Chapter 7

Chapter 6. Goodness, the Huashan Sect is in ruins. (1)

"Finally!"

Qingming tightened his grip on the staff in his hand. Finally, the majestic sight of Huashan came into view.

"Finallyyyyy!"

Tears welled up in his eyes.

How much hardship had he endured to get here? Leading a body that was no different from an ordinary person, or rather, worse than an ordinary person, he had overcome countless life-threatening situations.

Of course, most of the crises people face on their travels were a bit different. Mostly, they were threats of starvation or exhaustion. But weren't they equally dangerous?

In any case, after overcoming those terrible trials, Qingming finally reached Huashan.

"…It was a long journey."

If he were to start recounting the hardships he endured to get here, it would be like a heroic epic. No, it would be more like a beggar's epic.

Naturally, Qingming's appearance was far from human.

He had gained some energy from practicing martial arts, but the energy that should have been used to recover his body was all spent on walking and running, making his body even weaker.

He was so emaciated that anyone who saw him would instinctively frown.

And the clothes that were initially in tatters had now become something that could only be called a rag or a piece of cloth. The dust that clung to it was another matter.

But that wasn't the important thing.

The important thing was that Qingming had finally arrived at Huashan.

Qingming unconsciously wiped his eyes.

'Those who said I could live a great life if I was reborn, I'll smash their heads.'

Being reborn is important, but who you are reborn as is even more important.

If he were reborn as a beggar with no parents, no home, and no temple, it would be worse than not being reborn at all.

But all the hardships are over now! He had finally reached Huashan! Now he needed to see with his own eyes what had happened to Huashan.

"I'm going up!"

Qingming firmly planted his staff and began to climb Huashan.

And a moment later.

"Phew! Phew! Phew!"

Qingming, clinging to the steep cliff face, panted heavily as if his lungs were about to burst.

"What kind of Daoist temple is this!"

What kind of mountain is this! What kind of mountain! How could anyone in their right mind build a Daoist temple on such a mountain?

It's no wonder that the incense guests (香火客) at Shaolin and Wudang are overflowing, but it seemed that no one ever came to Huashan.

Qingming slightly lowered his head and looked down. An endless, sheer cliff came into view.

Don't exaggerate?

It's a clear fact. It's not just that the end can't be seen. There are clouds below him now! This crazy mountain is so high that it pierces through the clouds, and the only path up is a small trail on a vertical cliff.

No, it's not even a trail.

If you call this a path, then a sparrow is a phoenix.

Can you call a path where you can't even place both feet at the same time and have to move like a crab, sticking your back to the cliff, a path?

"Damn! What were they thinking, building a Daoist temple on such a mountain!"

He wanted to rush to the Investigation Hall and start a fuss as soon as he arrived at Huashan, but in reality, Qingming had no right to do so.

- Senior Brother. Isn't Huashan the one that has the qualifications of a sword school? Isn't that towering peak the very shape of a sword? It seems that the Master chose a good place.

"…What a load of crap, what a load of crap."

What? The peak looks like a sword?

It looks like a sword. It looks very much like a sword. How much like a sword that the path up the peak feels like walking on a blade.

Among the Five Great Mountains, Huashan is known for its steep and dangerous terrain. Qingming, who could no longer use martial arts, felt the true meaning of this description acutely.

"I really feel like I'm going to die."

It's not a joke; he really felt like he was risking his life. His limbs were already trembling, but there was still a long way to go.

Sighing at the thought that few people joined despite such conditions, he could feel how poorly the Huashan Daoist temple was run.

"Ugh."

Qingming groaned and pressed himself against the wall.

But he couldn't give up here! What kind of giving up is this after coming this far? If there's a mountain, it's a human's job to climb it! He would climb and climb with perseverance and courage!

…Actually, going down now would be even more dangerous.

…Really.

* * *

Snap!

A hand emerged from the end of the cliff.

The trembling hand grabbed the top of the cliff.

"Ugh!"

The pale fingertips were pitiful. The hand, tensed with effort, pulled the body up with great difficulty.

"Ah, I almost died!"

Qingming, having barely pulled himself up, fell flat on the ground.

"Phew! Phew! Phew! I almost died!"

Turning his head, he saw clouds far below.

Thinking about how he had climbed this high with his young body made him want to praise himself.

I didn't fall. I didn't fall.

After lying there for a while, Qingming painfully got up again. The good thing was that he didn't have to climb down this monstrous mountain again.

Now, he only had to bury his bones at Huashan.

'Let's see.'

Qingming, who had gotten up, looked around. It should be around here.

He saw a hill leading to the summit. If he followed that path a little further, he would reach Huashan. Qingming's legs slowly started moving.

His heart swelled with emotion at the thought of finally reaching Huashan after a hundred years.

"…Of course, in reality, it only took about a month."

But let's say he arrived after a hundred years. It sounds cooler that way.

Climbing the hill was not difficult, even with a little exaggeration. His body was completely exhausted, but the thought of reaching Huashan gave him strength.

"Ah…"

As the tiles of the Huashan main gate came into view in the distance, Qingming's eyes became wistful.

Even though a hundred years had passed, the tiles he saw were unchanged. The gentle curves still held the indomitable spirit of Huashan.

Yes, those old eaves with tiles missing…

Huh?

Old?

Tiles missing?

Qingming rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.

Did I see it wrong?

But no matter how many times he rubbed his eyes, the scene in front of him didn't change. The more he approached, the more clearly he could see the half-collapsed main gate.

"…"

Qingming, at a loss for words, stopped in his tracks.

The main gate is the first thing visitors to a sect see. Therefore, each sect tries to make their main gate as grand and clean as possible, even if the inside is only moderately decorated.

The old Huashan was no different.

Although it couldn't be made too luxurious due to the nature of a Daoist temple, it was built to be sturdy and majestic to reflect the spirit of Huashan. They also tried to maintain it in a clean and tidy manner.

But…

'What am I seeing now?'

I can understand the tiles falling off and the gaps, as tiles are bound to wear out and need to be replaced from time to time.

But the pillars with cracks and peeling paint, and the doors that were black and rotting! And!

'The, the spider webs…'

I can somehow understand the need for regular maintenance, but the fact that the eaves were covered in white spider webs and no one had even bothered to remove them was something I couldn't understand no matter how hard I tried.

And the final touch was…

"Where's the sign! The sign!"

The sign is the most important symbol of a sect. Where did it go?

The sign that read "Great Huashan Sect" in the calligraphy of "Dragon and Snake Soaring" was nowhere to be found.

That's the one our Chief Disciple Brother used to polish every morning! Where did it go? Where did it go!

Qingming's legs began to lose strength. With a staggering gait, he barely made it to the front of the main gate and stood there, speechless, staring at the main gate of Huashan.

- As far as I know, it's gone.

- Huashan Sect? I've heard of it. Wasn't it a famous sword school in the past? I heard it was completely destroyed by the Heavenly Demon. Is it still around?

"…It's gone?"

Huashan?

Qingming's eyes trembled.

"No, what kind of bullshit is this!"

While others might fall into despair, Qingming couldn't hold back the rising anger and fell to the ground.

Huashan being gone!

There are other things that should be gone, but why is Huashan gone! Huashan!

"Goodness, Huashan is gone. Huashan. Huh…"

No matter how much he tried to deny reality, what he saw didn't change. After several attempts to shake his body, Qingming finally couldn't hold back and let out a roar.

"Chief Disciple Brother! Why did you do that! Why! I told you not to do that! You stubborn bastard! I can't take it anymore!"

In his heart, he had been thinking.

Huashan might really be gone.

During his journey, no matter how much he listened, he didn't hear a single word about Huashan. Even stories about Wudang, Shaolin, and even Zhongnan in the same province were occasionally heard, but there was not a single word about Huashan.

If Huashan was still as prosperous as before… No, even if it just maintained the appearance of a sect, this would be impossible.

"So I told you to be moderate, Senior Brother."

- Hey, you. Huashan is a Daoist temple. What's the point of those arrogant Daoists hiding in the mountains, cultivating their own Dao and becoming immortals? Those who ignore others' difficulties don't deserve to talk about Dao.

"…But you should have been moderate."

The elders, the first-generation disciples, and even the second-generation disciples were all wiped out at Dashaan. Although many sects committed their best forces to the desperate battle, no other sect had sacrificed everything like Huashan.

Not only the leaders who should have been leading the sect were all killed, but the first and second-generation disciples who should have taken over were almost completely wiped out. The only ones left were the third-generation disciples, who were still young, and the second-generation disciples who hadn't even fully mastered martial arts.

In such a situation, how could they continue the name of Great Huashan?

"…But still."

It felt like all the thin threads of hope had been shattered. Just looking at the dilapidated main gate was enough to see that.

Huashan was gone.

"Senior Brother. Senior Brother! That's what I told you. Giving everything away and following the principles of the Daoist temple leaves nothing behind! Was this what you wanted? This? Huashan is gone in your generation! In your generation! How can you face the Masters in the afterlife? You stubborn bastard!"

Qingming lay on the ground and cursed. His complaints echoed and returned to him.

"I'm going crazy. Really."

After a hundred years of being reborn, his sect was gone.

He fought to protect this sect and the martial world… If this is the result, what did we fight for, risking our lives?

He felt a sense of futility spreading through his body.

At that moment.

"Who's there?" A strange voice pierced Qingming's ears.