Rebirth of the Thunder God

As flames shot up from Lotus Peak.

In an instant, Mount Hua (華山, Flower Mountain) had turned into Mount Hua (火山, Volcano).

At that sight, Namgung Hui couldn't hide his bewilderment, but Eun Seolrin was surprisingly calm.

So Namgung Hui spoke with a sense of wonder.

"It seems a mishap has occurred on Mount Hua, yet you seem unfazed."

Eun Seolrin smiled faintly and said.

"This must be your first time seeing it, Young Master. That's not a fire, but a festival. To be precise, it's called the Mount Hua Sword Discussion, a sort of competition held before the Martial Alliance tournament. The reason we came is to replenish the supplies for the Mount Hua Sword Discussion."

It was an event that didn't exist 60 years ago, so it wasn't strange that Namgung Hui didn't know about it.

'Well, Mount Hua is a rocky mountain, so the fire won't spread much anyway.'

In any case, it was a relief that nothing had happened to the Mount Hua Sect.

The Mount Hua Sword Discussion. The name was quite grand, but it also suited the flamboyant Mount Hua Sect well.

"Then it would be best to get some sleep for today."

"Yes. We have to go up early tomorrow morning, so we should."

And so, Eun Seolrin and Namgung Hui sought sleep at an inn and set out early in the morning.

* * *

"Miss Eun. The path up Mount Hua is quite rough. Will you be able to climb it?"

"Normally, we only need to go up to the midway point. But you have to go to the Mount Hua Sect, Young Master?"

"Yes. Well, if it's not possible, I can always visit separately after the escort request is over."

It would be a bit cumbersome, but since the distance between the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild and the Mount Hua Sect wasn't that far, it was right to visit for personal matters separately.

Moreover, since he was in the middle of an escort mission, not just accompanying her, it would be rude to the client.

Eun Seolrin fell silent, as if lost in thought for a moment.

Then, a moment later, she opened her mouth.

"I'd like to watch the Mount Hua Sword Discussion for the first time in a while. Would you mind escorting me to the Mount Hua Sect?"

It was no trouble for Namgung Hui.

In fact, he welcomed it.

However, the concern was that they couldn't take the carriage beyond the midway point.

"Then you'll have to be carried on my back from the midway point. Is that alright?"

In the past, the deceased Sowol would have carried her, but now, the only escort she had brought was Namgung Hui.

A single escort like Namgung Hui was sufficient for simple protection, but a female bodyguard was needed for cases like this.

In many ways, being of the same gender would be helpful.

"It's fine. It's not because I'm heavy, is it?"

"You're making a rare joke. If Miss Eun is heavy, who in the world could be called light? By the way, we're slowly approaching the midway point."

"Then I should do a final check."

Finishing her words, Eun Seolrin unfolded her ledger.

Once she handed over the goods to the Mount Hua Sect here, her transaction would be complete.

In reality, the midway point of Mount Hua was no different from the territory of the Mount Hua Sect, so there would be no danger.

'Come to think of it, I remember when we Three Martial Gods gathered on Mount Hua.'

The Azure Sky Martial God, Namgung Cheonhu.

The Mad Thunder God, Le Jaseong.

The Plum Blossom Sword God, Wi Jinmyeong.

Among them, Wi Jinmyeong was the current sect leader of the Mount Hua Sect.

So they would occasionally gather on the scenic Mount Hua to exchange blows.

Sometimes they would have a sword discussion with words.

And sometimes they would directly cross swords and witness each other's martial arts.

Moreover, Mount Hua was a good environment for training lightness skills.

'The Dark Fragrance Float he used was definitely more ethereal than mine.'

The Purple Mist Divine Art and the Plum Blossom Sword Art that Wi Jinmyeong used made even the fearless Demonic Cult members tremble.

Even the grand duke of the Demonic Cult, who used the Star-Sucking Great Art, lost his life to him.

He was the only one among the Three Martial Gods who did not perish with his opponent.

The Martial God and the Thunder God both lost their lives against the Heavenly Demon and Sosu Mahu.

Perhaps that was why the Mount Hua Sect did not walk the path of decline.

Of course, they were stumbling a bit now, but if Namgung Hui returned the Purple Mist Divine Art, that too would find its place again.

'I feel a little sorry about the Purple Mist Pills, but considering how much Wi Jinmyeong owed us, this is a small price.'

Would the Purple Mist Pills be the price of a life?

The Martial God and the Thunder God had saved the Sword God's life numerous times.

In fact, even though they were the same Three Martial Gods, there was a certain difference in their levels.

Naturally, the top was the Martial God, and the next was the Thunder God.

Wi Jinmyeong, the youngest of the three, was weaker and relied heavily on the Martial God and the Thunder God.

That was why he ended up facing the relatively weaker grand duke of the Demonic Cult.

If Wi Jinmyeong had faced the Heavenly Demon or Sosu Mahu, he would never have survived.

It was also a matter of course that he couldn't kill his opponent.

'Jinmyeong. Still, I'm returning the Purple Mist Divine Art, so don't be angry.'

Namgung Hui suddenly thought about adding an annotation to the end of the Purple Mist Divine Art.

Wasn't the Mount Hua Sect currently suffering from the spies of the Blood Cult?

It wouldn't be bad to write this much.

At least he wouldn't feel the guilt of having swallowed the Purple Mist Pills.

Having made up his mind, Namgung Hui began to write an annotation at the end of the Purple Mist Divine Art, at the Purple Mist Ten Thousand Li section.

The reason martial art incantations were difficult was also to prevent them from being leaked.

That was why the incantations were deliberately twisted to be difficult.

Namgung Hui explained it as simply as possible.

In fact, it didn't matter to Namgung Hui whether it was leaked or not.

'At this level, unless one's eyes are knot-holes, they should be able to recognize it.'

Nod nod.

A satisfactory result came out.

However, the concern was being misunderstood for damaging the original, but Namgung Hui planned to lie shamelessly.

If they didn't believe him, he could just feign ignorance.

It wasn't as if he had stolen it and run away.

He could just appropriately blame it on the deceased Dugu In.

As Namgung Hui finished with the secret manual, Eun Seolrin, who had completed her final check, returned to the carriage.

"My work is done once the Mount Hua Sect disciples come down. Now only your work remains, Young Master."

Eun Seolrin's voice seemed slightly excited.

Was it because all the work was done?

Her excited appearance seemed a little more human.

Because the appearance she had shown so far was like that of an iron man.

-Clatter. Clatter.

The rattling sound of cart wheels could be heard from a distance.

No one could hear it yet, but in a moment, the carriage would be visible.

As Namgung Hui had guessed, after about a moment, the appearance of the cart appeared.

Naturally, such a cart was being pulled by the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect.

The disciple at the head of the group unfolded a splendid movement technique and landed in front of Eun Seolrin.

He briefly straightened his disheveled clothes and then spoke politely.

"Young Guild Mistress. You have suffered much coming all this way."

His voice was filled with power.

A clear and energetic sound.

A smile that suited the Mount Hua Sect's uniform well.

There was a somewhat artificial feeling, but it wasn't bad to look at.

In fact, it should be seen as good.

Of course, not from Namgung Hui's point of view.

"Yes. It's been a while, Young Hero Sa Ilcheon."

The young man called Sa Ilcheon had a pleased expression for a moment before belatedly looking at Namgung Hui and asking.

"But Young Guild Mistress. Who is this man here?"

In a normal case, it would be right to simply think of him as a bodyguard, but Namgung Hui's appearance, besides his handsome face, had a different atmosphere.

In other words, he was not ordinary.

"This is Young Master Namgung Hui, who is serving as my bodyguard."

"Namgung?"

At the word Namgung, Sa Ilcheon frowned.

"Don't tell me, Namgung In's younger brother?"

This time, Namgung Hui narrowed one eye.

Namgung In was no longer a member of the Namgung family, so even being called his younger brother felt like a disgrace.

"Namgung In's real name is Dugu In. And I'm not his younger brother."

"Not? Your words are quite short. Seeing how arrogant you are, you seem to be his younger brother."

-Zzzzt!

It was as if sparks flew from Sa Ilcheon and Namgung Hui's eyes.

In an instant, the atmosphere froze solid.

And the surroundings became quiet.

The one who broke the silence was none other than Eun Seolrin.

She pulled on Namgung Hui's collar and said.

"Young Master. The handover is over, so let's go up first."

Namgung Hui, not wanting to face Sa Ilcheon either, readily agreed.

"Yes. Then please get on my back."

As Namgung Hui offered his back, Eun Seolrin placed her body on it with a shy expression.

And then.

-Grind!

The sound of teeth grinding could be heard from Sa Ilcheon's mouth.

Namgung Hui, ignoring him, climbed the mountain path.

When Sa Ilcheon's figure was no longer visible, Namgung Hui asked Eun Seolrin.

"But is it alright for you to come without checking? What if they slyly say it's different from the list?"

"I've left a few guild employees behind. And didn't I do a final check? If they throw a tantrum like that, then there will be no more dealings with the Mount Hua Sect from now on. They're the ones who will be at a loss."

At Eun Seolrin's fiery response, Namgung Hui felt a weight lift from his chest.

The Mount Hua Sect wouldn't want to be on bad terms with the Myriad Gold Merchant Guild either.

Even in the fights of beasts, they would growl but rarely clash directly.

As soon as they passed the midway point of Mount Hua, a rugged, rocky mountain area was revealed.

In the lower mountain range, it wasn't this steep, but from here on, there were so many rock walls that it was rare to even find a place to step.

But it was no problem for Namgung Hui.

In fact, a master of lightness skills could climb such a rugged rock wall sufficiently.

Baek Seolhwa herself would surely be flying around.

'The Young Guild Mistress is so light. It's no hindrance at all.'

Even the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect frequented this place, so there was no way it would be a hindrance to Namgung Hui.

That was why Eun Seolrin had readily gotten on Namgung Hui's back.

But the moment Namgung Hui took a step.

Eun Seolrin, as if surprised, gasped.

"Ah!"

Namgung Hui, as if he had expected this, just smirked.

It was because he had literally jumped up a vertical cliff, not the path the Mount Hua Sect disciples used.

The path the Mount Hua Sect disciples used was a 'path' that could be called as such, connected by wooden planks.

But a vertically rising cliff could never be called a path.

Didn't they even say that when one was blocked in their cultivation, they had reached a wall?

That's how much a wall was a symbol of hardship and an insurmountable domain.

But Namgung Hui was jumping over such a cliff. And with a person on his back.

"Kyaa!"

Namgung Hui found Eun Seolrin's frightened appearance quite refreshing, but it seemed he should stop teasing her.

'Anyway, we're almost there, so there's no need for that.'

From the midway point, if one just crossed a few cliffs, one could easily reach Lotus Peak.

The only problem was that the cliffs were rather high and rough.

But Namgung Hui, who had often leaped up to Lotus Peak with the Plum Blossom Sword God, was well-versed in the geography.

When Namgung Hui, who had arrived at Lotus Peak, put Eun Seolrin down.

Suddenly, Eun Seolrin's legs gave out, and she collapsed.

Namgung Hui quickly supported her body.

-Thump.

Eun Seolrin pounded Namgung Hui's chest with her fist.

"Young Master. I thought I was going to die!"

Namgung Hui couldn't help but feel sorry at her rather intense reaction.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to tease you."

-Smirk.

Suddenly, Eun Seolrin had a smile on her face and corrected her posture.

It was an upright posture, as if she had never trembled.

Only then did Namgung Hui realize that he was the one who had been teased.

Just as Namgung Hui was shaking his head.

-Boom!

A loud noise was heard from the Mount Hua Sect.

And it didn't look like a simple festival.

(End of Chapter)