Chapter 223

Chapter 223
**Chapter 223: A Memory from My Past Life**

A single recollection from my former life, etched deep into my mind.

“Daoist Jade Clarity, why did you not attend the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?”

Jade Clarity offered no answer. Instead, he drove the sword he had drawn into a massive boulder with a resounding thud, folded his arms across his chest, and fixed me with a glare.

This was a familiar scene, and every time it unfolded, Yang-hwi found himself sighing and speaking the same words.

“Brother Ok.”

“Precisely so!”

The fierce look he had worn only moments earlier vanished as if it had never existed, and Jade Clarity broke into his usual hearty grin.

“The world is vast, yet all seas flow eastward! That makes us practically brothers!”

“If only you had married sooner, Brother Ok—you would have a son my age by now…”

“Who on earth has a child at thirteen!”

“I am certain there are plenty, if you look far enough.”

“Now see here, Little Brother Hui! It is an ancient rule: the younger must not contradict the elder!”

Jade Clarity was ten years older than Yang-hwi, who was twenty-two. The age gap would have made “uncle” and “nephew” the more fitting titles between them. Yet Jade Clarity would not speak to him unless addressed as “brother.” He had been this way from the very moment they met, and remained so now.

“I am already miserable enough as a bachelor at my time of life! Must I hear ‘uncle’ from you as well, Brother Hui?!”

He was utterly without shame. Unbecoming of a Daoist? Or perhaps entirely befitting one. He was a man who inhabited a world entirely of his own making.

“Very well, then. Why did you not go to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, Brother Ok?”

“You did not go either, Little Brother. With your skill, you could have earned quite a reputation.”

“Reputation, indeed.”

Yang-hwi recalled slipping into the gathering in Muhan, only to be defeated by some nameless wandering martial artist. He shook his head and continued.

“That may be so for me, but you stand apart. The foremost position among the dragons was yours for the taking.”

Jade Clarity nodded, as if to acknowledge the truth of this.

“Likely so! But tell me—what value is there in fame, anyway?!”

“Surely it would have drawn promising talent to the declining Mount Hua Sect?”

“We have no lack of talent as things are! That is not the point at all! For a martial artist, only one thing truly matters: martial prowess!”

Jade Clarity grinned and pulled his sword free from the boulder.

“A sect’s true essence lies in its martial arts! And so I have but one lifelong vow: to restore Mount Hua’s plum blossoms! Ready yourself, Little Brother! Let us make our swords bloom today as well—hahaha!”

Laughter rang out, and at that moment, blossoms seemed to unfurl all around them. Swords were meant to slay, yet life bloomed at their very tips.

*Shwaaaaa!*

Plum blossoms rippled across the air like waves caught in the wind. It was the Thirteenth Form of the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Forms, restored by Jade Clarity after enduring untold hardship. Flower Wind Plum Waves.

“Little Brother—remember this! We speak through our swords! Show me that Heaven-Covering style of yours!”

It was breathtakingly beautiful. Before he knew it, Yang-hwi found himself wishing for one thing: to stand before such a glorious sight, creating it with his own blade.

“Here I come! Today, I shall send them scattering!”

“Hahaha—bloom as freely as you please!”

A master and disciple naturally come to resemble one another through practice and exchange. No formal bond existed between them, yet here was one who led by example, and another who followed, striving to match him.

***

*Come to think of it—what was Brother Ok doing in Muhan?*

In his past life, Jade Clarity had cared nothing for renown, devoting himself entirely to recovering lost sword techniques. He had even walked away from Mount Hua to wander the realm, and their paths had never crossed in those days. To see him clad in Mount Hua robes in Muhan did not make sense at all—wait!

*Chaeng!*

“Distracted thoughts! You must maintain your focus!”

Petals swirled through the breeze; drifting plum blossoms rose and fell in gentle undulation. Mount Hua’s Supreme Swordsmanship: the Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Forms, Thirteenth Form—Flower Wind Plum Waves.

*I must give this my full attention from the very start!*

He channeled energy into his blade, at the same time centering his mind and weaving intent into every movement. Vital Energy Manifestation—energy given form and life through will. Seizing from the Void—power that burst forth from the sword, taking shape in the world before him.

*Kiyaaaa!*

A hawk’s cry echoed from the steel. As if answering, pristine white feathers unfurled all around, drifting downward as though the bird itself had beaten its wings and soared into the sky. Heaven-Covering 108 Swords, Second Secret Technique—Wind Produces Feathers.

The wind gave rise to feathers. Feathers clashed with petals in a silent, swirling tempest. Each was forged from energy infused with purpose and will; rather than merging when they met, they scattered and faded away. It was a spectacle far grander than two swords alone should have been able to create.

“You are far more skilled than the rumors suggest!” Jade Clarity called out as Yang-hwi leaped back, dodging his renewed charge. “Hiding your true nature and ability, are you?!”

*First things first—I must clear up this misunderstanding.*

“Wait—why do you call me the Blood Cult Leader?!”

Many things did not add up, but this claim was the most absurd of all. The Blood Cult Leader? Me? On what grounds?

“The raids not long ago! Every last fiend of the Blood Cult fled straight for the place where you were staying, and that is where they were captured!”

Yang-hwi’s mind went back to the information Chudal had passed along. The night-time assaults launched from five different directions; the killers who had slaughtered indiscriminately before converging on the heart of Muhan, only to be hunted down themselves.

“And my inn just happened to be right at the center of Muhan? Such a ridiculous coincidence?”

“It was nothing more than coincidence!”

“That is what everyone claims!”

“There was barely any evidence to begin with!”

“Of course there is more! Blood Cult Leader—your clan knows of the Blood God Blood Cult, does it not?”

“Would I have published those books if I were part of the Blood Cult?!”

“That could simply be a ruse to make us believe exactly that!”

“By that same reasoning, you know of the Blood Cult too, Brother Ok!”

“Which is exactly why we must learn the truth of one another! Did I not say no questions until we are done?!”

*Damn it all.*

Jade Clarity swung his blade, and waves of blossoms followed in its wake. Yang-hwi countered with the same feathered form as before, now charged with bright, unwavering righteous energy.

“There—could someone from the Blood Cult wield power like this?!”

Righteous energy was exceptionally rare; even among the Thirty Heavenly Warriors, the Heaven-Shaking Echoing Monk Yeo Il-rak had remarked on how singular it was. Its pure, luminous quality made it naturally beloved of Daoists and Buddhists alike. Yet Jade Clarity did not relent in his assault.

“Blood Cult sorcery is boundless and unfathomable! How am I to know you are not clouding my senses and deceiving me?!”

It was enough to make one’s veins thrum with frustration. What was he supposed to do?

“Martial artists speak with martial arts! Prove with your sword that you are not the Blood Cult Leader—or at the very least, not one of their spawn!”

Still, the righteous energy seemed to have had some effect. He was leaving an opening, after all. And his words struck a chord deep within Yang-hwi.

“Two masters of the sword have met! Wanderer Baek Yang-hwi—show me your sword! Hahaha!”

Even when they had first met, Jade Clarity had drawn his blade without warning; only after they had danced together in combat did he declare himself the elder brother and Yang-hwi the younger.

*In a way, that is exactly who he is.* His words were so peculiar that even the plainest truth sounded like an excuse. And so he would argue through martial arts, and convince through the sword.

“Very well then—I shall not hold back! No regrets!”

“Whatever the outcome, this will be a joy!”

A quiet laugh escaped him.

*Joy, is it? He has already decided I am no servant of the Blood Cult, has he not?* Yet he pressed on with such stubbornness for one reason alone: now that swords were drawn, he simply wanted to fight, and to savor every moment of it. Jade Clarity was utterly devoted to the sword, intoxicated by the pursuit of martial excellence.

“Sword expert Baek Yang-hwi—my true style is the Heaven-Covering 108 Swords!”

As he spoke, Jade Clarity’s voice rang out in answer.

“You speak with style! Sword expert Jade Clarity—heir to Mount Hua’s lost Plum Blossom tradition!”

*Kaaaaang!*

Steel met steel; energies clashed and vied for dominance. The two swords drew apart, and plum blossoms and drifting feathers filled the space between them.

“Not bad at all, for one so young!”

“‘Not bad’ will not do—my understanding runs far deeper than that!”

“Hahaha—true enough! At your age, I was every bit your equal!”

“And I must be, given who taught me!”

“You had a master? My inquiries turned up no record of one!”

“Appearances can be deceptive—I have had the finest of teachers!”

He was not speaking of the Echoing Monk.

*And indeed, I always longed to show Brother Ok what I had learned.* He had soared through the skies on the strength of Mount Hua’s swordsmanship; and so the plum blossom, reaching toward the heavens, became the Heaven-Covering Path—something he had never had the chance to show the Jade Clarity of his past life.

“My junior’s style consists of one hundred and eight forms!”

“Remarkable! Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Swordsmanship numbers but twenty-four—and we have yet to master them all! Hahaha!”

They laughed as they fought. A single strike carried within it one hundred and eight variations, and true to form, the piercing cry of the hawk rang out.

*All one hundred and eight in a single motion. The Echoing Hawk Realm.* The signature cry of the Heaven-Covering 108 Swords sounded only when every form was contained within a single strike—a mark of true mastery. It was widely known throughout the martial world that such sounds could be produced without having attained the highest realm. Did that mean the style was merely first-rate? Not at all. In his past life, he and Jade Clarity had together discovered what lay beyond.

The Heaven-Covering 108 Swords held a Second Secret Technique, accessible only when a practitioner had reached the Transcendent Realm. Countless variations, energy and intent woven as one—the true face of the style revealed itself only to those worthy of seeing it. That was why, having returned to this life, he had freely taught its foundational forms to his kin.

“Here it comes!”

“And I shall answer in kind!”

Heaven-Covering 108 Swords, Second Secret Technique, Profound Secret—White Feathers Fill the Sky!

“Impossible!”

Jade Clarity’s eyes went wide. Though he had intended to unleash another form entirely, he adapted instantly to Yang-hwi’s strike, revealing one he had never before shown. Plum Blossom Twenty-Four Forms Swordsmanship, Twenty-Fourth Form—Plum Blossoms Fill the Sky!

Pure white feathers filled half the heavens; rich crimson plum blossoms filled the other.

*Shwaaaaa!*

They met, merged, and faded away like scattered fragments of red and white light. Imperfect echoes of petals and feathers, yet powerful enough to reshape the very land around them. Silence fell. Jade Clarity looked straight at Yang-hwi and asked, his voice unusually soft.

“That technique was unmistakably rooted in the principles of Plum Blossoms Fill the Sky. How is this possible?”

*How indeed? We studied and refined it together, in my past life.* But he could not speak the truth openly. Instead, he had the perfect explanation ready.

“Brother Ok—have you heard of the founding ancestor of our Baek Clan, the White Feather Sword God?”

“I know of him, in general terms.”

“And of the style known as White Plum Flying to the Heavens?”

“I have never heard of it.”

This was only natural. It had been hundreds of years since that sect had flourished, and hundreds more before that—all but forgotten. Even Clan Head Baek Mu-ryang knew of it only as a legacy passed down from the World’s Supreme Individual, a secret held within the Baek Clan alone.

“I am Baek Yang-hwi, of the Baek Clan—inheritor of the lost White Plum Flying to the Heavens lineage, a branch of Mount Hua. It is an honor to meet a disciple of the main sect.”

Jade Clarity’s eyes widened in astonishment.