Chapter 356: A Flower Blooming in the Snow
“Baek Hyang-ah, what trouble have you gotten into with the Demonic Cult this time… No, never mind.”
Dang Mujin stopped himself from questioning Baek Hyang-ah further. There was only one reason the cult would seek her out.
Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra must be after Baek Hyang-ah’s body.
He couldn’t help but think how unfortunate her fate was.
The world is vast, and many people are manipulated and used by others. But as far as Dang Mujin knew, no one was as relentlessly targeted by martial artists as Baek Hyang-ah, and certainly not for their corpse.
Baek Hyang-ah would likely never have a grave like ordinary people.
Instead of offering comfort, Dang Mujin opted for humor.
“You’re really popular, aren’t you?”
“Well, I am pretty,” Baek Hyang-ah replied, matching his jest with her own.
Dang Mujin chuckled softly.
After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Was it a mistake for my master and me to save you eight years ago?”
Baek Hyang-ah countered with a question of her own. “Did you know my life would turn out like this when you saved me?”
“Well, no.”
“Then it’s not your fault.”
Her response was straightforward and sincere, not just empty words.
As they whispered to each other, Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra had closed the distance to about thirty paces.
Baek Hyang-ah’s voice grew slightly urgent. “Dang Mujin, you know how to use a sword, right?”
“Yeah, but I haven’t used one in a while. Besides, I don’t have one with me.”
His sword was back at the campfire with his friends. He hadn’t expected a fight to break out, and approaching Baek Hyang-ah with a weapon at night might have made her uneasy.
“Have you completely given up martial arts?”
“No, I’ve just been using this instead.”
From his sleeve, Dang Mujin produced a birun, a ring-like weapon, which he twirled around his finger. Baek Hyang-ah eyed it skeptically. The birun was unfamiliar to most.
“How do you use it?”
“You throw it.”
“Ah… Well, at least I won’t get cut by that. Feel free to throw it.”
Just as she had caught a sword barehanded without a scratch earlier, she was confident she could handle the birun. Dang Mujin nodded.
“Alright, let’s get ready.”
There was no need for lengthy discussion; their roles were clear. Baek Hyang-ah would defend, and Dang Mujin would attack.
It wasn’t a matter of choice. Dang Mujin’s birun and poison techniques weren’t suited for defense.
Until now, his shortcomings hadn’t been apparent because he moved with his friends.
Dang Mujin took a deep breath. He felt a bit more at ease, but the sight of Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra approaching made his chest tighten again.
Guang Yeomra was a formidable master who had held his own against two other top fighters simultaneously. But what concerned him more was Zuo Hobeop, specifically his position.
A guardian typically stays close to protect their leader.
‘Could it be…?’
Dang Mujin called out to Zuo Hobeop.
“Hey, Zuo Hobeop!”
“Such disrespect to your elders.”
Though not a positive response, it seemed Zuo Hobeop was willing to talk. Dang Mujin pressed on.
“Why are you here instead of the cult leader?”
Zuo Hobeop sneered. “Afraid the cult leader might show up?”
He hit the mark. Dang Mujin hesitated.
“Not exactly… It’s just odd to see a guardian wandering away from their leader. Is the cult in chaos?”
“It doesn’t matter. The cult leader doesn’t need protection right now.”
”…What do you mean?”
“If you meet the cult leader, you’ll understand immediately. Unfortunately, you won’t get that chance.”
With those words, Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra charged simultaneously.
Yet, Dang Mujin felt an inexplicable surge of confidence.
He recalled his first encounter with Namgung Jincheon. Back then, just facing a supreme master had made his legs weak. But now, he was only slightly tense, not afraid. The two supreme masters even seemed somewhat manageable.
Dang Mujin stepped back, readying his birun, while Baek Hyang-ah took a bold step forward.
Thud.
Her step was no mere warning; it was a display of overwhelming internal energy.
The air around them seemed to freeze.
Without hesitation, Baek Hyang-ah lunged at Guang Yeomra and Zuo Hobeop, arms outstretched.
Ice White Palm.
Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra swung their swords at her.
Baek Hyang-ah’s small, white hands effortlessly blocked their blades, leaving no mark on her skin. The sight filled Dang Mujin with certainty.
‘We can win!’
He retreated further, launching his birun.
Five birun soared into the night sky, tracing unpredictable paths around Guang Yeomra and Zuo Hobeop’s heads.
At the slightest opening, the birun would strike at their vital points, guided by Dang Mujin’s gestures.
Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra quickly retrieved their swords to avoid being caught by Baek Hyang-ah’s hands, targeting her again.
Shoulder, then neck.
Baek Hyang-ah ignored Zuo Hobeop’s sword aimed at her shoulder. It bounced off her without effect. Her body was unlike that of an ordinary human.
However, she didn’t ignore the blade aimed at her neck. She reached out and stopped Guang Yeomra’s sword.
Baek Hyang-ah focused on defending her face, neck, and heart, while continuously reaching for the two supreme masters.
Despite their combined strength, they couldn’t easily overpower her.
“Ugh!”
In terms of skill and insight, Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra were clearly superior.
But the cold energy was a problem. It surged through their swords, making it hard to focus on the fight.
And that wasn’t all.
Whoosh—
Occasionally, a birun would fly in, targeting them. Even to these supreme masters, the birun was no ordinary weapon.
Its trajectory was unpredictable, and its blade was razor-sharp.
Regardless of skill level, no one could ignore or underestimate the birun. Even the greatest master would die if struck in a vital spot.
The birun’s surface gleamed ominously, as if coated with poison.
Zuo Hobeop and Guang Yeomra leaped back, distancing themselves from Baek Hyang-ah.
“Baek Hyang-ah, your skills weren’t this advanced before… Have you had some revelation?”
They didn’t realize she had tapped into her true energy. Baek Hyang-ah smirked.
“Already scared? We’re just getting started!”
With that, she increased the flow of her true energy.
The cold aura around her intensified. Now, even the wind from her vicinity stung the skin.
Guang Yeomra and Zuo Hobeop exchanged glances.
Baek Hyang-ah was a sturdy shield, and Dang Mujin was a sharp sword. There was no reason for them to focus their combined efforts on the shield.
‘Cut down the sword first.’
Zuo Hobeop lunged at Baek Hyang-ah, grabbing her foot.
There was no need to subdue her, nor to rush with his sword.
Meanwhile, Guang Yeomra ignored Baek Hyang-ah and charged at Dang Mujin.
Watching him, Dang Mujin thought, ‘So that’s how it’s going to be.’
Thump, thump.
His heart pounded fiercely, as if it had moved to his throat or temples.
Dang Mujin pointed his five fingers at the ground.
Descend.
Simultaneously, five birun plummeted toward Guang Yeomra. He twisted his body, dodging two and deflecting three with his sword.
All five birun lost momentum and crashed to the ground, making it seem like Dang Mujin’s attack had failed.
But he wasn’t finished.
He could control five birun at once, but he had more than just five. He still had ten left.
Dang Mujin flicked his hands, and five more birun appeared, hanging from his fingers.
Crossing his arms, he sent them flying over the bushes.
The birun danced to the movements of his fingers, seeking Guang Yeomra’s openings. It was more like a performance than a fight.
But there was a problem. Guang Yeomra’s skill was far beyond what Dang Mujin had anticipated.
“Haha!”
Guang Yeomra continued to break through the birun, advancing toward Dang Mujin.
Five more birun fell to the ground.
The distance between them shrank to just twenty paces.
He still had five birun left, but the gap was too narrow to throw them effectively.
Even if he could, Guang Yeomra was unlikely to be caught off guard. He was exceptionally strong, even among supreme masters.
Dang Mujin’s mind raced.
“Throwing a weapon now is pointless. So, poison it is. But which one? The poison of the Seven Treasures Temple? Or the one I’ve never properly used, the Human-Faced Spider’s poison? Ideally, I’d inflict a wound and administer the poison directly, but I can’t even manage that. Should I disperse it into the air? Or maybe spray it in liquid form on his face…?”
The distance between Gwang Yeom-ra and Dang Mu-jin had shrunk to ten paces.
Yet, Dang Mu-jin still couldn’t reach a decision. Gwang Yeom-ra knew Dang Mu-jin was skilled in poison techniques, so he wouldn’t fall for any tricks easily.
The threat was closing in, but a solution remained elusive.
Dang Mu-jin felt his heart constricting, a wave of dizziness washing over him.
“Should I exploit an opening with a palm technique? No, that’s madness. If only I had a sword! But even then, it might not make much difference—”
The gap between them was now just five paces.
If Gwang Yeom-ra took a few more steps, the outcome would be decided. Yet, Dang Mu-jin had no way to stop him.
In hindsight, not fleeing the moment Gwang Yeom-ra approached was sheer folly.
Surrounded by so many martial arts masters, his standards had become unnecessarily high.
Gwang Yeom-ra took three more steps. His eyes gleamed with a mix of excitement and murderous intent. His right shoulder twitched, and a long blade sliced through the dark night.
“Dodge!”
But just as Dang Mu-jin was about to retreat using his shadow step technique, a sword suddenly appeared from behind Gwang Yeom-ra.
The blade approached silently, aiming not for the heart or neck, but between the ribs, targeting the lungs.
Gwang Yeom-ra only realized the sword’s presence when it was nearly upon him.
Startled, he twisted his body, deflecting the approaching blade.
Clang—
Only then did the silhouette of the sword’s wielder emerge from the shadows.
With a strange, fluid movement, as if stepping out from behind the darkness, Namgung Myung appeared.
Namgung Myung waved lightly with his left hand, greeting Gwang Yeom-ra.
“Hello. We meet again, don’t we?”
Instead of returning the greeting, Gwang Yeom-ra spat out curses.
“A so-called righteous warrior resorting to a sneak attack!”
“How narrow-minded. It wasn’t a sneak attack, just a discreet strike.”
Just as Gwang Yeom-ra was about to retort, three more presences made themselves known: Hong Geol-gae, Hyun Gong, and Seol Hwa.
Gwang Yeom-ra barely reacted to Hong Geol-gae and Seol Hwa, but the moment he saw Hyun Gong, his eyes flared with anger.
“You deceitful bastard!”
In the last great battle, Gwang Yeom-ra had tried to use Hyun Gong, only to be deeply betrayed by him.
Though he suspected Hyun Gong might have ulterior motives, the betrayal had come much sooner than expected.
Yet Hyun Gong feigned innocence with shameless ease.
“Deceitful? A con artist? You never miss a chance to slander, do you, Gwang Yeom-ra?”
“Slander, you say…! You approached me first, claiming you’d join the demonic cult…”
“Enough!”
Hyun Gong’s voice boomed, cutting off Gwang Yeom-ra’s words.
“Do you think anyone will believe your nonsense?”
Gwang Yeom-ra trembled with frustration, his face flushed red even in the dark night.
But in truth, Gwang Yeom-ra had no reason to feel wronged. Except for Seol Hwa, Dang Mu-jin’s group secretly believed Gwang Yeom-ra’s words might be true.
“So that’s how it was.”
“It did seem odd that Hyun Gong could land a blow on Gwang Yeom-ra with his skills back then.”
But Hyun Gong wasn’t finished.
He quickly scanned the surroundings, then subtly lowered his head, hiding his lips as he sent a secret message to Gwang Yeom-ra.
It was clearly nonsense, yet something felt off. Didn’t Hyun Gong just glance around to check his companions’ reactions? And his voice was filled with sincerity.
Gwang Yeom-ra instinctively responded in kind.
Don’t talk nonsense!
I’m not joking. We have three supreme masters here, and two more who have surpassed the pinnacle. While there may be differences in skill, you can’t say your situation is favorable.
Hyun Gong’s words were undeniably true. Gwang Yeom-ra’s eyes wavered.
Do you think I’ll be fooled twice?
Elder. I’m in a favorable position now. I have no reason to lie. Please, consider my sincerity.
Hyun Gong’s eyes met Gwang Yeom-ra’s, filled with nothing but genuine intent.
Gwang Yeom-ra wavered.
In that moment, Hyun Gong naturally moved closer to Gwang Yeom-ra’s side.
Gwang Yeom-ra’s instincts urged him to accept Hyun Gong.
But at the same time, his rational mind screamed warnings.
Instinct and intuition are the culmination of a martial artist’s decades of experience.
Thus, seasoned warriors never ignore their instincts.
Yet Gwang Yeom-ra made a gamble of a lifetime.
He ignored his instincts, choosing to rely solely on reason.
Gwang Yeom-ra swung his sword at Hyun Gong, who was approaching.
In that fleeting moment, countless thoughts filled Gwang Yeom-ra’s mind.
Was he turning away a miraculous ally? Was he throwing away a chance at victory? He still wasn’t sure.
Clang.
But Hyun Gong effortlessly drew his sword, blocking Gwang Yeom-ra’s strike.
Hyun Gong murmured.
“So, you won’t be fooled twice…”
Hearing those words, chills ran down Gwang Yeom-ra’s spine.
He had almost fallen for it again, even knowing it was a trick. A wave of dizziness hit him.
“Is this some kind of sorcery…?”
Gwang Yeom-ra looked tensely at Dang Mu-jin’s group.
Hong Geol-gae, Hyun Gong, Namgung Myung, and even Dang Mu-jin and Seol Hwa.
He could probably handle one or two of them. Maybe even fend off a couple. But against all five, he had no chance.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Gwang Yeom-ra noticed Hyun Gong subtly moving his lips.
“Could it be, this guy…!”
Gwang Yeom-ra turned to look at Left Guardian Jo Ho-beop.
Jo Ho-beop, who had been fending off Baek Hyang-a, was also moving his lips, sending a secret message to someone. Gwang Yeom-ra immediately understood the situation.
Gwang Yeom-ra shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Yeon Sa-wook! Cover your ears now!”
But Yeon Sa-wook, busy exchanging secret messages with Baek Hyang-a, didn’t catch Gwang Yeom-ra’s warning.
Gwang Yeom-ra pushed his lightness skill to the limit. Never in his life had he moved so desperately.
He could feel Dang Mu-jin’s group scrambling to follow, but Gwang Yeom-ra reached Jo Ho-beop and Yeon Sa-wook just a bit earlier.
Yeon Sa-wook, still oblivious, spoke cautiously in a low voice.
“Hey, Gwang Yeom-ra. There’s an ally—”
“Enough!”
Without slowing down, Gwang Yeom-ra kicked Jo Ho-beop, sending him rolling across the ground, clueless about what was happening.
Gwang Yeom-ra didn’t stop there. Grabbing Yeon Sa-wook by the collar, he slapped him three times in quick succession. Slap, slap, slap.
Only then did clarity return to Yeon Sa-wook’s eyes.
“Oh… Oh!”
“Snap out of it! We need to get out of here!”
Gwang Yeom-ra and the dirt-covered Yeon Sa-wook fled with all their might.
Dang Mu-jin’s group tried to pursue the two supreme masters of the demonic cult, but Gwang Yeom-ra and Jo Ho-beop’s lightness skills were beyond their reach.
Dang Mu-jin watched them disappear into the distance, letting out a deep sigh.
”…Phew.”
They had narrowly escaped a crisis.
Dang Mu-jin approached Hong Geol-gae, who had done nothing, and slung an arm over his shoulder.
“Did you come to save me out of concern?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Hyun Gong said you might be trying to woo Baek Hyang-a, so I came to see if it was true.”
Dang Mu-jin decided to pretend he hadn’t heard that.