Chapter 89 – The Immortal’s Music Sheet (1)

Chapter 89 – The Immortal's Music Sheet (1)

The Yeon Family Manor. That was the name of a martial family that existed long ago in the northern region of Hubei Province. Though not a grand power, it was a family with deep history in the region. Their level of martial arts was decent, but they were far more famous for their mastery of music.

The sound of women playing instruments never ceased in the manor, and the men practiced martial arts, taking responsibility for the family's safety.

They had always maintained a neutral stance and preserved their lineage, but crisis struck them at an unexpected moment.

"It is over! The family experts led by the Chief Administrator are on the verge of annihilation!"

Yeon Nam-jin, the head of the Yeon Family Manor, stood in the main hall with a grim expression, his hands behind his back.

"Sigh… What about Yeon Eun-so?"

"Our aunt is supporting the Chief Administrator along with the women trained in sound arts, but they are no match."

They said even Yeon Seo-pung, the family's strongest expert and Chief Administrator, was helpless. Yeon Eun-so, a master of sound arts, stood no chance either. It was an inevitable outcome from the moment that woman arrived.

"Why on earth is the former Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult attacking our Yeon Family Manor…?"

The Yeon Family Manor had never held a grudge against the Demonic Cult.

Silver Flower Granny had retired from the martial world and lived in seclusion for decades. Yet, she had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, hunting down those who practiced musical arts and committing atrocious acts.

Now, it was the Yeon Family Manor's turn.

"I am sorry. For being unable to protect you…"

Behind Yeon Nam-jin, two young girls huddled together, trembling in fear.

It was none other than a legendary demonic master who had personally come for them. Having achieved the Transcendence of the Demonic long ago, she was known to be stronger than the current Cult Leader. Escaping from her was impossible.

"Father…"

"Do not be afraid, Seo-hwa. Let us face them proudly as members of the honorable Yeon Family Manor."

Even now, endless screams could be heard from outside the hall. Although it was futile, Yeon Nam-jin could not just watch. Gripping his sword, he opened the door of the hall and vanished outside.

Yeon Seo-hwa and her younger sister, Yeon Cho-hee. The two children had no choice but to watch their father's departing back with terrified faces.

"Sister, what do we do now…?"

Yeon Seo-hwa looked around. Where was there to hide in this main hall? Just then, she remembered playing hide-and-seek when she was young.

"Cho-hee, you know the attic where Aunt keeps the music sheets, right? Hide there."

Yeon Cho-hee knew of it. But it was a cramped space where only one person could fit.

"What about you, Sister…?"

"Do not worry. I will run away immediately after."

Yeon Seo-hwa was equally terrified. But her young sister came first.

After forcing her sister into hiding, Yeon Seo-hwa mustered her courage and stood up. Though only eleven years old, a resolute spirit shone in her eyes.

A moment later, a familiar scream echoed. Her father had fallen. After that, there was no more sound.

Step. Step.

She walked out of the hall, one step at a time. In her hand, she held a small sword.

Throughout the courtyard of the Yeon Family Manor, she saw the bodies of her family members scattered in chaos. Her father and mother, the Chief Administrator who was known as the manor's best sword, and her aunt who was a master of sound arts. All of them had died in vain.

Unlike the gruesome screams, their bodies were completely intact. There were no cuts or slashes on their skin. The only thing they had in common was that blood was trickling from both of their ears.

At the center of it all stood a hunched old woman, clutching a pipa.

"They said this family practiced sound arts, so I had expectations, but it seems it is not here either."

After a moment, the old woman's eyes flashed with curiosity. She saw a child walking toward her. Despite the deadly aura she radiated, the child did not avert her gaze.

Overwhelmed by the grief of losing her family, tears streamed down Yeon Seo-hwa's face.

"Why are you doing this to us…?"

"Hoho. You are quite bold for a little girl. Do you know who I am?"

Yeon Seo-hwa screamed with a fierce look in her eyes, her voice thick with rage.

"You demonic granny!!!"

Anger flared in Silver Flower Granny's face before fading away.

"This granny is looking for someone born with the senses of an immortal. And you are the last one."

Yeon Seo-hwa continued to glare, as if daring her to try.

Silver Flower Granny was not one to hesitate. Her wrinkled hand plucked a string of the pipa.

Twang!

An invisible soundwave pierced straight through the child's body. Unaware of what had happened, Yeon Seo-hwa shrieked,

"I am not afraid of you, so go ahead and try!!!"

Silver Flower Granny's pupils shook violently. She did not even hear the child's scream.

My Killing Wave Summon didn't work on her…? Could it be?

Sound arts were techniques that used internal energy to create violent vibrations in soundwaves, boiling the opponent's blood and destroying their eardrums. Depending on a person's natural senses, they could be heavily affected or not affected at all.

And very rarely, there were those who were completely immune to any sound arts. The Immortal Music Physique. A person born with the senses of an immortal.

She was one, and the child before her was another.

"Let's see if you can endure this too!"

Silver Flower Granny continued to pluck the pipa strings. Yet, the child only glared back at her, completely unaffected.

After a moment, a wide grin spread across the old woman's face.

"Hoho. I have finally found you! Come with this granny."

"No! You are the enemy of my family…"

It did not matter to her. After all, she was the former Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult. Once she took the child away, there were countless ways to brainwash her.

"Do you really think you can run away from me?"

The child placed the small sword against her own neck.

"Just try."

Snatching the sword and subduing the child was child's play. But if the child kept resisting like this, it would be troublesome. In that case, she just needed to seize her weakness.

"I feel a small presence inside. Your sister, I assume? If you follow this granny, I will let her live. I happened to need a child to serve us anyway."

At the mention of her sister, Yeon Seo-hwa's hand holding the sword trembled. If she could save Cho-hee, there was nothing she wouldn't do. A moment later, the sword slipped from her hand as she gave up her resistance.

Thus, Yeon Seo-hwa and Yeon Cho-hee were taken by Silver Flower Granny.

Five years passed.

Lanhua Peak on Mount Zhunan in Gansu Province.

This was a forbidden area where no one could enter. No one who stepped foot onto Lanhua Peak had ever returned alive, whether they were martial experts or government troops.

This was because it was the residence of the legendary supreme master of the demonic path, Silver Flower Granny.

"Why on earth can we not play in harmony?!"

The old woman roared, clutching her tung flute.

Yeon Seo-hwa kept her head bowed, holding her seven-string zither. Before her lay the music sheet labeled "True One-Heart Flute Melody."

"Again!!!"

They repeated it thousands, tens of thousands of times. It was to the point where Yeon Seo-hwa could draw the complex zither notation in her mind.

Silver Flower Granny had even taught Yeon Seo-hwa martial arts just to play this music. Yet, completing the duet was impossible. Although two musicians with the Immortal Music Physique had met, their hearts could not become one.

Following the tune of the tung flute, Yeon Seo-hwa's hand began to pluck the zither strings. The grand melody that echoed through the chest carried the power to move human emotions. Watching from the side, her younger sister Cho-hee wept, then laughed, experiencing dozens of emotional shifts. It was undoubtedly a masterpiece, yet the old woman's face remained contorted.

The problem was that the two sounds would not merge into one. If so, it could never be called a completed piece.

Just then, her patience wearing thin, Silver Flower Granny threw her tung flute.

"Damn it!"

The flying tung flute bounced off the floorboards and flew straight toward Yeon Cho-hee's head. In that instant, Yeon Seo-hwa moved like a flash, blocking her sister.

Crack!

Although the end of the tung flute struck her shoulder, not a single groan escaped her lips. Seeing this, Silver Flower Granny walked slowly toward Yeon Seo-hwa.

"What is your name?"

"Seo-hwa."

"Where do you come from?"

"I do not know."

"Your parents?"

"You are my master."

The old woman stared intently at Yeon Seo-hwa with suspicious eyes. She had personally used the Soul-Binding Demonic Art to erase her memory several times. There was no way any past memories remained.

Silver Flower Granny shook her head and turned her back.

"I will definitely uncover the secret hidden in this celestial duet. I will be away for a while, so focus on your training."

Leaving those words, the old woman vanished, clutching her tung flute.

A long moment passed before tears streamed down Yeon Seo-hwa's cheeks. Her sister Cho-hee came over and hugged her.

"Sister, are you okay?"

After weeping for a while, Yeon Seo-hwa's eyes regained focus, burning with rage.

"One day… I will definitely take revenge. On the enemy of our family…"

Yeon Seo-hwa had never lost her memories, not even for a single moment. The grudge engraved into her soul and her natural five senses did not allow it.

Because a powerful formation was set up around Lanhua Peak, they could not escape. Until the old woman returned, the two sisters focused entirely on practicing martial arts. They could not afford to neglect their training for even a second.

It was three months later when the old woman returned. She brought a young child with her. A moment later, the old woman's voice, carrying deadly intent, echoed.

"You two are of no use to me anymore."

"Please spare us, Master…"

"When did I say I was going to kill you? Someone will arrive soon, so wait."

The next day, a mysterious black-robed man arrived and took Yeon Seo-hwa and her sister away.

The Demonic Cult. Only hellish training awaited them there. Gritting her teeth, she dedicated herself to martial arts training harder than anyone else.

Within just one year, she succeeded in entering the Heavenly Killing Squad, the elite force of the Demonic Cult. She was the youngest in the history of the cult to do so.

Five years later, she became the leader of the Heavenly Killing Squad, gaining absolute power within the cult. Under her protection, her sister was able to live a relatively peaceful life in the cult.

Three years after that, Yeon Seo-hwa finally succeeded in breaking through to the Ultimate Demonic Realm. Instantly, the brutal Orthodox-Demonic War began.

Battles of mutual slaughter continued day after day. With venom in her heart, she saw nothing else. She slaughtered every enemy that approached her.

Amidst that hellish existence, an opportunity finally arrived. The Cult Leader and elders were annihilated by the Sword Saint, So-mu, who was currently sitting before her.

She had never intended to sacrifice her life for the Demonic Cult anyway. Escaping the orthodox encirclement, Yeon Seo-hwa and her sister prepared to flee. Since she held the highest rank, there was no one left to monitor or stop her. She also confirmed that Silver Flower Granny was making no moves.

Once all preparations were perfect, she quietly left the Demonic Cult with her sister. And her steps led her to the Hyeonhwadang in Hanzhong.

***

"So that is what happened."

A look of sympathy appeared on So-mu's face.

Once, he had thought she was simply a cruel witch of the martial world. But in the slaughter of war, how could one easily separate justice from evil? If not for Silver Flower Granny, she would still be living a happy life at the Yeon Family Manor.

"Don't look at me with pity."

"I am not. In any case, that means So-so also possesses the Immortal Music Physique?"

"Yes. If she ever catches Silver Flower Granny's eye, she will be in danger."

"Then we must put an end to this."

Just then, So-so approached, holding a teacup.

"Father, So-so has brought the Mind Tea I made~"

Yeon Seo-hwa tilted her head in confusion.

Mind Tea?

Where was there such a tea in the Central Plains? It was certainly not something she had taught the child.

"Thank you. I'll enjoy it, daughter."

So-mu took a large gulp of the tea.

At that moment, Yeon Seo-hwa, who was sitting opposite him, quietly deployed a qi barrier in front of herself, just in case the Mind Tea was sprayed out like a fountain.