Chapter 5 – Uninvited Guest

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read more at Nineheavens.org

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Chapter 5 – Uninvited Guest

Deep within a primeval forest stretching endlessly beneath an azure sky.

A man was moving swiftly, trampling the shadows created by all manner of leaves.

Wearing brown light clothing, a round bamboo hat, and carrying a sword just over three feet long, his appearance was unmistakably that of a martial artist.

Rustle, rustle, rustle…

The swordsman, who had been ceaselessly crossing through the pathless forest, soon came to a slope and quietly stopped.

Then, gripping the edge of his bamboo hat with his index and thumb fingers, he gently lifted it and gazed ahead.

As the shadows lifted, his face was finally clearly revealed.

A figure-eight gray mustache and features as sharp as a bird of prey… His appearance suggested he was in his late forties or early fifties.

'Indeed, this is a suitable place to withdraw from the martial world and live in seclusion.'

In the far distance where the swordsman's gaze lingered, three peaks stood towering as if piercing the sky.

"I must fulfill my longtime wish before I grow any older. This time, I hope I can reach the traces of old times…"

As he muttered to himself, he suddenly turned his head to the side.

There was only one reason.

He had detected an extremely stealthy presence.

Sure enough.

Beyond the bushes, countless shadows could be seen flickering past.

It was a pack of yellow jackals.

Even at a glance, it was clear they were eyeing prey.

The number of jackals registering on his sharp senses was roughly over twenty.

"How troublesome."

The moment the swordsman's words ended.

Flutter-

His clothes fluttered as a transparent haze rapidly spread outward from his body.

Whoooosh-

A thick killing intent and fighting spirit that surpassed even that of wild beasts.

Suddenly.

"Yip!"

"Yi-yip!"

The pack of jackals beyond the bushes scattered in apparent fright and fled without looking back.

Soon, a heavy silence settled.

Having confirmed that the pack's presence had receded, the swordsman adjusted his bamboo hat and moved his legs again.

* * *

Clop, clop, clop-

As the sound of horse hooves echoed rhythmically through the dense forest, Cheol Ryu-heun gazed far ahead.

Then three peaks with wisps of white mist clinging to them came into view hazily in his eyes.

'It's been four days since I left White Peak Sword Sect. Fortunately, I've arrived right on the expected schedule.'

The so-called Three Immortals Mountain.

It was a place that had been called by that name since ancient times because its mountain form resembled the posture of three immortals.

His destination was hidden in a valley deep within those mountains.

How long had he been galloping through the dense foliage?

"Whoa."

When Cheol Ryu-heun pulled the reins and stopped the horse, then raised his head, the three peaks symbolizing Three Immortals Mountain filled his vision in magnified detail.

They looked close.

That meant his destination was not far away either.

He could no longer continue on horseback.

Before he knew it, even the faint trail had completely disappeared.

Originally, this place was so rugged that it might as well be unexplored territory, so there was no choice but to advance as if pioneering a path.

However, for Cheol Ryu-heun, who already knew the terrain of the area inside and out, this was no problem at all.

From now on, he just needed to set his direction correctly and move.

Standing on the ground, he tied the horse's reins to a nearby old tree and slung on the simply packed bundle.

'Since I practiced energy circulation on the way, I should be fine until I arrive.'

Currently, this body's stamina and muscle strength had deteriorated significantly due to the long time spent in a vegetative state.

However, if he used internal energy to temporarily strengthen his muscles and meridians, there would be no trouble while climbing the mountain.

"Rest here."

Cheol Ryu-heun patted the horse's neck a few times and then hurried his steps into the deep mountains.

'It's been nearly ten years, hasn't it?'

Now that he had actually come here, he felt a new sense of emotion.

When he had left Three Immortals Mountain, he was still a Divine Martial Sword – a divine weapon.

But.

Now, after the passage of time, he had returned not as a Divine Martial Sword but as a human.

When that thought suddenly occurred to him, he felt peculiar.

Perhaps even more so because this was the starting point of their connection.

In the past, Sagong Woon had come to Three Immortals Mountain to obtain some needed medicinal herbs and had happened to enter a cave, where he discovered him inside and became his new owner.

Before that, every day had been tedious.

He had been stuck in that cave without any human presence for such a long time.

He wasn't sure of the exact number of years, but it had probably been roughly twenty-some years.

The reason he had ended up practically trapped in this remote area in the first place was simple.

His previous owner – that is, the one who had wielded him before Sagong Woon – had one day decided to live in seclusion and came to a cave within Three Immortals Mountain.

If Sagong Woon hadn't appeared some ten years ago, the day he would have emerged into the outside world would have been delayed even further.

It was only natural.

How could a weapon with neither hands nor feet move on its own without an owner?

'Now that I'm human, being able to move freely is one good thing. By the way, surely no one has discovered that cave?'

Indeed.

The place where a certain arrangement existed was that very cave.

In truth, no one knew except himself.

The fact that the one who had secluded himself in the cave within Three Immortals Mountain was 'Ascending Heaven Sword Dragon' – the strongest person in the Central Plains in the past.

And also the fact that he was a collector who had hoarded rare items during his lifetime…

'Thanks to that guy, I'm also spared some trouble. Now, let's hurry before the sun sets.'

With that, Cheol Ryu-heun busily moved his feet and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

* * *

A cave at the base of a steep cliff.

The swordsman, holding a torch, walked out and shook his head.

'This isn't it either.'

He had already explored over ten caves in the mountains, but had come up empty-handed each time.

Still, he had not the slightest intention of giving up until the cave he was looking for appeared.

Whether it took half a month or a full month, he planned to search every cave within Three Immortals Mountain.

Soon, he tilted his bamboo hat back slightly and gazed at the sun hanging far in the distant sky.

It was to gauge the time.

Looking at it, it seemed sunset would come within half a shichen.

'Hmm, let me search one more place and then rest.'

The swordsman immediately set off with elegant footwork toward a place where another cave might be.

As if demonstrating that this was something he had repeated countless times, his movements were unhesitating.

* * *

Crash, crash, crash, crash…

A valley echoing with the sound of cascading waterfall.

Standing on a large rock, the swordsman discovered a cave on one side of the cliff where water was pouring down.

It was in a position hard to spot, with the entrance base sunken and vines hanging down wildly.

The swordsman went to the cave entrance and examined the area with the torch in his left hand, then moved his right hand to draw his sword.

Swoosh-!

A sword wind shot out into the dark interior, tearing through the vines that hung down like long curtains.

Some time passed, but there was no reaction.

At least it didn't seem to be a place where bats or other beasts were lurking.

'Hmm… Strangely, I have a good feeling about this one.'

The swordsman sheathed his sword with a clang and walked into the cave whose end could not be seen.

Step, step, step, step…

The light receded into the darkness beyond.

Soon, he completely vanished from sight as if swallowed by that pitch-black maw.

Some time after that.

A young man appeared on the grass near the cave.

It was Cheol Ryu-heun, wearing light clothes and carrying a small bundle.

"Whew."

After catching his breath, he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and stepped right up to the cave entrance.

At that moment.

A peculiar glint flashed across his dark brown eyes.

It was because of the traces at the entrance.

Looking at it, it was clear that someone had pushed through the vines and headed inside.

Cheol Ryu-heun looked toward the darkness beyond as if dumbfounded, then picked up a small stone.

"How troublesome."

* * *

The swordsman shone his torch into every corner and let out a soft exclamation.

The place where he currently stood was the end of the cave.

However.

The top, walls, and floor had all been smoothed flat as if planed.

That meant only one thing.

'Someone lived here!'

Eyes gleaming, the swordsman gripped the hand holding the torch tightly.

Had he finally found the place he had been looking for? – that expectation.

His trembling pair of eyes fully conveyed his swelling heart.

Looking at it, this was definitely a place that had been artificially created.

There was even a circular stone platform carved from rock in the center of the space, leaving no room for doubt.

It was a place with a very high possibility of containing some kind of fortuitous arrangement.

However, there were no markers or anything to help identify the identity or background of whoever had resided in the cave in the past.

'First, I need to determine who made this place.'

That was the most important part.

Since he had plenty of time anyway, there was no need to be impatient.

If he calmly felt around here and there without rushing, something would surely turn up.

'If a master of the preceding generation left a secret arrangement, he surely wouldn't have placed it where it could easily be seen.'

Just then, the swordsman's expression stiffened slightly.

He had detected a faint presence from the other side.

The sound of footsteps reaching his ears.

Step… step… step…

About thirty-some jang away.

The swordsman swiftly backed up against the wall at the cave's end and fixed his gaze forward.

It was an unexpected situation.

He had never imagined that someone else would appear in a cave in this remote area devoid of human presence.

A moment later.

In the pitch-black space beyond, a light flickered.

His sharp eyes grew heavy as he focused his attention.

'Did they come here knowing about this cave from the start?'

Finally.

The owner of that presence, Cheol Ryu-heun, appeared expressionlessly.

Swish.

Stopping with the platform before him, he held a fire striker in one hand and a small stone in the other.

Their gazes quietly intertwined across the distance.

The swordsman was seized by a strange feeling for a moment.

This was his first time seeing it.

Such an indifferent gaze.

It felt as though he considered all worldly matters to be trivial and bothersome.

Moreover, even facing him, there was not the slightest sign of surprise.

That made him all the more suspicious.

'Strike first!'

It seemed best to subdue the opponent first.

Having made that judgment, the swordsman immediately moved his right hand to draw his sword.

Shing-

Following that, thick killing intent and fighting spirit emanated from his body.

An overwhelming intangible aura that had scared off even the pack of jackals earlier whipped wildly through the interior.

Right after.

The area around where the swordsman stood began to appear transparently distorted.

Truly a momentum like flames.

An intangible aura as if he were covered entirely in blades from head to toe.

It was a scene that demonstrated him to be a sword master of first-rate caliber.

One could not emit such an intangible aura without a high level of martial cultivation.

Yet Cheol Ryu-heun remained expressionless throughout.

Swish.

The swordsman held his sword straight up before his chest in a dignified stance and asked quietly.

"Who are you?"

As Cheol Ryu-heun, who had been staring blankly, suddenly tossed the stone and struck the base of the platform.

Click!

A large hole opened in the floor where the swordsman was standing.

"What? Aaaaaaah…!"

His body suddenly disappeared into the hole.

Click!

The floor closed again.

Cheol Ryu-heun calmly took a few steps and said bluntly,

"What good would it do to know who I am."

Passing the platform and arriving at the wall at the cave's end, he abruptly extended one hand.

Press.

The moment he pressed firmly on one spot with his palm, there was a clunk and the wall split open to either side.

Grind, griiiiind-

The mechanism had activated.

Soon, behind the wide-open wall, a stone chamber like a storehouse was revealed.

A single chest visible at the front.

Inside, surrounded by cold air, were amazingly enough – Sky Clear Stone Milk, Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng, Great Restoration Pill, Human-Shaped Polygonum, Dragon Fruit, Golden Mushroom, Azure Immortal Fruit, and various other precious elixirs in abundance.

Cheol Ryu-heun grinned and muttered.

"Well then, shall I have a proper meal?"