Chapter 168

Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix.

The first time I got information about her was, of course, from Murong Yeongsun and Poison Dragon.

The moment I brought up Mount Hua Sect lightly,

the two of them reacted in a way that wasn’t normal, and that bothered me first.

‘What did they say again?’

When I pressed them about that reaction, I still remembered what I heard back then.

‘There’s a monster living in Mount Hua Sect.’

I couldn’t understand that line at all.

Mount Hua Sect was the center of the Taoist path, and an old hero of Heaven-Beyond-Heaven. How could there be a monster living in the place where Plum Blossom Single Sword was still the leader?

Even though it was such a strange thing to say, I let it slide at the time.

Then when I got the second bit of information, I understood.

Why she was called a monster.

You could tell from the nickname attached to her, not just her epithet.

‘The top junior generation.’

The most outstanding existence among the junior generation that had spread and spread across the Central Plains.

And right now, the situation already had geniuses among geniuses called the Seven Prodigies.

Even so, the fact that the name “top” was attached to her—there was no way that wasn’t insane.

And there were a lot of labels attached to her besides the top junior generation.

—The last and youngest Seven Prodigy.

—A new history for Mount Hua Sect.

—Genius Slayer.

—Mount Hua Sect’s monster.

—The top junior generation.

And.

—The future strongest under heaven.

The phrase that capped off that brutal list of labels.

The strongest under heaven.

The previous strongest under heaven was Sword Saint Yoo Cheongil.

And even with that standing there, she still had the label: a talent that would become the future strongest under heaven.

It wasn’t even a phrase Cheon Hyein had gotten—Cheon Hyein, who was praised as one of the Seven Prodigies of the Blue Moon Sect and the greatest genius since Yoo Cheongil.

‘And... she had a lot and no information at the same time.’

The Beggar Clan information Moon-Thread Sword had gotten for me.

It was packed with talk about the Seven Prodigies.

It was deeper stuff you normally couldn’t get—worth it, since I’d asked for it.

‘Even so.’

Even so, there wasn’t much about that woman Yuyeon.

At most, her appearance.

That she had a mole on the bridge of her nose, and that her face was almost expressionless.

And.

‘She can’t speak.’

I’d heard she couldn’t speak from birth, but seeing her in person made me shut my mouth instead.

‘She’s insanely pretty.’

First off, she’s pretty.

Her eyes slanted down a little and her face looked blank, but

the mole on the bridge of her nose and those pitch-black eyes were unrealistically attractive.

I’d gotten used to pretty women after Murong Yeongsun, in my own way, but that was something else.

And on top of that—

‘What is that atmosphere?’

Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix. The moment she appeared behind Black-Grand Saber, the atmosphere inside the inn turned sharply colder.

Even now—look. You can’t hear a single word.

And inside that atmosphere, there was a clear fear.

‘They’re scared.’

Every martial artist in here was afraid of that small, delicate woman.

I wondered what the reason was, but—

‘...If I think of the reason, it’s obviously that.’

The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering held a few years ago.

It was the martial tournament where Sword Phoenix participated for the first time, and she took first place there.

She was fifteen then.

And that day, she became the last of the Seven Prodigies and received the epithet Sword Phoenix.

The problem was—

‘She didn’t just win.’

Half of her opponents lost in a single strike.

And Black-Grand Saber and Wudang Cloud Dragon, who were already on the Seven Prodigies at the time, couldn’t even brush her collar once before they lost in the end.

Overwhelming skill.

A violent gap you couldn’t even call the same junior generation. The people who watched it back then were swallowed by shock.

That was why she got the nickname Genius Slayer.

No matter who.

‘If you face her, you get swallowed by despair.’

A gap in talent that reached the heavens.

Before a sky even a Heaven-Martial Body couldn’t pierce, everyone drops to their knees.

‘What was it again? Probably....’

I’d heard that kind of crushing victory was the first since Yoo Cheongil.

I recalled each piece and stared at Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix.

“......”

With an expressionless face, she entered the inn and looked around.

Leisurely, and slowly.

As she scanned the inn like that, the places her gaze paused were, coincidentally, all the positions where the Seven Prodigies were.

[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... this is impossible...]

Yoo Cheongil kept laughing while looking at Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix.

[What the hell is that?]

Even Yoo Cheongil’s tone sounded like he didn’t understand.

[What did that Plum Blossom bastard pick up and raise, exactly?]

“Picked up and raised” sounded bizarre, but setting that aside—

‘Is it that shocking?’

To react like that just from seeing her.

[Even when I saw that Peng Clan brat, I started drooling, but that is in a different category. What a pity.]

Tsk tsk tsk. The tongue-clicking kept coming.

[If our idiot bastard had even half of that, I wouldn’t have to care like this.]

“......?”

I glared at Yoo Cheongil.

That “idiot bastard” he just said—don’t tell me he meant me. If he did, the old man had no shame at all.

[What are you looking at, you idiot bastard. Look forward.]

“.......”

Like glaring didn’t mean anything, Yoo Cheongil came at me shamelessly.

Damn it.

I frowned and looked back at Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix—

“Whoa, holy—!”

I yelped and staggered back.

Because when I looked again, Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix was suddenly right in front of my nose.

I jumped and stepped back.

“W-what is it?”

“.......”

Even at my words, Sword Phoenix just stared at me.

“What is it.”

I asked again, but there was no answer.

What? Why aren’t you talk—

‘Ah.’

Right. She can’t speak. I remembered and scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

I shut my mouth and looked at her.

She stared at me with those expressionless eyes, then moved her hand slightly.

Her thin, white fingers pointed at none other than her cloak.

“Hm?”

Why is she pointing at that? I narrowed my eyes and looked.

What is it?

It looked expensive. A long cloak wrapped in white fur. If you wore that, you probably wouldn’t be cold in winter.

[Oh?]

Yoo Cheongil said, surprised.

[Heh heh, that...]

He seemed to recognize it.

[No, you know. That thing you said you left with Mount Hua Sect.]

The thing left with Mount Hua Sect? Ah.

At Yoo Cheongil’s words, I remembered immediately. Right. That existed.

The item Yoo Cheongil mentioned—something that symbolized him, and something he originally meant to give me.

But.

‘Because of that bet with Mount Hua Sect, there was a black cloak instead.’

In the inner storeroom, there had only been a cloak made of black fur.

‘So that’s it?’

Then the cloak Sword Phoenix was wearing right now was the one Yoo Cheongil had been looking for.

Which meant—

‘She brought it, so she’s giving it to me?’

I looked at her like that was the intent, but Sword Phoenix just kept pointing at her cloak.

Like she was telling me to take it.

“.......”

It was strange, but if she was giving it, there was no reason not to take it, so I reached out.

Just as my outstretched hand was finally about to touch the cloak—

[Kid.]

Yoo Cheongil said.

[Back off.]

“......!”

The moment I heard it, I stopped my hand and pulled my body back.

In that instant.

SHIIIING—!

A sound brushed my ear, and a scent grazed the tip of my nose.

‘A flower scent?’

Unlike the sweet scent, what happened was vicious.

Wind blew. Where was that wind coming from? I rolled my eyes and looked—

‘Huh?’

Sword Phoenix was already holding a sword.

And she was already in a motion that looked like she’d cut once.

Don’t tell me—

‘She cut?’

Did she draw her sword to cut me?

If I hadn’t backed off and had moved in, would I have been cut?

‘Ha.’

I didn’t even see Sword Phoenix draw her sword.

And beyond that—she tried to cut me? Out of nowhere?

Before I could even swallow the shock of the absurd situation—

CLINK—!

SHIIIING—!

Cheon Eujin and Do Hyeong beside me drew their swords at the same time.

They struck immediately, and their blades flew straight at Sword Phoenix.

Two streaks of light surged in, but even then Sword Phoenix’s eyes were calm.

And just as the sword edges were about to bore into her—

THUNK—!!

“......!”

“Ghk!?”

Two swords flew through the air.

Do Hyeong and Cheon Eujin’s swords had been knocked out of their hands and were soaring overhead.

What just happened?

[Impressive.]

While I still didn’t understand a thing, Yoo Cheongil praised her with eyes full of interest.

[Where the hell did they find a stone like that...?]

It didn’t seem like the old man understood that this was not the time to be admiring anything.

CLANG!

The swords that had flown fell to the ground.

Do Hyeong and Cheon Eujin stared at Sword Phoenix with stunned eyes.

Right after that,

Sword Phoenix looked back at me like nothing happened.

Our eyes met.

CLINK. Sword Phoenix slid her sword back into the scabbard at her waist.

Dry and silent.

That was the atmosphere right now.

And in that atmosphere—

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!!!”

The one laughing roughly was Black-Grand Saber.

“HAHAHAHA. Well, well.”

He came over with a wide grin like it was the funniest thing in the world.

“Ah, this is fun. What’s going on? Sword Phoenix, that’s a pretty violent greeting, isn’t it?”

THUD-THUD, he walked up and stood behind Sword Phoenix, then tried to put his big hand on her shoulder.

But.

“...Oh, wow.”

Sword Phoenix looked at Black-Grand Saber without expression.

At that gaze, Black-Grand Saber flinched and pulled his hand back.

“If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. Why try to cut someone. Got it.”

Like he felt something in Sword Phoenix’s eyes, Black-Grand Saber backed off slightly.

“I was just curious. It’s rare for you to come out this sharp.”

He chuckled.

“What does it mean, for you to react like this...? Does it mean you’re that interested? Or is it a warning?”

‘Oh, damn.’

Listening to Black-Grand Saber, I got a bad feeling. It felt like I needed to cover that giant mouth immediately.

“The top junior generation isn’t the Little Sword Saint—it’s you. Is that the warning?”

But before I could even think it, that big bastard said it out loud.

That bastard?

I froze in alarm. And sure enough—

“What? Little Sword Saint?”

“Little Sword Saint?”

“Then that weak-looking guy is the Little Sword Saint?”

“...Not the manlier-looking guy next to him?”

Every martial artist in the inn turned their eyes on me.

There were tons who thought it was Do Hyeong, but Black-Grand Saber’s words made them realize.

“If he’s the Little Sword Saint, then the Sword Saint’s....”

“The one even the Seven Prodigies can’t touch?”

“He doesn’t look like it, but he has that kind of power?”

“Even the Seven Prodigies can’t reach him? How is that supposed to make sense. Sword Phoenix is right there.”

The murmuring grew louder.

And the one who picked a fight with me just now was Sword Phoenix.

The abnormal existence who had beaten all the Seven Prodigies.

The fact that she and I were standing together—

that alone would draw eyes, but Black-Grand Saber’s words poured fuel on the fire.

“Did the Little Sword Saint really surpass the Seven Prodigies?”

“You only know if they fight. In the end, rumors are...”

“Then what the hell was Sword Phoenix’s reaction just now....”

Everyone stared at us, full of questions.

‘This is annoying.’

It’s not good. I was going to draw attention anyway, but this kind of attention was a problem.

‘Now I’m tangled up with Sword Phoenix, and the entire Seven Prodigies.’

The foam in my rumor had already swollen far beyond what I imagined.

And then Black-Grand Saber ran his mouth and made it worse.

On top of that—

‘He did it on purpose.’

I could tell from Black-Grand Saber’s smile.

That bastard. He said it to create this exact situation.

‘For his size, he’s sly as hell.’

I thought he was just a brainless pervert, but does he actually know how to use his head?

‘Tsk.’

As I clicked my tongue and frowned—

“.......”

Sword Phoenix, who had been looking at me, suddenly turned her back.

The Sword Saint’s cloak she was wearing rippled.

Then—

TAP. TAP.

She walked out of the inn.

“Hey. You’re not going to eat? You must be hungry.”

Black-Grand Saber called after her, but there was no way an answer would come back.

“Hm. Boring. Server! Order over here!!”

After wrecking the situation, he sat down at a table like nothing happened.

And it wasn’t just any table.

“...Why are ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) you sitting here?”

Black-Grand Saber sat down right next to me.

I said it while looking at him, but—

“Hm? Why? What’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem...? You’re asking like that’s a real question.”

“If we’ve seen each other twice, we’re friends. Don’t friends eat together? Come on, sit. Ah, by the way, why are all the tables smashed up in here? Server!!! Another set of food, and another table too!!”

“.......”

His brazen attitude left me with nothing to say.

My head hurt like it was going insane.

The eyes pouring down on me, too—and it felt like things had already gone wrong from day one.

‘Ah... seriously.’

I wanted to quit everything and go home.

That thought kept surging up like crazy.