Chapter 211

Chapter Title: Portent of War (1)

Yeo Haun trudged along until he finally reached Mount Emei.

*Phew...*

He wiped the sweat dripping from his brow with his sleeve. His legs weren't what they used to be.

He could definitely feel his body growing frail. It was bitter, but there was no helping it.

Yeo Haun had no intention of resisting the flow of time.

Now in his forties, the youthful vigor of his younger days had long faded, and he had been pursuing a more comfortable life for some time.

Yeo Haun entered the village at the foot of Mount Emei and sought out an inn first.

It was a small village, so there were only a few inns, and even those weren't in great shape.

He clicked his tongue in bitterness and entered the largest one he could find.

He plopped down into a seat and set down his bundle.

The waiter approached leisurely and asked,

"Are you a merchant?"

"I'm a wanderer. Worn out from a long journey—bring me two flasks of liquor and a bowl of noodles."

The waiter shouted the order to the kitchen, then brought out the flasks and a cup, placing them in front of Yeo Haun.

Yeo Haun massaged his legs and said to the waiter,

"Bring another cup and have a seat. As you can see, I'm traveling alone, so it's a bit lonely. Let's wet our throats together."

"I can't drink right now."

Yeo Haun let out a hollow chuckle.

"That young friend is awfully stiff. Why not?"

"I'm working. How could I?"

"Even so, this is just a small inn in a remote village with hardly any customers. What's the harm in getting a little drunk? You're probably not expecting anyone else today?"

The waiter glanced toward the kitchen, then answered honestly.

"...Truth is, our innkeeper doesn't like it."

"Call him out. I'll handle it. It's rude to refuse a customer's offer of a drink."

The waiter finally sat down with a sigh.

Seeing the faint anticipation on his face, Yeo Haun smiled as well.

"Here, have a drink. What's your name?"

"...Jang Cheolyu."

"Cheolyu, good name. I'm Mok Jeong."

Jang Cheolyu poured a drink into Yeo Haun's cup as well.

Their drinking session began.

They chatted idly about this and that, and Yeo Haun shook off his travel fatigue.

The cook came out and said something to Jang Cheolyu, who was taking a sip, but Yeo Haun intervened and even had the cook sit down.

The drinking table with the cook, Jang Cheolyu, and Yeo Haun continued until deep into the evening.

Perhaps because it was Mount Emei, the conversation even drifted to the Emei Sect.

Out of curiosity, Yeo Haun asked,

"By the way, I've heard that Senior Nun Cheongwol is extraordinarily beautiful. Is it true?"

Jang Cheolyu and the cook both sighed at once.

Yeo Haun, not understanding the sighs, asked,

"...Why?"

Jang Cheolyu retorted,

"You call that mere talk?"

"I mean, why? I've never seen her."

"It's disrespectful to say such things about a nun, but..."

Jang Cheolyu glanced around, then whispered quietly.

"...It's a pity she's a nun. The greatest beauty of the Central Plains is a nun—what a strange world, isn't it?"

Yeo Haun tilted his head.

"‘Greatest beauty of the Central Plains’ sounds like an exaggeration. Is there really no one more beautiful than Senior Nun Cheongwol in all the Central Plains? It's probably because of her high cultivation that people show her such respect. All those ‘greatest beauties’ I've encountered were overhyped."

The cook scoffed at Yeo Haun's words.

"You don't know how many times we've heard that in this inn. Everyone says the same thing. But once they lay eyes on Senior Nun Cheongwol, they all realize how ignorant they were. Other so-called greatest beauties might be exaggerated, but Cheongwol Junior Nun is different. If she weren't a nun, she'd have become the wife of some high noble by now."

"That beautiful?"

"Don't even talk about it. There aren't just one or two men who've suffered heartbreak over her on this Mount Emei. Some even say the Buddha took her in as a nun because he was captivated by her beauty."

Yeo Haun smacked his lips and picked up the liquor flask.

The two flasks were empty. He scratched his head.

"I've had enough now—I should get some rest. Oh, before that, one more thing. Is there a place nearby that sells ropes? Mine broke on the road, and it's causing me trouble."

Jang Cheolyu answered,

"There used to be, but not anymore."

"What? Why?"

"...You know about the martial arts criminal shaking up the Central Plains these days?"

"There are a couple, sure. But from the way you're talking, you mean those six, right?"

"Yes. Truth is, on our way back from watching the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly at Mount Song, our Emei group was ambushed by one of them. That time... the man in the village who made ropes couldn't escape the disaster either."

"...Couldn't escape the disaster?"

"Don't pry too deep. It's not important."

Yeo Haun clicked his tongue.

"This is really inconvenient. Do you happen to know where that rope seller's shop was? If there's anything left, I'd like to pay for it from the shelves."

Jang Cheolyu and the cook exchanged glances, then stepped outside the inn.

Yeo Haun followed them.

Outside the inn, Jang Cheolyu pointed off into the distance.

"Go straight down this road, then turn left. The shabbiest shop farthest down is the Leather Room."

"Mm."

Yeo Haun paid for his meal and bid them farewell.

He hummed a tune under the influence of the alcohol as he made his way to the Leather Room.

"...It really is shabby."

He whispered.

A sign was staked in front of the Leather Room.

'Absent. No Entry.'

Yeo Haun stared at the sign, then ignored it.

He opened the door and entered the Leather Room.

creeeak...

The door opened with an eerie groan.

He glanced around the interior.

It was a small Leather Room, so there wasn't much to see.

Frowning as he looked around, he noticed a small door on the floor.

He easily realized it led to a basement.

Yeo Haun quietly opened the door.

Cool air flowed out.

As he peered into the deep abyss, something cold touched his neck.

At first, he thought it was his imagination, but the sensation grew more vivid and heavier.

He belatedly realized that what touched his neck was a blade.

"...Two months."

A woman's clear voice rang out at that moment.

Yeo Haun's body stiffened. It was as if she'd dropped from a clear sky.

"...I've waited two months."

The woman whispered, as if she'd known all along that he would come.

Yeo Haun's eyes trembled, and he quietly said,

"P-please spare me. I mean no harm."

But the blade did not leave his neck.

She asked,

"Affiliation?"

Yeo Haun cried out in panic,

"-A-affiliation...? I-I'm just a wanderer! I couldn't resist my curiosity and came in—please let me go!"

Pierce! Pierce! Pierce!

At his words, something mercilessly pierced through his left arm three times.

Yeo Haun opened his mouth to scream, but a voice reached his ears first.

"Scream, and it won't end well for you."

He ultimately swallowed his voice.

Blood began to drip from his arm.

With the blade still at his neck, he whispered unjustly,

"I-don't know who you are... b-but is this okay even on Mount Emei? Aren't you afraid of the Emei Sect nuns?"

"You plan to be shameless to the end?"

"W-what are you—"

"-You smell the same as me."

At those words, Yeo Haun froze.

Meanwhile, the clear voice continued.

"The smell of someone who's killed countless people. You can wash the blood from your hands, but you can't erase the scent soaked into your soul. I can spot my own kind easily. And do you think an ordinary wanderer could endure a hole in their body without screaming? This is your last chance. What's your affiliation?"

Yeo Haun said,

"...Specter Society."

"Dokgo Jinmuk?"

Hearing the name of the one who should have been his backup mentioned first by the enemy made his blood run cold.

It meant a master who didn't flinch even at Dokgo Jinmuk's name was behind this.

Perhaps someone with a grudge against Dokgo Jinmuk.

As she had said, it meant she'd been waiting a long time for someone sent by Dokgo Jinmuk, just like him.

As he hesitated in shock, the blade at his neck began to move.

In response to the sensation, Yeo Haun cried out urgently,

"Y-yes, that's right. I wasn't originally, but our Specter Society was subjugated under Lord Dokgo's command a few months ago. I have no grudge against this Leather Room's owner. I'm just following orders."

"Take me to the Specter Society leader."

"I-am the leader."

"Then take me to whoever gave you the orders."

"I-if you're looking for the Cult Leader, it's impossible through me."

"Cult Leader?"

"I mean Lord Dokgo. Blood Night Cult Leader Dokgo Jinmuk. Even if you hound a lowly pawn like me, you won't get close to the Cult Leader—"

Puuk!!

This time, a hole pierced his right arm.

Only then did Yeo Haun realize what had pierced his body.

It was this master's finger.

What kind of master could pierce flesh with their finger?

What black path expert could be this cruel?

The master inserted her finger into his right arm and twisted it.

Sweat poured down as Yeo Haun endured the scream.

He asked,

"You... think you can handle it? What will you do even if you find the Cult Leader...? He's a monster. If you value your life, stop here. I'll quietly leave too. Or since you seem like a master, you could join under the Cult Leader—"

"-Shut up. I didn't ask for your opinion."

The master whispered with difficulty.

Yeo Haun could feel her barely suppressing immense rage.

The fear of her overwhelmed him.

Honestly, it was scarier now than when he'd been helplessly subjugated by Dokgo Jinmuk's subordinates.

This was a fear he'd never felt before.

A master whose presence he hadn't sensed until she grabbed him from behind.

The way she handled him like an insect.

Even Dokgo Jinmuk's subordinates hadn't been this cruel.

With them, he at least felt some humanity, but not this being.

She had no human feel to her.

Who would have thought he'd encounter such a being on Mount Emei?

The master withdrew her finger.

"Shut your mouth and lead the way. The moment a sound leaks from your lips, my patience ends. Remember this well. If you weren't the Leather Room's owner, you'd already be dead."

He wanted to ask what that meant, but Yeo Haun didn't open his mouth again.

Instead, he tore his clothes with his teeth to staunch the bleeding in both arms, then silently moved his feet.

Escaping would be difficult.

Yeo Haun sensed it instinctively. This master was on a completely different level.

Perhaps she'd even surpassed the wall of peak realm.

Why had a peak realm black path master infiltrated Mount Emei?

Yeo Haun exhaled labored breaths and quietly exited the Leather Room.

He endured the pain, but curiosity made him glance back for a moment.

He wanted to see the master's face.

"...!"

The moment moonlight fell on the master's face, Yeo Haun nearly gasped.

A beauty that made him forget the horrific pain in his arms.

He couldn't believe this was the master who had pierced his arms.

She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his life.

Above all, she was so, so young.

Had he, Yeo Haun of the Specter Society, been caught off guard and terrified by such a junior expert?

There were even dark tear tracks on the woman's cheeks, making her look all the more decadent.

Only then did Yeo Haun realize who she was.

Her nun's robes now registered in his eyes.

An Emei Sect nun.

...Thousand-Year Flower.

So you're Cheongwol.

Come to think of it, he'd heard rumors that she had ascended to the ranks of peak masters.

He had been out of touch with recent Central Plains news, tormented by Dokgo Jinmuk.

While it was hard to believe Cheongwol could be this cruel, no one else was this beautiful.

Why was Cheongwol crying? Was this man, her target, that important to her?

Yeo Haun hadn't received any explanations from Dokgo Jinmuk's side. He hadn't dared to ask, nor was he in a position to question.

After all, he was just a disposable tool. No one explains the full situation to a tool.

The orders had simply been to find a merchant close to Cheongwol, or the Leather Room owner.

Yeo Haun had blindly tracked this man down like a tool as well.

...This man, whom he assumed was now dead.

If he weren't dead, Cheongwol wouldn't be crying... nor burning with such vengeance.

He hadn't expected to run into Cheongwol herself. Nor that she could be this ruthless.

"...Lead the way."

Cheongwol whispered.

He nodded silently and unleashed his lightness skill.

Cheongwol followed him.

He didn't know what Cheongwol planned to do once she met Dokgo Jinmuk's subordinate, but one thing was certain.

The killing intent of this Emei Sect's future sect leader was denser than any he'd ever felt.

It was hard to believe she came from the righteous factions.