall of Bloodshed Clan chamber. The Hwasan Sect disciples were seated around that table.

When his disciples’ gazes were all fixed on the wine bottle, Mu Hwi slightly raised the corners of his mouth and picked up the bottle.

“Senior Disciple, aren’t we not supposed to drink?”

“Why, it’s not like Hwasan completely forbids drinking like Shaolin.”

“That’s true, but aren’t there clearly restricted times when we can drink?”

At this, Mu Hwi glared once at Mujin.

“Sigh, you inflexible fellow.”

While Hwasan Sect didn’t completely forbid drinking, there were certainly distinct times when they could drink. Only during Hwasan Sect’s regular events, the end of the year, or when celebrating joyous occasions.

“Today is a day to celebrate a joyous occasion, so we should drink.”

“Senior Disciple, what joyous occasion?”

Mu Hwi continued speaking while filling each cup in front of his disciples one by one.

“Haven’t you completed your first real combat and gathered here safely?”

“Ah…”

Mu-hwa, who had been leaning forward and asking boldly, slightly drew back her body.

Mu Hwi examined the disciples sitting there.

Mu-hwa had an injury on her thigh.

Mujin had no injuries but his uniform was torn in several places.

Mu-cheol is clean.

“Do you know when advanced martial artists die most often in their first venture into the martial world?”

As Mu Hwi was about to fill his own cup last, Mu-cheol silently intercepted the bottle and filled Mu Hwi’s cup.

“Now that you’ve safely passed your first real combat, you’ve overcome a major hurdle, disciples. Well done.”

When Mu Hwi raised his wine cup and spoke, the other disciples followed suit and raised their cups.

“Senior Disciple, this is your first real combat too!”

“Ah, that’s right. I did the best.”

“What do you mean, Senior Disciple?”

At Mu Hwi’s playful words, Mu-hwa laughed brightly and Mujin’s lips twisted into a smile.

After clinking their cups once, the Hwasan Sect disciples brought their cups to their lips.

Mu-hwa drank it all in one bold gulp while Mujin carefully sipped his.

“Whew, this wine is sweet, isn’t it? The wine I drank when I became the second-generation disciple was just bitter.”

Mu-hwa licked her cherry-like lips with her tongue and turned her attention to the wine bottle.

“That’s why we drink bamboo leaf tea. I wanted to drink it today so I bought some.”

Mu Hwi felt like the bitter taste of the wild ginseng he ate during the day was still lingering in his mouth.

“Bamboo leaf tea? This is pretty good.”

At that moment, Mu-cheol stared at his rippling wine cup, took a sip, and asked Mu Hwi.

“Senior Disciple, it must have been your first real combat too, how did you compose yourself?”

Though Mu-cheol appeared outwardly steady in his first real battle, internally he had been very flustered and couldn’t freely extend his sword.

Moreover, there were two times when he barely avoided the Black Sword’s blade that he would have easily blocked under normal circumstances.

But Senior Disciple showed no such signs and cut down the high-ranking Red Wolf Sword without receiving even a slight injury.

The sword of Senior Disciple that he saw then was as cold as a winter snow storm and showed not even a moment of hesitation.

Just like a seasoned master of the martial world.

How did Senior Disciple manage to show such composure?

Mu-hwa and Mujin must have been curious too, as they looked at Mu Hwi waiting for his answer.

‘How did I compose myself… It wasn’t my first real combat, I’d experienced it hundreds, thousands of times so it was natural.’

But he couldn’t say this to the disciples before him.

Mu Hwi searched through his distant past life memories and continued speaking.

“You should be afraid.”

“Fear, you say?”

When the descent from the mountain was decided, the elders and first-generation disciples visited the second-generation disciples to give various advice.

Of course, there was advice about the first real combat, but most were common advice like keeping their hearts light or shaking off tension.

But the Senior Disciple was talking about fear instead, so the disciples were puzzled.

“I don’t mean fear of the enemy.”

Mu Hwi recalled his first real combat from his Sword Devil days.

Back then, the Sword Devil approached life-and-death battles with the mindset that if he didn’t kill, he would die.

“I feared my own death, and I feared getting hurt. To avoid seeing such a sight, cutting down the enemy before you – what’s so difficult about that?”

In his past life, the Sword Devil cut down his surging fears by cutting down his enemies. That was the Sword Devil’s way.

Mu Hwi refilled his empty wine cup.

“Just take it as a reference. Everyone has their own way of fighting.”

Mu-cheol, who had been deep in thought, fiddled with his wine cup.

“Hearing Senior Disciple’s words, our safe return today feels truly like a celebration.”

“That’s right. Let’s just drink today.”

Mu-hwa raised her cup with an even louder voice. Then Mujin, who had been rubbing his brow, quietly lowered Mu-hwa’s wrist.

“Mu-hwa. Drink in moderation.”

Though she had only drunk three cups, Mu-hwa’s face was lightly flushed like plum blossoms blooming on Hwasan.

While the Hwasan Sect disciples were enjoying their modest drinking gathering, a guest visited Bloodshed Clan Chamber.

Seeing the guests’ faces, Mu Hwi welcomed them warmly.

“I was planning to visit you tomorrow, but you’ve come to see me first.”

“Haha, is that so? I came because I was too hungry tonight.”

The guest who visited Bloodshed Clan Chamber was So Jin-gae of the Beggar Sect.

“May I have some late-night snacks?”

< Fear is Enough. > End

< Disciple of Seonhwa Sect. >