However, I was not in a position to answer Yingfeng's question.
'What was that just now...?'
Did I hear it wrong?
It must have been an auditory hallucination.
It had to be.
Otherwise, I might want to bite my tongue and die right here.
'It must have been a mishearing, I just woke up not long ago, right?'
Yes, I must have not fully woken up from the sudden awakening.
After trying to organize my thoughts, I had to urgently answer Yingfeng.
"...Nothing."
[Oh, what! Brat, can you hear me?]
"Ah, damn it!"
I was startled by the second voice and shouted.
Because of this, Yingfeng, who was in front of me, seemed the most surprised, his eyes widening.
Without even looking at Yingfeng's reaction, I immediately hid behind him.
Yingfeng cried out in shock.
"Little, little brother! Why are you doing this!"
"Wh-what did you just hear!?"
"What did you hear... Did you just swear, little brother?"
"No... I mean, the voice of an old man who sounds a bit strict and fussy."
"What are you talking about..."
[This little brat! Who are you calling fussy!]
"Look...!! Can't you hear it at all!?"
I pressed Yingfeng, but he looked at me as if I were a strange person.
It was understandable, given that I had come to question him and then immediately hid behind him, grabbing his clothes.
Damn, how could you not hear it? How could such a loud voice not be heard?
Telepathy? No, it was definitely different from telepathy.
It was as if it was hitting my brain directly...
[You young whelp, when I was alive, just looking at me would make you wet your pants, and now you're hearing such things, I should die of old age!]
'When you were alive? So you are a ghost...!'
[Shut up, brat! A little shrimp like you is scared of such a small thing!]
...Where did this come from?
I've never passed by any graveyards or abandoned houses, so this is like a bolt from the blue...
[What do you mean by 'come from'? You put it on yourself, brat.]
At the words of the evil spirit.
[Evil spirit!? Ah, evil spirit!?]
...I was taken aback by the ghost's words.
What do you mean by 'put it on myself'?
[When you were happily stealing and eating, and now you're trying to act innocent, brat! Aren't you ashamed!?]
"No! What did I eat that you keep saying this!"
"Little, little brother...?"
I ignored Yingfeng, who now looked at me with fear.
I was in a more urgent situation and couldn't worry about my dignity.
The ghost spoke as if I were ridiculous.
[Look at this brat? Did you really not know? You ate so much that your stomach burst.]
What does this mean?
What did I eat?
[You can't even remember? Don't you know who helped you break through the wall?]
Wall?
A thought flashed through my mind at the ghost's words.
The day my Gyeomhwaroongong (Nine Plum Blossom Wheel Technique) reached the fourth level.
The strong plum blossom fragrance I felt the night before.
And the light of the treasure that seemed to have diminished the next day.
It was a chilling thought.
It can't be...
[Ha ha ha! Fortunately, you're not completely stupid.]
...Oh, heaven and earth, gods and spirits.
[Thanks to me, you broke through a wall that would have taken a long time, and yet you treat me like an evil spirit... You're really overstepping, brat.]
What is this? Did the treasure of Huashan originally have such effects?
No, what kind of treasure is this? It's a ghost treasure (鬼物), not a valuable treasure (贵物)!
[To maintain such a weak mouth even after coming this far... You're impressive in a different way.]
'Who are you?'
Is there really a ghost attached to the treasure...?
[Ghost? Don't compare me to such a trivial thing.]
With the ghost's words, my chest tingled.
Was it heat? It felt cool and calm.
My inner energy moved on its own.
Inner energy moving without my will was a truly unpleasant sensation.
It felt as if hundreds of bugs were crawling on my skin.
'I feel like I'm going to vomit...!'
It was painful, even though it felt calm, as it was flipping my whole body.
I gritted my teeth and tried to endure, but it wasn't easy.
Meanwhile, the ghost's words didn't stop.
[I am the 8th generation leader of the Great Huashan Sect.]
With the ghost's words, my chest moved on its own.
A heavy pressure settled on my shoulders, constricting my entire body and eventually penetrating my dantian.
Yingfeng, looking flustered, supported me, but my consciousness was fading, and it had no intention of returning.
My vision was gradually turning white.
Finally.
[I am Huashan Xianjian (Huashan Immortal Sword) Shincheol.]
With the ghost's final words, I lost consciousness.
******************
The Blood Demon War (血魔大戰).
This refers to the war that the Blood Demon caused centuries ago.
Despite being the greatest calamity in martial arts history before the appearance of the Heavenly Demon, strangely, there were not many stories passed down about the Blood Demon.
It was simply said to be a cruel and brutal event, and that the heroes of the time prevented the Central Plains from becoming a sea of blood due to the Blood Demon's actions.
Why is this? Is it because I have no interest in history? Or is it because there are no records, or someone deliberately did not pass them down?
In any case, the part about the Blood Demon is indeed sparse.
Gumilcheon (拳鐵金王) Jin Il-cheon.
Hwangabul (煌阿佛尊) Cheol-yeong.
Huashan Xianjian (華山仙劍) Shincheol.
Leotian Yijian (雷天一劍) Namgung Myeong.
Dujue Tian (毒絶天) Tang Jie-wen.
The five absolute experts who stopped the bloodbath are likely to be remembered in the history of the Central Plains martial arts world, no matter how many centuries pass.
In the process, Jin Il-cheon died, and the Jinchunyan family, which ruled the First Family, disappeared without a trace.
Tang Jie-wen of the Tang family also died, and the Tang family was greatly shaken.
However, in the end, they managed to stop the bloodbath and successfully kill the Blood Demon, which was fortunate.
Because of them, the current Central Plains exists, I've heard so much that my ears bleed.
When the Heavenly Demon reached out to the Central Plains later, many heroes, including Weixiaoa, also stopped him, which was in the same vein.
That's why it was even more unbelievable.
Holding my aching head, I asked.
"...Who are you?"
[I am Shincheol, brat.]
"...So, you are Huashan Xianjian..."
[How many times have you asked now?]
"Yes, I think I've asked more than ten times."
When I regained consciousness and opened my eyes again, I was inside a carriage, not outside.
I wondered if the voice I heard was a dream, but as soon as I opened my eyes, the harsh voice was still there, contrary to my expectations.
[Harsh? This brat! Your impudent mouth is still the same!]
The tone was full of strictness and harshness. But Huashan Xianjian...?
At least, if you grow up as a member of a martial arts family, you can't help but know the nickname Huashan Xianjian.
If you ask a Huashan Sect martial artist who is the most respected, the name that comes up first, after the current leader, is Huashan Xianjian.
His kind nature and popularity spread throughout the Central Plains, beyond Huashan.
[These days, the young ones... Tsk tsk. In my time, when a senior spoke, you just believed it.]
It was said that when Huashan Xianjian walked, plum blossoms bloomed on withered trees.
[At the very least, when an elder speaks, you should listen respectfully, not be so scared...]
"...."
...But how can I believe this?
His kindness seems frozen to death, and his twisted nature seems to have been hit by the storms of time. Popularity?
Plum blossoms blooming on withered trees? The plum blossoms on the trees would all wither...!
'I would rather believe it's an evil spirit.'
It actually seemed closer to the truth.
Yes, it's definitely an evil spirit.
I must have been possessed by an evil spirit without realizing it.
'...Damn, do I really need to perform an exorcism?'
[This damn brat...! Where's the exorcism in front of a Taoist!]
I grabbed my forehead as my head ached again.
How can I find the Dao of Huashan in such a beggar-like tone?
No matter how I looked at it, it was impossible to believe.
No, how could a hero of Huashan become an evil spirit, and how can I believe it just because you say so?
[You were happy to eat it, and now you're making excuses.]
"Why do you keep saying I ate something?"
[You're pretending not to know, brat. I want to ask you, how could you, who are not a child of Huashan, take the energy so easily?]
At the evil spirit's words, I couldn't say anything.
It was strange that it didn't come to mind until now.
The strong plum blossom fragrance and the voice I felt at night were clearly real, not a dream.
Waking up to find myself at the fourth level, it must have been due to the influence of the Madocheonsugong (Demon Heaven Absorption Technique).
'How did this happen...'
It was even more puzzling. If it was due to the Madocheonsugong,
The technique that can only be used by touching the treasure was absorbing energy on its own just by being in my pocket.
I thought it only absorbed the energy of the magic stone, but now it's absorbing the treasure...? And it's doing it on its own without even touching it?
'...This is giving me a headache.'
I wasn't sure if the state of the treasure had changed much, as it didn't look much different from before.
But now, it seems there's no way to escape.
[It's clear that there's another inner energy in your body, but how is this possible...]
"Before that, if you are really Huashan Xianjian, how can you speak to me like this?"
[As I said before, it's because you absorbed the energy of the stone on your own.]
"Then you were inside the treasure all along?"
The treasure has been around for hundreds of years, so you mean you were inside the stone for all that time?
Is that even possible...?
[No, I haven't been awake for long.]
"Not long...?"
What does that mean?
[Yes, it was around the time you first picked up the plum stone that I regained consciousness.]
When Elder Yi gave me the treasure? So you really haven't been awake for long.
If that's true, how...?
Could this all be a hallucination caused by the side effects of absorbing the treasure's energy...
I even thought to this extent.
Even if you are really Huashan Xianjian, or if you are just a random ghost pretending to be someone else,
Whatever it is, it's a troublesome situation for me.
[How funny, you tried to break through the wall without knowing your place, and when I helped you so you wouldn't suffocate, you treat me like an evil spirit!]
The ghost said.
As he said, this must be a fortuitous encounter.
Thanks to absorbing the treasure's energy, I was able to smoothly break through what my rough inner energy couldn't handle.
The problem was that I had been trying to ignore it, but the Dragon Sword's words confirmed it.
The energy that had mixed into my body.
The faint plum fragrance that seeped out no matter how hard I tried to hide it.
I, who had nothing to do with the plum blossom level that Huashan disciples could only achieve after arduous training, was now part of it.
"....What should I do?"
It wouldn't end with a simple, "Hehe! I ate the treasure's energy. Sorry."
It's a problem that I, who haven't been recognized by Huashan, have Huashan's inner energy.
But the biggest problem is that I can't explain how I have the inner energy.
The ghost chuckled at my dilemma.
[Who told you to eat it without thinking?]
"Who said I ate it because I wanted to...?"
[You were eating the energy like a thirsty animal at night, and now you're talking a lot.]
So... How much did you eat to make it so obvious?
It was more frustrating and annoying because it wasn't intentional.
Damn, this cursed technique... It's even ruining this life where I'm trying to live well.
Suppressing the annoyance that kept rising, I asked.
"....Let's talk a bit. Why were you there in the first place?"
If you are really Huashan Xianjian, the reason you were attached to the treasure.
If you are not Huashan Xianjian, I need to know who you are.
The ghost was silent for a moment in response to my question.
[...Hmm.]
Is there something he finds awkward to say, or is it an important matter he's choosing his words carefully?
After a moment, the ghost's voice came, much quieter than before.
[...I don't really know. Why was I there?]
With the ghost's words, I sighed deeply and opened the carriage door.
In the end, the answer was that he didn't know anything.
Maybe he's pretending not to remember.
Either way, it's not a helpful answer.
Huashan Xianjian, my ass, it's just an evil spirit.
I need to end this unhelpful conversation and get out as soon as possible.
I need to check the situation outside due to the events before I fainted.
[This brat...! I'm not lying!]
"No, what do you mean by 'no'...?"
"Ah! Little brother!"
At the lively voice, both the ghost and I stopped talking.
It was because we heard Yingfeng's voice from a distance.
The situation was a bit strange.
Yingfeng's appearance was quite disheveled, unlike his neat appearance earlier.
His arms and legs were tied with ropes, and he was kneeling with his neck threatened by a sword.
And behind him...
"Huashan Sect...?"
People wearing the same white clothes as Yingfeng were facing off against our group.
The atmosphere was far from friendly, so I widened my eyes and looked at Yingfeng.
Yingfeng smiled widely when he saw me.
"Ha ha! Little brother! Can you help me with this somehow!"
"....What?"
Despite the situation, his overly lively voice made me involuntarily give a dazed response.
[...Why is that guy acting like that?]
It seemed like something strange was happening again.