Return of the Blossoming Blade — Chapter 75

JUST TWO YEARS AGO, WE WERE WORRIED THAT OUR DISCIPLES WOULD SUFFER HUMILIATION AT THE HANDS OF ZHONGNAN.

BUT NOW, WE'RE AFRAID THAT THOSE KIDS MIGHT DO THE SAME TO WUDANG'S YOUNG DISCIPLES. HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED!

WE CAN ONLY HAVE FAITH AND WAIT, SECT LEADER.

THEY'RE NOT SOME WAYWARD BUNCH OF TROUBLEMAKERS, AFTER ALL.

I'VE NO DOUBT MOUNT HUA'S NAME WILL RING OUT ACROSS THE REALM WITH THEIR EVERY STEP.

YES, I DO NOT DOUBT THAT EITHER.

I ONLY PRAY THAT IT WILL NOT RING OUT IN INFAMY.

Episode 74

NOW, IT'S A LONG WAY TO SPRINT ALL THE WAY FROM HUAYIN PREFECTURE TO NANYANG. WE MIGHT MAKE IT, BUT YOUNG MASTER WI HAS ALREADY BRAVED THE JOURNEY ON FOOT ONCE.

I WOULD PREFER TO FIND A BETTER MODE OF TRANSPORT IF WE CAN.

OH, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT.

Y'ALL NEED A RIDE?

WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE?!

A DRUNKEN MASTER, HUH?

I'M AFRAID MOUNT HUA DOES NOT PROHIBIT LIQUOR AS SUCH.

OH... HAHA, I SEE...

I WOULD NOT ASK YOU TO EXCUSE THIS PALTRY DISPLAY EITHER.

I MYSELF FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE AT TIMES...

YOUNG MASTER WI.

YES, SIR BAEKCHEON?

I HAVE YET TO HEAR THE FULL STORY OF YOUR PLIGHT, GIVEN OUR HASTE TO DEPART. WOULD YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE HWAYEONG SECT?

I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS A CADET BRANCH OF MOUNT HUA, BUT I IMAGINE IT WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS TO GAIN AS MUCH BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE AS POSSIBLE BEFORE WE INVOLVE OURSELVES.

OH...

OUR SECT IS HARDLY ANYTHING SPECIAL --

BUT IT IS SPECIAL.

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, IT MEANT NEXT TO NOTHING TO BE A CADET SECT OF MOUNT HUA.

AND YET, THE HWAYEONG SECT REMAINED LOYAL AND CONTINUED TO PROCLAIM ITSELF OUR CADET BROTHERS.

OTHER THAN THE HWAYEONG SECT, THERE WAS NOWHERE ELSE IN THE REALM THAT WOULD HAVE PROUDLY DONE SO.

YOU GIVE US TOO MUCH CREDIT, SIR. IT WAS NOT DONE OUT OF SOME GRANDIOSE SENSE OF CALLING.

IT'S SIMPLY THAT MY FATHER WAS ALWAYS SO PROUD TO BE A DISCIPLE OF MOUNT HUA.

WELL, HE CERTAINLY CHOSE A ROUGH PATH.

I'M SURE HE WAS TOLD COUNTLESS TIMES TO ABANDON MOUNT HUA.

AFTER ALL, WHO WOULD WANT TO TRAIN AT A HALL THAT FOLLOWS A WANING MARTIAL ARTS SECT?

HE WOULD'VE HAD A MUCH EASIER TIME OF RUNNING THE TRAINING HALL IF HE HAD GIVEN UP THE TITLE OF MOUNT HUA'S CADET SECT.

YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN HOW PLEASED MY OLD MAN WAS UPON HEARING THE NEWS OF THE LAST HUAZHONG CONTEST.

I REMEMBER HIM DECLARING THAT MOUNT HUA WAS FINALLY SPREADING ITS WINGS ONCE MORE. HE'S NO DRUNKARD, BUT HE MUST'VE EMPTIED TWO BARRELS OF LIQUOR IN CELEBRATION.

LIKE I SAID, THERE HASN'T BEEN A MOMENT IN HIS LIFE WHERE HE WAS NOT A PROUD DISCIPLE OF MOUNT HUA.

ALTHOUGH TO BE PRECISE, IT WAS MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER WHO WAS THE CADET DISCIPLE OF MOUNT HUA.

ONE MIGHT SAY THAT'S A TENUOUS LINK AT BEST, BUT OUR AFFILIATION WITH MOUNT HUA WAS SOMETHING THAT FATHER HELD DEAR TO HIS HEART.

AND WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH WITH THE TRAINING HALL THAT I NEVER WENT HUNGRY GROWING UP.

OR AT LEAST, UNTIL THOSE THUGS AT JONGDO HALL SHOWED UP...

I SEE. DID YOU SAY YOUR FATHER WAS DEFEATED IN A MATCH AGAINST THE LEADER OF THE JONGDO HALL?

THAT'S RIGHT.

TO BE HONEST... SOMETHING ABOUT IT DOES NOT SIT RIGHT WITH ME.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

FATHER HAS NEVER STRAYED FROM HIS TRAINING, NOT ONCE IN HIS LIFE.

IF I MAY SAY SO MYSELF AS HIS SON,

HE'S NOT ONE TO BE DEFEATED SO EASILY BY SOMEONE SO YOUNG.

HE'S NOT WRONG.

UNLIKE ORDINARY FOLK, MARTIAL ARTISTS AGE MORE SLOWLY AND BECOME STRONGER AS THEY ACCUMULATE QI.

THE MARTIAL ARTS WORLD IS FILLED TO THE BRIM WITH GRANDMASTERS WHO LOOK LIKE THEY COULD BE SOMEBODY'S GRANDPARENTS.

BY ANY MEASURE, THE LEADER OF JONGDO HALL SEEMED FAR TOO YOUNG TO POSSESS SUCH PROWESS.

I SIMPLY CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW SOMEONE SO GREEN COULD'VE DEFEATED MY FATHER.

HM...

THERE ARE CERTAINLY SEVERAL UNUSUAL ASPECTS TO WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE A PETTY SPAT BETWEEN TWO CADET SECTS...

IN ALL HONESTY, I’M ASHAMED TO SAY I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY.

I TRAVELED TO MOUNT HUA AT MY FATHER’S REQUEST...

BUT I DID NOT EXPECT YOUR SECT TO BE QUITE SO FORTHCOMING WITH ITS AID.

AND NOW I FEAR I’VE INVOLVED YOU ALL IN A FEUD AGAINST THE WUDANG SECT.

I DOUBTED MOUNT HUA FOR THE LONGEST TIME, YET NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY FATHER HELD FAST IN HIS FAITH FOR SO LONG.

NO MATTER HOW THIS FEUD ENDS...

I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL TO THE MAIN SECT FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE--

WHAT?

NO MATTER HOW IT ENDS?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, NO MATTER HOW IT ENDS?

THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY IT CAN END.

THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A FEUD ENDS WITH ME BUSTING ALL OF THEIR HEADS WIDE OPEN!!!

IF I MAY, WHY IS HE SO FIXATED ON BUSTING HEADS?

I WAS WONDERING THE SAME THING.

PATIENCE, CHEONGMYEONG. YOU'LL GIVE THE SECT LEADER A HEART ATTACK.

YOU THINK? I'LL BET THE OLD MAN'S SECRETLY DYING FOR ME TO TEACH THOSE FOOLS A LESSON!

I MEAN, HE DOESN'T HAVE THAT MANY YEARS LEFT IN HIM. EITHER HE DIES OF A HEART ATTACK, OR HE DIES SMILING AT THE THOUGHT OF ME BUSTING THOSE WUDANG MORONS' HEADS OPEN!

WOULDN'T THAT BE A GREAT PARTING GIFT FOR HIS JOURNEY TO THE AFTERLIFE?

I'M ALMOST IMPRESSED.

HOW CAN HE SAY SOMETHING SO DISRESPECTFUL YET ODDLY WHOLESOME ABOUT THE SECT LEADER AT THE SAME TIME?

WHATEVER. THEY NEED TO LEARN THAT IF YOU MESS WITH MOUNT HUA, YOU'RE GONNA GET YOUR HEAD BUSTED WIDE OPEN. THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO IT!

COME ON, SENIOR BROTHER! FASTER!

I'VE GOT NOGGINS TO BUST OPEN!

WE SHOULDN'T TIRE OUT THE HORSES--

NONSENSE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I PAID FOR THESE NAGS?!

THEY'LL BE JUST FINE! FULL SPEED AHEAD!

BY NOW, THE MAIN SECT WILL HAVE SENT THEIR DISCIPLES TO COME TO OUR AID.

THEY'LL BE HERE SOON, I'M SURE OF IT.

RIPSAN WI, LEADER OF THE HWAYEONG SECT

IT'S NO USE, SECT LEADER.

THIS IS WUDANG WE'RE UP AGAINST!

YEOMPYEONG, DISCIPLE OF THE HWAYEONG SECT

MOUNT HUA MAY HAVE BEEN THE TALK OF THE TOWN FOR A MOMENT, BUT WUDANG IS THE MOST POWERFUL TAOIST SECT IN THE REALM!

WE WOULD BE LUCKY IF MOUNT HUA EVEN SENT ANY HELP.

NO ONE WITH THEIR WITS INTACT WOULD WILLINGLY INVOLVE THEMSELVES IN THIS AFFAIR!

YOU MUST THINK CLEARLY, SECT LEADER.

WE CANNOT WAIT AROUND AIMLESSLY FOR HELP THAT MAY NEVER COME! WE MUST TAKE MATTERS INTO OUR OWN HANDS INSTEAD!

WHY DO YOU PLACE SUCH FAITH IN A SECT THAT WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND WHEN WE NEEDED THEM THE MOST?!

WE'RE A CADET SECT OF MOUNT HUA.

WE CANNOT ABANDON OUR VERY ROOTS, NOR SHOULD WE.

DO YOU THINK OUR LOT WILL IMPROVE IF WE DENY OUR TIES TO MOUNT HUA AND CAST ITS NAME INTO THE DIRT?

ONCE WE ABANDON OUR ROOTS SO READILY, THE SAME WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, WERE WE TO BECOME THE CADET SECT OF ANOTHER SECT.

IF WUDANG FELL TO RUINS, WE WOULD ABANDON THEM TOO, AND THE SAME AGAIN, IF SHAOLIN'S RENOWN WANED.

NO, I REFUSE!

THAT IS NOT THE LIFE I CHOOSE!

NO ONE WILL REWARD YOU FOR YOUR HONOR, MASTER.

HONORABLE CONDUCT IS ITS OWN REWARD, YEOMPYEONG.

I AM SIMPLY...

...PROTECTING THE THINGS THAT ARE DEAR TO ME.

HE'S BEYOND REASON.

IT'S CLEAR THERE IS NO WAY I CAN PERSUADE HIM TO ABANDON MOUNT HUA.

IT WAS FOR HIS INTEGRITY THAT I FOLLOWED AND RESPECTED HIM ALL THESE YEARS...

...BUT AT THIS RATE...

I HAVE FAITH THAT MOUNT HUA WILL NOT TURN ITS BACK ON US IN OUR HOUR OF NEED.

THE BLESSED DRAGON OF MOUNT HUA SHOULD BE ON HIS WAY--

SECT LEADER WI!

ARE YOU IN THERE?!

I HAVE COME TO PUT AN END TO THIS SORRY AFFAIR! SHOW YOURSELF!

SECT LEADER WI!

WHAT WILL YOU DO, SECT LEADER?

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?

I SHALL GO OUT TO MEET HIM.

IF I DO NOT SHOW MY FACE, I WILL BE BRANDED AS A COWARD FOR THE REST OF MY DAYS.

WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE AGAIN?

I BELIEVE WE HAVE NOTHING MORE TO DISCUSS.

WHAT BRINGS ME HERE?

YOU KNOW THE ANSWER FULL WELL, YET YOU SEE FIT TO PREVARICATE.

LEADER OF JONGDO HALL

OUR TERMS WERE CLEAR. THE LOSER OF OUR MATCH WAS TO VACATE NANYANG WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HOPE TO GAIN BY DELAYING THE INEVITABLE, OTHER THAN PERHAPS ANOTHER SAVAGE BEATING?

THERE IS NO RULE NOR REASON FOR ME TO LEAVE MY HOME BECAUSE OF A MATCH--

IT'S THE UNSPOKEN RULE OF A DUEL.

YOU KNOW YOURSELF THAT IT WILL ONLY BECOME HARDER FOR YOU TO KEEP THE DOORS OPEN WITH EACH PASSING DAY.

ALLOW ME TO RELIEVE YOU OF THE BURDEN.

LEAVE NANYANG WITHIN THE DAY, AND WE'LL HEAR NO MORE ABOUT IT.

HEED MY WORDS. I HAVE NO INTENTION OF LEAVING.

SO YOU WOULD SOONER SHED BLOOD THAN YOUR PRIDE?

HALL LEADER, MIGHT I SPEAK WITH THE MAN ON YOUR BEHALF?

OH, BUT THIS IS SUCH A TRIVIAL MATTER.

YOU NEEDN'T TROUBLE YOURSELF--

IT'S QUITE ALL RIGHT.

THAT MAN...!

THE HAT ON HIS HEAD...

...THE BLACK ROBE...

...AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...

...THE PINE TREE CREST EMBLAZONED ON HIS CHEST...!

OF THE COUNTLESS MARTIAL ARTS SECTS IN THE CENTRAL PLAINS, THERE IS BUT ONE THAT HAS THE RIGHT TO BEAR THAT PINE TREE UPON THEIR CHEST.

HE'S A DISCIPLE OF WUDANG!

I BELIEVE WE HAVEN’T BEEN INTRODUCED.

I AM JINHYEON, A SECOND-GRADE DISCIPLE OF THE GREAT WUDANG SECT.

IT’S A PLEASURE TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE.