Chapter 84: Three-Element Sacred Flower (3)

The Demon Cult. Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Ming Cult. Divine Ming Cult. All these names described a single organization.

The exact origins were unknown, but the Demon Cult known to the people in Jianghu gained fame through one individual.

Unlike the Evil Cult that practiced sorcery, the Demon Cult was a martial faction that extremized the worship of martial arts. There was a time when the leader of the Demon Cult was the strongest in the martial world. This person, who had shaken the entire Murim, was known as the Heavenly Demon.

Yeop Su-nam couldn’t guess why the name Heavenly Demon suddenly came up.

“Heavenly Demon? Are you talking about that Heavenly Demon? Why is his story coming up now? He has been dead for hundreds of years.”

“It’s true. It happened at the end of the Song Dynasty. At that time, the Demon Cult plundered the Three-Element Sacred Flower, which was meant to be presented to the Emperor.”

“That’s definitely…”

It was something only Heavenly Demon would dare to do. This gave the story more credibility.

“So… did Heavenly Demon consume the Three-Element Sacred Flower?”

“When his subordinate kneeled and offered the Three-Element Sacred Flower, Heavenly Demon remained silent for a long time.”

Yeop Su-nam imagined Heavenly Demon, an absolute strong madman, intently looking down at the Three-Element Sacred Flower.

“And then he said.”

“If I eat this, I won’t be able to stay on this earth any longer.”

Then, it is said that he burned the precious Three-Element Sacred Flower with True Samadhi Fire.

“How could someone commit such a senseless act!”

“That’s why they are demons. It is said that the Three-Element Sacred Flower possesses the effect of transcendence.”

“Transcendence, as in something like ascending to immortality?”

“If a Taoist consumes it, they become an immortal; if a high monk does, they achieve enlightenment and become a Buddha; if a demon consumes it… who knows what would happen.”

“How can mere herbs have such effects.”

“It’s what the legend says… but it’s probably an exaggeration.”

The Grass Flower Hall Head chuckled at his disciple’s naive belief in the legend.

“I see…”

“Don’t feel too disappointed. There’s another record of someone consuming the Three-Element Sacred Flower. It was a long time ago, in the Namgung Noble Clan.”

“Yes.”

“The Namgung Noble Clan’s Clan Head at that time ate the Three-Element Sacred Flower and underwent a body transformation, becoming youthful again.”

“A body transformation…!”

A body transformation seemed somewhat believable.

It’s said that when one’s martial arts reached their peak, the body was reconstituted. The meridians opened up, and the muscles and bones strengthened. Even if the Three-Element Sacred Flower had only that much effect, it would still be astonishing.

However, unlike the excited Yeop Su-nam, the Grass Flower Hall Head stroked his beard, seemingly concerned about something.

“But since then, there hasn’t been a case where the Three-Element Sacred Flower has shown its full effects. The internal energy does increase rapidly though.”

“That is… regrettable.”

“The method of consumption might be the issue. Or perhaps… the Three-Element Sacred Flower was harvested before it could fully develop its efficacy.”

The Grass Flower Hall Head spoke uncertainly himself. The matter could only be understood after examining the Three-Element Sacred Flower directly.

“We have no choice but to wait for the children.”

“…Ah, they are coming up! Hall Head!”

Following Yeop Su-nam’s exclamation, the Hall Head and the second-generation disciples all looked down at the cliff below.

The children who had been wandering around Spirit Spring Valley all day were returning.

“Hehe, it’s reassuring to see them already.”

In years with the first-flower promotion exam, they could abundantly replenish the high-quality herbs of Spirit Spring Valley.

The herbs gathered by the third-generation disciples would soon fill the storeroom of Grass Flower Hall.

And judging by the spiritual energy emanating from Spirit Spring Valley, it was clear that the children’s bags would be hefty.

“I hope there aren’t many kids who skimmed off the top.”

“Well, it’s fine if they eat a little bit. You did the same, Su-nam… It’ll be okay.”

There were always children who secretly ate some of the herbs. Although they were warned, the children were not inspected too harshly.

The Grass Flower Hall Head greeted the third-generation disciples with a broad smile.

However, his expression gradually hardened.

“Why do the children look like this…?”

Their hair was standing on end, and more than a few children had light bags of herbs. They were all children who had been electrocuted and passed out.

The Grass Flower Hall Head’s face crumpled.

“This, if this happens…!”

It was a moment that disrupted Grass Flower Hall’s herb supply plan for the year.

“Suddenly, there was a tingling sensation, and when I opened my eyes, the sun was setting?”

The second-generation disciples interrogated the dirt-covered third-generation disciples who had returned. Questions were exchanged back and forth.

“Wait, so you’re saying you saw something blue attacking?”

“You’re a Taoist flower disciple, right? Yes, then you might have seen it. There are yokai that remain invisible to ordinary eyes.”

“A blue fox’s shape… And it concealed itself using the power of lightning.”

Putting together various testimonies led to a conclusion.

A yokai, possibly in the form of a blue fox, had attacked the third-generation disciples.

The second-generation disciples were puzzled by this story from the third-generation disciples. But the person who was most flustered wasn’t among them.

Son Hee-il was hiding behind a rock.

While other children had already submitted the herbs they collected for scoring, Son Hee-il was still crouching there.

It wasn’t because he had collected too few herbs. Even though he had fainted in the middle, he was much faster than the other disciples. His bag was full with the herbs he had gathered.

There was one reason he could not come forward.

“Really… was it a yokai that did this?”

Son Hee-il thought it was Yi-gang who had attacked him. He felt as if he had been hit in the abdomen by an extremely fast fist or kick.

The shock that jolted his insides felt particularly electrifying. But to think it was lightning emitted by a yokai.

‘He didn’t touch the bag….’

As soon as he opened his eyes, he checked the bag. But Yi-gang had not tampered with it. The same was true for Jun Myung’s bag.

Most importantly, Jun Myung, who had woken up with him, testified, “Yi-gang? I didn’t even see him. Suddenly, something blue attacked me, and it was tingling.”

From there, Son Hee-il realized that he had misunderstood the situation.

Being here, he could see it clearly.

It wasn’t Yi-gang who had been attacking the third-generation disciples. Some even claimed they saw a blue fox.

Son Hee-il felt like biting his tongue.

He had been hiding all this time to meet Yi-gang first. He hadn’t decided whether to apologize or clarify his misunderstanding.

He just felt the need to meet Yi-gang first.

“Anyway… he did act in a way that could be misunderstood.”

Muttering to himself didn’t make him feel any better.

Rather, the exact moment Yi-gang appeared, Son Hee-il’s heart nearly dropped from shock.

“What’s this?”

“Gulp!”

The shock of being electrocuted still lingered, his heart pounding wildly.

Yi-gang must have climbed up the cliff, yet he didn’t seem out of breath.

He just frowned upon seeing Son Hee-il.

“I-I was waiting for you.”

“…Me? Oh.”

Yi-gang spoke first, in a curt tone, “I’ll say it again. It wasn’t me. It was a blue fox. Hard to believe, but…”

It seemed like he mistook Son Hee-il’s waiting there as an attempt to confront him.

“That’s not it. The reason I was waiting here is…”

Son Hee-il firmly shut his mouth.

He was popular among the younger disciples due to his straightforward and cheerful personality. Being one of the older third-generation disciples, he often acted like an older brother.

But why did he feel like a child in front of Yi-gang, who was even two years younger?

“Speak.”

“First… I think I misunderstood something, so I’m sorry.”

“Okay.”

“And…”

Son Hee-il’s eyes widened in surprise.

Yi-gang’s attire was a bit odd. There were black burn marks on his sleeves and the hem of his clothes, as if struck by lightning.

“Could it be, you and that yokai…”

Yi-gang looked at his sleeve and replied, “It seems I was hit by a spark. I must have brushed against it while chasing after it.”

“You chased it? You saw it?”

“Yes, it was a suspicious yokai. It was a problem how it was knocking out the kids.”

Yi-gang spoke as if it was no big deal, but Son Hee-il was breathless.

He had misunderstood and attacked Yi-gang, but Yi-gang was actually chasing the yokai.

“Doing such a thing…”

It wasn’t necessarily to avenge the children, but Son Hee-il felt a spontaneous sense of admiration.

This was because Yi-gang’s bag looked obviously thin.

His bag, light from gathering few herbs, and the torn clothes that seemed to have been attacked by the fox. Putting these elements together led to a conclusion.

‘Did he use up all the exam time trying to fend off the yokai?’

In contrast, what about Son Hee-il? His bag was heavy from greedily gathering herbs. That weight pressed heavily on his heart.

Son Hee-il felt a sense of shame.

“If you have nothing else to say, I’m going to leave.”

“Wait…!”

So, Son Hee-il stopped Yi-gang. Seeing Yi-gang’s annoyed expression gave him the courage to speak up.

“I owe you a debt. I misunderstood and attacked you.”

“…Well, I’m fine with it.”

“No, I need to repay this debt to feel relieved.”

He grabbed his heavy bag.

Compared to Yi-gang’s thin bag, Son Hee-il’s bag, filled with one high-grade herb and several intermediate-grade herbs, was clearly more valuable.

“Let’s exchange our bags.”

“…What?”

After blurting it out, he felt a sense of relief.

What’s the point of worrying about scores? There were still two more exams left. There were opportunities ahead.

“I gathered quite a lot of herbs. Take this quickly.”

“…”

Yi-gang alternated his gaze between his own bag and the one Son Hee-il was offering.

To Son Hee-il, Yi-gang’s hesitation seemed like uncertainty, as if he was touched and wondering if it was really okay to accept it.

He grinned and urged Yi-gang again, “Come on, take it. I’m really fine with it.”

Just as he reached out his own bag and was about to touch Yi-gang’s bag—

Slap!

Yi-gang suddenly smacked the back of Son Hee-il’s hand.

Son Hee-il, startled, withdrew his hand.

“This is completely…”

And Yi-gang said as if it was unbelievable, “…Are you a thief?”

“Wh-what did you say?”

Is it okay for someone’s kindness to be so blatantly disregarded? Son Hee-il felt a deep sense of betrayal and was frozen in shock.

Yi-gang shook his head in disbelief and swiftly passed by Hee-il.

Son Hee-il, clutching his stinging hand, watched Yi-gang in a daze.

Yi-gang moved forward, carrying his seemingly light bag fluttering in the air.

Yeop Su-nam, the supervisor, greeted Yi-gang.

But soon, noticing how thin Yi-gang’s bag was, he also showed a hint of disappointment.

With an indifferent expression, Yeop Su-nam pulled out a single flower from Yi-gang’s bag. That was the only herb Yi-gang had collected.

Son Hee-il mumbled to himself, still not grasping the situation, “Did I… say something wrong?”

The unexpected happened right after.

Yeop Su-nam, who was examining the flower, suddenly started rubbing his eyes. Then, he opened his mouth wide and started making a strange noise.

Gasping for breath, he hastily called for the Grass Flower Hall Head.

Initially, the Grass Flower Hall Head’s expression was indifferent.

However, he too soon saw the flower in Yi-gang’s bag and screamed, “Aaaagh!”

Everyone’s attention turned to Yi-gang and the Grass Flower Hall Head.

“Th-the Three-Element Sacred Flower!”

An herb well-known to everyone, the finest in Spirit Spring Valley.

The identity of the flower in Yi-gang’s thin bag was that very Three-Element Sacred Flower.

Son Hee-il’s lips twitched upward.

He finally understood what was happening.

“Ha-haha…”

He felt wronged for being slapped on the hand.

“What a humiliation…”

He was relieved that he didn’t lose more than that.

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