The Second Son of the Dancheon Sword Clan Prepared for Regression-Chapter 93 : Chapter 93

Chapter 93: Discovered the Garden of Joy
A person full of reason said that when snow melts, it becomes water, and a person full of emotion said that when snow melts, spring comes.
Twenty-three-year-old Dancheon Myeong.
Unlike Myeong-gae, it seems I am still a prodigy with emotions.
The spring that came with the melting snow was more than welcome.
Start of Spring.
Though it was the beginning of spring, the cold wave that had passed through the minor and major cold was still in full force.
But just as the warm wind brought by the Start of Spring melted the snow, this cold wave too would gradually disappear. This was because it was the way of nature.
And…….
Having barely avoided being the ultimate unfilial son by celebrating the new year together, I left the Dancheon Clan again with the spring breeze.
“Why don’t you just move out and live on your own?”
“Take care of yourself and come back safe.”
“……Be careful.”
“Just you wait!”
With the enthusiastic farewell of my family, I set off on the road with Chun-baek hyung.
In my Myeong-gae days, the time when the Garden of Joy was discovered was after the Summer Solstice of the year I became a Branch Lord.
Since it is now the Start of Spring in Dancheon Myeong's twenty-third year, there is about one season's worth of time left.
But it would be better to hurry. As they say, better safe than sorry, so in order to prevent any unforeseen variables, it would be necessary to discover it a little early.
“Where are we heading now?”
Chun-baek hyung asked.
He knew we were wandering around acting as Ginseng Diggers in the first place, but he was curious about our current destination.
“Hmm.”
We had traveled to many places so far.
It would be right to say that we wandered aimlessly.
This was because we had wandered around, acting as Ginseng Diggers at random, just for the sake of our disguise, without a clear purpose.
But now that the snow had melted, it was time to execute my plan.
It meant that this trip had a clear destination.
“Do you like the Five Great Mountains?”
“I like looking at them.”
The Five Great Mountains generally boast rugged mountain terrain. In a way, it could be seen as one of the qualities of a spiritual mountain.
Rugged mountain terrain means that it is mystical and beautiful to look at but a pain to climb, so Chun-baek hyung’s words were indeed true.
Usually, the Five Great Mountains are best just for looking at.
But this time, I could not grant Chun-baek hyung’s wish.
“How about we go to the Northern Great Mountain first?”
“If you say we should go, we go.”
“Thank you.”
The destination was the Northern Great Mountain, Mount Heng, located in the northeastern part of Shanxi Province.
It was a treasure trove of mysteries, where the Garden of Joy lay dormant.
The vast Central Plains holds numerous famous mountains.
Among them, if one were to pick the most representative, it would undoubtedly be the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains.
It refers to the five mountains considered the best in the Central Plains, so my theory that people like to rank things was not wrong.
Since ancient times, people have said that famous mountains are spiritually powerful.
In other words, it meant that they held Spirituality.
Spirituality was something that could not be felt by anyone other than the few humans who had received divine energy, but at the same time, it was also something that everyone living in the world knew and believed in.
Among those famous mountains that had received such Spirituality, the five considered the best were the Five Great Mountains, so many factions had made the Five Great Mountains their base.
It meant they were what are called auspicious lands or propitious sites.
The Central Great Mountain, Mount Song.
It is the home of Shaolin, the foundation of all martial arts in the world, known to everyone living in the Central Plains.
The Western Great Mountain, Mount Hua.
It is the place where the Mount Hua Sect, one of the Nine Sects One Gang, famous for its particularly steep, rugged cliffs, has established its base.
The Southern Great Mountain, Mount Heng, and the Eastern Great Mountain, Mount Tai.
These were the places where the Mount Heng Sect and the Mount Tai Sect, which at one time boasted a power comparable to the Nine Sects One Gang, had respectively established their bases.
The fact that the words ‘at one time’ were attached meant that the power of the Mount Heng Sect and the Mount Tai Sect had not continued to this day.
It might be proof that human affairs are not determined solely by Spirituality or fortunes.
And the last is the Northern Great Mountain, Mount Heng.
Despite being a spiritual mountain included in the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, no faction had settled on Mount Heng.
Some said it was because Mount Heng was on the border of the outer regions, Inner Mongolia, and others said it was because no single faction could occupy it due to the characteristic of Mount Heng boasting a particularly vast scale among the Five Great Mountains.
In truth, it was an unimportant fact.
This was because before the year was out, the treasure trove of spirit herbs dormant in Mount Heng, the Garden of Joy, was scheduled to be revealed to the world.
With Mount Heng at its center, the reputation of the Five Great Mountains, true to its name, would once again stir up the Central Plains.
Mount Heng is vast.
The Mount Heng mountain range, which serves as the natural border between Shanxi and Hebei provinces, boasts a massive scale of a thousand li from north to south and four hundred li from east to west.
In fact, the scale of the Mount Heng mountain range alone could be said to be large enough to contain a small country.
In other words, setting out to find the Garden of Joy with only the information that ‘the Garden of Joy is in Mount Heng’ is an act as close to impossible as finding Mr. Jang in Beijing.
But I had no worries.
This was because I had already meticulously surveyed the location of the Garden of Joy back in my days as Branch Lord Myeong-gae by hitting a One-Knot Beggar on the head with a begging bowl.
As Myeong-gae was second to none in the Beggar’s Gang when it came to finding his way, it would not be too difficult to find that place again.
It was similar to when I first started practicing the Healing Sage’s Mind Cultivation Art and sought out Mount Tianzhong in Henan.
As I climbed Mount Heng, landscapes that felt familiar began to stimulate my mind.
I was able to find familiar landmarks in various parts of the mountain.
“Let’s go this way.”
“Hmm.”
In the deep mountains and valleys where there were no paths to speak of, my guidance was as unhindered as if following a marked official road.
Thanks to this, Chun-baek hyung and I were able to cross the heart of the Mount Heng mountain range without hindrance.
Perhaps because I was somewhat excited at the thought of discovering the Garden of Joy, I could not deny that my pace had quickened a little.
“Where are we going?”
Unlike usual, I ignored all the medicinal herbs that occasionally caught my eye on the path and moved on, so Chun-baek hyung, unable to hide his curiosity, asked.
“Over there.”
The place I pointed to was a mountain ridge faintly visible in the distance.
“I think there might be something good over there.”
I set aside any lame excuses and said so.
This was because if my companion was Chun-baek hyung, there was no need for me to make things up.
“Is it something like a hunch?”
“Let’s go with that.”
In truth, this was not a complete lie.
Perhaps because the Spirituality I had awakened when I discovered the Thousand Spirit Fungus on the summit of that nameless mountain in the past was still with me, my senses were intensely pointing in the direction of the Garden of Joy.
It was such a strong pull that I felt my steps would have reached that place even if I hadn't surveyed it. It was like an irresistible fate.
Tat!
Though I said it was a ridge faintly visible in the distance, since top-tier masters were moving using their lightness arts, it did not take long to arrive at our destination.
The place where our steps stopped was at the edge of a cliff.
“Hmm.”
At the bottom of the steeply cut cliff, a magnificent view that was hard to believe was of this world unfolded.
“……This is truly amazing.”
Chun-baek hyung, who had been silent for a long time, said.
“I agree.”
I replied with sincerity.
This was not the Garden of Joy I had seen in my Myeong-gae days, where not a single blade of grass remained.
The treasure trove of mysteries, where rare and beautiful flowers and plants adorned the land, was a landscape so auspicious that it was difficult to describe with words.
Wasn't it said long ago, when comparing beautiful scenery, that 'Above there is heaven, below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou'?
It is an old saying that means Hangzhou and Suzhou are as beautiful as heaven above.
But now, it would be right to amend this saying.
Hǎyǒu Huānlèyuán. Below there is the Garden of Joy.
It was a sight that made me think it would be more appropriate to change it so.
This was my impression, having toured both Suzhou and Hangzhou in my Myeong-gae days, so it must be correct.
“Is this the Peach Blossom Spring?”
Chun-baek hyung muttered a sentiment similar to mine.
Since I knew the answer, it was right for me to correct him.
“No.”
Chun-baek hyung’s gaze met mine as if seeking an answer.
“It’s the Garden of Joy. Probably.”
“……!”
At that unfamiliar yet familiar name, admiration filled Chun-baek hyung’s expression.
The snow that had melted with the Start of Spring had turned into water droplets, making the rare and beautiful flowers and plants sparkle like jewels.
Having passed the Start of Spring and reached the Rain Water solar term, it was now fully spring.
***
I could understand why a secret place where spirit herbs were clustered was given the name ‘Garden of Joy’ without even hearing its origin.
The strange thing was that the emotion I felt while looking at the Garden of Joy before me was more of awe than greed.
The scenery of the Garden of Joy was like the advent of the Peach Garden Paradise, the land of the immortals that had only been heard of in legends.
Perhaps it was because of that mysterious energy that wicked desires could not take root.
Glimpse.
Although I already trusted him, I examined Chun-baek hyung's state of mind just in case.
“Oh……”
I saw Chun-baek hyung with his mouth agape and an innocent expression.
Pfft, a laugh escaped me.
It was because I realized that his state of mind was no different from mine.
For a moment, I reflected on myself for not fully trusting Chun-baek hyung.
I trust Chun-baek hyung, but I had to say what needed to be said.
It was a warning about the danger of the Garden of Joy we had discovered, and it was a groundwork for the plans to come.
“We need to keep this a secret for a while.”
“That’s a given.”
There was no need to give repeated and earnest warnings.
Chun-baek hyung, who had lived the life of a wanderer, was well aware of the dangers that precious objects or information of that caliber entailed.
Chun-baek hyung clicked his tongue and continued.
“This, if one missteps and speaks carelessly……”
“A bloodbath will occur.”
“……That’s likely. You be careful too.”
As if agreeing with the words I uttered, determination appeared on Chun-baek hyung’s face.
In any case, having confirmed the existence of the Garden of Joy, the purpose of visiting the Northern Great Mountain, Mount Heng, had been achieved.
“Let’s go down for now.”
“That sounds good.”
It was the Garden of Joy, discovered in the deep mountains and valleys of a great mountain range.
Having only brought a single cloth bundle while acting as Ginseng Diggers, we decided to descend the mountain for now.
“We should hurry.”
“Let’s.”
The Stepping on Clouds Gait I performed and the lightness art of the Mysterious Sect that Chun-baek hyung performed could rightly be called the best in Jianghu, so we were able to return to the city with plenty of daylight to spare.
Now, all plausibility has been secured.
It meant that the Ginseng Digger act I never wanted was over.
***
Yingxian.
A city located in the northern part of Shanxi Province, it is the closest to the Northern Great Mountain, Mount Heng.
Before climbing Mount Heng, we had booked a room at the largest inn in Yingxian, so it would be right to say it was our base of operations for the time being.
Unlike before when we wandered aimlessly, claiming to be Ginseng Diggers, Chun-baek hyung and I had set up a base in Yingxian.
This would mean that those who were monitoring me had also set up a base in Yingxian.
This was because there was no organization that could utilize such high-level personnel, capable of tailing Chun-baek hyung and me in the deserted mountains without being detected, merely as monitors.
In fact, one could say that I had guided those monitoring me to act in such a way.
Another obvious fact was that I had already identified the individuals monitoring us before climbing Mount Heng.
I know they tried their best to act, but they had no way of deceiving the keen eyes of Myeong-gae, a top-tier intelligence agent who had also been active in the Secret Pavilion.
“Rest up.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have some business to take care of.”
“Good luck.”
One of the good things about being with Chun-baek hyung is that there is no need to give elaborate explanations or excuses.
It is clear that he and I are close enough to call each other sworn brothers, but we do not intrude deeply into each other’s private lives.
It might be due to his disposition, having lived as a successor of the Mysterious Sect.
After parting with Chun-baek hyung for a while, I proceeded with the plan I had conceived a long time ago.
“First……”
The first contact should be the beggars of the Beggar’s Gang.