Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Black and White Sword Ghost (3)
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Just like that, I picked up yet another traveling companion trailing behind Seo Yul-hye: Seo Miryeo, the Black and White Sword Ghost. And since she'd joined without permission, leaving just a single letter at the Emei Sect, it turned into something of a thrilling scandal.
Would Jeongam Satae explode in rage?
But the women of the Seo family wore carefree expressions, saying their master wouldn't mind.
What kind of figure was Jeongam Satae really like within the Emei Sect? Brushing it off with a hearty laugh felt a bit off from the Jeongam Satae I knew.
In the game, if you took the wrong route and ended up fighting her, she'd charge at you like a vengeful spirit, not caring if she lost a limb in the process. Knowing that side of her, I just couldn't reconcile it with the kindly image the Seo women described.
Anyway, our journey to Shaanxi began.
With the carriage smashed to bits, we had to go on foot, but there was no rush, so we took it slow. Munching on the candied fruit from my pouch. I offered some to Seo Yul-hye when she eyed it enviously. As for Seo Miryeo, she didn't say a word. She seemed like she wanted some... but maybe not.
Our pace was slower than expected.
We had to stop now and then.
Because the stylishly masked and robed Seo Miryeo would halt every time she spotted a puddle or lake that reflected her image, checking herself out. Then she'd giggle to herself.
Was it really that great?
It put me in a good mood too.
At around 170 cm tall with long, slender limbs, she looked good in anything.
None of my presets had that kind of build. Excluding the forbidden ones, that is. By the way, Seo Yul-hye next to her had also changed into clothes I'd given her. A thick undergarment topped with flowing nasam robes. At her request, she wore the same bamboo hat and veil as me.
To sum it up: one woman in black-and-white mask and robes, one in a veiled bamboo hat, and me sandwiched in the middle.
We looked suspicious as hell. If we'd been near the capital, the imperial guards might've hauled us in for questioning.
"This is so amazing, Senior Brother! There's no hole, but I can see fine and breathe easy!"
Seo Miryeo tapped excitedly on the mask covering her face and exclaimed. Seo Yul-hye, watching fondly, tossed in a casual remark.
"There's a ton more where that came from, you know?"
"The merchants I'd met before just sold junk. If I'd known, I would've shopped around more."
"...Who knows if other martial merchants sell stuff like this."
"There is one who does."
There was another peddler who sold rare items besides me—a hidden NPC whose location was unpredictable.
"Really? That's fascinating."
Seo Yul-hye nodded with interest, then tugged Seo Miryeo away from the lakeside. Was that her pulling her ear? Despite being just a year apart, they felt like sisters with a big age gap.
I asked her when she returned.
"How was it back at the sect? Were you two close?"
"Yeah, we were. She was fun to be around, and above all, Miryeo has such a sweet personality. Sure, her hands could get a bit rough sometimes, but it really felt like having a little sister."
"I think of her as close too."
"Oh, really?"
She'd chimed in out of the blue, so I responded politely, but Seo Miryeo seemed to think she'd messed up and quickly added more.
"Why do I think that? Well, the other senior brothers and sisters don't really like talking to me. When I get excited, I talk too fast, and they say it's annoying. I thought it was fun, but they even complain my jokes are hard to follow. But Senior Sister Seo Yul-hye always chats with me forever, sneaks me candied fruit, so she's my first friend..."
She unleashed the words in one deep breath, like a qi master's controlled exhale. Seo Yul-hye chuckled softly.
It really made me rethink the power of words. Who would've thought that face could look so harmless and innocent? If we'd met on a 21st-century street, it would've been dubbed a merciless heartbreaker generator.
After finishing, Seo Miryeo glanced at me sideways.
Seo Yul-hye poked my back.
I turned instinctively, then caught on and reached into my bosom.
Ah, she was saying she wanted some candy too since we're friends? Did she have to beat around the bush like that? Wasn't that too timid?
"She has a bit of that side to her."
Seo Yul-hye whispered in my ear. Yeah, being a loner with that face couldn't be easy. I could sort of understand why she had no friends.
"Looks can be deceiving—she's sharper than she lets on. Here."
"Thank you..."
Seo Miryeo accepted it politely with both hands.
She popped the consumable item [Sweet and Tangy Rainbow Candied Fruit] into her mouth with a happy face and crunched away mercilessly. Totally different from Seo Yul-hye, who savored it slowly. Maybe because they trained in the same arts, their height and build were so similar it made me compare them constantly over nothing.
Anyway, it was about time for Shaanxi.
The rugged Sichuan mountains, full of canyons and cliffs, were giving way.
Smoother paths shaped by human hands stretched ahead. Wheel ruts from a recent carriage were still visible.
Of course, we still had a long way to go.
About ten days on foot.
Walking through the night was too much, so we camped along the way.
I'd fetch wood under the pretense of sword practice, Seo Miryeo would chop it into firewood, and Seo Yul-hye would spin sticks for friction to start the fire. Primitive, but with three martial artists, a campfire was crackling in under a minute.
"So warm... Yawwwn..."
Seo Miryeo lifted her mask and yawned sleepily with half-lidded eyes. Her face flushed red from the fire's heat. Her head bobbed down like a pendulum, then jerked back up, over and over. In a drowsy murmur.
"This is fun..."
Then she nodded off again.
Watching her with Seo Yul-hye made the time fly.
The pre-dawn air clung coldly to the skin, making the campfire's warmth feel especially cozy tonight.
I thought, if I returned to Earth, I'd miss nights like this.
......
The next morning.
Today, we had business.
Making plans.
No need for anything detailed or rigid.
All plans assumed my knowledge of the story's flow was spot-on, so if things deviated even slightly, we'd adapt freely. Still, having a plan versus none made a huge difference—mostly mentally. It gets you moving, like someone with a tight commute still dragging themselves out of bed every day. That's enough.
I tossed it out casually while walking.
"You probably suspected, but I'm a man with quite a few secrets."
Having many secrets had been a secret itself, but now it wasn't.
Seo Yul-hye nodded as if she'd known all along. So did Seo Miryeo, gazing at me steadily and nodding slowly.
"H-Honestly, the items you carry are too amazing for a regular merchant..."
"Mm. That's one of my secrets. I can't tell you everything, but basically, I'm affiliated with a certain group. I receive info from them and preempt upcoming crises. For reference, most of those crises involve the Demonic Cult."
"Was meeting me part of that plan too?"
"Half yes. Originally, I meant to purify the Demonic Cult's alchemy when it activated and leave right after..."
"You're weak to temptation."
"...?"
Her sharp jab came out of nowhere; I turned, and Seo Miryeo was clamping her mouth shut like she hadn't meant to say it.
"Ahem..."
Well, she wasn't wrong. I did fall for the temptation.
But look at King Yin—he sold out his whole kingdom for a woman. What chance did an average guy like me have against a beauty like Seo Yul-hye?
If I had steel willpower like that, I'd have bolted to Heavenly Mountain and lopped off the Heavenly Demon's head already.
I tried to resist, but she came at me full force, so I caved. No excuses. I admitted it flatly and flicked her forehead. She yelped and tumbled back.
Glancing at the suddenly quiet Seo Yul-hye, I saw her head bowed with a darkened expression.
"Am I... getting in the way?"
I chuckled and placed a hand on her head.
Stroking gently, my fingers wove through her hair.
"You've already forgotten."
The morning sun rose, burning the dawn yellow. Sunlight spread along the ridge, touching our bodies.
Whether from the warmth or my hand, Seo Yul-hye looked up at me, eyes half-lidded. Her image from the heart realm resurfaced. Back then, like now, she'd been trapped in her anxieties.
And back then, like now, my response was always the same.
I spoke boldly.
"Nothing in this world can stand in my way."
*
I didn't mention it earlier, but here's the plan. The Huashan Sect is home to many Wood Ear Clan folk from the Western Regions. Among them is a 149-year-old character called Yuseon Daoist.
She had a master she'd served since childhood, but sadly, being human, he'd lived about 200 years, and his vitality was waning toward death.
Yuseon Daoist sets out in search of the legendary elixir, the Fire Spirit Pill, to restore his energy.
She faces hardships along the way and eventually asks the player for help.
So this has nothing to do with any Demonic Cult raid. It's just a quest. One that lets you meet Yuseon Daoist, who's third in the user popularity poll.
I fiddled with my pouch idly.
Unlike unique gear, consumables like elixirs that could be mass-produced didn't decrease when down to one.
In other words, I had the Fire Spirit Pill. Obviously.
About 99 of them.
'Makes my mouth water.'
A week into our Shaanxi journey, we finally reached a nearby village.