Volcanic Age-Chapter 432: Special Edition Chapters (1)

"Gasp!"
Unbelievable!
This was the first thought that popped up in
his
head after the qi circulation that signaled the beginning of the day. He was so shocked that he couldn't get up for a while.
Unable to tell whether he was dreaming or in reality, he pinched his own cheek.
The burning pain radiating from his cheek was definitely real.
"I have to tell Master the news right away!" he muttered, shaking his head violently from side to side.
The plum blossom petals piled on his head fell to the floor.
"Gasp, gasp…"
His breathing became labored, and his heart tightened. He ran so hard that his mouth tasted sweet, but he was running to deliver the good news.
However, the swelling excitement soon gave way to emptiness.
"I-Instructor Little Ghost?"
"..."
The one who greeted the Fourth Generation Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect was not his master, but a mysterious woman with her eyes covered with a cloth.[1]
"Where did Master go, and what brings you here, Instructor…?"
"Guest."
"
Oh,
a guest came to see him, and that's why he's not here?"
Little Ghost nodded.
"I see."
It was a bit disrespectful to say this, but his master wasn't particularly skilled as a warrior. To be honest, he was incompetent. All he knew was the Plum Blossom Cultivation Art and the Plum Blossom Sword.
It was the most basic of the basics; it was the technique everyone knew.
Thus, his master apologized to him and assigned others to teach him martial arts instead. The lady before him was one of them. She wasn't from the Mount Hua Sect. From what he had heard, she was the leader of an assassination force.
He wasn't quite sure why she stayed here. At first, her silence and unchanging expression were frightening, but he soon realized that she was just awkward when it came to expressing her emotions.
She started with basic physical training. Then, she taught him how to train his five senses, how to move, and how to erase his presence.
"Today's training. I'll be in his place."
"What is the training today? Movement techniques? Or…?"
The disciple couldn't continue. Little Ghost appeared as if she'd always been there, but she somehow managed to grab him by his nape.
"Increased exercise."
"
Huh?
"
The disciple's face paled. "N-no!!"
"You. Late today. It's annoying. A punishment."
"W-wait a minute! Instructor! I had a reason!"
Increased exercise. The name suggested a warm-up, but the reality was different. It was more vicious than any training. After exhausting one's qi, one would climb a cliff with their bare hands. It was the kind of training that only a devil could come up with.
"No."
"I said I had a reason?! I have something I need to tell Master!"
"Since you were seven minutes late, I'm increasing the intensity. Make sure you focus on your five senses as well."
Ignoring the disciple, the Instructor removed the black cloth covering her eyes and covered him with it.
"Eeek!"
***
Grandmaster must have been a demon,
thought the disciple as he climbed the steep, cloud-shrouded cliff. It had been two hours since the so-called "increased exercise" began.
A curse floated to his lips, but he couldn't bring himself to utter it. The inventor of "increased exercise" was his master's master, his grandmaster.
He shook the thought out of his mind, which blasphemed not only his Grandmaster but even the deceased.
"I hate cliffs. No more cliffs. I was wrong..." the disciple hugged his knees and muttered upon reaching the summit. His eyes, filled with fear, resembled the eyes of a dead fish.
"Are you okay?"
"Please save me…
Ah,
Junior Master Aunt!"
The disciple was startled by the woman's voice, and then he felt relieved. She was a dazzling beauty; she was so beautiful that she looked like she had descended from the heavens. Perhaps it was due to the clouds, but she possessed a mysterious air.
"Your face is a mess." Luo Xiaoyue, the disciple's master's junior sister, the one he called Junior Master Aunt, chuckled faintly. "Leaving his disciple alone on the cliff, Senior Brother, seriously..."
Wipe, wipe, wipe…
Luo Xiaoyue wiped the dirt from the disciple's face with her sleeve.
W-wow,
he thought, and his heart pounded wildly against his chest. He couldn't come to his senses. She was so beautiful that she made him think that she was an immortal fairy.
"
Um,
Junior Master Aunt..."
"
Huh?
"
"If it's not too much trouble, may I ask for your age?"
"How old do you think I look?"
"Mid-to-late thirties...?"
"
Fufu.
Really?" Luo Xiaoyue didn't answer the disciple's question. She simply smiled.
The junior master aunt patted the junior nephew's head affectionately.
"Well then. Enough with the small talk, let's get started on our cultivation."
"Cultivation?"
The disciple doubted his ears. He had been climbing the steep cliff for two hours, and now, it was time to cultivate? What was that supposed to mean?
For a moment, she looked like a demon from hell rather than an immortal fairy. It was a display of cruelty so cruel that even the leaders of the Luo'an Hell would be astonished.
"
Um,
Junior Master Aunt."
"No."
"Aren't you curious about why you don't see the master?"
"You can't get through to me."
Luo Xiaoyue laughed, as his actions were ridiculous.
"A guest came. I think she was a beautiful person."
"...A beautiful person?"
Luo Xiaoyue's smile vanished.
"Yes. The instructor said so."
It wasn't a lie. A guest had come. The rest was speculation, though.
"..."
"..."
"Junior Nephew."
"Yes, Junior Master Aunt."
"I'm really sorry, but something urgent came to mind. I think I need to go now."
"It's okay. It happens."
"Okay, see you later."
Swoosh!
Luo Xiaoyue waved her hand and disappeared down the cliff.
"Wow..."
The disciple was amazed. Putting aside her lightness art, just watching Luo Xiaoyue glide down the cliff at breakneck speeds was incredible.
"Junior Master Aunt is always amazing. It's embarrassing for me, a disciple, to say this, but why does someone as amazing as Junior Master Aunt like someone as incompetent as Master?"
In the disciple's eyes, his master was an unremarkable person. He found it regretful, but he was not dissatisfied at all. If his master hadn't taken him in, he would have starved to death.
He felt gratitude and respect, as he owed his life to his master.
However, that was
that,
and this was
this.
"According to Junior Master Aunt, Master is a great man, but honestly, I can't believe it…"
In the disciple's eyes, his master was an ordinary person. The only thing he had worth teaching was the basics of martial arts—the Plum Blossom Cultivation Art and the Plum Blossom Sword—which every disciple knew.
Even though he was a warrior, his hobby wasn't swinging a sword, but reading. The only thing unusual about him was his white hair. His master told him that he suffered a lot in his youth, and his hair turned white around his twenties as a result of the hardships.
Sometimes, when the disciple asked him about life, the disciple wouldn't receive a proper answer. Instead, his master would say, "You'll know when the time comes."
"
Ah,
I'm home."
Normally, it would have felt like a long walk, but with all the thoughts running through his head, the walk felt short.
"
Whew,
when will I ever get out of this damn place?"
Following the endless stone steps, he came across the cabin he had just been at a few hours ago. Built amidst the rugged mountains, it wasn't particularly large, but it was enough for two people to stay in.
The cabin itself was nice. According to his master, it was built by a skilled craftsman. However, it was quite a distance from Luogan Peak, where Mount Hua Sect was located, making travel between the two places difficult.
Moreover, the steep cliffs, ridges, and dense forest obscured the view. The disciple asked why they were staying in such a place, and his master replied, "It's because there were too many visitors."
He understood his master's feelings, but as a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, it was incredibly frustrating. He had never actually been to the sect, much less seen it—no, he had seen the sect when he was
very
young.
Often, his master's acquaintances would come to visit, like Luo Xiaoyue, so he wasn't lonely, but he still longed to meet someone his own age. Thus, he cultivated diligently to gain recognition and enter the
murim
as soon as possible.
He also wanted to know what kind of person his master really was.
"I'm hom—
ah!
"
The disciple opened the door absentmindedly and was startled. Through the crack in the door was a venomous gaze, gleaming with rage and murderous intent.
"
Ahhh!
A demon!"
"A demon? Truly, as if they wouldn't call you his disciple. How audacious."
Hmph!
There was no demon in the middle of the room.
Instead, there was a beautiful woman. She was different from the innocent and mysterious Luo Xiaoyue. Her eyes were sharp as blades, and her majesty made one bow involuntarily toward her. Her aura was also both noble and captivating.
"
H-huh?
"
"Why are you standing there like that with a face so similar to your Master's?"
"
Ah!
"
The disciple finally realized the lady's identity.
"Since you've realized who I am, how about you bring me some tea? I might just pretend that I didn't hear what you just said."
An authoritative air radiated from her gaze, attitude, and demeanor, but she was quite different from common noblewomen.
"Yes, yes!"
It was a merciless, stern remark, even to a child. As expected of
her
. Knowing that her words weren't a mere joke, the disciple employed his honed movement technique and brought her tea.
"And him?"
"He's not here because there's a guest."
"
Hmph.
"
The lady quenched her thirst with tea.
"I clearly said that I'd visit today... What do you think?"
"Pardon, yes?"
"I'm asking about his disregard for our previous arrangement by leaving. I want to hear your opinion as his disciple."
Oh, Yuanshi Tianzun, Great Venerable Jade Pure One, save me!
His respect for his master waned. Instead, resentment and fear grew within him. He wanted to get out of this situation right away. It was
that
uncomfortable.
Whew, whew. Calm down. They say that even in a tiger's den, as long as you keep your wits about you, you can survive.
His master told him that he ought to never lose his composure.
Yes, Grandfather Head Merchant's advice is coming to mind.
The image of an old man with a plump body flashed through his mind.
The Head Merchant always says that no one hates flattery!
The disciple opened his mouth, seemingly determined.
"You're exactly right! Master is too much…"
"If you're going to use such obvious flattery, prepare yourself. I'll put you in a poison jar and build up your tolerance in no time."
"
Hmm…
"
The lady seemed to dislike flattery.
"I was asking for your opinion."
Even though the door wasn't open, her sleeves were fluttering.
It wasn't the wind. It was evidence of her rising qi.
The disciple stuttered, sweat pouring down his face.
"M-Mistress... I, that..."
"...What?"
"
Aaah!
I'm, I'm sorry! Mistress! Please forgive me!"
He raised his arms to cover his face, and his neck shrank like a turtle. He wanted to get away, but running away was useless against someone who had reached the peak of martial arts, just like Luo Xiaoyue.
"Hey."
"Yes, yes?"
"Mistress?"
"Yes?"
"Answer."
"M-Master's wife..." the disciple answered in a timid voice.
"Who?"
"Uh… aren't you Lady Tang Hui—"
The beautiful lady—Tang Hui's eyebrows trembled. The disciple, wondering if he had mispoken, quickly corrected himself, but stopped short.
Tang Hui's lips twitched.
This is it!
Tang Hui's reaction made the disciple secretly rejoice.
"Mistress, Mistress. I, the incompetent disciple, am begging for forgiveness from Mistress Tang, Master's wife."
"You really are
his
disciple. The way you twist your tongue is exactly the same… exactly the same. Very well, I forgive you."
Tang Hui's mouth was hidden by her sleeve, but the disciple could see that her ears were flushed. Her curved eyebrows also hinted at a smile. Amidst their conversation in this friendly atmosphere, another visitor arrived.
1. Technically, generations in Korean Murim aren't specific to a group of people, but to an age range. For example, once Zhou Xuchuan reaches his thirties, he becomes a Third Generation Disciple of Mount Hua, and Liu Zhengmu, in his forties, would be a Second Generation. The first generation is essentially all the elders. ☜