Chapter 1 The Thousand-Year flower of the Emei Sect (1) - Martial Arts Masochist

Emei Sect's Millennium Flower (1) Midway up the dark mountain where the moonlight couldn't reach. The wind stirred the branches as if clawing them, carrying the scent of blood. I stifled my trembling breath and covered my mouth with my hand. My heart pounded madly, echoing in my ears. ...But aside from that, it was silent. No, it had become silent. Hiding in the tree, I cautiously surveyed my surroundings. The pitiful cries of slaughtered men and the sharp clang of metal had completely ceased. The bloody battle of martial artists that had begun in the early evening was finally over. Now only the occasional owl hoot filled the air. "..." Was this my chance to escape? "..." The silence persisted. I strained my ears for a long time, but there was no sign of life, no footsteps. Yes, now was the time. I need to get out of here. I moved cautiously after ensuring it was safe. After sitting in a tree for so long, my legs were numb— With a soft thud, I slid down the tree. -Squelch! "Ugh!" I barely suppressed a scream as I felt the wet, soft sensation beneath my feet. I looked down. ...A corpse. In the faint moonlight, the mangled face of the body was revealed. I couldn't tell if it was a face or just flesh. With fear consuming me from witnessing the grotesque murder, I turned away— "Are you unharmed?" A voice from behind made me freeze in place. I couldn't even roll my eyes or lift my feet. "I was wondering when you'd come down." Someone approached with a light step, like a cat appearing out of thin air, softly treading on the fallen leaves. Yet those light steps felt like a tiger's approach to me. -Soft, soft, stop. She stopped behind me. Unable to move, I heard her speak quietly. "Shall we face each other and talk?" "..." Swallowing dryly, I forced myself to turn around. As I turned, the moonlight happened to illuminate her face. For a moment, it felt like I couldn't breathe. Fear aside... ...all the main characters in this world were indeed beautiful. I'd seen her a few times from a distance, but this was the first time meeting her up close. But why did it have to be in this situation? I only ventured out to look for some mushrooms to accompany my dinner...! Why did I witness this fight...! Her lustrous black hair cascaded down to her chest, secured lightly at her back with a hairpin. Sharp eyes, a sophisticated, yet elegant, appearance. It looked like a watercolor painting had come to life. ...If there were ever a watercolor painted with blood, that is. Coated in glistening blood, she whispered. "...I wondered who it was, and it's the village leather shop owner." She was terrifying in a way that her normally dignified appearance couldn't have suggested. "From sturdy leather armor to unique equipment, the Emei Sect owes you much." I flinched at the mention of "unique equipment," but as long as she hadn't seen my basement, it was fine. More than anything, one clear thought flooded my mind. ...I'm screwed. She knows my face too? She spoke again. "You know who I am, don't you?" Trembling, I replied. "...Yes, Lady Cheongwol." Her name, or rather, her dharma name, was Cheongwol (청월). The second-generation disciple of the Emei Sect. Just past her coming-of-age. In the martial world, she's called 'Millennium Flower of Emei Sect,' a prodigy of the righteous sects. The reason I realized what world I had transmigrated into was because of her. On the third day after transmigrating into the body of a young orphaned beggar, I accepted the fact that I had transmigrated, but I had no clue where I was. A martial arts game? A novel? A movie? 'Wolah, say hello.' The moment the Emei Sect's headmaster descended to the village, my vague questions were answered. She, as young as I was, introduced herself to the villagers who gathered around her. '...I'm Cheongwol. I'll see you when I come down for the sect's errands. Please take care of me.' Cheongwol of the Emei Sect. I realized it immediately upon hearing it. 'Ah, damn.' ...This is the world of 'Blood Road.' In this novel, with the advent of the demonic cult, many supporting characters are swept away like fallen leaves and die miserably. And Cheongwol stands at the very heart of that tragedy. I knew. Now she's a promising disciple of the righteous sects, but one day she'll fall into the Heart Demon and betray her sect. And over time, she'll become one of the Seven Heavens of the demonic cult, in other words, one of the seven supreme masters. Meeting her face to face now seemed almost impossible for someone at that future stature. Many supporting characters would die by her hand. Innocent commoners would be trampled under her feet. The main culprit in the world's descent into ruin. At that moment, I made a decision. The martial world? The Jianghu? They were stories unrelated to me. I never planned to become a hero just because I knew the future, nor did I have the confidence to steal the protagonist's fortuitous encounters or secret manuals to become strong. The only things I'm familiar with are keyboards, smartphones, and pepper, and you want me to wield a sword? With what confidence? So I chose to live quietly, staying out of sight. After all, the story ends with a happy ending. Ten years passed like that. During that time, I thoroughly stayed out of Cheongwol's way. She went on her path, and I on mine. I thought we'd continue on separate paths like that. ...Up until this moment. I glanced at the numerous corpses scattered around. ...This crazy woman, has she already fallen into the Heart Demon? I thought it would happen much later. When I instinctively lowered my gaze, she spoke. "There's no reason to be so afraid. It's not like I'm going to do anything." Could the ten-year gap of walking different paths feel any more significant? "...If you were unlucky, you might have encountered bandits... but it seems I helped you instead..." "Th-that's true..." ...It wasn't a lie. I formally cupped my fists in gratitude. "T-thank you. I owe my life to you, Lady Cheongwol." "...I merely followed the teachings of Emei." Her eyes curved into crescent moons. The stench of blood was overwhelming. The characters vertically embroidered on the left side of her martial robe, 'Emei (峨嵋),' were likewise stained with blood. What sort of sect is the Emei Sect? Though there are many differences, I'd say it’s like the female Shaolin Temple. One of the Nine Great Sects. A righteous sect with strong Buddhist characteristics, influenced even by Taoism, emphasizing morality, discipline, and an ascetic lifestyle. A place where female martial artists live a life of purity for their entire lives. And... originally, it's a sect that avoids taking lives whenever possible. The playfully curved slits in her eyes opened faintly. She asked, "You saw everything, didn't you?" As expected, the shy girl who used to hide behind the headmaster's legs on that day was no more. "...This is troublesome. I didn’t plan to go this far..." "They're scumbags who deserved to die!" I shouted instinctively. Weakly kicking the flesh strewn on the ground, I tried to show my agreement with her. Stronger kicks were off-putting. "R-right, bandits like them deserve to die...! Indeed! How refreshing it was to see you bravely deal with those bandits!" She slowly brought her bloodstained fingers to her chin. "...They were indeed people who needed to die," she said, as if justifying herself. "The demonic folks were trying to kill us mercilessly... We have no reason to simply endure it," Cheongwol said, closing her eyes tightly, a slightly confused expression on her face. "...Does saying this make me sound strange?" They were indeed people who needed to die. ...But it's strange for a disciple of Buddha's teachings to say something like that, no? Just as it's odd for a Shaolin monk to slaughter bandits ruthlessly. "..." Cheongwol sneered at my silence. "...I knew it, I must be twisted, right?" Realizing my mistake belatedly, I quickly bowed my head. "No, not at all! As I said, they were scumbags who deserved to die..." She took a step closer to me. -Crunch. Instinctively, I took a step back. -Thud. In response, she took another persistent step towards me. -Crunch. "...If I don't seem strange, why are you avoiding me?" "It's... it's because this is the first time such a beautiful woman has approached me..." At my answer, Cheongwol laughed deceitfully, but her expression gradually hardened. My heart also felt the same. A long silence lingered between us. "..." "..." ...What? Had her inner demons deepened? Breaking the silence, Cheongwol whispered, "...If the sect leader gets to know about my appearance like this, he will surely be disappointed... that's what's bothering me..." What do you want me to do about it, you crazy woman. Then why did you go and butcher people like this? Of course, I couldn’t say such things out loud. "I-I saw nothing! My eyes are just ornaments! Look! Don't they look like knot holes?" Unable to withstand the pressure any longer, I shouted. The slowly flowing blood on the ground soaked my cheap straw sandals. Cheongwol faintly smiled as she took one more step closer. "...Really?" She asked softly. "You just said it was refreshing to see me fight so boldly..." "N-not at all. I naturally get scared easily, and I rarely remember people's faces!" "But you recognized mine right away." "Uh, um... that's because I heard about your renowned beauty throughout the lands... yes, I must have seen it with my ears, not my eyes. Yes, I saw with my ears!" "You saw with your ears?" "The voice was so like jade, so I believed that such a beautiful voice could only belong to Lady Cheongwol...! If I'm wrong, I humbly apologize!" Flattery upon which life depended. There's no room for pride here. I still felt there was a chance. Right. If she were deeply consumed by inner demons, I would've been dead already, right? Even if corrupted, surely she hadn't fallen so far as to harm an innocent civilian, right? I hurriedly switched back to flattery mode. "I-I didn’t see anything, and my memory is really bad too!" Seemingly pleased with my intent, Cheongwol's eyes glimmered faintly. "...Would you be able to keep it that way?" "Yes. I've already forgotten everything. By the way, who are you again?" She chuckled incredulously and sheathed her sword. -Clink! "...Can I trust you? I usually don't trust people easily." Her voice was soft, but within her tone was a deep-seated mistrust towards others. "As I said, if the headmaster hears about this... it would be very troublesome for me." Did she realize? This wasn’t about trusting me, but rather because she couldn’t bring herself to kill an innocent outsider. If I were not a civilian but a martial artist, I'd have been dead. Especially if I were from the evil sect. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter. I nodded eagerly. "...Your name?" "...Han Seojin." Cheongwol sighed. I too let out a shallow sigh inwardly. ...Am I safe now? Still, I mustn’t let my guard down. I squeezed out the last drop of flattery I had. "Sh-shall I help clean up the corpses?" Cheongwol shook her head at my suggestion. "...They will become animal feed by tomorrow anyway." In her refined appearance, she spoke such gruesome words with ease. "..." "..." With those words, an awkward silence fell again. We stared at each other without speaking. ...Isn't the conversation over now? Why do you keep standing there? Can't I go back home? I cautiously began to speak. "Then, if you'll excuse me, I'll be—" "-Lord of the leather shop." Cheongwol interrupted, wearing a faint smile. "Yes?" My heart leaped again. "...I have a request. It's quite late and returning to the Emei Sect right now is difficult, so I'd like to impose on you for a night." "...Pardon?" She lifted her blood-soaked robe. "The clothes also need washing... and drying time... I'm sure your leather shop has a basement—" "—That is absolutely not possible!" I unknowingly cut her off. Even as I did, alarms rang in my head. Regardless, some things are just not possible. It's not merely because Cheongwol is frightening. Sweat trickled down my forehead. "…What?" Cheongwol raised her eyebrows. "..." But I did not take back my words. ...The basement. The basement is absolutely off-limits. If she sees the basement, she'll definitely mistake me for someone from the evil sect.