Chapter 2 Returning (2)

Chapter 2 Returning (2)

Before the sparring match, Gu Yangji gazed at the Sword’s Peak.

‘Then as now, even back in my past life, I’ve always been bound to Senior Brother by the sword.’

Even the battle that decided the fate of the Huashan Sect had been fought alongside Senior Brother.

Gu Yangji recalled the final battle from his past life.

Was it ten years from now, in terms of time?

Back then, Gu Yangji had led countless heroes and faced Senior Brother here.

* * *

“Long time no see.”

“…It’s surprising, but somehow your face doesn’t look welcoming.”

Gu Yangjie pretended not to care, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze.

Just standing before Yu Zhangming felt like his flesh was being torn apart, his fists clenching tightly.

Gu Yangjie forced himself to shake off his sorrow and urged his senior brother to surrender.

“Surrendering is the only way the Huashan Sect can survive.”

The difference in scale was utterly overwhelming.

Huashan, already on a downward spiral and just one step away from total annihilation, was nothing but a mere firefly.

The renowned masters Huashan once boasted of had each defected for their own reasons, while the lay disciples remained silent, merely awaiting the outcome.

The senior brother he finally faced looked in terrible shape.

His sweat-soaked robe clung to him, revealing bones so thin they seemed to protrude.

Just seeing Yu Zhangming’s gaunt appearance was agonizing.

“Brother.”

Even uttering a short word seemed to strain him. With each exhaled breath, his upper body swayed slightly.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Gu Yangjeok cut to the chase.

“Don’t play coy. If you have something to say, just say it.”

“You still call me ‘Senior Brother,’ don’t you.”

At those words, Gu Yangjeok unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut.

‘I have to kill him here. I have to… kill him.’

To quell the lump rising in his throat, he spat out a curt reply.

“Was that all you wanted to say? How pathetic. I hate whining.”

“Ha, ha ha… How can a man leading an entire regiment still speak like a commoner?”

“None of your business, sir. Shall I feed you some blood porridge?”

“Enough, you bastard.”

A burst of laughter passed, and the conversation ceased.

Then, the aide who had been watching anxiously spoke up.

“He must be killed. If that bastard survives, he’ll become the focal point for the remnants of the faction…”

Zzzzt.

The adjutant flinched and stepped back, startled by the dense killing intent Gu Yangji shot at him.

“Huh, hmph!”

He knew this was an act against his own side.

But Gu Yangji wanted to save the brother somehow.

It was the last courtesy he could offer as the sole remaining priest.

“Have you no intention of changing your mind, even now?”

“…I lack the strength to answer twice.”

The words were light, but his stubbornness weighed heavier than gold.

Having heard his resolve, a decision must now be made.

With countless eyes and ears behind him, Gu Yangji delivered his final ultimatum to the elder brother.

“I have no choice but to send you now.”

At those words, the elder brother’s eyes grew distant.

“Is that so.”

“Indeed.”

Silence fell once more.

The days spent as brothers-in-arms at Huashan felt fleeting; facing each other as enemies now was a heavy burden.

As he always had, Gu Yangji spoke first, his words blunt.

“Are you ready to be cut down?”

“Do you have the skill? Bloodhound.”

At the unexpected title, Gu Yangji let out a deflated sigh.

“Huh. I thought at least you weren’t the type to spar with words.”

At that rebuke, Yu Zhangming gave an awkward smile, as if he hadn’t laughed in ages.

“Perhaps it’s because I’m meeting an old disciple that I’m in such a good mood.”

“You yourself aren’t even sure, are you? How very telling.”

He tried to retort gruffly once more, but Senior Brother calmly countered with a Daoist saying, his face still smiling.

“Isn’t the phenomenon itself a fiction? You haven’t found the self within me yet, not the phenomenon.”

“Who else but Malco would say that.”

Swoosh.

Gu Yangji drew the Three Great Swords of the Jianghu, the Zhanxian.

Seeing this, the martial artists nearby murmured.

“Is that truly the Zhanxian?”

“The one forged by the Iron Smith Supreme, Dao Che?”

At that, a rogue sneered.

“So what? Its energy is too fierce; those who wielded it ended up crippled one after another.”

The remark held such truth that even those who had been marveling fell silent.

Even a master swordsman had once lost an arm to a momentary lapse, ending up sold into slavery.

Only when the sword that devoured men, Zhan Xian, came into Gu Yangjie’s hands did it finally gain recognition.

Gu Yangjie, too, shed his nickname “Blood Dog” and, with his Huashan lineage revealed, was now known as the Purple Mist Sword God.

Thus, Gu Yangjie was revered alongside his elder brother, the Plum Blossom Sword God, as one of the Two Great Sword Gods.

That was, until this place he called home emerged from the shadows into the light.

‘If my senior brother dies, will that childish title be left to me alone?’

Somehow, Gu Yangjie couldn’t shake the feeling of loneliness.

Sssshhh-!

As Gu Yangjie lightly swung his sword, a chilling sword cry rang out.

“I’m coming.”

“Yes, come.”

Clang!

Force collided with force, and the sublime art of ascent, beyond description even by the word “peak,” unfolded repeatedly.

Gu Yangji’s single strike unleashed twin waves of tempest, while the true energy gathered at the tip of the Master’s sword, like a nine-section grass facing a storm, (九節草) facing a storm.

In terms of tactics and strategy, this one-on-one battle was utterly inefficient.

It should have been simple: ignore the Plum Blossom Sword Spirit, ravage and burn the Huashan Sect, and be done with it.

“For some reason, I can’t look away.”

Even the observing aide marveled, his heart pounding.

The life-and-death duel between the two brothers was not merely a clash of strength, but the final reckoning of a bond forged over long years.

‘This must end now.’

Gu Yangjie wept with an expressionless face. The sword tip wavered, hesitating to take the life in one swift strike.

It was as if the sword itself danced, leaving even the mocking ronin staring in stunned silence.

“Truly a life-and-death struggle between two great swordsmen.”

“Even the fleeting moments flow like a painting!”

They did not know what heart Gu Yangji wielded his sword with.

Nor were they skilled enough to discern it.

And so they felt ashamed.

That young upstart who left the mountain to avoid debt had returned as the king of third-rate swordsmen.

Third-rate swordsmen he could cut down with a single strike, no matter how poor his condition.

‘Was he testing whether I could truly strike him down?’

He felt the sharp gaze of the attendant standing behind him.

Thus, thirty exchanges led to fifty, and fifty stretched further to sixty.

Then finally, just as plum blossoms cannot bloom forever, the end arrived.

CRASH!

“Guh!”

Brother-in-arms, having coughed up a bucketful of blood, knelt where he stood.

His tendons were too damaged to bear his own weight.

Gu Yangjie, too, was deeply wounded, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth.

Yet, Gu Yangjie paid no heed to his own condition, staring intently down at his senior brother.

This was no ordinary man; it should not end like this.

“Senior brother, you are truly a stubborn man.”

“……?”

His elder brother blinked laboriously, as if struggling to hear the words.

Gulp.

Crimson blood flowed from Gu Yangjeok’s lips. His internal organs were clearly damaged.

Yet Gu Yangjeok nonchalantly wiped the blood from his mouth with his hand and pushed his bangs back.

His elder brother’s emaciated appearance felt especially heartbreaking.

“If it were me, I would have replenished my strength by seizing the food of nearby civilians, even if it meant taking it by force. If I had done that, at least I wouldn’t be like this…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say “futile.” He only felt regret.

How much better it would have been if he had appeared in a robust body, slashed his own chest, and fled.

As Gu Yangji grasped the hilt of the sword, seemingly tormented, his elder brother opened his mouth.

“Enemy.”

” There remains the courtesy to hear your final words.“

”Thank you.“

A satisfied smile spread across the elder brother’s face.

It seemed strange. Gu Yangji rubbed his eyes, but it remained the same.

He had never truly hated Gu Yangji after all.

”You were my final opponent, and the wind born of plum blossoms swept me away. How could I not be glad?“

”…… “

The elder brother spoke to Gu Yangjeok, who remained silent with blood in his mouth.

”This elder brother does not blame you. It was merely my own inadequacy, my vessel unable to embrace you.“

Gu Yangjeok shook his head as if questioning what nonsense he was spouting.

”Your sword skills were superior. It was only your stubbornness that caused your defeat.” “

But there was no falsehood in the elder brother’s smile.

”To my eyes, the incense of the priest seemed stronger than mine.”

With those words, the elder brother’s body collapsed sideways.

Now he was nothing but a corpse.

Gu Yangji wore a strange expression, somewhere between crying and laughing.

He watched the blood flowing beneath the elder brother’s body.

A single tear fell from Gu Yang-jeok’s eye onto it.

Deep regret, and guilt.

The fact that he was born a disciple of Huashan yet led not to its revival but to its destruction pierced his heart.

Just then, the deputy commander brushed past Gu Yang-jeok.

“I’ll handle this.”

“…What?”

“We’ve captured a formidable figure like the Plum Blossom Sword Saint. Shouldn’t we behead him to serve as a warning to the others?”

Swish.

The aide drew a dagger from his sleeve and pressed the blade against the condemned man’s neck.

Gu Yangjie felt as if his own blood would surge backward.

Clang!

Seeing Gu Yang-jeok’s hostility, the aide revealed a cold expression.

“You seem terribly exhausted. What are you doing? Hurry up and move!”

Thud.

Struck by an acupoint strike from behind, Gu Yang-jeok blacked out.

The severe injuries sustained in his fight with the executioner had caused a moment of carelessness.

And when he awoke again shortly after, everything was already over.

Was it from that moment?

That he leapt from his seat, severed the adjutant’s neck, and became an enemy of the very place he once belonged?

“Haa.”

A faint sigh escaped Gu Yangjeok’s lips.

‘I’ll just have to start fixing things from now on.’

Shaking off his past thoughts, Gu Yangjeok wiped the moisture from his eyes.

If he changed things starting now, misfortunes like this wouldn’t befall him.

Gu Yangjeok straightened his previously utterly disheveled expression.

Yoo Jangmyeong stood before him.

“Priest, what’s with the delay?”

“I was lost in thought for a moment.”

“Oh?”

That expression seemed to ask if he even had the luxury of daydreaming about himself.

At the same time, his unusually polite tone made Yu Zhangming’s face light up with mischief.

Simultaneously, a sword swung.

Whoosh!

At the sound, the moisture welling up in Gu Yangjeok’s eyes vanished instantly, and an involuntary curse burst from his lips.

“Damn it! Shouldn’t you at least shout your technique name before charging in?”

“And you, of all people, are daydreaming while aiming your sword at your opponent?”

“I’m no little girl.”

“Go! Falling Plum Blossoms!”

The Plum Blossom Sword—was this the first move of the Twenty-Four Hands?

Like falling plum blossoms scattered by the wind, Yu Zhangming’s sword strike pressed sharply against Gu Yangji.

Yet Gu Yangji, the target himself, parried it away without much difficulty.

‘No need to reveal my true martial prowess just yet.’

Gu Yangji’s blade tip swept out.

“The first move of the Six Harmonies Sword, Tiger’s Unwavering Advance.”

Facing Falling Plum Blossoms was a curved yet straight line.

It was a sword strike of unyielding solidity, one that would not falter against any blade it met.

Clang!

The sound of two wooden swords clashing filled the grove.

“……!”

“Hmph.”

The distance closed, and both men’s figures were pushed back.

Swish-!

Four long trails of footprints stretched across the hillock once covered in weeds.

This moment revealed their mutual seriousness, and furthermore, that their martial arts had reached a certain level.

Yu Zhangming, in particular, couldn’t help but admire the single sword strike just executed.

‘Truly honest, yet solid!’

Though this duel began as a test, it was he who found himself truly impressed.

The Six Harmonies Sword was merely the basic sword technique one learned when first beginning martial arts training.

Yet, when unfolded through Gu Yangjie’s fingertips, it was more spirited than most sword techniques.

It had been only a vague feeling before, but now he knew it for certain.

That made it all the more puzzling.

‘Could a person change this much in just one day?’

Avoiding Senior Scholar Seon wasn’t mere coincidence, and his sword technique had advanced to a level worthy of being called first-rate.

No, judging solely by the mastery of his techniques, he was approaching the level of the five elders who were disciples of the Sect Leader.

Yu Jang-myeong’s expression grew complex.

“How long have you been hiding your true skill?”

‘…So, this is how it plays out.’

As if anticipating his reaction, Gu Yangjeok lowered his sword tip and wore a faint smile.

Yu Jangmyeong, who hadn’t hated him even in his dying moments, wouldn’t suspect him just because his skill had improved a little.

Instead, he would ask something like this.

“Why are you only showing this skill now?”

Gu Yangjeok gave a slight smile at that question.

“Senior Brother, I…”

He took a deep breath, exhaled sharply, and then blurted out.

“I hate the current Huashan.”

“…!”

At those words, Yu Zhangming turned pale with shock and looked around frantically.

Knowing this, Gu Yangjie stood rigidly upright, his gaze fixed solely on Yu Zhangming.

In speaking, there was no regret.

Rather, it was Yu Zhangming, face to face with Gu Yangjeok, who was startled.

“What on earth are you saying! Brother, you wouldn’t be thinking of leaving the mountain, would you?”

Gu Yangjeok shook his head lightly.

That was a path he had already walked.

At the end of that path, only regret and a single tear had fallen.

Yu Zhangming’s corpse might already be a headless specter wandering the Nine Heavens.

Unless he changed course, starting now.

Huashan was certain to be plunged into a cesspool far lower than its once-glorious heights.

That was why Gu Yangjie spoke.

“Look at that.”

“……?”

“That hermitage, that dilapidated hermitage. Imagine if a young monk were sleeping there when it collapsed, and a beam struck him somewhere on his body.”

Yu Zhangming frowned involuntarily.

“What on earth are you talking about? And that’s an overly cruel assumption, isn’t it?”

“Brother.”

Unfazed by Yu Zhangming’s reaction, Gu Yangji’s gaze darkened further, deepening as it narrowed.

“Beyond Huashan lies the (武林).“

”…….“

Gu Yangji persuaded Yu Zhangming with measured words.

”The martial world is a place where a single misstep, a mere copper coin, can cost you your life.”

Gu Yangji’s voice gradually grew more intense.

As if he had experienced it from a distant future.

His words delved deeper.

“Even if one doesn’t become entirely tainted by the secular world, one must learn to accept it to some degree. Only then can a sect survive, and more importantly, its disciples grow stronger. Only then can we prevent cases like the boy I mentioned from happening.”

Hearing this, Yu Zhangming sensed something of an old, seasoned powerhouse in Gu Yangjie.

He’s barely seventeen!

‘To think my master had this side to him…’

Had all his usual rowdy behavior been merely a mask?

No, perhaps this was his true nature all along.

“Wuliang Qingjing,” Yu Zhangming murmured to himself, brushing away the goosebumps that had risen.

But he couldn’t possibly agree with the master’s words here.

Yu Zhangming fixed his gaze squarely on Gu Yangjie and countered.

“As practitioners of the Dao, Huashan should naturally live apart from the secular world. How can you say such things?”

But Gu Yangjie shook his head.

“We are practitioners of the Dao, but we are also martial artists, Senior Brother.”

“……”

After silently staring at the forceful Gu Yang-jeok for a long moment, Yu Jang-myeong asked with a complex look.

“Then what does the priest desire?”

“Hwasa Mountain, commanding the entire martial world. Shouldn’t we at least be that?”

“……!”

Thud!

Gu Yangji thrust his wooden sword into the damp earth and reiterated.

“At the very least, a sect where brothers won’t kill each other. No, I will transform it into a Dao Martial Gate that no one can touch.”

As he spoke, Gu Yangji glanced at the ruined hermitage and chuckled softly.

“Though the road ahead is long.”

Faced with the master’s immense ambition, Yu Zhangming found himself speechless.

Gu Yangjie’s words weren’t wrong.

For the past two or three years, the senior brothers who had drifted through the martial world had always been wary of their treacherous nature.

‘Is there truly no choice but to follow the master’s words?’

While Yu Zhangming was lost in thought, Gu Yangjie was also deep in contemplation.

‘To save Huashan, I must become stronger myself.’

Merely becoming stronger wasn’t enough. He had achieved that level long ago, even in his lifetime before death.

At least the strongest under heaven.

Or something that surpassed him…

Yet, outwardly, Gu Yangjie casually tossed out words, seemingly putting on airs.

“Senior Brother, just trust this junior brother.”

“…How presumptuous.”

Yu Zhangming replied unconsciously.

“It is you, Brother, who will benefit greatly from this elder brother. Do not regret your words when that time comes.”

“Hmph.”

A chuckle escaped from the corner of Gu Yangji’s mouth.

“This time, we’ll finally crush the Huashan Sect…”

“What the hell are you two doing?!”

At that sudden shout, Gu Yangjie and Yu Zhangming whipped their heads around.

Gu Yangjie looked relatively composed, but Yu Zhangming’s face had drained completely white.

“Well, Sect Leader!”

“Not only did you refuse to meditate facing the wall, but you destroyed the hermitage…?!

At those words, Yu Zhangming looked troubled.

”There seems to be a misunderstanding.“

”Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Don’t you see the fist marks over there? Look!”

Bai Danxian seized Gu Yangjie’s wrist with lightning-fast reflexes.

“Even at a glance, it’s clearly your disciple’s mark!”

“Ha, but…”

Yoo Jang-myeong reluctantly backed down, realizing that continuing to defend Gu Yang-jeok—who had punched the hermitage built for wall-facing meditation—would only provoke more anger.

Of course, the telepathic message sent by Gu Yang-jeok also played a part.

-It’s fine.

Despite the successive pronouncements, Gu Yangjeok smiled as if he was rather pleased.

Unable to hear the telepathic exchange between them, Baek Danhyun stiffened his expression and declared.

No matter how much he was his disciple, discipline must be strict.

He could only hope he would grow a little more during his wall-facing period.

“Gu Yangji, for recklessly testing your techniques and destroying the hermitage! Your three months of wall-facing punishment is extended by three more months!”

Even with the increased punishment, Gu Yangji merely bowed his head.

“I am deeply moved by the Grandmaster’s mercy.”

As he did so, Gu Yangji thought.

‘Wall-facing is actually what I wanted. ’

No matter how good the method, with only five years of cultivation and a weak body, I can accomplish nothing.

Therefore, I have no choice but to grow stronger.

Building strength relentlessly was the first priority.

‘I’ll show you why I was the Blood Dog.’

Gu Yangjie’s eyes burned with determination.