Mount Hua, located in Huayin County, Shaanxi Province.

The sect there was Mount Hua Sect.

Ten forces known as the Nine Great Sects.

If the Five Great Clans were the illustrious houses that made up the righteous faction, then the Nine Great Sects stood on equal footing with them—and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Even if it weren’t.

One of the places treated like heroes after the Orthodox-Demonic War.

Along with Wudang and Shaolin, it had directly entered the Orthodox-Demonic War and piled up fame and achievements.

The fact that the current Sect Master, Plum Blossom Single Sword, was called a Heaven-Beyond-Heaven—and a hero of the war—spoke for itself.

And because even the disciples below had risked their lives to save the Central Plains, this was a place treated far more highly than Zhongnan, another of the Nine Great Sects °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° in the same Shaanxi.

Since it was a sword sect, if you had to describe the distinguishing trait of its martial arts—

More elegant. More beautiful.

People endlessly praised it as the place with the most beautiful sword in the Central Plains.

Dreaming of plum blossoms with the sword.

Because they pursued swordsmanship that embodied the fluttering of petals, their sword arts were beautiful above all else.

So is that why?

If there was one thing I felt the moment I arrived in Huayin County—

The streets are pretty.

The streets felt beautiful. The neatly kept roads, sure.

“Look over here!”

“A lot of high-quality stuff came in today—!”

But also the shopkeepers, greeting people with lively faces.

“AHAHAHA!”

“Hey! If you run, you’ll fall!”

And watching kids sprinting around with innocent smiles in the middle of it all made the corners of my mouth twitch upward.

Then one kid, not looking where the kid was going, suddenly dashed forward and leapt—

THUD-!

“Eek!”

—and slammed into Yeo Hyeok, who’d been walking ahead, and toppled over.

“Gasp!”

The kid’s mother, seeing it, ran over in shock.

“Yerin...! Oh my—oh my, I’m so sorry....”

“Uuuh....”

Maybe the kid’s nose hurt. The kid trembled on the verge of tears. Seeing that, Yeo Hyeok bent a knee.

“Are you okay? You look like you got really scared.”

With a gentle smile, he helped the fallen child back to the child’s feet.

“Uhh....”

“N-no, Daoist... our child made a mistake, I don’t even know what to do....”

The mother recognized Yeo Hyeok and flustered, not knowing where to put herself.

“Hurry and apologize...!”

“It’s fine. A child can do that, can’t they? I’m truly fine.”

Patting the child’s head, Yeo Hyeok straightened back up.

As if reassured by that attitude, the child stopped sniffling.

“Good job. Now, your mother’s worried, so from now on you should be careful, alright?”

“...Yeees....”

Face red, the child went back to the mother.

“Ah, I’m sorry we delayed you. Please, let’s go.”

Once the situation was resolved, Yeo Hyeok spoke while looking at us.

Even his personality’s good.

It didn’t look like acting.

“No. That happens.”

I tossed out an answer and scanned the surroundings.

I could feel eyes on us.

The street was full of people staring this way.

“They’re Daoists.”

“...Every time I see them, the atmosphere is incredible.”

“As expected of Mount Hua Sect....”

Maybe because this was Huayin County, the stares toward Mount Hua Sect were intense.

All of them were eyes filled with awe and respect.

They looked like people who understood exactly how important Mount Hua Sect was here—what position it held.

And in the middle of that.

What is it?

I felt stares pouring onto me, too, in a way that was... strange.

What was it? I wondered where the stare was coming from—

“Excuse me, big brother.”

“Hm?”

Someone came up beside me. A boy who looked about six or seven.

“What.”

“Big brother, are you maybe the Moon Knight?”

“...What?”

My eyes narrowed. No way I’d hear that even from a kid this young.

“Right? You’re the Moon Knight, right?”

“...No. And if I am, what are you going to do about it?”

“WAAAAH! He’s the Moon Knight!”

“Hey, keep it down.”

The kid suddenly screamed, and I flinched. And worse—

“The Moon Knight?”

“So that young man really is that Moon Knight...?”

“Come to think of it, his clothes....”

“Not just the clothes. Look at his eyes.”

“Whoa... his irises really are blue...?”

“His hair’s white, too.”

“Looks like the rumors are really true....”

Damn it.

The moment the kid shouted, words started raining down on me.

Even though Shaanxi was a fair distance from Henan, my rumor had spread all the way here.

Even if it wasn’t that...

Honestly, I did stand out.

The Small Moon Unit outfit, sure—but the white hair and blue eyes were a problem, too.

“Just like they said, he’s young.”

“That young and he saved Henan? They said he was the Sword Saint’s successor... looks like he takes after his master exactly.”

...I don’t.

I almost snapped without thinking, then forced it down. Who were they to say I looked like—?

My mood crashed, but I swallowed it.

And the people who realized I was here started creeping closer, inch by inch.

What the hell is this?

Just as I saw faces moving in like they’d found something fascinating—

“Looks like we should move a bit faster.”

Yeo Hyeok said it with an awkward expression.

“...Yes. Let’s.”

I agreed. If we stayed here, it was going to get messy.

“Please make way. We’re in a hurry, so we can’t linger.”

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen formed a path like an escort, and we hurried through it, pulling the group along.

And while that happened—

Ah, goddamn it.

I had to secretly knit my brow as I looked at the crowd gathering around us.

...They’re here.

It was something I’d felt the moment we entered Huayin County.

This place. It looked beautiful and lively, sure.

But in the cracks, they’re definitely here.

People staring at me like I was a curiosity.

People staring at the Plum Blossom Swordsmen with admiration.

In the middle of all those pure, ordinary people, there were things that had no business being there.

And seeing them, I became certain.

Something’s going on.

It felt like something was happening on Mount Hua.

*****

To reach Mount Hua Sect, we had to climb a high mountain. The path up was anything but peaceful.

“Ugh.”

My legs were starting to tremble. Even with training, climbing this far was exhausting.

And everyone else is fine?

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen looked like nothing was happening. Even Yuyeon.

Maybe because they went up and down this mountain every day?

Hoo.

I kept climbing the steps, controlling my breathing so nobody would notice it getting ragged.

“We’ve arrived.”

Yeo Hyeok finally said what I’d been dying to hear.

A massive gate came into view. And—

...The scent.

Even though there weren’t flowers in sight, the fragrance of flowers was unmistakable.

“Ah, Commander...!”

When we approached the gate, the guard there recognized Sacred Wind.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

“Congratulations on your return.”

“Yes. I’ve brought honored guests, so report to the Sect Master at once.”

“Yes...!”

“Go on in.”

With that, the martial artist went inside the sect grounds, and the gate opened.

CREEEEAK-!

I scratched my cheek as I watched the gate swing wide.

Finally....

We’d actually come all the way to Mount Hua.

[This place hasn’t changed.]

As we entered, Yoo Cheongil spoke.

[Still boring, still calm.]

Didn’t sound like praise.

And maybe because I agreed with that assessment, what I felt the moment I stepped in wasn’t much of anything.

...It’s calm.

Wide. Quiet.

The inside of Mount Hua Sect was truly quiet, and it felt plain and unadorned.

Then—

“Yeo Hyeok.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Sacred Wind called Yeo Hyeok and spoke.

“I’ll go see the Sect Master. For now, you guide the other honored guests.”

“Understood. Please follow me.”

Yeo Hyeok passed the words to our group.

Hearing that, I naturally started to follow along, too—

“Come on, then. Let’s go.”

“...Pardon?”

Sacred Wind called me.

Go? With him?

“If we’ve arrived, shouldn’t we meet the Sect Master? Ah—and Yuyeon, you come as well.”

“...”

Yuyeon nodded.

Right.

It hit me again. I’d forgotten.

...I’m the one responsible for this Mount Hua trip.

I was the point person for this damn schedule.

Swallowing the uncomfortable feeling, I followed Sacred Wind.

*****

We walked for about half a gax, and reached one residence.

Compared to the other buildings, it was unusually small, tucked away in a corner.

Why does it look so shabby? As I stared, confused—

“This is where the Sect Master resides.”

“What?”

Sacred Wind explained, and my eyes widened when I heard it.

“...The Sect Master lives here?”

“Yes.”

“In a place this small?”

“That’s right.”

“...Why?”

I couldn’t understand. Why would the Sect Master stay in the smallest, shabbiest place?

“The Sect Master wished to be with the disciples from the lowest place. This is part of that intent.”

“...Ah. Yes.”

So he lives in that little residence?

...I get the intention, but—

[What a load of bullshit. What kind of pointless stunt is that?]

“...”

Yoo Cheongil said what I was thinking, clean and simple. Yeah. That was exactly my mood.

Because it really did feel like going out of the way for no reason.

[That bastard’s stubbornness doesn’t change even after all these years. Tsk, tsk, tsk...]

Yoo Cheongil spoke like the Sect Master of Mount Hua had always been like that.

Sacred Wind ignored my reaction and approached the residence, speaking carefully.

“Sect Master.”

At the call, movement sounded from inside.

—Come in.

Rattle. Sacred Wind opened the door of the residence.

WHOOOOOSH.

...Hah.

A bright, vivid fragrance burst out and brushed past the tip of my nose.

It was the strongest scent I’d felt anywhere on Mount Hua.

Pushing past the fragrance, I looked forward.

Inside the small residence, past a desk, an old man sat there.

“Thank you for coming.”

An old man with an extremely benevolent air.

Other than a small mole on his cheek, he didn’t look like he had any striking features.

That old man looked at me and spoke.

“I am Seongheon, the Sect Master of Mount Hua.”

“...”

Plum Blossom Single Sword.

A Heaven-Beyond-Heaven martial artist—

The Medical Immortal....

The very old man I had to persuade and bring back to Henan sat right there.

“...I am Bang Sungyeon of Blue Moon Sect. I pay my respects to the Sect Master of Mount Hua.”

I spoke with as much courtesy as I could. Seongheon smiled.

“I’ve heard much. Seeing that famed meteor with my own eyes is quite something.”

“...It’s not like that.”

“And hearing you are my friend’s disciple makes me all the happier.”

This was the first time I’d seen someone refer to Yoo Cheongil as a friend.

“Welcome to Mount Hua. I hope you rest comfortably before you go.”

“...Thank you for your words.”

I lowered my head as I answered.

But in the gaps, my mind was spinning fast.

Plum Blossom Single Sword—at last.

Originally, I needed to persuade him and take him to Henan.

For Divine Spear’s treatment, sure—

And I need to ask for myself, too.

More than anything, this was the moment we needed the Medical Immortal.

We’re screwed.

I bit my lip inside as I looked at the old man’s condition.

Because—

That old man... he’s basically a walking corpse.

Seongheon, Plum Blossom Single Sword, was dying.

So badly it looked like he could collapse as soon as tomorrow.