Chapter 232
Translator: uly
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: The Crimson Monk's Bandage
What am I supposed to do with this?
I started to make a troubled face but held back. For now, I kept a nonchalant expression and even tossed out a joke.
But the mysterious figure said nothing again this time. Was he mute, or was he really doing that silent training like the rumors said? A telepathic message would’ve been nice.
“What are you doing here? Out for a nighttime stroll? The moon and stars aren’t even visible tonight.”
“…….”
“Looks like thick clouds rolled in. Rain’s probably coming tomorrow. It’s been stifling hot, so it’d be great if it pours.”
“…….”
No matter what I said, the crimson monk stayed silent. I had no idea why he’d suddenly appeared to block my path.
Wi Seong-cheon stared at the crimson monk for a moment, then shrugged.
“I don’t know what you’re doing here. If you’ve got nothing to say, I’m leaving?”
I said that and tried to walk past, but the crimson monk slowly shook his head.
Should I just ignore him and go? What if he gets pissed and attacks? If my arm were fine, that’d be one thing, but right now, dealing with the crimson monk would be a hassle—and trouble. Besides, Wi Seong-cheon couldn’t even gauge how strong he was.
“Hey, if you’re gonna hold me up like this, at least say something. Huh? Give me a reason or whatever.”
The crimson monk slowly raised his hand. At that small motion, Wi Seong-cheon immediately stepped back and assumed a stance. But he sensed no hostility from the crimson monk, and no attack came.
He’d just raised his hand to point at Wi Seong-cheon. Wi Seong-cheon awkwardly relaxed his stance. He didn’t fully let his guard down, though, in case some qi shot out from the monk’s fingertip.
“……What’s this about?”
The crimson monk still said nothing. Wi Seong-cheon followed the direction he was pointing.
His right arm.
The crimson monk’s finger was aimed at Wi Seong-cheon’s right arm. Wi Seong-cheon stared at his own arm, then slowly clenched his fist.
It didn’t move well. The sensation was sluggish. But it wasn’t completely immobile. He could use Reverse Flow if he had to. Of course, that would ruin the arm even more.
“……What about it?”
The crimson monk lifted his foot. Without a word, he began slowly approaching Wi Seong-cheon.
Should I hit him now or not? Wi Seong-cheon pondered that as the monk moved. The crimson monk raised both arms above his head, as if signaling he meant no harm.
Wi Seong-cheon let him approach for now. The monk stopped a few steps away. There, he lowered the arms he’d raised overhead and pointed again at Wi Seong-cheon’s right arm.
“……What…….”
The bandages unraveled from the crimson monk’s arm. They were the red bandages wrapped around his entire body.
Wi Seong-cheon glared at the wriggling bandages slithering toward him. He wasn’t naive enough to let something that suspicious get close. He started backing away, but the crimson monk scratched words into the ground with his toe.
‘Stay still.’
“Hey, who stays still just because you say so, you idiot?”
‘Heal.’
“Can’t you just talk? Or use telepathy.”
Should I trust this or not? Wi Seong-cheon’s brow furrowed. In the end, he decided to stay put.
There was no reason for the crimson monk to pull some trick like this, and from everything he’d done so far, it was clear he harbored no ill will toward Wi Seong-cheon.
Still, Wi Seong-cheon didn’t drop his guard completely. He watched the approaching bandages warily, ready to shake them off and counterattack if anything seemed off.
The slithering bandages wrapped around Wi Seong-cheon’s right arm. He watched silently. They covered his entire forearm thickly, then snapped off.
“……You said heal?”
The severed bandage slapped right onto his skin. Wi Seong-cheon stared at the crimson monk in disbelief. It was just wrapped in bandages. This was more like first aid than real treatment. Wi Seong-cheon could do that much himself.
“If you’re gonna bandage me up, at least use a clean new one. Why give me the filthy thing from your own body?”
He asked out of sheer absurdity, but the crimson monk didn’t write any more words on the ground. He glanced at Wi Seong-cheon’s now-bandaged right arm, then turned and walked away.
“…….”
Wi Seong-cheon blankly watched the crimson monk leave. Then he flinched and looked down at his right arm.
No pain.
He immediately wiggled his fingers. The numb sensation was gone, and they moved perfectly.
He circulated his internal energy. The damaged meridians were fully restored and connected; the energy flowed without blockage.
‘What the hell?’
The injury, which had been quite serious just before the bandages wrapped it, had improved instantly. Wi Seong-cheon tried to peel back the bandage on his forearm, but it clung tightly to his skin and wouldn’t come off.
“Huh.”
He pressed it firmly with his hand and tried yanking it hard. Wi Seong-cheon could only marvel again. The bandage was thinner than paper and weighed nothing.
Yet no matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t tear. Pressing it yielded no give. He tapped it with his fist, then slammed down with force.
Almost no impact transferred to the bandaged forearm. And the striking fist didn’t rebound either.
“What the hell is this?”
It healed wounds in an instant and dispersed all but the heaviest blows. To think such a treasure existed. Wi Seong-cheon was floored.
‘Good thing I didn’t fight him.’
The crimson monk was covered head to toe in these bandages. Fighting him would mean breaking through them first.
‘And no clue why he’d do this for me.’
Pondering wouldn’t yield answers. It was a bandage, though—maybe Yeomyeong would know what it was. Wi Seong-cheon resumed walking with those thoughts.
“You’re back?”
He passed through the city gates and opened the Blood Palace doors.
A voice rang out as if she’d been waiting. Wi Seong-cheon wasn’t too surprised and looked toward the source.
It was Baek Ri-hyang. Her training must’ve ended while he was in the forest. She leaned crookedly against a pillar, glaring at him.
“What are you doing there?”
“Waiting for you.”
“You didn’t even change clothes?”
Baek Ri-hyang was in her training uniform. It was the one she wore for sessions—worn out and torn in places—so she always cleaned up and changed right after.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Her gaze was fierce, her voice ice-cold.
Her training had made her even more beautiful and alluring, but the subtle anger in her eyes clearly reached Wi Seong-cheon.
“Why do you think?”
Irritation laced her voice. She strode toward him.
The closer she got, the more intensely her seductive aura battered him. Wi Seong-cheon cleared his throat and sharpened his focus.
“Hey, calm down first.”
“Do I look calm? Where the hell have you been?”
“Just…….”
“You think I don’t know? You went to the forest. Without telling me!”
Baek Ri-hyang stopped advancing and yelled sharply. Wi Seong-cheon took a step back instead.
The energy she emitted was alien and lethal. It was practically demonic charm. Her allure didn’t just tempt—it shook the soul itself.
“……Don’t get so mad.”
“How can I not?! If you’re gonna keep doing whatever you want…….”
“Didn’t we promise when we first joined hands? No interfering with what I do.”
“……In exchange, you promised to help me take down Heukcheon Gongja.”
Wi Seong-cheon shut his mouth without retorting.
“Yeah, we did at first. I don’t interfere with what you do in the Black Forest, and I don’t give you orders. In return…… you said you’d do your utmost to catch Heukcheon Gongja.”
“That’s right.”
“You went to the forest, didn’t you? What did you do there?”
“Turned Yang Jeon into a cripple.”
“……You mad bastard……!”
Baek Ri-hyang’s shoulders trembled faintly at his answer.
“Why the hell would you do that? You’re supposed to catch Heukcheon Gongja, not Yang Jeon!”
“With one less rival, it’s good for you too.”
“Don’t give me that crap. You think…… I don’t see through you?”
Her pupils quivered. She approached again, stopping right in front of him.
“You…… really…… planning to catch Heukcheon Gongja at all?”
“…….”
“Why won’t you answer?”
“I’m sorry.”
Wi Seong-cheon sighed deeply and turned his head.
Now that he knew Heukcheon Gongja’s circumstances, he couldn’t fight him. The reason he targeted Sanggwan Hu, Yang Jeon, and other rivals was to protect Heukcheon Gongja.
But what about Baek Ri-hyang? She wanted to defeat him and become the Black Demon King’s disciple. She craved official inheritance of the Divine Demon Extermination Method he hadn’t passed to her.
No matter how strong she’d grown, she couldn’t beat Heukcheon Gongja alone. She absolutely needed Wi Seong-cheon’s help.
When he’d first made the promise with Baek Ri-hyang.
Wi Seong-cheon hadn’t imagined things would turn out like this. But hadn’t the Black Demon King said it himself?
Since Heukcheon Gongja was Sima Iljon’s hidden blade, he wouldn’t keep the defeated boy around anymore.
“……What’re you sorry for?”
“I don’t think I can keep the promise. I…… can’t catch Heukcheon Gongja.”
At that, Baek Ri-hyang snapped her hand up. Wi Seong-cheon thought a slap was coming and waited still. He wasn’t shameless enough to dodge or block it.
But no slap came. Her raised right hand just trembled. Then tears welled up in her big eyes.
“You shitty bastard.”
She spat it out in a quavering voice. She no longer emitted her demonic charm.
“You shitty bastard. Sor…… sorry? Can’t keep the promise? That’s all?”
“Sorry.”
“You fucking asshole!”
Baek Ri-hyang bellowed. What flew wasn’t a slap. She couldn’t bring herself to strike his face.
Instead, she kicked his shin with a sharp crack. But Wi Seong-cheon didn’t waver.
“Liar, asshole, slimy bastard, you, you fucking shit……!”
“…….”
“Do you know how much I trusted you?! Sure, you’re slippery and annoying, but you’ve got the skills……! And…… and I got stronger too. I thought I could help when you fought now……!”
Crack, crack! She kicked his shin a few more times.
“You’re a rotten bastard. Even now, you won’t tell me anything. Can’t say anything but sorry? Why can’t you catch him? Why break the promise?!”
“That’s…….”
“Why! Can’t tell me?! Just unilaterally say you can’t and that’s it?! Don’t you have to convince me! Why, why?!”
“No, it’s not that I can’t say…….”
“You damn bastard. Am I that nothing to you? We spent months together! Trained together, learned swordsmanship……! You think it doesn’t matter since we’ll split in a few days anyway?! Doesn’t it mean anything to you?!”
“……What?”
“How can you say that?! I, I thought we had…… something…… like a bond. From training together and all……! I thought you saw me not as the Black Demon King’s daughter, but just as ‘me’…… That’s why…… it made me happy…….”
“Hey, hold on.”
“What hold on?! Cold-blooded prick, just get lost! Get out of my sight! You’re just gonna shut up anyway, never get hurt like I am, so take that shameless mug elsewhere…….”
“Hey!”
Wi Seong-cheon bellowed. Baek Ri-hyang, mid-kick on his shin, flinched and shrank back.
“I’m talking! Ugh, why won’t you listen and just ramble on?!”
“Ra-ramble?”
“Yeah!”
Wi Seong-cheon thumped his chest in frustration. Only then did Baek Ri-hyang notice his right arm wrapped tightly in bandages.
“What’s with your arm?”
“It’s injured!”
“I know that! How?!”
“Is that important right now? Hey, follow me.”
“Where?”
“My room!”
Baek Ri-hyang’s face stiffened at his shout.
“Ro-room? Suddenly?”
“If you don’t like it, your room then.”
“No, can’t. Dad’ll scold me.”
“……What bullshit is that?”
No, he probably wouldn’t even care. Baek Ri-hyang chewed her lower lip.
Wi Seong-cheon gave her a weird look, then nodded.
“Fine, here then.”
“You’re crazy?”
“Crazy how? You wanted me to convince you. Look, the truth is Heukcheon Gongja…….”
Wi Seong-cheon glared at Baek Ri-hyang as he explained Heukcheon Gongja’s connection to Sima Iljon and what the Black Demon King had said about dealing with his defeated pawn.
From the moment he started, her face soured. She realized too late she’d made a huge mistake.
And when the story ended.
“Why make me misunderstand?”
“Huh?”
“You bastard……!”
Baek Ri-hyang blurted it out and kicked his shin again.