Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 40

040. Demon’s Den (伏魔殿) [A place where demons are subdued, often a metaphor for a dangerous or challenging situation.]

Cheongjin stared at Dang Seol-yeon, turning his head slightly.

Unnoticed by him, Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun frowned.

Softly, Dang Seol-yeon, the beautiful young woman, approached Cheongjin and Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun.

“Are you Cheongjin, the Taoist from the Wudang Sect?”

She bowed gracefully, greeting Cheongjin.

“I am Dang Seol-yeon from the Tang Clan. It’s an honor to meet you in this way.”

Dang Seol-yeon smiled slightly, a breathtaking smile.

However, Cheongjin, a Taoist who had cultivated for many years, remained composed.

More than her beauty, the name he had just heard kept him on edge.

Click.

“I am Cheongjin of Wudang.”

Cheongjin rose from his seat, offering a gentle smile and showing respect.

“It is an honor to meet the Snowflower of the Tang Clan, Tangmun Seolhwa Dang Seol-yeon [Tang Clan Snowflower Dang Seol-yeon, a title denoting her beauty and skill], whose reputation precedes her.”

At Cheongjin’s words, Dang Seol-yeon covered her mouth slightly and laughed.

“Oh my, rumors? How embarrassing. I hope they were good ones.”

Cheongjin was about to reply when Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun, still seated, muttered as if to himself.

“Of course, they’d be bad. With that temper, what good rumors could there be?”

Dang Seol-yeon glared at Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun.

However, Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun was looking outside, feigning disinterest.

Dang Seol-yeon spoke in a voice like rolling jade beads.

“Well, Plum Blossom Sword’s reputation for being frivolous and fond of pleasure is still going strong, I hear. You were like that during the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering; haven’t you improved at all?”

Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun’s face twisted slightly.

The ‘Dragon-Phoenix Gathering’ is a meeting of promising young talents hosted by the Murim Alliance [Martial Arts Alliance, a governing body for martial arts sects].

Held every three years, invitations to this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering are sent to promising talents from all sects, as well as those in distant foreign lands and border regions.

However, the main focus of this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering are the promising young talents from the Murim Alliance’s Eighteen Great Sects.

They are the people who will lead the Murim Alliance in the next generation and become the next masters of their sects.

Dang Seol-yeon and Younghojun also met and got to know each other at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

The fact that they were representing the Murim Alliance was proof that the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was functioning properly as originally intended.

Cheongjin also attended the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, but he didn’t meet the two because they were there in different years.

“But what were you two talking about with such serious expressions?”

“It was nothing, Miss Dang Seol-yeon.”

“Nothing, you say?”

Dang Seol-yeon smiled brightly.

“If you say it’s nothing, it must be nothing. I was just wondering what other sects’ representatives would think if they heard that Wudang’s Taoist Cheongjin and Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Sword were discussing ‘nothing’ with such serious expressions.”

“Ugh.”

Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun’s expression soured.

Her words were a thinly veiled threat to spread rumors if they didn’t tell her the whole story.

And the Snowflower of the Tang Clan, Tangmun Seolhwa Dang Seol-yeon, was known to follow through on her words.

The Tang Clan, especially the Snowflower of the Tang Clan, never makes empty promises.

“We were talking about an agenda item to be discussed at the Murim Alliance meeting,” Cheongjin said, taking the initiative.

Dang Seol-yeon smiled gently.

“The Taoist of Wudang is very generous, unlike some people.”

“Plum Blossom Sword passed the responsibility to me, so I have no choice. I was also a party to the conversation.”

Dang Seol-yeon smiled.

“That’s true. But not everyone admits responsibility. Taoist Cheongjin is a truly wonderful man.”

Even with her seductive gaze, Cheongjin did not waver.

She is Dang Seol-yeon, the Snowflower of the Tang Clan.

If you are captivated by her dazzling appearance, you will die coldly without even realizing it.

“As a thank you, how about I share some valuable information with you?”

It was then that Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun, who had been silent, hurriedly interjected.

“Ah, Miss Dang Seol-yeon. Have you heard the news……”

“How could I refuse such a generous offer from Miss Dang Seol-yeon?”

Cheongjin cut off Younghojun’s words.

Dang Seol-yeon smiled.

“If you believe what Plum Blossom Sword was about to say, you’ll likely find yourself in trouble.”

That was an unexpected remark.

How could she be so sure when she didn’t even know what they had been discussing?

However, Dang Seol-yeon continued without hesitation.

“Plum Blossom Sword was probably going to mention the name Azure Dragon Sword Master. Implying that a serious challenge to the Murim Alliance system has occurred.”

“How did you……”

Cheongjin’s words were cut off by Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun’s voice.

“Isn’t the name Azure Dragon Sword Master something that even the Tang Clan wouldn’t take lightly?”

Dang Seol-yeon let out a light sneer.

“Of course. The same goes for information about the masters who died in secret duels. But……”

Dang Seol-yeon looked at Cheongjin again and said.

“The idea that the two incidents might be related is just one person’s speculation. That person brought the agenda to the Murim Alliance meeting. Isn’t that right, Great Hero Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun?”

Only then did Cheongjin ask Dang Seol-yeon in surprise.

“Could it be that the person who proposed the agenda is……”

“Yes, it’s Plum Blossom Sword right here. Only him.”

Cheongjin looked dumbfounded.

Until now, he had assumed that the Murim Alliance had collectively acknowledged this fact.

But the truth was that Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun had proposed the agenda alone?

Cheongjin now knew for sure that he had been misled.

“I, I see. Hehehe.”

Cheongjin let out a hollow laugh, but he was sweating inside.

What would have happened if he had attended the Murim Alliance meeting under that false impression, and if he had voiced his agreement to the agenda?

It was clear that he would have been ostracized by the other sects and his future standing would have been greatly compromised.

“Since Plum Blossom Sword is uncomfortable with my presence, I’ll be on my way.”

Dang Seol-yeon, watching Younghojun’s distorted expression, wore a triumphant smile.

“Ah, and.”

Dang Seol-yeon said as she turned to leave.

“Plum Blossom Sword, shouldn’t you stop making such baseless speculations and pay attention to more important matters? Like finding a suitable representative to dispatch to the Murim Alliance.”

Softly, softly.

Leaving behind a small laugh, Dang Seol-yeon departed.

“I’ll be going now too.”

Cheongjin also rose from his seat and politely bowed to Plum Blossom Sword Younghojun.

“Thank you so much for the many lessons you have inadvertently given me today.”

He had indeed gained many lessons, in more ways than one.

Cheongjin turned around and left without regret.

Left alone, Younghojun sighed.

“Important matters……”

Younghojun picked up the teacup that had already cooled.

“I think this *is* a really important matter.”

But no one was listening.

Younghojun sighed once more.

The afternoon sunlight shining on the Murim Alliance was slowly fading.

***

Screech.

In a wide field overgrown with weeds, a sharp sound tore through the silence of the night.

“Ah!”

Swish.

A piece of sword that had been cut off was buried in the weeds without a sound.

Holding his sword, now severed in half, the middle-aged warrior sighed.

“How can this be? Sword Energy……”

He muttered in disbelief.

Clang.

The opponent, sheathing his sword, spoke in a heavy voice.

“Are you still unwilling to admit defeat?”

The middle-aged warrior looked up at his opponent.

A man of enormous build, exuding an overwhelming aura just by standing there.

“I lost.”

The middle-aged man’s voice was surprisingly calm.

He had no choice but to admit it.

Unable to accept the initial crushing defeat, he had picked up his sword again.

But that was already the third time, and finally, even his beloved sword had been cleaved in two.

Although he was not a master of Sword Energy Manifestation [The ability to project one’s internal energy into a visible and tangible form of sword energy], he was still a master capable of imbuing his sword with internal energy.

However, the sword imbued with his internal energy had been cut off before his very eyes.

This meant that the difference between the opponent’s and his own achievements was as vast as the heavens and the earth, so how could he not admit defeat?

“But I cannot follow you.”

After a moment, the opponent’s rough, low voice rang out.

“Is it because of the Hwanwoo Five Heavens [Five strongest martial artists in the world]?”

The five supreme masters of this era, said to be the strongest under the heavens.

People called them the Hwanwoo Five Heavens with reverence.

But the man who received the question shook his head.

“Even if they are the Hwanwoo Five Heavens, I cannot guarantee that they are stronger than you. But……”

The man paused and gritted his teeth.

“Have you heard the name Azure Dragon Sword Master?”

His voice was trembling.

“Have you ever met him?”

At the opponent’s question, the man shook his head.

“I have never met him. I have only heard about him from a friend. But he is stronger than you.”

“Why? Didn’t you say you’ve never met him?”

“Of course, I have never met him.”

The eyes of the man holding the half-sword began to shine.

“But my friend said he saw a new horizon of the sword in the Azure Dragon Sword Master’s letter. And he said he finally realized what was most important in his sword. In front of those shining eyes, I couldn’t help but feel envious.”

The man bit his lip.

But his voice was filled with burning passion.

“Something more important than who is stronger, whose sword is greater. My friend’s eyes made me realize that.”

The man raised his head.

His eyes, looking at the opponent who had defeated him, were not wavering at all.

“You are definitely strong, and you defeated me.”

The severed half-sword shone under the moonlight.

“But I could not discover a new horizon of the sword in your sword.”

Silence flowed.

The opponent could clearly see that the man’s sword was already broken, but he himself was not yet broken in spirit.

Whoosh.

A wind swept between the two men.

After a moment, a rough voice rang out from the opponent’s mouth.

“Is that the reason?”

The man nodded.

The rough voice echoed in his ears again.

“If the Azure Dragon Sword Master were to follow me, would you also follow me?”

“Yes.”

The man’s answer was without the slightest hesitation.

Whoosh.

The wind blew.

After a moment, the man of enormous build said in a low voice.

“Go.”

A strange light appeared on the face of the man holding the half-sword.

This was because he had not expected to simply be let go after refusing him.

He held the broken half-sword and bowed politely.

“I want to know your name.”

The opponent was silent for a moment, but it was not long.

“I am the one standing under the dark sky, the Dark Heaven Martial Emperor (暗天武帝) [A title implying dominance and power in the martial world].”

As soon as the opponent finished speaking, the man bowed once more.

Then, without hesitation, he turned and began to walk away.

Thud, thud.

The man’s footsteps gradually faded away, and the man who had revealed himself to be the one standing under the dark sky stood motionless.

It was then that a white shadow appeared from the darkness.

Swoosh.

What appeared next to the Dark Heaven Martial Emperor was a woman with a slender figure.

With her long black hair fluttering in the wind, she appeared as if she had been there from the beginning.

“Why did you reveal your name to him?”

Her quietly echoing voice was very soft.

However, there was not a trace of emotion in that voice.

“He is a spirited warrior.”

The still rough, low voice replied.

“Is that why you didn’t take his life?”

Silence flowed for a moment.

“Yes. Because he is a very different person from the trash who only holds the title of a warrior.”

The Dark Heaven Martial Emperor turned.

“Let’s return to the Superior [Implies a leader or higher authority].”

A strange light appeared in the woman’s eyes.

“The Martial Arts Journey (比武行) [A journey or series of duels to prove one’s martial prowess] is not over yet.”

“This duel is not over yet either. Didn’t you hear?”

The Dark Heaven Martial Emperor’s turbid voice echoed in her ears.

“I must meet the Azure Dragon Sword Master.”

If he had decided, it would not change.

But she still had something to say.

“Why are you so interested when that name is not new?”

“That is why it is not too early to return now.”

With those words, the Dark Heaven Martial Emperor began to move.

The woman did not ask any further.

Thud, thud.

Even as the Dark Heaven Martial Emperor began to move away, the woman did not move.

Rather, she was staring intently at the side opposite the Dark Heaven Martial Emperor, the side where the man holding the half-sword had disappeared.

Swoosh.

As if melting into the darkness, her figure vanished.